• Menu
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary navigation
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Before Header

  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
 
Ametros

Amaxx Workers Comp Blog

Reduce Workers Compensation Costs By 20-50%

Header Right

  • Home
    • Training Center
  • Search
    • Free Resources & Solutions
    • Subscribe to Free Newsletter
    • Create Free Training Center Account
    • Enroll in On-Demand Courses
    • Activate WC Mastery Membership
    • Request Strategic Coaching Session
    • Buy WC Guidebooks
  • Membership
    • Insider (free account)
    • WC Mastery
    • Teams & Managers Mastery
    • Training Partners
  • Products
    • On-Demand Courses
    • Specialty Courses
    • Certifications & Mastery Courses
    • Ultimate Guidebooks
    • Coaching
  • Blog
    • Video Blogs
    • COVID-19 / Coronavirus Pandemic
  • Login

Mobile Menu

  • Home
    • Training Center
  • Search
    • Free Resources & Solutions
    • Subscribe to Free Newsletter
    • Create Free Training Center Account
    • Enroll in On-Demand Courses
    • Activate WC Mastery Membership
    • Request Strategic Coaching Session
    • Buy WC Guidebooks
  • Membership
    • Insider (free account)
    • WC Mastery
    • Teams & Managers Mastery
    • Training Partners
  • Products
    • On-Demand Courses
    • Specialty Courses
    • Certifications & Mastery Courses
    • Ultimate Guidebooks
    • Coaching
  • Blog
    • Video Blogs
    • COVID-19 / Coronavirus Pandemic
  • Login
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
You are here: Home / Professional Development Issues / Setting the Employee Up for Success in Work Comp

Setting the Employee Up for Success in Work Comp

July 28, 2021 By //  by Michael B. Stack

Nobody plans to get injured at work. This includes every man, woman, and child who leaves home for work – likely never thinking about what will happen if they get injured at work. Due to this reality, employers and other interested stakeholders can help set their employees up for “success” when it comes to a work injury. Time taken on preparing the employee for the unexpected can save time and workers’ compensation program costs.

The MVP of Work Comp – the Employee!

Interested stakeholders need to treat the employee as an MVP. The benefits of this new mentality pay dividends:

  • Employees want to go to work – and enjoy being at work;
  • Employees give 100% effort and energy when they feel respected; and
  • Employees want to get back to work quickly following an injury when they are treated like an MVP.

Now is the time to make the employee your workplace MVP.

Helping Employees Understand their Work Injury Responsibilities

The majority of focus in workers’ compensation is what the employer and insurance carrier should be doing. One of these items is educating the employee on their responsibilities regarding a work injury and how it can help them navigate the process.

The deck is stacked against the employee following a work injury. In many instances, the injury incurred is the first and only injury of their life. They are competing against experienced claim handlers who know the workers’ compensation law inside and out. While you can never thoroughly teach the employee about the process, you can provide basic information.

  • Provide information in “plain language.”. This can include flowcharts and other fliers on how the workers’ compensation process works;
  • Include information on the workers’ compensation process at employee onboarding, regular safety meetings, and annual training; and
  • Ensure workers’ compensation forms and process charts are easily accessible. This should go beyond making sure the required forms are posted in a breakroom or other common spaces.

Continual education is essential. It will help the employee understand the process and how it works and demystify the process.

Help the Employee Prepare!

Employers and other interested stakeholders constantly prepare when it comes to injury presentation and response. One step that is missed is helping the employee prepare for a work injury. This is a step that must be included as it will reduce confusion and simplify the process.

There are many ways to help an employee prepare for a work injury. This can include the collection of emergency contact information. This is a form that should be updated on at least an annual basis. All information should be placed in safety and secure location to protect the employee’s privacy.

It is also essential to help all employees understand they need to be proactive in their workers’ compensation claims. This includes timely follow-up to verify a First Report of Injury is filed with the insurance carrier, medical authorizations may be requested by the insurance carrier, and pay stubs and out-of-pocket medical expense receipts need to be sent to the claim handler for timely reimbursement.

There is also the opportunity to think outside the box. One little-used suggestion that can help is preparing “employee medical ID cards.” The employee should carry this ID card at all times within the workplace. It should include basic information such as:

  • Name;
  • Date of birth;
  • Blood type comorbid conditions;
  • Allergies;
  • List of Medications being used by the employee
  • Emergency contact information; and
  • Medical facility preferences.

To ensure privacy, this is information that should be added only by the employee. The card’s purpose is it allows responding medical personnel to have immediate access to an employee’s medical history should become unresponsive. It can also be used to best direct medical care.

Conclusions

There is a unique opportunity for interested stakeholders to educate their workforce to be successful in the workers’ compensation system. This includes taking proactive steps to inform their employees about the process and provide easy access to forms. The educational process never stops. There is also the opportunity to develop new strategies to prompt an effective injury response. Now is the time to help the employee develop best practices.

Author Michael Stack, CEO Amaxx LLC. He is an expert in workers’ compensation cost containment systems and helps employers reduce their workers’ comp costs by 20% to 50%. He works as a consultant to large and mid-market clients, is a 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 the founder & lead trainer of Amaxx Workers’ Comp Training Center, which offers the Certified Master of Workers’ Compensation national designation.

Contact: mstack@reduceyourworkerscomp.com.

Workers’ Comp Roundup Blog: https://blog.reduceyourworkerscomp.com/

©2021 Amaxx LLC. All rights reserved under International Copyright Law.

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

FREE DOWNLOAD: “How to Calculate Your Minimum Experience Mod, Controllable Premi

Filed Under: Professional Development Issues

Related Articles

Roles of a Risk Manager in Work Comp

Roles of a Risk Manager in Work Comp

Kudos To RIMS And Zurich On A Meaningful Community Service Day

Kudos To RIMS And Zurich On A Meaningful Community Service Day

WCRI Conference In Boston Offers Great Opportunity to Learn

WCRI Conference In Boston Offers Great Opportunity to Learn

Use Your Silverware “Outside – In”, and Other Business Etiquette Fundamentals

Use Your Silverware “Outside – In”, and Other Business Etiquette Fundamentals

Get the Most from the 2013 National Workers’ Compensation and Disability Conference

Get the Most from the 2013 National Workers’ Compensation and Disability Conference

5 Tips To Reduce Your Stress and Be More Productive

5 Tips To Reduce Your Stress and Be More Productive

The Great Debate, Does Employer or Employee Benefit More From Worker Comp

The Great Debate, Does Employer or Employee Benefit More From Worker Comp

Nursing Care Highest Incident Rate for Claims, OSHA Emphasizing Safety

Nursing Care Highest Incident Rate for Claims, OSHA Emphasizing Safety

The Best News Tidbits from the Workers Comp Community

The Best News Tidbits from the Workers Comp Community

Workers Compensation This Week In Review

Workers Compensation This Week In Review

Respirators Keep Roofers Safe and Keep Comp Costs Down

Respirators Keep Roofers Safe and Keep Comp Costs Down

Industry Leaders Discuss Challenges at Broadspires First Pharmacy Summit

Industry Leaders Discuss Challenges at Broadspires First Pharmacy Summit

Free Download

Workers' Comp Claims Review Checklist: 9 Must-Have, Serious-Impact Elements - FREE Download Click Here Now!

Train to Succeed

BECOME CERTIFIED IN WORKERS’ COMPENSATION

Proven Course Catalog & WC Toolbox Give You The Power To Achieve Lower Costs and Better Injured Worker Outcomes

VISIT WORKERS' COMP TRAINING CENTER

Previous Post: « Are Your Supervisors Prepared?
Next Post: The Timeframe Covered In The Experience Mod Rating Period »

Primary Sidebar

FREE DOWNLOAD

Workers' Comp Claims Review Checklist: 9 Must-Have, Serious-Impact Elements - FREE Download Click Here Now!

Our Sponsors

ARCADIA - Enhancing Settlement Outcomes

The Structured Settlements Company
 

Catastrophic and Risk Solutions, Case Management Solutions, and Specialty Networks
 

Post-Settlement Administration
 

Medcor

Injury Triage, Onsite Clinics

Read Our Award-Winning Blog

Blog Categories

Search Our Archive

Subscribe to Our FREE Newsletter

Return-to-Work Essentials

Footer

Search Our Archive

Search our continually growing archive of over 2500 articles about Workers' Comp issues.

Quiclinks

  • Calculators
  • Terms & Abbreviations
  • Glossary of WC Premium Terms
  • WC Resources
  • Best Practices
  • Industries
  • Return-to-Work Essentials

RSS Recent Blog Posts

  • Experts Explain How to Prevent Losing Continuation of Care Post-Settlement
  • 4 Key Ways to Ensure Return to Work Programs Save Money
  • Five Things to Include in Your Workers’ Comp Communication Policy
SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FEE NEWSLETTER
Let Us Help You Stomp Down the High Cost of Workers' Comp!
Top of Page ↑
  • Home
  • Training Center
  • Search
  • Membership
  • Products
  • Blog
  • About
  • Contact
  • Subscribe
  • Login
Copyright © 2022 Amaxx, LLC. All Rights Reserved. · Privacy Policy / Legal Notice