In this two-part post we will discuss the role of occupational therapy in facilitating client participation in the occupation of work. Part 2 focuses on the ways in which occupational therapists support engagement in the occupation of work.

While our role as an occupational therapist isn’t actually to help someone find a job, work is still an occupation and as such, supporting client engagement in the occupation of work does fall within the scope of practice for occupational therapy. In part 1 of this two-part article, we explored some of reasons why work is an important occupation. Now we will explore some of the ways in which occupational therapists can and do support client engagement in work.

Job skills training
Occupational therapists who work with young adult pediatric clients often help their clients to develop life skills that can and do include job related skills. Sometimes the focus is on broad skills such as time management, organization and planning, or emotional regulation that will help a client to succeed in a variety of job settings and even facilitate engagement in other occupations besides work. At other times, the focus may be much more specific such as training a client how to fold pizza boxes or how to wipe tables, helping that client to succeed at a specific task and a specific job. In each case, the focus—whether broad or specific—is determined based on the individual client and their personal goals and objectives.

Business wellness services
Many employers have begun offering wellness centers in their facilities as one of their employee benefits. The idea is that by encouraging health and wellness, employees will be more satisfied with their overall work environment and more productive in their daily job responsibilities. In addition, wellness centers can help to decrease overall health risks, in turn lowering health care costs that would have been associated with those health risks. All of these factors contribute to decreased costs for the employer that can usually more than offset the cost of setting up the wellness center in the first place. And while wellness centers can employ a variety of healthcare professionals, occupational therapists are highly qualified to serve in and contribute to the success of these employment-supporting settings.

Workplace ergonomic assessments
The Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA) requires that employers protect their employees from hazards in the workplace, including ergonomic risks. This means, creating a work environment that best facilitates compatibility between the employee and the environment, reducing the prevalence of common ergonomic risks such as musculoskeletal injury. To address this issue and mitigate the risks associated with poor ergonomics, many employers offer ergonomic chairs or standing desks, but a truly customized approach to ergonomics within the workplace requires an ergonomic assessment of each individual within their own specific work environment and job duties. While occupational therapists are not the only healthcare professionals who can complete these assessments, their understanding of the person, environment, and occupation and the interplay between these three factors can help OTs to be valuable contributors to ergonomic assessment and design within the workplace.

Worker’s Compensation rehabilitation
When an employee suffers an injury on the job during the course of their daily work activities, rehabilitation for this injury is often covered under worker’s compensation insurance. This insurance allows the employee to receive medical care, including rehabilitation services, often in a community-based outpatient setting to facilitate recovery from their injury. The type and severity of the injury sustained often determines the course of rehabilitation and whether a physical therapist or occupational therapist is best suited to provide the rehab service required.

Functional Capacity Evaluations, work conditioning, and work hardening
Depending on the severity of the injury and the extent of the employee’s absence from their work duties, some employees might benefit from a Functional Capacity Evaluation (FCE) and either work conditioning or work hardening before returning to work following an injury. An FCE evaluates the individual employee’s ability to complete the duties required by their specific job. It can determine whether an employee is ready to return to work, needs to return to work at a reduced workload level, or would benefit from additional rehabilitation before resuming work. Work conditioning involves a general increase in work related duties under the supervision of a clinician in order to facilitate a return to work. Work hardening, by contrast, involves a more individualized focus on specific work-related duties to prepare an employee to return to their own job and job duties. FCEs and both work conditioning and work hardening services may be provided by occupational therapists when indicated by the injury and needs of the employee as well as by the availability of rehab service providers within a specific community.

Job skills training, business wellness services, workplace ergonomic assessments, worker’s compensation rehabilitation, and FCEs, work conditioning, and work hardening are just some of the ways that occupational therapists can and do support client engagement in the occupation of work. So the next time someone asks you if your role as an OT is to help them find a job, instead of reacting with frustration, perhaps instead take the opportunity to briefly explain to them the ways that OTs can and do support participation in work, but then educate them on the ways that OT can help them personally to increase their own occupational engagement in all daily occupations, even if they no longer work.