Return-to-Work Psychology - Psychological Aspects of Light Duty

Some companies are combating this problem by encouraging light duty or allowing the person to return to work with restrictions. Unfortunately, this is not a concept that is enthusiastically supported by both supervisor and co-workers as a general rule. Co-workers can feel resentful that they have to accommodate and take on the extra work the returning worker cannot complete. Supervisors are not willing to have someone come back to work that will be paid a full salary for limited working capabilities. The perceived lack of enthusiasm by the supervisor and co-workers can add to the decrease in the person’s self-concept and enable feelings of dependency, illness, and low self-worth.