Nov

3

It’s the Emlployee! Using the Four Attitude Types in Returning Employees to Work

Posted In: Management

As the old saying goes, “There is more than one way to skin the cat.” Likewise, there is more than one way to return an injured employee to work. The difficult matter is matching the right return-to-work strategy to the particular worker. Considering the personality and attitude of the worker in question is as important as considering the specific injury when implementing a return-to- work solution.

Just as there are many return-to-work programs successful under given circumstances, there also is a full range of employee attitudes accompanying each case.

Employers must individualize their return-to-work approach to meet the demands of the specific employee’s personality, because the most important factor in return-to-work is the attitude of the employee.

A successful method of training employers to respond properly to the 4 types of employee attitudes.

The Employee Attitude Axis separates workers into four quadrants:

1. satisfied-active
2. satisfied-passive
3. dissatisfied-passive
4. dissatisfied-active

Interestingly, most employees fit neatly into one of these four categories and require and respond to different return-to-work strategies.

For example, the satisfied-active worker is one who needs no coercion or prodding to return to work. Such a worker is one who has been with the company 20 years and hasn’t missed a day and who would drag himself or herself to work on one good arm. Usually in this case, a simple get-well card would more than suffice for the worker in the satisfied-active category.

Conversely, the dissatisfied-active worker is a worker who is really unhappy with his/her situation and will actively attempt to take advantage of the system. The proper response in attempting to return this person to work is much more drastic and severe and may include active investigation into their situation and fraud control programs may very well be necessary.

For most employers problems often arise because when employers do not think of employees in these four categories, they tend to develop programs addressing only one or two types of employees. Implementing such a limited response often has a detrimental effect on employer/employee relations. For instance, when an employer uses the proper response for a dissatisfied-active worker on a satisfied-active worker, new problems arise.

Hiring an investigator to follow a worker who is satisfied and eager to return to work simply angers the previously content worker, causing the worker, in turn, to become somewhat unwilling to return to work so quickly or at all. Therefore, it’s highly recommend employers adhere to the four-quadrant Employee Attitude Axis. (See box below).

Charting Return-to-Work Strategies with the Employee-Attitude Axis

Satisfied

1. Satisfied-Active Quadrant
The active-satisfied worker is a happy, active employee, “The person who plays in the bowling league, hasn’t missed a day of work in 20 years until now.

Appropriate Employer Response: Get Well Card. This person will be ready to return to work without you even having to ask.

2. Satisfied-Passive Quadrant
The passive-satisfied employee is also a happy employee, but one that is a little more complacent. This employee needs some gentle intervention to ensure return to work.

Appropriate Employer Response: Phone calls, weekly meeting and an early intervention to make sure the worker maintains a positive attitude about the employer and return to work.

3. Dissatisfied-Active Quadrant
The active-dissatisfied worker is noticeably unhappy with his/her employment and will actively try to separate form the workforce. These are the most dangerous type of worker.

Appropriate Employer Response: Strong fraud control measures, such as hiring workers’ compensation investigators, are the best solutions for employers to successfully respond to active-dissatisfied workers.

4. Dissatisfied-Passive Quadrant
Workers with the passive-dissatisfied behavior may malinger to stay out longer than medically necessary. These workers may not willfully concoct schemes, but will quietly take advantage of a situation when the opportunity arises – called “opportunistic fraud.”

Appropriate Employer Response: Fraud control tip lines often expose passive-dissatisfied workers. Constant interaction is recommended between physicians or follow-up examinations to avoid communication breakdown or further delays in returning to work.

Robert Elliott is a senior vice president with Amaxx Risks Solutions, Inc. Over the past 20 years, he has worked successfully with many industries reducing Workers’ Compensation costs, such as airlines, health care, manufacturing, printing/publishing, pharmaceuticals, retail, hospitality and many other industries and organizations.

©2008 Amaxx Risk Solutions, Inc., All rights reserved under International Copyright Law

http://www.reduceyourworkerscomp.com

Article Source: It’s the Emlployee! Using the Four Attitude Types in Returning Employees to Work