Guideline 23. Working with workplace actors

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Various workplace actors play key roles in the return-to-work process and their respective roles are reflected in the return-to-work strategy.

Key actors include the person concerned who is absent from work as a result of injury, illness, health condition or disability; their employer; co-employees; and trade unions, employee representatives and other advocates. Where a trade union is represented in the workplace, the return-to-work strategy is consensus based, involving the union at every stage.

Guideline code

RTW_03200

Mechanism

The return-to-work professional should coordinate the activities of the workplace actors in the return-to-work process, involving each stakeholder at the appropriate stage of the process.
The return-to-work professional should regularly share return-to-work information with the appropriate workplace actors through documents, pamphlets and other resources, presentations, education and training.
The return-to-work professional should implement systems such as guidelines and processes to manage conflict among workplace actors. In a unionized workplace, all parties should follow conflict resolution provisions in collective agreements.
The return-to-work professional should follow established guidelines for maintaining confidentiality, ensuring that only personal information that is necessary to advance a person’s return to work is shared with appropriate stakeholders.
The return-to-work professional should collaborate with workplace actors to establish a process and tools for evaluating the effectiveness of their participation in the return-to-work process.

Parent

B. Specific Return-to-work Principles and Guidelines

Structure

The management should collaborate with internal and external workplace actors to establish an return-to-work policy which outlines the respective roles and responsibilities of each actor in the return-to-work process.
The management should ensure relevant workplace actors are actively involved in the return-to-work process, in compliance with their legal responsibilities, and provide regular input and feedback as necessary.
The management should develop specific collaboration strategies and incentives to engage and assist not only large but also small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) which have fewer resources and options regarding the return to work.
The management must respect and adhere to trade union collective agreements and ensure that the return-to-work policy and processes adhere to their relevant provisions. The management should negotiate with the trade union any desired circumvention of any of the provisions of a collective agreement and both parties should document any agreement.
The management should task the return-to-work professional with managing the relationships among workplace actors in the return-to-work process.

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