Most employers work hard toward attaining their company’s goals; hence end up neglecting their employees. They often make this mistake because they forget that happy and satisfied employees are the main catalysts of business success. As such, we can say that not caring about their employees is the leading cause of personal injury claims and constant legal battles. Below are some common mistakes employers do when someone gets hurt in the line of duty.
Not getting involved with medical providers
Many employers fail to get concerned enough with the doctors handling their employees’ injuries. Besides, they fail to understand that proper and quality healthcare is essential for employee well-being.
A recent study done in America showed that the quality of service of medical practitioners involved with workers highly determines the costs to be paid. The study showed that 10% of physicians involved in injury claims failed to administer the right treatment or gave the workers the wrong medication. Therefore, it is upon the employers to ensure that once a worker gets injured, they should make it their business to ensure they get the right medication. They should do this to avoid cases of workers taking time off because of a wrongly prescribed medication.
Lack of trust with their employees
Many employers tend to act indifferently toward their employees, which leads to mistrust between them. Therefore, any employer should aim at having a good relationship with their workers by showing genuine interest in their well-being. If employers manage to establish a good relationship with workers, they will be more comfortable disclosing their injuries to them because they will feel genuinely valued and respected. Workers may be afraid when they experience their first injury at work, especially if they have a non-friendly boss. But if the employer is friendly, he or she should be able to disclose how the workers’ compensation works and make them feel more at ease. If the employer observes this, the personal injury claim will be easy to maneuver.
Not cooperating with the workers’ compensation board
As an employer, you should be responsible for assisting your workers’ compensation panel in curbing fraud. Other employees may try to commit fraud by lying about their injury or attempt exaggerating symptoms. Orange County lawyer says that “If you were injured on the job, you need attorneys who understand the workers’ compensation process and can guide you safely through it to make sure you are compensated.” Therefore, it is the sole responsibility of the employer to make sure that the employee’s injury is genuine and not malicious as they claim to gain compensation. However, some employers also take part in compensation fraud. For instance, an employer may fail to submit the first reports of the injury, hoping that if he keeps the claims history down, it will save them headaches of increased premiums.
Having company policies that don’t support injured workers
When organizations are created, they should be set up to do the right thing. While trying to grow and increase profit margins, organizations should also do the right thing for their employees. Some employers make the mistake of dismissing employees’ injury claims based on fraud. While some may be actual frauds, others are genuine and should not be rejected. If a valid claim gets denied, the worker involved may decide to engage the employer in a legal battle. The company will end up paying considerable compensation to the affected worker. Thus, an employer should make policies that avoid costly legal actions.
Transitional tasks
After someone has been injured, it is not easy for them to get back to work. An employer should understand the trauma that injured employees go through when recovering from their injuries. Therefore, the employer should reassign tasks for anyone getting back from an injury before they completely heal psychologically and physically. It would be wise if an employer requested a worker’s detailed physical report directly from their doctor to monitor their progress. This should be done to ensure that when an affected worker returns to work, he or she is entirely physically able. However, many employers assume that as soon as a worker returns to work, they are wholly capable and ready to resume duty. In most cases, when this happens, a worker ends up hurting themselves again, and it could be fatal.
Employers should be vigilant when dealing with injuries suffered at their places of work. They should have favorable policies for employees’ injury compensation. Be sure to follow our guide to avoid making the mistakes outlined.
Author information: Maggie Bloom graduated from Utah Valley University with a degree in communication and writing. In her spare time, she loves to dance, read, and bake. She also enjoys traveling and scouting out new brunch locations.
