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<b style="color: blue">Human Resource Associates</b>
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<span class="heading">HR - On The Job</span>
<p class="issue">You Can't Be A Good leader With A Bad Attitude</p>
<p>Being a manager can be a tough job. When times are bad and everyone is in stress mode, it has to be the manager who sucks it up and takes the high ground. As a manager you have to present a positive mental attitude if you intend to be a good leader. A manager's state of mind has a great deal to do with his or her effectiveness as a leader. When managers are scared, grumpy or angry, their employees feel uptight and worried. When managers are pleasant, personable and relaxed, their team is less stressed out.</p>
<p>In his book "Leadership Secrets from the Executive Office", author George Hathaway offers behavior tips for effective leadership and has much to say about attitudes. He provides us with the following 11 good tips on attitude and includes his favorite related quotations for each: </p>
<p><b>Chill out!</b> In order to be successful, we managers will have to work very hard at assuring that each job does get done. But sometimes our intensity creates stress in others and has the opposite effect. Stop driving your people so hard. Chill out and have a little fun.</p>
<p class="quote">"I always wanted to be somebody,<br />
but I should have been a little more specific"<br />
- Lily Tomlin</p>
<p><b>Don't take yourself so seriously.</b> For most of us, nothing we are doing today will make a bit of difference in the world a hundred years from now. So why take everything, everyday so seriously? Relax, laugh a little. More importantly, learn to laugh at yourself.</p>
<p class="quote">"Let me tell you something that we Israelis<br />
have against Moses. He took us 40 years<br />
through the desert in order to bring us<br />
to the one spot in the Middle East that has no oil."<br />
- Golda Meir</p>
<p><b>Keep your spirits up.</b> There are few things more frightening to people than seeing their leader in a depressed state of mind. No matter how difficult the situation, always maintain a positive attitude and convey your certainty that everything is going to work out just fine.</p>
<p class="quote">"Ability is what you are capable of doing.<br />
Motivation determines what you do.<br />
Attitude determines how well you do it."<br />
- Lou Holtz</p>
<p><b>Learn to fail.</b> Author/speaker Tom Peters has taught us much. He once said "Learn to fail...but fail quickly." In particular he tells us to test our ideas before we invest in them. If we're wrong, we should learn from our mistakes quickly before we've taken everyone too far.</p>
<p class="quote">"Results? Why man I have gotten lots of results.<br />
I know several thousand things that won't work"<br />
- Thomas A. Edison</p>
<p><b>Leave your ego at home.</b> Most managers have achieved their position through hard work, high performance and recognized success. Now it's time for you to help your employees to work, perform and succeed. Remember, your success is now based on their accomplishments.</p>
<p class="quote">"The bigger a man's head gets,<br />
the easier it is to fill his shoes."<br />
- Henry A. Courtney</p>
<p><b>Make the coffee.</b> Ever go to the break room and find an empty coffee pot? Someone took the last cup and didn't take the time to make a fresh pot. If you don't already know how, learn to make coffee. Do it whenever you find the pot empty. Others will notice and may even adopt the habit themselves.</p>
<p class="quote">"You cannot be a leader and ask other people<br />
to follow you, unless you know how to follow too."<br />
- Sam Rayburn</p>
<p><b>No screaming.</b> No matter how bad things get, no situation warrants an angry response from a leader. Raising your voice or worse yet, screaming at someone demonstrates a total lack of self control. Your team will quickly lose faith in you as their leader. Curb your emotions or you may lose those manager stripes.</p>
<p class="quote">"When faith is lost, when honor dies,<br />
the man is dead"<br />
- John Greenleaf Whittier</p>
<p><b>Repeat after me, "I can fix anything".</b> As a manger you have a long track record of success behind you. You must continue to develop and demonstrate the confidence that you can fix a problem, do your best to find a solution, and find the serenity to accept the fact that we live in an imperfect world. Don't get bogged down.</p>
<p class="quote">"The man who has confidence in himself<br />
gains the confidence of others"<br />
- Hasidic saying</p>
<p><b>Smile Boss.</b> Look around you. Who are the people in whom you have the most confidence? It's usually those who are relaxed and confident enough to smile regularly. When the boss smiles, everyone feels better. Give everyone a break and smile, boss.</p>
<p class="quote">"Few things in the world are more powerful<br />
than a positive push.<br />
A smile, a word of optimism and hope,<br />
a 'you can do it' when things get tough"<br />
- Richard M. DeVos</p>
<p><b>Take risks.</b> It is reported that Lee Iacocca made decisions with only 60 percent of the information he needed. Talk about your risk takers! He knew that he was going to make mistakes, but he understood that you miss 100 percent of the shots you don't take.</p>
<p class="quote">"Chance is always powerful. Let your hook<br />
be always cast; in the pool where you least expect it,<br />
there will be a fish" - Ovid</p>
<p><b>Tell good stories.</b> The world is often too serious a place for us humans. You've been through a lot to get to where you are today, so share some of your humorous adventures with your staff. Your wit and self confidence will demonstrate just how human you really are.</p>
<p class="quote">"A sense of humor is part of the art of leadership,<br />
of getting along with other people,<br />
of getting things done"<br />
- Dwight D. Eisenhower </p>
<hr />
<p align="center"><b><i>Have an employment question?</i></b></p>
<p align="center">Send it to <a href="mailto:[email protected]?subject=From HR On The Job">[email protected]</a>.</p>
<p align="center">Please include Company Name and Association in your e-mail. Company identification will be kept confidential.</p>
<hr />
<p class="heading">Hitchhiking on the Information Highway</p>
<p><b>Dateline:</b> January 2010</p>
<p><i>(Note: Although we attempt to provide the HRU update on the first of each month, we are normally delayed awaiting the release of several monthly government statistical reports. We will hereafter update the information as each report becomes available without waiting for all of them to be released.)</i></p>
<p class="issue">December 2010 "Payroll Surprise" Could Cost Some Unknowing Employers</p>
<p>Do you have any employees being paid an annual salary? Did you divide that salary into 26 bi-weekly paychecks? If so, you may be surprised at the end of this year to find that you've paid out 27 paychecks. If the first paycheck was on January 1st, a quirk in our Gregorian calendar means that there will be 27 bi-weekly paydays instead of the usual 26. So an employee earning $52,000 annually will get an extra $2,000, which amounts to an almost 4% pay increase. Even if you're willing to allow that extra bonus, the administrative headaches concerning benefit accruals and voluntary payroll deductions may be affected.</p>
<p>There will also be some HR relations problems when you have to decide to either delete one paycheck or to reduce the amount of each paycheck. You will want to closely review the wording in your written job offers or verbal agreements. If the offer letter (or verbal statement) stated a bi-weekly paycheck, you may be bound to pay it. If an annual salary was stated, some kind of adjustment is likely in order. If both were stated, this exercise may not be a simple one.</p>
<p>There can be some legal issues as well. In order for an employee to be considered "exempt" (salaried with no overtime pay required) under the Federal Labor Standards Act" (FLSA) he/she must be paid a minimum of $455.00 a week. That would be $23,660 annually. If you offered them $23,660 annually and are paying them the $455.00 per week, you may end up paying them that one extra paycheck. If you then reduce the weekly pay (to less than $455.00) or delete that last paycheck (thereby not paying that weekly salary), you will be in Violation of the FLSA and/or could lose the "exempt' status of that employee.</p>
<p>The options can be the reduction of the regular paycheck or the elimination of the final paycheck once you've considered the consequences. Or you can do what the railroad industry has done for over one hundred years. They pay twice a month, every month on the 15th and the 30th Except in February when they pay on the 28th. Also, this is not a case wherein the whole thing balances out in the next year or so. This is caused by leap years which occur every 4 years. So when and if you pay out that extra paycheck, it's gone forever.</p>
<p>Whatever you do, if you are affected by this you should clearly explain the while thing to the affected employee(s) after you've reviewed it carefully with your payroll department.</p>
<p class="quote">"I'm confused.<br />
No wait, maybe I'm not"<br />
- Anon</p>
<p class="section">The Worst and the Best Jobs 0f 2009</p>
<p>The "2009 Jobs Related Report" by CareerCast.com, a new job portal, recently researched the files of the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, The U.S. Census Bureau, among other sources, and released their list of 200 occupations that were ranked for value by the following characteristics:</p>
<ul>
<li>Work Environment</li>
<li>Income</li>
<li>Employment Outlook</li>
<li>Physical Demands</li>
<li>Security</li>
<li>Stress</li>
</ul>
<p>Here are the worst jobs of 2009 in rank:</p>
<ol>
<li>Lumberjack</li>
<li>Dairy Farmer</li>
<li>Taxi Driver</li>
<li>Seaman</li>
<li>Emergency Medical Technician</li>
<li>Roofer</li>
<li>Garbage Collector</li>
<li>Welder</li>
<li>Roustabout</li>
<li>Ironworker</li>
</ol>
<p>Here are the best jobs of 2009 in rank:</p>
<ol>
<li>Mathematician</li>
<li>Actuary</li>
<li>Statistician</li>
<li>Biologist</li>
<li>Software Engineer</li>
<li>Computer Systems Analyst</li>
<li>Historian</li>
<li>Sociologist</li>
<li>Industrial Designer</li>
<li>Accountant</li>
</ol>
<p class="quote">"I started out with nothing<br />
and I still have most of it left"<br />
- Anon</p>
<p class="section">The 10 Most Difficult Jobs To Fill in 2009</p>
<p>A new survey by Manpower, Inc reports the following 10 jobs as the most difficult to fill last year. (Note: the numbers in parenthesis show the rank of that job in the previous 2008 survey.)</p>
<ul>
<li>Engineers (1)</li>
<li>Nurses</li>
<li>Skilled/Manual Labor (3)</li>
<li>Teachers</li>
<li>Sales Representatives (5)</li>
<li>Technicians (4)</li>
<li>Drivers</li>
<li>IT Staff (9)</li>
<li>Laborers (8)</li>
<li>Machinists/Machine Operators (2)</li>
</ul>
<p>Manpower's VP of their World of Work Solutions, Melanie Holmes says that even in the face of this bad economy our workforce does not seem willing to become retrained for the work that employers need. They tend to be mentally locked into what they have always done even though they must see the diminishing demand for those jobs. "It is becoming more clear that there is a talent disconnect" says Melanie, "Our workforce needs to be more open minded to retraining and upskilling for jobs that are in demand. And our government, business leaders and educational facilities need to take action together to ensure students are being enticed to enter these fields."</p>
<p class="quote">"There are no lazy men. What may appear to be a lazy man<br />
is only an unfortunate person who has not found the work for which he is best suited"<br />
- Napoleon Hill</p>
<p class="section">Cost Of Hiring Employees Is Going Up</p>
<p>Pending legislation will create several new leave requirements for employers.</p>
<p><b>Family and Medical Leave (FMLA) expansion</b> will add the "Parental Involvement Leave". This allows employees to take FMLA leave to attend children's and grandchildren's school activities including field trips, games and other extracurricular activities. It also includes handling routine family medical needs like dental appointments and checkups and providing assistance to elderly relatives.</p>
<p><b>Domestic Violence Leave Act</b> provides paid leave for employees to address issues arising out of domestic violence and sexual assault.</p>
<p><b>Family and Medical Leave Restoration Act</b> will broaden the definition of "a serious health condition" for FMLA leave to cover any medical or health issue. Also forbids companies to disqualify employees from attendance bonuses and awards because of FMLA leave. Also restricts the company's ability to require medical certification for intermittent FMLA leave.</p>
<p><b>Family Leave Insurance Act</b> requires 12 week of paid leave benefits for employees to care for a new child, ill family members, a returning military veteran or for their own illness.</p>
<p><b>Pandemic Protection for Workers, Families and Businesses Act</b> requires companies to provide 5 to 7 days of paid sick leave for illnesses like the H1N1 virus or similar illness so designated by the federal government. The paid leave must also be provided in the event that the child's school is closed for such reasons even though neither the child nor the parent are ill. Pandemic leave is separate from and in addition to all other paid leaves.</p>
<p><b>The Healthy Families Act</b> requires most companies to provide up to 7 days of paid sick leave each year.</p>
<p>Although these bills have not yet gained final approval, most employment experts are predicting that most or all will pass this year.</p>
<p class="quote">"Deja Poo:<br />
The feeling that you've heard this crap before"<br />
- Anon</p>
<hr />
<p style="text-align: center"><sub>� William J. Cook</sub></p>
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<div id="sidebar">
<span class="heading">Labor Stats</span>
<hr />
<b>Federal Minimum Wage</b>
<hr />
<p align="center">
<b>$7.25</b>/hour<br />
</p>
<hr />
<b>Average Income</b>
<hr />
<p align="center">
<u>Hourly</u><br />
<span style="float: left"><i>December 2009</i></span>
<span style="float: right"><b>$18.74</b></span><br />
<span style="float: left"><i>December 2008</i></span>
<span style="float: right"><b>$18.34</b></span><br />
</p>
<p align="center">
<u>Weekly</u><br />
<span style="float: left"><i>December 2009</i></span>
<span style="float: right"><b>$622.17</b></span><br />
<span style="float: left"><i>December 2008</i></span>
<span style="float: right"><b>$612.56</b></span><br />
</p>
<hr />
<b>Federal Povery Level</b>
<hr />
<p>
<span style="float: left"><i>one person</i></span>
<span style="float: right"><b>$10,830</b></span><br />
<span style="float: left"><i>family of four</i></span>
<span style="float: right"><b>$22,050</b></span><br />
</p>
<hr />
<b>IRS Mileage Allowance</b>
<hr />
<p align="center">
As of <b>January 1, 2009</b><br />
<span style="float: left"><i>business</i></span>
<span style="float: right"><b>50</b> cents/mile</span><br />
<span style="float: left"><i>medical or moving</i></span>
<span style="float: right"><b>16.5</b></span><br />
<span style="float: left"><i>charitable</i></span>
<span style="float: right"><b>14</b></span><br />
</p>
<hr />
<b>Postage</b>
<hr />
<p align="center">
<span style="float: left"><i>1 oz</i></span>
<span style="float: right"><b>44</b> cents</span><br />
<span style="float: left"><i>postcard</i></span>
<span style="float: right"><b>28</b></span><br />
</p>
<hr />
<b>Population</b>
<hr />
<p align="center">
<span style="float: left"><i>world</i></span>
<span style="float: right"><b>6.8 billion</b></span><br />
<span style="float: left"><i>U.S.</i></span>
<span style="float: right"><b>308.4 million</b></span><br />
<i>one birth every </i><b>7</b><i> seconds;</i><br />
<i>one death every </i><b>13</b><i> seconds;</i><br />
<i>one new immigrant every </i><b>35</b><i> seconds;</i><br />
net gain: <i>one person every </i><b>11</b><i> seconds.</i>
</p>
<hr />
<b>U.S. Civilian Workforce</b>
<hr />
<p align="center">
<u>December 2009</u><br />
<span style="float: left"><i>Total</i></span>
<span style="float: right"><b>153,059,000</b></span><br />
<span style="float: left"><i>Employed</i></span>
<span style="float: right"><b>137,792,000</b></span><br />
<span style="float: left"><i>Unemployed</i></span>
<span style="float: right"><b>15,267,000</b></span><br />
<span style="float: left"><i>Want A Job</i></span>
<span style="float: right"><b>6,306,000</b></span><br />
<span style="float: left"><i>Unemployment Rate</i></span>
<span style="float: right"><b>10%</b></span><br />
<br />
<span style="float: left"><i>Absentee Rate</i></span>
<span style="float: right"><b>3.1%</b></span><br />
<span style="float:left"><i>- Female</i></span>
<span style="float: right"><b>4.2%</b></span><br />
<span style="float: left"><i>- Male</i></span>
<span style="float: right"><b>2.3%</b></span><br />
</p>
<p align="center">
<u>December 2008</u><br />
<span style="float: left"><i>Total</i></span>
<span style="float: right"><b>154,349,000</b></span><br />
<span style="float: left"><i>Employed</i></span>
<span style="float: right"><b>143,350,000</b></span><br />
<span style="float: left"><i>Unemployed</i></span>
<span style="float: right"><b>10,999,000</b></span><br />
<span style="float: left"><i>Want A Job</i></span>
<span style="float: right"><b>5,180,000</b></span><br />
<span style="float: left"><i>Unemployment Rate</i></span>
<span style="float: right"><b>7.1%</b></span><br />
</p>
<br /><hr />
<b>U.S. Workforce Productivity</b><br />
<sub><i>(The amount of goods produced, divided by the number of work hours it took to produce it)</i></sub>
<hr />
<p align="center">
<span style="float: left"><i>1992</i></span>
<span style="float: right"><b>3.7%</b></span><br />
<span style="float: left"><i>1993</i></span>
<span style="float: right"><b>0.5%</b></span><br />
<span style="float: left"><i>1994</i></span>
<span style="float: right"><b>1.3%</b></span><br />
<span style="float: left"><i>1995</i></span>
<span style="float: right"><b>0.9%</b></span><br />
<span style="float: left"><i>1996</i></span>
<span style="float: right"><b>2.5%</b></span><br />
<span style="float: left"><i>1997</i></span>
<span style="float: right"><b>2.0%</b></span><br />
<span style="float: left"><i>1998</i></span>
<span style="float: right"><b>2.6%</b></span><br />
<span style="float: left"><i>1999</i></span>
<span style="float: right"><b>3.3%</b></span><br />
<span style="float: left"><i>2000</i></span>
<span style="float: right"><b>3.4%</b></span><br />
<span style="float: left"><i>2001</i></span>
<span style="float: right"><b>2.9%</b></span><br />
<span style="float: left"><i>2002</i></span>
<span style="float: right"><b>4.6%</b></span><br />
<span style="float: left"><i>2003</i></span>
<span style="float: right"><b>3.7%</b></span><br />
<span style="float: left"><i>2004</i></span>
<span style="float: right"><b>2.8%</b></span><br />
<span style="float: left"><i>2005</i></span>
<span style="float: right"><b>1.7%</b></span><br />
<span style="float: left"><i>2006</i></span>
<span style="float: right"><b>0.9%</b></span><br />
<span style="float: left"><i>2007</i></span>
<span style="float: right"><b>1.9%</b></span><br />
<span style="float: left"><i>2008</i></span>
<span style="float: right"><b>1.8%</b></span><br />
<span style="float: left"><i>2009 1st quarter</i></span>
<span style="float: right"><b>0.3%</b></span><br />
<span style="float: left"><i>2009 2nd quarter</i></span>
<span style="float: right"><b>6.9%</b></span><br />
<span style="float: left"><i>2009 3rd quarter</i></span>
<span style="float: right"><b>8.1%</b></span><br />
</p>
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