From Bob's Cluttered Desk

It’s nice when co-workers who make an error involving one of their brethren try to mend their ways with an offering of some sort. If someone accidentally drinks their fellow employees last soda from the break room refrigerator, they could immediately offer a replacement, or perhaps two. If they accidentally break a co-worker’s favorite mug,…

There is one gigantic problem with scumbags. Well, there are two problems, but one of them is blatantly obvious. The fact that a person is a scumbag is indeed a problem that is usually easily recognized. The lesser recognized problem is that they are so darn consistent with their scumbaggery. In the world of workers’…

Last week I attended the annual conference of the Southern Association of Workers’ Compensation Administrators (SAWCA) in Savannah, GA. I was once again honored to moderate the closing panel of the conference, “Things That Make Bob Go, Hmmmmm…” I have been doing these panels for 4 years now. I truly appreciate SAWCA extending this opportunity…

We are tempted to say that it is just déjà vu all over again. But in reality, it is really just the Baader-Meinhof Phenomenon all over again. Baader-Meinhof is the phenomenon where you come across some unique piece of information that might have been previously unknown to you; and then, almost inexplicably, you encounter the…

An interesting thing happened when I was walking into the gym the other day. It was a reminder of the constant peril that employers face regarding the less than stellar behavior of their employees. That peril is multiplied when combined with the improper hiring and training of front-line supervisors. Now, I know what you are…

Earlier this week we discussed the concept of “caseload caps” for adjusters and claims handlers who manage workers’ compensation injury cases. It was a topic that produced a decent amount of comment activity, both within this blog, on LinkedIn and elsewhere. Many people appeared more prepared to endorse the idea than originally anticipated. Some added…

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). Last year over 1,100 volunteers from the workers’ compensation industry turned out for the effort. 44 of them represented Kids’ Chance of Florida for the day. This…

It was one of the more controversial suggestions to come out of a recent Hot Seat Webinar that was held July 9th. The topic was “Delays in Treatment for Compensable Workers’ Comp Claims,” and the guests joining Judge David Langham and myself were Kentucky Commissioner Bob Swisher and Florida attorney Rosemary Eure. Much of the conversation had…

We know that workplace violence has become a very big issue in the world of workers’ compensation. The nation continues to see an uptick in the number of incidents and severity of injuries from this phenomenon. While the vast majority of victims of workplace violence remain in the healthcare industry, those people who deal with…

The death of a 3-year-old boy yesterday in Rochester, NY was a tragic accident; one that has both potential workers’ compensation and tort liabilities for the owner of the business where he died. Authorities say he fell into an unsecured grease trap behind a Tim Horton’s Restaurant. He had been taken to the business by his mother, who was…