How to Build a Rockstar Workers’ Comp Team

When a workers’ comp program isn’t delivering results, many employers instinctively look outward. “It’s the adjuster’s fault.” “The doctor kept our employee out too long.” “Our broker is never available.” While these frustrations may be valid, they often point to a deeper issue: a weak or nonexistent internal team.

The truth is, external vendors can’t fix what isn’t being led from the inside.

If you want a high-performing workers’ comp program—one that reduces claims, controls costs, and supports injured employees—you need a rockstar internal team. External vendors can and should support your strategy, but they shouldn’t be the strategy.

Here’s how to build a strong, accountable workers’ comp team—and why it’s the foundation of success.

Why You Can’t Outsource Leadership

Let’s be clear: Adjusters, brokers, medical providers, attorneys, and nurse case managers are critical to a functioning workers’ comp program. But without leadership and ownership on the employer side, even the best vendors will fall short.

Most vendors are managing hundreds of files at once. Without clear communication from your organization, they’re left to make assumptions—or worse, to simply go through the motions. If you haven’t defined what success looks like, how can they help you achieve it?

You can’t expect your vendors to own your outcomes. That starts with your team.

Step 1: Appoint a Workers’ Comp Leader

Every successful program has a point person—someone responsible for driving initiatives, measuring results, and serving as the central hub for communication. This could be:

• A risk manager

• An HR director

• A safety leader

• An injury coordinator

What matters is not the title—it’s the accountability. This person must:

• Know the program’s goals

• Coordinate across departments

• Engage with external partners

• Track metrics and performance

Without this role defined, everyone assumes someone else is handling it. And no one really does.

Step 2: Define Your Internal Team

Workers’ comp is a team sport. You need representation from all the critical areas involved in the injury lifecycle. A strong internal team includes:

• Supervisors trained in incident response and communication

• HR or payroll to manage lost time and accommodations

• Safety staff to track incidents and enforce preventative measures

• Executive support to champion the program and drive culture

• Legal or compliance input (as needed)

Each person should understand their role in prevention, response, and recovery. More importantly, they should know how their role supports the overall vision.

Step 3: Create a Program Identity

High-performing teams rally around a common purpose. That’s why having a program identity matters—it transforms your workers’ comp approach from a collection of tasks into a unified mission.

Think of it like branding for your injury management program. A name, logo, and clear set of expectations help establish credibility with employees and signal a coordinated system. For example:

“Welcome to the Acme iPAR Program—Injury Prevention and Recovery. Here’s what you can expect from us if you ever get injured, and here’s what we expect from you.”

This kind of clarity builds trust, improves communication, and fosters accountability from all stakeholders.

Step 4: Set Goals and Timelines

What are you trying to accomplish? Is your goal to reduce cost per FTE? Improve your return-to-work rate? Lower your litigation rate?

Once the vision is clear, break it into timelines and milestones. For example:

• Month 1–2: Train all supervisors on injury reporting.

• Month 3–4: Launch branded injury response brochures and return-to-work policy.

• Month 5–6: Review baseline metrics and begin engaging top-performing medical providers.

A dream without a deadline is just a wish. A rockstar team treats workers’ comp like any other business initiative—with goals, timelines, and follow-through.

Step 5: THEN Bring in Your External Partners

Once your team is in place, your processes are defined, and your goals are set—now is the time to fully engage your external vendors.

Too often, employers bring in vendors before doing the internal work. This leads to frustration on both sides. The vendor doesn’t know your goals, and the employer expects miracles.

Instead, approach external vendors as partners, not saviors. Share your vision. Use tools like account handling instructions to clearly outline how you want claims managed, who to communicate with, and what success looks like.

Then support that partnership with consistent engagement:

• Schedule regular check-ins with your adjusters.

• Host “vendor days” to learn about services your TPA or carrier offers.

• Seek feedback from your providers on how to improve collaboration.

When internal leadership drives the relationship, external vendors can plug into the plan and help execute it effectively.

The Risks of Skipping Internal Alignment

If you skip the internal steps, external efforts fall flat. You may experience:

• Poor communication between injured workers and providers

• Misaligned expectations and slow response times

• Higher litigation and longer return-to-work durations

• An overall sense of frustration and inefficiency

Think of it this way: external vendors are the supporting cast. But your internal team? They’re the director, the producer, and the scriptwriter. Without them, the show doesn’t go on.

The Rockstar Effect

When your internal team is aligned, engaged, and accountable, amazing things happen:

• Injuries are reported promptly.

• Claims are managed proactively.

• Employees feel supported and respected.

• External vendors deliver better outcomes.

And most importantly—you’re no longer operating in reactive mode. You’ve moved from firefighting to strategic execution.

Final Thought

Building a rockstar workers’ comp team isn’t flashy. It doesn’t come with fancy dashboards or dramatic vendor pitches. But it is foundational.

Before you ask your adjusters or providers to do more, look inward. Ask yourself: Have we built the internal structure to lead this program well?

If the answer is no, start today. Assign a leader. Define your team. Build your identity. And then engage your external partners. Because great outcomes don’t start with vendors—they start with you.

Michael Stack, CEO of Amaxx LLC, is an expert in workers’ compensation cost containment systems and provides education, training, and consulting to help employers reduce their workers’ compensation costs by 20% to 50%. He is co-author of the #1 selling comprehensive training guide “Your Ultimate Guide to Mastering Workers’ Comp Costs: Reduce Costs 20% to 50%.” Stack is the creator of Injury Management Results (IMR) software and founder of Amaxx Workers’ Comp Training Center. WC Mastery Training teaching injury management best practices such as return to work, communication, claims best practices, medical management, and working with vendors. IMR software simplifies the implementation of these best practices for employers and ties results to a Critical Metrics Dashboard.

Contact: mstack@reduceyourworkerscomp.com.

Workers’ Comp Roundup Blog: http://blog.reduceyourworkerscomp.com/

Injury Management Results (IMR) Software: https://imrsoftware.com/

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