As a conscientious employee, the safety of your workers is your top priority. You do your best to keep up with health and safety laws and protect your team from injuries.
Unfortunately, a worker has come forward and claimed that they were injured on the job. It seems like they are going to have to take considerable time off and are looking to file a workers’ compensation claim.
But what if that worker is exaggerating the extent of their injuries? What if they are perfectly able to work? How can you tell? Outlined below are some key points to consider.
Engaging in physical activities outside of work
The employee has claimed that their injury and pain levels limit their ability to even carry out even light work tasks. However, a co-worker who is quite friendly with them has become aware of them attending sports events. Not only that, but they’ve been participating. There is also evidence of this on their social media channels, through the posts that they have shared.
Who actually saw the incident?
You’re not a cynical person and you tend to take people at their word. At the time of the alleged accident, your employee was working alone (which goes against company policy) and attended the doctor on their own too. But other than their word, what evidence do you actually have of this? If there were no witnesses, then it’s in your best interests to conduct as thorough an investigation as possible into what happened. Not only can this establish the truth, but it can help you avoid such incidents in the future.
There are rare occasions when employees may try to take advantage of you or the workers’ compensation insurance system. In such cases, you need to protect your business. Having legal guidance on your side will give you the best possible chance of doing that.
