Year End: a Time to Look Back and to Look Forward

Once again we find ourselves at the end of the year. I’ve seen some “year in review” stories in the news covering everything from world politics and natural disasters, to sports highlights and happenings in entertainment and the arts.

But I’d like to zoom in much closer: what about you and your business? What were your highlights, your news from the last year? Did your company hit it’s sales growth numbers? Were you able to hire as many people as you need to run effectively? Were you able to hit your goals in your strategic plan, or were the winds of changes so strong you were just happy to survive? Whatever happened to you and your business I think it is always a great thing to take an honest look back in order for us to move forward.

The Insurance nerd in me also likes to encourage my clients to work with their Safety Committees to look back on what happened last year. Ordering a set of loss runs from your insurance carrier for the committee to review is one really great place to start. I also recommend items like the following:

·         Review your OSHA 100 logs, internal claim reports, accidents investigations or near misses.

·         What were the committees’ safety initiatives and goals? Did you achieve them?

·         Were you able to reduce the work comp experience mod this year?

·         Did you round out your Light Duty and Return-to-work programs?

·         Did you get your driver training done like you wanted to?

·         Did you get all of the maintenance done on your property this year?

Finally, have an open discussion about what should you be looking to do for next year. Be creative! It could even be something like  starting a new program or working on an OSHA Safety Grant for some new Personal Protection Equipment.

And here’s where you get to connect with your agent again! For your last step, make  sure to package all your safety and loss control results, so that you can share that with your agent. This ensures that they can work with your insurance carrier to be sure that you are getting all of the credit that you deserve, and get the best possible insurance rates that are available to you.   

So, as you celebrate this Holiday Season, take time to be present with your family and friends. When it is time to look back at the old year and ring in the new one, look back at your business as well, celebrate your accomplishments, and plan for a safe and successful new year!!