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Workplace MVP LIVE from SHRM 2022: Cathy Hood, The Arthritis Foundation

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Arthritis Foundation
Minneapolis St. Paul Studio
Workplace MVP LIVE from SHRM 2022: Cathy Hood, The Arthritis Foundation
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Arthritis Foundation

Workplace MVP LIVE from SHRM 2022: Cathy Hood, The Arthritis Foundation

On this episode of Workplace MVP Live from SHRM 2022 in New Orleans, host Jamie Gassmann’s guest was Cathy Hood, VP of People Operations at The Arthritis Foundation. She and Jamie discussed Cathy’s career journey, the work of the Arthritis Foundation, their new initiatives, and much more.

Workplace MVP is underwritten and presented by R3 Continuum and produced by the Minneapolis-St.Paul Studio of Business RadioX®.

This show was originally broadcast live from the 2022 SHRM Annual Conference held at the New Orleans Convention Center in New Orleans, Louisiana.

Cathy Hood, Vice President of People Operations, The Arthritis Foundation

Cathy Hood, Vice President of People Operations, The Arthritis Foundation

Cathy Hood is Vice President of People Operations for The Arthritis Foundation and has been with the Foundation since 2017.

The Arthritis Foundation is boldly pursuing a cure for America’s #1 cause of disability while championing the fight to conquer arthritis with life-changing science, resources, advocacy, and community connections.

By advancing research, advocacy, and disease management support, the Arthritis Foundation helps you navigate the many challenges arthritis brings. You can easily make powerful connections that lead to real, meaningful change.

Live your best life with the help of a compassionate and caring community. Get empowering information and make meaningful connections. Online and in person (when it’s safe again), they are working together to promote life-changing resources and research, push for change and create community connections that welcome, inform and uplift. This is what makes their community of millions thrive — and why they are Champions of Yes.

Company website | LinkedIn | Facebook

About Workplace MVP

Every day, around the world, organizations of all sizes face disruptive events and situations. Within those workplaces are everyday heroes in human resources, risk management, security, business continuity, and the C-suite. They don’t call themselves heroes though. On the contrary, they simply show up every day, laboring for the well-being of employees in their care, readying the workplace for and planning responses to disruption. This show, Workplace MVP, confers on these heroes the designation they deserve, Workplace MVP (Most Valuable Professionals), and gives them the forum to tell their story. As you hear their experiences, you will learn first-hand, real-life approaches to readying the workplace, responses to crisis situations, and overcoming challenges of disruption. Visit our show archive here.

Workplace MVP Host Jamie Gassmann

Jamie Gassmann, Host, “Workplace MVP”

In addition to serving as the host to the Workplace MVP podcast, Jamie Gassmann is the Director of Marketing at R3 Continuum (R3c). Collectively, she has more than fourteen years of marketing experience. Across her tenure, she has experience working in and with various industries including banking, real estate, retail, crisis management, insurance, business continuity, and more. She holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Mass Communications with special interest in Advertising and Public Relations and a Master of Business Administration from Paseka School of Business, Minnesota State University.

R3 Continuum

R3 Continuum is a global leader in workplace behavioral health and security solutions. R3c helps ensure the psychological and physical safety of organizations and their people in today’s ever-changing and often unpredictable world. Through their continuum of tailored solutions, including evaluations, crisis response, executive optimization, protective services, and more, they help organizations maintain and cultivate a workplace of wellbeing so that their people can thrive. Learn more about R3c at www.r3c.com.

Company website | LinkedIn | Facebook | Twitter

TRANSCRIPT

Intro: [00:00:02] Broadcasting live from SHRM 2022 at the New Orleans Convention Center, it’s time for Workplace MVP. Brought to you by R3 Continuum, a global leader in helping workplaces thrive during disruptive times. Now, here’s your host.

Jamie Gassmann: [00:00:19] Hi, everyone. You’re host, Jamie Gassmann here. And I am coming to you from the SHRM 2022 Exhibit Hall at R3 Continuum’s booth, and we’re here in New Orleans. But with me is Cathy Hood from the Arthritis Foundation. Hi, Cathy.

Cathy Hood: [00:00:34] Hi, Jamie. It’s great to be with you today.

Jamie Gassmann: [00:00:37] Oh, I’m so excited to have you on the show. Now, I understand you just recently got a title change. Is that like a promotion, kind of an upgrade?

Cathy Hood: [00:00:46] It is, additional responsibilities.

Jamie Gassmann: [00:00:49] Yeah. And we love that, right? That means you’re awesome at what you do. And you’ve been to SHRM many times it sounds like.

Cathy Hood: [00:00:56] I have.

Jamie Gassmann: [00:00:57] So, what keeps bringing you back to this conference?

Cathy Hood: [00:00:59] I love the SHRM Conference. I mean, the networking is amazing, getting to meet people across the country, hearing about what other people are doing. But, really, it’s the inspiration. I’ve been doing HR for a long time, and coming here and hearing the inspiring stories and just connecting with people and learning and growing in my profession is something that I look forward to every year.

Jamie Gassmann: [00:01:23] That’s amazing. Now, in talking about that career journey, share with us a little bit about your background. You know, what have you done in your career that has moved you to this VP of people operations?

Cathy Hood: [00:01:34] Sure. I’m happy to. So, I started out actually working for law firms and I was director of human resources for some large law firms, some international law firms, I loved that. But one of their biggest clients was a nonprofit, and so I moved to the nonprofit space. And, you know, I’ve worked in technology also, but mostly nonprofit throughout my career. And, honestly, it’s making a difference in the world.

Cathy Hood: [00:01:58] The Arthritis Foundation, I literally tell every single person that we hire, we are changing lives and that’s what we do. And so, it’s an amazing opportunity to be able to marry your profession, human resources, helping people, but then also changing the lives of people that are suffering from arthritis.

Jamie Gassmann: [00:02:16] Oh, I love that. Obviously, coming from a corporate kind of manufacturing background to this nonprofit, are there differences in the HR space that you’ve noticed or seen between those different roles?

Cathy Hood: [00:02:32] There are some differences, perhaps. But for the most part, you know, caring about people and making connections with people, loving people, supporting people, helping them grow in their careers, those are all the same things regardless of what industry you come from. People that are looking for safe space and opportunity to grow their careers and opportunity to learn and add skills to their resume. So, it’s really not that different from an HR perspective. We’re taking care of those basic needs, payroll, benefits, all of those things, and then also making sure people feel valued.

Cathy Hood: [00:03:08] And, now, just an amazing opportunity in the last few years, and so many organizations are focused on this, but the Arthritis Foundation is as well, and that is our diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts. And we are so excited about the work that we’re doing. Everyone in the organization is really excited about that.

Cathy Hood: [00:03:27] And, also, the pandemic was awful, but it brought us some opportunities. And those opportunities were to really get focused on our wellness programs and helping people. We have a program called Be Your Best You, and it really is about the whole person, and it’s about making sure that our staff know that they are cared about, we love them, we take care of them, we do some fun things, we have some cultural great things. So, that really is the same in all HR organizations.

Jamie Gassmann: [00:03:56] Yeah. No, that’s beautiful. I love that. Be Your Best You, I love that. I love taglines like that. Just like the good reminder of how do you make yourself better each day.

Cathy Hood: [00:04:06] Absolutely.

Jamie Gassmann: [00:04:07] That’s fantastic. So, here at the SHRM show, you mentioned diversity, equity, and inclusion. I know that’s a really big topic in HR, a very big focus in a lot of organizations. Is there something here at the SHRM show this year that got you really excited when you were preparing to come that you can’t wait to watch, or to check out, or see while you’re here?

Cathy Hood: [00:04:26] Well, I’m going to tell you something, I didn’t get to go to SHRM last year. But I did see a video of one of the sessions and it was about diversity, equity, and inclusion, about courageous conversations. And I thought, “You know what? I’ve got to get back.” Last year because of COVID, of course, we had layoffs, everything was down a little bit. But we’re thriving and we’re back now.

Cathy Hood: [00:04:48] And so, it was just a pleasure and a great opportunity to come back to the conference and really take advantage of those courses and diversity, equity, and inclusion, and some other things as well. I mean, all employee engagement, already, I’ve seen multiple vendors here today that are, you know, exciting things that I’m interested in adding. So, just a great opportunity.

Jamie Gassmann: [00:05:10] Well, it’s been an absolute pleasure to have you on our show. And congratulations again on your promotion. And, yeah, thank you again for stopping by. And we look forward to more chats and hearing, hopefully, from you later down the road how the show went for you.

Cathy Hood: [00:05:26] Thanks, Jamie. It was great to be with you today. Take care.

Jamie Gassmann: [00:05:28] You, too.

Outro: [00:05:33] Thank you for joining us on Workplace MVP. R3 Continuum is a proud sponsor of this show, and is delighted to celebrate most valuable professionals who work diligently to secure safe workplaces where employees can thrive.

 

 

Workplace MVP LIVE from SHRM 2022: Brad Harper, Bambee

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Bambee
Minneapolis St. Paul Studio
Workplace MVP LIVE from SHRM 2022: Brad Harper, Bambee
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Bambee

Workplace MVP LIVE from SHRM 2022: Brad Harper, Bambee

Brad Harper, an HR Business Partner with Bambee, joined host Jamie Gassmann in the R3 Continuum booth.  Brad shared how Bambee helps smaller companies manage their HR functions, what’s he is seeing from his clients, what he learned about empathy and accountability, and more.

Workplace MVP is underwritten and presented by R3 Continuum and produced by the Minneapolis-St.Paul Studio of Business RadioX®.

This show was originally broadcast live from the 2022 SHRM Annual Conference held at the New Orleans Convention Center in New Orleans, Louisiana.

Brad Harper, HR Business Partner, Bambee

Brad Harper, HR Business Partner, Bambee

With the help of your dedicated HR Manager, Bambee puts your HR on autopilot to streamline your HR, and automate your onboarding, policies, and even employee training.

Today, Bambee’s HR Autopilot keeps over 10,000 American Businesses HR compliant all year long, with up-to-date HR policies, mandatory training, and regular, two-way feedback between you and your employees.

  • HR rules change. Audits let you identify any HR gaps, and then we help you with an action plan to get your internal practices up-to-date to keep protecting your company and employees.
  • HR Autopilot makes sure all core, protective policies are current, signed by your employees, and reaffirmed semi-annually. Then, your dedicated HR Manager crafts any custom HR policies your business needs.
  • Bambee takes care of important and often-mandatory training like sexual harassment, workplace safety, and business ethics – and reports back to you on everyone’s progress.
  • Bambee’s Report Cards help you track your staff against their goals, and open up a regular dialogue to give praise, constructive feedback, or take corrective action.
  • Employee Voices lets your employees share concerns and alert you to potential problems. But it doesn’t have to be bad news – it’s also a great way for your staff to express gratitude, anonymously or publicly.

  • Comply with EEOC Document Retention Standards. Federal & state laws mandate that certain company files be held for a certain period of time. Plus, never guess who signed what – or where your important HR documents are. They’re all gathered safely in your Smart Cabinet.

Company website | LinkedIn

 

About Workplace MVP

Every day, around the world, organizations of all sizes face disruptive events and situations. Within those workplaces are everyday heroes in human resources, risk management, security, business continuity, and the C-suite. They don’t call themselves heroes though. On the contrary, they simply show up every day, laboring for the well-being of employees in their care, readying the workplace for and planning responses to disruption. This show, Workplace MVP, confers on these heroes the designation they deserve, Workplace MVP (Most Valuable Professionals), and gives them the forum to tell their story. As you hear their experiences, you will learn first-hand, real-life approaches to readying the workplace, responses to crisis situations, and overcoming challenges of disruption. Visit our show archive here.

Workplace MVP Host Jamie Gassmann

Jamie Gassmann, Host, “Workplace MVP”

In addition to serving as the host to the Workplace MVP podcast, Jamie Gassmann is the Director of Marketing at R3 Continuum (R3c). Collectively, she has more than fourteen years of marketing experience. Across her tenure, she has experience working in and with various industries including banking, real estate, retail, crisis management, insurance, business continuity, and more. She holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Mass Communications with special interest in Advertising and Public Relations and a Master of Business Administration from Paseka School of Business, Minnesota State University.

R3 Continuum

R3 Continuum is a global leader in workplace behavioral health and security solutions. R3c helps ensure the psychological and physical safety of organizations and their people in today’s ever-changing and often unpredictable world. Through their continuum of tailored solutions, including evaluations, crisis response, executive optimization, protective services, and more, they help organizations maintain and cultivate a workplace of wellbeing so that their people can thrive. Learn more about R3c at www.r3c.com.

Company website | LinkedIn | Facebook | Twitter

TRANSCRIPT

Intro: [00:00:03] Broadcasting live from SHRM 2022 at the New Orleans Convention Center, it’s time for Workplace MVP. Brought to you by R3 Continuum, a global leader in helping workplaces thrive during disruptive times. Now, here’s your host.

Jamie Gassmann: [00:00:20] Hey, everyone. Your host, Jamie Gassmann. And I am coming to you from the SHRM 2022 Exhibit Hall in our show sponsor’s booth, R3 Continuum. And joining me is Brad Harper from Bambee.com. Welcome to the show, Brad.

Brad Harper: [00:00:35] Hey, Jamie. Thanks so much for having me.

Jamie Gassmann: [00:00:37] Yeah. It’s great to have you. I’m glad you stopped by. So, tell me a little bit about your background. I know you’re not an HR leader, but you do support a bunch of them. So, share with me a little bit about how you got into that industry and just kind of your career journey to this point.

Brad Harper: [00:00:50] Yeah. Sure. So, I’ve been in human resources for about 14 years, and I’ve recently joined on with a company named Bambee. They are a company headquartered out of downtown Los Angeles. And what they do is, is they support small businesses throughout the United States.

Brad Harper: [00:01:07] We saw a need for small businesses in the U.S. that can’t afford a dedicated HR manager. You know, on average a dedicated HR manager or internal, $80,000, $90,000 a year. And what we realized was, for those small businesses that had less than 100 employees, a lot of times those businesses don’t have a dedicated HR point person. But they still need to follow State and Federal Laws. They still need to provide a support system for employees.

Brad Harper: [00:01:42] And so, what we’ve done is, is we have designed a product. Bambee.com is a website. It’s a digital infrastructure for a lot of the HR policies, supplemental trainings, a lot of the things that a small business needs to succeed, all the tools and the resources. But in addition to that, on top of it, they get a dedicated HR manager.

Brad Harper: [00:02:06] And that dedicated HR manager provides risk mitigation. They provide guidance on how to navigate some of the very complex issues that come up. You know, when it comes to equal opportunity employment, when it comes to sexual harassment, a lot of those compliance areas that can be very sticky points that a lot of times small business owners, they don’t know how to navigate and handle that with their employees. So, that is what Bambee provides. It’s been a great learning opportunity for me and I’m thrilled to be with the company.

Jamie Gassmann: [00:02:43] Yeah, no. I think it sounds like a great site and a great product because, to your point, they all have to still follow the same guidelines. But not only that, employees are still looking for the same things from their employer, whether they’re small or they’re large.

Jamie Gassmann: [00:02:58] So, talk to me a little bit about some of the areas. I know you mentioned that mental health is a really important area for you. What are some of the support areas that you cover within a mental health space?

Brad Harper: [00:03:07] Sure. So, what I’ve noticed recently is, you know, we’re kind of coming out of COVID. There’s a feeling that a lot of people have this post-pandemic fatigue. And so, morale continues to be, like, such a big conversation starter for a lot of the clients that we serve at Bambee. You know, there’s a lot of areas where employees have fatigue. They need to kind of be reignited from a passion standpoint, from a standpoint of getting them back up and going again.

Brad Harper: [00:03:44] So, what we’re noticing is clients, a lot of employers, feeling fatigue. Fatigue is something that comes up quite often and they’re struggling with that. And we certainly do provide a lot of services, not only from a policy standpoint when it comes to compliance, but also from a training.

Brad Harper: [00:04:04] Our company has a database of over 700 different trainings that are catalogued, so a lot of them are very specific kind of compliance or hard skills. But we’ve also got a lot of soft skills, a lot of things that, you know, you learn over your career over time on how to be a better communicator, how to engage. So, that’s something that we are noticing a common thread with right now kind of coming out of post-pandemic.

Jamie Gassmann: [00:04:34] Yeah. Absolutely. I’ve heard that in other areas, too, and kind of that ongoing stress and burnout that employees are facing still trying to balance some of the impacts from the COVID pandemic.

Jamie Gassmann: [00:04:46] Now, I understand this is your first time at SHRM, so what are you excited about here to take away with you? You know, what is kind of one of your main motivators for coming to the show this year?

Brad Harper: [00:04:56] Yes. So, I would say that one of the things that has always solidified me as an HR professional is empathy. You know, people are exhausted. People are tired. People are drained. In HR, and even outside of HR, it’s a common thread. It’s something that regardless of where I’m at, if I’m on an airplane, if I’m at Starbucks standing in line waiting to grab an Americano, a constant thing that I’m discussing with strangers is people are just exhausted. And the one thing that I’m looking for out of SHRM is I’m looking how to reignite the area that I’ve always deemed as my strength, and that is empathy.

Brad Harper: [00:05:49] You know, I’ve been officing from home for the past two, two-and-a-half years, so I’ve been doing a lot of remote work. But we have integrated back into our downtown corporate headquarters. And I think a lot of people are feeling sluggish. I think there’s burnout. I think it’s real. I think it’s valid. And I think unless companies can truly say that it’s real, you’re never going to be able to move past the problem.

Brad Harper: [00:06:23] I’m one of those HR managers that I want to get to the root cause. I want to really identify what is the main issue, what is the problem. Because, you know, in order to kind of move forward in identifying what kind of solutions are you going to create, unless you’re being really honest about the problems that lie ahead of you, you will never create the correct solutions. And so, that’s really something I’m looking forward to.

Brad Harper: [00:06:46] I can tell you, today I attended my first session and it was around empathy and accountability, and how do you balance the two of those things, how do you do a dance. You know, accountability is this, like, hard line measurable where you’re trying to achieve results and you’ve really got to get in there and deliver numbers. But empathy is this soft skill, this soft piece that you really do need in order to balance the two of those things.

Brad Harper: [00:07:19] And I think that a lot of companies can really learn from taking a more empathetic approach in the next six months, even to the next year, on how do you attract talent, how do you retain talent, how do you keep talent, how do you promote talent, how do you promote internally. I believe that the companies in the United States that are going to use empathy as the core of everything that they do in the next 12 months are going to be the most successful companies moving forward.

Jamie Gassmann: [00:07:52] Yeah. That is such a powerful thought. I love that. And, you know, it’s kind of a new normal in this workplace. Employees, they’re needing things a little differently than what they’ve gotten before. So, that’s amazing. Great information. I love it.

Jamie Gassmann: [00:08:07] So, thank you so much for joining us. Again, if you’re interested in learning a little bit more, go to bambee.com, B-A-M-B-E-E.com. And the lucky ones will get Brad Harper as their HR manager. I love it. Thank you so much for joining us.

Brad Harper: [00:08:22] That’s so nice of you to say. I really appreciate it. I’ve really enjoyed my time with you today. Thank you.

Jamie Gassmann: [00:08:25] You’re very welcome. Thank you again.

Outro: [00:08:31] Thank you for joining us on Workplace MVP. R3 Continuum is a proud sponsor of this show, and is delighted to celebrate most valuable professionals who work diligently to secure safe workplaces where employees can thrive.

 

 

LIVE from RISKWORLD 2022: Jenelle Ryan, Georgia State University and AmRisc

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Georgia State
Minneapolis St. Paul Studio
LIVE from RISKWORLD 2022: Jenelle Ryan, Georgia State University and AmRisc
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Georgia State

LIVE from RISKWORLD 2022: Jenelle Ryan, Georgia State University and AmRisc

Jenelle Ryan, a graduate of Georgia State University and Underwriting Analyst for AmRisc, talked with host Jamie Gassmann at RISKWORLD 2022 as she prepared to graduate. She share that she interned with Amrisc and was set to join their team after graduation. In this conversation, she and Jamie talked about the risk management program at Georgia State, her new job, the learning opportunities she’s had, and more.

Workplace MVP is underwritten and presented by R3 Continuum and produced by the Minneapolis-St.Paul Studio of Business RadioX®.

This show was originally broadcast from the RIMS 2022 RISKWORLD Conference held at the Moscone Center in San Francisco, California.

Georgia State Robinson College of Business, Department of Risk Management & Insurance

With one of the largest research faculties and risk management and insurance doctoral programs in the world, Georgia State is dedicated to understanding, quantifying and developing strategies for managing risks faced by individuals, organizations, and society. They owe their success to an outstanding student body, high-achieving graduates, innovative faculty who are leaders in their respective fields and the generosity of their financial supporters and friends.

U.S. News & World Report ranked Georgia State’s B.B.A. in Risk Management & Insurance #4 in the nation in 2022. Their department is highly respected, too. They have been a Center of Actuarial Excellence for more than a decade. Plus, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln ranks them #1 in North America for research productivity in actuarial science.

Website | LinkedIn

AmRisc, LLC

AmRisc, LLC, is the largest catastrophe-focused Managing General Agent (MGA) in the United States, with offices across the country in Texas (Houston HQ), Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, and North Carolina. Established in 2000, AmRisc is a subsidiary of Truist Insurance Holdings, whose parent company, Truist, is one of the largest financial services companies in the nation.

As one of the first MGAs to develop a multi-model approach to risk underwriting, innovation is a core value at AmRisc. Founded by engineers and risk specialists, AmRisc is built to provide stability in a dynamic market and deliver unmatched solutions for producers, carriers, and their insureds.

Company website | LinkedIn

Jenelle Ryan, Underwriting Analyst, AmRisc, LLC

Jenelle Ryan, Underwriting Analyst, AmRisc, LLC

 

About Workplace MVP

Every day, around the world, organizations of all sizes face disruptive events and situations. Within those workplaces are everyday heroes in human resources, risk management, security, business continuity, and the C-suite. They don’t call themselves heroes though. On the contrary, they simply show up every day, laboring for the well-being of employees in their care, readying the workplace for and planning responses to disruption. This show, Workplace MVP, confers on these heroes the designation they deserve, Workplace MVP (Most Valuable Professionals), and gives them the forum to tell their story. As you hear their experiences, you will learn first-hand, real-life approaches to readying the workplace, responses to crisis situations, and overcoming challenges of disruption. Visit our show archive here.

Workplace MVP Host Jamie Gassmann

Jamie Gassmann, Host, “Workplace MVP”

In addition to serving as the host to the Workplace MVP podcast, Jamie Gassmann is the Director of Marketing at R3 Continuum (R3c). Collectively, she has more than fourteen years of marketing experience. Across her tenure, she has experience working in and with various industries including banking, real estate, retail, crisis management, insurance, business continuity, and more. She holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Mass Communications with special interest in Advertising and Public Relations and a Master of Business Administration from Paseka School of Business, Minnesota State University.

R3 Continuum

R3 Continuum is a global leader in workplace behavioral health and security solutions. R3c helps ensure the psychological and physical safety of organizations and their people in today’s ever-changing and often unpredictable world. Through their continuum of tailored solutions, including evaluations, crisis response, executive optimization, protective services, and more, they help organizations maintain and cultivate a workplace of wellbeing so that their people can thrive. Learn more about R3c at www.r3c.com.

Company website | LinkedIn | Facebook | Twitter

TRANSCRIPT

Intro: [00:00:03] Broadcasting live from Riskworld 2022 at the Moscone Center in San Francisco, it’s time for Workplace MVP. Brought to you by R3 Continuum, a global leader in helping workplaces thrive during disruptive times. Now, here’s your host.

Jamie Gassmann: [00:00:22] Hi, everyone. Your host, Jamie Gassmann, here with Workplace MVP podcast. And with me is Jenelle Ryan. And you are currently a student graduating in May.

Jenelle Ryan: [00:00:34] Yes.

Jamie Gassmann: [00:00:34] So, this is your first time being here at the RIMS conference?

Jenelle Ryan: [00:00:38] Yes, my very first time. I’m having an absolute blast.

Jamie Gassmann: [00:00:41] So, what has been your favorite experience so far? I know the conference just started, but you’ve had some fun already since being here, right?

Jenelle Ryan: [00:00:49] Yes. The keynote speaker this morning was absolutely incredible, just the most inspirational talk I think I’ve ever heard. And then, I have adored coming around to all of these panels, seeing all of the wonderful professionals. Everybody is so friendly, inviting, and I’ve just really loved meeting brand new people.

Jamie Gassmann: [00:01:06] Yeah. And conferences are a great place for that and great networking. And I know you are graduating this May.

Jenelle Ryan: [00:01:12] Yes.

Jamie Gassmann: [00:01:13] And you attend Georgia State University. So, talk to me about that program. I know it’s one of the top four in the country, is what you shared with me.

Jenelle Ryan: [00:01:21] So, Georgia State University has the number four RMI program in the country so far. We’ve had that for a couple of years running now, so we’re very proud of it. And I’m a senior risk management and insurance student there, graduating in May 6th. I walk. I cannot believe how soon it is, but our program really gives us a great depth and breadth of information on the insurance industry.

Jamie Gassmann: [00:01:43] Great. And so, based on what you’ve learned about it and from what you’ve seen here at RIMS, right now, if you could kind of pinpoint where you’d like to take your career right off the gate coming off of graduation, what are you hopeful for?

Jenelle Ryan: [00:01:56] Yes, absolutely. So, I’m really interested in accessing surplus lines. I actually have a job lined up with AmRisc right now in Alpharetta, which is the largest catastrophe-focused managing general agency in the United States. I’m absolutely thrilled to be going back there after my internship this past summer. And I’m really just interested in learning more about as many aspects of the industry as I can. I feel like there are so many different facets, even just walking around, I’ve met so many people who are working in areas I’ve never even heard of, so I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to learn more.

Jamie Gassmann: [00:02:29] Wonderful. And now, you were part of one of the cases that—tell me a little bit about those cases that are made available to the students learning in similar programs that you’re a part of. Talk to me a little bit about what that program looks like.

Jenelle Ryan: [00:02:44] Absolutely. So, the cases are incredibly challenging, but they essentially gather up a bunch of students from your school, you usually pick teams of four, and you do a little bit of insight into identifying like risk exposures and solutions to problems based on different companies. So, this year, the case competition was based on Starbucks, and we were analyzing the emerging risks that they’re facing. Absolutely, incredibly challenging, and I’m thrilled that some of my friends from St. Mary’s have gone on to the final eight. I have friends from Florida State who participated. It’s wonderful that all of us get to participate in this, and then come together and have that experience as students, where we’re not only learning, but friendly competition.

Jamie Gassmann: [00:03:31] Yeah, absolutely. And it sounds like from what you’re describing, you get a little bit of hands on kind of some of the real world work that you’ll be doing after graduation.

Jenelle Ryan: [00:03:39] Absolutely. You have to go into very intense detail with some of these things, and consulting, and trying to see just how you can solve this, it’s a great learning opportunity.

Jamie Gassmann: [00:03:51] And a resume builder. That’s fantastic. You can speak to it in an interview. That’s fantastic. So, if you were going to leave anything for our listeners who might be considering students coming out of a program, what would be something you’d want to leave for them?

Jenelle Ryan: [00:04:05] Leave for them, as like a piece of information?

Jamie Gassmann: [00:04:08] Yeah, like something to take into consideration as they’re interviewing a fresh out-of-college risk insurance student.

Jenelle Ryan: [00:04:15] I would say be open-minded. We’re all here. We never stop learning. We’re all not only with our designations, but just in diversity and inclusion, listening to other people. And I would say really keep an open mind. You don’t know everything. And as long as you’re learning, you’re doing something right.

Jamie Gassmann: [00:04:32] Fantastic. So, it’s been an absolute pleasure. If anybody want to get a hold of you for whatever reason, is there an email address or a way that they can contact you?

Jenelle Ryan: [00:04:40] Yes, absolutely. My email is jenellenryan@gmail.com, Jenellenryan@gmail.com. And you can add me on LinkedIn.

Jamie Gassmann: [00:04:52] Wonderful. It’s been such a pleasure to talk with you. Congrats on getting here with your case.

Jenelle Ryan: [00:04:52] Thank you so much.

Jamie Gassmann: [00:04:58] I know you indicated you didn’t make it to the final round, but just being a part of that I think is a win in and of itself.

Jenelle Ryan: [00:05:02] Absolutely.

Jamie Gassmann: [00:05:02] So, congratulations to you and thank you again for being on our show.

Jenelle Ryan: [00:05:06] Thank you so much. It’s been a pleasure.

Outro: [00:05:12] Thank you for joining us on Workplace MVP. R3 Continuum is a proud sponsor of this show and is delighted to celebrate most valuable professionals who work diligently to secure safe workplaces where employees can thrive.

 

 

LIVE from RISKWORLD 2022: Gui Orliac, SpeedGauge

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Speedgauge
Minneapolis St. Paul Studio
LIVE from RISKWORLD 2022: Gui Orliac, SpeedGauge
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Speedgauge

LIVE from RISKWORLD 2022: Gui Orliac, SpeedGauge

Gui Orliac with SpeedGauge was Jamie Gassmann’s guest on this live episode from RISKWORLD 2022. Gui explained that SpeedGauge is a product that creates risk models for commercial fleet drivers to reduce the risk for the companies that use them. He and Jamie talked about how the score is created, the variables involved such as locations and types of roads, the ways companies use the data, and much more.

Workplace MVP is underwritten and presented by R3 Continuum and produced by the Minneapolis-St.Paul Studio of Business RadioX®.

This show was originally broadcast from the RIMS 2022 RISKWORLD Conference held at the Moscone Center in San Francisco, California.

SpeedGauge

SpeedGauge is a driving analytics and performance company. Their focused, effective solutions help fleets manage and improve driving behaviors to transform a company’s approach to driving, reduce risk, strengthen business operations and enhance financial results.

SpeedGauge is devoted to helping customers protect their businesses, their drivers, and the motoring public.

Company website | LinkedIn | Facebook

Gui Orliac, Director of Revenue Development, SpeedGauge

Gui Orliac, Director of Revenue Development, SpeedGauge

About Workplace MVP

Every day, around the world, organizations of all sizes face disruptive events and situations. Within those workplaces are everyday heroes in human resources, risk management, security, business continuity, and the C-suite. They don’t call themselves heroes though. On the contrary, they simply show up every day, laboring for the well-being of employees in their care, readying the workplace for and planning responses to disruption. This show, Workplace MVP, confers on these heroes the designation they deserve, Workplace MVP (Most Valuable Professionals), and gives them the forum to tell their story. As you hear their experiences, you will learn first-hand, real-life approaches to readying the workplace, responses to crisis situations, and overcoming challenges of disruption. Visit our show archive here.

Workplace MVP Host Jamie Gassmann

Jamie Gassmann, Host, “Workplace MVP”

In addition to serving as the host to the Workplace MVP podcast, Jamie Gassmann is the Director of Marketing at R3 Continuum (R3c). Collectively, she has more than fourteen years of marketing experience. Across her tenure, she has experience working in and with various industries including banking, real estate, retail, crisis management, insurance, business continuity, and more. She holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Mass Communications with special interest in Advertising and Public Relations and a Master of Business Administration from Paseka School of Business, Minnesota State University.

R3 Continuum

R3 Continuum is a global leader in workplace behavioral health and security solutions. R3c helps ensure the psychological and physical safety of organizations and their people in today’s ever-changing and often unpredictable world. Through their continuum of tailored solutions, including evaluations, crisis response, executive optimization, protective services, and more, they help organizations maintain and cultivate a workplace of wellbeing so that their people can thrive. Learn more about R3c at www.r3c.com.

Company website | LinkedIn | Facebook | Twitter

TRANSCRIPT

Intro: [00:00:03] Broadcasting live from Riskworld 2022 at the Moscone Center in San Francisco, it’s time for Workplace MVP. Brought to you by R3 Continuum, a global leader in helping workplaces thrive during disruptive times. Now, here’s your host.

Jamie Gassmann: [00:00:23] Hi, everyone. Your host, Jamie Gassmann here at the Riskworld 2022 live from the R3 Continuum booth in our Expo Hall. And with me is Gui Orliac. And Gui, which company are you with?

Gui Orliac: [00:00:38] Hi, Jamie. Thank you for having me.

Jamie Gassmann: [00:00:39] You’re welcome.

Gui Orliac: [00:00:40] And I’m with a company called Speed Gauge. And what we do, we do risk analytic for commercial fleet or commercial auto. We look at driving behavior and helping the whole commercial world, looking at evaluating risk on the road.

Jamie Gassmann: [00:01:02] Yeah. And talking to you before we jumped on the mics, you were talking about that these are the commercial vehicles that an organization would own. And looking at the risk that’s involved in the drivers driving those vehicles and how somebody should be evaluating their risk level, correct?

Gui Orliac: [00:01:18] That’s right. And thank you for asking. I mean, clearly, you pay some attention to some things that I’m not sure, is that sexy? But thank you for looking into that. What’s happening in the commercial auto or basically truck world is that everybody drive differently, and how do you evaluate and know which driver is and what the risk of the driver is per driver, rather than just creating a blanket statement. And this is accentuated even more as we go toward miles-driven insurance.

Gui Orliac: [00:02:00] So then, you need to evaluate risk based on mileage, not just based on overall, if you have 10 trucks, or 20 trucks, or 100 trucks. And another aspect of that, you want to evaluate risk based on where the company is driving. So, are they driving in a city or are they driving on the highway? And so, once you evaluate the risk, you want to be able to provide insights to the drivers and their manager to help them get better at doing their job.

Jamie Gassmann: [00:02:31] So, in looking at that risk, and I know we were kind of talking a little bit about those drivers, how does your data help you in identifying, because not all of us drive the same?

Gui Orliac: [00:02:42] That’s right.

Jamie Gassmann: [00:02:43] But a lot of the times, I hear, it’s like, oh, well, there’s 16, so they got to pay more, because they’re 16, but you may have a more responsible 16-year-old driver than a 30-year-old driver, so tell me a little bit about how you analyze that.

Gui Orliac: [00:02:55] Exactly. I mean, I think that’s just really the fundamental of it, and I think we are going to see that more in point as you continue to have a shortage of commercial drivers. In the trucking industry, there had always been a shortage of commercial driver, but with the disruption in supply chain, and the disruption, which is linked to COVID and the retirement, you have less and less drivers. So then, you need to bring new drivers working for you. And in general, the world of risk look at a driver based on the amount of time they have been driving rather than on the driver behavior.

Gui Orliac: [00:03:38] And so, what we do, because of our relationship with over 100 telematic providers, because the commercial industry, the commercial auto industry is very fragmented, and because of the work we do with the GPS providers, the telematic providers, we have been able to have access to the data in a broad basis. Okay. And so, we have created a risk model that is very broad and that can provide each individual fleet, each individual insurance company insight on each individual truck and driver, and how they actually behave, not based on historical data, but based on what we call driven data.

Jamie Gassmann: [00:04:26] Yeah. And I’m guessing that that helps them from a policy perspective and identifying how much insurance they need to purchase, but they might be able to use some of that data, too, from a behavioral perspective in terms of how do they coach their employee, right?

Gui Orliac: [00:04:38] Both. And I think that’s what’s really important, and I think as a company, we started to help company provide insight on how they engage with their employees, and as our solution evolve, we started to offer solution to the insurance industry and develop an insurance way to like a credit score, but for driving risk. And so, now, we have been validating that score for a number of years and a number of large commercial insurance companies are using this scoring to understand and to really target appropriate premium and underwriting based on actual driven data. And I think we are going to see that more as we are going to go, as I was saying, toward miles-driven. So then ,you need to be really accurate on understanding where you drive, how you drive, and how many miles.

Jamie Gassmann: [00:05:41] Yeah. And every city is going to be different too, I’ve noticed, from my own driving in other cities. So, does it take into account location by the city and geographic regions?

Gui Orliac: [00:05:51] It goes even closer than that. It goes to the type of road, primary road, secondary road, toll road, things like that. So, we look at—but not only the type of road, also the time of the day. And do you drive the same way at night? Do you drive the same way at day? Another one is when there’s traffic or no traffic. One thing we noticed, so as an organization, Speed Gauge, has worked in the trucking commercial fleet industry for over 12 years. Okay.

Gui Orliac: [00:06:30] So, we have relationship with many, if not all the telematic providers. It’s hard to have all, but at least many of the telematic providers in North America. And so, we were able to see that, for example, increased speeding happened at the beginning of the pandemic, because, in fact, there was less traffic jam. Isn’t that like really fascinating? In understanding that, so basically contextualizing the data, understanding how what’s happening help people like even the fleet, then they can intervene and say to their drivers, maybe you need to slow down, because a ticket is still a ticket.

Jamie Gassmann: [00:07:15] Yeah. Well, and that increases insurance rates when you get too many speeding tickets, right?.

Gui Orliac: [00:07:20] Exactly. So then, the question become, is it, should you—and I think we are actually making a very astute point, is it a good way to judge a risk having a speeding ticket or any ticket? Because like if you drive in Indiana, so we have data that show, in Indiana, if you get in Indiana, you get a ticket. So, no matter what. Then, the question is, you have other states where you drive, you don’t get tickets. But if you are driving in Indiana, you get a ticket. Okay. So then, the question is, is it relevant? Do you need to take into consideration that if you go to Indiana, you are going to ticket or not? That’s a really interesting second question. Does it mean that you are driving poorly just like in Indiana? That’s where the regular trucking.

Jamie Gassmann: [00:08:06] Yeah. Wow. Interesting.

Gui Orliac: [00:08:08] That’s right.

Jamie Gassmann: [00:08:09] Yeah. And I was going to ask you about during the pandemic, because I know being from the Minneapolis area, I know the roadways got a little bit more dicey with it, became a racetrack, and we weren’t used to that pre-pandemic as many vehicles driving that way. So, what were some of the trending that you’ve seen in the last two years that has made some of your data pulls really interesting?

Gui Orliac: [00:08:32] Well, so I don’t know, I don’t have all of them in mind, but I think like one thing we saw definitely at the beginning of the pandemic, because there was less traffic jam, we saw a significant increase in speeding activities, vehicle moving faster. Does that mean that there was more accident? Not really, because in fact, there was less vehicle on the road. Okay.

Gui Orliac: [00:08:57] So, that’s an interesting contradiction. Okay. Does that mean that you still need not to pay attention to road regulation? I think as an organization, it’s better to be consistent rather than to allow too many variations. And what we have seen is that since then, things have become a little bit more stable, so we are back to a more regular traffic patterns. So, overall, it’s pretty good.

Jamie Gassmann: [00:09:25] Yeah. Slow drivers like myself are now back on the road, they’ve got to watch out. So, quick question, and you may not have an answer to this yet, because I know it’s still pretty new, but with self-driving vehicles coming out from the carrier perspective, has your organization started to look into some of the data on that and plans for how companies can assess the risk of bringing those into their fleet?

Gui Orliac: [00:09:47] Okay. So, I’m not personally looking at self-driving vehicle, per se, but we are looking at data from any type of vehicle. Okay. So, that’s a really interesting differentiation. One, there’s not that many self-driving vehicles on the line today, so that’s really important to keep that in mind. Okay. I think that we are moving forward to what more and more automation of drivers. Okay. I think that’s a good thing because it helps driver to be less tired.

Gui Orliac: [00:10:21] So, assisted driving, I think, has a lot of benefit, and I think fleet and driver are going to benefit from it. I was talking to somebody else at the show today, and they said, well, hopefully, full driver automation vehicle is going to be coming soon, because we don’t have enough drivers. And in some ways, it’s true. We need some help, but I think we are like years away from seeing it actually happening. In small scale, we are going to see it, but like at large scale, I think we are a little bit away. And I think the other thing is that drivers are a great customer relationship person.

Jamie Gassmann: [00:11:04] Oh, completely, yeah.

Gui Orliac: [00:11:05] So, I think like in some ways, it’s—and the question is, are we going to get better services or what type of services with full automation? And I think we don’t know that yet.

Jamie Gassmann: [00:11:17] Yeah, lots to come ahead of us, I’m pretty sure.

Gui Orliac: [00:11:20] Exactly. And so, that’s what’s making this industry quite exciting.

Jamie Gassmann: [00:11:24] I bet.

Gui Orliac: [00:11:25] It’s like changing, evolution, or technology, but I think at the end of the day is what to do with the technology and what to do with the data. And so, from a Speed Gauge perspective, we came up with a way to provide insight to the whole industry. And we believe in transparency so that a fleet can improve, an insurance company can be more accurate, everybody can work together, and we make sure we do that based on permission management, because we do not provide data, and that has not been authorized by all the party involved. And that, I think, is crucial.

Jamie Gassmann: [00:12:02] Yeah, absolutely. Super interesting. Interesting topic and interesting work that you do. I’m so glad you joined us on the show.

Gui Orliac: [00:12:09] No, thank you very much, Jamie, for having me. And I think I could talk a lot about that, but I think most people will be bored very fast about the trucking data, so I will maybe keep it at that, but one thing really important is that it helps people once it’s being used. It has to be used. That’s the truth.

Jamie Gassmann: [00:12:29] Well, data is a very powerful tool, so it tells you a lot when you look at it close enough.

Gui Orliac: [00:12:33] Exactly.

Jamie Gassmann: [00:12:34] Yeah. Well, if anybody wanted to get a hold of you to learn a little bit more about what your company does and like what you do, how can they do that?

Gui Orliac: [00:12:41] Well, they can go to speedgauge.net and they will look for a Frenchman name on their people, and that will be me.

Gui Orliac: [00:12:52] Wonderful.

Gui Orliac: [00:12:53] Thank you very much, Jamie.

Jamie Gassmann: [00:12:54] Yeah, thank you.

Gui Orliac: [00:12:55] And have a good afternoon.

Jamie Gassmann: [00:12:57] You, too.

Gui Orliac: [00:12:58] Bye.

Outro: [00:13:02] Thank you for joining us on Workplace MVP. R3 Continuum is a proud sponsor of this show and is delighted to celebrate most valuable professionals who work diligently to secure safe workplaces where employees can thrive.

 

 

LIVE from RISKWORLD 2022: Zoe Freeman, Signal Restoration Services

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Signal Restoration
Minneapolis St. Paul Studio
LIVE from RISKWORLD 2022: Zoe Freeman, Signal Restoration Services
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Signal Restoration

LIVE from RISKWORLD 2022: Zoe Freeman, Signal Restoration Services

Zoe Freeman, a Regional Account Manager for Signal Restoration Services, was the guest on this episode of Workplace MVP LIVE from RISKWORLD 2022. Signal was not an exhibitor but a sponsor of this year’s event. Zoe discussed Signal’s 50th anniversary, the work they do, highlighted the need for pre-loss planning, and more.

Workplace MVP is underwritten and presented by R3 Continuum and produced by the Minneapolis-St.Paul Studio of Business RadioX®.

This show was originally broadcast from the RIMS 2022 RISKWORLD Conference held at the Moscone Center in San Francisco, California.

Signal Restoration Services

Signal Restoration Services is a leading disaster restoration contractor. They specialize in fire, water, storm, mold, hurricane, earthquake, emergency, and reconstruction services as well as full-service roofing and Cap Ex work. Their success has been achieved through high-quality standards, solid business ethics, and prompt response to their customers’ needs.

Their most significant advantage is their people. Thoroughly screened, trained, and certified, Signal’s employees comply with OSHA standards. They also regularly receive re-certification training on safe work procedures and hazardous materials handling.

The highly trained Signal representatives have been instrumental in the success of Signal’s customer service record. Their licensed personnel have the experience, expertise, and resources to complete your project in a timely and professional manner.

Website | LinkedIn | Facebook | Twitter

Zoe Freeman, Regional Account Manager, Signal Restoration Services

Zoe Freeman, Regional Account Manager, Signal Restoration Services

 

 

About Workplace MVP

Every day, around the world, organizations of all sizes face disruptive events and situations. Within those workplaces are everyday heroes in human resources, risk management, security, business continuity, and the C-suite. They don’t call themselves heroes though. On the contrary, they simply show up every day, laboring for the well-being of employees in their care, readying the workplace for and planning responses to disruption. This show, Workplace MVP, confers on these heroes the designation they deserve, Workplace MVP (Most Valuable Professionals), and gives them the forum to tell their story. As you hear their experiences, you will learn first-hand, real-life approaches to readying the workplace, responses to crisis situations, and overcoming challenges of disruption. Visit our show archive here.

Workplace MVP Host Jamie Gassmann

Jamie Gassmann, Host, “Workplace MVP”

In addition to serving as the host to the Workplace MVP podcast, Jamie Gassmann is the Director of Marketing at R3 Continuum (R3c). Collectively, she has more than fourteen years of marketing experience. Across her tenure, she has experience working in and with various industries including banking, real estate, retail, crisis management, insurance, business continuity, and more. She holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Mass Communications with special interest in Advertising and Public Relations and a Master of Business Administration from Paseka School of Business, Minnesota State University.

R3 Continuum

R3 Continuum is a global leader in workplace behavioral health and security solutions. R3c helps ensure the psychological and physical safety of organizations and their people in today’s ever-changing and often unpredictable world. Through their continuum of tailored solutions, including evaluations, crisis response, executive optimization, protective services, and more, they help organizations maintain and cultivate a workplace of wellbeing so that their people can thrive. Learn more about R3c at www.r3c.com.

Company website | LinkedIn | Facebook | Twitter</a

TRANSCRIPT

Intro: [00:00:03] Broadcasting live from Riskworld 2022 at the Moscone Center in San Francisco, it’s time for Workplace MVP. Brought to you by R3 Continuum, a global leader in helping workplaces thrive during disruptive times. Now, here’s your host.

Jamie Gassmann: [00:00:22] Hi, everyone. Your host, Jamie Gassman, here coming to you again from the Riskworld 2022 Expo Hall, and I’m in our sponsor, R3 Continuum’s, Booth. And with me is Zoe Freeman from Signal Restoration. Welcome to the show, Zoe.

Zoe Freeman: [00:00:38] Thanks, Jamie. Thanks for having me.

Jamie Gassmann: [00:00:41] Yeah. And so, tell us a little bit about what Signal Restoration does.

Zoe Freeman: [00:00:45] So, Signal Restoration is a national catastrophe and large loss company celebrating our 50th year anniversary. There’s a banner when you walk in from the front entrance, it’s right there. We’re very proud of that. We have been around since ’72, and in 2009, restoration was introduced, too. It started out as a general contractor company, and then it was purchased in 2009 from the current owners, and they soon added restoration services, and made it into a commercial large loss and catastrophe company.

Zoe Freeman: [00:01:29] And in 2015, we added to that network by adding on a franchise corporation called PuroClean, which, in itself, is very successful, but they add to the huge Signal network as additional resources for the more routine losses that our clients so often see. And then, additionally on that, about a year-and-a-half ago, the purchase of US Roofing came. So, it’s a three-part synergy, and we handle restoration projects of flood fire, any natural disaster, as well as remediation services. So, for mold, and asbestos, and lead, and just about anything else in Hazmat, we try to support if we can.

Jamie Gassmann: [00:02:21] Wow. So, typically, with your client, if somebody is coming to you for support, what does that experience look like for them?

Zoe Freeman: [00:02:33] Well, typically, if it comes—so it’s always nice to have a relation—usually, there’s a relationship already built before any type of loss or something comes through to us. Sometimes, there’s not. And maybe the insurance company may know us well, and they ask us to step in to help out one of their clients or something like that. And so, the relationship, there is always some type of relationship there. If it’s a catastrophe situation, it’s pretty intense. There’s a lot of mobilization. There’s a lot of things working behind the scenes.

Zoe Freeman: [00:03:17] So, it’s actually pretty intense when we have to step in to any situation. And then, we also have our very friendly we’re here to help the community situations as well that are not so intense. And that’s if a client has like a small flood, or a large pipe break, or something, which you don’t think it does, but it actually ends up causing quite a bit of damage, so the sooner and the faster, more efficient we can get in there makes things much easier on everyone, saves time, gets the business back going, and it really ends up being a great thing. So, there’s good and bad with our company, but it’s all good in the outcome, right? But when you ask the question, I think of disaster first, right?

Jamie Gassmann: [00:04:14] Right.

Zoe Freeman: [00:04:14] So, a lot of times, that’s when we get called in. But a lot of times, it’s not. A lot of timea, we get called in on the more routine losses, and those are fun, too.

Jamie Gassmann: [00:04:21] Yeah. So, it’s almost like you kind of have a mix of like it’s hurricane season, you’re going to be called in probably quite a bit in terms of any flooding that might be occurring in that type of a situation.

Zoe Freeman: [00:04:31] Yeah. So, hurricane season definitely is a big season for folks like us in this industry, and we’re on standby, we’re on watch. We’ve got folks ready to deploy, manpower, equipment. It’s just a constant rotation or constant monitoring of events. And to know where our clients are and strategize where we need to be, ready for those efforts. And it’s a lot of fun, but we got a lot of experience at it, so I’d like to think we’re pretty good at what we do.

Jamie Gassmann: [00:05:06] Yeah. So, is there any trending or anything that you’re seeing that’s popping up more and more that workplaces or organizations, maybe not just the workplace, but that organizations need to be aware of that if they’re not thinking about it, they probably should be thinking about it.

Zoe Freeman: [00:05:19] Absolutely. That’s going to be pre-loss planning. So, one of the events over the last couple of years have just really got the risk world, as well as other parts within the company, but specifically risk, in that pre-loss planning mode, because if you’re able to, upfront, make those contract, get those contracts in place, and build those relationships, and make those introductions between your broker, and your insurance, and your risk manager, and your contractors at the event of when the actual time happens, there’s so much that goes into it.

Zoe Freeman: [00:06:02] There’s so much time saved, so much money saved. The barrier of communication is better. It made things go so much faster. Pre-loss planning is something that we can’t share enough, and that’s what we are seeing in Signal and I’m sure other restoration companies as well, is that want and that need to start a pre-loss planning dialogue and put a plan in place.

Jamie Gassmann: [00:06:30] Yeah. It’s like you don’t want to be making decisions of who you should be calling when something happens. You want to know who you’re calling.

Zoe Freeman: [00:06:35] Absolutely. You absolutely don’t want that to be one of those, we’ll pick it up when it happens. This is one of the things that you definitely want to plan ahead for. And yeah, there are so many wonderful things that come out of having a plan in place. And one of the other things is because of that also and because of the pre-loss planning, you’ve got folks that are starting to—restoration companies were able to say, you’ve got the housing community, you’ve got these folks, everybody’s on board. We’ve got to get these business continuity plans in place, so a lot of good stuff out there.

Jamie Gassmann: [00:07:24] Yeah. And I know you’re an exhibitor here at RIMS.

Zoe Freeman: [00:07:26] We are a sponsor this year.

Jamie Gassmann: [00:07:28] Oh, you’re a sponsor on top of that. Okay. Great.

Zoe Freeman: [00:07:31] Yeah, we’re excited about that. So, we’ve been a RIMS member for years, but again, being our 50th, we were really excited, and we wanted to come in and be a sponsor as well. You will see us out here next year exhibiting. So, Signal is kind of like, I’d like to say a small, little kept secret. We haven’t done a whole lot of marketing in the past. We’ve been very word of mouth over the last couple of years. We’ve started into the marketing scene, so you’ll definitely see more of us.

Jamie Gassmann: [00:08:05] Wonderful.

Zoe Freeman: [00:08:05] Yeah.

Jamie Gassmann: [00:08:05] And if somebody wanted to get a hold of you after listening to this show, how would they do that?

Zoe Freeman: [00:08:11] You could just give me a call. I’m very transparent. I love phone calls. Call me, please. We could spend forever emailing back and forth. Just call me. 817-504-7748. zoe@signal. Call me with anything, questions about anything, meetings. If you know somebody in the company and you want to ask me about them, just give me a call.

Jamie Gassmann: [00:08:39] Wonderful. Well, I appreciate you being on the show, Zoe.

Zoe Freeman: [00:08:42] Thank you, Jamie.

Jamie Gassmann: [00:08:42] It’s been great chatting with you.

Zoe Freeman: [00:08:43] Great chatting with you, too. It’s been fun.

Jamie Gassmann: [00:08:46] Great.

Outro: [00:08:50] Thank you for joining us on Workplace MVP. R3 Continuum is a proud sponsor of this show and is delighted to celebrate most valuable professionals who work diligently to secure safe workplaces where employees can thrive.

 

 

LIVE from RISKWORLD 2022: Laura Casey, SafeCon Solutions

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Laura Casey
Minneapolis St. Paul Studio
LIVE from RISKWORLD 2022: Laura Casey, SafeCon Solutions
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Laura Casey

LIVE from RISKWORLD 2022: Laura Casey, SafeCon Solutions

Laura Casey, a safety professional and owner of SafeCon Solutions, identified risk as correlated to safety in this live conversation with host Jamie Gassmann at RISKWORLD 2022. Laura and Jamie discussed the trends Laura sees in safety services, services offered by SafeCon Solutions, her experience at the conference, and more.

Workplace MVP is underwritten and presented by R3 Continuum and produced by the Minneapolis-St.Paul Studio of Business RadioX®.

This show was originally broadcast from the RIMS 2022 RISKWORLD Conference held at the Moscone Center in San Francisco, California.

SafeCon Solutions

SafeCon Solutions is a full-service safety consulting company with a national and international client base. They provide a vast array of occupational safety services for all industries as well as training, presentations, workshops, and expert witness testimony.

Workplace safety goes beyond mere compliance. Workplace safety is about preventing injuries, illnesses, and incidents by developing strong systems to guide and protect your workforce.

Facebook | LinkedIn

Laura Casey, CSP, CHST, Principal Consultant and Owner, SafeCon Solutions

Laura Casey, CSP, CHST, Principal, SafeCon Solutions

About Workplace MVP

Every day, around the world, organizations of all sizes face disruptive events and situations. Within those workplaces are everyday heroes in human resources, risk management, security, business continuity, and the C-suite. They don’t call themselves heroes though. On the contrary, they simply show up every day, laboring for the well-being of employees in their care, readying the workplace for and planning responses to disruption. This show, Workplace MVP, confers on these heroes the designation they deserve, Workplace MVP (Most Valuable Professionals), and gives them the forum to tell their story. As you hear their experiences, you will learn first-hand, real-life approaches to readying the workplace, responses to crisis situations, and overcoming challenges of disruption. Visit our show archive here.

Workplace MVP Host Jamie Gassmann

Jamie Gassmann, Host, “Workplace MVP”

In addition to serving as the host to the Workplace MVP podcast, Jamie Gassmann is the Director of Marketing at R3 Continuum (R3c). Collectively, she has more than fourteen years of marketing experience. Across her tenure, she has experience working in and with various industries including banking, real estate, retail, crisis management, insurance, business continuity, and more. She holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Mass Communications with special interest in Advertising and Public Relations and a Master of Business Administration from Paseka School of Business, Minnesota State University.

R3 Continuum

R3 Continuum is a global leader in workplace behavioral health and security solutions. R3c helps ensure the psychological and physical safety of organizations and their people in today’s ever-changing and often unpredictable world. Through their continuum of tailored solutions, including evaluations, crisis response, executive optimization, protective services, and more, they help organizations maintain and cultivate a workplace of wellbeing so that their people can thrive. Learn more about R3c at www.r3c.com.

Company website | LinkedIn | Facebook | Twitter

TRANSCRIPT

Intro: [00:00:02] Broadcasting live from Riskworld 2022 at the Moscone Center in San Francisco, it’s time for Workplace MVP. Brought to you by R3 Continuum, a global leader in helping workplaces thrive during disruptive times. Now, here’s your host.

Jamie Gassmann: [00:00:20] Hi, everyone. Jamie Gassmann here with Workplace MVP. And with me live at the RIMS Riskworld 2022 is Laura Casey. Welcome to the show, Laura.

Laura Casey: [00:00:31] Good morning. Thank you for having me.

Jamie Gassmann: [00:00:33] Yes. So, Laura, share with us what company you are with and your role there.

Laura Casey: [00:00:38] So, I’m the Principal Consultant and Owner of SafeCon Solutions. It is a consulting firm, firm, there’s one of me, that does both occupational safety and risk matters for a variety of types of businesses within the industry.

Jamie Gassmann: [00:00:55] Wonderful. And so, you’re at the RIMS conference this year. Talk to me about, what are you looking forward to getting out of this show? What’s exciting you about being here in person and at the Moscone Center?

Laura Casey: [00:01:06] So, it’s really kind of interesting that I happen to be your first person, because this is my first RIMS event. So, I’ve been a certified safety professional for a long time, 20-plus years, tenured, and it became really apparent that people in my mind were seeing risk as separate from safety. And other than in the financial world, when we talk about investing and those types of things, I find that risk and safety really are correlated, and should go hand in hand, and risk helps the C-suite members of an organization better understand safety, because safety is not tangible. So, I went ahead, and I sat for and passed the RIMS CRMP exam, Certified Risk Management Professional, and I need continuing ed credits, and so these are my new peeps. So, usually, I go to the safety conference, and now is my first time at the RIMS Riskworld, so just trying to take it all in.

Jamie Gassmann: [00:02:02] Oh, I bet, and it sounds like they have a really good lineup of great sessions. And so, what are some of the things that you’re seeing in the work that you’re doing within the risk and kind of safety environment that as a consultant, you want to make sure that workplaces are aware of, because it’s either trending or just becoming more common?

Laura Casey: [00:02:20] Sure. So, like I said, I unfortunately find that there are a lot of businesses out there that don’t understand safety, because it’s not tangible. You can’t touch it. When someone is seriously injured, or God forbid, there’s a fatality, everyone’s, oh, we need safety, we need safety. So, when I’m doing the background work, trying to be more predictive for my clients, I try to—well, I don’t try to, I do. I take a quantitative risk matrix and I apply it to whatever safety findings I have in an effort to try and get them to understand the risk of ignoring this, so that we never get to the point of a serious injury or a fatality. In addition, I try and help the businesses understand the different lines of insurance, how they can improve their position when it comes time for renewal. How do they save those dollars? How do they change their program to be more effective to, next year, change those background pieces?

Jamie Gassmann: [00:03:16] Sure, that sounds fascinating. And so, here at RIMS, is there one session that you’re most excited to attend when you were looking at the agenda or something that just stood out to you as, I definitely have to make sure that I make it over there?

Laura Casey: [00:03:32] So, maybe not just one. I think there were several. For me, it’s not so much about the enterprise risk. That’s a huge piece of risk management. But for me, I have a tendency to focus a little bit more on specifics about insurance or specifics about claims management, trying to understand the new cannabis landscape when it comes to businesses and their drug policies, and enforcing those. So, trying to pick out the sessions for me that aren’t so much about enterprise risk as much as it is the more specifics that can overlap for me.

Jamie Gassmann: [00:04:14] Got it. Very cool. Well, it was so great having you on our show, and having this opportunity to connect with you, and I hope you really have a great time here in meeting people and also in the learning. So, appreciate you being on.

Laura Casey: [00:04:29] Well, thanks for having me. Thanks for your hospitality. You guys have been great. I appreciate it. Enjoy the show.

Jamie Gassmann: [00:04:33] Yeah, thank you.

Laura Casey: [00:04:34] Thank you.

Outro: [00:04:39] Thank you for joining us on Workplace MVP. R3 Continuum is a proud sponsor of this show and is delighted to celebrate most valuable professionals who work diligently to secure safe workplaces where employees can thrive.

 

The R3 Continuum Playbook: The Good, the Bad, and the Cumulative: Is All Stress Equal?

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Minneapolis St. Paul Studio
Minneapolis St. Paul Studio
The R3 Continuum Playbook: The Good, the Bad, and the Cumulative: Is All Stress Equal?
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The R3 Continuum Playbook: The Good, the Bad, and the Cumulative: Is All Stress Equal?

R3 Continuum’s Vice President of Crisis Response Clinical Service, Jeff Gorter, MSW, LCSW, examined the different kinds of stress, how to recognize and manage stress within yourself, and how to seek help when you need it.

The full webinar can be found here.

The R3 Continuum Playbook is presented by R3 Continuum and is produced by the Minneapolis-St.Paul Studio of Business RadioX®. R3 Continuum is the underwriter of Workplace MVP, the show which celebrates heroes in the workplace.

TRANSCRIPT

Intro: [00:00:01] Broadcasting from the Business RadioX studios, here is your R3 Continuum Playbook. Brought to you by Workplace MVP sponsor, R3 Continuum, a global leader in workplace behavioral health, crisis, and security solutions.

Shane McNally: [00:00:15] Hi everyone. My name is Shane McNally, Digital Marketing Project Lead at R3 Continuum. On this episode of the R3 Continuum Playbook, we’ll be listening to a segment from a recent webinar that was presented by R3 Continuum’s Vice President of Crisis Response Clinical Services, Jeff Gorter. This webinar was titled The Good, The Bad, and the Cumulative: Is All Stress Equal? Jeff discussed what makes some stress good versus bad, and the important differentiators between the two, and what you can do in your day-to-day life to help mitigate all those stressors from becoming negative.

Jeff Gorter: [00:00:49] So if there are four different types of stress, if there are different types of stress, what is fascinating? And what I really want you to take away from this is that, interestingly enough, the body doesn’t differentiate between these different variations. The body doesn’t know—the reaction the body has between distress and new stress is pretty much the same, that adrenaline flush, the increased heart rate, the increased blood flow to the large muscle groups, all of that is the same whether it’s good stress or bad stress.

Jeff Gorter: [00:01:20] The body’s doing what the body does to face this challenge. The key here, research has shown that the mind does, the mind differentiates. And by that, I mean, their research has shown there is physiological cognitive changes that occur in the brain based on what’s called locus of control. And locus of control means, how much agency do I perceive myself to have in this situation? How much ability to influence it, to make choices, to take steps to affect this situation?

Jeff Gorter: [00:02:00] And so, if I have a high-level locus of control, if I believe that I can do something, that leads to literal physiological changes in your body and in your mind. So, it comes down to this, the event is the event, the stress is the stress. That’s not changing. The event is the event, but the interpretation I bring to it, what meaning I attribute to it makes all the difference. So, again, the event happens, and if I say to myself, okay, this was a difficult situation, but where it goes from here is up to me.

Jeff Gorter: [00:02:42] I believe I can make—this is something that is worth the fight and I think I can make a difference in this, or do I say, here it is, yet another horrible thing following a whole bunch of other horrible things, there’s no point in this, I can’t make any difference? What are my efforts going to amount to? There’s a point, an inflection point, it’s called, an inflection point, where we have to make a decision about what meaning we put on this.

Jeff Gorter: [00:03:12] Do we say, okay, yes, this was painful, but I am filled with hope that we can get through this, or do I say, this was painful, and I bet more is coming? And I have a sense of despair, a sense that it’s never going to get better. Do I have a sense of satisfaction that, okay, my efforts can make a difference and the choices I make right now are worth making, or do I say, I throw up my hands, I’m just a soccer ball on the field of life, and I just get kicked around, and it doesn’t really matter what I do or don’t do?

Jeff Gorter: [00:03:49] And again, you see, the meaning is what makes the difference. It’s not that the event is somehow different. It’s the event is the event, but that moment where I make a decision about, how do I interpret this, what does this mean about myself, or my family, or my company, or my country, that when I attribute a more positive meaning, the sense that I believe I can make a difference, it takes me in one direction.

Jeff Gorter: [00:04:20] If I feel there’s no point, I can never get through this, it’ll never get better, that takes me in a different direction. And neither one is a foregone conclusion. It all comes down to the interpretation that we have on it. And what is so fascinating, I think, is that it comes down to the power of belief, because research has shown it’s not as if—see, I didn’t want this to be a stress management presentation that says, here are the top 10 things you need to do to manage your stress.

Jeff Gorter: [00:04:57] We’ve all seen those. There’s lots of those out there. And I am going to give you some ways, some suggestions on how to manage the stress, so I’m not being pejorative in that, but what research has shown is that it’s not the coping skills that individuals have or don’t have that’s important. What counts are the coping skills they believe they have or not. There are 1,000 different ways to manage stress to the degree that you believe you can. It’s not as if there are some 10 FDA-approved stress management things, and these are the only ones you should do. No.

Jeff Gorter: [00:05:39] Each of us has our own unique set of life experiences, of resources, of talents, and ways that we can respond to stress if we believe we can. As simple as that sounds, that is incredibly profound, and that’s what makes the difference. So, there are some things that we can do that can help enhance that. So, it begins with, I can’t change what I don’t know, I need to be mindful, I need to pay attention to what my body is saying.

Jeff Gorter: [00:06:19] So, again, that physical reaction, am I tightening up? Am I walking around with my fists unconsciously clenched, because I’m ready for that fight response, or am I feeling like I could jump out of my skin and run out of the room every moment, because I’m in that flight mode? What is my body telling me? I need to pay attention to that in order to regain some control. And what is my mind saying? What’s my internal dialogue, as it were? What am I saying? Am I saying, okay, this is rough, but I think we can do it, or am I saying this is overwhelming and there’s no way I can make a difference, and why even try? Again, that internal dialogue, the meaning, what meaning am I applying to this?

Jeff Gorter: [00:07:07] Because that will influence my trajectory either up or down from here. So, I need to pay attention to what my body is saying, I need to pay attention to what my mind is saying, and I need to pay attention to what’s going on around me. Again, we are talking about this in a workplace setting, and so rarely are we alone. I am part of a work group. I am part of a team. I am part of a company or I’m part of a community.

Jeff Gorter: [00:07:36] And so, I don’t have to view it as if I’m doing it alone. I can begin to tap into the resources and the common strength that we have as a team, as a work team, a work group, or as a company. And I can begin to look at, how are we pulling together? I can notice those small moments when we’re rising above it and I can celebrate the victories step by step. Not that we make it all go away in one fell swoop, but that we take it step by step, and I am part of a group that is moving towards that. That can reduce the sense that it’s all up to me all the time. It isn’t.

Jeff Gorter: [00:08:20] And then, finally, getting back to the basics. Again, stress management techniques are not rocket science. It’s things that we can do if we stop and take care of the basics, like making sure that we are getting regular food, staying hydrated, trying to maintain sleep schedules as best we can, because stress is physically exhausting. It drains you of energy. And if I don’t take care of the basics, managing those kinds of things, including exercise, I’m going to become exhausted, and that just hampers my ability to manage it or to make better decisions about it.

Jeff Gorter: [00:09:05] And for a lot of people, we’ve all said this, well, I tried this, I tried exercising, it didn’t work, I tried meditation, it didn’t help, I tried prayer, for those who follow a faith perspective, I tried it and it just didn’t work. Well, what we typically mean by that is I tried it once and it didn’t work, so I moved on to something else, which means that I put myself on a constantly rotating trial and error process as if there is one big magic answer.

Jeff Gorter: [00:09:40] There is no one specific answer. What I need to do, it’s what’s called The Rule of &, which is to say, researchers have again found that if I want to make something effective, if I want to have it be a true part of my stress management system, the Rule of & says that if I do something seven times, I have gained familiarity. So, let’s say I’m talking about, let’s say, exercise. I want to go for a walk. I commit to say I want to go for a walk several times a week.

Jeff Gorter: [00:10:23] Now, I need to go for a walk seven times to gain familiarity with how that feels and how that fits into my life and my schedule. I need to do it another seven times to have mastery, where I’m beginning to get into a groove, and I feel like this is beginning to—I feel like I have a greater understanding of how to incorporate this into my stress management. I need to do it another seven times for it to become part of my routine, to become something that I go to reflexively without thinking, as opposed to it being something that I have to make a conscious effort to do.

Jeff Gorter: [00:11:06] And so, whatever the stress management activity that you’re going to do, mindfulness, prayer, journaling, walking, doing a craft, engaging in something else, whatever it is, I have to get past the idea that, well, I tried it once and it didn’t work. What you have to do is commit to doing it basically 21 times. The Rule of 7 says that I need to do it seven to get familiar, another seven to get mastery, another seven to incorporate it as part of my routine, but if I can commit to doing that, I’m going to have much more benefit from those activities.

Jeff Gorter: [00:11:48] And they can be small activities, little things, but if I commit to doing it 21 times, it becomes part of my repertoire and how I handle it. So, again, whatever it is, whether it’s exercise, meditation, prayer, journaling, whatever, I need to do it in a regular basis to really have any benefit. And then, finally, something that is, again, part of COVID is for those of us who are working remotely, for those of us who perhaps didn’t work remotely before, but now find myself in a long range plan, where that’s going to be the case, controlling what you can control, minimizing the disruptions.

Jeff Gorter: [00:12:32] We’ve all kind of become accustomed to, and we all sort of laugh and have a knowing nod and a knowing grin when a dog starts barking in the background or a cute toddler wanders through in the back. And so, that’s become a regular part, but I don’t think we realize that those are also things that add to our stress. So, being able to control what you can control to try and minimize those disruptions, because that just adds to that sense of cumulative stress, and doing those things we can to exert a level of control. Now that we are two years into it, we know we can do that in a way that doesn’t make it distracting and frustrating, and add more to my stress pile.

Shane McNally: [00:13:23] The past few years, I think we’ve seen a shift in how stress has impacted each other. Whether you’re working fully remote, fully in office or with a hybrid situation. Stress can affect us all in different ways. If you or your employees are feeling significant impacts with stress, you’re not alone. R3 Continuum can help. Connect with us and learn about our services at www.r3c.com or email us directly at info@r3c.com.

 

 

Show Underwriter

R3 Continuum (R3c) is a global leader in workplace behavioral health and security solutions. R3c helps ensure the psychological and physical safety of organizations and their people in today’s ever-changing and often unpredictable world. Through their continuum of tailored solutions, including evaluations, crisis response, executive optimization, protective services, and more, they help organizations maintain and cultivate a workplace of wellbeing so that their people can thrive. Learn more about R3c at www.r3c.com.

R3 Continuum is the underwriter of Workplace MVP, a show which celebrates the everyday heroes–Workplace Most Valuable Professionals–in human resources, risk management, security, business continuity, and the C-suite who resolutely labor for the well-being of employees in their care, readying the workplace for and planning responses to disruption.

Connect with R3 Continuum:  Website | LinkedIn | Facebook | Twitter

LIVE from RISKWORLD 2022: Ashish Saboo, Tech Synergy

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Tech Synergy
Minneapolis St. Paul Studio
LIVE from RISKWORLD 2022: Ashish Saboo, Tech Synergy
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Tech Synergy

LIVE from RISKWORLD 2022: Ashish Saboo, Tech Synergy

Tech Synergy provides transcription and knowledge processing services that support doctors performing claims evaluations and worker’s comp defense lawyers. Asish Saboo, Founder and CEO of Tech Synergy, described to host Jamie Gassmann all the services they provide, the labor and cost they can save their clients as well as streamline their work, who their ideal clients are, and more.

Workplace MVP is underwritten and presented by R3 Continuum and produced by the Minneapolis-St.Paul Studio of Business RadioX®.

This show was originally broadcast from the RIMS 2022 RISKWORLD Conference held at the Moscone Center in San Francisco, California.

Tech Synergy

Tech-Synergy is a leading provider of KPO services, including audio transcription and business support solutions to customers around the world.

Tech Synergy is known for transcription services, knowledge processing, call center solutions, and med-legal services helping you enhance your business productivity and effectiveness.

24/7 business support solution services from US, Philippines, and India.

Company website | LinkedIn | Facebook

Ashish Saboo, Founder and CEO, Tech Synergy

Ashish Saboo, Founder and CEO, Tech Synergy

LinkedIn

About Workplace MVP

Every day, around the world, organizations of all sizes face disruptive events and situations. Within those workplaces are everyday heroes in human resources, risk management, security, business continuity, and the C-suite. They don’t call themselves heroes though. On the contrary, they simply show up every day, laboring for the well-being of employees in their care, readying the workplace for and planning responses to disruption. This show, Workplace MVP, confers on these heroes the designation they deserve, Workplace MVP (Most Valuable Professionals), and gives them the forum to tell their story. As you hear their experiences, you will learn first-hand, real-life approaches to readying the workplace, responses to crisis situations, and overcoming challenges of disruption. Visit our show archive here.

Workplace MVP Host Jamie Gassmann

Jamie Gassmann, Host, “Workplace MVP”

In addition to serving as the host to the Workplace MVP podcast, Jamie Gassmann is the Director of Marketing at R3 Continuum (R3c). Collectively, she has more than fourteen years of marketing experience. Across her tenure, she has experience working in and with various industries including banking, real estate, retail, crisis management, insurance, business continuity, and more. She holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Mass Communications with special interest in Advertising and Public Relations and a Master of Business Administration from Paseka School of Business, Minnesota State University.

R3 Continuum

R3 Continuum is a global leader in workplace behavioral health and security solutions. R3c helps ensure the psychological and physical safety of organizations and their people in today’s ever-changing and often unpredictable world. Through their continuum of tailored solutions, including evaluations, crisis response, executive optimization, protective services, and more, they help organizations maintain and cultivate a workplace of wellbeing so that their people can thrive. Learn more about R3c at www.r3c.com.

Company website | LinkedIn | Facebook | Twitter

TRANSCRIPT

Intro: [00:00:03] Broadcasting live from Riskworld 2022 at the Moscone Center in San Francisco, it’s time for Workplace MVP. Brought to you by R3 Continuum, a global leader in helping workplaces thrive during disruptive times. Now, here’s your host.

Jamie Gassmann: [00:00:22] Hi, everyone. Your host, Jamie Gassmann here, and I am coming to you from Riskworld 2022’s Expo Hall in R3 Continuum’s Booth. And with mem I have Ashish Saboo from Tech Synergy. Welcome to the show.

Ashish Saboo: [00:00:36] Jamie, thank you. It’s a pleasure to be here.

Jamie Gassmann: [00:00:38] So, talk to me, Ashish, tell me a little bit about what Tech Synergy does.

Ashish Saboo: [00:00:42] Thank you for that. So, Tech Synergy is basically a back office service provider. What that means is we provide all kinds of support services to med legal evaluation companies, workers comp evaluation companies, law offices, and medical providers. So, with our three offices back in Philippines and in India, we are able to offer a variety of customized service to these kinds of service providers, services like scheduling through our call centers, doing record review through qualified nurses, then also doing transcription of evaluations and medical transcription work for various evaluating doctors, as well as being a virtual secretary for a lot of workers comp evaluation lawyers.

Ashish Saboo: [00:01:31] So, they can carry around just a cellphone with our dictation app in there. They tab, press, start speaking their correspondence or any kind of case report, and then within a couple of hours, they have the report back, and it works 24/7. So, we are able to offer a lot of cost savings and efficiencies to these firms and taking out those unnecessary additional costs from the whole evaluation process.

Jamie Gassmann: [00:01:56] Interesting. And so, how does—like from a customer perspective, tell me a little bit about that experience. Like if they’ve got this claim that they have, can you walk me through like how would that process look?

Ashish Saboo: [00:02:08] So, we work on certain aspects of the claim, so our process generally starts when the applicant is assigned to, say, a Q&A panel or something. So, there are two aspects to it. One is the workers comp defense firm who is on that case and the other is the evaluation company. So, the evaluation company, if we are working with them, then we basically get hold of the cover letter, the face sheet of the applicant, and then we will call the applicant on their behalf and create a schedule for actual history call.

Ashish Saboo: [00:02:42] And on that date, then we actually call the applicant, talk to them, sometimes, for 30 minutes, sometimes, maybe for an hour, sometimes, in English, sometimes, in Spanish, and get down their history of injury, their claim, what happened with them? Are they working? Their social history, their ideal activity of daily living, and create a comprehensive history report, which the evaluating doctor can use on the date of evaluation, which makes the evaluation go much faster.

Ashish Saboo: [00:03:09] So, a doctor, which might take like an hour for evaluation, and now, they can do it in 30, 45 minutes, so that’s a huge time saving. With that also comes a lot of medical records, so we are able to take 1,000, 1,500 pages of those medical records, take out the duplicates, sort them chronologically, create a hyperlink index, so it, again, becomes very easy for the doctor to go ahead and evaluate. Once the doctor does the evaluation, they use our smartphone app on their iPhone or Android, dictate the whole report, and then we put everything together, put it in their billing, maybe it’s a DC bill, maybe it’s a custom software, and that way, the end-to-end process, we are able to handle much more efficiently for them.

Jamie Gassmann: [00:03:55] Yeah, it’s like you’re streamlining the green spots.

Ashish Saboo: [00:03:57] Yeah, we are streamlining and also saving a lot of cost, because with about 10 to $12 an hour, we are pretty cost effective, and by being able to work 24/7, so we might be shutting shop here at 4:00 or 5:00 in the evening, but then the work continues in our offshore centers, and by the time you come back in the morning, your work is already done and ready to go.

Jamie Gassmann: [00:04:20] Yeah, interesting. So, do you have a panel of doctors, or are you outsourcing that from somewhere else, or is it the client’s doctors?

Ashish Saboo: [00:04:26] It’s the client’s doctor, so we are not doing anything which is actually medical in nature in the sense of actually evaluating or prescribing to the patient. All we are doing is actually just talking to them, getting their current status, and putting it in a form where it becomes easier for the doctor to use.

Jamie Gassmann: [00:04:46] Yeah. So, you’re almost like organizing the claim upfront for the company so that it makes that process, it’s like you’re giving a package to the doctor to move that process a little bit.

Ashish Saboo: [00:04:56] That is correct. That is as succinctly put. And on the other hand, with the worker’s comp defense lawyers, we are then able to also do the same for them. So, when they have long cases and they are dictating on it instead of using their secretaries who are only working 8:00 to 5:00, again, and worker’s comp lawyers, we have seen they work almost 18 hours a day.

Ashish Saboo: [00:05:19] So, they are dictating at 11:00 at night and they got the dictation back in one or two hours, so they are surprised. So, they are working and we are working with them. They can just pick up, again, our app, start dictating, hey, this is on Case So-and-so, this is a letter to applicant attorney, it comes back, formatted on their letterhead, ready to go. So, again, they can get a lot more value added work done out of secretary instead of just typing.

Jamie Gassmann: [00:05:44] Yeah. So, who is like the ideal client for that, that you typically are working with?

Ashish Saboo: [00:05:51] So, our ideal clients are workers comp evaluation law firms, and we have a lot of them. I think a few firms are right here. I saw D’Andre Law. They are our client, for example. Then, a lot of workers comp evaluation companies would be our ideal client. And we have majority of firms in Southern California as our clients right now.

Jamie Gassmann: [00:06:13] Wonderful. Well, it has been so great to chat with you. So, if somebody wanted to get more information from you about how your services could benefit their processes, how would they get a hold of you?

Ashish Saboo: [00:06:23] Oh, very easy. They can go to our website tech-synergy.com. Tech-synergy.com. Just look us up and we’d be glad to help out.

Jamie Gassmann: [00:06:34] Wonderful. Again, thank you for being on the show. It’s been great chatting.

Ashish Saboo: [00:06:38] Thank you, Jamie. Have a good one.

Outro: [00:06:44] Thank you for joining us on workplace MVP. R3 Continuum is a proud sponsor of this show and is delighted to celebrate most valuable professionals who work diligently to secure safe workplaces where employees can thrive.

 

 

LIVE from RISKWORLD 2022: Michael Zalle, YellowBird

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YellowBIrd
Minneapolis St. Paul Studio
LIVE from RISKWORLD 2022: Michael Zalle, YellowBird
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YellowBIrd

LIVE from RISKWORLD 2022: Michael Zalle, YellowBird

YellowBird fills a unique role in connecting companies with pros in risk & environmental, health, and safety. Founder and CEO Michael Zalle joined the show to discuss how it works, his thoughts on the valuable expertise of professionals, his experience at RISKWORLD 2022, and much more.

Workplace MVP is underwritten and presented by R3 Continuum and produced by the Minneapolis-St.Paul Studio of Business RadioX®.

This show was originally broadcast from the RIMS 2022 RISKWORLD Conference held at the Moscone Center in San Francisco, California.

YellowBird

Get matched with the best Risk & Environmental, Health, and Safety Pros on-demand! YellowBird connects Companies with Professionals in hours, not days or weeks.

Companies & Professionals register on YellowBird, Pros list their skills, certifications and experience, then complete The 4-step onboarding process. Companies post jobs on-demand! YellowBird handles everything else, including accounting and insurance.YellowBird matches the right Pro to the Job, then manages the process to completion.

Company website | LinkedIn | Facebook

Michael Zalle, Founder and CEO, YellowBird

Michael Zalle, Founder and CEO, YellowBird

LinkedIn

About Workplace MVP

Every day, around the world, organizations of all sizes face disruptive events and situations. Within those workplaces are everyday heroes in human resources, risk management, security, business continuity, and the C-suite. They don’t call themselves heroes though. On the contrary, they simply show up every day, laboring for the well-being of employees in their care, readying the workplace for and planning responses to disruption. This show, Workplace MVP, confers on these heroes the designation they deserve, Workplace MVP (Most Valuable Professionals), and gives them the forum to tell their story. As you hear their experiences, you will learn first-hand, real-life approaches to readying the workplace, responses to crisis situations, and overcoming challenges of disruption. Visit our show archive here.

Workplace MVP Host Jamie Gassmann

Jamie Gassmann, Host, “Workplace MVP”

In addition to serving as the host to the Workplace MVP podcast, Jamie Gassmann is the Director of Marketing at R3 Continuum (R3c). Collectively, she has more than fourteen years of marketing experience. Across her tenure, she has experience working in and with various industries including banking, real estate, retail, crisis management, insurance, business continuity, and more. She holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Mass Communications with special interest in Advertising and Public Relations and a Master of Business Administration from Paseka School of Business, Minnesota State University.

R3 Continuum

R3 Continuum is a global leader in workplace behavioral health and security solutions. R3c helps ensure the psychological and physical safety of organizations and their people in today’s ever-changing and often unpredictable world. Through their continuum of tailored solutions, including evaluations, crisis response, executive optimization, protective services, and more, they help organizations maintain and cultivate a workplace of wellbeing so that their people can thrive. Learn more about R3c at www.r3c.com.

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TRANSCRIPT

Intro: [00:00:03] Broadcasting live from Riskworld 2022 at the Moscone Center in San Francisco, it’s time for Workplace MVP. Brought to you by R3 Continuum, a global leader in helping workplaces thrive during disruptive times. Now, here’s your host.

Jamie Gassmann: [00:00:23] Hey, everyone. Jamie Gassmann, your host of workplace MVP, here again at Riskworld 2022 with my guest, Michael Zalle.

Michael Zalle: [00:00:32] Hello. Good morning.

Jamie Gassmann: [00:00:33] Yes. And I’m going to rhyme with your name, my new pal.

Michael Zalle: [00:00:38] Good trick. Good trick.

Jamie Gassmann: [00:00:40] Yeah. You actually told me that’s what it rhymed with so I had to leverage that in the interview. So, you are with YellowBird.

Michael Zalle: [00:00:46] I am.

Jamie Gassmann: [00:00:47] So, tell me a little bit about what YellowBird is, your role at YellowBird, and just kind of give us a background on you.

Michael Zalle: [00:00:53] All right. Wow. I’m the founder. So, I started the company about three years ago. We are an on-demand people business and we focus on matching professionals in environmental, health, safety, and risk. And so, what that means is we have a platform for loss control and safety organizations to bring in the right people with the right skills on demand, and we do all the work, essentially.

Jamie Gassmann: [00:01:22] Interesting. So, give me a little kind of like scenario of how your platform would work.

Michael Zalle: [00:01:29] Okay. I was actually just talking to a group over here who’s a consultant firm. And so, everybody goes, “Oh, you’re competing with the consulting firms.” We’re really not. So if you have a big consulting practice or you have a large organization and you’re running your own loss control practices and you have 30 sites you need to do an environmental assessment on, and 25 of those sites are perfect for your staff and five of those sites you don’t know what the heck you’re going to do, so you say, okay, who do we know in these five states? And the answer is, well, we probably have people who could fly around and get there. And so, this went from a profitable deal to an unprofitable deal in those locations.

Michael Zalle: [00:02:10] We can help basically facilitate that type of work. Or in the case of loss control, like in an insurance organization, they’re constantly doing assessments. And so, we can help them bring the loss control process down to mid-market where realistically they go deeper dive when you get upmarket because they can afford to do it so they can send people out rather than just doing self-assessments.

Jamie Gassmann: [00:02:37] Yeah. So like for those in a sense, it’s almost like you’re tapping into the pool of people you have within your platform and finding an expert in that location that can help support that need, correct?

Michael Zalle: [00:02:48] Yeah. Absolutely.

Jamie Gassmann: [00:02:49] Awesome.

Michael Zalle: [00:02:50] And, what we try to do is we go well beyond their certs. So for us, the certifications are important but the background and experience and history. So I’ll give you an example. You have a client that’s at a chemical organization and they need somebody to come in and do a chemical assessment. And you have somebody on the platform that was 30 years at DuPont who’s retired who says, “I want to stay in the game.” Well, I can send that person out and they would be able to, assuming legally they’re allowed and all the other things. But assuming that they’re allowed and they’re not under a non-circumvention or non-compete or anything like that, they could go out and they could do the assessment. So, you could get somebody with 30 years of DuPont experience going to a regional chemical place where otherwise they wouldn’t have access to that world of knowledge.

Jamie Gassmann: [00:03:37] Interesting. So, you’re here at RIMS.

Michael Zalle: [00:03:42] Yes.

Jamie Gassmann: [00:03:42] Are you an exhibitor this year or are you just kind of moseying around and kind of looking at it for future? You know what – yeah.

Michael Zalle: [00:03:47] So, well, we’re throwing a big party, so I’m excited about that.

Jamie Gassmann: [00:03:52] Yeah.

Michael Zalle: [00:03:52] I am not an exhibitor this year and we chose not to be for a couple of reasons. One, we’re a small organization. We have 27 people now on staff. We’re raising venture capital a couple of years back and we are growing rapidly, but we can’t do as many shows as I want to do. So, I always try to walk through and see, you know, what’s it all about. This is a great show. This is a great event. So, we will be exhibiting in the future. I was hopeful that I was going to be speaking this year and I was not selected to speak this year because it was just such a tight sketch.

Jamie Gassmann: [00:04:26] Absolutely. Yeah.

Michael Zalle: [00:04:27] But hopefully, I will speak next year because I’m somewhat of a subject matter expert on the changing nature of work in general, which is a big hot button in today’s world.

Jamie Gassmann: [00:04:37] Yeah.

Michael Zalle: [00:04:38] So that’s my hope. But, yeah, I’m just exhibiting and eating and drinking and being Michael.

Michael Zalle: [00:04:44] Social. Yeah. I was going to ask if you had been presenting, what would your topic be that you would present on?

Michael Zalle: [00:04:51] The complexities of running a consulting practice. Because I think most people, most professionals have this mindset of when I stop working, I want to consult and they should. That is a natural inclination. And, I’ve got all this work. There’s an old quote, and I don’t know where it comes from and I should know because I use it a fair amount, that when an elder dies it’s like burning a library. And I look at it like when a knowledge holder retires, it’s like burning a library, where there’s only so many times that you can go back to these people and there’s only so much information that you would’ve been able to glean from them. And so, you will either consult and be one-client consultation or you will start your own consulting practice and then you have to hustle. And most knowledge workers are not hustlers. They’re, you know, they haven’t had to be.

Michael Zalle: [00:05:44] And so, the most the biggest challenges with starting your own consulting practice are obviously getting the insurance and getting the business set up. And then, of course, it’s billing and receiving and then it’s customer service, all the things that as a risk and safety executive you don’t want to do.

Jamie Gassmann: [00:06:02] Oh, absolutely. Yeah.

Michael Zalle: [00:06:03] It’s the worst part of anybody’s business, but we do it for them. And so, I wouldn’t really focus it on YellowBird per se. But really, the inclination and the wishes of becoming a consultant combined with the, is it really worth my effort?

Jamie Gassmann: [00:06:19] Yeah.

Michael Zalle: [00:06:19] And so, we try to make it worth their effort to keep them in the game.

Jamie Gassmann: [00:06:22] Yeah, I love that. It’s almost like it’s okay to ask for help, right?

Michael Zalle: [00:06:26] Totally.

Jamie Gassmann: [00:06:26] And sometimes, you know, when you’re an expert, you don’t think about that. But it is, you know, as a leader, I’ve heard more and more about that. It’s okay to ask for that help. So, that’s fantastic.

Michael Zalle: [00:06:36] Oh, absolutely. Well, thank you.

Jamie Gassmann: [00:06:38] If our listeners wanted to get a hold of you, how would they go about doing that?

Michael Zalle: [00:06:41] So, our website is goyellowbird.com. Just like it sounds, G-O, yellowbird.com. We’re on all the socials, @goyellowbird. And if you are in San Francisco, you can come to one of our parties because we’re having a party on Tuesday night. So, hopefully, actually, this is not going to be heard before then, so. Too bad you missed our party on Tuesday night. It was fantastic.

Jamie Gassmann: [00:07:05] Yeah. You just showed off your ping pong skills, I hear.

Michael Zalle: [00:07:08] Yes. We’re going to a ping pong bar.

Jamie Gassmann: [00:07:11] I love that idea. Yes. Well, it has been an absolute pleasure.

Michael Zalle: [00:07:15] Thank you.

Jamie Gassmann: [00:07:15] And, it was so great to meet you and talk with you on our episode here. So, thank you for joining me.

Michael Zalle: [00:07:19] My pleasure. I’m glad you’re here.

Outro: [00:07:26] Thank you for joining us on Workplace MVP. R3 Continuum is a proud sponsor of this show and is delighted to celebrate most valuable professionals who work diligently to secure safe workplaces where employees can thrive.

 

 

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