Transitional duty is temporary, modified work for an employee who is recovering from an injury or illness and cannot yet do their full job. It has an end date, it fits the medical restrictions, and it should never be used to push someone out of leave they are entitled to.
| Item | Example |
|---|---|
| Restrictions it follows | No lifting over 20 pounds, no ladders |
| Tasks | Cycle counts, labeling, training new hires on the scanner |
| Schedule and pay | Same shift, same hourly rate |
| Review date | Every 2 weeks, or when restrictions change |
| End date | When released to full duty, or a set date reviewed with the provider |
Put the offer in writing and record the reply. If the employee is on FMLA leave, make clear that turning down the offer does not end their FMLA leave. A return-to-work form helps document restrictions and the plan.
EZTime digital HR forms let you send, sign and file employee documents online.
A warehouse picker strains his back lifting cases. His doctor restricts him to lifting no more than 20 pounds for six weeks. Before the injury he worked 40 hours a week at $19 an hour.
The company offers transitional duty in writing: cycle counts and labeling on the same shift at the same rate, with a review after three weeks. It lists the restrictions and the tasks, and his supervisor gets a copy so nobody asks him to “just grab one case”.
At the three-week review his doctor lifts the restriction to 35 pounds, and he moves back to picking light items. At six weeks he is released to full duty. He never left the schedule, and the supervisor did not have to cover a full open position for six weeks.
Keep the medical details in the confidential file. The supervisor needs the restrictions and the tasks, not the diagnosis.
A grocery stocker who is pregnant gives her manager a note limiting lifting to 20 pounds for the rest of her pregnancy. The store has more than 15 employees, so the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act applies.
The manager and HR talk with her about options and agree on temporary modified work: price changes, facing shelves and the self-checkout area, on her usual shifts and at her usual rate. The plan lists the restriction and the tasks, and her supervisor gets a copy. They agree to review it whenever her provider updates the note.
They usually mean the same thing: temporary modified work that fits medical restrictions while an employee recovers.
If the employee is on FMLA leave, yes, and they can stay on unpaid FMLA leave, although workers’ compensation wage payments may stop. Outside FMLA, the effect depends on state workers’ compensation law and company policy.
Until the employee is released to full duty, or for a set period that is reviewed as restrictions change. A written end or review date keeps it temporary.
Employers with 15 or more employees must make reasonable accommodations for known pregnancy-related limitations unless it would cause undue hardship. Temporary modified work can be one of them.
Many employers keep the same rate to make the offer workable, but it depends on the policy and on state workers’ compensation rules. Write the pay in the offer.
The employer proposes tasks based on the provider’s written restrictions, and reviews them with the employee. If in doubt, ask the provider.
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