“People often say that motivation doesn’t last. Well, neither does bathing–that’s why we recommend it daily.” –Zig Ziglar
Monthly Archives: September 2014
Quote of the Day
“To be a champion, you have to believe in yourself when nobody else will.”
Sugar Ray Robinson
40,000 Tweets: Social media, introversion and mental health
I was surprised to see yesterday that I was on the cusp of posting my 40,000th tweet. That is not really an achievement as such: all it really means is that I post a lot. What it did get me thinking about though is role that social media, principally twitter, has had on my journey dealing with mental illness.
Fundamentally I am an introverted person and that fact, coupled with suffering from depression and anxiety, has lead me to, often, keep what was / is going on with my health to my self rather than opening up about it.
Social media has helped me open up about my struggles: it is that simple. Twitter is a medium, I have found, that allows one, on the one hand, to engage with people I would never have had had the opportunity to talk to who are also going through the same things as me and, on the other hand, avoids the stress that I, as an introvert, go through when meeting and talking to new people whilst still allowing me to talk.
I am forever grateful for having the ability to interact on social media and talk about my health issues on that medium. I can also not express how thankful I am for the small core of followers on social media who I have who are regular supporters and enter into conversations about all matter of things: this small crew (you know who you are) have played a role that they will probably never know about in my treatment and in my happiness.
Social media, it must be conceded, is not for everyone. but it has worked for me. There are days when the best therapy for me is a vent on twitter and a chat with follower. It goes without saying, of course, that mechanisms for dealing with mental health are all about personal choice: twitter just happens to be one of mine.
Next up will be 50,000 tweets: I am looking forward to seeing what happens next and interacting more.
Quote of the Day
“Fear cannot be without hope, nor hope without fear.”
Baruch Spinoza
Quote of the Day
“In the confrontation between the river and the rock, the river always wins … not by strength, but by perseverance.”
Louis Agassiz
Forensic Friday: The Warning Signs of Employee Misfeasance
One of the most common areas in which forensic accountants are engaged by their corporate clients is to investigate misfeasance by one of the corporations employees. Such misfeasance can be deceptively simple and can also be ridiculously complicated. Not all cases of employee fraud end up on the pages of the newspapers (like the recent O’Carrigan case in Queensland for example) but all present serious issues for the corporation effected.
What follows are some commonly identified signs of employee fraud found by forensic accountants when they investigate matters such as this:
- Working excessive hours for no clear reason.
- Avoiding taking holidays.
- Expensive lifestyles or living beyond their means.
- Very close relationships with clients and/or suppliers.
- Unexpected resignations or leaving without good reason.
- Character changes in employees.
- Unusual protectiveness/reluctance to delegate.
Now it goes without saying that just because an employee is displaying these traits, either alone or together, that they are certain to be undertaking some form of misfeasance. Equally, these are also matters that an employer should consider, both in creating a risk management plan for reducing the risk of employee misfeasance and in the actual identification of such misfeasance.
I have had cause over the years to be involved in interviews and litigation involving employees who have conducted themselves in a less than exemplary fashion and, without fail, the bulk of these indicia were present. The other thing that was oft present was a sense of relief at ultimate capture.
Employers must be vigilant, particularly in moderately tight financial times, and ensure that they have a plan in place for reducing the risk of employee misfeasance and, when they suspect such conduct, employers must be ready to act decisively to investigate and confirm whether such conduct has taken place. To not act in this way will only, inevitably in my view, lead to the employer losing money and, potentially, reputation as a result.
Shumpty Speaks 