No two reintegrations are the same. The cause of the absenteeism, the work environment, interaction with you as a supervisor and colleagues, and the home situation all affect the steps an employee can, will and may take. Yet they all have one thing in common: step by step up the stairs again.
Skip steps
Regaining confidence in one's own abilities, realigning interactions with colleagues and getting back into the work rhythm. This is a small selection of what awaits an employee during reintegration. The moment you and/or your employee put on seven-mile boots and take steps that are too big, there is a considerable chance that sooner or later the reintegration will stagnate. And this stagnation is a negative experience for all parties, which then has to be overcome again. Wasted energy.
By going up step by step and always checking whether the next step up can be taken with confidence, your employee works on a sustainable reintegration. Your employee can catch his breath in between steps and is not shocked by the height he has reached when he looks back at a moment of reflection. Even better: they will regain confidence and be motivated to take the next steps.
Therefore, step by step up the stairs again.
Coaching up the stairs
The manager's job is to coach your employee back up the stairs. This means that you both stay away from the so-called medicalizing of what your employee is not (yet) able to do. Because even with physical or mental complaints that employee experiences in daily routines, there are often still opportunities. But again: in due course.
But also seek the limits of what is possible together from time to time. By experiencing that more is possible than imagined or expected, there are also moments of victory and pride. Make sure that you continue to coach your employee from the sidelines.
For this, it is important to do a regular check-up and ask each other questions such as: Are we still pursuing the same goal? Are we still on track? Is additional support needed? Evaluate this together. Agree whether you are pursuing the reintegration goal with the same expectations and responsibilities.
Reintegrating together
Reintegration means working together towards a common goal and, above all, to regain pleasure and balance in healthy work. Together, step by step, step by step up the stairs again.
Partner with your Labor and Health Advisor to discuss how best to support your employee during reintegration.
