Horizon Point Consulting

Author: Lorrie Coffey

  • 7 Steps to Know if Workers’ Compensation Carrier Working for You

    7 Steps to Know if Workers’ Compensation Carrier Working for You

    Workers’ Compensation is designed to provide medical coverage and lost time coverage to employees who are injured on the job or develop a work-related illness as a result of the work environment.  Unfortunately, determining if an injury or illness is work-related isn’t always easy for physicians to do.

    During a recent visit to a client, she asked me how to handle a claim situation that she had in which the attending doctor couldn’t determine if the injury was work related. She said that she felt as though their carrier was approving all claims, regardless of the legitimacy of the claim.

    So how do you ensure that you are getting the most out of your Workers’ Compensation carrier?

    1. Train your staff. Make sure that anyone who will be responsible for submitting claims understands the process and what information to include in the claim documentation.
    2. Document the scene. If the claim is the result of an accident, take pictures of the scene as soon as possible after being notified of the injury. Look for potential hazards that may have been in the area, caution/warning signage that was posted that was not properly followed, and any other clues that may help determine the validity of the claim. Send those along with your First Report of Injury to the carrier.
    3. Communicate concerns. When an employee comes to you with a claim, you have to report it. But as the employer, you also have the right, and honestly the obligation, to let the carrier know if you have concerns regarding the validity of the claim. Include your concerns in the report sent, and if necessary, pick up the phone and call them once a claim number is established.
    4. File Claims Immediately. Stress the importance of reporting injuries or illnesses immediately to both your managers and your staff. Failure to report a claim immediately, even a minor injury, could result in a delay or denial of claim payment. A delayed report of injury may also be an indication that the injury didn’t really happen at work, so be sure to obtain as much information regarding the reported injury as possible.
    5. Implement a Return to Work Program. If your organization doesn’t already have one, put one in place. It will help to get injured employees back to work quicker and cut down on potential lost wage claims, as well as deter false claims.
    6. Monitor your claims regularly. Audit your active claims on a regular basis. Stay in touch with the carrier on claims that are taking longer than usual to process, claims that have excessive payouts, or claims in which employees have missed an excessive amount of time away from work.
    7. Build a relationship with your preferred physicians. Communicate with the physicians that you send employees to when they are injured on the job. Some physicians will be more open to communication with the employer than others. If you have an employee who is out of work, make sure the physician understands your Return to Work program and what type of light duty assignments you can offer the employee. It may help to get them back to work quicker.

    The more information you are able to provide when submitting claims, the easier it will be for the carrier to properly assess the claim and make an informed decision.

    Is your Workers’ Compensation carrier working for you?

  • Improving Applicant Conversion Rates

    Improving Applicant Conversion Rates

    We recently switched dentist offices. With three boys I always try to schedule their appointments at the same time and that normally means being handed a clipboard loaded with forms; one set for each child.

    To my surprise, when I walked up to the receptionist to sign in, she asked me to look at a computer screen on the counter and “fill out” their paperwork. On each screen, the information was pre-filled. All I had to do was make sure it was correct and click through the screens, then use an electronic signature pad to sign a few pages. It literally took me two minutes to complete the paperwork! Needless to say I was thankful for their easy new patient process. (That was just the beginning, the entire visit went very well)

    Job applicants want ease of use during the application process as well. Research shows that applicant drop off rates are anywhere between 60-75%. One of the top reasons cited is the length of the application. The longer it takes the candidate to complete the application, the higher the drop off rate. Applicants get frustrated with being required to provide information that isn’t necessary during the applicant process such as providing references or having to enter information that is available on the resume they are required to upload.

    According to Appcast, conversion rates can be increased up to 365% by reducing the time of the application process to five minutes or less. Many applicant tracking systems available today allow for easy applications, oftentimes even supporting one-click application processes. These systems also provide organizations with easy access to application metrics including drop off rates.

    When was the last time your organization analyzed applicant drop off rates and reviewed the application process?

  • Dealing With the Disgruntled

    Dealing With the Disgruntled

    I recently received an email from a company (hoping to sell me their services) that included an article on “resignation violence” and told the story of an employee who went in to HR to resign her position and ended up attacking the HR representative.

    Data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics indicates that while workplace violence by co-workers is relatively low, it is on the rise.

    During my career, there are a few situations that come to mind when I was concerned about going in to a meeting or became concerned during a meeting due to an employee’s response.

    According to OSHA, nearly two million American workers report being the victims of workplace violence annually. Imagine how many instances go unreported each year. Keep in mind that in many of these reports the accused assailant isn’t a co-worker, but visitors, vendors, contractors, and customers.

    The FBI reports that approximately 80% of active shooter events occur in the workplace.

    Workplace violence isn’t always a result of something that occurred in the workplace, often it’s a result of some other event or issue within that individual’s life.

    So how can organizations help to minimize the risk of workplace violence?

    1. Conduct pre-hire checks. This may include contacting employment references, conducting background checks, and requiring drug screens. It could also include searching for a candidate’s social media presence.
    2. Have a well-defined zero-tolerance workplace violence policy. Make sure that your policy outlines what may be considered workplace violence. It’s not just physical violence, it can also be verbal assaults, bullying, visual threats, and more.
    3. Make sure employees know the reporting process. If an employee experiences workplace violence, do they know who to report it to and the process of investigation that will occur as a result? And if an employee files a report, make sure they are taken seriously and investigated promptly.
    4. Provide regular training. All employees should receive annual training on workplace violence. Leadership should understand how to handle complaints, who is responsible for investigating, and what that investigation process looks like. Training should include what to do in the event of an active shooter.
    5. Implement safety precautions. Assess your vulnerabilities. Does your facility have cameras, is a key card required for access, do you regularly do safety walks to make sure outside lighting is in working order, what’s your visitor check in procedure? Once you’ve assessed your weaknesses, determine how you will fix them.
    6. Offer an Employee Assistance Program. I’ve talked about this before. It’s a benefit that I strongly believe in providing to employees. There have been many situations in which I referred employees to the EAP. It is a benefit that can help both those employees who are exhibiting signs of stress or anger that could lead to potential workplace violence as well as the victims of workplace violence.

    Is your organization successfully minimizing the risk of workplace violence?

  • What If You Were Mystery Shopped?

    What If You Were Mystery Shopped?

    One of my clients is a small retail chain in North Alabama. Each month I send out an email communication to their store managers and I always include an article that I feel is relevant to their business to give them some food for thought.

    This month the topic was “If your store were mystery shopped, would you pass?” and the article included a sample mystery shop survey that has 35 questions. I challenged them to “shop” their own store and be brutally honest in their answers. Would they pass the test? And if not, what can they and their staff do to ensure that they would pass?

    As I was drafting the email to them, I realized that this challenge could be put forth to any organization, regardless of the industry they are in.

    The focus areas of the survey include:

    • Cleanliness and Appearance: Is the parking lot clean of debris? Is the office/store neat and well maintained?
    • Employee Behavior: Was the customer acknowledged within 30 seconds of entering the facility? Did the employee offer to assist the customer? Did the employee greet the customer with a smile?
    • Path to Purchase: Were the items the customer needed available? How long did the sales transaction take?

    While granted some of the questions on the survey pertain specifically to a retail environment, they can be adjusted to apply to almost any type of business.

    If your organization was mystery shopped, would you pass the test? If not, what can you do to ensure that you would pass?

  • Leaders, Expect the Unexpected!

    Leaders, Expect the Unexpected!

    “Expect the unexpected.” -Zig Zigler

    During a recent hike on Rainbow Mountain with my three boys and two dogs, I was gently reminded that even when you expect the unexpected, you can be caught off guard.

    Multiple times during our hike when my oldest was leading the way, I reminded him to go slow and watch out for snakes. Then about half way through the hike we stopped to take a break. The boys sat down on a large rock and I sat down about ten feet ahead of them. Almost as soon as I sat down, I heard the leaves beside me rustling and looked over to watch what I’m pretty sure was a copperhead snake slither across the path in front of me.

    Even though I had warned my son multiple times to be on the lookout, I didn’t actually think we’d walk up on a snake while hiking.  And while I am not afraid of snakes (spiders are a different story), it still caught me off guard and I quickly had to assess the situation and decide how to respond, as well as how my boys and dogs would respond if they saw it.

    I quietly told my boys to stand still and as soon as it had slithered far enough away from me into the woods, I slowly stood up and moved to where they were. Together we waited a few minutes so that the snake had time to go on down into the woods and we could safely continue up the path.

    As leaders, we try to expect the unexpected and prepare in advance how to respond. But there are times when regardless of how much we anticipate and prepare, we are still caught off guard. So how can we navigate those situations?

    • Take a deep breath and don’t panic. Stress impacts how we make decisions and often causes us to view the risks and rewards differently than we would otherwise.
    • Assess the situation. As I tell my 12-year-old when he gets upset over something, ask yourself “in the grand scheme of things, how important is this?” What impact will this truly have? What can you do to mitigate it or even turn it into a positive?
    • Seek out help. Don’t be afraid, or embarrassed, to enlist the help of others. We all need to lean on others sometimes. And they may be able to offer a perspective we hadn’t considered.
    • Be flexible. Plans aren’t foolproof. Sometimes they work great, sometimes they work halfway, and sometimes they don’t work at all. That’s okay. Make adjustments where needed, or if necessary, scrap the entire plan and go back to the drawing board.
    • Assess the results. What went well and what could you have done better? What was the impact on your organization?
    • Celebrate your success. Whether it’s a new product or service, a new policy or procedure rollout, or just putting out a fire, take the time to celebrate your success and congratulate yourself and those who helped. For me, it was taking the boys and dogs for ice cream after our hike.

    The next time you find yourself in a situation that catches you off guard, how will you respond?