After suffering an injury at work, you may feel nervous about going back. You may be nervous about handling the workload or hurting yourself again. So here’s some tips to make your work return a little easier.
Work Return Tips: Overcoming the Nerves About Going Back
Don’t Go Back Too Soon
One of the best work returns tips is to avoid going back before you’re ready. First, in order to go back to work, you need to receive the clear from your doctor. If he or she has not cleared your work return, you certainly don’t want to do it. In doing so, you could risk slowing down your recovery or becoming re-injured. If you want to return due to financial problems, you want to speak to your attorney about your worker’s comp benefits.
Don’t Out-Do Yourself
When you go back to work, you may want to prove to your boss and co-workers that you can be there. Which could lead to you much more than you are ready to do. But you want to be careful to follow closely to the restrictions your doctor gives you. So avoid doing anything that exceeds those restrictions, even if your boss asks you to do so.
Keep a List of Your Restrictions On Hand
Another one of the important work return tips is to keep a list of your restrictions on you. Since you are still recovering, your doctor will give you a list of things you can and cannot do. But when you return to work, your boss may take that as you being ready to go back to 100%. In that case, you can find yourself facing tasks that you are not ready to do. Rather than having to say that yourself, it’s best to keep a list of your work restrictions on hand. That way there’s no question about what you can and cannot do. It’s right there in written form, from your doctor.
In short, your work return doesn’t have to be a scary experience. In fact, getting back to regular life after an injury is something to celebrate. But understand that it will take time to get back to where you were before your injury. So give it time and don’t rush yourself, as that could lead to your condition worsening.