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Tips for Reducing Workers Compensation Claims

Tips for Reducing Workers Compensation Claims

 

According to the National Council on Compensation Insurance, the frequency of workers compensation lost-time claims saw a 2 percent decline in accident year 2013 when compared to 2012. However, these claims still create a financial burden for employers. In fact, according to the National Academy of Social Insurance, workers comp insurance paid out $60.2 billion in total benefits in 2011—and total costs to employers reached $77.1 billion. While workers compensation insurance laws vary by state, most require business owners with employees to purchase coverage. Fortunately, there are actions you can take to reduce the chances that your own workers will file costly claims.

1. Start by making safety a priority.

If you have not yet done so, develop a comprehensive written safety program. When you improve the safety of your workplace, fewer accidents will occur. This means there will be fewer claims increasing your workers compensation insurance rate.

Your program should include regularly scheduled safety meetings, periodic retraining plans and a clear description of the disciplinary actions you will take if employees violate the workplace safety rules. It’s essential that your managers and supervisors commit to enforcing the program and reinforcing its importance with your employees.

2. Take immediate action.

If one of your employees sustains an injury on the job, complete an accident report as soon as possible. Include as much detail as you can, including photographs of the scene and witness accounts. Send this report to your workers comp insurance agency within 24 business hours.

Consider asking the employee to submit to a drug test as well. While a positive test may not result in claim denial in most states, it can help your case. Random drug testing of all employees is another option. If you clearly communicate this as a requirement for employment, it should result in fewer potentially drug-related accidents and claims.

3. Look out for fraud.

If you suspect an employee has filed a fraudulent workers compensation claim, notify your insurance company as soon as possible. While these do not always indicate fraud is occurring, potential warning signs include:

  • Alleged accidents taking place on Monday mornings
  • Monday reporting of alleged accidents that occurred Friday afternoon
  • Discrepancies between the employee’s description of the accident and the medical report for the injury
  • Refusal to submit to diagnostic procedures to confirm the extent of the injury
  • Alleged accidents that occur immediately before or after job terminations, layoffs or strikes
  • Alleged accidents that occur without witnesses present
  • An employee who has made previous workers compensation claims

4. Add accident or disability insurance to your voluntary benefits.

According to the Aflac Workers Compensation Report, employers who provided their workers with access to accident or disability insurance experience declines in workers compensation claims. Among large companies, 55 percent reported a decline, followed by a 34 percent decline in claims at small- and mid-sized companies.

Whether you’d like more information about reducing workers compensation claims, want to review your insurance policy, or need assistance creating a workplace safety program, contact your insurance agent or workplace safety advisor today.

Starting a Blog for Your Business

Starting a Blog for Your Business

According to HubSpot, an inbound marketing software company, nearly 40 percent of U.S. businesses have a blog for marketing purposes. If you’re not among them, it’s time to think about joining the ranks of business bloggers. Not only will it provide a vehicle for sharing engaging stories about your business, products and services, a well-maintained blog can also improve your search engine ranking and ultimately lead to more customers in the form of inbound leads. Consider the following steps to get started:

1. Identify your business blog goal and purpose.

While your ultimate goal will be to promote your business, you need to do so subtly. The best blogs are not overtly promotional but instead provide readers (customers and potential customers) with articles and tips they will find helpful. The purpose of your blog should be to present your company as the best source of information in your industry. This purpose will drive your content creation strategy.

2. Choose your blogging platform

There are many platform options available for building and publishing your business blog—from free programs to fee for service platforms. WordPress, Blogger, Tumblr, Svbtle and HubSpot frequently appear on lists of the best. To maximize your results, experts recommend choosing one that you can install on your domain and integrate with your website.

3. Commit to blogging regularly.

You should fill your blog with relevant content, updating it with new posts regularly. Once you’ve brainstormed a list of suitable topics, create an editorial calendar that includes who on your team will write each blog post, the date the content is due, and the date you intend to publish it.

In their 2013 Marketing Benchmarks study, HubSpot found that companies that blog 15 or more times each month got five times more traffic to their website than those that don’t blog at all. Companies that increased their blog frequency from three to five times a month to six to eight times a month almost doubled their leads.

4. Create a plan for generating blog traffic.

Your blog will be of little use if your customers and potential customers don’t know about it or cannot find it. Great ways to generate blog traffic include:

  • Search engine optimized blog posts.
  • Promotion on your company’s social media pages (Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and Google+).
  • Weekly email blasts to your database with excerpts from recent posts.
  • Eye-catching links to the blog from your company’s home page.
  • Including links to your blog in your staffs’ email signatures.

According to Social Media Today, an independent online community for professionals in public relations, marketing and advertising, small businesses with blogs generate 126 percent more leads than those without. Why is this so? The answer may lie in the popularity of blogs with U.S. consumers. In fact, surveys have found that 81 percent of them trust the advice and information they find on blogs. Sixty-one percent have purchased a product or service based on a blog post. Starting your business blog will require a time investment; however, the new customers you gain will be well worth the effort.