Call me...maybe?

In today's world of Twitter, blogs, Facebook, text messaging, and Face Time, staying in contact should not be a problem.  So why do many injured workers seem to fall off of the face of the earth after they're out of work for a month or so? 

Employers may feel that the claim is being handled by their insurance carrier so they needn't do much more.  However, there is more to a claim than just paying bills and wage payments.  Remember, this is your employee.  More importantly, remember that they are a person with life events that don't stop simply because a work injury occurred. 

Out of sight, out of mind.
One of the most important things an employer can do is to remain in contact with their injured employees while they are totally disabled and when they return to work modified duty.  Put yourself in their shoes.  An injured worker is going through a time of uncertainty.  They aren't quite sure about what their treatment will entail, their financial situation has changed, and they may be wondering if they will ever be able to return to their pre-injury job.  A weekly phone call to check in with your injured employees will go a long way.  Once they return to modified duty, check in with them regularly to make sure all is going well. 

It's a two-way street.
When communicating, it is never about what you meant to say, it's what the other person heard.  Think about a recent argument you have had over a misunderstanding and you'll probably see that it was because someone interpreted what you said in a way that you did not intend.  Just be sure that you put yourself in their shoes every now and again.

Useful tool! Job Description Writer

So, you've probably gleaned from our blog that job descriptions are very important (See our prior posts on such 04/16/12 and 03/12/12).  We've given you the forms to create a job description, advice on why you should have them on file for every job, and recommendations for using them to develop modified duty work.

A detailed job description is one of the most effective tools in returning injured workers to modified duty, not only for employers, but for physicians, physical therapists and injured workers.  Without an exact destination in sight, you can easily get lost, or end up taking the long way to get there. 

Provided by careeronestop, the aforementioned useful tool helps you build job descriptions, step by step.  Give it a try!

The Numbers of RTW

Decision-makers want facts.  They want numbers.  While numbers cannot tell us everything, they can certainly provide valuable information.

Here are some numbers to help put the costs and figures associated with RTW and WC claims into perspective. 

1,191,100 the number of non-fatal occupational injuries/illnesses in the U.S. in 2010

50% the likelihood of an injured worker returning to work after 8 weeks away from work

34%  the percentage of Waste Management employees who felt that they could have returned to work sooner than their full duty release (but didn't since their doctors kept them off work)

15% the likelihood of RTW after 6 months away from work

3 the number of years a claim will impact an employer's experience modification factor (impacting the premium calculation)

I've never seen (or counted) a million of anything, but I do know what a 50% probability looks like.  Simply flip a coin (repeatedly).  Most people are familiar with the duration of three years.  Take the following numbers and ask yourself how they are impacting workers, insurance costs and the future of your business.