From Bob's Cluttered Desk

A study conducted earlier this summer has found that 68% of remote workers report noticing new eye problems since working from home. According to the source story that came across the Cluttered Desk, “All About Vision, a website site devoted to eye care, conducted a survey of 1,000 Americans, a third of whom worked hybrid, a third of whom…

I burned my nuts this past Saturday. In fact, I burned them twice. Quite badly. And the entire episode was a lesson on what can happen when you fail to use equipment that is intended to help prevent such incidents.  As some of you may no doubt remember, I recently wrote about my new venture in…

There were several possible titles for this post. One was, “Bidding Abbie a Fond Farewell.” Another option was “Abbie Hudgens and Her Enormous Feet” (I’ll explain that one in a minute). But in the end, simply “Abbie” ruled the day. Because most people active nationally in workers’ comp will immediately know who I am talking…

It seems that as the years come and go, each one, for the workers’ compensation industry, ends up being defined by one or two dominant topics. 2015, for example, might have been the year of medical marijuana. 2019 was the year of presumptions. It is no surprise that 2020 was the year of Covid. That…

What is the most common outcome of a work injury? That is a question that psychologist Dr. Les Kertay likes to pose to audiences when he speaks about workers’ compensation. He did so earlier this week during a presentation before the National Association of Workers’ Compensation Judiciary (NAWCJ), which gathered for their educational track at…

A new Publix Supermarket opened yesterday, across the street from the entrance to the community where I live. We’ve been anticipating the (supply chain delayed) opening of this store, as our area just east of Bradenton, Florida has been experiencing tremendous growth, and our traditional Lakewood Ranch Publix, just another mile or two down the…

At the NWCDN Annual Conference in Nashville last week, a presenter shared a personal story about how their emotions once got the best of them when handling a particular claim. The speaker, whom I will not identify here, told the attendees about a claim that landed on their desk early in their career. In the course of…

I attended the annual conference of the National Workers’ Compensation Defense Network (NWCDN) last week in Nashville. I’ve written many times about this particular group and their activities. It was great to gather once again in person, and for the first time in two years see many old friends as well as meet several new ones. Some…

Since leaving my company of almost 23 years last month, I’ve had many people wish me well on my retirement. The only problem is, I didn’t ever say I was retiring. I left that company to start a new one, and while things there are percolating along quite nicely, I cannot say I have approached…

Workers’ Compensation, as an industry, has a marketing problem. It is probably better described as a messaging problem. It has long been true that the industry has been broadly defined by the negative stories that find their way into local and national press publications and media outlets. We have been generally ineffective at countering that…