The modern workplace this week brought us stories of disability fraud, job recruitment with video games, apps to fight procrastination, and distracted driving. Who says work is boring?
In North Carolina, a postal worker was indicted for disability fraud when her appearance on a nationally-televised game show revealed her lifting and grabbing capabilities. She had been collecting workers compensation checks since 2004 for an injury that supposedly prevented her from lifting and grabbing, among other things. In the wired workplace, both employers and employees are finding new uses for technology. Some employers have begun using a video-game style recruitment process called ConnectCube. This application tests, stores, and analyzes user data measuring various job skills, such as memory, spatial skills, and verbal reasoning, then connects high-scoring employees with employers looking for those skills. Employees are using new apps at work to fight the age-old problem of procrastination. But whether you are an employer or an employee, a new study released this week shows that you should scale back your use of technology (even hands-free versions) while driving.
Technology and the Workplace
“The Price is Right” Contestant Busted for Disability Fraud After Spinning the “Big Wheel” on TV (New York Daily News)
OH County Prosecutor Fired After Posing As Accused Killer’s Girlfriend on Facebook to Try to Get Alibi Witnesses to Change Their Testimony (Cleveland.com)
LinkedIn: How It’s Changing Business (and How to Make it Work for You) (CNN)
Gaming Your Way Into Your Next Job (WSJ)
Technology and the Law
ACLU Sues Obama Administration Over NSA Phone Records “Dragnet” (ABA Journal)
Are Electronic License Plates the Future? (CBS) (FOX)
Hands-Free Devices Still Cause Driver Distraction, Says Study (NBC)
Prosecutors Team Up to Combat Smartphone Thefts (CNET)
911 Tech That Locates Cell Phone Users in Buildings Ready to Go (Ars Technica)
There’s an App for That
7 Productivity-Boosting Tools to Fight Procrastination (Mashable)
New Sidecar App Turns Strangers’ Cars into Cabs (WSJ)
Apps Claim They Can Keep Phone Records Secure (CNN)
iPhone Users Can Expertly Retouch Portraits with Facetune (Mashable)