Step 2 of 6 in getting ready to return to work:
The cancer patient’s physician or other members of their healthcare team will be asked to assess whether the patient can remain at work at different points during and post treatment. If they cannot remain at work, the team will be asked for what supports may be needed when the patient returns to work. To make these assessments, healthcare providers need to understand the demands of the patient’s job. They can then compare the patient’s cognitive, psychological and physical abilities with the job demands and provide recommendations to guide the employee’s return to work plan.
Defining an employee’s job demands is often done through a detailed job analysis. This analysis is typically created by a human resources professional not only for return to work planning but to classify jobs and set salaries or wages. For smaller employers who may not have access to such specialist to conduct job analysis in-house, they may choose to hire such a consultant or attempt to create their own. See our job analysis section. The job analysis outlines expectations for the employee’s work abilities and can clarify the essential and non-essential duties of the job. A job analysis can also provide a starting point for exploring job accommodation ideas. To learn more about job analysis and other ways to assess work demands see the assessment section.