Chose the BEST Step for YOUR New Workers Comp Management Policy

Your new workers’ compensation management policy is written and everyone knows all about it. So, what do you do next?

Research Communication Receivers and Pathways

1. How does communication travel in your company?

2. Does your company have a vertical communication structure: subordinate, to supervisor and up the management chain?

2. Does your company have a horizontal communication structure: peer-to-peer, inter-/-intra departmental communications pathways?

3. What about external communication?

4. How well does your company communicate to its peer companies the company is a safe place to work?

Determine: The Least Likely to Get the Message? The Most Likely to Go Out on Work Comp?

1. Do you have a contingent of workers who travel – and are not part of the inter-/intra-/vertical/horizontal communications loop such as traveling salesmen, truckers?

2. English may be a second language for a group of workers such as a large Hispanic or Asian population.

3. Do you have a group performing hazardous physical duties such as linemen, cable workers, machinists, etc.?

What is the Safety Department doing to communicate with employees and how well is the message getting out there?

1. You can discern this by watching people do things like hold the guardrails when stair climbing, wearing proper personal protective (PPE) equipment, etc.?

Dovetail workers’ comp management communication pieces in style and design.

1. To the extent safety is the flip side of workers’ compensation management, it may be worthwhile to look at their successfully communication pieces and piggyback on their strategies and tools. This does not mean to “steal” the safety person’s materials, look and see what tools work for them and how they communication successfully to their audiences, since their audience is also yours.

2. The more workers’ comp management practices are proactive, the fewer work comp claims are file and costs are reduced.

Write a Detailed Workers’ Comp Communication Plan

If you are starting your workers’ comp communications program in the middle of the year you can write an interim plan.

1. An interim plan is an outgrowth of the policy, drilling down to the what, how and when of the communication policy. The plan describes program initiatives and tools you will use to get across the workers’ comp management message across. (workersxzcompxzkit)

Once you’ve established communication pathways, target audiences, and drafted a plan, you are well on your way to implementing an effective, intentioned communications plan designed to bring employees at every level into the workers’ compensation management loop.

Author Robert Elliott, executive vice president, Amaxx Risks Solutions, Inc. has worked successfully for 20 years with many industries to reduce Workers' Compensation costs, including airlines, health care, manufacturing, printing/publishing, pharmaceuticals, retail, hospitality and manufacturing. He can be contacted at: Robert_Elliott@ReduceYourWorkersComp.com or 860-553-6604.

Podcast/Webcast: How To Prevent Fraudulent Workers' Compensation Claims Click Here http://www.workerscompkit.com/gallagher/podcast/Fraudulent_Workers_Compensation_Claims/index.php

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Do not use this information without independent verification. All state laws vary. You should consult with your insurance broker or agent about workers' comp issues.