All employees are not the same. To keep your business running every day, do you know that you speak to and approach each employee differently? That same method can hold true when working with employees to get them back to work quickly and safely after a workers’ compensation claim.
Return to work approach, one employee at a time
Just as tasks and duties correspond to each employee, so should the return-to-work program. There are many different return to work programs that can be used. Match the program to the specific personalities of the employees for the most successful results. While one employee may respond well to several phone calls a week, another may find it too intrusive. Finding balance is the key to getting employees back to work quickly, effectively, and to the benefit of your business.
In general, there are mainly four different employee personality types ranging from completely satisfied to completely dissatisfied. The four types are:
Satisfied and Committed: One who is happy and does not need to produce to return to work.
Satisfied and Not Committed: One who is happy, but willing to be out of a job.
Unhappy and Passive: Someone who is unhappy, but doesn’t deliberately concoct plans to be out of a job. However, they can take advantage of the system to stay out longer than necessary.
Unhappy and Active: Someone who is very unhappy with their situation and will actively try to take advantage of the system. This employee doesn’t want to come back, makes up plans to stay out longer, and is actively working on a plan to never return to work.
Most employees will fall into one of these description categories and will respond similarly to different return-to-work strategies. The key is to handle each situation according to the personalities of the employees.
Adapt to the personality of the employee
for example, a satisfied and committed The employee may be someone who hasn’t missed a day of work in years, attends company events, and is always seen as an entrepreneur. A workers’ compensation claim can be perceived as a setback for this type of individual and little interaction from the employer will be necessary for them to return to work. In this case, a recommended strategy is to submit a recovery card and work in partnership to provide a productive transition service position. The employer’s actions in this case, such as aggressive surveillance, can have the opposite effect and make the employee not want to return to work. With a satisfied and disengaged employee, a more interactive approach can be used. For example; invite the employee to seminars or training events before return. This will provide an introductory stage to the return to work program.
a committed and unhappy employed in the same situation will require a completely different approach. This type of employee is generally trying not to return to work. Employers of compromised and dissatisfied employees will need to take a much more aggressive approach that includes designing and implementing fraud prevention measures, surveillance procedures, hiring investigators, and having constant and frequent contact with the employee. Without starting the return to work process, the employee will put a stop to it for good.
Finally, put your return-to-work program slogan by employee as you know the employee. A cookie cutter program is the least successful program.
