JSA, how to deal with the reinstatement of a worker after long-term leave
JSA (Job Safety Analysis) is also responsible for managing the return to the workforce of a person who has had a long-term leave of absence (greater than six months and with the possibility of an extension of 180 days in case of being unable to go to work for more than one year).
To facilitate the return of this type of workers to the company, it is essential to implement the following action plans.
A reinstatement department
Malpractice of allowing Social Security to decide is still the worst option of all. A person who has been on leave as a result of an illness or an accident cannot return to his/her original job without a period of adaptation.
The ideal thing is to create a specific department that first, analyses the characteristics of the leave and second, offers an appropriate position to the worker according to his/her new situation. That is, the company should always put itself in that person’s place, find out what his/her strengths are and proceed to make the most of his/her talent.
A progressive process of adaptation
After the company’s decision about the new position of the worker, it is necessary to know what his/her availability is, what are the consequences of his/her leave, how he/she wants to reconcile his/her work with his/her family and other details that affect the psychological and the personal spheres.
It is about designing a working day so the worker is always certain not only that he his/her job position has been respected but also that he/she has all the support of the company to continue with his/her rehabilitation, in case it is necessary, and with his/her new life.
In addition, the loss of contact with colleagues or the integration into a new department also requires a personal work to make the process more bearable and simple for all parties involved in it.
We must underline that JSA measures must have a common denominator: the creation of a work environment that adjusts to the new circumstances of the worker. It is essential to understand that the worker is joining the company again and that he/she is part of a team. Therefore, the rest of the workers will also have to understand the situation and encourage the reinstated worker to achieve the proposed objectives.
We hope to have commented on the most important aspects of a reinstatement process that should be part of the JSA regulations of any company. It is all about making the reinstatement a beginning of a new time in which workers and companies discover a new way of collaborating and moving forward.