Returning to Work as an Essential Part of Mental Health Recovery

As more organizations implement return-to-office mandates, many HR leaders are seeing a significant increase in accommodation requests, particularly from employees citing newly presented or complex medical concerns. 

Mackenzie Chapin, AVP of Client Enablement at Kii Health, recently sat down with Sol Sax, BAsc, FRCPC, CCBOM, Kii Health’s Medical Director and leading consultant in occupational medicine, to discuss some of the most common challenges that organizations are facing when it comes to managing the influx of accommodation requests. 

Keep scrolling for a few notable highlights from this insightful Q&A or watch the full video above.

How should organizations manage the increasing volume of accommodation requests?

When accommodation requests vary so widely in complexity, it can be hard to know how to distinguish whether an employee is presenting a functional limitation that requires support or simply describing a situational need or preferred work environment. In this clip, Dr. Sax shares what HR leaders need to know about handling this growing challenge with consistency and confidence.

What are the differences in roles between a family physician and an occupational health physician? And how can that impact findings?

When it comes to employee accommodation requests, not all medical input is necessarily the same. If an employee submits medical documentation from their primary care provider, it can be difficult for HR to know how to proceed, especially when there’s conflicting guidance. In this clip, Dr. Sax discusses how he navigates situations where his clinical findings differ from a family physician’s, why that difference in opinion is not uncommon, and how best to proceed in such situations.

How should mental health accommodation claims be handled differently than physical health ones?

As more and more organizations return to in-office work, mental health-related accommodation requests are becoming more common—and often more nuanced. In this clip, Dr. Sax shares his perspective on how employers should think about mental health requests versus physical health ones and whether they should be handled differently. He also discusses how he approaches mental health-related accommodation cases as an occupational health physician, and why having a clinician involved is essential to properly evaluate the nature of the request.

Click here to learn more about how Kii Health supports organizations with these and other return-to-office solutions.