Hello Michael Stack here with Amaxx. So, it’s December 21st, and the song originally written by John Lennon & Yoko Ono in 1971 says “So this is Christmas, and what have you done. Another year over, and a new one just begun”. As we are all celebrating our holidays this time of year in our own unique ways, we come toward the end of the year in what is really a natural time of reflection.
What Have You Done?
What have you done? What have you done to impact the lives of injured workers, and their families? What have you done for your company, what have you done for your career, and what have you done for our industry as a whole? I think when we start to look back at these things and we have these conversations, we tend to go right toward the negative. “well, if I would have done this in my career I would have gotten…; “if I would have executed on that project the way that I wanted to I would be…” and that story goes on and on and on.
And if you look at this from an industry standpoint the only real stories that get the big headlines are the negative stories. While I appreciate what Propublica has done for our industry this year, I really do, because I think it brings a light to what we can do better, to how we can push ourselves, to how we can up our game as an industry to ensure that those outcomes never happen, even once.
Daily Positive Outcomes
But, to imply that’s all our industry is about, I’m just not buying that…I’m just not buying it. Because I know that there are thousands of individuals doing high integrity work, creating positive outcomes for thousands of injured workers on a day-day basis. And if we are not telling that positive story, that positive story will never be told.
So, what I’d love for you to do, and I’d love for you to do this even just for yourself. Is to think about what you have done positively, to think about that impact you have made on those individuals that have been injured, and the lives of their families. If you are an adjuster and you have made your three-point contact with 24 hours on every one of your claims, the positive impact of that is incredible, because it starts that claim off on the right foot. Or you’re a nurse case manager, and you are working with individuals one on one, helping them to understand the medical and helping them to heal and recover, or you are a risk manager, or you’re a broker, or you’re a carrier, everyone that is involved in our industry, the positive outcomes that we are creating on a day-day basis are really incredible.
Share And Recognize Your Positive WC Stories
So, I’d love for you to recognize what you’ve done, even just for yourself. And if you are comfortable sharing that, even if it’s a really small thing, something like “I had an initial conversation with my boss that we need to start to improve our work comp”, and that may have been a difficult conversation just to muster up the energy to even have that conversation.
That can be a huge success, because success builds on success. And only focusing on the negative will never get us to the positive outcomes that we want to accomplish. So, if you feel like sharing those I’d love for you to leave a comment below this blog. And if you don’t want to leave it publicly, just send me an email. I’d love to compile these positive stories and tell the real story of our industry because I believe that it’s an incredible story.
As we wrap up 2015, this is my last video message of year. I do want to wish you and your family a very happy holiday, and a very happy new year.
Author Michael Stack, Principal, COMPClub, Amaxx LLC. He is an expert in workers compensation cost containment systems and helps employers reduce their work comp costs by 20% to 50%. He works as a consultant to large and mid-market clients, is co-author of Your Ultimate Guide To Mastering Workers Comp Costs, a comprehensive step-by-step manual of cost containment strategies based on hands-on field experience, and is founder of COMPClub, an exclusive member training program on workers compensation cost containment best practices. Through these platforms he is in the trenches on a working together with clients to implement and define best practices, which allows him to continuously be at the forefront of innovation and thought leadership in workers’ compensation cost containment. Contact: mstack@reduceyourworkerscomp.com.
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