A man in Germany has been arrested for attempting to murder a co-worker by poisoning his lunch and is now suspected of 21 “suspicious deaths” of co-workers at the company. Police are reported to be examining the deaths after the 56-year-old man was caught on camera trying to poison a colleague’s lunch in the break room of a…
Coming to WCI? Help Kids' Chance Give Kids the World
Every year the Workers’ Compensation Institute, as part of their annual educational conference in Orlando, holds a service day supporting the non-profit organization Give Kids the World (GKTW). This year, Kids’ Chance of Florida (KCFL) is assembling a group of volunteers to support that effort. If you are coming to Orlando for WCI this August,…
The Best Laid Plans of Participatory Millennial Trials
As part of our Hot Seat Webinar on the rise of the Millennials last Friday, we intended to enhance the “visitor experience” with a little add on after the presentation. Playing on the stereotype of participation ribbons and other memorabilia for millennials, we informed all of the viewers that they would be receiving a digital…
Advice Column for Unfaithful Spouse Highlights Challenges of the Injured
An advice column appearing in the Chicago Tribune two weeks ago highlights just one of the many challenges that an injured worker may face during an extended recovery. While the discussion did not have anything to do with his original injury, it was definitely related to the social support structure that is so important for a recovering…
Krauthammer – A Life Lived Abled
Conservative columnist and icon Charles Krauthammer passed away last week after a lengthy fight with cancer. To many people such as myself, Krauthammer was a brilliant observer of the otherwise obvious, with a special skill at analyzing life and disseminating it in a clear and entertaining manner. For many of us, his death will be…
Sex and Seafood in the Workplace
Well, it’s Friday, and time to shrug off the consistently negative news in exchange for a little lighter fare. And when it comes to a little useless information, I’m sure you’ll agree there is no place better than my blog. Especially, as is so often the case, when we find two ridiculous studies that merge…
Saliva Stress Test Can Identify Those Workplace Burnouts
Scientists announced this week that a simple saliva test can quickly show if you are overly stressed on the job and at risk of burnout. They say measuring levels of “the anti-stress hormone cortisol at different times of the day more accurately reveals stress levels than more complicated measures, including blood tests.” The study indicated,…
Getting Schooled on Texas Subrogation
I wrote a post last week entitled, “For Texas Subrogation, the Devil is in the (Policy) Details.” It concerned a Texas Supreme Court Decision where an insurance carrier had attempted to collect from an injured workers’ third-party liability suit despite the existence of a waiver of subrogation in the policy issued to their insured. The…
Thanks, Dad.
Last week I saw a message on Twitter sent by a friend. She was re-tweeting a meme acknowledging the June 6th anniversary of D-Day. She had added with her tweet, “God bless them for their courage and sacrifice.” I re-tweeted her message with the simple comment, “Thanks Dad!” Given the historical significance of that fateful…
When the Law of Unintended Consequences Screws Good Samaritans
I hear employers complain about having to carry workers’ comp all the time. Many of them do not understand the protections that workers’ compensation coverage can provide, and instead simply view it as a “pain in the ass” mandatory expense that they must endure. They really should educate themselves as to what comp can do…