Investing in Workers Includes Investing in Return-To-Work

Returning an injured employee back to work in a timely manner is an important component of every workers’ compensation program. The obvious reason is that it reduces the future exposure of a program when it comes to wage loss benefits. It also reduces a plans requirements for the payment of vocational and rehabilitation services.

Reviewing Your Return-to-Work Program

Now is the time to review your return-to-work program. This review includes a number of different steps:

Assessment of how the employers handle and communicate with an employee after they suffer a work-related injury;

Documentation regarding the steps and activities that take place when returning an employee to work. This includes an understanding of how each stakeholder within the organization interacts with the return-to-work process;

Evaluation of how an employer can modify work functions to meet a variety of work restrictions; and

Identification of areas where improvements can be made in the program.

Creating an Effective Return-to-Work Policy

Creating an effective return-to-work policy starts with putting it in writing. It also needs to be clearly defined and understandable by all employees. Tips for doing this include:

Include all interested stakeholders in the process. This needs to include mangers, human resources representatives and risk management. It also needs to be prepared with the interests of the injured worker in mind;

Include achievable goals for injured employees. This can include different paths for achieving these benchmarks that include job modifications;

Include definitions of different types of transitional works. This can include positions within the company or through charitable organizations. Innovative programs will seek opportunities that have an end game of complete return-to-work; and

Include the employee. By giving the employee a role in the process, you are making them a vested stakeholder.

Transitional Work and Thinking outside the Box

There are a number of key components found in every return-to-work program. This includes a variety of options that include light duty, modified work and alternative work options. Important in this concept is brining creativity and innovation to the process.

Consider a “Work on Loan” program. Under this process, an employer can place an injured party into a position that can accommodate a wide variety of work restrictions that are either permanent or temporary. For example, a non-profit partner in this arrangement will typically have a number of positions that match the needs of most any individual, including those with limited vocational skills;

Obtain an expert opinion on the realistic return-to-work options. As part of using an expert in this area, it is important to identify deficiencies in the employee’s rehabilitation attempts and to determine retraining alternatives;

Maintain connections with the employer and investigate all viable options. If employers are able to receive a single, accountable point of contact when facing claim resolution matters, chances of returning an injured worker to the labor market increase. This also allows the employer to receive timely responses to important questions related to tracking the progress of returning employees to the workforce and viable alternatives; and

Invest in the intangibles and employee good will. Send the injured worker a “get well soon card.” Avoid being confrontational when members of the claim management team communicate and interact with the employee. Always treat them as a valuable person. Never assume negative intent.

Author Michael Stack, Principal, COMPClub, Amaxx LLC. He is an expert in workers compensation cost containment systems and helps employers reduce their work comp costs by 20% to 50%. He works as a consultant to large and mid-market clients, is co-author of Your Ultimate Guide To Mastering Workers Comp Costs, a comprehensive step-by-step manual of cost containment strategies based on hands-on field experience, and is founder of COMPClub, an exclusive member training program on workers compensation cost containment best practices. Through these platforms he is in the trenches on a working together with clients to implement and define best practices, which allows him to continuously be at the forefront of innovation and thought leadership in workers’ compensation cost containment. Contact: [email protected].

Do not use this information without independent verification. All state laws vary. You should consult with your insurance broker, attorney, or qualified professional.