Motivating Teams, Investing in People, and Combating Burnout: Building a Future-Ready Workers’ Compensation Workforce

Planning for the future is at the core of our mission. However, executing foresight is not limited to managing workplace injuries or handling claims—it is also integral to building a resilient workforce.

As only 10% of global companies are qualified to support talent through key disruptions, including the expansion of AI, cultivating future-readiness is an obstacle faced by organizations across various industries. Given the unique challenges in our sector, including an aging workforce and fluctuating retention rates, CorVel implements a proactive talent strategy to prepare our workers’ compensation professionals to thrive in the evolving workplace.

Strong Supervisors for Stronger Teams

At CorVel, supervisors form a dynamic team that hires, trains, and motivates staff who directly interact with stakeholders. Their effective and adaptable leadership influences top client outcomes and drives consistent company growth.

To support stronger teams, we equip supervisors with key strategies to optimize employee performance and operational efficiency.

These tactics include:

• Enhanced Training: Supporting agile teams and cross-functional collaboration.
• Expanded Coaching Model: Delivering real-time performance tracking guided by role-based metrics.
• Robust Feedback Model: Streamlining updates on workflow inefficiencies and process improvements.

With these focused frameworks, both supervisors and frontline staff understand which metrics matter most for achieving optimal outcomes. Ultimately, creating operational efficiency that is scalable and future-focused begins with supervisor teams.

Accelerating Performance and Catalyzing Growth

Workers’ compensation professionals are often motivated by a desire to support others during

challenging times. At CorVel, we tap into this intrinsic motivation through holistic development strategies that close performance gaps while honoring individual purpose and goals.  We also recruit with intention, seeking professionals who not only bring specialized expertise in areas such as subrogation, litigation, and complex claims management but also demonstrate adaptability and a passion for innovation. This combination of purpose and skill ensures our teams are well-equipped to navigate a transforming industry.

To further support their success, we utilize our Hill/Skill/Will Model, which addresses:

• Physical Barriers (Hill): Removing environmental obstacles through essential accommodations
• Knowledge Gaps (Skill): Augmenting experience with role-specific training.
• Motivational Factors (Will): Aligning personal drives with organizational goals.

The efforts are supported by year-round professional development offerings tailored to every career stage. From AI to digital literacy to data analytics, our programs reflect a “tech-first” culture, where technology empowers staff to perform at their highest level.

In 2024 alone, our national team earned 41,000 professional development badges, underscoring a company-wide commitment to upskilling.

Redefining Workdays to Combat Burnout

Claims adjusters and case managers dedicate their careers to caring for others. But when their own well-being is not supported, their ability to provide exceptional service is thwarted. Future-ready workforce initiatives are not complete without addressing burnout.

CorVel is accelerating its strategic investment in Generative AI tools and workflow automation to streamline time-consuming, manual tasks that contribute to heavy workloads. For example, CareMC’s Generative AI solution, which summarizes medical documents and highlights key insights for adjusters, is driving efficiency gains.  Additional features, such as on-demand document replication for liability claims, as well as auto-filing for First Report of Injury (FROI) and Subsequent Report of Injury (SROI), deliver significant time savings. Notably, medical bill review automation achieved a 20% reduction in manual approvals.

As claims become more complex, reshaping adjuster workloads is not only a strategy to improve employee retention, but to prepare professionals for an emerging industry landscape characterized by high-impact work and specialization.

Looking Ahead

Developing a future-ready workforce is not a one-size-fits-all endeavor. Yet through initiatives like CorVel University, which boasts a 90% conversion rate of candidates into full-time roles, it is meeting the demand for timely, skills-based training. By championing a people-first mindset and embracing a tech-driven culture, we are not just adapting to disruption—we are transforming it into opportunity.