Prescription Drug Abuse – In Opioids in the Office, Emily Holbrook of Risk Management Monitor reports on a new study about prescription narcotics by the Workers Compensation Research Institute. The report, “Longer-Term Use of Opioids,” found that one in 12 injured workers who started prescription narcotics were still using them three to six months later. The study examined long-term narcotic use in 21 states, and how often doctors followed recommended treatment guidelines for monitoring injured workers under their care.
Just in time for Halloween – Margaret Heffernan of CBS Moneywatch offers 6 Truly Frightening Bosses.
Politics at Work – With the election approaching, things at work can get heated. In How to Avoid a Political Minefield, Eilene Zimmerman looks at such question as whether it is O.K. to express your views at the office and if you’re a manager, are the rules different for you?
NLRB decisions – Kecia Bal of Human Resource Executive says that it may be time for HR managers to update employee handbooks to reflect recent National Labor Relations Board decisions. In What You Can’t Say in an Employee Handbook, she notes that “A handful of restrictions and rules — many of which are standard in employee handbooks across the country — may be considered to impede an employee’s protected rights, as indicated by a Sept. 20 decision by an NLRB administrative law judge.” And in a related story from HRE’s Leader Board, Kristen Frasch posts employment law tips from Fisher & Phillips: Social-Media Do’s and Don’ts You’d Better Know.
Email stress test – A UC Irvine professor conducted a study that separated 13 people from their email for five days and recorded what happened when they unplugged. People said they felt liberated, and the euphoria lasted for a few days. The study found that they were more productive and less stressed without email, but that they quickly reverted back to their old ways.
Career Options for the Deaf – Jobs, Careers and Callings: Deaf and Hard of Hearing People at Work a site by Karen Putz that shows the variety of jobs, careers and callings that deaf and hard of hearing people are doing each day. Karen is a speaker, a writer and a deaf Mom who is raising three deaf and hard of hearing kids, and who wants to offer role models and career choices.
Life without Insurance – Nicholas Kristof relates the story of a friend who pays a steep price for going without insurance in A Possibly Fatal Mistake.
Quick Takes
- Fun With Halloween in the Office
- How Not to Deal with Sexual Harassment Complaints
- The Seven Habits of Highly Effective Risk Managers
- Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) Policy: What it is and why you might need one
- Employers Share Most Unusual Excuses Employees Gave for Calling In Sick, CareerBuilder’s Annual Survey Finds
- Infographic: Today’s Storm of Human Resources Responsibilities
- Johns Hopkins Shooting Spurs Improvements to Hospital’s Workplace Violence Response Program
- 10 secrets your Great Boss never told you