Thanks to Mr. Richard H. Mamuyac (Communications Specialist of the People Management Association of the Philippines, PMAP) for choosing my New Year’s resolution and for including it on his article in the Philippine Daily Inquirer. It was included in his article titled “New Year’s resolutions to be better employees”. I would also like to thank my good friend Christian Melanie Lee for informing me and sharing me the image of the said article. Please have time to read the whole article and be inspired.

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Here’s something new from Semidoppel’s Reports! As part of my belief that blogging is a form of journalism, I will be including public service reports on this site. In this way I can help my fellow Filipinos, I’ll do my best to help them to become aware on some aspects which are sometimes taken for granted. Welcome to my online journal!

I already noticed this long time ago, and I was unaware that time. My questions were answered when I started to have this field of work I am currently in.

I am pertaining to local laborers or workers who are working without the use of personal protective equipments. By the way, what are these Personal Protective Equipments (PPEs)? These PPEs are composed of simple gadgets/equipments which served as barriers for hazardous conditions (e.g. safety goggles, hardhats, earplugs, safety shoes, safety harness, etc). I am just wondering, are the employers of these workers aware about the rule/law about personal protective equipment safety and devices? Are they even aware about safety at work?

Here’s what I found!

RULE 1080
PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT AND DEVICES

1081: General Provisions:

1081.01: Every employer as defined in 1002:

(1)Shall at his own expense furnish his workers with protective equipment for the eyes, face, hands and feet, protective shields and barriers whenever necessary by reason of the hazardous nature of the process or environment, chemical or radiological or other mechanical irritants or hazards capable of causing injury or impairment in the function of any part of the body through absorption, inhalation or physical contact.

 (2) Deduction for the loss or damage of personal protective equipment shall be governed by Article

114, Book III, Labor Code of the Philippines, and Section 14, Rule VIII, Book III, Omnibus Rules Implementing the Labor Code.

1081.02: All personal protective equipment shall be of the approved design and construction appropriate for the exposure and the work to be performed.

1081.03: The employer shall be responsible for the adequacy and proper maintenance of personal protective equipment used in his workplace.

1081.04: No person shall be subjected or exposed to a hazardous environmental condition without protection.

It is very clear that PPEs should be issued to each worker and it should be free. They are obliged to do this because it was mandated by law and it should be followed. Safety of the workers should be the primary concern by these employers, and it is also the right of the workers to decline a job whenever a hazardous condition on the work place is present. Employers should think that safety is an investment and never an expense. One more thing, the PPEs that will be issued should pass safety standards, PPEs are made from durable materials and designed to withstand different hazardous environment.

SAFETY is an INVESTMENT and never an EXPENSE. Though issuing of these PPEs requires budget, it should be categorized as an investment. Workers are the primary assets of an employer so he should protect their welfare.

Imagine what might happen if there are no:

• Hardhats to protect your head from falling debris
• Safety shoes that will prevent foot injuries due to slips and trips
• Safety goggles that will serve as a barrier to protect you from dusts and other minute particles
• Ear plugs that will minimize noise, helping you to avoid deafness
• Safety harness that might save your life when working on heights
• SCBA (Self-contained Breathing Apparatus) that will provide air, preventing asphyxiation

If the rules stated above are neglected by an employer, a worker can report it to DOLE (Department of Labor and Employment) and take note, it is punishable by law.

Kindly share this information, let’s spread this safety awareness. Safety is not a responsibility, it should be a part of our life and live with it as a culture.

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Finally! After two weeks of editing, now I present to you Semidoppel’s Reports’ business card! Clap! Clap! Clap!

What made me decide to make one? I attended Blog and Soul and there I met Batang Yagit. When he approached me, he gave his business card/calling card and it looks good. For me it’s the most professional way of introducing yourself. Fortunately, he already knew me so I don’t have to give him one…because I don’t have one (LOL). Then I attended “Blogger Fiesta”, I still don’t have my business card, there I met the bloggers behind Always10 (Jesus Ricardo), Loading-Info (Gian Faye), Mintscreen (Lulu) and Good Filipino (Csseyah), all I can say is “sayang, sana may business card na sana ako”.

Should a blogger have a business card?

YES! For me, the business card is the extension of your website and the author/blogger behind it. You should put a logo, your real name, and contact details such as your e-mail and mobile numbers, the address is optional.

So the next time I’ll attend a bloggers event, I will not just introduce myself as Jam of Semidoppel, this time I’ll offer my business card…just one little favor, kindly keep it hahahaha!

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One of the most utilized office equipment we use every day is the printer. Printing hard copies and photocopying documents, they are just the basic functions of this useful equipment. Can you still remember the days when you have to wait for a very long time just to print a single page while using that noisy ink-ribbon printer? How about those instances when you spent lots of time aligning the paper and replacing it when you have to use a different paper size?

Thanks to the developer/inventor of the multifunction printer! Here in our office we have one Fuji Zerox IV-C2270 which has very impressive features. The feature I want about our multifunction printer is the document management wherein everything is fully automated.

Fuji Zerox IV-C2270

All you have to do is fill the paper trays with the paper sizes you need then setting things up in your computer before you hit that “print” button and that’s it. One more thing, there’s no need to worry about overlapping printed documents if there are many people using the printer. This multifunction printer has this “Secure Print” feature that enables each user to store documents before printing it, the good thing about this one is you can print the batch of documents you wanted without worrying if other users might interrupt.

Those are just few of the several features of this outstanding office equipment. Employees from small to big businesses can experience ease and lessen delays on their documentation process. This is innovation at work!

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Yahoo! Blogger Shirts finally released the “Blogger na Gipit” design. Why am I so happy? Because I am the one who made that quotation! Thanks to Mr. Fitz Gerald Villafuerte for choosing not one but two quotations from my “Filipino Proverbs: The Blogger Edition” article. Here is the first t-shirt design:

How much? This shirt costs P270.00 only and it is available in four different colors! If you want to purchase this shirt, kindly visit Blogger Shirts (click the link) for purchasing instructions. But wait there’s more! (LOL), another blogger proverb-inspired shirt will be released next week, so grab one now!

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• Filipino Proverbs: The Blogger Edition Part Two
• Filipino Proverbs: The Blogger Edition
• A Blogger’s Role: What We Should Do and What We Can Do (A Repost)
• Improving Blog Traffic With Facebook
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More and more kids are playing online games these days, even children as young as 2 are now familiar with gaming. Kids are definitely hooked with these games – especially extreme violent ones that are oftentimes top-sellers. Children are also increasing their time in front of the computer thus ruling out other recreational activities offline. Research shows that kids are spending approximately a maximum of 13 hours per week on playing online. The sad fact is, most of these games are of violent nature and with violence comes the possibility of thrusting the child to aggression in the real world.

So what should parents do? Below are top things parents should put to mind and check before giving your child the go signal.

• Before your kids start playing online, be sure your computer has the right activated security suite: firewall, anti-spyware and anti-virus software for protection.

• Check a game’s ESRB rating before letting your child play, but keep in mind that the rating doesn’t reflect user-generated content that children come upon during online play. Stated below are rules by the Entertainment Software Ratings Board regarding video games/online games:
- EC stands for “early childhood.” This means that games in this category are suitable for ages 3 and up. Contains no substance that parents may find improper for kids.
- E stands for “everyone.” And is suitable for kids ages 6 and up. Games may include slight violence, rib-tickling mischief and/or minor language.
- E10+ stands for “everyone 10 and older.” Kids ages 10 and up can play games with this rating. In this category, titles may contain more animation, make-believe or mild aggression, trivial language, and minimal indecent themes.
- T stands for “teen.” This means that it is only appropriate for kids ages 13 and up. It could comprise content of violent nature, mild or intense language, and suggestive subject matter.
- M stands for “mature.” Games with this rating are apt for persons ages 17 and up. They may have adult sexual themes; violence is more extreme and have intense language.
- AO stands for “adults only.” Games with this rating have contents fit for adults only. They may include profane sexual innuendo. -
- RP stands for “rating pending.” This means that the games have been submitted and are waiting in line to be rated.

• Think beyond the box. It pays to read rating summaries and brief descriptions of the game. You can always look this up online and check online game review sites for reviews, feedbacks and more information about the game.

• Preview the games by yourself first. Even with the ratings and all the reviews available online, it’s still best for a parent to test the game first before letting your kids play. Game ratings may not match what you feel is appropriate for your child.

• Look for the educational value in choosing online games for your kids. It would be much better if the games your kids are playing are information rich and teach certain values and skills. Take online cooking games for example. They’re fun, educational and easy to play.

• Check if your kids have strong passwords for their gaming accounts. Passwords should be difficult to fathom. Make sure your kids know and remind them all the time that they may not send out any materials to fellow gamers that contain private information and/or data.

• Explain to your child the importance of reporting a cyberbully. Instruct them to keep a record of the conversation if they are being pestered and encourage them not to engage in a conversation with the bully.

In the end, nothing beats good parental guidance. Parental involvement in our children’s media usage can reduce the impact of media violence on our children.

This is a guest post produced by Sir Kim Tyrone Agapito of Kim of the World.

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“Find a job you love and you’ll never have to work a day in your life”

Have you ever encountered the feeling when you lack enthusiasm in your work? How about every Sunday night, that certain instance when you suddenly got depressed when you realized that tomorrow is Monday and you have to go to work again. How about the instance when you arrived in the office, you feel that you’re entering the gates of agony. If you encountered any of them, do you think you’re just BURNED-OUT?

 
 
Burnout is the feeling of exhaustion (mentally, physically, emotionally) due to different types of stress, you feel worn out, helpless and lose focus towards work. So… when and why do employees feel burned-out?

• Peer Factor – this pertains to co-workers, terror bosses, bullies at work. One cannot focus on a task if he always is too conscious about the people around him. Also, it is hard to work if your boss is too demanding, giving you lots of deadlines and when this happens you will really feel worn out because of the “overloading” that your boss did. The most difficult types of person to cope with are the so-called “bullies”, those who try to demoralize you, acting like a boss.

• Work not related to Field of Study – I consider this as a hindrance to gain enthusiasm at work (maybe at first). Why? In some instances or probably in most instances, it is really hard to be enthusiastic to a work which is really not familiar with you. “Back to zero”, this is how I define it, you have to learn from the start. Though you will be familiar with it there’s still a disadvantage, you cannot practice your expertise.

• Overworked…Underpaid – this is the most common reason why employees get burned-out so easily. I know you will agree with me when I say “The load of worked should always be compensated by the salary or even with the benefits.” You are working, you’re not doing charity as a volunteer. This principle is just the reciprocal of the company’s “I pay you to work, do your job”. But, I think as an employee, you can evaluate if your salary is really worth the job you are doing.

• Disregarded Scope of Work – When the “scope of work” was neglected, employees start to ask questions such as: Do I really have to do this? Is this really part of my job? Remember it is our right as employees to ask if the task given is part of our scope of work. If both parties are professional enough to talk about that matter, I am sure that no overloading of work will be experienced (because the task not included in the scope of work will never be performed).

• Work Schedule – the normal working hours is 8:00 a.m. up to 5:00 p.m. I know that some types of work are on a shifting type of schedules and though employees will work for eight (8) hours it is really hard to adjust if you will work at night. The feeling and effect of sleeping at night is different from sleeping at daytime, I myself can prove the difference between them.

• Work Days – the usual working days (e.g. government agencies) is only five (5) days which starts on Monday and ends on Friday. But it is different to semi-private and private companies, they usually have six working days and Sunday is the only time to rest which I think is not sufficient enough to recharge. Also, some companies (e.g. servicing companies) are mostly in demand during holidays, where plant sites and customers usually held shutdowns and preventive maintenance. Those perfect instances to be with our families are replaced by work and employees on that field of work usually did not enjoy that certain opportunity. They have no choice.

• Work Place and Traffic – you can’t start the day right if you encountered traffic jam, yes I know it pisses you off. The same situation won’t let you  end the day with a smile because of the same traffic jam you encounter after work. Well, I think there are really some places where traffic cannot be avoided. To avoid it you have to go VERY EARLY and if you don’t want to be late you have to adjust for few minutes or even for few hours.

• Safety Issues – Employees under  construction, servicing, maintenance (and other fields with the same nature)  are the most prone to accidents. That’s why companies should be aware of the hazards their employees might encounter. Employees got burnout if they can’t perform well on the work area. Safety is an investment and not a company’s expense.

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