What we think you aught to know about 2018 Comp Laude®? Part 1

The mission of Comp Laude® is to change the narrative of workers' compensation to a more positive dialogue and bring all stakeholders to the table to participate in that conversation. We want to share experiences throughout the year and points of view from the conference. We want to really do something about the conversation in workers' compensation to a more positive one.

Here is what a People's Choice Awards speaker (Carlos Luna), and an expert panelist (Darin Hampton) had to say about their 2018 Comp Laude® Awards & Gala experience.

Carlos Luna, Vice President of Marketing & Business Development - Risico

The session that I was a part of was The People’s Choice Awards. The session was expertly produced and seemed to go on without a hitch. 

It is not an exaggeration to say that I was floored when I received notice that I had been selected as a finalist for this portion of the Comp Laude® program. I was overcome with gratitude (and anxiety) as I found out my co-presenters included The Great Bill Zachry of Sedgwick and last year’s Magna Comp Laude® recipient Judge David Langham (who is equal parts brilliant and charismatic). 

The People’s Choice session has clearly become a highlight of the overall Comp Laude® program, and for good reason. The stories shared by finalists often give the audience an intimate view of what shapes the presenter’s worldview and what lies beneath their professional convictions that ultimately guide their day-to-day work in our industry. 

I have been a part of many public speaking / education productions, but the Comp Laude® Gala was memorable on several levels:

- The Gala celebrates brave, resilient individuals who have suffered an industrial injury and have overcome, or are actively overcoming tremendous physiological and psychological hardship on their road to recovery;

- The Gala acknowledges and celebrates the numerous individuals within the workcomp professional community that effectively lead and inspire in their respective practices; and

- The Gala celebrates the life of a man that inspired many, including myself, to push the status quo, question that which seems illogical, and to do what’s right.

The natural outcome of the Comp Laude® Gala is inspiration and the sense of being a part of something bigger than any single business vertical. It’s a much needed reminder that there are A LOT of people who truly care about what they do and endeavor to see the work of workers’ compensation fulfill its noble purpose. 

Darin Hampton, Regional Recovery Coordinator -- International Paper

I thought my session went great!  I would like to comment that speaking with the other employers on the panel, I realized that we are all trying to improve our programs and take better care of our injured workers.   

We have got to change in this industry the perception of our injured workers and how they are treated. We need to take a holistic approach to each claim and what the injured employee’s needs are. I look to my third party vendor as an extension of my department and want them to think outside the typical work comp boxes and present new ideas/suggestions to me and my colleagues on what we can do to help the employee recover.

Talking with the other employers, I felt the consensus among the group was we are going to do what the statutes in each jurisdiction say we have to do.  We (the employer) need to look at what MORE can we do. I told the group I was with my philosophy has always been I did not cause the injury but I am here to help with the solution. I believe to do this job well you have to have a passion for caring and I could tell the other employers with me on that panel feel very similar to the way I do.

Have a Comp Laude® experience you'd like to share? Guest blog for us! Send your proposed submission to blog@workcompcentral.com.

To learn more about the 2018 Comp Laude® Award winners & watch their live interviews, click here.