Risk managers need to “think outside the box” if they are going to design and implement effective return to work programmes that will keep down the cost of workers’ compensation insurance, according to a panel of experts.
Marilyn Blake of National Telecom Corporation, which is a part of an association captive domiciled in Vermont, and Mark Denevich of Verizon Communications were among the panellists discussing the management of medical costs at the Vermont Captive Insurance Association's annual conference.
Return to work programmes offer captives multiple benefits, including boosting the employee’s morale and lowering the cost of workers’ compensation insurance, but risk managers must “think outside the box” if they are going to do them correctly.
Employees will often not have the skills required to conduct work they have no experience of, while managers can be reluctant to oversee staff who are not working in their normal, or to their full, capacity.
Denesvich said that “the real challenge is educating managers” because they often do not want employees on modified duty, but return to work programmes require “a multi-pronged approach” targeting both employee and manager to be successful.
