In order to avoid job loss it is essential that you keep your employer up to date on your treatment status and your return to work status. Frequent contact with your employer is the key. If your employer never hears from you, they may assume you are not coming back to work and look for someone else. Remember that your employer hired you for a reason. The reason is because they need you. When you are out, the need still remains and the work still needs to be done. Keep this in mind and try to go back to work as soon as it is physically possible. The longer you are out of work the more likely it is that you will be replaced.
If you are able to work, it is not necessary that you miss time from work in order to have a workers compensation claim unless it is an occupational disease claim. If it is an occupational disease claim, then there must be some disablement, so if necessary, you may want to miss at least 3 days or you will not have a ripe occupational disease claim.
If you cannot return to work full duty, ask the doctor if you can return to work on light duty. If the doctor returns you to work on light duty, make sure he tells you what your work related restrictions are. Take those restrictions back to your employer and see if he can accommodate you.Your employer will appreciate that you are making an effort and can see first hand what problems you are having. If your employer does not accommodate you, at least he knows that the reason you are not there is because he cannot accommodate you.
The employer is likely to accommodate you because the insurance company will lie to him and tell him he has to accommodate you, not telling the employer that the basis for their advice is because the insurance company does not want to continue to pay you.