Workers compensation insurance rates for restaurants just keep going up every year. Medical Inflation has a lot to do with this but the one single biggest expense for workers compensation insurance companies is the cost of paying disability payments to injured workers. And now, with the new changes to how the experience modification is calculated on workers compensation policies, what happens in your restaurant, to your employees, now has an even larger impact on your workers compensation insurance rates. So what is the poor restaurant owner to do to try and keep workers compensation insurance costs down? One strategy that every restaurant should have in place is an effective and clear back to work program.
Back to work programs are not really do it yourself projects. The best ones are run by dedicated workers compensation only insurance companies. These companies that specialize in just workers compensation insurance have much better resources to dedicate to finding the best ways to get your workers back to work and off the disability checks more quickly. But there is no doubting the huge benefits that will inure directly to your business should one of your workers get injured on the job. So, keep in mind, when you are choosing which workers compensation policy to buy, that there is lot more to the workers compensation insurance question for your restaurant than just the bottom line price on the quote. These kinds of extra services can save you big money down the road.
There are many good reasons to enroll in a back to work program, but here are a few of the more important ones:
A well run and consistently functioning back to work program sends a positive message to your employees. This is a way for you to tell them that you will take care of them if they are injured and that you have their best interests in mind as they work through rehabilitation into light duty work to get them back on the payroll as soon as possible. This kind of dedicated program also signals to them that you are serious about their safety and returning them back to work as soon as possible if they are injured on the job.
Your back to work program also helps to keep all managers, supervisors and upper management on the same page regarding work place injuries. This will keep your work flow more efficient and will reduce confusion, infighting, and squabbling among your management staff. Also, by working carefully with your injured employee to get him or her back to work as soon as possible, you are keeping a valued employee engaged in your workplace and your restaurant. This builds stronger employee loyalty in the long run.
Lastly, but very importantly, keep in mind that a solid back to work program will help reduce the amount of money paid out on your policy in claims. Reducing your claims costs will help you keep your experience modification factor lower and save you money on your restaurant workers compensation insurance premiums.
It is interesting also to note that some of the more creative back to work programs will now set up arrange for injured workers to perform light duty volunteer work at nonprofits if you are unable to provide any light duty work for them. Even this level of involvement has been shown to be more rewarding for the injured worker and will help to get him or her back to work and off the disability payments sooner.
At Clinard Insurance Group, we insure hundreds of restaurants all across North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and Tennessee. We know that not every restaurant is the same and we don’t try to cram your restaurant into some kind of insurance program that isn’t a good fit for you. To help with this, we have created several different restaurant insurance programs for restaurant owners. We have a fast food restaurant insurance program, a bar and grill and tavern insurance program, a fine dining insurance program, a casual dining insurance program and a specialized insurance program for catering companies. We would be happy to speak with you about any of your restaurant insurance needs, please feel free to call us, toll free, at 877-687-7557.
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