Workplace Accommodation Consultant

CPHR Manitoba; Winnipeg; On-site; CAD 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

CPHR Manitoba is seeking a Health and Wellness Consultant to develop and implement best practices in disability management, provide consultation and train on processes, and support employees with case management plans including leaves, rehabilitation, and return-to-work strategies.

You will collaborate with HR, management, insurers, and providers to implement accommodations, monitor progress, and ensure compliant, timely resources and communications for affected staff across Manitoba.

Qualifications

• Experience in disability case management and return-to-work planning.
• Ability to interpret medical information for accommodations and leave decisions.
• Knowledge of privacy, labor standards, and human rights considerations.

Responsibilities

• Develop and monitor complex medical leaves and return-to-work programs.
• Coordinate accommodations and adaptive equipment as needed.
• Communicate with management, unions, employees, insurers and stakeholders.
• Lead meetings and document outcomes for disability management.
• Analyze claim costs and ensure timely access to resources.
• Maintain compliance with privacy and legal requirements.

Skills

Disability management

Case management

Return to work

Stakeholder communication

Project coordination

Education

Rehabilitative Case Management

Occupational Health

Ergonomics

Occupational Therapy

Tools

MS 365

Job description

Reporting to the Management Supervisor, Health and Wellness, the Health and Wellness Consultant is responsible to create and implement best practices, provide consultation and expertise, and train on disability management processes. The incumbent supports employees and will implement, monitor, and update comprehensive case management plans which may include early intervention, rehabilitation services, treatment referrals, return to work management, and/or implement duty to accommodate agreements.

Job Responsibilities

• Develop, implement, monitor, and evaluate, complex medical leaves, job accommodation requirements, return to work programs and requirements for employees dealing with physical or mental health concerns, addictions and who require immediate resources and support.
• Communicate with all levels of management, unions, employees, insurers, and all stakeholders pertaining to medical leaves, return to work programs, accommodations, and applicable disability benefit entitlements.
• Consult and assist management and employees regarding job accommodation processes. Identify, determine, and establish innovative and creative short and long term solutions regarding work suitability for a safe return to work while reducing employee absences, minimizing costs, improving efficiency, and staffing implications. This may include assisting in the selection of adaptive equipment, shift/schedule modification, duty modification or alternate job placement.
• Facilitate and lead meetings and maintain communication with all stakeholders to define appropriate modified duties and assist in returning employees to their pre-accident position, where possible meeting the duty to accommodate requirements based on medical restrictions.
• Identify systemic barriers to return to work solutions.
• Monitor status of leaves and accommodations to determine if additional medical documentation is required. If applicable, create detailed and individualized medical questionnaires for treatment providers to complete.
• Provide timely problem solving and plan revisions where required. Advise HR team of leaves to ensure benefit information is provided to the employee and subsequently monitor to facilitate timely access to relevant resources.
• Organize and maintain Physical Demands Analysis and ensure they are current and update to reflect physical and cognitive job requirements. Liaise with Occupational Therapist as required.
• Ensure the Physical Demands Analysis and Job Descriptions are shared to assist the treatment provider in understanding the job requirements for the employee.
• Create and maintain accurate change documents to ensure accuracy of HRIS systems, payroll processing, IT and building security notifications.
• Create and provide accurate quarterly statistics regarding claim types and volume on a quarterly and ad hoc basis.
• Provide consultation, resources, and education on complex and potentially crisis situations to employees, management, and Human Resources department.
• Create and facilitate training courses as well as provide subsequent follow up support to attendees.
• Collaborate with managers on complex disability management situations, troubleshoot and provide education to determine successful solutions within the disability management processes.
• Negotiate effective accommodation plans, conflict resolutions and/or raise and address controversial issues. Serve as a subject matter expert for centralized communication regarding the status of the claim.
• Respond to urgent inquiries from employees and managers which may be emotionally charged and require sensitive, real time strategies and tactful resources in potentially crisis situations.
• Document all contact, conversations, and meeting notes and prepare reports and/or forms detailing the results of research/negotiations performed to prevent potential liability.
• Track adjudicative decisions and formal correspondence which meet all professional, privacy, and legal requirements.
• Conduct extensive research, prepare all pertinent documents, and represent the organization in potential Human Rights investigation interviews.
• Consult and communicate via verbal and formal written communication with healthcare professionals and consultants within the medical community to ensure accurate and timely information is available to assist in the disability management process.
• Assess medical information for consistency, clarity, completeness, and request additional information where required to prevent liability to the organization.
• Facilitate and lead regular meetings with insurers to ensure accountability and claim progression. This may involve tactful conflict resolution and problem solving to ensure successful claim resolution and mitigate cost impact to the organization.
• Analyze individual claim costs to ensure accuracy, identify errors, ensure employees received correct pay and mitigate costs to the organization whether in the form of actual claim costs and/or grievances and/or human rights complaints.
• Facilitate guided tours of workplace environments and job functions at all relevant work locations with insurers to ensure familiarity with job types and accommodation options, to demonstrate breadth of accommodation options, resulting in better claim outcomes and claim cost containment.
• Participate on various cross multi-team committees as the subject matter expert on accommodation and disability management processes.
• Remain current and review relevant compliance and legislative changes on disability management issues and best practices, applicable case law, legislation, union contracts, and appropriate documentation requirements (privacy and security).
• Facilitate and lead assessments of employee health, wellness and accommodation need and areas of concern through information gathering.
• Liaise and provide subject matter advice and guidance to all departments to continuously identify areas of inefficiencies and streamline processes to obtain optimal outcome. Implement all wellness programs, including educational tools and annual events.
• Maintain tracking spreadsheet of employees on leave and on modified duties.
• Educate insurers, case managers as well as medical treatment providers on the physical and cognitive occupational demands of positions within the organization, allowing for accurate assessment, treatment, and accommodation in accordance with all legal obligations.
• Lead the accommodation review process with the recruitment department to identify, track and facilitate short and long term placements within existing and new vacancies. Identify any testing, screening and interviewing accommodations which may be required.
• Identify training need requirements which may enhance employee transferable skills for future accommodation placements.
• Analyze Workers Compensation Board (WCB), Short Term Disability (STD) and Long Term Disability (LTD) insurance costs on claim specific and trend levels to identify errors, accuracy of payments, and mitigate cost impact to the organization.
• Maintain current working knowledge of all collective agreements, and their impacts on the disability management process, to avoid potential grievances and other potential forms of liability.
• Other related duties as assigned.

Primary Qualifications

• A diploma or degree in one the following disciplines: Rehabilitative Case Management, Occupational Health Nursing, Occupational Therapy, Occupational Health and Safety or Ergonomics or equivalent combination of related education, certification, and experience.
• A minimum of three years’ experience in disability case management.
• Experience with interpreting medical documentation and application for return to work planning.
• Working knowledge of current case law regarding duty to accommodation, provision of medication information, Human Rights, and protection of privacy.
• Breadth of knowledge of organizational occupations to facilitate appropriate modified duty placement beyond employee’s own occupation.
• Intermediate skills in Microsoft 365 (Word, Excel, Outlook, OneDrive, and Teams).
• Have and maintain a valid Manitoba Class 5 Drivers License.
• Must demonstrate ability to communicate (written and verbal) effectively with a broad range of people; and actively collaborate with others to produce desired results in a supportive environment.
• Must be able to lead meetings and effectively handle sensitive discussions with tact and diplomacy.
• Thorough knowledge of Manitoba Liquor & Lotteries collective agreements, employee benefits and policies & procedures.
• The core competencies for this position include achieving quality results, adaptability/managing change, communication, customer service, decision making and problem solving, integrity and building trust, teamwork and cooperation and valuing diversity. Leadership competencies include building strategic performance, coaching and developing, influencing and leading. These competencies are deemed important for the success of the position and organization.

Secondary Qualifications

• Current certification in Disability Management (such as Certified Disability Management Professional (CDMP), Certified Return to Work Coordinator (CRTWC), Registered Rehabilitation Professional (RRP), or Canadian Certified Rehabilitation Councilor (CCRC)) is an asset.
• Knowledge of available community and business resources in health, safety and wellness is an asset.
• Bilingual French/English language skills are an asset.

***Testing may form part of the screening/selection process. Circumstances may arise where the bulletin may need to be withdrawn or the number of positions may need to be increased.

We thank all interested applicants, however, only those selected for interviews will be contacted.