There may be several reasons why an employer may want to refer an employee to Occupational Health (OH), and therefore it is vital that employers fully understand the function of OH in order to effectively gauge whether or not an OH referral is appropriate.
In today’s climate, it cannot be ignored that there are more and more complex issues that are impacting upon people at work, however in general terms, the overarching reason for referring an employee to OH is to seek advice and guidance on how to support and manage an employee who’s health / condition / situation might be affecting their fitness to carry out their job, or alternatively where their job may be adversely affecting their health and wellbeing in some way.
Reasons for referral to OH may include:
- OH advise following a newly diagnosed condition
- Concerns over fitness to undertake the substantive role
- Long term sickness absence
- Recurring short term absences
- Concerns over work performance and / or behaviour
- Investigation of work-related illness / injury
- Substance abuse concerns
- Advise on medical redeployment, and / or the ill-health retirement assessment process
- OH assessment and advice regarding an employee transferring into another role
- Assessment of an employee on their fitness to attend a formal / disciplinary process
Essentially, a prompt / proactive OH referral plays a key part in helping to avoid longer term issues, and with this in mind, it is important to note that regardless of the cause, or of any underlying factors, simply where an employee’s health or condition is impacting, or has the potential to impact upon their work, or their work on their health and wellbeing, or should an employer / manager have any concerns regarding the health, safety, and wellbeing of an employee, a discussion with OH is strongly encouraged as this will assist in determining whether or not a referral to OH is required.
The importance of getting the OH referral right is vital, and it is very important that both the employer and the employee is fully understanding of why a referral is being submitted to OH, and what is to be expected from the OH referral process, and outcome.
There are several important factors to consider when submitting an OH referral, and this workshop aims to raise awareness, and to educate relevant personnel on these key factors, and to highlight important aspects that should never be overlooked. This includes advice and guidance on:
- When to refer to OH
- How to broach and explain the OH referral process with an employee
- The importance of an open and transparent referral
- What detail should be included in an OH referral
- What detail should be avoided in an OH referral
- Guidance on appropriate questions to ask in the OH referral
- Guidance on what NOT to ask in the OH referral
- Asking questions “outside of the box”
- Roles, responsibilities and ethical guidelines in OH
- Considerations around consent – from the employer, the employee, and the OH clinician perspective
- What OH would expect from an OH referral
- What an employer should expect from OH following the submission of a referral
This workshop also focuses on the importance of management / HR support during formal proceedings, and in the absence of this, the potential impact that this can have on how the proceedings run, which in turn can have a knock-on impact to the employee.
At TJM Occupational Health and Wellbeing, we will ensure that following this workshop, you and your team/s are provided with all the right information and guidance that will enable key personnel to confidently submit an effective OH referral, and of which will equally ensure that you and your team/s get the optimum outcome/s from our OH service that will at the very least progress the situation forward, with a view to achieving a resolution.
If you would like further information on how we can support you, and your key personnel in better understanding the OH referral process, and the importance of getting this right, please do get in touch.
Please note, if at any point you have any concerns about the health, safety, and / or wellbeing of an employee, and are unsure of what to do, TJM Occupational Health and Wellbeing will definitively guide you on your next steps; therefore please do not hesitate to get in touch to discuss any concerns you may have.
