If you believe everything you read and see on TV, you would think that Americans spend every waking hour at their jobs – jobs which they are blissfully happy to still have, after all of the shenanigans that went on during the Panic of 2008. In some people’s cases, this may be true. Workaholics didn’t go anywhere over the past 2 years, except back to work. And that’s probably where they would have ended up going anyway. But it leads a non-workaholic to wonder about how much our employers really rule our lives, and how much they should let us relax from time to time.

This is almost a business ethics question: During breaks and other non-critical times at work, when everything is in a normal mode, is it okay to chill out for awhile and do some recreational computer browsing? Not to suggest that “recreational” use would include porn, updating a hate blog or shopping for a new automatic weapon, necessarily. Even though every one of those activities are totally American rights, they are a little too far out there for an office environment. But is it wrong for an employee who puts in long, arduous hours at the office to do more low-key, harmless things on their computers, as a way to unwind and get a little something done?

Is there any harm to the company if you check out some crazy YouTube video, or do a little blogging about that cute thing your hamster did yesterday? What about if you went online to do some early holiday shopping (yeah, it’s starting to get into that “calm before the storm” part of the year already). Would it be wrong to hit up your bank’s web site, make sure your credit cards are taken care of, and pay your auto insurance and whatever other bills you might have? There’s no harm.

You’ve just finished a conversation with a friend and are fuming that your auto insurance is so much higher. While that’s legitimate, more goes into figuring out rates than most people realize. When it comes to determining how to charge a client, insurance companies rely on one denominator to determine price: risk. This isn’t something that an insurance company determines by punching facts into a computer. They calculate risk over time to determine what age groups, types or drivers, and types of vehicles lead to the most accidents. Most insurance companies consider three things when they calculate your risk.

Insurance companies look at age to determine a basis for maturity and driving ability. Adults between 25 and 45 are much less likely to get in an accident than a distracted teen or an elderly driver. Teens are less mature, have less driving experience, and are more easily distracted than people over 25. As people age, they may lose the ability to react in a driving situation. Some people experience deteriorating eye sight. 

Another consideration is your driving history. If your record shows violation after violation, an insurance company is going to assume you are more of a risk than a person with a clean driving record. Most violations fall off driving histories after a few years, so wait a couple of years and ask for a policy re-evaluation. In the meantime, if you get another ticket, consult a lawyer about keeping it off your record.

The third factors it the type of vehicle you drive. This affects policy price in two ways. Expensive, opulent cars are the target of auto theft and are more costly to repair. Statistically, drivers with some faster makes and models are more likely to have an accident, creating higher risk. If you want to lower your insurance rate, see what you can do to lower your risk.

Nationwide Insurance is planning on hiring 1,400 people across the country, with about 600 in its home state of Ohio. Nationwide specializes in auto insurance.

The Columbus-based company just announced it earned a profit for the first quarter.

There are more and more signs that the economy is turning and that the job market is following suit. Hopefully that’s good news for those of you looking for work.