The "Returning to Track" program allows those affected by trauma to return to the workforce

Exclusive: A new program, the result of cooperation between the Joint Organization, the Netal Association and the Ministry of Labor and Welfare, will help citizens, reservists and anyone who experienced mental or physical harm during the war – to return to their workplaces.

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The events of October 7 and the year and a half that have passed since then have brought many citizens to face an emergency situation on many fronts, including the attempt to keep their jobs. Post-trauma, anxiety, depression and physical difficulties require the person to concentrate on his physical and mental rehabilitation for different periods of time, and as time goes by it becomes more difficult to return to the work circle.

To this end, the "Returning to Track" program was launched, intended for people who worked until the beginning of the war and had to stop their work due to a persistent injury, and because of that are at risk of dropping out. The program also appeals to employers who have difficulty dealing with the challenges of hiring employees from the target groups, and can benefit from employees not leaving the position and the organization.

The program offers a guidance model and trauma-aware occupational support for those dealing with post-traumatic symptoms or physical injury, in preparation for returning to work. A personalized plan will be built for each participant, so that he can gradually return to his workplace or to a new workplace, with close supervision.

In the first phase, the program will operate in the orientation centers of the Ministry of Labor and the Ministry of Welfare, in individual and group format, in the cities of Beer Sheva, Sderot, Netivot, Ashdod, Ofakim and the northern and western Negev.

Studies show that the percentage of returning to work after an injury decreases by about 50% after six months, by another 25% after a year, and only a small percentage return to employment after two years out of the labor market. However, an intervention closer to the injury will improve the chances of returning to work, before moving away from the world of work and the erosion of skills and professional identity, because during this period there is still a relationship between the employer and the employee.

According to Rani Dodai, the CEO of the Joint-Tabet, "the combination of forces between us and Natal is required due to the current Israeli reality. Our experience in the worlds of employment, together with Natal's experience in working with victims of trauma from terrorism and war, will be able to give the victims And their employers have tools to strengthen their mental and economic resilience, thereby helping the Israeli economy as a whole."

Efrat Sheprot, CEO of Netal, adds: "We see great importance in making the extensive knowledge we have accumulated on the subject of personal and career development accessible to victims of trauma from war and terrorism. This cooperation is the order of the hour."

Israel Ozan, Director General of the Ministry of Labor, points out: "The program will help us to understand in depth the situation of the workers in the labor market and to clarify the torturers for them."

Director General of the Ministry of Welfare Yanon Aharoni: "Investing resources in the treatment of reservists who find it difficult to return to work is economically and socially correct, but also morally and ethically."