How Are Workers Comp Webinars Sustaining Their Popularity?
Workers Comp webinars should have faded into the mist after the pandemic was officially over late last year. People are social beings or as we all had thought – I cannot stand one more webinar or video meeting.
Let us cover these three concepts to see if we can still stand the ubiquitous webinars and video meetings we all withstood during the pandemic with a light at the end of the tunnel – (or maybe not.) These came from talking with many different WC/Risk Management/Safety friends and ancillary service vendors.
- Massive level of remote workers – many in another state
- Budgets are still adjusted for no travel post-pandemic
- 24+ months of being conditioned to dislike large in-person groups
2022 – Bye Bye Workers Comp Webinars – not so fast
At the beginning of 2022 and for most of the year, the in-person meetings and conferences seemed to pick up steam quickly, I traveled extensively to the big conferences and meetings. Then, something interesting occurred – webinars became the norm again to replace many of the in-person meetings and conferences.
Not all conferences or meetings shrank extensively in 2022 or 2023. Then mid-2023, the move back toward video meetings and conferences happened under the radar. I do realize in 2018 and 2019 many workers comp webinars were already switched to video.
Remote Workers
One very common theme pops up in almost every conversation that I have with anyone from the world of workers comp. Most insurance workers now work from home with possibly one or two days in-office per week.
Workers comp claims adjusters did not return to full-time in-office situations. Many that I have spoken with are OK with working from home. Do adjusters need to be in the office to sit in front of a screen all day when they can do that at home? For a few cents a day, a claims adjuster or any workers comp insurance personnel can be tracked for performance; hours worked; and what apps the workers used during the day. J&L is paying $6.99 a month per seat for full tracking and time monitoring with our web contractors.
Workers Comp Webinars and Meetings On A Budget
In early 2023, at in-person conferences/meetings, I heard something that used to be rare and now is commonplace. Even Senior Execs said they were not going to a certain conference or meeting because of budgetary concerns.
Switching a budget from where no one travels to where everyone travels to every conference and meeting may have overloaded budgets. The phrase, “Can you do it by video” is very prevalent with CFOs currently. CFOs are not to blame as the pool of insureds and their premium reduced greatly during and just after the pandemic.
Conditioned to Video
Video conferences became so popular in 2020 and 2021 that I wrote a few articles on how to speed up online connections to workers comp webinars and meetings. The article still works today for working online.
We were taught to stand six feet apart and wear masks. Old habits die hard including getting used to in-person meetings and conferences again.
