"Applying for real life jobs... scary!"

Pinnacol tries to reach candidates interested in exploring careers with us many different ways. We're on Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube, and Twitter. So it's not unusual to see in my in-box that someone new is following me on Twitter. I usually click the link that takes me to their Twitter page just to see who they are and to try to understand why they are following us.

This morning I had a notification from a student, Bailey, at Iowa State University who appears to be brand new to all things tweeted. She had tweeted just once, but her single tweet speaks volumes: "Applying for real life jobs... scary!" And they say that you can't say much in 140 characters or less...

To Bailey I first say thank you for following us - we hope some of the information we share is useful. And second, welcome to the real world - applying for real jobs is scary at any age, so you are in good company. I remember when I was in your shoes getting ready to graduate from college and looking for my first 'real' job. Despite all the help I could finagle from my college career center, friends, and parents I really had no clue what I was doing. From writing a resume and cover letter that would make me stand out from the crowd, to the first face-to-face interview it was all a brave new world.

The job market Bailey is facing is radically different from the one I faced all those years ago. However, some things haven't changed despite all the new technology, social media, and increased competition for every job available. The ability to interact at a human level won't necessarily get you an interview, but by and large it is still what will get you the job. My wife, who is a teacher, constantly is giving me examples of students who can text faster than a speeding bullet but who have an inordinate amount of difficulty actually communicating with others face to face.

I'll give Bailey credit - she actually tweeted a simple, easily understood thought. So many tweets are indecipherable either due to the  abbreviation required by the 140 character limit or because you're left guessing at what the person tweeting really meant.

She also made me remember that in just a couple of months a whole new crop of recent graduates will be entering the job market. I wish Bailey well as she begins her search. Scary as the job market may be, it still remains a brave new world out there. That's something else that hasn't changed.

Sometimes little things mean a lot...

Sometimes little things mean a lot. Literally. Take something as innocuous as a pop-top from a beverage can. At about 1 inch in length and just a couple of grams in weight it doesn't amount to much. But through a recycling program benefiting the Ronald McDonald House pop-tops can make a world of difference for the families of sick children.

One of our company's nurses, Betty, has been championing a program to collect and donate pop-tops to the Ronald McDonald House since 2008. One pound of tabs pays for a family to stay one night at Ronald McDonald House to be near a child in the hospital. It takes approximately 1,300 pop-tops to hit the one pound mark. Just recently, between September and December 2010, Betty collected 22 pounds of pop-tops from teammates, other coworkers, and families and friends of both.

Pinnacol's employees have rallied around Betty's efforts and the goal for 2011 is to collect 75 pounds of pop-tops.  Thank you Betty for reminding us that little things really can make a big difference!

I now have the perfect excuse...

To not shovel snow anymore. With apologies to my wife, a new study confirms what I have known for some time - shoveling snow can be dangerous to your health.

A recent article on EHS Today, an industry publication for those involved in environment, health, and safety, details the risks associated with the timely tradition of getting up at the crack of dawn and dutifully heading out to do battle with the raging blizzard one driveway and one sidewalk at a time.

All joking aside, there really are risks associated with this wonderful winter tradition: an average of 11,500 snow shoveling-related injuries and medical emergencies were treated in U.S. emergency departments each year from 1990 to 2006. The article cites a study conducted by researchers at the Center for Injury Research and Policy of The Research Institute at Nationwide Children’s Hospital, the most common injury diagnoses were soft tissue injuries (55 percent), lacerations (16 percent) and fractures (seven percent). The lower back was the most frequently injured region of the body (34 percent), followed by injuries to the arms and hands (16 percent) and head (15 percent). Acute musculoskeletal exertion (54 percent), slips or falls (20 percent) and being struck by a snow shovel (15 percent) were the most frequent mechanisms of snow shovel-related injuries.

And yes, heart attacks are an increased risk while shoveling in the frigid cold. In fact, the cold alone is a factor for at-risk  individuals who have a history of medical conditions. "Cardiac-related events", which I guess is the new euphemism for what is more commonly known as a heart attack, accounted for only 7% of the cases but were responsible for more than 50% of the hospitalizations and 100% of the fatalities associated with snow shoveling.

The article points out that there are some things you can do to mitigate the risk.
The following are a few additional tips for preventing injuries when shoveling snow:

• Warm up with light exercise before you start.
• Make sure to pace yourself by taking frequent breaks for rest.
• The best way to clear snow is by pushing it instead of lifting.
• Ergonomically designed shovels can reduce the need for bending and heavy lifting.
• When possible, avoid large shoveling jobs by clearing snow several times throughout the day.
• Remember to wear warm clothing, including a hat, gloves and slip-resistant, high-traction footwear.

With all due respect to these great recommendations, I think I have a far better solution - the next time its a blizzard with the snow blowing sideways, just stay indoors by the fire. Watch out the window as the snow piles higher and higher and smile, comfortable in the knowledge that Spring is just a couple of months away. My new motto is if it's eventually going to melt away, why shovel it today? Now if I can only get my wife to buy in...

You Say Tomatoe, I Say Tomato...

One of the folks on our Communications team regularly writes a training column on using proper grammar and language for those of us who are challenged in that regard! This month our official 'keeper of the English language' treads into some really deep water this month with her "Write it Right" (or for this month, "Say it Right"!) column:


"Two-thousand eleven?" "Twenty eleven?"


Happy New Year! 2011 has reignited a spirited (but good-natured) debate that's been simmering for the past year or so: What's the best way to pronounce the years of this century?


At the turn of the century (2000), "two thousand" was the popular choice over "twenty hundred," even though in previous centuries, people opted to say "nineteen hundred," "eighteen hundred" and the like. Of course, these were much easier choices to say than "one-thousand nine-hundred," etc.

In 2001, "two-thousand one" followed suit — some say in part because this pronunciation had been popularized years earlier by the film "2001: A Space Odyssey." It also eliminated the need to say "twenty-OH-one" or the archaic sounding "twenty-OUGHT-one."

The new decade


This convention of using "two thousand" continued throughout the decade. But in 2010, "twenty ten" began to gain support. The Associated Press — whose "AP Stylebook" is Pinnacol's go-to source for grammar and spelling guidelines — adopted it. And other advocates of "twenty" maintain that it should become the standard for the remainder of the century.

If you think about how most years are pronounced, this argument seems to have convention on its side:

1999 — nineteen ninety-nine


1776 — seventeen seventy-six


1812 — eighteen twelve


1492 — fourteen ninety-two


1066 — ten sixty-six


And of course, those of a certain age will always defer to the 1969 hit song "In the Year 2525" (pronounced "twenty-five twenty-five").

Those favoring "two thousand" like its more formal sound. Random postings on the Internet include:

"'Twenty ten' is like nails on a chalkboard..."


"'Twenty ten' is just another lazy tongue in action..."


Who will decide?


Ultimately, this debate won't be decided by linguists or grammarians, but by popular usage. Our guess is that "twenty" will ultimately triumph because it glides off the tongue easily (compare saying "twenty eleven" and "two-thousand eleven") and eliminates a syllable.

What's your preference? When referring to the year 2011, do you say "twenty eleven" or "two-thousand eleven"?

New opportunity for Human Resources (Employee Services) Assistant

Human Resources Administrative Support (Employee Services Assistant)

Pinnacol Assurance is looking for an administrative support individual to be the first point of contact with our internal customers as they visit our Human Resources/Training team. This position will also support the team by performing a broad range of administrative duties. The work schedule will be Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Strong computer skills, including Microsoft Office, the ability to type 35+ words per minute, and strong interpersonal skills and a customer service orientation are required along with 2+ years of administrative/clerical experience. As this position will be a part of the Human Resources team candidates with relatives already working at Pinnacol will not be able to be considered.

New Opportunity for an Experienced Claims Representative

For those unfamiliar with insurance, our industry basically boils down to two things: underwriting and claims. Regardless of the type of insurance, underwriting is about assessing the likelihood of occurrence and cost of risk (risk is all around us - from the likelihood of a hurricane hitting a certain location, to an auto accident, to someone getting injured on the job). In a perfect world the underwriter would assess the risk but the risk would never actually happen (no hurricanes, no auto accidents, no one ever gets hurt at work). In reality, underwriters know that it is just a question of time before some of the risks they've assessed actually occur, and at that point the folks in claims take over to handle whatever has happened.

We are currently looking for an experienced claims representative to help workers who have been injured on the job. The ideal candidate for this opening will have 3+ years of adjusting experience with exposure to workers's compensation preferred. I sat down with two of our claims representatives, Liz and Peg, to get their insight on what our claims representatives do, the skills needed, and what they enjoy about their work:

ASSE Celebrates 100 years of Safety

Many candidates who explore a career with Pinnacol Assurance are new to the insurance industry in general as well as to workers' compensation specifically. A lot of what we do is provide education: education to the businesses who insure through us, education to their employees, and part of my role in Human Resources is to introduce people unfamiliar with our industry and company to the unique services and opportunities we provide.

Informed businesses know that accident prevention is critical to their operations, both from the human perspective as well as the financial bottom line. Pinnacol will be celebrating it's 100 year anniversary in 2015, just 4 short years from now. Workers' Compensation as an industry in the United States has only been around for a century and came into being as the nation industrialized and saw accident rates skyrocket. The American Society of Safety Engineers, or ASSE came into being in 1911 as part of the rising concern about the then catastrophic accident rates. For example, from 1906 through 1911 more than 13,000 miners lost their lives to accidents on the job.

As part of their 100th Anniversary celebration, the ASSE has produced a short video highlighting the history of safety on the job, from the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire in New York City to exploring what safety challenges await us in the future. For those of you exploring our industry, and our company its a great introduction. And to the ASSE, congratulations on your first 100 years of service, and best wishes for your continued efforts in the future.

Pinnacol Employees Walking their way to Wellness

What better time of the year to set some positive and healthy resolutions? More than one hundred Pinnacol employees have signed up thus far for our new "Walking to Wellness" program. Participants will accumulate miles as they walk that will be tracked towards the company goal of reaching (virtually!) the Baseball All-Star Game in Phoenix, Arizona in July and then on to Super Bowl XLVI to be held in Indianapolis, Indiana in February 2012. I don't have a crystal ball, but with Mr. Elway now officially back with the Broncos, I predict our employees will arrive just in time to celebrate in blue and orange!

As recently reported on NPR, studies have shown that walking has all sorts of advantages, and that brisk walking is even better than taking a leisurely stroll. Researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health evaluated the health of more than 13,000 women who had reached the age of 70. They found that women who regularly walked at a moderate pace had much higher odds of staving off disease and aging successfully than their counterparts who didn't exert themselves beyond leisurely, easy walking.

We've got maps of local walking routes to make it easier for employees to find their way, and of course, there will be rewards as employees reach major milestones in their wellness journeys.

And, just for the record, Phoenix is 751 and Indianapolis is 1,061 miles from Denver. That's about 3.6 million steps our intrepid walkers will have to total.

I just hope they have comfortable shoes!