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g n i r a h S k s i R

A Healthy Workplace Environment

By Chris Maden - Claims Associates, Inc. General Council and Director of Operations

Despite active loss control efforts and safety programs, workplaceinjuriesaregoingtooccur.It’sjustafactoflife. I can’t think of any employers I’ ve ever worked with that have “non-essential employees. ” So, if someone is out because of an injury, it puts a real strain on daily operations and co-workers, not to mention the injured employee.Morethan99%ofthetime,everyoneinvolvedtheinjuredemployee,theemployer,co-workers,adjusters, nurse case managers, and medical providers- want to effectively and efficiently treat the injuries and see the employee return to the workplace. Most of the employers we work with here at Claims Associates are very cooperativewhenitcomestoreportingclaimsandactively helping get the employee back on the job.

But what are we, as employers, doing to make an injured employee want to come back to work? In other words, do our workplaces foster a culture of caring and encouragement and are they the sort of places that people want to return to as soon as possible?

Work is an economic reality for millions of us. We need income to pay for the necessities of life, not to mention getting some assistance with health insurance and achieving some retirement security. But, we want to earn those things at workplaces where we feel respected, trusted, and appreciated by our supervisors and coworkers. People will leave jobs with prestigious titles and significant earning potential to take lower-paying jobs elsewhere if they don’t feel they are respected in the workplace, trusted to do their job right and well, and appreciatedbeyondapaycheck.Whatdoesthishavetodo with work comp claims?

Consider a couple examples: Mary is a long-time in an office of about 10 people.Sheisfriendlywitheveryone,buthasher own small group of closer friends in the office. Mary is in her 40’s and has a couple of teen-aged children. Her spouse works full-time in a job that requires some travel. Over the July 4 holiday, Mary breaks her leg while water skiing. It’s bad. Mary needs a couple of surgeries and her orthopedic surgeon says she can’t work for at least 6 weeks because he’s not allowing Mary to walk on the leg. Mary ’s best friends from the office visit her in the hospital and everyone signs a get well card. Back at the office, people are signing up to deliver meals or help make sure Mary ’skidsaregettingtosoccergameswhileher spouse is out of town for work.

Sam is also employed at a relatively small office. Like Mary, Sam is in his 40’s, has a spouse and children. He gets along with everyone and socializes outside the office with another coworker. Sam suffers a badly broken leg when he falls from a stepladder while retrieving a box off a shelf in a storeroom. He’s off work for at least sixweeksondoctor’sordersandthisisobviously a work comp claim- which everyone at the office clearly assumes. Sam gets a get well card from his co-workers and his direct supervisor called to see how he is doing and to ask for a copy of the doctor’s orders for “the file. ” Otherwise, that’s about it. To make matters worse, the work comp carrier and Sam’s doctor don’t agree on a course of treatment and Sam hires a lawyer who files a petition to contest that decision. Now, no one from work is communicating with Sam anymore.

Forgetting the broken leg for a moment, would you rather beintheshoesofMaryorSam?Maryisobviouslyfeeling some sense of respect, trust, and appreciation. Sam, not so much. So, who is going to feel more excitement and anticipation to get back to work? Who is wondering whether anyone back at the office really cares? Exactly.

Buildingacultureofcaringandempathyintheworkplace is more than simply working through a checklist of steps. Here are some points to consider.

• Leaders have to lead. Leaders and supervisors need to take time to reach out to the injured employee and be supportive of the efforts of others. It means a lot to the

employee and sets an example. This goes double for “the boss. ” This isn’t a time to show off those well-honed delegation skills. It’s not good enough that the injured employee’s direct supervisor has covered this.

• Communicate.

- With employees. Management shouldn’t be discussing work comp claims or specific medical information with other employees,butthereisnothingwrongwithbeing clearthatanemployeeisoutformedicalreasons, is undergoing treatment, and under doctor’s orders will be absent from work for a period of time. - With the injured employee. Managers should not be discussing claim details with the injured employee, especially if there is any dispute. Leavethattotheadjustersandlawyers.However, that shouldn’t prevent asking how the employee isfeelingandofferingsomeencouragementtoget well. - With the carrier and counsel. If there is any question or doubt about communicating with the injured employee, talk to the assigned claim adjuster or defense counsel if an attorney is involved.

• Be consistent. Don’t let employees with work comp injuries get treated differently than other employees with different catastrophic problems.

• Recognize the efforts of others. When an employee is out,otheremployeeshavetotakeuptheslack.Thiscanbe particularly stressful. Don’t forget to show some special recognition for those employees’ efforts, as well. It starts with saying, “thank you. ”Whatever you do, do not ignore this, because by doing so, you might have a toxic concoction of resentments and hard feelings brewing up.

Loss control and risk management are important. However, don’t lose focus on workplace culture. Just like a productive garden, it requires attention, effort, and some TLC. Everyone should make their workplace the sort of place people want to work and return to as soon as possible.