As is identified in Initial / Vocational Assessment and Strategy Plan the injured worker requires intensive job seeking education and assistance given her limited job seeking skills and previous independent job seeking attempts. Tailoring job seeking modules to the injured worker’s needs it is identified that she requires 6 of the 10 modules job seeking education modules including: 1) resume and cover letter preparation; 2) how to disclose the workers compensation injury 3) how to register with employment agencies 4) how to register with job network providers 5) how to apply for advertised job vacancies 6) how to apply for non advertised vacancies.
Following the provision of job seeking education (to be completed within 14 days approval of strategy plan), intensive job placement activities occur (provided over a 13 week period with all attempts to place in employment within this period) in order to achieve an optimal return to work, different employer outcome.
Specific job seeking activities occur as follows:
- Review and re iteration of job seeking contract originally signed at initial vocational assessment
- Injury Treatment to conduct at least 15 cold canvassing calls per week to potential employers (this is specifically important at this time given the financial crisis and reduced number of advertised vacancies – Injury Treatment has identified that cold canvassing with the marketing of both work trial and job cover placement program is more effective in the current labour market due to the financial crisis)
- Injury Treatment to submit at least 15 advertised job vacancy applications per week
- The Injured Worker to conduct 10 job seeking activities per week with a focus on cold canvassing for employment
- The Injured Worker to attend at least weekly (preferably 2-3 times per week) meetings with Injury Treatment in the job seeking phase of employment
- The Injured Worker is required to complete daily job logs, providing to both the insurer and Injury Treatment.
- The Injured Worker is to adhere to job seeking contract at all times with all counts of non compliance reported to the insurer on the same business day as the event.
- Injury Treatment to monitor the injured worker’s compliance ensuring extensive, intensive and consistent job seeking occurs for the duration of the job seeking program (13 weeks)
Results of Medical and Vocational Intervention Tailored to Injured Worker’s Needs
Through the provision of appropriate physical and psychological treatment and subsequent review/s with the GP, Injury Treatment is successful in the upgrade of the injured worker to permanently modified duties, working 30 hours per week. Further, through the identification of appropriate vocational goals and the provision of intensive job seeking education and job placement assistance, Injury Treatment are successful in placing the injured worker in to sustainable employment with her current wages exceeding her pre injury earnings.
