Absence Management: What You Don't Know Can Cost You

Posted on

August 4th, 2014

Absence management may seem superfluous, but in reality all corporations without it face a variety of unknowns when it comes to lost productivity. How much time is lost due to absence? How well is it tracked? To what extent can these factors be improved upon? How much room is there to enhance savings for the company, and in what ways can employers improve absence experiences for their employees?

Absence management can improve circumstances for all parties involved by improving knowledge, accuracy, and understanding of absence policies and their effects on the workplace. Though these procedures are complex, they can be performed in-house. But many medium-to-large organizations outsource their absence management programs to ensure efficacy and minimize additional effort and staffing. To learn more about the unknowns of your company’s absence policies and how to improve them, contact Actec.

First Report of Injury and the Importance of Timely Response

Posted on

April 9th, 2014

Andrew

FROI, or first report of injury, is a critical component to compliance with workers comp guidelines. Whether or not an employer agrees with an employee, the FROI must be filed. Typically reports are required when an injury causes an employee to miss 5 or more paid workdays, and must be submitted within seven business days of the fifth missed day of work. Each state has its own FROI form, available online, which should be completed in quadruplicate. One copy must go to the state, one must go to the employee, one to the insurer, and it is recommended to keep one for business records.

If a doctor sees the employee, and the employee complains of work-related injury, he or she is also compelled to file a report. Neither report exists to comment on the veracity of the employee or employer, solely to begin a paper trail to ensure that dates, times, and places can be known to as great a specificity as possible when ascertaining the proper course of action. Like FNOL (first notice of loss), the more promptly and accurately FROI forms are completed, the more likely a positive outcome.

Fraud Prevention and Absence Management Via Outsourced Call Centers

Posted on

June 6th, 2011

Andrew

Unmanaged employee absences can grind an organization to a halt. As soon as an employee reports an absence, many steps must be taken. Automatic notification of all affected parties, activation of replacement procedures, and the intake process for absences related to short-term disability, long-term disability, or Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) incidents are all pivotal in unfettered operation. Beyond these necessary and basic requirements, Actec also records the intended beginning and completion of the absence so you can plan accordingly, all without consuming your supervisors’ valuable time. Another equally critical component is to stay connected with feedback from your employees regarding fraud, theft, sexual harassment, ethical concerns, equipment breakdowns, and safety matters to eliminate potential problems before they evolve into serious liability issues and lawsuits. Soliciting such feedback from your employees not only reduces your liability, but it also increases retention and improves the working environment for all of your employees as it makes them better appreciate the important role they play in the communication cycle. It also keeps organizations in compliance with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, which mandates that companies provide a way for employees to submit anonymous reports about financial irregularities without fear of retaliation. Going without an expert outsourced call center can have a devastating long-term impact on a company’s future. Without FNOL, organization and loss mitigation technologies, things fall through the cracks.