Hannah Coombes

Head of Customer Connection - ACC New Zealand

March 2026

When an employee gets injured, the instinct is often to keep them at home to rest. But evidence shows that too much rest can actually slow recovery. Instead, recovering at work by staying connected, even for a few hours or with suitable duties, can help people get back to what matters sooner.

Recovery at work doesn’t have to be complicated. Small adjustments can make a big difference. Here are ACC’s three top tips for becoming a recovery-friendly workplace.

1. Have a list of suitable duties ready to go for before an employee gets injured. Suitable duties can include administrative tasks, training others, attending meetings, or helping with planning and organisation. This list doesn’t need to be perfect. Often the injured employee's health practitioner and ACC can help identify tasks they can safely complete while they recover.
2. Keep connected to injured employees through conversations. Early, positive conversations can help set expectations, reduce anxiety, build trust, and encourage shared ownership of the recovery journey.
3. Be flexible with adjusted hours. Even a few hours a day can help your employee stay connected, feel valued, and support their recovery, getting them back to what matters, sooner.

You don’t need special systems or large teams to be a recovery-friendly workplace. A few proactive steps can help your injured employees heal faster, stay connected, and return safely to the work they care about.

ACC has a range of resources to help support recovery at work.

You can explore them here: Resources to help you support recovery at work.