Even if an employee has suffered an injury on the premises of your business, that doesn’t mean that your relations will be forever damaged. In fact, focusing on maintaining good employee relationships following a workplace injury is a critical part of establishing your company’s credibility, upholding your reputation, and treating your workers humanely. If you’re currently following all of the relevant OSHA regulations for workplace injuries but want to go above and beyond to support the injured employee and let him or her know how much you care, here’s what your business needs to do right away.
Stay in Touch With Your Employee Throughout the Recovery Period
Unfortunately, sending your employee a bouquet of flowers the day he or she returns to the office just won’t cut it if you really want to maintain and foster a good relationship. To ensure a smooth transition back to work and a consistently strong relationship, your business needs to stay in touch with the employee throughout his or her recovery period. For instance, you could send check-in emails periodically, send cards or a small gift to the hospital and, if you’re personally familiar with or close to the employee, pay him or her a visit to the hospital.
Show Genuine Empathy and Respect Your Employee’s Boundaries
At the same time, knowing where the boundaries are in your employer-employee relationship is critical. While your business needs to demonstrate genuine empathy and strong leadership, it’s also important to avoid making the employee feel uncomfortable. If the employee shows any signs of pressure or discomfort, it’s ok to take a step back. For example, you may want to pause check-in calls or emails for a while and hold in the well wishes until it’s almost time for the employee to return to your workplace.
Help Your Employee With a Smooth Transition Back to Work
Lastly, you can create a long-lasting positive connection with your injured worker by helping him or her easily transition back into work mode post-recovery. While the day-to-day practicalities of this transition may vary business to business, it could involve:
- Offering paid sick leave and time off from work
- Providing your employee all the information needed to catch up easily
- Installing any necessary special accommodations for your employee’s injuries or disabilities
- Expressing your excitement to see the employee back
Maintaining strong relationships with employees who have suffered injuries in your workplace is essential for emotionally supporting the worker in question, strengthening your company’s reputation, and ensuring a good future working relationship. If one of your employees was recently injured on your premises, make sure you follow these steps to keep your relationship as positive as possible, both during the worker’s recovery period and after he or she returns to work.
About InsureMyWorkComp
InsureMyWorkComp is a digital brokerage that helps clients find the right workers’ compensation solution for their business needs. Unlike other online platforms, we will help you to work with an agent who can provide you the right solution for your risk profile. Our staff has over 50 years of workers’ compensation underwriting and sales experience, and we are confident that we will provide you the support that you need. For more information or to get a quote, contact us today at (855) 340-9138.