I was somewhat dismayed this week to hear of the announced resignation of Texas Workers’ Compensation Commissioner Ryan Brannan. His scheduled departure at the end of this month is a loss for Texas, as well as for our greater industry. While his plans for the future have not been announced, it is apparent that he…
The Cycle of Workers' Comp Reform: If It Ain't Broke, Fix It Anyway
When we talk about inefficient and problematic states in workers’ comp, Kentucky doesn’t normally draw a lot of attention in the conversation. In fact, when we held our series of Workers’ Comp Summit meetings in 2016, Kentucky was a state cited by some in the room as one state having a system that generally worked.…
Unsubscribe Links and Wet Paint Signs
I found out this week that “unsubscribe links,” those cryptic looking tools that allow you remove yourself from an email mailing list or newsletter, are a lot like wet paint signs. If you draw attention to them, people are inclined to respond by touching or clicking where they should not. The fact that I learned…
Texas Kids' Chance to Throw BigGive Bash
There is a party coming to Dallas, and you won’t want to miss it. Not only will it be a lot of fun, it is for a great cause to boot. How can you not want to be part of that? Kids’ Chance offers scholarships and educational opportunities for children who have a parent who…
An Overdose Death by Any Other Drug
The war on opioids is beginning to show progress, and as we start winning that battle, unexpected skirmishes will undoubtedly arise. Those skirmishes can and will be tragic tributes to man’s creativity; our ability to adapt and adopt, even when the consequences of avoiding new controls means continued addiction and even death. Such is the…
Have You Nominated Someone for Comp Laude?
The workers’ compensation industry takes its share of bad news; some of it deserved, and some of it not. However, beyond the din of negativity, good things do happen within this industry. Many of us know of examples of injured workers who, despite horrific injuries and the challenges of resulting impairment, have risen up and…
On Crushing it at WCRI
I discuss a lot of personal issues here in my blog. However, it is not that often, outside of an upcoming webinar or Best Blog contest, that I talk about this website, its products or its people. But once in a while a confluence of efforts results in something that truly pleases me, and doggone…
Mother Nature and Missing WCRI
I was supposed to wake up in Boston this morning, but I didn’t. I should be getting ready to leave my hotel room at the Westin Copley Place to head downstairs and join several hundred other data junkies for a day of education and information, but I’m not. Instead, I remain in Sarasota, missing the…
What is Sexual Harassment?
It’s been in the news. It is the subject of next week’s Hot Seat Webinar. And every week it takes down another celebrity or prominent corporate executive. Sexual harassment is one hot topic, but, what is it, actually? Is it conducted out of evil intent, pure ignorance or just plain stupidity? Is it about power?…
Alexa, Chief Procurement Officer
I caught a brief article this morning telling us that Amazon, the behemoth online retailer, has plans to get their voice activated personal assistant, Alexa, into the corporate offices of America. According to the piece, “Amazon is going to launch Alexa for Business to give enterprise software a way to use voice controls.” I did…