Employee Treatment By Employer Silent and Critical Factor
The following advice on employee treatment by the employer is from an old manual I began in the 1980s and added to over the years. I used to sell it as an income stream. Employee treatment is not necessarily medical treatment.
I added this area after the original three, as it has become a critical area in saving on WC. With the legal environment in place as it is today in most states, the treatment of the employee post-injury has taken on more of a monetary component.
Only 3% of claims start as fraudulent, but over 30% have some element of fraud by the conclusion of the claim. Poor treatment by the employer is the usual cause for an employee to seek legal help.
E-cards are a wonderful and free or almost free way to send the employee a card after their injury. Most people now have some type of email address. If not, then a card in the mail will usually help the employee stay out of the legal system.
Calling the employee after each Dr. appointment lets the employee know you care and is a great way to keep up with the status of a claim.
The injured employee remains an employee for your organization. The days of firing an employee when they are injured on the job are long gone.
The employer is the eyes and the ears (and unfortunately the complaint bureau) in the field. Having great communications with the adjuster including any of an injured employee’s concerns avoids unnecessary litigation later in the claim.
Silent X-Factor in Workers Comp Risk Management
Other than rehab nurses, this Key is rarely discussed as a Risk Management technique. If the injured employee and employer were not very compatible before a workers comp claim, the feelings are intensified ten-fold.
WCRI studied the return to work paradigms by injured employees after the claim has resolved post-return to work. Injured employees mentioned the trust of their employer as the main factor on how they felt about their Workers Comp claim.
We all know that healthy communication builds trust. I am not saying that employers should roll out the red carpet for an injured employee.
The main way to treat injured employees post-accident is the same as what any employee would expect of their employer. Common sense should rule with the subject of employee treatment.
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