Workers' Compensation During The Holiday Season

Throughout the holiday season, you have to pay close attention to Worker's Compensation. Many employees will fake an injury or call out sick because they want to spend time with their family. What they don't understand is the fact that you have to be a responsible employer and report every accident. They could be costing you a significant amount of money in the Worker's Compensation insurance premiums simply because they want time off with their family.

Promote a Safe Workplace

You want to do everything you can in order to promote a safe workplace. You might want to create a sign that list how many days it's been since the last accident. Talk to your team and let them know that if you can go the entire month without an accident, there will be a prize for them. This could be something as simple as a pizza party or something more extravagant, such as giving out gift cards.

When employees are rewarded for being accident-free, you may be surprised by how few accidents you have in the workplace. It’s something that has to be promoted throughout the year, but the holidays are a perfect time to roll out the program.

Create Fair Holiday Schedules

One of the biggest reasons that people call out throughout the holidays is because they don't feel that the schedules were created fairly. There are several holidays coming up, so you want to make sure that you are spreading the love around. If you are asking people to work on two holidays, make sure to give them the third off. Talk to them to find out what their preferences are. Some people would rather have New Year's off while others may want to have Thanksgiving off. Try and accommodate as many requests as possible.

When people know that you are open to taking requests, it will make it easier. They will put the time in so you can plan for their absence rather than them faking an accident to get out of work.

Offer up plenty of PPE

You may want to take a good look at the amount of PPE (personal protective equipment) that you have on premises. Whether it is goggles, earplugs, latex gloves, or anything else, you should have plenty. This will make it easier for people to protect themselves and reduce the likelihood of an accident – or a fake accident.

If you have plenty of PPE available, employees cannot claim that there wasn’t any. Alert supervisors to where the PPE is and ensure that everyone is wearing it. In some instances, you can fight a worker’s comp claim if PPE is available and an employee has received the training. This is why it’s critical to have it everywhere.

Accidents happen. However, accidents aren’t always because of carelessness and sheer luck. Sometimes, employees plan them because they want the time off. Be careful how you proceed this year so premiums don’t go up.