Your Workers’ Comp Oasis: Why Vision Comes Before Action

Most employers enter workers’ comp the same way Bugs Bunny handled that sinking rowboat—plugging leaks, reacting, scrambling, drowning in chaos. A claim pops up, then another, then another. An employee hands you a note that says “no work for two weeks.” An adjuster won’t call back. A doctor won’t release someone. A supervisor forgets to report an incident. And suddenly, you’re not leading a workers’ comp program—you’re surviving one.

That reactionary reality is the opposite of what it takes to build an elite workers’ comp system.

The very first step is not hiring vendors, fixing adjusters, or tightening processes. The first step is vision.

Before any data, any systems, or any partnerships… you must know where you’re going.

Why Vision Matters More Than Any Tactical Fix

“Begin each day, task, or project with a clear vision of your destination.”

In workers’ comp, this is even more critical because you face:

• Limited time

• Limited staff

• Limited budget

• Unlimited fires

Without vision, you naturally fall into the Bugs Bunny leak-plugging mentality—reactive, overwhelmed, and constantly fighting crises.

With vision, the leaks stop feeling like emergencies and start looking like obstacles you already planned for.

The Oasis vs. the Ocean

1. The ocean:
Bugs in a rowboat.
Leaks everywhere.
Frantic patching.
No direction.

2. The oasis:
Palm trees.
Sandy beach.
Calm water.
A destination.

Most organizations spend 95% of their energy in the ocean. But elite programs think about the oasis first.

Ask yourself:

• What does success look like for YOU?

• What matters most to your organization?

• What is the motivating driver behind your desire to improve workers’ comp?

When employers skip this step, they end up chasing dozens of disconnected “solutions” (nurse case management! investigations! medical networks! technology!) without a unifying direction.

With vision, every initiative becomes intentional.

Define Your True North: What Are You Trying to Achieve?

Here are several possible visions:

• Lower costs

• Improved employee outcomes

• Preventing unnecessary disability

• Reducing litigation

• Lowering your recordable incident rate (TRIR)

• Reducing the number of open claims

Most employers will identify with one or two of these immediately.

The key is this:
Choose your one main thing first.

That becomes your compass for every decision.

Building the Identity of Your Program

Once vision is set, you formalize it.

The three clear identity-building tools:

1. Give your program a name, logo, and brand.

Just like Starbucks, Coca-Cola, or FedEx, branding builds:

• Employee trust

• Predictability

• Clear expectations

The example given:
IPAR — Injury Prevention and Recovery Program.

When an injured worker sees a branded brochure, card, poster, or packet, it communicates:
“This company knows what it’s doing. I’m in good hands.”

That trust reduces litigation, improves communication, and strengthens return-to-work outcomes.

2. Define your team.

Who is actually in charge?

• Risk manager

• Injury coordinator

• HR

• Supervisors

• Broker

• Adjuster

• Medical providers

Your workers’ comp program is not a solo sport.
It is a team sport.

When roles are not defined, everything slows down.
When roles ARE defined, your “oasis” becomes reachable.

3. Create a timetable.

“A goal is a dream with a deadline.”

Without a timetable:

• No one is accountable

• Progress stalls

• Urgent issues always override important ones

With a timetable:

• Phase 1 → Completed by X date

• Phase 2 → Completed by X date

• Outcomes become measurable

Vision moves from idea to plan.

When You Start With Vision, Everything Else Falls Into Place

Once your vision is set:

• Your metrics make more sense

• Your priorities become obvious

• Your hiring, safety, and post-injury systems align

• Your external partnerships (adjusters, brokers, medical providers) become more effective

• Your entire team is rowing toward the same destination

Vision becomes the anchor that holds all three major phases of the elite workers’ comp program together:

1. Framework (vision + identity + baseline)

2. Employer systems

3. External systems

Most employers start at #3.
Elite employers start at #1.

Final Thought

If you feel like Bugs Bunny—plugging leaks, drowning in problems—it’s not because you’re doing a bad job. It’s because you’re reacting instead of leading.

Everything changes when you define your workers’ comp destination.

The oasis is closer than you think.

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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