Workers' Comp: Get Compensated for Job-Related Illnesses & Accidents - Essay Sample

Introduction

The worker's compensation program is a no-fault program that warrants the compensation of workers who get job-related illnesses or are involved in accidents at the workplace. The compensation is mandatory regardless of how the accident happened or how the patient acquired the illness. The worker's compensation scheme does not take into consideration if the accident or illness was due to careless practices by the worker or unsafe behavior at the workplace. The idea of compensating the affected workers seems to punish those who are conscientious at the workplace and protect careless individuals. However, the worker's compensation program strategy is effective and most efficient and should not be altered. It is difficult to evaluate if an illness was acquired due to carelessness and it is also ambiguous to state that an accident occurred intentionally. The idea of compensating all the affected workers helps to avoid biasness in compensation or prevent lengthy procedures and investigations from determining if the illness and accidents were accidental. The worker's compensation utilizes the theory that all human beings are risk-averse, and therefore human beings with sane reasoning will always tend to shun practices that n may lead to illnesses or cause accidents.

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The human resource department in an organization can help in reducing or alleviating the claims for workers' compensation through avoiding accidents in the workplace. Secondly, all parties should be well informed about the worker's compensation, and the processes involved getting the compensation. Thirdly, the training of supervisors in the workplace is essential. The supervisors can be equipped with knowledge about worker's compensation and their costs to the organization. The knowledge will help the supervisors to ensure that the workers take precautions at the workplace.

It is true that most laid-off employees with unemployment benefits tend to be adamant about finding work until when their benefits are almost ceased. This character is due to the simple reason that human beings are naturally lazy until forced to work. A person will tend to stay in comfort and enjoy the unemployment benefits since his needs are sufficiently fulfilled by the benefits he receives.

Employers have the responsibility to support the employees they lay off because of humanitarian reasons and the practice of ethical requirements in the labor market. Employers should support laid-off employees to create a good reputation for the organization. Furthermore, it is a legal requirement by law for employers to support employees that have been laid off.

Employers need to offer disability insurance for their employees since it assures the employees with the security of their property and investment even after they get injured and are unable to continue working (Burkhauser et al.,2014). The insurance disability motivates employees to engage in work fully and hence deliver great performance. The provision of disability insurance offers an employer a competitive advantage in the labor market, and hence most workers would wish to be employed by the employer. The provision of long-term disability benefits is a good practice in consideration of the employees' welfare and the employer's reputation. However, the exercise is expensive and tends to drain a lot of the employer's gains (Kingsdale,2012). Therefore, the short-term benefits are more efficient and reliable. The employer should further offer guidance to the employee to make investments with benefits so that he will have an income-generating project by the time the disability benefits expire.

The advantages to an employer that offers life insurance are that he attracts and can retain talented and experienced workers in the organization. Secondly, the employer will improve the satisfaction of employees and hence promote productivity. Thirdly, it builds a good reputation for the employer as he is investing in the financial well-being of the employees.

The disadvantages of offering life insurance are huge expenses ranging from the management costs to the insurance costs. Secondly, life insurance requires legal compliance, which leads to costs on legal fees. Moreover, blunders in the exercise may lead to costly legal action.

Governments offer income protection benefits to the citizens through the taxes paid by citizens and businesses in the country. The benefits can either be offered by employers through insurance firms or by the government through its human resource department in collaboration with the finance department.

In the USA, the reasons to support the offering of income protection benefits by the federal government are the Federal government offers more attractive benefits in terms of policies of the benefits. Secondly, the benefits are secured, and the citizens are assured of getting the benefits since the Federal government cannot run bankrupt, unlike insurance companies. Thirdly, the benefits offered by the Federal government are clearly stated by law that is strictly adhered to.

The disadvantages associated with the federal government providing income protection benefits are increases in taxes and levies to cater for the provision of the benefits(Blankenship,2007). Secondly, the procedures for acquiring the benefits are complex and tiresome due to the numerous legal and administrative guidelines that have to be followed. Thirdly, the benefit policies are dictated by the government and are made compulsory despite the contrary opinions of other citizens.

References

Blankenship, V. J. (2007). CONTROLLING AND MINIMIZING THE TAXATION OF DISABILITY BENEFITS: 1]. The Tax Lawyer, 60(3), 725-759.

Burkhauser, R. V., Daly, M. C., Mcvicar, D., & Wilkins, R. (2014). Disability benefit growth and disability reform in the US: Lessons from other OECD nations. IZA Journal of Labor Policy, 3(1), 1-30. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/2193-9004-3-4

Kingsdale, J. (2012). How small business health exchanges can offer value to their future customers-and why they must. Health Affairs, 31(2), 275-83