Returning to work after an injury can be difficult if your employer or supervisor does not fully understand your limitations.
Sustaining an injury at work will require you to complete a variety of tasks. The most crucial of them include reporting the damages, seeing a company doctor, and collecting workers comp. Once the entire process is complete, there is a chance that you’ll return to work with work restrictions. We explain what to expect from this development in the sections below.
Why Work Restrictions Exist
In some cases, injured workers stay away from their jobs until they regain their former level of health. Others never reach that point, or they come back before being fully recovered. In the latter cases, company doctors will often give rules for how employees should conduct themselves to ensure their safety. These recommendations are called work restrictions, and they are crucial to the fair treatment of injured workers.
Needing to Follow Them
Work restrictions are not something you should take lightly. The reason is that doctors do not make recommendations without a specific purpose for doing so. As a result, going against the rules you are given could lead to re-aggravating your injuries or sustaining new ones. Though you might want to help your company as must as possible, your health must come first.
Pressure to Go Beyond Your Capabilities
In some cases, employers will take a worker back, but then not respect that individual’s work restrictions. This situation can be incredibly uncomfortable for employees because their superiors force them to choose between adhering to unfair standards and their health. That being said, your supervisors might not know what your restrictions are and will ask you to break them by accident. Either way, your best bet is holding your ground and putting your health first.
Feeling Like You Should Do More
The other person that might pressure you into breaking your restrictions is the last person you’d expect. It is you, the injured worker. Two adverse outcomes often come from this situation. The first is employees getting injured again and having to start the recovery process from the start. The second is that while workers try to serve their companies by going beyond their capabilities, they end up costing that business even more due to additional health complications.
Talk to Your Doctor & Lawyer in Times of Need
Whether your supervisor is asking you to do too much or you feel that your restrictions are not adequately protecting you, you must talk to a professional. If it is a medical matter, then go see your doctor. The result could be your rules changing and giving you more security. It is also wise to speak with your workers comp attorney, who can help you get fair treatment when you need it most.
Overall, employees returning to work with restrictions is a positive step. Not only does it give your company a productive employee, but it might give you more money and meaning in your life. You could run into some issues, though, because at times your doctor or company does not understand your condition fully. If anything goes wrong, discussing your situation with a St. Louis work injury attorney can help you resolve the issue as soon as possible. Give us a call 24/7 at (314) 361-4300 for a FREE Case Evaluation.