Protect Your Business from Bogus Sick Claims

Bogus sick claims infect the business world and must cost business owners many millions of dollars just throughout North America and Europe if one person I know of who books sick every time he needs extra time to look after personal family chores crops up is any example and he definitely seems to be from the information published in the July 17, 2010 issue of the Vancouver Sun. Fortunately there are ways that business people can fight this according to the reporter, Howard Levitt.

What he suggests in his feature is that employers resort to tactics used by automobile insurers and government agencies such as Work Safe BC which compensate people with workplace related injuries or illnesses . That of course is video surveillance.

Of course you want to make sure such activity is legal in your part of the world in most areas of North America it is perfectly legal to take pictures or videos of people with their permission – so long as those pictures are not going to appear in some magazine for your personal financial gain. Companies and government agencies such as a workers compensation board do this all the time to expose fraudulent claims. And such video evidence, as the discretion of the Court, can even be used in legal proceedings.

In order to protect yourself, however, as the employer there are a few things you want to do to protect yourself when doing this. First, as Levitt points out it is a good idea to have an employment policy in place to makes it very clear that any sick claims must be backed up by solid medical evidence that will be examined by the company's own doctor and that any suspicion of fraudulent claims will be investigated.

Second, if you do resort to using video surveillance (It might be a good idea to hire a private investigator for this.) make sure that you have a qualified and certified health care practitioners examine any video evidence to make sure that it does expose activity that the employee should not be capable of with sick claims he or she has made. The last thing you want to do is use any video evidence gather to deprive honest employees of sick day compensation they need and deserve.





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Just Because It Never Happens Doesn't Mean It Never Will

 

The other day my wife intercepted two very pretty young girls on their way to a rather isolated park near our house to play. When my wife sent them back to their mother with the warning that it was too dangerous they retorted, " Our mother lets us go there by ourselves – all the time – and nothing ever happens to us!"

That was echoed by their mother herself who came down at first very indignant at what she perceived as unwarranted meddling in her affairs. It was only when my wife refused to apologize and warned the women that just because nothing ever happens to her young children it doesn't matter it never will that she took her children back home.

This woman's overconfidence is not an isolated case and it all too frequently ends up with tragic results in many of our activities such as when:

• People get killed in vehicle accidents after they have run a yellow or red light because they have done it many times before and nothing ever happened.
  
• A policeman gets killed from a bullet shot through a door because nothing has ever happened before when he got careless and stood right in the centre of the doorway.
  
• A young women disappears while jogging through an isolated park trail by herself – which she has done many times before.
  
• A man walking along the sidewalk is gunned down by two men in a black car – that he has seen passing – many times before.
  
• A young woman is attacked and raped by a man she met in a night club she has met many times before and always seemed so sweet and warm.
  
• A trainer at one of the Seal World centres in the United States in dragged under the water and drowned by a killer whale -- she has worked with many times before.
  

You could go one with many other examples of this type of thing because we do it all the time – that is believe that because we have done something many times before that has the potential to be very dangerous but nothing ever happens – nothing ever will.

We do it because we get careless or take our safety for granted and it can have tragic consequences. When we do things we know we should not do but take the chance anyway.

A very good example of this type of thinking and the consequences is the oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico. Somebody shut down an alarm system – because it wake the crew unnecessarily if it should go off.

Some are trying to say they don't know for sure if that action cost any lives but at the same time there is a good possibility it did. And what was the rationale behind that? Was it because they had done that many times before – and nothing ever happened?

Who knows! People who do these types of things are playing Russian roulette with their own or other peoples' lives. It is a dangerous and often tragic way to live.

Protect Yourself from Fraud Artists and Identity Thieves

    Some of the cleverest minds in the world are busy devising schemes to separate you from your money, banking information or even your personal identity – which could result in you being held responsible for debts you never ran up -- or even crimes you never committed.

To protect yourself from such things be extra careful not just with your money but also with all types of personal identity such as:

• Personal papers
  
• Bank statements
  
• Cheque books
  
• Driver's licenses
  
• Social Insurance cards or other government identify cards
  

Rarely provide information from such cards on the internet. Some supposedly secure sites might tempt you to make exceptions but be careful. Also be careful when providing such information in person. The only time should be when you are buying something or are legally required to do so.

In addition to being extra cautious at these times don't fall into the habit of throwing old statements or other forms containing confidential information into dumpsters or garbage bins behind stores or office buildings. Information thieves, even some private many private investigators, are very skilled "dumpster divers", able to piece an entire history about you or your from documents that you forgot to shred before discarding them.

Plant Trees To Protect Yourself

 

This is not exactly an new idea but you can protect yourself by living in a neighbourhood where there are a lot of trees growing as they help to moderate the temperature keeping it cooler on scorching summer days and also eliminate much of the pollution surrounding us – something than can be critical if you or a family member suffers from things like asthma.



The July 13, 2010 of ENN Community trees native to an area not only grow much easier but also provide much needed shelter for birds and other wildlife but also help to prevent flooding by absorbing the excess water to rainy weather, reduced air pollution (including noise from nearby highways or industrial equipment).

You can protect your young children who suffer from asthmas by living in such neighbourhood. Studies in England, according the quoted Woodlands Trust, say that while some 15 per cent of young children in that country researchers have also found out that for every 340 trees planted in a square kilometre the number of young asthma suffers drops by a quarter.

So if you don't already living in area that is surrounded by trees and can't move to such a neighbourhood it wouldn't be a bad idea to plant some native trees around your property. It not only enhances your land but also help to protect your health and health of your loved ones – as well as the neighbourhood itself.



If you live in some strata complex in a condominium or other dwelling where it is hard to plant trees in the ground around your home the are other ways to do this such as planting the trees in pots or planters.  Your local landscape supply or gardening supply store should be able to help you out with idea about this.


There are says, for instance to control the height of trees that would normally grow very high by selective pruning of the top and other branches. I can't think off hand about the name of the gardening art that deals with this, but the technique is very similar to those used by those who specialize in growing miniature trees using "bonsai" trimming techniques.


Surrounding yourself with trees and other pollution fighting plants can be achieved even if you are a person who spends a lot of time indoors. 


If that is your problem you can also get small indoor trees and other plants to help to create a relaxing atmosphere inside yourself – as well as absorb much of the indoor pollution – which, as you know, can actually be much greater than what you find outside.


 

Remember That Many Are Playing A Role

 

I have been following the latest story in the media here in Vancouver BC about an elderly couple that vanished while on a trip in their recreational vehicle from Edmonton to Chilliwack area of British Columbia, Canada that is a stark reminder of how this is so true so many strangers we meet.

Although they might seem very friendly and sweet such as the person a friend of ours recently met in a bar. "He even told me how I look like his wife who recently died of cancer and showed me her picture," she said.

While this person might be genuine often, as recounted in the newspaper as well as such shows as Americas Most Wanted and other programs, that friendliness is often just as mask to hide vicious intentions.

Everyone, but especially young attractive women and elderly persons should keep this in mind when meeting new persons. During your first encounters with people you should view them as an unknown risk or threat until they prove what their intentions towards you really are.

Women who meet that sweet, good looking guy in a bar with that hear breaking story about how his wife just died etc. etc. etc. just be extra cautious.

But this is a caution that everyone should be practising. Ask yourself if that sweet smile or personality is really genuine or if it is a mask.

This is not so difficult and t here are some excellent books on reading people that are on the market such as People Watching and Body Language by Desmond Morris that can help you become more adept at detecting phones and other dangerous persons by looking beyond their facade of friendliness and love.

Master this art to protect yourself and family members from the unscrupulous persons you meet and trust your finances or personal safety with practically everyday of your lives. Remember as Shakespeare said that all the world is a stage and everyone has their role to play – and that with some people that role is not very nice.





Note:   See also new post today  below.





 

Protect Yourself from Dementia

Protect yourself from dementia the scourge of the "Golden Years" of retirement that are turning out not so golden for hundreds of thousands of persons succumbing to this this disease after they retire.

In one study conducted by researchers in California they found that if you are physically active during your teen years the monsters of dementia will retreat in your Golden years.

 

Researchers in San Francisco and Ontario included 9,395 women 65 and older in their study. They found that women who were active as teens had much better cognitive scores that those who were more prone to be couch potatoes during their earlier years.

According to the editors of the Journal of The American Geriatric Society who originally published the story, said the researchers did an assessment of these women when in their teens, thirty's and fifties and found that those who were more active during the teen years had better cognitive skills when older. Those who caught the exercise bug in later years did not do as well although those who started when they were in their thirties and continued to exercise did reap some of the benefits.

However, don't be discouraged by the results of these tests which seem to indicate that you have missed the boat if you started an exercise program when you were older than that.

Other studies have shown that a regular exercise program (especially one under a doctor's supervision when you are older) will help to stave off dementia and other cognitive plagues.

The thing to take away from this story is the fact that a good – continued – exercise program involving a sport or activity which you enjoy doing will help to fight dementia when you are older. The important thing is to start to one – and as early in life as possible to protect your mental and physical health throughout your life.

You can find more information on this topic in the Los Angeles Times in the story written by Karen Kaplan and The Vancouver Sun of July 1, 2010 which carried her original feature.

 

Protect Your Communication Equipment

How well do you protect your communication equipment?

Silly question you might say. "Of course I take care of communication equipment. I make sure my cell phone is kept in a proper case to protect it against falls or dampness. The same thing with my tape recorder and cameras. They're all kept in proper cases and in secure places at home – and especially when I have to leave them alone when I travel or have to take them with me in my vehicle."

And I'm sure you do, but how well do you protect the communication system you were born with – without which most of this stuff would be useless? Your brain. Your lungs, your throat (along with its larynx and voice box), your tongue, your teeth, your lips – and your ears and eyes. all make one of the most awesome communications systems in the world – without which we would be unable to gather information or share it effectively with others.

Everything you want to say starts off as a puff of air in your lungs which forces the air up your throat past your larynx and voice bocks which turns it into sounds, on past you tongue, teeth and lips which all do their part to transform this initial sound into meaningful words.

And with our ears and eyes we can quickly appreciate not only how our voice sounds and ideas are going over from the response from our audience but we can also continually increase our repertoire of ideas and information by listening to others or researching new ideas.

Ironically, while nobody would deliberately drop a cell phone on the floor all too often we don't think about how we are destroying our brains and other components of our vocal system through smoking, excesses with drugs and alcohol or other detrimental lifestyles.

Yet if we want to have long careers as successful presenters whether we are singers, actors or speakers we must give as much care to our "natural equipment" as we do our electronic aids.