Chapter 5: Return to Work
UC Berkeley values its employees and their contributions; therefore, we must provide injured or disabled employees the opportunity to return to temporary modified or transitional work, as soon as their condition permits.
Transitional work allows employees with temporary work restrictions to work in a modified, alternative, or reduced-hours capacity, for a defined period of time. While recuperating from an illness or injury the employee is able to return to or remain on the job. We believe that supporting our employees with modified work can have a positive impact on their health and recovery, as well as a positive effect on the department’s morale as well as that of the injured employees.
As a supervisor, you play a very important role in the recovery of injured employees. One proven way of decreasing employees' recovery time is by allowing them to return to work with temporary work restrictions. A shorter recovery period often results in a quicker return to regular job duties, which benefits both the employee and the department.
Contact with the Employee
Disability Management encourages contact between the supervisor and their employees during absences resulting from an injury or illness. The type, frequency, and content of the contact will vary depending on the situation. For guidance concerning contact with injured employees, contact your HR Partner and Disability Management.
Employees may have concerns about their work future; these concerns can interfere with recovery. Try to remain in contact with your employees. Keep your employees informed about what’s happening in the department. It’s important to communicate to your employees that you want them back at work as soon as medically possible.
UC Berkeley’s Transitional Return to Work Program
The success of a transitional return-to-work program relies on the collaborative efforts between the employee and you. Both parties need to be a part of this process to ensure success. Guidance and documents can be found in the Transitional Work Program - Supervisor's Tool Kit. The following is the typical Transitional Work process:
- Treating physician releases an employee to work with temporary work restrictions/limitations
- Treating physician provides work restrictions in writing to the employee.
- Employee provides work restrictions to supervisor/manager or directly to DMS.
- Supervisor and employee engage in an “interactive” dialogue to discuss possible temporary job modifications, alternative work, and/or reduced-hours work.
- Supervisor and employee determine the start and end date of this Transitional Work Agreement.
- Supervisor completes the Transitional Work Agreement document once the details have been agreed upon.
- Supervisor reviews the Transitional Work Agreement with the employee.
- Supervisor reviews the “Employee Information Sheet” with the employee and gives a copy to the employee.
- Supervisor and employee sign and date Transitional Work Agreement.
- Supervisor gives a copy of the signed Transitional Work Agreement to the employee.
- Supervisor keeps a copy of the signed Transitional Work Agreement in the employee’s medical file, separate from the employee’s regular personnel file.
- Employee starts transitional work as agreed upon.
- Supervisor should inform his/her HR Partner as to this Transitional Work Agreement.
- Supervisor monitors the employee's work progress, as he/she does with his/her other employees.
- Supervisor reviews the progress of the Transitional Work Agreement with the employee at an agreed-upon date (e.g. midpoint).
- Supervisor and employee, at the conclusion of the Transitional Work Agreement, meet to discuss whether the plan should be terminated, extended, or altered.
- Supervisor should contact Disability Management for assistance during any part of this process.