We recently got a call from a client with a tricky situation. One of their employees had casually mentioned being injured during a weekend recreational trip. Nothing unusual there—until the following week, when the same employee claimed they’d hurt themselves on the job instead.
The employer was understandably concerned. Was this a legitimate workplace injury, or was something else going on? They wanted to know how to protect themselves and handle it properly.
Here’s the advice I gave:
Report the injury to your workers’ compensation insurance company. At the same time, share the details about the earlier recreational injury statement with the insurance claims representative or case worker. Then—step back.
Why? Because you don’t want to be seen as “the bad guy.” Let the insurance company do what they’re there to do: Investigate the claim and determine whether it’s truly work-related. They have the resources, processes, and legal framework to make that call.
The key takeaway:
When in doubt about a workplace injury, always document the facts and hand the situation to the professionals. Your role as an employer is to provide information, not to decide the outcome.
