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robintek

Oct 04
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Thinking About Switching Doctors? Follow Six Tips

By Employment Resources

When you’re ill, you need a doctor you trust. But what if your doctor is unfamiliar with your condition, rarely has open appointments or acts rudely towards you? Or what happens when you move to another town or across the country? Six tips help you switch to a new doctor with ease and confidence.

  1.  Ask for Recommendations

Trusted family members, friends and neighbors can offer advice on which doctors offer emergency appointments, which ones are great with kids and which ones have poor bedside manners.

  1. Check the Doctor’s Credentials

To handle your specific medical needs, you deserve a specialist with the appropriate training and accreditation. Verify these credentials before you choose your new doctor.

  1. Ask if the Practice Accepts New Patients and Your Insurance

There’s no sense in getting your hopes up about seeing the perfect doctor if he or she is closed to new patients or doesn’t accept your insurance. A quick call to the office will confirm these facts.

  1. Schedule a Consultation

Before you go through the entire switching process, schedule a phone, email or in-person meeting with the doctor. That initial consultation gives you a feel for the doctor’s bedside manner and competence.

  1. Complete the Required Transfer Papers at Work

Your human resources department will have the essential paperwork you need to transfer doctors successfully. Complete these forms as soon as possible to finalize the switch.

  1. Transfer Your Medical Records

You’ll likely have to pay a fee for this service, especially if you’re transferring records to a doctor outside of your current network. Save money by asking if only essential information can be transferred or if you can carry your file personally to the new doctor.

You deserve to receive medical treatment from a doctor who treats you right and is one whom you trust. When you’re ready to switch doctors, follow six tips that ensure you obtain the medical treatment you need.

Oct 04
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Cutting Worker’s Compensation Costs

By Workplace Safety

One truth about Worker’s Compensation (WC) insurance premiums is that it is an expense that affects your profitability. Every business does its best to limit these expenses and there are three simple things to do to lower your worker’s compensation premiums.

1. Shop Around

Like everything your business buys, comparison shopping helps to keep premiums lower. Certainly, much of your premium is determined by the number of employees you have, your claims experience and your business’ risk exposure. But, associations you belong to often offer cheaper worker’s comp insurance than the open market. So shop around creatively, get quotes from more than one insurance company – but make sure they are financially sound.

2. Prevent Workplace Injuries and

3. Manage Injuries in the Workplace When They Happen

Why do tips number two and three go together? To understand, you first have to know how injury claims affect your worker’s comp insurance premiums. Worker’s Compensation employment classifications and base rates are determined by an organization known as the National Commission on Compensation Insurance (NCCI).

Your annual premium comes from the NCCI calculation and your estimated payroll annual payroll expense. Of course, if you have been in business awhile, debits and credits adjust your rates based on your business’s injury history and claims costs.

Experience Modification Factor

Insurance professionals refer to this as the E-mod. The NCCI calculates the modifier if your premium payments exceed a certain threshold for the most recent two years. The calculation compares your claims (costs) and injury history for the past three years to the expected injury rates for your employer classification. For example, your 2015 premium uses 2012, 2013, and 2014 injury history and losses to calculate the modifier. If your history is better than average your E-mod is lower 1.0, companies with worse than average losses have an E-mod that is more than 1.0. The higher your E-mod is over 1.0 the more expensive your WC premiums are.

How much you pay for an injured worker’s claim is another part of the calculation. By managing workplace injuries the intent is to return the employee to work as soon as possible, to avoid disability costs. For instance, an employee who works in a warehouse hurts his back and cannot do his or her job for six months. Physical therapy costs are unavoidable, but reassigning the employee to a desk job avoids paying disability. Providing quality contracted care for employee work related illness or injury also helps to manage an illness or injury. Your carrier can help you with these programs.

Since worker’s compensation is a cost that is risk related, institute safety programs and supply correct safety equipment to your workers as part of a total effort to control WC premium premiums.

Oct 04
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Office Worker Safety

By Workplace Safety

Offices are not as safe as many people believe. There are many injuries and illnesses that workers suffer in an office environment. The amount of paper, cloth chairs, and drapes are fire hazards. Wastebaskets or chairs in hallways or walkways in the office cubicle setting are tripping hazards. Wet break room or bathroom floors cause slip and fall accidents leading to an injury. Computer users, just like others who do constant repetitive hand motions often develop carpal tunnel syndrome. In addition, office automation promotes employees sitting at their desks for long stretches of time.

With these and many other situations giving rise to injury or illness, how can an employer of office workers help prevent office work related claims? There are many preventive measures to take for you and your employees.

Ergonomics

Ergonomics is the use of furniture or equipment designed to help workers get the correct range of motion or position while working. For instance, desk workers have chairs that adjust to the proper height, and tilt for worker comfort and good posture.

Computer keyboards slant slightly down, and users have wrist rests for their hands when using a mouse or typing on a keyboard.

Employees who sit all day need breaks to stretch their muscles. Stretching relieves muscle fatigue and a change in position prevents disorders such as carpal tunnel.

Remove or Repair Safety Hazards

Teach employees that desk and file drawers are not left open when not in use. Aisles and walkways must not have chairs, wastebaskets, or any obstacles in them. Use extension cords sparingly and then place them behind furniture next to walls to avoid them, causing workers to trip. A worker who spills something in the break room should immediately wipe the spill up. Employees should report other dangerous conditions to a manager.

Maintenance should insure that lighting works in all walkways and stairwells so that workers see and avoid falling hazards. Loose floor tiles and frayed carpeting need immediate repair — until finished, place floor stanchions that say “caution” around the area of disrepair.

Designate a periodic “inspection” time for employees to look around the work areas and adjacent space for safety hazards.

Management and employees who work together to find hazards before they cause injuries have excellent safety records. Employees are happy, more productive, and feel more loyalty to their employers.

Oct 04
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Five Tips for Safe Driving for your Business

By Workplace Safety

Did you know that the average work related car crash costs $74,000. That includes medical bills and time off from work. It does not include the emotional turmoil of the worker, his or her family, or the employer.

If you drive as part of your job, or you employ people who must drive as part of their work, following are five tips to share with them so that they drive more safely.

Focus on Driving

Each time you are behind the wheel, the most important thing you do is keep your focus. If your work includes driving or operating heavy equipment focus is even more important to you. Taking a sip of coffee, a bite of a sandwich, or adjusting the radio tuner steals your focus long enough to involve you in a crash that injures you and others.

Stay Alert

In addition to staying focused, you must stay alert. According to the National Sleep Foundation, 60 percent of American Drivers admit they drive while drowsy. Even scarier, is that 37 percent of United States drivers admit they have fallen asleep behind the wheel. Drowsy driving is dangerous, especially so for long-distance truckers, delivery people, and others who spend a great deal of time behind the wheel for work. If you do become sleepy, get off the road and take a nap. If it happens often talk with your employer about a shift change.

Do Not Use Your Cell Phone

Cell phones, like alcohol, and driving do not mix. According to the United States Centers for Disease Control, cell phones have responsibility for more than 1,000 traffic deaths each year, as well as 24,000 injuries. Because of the known dangers of using a cell phone while driving many states have outlawed using one while driving, a few even if it is hands free. In 2010, laws passed that prohibit texting while driving.

Recognize Impaired Drivers

Whether sleepy, high on drugs or drunk, the behavior of an impaired driver is consistent. They tend to vary their speeds, drive very slowly, weave and swerve. If you see some a person driving this way, keep your distance. If possible, pull off the road and call the police. You just might save the driver and innocent people from injury or death.

Use a Global Positioning Device (GPS)

Use a GPS with voice navigation. These devices can plot your route and using an artificial voice give you directions as you drive. No longer is it necessary to drive and try to read a map – a very unsafe practice.

Use these tips and travel safe!


Oct 04
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Dealing with Chemical Hazards in the Workplace

By Workplace Safety

If you want to find dangerous chemicals in the workplace, you either need to read obscure technical journals with language and jargon that is impossible for lay people to understand. Your other option is to look at the Manufacturer’s Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) that under the Occupational Health and Safety Administration rules and regulations every employer keeps for hazardous chemicals. Here too, the information is usually in highly technical language, inaccurate and incomplete. Hazards for long-term effects such as reproductive system damage, cancer and other injuries or illnesses are usually lacking from the MSDS.

While having every chemical’s MSDS on hand complies with the letter of the law, out of date or inaccurate data is often worse than no information.

Getting the valuable information needed by employees about the substances they come into contact with shows them that your business has concerns for their health and safety. Here are some tips on how to find out which materials are hazardous and what to do if an employee has dangerous exposure.

Starting with the MSDS sheets that manufacturers supply under OSHA find the hazardous materials your employees have exposure to.

Review and evaluate scientific literature to understand the possible implications of toxic chemicals on employee’s and your own health.

If the task is beyond your or your employees’ abilities, contact your vendors and tell them the MSDS has insufficient information. You want them or the manufacturer to give you clear, easy to understand information about the hazards of immediate and long-term exposure as well as preventive measures to take.

The United States Department of Health and Human Services runs the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry. On their website is a section called ToxFAQs that has a lot of information on hazardous materials. It is free and available in both document and PDF form. Every substance in their directory has a summary that is a quick and easy guide. It is available in both English and Spanish and is a wonderful information source.


Oct 04
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Making the Most of Background Checks

By Risk Management Bulletin

Lying on a job application isn’t a new concept, but you might be surprised just how often it happens: According to results of a survey from The Society of Human Resource Managers, 53 percent of all job applications contain false information and 78 percent are misleading. What’s more, 70 percent of college students reported they’d lie on an application to get a job they really wanted.

Lying on an application is about more than dishonesty; it also leaves your company open to significant liability risks and losses. In fact, just one negligent-hiring lawsuit can wind up costing a business millions of dollars in addition to significant negative publicity and loss of customer trust.

Comprehensive background checks are the first line of defense when it comes to avoiding negligent-hiring lawsuits as well as theft, harassment and other criminal and civil issues, but too often, employers fail to implement policies effectively.

  • Here are some tips to ensure your company is getting the most from its background checks:
  • Search data from both national and countywide databases
  • Be sure your policy adheres to the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA); that means getting written authorization to conduct the check and recognizing the applicant’s right to dispute information turned up by the background check.
  • Make sure the data you use in your hiring decision is based on relevant and factual information.
  • Make sure you apply your background check process fairly and not just on specific applicants or groups of applicants.
  • Establish criteria to determine which results will preclude employment and apply those criteria consistently.
  • Review your process regularly to make sure it’s being implemented properly and to make any necessary changes to ensure it remains responsive.

 

Gathering background information on your potential employees is important not only for your company, but for your customers’ security as well. If you don’t have the skilled personnel to carry out background checks in-house, outsource the task to a company that specializes in employee screening.

Oct 04
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Tips to Avoid a FCRA-related Lawsuit

By Risk Management Bulletin

Class action lawsuits involving the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) are on the rise; according to a report by the law firm Littler Mendelson, during June and July alone, more than a nationwide dozen class action suits were filed against employers across the country. Although many of these suits may appear to be based on the most trivial technicalities, they can still result in millions of dollars in losses.

FCRA suits generally arise as a result of two causes: Employers fail to follow proper protocol when obtaining a report from a credit reporting agency (CRA), or they fail to observe the steps required when information from a report results in an “adverse action.”

In a nutshell, here’s what you need to know:

  • Before a company can obtain a report form a CRA, it must provide a written disclosure to the applicant, typically in a separate document that solely addresses the company’s intent to collect information.
  • The applicant must provide written permission to allow collection of data from a CRA.
  • When contacting the CRA, the company must certify that it is requesting the report for permissible purposes and that it is in compliance with FCRA and equal opportunity employment laws.
  • If the company decides to take adverse action, such as denial of employment, based on information in the CRA report, it must first provide a notice to the applicant, including a copy of the CRA report and a copy of the statutory Summary of Rights. These rights provide the applicant with a chance to discuss and dispute the information prior to an action being taken.
  • If the company decides to move forward with an adverse action, it must provide the adverse action notice to the applicant orally, by electronic methods or in writing.
  • The adverse action must include: contact information for the CRA; a statement that indicates the CRA is not responsible for the action; a statement that the applicant has a right to obtain a copy of the report; and a statement that the applicant has the right to dispute the report’s contents.
Oct 04
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Loyal Employees Reduce Risks, Increase Success

By Risk Management Bulletin

During the past few decades, the workplace has changed significantly, and one of the biggest shifts has been in the number of years an employee remains with one employer. While a half century ago, it was “normal” practice for the majority of employees to remain with an employer for many years — sometimes entire careers — today’s employees are likely to change employers every few years. That’s bad news for employers: Workers who remain longer with a company attain a far deeper knowledge of the company, its brand, its products and its customer base, making them much more valuable than any new hire. And unlike a new hire that’s an “unknown quantity,” loyal, long-term employees can actually help reduce a company’s level of risk.

Still, when it’s time to take stock of a company’s assets, valuing employee loyalty can prove problematic; many companies wind up ignoring the value of loyal employees in favor of focusing on easy-to-grasp tangible assets. Likewise, many companies don’t bother to learn how to retain employees for the long term, or even know where to start.

Motivating employees to stay on board doesn’t have to be difficult. If you’re interested in learning what you can do, Monster.com offers the following tips:

  • Implement career paths that offer opportunity for advancement, and let employees know how to advance in your company.
  • Proactively monitor morale and seek out ways to help improve morale in ways that are meaningful to your employees.
  • When devising management training programs, consider what makes a good, effective manager from a worker perspective rather than focusing in what management wants.
  • When considering compensation, think beyond salary to include health insurance, vacation time, pension plans and other perks.
  • Teach your managers how to provide consistent and valuable feedback and mentoring, and ensure they understand how to listen to employees and value their input.

 

Learning to retain employees isn’t rocket science; but it does take commitment and time. Take some time today to brainstorm ways your company can develop a workforce that’s as committed to your company’s success as you are.

Oct 04
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Is Diversity Training Effective?

By Risk Management Bulletin

During the past decade, diversity training has become a huge industry, with many companies implementing programs aimed at helping all employees feel valued while reducing bias and unfairness. That’s the stated purpose, and it sounds great; but when you get right down to it, the reason most companies implement diversity training programs is to, hopefully, reduce liability issues including potentially costly lawsuits. And what’s more, recent studies have been indicating that most diversity training programs simply don’t work.

In fact, one study from Harvard University looked at 829 companies over three decades and found that the training resulted in “no positive effects in the average workplace.” Even worse, the researchers also found that in workplaces where diversity training is mandatory, the training “actually has negative effects on management diversity.”

The researchers noted that the very nature of diversity training forces people to think in terms of categories. In the end, employees are more likely to dehumanize people than to see them as individuals.

Mentor programs appear to be very effective, the study says. Such programs can provide everyone with connections to “higher ups,” and they are generally better accepted than training programs, possibly because they are available to everyone, not just specific groups.

“Mentor programs put aspiring managers in contact with people who can help them move up, both by offering advice and by finding them jobs,” the study authors found. “This strategy appears to work.”

The study found another good approach to ensuring diversity in the current workplace and in hiring practices is to put one person or a group of people in charge, acting as a diversity manager or task force. Managers and task forces can be effective because they focus on identifying both specific problems and remedies.

“Managers and task forces feel accountable for change, and they monitor quarterly employment data to see if their efforts are paying off. If not, it’s back to the drawing board to sketch new diversity strategies.”

The take-home message: Don’t give up on diversity programs in your company, but do spend time exploring other options that may be more effective.

Oct 04
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Window Tints Reduce Home Invasions and Offer Additional Benefits

By Personal Perspective

The windows in your home allow bright sunlight to stream into your house, and they create a warm and cozy indoor atmosphere. Unfortunately, those same windows can provide access to home invaders. Apply unique and versatile window tints that protect your home and family and offer additional benefits you’ll appreciate.

Prevent Home Invasions

Burglars usually case homes before they break in through the path of least resistance. Tinted film prevents anyone from looking into your house and seeing your valuables. Clear and colored tints also reinforce the glass as they discourage home invaders.

Reduce Cooling Costs

You and your pets bask in rays of warm sunlight, but all that sunshine increases the interior temperature and forces your home’s cooling system to work overtime. Save as much as 30 percent on your annual cooling costs when you apply sun-filtering window tints.

Protect Fabric from Fading

Before the valuable furniture, carpets and window treatments in front of your windows fade, apply window tint. It blocks as much as 99 percent of all the damaging UV rays and protects the fabrics in your home.

Prevent Severe Weather Damage

Hail, winds and other severe weather can break your windows and send flying glass throughout your home. Apply safety tint that reinforces your windows and protects your home and family.

Reduce Glare

As you work in your home office or watch TV with your family, annoying sun glare can interrupt your day. Apply tint to the windows and reduce disruptive glare.

Maintain Privacy

While allowing sunshine in, window tints prevent curious neighbors and passersby’s from looking into your home, and they maintain your privacy.

Decorate Your Home

Available in dozens of decorative patterns, window tints add beauty to your windows. Use them to decorate all the glass in your home.

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