In the United States workers compensation went into effect during the early 1900′s. During this time the legal system was experiencing significant growth which led to increased protection of employee rights. These employee rights laws started out very industry specific, with the manufacturing industry leading the way. As a result, states that supported high risk industries experienced the adoption of such laws earlier than those that relied on other industries such as agriculture. It is partly the industry specific nature of these laws that have made it a state law instead of federal law. By 1948 every state and US territory had adopted some form of workers compensation law and would continue to develop it as time went on.
State workers compensation laws have been developed with two things in mind. The first was to provide guaranteed coverage for the employee to ensure that they will have adequate means to live if they are injured on the job. The second purpose for the laws is to protect the employer from being suited and losing everything because of an injury. The idea is that the system provides a structured plan to support the injured employee without causing undue hardship to the employer.
To help reduce the cost for your organizations workers compensation coverage there are several action steps you can follow:
Action Steps: The best contacts and resources to help you get it done
Find your state specific workers compensation laws:
Every state has its own set of rules and regulations for workers compensation. It is important for you to look in all states that you do business in as coverage is differs state to state. I recommend taking a look at your states individual workers compensation laws to ensure you are aware of these different conditions. A great resource for this is WorkersCompensation.com, click on a states link to see the specific regulations.
Get a free quote:
Use one of the many online services to get a free quote on what your insurance cost would be. It can be helpful to use two or three different services while researching to get a good idea of the industry average. I recommend visiting Insurance Finder or the quote request page at WorkersCompensation.com. These will provide some numbers to work with while looking for the proper insurance provider for you and your organization.
Visit the US Department of Labor:
While most regulations in the workers compensation laws are state specific, there are certain conditions that apply on a national level. These include coverage to injured employees for medical bills and lost wages. The most common difference is the waiting period for payment and how much of the wages are replaced. I recommend checking out the Department of Labor for more information on these topics. As of next year the Department of Labor will be handing responsibility of reporting on these matters to WorkersCompensation.com, who has become the leading resource for national workers compensation coverage.
Become Educated:
One of the biggest reasons for lawsuits pertaining to workers compensation is a direct result of a lack of knowledge! Protect your organization by becoming educated on this important law. I recommend visiting HRSentry and signing up for the free online webinar on May 20th at 2pm. For anyone seriously interested in learning the ins and outs of workers compensation, Americans with Disabilities Act, or the Family Medical Leave Act, this is a must. It will be presented by a wonderful presenter and human resource professional, Brenda JM Sabin, CBP check it out.
Educate Employees
The final step to any successful workers compensation plan is making sure your employees understand it. I recommend including the specifics of your workers compensation plan in your employee handbook. This allows employees access to this information and keeps all levels of management on the same page. For more information on this topic visit my “Importance of Creating an Employee Handbook” lens. Another great resource for this and all Human Resource related needs is the HRSentry Solution.
A recent article released by Aliah D. Wright on the SHRM website discusses the change in orientation and onboarding that is occurring with advancements in technology. With the days where employees joined a company and stayed there throughout their career gone, companies are striving to find ways to keep employees engaged and happy. One of the big reasons for the increase in employee turnover is easy access to job postings through sites such as CareerBuilder and Monster as well as salary information. This allows employees to constantly be searching for a better opportunity with the resources available to quickly follow-up when one comes up.
One way to combat this is to make the onboarding experience more effective. By integrating this process with online technology, employers are able to provide all employee information(Paperwork, Contacts, and Policies) in one place.
According to a study of HR and business unit managers released in February 2008 by the research company The Aberdeen Group:
86 percent of organizations surveyed agreed that newly hired employees decide whether or not to stay with their employer within the first six months of their employment.
68 percent of best-in-class organizations surveyed describe their onboarding systems as partially automated or fully automated.
Of the remaining 32 percent, more than half plan to adopt technological tools to automate their onboarding efforts over the next year.
Compare that to a 2006 SHRM survey:
Although 83 percent of companies reported the use of a formal orientation (or onboarding) program for new employees, only 11 percent of companies conducted orientation programs using a computer-based format, preferring instead to use group-based and individual sessions.
For more tips and resources regarding employee onboarding, visit HRSentry.
Today, May 20th at 2p.m. HRSentry will be hosting a FREE webinar discussing three critical topics in the human resource industry, Workers Compensation, Americans with Disabilities Act, and the Family Medical Leave Act. Do not miss this incredible opportunity to learn more about these complex laws which are responsible for a significant number of lawsuits and fines every year because employers do not know what is required. Protect yourself by going to the HRSentry Homepage and clicking the link “Register Now” tab on the right side of the page.
The webinar will be presented by Brenda Sabin, it will cover the specifics of each law, compare the regulations for each, and review how they interact. In addition to the webinar, upon signing up you automatically receive a 30-day trial of the HR Made Simple Kit.
Welcome to the new HRSentry blog! Started in 2003, HRSentry provides an in-depth, online human resource management and compliance service. In todays complicated business world keeping on top of an organizations HR needs is a full-time job that many companies cant, or don’t want to pay for. This results in the morphing of another employee to take care of these delicate issues. HRSentry provides busy HR specialists and those new to the field with a tool to access sample policies, training programs, and best practice standards all in an effort to reduce stress and avoid costly fines.
The idea to start this blog came from the need to have a place where as a company, we can interact with other HR professionals, provide current information on the ever-changing regulations, and address human resource issues in the news. I believe that companies who manage effective human resource programs, from training to payroll to discipline/rewards, see the benefits in their bottom line through improved retention, reduced costs, and better morale. With all this in mind, I hope to facilitate open discussions on the importance of addressing these issues before being hit by fines or lawsuits. Feel free to suggest any topics or just throw in your own two cents, happy surfing!
