Court Opinion

ID: 9757689
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-28 22:54:33.102923+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T07:28:42.848124
License: Public Domain

GRAVES,
Dissenting Justice.
Respectfully, I dissent.
The majority opinion and the decisions below deny the reality of the complex employment structure of hospitals in the highly competitive health care market. Having Ms. Smart at the picnic benefited the hospital because large employee attendance promoted community and institutional identity.
The claimant’s injury should be compen-sable under the Kentucky Workers’ Compensation Act as recreational activities have become an integral part of developing cooperation and efficiency at all levels within the hospital. This is particularly true not only when the employer gains a real benefit from the employee’s participation but also the employee perceives “command influence” to attend the event.
The picnic gave Ms. Smart an opportunity to interact with her superiors in an informal setting conducive to candid discussion about her performance in the work place environment.
Ms. Smart’s attendance at the picnic gave the hospital management an opportunity to evaluate her as a team player and observe her promotion potential based on her interactions with other employees in a social setting. Impressions made by the employee and reactions by other employ*374ees at the social function gave the hospital valuable personnel information about Ms. Smart’s leadership abilities, cooperativeness, and managerial skills.
Employees are now aware of the important role that social outings play because standard employee performance reports rank employees on the basis of their attitude toward their work. Participation in outings confirms the hospital’s evaluation whether an employee has a positive attitude and is an asset to the hospital.
A significant amount of the time spent at a recreational activity is devoted to cultivating work relationships which will aid in the efficient performance of her job at the hospital. Company gatherings outside the workplace are an important aspect of modern business practices and should be considered a part of the employment duties. The hospital paid for the picnic, planned and managed the picnic, and actively supported and encouraged the picnic.
In Section 22 of his treatise on Work-mens’ Compensation Law, Professor Larson points out that the employer has only to imply requiring participation to bring the “activity within the orbit of employment.” Moreover, Professor Larson adds that an employer derives substantial benefits from recreational activities beyond the intangible value of improvement in employee health and morale. It was logical and reasonable to infer that she should attend because of the advertised attendance of hospital management. She testified that her employer expected her to attend.
SCOTT, J., joins this dissent.