It's very frustrating to me when I hear or read about how employers are accommodating their sick or injured employee. There's a right way to do this, and then there's the lazy way. Let's start with the lazy way - since it seems to happen all too often. When a worker provides restrictions or limitations, it's so easy to pull them out of their [...]
The 'own occ to any occ gap' is one of those vortex or black holes in claims management where employees drift off into never never land. Employers do not typically handle these well because they usually come as a surprise. I could say it's a gift to the organization but it really isn't. It's a conundrum. What it is, is fairly easy to explain; [...]
Over the years we've become very good at establishing appropriate accommodations when someone has a physical injury such as a sore back, or repetitive strain injury (RSI) but we need to get great at accommodating those with mental health issues. This seems to be a relatively new concept, one that is still yet to be adopted by most employers but definitely crucial in our [...]
With over 30 years as an Occupational Health Nurse in Ontario and I thought that toxic environments were slowly fading but not so much. While we continue to struggle with increasing awareness about Mental Health issues in the workplace, reducing our workplace injuries and managing our absenteeism, a toxic workplace negatively feeds the souls of many employees and management team alike. It has the [...]
Staff members leave their positions for a variety of reasons, but the number one reason that they STAY and EXCEL is the corporate culture. They are looking for somewhere inclusive, where they feel valued and appreciated for their hard work. According to WhatIs.com, corporate culture is the pervasive values, beliefs and attitudes that characterize a company and guide its practices. You can almost think [...]
Skyrocketing CostsIncreasing AbsenteeismLack of Internal Expertise The decade or 2 of outsourcing disability management claims may be coming to an end. In the 1990’s, outsourcing was a trendy thing to do. However, today many organizations have decided that it is more economical to hire an internal disability manager. This may be true in the short term but unless you have sufficiently invested in the [...]
Have you ever heard of Manuka Honey? It is an incredibly powerful substance created by bees that pollinate the Manuka bush, found only in New Zealand and Australia. Australian researchers have found that this honey is better than all known antibiotics. Why? Because pharmaceutical antibiotics have a short shelf life, in addition to the fact that bacteria tend to become resistant in a short [...]
Maybe you’ve been to one too many backyard barbecues and your pants are starting to fit a little too snug. Summertime can cause some people to gain weight because they are more likely to indulge in snacks and alcoholic beverages on the weekend. Get yourself back in shape with these tips on how to lose 5 pounds the healthy way! Start off by doing [...]
If you are anything like me, you can just look at a loaf of bread, and you can feel yourself start to gain weight. For me, relying on breads as a quick and easy meal leads to weight gain, bloating, and cravings for sweets. The high carbohydrate content negatively affects blood sugar levels and can lead to cravings for other carbohydrate rich foods and [...]
When life gets busy and stressful and you are feeling overwhelmed, how do you react? We have all been through times in our life when we are overworked and overbooked, but it is how we handle those situation that determine if our relationships suffer or not. During times in your career when your job is more demanding of your time and attention it is [...]
