RETHINKING ORGANIZATIONAL POLICIES AND PROCEDURES CONCERNING INJURED/ILL EMPLOYEES: THE BENEFITS OF A HEALTH/INJURY MANAGEMENT PROGRAM

Prior to May of 2002, City of San Diego Metropolitan Wastewater Department (MWWD) employees who experienced a medical condition of injury/illness received limited contact from the workplace due to the extensive workload of the Risk Management Department and associated resource constraints. Seeking to improve this situation, MWWD's Human Resources Manager (HRM) designed and developed a Health/Injury Management Program (HIMP) to better promote light duty work, facilitate open communication, and support bringing injured employees back to work in a more timely manner. An analysis of available performance indictors over a three-year period (fiscal years 2003-2005) revealed that the department's Worker's Compensation (WC) and Industrial Leave (IL) claims costs compared favorably with other departments within the City organization. The implications of HIMP's effect on MWWD employee availability and productivity are discussed.