Can You Adapt to Changes in the Workplace?

Can You Adapt to Changes in the Workplace?

Why Flexibility, Stress Tolerance, and Adaptability Matter in Social Security Disability and Alabama Workers’ Compensation Cases

Most people think of work as a routine.  You arrive at the same time each day, perform familiar tasks, and go home at the end of your shift.  In reality, however, very few jobs remain exactly the same from day to day.

Supervisors change.

Policies change.

Computer systems are updated.

Production demands increase.

Schedules are modified.

Employees are reassigned to different duties.

Unexpected problems arise.

For most workers, these changes are simply part of the job.  For others, however, adapting to even relatively minor workplace changes becomes extremely difficult because of chronic pain, traumatic brain injuries (TBI), post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, anxiety, cognitive impairments, or medication side effects.

That is why both Social Security Disability and Alabama workers’ compensation may consider whether an individual’s medical condition affects his or her ability to adapt to ordinary workplace changes.

Adapting to Change Is a Basic Work Requirement

Employers expect employees to solve problems, and they expect workers to adjust when circumstances change.  Examples include:

• learning new procedures;
• working under a different supervisor;
• adapting to revised production requirements;
• responding appropriately to emergencies;
• adjusting to schedule changes;
• accepting new job duties; and
• dealing with unexpected interruptions.

Most employees experience these situations regularly, and the ability to respond appropriately to change is therefore considered one of the basic mental demands of competitive employment.

Why Medical Conditions Can Make Change Difficult

Many disabling conditions affect far more than physical strength, they also affect how the brain processes information and responds to stress.  Individuals suffering from the following conditions often experience difficulty adapting to change:

• PTSD;
• traumatic brain injuries;
• depression;
• generalized anxiety disorder;
• panic disorder;
• autism spectrum disorder;
• chronic pain;
• dementia;
• multiple sclerosis;
• Parkinson’s disease; and
• medication side effects.

The result may include:

• becoming overwhelmed when routines change;
• increased anxiety;
• panic attacks;
• emotional shutdown;
• frustration;
• poor decision-making;
• slower problem solving; or
• inability to complete new tasks without repeated assistance.

These reactions are not simply personality traits.  They may represent medically recognized consequences of serious illness or injury.

Recommended Reading: Why Mental Functional Limitations Matter in Social Security Disability and Alabama Workers’ Compensation Cases

Chronic Pain Often Reduces Stress Tolerance

Many people never associate chronic pain with adaptability, yet anyone living with persistent pain understands how exhausting it can become simply to get through the day.

Pain consumes mental energy.

Sleep deprivation reduces patience.

Fatigue limits resilience.

Medication may slow thinking.

When these factors combine, even relatively small workplace changes may feel overwhelming.

For example, an employee who is already struggling to manage constant pain may find it extremely difficult to:

• learn a new computer system;
• adjust to a different supervisor;
• keep pace with increased production demands;
• multitask during busy periods; or
• respond calmly when unexpected problems occur.

The issue is not a lack of motivation.  The issue is that chronic pain often reduces the mental reserves necessary to successfully adapt to additional stress.

Recommended Reading: Can I be disabled due to Chronic Pain?

Recommended Reading: Why Concentration, Persistence, and Pace Matter in Social Security Disability and Alabama Workers’ Compensation Cases

Recommended Reading: How the Side Effects of Your Mediation Affect your Claim for Alabama Workers’ Compensation and Social Security Disability Benefits

Social Security Specifically Recognizes Adaptation as a Critical Work Function

The Social Security Administration evaluates mental impairments using the special technique found in 20 C.F.R. §§ 404.1520a and 416.920a.

Those regulations require the agency to evaluate several broad areas of mental functioning before determining disability.

One of those areas involves the claimant’s ability to adapt or manage oneself.

The agency also considers these limitations when determining Residual Functional Capacity under 20 C.F.R. §§ 404.1545(c) and 416.945(c).

Among other things, Social Security evaluates whether an individual can:

• respond appropriately to ordinary workplace changes;
• make appropriate work-related decisions;
• manage normal workplace stress;
• maintain appropriate behavior; and
• function independently in a work environment.

These abilities often become particularly important when evaluating individuals suffering from PTSD, traumatic brain injuries, severe anxiety disorders, chronic pain syndromes, and other conditions affecting emotional regulation and cognitive functioning.

SSR 85-15 Recognizes the Importance of Workplace Adaptation

SSR 85-15 explains that competitive employment generally requires more than physical ability.  This ruling specifically recognizes that basic mental work demands include the ability to:

• respond appropriately to supervision;
• respond appropriately to coworkers;
• deal with usual work situations; and
• deal with changes in a routine work setting.

The ruling further explains that a substantial loss of these abilities may severely limit the occupational base.

In other words, even if someone retains the physical ability to perform certain work, significant difficulty adapting to routine workplace changes may substantially reduce available employment opportunities.

How These Limitations May Affect an Alabama Workers’ Compensation Claim

These same issues frequently arise in Alabama workers’ compensation cases, and as is shown under § 25-5-57(a)(3), Ala. Code 1975, vocational disability for body-as-a-whole injuries involves much more than assigning a permanent impairment rating.

Courts consider whether an injured employee can realistically obtain and maintain reasonably suitable employment after the injury; adaptability often becomes an important part of that analysis.  For example:

An employee with a traumatic brain injury may no longer be capable of learning new safety procedures.

A worker suffering PTSD following a catastrophic workplace accident may become unable to tolerate ordinary workplace stress.

An employee experiencing chronic pain and medication side effects may struggle whenever work routines change unexpectedly.

Vocational experts evaluating loss of earning capacity frequently consider these practical limitations because modern workplaces constantly require employees to adapt to new situations.

Recommended Reading: What Happens If I Can’t Return to My Job After a Work Injury?

Recommended Reading: What is the Role of the Vocational Expert in my Claim?

The Bottom Line

Successful employment requires more than knowledge and physical ability.  Employees must also adapt to changing supervisors, revised procedures, increased production demands, new technology, schedule changes, and countless other routine workplace developments.

Medical conditions such as PTSD, traumatic brain injuries, chronic pain, anxiety, depression, and medication side effects may substantially interfere with these abilities.  For that reason, both Social Security Disability and Alabama workers’ compensation recognize that adaptability is an important part of determining whether someone can realistically maintain employment.

A worker who cannot adjust to ordinary workplace changes may find it just as difficult to remain employed as someone who can no longer lift, stand, or walk.

Coming Next…

In our next article, we’ll examine perhaps the most important question in the entire disability evaluation process:

What Does It Mean to Sustain Competitive Employment? Why Working Occasionally Is Not the Same as Working Full-Time

We’ll discuss why Social Security’s requirement that an individual be able to work on a “regular and continuing basis” under SSR 96-8p often becomes the deciding factor in disability cases, how vocational experts evaluate issues such as absenteeism, off-task behavior, and unscheduled breaks, and why these same practical considerations frequently influence vocational disability determinations in Alabama workers’ compensation cases.Top of Form

 

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