Back to work after a WCB claim
A gradual return to work means going back in planned steps, often on modified duties, while your injury still limits what you can do.
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A gradual return to work means you go back in steps instead of all at once. You might start with shorter shifts, fewer days or lighter tasks, then add more as your body copes. A return-to-work plan is a written plan you and your employer make together. It sets out what you can do, your tasks and your hours. Each version is based on what you can safely do now, and a new one is made as you can do more.
Changed days or hours, some tasks taken out or reordered, and stretch breaks and rest periods. Your physio can keep working on your strength while you build up your shifts.
As you can do more, a new version of the plan is made. If the planned duties are not working out, the plan can be changed.
Your full duties and your normal shift, when you can safely do them. Your physio can work on the hardest parts of your job before that last step.
How long it takes depends on your injury, your job and how your body responds, so every plan looks a little different.
Modified duties
Modified duties are changes to your job so you can keep working, or get back to work, while your injury still limits what you can do. WorkSafeBC says returning to work might mean doing other tasks, working a different schedule or doing things a little differently. The work your employer offers must be safe, useful to the business, within what you can do now, and a fit for your skills.
WorkSafeBC suggests employers think about changes like these:
Every job is different. A few examples:
TipBring any modified duties offer to your physio visit. Your physio can help you see which tasks in it fit what you can safely do now.
Who decides what
Several people have a part, and each decides different things. Since January 1, 2024, BC law says you and your employer must work together, and with WorkSafeBC, on a safe and timely return to work. Your employer must find and offer suitable work. WorkSafeBC manages your claim and benefits. Your physio and doctor can help you see what you can safely do at work. WorkSafeBC does not require medical approval before you go back.
How physio helps
Your physio can look at what your job asks of your body and set treatment goals around those tasks, adding weight, time or reps a little at a time as you cope.
Lifting from the floor, waist and shoulder height, carrying loads, and working toward the weight your job needs.
Standing for longer, stairs, kneeling and squatting, and the walking your job needs.
Shoulder strength and stamina for reaching, pushing, pulling and working with your arms up.
Grip strength and control for tools, keyboards, steering wheels and tasks you repeat all day.
Neck and back stamina for long sitting, plus a routine of movement breaks that fits your shift.
Balance and confidence for the floors, ramps and steps you deal with at work.
Your physio may give you exercises to keep up at home between visits. If you need more treatment, your physiotherapist can ask WorkSafeBC for it. WorkSafeBC decides. How WCB physio works at each claim stage
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Your first visit
Tell your physio what a normal shift really asks of you. Name the heaviest thing you lift and how often, how long you stand, sit or drive, and how much you reach, bend, kneel or climb. Mention your tools and your shift length. Say if your employer has offered modified duties. Also tell us the injury happened at work. Real detail helps your physio plan treatment around your job.
Before your visit, note down Checklist
Your employer may give you a Functional Abilities Assessment form for your health care provider. WorkSafeBC does not require this form for a return-to-work plan.
WorkSafeBC asks you to talk with your health care provider about what you can do at work and at home, and what to avoid. Then share it with your employer and talk about changing your duties or schedule so you can keep working.
TipA photo or short video of a hard task, taken where it is safe and allowed, can help your physio see what you do.
Warning signs
Some extra soreness is common when you add hours or tasks, and it often settles with rest by the next day. Tell your physio soon if pain keeps building from shift to shift, or comes with numbness, tingling or weakness. Speak up, too, if you are changing how you move just to get through the day. If the planned duties are not working out, the plan can be changed.
Call 911 or go to the nearest emergency department if you have sudden weakness in an arm or leg, chest pain or trouble breathing. Do the same if you have numbness in your groin or inner thighs, or new trouble controlling your bladder or bowels.
Keep your employer in the loop about how the plan is going. Your WorkSafeBC case manager is your main contact for questions about your claim.
WorkSafeBC programs
No. WorkSafeBC runs its own Customized Recovery and Return-to-Work Program through a network of providers that hold long-term contracts with WorkSafeBC. Return to Work Support Services is another WorkSafeBC service, based at the workplace. These are separate WorkSafeBC services. Synergy Rehab does not deliver either service. What we offer is WCB physiotherapy: assessment and treatment.
A WorkSafeBC program, delivered by providers that hold long-term WorkSafeBC contracts for it. Your WorkSafeBC case manager helps you access WorkSafeBC services, so ask them if you think it could help.
WorkSafeBC refers workers to contracted providers for job site visits, return-to-work planning and job demands analysis. WorkSafeBC keeps a separate provider list for this service.
Who we treat
Injured at work in BC? Your WorkSafeBC physiotherapy plan is built around the tasks your job asks of you, so you can get back to work safely.
Lower back injury, herniated disc, rotator cuff injury and knee strain from lifting, climbing and working overhead.
Lifting injury, low back strain and sciatica from bending, carrying and loading all shift.
Neck pain, back pain and sciatica from long hours at the wheel, plus shoulder strain from loading and climbing in and out of the cab.
Back and shoulder injuries from moving and repositioning patients, and sore feet and knees from long shifts.
Repetitive strain injury, tennis elbow, wrist pain and neck pain from keyboard and screen work. Ask us about office ergonomics.
Tendonitis, repetitive strain injury and frozen shoulder from fast, repeated tasks on a line.
Plantar fasciitis, ankle sprain, knee pain and shoulder strain from standing all day, mopping and carrying, plus slips and falls at work.
Back strain, shoulder and knee injuries from digging, lifting and uneven ground across the Lower Mainland and Fraser Valley.
Knee, back and shoulder injuries from heavy gear, running and physical calls.
Your job is not on the list? We treat work injuries in every line of work. Call or book a WCB assessment and tell us what your day looks like.
FAQ
Not for WorkSafeBC. WorkSafeBC does not require medical approval for you to return to work. A written return-to-work plan can help keep your physio or doctor up to date, if needed. Your physio can still help you see which tasks fit what you can safely do now. If you are unsure about a task, bring it to your next visit.
Under the duty to cooperate, you must not turn down suitable work without a good reason. WorkSafeBC can reduce or suspend wage-loss benefits if it finds you did not cooperate and had no good reason. If a task in the offer seems beyond what you can do right now, say so. Talk it through with your employer and your physio, and call your WorkSafeBC case manager, who is your main contact for your claim.
Not always. Wage-loss benefits can continue when you go back on fewer hours or different duties. WorkSafeBC takes what you earn into account and may pay part of the difference. Your case manager can tell you how this works on your claim.
It may. If your employer regularly has 20 or more workers and you worked there for at least a year before your injury, it has a duty to keep you employed. That means offering your old job or a similar one if you are fit for it, or else the first suitable work that comes up. Under the duty to cooperate, your employer must also find and offer suitable work for you.
How long it takes depends on your injury, your job and how your body responds. Each version of your return-to-work plan is based on what you can safely do at the time, and a new one is made as you can do more. Ask your physio how your progress looks at each visit.
Yes. Physio can continue alongside a gradual return to work when it is part of your treatment, so your physio can keep working on your strength while you build up your shifts. If you need more treatment, your physiotherapist can ask WorkSafeBC for it, and WorkSafeBC decides. You can book WCB physio visits online. Costs depend on your claim stage. See costs at each claim stage.
It is a written plan you and your employer make together. It sets out what you can do, your tasks and your hours. A WorkSafeBC team member, your health care provider or a union representative may also help with it. It changes as you are able to do more.
Tell your employer as soon as it is safe, and tell anyone who treats you that it happened at work. Then report it to WorkSafeBC online at any time, or by phone through Teleclaim at 1.888.967.5377 toll-free or 604.231.8888 in the Lower Mainland, Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Pacific time. Within 60 days of your injury, a WorkSafeBC-contracted physiotherapist can do your first assessment while your claim is pending, without prior approval.
This page gives general information, not advice about your own claim. Your WorkSafeBC case manager is your main contact for questions about your claim.
Sources researched November 2, 2026.
Book a WCB physio visit online at the clinic nearest home or work. Bring your job details and any return-to-work plan.
On an accepted claim, you should not have to pay fees for care related to your claim. Costs at each claim stage
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