From Overwhelmed to Outstanding: Sarah’s Work Transformation

Note: the following success story is a fictionalized version of a real case. The employee’s name has been changed to protect privacy, and certain details have been embellished to more fully illustrate the employee experience.

The Employee

When Sarah first joined her company’s customer service team, she was known for her enthusiasm and willingness to help. But after several years in the same role, workplace concerns began to escalate.

Sarah’s manager noticed the changes: she was calling in sick more often, bristling at feedback, and seemingly fabricating workplace events. She avoided dealing with clients and sometimes reacted with angry or hostile outbursts toward management when under stress. The manager reported that it was borderline insubordination. Eventually, she received a serious disciplinary notice.

From Sarah’s perspective, she felt unfairly treated and unsupported. Following the disciplinary notice, Sarah disclosed that she had a disability and required accommodations to be successful in her role. She admitted she had difficulty responding professionally in difficult situations and often misread the tone of conversations. At times, she felt like the workplace was overwhelming, and it became harder to focus or work productively with her coworkers and supervisors. Sarah was referred to occupational therapy for accommodation services by her employer; she was hesitant, but willing to try.

The Work Accommodation Assessment Process

An Occupational Therapist (OT) conducted an accommodation assessment to help identify barriers. The process included:

• An interview with both the employee and manager
• An objective assessment of the employee’s abilities and limitations as they related to the job demands
• Job observation of the employee completing job tasks to understand the job demands, work environment, and employee strategies for managing their work tasks
• Completion of a detailed report outlining abilities, limitations, and recommended accommodation strategies

The Barriers

The assessment revealed that Sarah’s non-visible disability created several barriers impacting her work function: difficulty regulating her emotions, impulsivity, filtering out visual and auditory distractions, and maintaining focus in a busy environment. These challenges made it hard for her to respond professionally, handle workplace stress, and keep workplace relationships positive.

The Intervention

The OT worked closely with both Sarah and her leadership team. The occupational therapist created a plan with two goals: help Sarah build new skills and ensure her workplace was set up for her success.

• Sarah’s manager received coaching on how to approach conversations in a way that supported her growth and performance.
• Small changes to Sarah’s workstation, including ergonomic recommendations, helped her stay more focused and less overstimulated.
• Sarah began learning practical strategies to regulate her emotions and respond calmly under pressure.
• Sarah was referred to business-based job coaching, which gave her direct support on the job as she learned to apply her new skills.

The company also made a big change: transitioning Sarah into a new role better suited to her abilities. At first, this transition was rocky—she struggled with making errors and hitting performance targets. But with a lower-stimulation work-from-home setup and steady job coaching from an OT, Sarah was able to continue practicing her skills and adapt to the new role successfully.

The Outcome

Over the following months, Sarah’s story changed dramatically. Her manager now describes her as motivated and dedicated. She steadily improved her performance in call handling time and sales, and she began meeting, and even exceeding, targets. She became more independent and needed fewer internal supports, demonstrating her competence in the role. Eventually, her job coaching was no longer needed, and OT sessions were tapered down.

An Occupational Therapy Success Story

Sarah’s journey shows what can happen when both the individual and the organization are supported with a holistic, systems-based intervention approach. A combination of organizational accommodations, job coaching, and strategic role design were able to turn around complex employee performance challenges. Now, Sarah no longer feels stuck and overwhelmed, and she is thriving in her new role.

Is your workplace looking for ways to better support employee success? Our occupational therapists can help with assessments, coaching, and strategies tailored to both employees and leaders. Contact us today to learn more.