The United States Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics reported approximately 2.8 million nonfatal workplace injuries and illnesses in 2017. Sometimes, there’s no way around a workplace accident. But there’s ways to make the problem a little bit easier to handle. One way to make sure that workplace success remains prevalent is through implementing a sound return-to-work (RTW) program. If an employee gets put out of commission due to an injury, having a backup plan can become crucial.
Setting up an employee to succeed is the way that any agency should go, especially if they want to make their most out of their staffing agency workers’ compensation insurance. What happens if a quality employee is injured?
Getting rid of a good employee because something unfortunate took place is not the way to go, and is in fact a decision that could cost a business thousands of dollars and waste months of training and on-boarding. Investing in the future of a business is better than continuously hiring after every accident occurs, and investing in employees is even more important. These are the benefits of utilizing a strong RTW program and why your staffing agency should have one.
Essential Moves to Make When Creating a RTW Program
The U.S. Department of Labor compiled a list of recommendations necessary to instill a powerful RTW program that consistently works. Here’s some of their recommendations for employees that are transitioning back into work because of an injury or illness:
- When research is done on the effectiveness of back-to-work strategies, it benefits every employee long-term. Policies encouraging development that properly assists temporarily disabled workers is one of the easiest ways to promote positive programs that go hand in hand with staffing agency insurance.
- Promoting collaboration and coordination between stakeholders is critical. By combining the power of the RTW program and government agencies, it’s possible to accomplish more with someone who is returning back to work. Giving employees the time they need to heal without stress is vital for any program.
- When state agencies have more incentive to utilize this kind of program, everyone ends up benefiting from it. It’s about focusing on rehabilitation and company productivity. Properly communicating with employees and executives means that there’s going to be more help and resources available to those that need it.
- Providing financial incentives to employees ensures that employees return to work as soon as they are physically able to. Some moves that can be enforced include wage subsidies to employers, subsidies and incentives for accomodations, insurance premium discounts, funding related to the promotion of work transition programs and tax incentives meant to encourage employers to provide comprehensive coverage.
When employers have the proper technical resources, they’re more prone to having a successful return to work. On top of that, employers can pick up disability income protection coverage. However, when temporary disability benefits are involved, they should be able to turn into temporary disability insurance programs. Having smooth transitions is essential.
Finally, all employees need access to RTW programs through their staffing agency insurance. And executive employees need to reiterate the importance of having this type of program and the exposures that can be faced.
About World Wide Specialty Programs
For the last 50 years, World Wide Specialty Programs has dedicated itself to providing the optimal products and solutions for the staffing industry. As the only insurance firm to be an ASA commercial liability partner, we are committed to that partnership and committed to using our knowledge of the industry to provide staffing firms with the best possible coverage. For more information about Staffing Professional Liability Insurance or any other coverage, we have available to protect your staffing business, give us a call at (800) 245-9653 to speak with one of our representatives.