From Bob's Cluttered Desk

Where to go when you've got to go? Not, it seems in a Malaysian river. A foreign worker in Pending, Sarawack, Malaysia was severely bitten on the buttocks by a crocodile while he was defecating in a river next to his worksite. I bet that scared the crap out of him.  The croc, measuring about…

I would love to be a fly on the wall for this guys next employee performance review.  A Georgia Health Sciences University lab tech was arrested after being discovered in a campus locker room partying with lab monkeys. Apparently 32-year-old Coley Mitchell was jailed after he was found intoxicated with his pants down in a…

I call it “Crappy Boss Syndrome”. Apparently psychologist types call it the “Crossover Effect”, or the “Spillover Effect”. Whichever you prefer, it is the concept that a person who is satisfied with their job is generally more likely to be satisfied in their personal life. This translates to interactions with spouses, children and friends, and…

Except for one, glaring, jarring surprise, it was likely the best social media session I have ever attended at a conference. Moderated by Helen Knight, the power behind the Paduda throne, Business Insurance’s Roberto Ceniceros and MedRisk’s Tom Kerr squared off on the good, the bad and the ugly in social media. And the jarring…

I normally write about sessions and cutting edge information when I attend conferences. I try to convey some of the thoughts and ideas that germinate here, and give a sense of what is on the mind of attendees and professionals in the industry. But this week is Orlando. The annual conference here could easily have…

First there was the “The Rumble in the Jungle”, and the “Thrilla in Manilla”. Now we have “Mobsterfest at Lobsterfest”. Or “All You Can Beat Shrimp”. “Crackin’ Jab at the House O’ Crab”,  “Beatin’ Face At That Darden Place” (only current or ex food and bev people like me will likely get that last one).…

What happens when you cross an idiot weather person with a Chinese television station? You get a terrific video of safety “China style”. Actually, that is not fair. I’ve seen far worse in this country. Perhaps I should explain. We’ve all seen the TV weatherman giving a live remote from the beach during a hurricane.…

I read disturbing news last week. Very disturbing news. Birth rates in this nation have dropped to their lowest level in over 25 years. While we were once the envy of the world, maintaining a “replacement perfect” rate of 2.1 births per woman in this country, we have in recent years slipped to an unimpressive…

I have often lamented that employers do not understand that workers' comp is a controllable cost. Too often they treat it as a necessary evil that they must simply contend with, and never really pay attention to the fact that they have influence over costs; through both prevention and effective claims management. That is why…

I think claims people in workers' comp do not get a fair shake from the industry.  I have heard a few people over the years use the phrase “he's just a claims guy”, or “they are only in claims”, when talking about some person who happens to work in that area within the workers' compensation…