Supporting employees returning to work from an injury or illness during COVID-19

  • 6 April 2020

The Health Recovery and Return to Work team is here to support you and your employee with the transition to working remotely during a return to work plan. The goal is to help you understand the responsibilities of both the manager and employee during this unusual time and to make the transition as smooth as possible. We encourage you to reach out to us at recovery@ualberta.ca if you have questions not answered on this page.

Responsibilities

As noted in recent university communications, all employees and their supervisors should develop and implement plans for working remotely as per the operational needs of the department, faculty, team, or unit. This includes individuals who are working modified hours and/or duties as part of their recovery and return to work. Please contact your Return to Work Consultant (RTWC) if you are uncertain about appropriate duties or unusual needs in a home environment.

Tips for Supervisors/Managers

  • Encourage your employees to maintain a normal personal routine when working from home (shower, groom, dress, eat, sleep).
  • Support the establishment of regular work hours. Erratic work patterns (working late/ early and/or too much followed by too little) are counterproductive especially during the rehabilitative phase in their recovery.
  • Recognize and endorse the benefits of taking regular breaks to refresh physically and mentally.
  • Set realistic expectations for work and recognize that there is an adjustment period to working remotely combined with adjustments they will encounter through their rehabilitative efforts. Remember that working is healthy and will lead to an earlier recovery and successful return to work.
  • Develop a written “to do” list with your employee. Build in some flexibility on due dates and volume. Ensure key priorities are noted. Be receptive to hearing and discussing adjustments to duties/timing.
  • Be mindful of proximity bias -- the incorrect assumption that when people are not physically at work, their productivity and work quality decreases.
  • Where possible, use two-way video conferencing for meetings so that non-verbal cues are not lost entirely and remember that it can be difficult to actively participate in virtual conversations.
  • Be intentional in providing feedback, praise and support during the transition to working remotely.
  • Show kindness from a distance. Read more about How to show kindness and appreciation from afar.
  • Recommend your employees complete the ergonomic self-assessment guide to help ensure a safe, effective and productive home work environment.
  • Support your employee's ergonomic needs at home by allowing them to borrow office equipment if needed. See this page regarding borrowing equipment - all borrowing must be approved by the department.

Resources

For managers:

The university's Employee and Family Assistance Program (EFAP) offers several EFAP Online Courses that may assist you in transitioning to work from home.

For employees:

If a staff member is encountering physical difficulties related to their work set-up, a virtual ergonomic assessment may be considered. Request that the staff member completes the EHS ergonomic self-assessment and makes adjustments as recommended. Trial the adjustments for a period of time. If problems persist, then discuss the possibility of a virtual home office assessment with EWI Works.

The university's Employee and Family Assistance Program (EFAP) offers several EFAP Online Courses that may assist your employees in transitioning to work from home.