Incapacity and Disability Management Occupational Therapist
The candidate should be able to demonstrate a broad understanding of a variety of medical conditions which drive absence, incapacity and or disability within the workplace. The successful candidate should display strong clinical reasoning skills in line with absenteeism, incapacity & disability management and well as experience in conducting ergonomic assessments. The candidate should have the necessary interpersonal skills to communicate effectively with all internal client stakeholders and employees both telephonically and face to face.
Hybrid: This is a hybrid role to be based in South Africa.
Key Responsibilities:
Absence, Incapacity, Disability, Ergonomic & Case Management services: (client specific)
Provide a seamless internal support system to HR practitioners and Line Managers for dealing with cases of Total and Temporary Incapacity
Complete incapacity investigation administration and case management processes
Provide Occupational Therapy onsite screening assessments and case management as required
Co-ordinate weekly medical panels and provide comprehensive final reports for discussion at medical panels. Reports must be concise and contain clear findings and practical recommendations
Design detailed Return to Work programmes
Conduct onsite Fitness for Work Assessments (fitness for duty) on all referred employees and provision of full case management of all cases referred
Provide reasonable accommodation recommendations for employees that are not able to perform their duties at the required standard due to a chronic or acute health condition
Fully brief the independent OT’s in cases where an FCE is requested, so that the OT understands the client’s environment and the possibility for re-alignment into alternate roles
Provide aggregated reporting to clients to identify health trends
Assist with training of HR and Line Managers – this will include absenteeism management training, Disability Awareness, Ergonomics – both onsite and online
Detailed report writing required with specific outcomes and recommendations regarding per employee case referral
Identify ‘high risk’ employees by reviewing monthly employee sick leave profiles Disability assessments and verification in terms of Employment Equity Amendment Act (EEAA)
Conduct onsite ergonomic assessments as and when required
Lyra OP Solutions approach
Biopsychosocial analysis of all referred cases to identify and manage risk factors associated with workplace attendance
Analysis, verification and interpretation of medical documentation received
Sound clinical reasoning in order to set realistic return to work goals, and coordinate resources that supports the employees’ return to work and assists with optimising the overall medical management of the employee
To liaise effectively with HR practitioners, Line Managers, employees and medical personnel where required to ensure effective return to work interventions
Delivery of accurate medical and general wellness advisory information to clients as part of the case management process
Provision of reports to line managers/HR throughout the process to assist in the effective return to work of employees, including the development of transitional programs based on the employee’s functional capacity to ensure a safe and timely return to work
Adheres to all appropriate privacy, security and confidentiality policies and procedures
Complies with established best practices
Maintain and update all required databases and keep accurate records of all engagements with clients
Ensure that protocols and absence management service level agreements are effectively implemented
Qualifications:
Registered Occupational Therapist
Additional qualification in Vocational Rehabilitation would be beneficial
The candidate should have at least 3-5 years clinical experience, including previous experience in functional capacity evaluations and working within the field of vocational rehabilitation
Previous absence, incapacity and disability case management experience within the corporate sector.
Experience in conducting ergonomic assessments for individual employees as well as open plan office environments
Competencies (Key Behaviour Areas):
Excellent communication skills, both verbal & written
Good computer literacy
Good interpersonal skills
Strong report writing skills with solid independent clinical reasoning
Attention to detail
Sound judgement and decision-making skills
Ability to deliver quality training and presentations
Excellent time management skills
Ability to work independently and under pressure
Strong team player with the ability to work independently as well as within a strong clinical team
Healthcare pay context
Based on 3,196 disclosed Healthcare salaries on RoleSuite, the role pays a median of $114K/year, with most offers between $87K and $166K (10th–90th percentile: $66K–$246K).
See the full Healthcare salary breakdown →