From Bob's Cluttered Desk

I was speaking to a friend the other day about general topics within the workers’ compensation industry. This person, who I find highly informed about comp activities across the nation, made a simple yet highly relevant statement. Their exact words elude me, but it was in essence that things just seem to be really quiet…

There is nothing funny about buttock spasms. Nothing at all. So, why I am chortling? I really can’t tell you. I would suspect it is due to my deep understanding of the human psyche, juxtaposed with the irony of a unique malady that is rarely the topic of discussion within the workers’ compensation community. Or…

It is a common and sometimes justifiable concern for some employees around the nation. They worry that if they file a workers’ compensation claim they will be fired by their employer. In many jurisdictions, such retaliation by employers is prohibited by law. That is not to suggest that it never happens. It is just prohibited…

Last November the residents of California told the state, by a fairly substantial margin, to keep their labor employment law mittens off of rideshare gig workers. Proposition 22, designed to “define app-based transportation (rideshare) and delivery drivers as independent contractors and adopt labor and wage policies specific to app-based drivers and companies,” passed with a…

We pre-recorded our Hot Seat Webinar yesterday afternoon. Entitled “I’ve Got You Under My Skin, So Hit Me With Your Best Shot In The Dark – An Ode to COVID Vaccination Liabilities”, it will be webcast tomorrow at 1:00 PM eastern time. All Hot Seats prior to this have been live events, but due to…

I think that those of us in the workers’ compensation industry sometimes forget just how vital it is to the health and vitality of the US economy. The vast majority of the 156 million workers in this nation (2019 stats) perform their duties while covered by an occupational protection policy or program. Yet, for both…

It seems that, as a society, there is always something to worry about. Even when good news breaks through the din of negativity we still seem to find elements of concern to worry about. Such is the case with the newly created COVID vaccinations being distributed across the country. Created in record time, the two…

There will be people who are bothered or even offended by the inclusion of the word “dumbass” in the title of this post. Those who are not aficionados of the Cluttered Desk in particular may be surprised by its use in such a prominent fashion. Those who are familiar with this blog, however, may rest…

The football stadium at my alma mater Fort Lewis College has been, since its construction in 1958, known as the Ray Dennison Memorial Field. I had no idea why it was named that way; the reality is I never even wondered about it until several days ago. I happened to come across, via Facebook, an…

There was some irony that the webinar I attended yesterday occurred on the same day I scheduled what will be the first of two total knee replacement surgeries I will have this year. Aging can be a funny thing. If you asked me how old I feel in my mind, I would tell you I…