Engaging Your Employees in Their Recovery
There are several ways to maintain a better connection with injured or ill employees away from work and, in turn, empower them and simplify the process. At the 2018 RIMS Annual Conference, a session discussed the critical importance of engaging with your injured workers. The presenters included Kathy Tazic from Sedgwick and Jake Kelly from General Electric.
Keeping the employee engaged while they are off of work helps reduce litigation, speed return to work, and allows the employee to maintain a sense of being part of the workplace culture.
Different people prefer different forms of communication. For some, e-mail is preferred. Others prefer a phone call. Younger workers tend to prefer text messages. Being flexible in your communication approach will allow you to become more effective in reaching your injured workers.
Case management can assist in employee engagement as well. Embedding nurses into your claims process is helpful because they will better understand the nature of the jobs and the workforce.
Some employers take extra steps to assist their workers in the recovery process. This could include on-site physical therapy, yoga classes, exercise facilities, and other wellness initiatives that can both help prevent injuries and also aid in the rehabilitation process.