How does offering suitable duties benefit my business?

Has one of your workers been injured at work?

Finding jobs or tasks your worker can do while they’re recovering is a great way to support them as they settle back into work. It’s good for your business too.

Here’s why:

Offering meaningful lighter work, also called suitable duties, shows your worker you care about their recovery.

It keeps your team strong, can help lower your claims costs, and builds a supportive company culture.

Workers who are actively engaged at work during their recovery have been shown to get better sooner. By providing suitable duties, you’re helping your worker to recover more quickly.

That means a quicker return to full duties, and less interruption to your business.

The biggest cost of a WorkCover claim is usually due to weekly compensation, or time off work.

This is where you can have a positive impact on the claim.

Supporting your worker to get back to work sooner can lower your claims costs, reducing the impact on your WorkCover premium.

You could start by asking your worker what tasks they think they could safely do while they’re recovering, in line with their doctor’s advice.

But there’s more.

Providing suitable duties means you retain your worker’s valuable skills and experience.

This can reduce staff turnover, saving on hiring and training costs.

Supporting your worker also improves the morale of your whole workforce.

That’s because it shows you care, which keeps your workers engaged and inspires loyalty.

Workers who felt unsupported by their employer during their claim were more likely to be off work for longer. They were also at greater risk of experiencing mental health issues in connection to their injury.

This uncertainty can be why some workers seek legal advice about their claim.

This means you have an important role to play.

If you need help identifying suitable duties, there are resources available on our website.

If you have a WorkCover claim, reach out and see how we can help you support your worker to get back into work as they recover.

You can also subscribe to our YouTube channel to learn more about supporting your workers.