You can complain because roses have thorns, or you can rejoice because thorns have roses. Where did such profound words come from? Well, cartoon hero Ziggy, of course!
One of our core values at Gibson is Optimism Reigns. We can’t deliver the very best client experience if we’re acting, communicating, or even thinking in a negative, defeated manner. We know that attitude and outlook have a direct impact on the results of our employee-owned company.
Workers’ Compensation Reform achieved a huge victory earlier this summer with the signing into law of HB 1320, an act that the American Insurance Association feels ‘addresses problems which have been steadily mounting in Indiana for years.’
Indiana Governor Mike Pence penned the legislation which, effective of July 1, ensures a fee schedule with a maximum reimbursement rate of 200% of the Medicare rate for treatments and procedures to workers’ compensation claimants by medical service providers. While those are the provisions of the new legislation in a nutshell, there are plenty of other considerations Businesses need to be aware of, particularly considering the imminent arrival of Health Care Reform.
Many companies realize their most important asset is their brand. A brand influences the perceptions of clients, potential clients, partners, staff, the media and, of course, the general public. So managing and maintaining that image can be considered one of the most important elements of a business process.
Recently I sat down with our new operations executive, Jerry Scott. He is working closely with our Commercial Risk Management team after many years on the “buyer” side of the equation. His background includes years of senior level work in operations, human resources, and leadership development.
As he began to debrief on his experiences and observations since coming on board, our discussion turned to Gibson’s leadership legacy including my personal leadership style and strategy. He talked about something called “Level 5 Leadership” – I vaguely remembered reading about it in Jim Collins’ book Good to Great a number of years ago.
Around 3.3 million people are injured at work each year in America. In many cases they spend days, weeks, or even months out of work as a result of those injuries. Some never return to work. Because of this, it’s critical to develop a culture that believes all accidents are predictable, preventable, and unacceptable.
Where Do We Start?
The IOM (Institute of Medicine) defines patient centered care as: "Providing care that is respectful of and responsive to individual patient preferences, needs and values, and ensuring that patient values guide all clinical decisions."
“It’s summer, summer, summertime, time to sit back and unwind,” read the lyrics from Will Smith’s appropriately titled anthem “Summertime”. Anyone who knows me, knows that I love music. You’ll find a pretty eclectic mix on my iPod. I especially like music from the 80s and 90s and this one from 1991 always reminds me of my first full summer after getting my driver’s license.
It got me thinking about other songs and some key lyrics that so aptly tell a story, feeling or emotion. I thought I’d take Mr. Smith’s advice on this blog – it is summertime after all - to sit back and unwind. I’ve listed a few of my favorites below and what they mean to me. I’m betting you know many of them, but maybe not all.
Do me a favor and share your favorites also!
In today’s world there is so much emphasis on doing more with less. This obviously has its perks, but it also has a significant negative impact that cannot be overlooked. Employees who are pushed to the max are at risk of being overstressed and ultimately burning out. Burnout reduces productivity and takes a toll on individual’s health.
Teaming can be powerful when done right. Diverse strengths can be leveraged. Clients can be served better. And if all goes well one plus one can actually equal three.
We began to reorganize our producers into teams several years ago. In fact, we were recently featured in Rough Notes magazine specifically for our team selling model. We went as far as formally merging their books of business and even their compensation. The teams are responsible for attracting and developing additional production talent. By most accounts internally, this has gone really well. The blend of generational talent has unlocked a lot of potential and helped fuel strong growth for our organization.
At the recent American Society of Safety Engineers’ conference there was a chilling message for businesses that employ temporary staff. David Michaels, OSHA’s Assistant Secretary of Labor, raised the issue of workplace fatalities and pointed the finger of blame. He said, “temporary workers are at greater risk of workplace injury and illness than non-temps.” A major factor is a “lack of job information and safety training for temps increasingly employed in dangerous occupations.”
This ‘lack of information and safety training’ contributed to a figure of 14 fatalities of temporary workers on their first day on the job over the past 12 months. That’s a scary figure for employers and temps alike. How does this happen?
