From Bob's Cluttered Desk

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…

Last week we wrote about being lectured by technology, with the general feeling that there is nothing worse than having technology talk down to you. We were wrong. There is something worse. It is having technology stymie your progress, or, even worse, argue with you about what you know to be right.  While we have been…

When I first joined the workers’ compensation industry more than two decades ago, the concept of “return to work” was already in the process of waning. It might be better described as a full-on retreat. Retraining programs and vocational services were being cut. Second Injury Funds were rapidly becoming nothing but a memory. The shift…

No one really likes change, and that is particularly true of the workers’ compensation industry and its challenged relationship with technology adoption. The pandemic did much to remove barriers and accelerate technological change in the industry, but much opportunity remains. Systems are available that will tell claims professionals what must be done, and when. Processes…