Creating a Return-To-Work Policy

Hello, this is Mathew, AOL’s Contractor Services Manager, reaching out about your Return-To-Work Policy (RTW)!  As you know, building your company’s handbook is full of policies, procedures, best practices, and values; all in one spot.  

Company handbooks can be a short as 10 pages while others can extend to 200 pages.  It really depends on the complexity of your company and management’s experience in the industry.  Often policies and procedures are included in the company’s handbook, to have a centralized location of information and determine the correct process to handle “sticky” situations. 

I would like to discuss your Return-To-Work policy and what should happen after an injured worker has been treated medically and is released to work for light duty.

Your Return-To-Work policy is one of the factors of getting you into a K Tier for your Worker’s Comp.  SAIF corporation has provided sample policies in ENGLISH  and SPANISH to give you an idea of how to get started.  Having an effective policy demonstrates that you are proactive to get an injured worker back to action, even though work may only be light duty or minimal duty.

Minimizing missed workdays becomes a factor when increasing or decreasing your workers comp pricing and adjusting you experience modifier “MOD.” 

For information on creating your Return To Work Policy, click HERE for SAIF’s webpage; or click on the sample policies, and get those rates down!  I have also created a list of light duty jobs created by other contractors like you.

If you have some other great ideas, please keep me in the loop at mmccartney@oregonloggers.org.