You’ve been referred to occupational health, and now you’re feeling nervous. You aren’t sure what to say, and you’re worried that whatever you say may land you in trouble.

Does that sound familiar?

You’re not alone – ‘what not to say to occupational health’ is one of the most regularly asked questions about this subject on the internet. So here are a few tips on getting the most out of your occupational health appointment.

Be clear about the purpose of the occupational health appointment

If you’ve been referred to occupational health, this is because your employer would like clear advice from a medical practitioner on how to manage and support you through a period of ill-health. Being familiar with this will hopefully make you feel more at ease, and more comfortable with the idea of engaging with occupational health services proactively.

Unfortunately there are a lot of misconceptions and bad advice available on internet forums about occupational health which can unfairly confuse matters, and create undue anxiety before an occupational health appointment. If you’re totally clear about the purpose of occupational health, and what the process involves, you will be more comfortable in the conversations that you have.  

Be open with the occupational health advisor

Don’t try to hide things. It’s not helpful for you, your employer, or the medical practitioner you’re speaking with.

Remember what the purpose of an occupational health appointment is (see previous section). Nobody is trying to catch you out, or get you in trouble, they’re providing a clinical assessment about your health status and how this may impact on your work. If you’re trying to hide something, or not being honest with the clinician, then it’s going to be very difficult to provide meaningful advice, and may not reflect well on you as an employee.

An occupational health assessment is arranged by your employer, and should be treated in the same way as any of your other work commitments would be. Ensure you are prompt to the appointment, ensure that you conduct yourself professionally, and ensure that you are being open and honest throughout, as you would be expected to in any other professional setting.  

Think about your functional ability

When conducting an occupational health assessment, the clinician will be focussed on what aspects of your job role, and your day-to-day life, are impacted by your health condition. In other words what can you do and what can’t you do.

That is your functional ability. Of course just because there are some things that you won’t be able to do, this doesn’t necessarily mean that you’re entirely unfit for work, your employer may be able to provide adaptations or adjustments to your job role which mean you can continue to work but on amended duties to accommodate your current health concerns.

For instance, let’s imagine your role involves a small amount of heavy lifting, however you’re currently not able to lift anything heavier than a cup of tea for medical reasons. You should discuss this with the occupational health clinician, along with anything else that is relevant. Perhaps the limitations are worse in the morning, perhaps over-the-counter medication helps, perhaps you can continue to lift things but you just need a short break in between, perhaps the limitation is only in one side of your body but not the other.

Don’t try to influence the assessment

An occupational health assessment as an independently contracted service working on behalf of both the employer and the employee. There should be no bias and no ‘taking sides’.

Your employer has been respectful of this by referring you to an independent organisation for an occupational health assessment, and using that advice to make any future decisions. It’s important for you to also be considerate of this.

If you enter the appointment with your own agenda or preconceived ideas, and try to persuade the clinician that you really should or shouldn’t be doing something, it will be very tricky to provide an objective, independent and helpful report at the end of it.

If you don’t, the clinician will be able to provide helpful and independent advice which considers your health situation, your employer’s operational requirements, and any other external factors. Ultimately this will be a far more beneficial option for you and your employer.

If you’re unsure, ask

Once you’ve had your occupational health appointment, the clinician will go and write a report summarising his / her advice. So if you have any questions before they do this, use the opportunity to ask them. There’s no limit to the amount of questions you can ask, nor are there any silly questions. The appointment is your time, and it’s your health that will be discussed, so if you would like any further advice then don’t be shy.

The clinician will only be able to answer medical questions as they will typically be a physiotherapist, nurse or doctor, but they may be able to signpost you to other places to get answers to any practical questions you may have too.