Did you know that your actions as a supervisor can positively influence whether your employees will return to work in a timely manner? Listed below are five ways you can help your employees stay at work or return to work after a workplace injury in a way that is safe and sustainable. By incorporating these best practices, you’ll engage your workers, reduce lost time, maintain productivity, and save your company money.
How supervisors can succeed in helping employees return to or stay at work after an injury:
1. Be compassionate
Focus on what you can do to help your workers remain at work or return to work, and help them access prompt and proper medical care. Empathy, not blame, is necessary at the time of the injury, and you as the supervisor set the tone from the start.
2. Report workplace injuries and symptoms immediately to Beacon
Supervisors are the first to learn of injuries and incidents and early reporting to Beacon will reduce treatment and recovery time, save money, and improve outcomes. Additionally, our Beacon team can help you with ergonomic assessments, job restructuring, and the identification of adaptive equipment that will set your employee up for success during their recovery period.
3. Use Beacon’s Preferred Provider Network (PPN)
Beacon will help you find an experienced network healthcare provider who is skilled in the care and treatment of work-related injuries. The network providers will generally treat your employees more efficiently and at a lower cost to you because they fully understand the workers’ compensation system.
4. Provide workplace accommodations by offering modified duty or light duty
Did you know that many employees effectively work while they are still recovering? Encourage employees to return to work at the earliest opportunity, as long as their job tasks stay within the parameters of any medical restrictions. As a supervisor, you are best suited to determine which job tasks are available and appropriate. Along with Human Resources, you may modify regular duty job tasks to allow workers to continue to work in a way that is safe and sustainable. Some examples include reduced hours, job rotation, ergonomic workplace changes, alternating postures (sit/stand). A timely return to work promotes recovery, reduces medical costs, and fosters workplace morale.
5. Communicate
It is important to maintain contact with your injured employees throughout any period of disability. Let them know that you value them, you are there to support them, and that you will collaborate with them so that they successfully remain both safe and at work. Be flexible and patient, as recovery periods will vary with individuals. It may be helpful to check in or schedule brief weekly meetings with your recovering employees to discuss your expectations, assign work duties, and make necessary adjustments. Contact Beacon Mutual’s team if you need help.
When you follow these guidelines, you will create a supportive and positive workplace culture within your department which will make an enormous difference with your stay at work and return to work outcomes!
Want to learn more on how you can help your employees Return-to-Work or Stay-at Work?
Beacon’s Stay-at-Work/Return-to-Work Program helps injured workers return to work safely, by assisting the employer in providing modified duties and support through the recovery process.
Stay-at-Work/Return-to-Work Program Training Seminar
Learn how this program will help enable employers to retain their most valuable resource: the skills, knowledge, and experience of their employees. At the same time, injured workers stay engaged through transitional or modified duty.
