Work Smartr » Michael J. Aarons

Types of Workplace Accident Compensation

Michael J. Aarons — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 16:55:23 +0000

photo credit: beckstei

No one wants to suffer an accident while they are working as, aside from the physical pain and psychological trauma an injury can cause, there is also the fact that it may prevent you from working for an indefinite period, which few people can afford. Luckily, if you are unfortunate enough to be injured while at your place of work, there are compensation claims that you can make to help you to cope with anything from medical bills to lost income. These are the main types of work accident compensation claims that can be made in this situation.

Special damages

This means previous costs that you may have suffered as a result of the injury you received at work, and will require you to offer proof of the amounts you are claiming for through receipts. This can refer to everything from the loss of income you have experienced due to being unable to work, travelling costs incurred in the course of visits to hospitals and personal GPs, medical costs for the treatment you receive and expenses caused by having to cancel an engagement, such as a holiday, due to injuries received.

General damages

This refers to areas such as the pain and suffering or post-traumatic stress experienced due to injuries received in a workplace accident. The value of these types of damages is often set by the solicitor. Furthermore, interest can be claimed on both general and special damages, with the level varying depending on which of these it is.

Legal expenses

If you win your compensation claim, then in addition to the damages you are awarded, your employer will generally be required to meet the costs of your legal action. This, together with the damages should be covered by the employer’s employee liability insurance, assuming they have secured the appropriate cover.

Creating a Smarter Workspace Environment

Michael J. Aarons — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 22:19:58 +0000

photo credit: geishaboy500

Bored of your standalone desk or cubicle at work? Tired of relentless problems popping up over and over again because you’re trapped in an inefficient workspace in your workplace? If so, you don’t have to settle for the status quo. With a few intelligent and creatively applied upgrades to your desk or cubicle, you can give yourself the gift of a smarter workspace environment. Sure, it may just be a space designed to help you get your job done, but with every greater ease of burdens, you’re bound to be one step closer to ending your workday on a more positive note.

Start by figuring out the lighting. Poor lighting can be a detriment to your work performance in multiple ways. Using fluorescent lights may be efficient, but fluorescent tubes produce harsh, uninviting light that can be distracting. Incandescent bulbs aren’t much better, though in a different way. Though the light they produce is warm and gentle, if you have to sit under a collection of them, chances are the heat they radiate will make you uncomfortable (plus, they’re not very efficient lighting sources). Instead, if you switch to LED lights, your lighting situation will improve dramatically. Compared with fluorescents, LED lights are similarly efficient but less grating to look at. Compared with incandescent bulbs, LEDs waste less energy and produce similarly pleasant light.

Once you’ve got your lighting figured out, optimize the rest of your workspace. Throw away that uncomfortable office chair and replace it with a cushioned swivel chair. Just be sure the chair isn’t too comfortable, as you don’t want to spend half of your workday lounging around. Also, get rid of as much paper waste as possible. The more you can computerize, the easier it will be to juggle everything, and the less mess you’ll have to deal with as your desk will be far less cluttered. And of crucial importance, don’t forget to keep both a sweatshirt and a miniature fan around. That way, you can optimize your workspace temperature no matter whether it’s too hot or too cold to function.

Home Learning Degrees

Michael J. Aarons — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 14:10:40 +0000

Home learning is the ideal option for those that wish to advance their skills, yet simply don’t have the time to attend an actual University course.

photo credit: striatic

Despite learning from home the student will still be able to achieve an official degree. At Kaplan this degree is from an affiliate college of the University of Essex and allows the student to enjoy all of the benefits an actual land-based University course.

Home learning provides the student with a very flexible option when it comes to advancing further in their studies. Just because it offers an extremely flexible approach to learning this doesn’t, however, mean the student goes without help. There is still advice and answers available to those that take part in home learning in the form of online tutors, fellow students and course administrators. All of these options are readily available and will help you receive the most from your online home learning degree.

The courses available also have multiple start dates, which allow the students to begin at a time that is convenient to them.

Another benefit comes in the form of being able to suspend the course at any one time. You may experience a heavier workload than usual or personal circumstances may come into play; either one of the above could dramatically affect your learning. If you were instead studying at an actual land-based University, you would most likely have to re-take the year due to falling behind.

Just because students taking part in a home learning course do so from the home environment, this by no means that they are alone. Home learning degrees instead use a platform that allows for the latest Internet technology. Such a technology provides the student with an exceptional classroom learning experience, which offers the perfect alternative to a traditional learning environment yet still houses many of the same benefits and options as a land-based University degree.

How to avoid work related sicknesses

Michael J. Aarons — Wed, 22 Sep 2010 07:14:12 +0000

I have a friend who recently found out he has a cyst on the wrist. While he hasn’t had it checked by a doctor yet, he thinks it may be work related. He’s a writer, just like me. He works most of the day and most of the night on client assignments. Typing away on your keyboard all day like that is bound to do some bad things to your hands and wrist.

I think these conditions can be avoided or at least minimized if you can manage your resources in a balanced way. By resources, I mean your time, energy and your body’s capabilities.

Get enough rest.

Freelancers like myself usually have a very erratic schedule. Since I work from home, I sometimes find myself having to manage a few household tasks every day. this can include helping out with the cooking, bringing the kids to school, and the like. While those don’t exactly eat your time in a big way, sometimes it might give you difficulty in gaining momentum.

And so many in my profession are fond of working during nighttime, when everything is quiet. The problem here is that your health suffers. Your eyesight suffers. Your body suffers.

Tip: get at least six hours of sleep per day. Studies show that’s the optimal level of sleep for an adult. Too little and you won’t be well-rested. Too much and you will feel fatigued from too much sleep.

Use the right tools.

Gadget companies usually come up with “ergonomic” stuff. Ergonomic this and ergonomic that. These are usually meant to fit better with your body. An ergonomic mouse might be easier to hold than one that focuses more on style than function. An ergonomic keyboard promotes a more relaxed posture.

Aside from buying the right gadgets, ergonomics will also involve using them right. If you work with computer screens all day, set the monitor at eye level, so you don’t have to slouch or nod down to view the screen. If you drive for a living, set your seat height, backrest, and steering wheel tilt, such that you are in a comfortable position.

Tip: work in a comfortable position. If you can’t achieve this with your existing setup, then buy or improvise.

Exercise.

You will also need to keep yourself fit. If you’re a writer, you don’t have to sit all day in front of your screen mulling word after word. Stand up and stretch every 30 minutes. Rest your eyes by closing them a couple of minutes, and then focusing them on a faraway object. Go to the gym. A fit body can help improve posture, which, in turn minimizes injuries.

Tip: don’t let your body stay in one position for extended periods of time. If you work sitting down, walk around every half hour or so. If you work standing up, don’t let your weight fall on both feet 100% of the time–shift positions often.

Different professions have different needs. In your line of work, what can help minimize or avoid work-related sicknesses?

Tips for Fighting Stress and Depression

Michael J. Aarons — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 04:57:29 +0000

photo credit: Ana Santos

Stress is usually caused by many different problems that a person has to deal with in everyday life. Sometimes a lot of stress also leads to depression. This feeling of anxiety causes people to focus more on their problems. This tends to make one unproductive.

People who are under a lot of stress often forget that there are other things in life aside from their responsibilities. It would be good to rest and disengage from work regularly. Taking breaks would give time for the mind and body to recover from constant stress brought about by work.

Here are some ways to cope and live better.

Have confidence in yourself and try not to worry too much. Some tasks might be too tedious and some problems might be too overwhelming to overcome. Just keep in mind that everyone’s got their share of problems, and anything is possible with a little determination and perseverance.

Get some exercise is to take your mind off work and lift your mood. This also helps the body by changing its response to stress. Starting on an exercise program is not too difficult. A few minutes of exercise walking around everyday can improve health significantly.

Aside from exercise, getting enough sleep is a very important tool in fighting stress and depression. The body needs time to regenerate itself and if it does not have the chance to do so, it would very much affect the way it deals with stress.

Keep in touch with friends and relatives. Interacting with other people outside the working sphere in helps lift moods and builds social awareness. There are a lot of other people out there that are interesting to learn from and can help take your mind off your problems and stress at work.

Put more effort into organizing. A lot of problems can be avoided by writing down important dates and tasks. Create a schedule for doing chores, work, and rest so it is easy to get used to.

Eat healthy foods. The body should get the nourishment it needs to function in every day tasks. Stress and depression could arise from frustration of not being able to work due to sickness. People who are physically weaker are more vulnerable to more stress and depression.

Get rid of bad habits. Stress and depression can be made worse by excessive drinking, smoking, and lack of rest. Living a healthy lifestyle helps protect against the effects of stress and depression.

A great way to avoid stress and depression would be to help other people. Helping other people could bring contentment and happiness that could help fight the stress or depression from problems in life.

Stress and depression are not diseases, but rather conditions, and these can be avoided. There are a lot of things that people can do about it. It would be wise for a person to know what actions they could do to prevent being overcome by their problems at work and in life.