Injuries at workplaces are not uncommon. Being hit by falling objects or slips and falls are prevalent in almost all industries. Although companies employ effective safety techniques and updated machines, accidents do happen at workplaces. Some injuries are minor, whereas others affect the mobility of workers. Certain injuries even make a worker permanently disabled. In order to compensate for injuries and sufferings, the law allows the victim to receive monetary compensation from the employer. Any injured worker can seek legal help and get compensation from his employer for workplace injuries. However, most of the workers and employers now prefer workers compensation advocacy.
What is workers comp advocacy?
It’s a new kind of solution to compensate the worker. Here the injured worker doesn’t file a suit in the court. The matter is settled amicably through advocacy (arbitration). A group of experts take a look at the matter and recommend a suitable solution to compensate the injured for his sufferings and injuries.
Benefits of advocacy to workers
Many workers file a suit themselves or hire an attorney to dispute their compensation case. In many situations, the workers lose their suit. This is certainly true in the case of victims who dispute their suit on their own. The try to save money on hiring an expert legal representative leads to a lost suit.
Those who hire an attorney receive compensation from the employer. While some workers get partial compensation, others get the desired monetary benefits for their pain and injuries. However, their relationship with their employer gets disturbed and strained. A majority of these workers lose their promotion and future growth prospects.
Additionally, some victims end up paying too much legal fees to lawyers. Not to mention, the time wasted on court proceedings and hearings bring the real mental stress. All such issues can be easily averted by resorting to the advocacy-based solution.
Since the settlement is reached with the consent of both parties, the resolution is agreeable to all. Everyone is happy with the outcome of the resolution. Workers get the necessary compensation to deal with their injuries. Also, they’re able to get back to work in a lot less time. Most importantly, their future chances of promotion aren’t affected. In fact, their relationship with their employers tends to improve further.
Benefits of workers compensation advocacy to employers (companies)
The advocacy model of solving workers compensation is beneficial to employers too. If an employer disputes an injury case in the court of law, he’s likely to lose the case. That’s even more correct in case the worker sustains serious injuries at the workplace.
As well as expending hefty legal fees, the employer has to pay monetary compensation to the injured worker as directed by the court. In many cases, the compensation could be too high for the employer company. If you add the time wasted on disputing a court case, any employer will find it unbearable.
On the flip side, the advocacy model can resolve injury claims peacefully. The claim amount won’t pinch the employer too much. Also, the settlement is done speedily, saving a lot of precious time.
In addition to this, the relationship between the employer and the worker doesn’t strain. On the contrary, it only improves after the settlement. The worker gets back to his work as quickly as possible.
Bottom line
From the above discussion, the concept of workers compensation advocacy becomes crystal clear. Also, the advocacy concept is beneficial to both workers as well as employers. Quick resolution to workplace injuries, better health of workers, better claims, speedy return to work, etc are some of the appealing benefits of advocacy to workers and employers. Due to these reasons, more and more workers and organizations prefer the advocacy model to resolve issues related to workplace injuries.
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Daryl Green