Digitize claim files. Converting to a paperless system reduces the paper flow within the office. Designated administrative staff can scan incoming mail, match that to the appropriate claim files, and route the material to the claim handler. Adjusters can gain access to claim files through a computer screen, often even doing so remotely when working in the field, a mediator's office, or from the home. Once the folks manning intake scanners image the hard-copy paper, the latter can be either discarded or retained. If retained, however, then what exactly is the point of going paperless? To discourage needless printing of hard copies, some business e-mails feature the following “footer” message: Please consider the environment before printing this email. Thank you.

Tim Wahl of Columbia, Missouri-based Gallagher Insurance Group notes that his company has started using recycled paper at its copier for in-house work. “If we have a meeting with 10 people, then each of us might receive a 25-page package,” Wahl said. “In the past, we would've used new paper. Today, we use the backs of already printed paper.”

Wahl also reports that the firm has stopped using paper files, even with commercial lines. Instead, everything is stored on a paperless system, which not only saves paper but also the labor that would otherwise be associated with filing and printing.

Another path to “green” is allowing employees to telecommute. If fewer adjusters are on the road idling in traffic, then less fossil fuel is being burned. Employers can help protect the environment by letting adjusters work from home, even if only on selected weekdays. Increasingly, companies discover that most of the duties adjusters perform at the office can be done just as easily at home. With fax machines, paperless claim files, broadband Internet access, and virtual private networks, a claim workstation can be replicated in the basement or perhaps the guest room of an adjuster's house. An added bonus is that telecommuting can boost morale, as many adjusters love the flexibility, though some miss the social aspect of working in an office. In addition to conserving energy resources and boosting morale, offering telecommuting can become a potent advantage in recruiting talent and maximizing adjuster retention.

Judiciously discarding used or scrapped IT equipment is another component of fostering an environmentally aware workplace. Computer towers, printers, and heavy CRT monitors contain hazardous materials that can harm the environment. Computer monitors, for instance, contain lead. When discarded, lead can leech into groundwater supplies. The National Safety Council projects that, in seven years, a half-million computers will become obsolete. (Don't tell me; most of those are already used by the claim department). Recycling old IT equipment needs to be part of any “green” claim unit tech exit strategy to ensure that the equipment is discarded in an environmentally friendly way.

New evidence shows that “going green” is not only good for the environment but it's also good for business. Writing in Newsweek, Zachary Karabell, president of Twice River Research notes, “Recent studies have indicated that companies that score well on various environmental metrics also demonstrate above-average return on investment and stock performance.” Karabell cites findings from KLD Research, indicating a link between management innovation and eco-friendly business policies (“Green Really Means Business,” Newsweek, 9/22/08, p. E6).

Becoming an environmentally conscious claim office may not render competitors green with envy. It may, however, help the environment and even save money, another worthwhile type of “green” that every claim adjuster or manager values.

Kevin Quinley is an insurance claim expert and author. He can be reached at [email protected]. Visit his blog, The Claims Coach, at http://claimscoach.blogspot.com.