Supervisors failing with employees

According to a new study by Leadership IQ, 66% of employees say they have too little interaction with their boss. And as an indication that this could be driven by the recession, this number is up from 53% in May 2008, the last time this study was conducted.

What supervisors need to communicate about Workers’ Compensation

Until an accident occurs, Workers’ Compensation is not top of mind with many supervisors who are managing a multitude of tasks. A supervisor plays many roles in Workers’ Compensation – first contact when incident (accident) occurs, incident (accident) investigation, contact with the injured employee, overseeing return to work programs, managing work schedules to adjust for loss of injured employee, etc. Yet, one area is often overlooked – educating employees on the purpose and function of Workers’ Compensation.

Whether it is an orientation or a general training session, here are five key points supervisors should make with employees:

The company ultimately pays for the cost of Workers’ Compensation

Some employees believe that an insurance company or governmental agency pays the costs. In reality, Workers’ Compensation is a financing contract that spreads the costs of injuries over time. It affects the company’s bottom line and competitiveness and in turn, the job security of employees.

The company values its employees and is committed to returning the injured employees to work as quickly as safely possible

The company will provide quality medical care, prompt payment of medical bills and wage loss benefits, and transitional job opportunities and/or accommodations that will enable injured employees to transition back to their regular position. The company provides these benefits; an injured employee does not have to hire an attorney.

Workers’ Compensation is income protection for the short term

Employees who remain on Workers’ Compensation for a long time can suffer a loss of earnings and develop a disability attitude and lifestyle. The best thing for both the injured employee and the employer is to get the employee back on the job.

Employees have responsibilities

While it is the employer’s responsibility to maintain a safe workplace and provide Workers’ Compensation, employees are responsible for knowing and following all health and safety rules and speaking up about potential hazards. If injured, an employee must immediately report the injury, follow the treatment plan prescribed by the treating physician, keep the employer informed of their medical status and return to work when medically possible.

The company will pursue fraud

The company treats all injured employees fairly and equitably and all reported claims are considered and treated as legitimate. However, if during the course of the investigation evidence of fraud is uncovered, the company will report the situation to the insurance company and the appropriate governmental agency.

A Leadership IQ press release states, “But employees don’t just want warm-and-fuzzy interactions. While 67% of employees say they get too little positive feedback, 51% also say they get too little constructive criticism from their boss. Perhaps most troubling is that employees who said they didn’t get enough feedback were 43% less likely to recommend their company to others as a great organization to work for.”

This study revealed that it’s not just the amount of feedback that is lacking. Fifty-three percent of employees say that when their boss does praise excellent performance, the feedback does not provide enough useful information to help them repeat it. And 65% of employees say that when their boss criticizes poor performance, they don’t provide enough useful information to help employees correct the issue.”

Faced with more responsibilities and added stress during the economic crisis, supervisors find it difficult to give feedback and find time to address the emotional needs of their employees. It’s easy to rationalize that other tasks are more important when a tight job market reduces the possibility of losing talented employees.

However, according to Carl E. Van Horn, professor and director of the John I. Heldrich Center for Workforce Development at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, N.J., a lasting effect of the recession will be that workers of all ages will emerge poorer and much less loyal. “Employees will be less likely to be loyal, more skeptical from what they hear from managers, less likely to take risks and more likely to seek secure employment,” he says.

Mark Murphy, Chairman of Leadership IQ notes that supervisors need to focus on giving a lot more feedback and feedback that is useful. “If the feedback doesn’t help employees improve poor performance or repeat great performance, then it’s not worth the breath it took to utter it,” he says.