On a personal level, it's satisfying to enjoy a friendly and respectful working relationship with your employees. But when it comes to resolving workers' compensation claims, a good relationship can translate later into some major business savings. No matter what type of business you run, employees that injure themselves on the job must be compensated.
Businesses can certainly do their part to keep premiums low by limiting risk for injury.
But if you do find yourself in the unfortunate situation of having a claim filed against your company, there are still ways to work in your company's best financial interest. In fact, how an employer acts from the period between filing and resolving the claim can play a major role in limiting the size of damages awarded. Pamela Rippens, the assistant vice president of Specialty Services, a risk-management company in Connecticut, spoke to this effect at the National Workers' Compensation and Disability Management Conference held in Chicago in early December 2000. Rippens said that the relationship built and maintained between employee and employer is a valuable component in cost savings on filed claims. The more positive the relationship, the more likely it is that the employee will return to work.