American entrepreneur, author, and motivational speaker Jim Rohn said,
“If you just communicate, you can get by; But if you communicate skillfully, you can work miracles.”
While you may not be able to heal an employee’s injury as their employer, communication with them on a regular basis is strong medicine. Communication can help injured workers through the process of workers’ compensation. Setting the tone of cooperation between employers and injured workers throughout their recovery. This will show your staff how they will be treated if they are injured. It is important to promote a culture of empathy, trust, and communication.
Communicating Empathy
As an employer, it is important to remember that an injured worker is in an unfamiliar position. They are not experts on workers’ compensation benefits. They are in pain, unsure about their job security, and worried about the financial security of their family. One reason injured workers don’t return to their jobs is that they feel anxious about their work situation. Knowing their employer is concerned about their health and is looking forward to their return can motivate them to return to work as soon as medically possible.
A white paper by Lockton Cos. LLC found that one of the most common cost drivers of workers’ compensation was a lack of communication. The average lost-time claims cost 3.5 times more when words such as “fear” and “afraid” are recorded in adjuster conversation.
By communicating early and often with injured workers, employers have the opportunity to provide information on the return to work process. They will become the direct supporter of their employee’s recovery. A simple phone call from the employee’s supervisor or direct manager can positively impact an injured worker. This can make an injured worker feel connected to the workplace, valued, respected, and wanted back at work.
Communicating Trust
In an article for www.propertycasualty360.com, Kathryn Tazic, managing director at Sedgwick said, “We’ve found that explaining the [workers’ compensation] process up-front will help prevent litigation. The number one reason injured workers hire attorneys is because they don’t understand what’s going to happen to them. They don’t understand the workers’ compensation process, which is getting more complicated.”
A 2010 study by the Workers Compensation Research Institute found that calling the injured employee within a week after an accident can prevent litigation. Talking about their value to the company reduces the chance of a lawsuit by 50%.
Sometimes an injured employee will hire an attorney simply because they are afraid they will need them. Injured workers have the same interests as their leadership. To recover and get back on the job as quickly as possible.
A study conducted by Gallup showed that employees who are satisfied with their employer’s response to inquiry or illness return to work 50% faster with 54% lower cost.
Good communication with your injured worker includes active listening. They may ask questions about the process, express concerns about their job security, or air complaints. It’s important to actively listen to what they are saying. It is important to be attuned to their feelings, without engaging in a combative discussion.
Some managers are cautious about talking to their injured workers. Managers may be worried about privacy laws around medical issues. They, may also, be unfamiliar with the details of the company’s workers’ compensation program. By communicating, employers can foster trust in their injured workers and reduce the chance of litigation.
A National Occupational Research Agenda (NORA) Innovative Research Award-winning research study by Shaw, et al., “Supervisor Training to Optimize Response to Worker Injuries,” showed that just four hours of supervisor training on communication skills and respect for injured workers, along with ergonomic accommodations for injured workers reduced lost-time claims by 47 percent. The study also showed an 18 percent reduction in existing claims and an 80 percent reduction in workers’ comp costs.
Summary
It is important to communicate early and often the value of your modified duty and return-to-work program. Good communication can reduce litigation, lost time claims costs, and workers’ comp costs. Communicating is the right thing to do for an employee. This is especially important for an employee who is injured and anxious. Communicating with employees before their injury and while they recover will positively impact your return to work program. This will become a valued and expected part of returning to work for your employees. Both the employer and the injured worker will be less anxious about returning to full-duty work.