Our “Star Adjuster” series is going great and we continue to learn great things from talking to some of our adjusters. We can’t wait to see what else is in store for us, so be sure to keep submitting your nominations!

As part of the “Year of the Adjuster” we are featuring posts inspired from our roundtable discussion with adjusters. These conversations give adjusters the chance to speak to us and to each other at a more in-depth level so we can further understand what goes on in the world of adjusters. Keep a look out for our continued posts of the roundtable discussion and one-on-one interviews so we can truly make this the Year of the Adjuster!

Our group comes to us from AMERISAFE, a specialty provider for small to mid-sized employers in hazardous industries in over 30 jurisdictions. They utilize Field Case Managers, who carry low claims workloads in order to spend more time with employers and their injured workers, facilitating prompt resolution of claims. Our four adjusters are in different jurisdictions and have different responsibilities, but we still see a similarity in the way they spend their time and what they think is important about their job.

Our first post of the series was a huge hit and we are going to continue with the next question we posed to the roundtable…

What is the most rewarding part about being an adjuster?

Anna: I’ve kind of got a legal and a criminal justice background, but have an interest in investigation type work. For me, it kind of fulfills that goal because there’s obviously a lot of that- we investigate and process the claims. I really enjoy doing that.

It’s also good to help people navigate through what can be a very difficult time for people that have serious, legitimate injuries. We meet with their families. Over the period of time that you have those claims, you get to know their families and those people very well. You can really help them navigate through the workers’ comp system which can be very confusing-even to a claims person at times! That’s what I enjoy most about claims handling and working as an adjuster.

Nancy: One of the things that I like is, and this is particular to working with Amerisafe, is that we do get out and meet with the claimants and I have lots of telephone conversations with my claimants. They all have a preconceived notion of the workers’ comp is not going to treat you fairly and their friends have told them, the attorney’s commercials are telling everybody, “Beware, workers’ comp” and frequently I hear, “This has just been such a better experience than we were anticipating.” We even get positive comments from the workers’ comp commission when our non-represented claimants are going for settlements. My attorneys call and consistently say, “Well, the judge told them again, ‘You’re so lucky to have Amerisafe as the company that handled your claim. They really look out for their people.'” Those things just make me proud for what we are able to do for these people.

Tabetha: I would definitely agree with that. Nancy, I think you nailed that, because that’s one aspect of Amerisafe that I enjoy, that we actually get that personal one-on-one with everybody involved. I think that helps build the rapport and inevitably I think it helps the outcome of the claims as well.

One of the things I really like about my job is, obviously I love to help people, the ones that are legitimately injured and need help and that want to get back to work. Those are the ones that make your job; they make you feel satisfied at the end of the day. On a daily basis, I really like the fast paced aspect of this job. There’s always something new every day. You’re always constantly learning. I really love that as well.

Karen: I agree with everyone and especially Nancy because I have had that similar situation happen so many times during handling claims, mostly when I was a field case manager. It was so rewarding to hear like the claimant or the injured worker would say, “I called the doctor’s office and I told them who my compensation carrier was and who my adjuster was and they said, ‘Oh you have really got a really good adjuster to work with.'” Those types of things I think are all derived from the fact that we do have the hands-on approach to the in-person claims handling and it’s great that we’re allowed that freedom.

The thing that I would say is most rewarding in my job as a supervisor is the fact that I’m in the position that I can teach the adjusters that work underneath me the different things and experiences that I’ve had. I love that aspect of it, because I love to teach and give people hints and help them along the way with what to do.

…We’ve seen that adjusters care deeply about their jobs and they all work hard to get their employees back to work. These ladies obviously have a lot to say and we are excited to hear their opinions on some other pressing issues in the life of claims adjusters!

Tell us what you think! Do you agree/disagree with our panelists? Get in the conversation yourself at our LinkedIn page and share what’s on your mind!