With all the tasks your clients have on their plates, it's notsurprising that many of them are unsure of how to manage employeeabsences and disabilities. After all, helping employees withstay-at-work or return-to-work assistance may not be an everydayoccurrence, especially at smaller companies.

According to recent research from The Standard, nearlytwo-thirds of human resources managers are not confident in howtheir organizations handle employee disabilities andaccommodations. This opens up a great opportunity foryou as a broker to help your clients learn more about how carrierscan provide disability management assistance.

Some disability carriers offer consultants who can help HRmanagers on everything from managing at-risk employees tocoordinating benefits from multiple carriers. You can rely on theseexperienced professionals to help your clients get answers and, atthe same time, position yourself as a trusted advisor.

To help you in advising your clients, here are three commonquestions that are often asked regarding disability management, withsuggested ways of answering them:

“What can I do to help an employee who may need to takedisability leave due to somehealth issues?”

Start by reaching out to a consultant from your disabilitycarrier to talk through the at-risk employee's specific situation.The consultant—either a nurse, vocational, or mental healthconsultant, depending on the employee's situation—can help withpreventive measures. These can include ergonomic accommodations ortemporary job placement, which may help ward off additional injuryor strain, increase the employee's productivity and prevent timeout of the office.

If the employee is already on disability leave, a consultant canalso assist with return-to-work plans.

The consultant can help smooth the employee's transition back towork, taking medical limitations or restrictions into account toprovide the best possible solution for both employee andemployer.

“How can I make the most of my employee wellnessprogram?”

Most employers like yours provide resources to help employeesstay healthy—and stay at work. Employee assistance programs andwellness/disease management programs are some of the mostcommon.

To get the most from these programs, survey employees to seewhat resources would be most beneficial or match at-risk employeeswith the right resources. In sensitive situations, a disabilityconsultant can ask the employee tough health-related questions foryou. He or she can help encourage an employee to connect with theappropriate resources, or direct an employee to options offered byother carriers in your benefits package.

“How can I help an employee with the claims process, whenI'm confused, too?”

Navigating disability claims can often be time consuming. If youdon't have time to guide an employee through the process, a carrierconsultant can work with the employee's doctor to deal withhealth-related concerns and help recommend the best approach tokeep the worker productive.

Here's a phrase we've all heard before: Two heads are betterthan one. With a knowledgeable third-party consultant to help solvethese common issues, you may be able to increase workplaceproductivity and mitigate time out of the office.