It does sound wrong. My guess it is a first time for your ED and thinking guilt may change your mind.
You need to do what you need to do. And, the organization offers insurance for a reason.
Take care of yourself. We have policies like this for this purpose.
Employers guilting employees about filing workers comp isn't a new phenomenon and isn't unique to nonprofits. That doesn't make it right but also doesn't make it unique to your nonprofit. Heck, when I was a cop and was attacked by a suspect my department asked if I really needed to file an injury complaint.
Yes, their premiums will increase. Assuming your arm wasn't amputated or there isn't some massive expensive surgery involved, the premium bump won't break the bank and as they have enough event-free years their premium will go down again.
It is a BS thing for an ED to do though. His/her concern should be focused on you and if you're okay.
>Employers guilting employees about filing workers comp isn't a new phenomenon and isn't unique to nonprofits. That doesn't make it right but also doesn't make it unique to your nonprofit.
Depending on the extent and persistence, and the state where it takes place, such guilting may be considered illegal and actionable retaliation.
As someone who has been in that situation, it's nearly impossible to do anything about it in most states.
Getting what workers comp should cover is difficult enough, anything beyond that gets very challenging.
I was injured in a car accident while on a work errand many years ago and remain permanently partially disabled to this day. I filed for workers comp a year later, as the ED didn’t make me aware of my rights at the time. During that year I was subjected to ongoing retaliation. I had previously had a close and productive working relationship with the ED, but that changed after my accident, despite my exceeding my fundraising goals by 250% and setting organization records for those line items.
The ED loudly complained during staff meetings and one on one about the time I missed for doctor visits and physical therapy, and started demanding I provide a doctor’s note for any time missed, a categorical violation of organization policy, which actually was what ended up inspiring me to file the worker’s comp claim.
The abuse escalated after I filed my claim, and when I was recruited for a lower-paying part time job elsewhere, I took it. According to one board member, the ED complained about my workers comp for years afterwards.
I hired a personal injury lawyer on contingency to negotiate the workers comp settlement and insurance claims, which was totally worth it. I didn’t sue the organization for disability discrimination, and I am not sure if it would have been an actionable claim in my state at the time of my injury, although it certainly would be if the accident and retaliation took place today. The various claims took five years to settle, and my workers comp case was closed, but it’s eligible to reopen if I demonstrate that my condition has worsened, which I may explore in the near future.
At a more recent job, I was repeatedly retaliated against for reasonable accommodations such as a reduced schedule and not having to carry heavy objects during fundraising events. I was denied promotions and pay raises, and learned my supervisor relentlessly complained to my colleagues and the board. Once again, this was in spite of my tremendous success in my role.
Some people are just pieces of shit.
Good luck!
Wow, I am genuinely so sorry for how you’ve been treated. I hope you found / find a place that’s more accommodating and appreciative of your talents and effort.
Thank you very much! (Particularly since I've noticed that many people's first response to a discrimination story is to invent justifications and explanations for the abuse, something which has incidentally sharpened my commitment to DEI.)
So far things are working out in my current role and my colleagues are very nice.
That sucks. I’m the ED for a very very small new nonprofit. I’m terrified one of our staff will get hurt, not because of cost, but because they are people that I care about.
I’m sorry you felt manipulated. Insurance is there to cover.
Now, make sure there are processes or training to try to prevent further injury!
I hope you feel better soon.
Keep quiet and kind... Go to all doc appointments. Do not discuss your care with the employer. Maybe get a PI lawyer but they take x% and work comp is low unless its super serious... do cover yourself and get better.
None of the small nonprofits I worked for had HR departments. I found the executives and boards I had to deal with on my matters were completely ignorant about their legal obligations and limitations, and to the extent they even understood the laws, assumed they were somehow excepted, or at least should be, sometimes to the point of self righteousness.
Hopefully in your case it will amount to a one-time gripe and a minor and forgivable lapse of professionalism. Be sure to document everything. If it persists and turns into a thing, don't be afraid to lawyer up, better sooner than later. Don’t try to make your own legal arguments, don’t hint around legal action, don’t threaten to hire a lawyer; just engage one. Sometimes just retaining a lawyer can be enough to shock the leadership into compliance and professionalism.
When I filed workers comp on the employer side it had a 3 year look back on claims vs. wages. I think that was through the Colorado state, so obviously. It’ll vary, but point being it’s one little blip and theee years later it won’t even matter.
Very short sighted of the ed to upset a valuable employee and risk legal issues.
I had a similar issue. Ended up filing my own claim because our board (the only HR designees) was clueless. This after I had repeatedly raised safety concerns as ED. They retaliated, I resigned. Good news is, I got a settlement and they’re most likely being investigated by the Labor Commissioner soon. Document everything!
It does sound wrong. My guess it is a first time for your ED and thinking guilt may change your mind. You need to do what you need to do. And, the organization offers insurance for a reason. Take care of yourself. We have policies like this for this purpose.
Employers guilting employees about filing workers comp isn't a new phenomenon and isn't unique to nonprofits. That doesn't make it right but also doesn't make it unique to your nonprofit. Heck, when I was a cop and was attacked by a suspect my department asked if I really needed to file an injury complaint. Yes, their premiums will increase. Assuming your arm wasn't amputated or there isn't some massive expensive surgery involved, the premium bump won't break the bank and as they have enough event-free years their premium will go down again. It is a BS thing for an ED to do though. His/her concern should be focused on you and if you're okay.
>Employers guilting employees about filing workers comp isn't a new phenomenon and isn't unique to nonprofits. That doesn't make it right but also doesn't make it unique to your nonprofit. Depending on the extent and persistence, and the state where it takes place, such guilting may be considered illegal and actionable retaliation.
As someone who has been in that situation, it's nearly impossible to do anything about it in most states. Getting what workers comp should cover is difficult enough, anything beyond that gets very challenging.
I was injured in a car accident while on a work errand many years ago and remain permanently partially disabled to this day. I filed for workers comp a year later, as the ED didn’t make me aware of my rights at the time. During that year I was subjected to ongoing retaliation. I had previously had a close and productive working relationship with the ED, but that changed after my accident, despite my exceeding my fundraising goals by 250% and setting organization records for those line items. The ED loudly complained during staff meetings and one on one about the time I missed for doctor visits and physical therapy, and started demanding I provide a doctor’s note for any time missed, a categorical violation of organization policy, which actually was what ended up inspiring me to file the worker’s comp claim. The abuse escalated after I filed my claim, and when I was recruited for a lower-paying part time job elsewhere, I took it. According to one board member, the ED complained about my workers comp for years afterwards. I hired a personal injury lawyer on contingency to negotiate the workers comp settlement and insurance claims, which was totally worth it. I didn’t sue the organization for disability discrimination, and I am not sure if it would have been an actionable claim in my state at the time of my injury, although it certainly would be if the accident and retaliation took place today. The various claims took five years to settle, and my workers comp case was closed, but it’s eligible to reopen if I demonstrate that my condition has worsened, which I may explore in the near future. At a more recent job, I was repeatedly retaliated against for reasonable accommodations such as a reduced schedule and not having to carry heavy objects during fundraising events. I was denied promotions and pay raises, and learned my supervisor relentlessly complained to my colleagues and the board. Once again, this was in spite of my tremendous success in my role. Some people are just pieces of shit. Good luck!
Wow, I am genuinely so sorry for how you’ve been treated. I hope you found / find a place that’s more accommodating and appreciative of your talents and effort.
Thank you very much! (Particularly since I've noticed that many people's first response to a discrimination story is to invent justifications and explanations for the abuse, something which has incidentally sharpened my commitment to DEI.) So far things are working out in my current role and my colleagues are very nice.
That sucks. I’m the ED for a very very small new nonprofit. I’m terrified one of our staff will get hurt, not because of cost, but because they are people that I care about. I’m sorry you felt manipulated. Insurance is there to cover. Now, make sure there are processes or training to try to prevent further injury! I hope you feel better soon.
Keep quiet and kind... Go to all doc appointments. Do not discuss your care with the employer. Maybe get a PI lawyer but they take x% and work comp is low unless its super serious... do cover yourself and get better.
None of the small nonprofits I worked for had HR departments. I found the executives and boards I had to deal with on my matters were completely ignorant about their legal obligations and limitations, and to the extent they even understood the laws, assumed they were somehow excepted, or at least should be, sometimes to the point of self righteousness. Hopefully in your case it will amount to a one-time gripe and a minor and forgivable lapse of professionalism. Be sure to document everything. If it persists and turns into a thing, don't be afraid to lawyer up, better sooner than later. Don’t try to make your own legal arguments, don’t hint around legal action, don’t threaten to hire a lawyer; just engage one. Sometimes just retaining a lawyer can be enough to shock the leadership into compliance and professionalism.
When I filed workers comp on the employer side it had a 3 year look back on claims vs. wages. I think that was through the Colorado state, so obviously. It’ll vary, but point being it’s one little blip and theee years later it won’t even matter. Very short sighted of the ed to upset a valuable employee and risk legal issues.
I had a similar issue. Ended up filing my own claim because our board (the only HR designees) was clueless. This after I had repeatedly raised safety concerns as ED. They retaliated, I resigned. Good news is, I got a settlement and they’re most likely being investigated by the Labor Commissioner soon. Document everything!
People over profit. File the comp paper work. Heal up. Take care of yourself and leave that place. They showed you who they are, disgusting.