It has been dwelling on my mind recently - what makes a good return to work (RTW) programme? What makes one work better than another? Is is the type of injury or illness? Maybe. It is the chance that the employee gets seen by a medical or health practitioner who actually knows something about work and health?  Maybe. Is it that the new fandangled techno treatment has suddenly found a cure? Probably not.

So, what is it? Often the people who get back to work quickly and effectively are the

ones who work for a business or organisations who keep an eye on absence, and act fast when something happens. The importance of early intervention must not be underestimated as one of the most effective interventions for RTW. Now, there are always a few exceptions, and today I am talking mainly about common health conditions, that are not serious, but even then, early intervention costs nothing and makes the ongoing process of rehabilitation so much easier.

Five important EARLYs

1. Early identification of employees experiencing health problems at work can be identified by the use of screening tools while they are still at work (for example www.work-screen.co.uk)

2. Early intervention when someone goes off sick - the company taking the initiative (be it OH, H&S or line management) and calling the employee as soon as a sick note appears to find out what can be done to help.

3. Early use of Back to Work interviews - please don't wait until the employee rolls up and says they are ready. Plan and carry out back to work interviews before the employee approaches you about returning to work, the idea is to plan a return to work, not just ask a few questions on their first day back.

4. Early referral for a fitness for work assessment if the employee does not look as if they are going to return to work within the first 4 weeks of absence. This sends out a message that you are taking notice and that you want a solution. Genuine employees will be only too keen to attend - they will want to be keeping their job and getting better. Any non genuine employees will know there time is up, and probably reappear before the assessment takes place.

5. Early return to work, using a graded or phased return, before the condition is completely resolved - many of these common health conditions fluctuate, don't go away 100% but can be managed at work with the right support. Don't get caught in the trap of waiting for a cure - it may never come. There are hundreds of people at work every day with minor health complaints, and staying at work actually helps people get better quicker and keep them healthier than those people who don't work at all.

If you need help with implementing any of these "early" strategies then please email me via This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it and ask about the new Mentoring programmes that can support your business or individual health professionals.