Tag @work magazine issue

What does it take to support employees when illness, injury, or changing circumstances affect their ability to work? In this issue of @Work magazine, accommodation and leave management professionals examine that question from different points in the employee journey, from staying at work during recovery to navigating accommodations and planning a successful return after leave. Fred Schott, in conversation with Dan Jolivet, Les Kertay, and Mike Lacroix, examines the role work can play during recovery and why stay-at-work programs remain underused. Rachel Shaw looks at temporary modified light duty, while Gage Koeller and Kerri Wizner analyze 10 years of claims data to track changes in return-to-work durations. Jess Dudley considers the role of empathetic leadership during return to work. Tori Weeks and Wendy Coduti examine how employers can prepare for the effects of natural disasters on employee health and work, and Kelly Woodbridge looks at how National Disability Employment Awareness Month can build a culture of disability inclusion that lasts beyond October. The issue also looks at managing accommodations for remote employees, supporting neurodivergent employees, navigating the overlap between the PWFA and ADA, and what happens when an employee can't return to the same work in the same way.

Mental health support starts with practices, not policies. This issue of @Work magazine explores what it takes to move beyond compliance to genuine care. You'll discover how organizations build psychologically safe environments, accelerate access to treatment, address systemic barriers, and create cultures where mental wellness thrives. Learn why empathy is strategic, how to support employees through trauma, and what legal protections employers must understand. Written by and for DMEC members.

Adhering to a growing number of laws and regulations is one part (albeit a big one) to employer compliance. It is influenced by all areas of workplace accommodation and leave management — from understanding hundreds of leave laws and regulations to creating consistent policies and processes, investing in empathetic human interactions, and cultivating a culture of caring. And that is just the beginning. The need to take a wider view of employer compliance is illustrated throughout this issue of @Work magazine, which is written by and for DMEC members. 

Employers are reimagining workplace leave and accommodation management with innovative ideas and technological advances that help streamline processes, so there is more time to focus on employee experience. Find practical examples of successful technology implementation as well as guidance for how to avoid common pitfalls in this issue of DMEC @Work magazine.

Employers hold the key to designing benefit plan and policy designs that support employees and ensure compliance with an increasing number of local, state, and federal laws. And the need to open doors to new program possibilities that help support employee health and wellness as well as recruit and retain an increasingly diverse workforce is emphasized in this issue of DMEC @Work magazine. It is time to rethink approaches, test benefits that protect and support employee health, and reassess accommodation programs to ensure that practical realities align with organizational intent. This issue of @Work magazine focuses on the Americans with Disabilities Act and Return to Work. The magazine is a DMEC member benefit that helps unlock possibilities for employers of all industries and sizes.

Integrating disability and absence management supports a seamless approach to helping employees stay at work and return to work as outlined in this issue of @Work magazine. Content illustrates the value of taking an integrated approach to this work — from offering holistic benefit plans that address financial, physical, and mental health aspects of employee health to recognizing (and communicating) the reality that work can be part of recovery. Learn more about why industry influences return-to-work durations, the true cost of taking a siloed approach to disability and absence management, and the best ways to minimize disruptions from intermittent leave. In today’s work environment, successful employers expect and encourage employees to use benefits and capitalize on generous plans that include leave. They act as guides to support the diverse needs of employees at different ages and stages of their lives and careers.

As more employers realize the powerful influence work has on employee health and well-being, what steps can they take to ensure a safe, healthy environment? This issue of @Work magazine highlights practical examples of how benefit plans and policies can help protect brain and body health and encourage recovery, examples of caregiving support that results in higher productivity and morale, and why prioritizing mental health claims pays off. Read on for member experience stories, tips, tools, and tactics that will help disability and absence managers at all levels ensure safer, healthier environments.

Ensuring employer compliance requires creativity and due diligence; a commitment to detail and a dedication to helping employees during vulnerable times. This issue showcases the variety and complexity of this work as well as competing demands on disability and absence managers. It also emphasizes the value of community and access to colleagues, who share challenges and successes and lean in to provide guidance. Read about lessons learned during the first year of implementing the Colorado Family and Medical Leave Insurance program, how assessing cognitive demands can help protect employees from reinjury when they return to work, tools to help teams take an unbiased approach to accommodations, and more.

Leave management experts define innovation in myriad ways as illustrated in
this issue of @Work magazine. Content spans the gamut from building the business case for paid leave to identifying the nuances of data automation and the value of selecting one-stop-shop software platforms. We feature the Emerging Leader and inaugural Kaleta-Carruthers Award winners and celebrate the passion that drives leave management experts to find innovative ways to support employees and ensure employer compliance!