Margaret Spence, CWC

A Decade in Business Acknowledging What We Accomplished I can hardly believe that 10 years ago I quit a well-paying job to embark on self-employment. Ten years later do I have any regrets – none! Is there a lot more to do – absolutely! So as I reflect not only on the end of 2010 [...]

Workers’ compensation return to work programs, have to be an integral part of your retention policy or strategy. Your employees—are your most valued asset. If employees are your most valued asset, then you should recognize the importance of implementing a comprehensive return-to-work program. Your obligation as the employer does not end when the injury begins. Returning an employee to work is an investment in your company, and it shows that you still value your employees after they are injured.

Imagine if everyone shared your vision of getting ill or injured employees back to work?  In today’s tough economy, it may be difficult to sell your company on the benefits of continuing to offer injured employees viable light duty jobs especially if you are considering a layoff.

As your company grapples with layoffs, budget shortages and declining profits – is this realistic? Can you balance employee retention, injury prevention and economic sustainability?

National Return to Work Week (NRTWW) is an opportunity for stakeholders in the workers compensation and disability management process to demonstrate their commitment to helping injured, disabled or ill employees stay-at-work or return-to-work. This week highlights the importance of retaining ill or injured employees, focusing on their ability to do the job rather than using their disability to exclude them from the workforce.

Interview with Ask Sharifah on National Return to Work Week. Listen to the recorded interview. Interview on Workers compensation, return to work and getting injured and ill employees back to work successfully.  

We have officially launched our Free Weekly Webcast – The Workers Comp Educator on BrightTalk. The show airs every Tuesday from 2:30 to 3:00 Eastern Time. We will discuss a wide array of topics affecting workers compensation, injury management and human resources. Join us now:

Why do we allow injured workers to stay at home? Did you add workers compensation injuries to your retention strategy?