Pinnacol recognized as one of Denver's Healthiest Employers

I was just speaking with Vanessa who directs our Benefits and Wellness programs and she mentioned that she had just returned from a luncheon where Pinnacol had been recognized by the Denver Business Journal as one of Denver's Healthiest Employers placing #2 in the large employer category. The good folks over at DaVita took top honors in the #1 spot and congratulations go out to them. Kudos to Vanessa and Paige (who ably assists Vanessa with our Benefits and Wellness programs) and to all of the Pinnacol employees who make the extra effort to do something healthy for themselves while at work.

I've blogged before about many of the wellness programs Pinnacol offers its employees and its nice for these efforts to be recognized. The reality is that many U.S. employees work in relatively sedentary environments and there are real challenges to be overcome to help them make smart and informed decisions about maintaining and improving their health while at work. Paige is certainly a role model as she works at a stand-up work station during the day and then participates in many of the after-hour wellness classes we offer. I wish I had her energy!

Carole Sumption, Vice President of Corporate Resources and executive sponsor of Pinnacol’s Everyday Wellness program, accepted the award on behalf of the company. She noted that four years ago, Pinnacol transitioned from having a variety of “activities’’ to what is now a comprehensive and customized Everyday Wellness program.

“Everyday Wellness has brought a significant transformation in our work environment,” said Carole. “Employee engagement in the wide variety of programs we offer under the wellness umbrella is a critical factor in the program’s success. The company received this award, but it would not have been possible without the engagement and support of our 600 employees.”
The Denver Business Journal has published the ranking of employers on-line,  but the real winners are all the employees who work for these great companies. Congratulations to all the companies, and to all their employees keep up the good work!

Web Developer opportunity is now open!

We have a newly opened opportunity for a talented, full-stack, quick-study web developer who is passionate about building dynamic applications with a snazzy user experience. We work in an agile environment and our technology stack includes Ruby on Rails, HTML5 (HAML), CSS3 (SASS), JavaScript (jQuery, AngularJS, Spine, CoffeeScript, Jasmine), Cucumber, RSpec, and Oracle.

Must-have experience includes CSS3, HTML5, JavaScript, jQuery, cross-browser compatibility, UI, UX, responsive design, and test-driven development.

Familiarity or proficiency with the following are preferred: Ruby, Rails, SASS, CoffeeScript, Jasmine, JavaScript frameworks (AngularJS, Spine), Cucumber, RSpec, Git, SQL, object-oriented design, relational databases, graphics editing software (Adobe Photoshop), and agile methodologies (Kanban, Scrum).

If you enjoy working in a team environment where focus, collaboration, feedback, innovation, and risk-taking lead to great outcomes, then we would love to hear from you!

 For immediate consideration please apply on-line.

Communications Coordinator opportunity now open!

I was talking with some of my peers about how things definitely seem to be picking up in terms of companies hiring. It's certainly true we have had more opportunities this year than in the last several and today I'm pleased to talk about another opening, this time in our Communications team. Kim, the hiring manager, is looking for an experienced Communications Coordinator to support our internal and external communications and public relations goals. This position assists in the development and execution of projects including newsletters, business proposals, brochures, website communications, internal communications and public relations programs.

Some of the core responsibilities for this position include coordinating sales proposals, coordinating the creation and updating of staff biographies, ensuring that online content is up-to-date, and supporting the communications specialists and other team members by writing and editing internal and external company communications. This position assists with the coordination of department projects including managing and negotiating with vendors, managing collateral inventory, administering email campaigns and maintaining related email lists through MailChimp or other email campaign tools. The Communications Coordinator also manages departmental and publication specific content calendars.

Folks interested in the Communications Coordinator role should have a Bachelor’s degree in journalism, English or related degree along with two to three years’ experience in corporate communications, preferably in a business-to-business environment. Knowledge of communications practices – including both planning and implementation – is critical as are excellent writing and editing skills for a wide range of communications. You'll need the ability to track and manage multiple projects simultaneously, effectively managing workload and meeting deadlines. A team player who is able to participate in and contribute to other department initiatives with the willingness to help others even when it is not in an area directly related to job title is a must. As you would also expect for this type of position, strong computer skills (word processing, spreadsheets, presentation software) are required and experience with internet and intranet, social media and video production is desirable. This position does some travel within Colorado so candidates must possess and maintain a valid Colorado driver’s license and provide proof of insurance. If you are interested in this opportunity please let us know by applying on-line!

Medical Claims Associate Trainee/Medical Claims Associate opportunity now open!

We are looking for a Medical Claims Associate (MCA) who will work with team members to bring medical only claims and issues to resolution. Our MCA’s identify and facilitate use of resources for optimal case management and resolution. Activities are aimed at recognizing warning signs and developing a proactive intervention plan.  Assigned to policyholder accounts and/or specific claims representatives, MCA’s work closely with our policyholders to facilitate the return to work of injured workers and to provide quality customer service.  

The MCA position requires a basic understanding of medical terminology and human anatomy. Knowledge of the Colorado Workers' Compensation Act and rules of procedure is desirable. The position also requires a minimum of a High School Diploma with some medical training or experience. An Associate’s Degree in a related field is helpful. Candidates must have a minimum of 2 years in general office experience, preferably in an insurance and/or medical facility setting to include some analysis and decision-making responsibilities. Experience managing low severity indemnity claims and medium to high risk non-lost-time claims a strong plus. 

For individuals with related work experience in the medical or insurance field we may be willing to train for this position. If interested, we ask that you please apply on-line.

Enterprise Applications Manager opportunity now open in our I.T. shop...

It's not often that we have management opportunities in our I.T. shop but this year we have had several. We recently had an opening at the Associate V.P. level, and we now have an opening for an Enterprise Applications Manager. We are looking for someone with I.T. management experience to manage, mentor and report on the individual performance of our Application Services Developers, Business Analysts and Quality Assurance Analysts (QAAs) that are assigned to product development teams. This position also manages the allocation of staff to both software product selection/implementation and software development assignments and establishes and enforces performance standards and skill requirements across application services product teams. The position also oversees performance feedback process for developers, BAs and QAAs while collaborating with other Application Services leaders and teams, and provides recommendations to management.

Successful candidates must have proven information technology team leadership and management skills to lead a medium-sized team of software developers. Must be able to coach, mentor and manage employees and have strong conflict resolution and negotiation skills along with the proven ability to resolve issues/problems to beneficial solution for internal and external customers. Excellent decision-making skills in relation to resource situations are required as is a Bachelor’s Degree. If this sounds like your background we would love to hear from you! Please express your interest on-line at our company website.

Bike To Work Day another path to wellness!

Last week saw the Denver community celebrate Bike to Work Day. The entire month of June was actually Bike to Work Month. Every year we have some intrepid Pinnacol employees participate. I wasn't able to participate on the actual "Bike to Work Day" on June 26th but had made the effort to ride in twice in preceding weeks and was with my fellow cycling employees in spirit as I spent last week cycling the KATY trail in Missouri. Normally Denver weather is ideal for cycling but I understand from some BTWD participants that this year was really hot. So congratulations to all the Denver cyclists who made the effort to ride to work and lessen congestion on our crowded streets. Hopefully for many of them it won't just be a one day a year affair and they'll make it a regular habit, at least during the warm weather months!



Pinnacol's intrepid cyclists enjoy the cool shade after arriving at work



Strategic Nurse Case Manager opportunity now available!

We are currently looking for a Strategic Nurse Case Manager to manage some of our more complex claims.  This position works with team members to identify and resolve complex medical and claims issues, establish adequate reserves, stabilize benefit payment, and achieve wherever possible full and final closure.

Strategic Nurses provide medical expertise relative to the handling of complex and catastrophic medical claims and perform self-directed, professional level work in a fast paced team environment as they interact with injured workers, policyholders, and providers. The successful candidate for this position will have 6+ years case management experience primarily in workers’ compensation.  CCM (Certified Case Manager) Designation a plus and a current Colorado RN license is required. 

If this sounds like you please apply on-line!

Pinnacol's Annual Report now available!

I just returned from vacation and was very happy to get back to the wonderful State of Colorado. While it's fun to visit other places, Colorado really is a special place to live. Pinnacol has just released our latest Annual Report which is now available for viewing. One of the main themes of this year's report is making Colorado a safer and healthier place to work. I spent my vacation sweating on a bicyle trip in Missouri on the KATY trail which is the nation's largest rails to trails conversion. Missouri was hot (really hot) and humid (really humid) but it was still nice to get out and turn the pedals over along a beautiful trail while doing something good for my health and well-being.

In our industry it used to be that we helped only after an accident occurred on the job. We quickly learned that accident prevention was critical, and hired an Inspector of Industries devoted to full-time accident prevention in 1929. In today's world the accident prevention emphasis now includes a focus on keeping all employees as healthly as possible as healthly employees get injured less often than their less healthy peers.

In this year's report you'll see a message from our Interim CEO, John Plotkin, take a look back at 2012 - a year of challenge and change, and read about our corporate citizenship initiatives and our financial performance. Annual Reports are always a good resource for learning about a company and the things it see's as important. Pinnacol's mission remains as clear as ever - taking care of the employers and their employees who make our State the wonderful place it is.