A week ago, I was in California, speaking at the annual conference of the California Coalition on Workers’ Compensation. A very big topic there was the proliferation of “Skin and Contents” cases that are overwhelming the system, particularly in the Los Angeles basin. “Skin and Contents” is another phrase for cumulative trauma injuries. The ailments…
You Don't Have to Hire the Psychologist, But You Must Understand the Psychology
There are a number of constants in the world of workplace injuries and workers’ compensation. One of them is the fact that employers hate the idea of paying for psychiatric care, and they will work to avoid it like the plague. Part of that extends from a (not wholly unearned) belief that psychology is like…
Kids' Chance and the Best Job in the World
By all accounts I have a pretty great job. I get to work with terrific people and have made many strong friendships around the country. I have the opportunity to be creative in this position, and, if I do things right, get to set my own schedule much of the time (as a young manager…
The Risk Management Follies, or When Your Media Training Call Is a PR Disaster
I am fascinated by the world of risk management. There are so many challenges to the field; so many potential threats to be concerned with. And despite the best laid plans of mice and men, things can go wrong despite a multitude of efforts otherwise. I thought of this a few months ago while visiting…
Miracle Cures
I shouldn’t be writing about this. I should instead be making a beeline to a US Patent Office to secure these ideas and ensure for myself a vast amount of future riches. But, that sounds like a lot of work, and I hate paperwork so what the hell. Might as well share these here. I’ve…
Want to Control Your Retirement Pension Costs? Hire This Guy.
A man in Germany has been arrested for attempting to murder a co-worker by poisoning his lunch and is now suspected of 21 “suspicious deaths” of co-workers at the company. Police are reported to be examining the deaths after the 56-year-old man was caught on camera trying to poison a colleague’s lunch in the break room of a…
Coming to WCI? Help Kids' Chance Give Kids the World
Every year the Workers’ Compensation Institute, as part of their annual educational conference in Orlando, holds a service day supporting the non-profit organization Give Kids the World (GKTW). This year, Kids’ Chance of Florida (KCFL) is assembling a group of volunteers to support that effort. If you are coming to Orlando for WCI this August,…
The Best Laid Plans of Participatory Millennial Trials
As part of our Hot Seat Webinar on the rise of the Millennials last Friday, we intended to enhance the “visitor experience” with a little add on after the presentation. Playing on the stereotype of participation ribbons and other memorabilia for millennials, we informed all of the viewers that they would be receiving a digital…
Advice Column for Unfaithful Spouse Highlights Challenges of the Injured
An advice column appearing in the Chicago Tribune two weeks ago highlights just one of the many challenges that an injured worker may face during an extended recovery. While the discussion did not have anything to do with his original injury, it was definitely related to the social support structure that is so important for a recovering…
Krauthammer – A Life Lived Abled
Conservative columnist and icon Charles Krauthammer passed away last week after a lengthy fight with cancer. To many people such as myself, Krauthammer was a brilliant observer of the otherwise obvious, with a special skill at analyzing life and disseminating it in a clear and entertaining manner. For many of us, his death will be…