Workshop to help employers understand early return-to-work benefits

A free workshop to help employers understand the benefits of an early and sustainable return to work for injured workers is being held next Tuesday, at Dandenong, by WorkSafe Victoria.

The workshop would help employers understand that working with the injured person and those treating them had benefits for all, said Return to Work program manager Danielle Jacobs.

“While most people get back to work relatively quickly after an injury, many others would benefit from better support from their employer. Apart from the treatment and rehabilitation costs paid for by the employer, rearranging work, possibly recruiting replacement employees and time lost managing claims is a business cost that can be cut."

“Maintaining contact between the workplace and the injured person is good for their emotional health and wellbeing while there are also clear commercial benefits for the business,” Jacobs said.

“The international evidence showed getting people back to work was generally good for them as it helped offset the risks that came from loss of contact with workmates and friends. Alternate duties can often be found even though the person may not have recovered to the point that they could return to their old job.”

At this event, industry experts will provide practical tips and information about: employer return-to-work obligations; the role of the specialist Return to Work inspectorate and what they look for when they visit a workplace where a workers compensation claim has been made; what to do if you receive an improvement notice and how to manage difficult and/or complex cases; how return to work affects the estimated future cost of claims and how claims costs are used to determine the relative performance of a business and setting premium; how to measure the impact of improved return to work on business bottom line.