Employee Burnout Could Lead to Increased Workers’ Comp Claims

Employee Burnout Could Lead to Increased Workers’ Comp Claims

Medical record analysis is a vital process when evaluating a workers’ comp claim. Employee burnout could lead to increased claims and costs.

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Workers’ compensation insurance provides financial support to workers injured on the job and those suffering from work-related illnesses. Great care is taken to ensure that the compensation is given only to deserving applicants, and medical record analysis is the most important way to identify the nature of the injury or illness. Among the many health concerns workers experience, employee burnout is a serious one, which is now an officially diagnosable condition. The WHO refers to burnout as an “occupational phenomenon,” not a medical condition. Burnout results from chronic stress at the workplace that has not been effectively managed. Workers suffering from burnout experience total lack of energy, are constantly exhausted, are not interested in their work, and display reduced efficiency in their work. Often they feel unappreciated for their work and also that they have unreasonable demands placed upon them.

The Journal of Applied Biobehavioral Research says burnout is having an increasing impact on workplaces, especially in advanced economies and during times of economic recession.

The important question is whether employers will be held liable for employee burnout at the workplace. Another concern is whether burnout can lead to safety hazards. Here are some important considerations.

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Employers have a duty to protect their employees from certain workplace hazards, under the Federal Occupational Safety and Health Act. These include fall hazards, lockout, machine guarding, ergonomics, violence and workplace harassment among others. Burnout is seldom considered a hazard.

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As yet, no OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) standards govern work-related burnout. In other words, there are no OSHA rules necessitating employers to have a workplace “employee burnout” policy or plan to deal with employees affected by burnout.

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However, employee burnout does have the potential to negatively affect many aspects of work performance and safety, recent studies say.

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Burnt-out workers often have less awareness of their environment and are prone to neglect workplace safety practices. This could lead to misuse of heavy machinery, careless driving, tussle with co-workers, and delayed emergency response. Such workers could prove to be unsafe and cause workplace incidents that could harm other employees also. This would in turn lead to workers’ compensation claims and increased costs.

•

Burnt-out

employees

may

ultimately

experience

physical

issues

such

as

cardiac/respiratory problems such as high BP, anxiety and tension. Mental stressrelated issues could decrease productivity at the workplace and increase costs.

www.mosmedicalrecordreview.com

918-221-7791

•

Burnt-out employees are also twice likely to leave their current employer and this could lead to high employee turnover rate.

Employees being the most valuable assets of an organization, employers must adopt all measures possible to protect and satisfy the needs of their employees, whether emotional or physical. Though it is not easy to spot employee burn-out, employers can look for signs that suggest a potential burn-out such as a worker who is usually energetic and productive starts showing signs of disinterest and exhaustion.

How can burnout be prevented in the workplace?

The most important thing is early identification and effective intervention.

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Employers can talk to employees about burnout, once any early signs are detected.

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Employees can be given appropriate training and support, and instructed on how to report injuries, safety concerns, and illnesses.

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Since workplace stress is to blame for burnout, addressing stress could help prevent burnout.

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Employees can be given the freedom to assess and complete their job without the management closely monitoring them. This will enable workers to be more creative and independent.

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Employers must make it a point to listen to all their employees’ requirements as well as any suggestions they may make. This will help instil a feeling of belonging and purpose in the organization.

•

A great way to reduce stress in the workplace is to make employees feel empowered. This can be achieved by making available all necessary resources for smooth

working

such

as

computers

and

accessories,

network

servers,

telecommunication equipment and other necessities.

•

Another practical solution is to offer useful services such as child care that will enable employees to fit daily life activities with professional demands.

•

Employers can provide their workers with attractive benefit packages that would prove to be a worthy investment in the long term. These could include housing allowance, personal days off, health insurance, comprehensive retirement plans and so on.

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Employers can consider group health insurance for their employees to protect the physical, mental and financial health of their workers and families. This insurance will help balance the high costs of medical treatment and allow employees to recover more quickly.

www.mosmedicalrecordreview.com

918-221-7791

As a medical record review company assisting workers’ compensation lawyers, we understand that employee burnout is not a hazard. However, if you fail to control or ignore work-associated burnout, it could have an adverse effect on the safety of the workplace. Employers should therefore create awareness campaigns and training initiatives to identify symptoms of employee burnout and the safety hazards caused by fatigue or lack of concentration.

www.mosmedicalrecordreview.com

918-221-7791