Research shows that exercise provides people with a number of benefits. In addition to weight loss and preventing diseases and injuries, regular exercise can improve your job performance. Feeling stressed? When you exercise, you produce endorphins that help fight away stress hormones. Trouble focusing? A consistent exercise routine helps you concentrate better and learn faster. Still tired after waking up? Frequent exercise improves your quality of sleep so that you fall asleep easier and stay asleep longer.

Juggling work and life is a task that many people find challenging, but finding the time and dedication to focus on exercise is well worth the reward.  If your time is scarce, break up your exercise routine into 15 minute increments throughout the day. If motivation is your problem, enlist a coworker or friend to be your exercise buddy. There are even ways to increase your fitness level while working. Here are a few:

• Park in the furthest parking spot from the building
• Always opt for the stairs
• Swap your desk chair for a fitness ball to improve balance and strengthen your core
• Instead of reaching your coworkers through email or by phone, walk to their offices
• If you have a short commute, try walking or biking to work a few times per week
• Drink multiple cups of water throughout the day
• Go to the gym or walk outside during your lunch break
• Maintain good posture when standing or sitting to keep core muscles working
• Stand up while doing tasks, like talking on the phone or reviewing documents

Many workers sit at a desk for eight or more hours a day, increasing their risk for obesity, back pain, poor posture, tense muscles and early health issues. Incorporate a regular fitness routine into your schedule to enhance your health and career.

Please call a member of CAI’s Advice and Counsel Team at 919-878-9222 or 336-668-7746 for additional tips on exercise and work performance.

Photo Source: lululemon athletica

Participants were concerned and surprised by some of the recent changes from the NLRB, which attorney John Burgin shared. Burgin explained that the recess board under President Obama’s administration currently has a 3-2 pro-union majority, and the board’s effects are shaping how employers and employees can interact with each other. Here are six things you need to know about the NLRB and its Notification of Employee Rights:

1.       Notification of Employee Rights              

1. Originally effective November 14, 2011 but implementation was delayed indefinitely by U.S. Court of Appeals on April 17, 2012
2. The National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) requires most private employers to post employees’ rights
3. All employers under jurisdiction of the NLRB are included, but the act excludes government, agricultural, railroad and airline employers
4. Ruling applies to employers of unionized and non-unionized workforces

2.       Foreign Language Notice

1. Where 20 percent or more of a workforce is not proficient in English, employers must post the Notification of Employee Rights in the language employees speak
2. If workforce includes two or more groups constituting of 20 percent, employers must physically post information in each language or post notice in the language spoken by the largest group and distribute the notice to each employee in appropriate language

3.       Electronic Posting of Notice

1. If an employer “customarily communicates” with employees about personnel rules or polices electronically, the employer is required to post the Notification of Employee Rights as prominently as other electronic notices to employees
2. The information on the electronic version must be the exact copy of the NLRB’s poster or a link to the NLRB website that contains a copy of the poster must be present

4.       Under the NLRA, it is illegal for an employer to:

1. Prohibit an employee from talking about or soliciting for a union during non-work time hours or from distributing union literature during non-work time hours, in non-work areas
2. Prohibit an employee from wearing union hats, buttons, t-shirts and pins in the workplace except under special circumstance
3. Question an employee about his or her union support or activities

5.       Responses to Posting Notification

1. Employers still have the same rights under Section 8(c) to share their position and opinions in non-coercive manners
2. Employers may inform employees about their rights to refuse to support a union—written or verbal

6.       Notification Options

1. If it is eventually approved, consider the following options when posting the Notification of Employee Rights:

a.      Post the new notice

b.      Post the new notice and your own side notice

c.      Post the new notice and train supervisors on expectations and compliance

d.      Post the new notice and conduct meetings with employees to  build positive employer-         employee relationships

If you have additional questions regarding the NRLB and posting of the Notification of Employee Rights, please contact a member of CAI’s Advice and Counsel Team at 919-878-9222 or 336-668-7746.

Photo Source: avrene

In the hiring process the main objective is fairly obvious–find the best candidates for your open position. Whatever the position is, finding the right person for the job is important whether it’s the front desk assistant, head of HR or the customer satisfaction associate – each plays a strategic role.

This is why even just one bad hire can seriously impact a business on a variety of different levels. What I find amazing is while the impact bad hires can have on any organization is fairly well known, so many continue to commit serious errors in their hiring process; committing hiring sins if you will. If your organization is hiring or you’re involved in the hiring process,  make sure your not committing these hiring sins.

Sin 1: Measuring the wrong traits

Many companies look to assess their top performers as benchmarks for incoming recruits. While this thinking is correct often the approach and decision of what to measure is flawed. When establishing an effective benchmark, the most important part is to know the difference between your strongest and weakest employees.

Most of your recruits will share many traits with your top performers, but they could also share too many with your weakest hires. This is the fact that many often overlook  and the results can be catastrophic. If you’re only focused on what they can do well, there’s a high probably you’ll get blindsided when they turn out to be an organizational cancer.

When creating benchmarks and choosing what traits to measure, be sure that you outline all their traits to find only those that best correlate with top performers and differentiate them from the rest.

Sin 2: Skipping the Reference Check

The main purpose of contacting candidate references is to get insights that you can’t get from other components of your hiring process. Granted, we’ve all had reference calls that never get returned, the reference provides little value or they’re overwhelming concerned about legal implications that they don’t provide anything. While this can and does happen, it’s not a reason to completely abandon the reference check all together!

Most of the time, you can actually get responses and valuable data if your process is done the right way. The best way to accomplish this is to automate the process as much as possible and drive candidates to prompt their references to respond. Think about it: If the person can actually vouch for the candidate then they should be able to contact them!

Sin 3: Putting too much weight into Interviews

All too often companies look to the interview as the golden opportunity with which they can appropriately and completely assess a candidate.  Sadly this is true even though hard numbers dating back decades prove that interviews are, for the most part, ineffective. As early as 1984, John and Rhonda Hunter’s University of Michigan study demonstrated that interviews increase the likelihood of choosing the best candidate by less than 2%.

Why less than 2%? Because companies typically conduct interviews as though they’re Wednesday night chats over a game of Bridge, performing minimal research beforehand regarding the types of questions that will be most beneficial. Although, we have to point out that Bridge would likely provide you a more objective assessment of even the most charismatic of individuals than would an interview.  Interviewers too often become vulnerable to inaccurate first impressions and gut feelings.  Keep in mind interviewees can be very talented actors when it comes to portraying the ideal candidate.  Highly structured assessments that are based on scientifically validated job profiles can see through such facades much more easily while simultaneously minimizing interviewer bias.

Sin 4: Filling a position is the end

This hiring sin is especially easy to overlook as a faulty misstep.  When we finally fill the vacant position, we often view it as a success and continue on to the next HR situation.  However, the opportunity for feedback that follows filling a vacant position is immensely important; it’s the time when you can track how well the new hire is performing to see if your pre-hire tools worked appropriately or if they need further refinement.  Doing so turns the hiring process into a cumulative learning experience and allows you to better prepare for all future hiring occurrences.

While there is no foolproof method yet for hiring the perfect candidate, science and technology are getting us a lot closer.  It’s time to abandon our old ways and become devout believers in hard data and proven statistics. Our success, and that of our companies, depends on it.

Photo Source: Victor1558, Victor1558

Once you earn your degree, diploma or certification, educating yourself shouldn’t end. Learning new skills and knowledge while you’re in your career will enhance your job performance and professional growth. By seeking out additional industry information and cultivating your assets, you benefit yourself, your team and your organization. More employees with increased expertise and experience assist your company in remaining productive and competitive.

Picking up new information is now easier and more convenient than ever. Technological advances and the internet can help you learn at your workspace and stay within your budget. Share these eight ways to boost your business intel with your coworkers and direct reports:

1. Read industry-related literature, such as magazines, journals, books and blogs.
2. Sign up for educational webinars and watch them with multiple staff members to maximize their value.
3. Attend trade shows and conferences related to your position. Then share the information you learned with your supervisor and direct reports.
4. Join industry-related Linkedin groups, like CAI’s HR-focused group. These groups allow you to connect with experts and peers in your field, review group discussions and share relevant information.
5. Join a professional association, club or group. These venues allow you to network, share knowledge and discuss workplace challenges with other members. These groups also look for volunteers to hold their leadership positions, which is another great way to grow your skills.
6. Sign up for training classes in your career field or job level. Let experienced trainers teach you valuable information that you can take back to your company to apply.
7. Ask to sit in on meetings with your senior management team. Although you might not be able to participate in the discussion, you will receive a better understanding of how your organization runs.
8. Set up a mentor program at your organization. Pair greener staff members with employees who have been with the company for several years and encourage them to meet and learn from each other frequently.

For more tips on improving your work performance through ongoing education, please call a member of CAI’s Advice and Counsel Team at 919-878-9222 or 336-66807746.

Photo Souce: Victor1558

If you’re looking to build a powerful staff, look for prospective employees with the following qualities:

Energy and Optimism

Top performing employees are energetic. They work efficiently when assigned new projects and are eager to turn in completed work before or by their deadlines. When they finish a project, they quickly move on to the next one. They also remain positive while at work by not harping on mistakes or worrying about unfavorable outcomes. The energy and optimism high performers exude reach other staff members, which helps the whole company boost productivity.

High EI and Great Communicator

High Emotional Intelligence is often engrained in high performing employees. They use their talent to successfully understand and react to the actions of others. They easily make great relationships with their coworkers, and they are able to remain calm and help others stay calm during stressful situations. Another strength they share is strong communication skills. Top empoloyees effortlessly express their ideas and communicate frequently with their supervisors to ensure they deliver desired results.

Self Starter and Continuous Learner

Stronger performers are almost always motivated to do their best. They are autonomous workers who manage their time effectively to  produce high-quality work for their managers and organization. These employees take the initiative to try new workflow processes and suggest ways to improve business productivity. They want to cultivate skills they use regularly and also gain new knowledge in their field. Both of these characteristics will prove beneficial to your company.

When you attract top performers to your organization, work hard to ensure they have the support and resources they need to be successful. Failing to do so will most likely result in their resignation. For more information on finding high performers to add to your staff, please contact a member of CAI’s Advice and Counsel Team at 919-878-9222 or 33-668-7746.

Photo Souce: Victor1558

Recognizing the individual contributions an employee makes is a critical factor in determining whether he plans to stay with your organization for the long run.  Just as individual recognition is important, acknowledging great efforts made by collective teams and departments is also important. Team members spend significant periods of time collaborating with each other, and their willingness to be productive and achieve success on a team should be celebrated.

Commending your teams for a job well done doesn’t have to be expensive. Here are six low-cost ideas to celebrate deserving teams at your company:

1.       Write handwritten notes to all team members

Taking the time to write your employees a handwritten note is a unique way to show them your appreciation for their efforts. Employees can also easily display or share the positive feedback found in their notes.

2.       Make a company newsletter announcement

If you’re proud of a particular workplace team, share your feelings in your company newsletter or on your company intranet. The honored team will enjoy the public recognition that you give them. Others who aren’t on the team will have the opportunity to learn what made the honored team successful.

3.       Celebrate with senior management

Inform senior management of the great work your direct reports are completing. Let the executive team know the exact details of the project you assigned and how your employees produced great results. Having your team present the execution and results of their project to management is a great way to show members of leadership that you’re proud of your team, and they should be, too

4.       Give them flexibility

Allow members of deserving teams flexibility in their schedules after they wrap up a successful project. They can use the flexibility you grant them in a number of ways. Maybe they’ll take a longer lunch or leave early on Friday to go to the beach with friends. Either way, they’ll be thankful.

5.       Throw an appreciation party

Whether it’s a pizza party or an ice cream social, plan a bash to show your teammates that you’re grateful for their hard work. This get-together can be solely for your outstanding team members, or you can host the whole staff so they know what they should be working towards.

6.       Plan a company picnic

If your staff continually achieves strong, positive results for your company, show your gratitude by organizing a company picnic. Let employees invite their families so they can enjoy the excitement and celebration as well. You should plan games, prizes, and a speech or mention of your appreciation for their contributions.

For additional ideas to celebrate the success of the teams within your organization, please contact a member of CAI’s Advice and Counsel Team at 919-878-9222 or 336-668-7746.

Photo Source: Jason Pratt

“People are emotional first and rational second: Logic makes people think; emotions make people act.”*

Bruce says that having strong Emotional Intelligence is key to personal and professional success. Emotional intelligence (EI) describes a person’s capacity for controlling his or her own emotions and recognizing and understanding the emotions of others. EI also reveals how people react to others’ emotions and how they manage their various relationships.

In today’s business world, having a great EI is a strong competitive advantage against colleagues and peers who don’t. Employees with high EIs are beneficial to their organizations for many reasons. They build great relationships with their coworkers and clients, they’re graceful and collected in high-stress situations, and they’re able to understand and react appropriately to the actions of others.

Bruce says that business leaders with strong EIs are more successful in hiring, managing growth problems, leading people and teaching others. Refining your own emotional intelligence will help you become a better employee and leader at your organization. Try the following 4 tips to improve your EI:

1.       Analyze Yourself

Be mindful of your own emotions and how you respond to different emotional situations. Be honest with yourself to determine your strengths and weaknesses, and how they might affect others. Work to take responsibility for all of your actions. Be open-minded, and stay positive in different business scenarios.

2.       Really Listen

While others are talking, instead of listening, many people are thinking up their response. People with high EIs are able to focus on what the speaker is actually saying. Try to direct your attention on understanding what the person is communicating. Summarize what you think you heard to the speaker, and ask him or her questions to clarify if needed.

3.       Be Aware of Body Language

Understanding body language and nonverbal communication will help you identify how someone is truly feeling. Practice recognizing whether someone’s body language matches up to what he or she is actually saying, and react accordingly. Watch for facial expressions, tone of voice, and body and eye movements.

4.       Identify What Causes You Stress

Whether it’s an overload of work or sick children at home, there are a number of factors that can cause us stress. Identify the things that cause you the most stress, and recognize that you hold the power to bring yourself back to a calm state of mind. Practice constructive coping mechanisms, like exercise and meditation, to bring you back down when your stress levels are running high. Avoid taking your stress out on others.

Cultivating your Emotional Intelligence takes patience and time. For more strategies, you may consider participating in CAI’s class called Leveraging Your Emotional Intelligence.

*Quote from Reuven Bar-On, Ph.D. and the Emotional Quotient Inventory.

Photo Source: Victor1558

The post below is a guest blog from Dax Hill who serves as the Principal, Health & Welfare Consultant for CAI’s employee benefits partner,

There is a book titled “Hope Is Not a Strategy.”  I believe this statement to be particularly true regarding the Healthcare Reform “Pay or Play” mandate.   This regulation will require great attention as employers determine their future path in offering employee benefits.

As you are probably aware, the following penalties will apply to employers with 50 or more full-time equivalent employees, effective 2014:

1)      If you provide no group medical insurance: you will pay a $2,000 per employee per year penalty.  The first 30 employees are exempt from the penalty.

2)      If you provide unaffordable insurance coverage:  applies to employees making between 100% and 400% of the Federal Poverty Level (400% of the FPL equates to a single employee making ~$44,000) AND EITHER your group medical insurance plan provides less than 60% value OR payroll deductions for employee-only coverage are more than 9.5% of the employee’s W-2 income.  If one of these employees receives a subsidy through the state exchange, the penalty will be subject to the lesser of:  1) a $3,000 penalty per employee receiving a subsidy through the insurance exchange OR  2) $2,000 for all employees (the first 30 employees are exempt from the penalty).

Have you asked yourself the following questions?

• How will the government penalties impact us if we don’t offer group medical insurance?
• What will be the financial impact if some employees opt out of our group medical insurance plan and purchase individual coverage through the state insurance exchange?
• Should we drop our employer-sponsored coverage all together and direct our employees to the exchange?  If we go this route, how are we going to differentiate ourselves as an employer?
• Or, are we better off continuing to offer our group medical insurance plan?

So, which approach are you taking?

1. “Let’s wait and see…hopefully this will all go away” approach while waiting for the Supreme Court’s decision before analyzing what type of impact the Play or Pay mandate will have on your company.
2. “This doesn’t apply to my organization” so I have no reason to consider options related to this mandate.
3. “Let’s plan now in order to determine which options would provide us with the best possible outcome,” I want to make sure I have a great plan to make this a competitive advantage as possible for my organization.

While 2014 seems so far away, it is not.  Many employers are currently planning for the future and determining which option provides the most favorable outcome based on today’s regulations.  HCW is helping employers quantify those scenarios.  These are just a couple of different scenarios employers are considering:

1)      Stay the course on our current medical insurance plan.

2)      Drop coverage and pay the penalty for all employees. This could be most disruptive and provide no perceived value to the employees.  Additionally, higher compensated employees might not be eligible for any subsidy, which would be a negative impact.

3)      Offer a high/low option for all employees and base the premium contribution on the base plan.

4)      Adjust the “employee-only” premiums in order to meet the 9.5% threshold and prevent any penalties.

5)      Redistribute the premiums from Family to Employee-only coverage to meet the 9.5% threshold.

6)      Have employees work less than 30 hours in order to avoid penalties.

7)      Add all employees to the plan and adjust other forms of compensation to balance the budget.

So, will you Pay or Play? There are many more solutions to consider.  The key is to QUANTIFY possible solutions that align with your culture and the direction of your organization.  This will enable you to make educated decisions around this important benefits strategy.  It’s time to think strategically and not rely on hope.   What steps have you taken to map out a plan?

Here are a few reasons why you should consider letting your employees work remotely:

1.       They are more productive

With fewer office distractions and interruptions from coworkers, employees have more time to focus on getting their work done. Eliminating their daily commute also reduces workers’ stress levels and adds more time to their schedule, helping them be more productive.

2.       Your employees will be happier

Research indicates that telecommuters are less stressed, eat more home-cooked meals and sleep more than their in-office counterparts. These factors also contribute to telecommuters’ decrease in sick days. Having the freedom to work flexible schedules, helps your employees achieve work/life balance and a greater quality of life.

3.       You’ll incur less overhead costs

Fewer employees in the workplace means less money spent on creating and furnishing office space. Your operation costs, including electricity, water and air conditioning will also go down when fewer employees frequent the office.

4.       Your pool of eligible job candidates will increase

Offering flexible work arrangements allows you to choose candidates who may not perform as well on a traditional 9-to-5, in-office schedule. Candidates may include disabled or new parent job seekers.

Like any workplace initiative, telecommuting can also bring challenges to employers and employees. Here are a few to be aware of:

1.       Who should work from home

Not every job at your organization is conducive for a remote-work schedule, such as a receptionist. Additionally, not every employee is cut out to or desires to work from home. Employees who have strong self-discipline, have shown accountability and don’t mind blending work with life are ideal telecommuters.

2.       Feelings of isolation from your telecommuters

Because remote workers don’t visit the office often, they may feel isolated from your team and company culture. To prevent these feelings, frequently touch base with your telecommuters by email, phone or Skype.  Invite them to come into the office if they’d like to talk with you face-to-face as well. Be sure they are invited to staff socials so they have chances to interact with their coworkers.

3.       Onboarding new hires who want to telecommute

The first few months of work for new hires include learning their jobs, meeting their coworkers and getting familiar with expectations. Telecommuting during this time may be challenging for them. Once they become comfortable in their positions, revisit their request to work remotely.

4.       Providing opportunities of growth and advancement

Make sure you are offering telecommuters opportunities to grow their skill set and learn new knowledge to benefit their careers. As you do with your workers who are in the office, set up goals with your remote staffers. If they meet or exceed their expected results, reward them appropriately.

Telecommuting is a privilege that can be taken away if desired results are not achieved. Including language in your employee handbook regarding your telecommuting policy is recommended by experts. Setting expectations and responsibilities for your workers who elect a more flexible schedule will help you ensure success for them and your company.

Please contact a member of CAI’s Advice and Counsel Team at 919-878-9222 or 336-668-7746 for more tips on implementing a telecommuting program at your organization.

Photo Souce: Victor1558

Here are four things you should know about this act—

1. The definition of a disability is broader.

The original ADA stated that a disability was anything that substantially limits a major life activity. Now that the list of “major life” activities has expanded, more employees are covered under the revised act and can potentially claim a disability.

2. Mitigating factors do not determine whether an employee has a disability.

Under the ADAAA, mitigating measures, which can reduce or eliminate a disability’s effect can’t be considered when an employer or a court is determining whether an employee has a protected disability. Eye glasses are the one exception to this rule.

3. The definition of “reasonable accommodation” is unchanged.

The act clarifies that only individuals who have an impairment that limits a major life activity and a record of the impairment are eligible to receive reasonable accommodation. It is important to note that employers have flexibility under this section of the act. They are not required to fulfill the employee’s exact request if suitable alternatives are available.

4. Documenting is your best protection.

As with most human resources situations, documenting all steps in your process is key to protecting yourself against an unfavorable lawsuit outcome. Before making any reasonable accommodations for your employees, you should request from them documentation by a medical professional affirming their disability. Document all the steps you take in ensuring that your company is doing its best to accommodate employees without undue hardship on its end.

With the ADAAA in full effect, employers should review their handbook policies regarding disabilities and requesting reasonable accommodation. Your company’s employee handbook should include the new definition of a disability. Training your managers with direct reports on how to adequately respond to disability mentions and accommodation requests will also help you stay out of the courthouse.

Labor and employment lawyers from Ogletree Deakins will discuss the ADAAA in more detail at CAI’s 2012 Employment and Labor Law Update on May 2 and May 3. In addition to a review of the ADAAA, conference presenters will give participants updates on the most recent news and changes in state and federal employment laws. Additional topics include: workers’ compensation, healthcare reform, FLSA exemptions and more. Register for the conference today: www.capital.org/lawupdate.

Photo Source: Leo Reynolds