Return to Work
A SHARED ACCOUNTABILITY
Improving return-to-work outcomes
Work is more than a paycheque. It’s connection, routine, and a sense of purpose.
When someone is injured at work, the impact is far-reaching. The longer they’re away, the harder it can be to return to their job, their routine, and their life. Longer time away also means higher costs, increased pressure on employer premiums, and fewer people actively contributing to the workforce across Nova Scotia.
On average, Nova Scotians hurt on the job are more likely to be off longer than in other parts of Canada.
Improving return-to-work outcomes reduces those impacts and helps us achieve what we all want: Nova Scotians working.
At WCB, we hold ourselves, employers, health care providers and workers accountable to making that happen.
Accountability shows up in the results.
Every day matters
Connecting workers to care sooner
Making decisions earlier
Supporting working during recovery or returning to work within the first 30 days whenever it’s safe to do so
Working closely with employers to plan and support meaningful transitional work
Because better return-to-work outcomes don’t happen by chance, they come from smart planning, keeping everyone on the same page, and consistent follow-through.
We’re focused on acting early, making timely decisions, and being accountable for results. Safe and sustainable return to work is a key part of recovery, helping injured workers stay connected to their workplace and supporting better outcomes over time. That means:
Play Video
Delivering faster, more coordinated care
Accountability means reducing delays and improving how the system works together.
Through Work-Connected Recovery, we’ve introduced a province-wide network of health care providers focused on timely, consistent care.
This approach is helping to ensure that workers are connected to the right care sooner and that everyone involved is aligned on what happens next.
Play Video
A small number of employers can have a big impact.
At WCB, we insure more than 20,000 employers. Each year, about 1,500 have claims. Within that group, just 25 employers account for about 40% of time-loss injuries.
Not because they’re unsafe—in many cases, they’re safety leaders. But because of their size, with many of them being our largest employers, their impact is greater.
So, in 2025, we changed how we work.
We began focusing more closely on employers with the greatest system impact, building stronger relationships, co-creating solutions, and working together on both prevention and return-to-work.
And it’s working.
Leading where it matters most
Play Video
Working together to keep Nova Scotians safely working
Strong return-to-work partnerships are built on trust, open dialogue, and accountability. WCB, workers, and employers are leading the way in helping more people recover safely and return to work sooner.
Watch how WCB is working with employers like Home Hardware on a new partnership model designed to strengthen our collaboration, enhance return-to-work outcomes, and drive system improvement that helps more Nova Scotians get back to work.
Play Video
Jim MacDonald had never missed a day of work. Like for so many of us, work was more than just a paycheque.
It was meaningful. Enriching. It gave a sense of purpose and contributed significantly to his overall wellbeing.
Until one fateful day in the spring of 2023 when Jim, an appliance salesperson at a Dartmouth hardware store, went to move a heavy box. This was a routine task he’d done hundreds of times before but like the dryer that suddenly collapsed out of it, so too did Jim’s life change in an instant.
A hospital visit the next day revealed a shattered pelvis and torn rotator cuff.
Injuries in the workplace are unexpected, unpredictable and far too often, a shocking upheaval in a person’s daily life.
The impact we can make
Play Video
We’re making it easier for people to find and use the information they need.
In 2025, we launched a new WCB website to improve how workers and employers access return-to-work information after a workplace injury.
The site brings together resources that support the return-to-work process—from understanding responsibilities, to planning suitable work, to staying connected during recovery. The site contains information tailored to workers and employers.
By improving access to clear, consistent information, we’re supporting earlier conversations, better coordination, and stronger return-to-work outcomes.
Improving access to return-to-work information
Read More