Client Readiness Checkup

Return-to-Work Readiness

Use this checkup to review whether your team is prepared to respond after a workplace injury, coordinate next steps, and offer modified or transitional duty when appropriate.

Important: Workers' compensation and return-to-work requirements vary by state. This tool is a general readiness checkup. Review your company policies, carrier instructions, and applicable state requirements before relying on any return-to-work process or template.

Return-to-work readiness score 0 of 30 complete

Start by checking off the items your team already has in place.

Program basics

Start with ownership, policy expectations, and a clear internal process.

Your company has a written return-to-work or modified-duty process.This can be a standalone policy or part of your injury response process.

A specific person or team owns return-to-work coordination.

Supervisors know who to contact when an injured employee may need modified duty.

Your process explains how return-to-work fits with workers' compensation claim reporting.

Your team knows when to involve your carrier, claims contact, HR, payroll, or outside advisor.

Incident-to-claim handoff

Return-to-work works better when injury reporting, documentation, and communication do not live in separate silos.

First report of injury steps are clear.

The injury investigation process includes witness statements when appropriate.

Payroll is notified when an employee is out of work or has a changed work status.

The employee receives workers' compensation information and understands who may contact them during the claim process.

Your team knows when OSHA reporting or recordkeeping review may be needed.

Restrictions and work status

Modified duty depends on understanding the restrictions without turning managers into medical interpreters.

Your team knows where work restrictions should be sent or stored.

Supervisors understand they should follow documented restrictions and avoid guessing about medical issues.

You have a process for asking for updated work status information after appointments.

Someone compares restrictions against actual job tasks before offering modified duty.

The employee is told who to contact if the assignment becomes difficult or restrictions change.

Modified-duty offer readiness

Be ready to put the offer in writing with enough detail to avoid confusion.

You have a modified-duty or light-duty offer template available.

The template includes supervisor, start date, start time, location, work schedule, and wage information.

The offer describes temporary job duties and physical requirements.

The offer includes an employee acceptance or decline acknowledgement.

There is a clear place to store signed return-to-work documents.

Transitional duty options

Strong return-to-work programs do not wait until an injury to invent temporary tasks.

You have a list of possible alternative duties for employees who cannot perform their regular job temporarily.

You have examples of modified duties within regular roles, such as adjusted lifting, reaching, standing, or shift length.

Supervisors know the difference between meaningful temporary work and tasks that may feel punitive or demeaning.

You review temporary assignments to make sure they still fit current restrictions.

There is a process for training the employee on temporary duties when needed.

Communication and follow-up

Return-to-work is not one letter. It needs steady follow-through.

Someone communicates with the injured employee regularly while they are away from work.

Your team responds promptly to requests from the insurance company or claims contact.

You remind the employee to share updated work status information after medical appointments.

Supervisors know what should and should not be discussed with coworkers.

You review each claim afterward for process gaps, prevention opportunities, and training needs.

Transitional duty idea bank

Use this as a thinking tool when building a modified-duty plan. Assignments should always match current restrictions, company policy, and applicable requirements.

Clerical tasksAnswering phones, filing documents, making copies, scanning records, updating logs, or organizing supplies.

Safety tasksUpdating safety materials, observing work areas, helping with inspection checklists, or supporting safety meeting preparation.

Light maintenanceLight housekeeping, visual inspections, inventory checks, labeling, or organizing low-risk work areas.

Modified regular dutiesReduced lifting, adjusted reach zones, shorter shifts, changed task rotation, or removal of specific physical tasks.

Your action plan

No items checked yet. Complete the checkup above to see your return-to-work readiness summary.

This checkup is provided for general educational and risk management discussion purposes only. It is not legal, medical, OSHA, HR, workers' compensation, or claims advice. It does not replace your company policies, carrier instructions, claim reporting requirements, OSHA recordkeeping process, state-specific requirements, or guidance from qualified professionals.