The Case
Geoffrey’s role as a chauffeur to some of his company’s most senior Directors often involved long days at the wheel, driving up and down the country. Geoffrey loved his job and the people he worked with, so when a prolapsed disc in his lower back put a stop to this he was devastated.
The road to recovery was a slow and painful one for Geoffrey and he remained off work for many months.
However a change in medication and the introduction of some gentle exercise meant that Geoffrey began to notice an improvement in his condition and he began to feel more confident and optimistic about the future. Through his employer’s Group Income Protection scheme with Unum, Geoffrey met with one of Unum’s dedicated Vocational Rehabilitation Consultants (VRCs), who was there to help Geoffrey in his return to work.
The Unum Approach
Geoffrey first met with his VRC at his home in the autumn of 2005. By this time, Geoffrey had been absent from work for well over a year and it had naturally been an extremely stressful and worrying time for him. However, his improved condition combined with his VRC’s encouragement and guidance made Geoffrey feel much more enthusiastic about commencing a return to work.
Regular meetings were held between Geoffrey, his employer and his VRC to explore ways in which Geoffrey could be accommodated in his previous role. His VRC arranged for a Functional Capacity Assessment to be conducted to measure Geoffrey’s capacity to perform work tasks and to understand exactly what he could and could not do. The assessment identifies an individual’s range of motion, strength and endurance limits in cases of injury or disability. With this information recommendations can be made about the person’s maximum daily tolerances for sitting, standing and walking as well as total recommended hours of work per day. An ergonomic assessment was also carried out on his vehicle and his office environment and it was recommended that Geoffrey used a specialist seat cushion for long journeys and an ergonomic chair when he was working in the office.
It was important that Geoffrey didn’t try to do too much too soon and his VRC devised a tailor-made Graduated Return to Work plan that slowly built up the hours and days Geoffrey worked over a number of months. Starting with just 3 days a week, 5 hours per day, Geoffrey gradually increased his hours over
3 months until he felt fully recovered and ready to return to work full-time. Throughout this period Geoffrey, his VRC and his employer continued to have monthly reviews to discuss Geoffrey’s progress and to put forward any recommendations for further adjustments or allowances.
Geoffrey has now successfully returned to work as a chauffeur on a full-time basis and is thrilled to be back.
Geoffrey’s Viewpoint
There have been many ups and downs along the way, but I know that without my VRC’s help, dedication and support I would never have been able to return to the job I love. My VRC was always there whenever I needed to talk through my concerns or get her opinion and having her there to liaise with my company was a real lifeline to me. It has been a pleasure working with her and I will always be grateful for all her support during a very difficult time in my life.