BWC SID: Our Journey to Excellence – Part 3 of 3

In our constant quest for improvement, all members of the Bureau of Workers’ Compensation Special Investigations Department (SID) annually complete in-service training. The theme of this year’s training event was “Our Journey to Excellence: Past, Present and Future.” On October 22, by SID Director James Wernecke, we shared investigative successes and presented awards to teams and individuals.

Preparations: In September, all 123 SID employees had been invited to nominate a peer to receive an individual award. A management committee furnished behavioral characteristics for use by SID employees when submitting written justifications for any peer nomination. These characteristics varied according to the type of award: Star; Excellence in Service; and Leadership. In reviewing all nominations, the committee members found that several nominees were nominated by multiple colleagues. Ultimately, the committee selected eight most-worthy SID employees.

Presentations: These talented and dedicated professionals received their awards at the culmination of the October 22 event.

Two employees received Star awards, including Karen McMahan (pictured at right), a Registered Nurse with the Health Care Provider Team (HCPT). They met five criteria including: approaching new challenges with a “can do” attitude; involving themselves above and beyond in community outreach and/or volunteerism; and encouraging and mentoring peers and co-workers;

Four employees earned Excellence in Service awards, including T. Michael Hostin (pictured at left), an investigator with the Safety Violations Investigation Unit (SVIU); and Pam Hunnicutt (pictured below right), an administrative professional with SVIU.

They met four standards including: demonstrating extraordinary commitment by continuously providing excellent service to internal and external customers; and demonstrating a positive attitude, using strong judgment and good communication skills while promoting teamwork.

Two other employees received Leadership awards. They satisfied six criteria, including: setting a high standard of integrity; leading by example and maintaining high personal standards; inspiring a high level of commitment from others when taking on new initiatives; and sharing responsibility, authority, information, and credit when working towards the achievement of a goal.

Please, join us in thanking and congratulating each of the SID award nominees and recipients. They are the reason we are able to confidently strive towards excellence.

You can read the first article about our October 22 event here, the second article about the event here, and our most recent annual report here.