Working Wednesday: Workplace Safety

Small Businesses may leave themselves vulnerable by not taking this subject seriously. We have violence in our culture virtually all over as witnessed by the attack in a movie theater in Aurora, Colorado. At one time violence was contained (or at least so we thought) to people who lived and fought full-time, community areas with a certain code of conduct, and to those who thought violence was a means to power.

Now violence is crushing our way of life. Children are being taught at a young age to be belligerent and aggressive (see my blog: Women in Need, Women Can Cure. http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=8117903041843459966#editor/target=post;postID=4949962648275693474 )
Politeness and consideration is not part of everyday living. Egotism is the priority now, not helping your neighbor. This is translated to: "What is mine is mine and what is yours is mine too".

The once assumed borders of ownership, whether they be of cash, items, property, or through electronic means are getting fuzzy and erasable. Business owners need to protect themselves, employees, and property. Property here defined is building inside and out, equipment, and supplies.

Most companies have insurance policies. They protect against Mother Nature, theft, and liability.
If you don't have an insurance policy get one. If you are so small that you are not incorporated yet, consider this too. Becoming a LLC will help with some of these issues.

But the real reason this blog is written today is about safety, everyday safety.
1. Do you have an escape route plan if someone enters your office with thoughts to harm others? Who will call the emergency in to the authorities? Who has a list of all the employees and makes sure there is a head count once everyone is safely out of the building? (This is also good for fire drills).

2. Who has been given crisis management training? What if a person gets inside the building? What if a person is inside, it is a "regular day", then gets angry and agitated? What if it is not a visitor but an employee who is out of control? What are your plans for those trained to reach and diffuse the situation?

3. Each employee needs to know enough to arrange their offices so they will be closer to their door than visitors. Give them other suggestions(bring in a consultant) to help an angry visitor(s) before escalation happens and the crisis management team has to be called for assistance.

4. How secure is your building? Lighting, landscaping, signage, locks on doors, etc. all need to be reviewed to give you maximum advantage. Hallways, inside doors, key fobs, etc. should also be evaluated to assist in overall security measures.

5. Can you have flexible hours to give employees the best times to enter/leave for the day? Have supervisors bring their groups together and ask employees what are their uppermost concerns. Then be prepared ahead of time to address them, even if cost is involved. It is better in the long run to fix things in the short run when safety is concerned.

You cannot assume you live in a safe town/community/county anymore. Tragedy strikes in rural and cities just the same. Combining with other businesses may help reduce certain costs and definitely show the community that you are serious. Most importantly, your employees will know you respect them enough to want to keep them safe from harm.

Alone in the Car: Guns are Inanimate Objects

Tragedies seem to be around us in our everyday life: schools, at work, and now movie theaters. You want to absorb the sadness so you don't become numb to senseless killings. You want to participate in the memorials, even from where you live and maybe just by your thoughts, because you know the victims are part of someone's family and you place value on home, family, and safety.

 Our world moves at a very fast place. It requires that all people, regardless of age, gender, religion, race, skills, hobbies, or favorite color keep up. I wonder what Benjamin Franklin or Abigail Adams would think of our day. Would they be able to keep up with our times? Could I live in theirs? I would like to try some days for sure!

I often wonder of those who commit such crimes like the man who shot the people in Aurora, Colorado if he could have lived in a different time and been ok. A slower, more melodic time where the brain had more time to process and decompress between intervals of high speed work. We are bombarded with information nowadays that the brain constantly has to decide what to keep and what to throw away, what is a priority and what should be stored, and how to categorize information. Do you give this machine of yours enough cool down time or even turn it off long enough so when the brain is working it can work at full capacity?

Guns are inanimate objects. They cannot move by themselves, think by themselves, shoot by themselves. Someone has to load bullets into the chamber in order for the gun to fire. It has to be in good working condition to operate effectively. This it cannot do by itself.

People make guns work. People decide if guns will be used for a good purpose or an evil one. People can be trained to respect a gun and its power and use it for the right reason.

If guns are banned, then I say ban fire. Fire has good and bad purposes. People have been trained to use fire for good. I have a stove and oven in my kitchen. I know what to do with a stove and an oven. It is about common sense, training our children from the beginning, and punishing the people who use fire the wrong way. Not everyone who has a stove and an oven should be penalized for the wrongs of a few.

I truly believe if guns were allowed through better concealed gun laws, less tragedy would occur. Again, it is about common sense, training our children from the beginning, and punishing just the people who use guns the wrong way. Not everyone who has a gun should be penalized for the wrongs of a few.

Alone in the Car: Women in Need, Women Can Cure Part II:

Here is the rest of Alone in the Car: Women in Need, Women Can Cure

What can we do about this?
1. If you are a woman who sees to it that the next generation knows about manners and charity, find others such as yourself and form a group. Become the majority. Become the leaders in your PTOs, Girl Scouts, Cub Scouts, and other your organizations. Let it be known that parents who allow their children to hit others because of the "me first" rule is not a rule in your organization and they will be asked to leave.

2. This is an election year. Turn off the audio. Watch the candidates by non-verbal communication. Make observations with audio too. What do you observe? Not the political rhetoric, but observations. First, what is their etiquette, their general manners to others? Second, are they really paying attention to those who will elect them? Third, what are their values? Because when the hard/tough times come(and we all know they will), this is what they will rely on and fall back on.  These are what they know, what they feel comfortable with, and find others who have the same value system. Do you want politicians who do not value or respect women or do you want ones who do? It is up to us, from the very beginning, to show our children to respect and love one another.

Working Wednesday: Supreme Court Ruling on Health Insurance: Small Business Assistance

This blog will not be about the politics of the decision. Yes, I have an opinion. No, small business owners really don't have time to read my opinion or others. They have too many other things going on, like keeping the front door open and having a solid profit margin. So let's get to it, shall, we?

There may be some very small businesses that don't feel that they are part of the discussion. Wrong, and wrong again. You business owners are always part of the private business landscape and you count. You are a piece of the panoramic view and combined, small businesses make up approximately 80% of companies in America. You need to know what is going on in the private sector, in your business sector, and in your community. So read on.

Attracting good employees is not just about salary but about a benefits package. Most companies assume part of the package includes health coverage. Health coverage in this case is defined as eye, dental, and overall body health care.

Congress passed the Patient Protection and Affordable Car Act(PPACA) and the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the law. The Society of Human Resource Management(SHRM) has a few items that are worth exploring to help businesses. Please see: http://www.shrm.org/publications/hrnews/pages/courtupholdsmandate.aspx?homepage=mpc for a good summary as to what this means for employers.

SHRM called upon Mr. Gary B. Kushner, SPHR, CBP, president and CEO of Kushner & Company to address their members on this issue. He wrote:
"Organizations need to review their plans and seize this opportunity to create better strategies around their health plans, both in design and employee communication.
For human resource professionals, the message here is very clear — move forward with implementing and complying with PPACA, since major portions of it take effect in 2014 (a mere 18 months away) and other provisions take effect later this year and in 2013.
For example, many employers soon will be required to report the value of employer coverage on IRS Form W-2, and all employers must issue a summary of benefits and coverage. Employers who were waiting to begin planning on how to comply (or whether to even offer or continue to offer health coverage) need to begin performing quantitative and qualitative analyses on their plans.
More importantly, they need to begin looking at their health plans as part of an overall HR strategy for their organizations." 

He suggested these steps:
Key Steps Employers Need to Take Now to Plan for 2014:

1. Determine the strategic implications of whether or not to offer a plan. Health benefits are just one part of an overall total rewards strategy.  How does an organization’s having (or not having) health benefits impact other talent acquisition and talent management strategies?
2. Review the Supreme Court decision as to its impact on your organization.
3. If a plan is offered, perform a qualitative analysis on whether it makes sense to remain a grandfathered plan or become nongrandfathered by examining the seven PPACA provisions that apply only to nongrandfathered plans.
4. Perform a qualitative analysis to determine if existing plans meet qualifying eligibility and affordability standards.  In order for employers to avoid potential penalties, ensure that any health plans offered meet both standards.
5. Determine the true organizational costs of either offering or not offering health coverage after 2013.  For many organizations, this is not the "no-brainer" that it may at first glance appear.
6. Perform a quantitative analysis to project the so-called "Cadillac tax" set to begin in 2018

Take time to review your policies. Take time to ponder how to retain your best employees. Take time to think about how benefits fit into your business plan, possible expansion plan, and future recruiting plans. These have all changed now that the Court has upheld the law. Get with your contracted experts too such as your accountant, attorney, etc. for additional advice as you make your plans for the next couple of years. As listed above, you need to do this right away. Good luck.

Alone in the Car: Women in Need, Women Can Cure

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2012\07\08\story_8-7-2012_pg4_7

 Egyptian protesters shout slogans at a protest in Tahrir Square, Cairo, Egypt, June 8, 2012. (Amr Nabil/AP Photo)

I am having trouble with blogspot. So Sorry. See Alone in the Car Part II for the end of this editorial. I have thought long and hard on this subject. The news report deeply affected me and quite frankly I hope it will affect you too. The article is about women marching in Egypt over sexual harassment that has been on the increase. Public sexual harassment is something Egyptian women have had to put up for a long time, but now it is worse. An incident happened in December, 2011, but more are occurring. The news article listed above explains this in detail.

 

Women are to be respected. This is not a political statement. This is not a religious statement. This is not a competitive statement. This is not a comparative statement. This is not a biological statement.

This is just an objective statement.

If anything, it is an etiquette statement. Open the door for the person behind you. Pick up the book someone dropped and give it back to them. Eat soup with a spoon. Show respect to your elders. Show respect to women. Show respect to all by not hurting them.

Women's job is to demonstrate peace to their children from the very beginning. The world is missing this and we women need to fix it because many of us aren't fulfilling our role. We need to remember what our great-great, great-, and grandmothers did. We all know stories of survival from their generations. We also know they had time to teach their children manners such as how to wash before supper, shake hands properly, say "thank you" when given a present, and donate to the needy. Are you just deciding all those women were wrong? Too tired to teach your kids? Rather have them argue and fight because it is easier for you than teaching solutions? Are we so busy that we can't do that anymore? Why are you not taking your womanhood seriously?

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Is the world turning so fast, that we can't stop and tell our children, especially boys since we are talking about respecting women, not to hurt and be peaceful? We need to teach our children manners.
I see young ones pushing and shoving and grabbing. Way, way too many adults watch and laugh at this aggressive behavior. Ok, I give. What makes your child better by hurting others?