Benefits

Work Injury? Short-Term Income Options While You Mend

April 14, 2023 by Tim McMahon

Unfortunately, Job injuries do happen. If you find yourself in this position, don’t fret; there are several options available to help supplement your income while you take time off from work to heal and mend. Let’s review some of these short-term options for supplemental income.

Workers’ Compensation

If you are injured due to your job or workplace, you may be eligible for workers’ compensation benefits. Workers’ compensation is a federal program that provides money to employees who suffer on-the-job injuries or illnesses and death benefits to families in the event of a worker’s death related to their job. Workers’ compensation aims to provide financial aid and reimbursement for medical expenses so that an employee can focus on healing and recovery without worrying about basic needs such as shelter, food, and clothing.

Each state has its own laws regarding workers’ compensation eligibility criteria and benefit amounts. Contact your state’s Department of Labor or consult with an attorney specializing in workplace injury cases for more information about workers’ compensation benefits in your state.

Social Security Disability

If your injury is expected to keep you out of work for a long period of time, you may be eligible for Social Security disability benefits. These benefits are designed to provide financial support when someone can no longer work due to a disability or illness that is expected to last for at least 12 months or result in death. [Read more…] about Work Injury? Short-Term Income Options While You Mend

Save Money by Getting Disability Insurance Through Your Work

October 19, 2021 by Guest Contributor

When you think of insurance through your employer, you typically think about health insurance. However, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), there is a growing trend for employers to offer other types of insurance as well. One of those is disability insurance. In this table (although dated) provided by the BLS, we can see that both long-term and short-term disability insurance coverage has increased over the years.

As the name implies, short-term disability plans are designed to replace lost wages for a short, fixed amount of time. Ninety-three percent of private industry workers are covered by a short-term plan. Generally, coverage is about 26 weeks.

If you are among the lucky ones whose employers offer the opportunity to have disability insurance here are some reasons why you should take them up on their offer. [Read more…] about Save Money by Getting Disability Insurance Through Your Work

How to Improve Morale in the Workplace

February 26, 2020 by Tim McMahon

It’s important to maintain a positive atmosphere at work for you and your staff. When morale gets low, it leads to counter-productive behavior and causes employees to get stressed and upset. To avoid these issues, here are some ideas on how you can keep high morale in the workplace.

Appraisals

Appraisals aren’t only opportunities to explore areas in which an employee can improve; they also allow staff to air any concerns they might be having regarding work. By providing a private and safe space for them to discuss how they’re feeling at work, this creates mutual trust between you. If employees feel as though they are being treated fairly and listened to, they will be more comfortable when they come into work, ultimately giving them a more positive attitude to their colleagues and duties.

Benefits

Another way in which you [Read more…] about How to Improve Morale in the Workplace

Injury at Work? Know Your Rights to Compensation and FMLA

September 2, 2019 by Tim McMahon

Workers in the American workplace have certain protections under the law. Two of the most important are the right to a safe workplace and the right to leave for medical conditions. It’s your job as a worker, though, to know your rights to compensation and under the FMLA.

Know When an Injury Counts

One of the most important things you’ll need to know is if an injury counts as happening at work. Generally speaking, an injury that occurs during the regular commission of your job – whether on-site or off will count as a work-related injury. So long as you are on the clock or doing something as part of your duties, your injuries should be covered.

Who is Eligible for FMLA

Not every employee is eligible for leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA). You must be employed by a company that is not exempt (that is, has fifty or more employees) and you must have worked for the company for at least a year before you become eligible. There is also an hourly requirement – you must have worked for at least 1,250 hours during the course of those twelve months. If you meet all of these criteria, you are covered under the FMLA.

What to Do If You Don’t Get What You are Owed

Boost Your Productivity While Working from Home

June 20, 2019 by Guest Contributor

According to inc.com the average commute time in the U.S. in 50 minutes round trip. The same article said, “In England, the average daily commute time has risen from 48 minutes to 60 minutes in the past 20 years and one in seven commuters spends at least two hours on their daily round-trip commute.” Fifty minutes a day five days a week 50 weeks a year is over 200 hours a year or over 8 2/3^rds DAYS wasted a year. If you multiply that by 20 or 30 years you can easily waste a full 24 hour a day 365 day year of your life just commuting! If you count just waking hours it is more like two years wasted!

Instead of wasting time stuck in traffic breathing exhaust, most people would gladly choose the option of working from home. They can set up their own home office, start being their own bosses, or simply work out an agreement with their employer which allows them to work from home (at least part of the time). These are the people who get the best of both worlds – the comfort of being at home all day long and the paycheck that keeps arriving month after month – but only if they can remain productive and make everything work. Employers appreciate the less crowded facilities as long as productivity is maintained.

If you too are thinking about making this transition, here’s how you can boost your productivity and keep it at the highest level.

Create the Best Home Office to Suit Your Needs

Depending on the type of work you do and how big your home is, your new office could take up an entire spare bedroom, or you might be limited to a tiny corner in the kitchen. Both of these ideas have been used and you could make them work if you put your mind to it. It goes without saying that you’ll need to dedicate a certain part of your home to your work-related duties, so get right on it.

This could sometimes be rather hard, but you can make it work if you remember that size does matter when it comes to home offices. This means you need to give yourself as much space as you possibly can. Unless you do that, your motivation will plummet, and you won’t be able to get any work done whatsoever. [Read more…] about Boost Your Productivity While Working from Home

Long-Term Disability Benefits: How to Manage Finances after an Injury

November 27, 2017 by Guest Contributor

When you’ve been injured, life can change dramatically, temporarily or permanently. A decreased income can often lead to a lot of financial stress, making recovery more difficult. There are a few things you can do to ease the stress.

Create a Budget

There are two steps to this. First, create a budget that outlines all of your current expenses. Then, create a budget that works for your new, reduced income. Look at the first budget to see which, if any, of your current expenses can be immediately cut.

Refinance or Ask for a Forbearance on Your Mortgage

If you own your own home, [Read more…] about Long-Term Disability Benefits: How to Manage Finances after an Injury