Transitional Work

Let BWC show you our five-point strategy for lowering your workers' compensation costs and returning your injured employees to the job.

Transitional work frequently asked questions

Meeting the needs of all Ohio employers – including small businesses – is our most important goal. Let us show you how transitional work can keep your injured employees on the job and lower your workers’ compensation and human resources costs. We can show you how to save money while maintaining or improving your company’s productivity.

Transitional work helps businesses offer injured employees strategies to return them to work as soon as safely possible, and before the worker is 100 percent recovered. The program uses real job-related tasks to accommodate the workers' medical restrictions for a specified time period – generally no more than three months – and gradually return them to their original duties.

Fact: Statistics show indirect employer costs for a workplace injury that becomes a long-term claim are four times greater than the direct cost of the claim itself. These costs include decreased productivity; increased hiring and training costs; higher overtime expenses; increased legal costs; lowered morale, and loss of business and customer goodwill. The costs to the injured worker are even higher.

Injured workers may recover more quickly and can participate in work activities as soon as they are medically able. They may experience a smoother transition back to their regular job. They receive a full, regular paycheck and maintain their management and coworker relationships. Transitional work also gives you an opportunity to form a closer relationship with health-care providers who will better understand your business and can respond immediately to your injured workers’ concerns.

A BWC study showed that on average, employers who used a transitional work program saved $1,108 in compensation claim costs. In addition, those employers returned their injured workers to the job 10 days sooner than employers who didn’t have a program. Transitional work employers also saved an average of $139 in medical costs per claim.

Our employment advisors we’ll make creating alternative work solutions as easy as possible for you. No matter what your company size, we can help you create and implement effective transitional work. We will work with your managed care organization to provide you with the information necessary to better handle your workers’ compensation claims, and can even provide you with sample policies and procedures, training materials and forms and letters.

Employee and/or union support are essential for successfully changing a company’s work culture. A BWC small business advocate is also available to help you in overcome barriers between labor and management.

You don’t have to take our word for it. See what some Ohio employers who have developed a transitional work program have to say about how it has changed their company.