Job modification and rehabilitation is a collective term for all the medical, psychological, social and occupational measures aimed at helping an ill or injured employee to recover his or her fitness to work. 

If you have been on sick leave for a while, it can feel hard to get back to work; you can, however, counteract this by staying in contact with your work and your colleagues. 

It is also important that you participate actively in your own job modification and rehabilitation. Your manager also has a major responsibility for contacting you and reaching agreement on the measures required to enable your return to work.

Job modification may also be necessary to prevent illness.

Support during job modification and rehabilitation

Successful job modification and rehabilitation requires close cooperation between several parties. 

As an employee, you have certain responsibilities and your manager has others.

Your responsibility as an employee

As an employee you shall:

• report your illness on the first day of absence
• submit the information required to your  line manager to map the need for job modification and rehabilitation
• take an active part in the planning and implementation of your own job modification and rehabilitation
• stay in contact with your workplace during the period of sick leave.

Read more about how to report absence due to illness

Your manager’s responsibility

Your line manager shall:

• investigate your need for job modification and rehabilitation
• plan and implement job modification rehabilitation measures in consultation with you as the employee
• stay in contact with you and invite you to the workplace during the entire period of sick leave
• document all meetings and measures which take place during the job modification and rehabilitation process
• ask you early on in the process if you want support from an employee organisation.

Other agents in the job modification and rehabilitation process

Other agents besides you and your manager have important roles to play in thejob modification and rehabilitation process, by offering support and assistance and by assessing your fitness to work and your right to compensation.

Human resources function (HR function)

Your nearest human resources officer can support your line manager and you as the person on sick leave through the job modification and rehabilitation process. The human resources officer can also take part in the investigation of new alternatives when a return to your previous role in the workplace is not possible.

Occupational Health Service

The Occupational Health Service are experts in work-related illness and work environment issues who can offer you and your manager support and advice. The Occupational Health Service takes part in the work adaption and rehabilitation work as required, for example by suggesting adaptation measures and assessment of fitness to work.

Employee organisations

The employee organisations can also, if you wish, function as a support for you in the job modification and rehabilitation process.

The Swedish Social Insurance Agency (Försäkringskassan)

The role of the Swedish Social Insurance Agency is to coordinate and supervise the measures needed for your rehabilitation.

The Social Insurance Agency assesses your fitness to work and your right to compensation on the basis of a doctor's certificate combined with information from you. The job modification and rehabilitation plan drawn up by you and your manager may also influence their assessment.

The Social Insurance Agency can summon you to a consultation meeting during your sick leave. The consultation meeting is to be attended by you, your manager and a representative of the Social Insurance Office. Other units such as the Occupational Health Service, the treating physician, HR and an employee organisation representative may also participate.