Work Trial and Work Coaching

Work trial and work coaching are methods of workplace rehabilitation.

Workplace Rehabilitation: Work Trial and Work Coaching

Workplace rehabilitation is the primary option in Elo’s vocational rehabilitation. Workplace rehabilitation means working at a workplace, either as a work trial or work coaching. The purpose is to support your return to work, employment in a new position, or to assess your suitability for a new field.

How Is Workplace Rehabilitation Organized?

First, check with your employer whether workplace rehabilitation can be arranged at your current workplace. Discuss workplace rehabilitation with your employer and occupational health service, for example in an occupational health meeting. Work tasks are modified to suit your health in cooperation with occupational health and your employer. The goal of workplace rehabilitation can also be to familiarize yourself with new tasks suitable for your health.

If your current employer cannot offer suitable work or you do not have an active employment relationship, we can support workplace rehabilitation at a new workplace. In this case, you can consider possible workplaces where your skills would be useful. You can look for a new employer for workplace rehabilitation on the open job market. Elo does not provide ready-made positions for workplace rehabilitation.

If you need help finding an employer, you can request a work coach from us.

What Is the Goal of Workplace Rehabilitation?

The goal of workplace rehabilitation is to find work suitable for your health that you can continue after workplace rehabilitation ends. Similar tasks should be available after the rehabilitation period.

Work Trial

A work trial is the most popular method of vocational rehabilitation. In a work trial, you work at a workplace in tasks suitable for your health. For example, after a long sick leave, your work tasks are modified to suit your health, and the goal is to return to full-time work.

During a work trial, you work at least 20 hours per week. The aim is to gradually increase your working hours to full-time during the trial. Your working hours can also be full-time from the start. The duration of a work trial is usually 1–3 months. The trial can be extended for another 1–3 months for a justified reason. The maximum duration is 6 months in total.

Generally, you cannot take holidays during a work trial.

Entrepreneur’s Work Trial

An entrepreneur’s work trial means working in your own company. We can support entrepreneurs or those planning to become entrepreneurs with a work trial in their own business.

Work Coaching

In work coaching, you work at a workplace learning a new job. Work coaching is suitable if a work trial is not enough for you to transition to a new job and you need a longer orientation period. In addition to working at the workplace, work coaching usually includes studies, such as courses. In work coaching, you have full-time hours. The content of your work tasks and the progress of any training must be scheduled at least monthly. Work coaching usually lasts 6–18 months. Long periods of work coaching are often paid.

How to Prepare a Work Trial or Work Coaching Plan?

Agree with your employer on the following aspects of your workplace rehabilitation:

start and end dates
working hours and any increases in working hours
work tasks
monitoring at the workplace and in occupational health, schedule for follow-up meetings

• whether it is paid or unpaid
• whether you can continue in the same tasks after workplace rehabilitation
• in work coaching, the progress of work tasks and any training at least monthly.

Once you have agreed on these matters, fill in the rehabilitation plan in our Online Service.

You will receive a decision on your plan (plan decision) from us in about two weeks.

How to Make an Agreement with the Employer?

The plan decision includes an agreement to be signed with your employer. The agreement is sent directly to the employer for signature if they use Elo’s Corporate Customer Online Service. If not, the agreement form is attached to your decision. Both parties sign and send the agreement to us.

You will receive a decision on the rehabilitation benefit from us in about two weeks.

Paid or Unpaid Workplace Rehabilitation?

We pay a rehabilitation benefit during workplace rehabilitation. The amount of the benefit does not depend on your working hours. Workplace rehabilitation can be paid or unpaid.

During unpaid workplace rehabilitation:

• you receive a rehabilitation allowance from us
• you can apply for travel allowance for workplace rehabilitation trips in our online service. Travel allowances are paid according to TELA’s recommendation
• we take out statutory accident insurance for you.

We do not compensate for workplace meals.

During paid workplace rehabilitation:

• your employer pays you a salary
• the salary is paid according to full-time work, even if you work part-time
• the rehabilitation allowance is paid to your employer. If your rehabilitation allowance is higher than your salary, we pay you the difference. If your salary is lower than agreed in any month, your employer is responsible for paying you the difference between your salary and the rehabilitation benefit.

We do not compensate for travel expenses, as you can deduct them in your taxes.

Important Things to Remember During Workplace Rehabilitation

Inform us of any sick leave longer than one week or repeated absences and provide a medical certificate via our Online Service.

If your workplace rehabilitation does not proceed as planned, for example, if working hours cannot be increased as planned, inform us or contact your work coach if you have one.

We cannot comment on legal questions related to employment relationships.

What Happens After Workplace Rehabilitation Ends?

After workplace rehabilitation ends, do the following:

• Fill in the workplace rehabilitation feedback in our online service under the Vocational Rehabilitation tab. The employer fills in the feedback form sent by us.
• If you are applying for an extension to your work trial, send us a record of the occupational health meeting or other medical document recommending an extension via our Online Service.
• If your employer cannot offer you a job after workplace rehabilitation, you can contact Employment Services.

Work trial is the most popular method in Elo’s vocational rehabilitation.

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