From Bob's Cluttered Desk

Last week was certainly one to remember. My brother passed away a little over a week ago, on Friday, August 13th. Then, this past Friday, August 20th, two good friends both passed after valiant fights with different diseases. The differences of how the three lived, and more importantly how they died, is stark. It is…

There is another Hot Seat Webinar coming up this Thursday, entitled Beating Workplace Violence in the Era of Covid. It is sponsored by Safety National. Co-host Judge David Langham and I will welcome guests Valerie Horton Rakes and Dr. Geralyn Datz. Horton Rakes is the Risk Manager for the City of Tampa Department of Human Resources-Risk…

I’ve been doing interviews the past couple of weeks as part of the “vetting” process for the upcoming Comp Laude Awards program, which will be held in November. I’ve done this before, as well as serving on the nominating committee and working as a final judge. It can be an inspirational endeavor. Comp Laude, founded by…

There is little doubt that cybersecurity is becoming an increasingly important topic, not just for the workers’ compensation industry but for organizations of all sizes and stripes. High-profile incidents where critical data has been either exposed or encrypted for ransom have rightfully brought a finer focus to the topic for many. The workers’ compensation industry…

Long-time readers will know of my almost decade-long campaign to rebrand the workers’ comp industry. I have long believed that people entering the workers’ compensation system for the first time focus on the wrong things as it relates to their case. On this site’s discussion forum, they will leave a long description of their recent…

Kids’ Chance of Florida will be producing the golf tournament at the annual WCI Conference in Orlando this December. This is the first active fundraiser ever held by the organization, and early indications are it is going to be a smashing success. 5 months out from the December 12, 2021, tee-off, almost one-half of the…

We’ve all heard of Conan the Barbarian. He was the fictional sword and sorcery hero who originated in pulp magazines in 1932 and has since been adapted to books, comics, and films. He is best known in the form of Arnold Schwarzenegger, who originally portrayed him on the big screen in 1982. It was a breakthrough movie for Schwarzenegger, as…

There has been discussion of late about preparing for and managing the generational shift in the workers’ compensation workforce. There is no doubt we have a looming loss of institutional knowledge on the road ahead. The industry is on average staffed by people who are on the backside of their careers and looking at retirement…

If there is one thing that is consistent across a multitude of situations, it is the need for clear and concise communication. It is important in just about any circumstance, be it workers’ compensation or corporate travel. And in this case, it is the latter that serves to prove the invaluable worth of accurate information.…

Many things have changed over the course of the last 17 months or so. While many both within and outside the workers’ compensation industry have faced hardship and challenge, we will in retrospect find some positive things that emerged from the maelstrom of the Covid pandemic. Today, Tropical Storm Elsa provides us with one such…