Sunday, July 12, 2009

Work at Home Typing



Work at Home Typing: What You Should Know

Who wouldn't enjoy the chance to make money at home? In recent years, opportunities to earn a living by undertaking freelance assignments have vastly increased. This is because more and more companies are hoping to cut overhead costs through outsourcing work. The advent of the internet provides an easy avenue for would-be freelancers in search of part and full time work to connect with these companies. One of the popular fields in which people earn money at home is through freelance typing work.

Freelance typists may type any number of different documents, including forms, memos, and a variety of other documents. Sometimes, freelance typists transcribe from the spoken word on an audio recording, and other times they must translate shorthand or other written notes into typed documents. Whatever format or area of specialty is involved, a freelance typist must be competent, efficient, and reliable. Relatively few people have the necessary skills to become an excellent typist, so those who do have these skills have the potential to earn a lucrative income.

Speed and accuracy are the two core elements that vastly improve the odds of making money from home as a typist. Typically, these types of jobs are paid per page. To earn a significant income, you need to be able to type as fast as possible while at the same time retaining accuracy. Sloppiness is not acceptable in this type of job, since you will not be hired back if your work is riddled with errors. But, if you are fast, accurate, and efficient, your skills will be in demand and you can earn a good income with a steady stream of at-home work assignments.

Many people wonder if home typing jobs are legitimate opportunities, or whether these are scams. This is a legitimate concern. As it happens, there are honest offers out there, as well as scams or jobs that pay so little they may as well be scams. This is why it's so important to be able to separate honest offers from bogus ones when evaluating a typing job.

Your first tip off is that any service that claims to provide you with exclusive, insider knowledge on how to make thousands per week typing from home is a scam. These bogus services charge you all sorts of fees to reveal this 'secret' knowledge that is supposed to lead you on a sure path to success. There's really no reason to pay for any of this information, since most all of it can be found for free on the internet, on message boards, and blogs. So, steer clear of services that make you pay a fee for information on how to become a typist.

What you should do instead is look for job postings, freelance bid sites, online forums and freelance communities where you'll find legitimate ads from those seeking your services. If you see a listing that specifies the job requirements and level of pay, the listing is more likely to be legitimate. Someone who truly wants a job done and posts the specifications without requiring upfront pay is probably not a scammer. Try working with these types of clients, and look for listings on well known, respectable websites.

A final word of advice: when you first begin, start our slowly and gradually build your workload. It's important not to take on more work than you can handle. If you get behind, or rush and complete your work sloppily, you won't be able to build a good reputation for yourself. Ultimately, building your reputation and skill level is the best way to achieve success in working from home as a typist.

Work Accidents



Work Accidents: What to do if You Have an Accident at Work

There are a number of steps you should take following an accident at work. Below is a basic, 5-step checklist to help you to make sure that you gain any assistance you are entitled to following a work accident, and to reduce the likelihood of another similar accident happening in your workplace.

1) Record your injury in the accident book

All employers, other than very small companies, are required to keep an accident book. As an employee, it is in your interest to record any work injury in this book, as it can serve as evidence if you need to make a work accident claim at a later date. The accident book also enables your employer to keep track of problems and to make any changes necessary to prevent future incidents.

2) Make sure serious accidents are reported to the HSE

If an employee suffers a serious injury at work, their employer is required to report it to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). The type of incidents that should be reported include major injuries like broken arms and ribs, as well as any other injury which prevents an employee from doing their normal work for over three days.

The responsibility for reporting the injury rests with your employer, but if you have suffered a serious injury it is best to make sure this has been done.

3) Find out about your rights to accident pay

Your contract or written statement of employment will contain information about sick pay or accident pay. Usually, employees are entitled to statutory sick pay for any time off work due to an accident or sickness. However, your employer may have a scheme for paying extra, or may decide to pay more, according to the nature of the injury you have sustained.

4) Address any health and safety issues

If there is a persistent health and safety issue at work which led to your accident, it is important to make sure it is rectified so that the same thing will not happen to somebody else. Point out any health and safety issues to your employer, or to your employee safety representative. If problems are still not dealt with, you should call the HSE Infoline.

5) Consider making a work accident claim

If you have been injured at work and it wasn’t your fault, it is a good idea to initiate a work accident claim as soon as possible, and it must be within three years of the incident (there are some exceptions to this, such as asbestos poisoning).

You will need a personal injury lawyer to represent you. Personal injury claims can be made through specialist solicitors on a ‘no win, no fee’ basis, meaning that if you lose the case, you will not have to pay any money.

Your employer will be insured against compensation claims, meaning that, if they lose, it is their insurer who will pay out your compensation. It is against the law for your employer to sack you because of a personal injury claim.