Remote workers are being targeted

Cybercriminals are targeting employees who work from home and use personal internet connections, with around 25% of remote workers having experienced a cyberattack. Employers need to insist on enhanced computer-safety practices or risk compromising the entire corporate network and client data. How can this issue be addressed?

Noteworthy news in numbers

32%: percentage of the Chinese population who bought printed books in 2020, compared to 24.4% who bought an e-book, despite predictions that e-books would become more popular.

<3%: Absa's estimate of the amount of bank fraud that related to SIM card swaps during the past financial year, as banks increasingly tighten up communication with their customers.

1 May: date of the internationally celebrated Workers' Day, which began in the United States in 1886 when workers across the country walked out of their jobs demanding an eight-hour workday.

Our non-human emergency responders

From delivering blood urgently required by patients to acting as 'flying loudhailers' for broadcasting COVID-19 information, drones are becoming an essential part of South Africa's healthcare frontline. The Western Cape is the first province to use drones as part of its emergency services for search and rescue missions, potential drowning incidents and vehicle accidents.

The weirdest jobs in the world

Anyone feeling bored with their current job should perhaps think out of the box about what they would rather be doing. Consider this: there is an underwater pizza delivery service in Florida, and people are paid to be professional sleepers, snake-milkers, train pushers (not what you think), dog-food tasters and Netflix watchers. If you can imagine it, there's probably someone being paid to do it...

Boom in home improvements

Working from home has apparently made people focus on where they live and prioritise enhancements or maintenance, judging by the boom in sales of DIY and home-improvement products. Lower interest rates, which supported home-owners' spend and the reallocation of available funds to home improvements, remained key factors during the past year.

Seven reasons why claims are rejected

The latest annual report issued by the Ombudsman for Short Term Insurance (OSTI) offers insights into why claims are rejected, and what consumers need to do to ensure that they are effectively covered. Motor, home and household policies continue to be the main areas where confusion exists around the level of cover provided by insurance policies as well as the circumstances required for claims to be accepted. Here are the seven most common reasons why insurance claims are repudiated...

Risky business...

If being a professional sleeper is too boring, have a look at the world's most dangerous jobs, and wonder why on earth these people do what they do.

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