『Deconstructing Comp』のカバーアート

Deconstructing Comp

Deconstructing Comp

著者： Yvonne Guibert & Rafael Gonzalez
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Now in Season 6! We are still breaking down complex workers' compensation issues into bite-sized nuggets, one conversation at a time, with one slight twist. We are finally doing what we set out to do when we started: discuss the nuances of our fascinating system in "Cliff Notes" style summaries.


Yvonne Guibert and Rafael Gonzalez approach workers' comp conversations from different backgrounds. Still, they share many things in common, such as their love for family and friends, a passion for Latin culture, and good old-fashioned belly laughs. Join them as they chat with industry friends and colleagues, learn more about their roles, laugh, and have fun along the way. You might learn something along the way! See you soon! ¡Hasta pronto!

© 2026 Deconstructing Comp 出世 就職活動 経済学
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  • Sandy Avina: Riskfetti is Here!

    Sandy Avina: Riskfetti is Here!
    2026/05/22
    Send us Fan MailYvonne and Rafael are so excited (and you can tell!). Yvonne declares she's Sandy's biggest fan! And honestly? After listening to this conversation, you'll understand why. Sandy Avina has figured out something our industry has been struggling with for over 100 years: how to make workers' compensation accessible, engaging, and even fun.Sandy Avina, MBA, is a Claim Services Manager with California Schools JPA, a self-insured public risk pool that serves K-12 school districts, community colleges, and regional occupational programs throughout San Bernardino County, California.What we get into:📱 An Industry Image Problem — Workers' comp has been around for over a century, but most people don't understand it. Why? We talk about it amongst ourselves, but not so much outside the industry. Meanwhile, the plaintiff's bar, applicant attorneys, and others are actively shaping the narrative on social media, podcasts, and elsewhere. We're not telling our own story — so someone else is telling it for us. The result? High litigation rates and misaligned employee expectations. 🎬 Creativity Is the Default — Sandy unpacks the "curse of knowledge" — the more you become an expert in something, the harder it is to teach beginners. But here's the thing: creativity is our human default. Kids are naturally creative. We train it out of ourselves. Sandy decided to flip that and use humor, trending music, and creative storytelling to make insurance approachable. Videos like her "Bon Jovi unit of measurement" (halfway there!) explain complex claims concepts in a fun and memorable way. 🏫 JPAs and Public Risk Management — Working with school districts across San Bernardino County (the largest county geographically in the US), Sandy manages the complexity of serving districts from the mountains to the desert. Every district has different challenges, no budget for risk management, and someone wearing a "hat on top of a hat" trying to figure it all out. This is the real-world landscape most of our industry works in.💡 The Real Disconnect — Insurance is marketed as a commodity ("buy our insurance because we're cheap!") when it's actually a contractual promise. We don't teach kids about insurance in school. We don't train managers on the basics. We don't talk about it until a claim is filed. And then we wonder why our image suffers. The fix? Start education earlier, communicate more clearly, and invest in your people.💼 What We Could Be Doing Better — Two big opportunities: (1) Train your managers. Over one hundred years in, people still struggle with the concept of a no-fault system. Managers are the first point of contact for injured workers — they need to understand the basics and know that there's no retaliation. (2) Look beyond statutory benefits. A person's life is impacted in many ways outside workers' comp. For example, Sandy says TPAs and carriers could easily provide links to helpful resources, such as posting videos that explain to injured workers how to perform functional tasks with modifications, and adaptive living tips, as well as resources like the Kind Souls Foundation for people who are struggling and need a warm line for support. These are small actions to show we actually care about patient outcomes. And it often costs nothing.📚 Riskfetti Is Here — Sandy (with Angel Guerra) has just released a book called Riskfetti: Risk Management for the Rest of Us. Sandy said, it's intentionally not the War and Peace of risk management — it's the "Go Dog Go" version. Aimed at people in small to mid-sized organizations who have risk responsibilities but no background in insurance. No jargon. No overwhelm. Just what you need to know.Sandy's closing wisdom: > "Creativity is the default for everyone. We just need to remember that."Off the clock: Sandy runs what her husband calls "Birdtown USA" (she's the mayor!) in her backyard — complete with feeders, cameras, and app alerts. She's currently trying to befriend the crows in her neighborhood. Did you know crows are very intelligent and have a structured schedule? When she retires, Sandy says, she's going to be a birder. 🐦Resources Sandy mentioned:Pollack Peacebuilding Systems (a consulting practice)A book called Peaceful Leadership (Available on Amazon) Find Sandy:LinkedIn: Sandy Avina, MBATikTok: @riskinfluencerWebsite: riskinfluencer.orgBook: Riskfetti: Risk Management for the Rest of Us (Available on Amazon)¡Muchas Gracias! Thank you for listening. We would appreciate you sharing our podcast with your friends on social media. Find Yvonne and Rafael on Linked In or follow us on Twitter @deconstructcomp
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    57 分
  • Michael Brennan: Shark Tales

    Michael Brennan: Shark Tales
    2026/05/07

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    Yvonne is joining from her hometown of Bandera, Texas (where the weather can't make up its mind — thirties one day, nineties the next), and Rafael just got back from Chicago. Which is the perfect segue to today's guest — Michael Brennan, Chairman of the Illinois Workers' Compensation Commission, joining us from a snowy Chicago, where, apparently, the high twenties counts as mild. Brrrrrr.

    Highlights of this episode:

    ⚖️ Workers' Comp Is a Right, Not a Giveaway — Michael gets personal here. As the grandson of a permanently disabled worker who received nothing back in the 1920s, he brings a deeply human perspective to why this system matters. Workers' comp protects both the worker and the employer — and that point gets lost far too often.

    🏛️ Inside the Illinois Commission — Illinois is not a fund state. The Commission's role is as an adjudicatory body — they resolve disputes, they don't pay benefits. With over 350 insurance carriers writing workers' comp in Illinois and 500+ self-insured employers, the scale is massive. Michael puts it simply: workers' comp is a $3 billion industry in Illinois alone.

    🤝 Collaboration Is the Secret Sauce — Michael credits a lot of Illinois' progress to building real relationships with the bar, stakeholders, business, labor, and medicine. His philosophy? "When you're throwing rocks at one another, you usually don't get too much done." During COVID, he held monthly calls with 40-50 attorneys to navigate changes together — and it worked.

    📱 The Challenge for the Next Generation — Remote work has changed everything. Michael shared that perhaps younger attorneys and adjusters are missing out on the hallway conversations and organic relationship-building that shaped veterans like Michael. His advice: pick up the phone. Call each other. The technology is there — use it to connect with your colleagues, not just to communicate.

    📄 Going Paperless — and Making It Stick — When Michael came in, the Commission was drowning in paper. His number one goal: go paperless. By April 2021, they had done it system-wide. The bar resisted at first. Then begged for more. Last year, they settled over 30,000 cases and disposed of slightly more cases than were filed new. That reflects a system that's working.

    "Same rules, new set of sharks." — The line that brought Michael Brennan from the attorney general's office, where he was prosecuting medicaid fraud, into the wonderful world of workers' comp. And honestly? It's one of the best descriptions of insurance and law that we've heard.


    Michael's closing thought: "My hope is that by the time I walk out, our workers' compensation system will be in better shape than we found it." Sounds familiar, doesn't it? 😄

    For more information about the Illinois Workers' Compensation Commission, click here.

    Hasta luego! 👋

    ¡Muchas Gracias! Thank you for listening. We would appreciate you sharing our podcast with your friends on social media. Find Yvonne and Rafael on Linked In or follow us on Twitter @deconstructcomp

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    50 分
  • Heather Lore: Betting on the Next Generation

    Heather Lore: Betting on the Next Generation
    2026/04/23

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    Yvonne and Rafael sit down with Heather Lore, Executive Director of the IAIABC, for a conversation that covers some important (and undertalked) topics in workers' comp right now.

    What we get into:

    🌍 A Truly Global Community: The International Association of Industrial Accident Boards and Commissions (IAIABC) is the oldest workers' comp organization in the country, at 112 years, with members spanning the US, Canada, Europe, Asia, and Australia. There's something powerful about realizing that professionals around the world are grappling with the same challenges and learning from one another.

    🌡️ Heat-Related Injuries: They're more common than the data shows. Heather says this is largely because they're underreported. She breaks down what's happening, what states like Oregon and California are doing about it, and what employers can do today. Here's the WCRI research study, and it's worth a read.

    ⚖️ A Noble Profession: No matter your role in workers' comp, everyone is pulling toward the same outcome: getting an injured worker back to a functioning life. That's a mission worth discussing further.

    🌱 The Next Generation of WC Professionals: Workers' comp is a harder sell than it should be. Heather makes the case for why it's actually a fascinating career, and shares a simple job posting tweak that one organization used to send applications through the roof.

    🏆 The IAIABC Next Gen Awards Program: It's Heather's favorite thing the IAIABC does. Since 2017, they've recognized 68 rising leaders from every corner of the industry. She's currently sorting through nominations for the next cohort... and says it's going to be really difficult choosing award recipients, and it's a good problem to have.

    Heather's parting thought: The IAIABC's vision is a world free from the pain and loss of work injuries and illnesses. She says it's important to find small ways to have an impact. That's where joy and meaning live.

    Until next time, ¡Hasta luego! 👋

    ¡Muchas Gracias! Thank you for listening. We would appreciate you sharing our podcast with your friends on social media. Find Yvonne and Rafael on Linked In or follow us on Twitter @deconstructcomp

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    46 分
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