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Results

Managers are generally aware of the injury management process but may not always fully commit to the function (especially if other things come up to distract them). There is an understanding of the management role in the system but they do not always participate.

The return to work coordinator may also have another position and when time is limited for the return to work function it can be put to the side in favour of the substantive role. This can send a message to workers that management of their injuries is not important to the business.

Some managers may feel that managing the return to work of their direct reports is not their job and this can lead to poor return to work outcomes as well as other cultural issues.

Next steps

1. Make sure your managers and staff are completely clear with their role in recovery and return to work. This can be accomplished by training (or re-training), regular updates at team meetings or other initiatives promoting injury management.
2. Make sure senior managers are always involved in activities or meetings to make it clear that injury management is important to the business.
3. Make sure your return to work coordinator has enough time to properly perform the role. This will vary from business to business but in general the coordinator themselves will be able to let you know if they have enough time. You can also check your injury statistics and speak to your managers and workers about their experiences with the system.
4. Encourage managers to “walk the talk” and assist them with any concerns. Make sure that you do not simply take away responsibility but rather help the managers to fulfil their role though extra training or other assistance. The return to work coordinator can assist with this.

Results

You probably do not have an effective consultation system. Consultation forms a part of any organisation’s legal obligations but more than this it helps you to engage and understand your workforce. Workers that are involved in decision making and feel part of the business are less likely to have injuries and more likely to want to return to work if they do have an injury.

Employers who do not have any consultative mechanism run the risk of having a disengaged workforce. This can lead to a greater level of injury and absence and higher costs for claims as workers may feel suspicious of the employer’s motives.

Included in the concept of consultation is transparency of actions. Workers and managers should always work together as part of your injury management process and each party should be aware of what the other is doing and why they are doing it. This engenders a level of trust and will result in less time lost and more successful long term return to duties.

Next steps

1. Make sure that you introduce a clear and simple consultation procedure based on the principals of transparency and inclusion. Make sure the procedure details the mechanisms of your consultation (i.e. when and how you will consult) as well as the way staff can engage the business (e.g. feedback mechanisms, issues register, suggestion box etc).
2. Ensure that staff are consulted in the development and implementation of any injury management process and that an affected worker is always included in any return to work discussions or decisions.
3. Provide a way for employees to express their views on a regular basis (e.g. team meetings, suggestion box) and then ensure that suggestions are read and considered and staff who provide the feedback are made aware of what has happened to their suggestions.

Results

You are aware that training is an important part of business and you have the foundation of a training system in place. There may be some gaps in the record keeping in the system or it may be that once training is performed it is not systematically updated to ensure its currency and relevance to the business. Induction may be incomplete or inadequate with respect to injury management.

Next steps

1. Make sure your training records are kept up to date and regularly review your training needs to ensure currency. You can use the same system to diarise updates and reviews as necessary. It is simple to cover all of the training and update requirements in a single document or system. You may build a spreadsheet yourself or purchase one of the many commercial products available.
2. Review the injury management portion of the induction and update it to reflect your policies and procedures. Make sure there is emphasis on the importance of return to work and the value of employees to the business.

Results

You have a successful and embedded early intervention and return to work system. You have a clear line of responsibility in the business and your supervisors and workers are fully trained in their roles and responsibilities. You have a strong relationship with a nearby medical clinic (where possible).

Next steps

1. Regularly review your system to ensure its currency and effectiveness.
2. Regularly interrogate the system to ensure that everyone is aware of and is performing their roles within the system. This is especially important where there are new supervisors and staff.

Results

You do not set injury management goals, targets or KPIs. You may not have a system of regular reporting to senior management or they may be no mechanism in place to act on reports. You may not keep sufficient records of injuries/incidents or properly analyse them to make sure they do not happen again. Your procedures may also be out of date or irrelevant to your current practices and you may not have a system of internal audit and review.

All of these things can mean that you do not control your injury management system properly and this leaves you vulnerable to higher levels of injury and claims costs.

Next steps

1. Design and implement an injury management system. The procedure should reflect your process and must contain clear and concise expectations and accountabilities for you and your staff. The system should build in internal review and provide guidance on reporting and internal audit.
2. Make sure your system can be accessed by all of your staff but modified and edited by only a few people. This will ensure that you do not have multiple versions of the same documents and that you can be certain that the procedures are current and authorised.
3. Set goals, targets and KPIs for your injury management system and make sure you report on them regularly. The frequency of reporting will be dependent on the size of the business but should ideally be no less than quarterly. Review your goals annually based on previous and desired performance and never set goals that you cannot achieve. Remember KPIs are there to let you know that there may be a problem developing and to allow you to make adjustments before issues become big.
4. Make sure you keep detailed records of incidents, injuries and investigations. It is important that these records are kept formally (i.e. in a register or electronic system) rather than simply placed in a folder on shelf. These records will form the basis of your system review and reporting and will be a vital part of the improvement process.
5. Link goals and KPIs to accountability mechanisms such as performance reviews and action plans.