Managers should maintain open communication with sick employees when professional case managers are not available to help with disability management.
Open communication with sick employees can be difficult. Managers usually have more experienced dealing with business issues than disability cases. A sick employee often seems fragile. Employers worry about doing or saying something that may upset the employee or increase costs related to down-time.
Effective communication between employer, sick employee and stakeholders such as health and insurance professionals, helps a worker’s recovery and return to work. It is important to remember that everyone is on the same team. Spending time listening, understanding and acknowledging the issues that the sick employee is experiencing helps plan return to work strategies.
Even though they are not expected to be counsellors, managers should understand that sick employees are affected by many issues that complicate recovery and return to work. A sick employee may be coping with:
- reduced physical abilities due to current illness, treatment or flare-up of pre-existing health problems;
- anxiety about slow or incomplete recovery;
- frustration about inability to manage daily life, including returning to work;
- miscommunications, confusion and lack of understanding about treatment, prognosis and return to work options;
- financial stress and worry;
- difficulty connecting or communicating with key stakeholders causing uncoordinated health care, financial and return to work planning;
- lack of empathy from employers, co-workers, family and even health care professionals, especially with prolonged illness;
- workplace procedures such as modified work that is not meaningful or physically manageable; and,
- decreased confidence and self-esteem.
Communicating openly with sick employee helps both the employee and employer gain information and effectively plan and be involved in the rehabilitation process. Actively participating in rehabilitation is known to help individuals recover better and quicker. This is why returning to work as soon as possible with appropriate modified work is considered a best practice in disability management.
Initially, a sick employee may have difficulty answering questions or making decisions. Regular engagement with an empathetic and honest manager can help sick workers feel supported and empower them with the information they need to plan recovery and return to work. Similarly, open communication with sick employees gives managers important information that they can use to make business decisions.
Disability management is challenging for small business managers without support staff. The sick employee is the central figure in the disability management process. Open and non-judgemental communication with sick employees is a key strategy to help employers manage employee disability and return to work.
