People who hurt themselves on the job must figure out how to return to work after an injury that put them out of commission. Injuries are possible, even if you run a tight ship. There’s still a possibility that one of your employees may one day suffer an injury. When injuries are severe enough to require time off of work, it’s essential to have a protocol in place to help your employee come back to work in a safe, smooth, and responsible manner.
Returning to Work
The good news is that this protocol doesn’t have to be complicated. Here’s how your employees can safely return to work after an injury.
Return Only After Getting Thoroughly Checked Out by a Doctor
No matter what kind of injury your employee may have experienced, it’s a good idea to stay home and recover until a doctor approves a return to work. Although this may extend the timeline, it’s the best move to protect your employee’s health and well-being. You or your company’s managers may want to:
- Allow your employees to work from home temporarily, if possible
- Provide your employees with paid or unpaid time off to recover
- Strengthen your workers’ compensation policy to compensate the worker, if possible
- Only allow workers to come back after receiving the green light from their doctor
- Encourage your employee to get plenty of rest
Provide Helpful Accommodations To Make Your Employees’ Transition Easier
Be aware that you may need to provide special accommodations to your injured employee upon returning to the workplace. To make the transition easier, you can take several preemptive steps. For example, make sure that you:
- Keep in touch with your employee while they are out to ensure helpful communication
- Install ramps and create open spaces for employees in wheelchairs, if applicable
- Allow employees returning after an additional injury time to complete work assignments, if necessary
- Institute a Return to Work program at your office so employees can come back to “light duty” work for a while
Provide Flexibility and Remain Empathetic Towards Your Employee
As a business owner, it’s important to remain empathetic and flexible when handling injured employee cases. Talk with the employee regularly to work together on a realistic and viable return-to-work plan. In many cases, it may be beneficial if you:
- Offer workers no longer able to do their original jobs positions in other departments, if possible
- Offer hybrid work options and flexible work schedules as needed
- Adjust job requirements and demands to fit the employee’s current state of health
Preparing for a safe and smooth return is imperative. Thankfully, the transition may be easier to pull off than you think. Follow these simple tips to create a return-to-work protocol at your business that allows injured employees to return to work safely.
About InsureMyWorkComp
InsureMyWorkComp is a digital brokerage that helps clients find the right workers’ compensation solution for their business needs. Unlike other online platforms, we will help you to work with an agent who can provide you the right solution for your risk profile. Our staff has over 50 years of workers’ compensation underwriting and sales experience, and we are confident that we will provide you the support that you need. For more information or to get a quote, contact us today at (855) 340-9138.