Strategies for Retaining Talent after Injury or Illness

Transcription

1 Strategies for Retaining Talent after Injury or Illness October 12, 2017

2 Strategies for Retaining Talent after Injury or Illness Kevin Carpenter Vice President and Operational Risk Consultant, Operational Risk and Compliance Wells Fargo 2

3 Strategies for Retaining Talent after Injury or Illness Brett Sheats National Project Director Employer Assistance and Resource Network on Disability Inclusion (EARN) 3

4 Employer Assistance and Resource Network on Disability Inclusion (EARN) A no-cost resource for employers seeking to proactively recruit, hire, retain and advance qualified employees with disabilities Access trainings, webinars and numerous publications Funded through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Department of Labor s Office of Disability Employment Policy Collaborative of multiple partners with expertise in technical assistance, training and research Visit website at 4

5 Housekeeping For audio call: Access code: # Contact WebEx tech support at Download slides at An archived recording of the webinar will be posted to within the week Submit questions via Q&A window or Having trouble posting to the Q&A window? Tweet using #AskEARN Live captioning is located at the bottom right of the screen Receive 1.0 general recertification credit hours through the HR Certification Institute (HRCI) and the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) (via following the event) 5

6 Audience Assessment Question On a scale of one to five (1 = very little understanding and 5 = extensive understanding), how would you rate your knowledge and understanding of effective strategies for ensuring valued employees stay at work or return to work following injury or illness? 6

7 Strategies for Retaining Talent after Injury or Illness Jennifer Sheehy Deputy Assistant Secretary U.S. Department of Labor Office of Disability Employment Policy Meredith DeDona, MPH Senior Policy Advisor U.S. Department of Labor Office of Disability Employment Policy 7 7

8 About ODEP Cabinet-level agency led by an Assistant Secretary established in 2001 Mission: To develop and influence policy to increase the number and quality of employment opportunities for people with disabilities Policy areas Youth Workforce system Employers Employment-related supports 8

9 DRIVING CHANGE CREATING OPPORTUNITIES ODEP is the only non-regulatory federal agency that promotes policies and coordinates with employers and all levels of government to increase workplace success for people with disabilities. 9

10 What Do We Mean By Stay at Work/Return to Work? Work disability: An illness, injury, or medical condition that is anticipated to inhibit or prevent continued employment or labor force participation Includes on-the-job and off-the-job injuries and illnesses In the workforce at time of injury or illness The affected worker: May or may not have an existing disability May or may not view themselves as having a disability 10

11 Stay at Work/Return to Work (SAW/RTW) Background Millions of American workers experience injury or illness each year Hundreds of thousands of these workers later receive state or federal disability benefits Looming depletion of the SSDI Trust Fund Reduced labor force participation of workers in the prime working age range Association between this and the problem of pain management/opioid abuse 11

12 Why does SAW/RTW Matter? The Business Impact 4 million nonfatal work-related injuries and illnesses occur annually Related lost productivity costs companies $60 billion annually Businesses spend $170 billion annually on costs associated with occupational illnesses and injuries In 2013, off-the-job injuries resulted in about 240 million days of lost production time Human capital losses and replacement or retraining costs equaled roughly 1.3 times the original wage in a 2006 study Average replacement costs were $4,039 per recruit in

13 10/26/2017 Why does SAW/RTW Matter? The Public Impact Sept Employment Statistics Unemployment Rate PWD: 7.5% W/O: 3.9% Labor Force Participation PWD: 21.2% W/O: 68.7% 2016 SSDI Statistics Applications: 2,321, % (744,268) of those were awarded benefits Beneficiaries: 8,808,736 Benefits paid: $142,703M 13

14 Policy Collaborative ODEP-funded effort to explore topics under the SAW/RTW umbrella Targeting Early Interventions Effectively State Options for Promoting SAW/RTW Adapting the WA State COHE Workers Compensation Model Musculoskeletal Injuries and Pain Management, including Opioid Use/Misuse Strategies to Facilitate the Transition Back to Work Visit: 14

15 10/26/2017 Lessons Learned Timing is Everything Intervene at the appropriate time Ideally, while the worker is still attached to their employer Outreach and Coordination Critically important between and among: Employers Injured or ill workers Workers compensation insurers Health care providers 15

16 Potential Demonstration Projects The President s FY 2018 Budget includes funding for demonstrations for states to improve labor force participation of people with injuries and disabilities Test key features of a collaborative care workers compensation model with an increased emphasis on employment-related services Also interested in applications for populations outside workers compensation Request for Information on design: 16

17 Resources Materials from the Policy Collaborative Job Accommodation Network: RTW Programs: Two forthcoming SAW/RTW-related videos Retaining an Individual with Chronic Health Conditions Returning a Back-Injured Employee to Work 17

18 Resources (continued) Fact Sheet Supporting Employees Who Experience Unexpected Illness or Injury Initial steps employers should take in SAW/RTW situations Making workplaces more accommodating to employees who RTW How FMLA may be used intermittently as a reasonable accommodation SAW/RTW Toolkit Information and resources for both employers and employees 18

19 Contact Information Jennifer Sheehy Deputy Assistant Secretary U.S. Department of Labor Office of Disability Employment Policy Tel: (202) Meredith DeDona, MPH Senior Policy Advisor U.S. Department of Labor Office of Disability Employment Policy Tel: (202)

20 Strategies for Retaining Talent after Injury or Illness Virginia Leonard Acting Manager, Employment Services Memphis Light, Gas and Water 20

21 Who We Are We are the largest 3 service utility in the country Many of our jobs are dangerous We work our power lines hot Our gas leaks can explode Our water lines can blow 21

22 What We Do Our injuries can be devastating We are committed to taking care of our employees by returning them to work and keeping them on the job On average, loss of an employee costs 2 times the cost of the position s annual salary Investment in years of training, salary and benefits costs about $1M for a lineman Makes good economic sense to keep employees even if in different positions Smart thing to do 22

23 How We Do It Our Executive Staff committed to the idea of keeping our employees ADA process Use Worker s Comp instead of on-the-job injury plan We accommodate those with illnesses Adjust hours Temporary assignments Because we do it for our current employees, it just makes sense to do it for our applicants 23

24 Resources Employer Assistance and Resource Network on Disability Inclusion (EARN): Job Accommodation Network (JAN): U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP): 24

25 Contact Information Brett Sheats National Project Director EARN Virginia Leonard Acting Manager, Employment Services Memphis Light, Gas and Water 25

26 Resources Employer Assistance and Resource Network on Disability Inclusion (EARN): Job Accommodation Network (JAN): U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP): 26

27 Audience Questions 27

28 Takeaways Target early interventions effectively Promote and communicate SAW/RTW options Provide outreach and coordination between and among the employer, employee, workers comp insurers, health care providers Reduce costs of training, salary and benefits by implementing SAW/RTW strategies Keep employees with different positions, adjust hours or provide temporary assignments Utilize ODEP resources, e.g., EARN and JAN Invest in the smart thing to do! 28

29 Audience Assessment Question On a scale of one to five (1 = very little understanding and 5 = extensive understanding), how would you rate your knowledge and understanding of effective strategies for ensuring valued employees stay at work or return to work following injury or illness? 29

30 Thank You! Visit us at 30