WORKPLACE SAFETY

Behavioral health specialists offer clinical expertise and guidance for injured workers and can help in identifying other related issues that should be addressed to maximize physical and mental/emotional recovery. Behavioral health support is particularly important in claims involving trauma, violence, mass casualties and other catastrophes, or psychosocial concerns like substance abuse, financial difficulties or family/relationship challenges. All of these factors, as well as anxiety or fear about returning to work, can impede healing and negatively affect overall well-being if left unchecked. Behavioral health specialists serve as caring advocates for injured workers, imparting coping skills that promote resilience and providing supportive assistance to help them overcome any barriers on the road to recovery.

Advocacy and empathy

From the first notice of injury to the end of the claim, the tone of every interaction should be supportive rather than adversarial. Employees may come into the claims process with a perception that the workers’ compensation system is “out to get them”; each positive touchpoint can chip away at that negative view, instead replacing it with confidence that the claims team is there to help. Clear, empathetic and frequent communication with the injured worker conveys accountability for their role in the process and their commitment to providing every available support resource throughout the journey.

Claims professionals may touch dozens of workers’ comp cases a day, but it’s likely those injured workers are going through this experience for the first time in their lives. They are scared about their health, their livelihood and taking care of their families. They’re worried about who will pay their medical bills and what they need to do next. In the advocacy model, claims professionals are charged with building trust and rapport with injured workers and enlisting the right clinical resources to support their recovery. By showing they care, claims and clinical professionals have the capacity to allay injured workers’ fears and bring a hefty dose of sensitivity and understanding to an unexpectedly difficult period.

Caring counts

Treating injured workers with care and empathy is not only the right thing to do; it also affects how claims ultimately resolve and yields great results for employers. Data shows that taking a holistic approach to workers’ compensation reduces claim durations, medical and indemnity costs, litigation rates and lost productivity. The advocacy model cuts down on friction in the process and significantly improves employees’ post-injury experience.

Additionally, advocacy helps to prevent employees from never returning to their jobs. Getting employees back to work after they’ve recovered from injury has always been important in workers’ comp, but it’s taken on greater significance in today’s tight labor market. Many of the jobs that are hardest to fill involve potentially dangerous work. The people in those roles perform critical societal functions but are more susceptible to injury. With many employers and industries already scrounging, they cannot afford for skilled talent to unnecessarily depart from the workforce. They also cannot afford to risk further injuries to other employees, so modifications should be considered as part of the overall solution. If talented individuals in these short-handed industries do sustain injuries on the job, they must be treated in a way that reflects the true value they bring to the table — because caring counts.