Michelle Kerr is Workers’ Compensation Editor and National Conference Chair for Risk & Insurance. She can be reached at [email protected].

My son, 20, recently took a door-to-door job, a wildly new experience for him. During the interview, he asked his new manager what the chances were of being bit by dog. The manager responded that he himself had not been bitten in his five years on the job.  

My son adores dogs and knows how to act around them. I thought the chances of a dog bite were probably slim. Day 2 on the job though, my son was bitten by a dog that lunged at him through its owner’s legs and pierced his hand.  

My son is older and wiser about injury reporting than the last time he made his way into one of my columns. He called his manager immediately to ask what to do.  

The manager, it would seem, had received little training on injuries in the field. He told his new hire, “It’s up to you, do what you gotta do.” Keep working if you want or go to urgent care.” My son, dripping blood, went to the nearest urgent care he could find using Google.   

The next day, the manager called him with some standard incident report questions. The term “workers’ compensation” never came out of his mouth, to my dismay. My son brought it up, however, because I told him what to ask.  

This minor worker injury saga is still playing out, and my son is fine despite a near-miss with another dog only days later. But it really hit home for me how much further some employers have to go in educating their employees – and their supervisors – about even the basics of injury reporting procedures, facilitating emergency care and so much more.  

I admit that I work in a pretty specific niche of the wider workers’ comp world – an echo chamber, of sorts – where the companies I typically work with and speak to are top-notch, and have long since evolved past this type of misstep.  

Recently I spoke with folks representing our 2024 Theo Award winners. Many of them had actively addressed issues surrounding injury reporting, nurse triage, and routing employees to immediate, quality care. Their proactive efforts stand in stark contrast to less savvy employers like the one (formerly) employing my son.  

Can we turn that contrast into connection? 

Consider this my call to arms for the rest of the employers across the country getting it right – and you know who you are because you’ve worked hard to get there. Are you willing to now reach out a hand to lift other employers up to where you are? 

Think about the problems you’ve solved and lessons you’ve learned – who would most benefit from what you’ve learned, and where could you reach them? There are probably three or four solid presentations you could give, just on what your team has accomplished in 2024. 

Why not pull together some partners and/or peers and collaborate for a panel discussion? Group presentations are far easier, and more engaging for the audience as well.  

There’s no question that I would love to see scores of you submit proposals to present at National Comp 2025 in Nashville. (And please do!) But consider other venues as well – industry groups and local business organizations in your area that hold events.  

Stretch yourself in 2025. Share what you know and engage with other employers around you. You’ll be helping to elevate them, while elevating yourself and your company in the process. A safe and healthy 2025 to all. &