Being a professional catastrophe adjuster is not like most jobs in our society today. Those in this occupation typically face the prospect of working three to six months out the year, with the remaining months open to their discretion. This type of lifestyle can cause dramatic pressures on five core health areas: mental, physical, emotional, financial, and spiritual. Each of these areas is interconnected with one another as well as being interdependent. By taking note and addressing issues in each of these five areas, catastrophe adjusters can, themselves, stay adjusted.
Keeping Your Head
Mental health seems to be the area that can have the most dramatic effect on all the other aspects. Here is the typical lifestyle of a cat adjuster when working on a storm: We work 18 or more hours a day, seven days a week, hoping desperately that the files will keep coming long enough to make enough money to tide us over until the next storm.
File managers are constantly pressuring for closures. The cell phone rings at all hours, causing one to wonder what he might do if he hears that irritating ring tone one more time. Clients are victims who have had their lives turned upside down and are looking for someone to fix it, when in reality, cat adjusters have very little authority to do so and absolutely no real control on the timeline of their expected payment. Factor in being miles from home and in circumstances that virtually cause a breakdown and it is a wonder more of that does not happen. Perhaps it has been happening; it just is not talked about. Last year, while in Florida, I was on the phone with my wife and could not remember the highway exit that led to the office I had been going to for the previous seven weeks. She later told me that she came close to getting on an airplane to bring me home because it was obvious that the stress of working 90 straight days was having an adverse effect on me.
Facing these issues is only the first step in overcoming them. The next step is to take active measures to address them constructively. A support group should involve more than four or five people getting together over drinks and fried appetizers, complaining about a file handler who has never climbed a roof. Most health care plans have counselors available for phone conversations; they can help a person look at situations more objectively. The Red Cross always has counselors in place after a catastrophe and there is nothing wrong with taking a moment to speak with one of them if the need arises.
Your Body Is Your Temple
Going out to eat is a treat when done occasionally. Doing so three times a day, seven days a week can be a drag, not only financially, but also physically. Unfortunately, eating terribly is typical when on a storm. Drive-thru fast food becomes the norm and eating is usually done on the run because of rushing to another appointment or trying to get back to a stack of files that needs attention. Most nights, cat adjusters try to get by on six hours of sleep and often wake to the sound of the phone ringing with an insured on the other end. Many also smoke too much.
Here are a few simple suggestions: Turn off the cell phone at a designated time! Tell insureds that calls will be taken from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. only. If the phone stays on, the inevitable will happen. A call will come in and the temptation to answer it or return the message will take over. Get out of that habit. Do not let the cell phone control your life. Set aside 30 minutes a night, three-to-four nights a week, to get out of the room and take a walk or go down to the exercise room of the hotel. Go swim laps in the hotel pool to get some physical exercise (climbing roofs does not count). If you have to eat at a fast food place, order a salad with grilled chicken or something with less fat. Cut back on caffeine and high-sugar soft drinks, as well as alcohol consumption.
Now, the issue of health insurance. For most in the profession, insurance consists of the "pray you don't get sick" policy. The small minority who do have it usually have it supplied through a spouse's employment, if at all. The lack of coverage should be only one of the factors in the need for better and healthier eating habits. The biggest factor should be that it will keep us a part of our family and friends longer.
On a side note, making health coverage available to adjusters that work in the industry is a step insurance companies should examine. The increased dedication and commitment to their companies would be outstanding.
Emotional Roller Coaster
Emotional health can be tied closely with mental health in many ways. The support received from family and friends on a daily basis plays a major part of a person's overall well-being. Separation for extended periods of time from that support mechanism can create gaps that may be filled in dysfunctional ways.
It is important to keep communication lines open with family back home. If there are small children involved, they may have difficulty understanding why Daddy has to be away for so long. Frank discussions while home during the off-season, along with keeping them updated on how work is going while away, will help them deal with the absence. Most children — even teenagers — would enjoy getting a personal e-mail or letter from Dad when he is away.
Probably one of the most sensitive subjects to face is how to deal with a spousal relationship in those extended periods of time when not on a storm and at home. Many times, there is a tremendous sense of unspoken (and often highly-charged) resentment when one person only works a few months and is home the remainder of the year. For cat adjusters, the job is viewed as a highly concentrated situation of working an entire year's worth of hours in a brief period of time. A simple calculator can verify that premise, but it still can be a potential problem in a relationship. Do not take the attitude of expecting to be waited on hand and foot while at home. My wife loves that I can take care of things like picking up the cleaning, taking the dogs to the groomers, and having supper ready when she gets home. My masculinity hasn't taken a beating in the process.
Boredom also becomes a major problem when cat adjusters are off for an extended period. The off-season is a great opportunity to work on continuing education requirements and non-resident licenses. Those serve the double purpose of increasing your marketability as well as keeping your mind sharp.
Financial Responsibility
Most people dream of winning the lottery and having their prayers answered. We laugh with incredulity at the stories of some winner whining about how their life was turned upside down, wishing they never had bought that ticket.
A major issue with cat adjusting, though, is that this type of job creates a financial situation much like that of winning a lottery. In last year's storms, many adjusters made substantial sums of money in a relatively short period of time. Six-figure incomes in three to four months were not unheard of. The reality is that many were flush with money and spent it too rapidly when there was the need to have it last for the remainder of the year. Take the time to work out budgets that are based on an annual basis and stick to them. If possible, talk with a professional financial advisor or even a personal banker to develop an economic plan that takes into account the peaks and valleys of the business.
Many new storm chasers ask the question, "What do you do to make a living when not on a storm?" For many, it is not just about fighting off boredom, but the harsh reality of fighting off starvation. One factor to keep in mind is that any temporary job acquired in the off-season will never approach the earning potential of adjusting after a storm. Do not expect that or be discouraged when job openings appear insulting in their pay schedule. Remember that these positions are there to supplement your storm income, not replace it.
When choosing to work to keep from being bored, try to do something totally unrelated to the insurance business. If you love pets, start a pet-sitting business. Based on what I have paid to others for this service, I am thinking of starting "Kevin's Kanine Korral" myself. Be creative and let the imagination run wild, but avoid getting into anything that requires a substantial initial investment.
Spiritual Investment
Finally, we come to the issue of spiritual health. Without attempting to imply or suggest a certain belief, I think most people are, in fact, spiritual beings of some sort. That doesn't change when they are miles from home. The reality is that acknowledging and acting upon those needs is even more important when away from normal surroundings. Set aside a couple hours on Sunday morning to stop in at a local church for services. Or maybe some quiet meditation time is needed to help get through the next week. Do not be afraid to ask your home spiritual family to pray for you while you are on assignment. This has the added benefit of keeping them aware of storm victims' needs.
Staying Adjusted
Catastrophe adjusting is a lifestyle, and not an easy one. This article aims to help open discussions about some of the issues faced in this business. Frank conversations with family and friends about these issues can forestall personal problems from developing and lead to a more rewarding relationship with those you hold dearest.
Kevin Hromas has been a storm-chaser for the past two years, after being with a carrier for the prior seven.
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