Sick leave: Smooth the transition back to work

[David Baxter PhD]

Sick leave: Smooth the transition back to work
Mayo Clinic
Sept. 1, 2009

Returning to work after a sick leave doesn't have to be difficult. Follow these steps to ease your transition back to work.

Time off from work to recover from an injury, surgery or chronic condition is known as sick leave or medical leave. Returning to work after a sick leave can be challenging. Still, knowing when you're ready to go back to work and how to prepare for some of the challenges ahead can help ease your transition ? and even promote your recovery.

Are you ready to return to work?
You may think that you need to fully recover before returning to work from sick leave. But the earlier you resume daily activities, such as work, the quicker and more fully you're likely to recover. By getting you up and moving as well as facing routine challenges, work can be therapeutic for your mind and body. To determine if you're ready to return to work from sick leave:

• Consult your doctor. Everyone heals differently. Ask your doctor to recommend when it might be safe for you to return to work, either part time or full time.
• Consider the risks. If your impaired physical or mental condition could pose a threat to a co-worker or customer or could cause you to perform poorly at work, give yourself more time to recover.
• Review your workplace's sick leave policy. Find out how the terms apply to your situation.

If you start to feel worse instead of better after a few days back at work, you may be taking on too much too soon.

Talk to your boss and co-workers
While you're still on sick leave, take steps to set yourself up for a successful return to work.

• Talk to your boss. Clarify your job duties and schedule so that you'll know what's expected of you after your sick leave. Explain any restrictions on the type of work you can do. You might ask about flexible hours, telecommuting or working part time.
• Set a tentative return-to-work date. If you can, go back to work late in the week. That'll make your first week back to work a short one.
• Keep in mind that while you may need to provide some information to your boss to explain your reason for taking sick leave, you don't need to share specific details about your medical condition with your co-workers. While you may feel comfortable talking about your broken arm, you may not want to discuss other health issues, such as mental illness.

If co-workers ask for more information about your health than you want to provide, you might manage any potential awkwardness by saying, "I haven't been feeling well, but I'm much better now ? thanks for asking." If a co-worker continues asking questions, try saying, "I'm not really comfortable talking about it." You also might consider preparing a brief statement for your supervisor to share with co-workers such as, "Mary has been out on surgical leave. She'll be returning to work, but her doctor says she can't do any heavy lifting for now. She'd prefer that people not ask about the specifics of her surgery." Your doctor might have advice on what to say or how to explain restrictions on your work as well.

Manage your workload
Once you return to work from sick leave, you may not be able to handle all of the responsibilities at work and at home that you once did. To help manage your workload:

• Prioritize. Determine what tasks are essential at work and at home. Put aside other tasks, projects and commitments for now.
• Get help. Turn to family and friends for support. Consider hiring someone to help with chores, such as housecleaning, so that you can avoid overdoing it or exceeding the limits your doctor set for your recovery.
• Relax. Stress can get in the way of your recovery. Use stress management techniques such as breathing and stretching to stay calm as you acclimate to your routine.
• Consult an occupational medicine doctor. These experts, who specialize in addressing how medical conditions impact work, can help if you have a complicated work or health concern.

Re-evaluate your work-life balance
If you have a serious or chronic illness, sick leave may also provide an opportunity to re-evaluate your work-life balance. You might consider a new career path, how much you want to work or whether you want to return to work at all. Take time to examine your priorities and decide what's right for you and your family.

References

• Molella RG (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. June 9, 2009
• Ostlund G, et al. Domestic strain: A hindrance in rehabilitation? Scandinavian Journal of Caring Science. 2004;18:49.
• Parson JA, et al. "So are you back to work yet?" Re-conceptualizing 'work' and 'return to work' in the context of primary bone cancer. Social Science & Medicine. 2008;67:1826.
• Brenninkmeijer V, et al. Depressed and absent from work: Predicting prolonged depressive symptomatology among employees. Occupational Medicine. 2008;58:295.
• Molella RG (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. June 16, 2009
• Berge KG (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. June 17, 2009
• Hagen PT (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. June 17, 2009.

 

[Fiver]

How timely. I returned to work last Saturday night with such miserable results thus far that I haven't had the energy to post about it. There is, of course, the aspect of working nights and always being tired when having to get back into the swing, but there is so much more to it this time. Even my therapist admitted that I went back too soon -- but I wasn't left with many option after my health benefits were canceled after twelve weeks.

I've now worked three nights, and last night was the first one that didn't contain eight hours of panic and misery. And today is the first time I've slept soundly in over a week, and far more than four hours finally.

So much more to say and I just can't bring myself to think about it right now. Besides, I just woke up. I don't wake up well.