Last week, we went over the first half of costly return-to-work mistakes. Again, a return-to-work program is designed to benefit your company by getting injured employees back to work as soon as possible and keeping your Massachusetts workers compensation premium as low as possible. However, these simple mistakes may end up costing you!
Here are another five mistakes you should avoid:

#1: Employers do not differentiate “light duty” from “transitional work” from “reasonable accommodation”. It is important for the injured employee to ease their way back into the swing of things. If employers ignore this, the employee will most likely be injured again or get worse. Accommodations must be made!

#2: Employers may rely on the physician to take control of the RTW process. While these medical experts are knowledgeable in their field, they may not fully understand workplace policies and procedures. It is the employer’s job to be proactive and take the lead!

#3: Employers make the mistake to believe that workers compensation settlements resolve ADA liabilities.

#4: Employers may not establish consequences for not complying with RTW requirements. It is important to be strict with this or else an employee may take advantage.

#5: Employers may not pay attention to the laws that mandate comprehensive medical exams before the employee returns to work. It is crucial to understand the laws or else employers may find themselves in legal trouble.

All of us at Wolpert Insurance want to make sure you are aware of these mistakes; the last thing we want is for you to be overcharged! If you have any questions about your Massachusetts workers compensation policy or about a RTW program, do not hesitate to contact us. Our experts would be happy to speak with you!