Return to Work Services
Is your employee ready to go back to work?
Get the clarity you need with our Functional Return-to-Work and Readiness Assessments
At PiOT, we understand the critical importance of ensuring a person is physically, cognitively and emotionally prepared to re-integrate into the workplace following injury, illness or disability. Whether a person was absent because of short-term or long-term
disability, or WSIB reasons, it’s essential to not undo their progress during recovery.
When the return-to-work process or workplace conditions are not appropriately aligned with an employee’s abilities, it can leave the individual feeling frustrated, unprepared and unsuccessful in their return to work. This may impact their confidence, overall well-being and continued recovery at home and in the workplace. An ineffective return-to-work process can also result in lost productivity, increased costs and operational strain for employers.
Good employers and disability managers know how to set an employee up for success when they return to work. Let us guide you through that.
Set up a Functional Return-to-Work and Readiness Assessments for your client today!
Set up your employee for success
Creating a healthy, accessible work environment directly impacts employee well-being and their ability to perform their job successfully. Whether it is a poorly laid-out workstation, a visual impairment affecting computer use, or a noisy and visually overstimulating environment that limits concentration, small challenges can have a significant impact on productivity and daily function, especially when an employee is managing an illness or injury.
Our Occupational Therapists take a holistic approach to assessing both job demands and an individual’s capacity in order to determine an appropriate return-to-work plan or optimize the employee’s ability to meet job demands. Through our Workplace and Return-to-Work Readiness Assessments, we identify what employees need to thrive and help employers confidently navigate every step of the return-to-work process.
We take the guesswork out of:
Determining if an employee is ready to return to work after an illness or injury
Understanding if they are able to do the job they had or if changes are necessary
Setting up the best process and environment to have them succeed when they return to work, and build a healthy work-life balance after work
A clear return-to-work plan
1. Intake
Book an intake meeting. We’ll work with you to determine a personalized assessment protocol specific to your individual case.
2. Assessments
Our team of expert professionals conduct one or more of our Functional Return to Work and Readiness Assessments specific to your needs.
3. Recommendations
Our team analyzes the assessments and provides you a thorough report with professional opinions and recommendations. It’s your roadmap with evidence-based data to make informed return-to-work decisions.
Get a complete picture of Return-to-Work Readiness
Get an accurate, impartial picture of an employee’s readiness to return to work and what they need to help them to succeed. Based on your intake information, our team will recommend one or more of PiOT’s Functional Return-to-Work and Readiness Assessments:
We take the following into consideration when recommending assessments:
the individual’s injury and how it impacts their ability to work in their pre-injury job or a different one
if they have a job to return to, or if they already at work but struggling in their job due to their injury or illness
if modifications and accommodations are possible for the job
the policies, procedures and disability management structure of the workplace
Physical Functional Capacity Evaluation
Is the employee physically capable of doing the job?
Our Physical Functional Capacity Evaluation is spearheaded by experienced Kinesiologists who specialize in evaluating physical functional abilities relevant to work tasks using a standardized computerized software and assessment method. Through a series of rigorous tests and assessments, we explore individuals’ capabilities, limitations and endurance levels. These assessments mirror real-life work activities, including lifting, carrying, bending, reaching and more.
How is this assessment useful?
The results of our Functional Capacity Evaluation provide invaluable insights that guide healthcare providers, employers and rehabilitation professionals in determining readiness for return to work, developing rehabilitation programs and fostering effective communication among stakeholders.
Cognitive Functional Capacity Evaluation
Is the employee cognitively and emotionally capable of doing the job?
Our Cognitive Functional Capacity Evaluation is a two-day assessment conducted by a qualified Occupational Therapist. It is tailored to the employee’s unique challenges and job role, providing a comprehensive understanding of the cognitive, emotional and sensory abilities required for safe and effective work performance. The assessment includes a detailed review of the cognitive, emotional and sensory demands of the job, an evaluation of the employee’s current capacities, job-matching to determine whether their abilities align with workplace expectations and a clear, clinician-supported report outlining recommendations for rehabilitation or a graduated return-to-work plan.
How is this assessment useful?
The results of our Cognitive Functional Capacity Evaluation offer a clear picture of how an employee’s cognitive, emotional and sensory abilities impact their capacity to work. These insights guide return-to-work decisions, identify the supports or rehabilitation they may need and help employers create safe, sustainable plans that honour both the employee’s abilities and the demands of their role. The assessment findings also provide the information required for the Occupational Therapist to develop individualized return-to-work plans and to monitor and adjust the process as the employee progresses.
Job Demands Assessment
What abilities are required from an employee to do a job?
Our Job Demands Assessment is a thorough evaluation of the physical, cognitive, emotional, and sensory requirements of a particular job or workplace environment. Ideally, this assessment is conducted at the worksite. However, it may also be completed offsite by our Occupational Therapist, with the provision of a thorough job description provided by the employer and our Occupational Therapist’s analysis of each job task with the employee.
How is this assessment useful?
Our Job Demands Assessment is a critical part of the return-to-work process as it helps to analyze and breakdown the job tasks to understand the skills the employee would require to perform these tasks well.
Job Matching Assessment
Can the employee’s skills and limitations meet the demands of the job?
Our Job Matching Assessment is completed once the Physical Functional Capacity Evaluation and the employee’s capacity results are available. The Occupational Therapist reviews both the job demands and the employee’s demonstrated abilities to determine whether their current physical capacity aligns with workplace expectations. This process also identifies areas where modified methods, accommodations or environmental adjustments may be required to support safe and effective job performance.
How is this assessment useful?
This assessment provides a clear understanding of how an employee’s physical abilities impact their capacity to perform essential job tasks. These insights are essential for developing a tailored return-to-work plan and for recommending any rehabilitation or workplace accommodations needed to facilitate a safe and sustainable return.
Worksite Assessment
What modifications or skills are needed to optimize an employee’s job performance or increase safety at the job site?
If permitted by the employer, our Occupational Therapist will conduct an assessment at the worksite, with or without the employee present. The goals of the assessment will be outlined during the intake co-ordination with PiOT.
How is this assessment useful?
An Occupational Therapy Worksite Assessment plays a crucial role in promoting workplace safety, facilitating successful return-to-work transitions and optimizing job performance for a person with diverse abilities and needs. The assessment will help you with
Return-to-Work Planning: The assessment helps facilitate their return-to-work process. It identifies modifications and accommodations needed to support a person’s successful reintegration into the workplace.
Job Coaching: provide a plan for job coaching to optimize the employees abilities to meet their job demands.
Accommodation Requests: Employees with disabilities or health conditions may request accommodations to enable them to perform their job duties effectively. A Worksite Assessment helps identify the specific accommodations needed to address a person’s functional limitations and ensure equal employment opportunities.
Preventative Measures: Employers may proactively request Worksite Assessments to identify potential hazards and ergonomic risks within the workplace. By addressing these issues early, employers can promote a safe and healthy work environment, reduce the risk of work-related injuries, and enhance employee productivity and satisfaction.
Graduated Return to Work Plan
How can we support a safe, sustainable and successful return to work?
A Graduated Return-to-Work Plan is developed by a qualified Occupational Therapist to help employees return to their job in a structured, supportive and progressive way. The plan is tailored to the employee’s current abilities, medical status and job demands. It outlines how the employee can gradually resume their duties through modified hours, adjusted tasks or temporary accommodations in order to promote recovery while preventing re-injury or overwhelm.
The Occupational Therapist collaborates closely with the employee, employer, healthcare providers and insurers to ensure the plan is realistic, safe and aligned with both workplace expectations and clinical recommendations.
How is this assessment useful?
A Graduated Return-to-Work Plan helps bridge the gap between recovery and full job participation. It provides clear steps for reintegration, supports functional progress, reduces the risk of future injury and ensures all stakeholders understand expectations during the return-to-work process. This structured approach increases the likelihood of a safe, successful and sustainable return to full duties.
Your roadmap of recommendations
After the assessment protocols are completed, you will receive a detailed report. This medical-legal documentation includes evidence gathered and analyzed by our Occupational Therapists and Kinesiologists to form clinical opinions on a person’s return-to-work readiness and appropriate return-to-work planning.
If it is determined that the employee is not able to fully return to work, the team will provide clear recommendations based on their abilities and limitations. These may include rehabilitation required to improve return-to-work readiness, graduated return-to-work plans, job coaching and modifications to job tasks or the work environment.
We also consider how work demands impact an individual’s ability to function outside of the workplace, helping to identify strategies that support smoother transitions between work and home life.
Whenever possible, we collaborate closely with individuals, employers, disability professionals and human resources teams to plan and facilitate a safe, successful and sustainable return to work.
Get your Return-to-Work roadmap
Get the clarity and plan you need for your employee’s return to work.
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Need help
from an experienced
Occupational Therapist?
We can give you the best solutions and treatments to support your recovery. Contact us to get started today.
6-14845 Yonge Street, Suite# 346
Aurora, Ontario, L4G 6H8
Phone: 647.847.4005
Toll Free: 1.866.829.5535
Fax: 647.933.2920
Email: info@piot.ca