Using an on-site consultant is one effective way employers can integrate early disability reporting and disability duration guidelines, according to new research from The Standard.

Research in the company's "The Future of Absence and Disability Management" paper was a continuation of research which examined trends in managing absence and disability by highlighting two health and productivity management practices that the company says are "highly rated by underused by employers."

Having an onsite consultant can create "positive health and productivity outcomes" by maximizing early disability reporting—which involves reporting an employee's absence or disability claim as soon as possible—and disability duration guidelines—which helps predict the anticipated duration of a disability and serve as a standardized method of assessing the effectiveness of a return to work program. Early disability reporting also can work together with a transitional return to work program to help shorten the duration of an absence or disability.