15
Fall 2014 Issue
Safety & Workers’ Compensation
]
While there may be general misconceptions about the positive
role of early return to work programs in restaurants, many
employers are seeing the benefits these strategies can have on
their injured employees and their bottom line. Here we address
three common misconceptions of early return to work programs.
MISCONCEPTION #1:
It is unproductive to bring an injured employee back to
work before they are 100 percent.
Reality: On the contrary, creating structured transitional duties
for injured employees to perform during their recovery – as
opposed to staying home from work – initiates a number of
physical and mental advantages for both employee and employer.
First, the employee remains active and productive, helping
prevent loss of physical fitness and muscle tone due to
inactivity. Second, they can earn full or partial wages during
transition, bringing income closer to pre-injury wages and
helping alleviate concerns about continued employment.
Third, getting the employee back to their day-to-day routine
helps them experience less disruption to their life, and
provides them contact and support from co-workers and
friends. Fourth, having the experienced staff member back in
the restaurant can help the employer eliminate unnecessary
expenses associated with hiring and training new employees.
These advantages are in defense of the widely accepted theory
that the longer an injured worker is off work, the harder it is
for them to safely return to gainful employment.
MISCONCEPTION #2:
Staying home is the best medicine.
Recent national studies report that work is generally good for
health and well-being and that “worklessness” is generally
bad. While employers often focus primarily on physical
recovery, the time an injured employee spends away from their
career and peers can be just as traumatic as the injury itself.
Often, an injured employee can be limited in what tasks they can
perform when they first return based on work restrictions prescribed
by their healthcare provider. However, today’s occupational health
providers are receptive to working with employers and focusing
on an injured employee’s abilities as opposed to their disabilities.
They share the same goal of returning an injured employee to
productivity because of the positive impact work can have on
achieving a healthy long-term recovery.
MISCONCEPTION #3:
I don’t have the time or the budget to develop an early
return to work program.
The truth is many employers do not have the time or the budget
to afford even just one lost time claim. Ohio Bureau of Workers’
Compensation (BWC) statistics illustrate the dramatic financial
difference between average claim costs when an injured worker
missed fewer than seven days ($820) versus missing more than
seven days ($51,000) as in a lost-time claim. Early return to
work programs are designed to give employers the tools they
need to eliminate the occurrence of lost time claims, with an
average $51,000 return on investment each time they do so.
Don’t let misconceptions distract you from the ultimate goal
of developing return to work solutions that help your injured
employees return to healthy productive lifestyles. More times
than not, it’s the best medicine for their long-term recovery
and for the health of your business.
This article was provided for reprint to the Ohio Restaurant
Association (ORA) by ORA Strategic Partner CareWorks. If you
have questions regarding the contents of this article or would like
additional information, please contact CareWorks’ Derek Stern at
(888) 627-7586, ext. 3554 or e-mail at
Dispelling the Misconceptions Surrounding Early Return to Work
Many falsehoods exist around getting employees back on the job following an injury
