In the corporate hiring world, “speed-to-hire” is a phrase that refers the time it takes to post a job, source candidates, interview, hire and onboard a new employee. Speed-to-hire is critical for companies that want to compete for the best talent available and hire them before a better offer comes their way. The most successful companies today will awareness of and a commitment to their speed-to-hire. Only companies that have complete corporate buy in from all levels of the organization starting with the receptionist and flowing through to recruiters, line mangers, human resources and, finally, senior management can achieve top speed-to-hire rates and, ultimately, hire the best employees!
I believe the same sense of urgency, commitment and thought process needs to happen when it comes to returning claimants to work (with a new employer). The moment a disability or work comp claimant is released to work, an excitement and energy surrounding speed-to-hire needs to be recognized by all players involved with the claimant’s file.
A lot of data exists regarding the importance of how early intervention with claimants is critical to maximizing their potential of returning to work. The longer a claimant is allowed to not be working, the easier it will be for them to get used to that concept-and even like it.
What can you do as a Claims Analyst involved with a claimant eligible to return to work in a new job? For LTD claims, don’t wait until the any-occupation stage to begin aggressive return to work training and strategies. Many times, insurers assume that since the claimant can go back to doing what they did before that they’ll be able to find another job sometime inside two years. TWO YEARS! Generally, it takes about 30 days per every $10,000 in salary to find a new job (non-claimants). Will it take disability claimants longer? Perhaps, but it doesn’t need to!
Today, the best job seekers “promote” themselves well! Help your disability claimants be proactive with their job search strategy by increase their visibility on social media and working with recruiters that specialize in their industry. Help the hidden job market find them!
In Work Comp the same thought holds true. If it seems likely that an injured worker will not be returning to their date of injury employer, don’t wait 2-4-6 months to find out for sure. Think “speed-to-hire!” Utilize those months of uncertainty to spend time building their network and reaching out to employers. Reactive job search activities, like searching job boards, don’t work well anymore. Recruiters don’t post jobs anymore because they don’t need to! They search LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter profiles to find the candidates they need. Just because some claimants come from a blue-collar worker doesn’t mean they shouldn’t have a online presence. Remember, recruiters now use social media as their number one tool for finding qualified candidates on all levels.
Start to build a “speed-to-hire” mentality within your entire organization in 2017 and you will save time, money and get your claimants back to new work opportunities faster!