Start the Year by Hiring Right

One of the best things you can do for your company is to hire the right people. 2012 might the turn around year for our economy, so having the right people on board is very important for growth. The national unemployment rate also decreased from 9.8% in November of 2010 to 8.6% in November 2011. The downward unemployment trend and increase in job growth seems to be providing encouragement to the business community.

There are at least three things you can do to hire effectively.

1. Have a clear job description and classifications of all staff- A job description can prevent hiring, promotion and dismissal decisions based on biased the wrong criteria. Start with the end in mind. If you know what you need then hire to the skills needed.

2. Screen applicants- Screening tools are a vital piece of the hiring process that should not be overlooked. look for:

Frequent job changes
Professional goals stated and how applicable are they to the position and company
Gaps in employment dates or vague dates noted on their resume/application.
Reasons for leaving jobs
Incomplete applications- move on wrong person

3. Ask behavioral based questions- here are a few examples:

Tell us about a time when you had to go above and beyond the call of duty in order to get a job done.

Tell us about a time when a job had to be completed and you were able to focus your attention and efforts to get it done.

Tell us about a time when you were particularly effective on prioritizing tasks and completing a project on schedule.

Have you ever worked in a situation where the rules and guidelines were not clear? Tell me about it. How did you feel about it? How did you react?

Have you ever had to “sell” an idea to your co-workers or group? How did you do it? Did they “buy” it?

Have you had to “sell” an idea to your co-workers, classmates or group? How did you do it? Did they “buy” it?

How do you keep subordinates informed about information that affects their jobs?

How do you keep your manager informed about what is being done in your work area?

Employee Wellness Good Health Equals Healthy Profits

Wellness programs are a proactive approach to reducing health risks among your employees, ultimately reducing health care costs. An investment in a wellness program is an investment in your greatest asset – your employees.

Wellness programs offer attractive benefits to employees, but they also add value to the employer as well. Some ofthe reasons employees are motivated to participate in wellness programs include:

Desire to achieve better overall health.
Reduce personal health care costs.
Increase longevity of life.
The benefits an employer can expect to see while maintaining a wellness program for employees include:
Improved energy and productivity among employees.
Employees will be motivated to work harder and perform better.
Decrease in absenteeism due to illness.
Improved employee moral.

Decrease in health care costs as employees reduce unhealthy behaviors and maintain a healthy lifestyle.
Gain control of illnesses, conditions, and unhealthy behaviors before they become more serious.

How to start

A brief health interest survey will provide insight about specific programs that interest your employees.
By conducting this survey, you can learn which programs your employees will embrace.

An HRA (health risk assessment) is a scientifically based tool that provides baseline data to map out a participant’s health risk and readiness to change behaviors. The HRA also monitors risk over time and charts the participant’s progress as they take part in many helpful health education activities.

Promote Employee Health Screenings This step provides employees with important information to assess and better understand their own personal health status. When it comes to prevention, it’s important that
employees understand their “numbers,” such as blood pressure, cholesterol, and BMI (body mass index).

Sponsor an Annual Physical Activity Campaign. Get your employees up and moving. Sponsor an annual physical
activity campaign.

Establish an In-House Employee Wellness Lending Library.

Consider Offering On-Site Lunch & Learn Programs.

Thanks Health New England for providing some of this information.

Employee Working From Home, Can be Risky Business

In today’s world more and more people are working from home. Some of our clients even allow selected workers to work half days on Fridays from home. Our working ensnarement is becoming very fluid.

While allowing employees to work from home has added benefits for both the employee and the employer, there are liability and workers compensation exposures related to at-home workers. As an employer, it is essential that you take a proactive approach to keep your employees safe and avoid potential liabilities.

First, consider which candidates are best suited to work from home. Employees who have been with the company for a period of time long enough to prove their work ethic and trustworthiness are better candidates for at-home work than new employees.

After approving an employee to work from home, assist in setting up their workspace to ensure a safe work area. Be sure to include an ergonomically-correct office arrangement. Once the workspace is set up, it is a good idea to take several photographs for proof that a safe area was established, should a workers compensation claim later arise.

Provide a computer program for tracking time at work and time off. If a workers compensation claim is made, an accurate tracking of the employee’s actual work time will aid in determining if an incident actually occurred during working hours.

Make sure employees doe snot start holding meeting with clients or others at home. The office is always the best place for that.

Make sure you establish guidelines for things like;

1. use of personal vehicles during the day, who’s insurance is primary?
2. Loss of company property or damage to company property by family members or guests.

Finally, HIPAA requires employers to take a number of steps to protect clients private information. Make sure no files are removed from the office that contain such information. If your employee’e home is broken into and information stolen, you will be responsible.

Keep Insurance During Tough TImes

Times are tough and companies are examining every expense carefully. Some firms may even consider going without certain insurance coverage to save money. However, dropping your coverage
can cost you more than you think. Here’s why:

If you drop coverage now, it may be hard to reestablish with same terms and conditions. Here are a few reasons to keep your coverage.

Insurance protects your assets.
The average cost of a claim against a smaller environmental firm is around $120,000 when payment is made to the plaintiff. And, remember, even frivolous claims cost you time and money to defend yourself.

Keep small problems from becoming big ones.
Free Pre-Claims assistance can help prevent small incidents from becoming large claims. This service is offered free of charge and can help mitigate a circumstance before it becomes a formal complaint.
Who will be with you when a claim is brought against your firm? If you’re a policyholder, the answer is easy. When a lawsuit is brought against you, you will be matched with a defense attorney who will fight for you and your reputation.

You may be contractually required to have liability coverage.
Many firm require their vendors or others liability insurance. Keeping up your liability coverage is a good way to make sure you’re meeting your obligations—both past and present—and ensures that you’re eligible for more projects or work.

We’ll work with you to make coverage more affordable.
With our new multi-year policies, lower minimum premiums and by using a rolling 12 month’s billings as the base of our underwriting, your coverage is more affordable. We want to work with you to keep your coverage in force.

As a professional, you owe it to yourself.
Being an environmental engineer isn’t just another job. It’s a profession. As a professional, your clients have high expectations of your work and would rather work with someone who’s taken the time to get insured. You’re also responsible for upholding a standard of care in your community and safeguarding public health, welfare and safety.

Don’t be the Life of the Party

I was recently at a company holiday function. Everyone was having a great, and “Annie” decided to have an even better time by drinking alot, then drinking some more. Well she needed to let everyone know how much she loved them, except for one person, the president of the company. She told him how under paid she was and he needed to get his act together. Well Annie’s date was able to get her out and home safe. But the damage was done.

It is that time of year, the company Christmas party. What a great time to get together and celebrate the season, with your colleagues. Over the last 26 years I have been to at least 30 plus parties, including my own company’s, my wife’s, and clients’, so I have seen a lot of good, funny and totally behavior?. Here are a few tips to help you survive the festivities. Enjoy the season; I am truly thankful and blessed. Merry Christmas.

Company Party Tips
1. Don’t ask your boss for a raise. Talking shop has its place and it is not here. Side note; make sure your spouse understands this as well. Not good etiquette to have your spouse or significant other working the room for you!
2. Don’t drink too much. Make sure you eat while you have that drink. Two drinks per hour seems like a good ratio.
3. Don’t talk about your private life, politics or religion. Keep conversation to light issues, sports, local news, industry events, books, restaurants, movies or world news. This may require you to read up a bit before you go.
4. Dress appropriately. Not a skin competition. Jeans are never good unless your company has the party on a farm. A tasteful Christmas tie is always a good idea.
5. Singles, this is not a pick up party. Married people, really?
6. Post photos on face book. Enough said!
7. Never drive drunk; be safe, have fun, enjoy!
8. Don’t go to a bar before the party with the idea of downing a few to get loose.

Do have a Merry Christmas, Happy New Year.