The 7 (RTW) Habits of Highly Effective Employers (part 2)

Last week we covered the first 3 habits of highly effective people, and highlighted how these "habits" can be utilized by Employers seeking to return their injured employees to wellness through modified duty.  This week's post will cover the remaining 4 habits (be proactive, begin with the end in mind, and put first things first) and their application to Return to Wellness.
So, without further ado...here are habits 4 through 7.

4.  Think win-win
It's self-explanatory.  You win.  I win.  We win.  It's not only about providing a solution that saves you, the employer, money on your WC insurance premiums.  It's about returning injured employees to a state of wellness after their injury.  It's about getting your business back on track after a loss.  You gain productivity while your injured worker gains the physical benefits of working.  You approach the challenge of RTW with integrity and with the end result in mind.  You do it because it's the right thing to do, not because you have to do it. 

5.  Seek first to understand, then to be understood

Have you ever had a conversation with someone who, while you were talking, was formulating their next thought, completely ignoring what you were saying?  Sometimes people do this without even thinking, particularly when the topic of discussion is something we feel very strongly about.  Before you say, "We don't have any modified duty work for Larry, he can only come back if he's 100%," listen to the options and solutions that your Eastern team can provide.  Understand the statutory provisions and the hurdles that must be overcome in any claim.  Learn what the true costs (direct and indirect) are associated with this particular claim.  Understand the potential repercussions of your decision before shutting down any options. 

It's a two-way street.  We need to listen and understand your circumstances before trying to apply a solution.  This is why we have more than one approach to resolving RTW challenges...we have a whole toolbox full!

6.  Synergize
Sounds like a pop-psychology buzz word, right?  Please refer to the old adage "two heads are better than one."  Synergy occurs when two or more people use their experience and skills to build off of each other's ideas to attain results greater than what they could've acheived alone.  This is where your Eastern team comes into play.  You have an entire team of people committed to helping you resolve your RTW issues.  Maybe the Risk Management Consultant was out for a visit last week and saw some RTW ideas that the Claim Representative didn't think of, or maybe you have some ideas but aren't quite sure if they would solve the RTW problem.  By using our combined knowledge, the possibilities are exponentially greater than leaving it to one person.

7.  Sharpen the saw
While Dr. Covey has a new book out, The 8th Habit, we're going to stop at seven.  By all means, you can keep going.  This last habit focuses on the physical, emotional/social, mental and spiritual realms of life.  How does this relate to RTW?  Well if you haven't noticed, we take a similar, holistic, approach to RTW.  Returning to wellness is about restoring physical and psychological wellness to injured employees.  Injured employees who are given modified work maintain their mental sharpness and skills required for their jobs, too.  The seventh habit is about self-renewal and keeping yourself fresh and ready to approach future challenges.  Keeping a fresh outlook will also produce a better outcome.  So, take some time to recharge your batteries and stare down your RTW challenges. 

Oh, and please be sure that all sharp saws have a proper guard in place.

While you may not embrace all of these habits, they are an excellent framework for how you approach RTW challenges. 

Please check out the author/publisher website for more information.

The 7 (RTW) Habits of Highly Effective Employers (part 1)

It's human nature for us to like it when things are broken down into an easy three step program or some other numerical collection of steps until success is reached!  For example, there's the "5 minute ab workout" or the "10 minute transformation plan" or, my personal favorite, the ubiquitous "lose 50 lbs in three days" crash diets displayed on the covers of virtually every magazine in the grocery store checkout line.

I'm guilty of it too.  We've created our 10 step guide to building your own RTW program.  In hindsight, maybe it could have been 11 steps, but as humans, we like nice round numbers.  It's easy to mock these "n-step" programs, but sometimes there's something to them.  One of the more popular "quantified characteristics" publications is Dr. Stephen R. Covey's The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.  If you're unfamiliar, you can read a concise summary of the book on the publisher's website or the reviews on Amazon.  While Dr. Covey didn't intend to write a book about RTW programs, some important parallels can be drawn between his 7 habits of effective people, and qualities of effective RTW programs. 
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This week we'll cover the first 3 habits...

What if the one who treats you is the one who is injured? Returning healthcare workers to wellness

Nurses are usually thought of as playing a role in helping injured or ill people get better, however from a workers' compensation standpoint, members of the nursing profession face unique challenges and opportunities when returning to work after a work-related injury.

Challenges

Physical
Often nurses (as well as CNAs, home health aides and other care staff) may be required to lift a great deal of weight, potentially deal with combative patients, and be on their feet for long periods of time.  The shifts they work may be long, and require them to walk great distances. From a WC perspective, the physical requirements of jobs in the healthcare field can present an obstacle for early return to work opportunities.

RTW Perspectives from a WC Claim Representative

She’s not just any ordinary claim representative.  We've interviewed Senior Claim Representative II, Mary Roudebush who has handled claims for the jurisdictions of Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky and Missouri.  As a claims professional, Mary has earned the Associate in Claims (AIC) designation as well as the Associate in Insurance Services (AIS) designation.  In her 12 years of being a claim representative, Mary has seen it all.  That's one of the many reasons we chose to interview her as part of our Return to Wellness Perspectives series.

Q:  What is the most creative solution to a RTW challenge that you, as a claim representative, have experienced?

  A:  A staffing agency's clients would not accommodate light duty.  We were able to partner the agency with local non-profit organizations to accommodate restricted activities.  Most of the injured workers who were provided this opportunity, to help people in their communities who are less fortunate than themselves, have reported feeling a sense of well-being.

I now know why Employers don't often have written RTW programs...

As the Return to Wellness Specialist, I am bound by professional, moral and ethical obligation to promote RTW and encourage employers to create their own RTW programs.  And then one day I took a walk in an Employer's shoes.  I sat down to create a general RTW program for employers to implement, or at the very least, use as a reference when creating their own.  This was the inspiration for the title of this post; as these were the first words out of my mouth when I sat down to write the program.

So you're probably not a Return to Wellness Specialist...

Creating a RTW program can be a daunting task, even if your job title is "Return to Wellness Specialist."  Let's face it, it probably doesn't fall on the top of your list of things to do...but it should be there somewhere!  I understand.  It took me quite a few hours to develop the general RTW program that is available as part of our ecovery library.  I vowed from that day forward that if you're an Eastern client, implementing a RTW program should not be difficult!  We want to help our clients easily implement a program that is efficient and effective.