Treating injured workers like family
Disputes at work can be just as heartbreaking as familial riffs. Any dispute that grows out of an on-the-job accident can add insult to a literal injury.
They say you can’t choose your family. I think that includes many colleagues.
It can be challenging to think of coworkers as family. But consider that the Bureau of Labor Statistics says full-time employees in the United States are working more than 40 hours a week, particularly once they progress through a career. That means many of us spend as much time, if not more time, with colleagues as we do with our actual families.
It follows that disputes at work can be just as heartbreaking as familial riffs. And any dispute that grows out of an on-the-job accident can add insult to a literal injury.
Workers’ comp claims cost an average of $40,000 each in 2017, according to the National Council on Compensation Insurance. Workplace accidents that tend to cost more than that average include motor vehicle accidents, burns and falls. But even less expensive injuries such as strains and scrapes have the power to break up a worker and their employer.
The good news is that employers can go a long way toward preventing costly disputes by fostering open, transparent communication around policies and procedures, and making sure that employees are well-cared for so that those people can do their best work on behalf of the company or organization.
This is happening at worksites of the three winners of this year’s Excellence in Workers’ Compensation Risk Management Award.
JetBlue engaged a worker’s comp expert with a penchant for efficiency to root out redundancies. The ultimate goal: Establish a high-quality service model for injured employees.
DaVita Inc. examined its workers’ comp claims data and learned that when unhappy, injured workers take their claim to court, it will likely cost eight times as much as a workers’ comp claim filed by an employee who feels assisted and cared for throughout the insurance and rehabilitation process. The staff reorganization that followed aimed to break down administrative barriers to better care for injured workers.
At Baptist Children’s Home of North Carolina, organization leaders take seriously their faith-based mission to nurture people in need. They recognize that BCH’s philanthropic work won’t get done with employees who are less than satisfied with their jobs. So the organization developed a service model that reduced its workers’ comp experience modification rate by 28% in three years.
In addition to reading their stories, you can listen to leaders from these organizations share wisdom during an August 13 webinar discussion titled, “How to Better Manage Workers’ Comp Risks and Costs.” The roundtable will be hosted by Kimberly George, senior vice president of corporate development, M&A and healthcare at Sedgwick, and Mark Walls, vice president of communications and strategic analysis at Safety National. Sedgwick, Safety National and the Workers’ Compensation Institute sponsor our annual awards program, which typically coincides with WCI’s annual conference.
Consider listening to our August 13 roundtable discussion webinar discussion. It’s a small step to take to ensure that the workers you engage with feel like the family that they are.
And that’s what’s top of mind for me this month.
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