Does Your Workplace Have a ‘Brown Envelope?’

You probably see brown envelopes laying around the workplace regularly, but one of those envelopes is not like the others.  One of those envelopes is there to help workers recover more quickly from injuries, enhance communication about workplace injuries, and protect everyone involved.  Maybe you are doing something like this already, but by using a Brown Envelope, you’re making it accessible to all, easy to remember, and easy to find.

The ‘Brown Envelope’ is a simple folder of prepared documents to aid in support of an injured worker. Preparation is vital in the success of managing a workplace injury. Effective communication is another puzzle piece and the difference between an effectively managed claim and a claim spiralling out of control.

What would you (injured worker, supervisor, manager, etc.) do if a worker was injured today? Would you be prepared? Do you have everything in place to begin managing the claim now?

When reporting an injury – who does an injured worker report to? If the reporting process is for the worker to report their injury to their supervisor, does the supervisor know how to react? PROACTIVE communication is key! From the worker to the supervisor, to the doctor and with the WCB.

As an organization, a proactive tool to have in place is a modified work program; what is this, you might ask?

Modified work is a systematic approach to offering suitable, modified, or alternative duties to a worker recovering from an injury or illness.

Modified work is also referred to as “return to work.” In some cases, returning to work implies that workers must “go home” before they can “return,” but it means modifications to a worker’s regular job, with a plan in place to get them back to normal gradually.

A Modified Work program should be set up BEFORE anyone is injured, so the process can begin as soon as an injury is reported. Part of an injured worker’s rehabilitation is at work.

But how do we get there?

One of the tools is the ‘Brown Envelope,’ a pre-made injury-response package. These packages can be prepped ahead of time and provided to each supervisor/manager, who workers may go to if an injury occurs.

The ‘Brown Envelope’ simplified the process for that front-line supervisor. If a worker sustains an injury and leaves work to seek medical attention, the supervisors must send them with the ‘Brown Envelope.’

We have you covered; curious about what is in a
‘Brown Envelope.’

By using the ‘Brown Envelope,’ there is a simple 4 step process to follow:

Get in control of your claims today! The Brown Envelope is a great place to start, but effective claims management doesn’t end there. Get proactive by building a claims management program, developing a process for managing claims and setting up a modified work program before an injury occurs.

Unsure where to start? Start with Claims Management training. Service Hospitality’s Claims Management training is the first of its kind in Canada to be integrated into a certified safety program!

Join us on November 22^nd & 23^rd for our FREE 2 Part Series on Claims Management. This virtual public session will be held from 9 am to 12 pm each day. Click here to register today-space is limited!