When adjusters daydream, their non-work daydreams are like every one else – romance and money. When the work comp adjuster’s daydreams about their work, many of their daydreams are about how much easier, their life would be if their clients – the employers – knew what they know. If you could see inside the adjusters head, here are some of the things the adjusters wish their clients knew. The worker compensation adjusters know that from thirty-eight to fifty percent of all workers compensation injuries are related to substance abuse, per the Tennessee Department of Labor. The adjusters biggest wish is for their clients to have a drug-free workplace program. When the employers have a published drug-free workplace program that includes pre-employment drug screens, random drug testing and mandatory drug testing of all employees involved in a work-place accident, the number of work-related injuries drops sharply. Hence, the adjuster daydreams about every employer having a drug-free work place and because of that, having a lot less work comp claims to work on. (WCxKit) One of the first things the work comp adjuster does when a new work comp claim is assigned to him/her is to read the Employers First Report of Injury (FROI). The FROI has a section where the employer describes what happens. When the adjuster reads “employee hurt back lifting ________ (fill in the blank)” or “employee tripped over ________ (fill in the blank)” or “employee was struck by __________ (fill in the blank)”, the adjuster recognizes what the employer does not see – the employers safety program needs improvement. Lifting, tripping and being struck by something are all types of accidents that can usually be avoided when the employer has an enforced safety program in place. The adjuster wishes the employer knew how many fewer accidents there would be (and how much lower the work comp premium would be) if the employer had an enforced safety program. Too often, the adjuster gets to handle the mess the employer made when they decided not to report the “minor” injury the employee incurred. The employee said he could “tough it out” when he strained his back, twisted his knee or dropped 200 lbs on his foot. The untreated injury often gets worse before it gets better. Just like the old proverb “a stitch in time saves nine,” timely medical treatment for a small injury can prevent the employee from aggravating the injury and causing a more serious injury. The adjuster wishes the employer would send every injured employer immediately to the doctor (and while the employee is being treated, get the drug test done as there is often an alternative motive for “toughing it out”). The smart work comp adjuster knows the employee is another human being, and just like almost every person, the employee wants to know that someone, anyone, cares about the injury that has occurred. Now the big burly roughneck is not going to think,” my employer is not compassionate” when he never hears from the employer after an accident. What he will think is “they dont give a damn (or insert much stronger curse word) about me”, and off he goes to get a lawyer who will listen to him and who will “make sure the employer pays for this.” The adjuster daydreams and wishes that the employer would stay in touch with the employee after an accident, sharply reducing the number of lawyers involved in their claims. The adjuster needs to know what the employer knows about the work comp claim. If the employer hears scuttlebutt that the employees accident happened at home, or that the employee could return to work but does not want to, or any other information about the claim, the information should be shared with the adjuster. The adjusters daydream here is the simple wish the employer would keep the adjuster informed of any developments. While physical therapy will assist the employees recovery from musculoskeletal injuries, often-light duty work will do the same thing, and is a whole lot cheaper for the employer in the end. When the adjuster calls the employer about the employee returning to work on light duty, and has to deal with a supervisor who is only thinking about what is convenient for the supervisor, the adjuster sighs. When the employer refuses to accommodate light duty, the adjuster wishes the employer knew and understood how much sooner the work comp claim would be over if the employer would put the employee back to work on modified duty. (WCxKit) The work comp adjusters do not daydream or wish the employer knew everything about their jobs, but the adjuster will continue to wish the employers understand how the employers actions or inaction affects the adjusters job. If you want the adjuster to feel like you, the employer, are a wonderful company, heed the ideas expressed above.
Author Rebecca Shafer, JD, President of Amaxx Risks Solutions, Inc. is a national expert in the field of workers compensation. She is a writer, speaker, and website publisher. Her expertise is working with employers to reduce workers compensation costs, and her clients include airlines, healthcare, printing/publishing, pharmaceuticals, retail, hospitality, and manufacturing. See www.LowerWC.com for more information. Contact:
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