The Case
Melanie’s case was first referred to Unum’s Rehabilitation Services in early 2007 after Melanie had indicated that she wished to return to work. It was felt that a phased approach was most suitable, so that Melanie could gradually build up her hours in a timeframe that suited her, and she was appointed her own Vocational Rehabilitation Consultant, Bal, to help her formulate and commence a Graduated Return to Work Plan (GRTW).
Despite Melanie’s obvious improvements in her condition, she was still experiencing some symptoms, including lack of confidence, loss of concentration, fatigue and panic attacks. It was important for Bal to understand the barriers to returning to work that Melanie was feeling, so that she could help her address these. Mainly, these were concerns over uncomfortable questions from colleagues, her lack of concentration and the potential for future panic attacks whilst at work.
The Unum Approach
To begin addressing these, and other concerns, and to start putting the GRTW in place, a return to work meeting was arranged with Bal, Melanie and her line manager, David. It was agreed that Melanie would begin by working Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, for 2 hours each day. As Melanie had stated that she was anxious about returning to work, David said that he would be happy to pick Melanie up from her house and walk into the office with her. She was also concerned about questions from her colleagues regarding her absence, so it was agreed that her team would be briefed in advance about her return to work and that they should refrain from asking her too many questions about her absence from work.
To tackle her concerns over her lack of confidence and concentration, it was agreed that when Melanie returned to work she would carry out repetitive tasks such as filing, archiving and photocopying so that she could gradually get used to being back in the workplace. Melanie was also uncomfortable using the phone, so it was agreed that this activity would be temporarily eliminated from her work tasks.
Bal remained in weekly contact with Melanie to discuss how her graduated return to work was progressing. Monthly conference calls also took place between Bal, Melanie and David to review the past month and to formulate the next stage of her return to work plan.
As the weeks progressed, Melanie continued to improve and her hours and activities were gradually increased until she felt ready to work for 6 hours each day, Monday to Friday. Melanie’s confidence and concentration levels were now improving week on week and by January 2008, 7 months after her first meeting with Bal, she had made a smooth transition to working her contracted hours without any problems. Now back at work full-time, Melanie is really enjoying being back at work and is feeling really positive about the future.
Melanie’s Viewpoint
Without the support and encouragement from Bal and my colleagues, I wouldn’t have been able to make such a smooth transition back to full-time work. This is because there was never any pressure put upon me during the GRTW programme; every stage was talked through thoroughly making sure I was comfortable with what had been discussed and decided. I have now made a full recovery from the long journey and I appreciate the time and effort that Unum and my company made to help me return to work.