Planning your return to work
Learn how a suitable duties program helps you safely return to work with support from your employer or a host employer.
Support for when life gets tough
When life gets hard – whether with financial stress, health concerns or personal struggles – there’s help and support available.
Getting back to work
Every recovery is different, so returning to your usual job after a work-related injury or illness may take time.
Getting back to work as soon as you can is good for your health and can help your recovery.
Your employer will work with you to find other tasks and make a plan based on what you can safely do. This is called suitable or alternative duties.
Even if you’re injured, you can still make a positive contribution at work. Your employer will look at your skills and experience when finding other tasks for you.
Returning to work supports your recovery
Being away from work for a long time can have a negative impact on how you feel.
The longer you’re off work, the less likely you are to return.
Learn more about the benefits of returning to work.
Creating a plan to support your return to work
Depending on your workplace, you may be assigned a Rehabilitation and Return to Work Coordinator. They will help you create a suitable duties program or plan that lists the work you can safely do.
The suitable duties plan is specifically about your return to the work and is separate to your My Recovery Plan (rehabilitation and return to work plan).
The suitable duties plan is based on the work capacity certificate from your doctor.
The plan also shows how long you will do these tasks and how they might change as you continue to recover.
The certificate explains what work you can do, what you shouldn’t do and any limits you need while you recover.
You can download a suitable duties plan template example (DOC, 152 KB).
What goes into your suitable duties plan
Your employer will work with you to include:
- your personal details and contact information
- how long you’ll do the suitable duties based on your work capacity certificate
- tasks that may change as you recover
- limits or restrictions from your doctor
- any training you may need
- review dates to update your plan.
Everybody involved must approve and sign your plan.
This includes you, your coordinator, your employer and your doctor.
Benefits of getting back to work while you recover
- You keep a routine
- You earn an income
- You regain confidence and strength
- You may develop new skills
If your employer can’t offer suitable duties
Ideally, you’ll go back to work early with your normal employer doing suitable duties.
In some cases, employers can’t offer suitable duties for safety or practical reasons.
This means you won’t be able to return to your normal job, either temporarily or permanently.
This doesn’t mean you have to stay at home until you fully recover.
Find an employer with our Recover at Work Program
If you’re still able to work but your employer can’t offer suitable duties, our Recover at Work Program can help.
Through this program, you can work for another employer while you recover. This is called a host employer.
You’ll keep getting weekly compensation payments while you work for the host employer.
Benefits of working for a host employer
Host employment helps you:
- use your skills
- find some routine, and
- keep working
until you can return to your normal job.
A placement with a host employer can run for as little as three weeks but normally goes for longer. This depends on your rehabilitation needs.
About Recover at Work host employers
A host employer is an employer who’s able to provide you with suitable duties in their workplace.
They have a track record of successfully supporting their own injured workers through recovery.
A supportive work environment helps you rebuild your work fitness and return to the job you did before you were injured, if possible.
Your host employer also benefits from your skills and experience.
There’s no requirement for the host employer to offer you a permanent job at the end of the program, but sometimes this does happen.
How host employment is agreed
We and your host employer will sign a legal document called a host deed.
This commits you and the host employer to the Recover at Work program and supports you both. For example, if you were to be injured again.
The host deed also explains the roles and responsibilities of you and the employer during your placement.
Finding your own host employer
Normally we’ll place you with a host employer, but you may find a one yourself through your own contacts.
If this happens, we’ll need to work with you to make sure they’re the right fit.
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