Nonprofit Tips for Return to Work Services

Modified duty off-site (MDOS) programs assist in returning injured employees to work through temporary off-site job placements. MDOS workers generally come from industries in which on-site modified duty is difficult or nearly impossible, such as construction, some manufacturing, and other industries that require intensive amounts of manual labor. MDOS placements are typically made with non-profit organizations in the community where the business operates or the worker lives. Often the roles filled through MDOS programs would have been met by irregular volunteers or gone unfilled. MDOS allow employees to maintain a productive work lifestyle while transitioning to their regular jobs, decreasing workers’ compensation costs for the employer. Here are some MDOS tips to show how your nonprofit can benefit from participating in an MDOS program.

MDOS Tips for your nonprofit

If you’re like most nonprofits, it always seems like you have more to get done in a day than your staff can possibly handle. Participating in an MDOS program offers you access to a pool of workers that your nonprofit can use to achieve your mission and help your nonprofit meet its goals.

Our MDOS case managers will meet with you to discuss potential placements, ensure that you understand the work-related limitations placed on the worker by their doctor, set up a regular work schedule for the worker, and work with you throughout the placement to ensure that everything is running smoothly. You can assign your MDOS program worker to any case manager-approved position within your agency. While you have the option of accepting or declining any placements offered, your MDOS workers can help meet needs that might have otherwise gone unmet in your organization.

Get creative with assignments

While many nonprofits may utilize their MDOS program workers to meet some basic needs, the second suggestion in this series of MDOS tips is to also encourage you to think creatively about how you can utilize these employees. Talk to our case managers and the worker about their experience and skillset and consider how you can use those skills to benefit your nonprofit during the worker’s MDOS assignment.

For example, if you have a highly skilled construction worker assigned to your agency who has a broken leg you may be able to utilize their building skills in ways that still meet the parameters of their work restrictions. If you run an afterschool program or host programs for seniors, you may want to offer a birdhouse building workshop that allows your MDOS worker to utilize their skills, while also offering a valuable opportunity to your clients. Maybe you’ve been assigned a worker from a manufacturing facility who also has the gift for gab. You may be able to put them to work greeting clients and visitors in the lobby or covering for your receptionist during lunch.

Make your MDOS workers part of the team

It can be hard to be the odd man (or woman) out in a nonprofit where teams are typically tight-knit. Helping your MDOS worker feel like part of the team allows them to feel more like their work is making a difference and you may even find that they feel comfortable offering up additional ideas for assignments they may perform for you (just make sure you get clearance from their case manager). You may even find that this connection leads to continued volunteering or support of your organization even after their MDOS assignment has come to an end.

MDOS and Sheakley

Our Modified Duty Off-Site Services program provides a return to work solution for employers who struggle with accommodating light duty work restrictions. We assist our clients by temporarily placing disabled workers with nonprofit organizations using our national network. This promotes expedited return to work, which reduces overall employment and claims costs. It also allows employees to stay engaged and productive during their disability period.

Utilizing state of the art technology, Sheakley’s experts are able to identify work assignments that meet your employee’s work restrictions and that are convenient for their location. Sheakley has a 99 percent placement success rate, with most placements occurring within 24 to 48 hours after referral. Individual attention from a Nurse Case Manager is also given during the placement appointment to review program details with your employee and to ensure that the nonprofit understands and accommodates all physical work restrictions.

Schedule your free consultation today with our MDOS experts today. Subscribe to our blog to stay up-to-date on all things Sheakley and following us on social media. Hopefully you found these MDOS tips useful. Join in the discussion by commenting below.