For an industry that spends a lot of time talking about indemnity and medical benefits, RTW, litigation, and now artificial intelligence, it is remarkable how often the biggest factor influencing outcomes comes down to something much simpler.
Human connection.
That was the central theme of a session I attended at the Tennessee Bureau of Workers’ Compensation Annual Education Conference on June 11. The session, Working for a Brighter Day: Rewriting the Narrative for Success Using Empathy, featured three people I have come to know and respect tremendously over the years: Greg Hamlin, Mollie Kallen, and Dr. Josh Schuette. Each brought a different perspective – claims leadership, case management, and clinical recovery respectively – but they all arrived at the same conclusion.
Empathy is not a nice thing to do. It is a smart thing to do.
And perhaps most importantly for an industry that measures everything, it is a profitable thing to do.
Since our founding in 2022, WorkCompCollege.com has advocated for the adoption of a workers’ recovery mindset. For more than a decade before that, I advocated for a biopsychosocial treatment approach that takes the whole person into account. At its core, those philosophies recognize that injured workers are more than diagnoses, body parts, claim numbers, or reserve estimates. Recovery is influenced by physical health but also by emotional well-being, family dynamics, financial stress, social support, purpose, and hope. Greg, Mollie, and Josh reinforced just how important that broader perspective has become.
Mollie started things off by defining empathy as being able to look at the injured worker holistically rather than focusing solely on the injury itself. She spoke about social determinants of health, which are the economic, educational, social, and environmental factors that influence recovery. A shoulder injury is never just a shoulder injury if the injured worker is worried about paying rent, caring for children, navigating transportation challenges, or wondering whether they still have a future with their employer. Understanding that person requires curiosity, conversation, and … empathy.
Josh expanded on that idea by reminding everyone that two people with the exact same diagnosis can have dramatically different outcomes. One recovers quickly while another struggles. The difference often has less to do with medicine and more to do with the person behind the diagnosis. That is why Josh engages his patients (with a song, or as a DC Comics superhero, or just a smile) as people, not as billable time.
During the pandemic, Greg began challenging his organization to rethink how claims were handled. The goal wasn’t simply to administer benefits according to statute. The goal was to create cooperation, trust, and ultimately better outcomes. The result was what he described as an “empathetic resolution model.” Rather than asking, “What is the minimum we are required to do?” the question became, “What is the right thing to do?” Greg powerfully made the point that nothing precludes a claims professional from doing more than what the statutes or regulations require. They are the floor, not the ceiling.
In one example, Greg talked about an injured worker who suffered devastating injuries and experienced a delay in benefit payments due to an internal system issue. Rather than simply explaining the problem and asking for patience, Greg’s team dug deeper and learned the worker had no food in the house. In response, they provided groceries while working to resolve the payment issue. The cost was one percent of the $200,000 claim reserve. That minimal cost earned trust, prevented unnecessary conflict, and demonstrated that someone genuinely cared. Interestingly, not only did the injured worker recognize their compassion and creativity but his own claims team did as well. It confirmed their culture.
This story illustrates something our industry sometimes forgets. Empathy and financial performance are not opposing forces. They are often aligned.
Greg shared that his organization’s empathy-focused approach has produced a return on equity in the 26-28% range. That means doing the right thing is not just morally satisfying but operationally effective. Trust reduces friction. Cooperation reduces litigation. Communication reduces misunderstandings. Employee retention improves. Outcomes – physical and financial – improve. The total cost of the claim declines as a result.
That is a lesson far beyond workers’ compensation. While it applies to how we interact with colleagues, clients, and injured workers, it also applies to:
- Leadership
- Parenting
- Marriage
- Friendships
One topic that generated considerable discussion was artificial intelligence. Unsurprisingly, all three agreed that AI will continue changing how work gets done. But they also agreed on something equally important: AI cannot replace empathy. It can help draft emails (Greg did a real-time AI edit to add empathy to a benefits description). It can help summarize information (Mollie mentioned how it creates efficiencies for case managers). It can reduce documentation burden (Josh shared a hospital that reported a 38-minute reduction in documentation time).
However, it cannot notice a subtle facial expression that reveals anxiety. It cannot hear the hesitation in someone’s voice. It cannot build trust through authentic human connection. That distinction matters.
The future may belong to organizations that use AI effectively, but it will also belong to organizations that preserve humanity while doing so.
As the session concluded, the panel summarized their message using six simple words: Educate. Communicate. Celebrate. Consider. Support. Evolve.
Those aren’t just workers’ compensation strategies. They are life strategies.
- Educate people before problems occur
- Communicate consistently and clearly
- Celebrate progress and success
- Consider the circumstances others may be facing
- Support them when they need help
- And continually evolve based on what you learn
Those six principles could improve virtually every relationship we have. They certainly can improve recovery outcomes.
Empathy is not weakness. It is not softness. It is not lowering standards. It is not abandoning accountability.
Instead, empathy is listening and understanding. Empathy recognizes that every person we encounter is carrying burdens we may not see that can impact what we do see. Empathy is consciously choosing to humanly engage.
Some individuals and organizations still view empathy as an added task that slows the process and increases the cost. The evidence increasingly suggests it may be one of the highest returns on investment they can make.
Perhaps that is the real lesson from my friends Greg, Mollie, and Josh.
Being human is not separate from achieving results. Being human is often how the best results are achieved.
In a world increasingly focused on technology, efficiency, and compliance, maybe the greatest competitive advantage available to any of us is remarkably simple: Treat people like people.
