TPI recovery: Information for employers

You're a vital support for your employee.

 As an employer, you’re a critical link to your employee's successful recovery. Your first step is talking to your employee. Share your encouragement and support for their recovery and offer work that's safe and healthy for their needs. Keep your employee engaged in work activities (or social activities if they are absent from the workplace). Ongoing connection is important to their recovery.

 

 1. Reach out to your employee to show you care. Share with them your commitment to supportive stay-at-work and return-to-work options. Keep vital connection throughout their recovery. 

 


2. Share with all staff members your commitment to helping injured workers. Involve everyone in supporting the worker with a TPI.

DID YOU KNOW? Studies show that workplace conflict, like adversarial relationships with co-workers, supervisors and the employer, is a significant barrier to recovery? Be sure your workplace remains positive, supportive and helpful!

 

3. If you have any questions (no matter how seemingly insignificant), reach out to WorkSafeNB. We have a dedicated team ready to help.

How can you best support your employee?

How can you best support your employee?

Stay connected with them throughout the recovery, offer stay-at-work or return-to-work options to help keep them linked to the workplace and timely report the injury to WorkSafeNB (Employer Report of Injury or Illness). Document your contact with your employee, monitor progress and work collaboratively with your employee, their health care provider and WorkSafeNB. Reach out to WorkSafeNB if you have any concerns or encounter potential barriers to progress.

What will a return-to-work plan look like for your employee?

A stay-at-work (or return-to-work) plan will take into consideration environment, including physical space, potential people in the workplace, noise, attention requirements to tasks and other trigger risks and factors. As workplaces and job tasks vary greatly, the plan will be specialized to your operations and the worker's health and safety needs.

What will a return-to-work plan look like for your employee?
What's the SUCCEED program?

What's the SUCCEED program?

The SUCCEED program provides workers with immediate access to treatment from a mental health care professional with advanced training in trauma. Treatment delays can drastically affect the worker’s recovery. As such, we have a team of support ready for workers as soon as they indicate the injury to us. The SUCCEED program lasts for six weeks (or six sessions) and is not conditional on the claim being accepted by WorkSafeNB. The employee must meet eligibility requirements for the program.

Frequenty asked questions

SUCCEED is an acronym that helps WorkSafeNB describe its six-week early intervention program for TPIs.

  • Strengthen: We strengthen a worker’s resilience, support and connections at work.
  • Understanding: We increase education, leading to greater empathy, and improved flexibility and support.
  • Care: We care for a worker in and out of the workplace.
  • Collaborative: Collaboration of worker, employer, health-care provider, co-workers and WorkSafeNB is critical. Everyone is involved in recovery!
  • Evidence-based: Treatment is evidence-based, using proven medical processes and practices.
  • Early: Treatment is early, leading to quicker recovery.
  • Direction: We have clear pathways for workers, employers and health care providers, leading to successful outcomes.

The SUCCEED program is delivered by WorkSafeNB-approved licensed social workers and counselling therapists.

You do not need to help your employee get into the SUCCEED program. When the employee applies for workers' compensation benefits, indicating they have a TPI, they will automatically be considered for the program.

No. The SUCCEED program provides immediate treatment (usually while WorkSafeNB determines if the injury is compensable under the Workers’ Compensation Act). If the employee’s injury is not compensable under the Act, treatment will stop at the end of the SUCCEED program’s six weeks (or six sessions). If your employee’s claim application is accepted, further treatment recommendations will be reviewed at that time.

While treatment for TPIs differs from physical injuries, there are common processes for healthy and safe return to work. First, focus on what the employee can do. Employees rarely need to be off work completely. After an assessment from a health care provider, the employee can provide you with functional abilities and recommended accommodations to help you (with your employee) develop a RTW plan. The employee, for example, may require reduced hours or a change in job tasks. Develop a plan that offers meaningful, productive work while supporting your workplace’s operational needs. Set clear expectations and goals, and revisit the plan regularly, adjusting as the employee’s health changes. If you need help, please reach out to our dedicated TPI team.

There are two conditions that dramatically affect outcomes and return-to-work success:

  • Psychologically demanding work environments (such as job tasks where the worker may routinely confront potentially traumatic events), and
  • Workplace conflict (strained or antagonistic relationships with coworkers, supervisors and you – the employer).

Choose psychologically safe work for your employee and ensure everyone at the workplace is supporting the worker. The employee needs support and encouragement, especially from you and their colleagues.

The employee’s treatment in the SUCCEED program will continue, regardless of the claim decision. The SUCCEED program lasts for six weeks (or six sessions). Treatment beyond the program, however, will not be supported.

Working to Well is set of resources to help you, as an employer, learn about the recovery and return-to-work process. It includes a website (with videos and tips) as well as an interactive booklet and templates for a proactive and supportive return to-work plan and policy.   

Employers are vital links to employees. Legislation requires employers:

  • Keep in touch with the employee throughout the recovery process;
  • Offer meaningful and productive modified duties or other suitable work that is safe and within their capabilities;
  • Ensure supervisors and co-workers support the employee during recovery; and
  • Communicate and collaborate with all return-to-work partners, including WorkSafeNB, the worker and health care providers.

Learn more.

TPIs tend to affect certain industries and job roles more than others. Paramedics, correctional officers, firefighters, nurses and other medical care professionals tend to have higher incidences of TPIs. We recommend you reach out to your specific professional association(s) for additional resources and support. They may, for example, offer workshops for employers and support groups for workers.

This SUCCEED program lasts for six weeks (or six sessions). There are no extensions. If your employee’s claim application is accepted, further treatment recommendations will be reviewed at that time. If the employee’s injury is not compensable under the Act, treatment will stop at the end of the SUCCEED program’s six weeks (or six sessions). 

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