Dangerous work – What are America’s most dangerous jobs? (free registration may be required) The Bureau of Labor Statistics released its annual report on workplace fatalities (PDF), complete with graphs and charts about what types of events cause fatalities and in which industries fatalities occur most frequently. Transportation incidents lead the list, accounting for 43% of all fatalities. At 14%, homicides are the second most frequent cause of work-related deaths. While the raw number of fatalities seems to have taken a slight dip, work fatalities have increased for Hispanics, blacks, and women.
E-mail burden – A typical office worker gets more than 100 e-mail messages a day. In an article entitled Businesses Struggle Under Growing Weight Of E-Mail, Information Week explores issues of productivity, confidentiality, archiving, and e-mail monitoring. And as if the burden of e-mail weren’t bad enough, a Rutgers study is suggesting that workers can become “techno-addicts,” potentially creating new employer liabilities. Is information and communication technology (ICT) addiction the stress claim of the future?
Workers comp fraud – Workers Comp Insider talks about claimant fraud and how to avoid it. But workers aren’t the only perpetrators of fraud – fradulent employers cost the system $30 billion a year.
Unhappy workers? – Are your professional workers good targets for recruiters? Yes, if they aren’t happy with their current job. Workforce Week reports on a recent survey that points to a downturn in employee satisfaction. At least one-third of the survey participants were noncommittal about staying in their present job. The article suggests that employers need to be proactive in establishing programs and communications to ensure worker retention.
Susan Heatherfield of About.com’s Human Resources talks about employees’ most frequent complaints, and offers a unique prescription for employers to enhance satisfaction and ensure retention: Put more fun and humor in the workplace.
Another reason to keep employees happy – An article by Leah Carlson Shepherd in Employee Benefit News discusses the link between disability and depression and suggests that integrating mental health and disability benefits can help to lower costs and improve health outcomes.
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