Many of the clients I represent are long term employees of their companies. It is not unusual for me to work with to clients who have been loyal employees for 10 or more years.
Folks with a long tenure like this are almost always shocked and upset at the overnight change in attitude they get from co-workers and supervisors once it becomes known that the employee has been seriously injured and has filed a workers’ compensation claim.
I sense that some of my clients almost feel guilty about filing a workers compensation claim. In one case in particular a client of mine told me that his former supervisor has apparently been bad mouthing him to his former co-workers, implying that my client is “working the system” and is “looking for a big payday.” I could tell that my client was extremely upset to this attack on his reputation and he was clearly miserable.
Over the years I frequently need to take the time to counsel my clients about how to deal with this unexpected hostility from supervisors and especially from former co-workers. Workers compensation practice in Georgia has evolved into an extremely adversarial type of legal system. Employers hate workers compensation claims because even a relatively minor injury can result in increased premium costs.
Production supervisors hate claims because their shifts may be shorthanded and they will have to take the time to either train a replacement or adjust a work description to accommodate a light duty return to work.
Employers also badmouth claimants to send a not so subtle message that injured workers who file claims will be excommunicated from the tribe.
While the mix of emotions you may feel, including guilt, betrayal, sadness, and anger, is certainly legitimate, I would urge you to remember that at the end of the day your former boss, your former co-workers and the owner of your former company are most likely not planning on helping you write your mortgage payment, and they are not going to be there 5 years from now when your settlement money is long gone and you are trying to find a job that can accommodate your reduced physical capacity.
I would further suggest to you that when you file a workers’ comp. claim, the insurance company adjuster who will be opposing us will do everything in his or her power to minimize what they have to pay you and they will do everything they can to limit your visits to the doctor.
As your attorney, my role is to fight and scrap to get you necessary and effective medical care and to deny the insurance adjuster’s attempt to send you back to work prematurely.
Leave a Reply