A New Approach to Workers’ Comp: Being Nice?

Guest Claire C. Muselman’s recent publication in WorkersCompensation.com encourages adjusters to take a new look at Workers’ Compensation’s goals. Maybe we should be less skeptical of workers and show empathy. In other words: Be Nice.  We all have biases. Sometimes they get in the way and keep us from caring. From social media to traditional learning to storytelling and anecdotes, how do those biases influence our assumptions when it comes to making workers whole and getting them back on the job after a workplace injury?  In her article, “Empathy’s Impact on Workers’ Compensation: Elevating Care for Injured Workers,” Muselman writes, “Empathy is the ability to understand and share the feelings of others. In the Workers' Compensation field, it involves recognizing and acknowledging the emotions of injured workers, seeing things from their perspective, and responding with compassion and understanding. Empathy goes beyond sympathy, which is pity or sorrow for someone's misfortune. Instead, empathy involves a deeper connection where we can truly comprehend and relate to another person's emotional experience.”  Wouldn’t it be great if we could step away from an adversarial position, stop trying to assign blame, and start thinking about the injured people and their families? It’s a new approach but perhaps a better one.