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<h2 class="MsoTitle" align="center"><span style="font-size: 18.0pt"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">STOP
LOSING YOUR BEST EMPLOYEES</font></span></h2>
<p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1">Your
business is doing very well. A few new contracts have just made your next
year look like it may be the best ever. It�s been a long and difficult
road getting to this point and you�re beginning to look at bigger things for
the future. </font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1">But
your two best people are about to give you their 30-day notice. And as
you try to figure out what you�re going to do, you find that it�s your past
that you need to be looking at.</font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1">Is
this a common problem? Are we likely to see more of this? To answer
that let�s take a look at what�s happening.</font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: -.25in; margin-left: .3in"> <font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1"><span style="font-family: Symbol">�<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"">
</span></span>U.S. unemployment is at 4.6%, just about the lowest in the world.</font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: -.25in; margin-left: .3in"> <font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1"><span style="font-family: Symbol">�<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"">
</span></span>The percentage of people with jobs is at an all time high.</font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: -.25in; margin-left: .3in"> <font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1"><span style="font-family: Symbol">�<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"">
</span></span>The economic growth rate has almost doubled in the last 10 years.
(4% in 2006 vs. 2% in 1995)</font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: -.25in; margin-left: .3in"> <font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1"><span style="font-family: Symbol">�<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"">
</span></span>Inflation is at a very low 2.5% and economic growth is sky high.</font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: -.25in; margin-left: .3in"> <font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1"><span style="font-family: Symbol">�<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"">
</span></span>�The Employment Outlook Survey� of 16,000 companies reported that
30 percent of companies plan to be hiring more employees.</font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: -.25in; margin-left: .3in"> <font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1"><span style="font-family: Symbol">�<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"">
</span></span>Labor shortages are happening in virtually every industry.</font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1"> All
predictions are that the economy is growing, more jobs are being created and
the labor force will not grow fast enough to meet the demand. The best
thinkers on the subject are saying that the best answer to your recruiting problem
may be to keep more of the employees you already have. </font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1">So
if you are that business owner we talked to above, and you�re trying to figure
out what went wrong, lets see what you�ve been doing that may be driving your
best people away.</font></p>
<h3><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Failed To Treat Them As
Individuals</font></h3>
<p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1">Each
employee has his or her own individual positives and negatives. They need
to know what they are and you need to tell them. Focus on what you and
they want as the end result. Identify what this person needs to get there.
Spend the time to individualize it all for this person.</font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1">We
tend to focus on poor performance as a natural reflex. Good performance
is taken for granted. It�s what we�re paying for so why shouldn�t we just
expect it? Performance reviews are such a bother, let�s just fill in the
blanks and get it over with. Actually, the problem is not with the process,
but more how it�s executed. We avoid the tough or the constructive candor
that�s needed and take the safe and easy road. It�s not uncommon for people
to say after the performance review, that they don�t know whether they�ve just
been praised for a good job or criticized for a bad one. Focus on this
person and where they should be going.</font></p>
<h3><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Paid People For Showing
Up</font> </h3>
<p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1">It�s
sometimes called the �peanut butter� approach. Compensation and benefits
are �spread� evenly across the board rather than clearly differentiating and
rewarding the accomplishments of your top performers. It�s a safe, comfortable
method and it avoids confrontation. The predictable result is that high
performers feel slighted and low performers feel that it pays as well if you
just show up. </font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1">You
will always get more of what you reward. Reward top performers and you
get more top performers. Reward mediocrity and you get a lot more of that.
</font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1">Coach
and offer the opportunity for improvement and development to everyone.
That part should all be equal. But you must identify the differences in
individual performance, base the pay and rewards on those differences and do
it out loud enough so that everyone knows that you want more of what you rewarded.
</font></p>
<h3><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Neglected Turnover</font></h3>
<p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1">Planning
and managing anything is often the hardest part of any job. Planning for
turnover seems like looking for trouble and you�ve already got enough of that,
right? When business is good we tend to fill new positions as the need
arises and plug in the gaps when someone leaves. What we hardly ever do
is to study the history of our employee turnover. If, over the last five
years, you�ve lost about 20 percent of your workforce each year, and you haven�t
done anything to correct that trend, you should realistically expect to lose
that 20 percent again this year. Identify where that loss has been happening
and where it�s likely to happen again. Plan ahead for those vacancies,
focus on identifying the reason(s) why you�re losing them and deal with those
issues. The answers can sometimes be logical and easy; but may be complex
and difficult. The longer you put off the easy ones, the more difficult
ones you will have. </font></p>
<h3><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Failed To Deal With Employee
Complaints</font></h3>
<p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1">As
you speed through your multi-tasking, list driven days, it�s more difficult
than ever to notice and react to employee complaints. What you may hear
as �whining and bitching� may actually be a message that you want to hear.
Like most problems, this may be an opportunity in disguise. </font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1">Do
you know how unions organize workers? They don�t promise them more money
or better benefits. They seek out problems. They do their homework
by scouting out the target, getting close to the employees and listening closely
for complaints and problems. Getting unfair treatment? Have a bad
boss, no lunch facilities, bad hours, too much overtime, no chance to be heard,
can�t get training, get treated with little or no respect? You may be
doing the union�s job for them. </font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1">Listen
for complaints. As experienced sales people know, �The sale doesn�t start
until the customer says no.� When an employee voices a problem, there
are likely four more with the same problem but are not telling you. </font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1">You
don�t want to grow all those flowers and stand by watching while someone else
picks them. There are many ways to recruit, but the best way, also the
easiest, low cost and most productive method of recruiting, is not to lose them
in the first place.</font></p>
<hr>
<h2 style="margin-left:.75in" align="center">
<font face="Verdana" color="#008000">Have an employment question?</font></h2>
<h3 style="margin-left:.75in" align="center"><font face="Verdana">Send it to
<a href="mailto:[email protected]?subject=From HR On The Job">
[email protected]</a></font></h3>
<p style="margin-left:.75in" align="center"><b><font face="Verdana" size="2">
Please include Company Name and Association in your e-mail. Company
identification will be kept confidential.</font></b></p>
<hr>
<h2 align="left"><b><u><font
face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Hitchhiking on the Information
Highway</font></u></b></h2>
<p align="left"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><b><font
size="4" color="#FF0000">Dateline: December 2006</font></b></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"
size="-1">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.</font></i></p>
<p> </p>
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<blockquote>
<div align="center">
<h2 align="center" style="text-align:center"><span style="mso-ignore: vglayout"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">The
Beatings Will Continue Until Morale Increases</font></span></h2>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ignore: vglayout"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" align="left"><span style="mso-ignore: vglayout">
<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1">Dan Smith.
A Seattle based economist, recently proposed his theory on the dangers
of excessively high employee morale. Essentially he says that,
if you�re not careful, your employee morale may become so high that
it will adversely affect your productivity and profits.</font></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" align="left"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1"><span style="mso-ignore: vglayout">
His basis for that theory is that, �Happy employees cost too much�.
He states that, �If employees are not constantly complaining about
being underpaid, it�s a good sign that they�re being overpaid�.
</span></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" align="left"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1"><span style="mso-ignore: vglayout">
So, if you agree with Dan, (although I suspect he�s kidding us to
make a point) you may want to consider the following suggestions.</span></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: -.25in; margin-left: .5in" align="left">
<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1"><span style="mso-ignore: vglayout">1.
Keep your employees in the dark. Don�t give them the information
they need to do the job.</span></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: -.25in; margin-left: .5in" align="left">
<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1"><span style="mso-ignore: vglayout">2.
Don�t clue them into how they�re work fits into the overall company
effort or plan.</span></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: -.25in; margin-left: .5in" align="left">
<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1"><span style="mso-ignore: vglayout">3.
Tell them their performance goals just once a year. Its best
to do it after then review is over.</span></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: -.25in; margin-left: .5in" align="left">
<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1"><span style="mso-ignore: vglayout">4.
If an employee should give you an idea that saves the com-any money,
be sure to claim it as your own before you pass it on upstairs.</span></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: -.25in; margin-left: .5in" align="left">
<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1"><span style="mso-ignore: vglayout">5.
Yell at them a lot. If possible make sure the other employees
can hear it.</span></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: -.25in; margin-left: .5in" align="left">
<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1"><span style="mso-ignore: vglayout">6.
Always be suspicious of your employee�s motives. If they seem
cheerful, try to find out what the hell they�re up to.</span></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: -.25in; margin-left: .5in" align="left">
<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1"><span style="mso-ignore: vglayout">7.
Check everything they do, preferably in front of them. If you
find something that doesn�t look right, pass a bunch of tough sounding
new rules.</span></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: -.25in; margin-left: .5in" align="left">
<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1"><span style="mso-ignore: vglayout">8.
Always let them know that you can do their job better than they can.
</span></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: -.25in; margin-left: .5in" align="left">
<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1"><span style="mso-ignore: vglayout">9.
Belittle them whenever possible and remind them that they can be replaced
at any time.</span></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.25in" align="left"> <font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1"><span style="mso-ignore: vglayout">10.
Dampen any sign of creativity or new ideas. Everyone should
look and act alike.</span></font></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText2" align="left"> <font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1"><span style="mso-ignore: vglayout">If
you follow all these rules, you may find yourself featured in your
local newspaper. Look in the comic section under �Dilbert�.</span></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ignore: vglayout"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ignore: vglayout"> </span></p>
<h3 align="center" style="text-align:center"><span style="mso-ignore: vglayout"><b><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">The
More We Get Together, The Happier We�ll Be?</font></b></span></h3>
<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><span style="mso-ignore: vglayout"><b>
</b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" align="left"><span style="mso-ignore: vglayout"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1">A
recent study by <b>PsyMax Solutions</b>, a Cleveland based HR assessment
firm, found that longer-term employees are less supportive than shorter-term
employees to their coworkers in the workplace. The change seems to
come after five years. </font></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" align="left"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1"><span style="mso-ignore: vglayout">
The firm defined supportive behavior as friendliness, service oriented
and empathy for others. As new employees begin in the company
they have a high degree of supportiveness that tends to grow until
they reach the fifth year. </span></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" align="left"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1"><span style="mso-ignore: vglayout">
The Incremental scores were:</span></font></p>
<div align="left">
<table border="0" width="50%" id="table21">
<tr>
<td>
<h3> </h3>
</td>
<td>
<h3><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><span style="mso-ignore: vglayout">
Tenure</span></font></h3>
</td>
<td>
<h3><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><span style="mso-ignore: vglayout">
Supportive Behavior Score</span></font></h3>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
<h3><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">●</font></h3>
</td>
<td> <font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1">
<One Year </font></td>
<td> <font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1">
69.2 %</font></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
<h3><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><span style="mso-ignore: vglayout">
●</span></font></h3>
</td>
<td> <font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1">
One to Two Years </font></td>
<td> <font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1">
69.2%</font></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
<h3><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><span style="mso-ignore: vglayout">
●</span></font></h3>
</td>
<td> <font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1">
Three to Five Years </font></td>
<td> <font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1">
69.8%</font></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
<h3><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><span style="mso-ignore: vglayout">
●</span></font></h3>
</td>
<td> <font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1">
Five to 10 Years </font></td>
<td> <font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1">
57.9%</font></td>
</tr>
</table>
</div>
<p class="MsoNormal" align="left"><span style="mso-ignore: vglayout"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText2" align="left"> <span style="mso-ignore: vglayout"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1">However,
other factors such as job performance, creativity and persuasiveness
were no affected adversely by tenure as they tended to improve with
time.</font></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" align="left"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1"><span style="mso-ignore: vglayout">
The company actually has significant control over this issue.
The firm suggested::</span></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: -.25in; margin-left: .3in" align="left">
<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1"><span style="mso-ignore: vglayout">�
Selecting people during the hiring process who are more empathetic
and people sensitive. </span></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: -.25in; margin-left: .3in" align="left">
<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1"><span style="mso-ignore: vglayout">�
Recognizing and rewarding employees who exhibit support for others
in their work.</span></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: -.25in; margin-left: .3in" align="left">
<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1"><span style="mso-ignore: vglayout">�
Creating opportunities for listening to employees concerns and suggestions.</span></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: -.25in; margin-left: .3in" align="left">
<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1"><span style="mso-ignore: vglayout">�
Enriching the job by adding responsibility, changing projects or assignments
and job rotation.</span></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" align="left"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1"><span style="mso-ignore: vglayout">If
having employees who support other employees is something you need
or want, you need to manage this issue.</span></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ignore: vglayout"> </span><span style="mso-ignore: vglayout"> </span></p>
<table border="1" width="50%" id="table17" cellpadding="2" height="102">
<tr>
<td valign="top" height="78">
<h3 class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center">
<b><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">�There
are no passengers on spaceship earth.</font></b></h3>
<h3 class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center">
<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><b>We are
all crew."</b></font></h3>
<h3 class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center">
<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><b><font color="#FFFFFF"><i><font color="#000000">-Marshall
McLuhan</font></i></font></b></font></h3>
</td>
</tr>
</table>
<h1 align="center" style="text-align:center"> </h1>
<h3 align="center" style="text-align:center"><span style="mso-ignore: vglayout"><b><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">I
Have To Use Up My Sick Leave Or Lose It</font></b></span></h3>
<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><span style="mso-ignore: vglayout"><b>
</b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" align="left"><span style="mso-ignore: vglayout">
<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1">Most
companies have a problem with the concept of sick leave. The
generally feel that paid sick leave is a generous benefit they provide
to employees who are truly sick. Its an expensive gesture.
The company wants the employee to be able to recuperate without the
additional worry of losing pay while doing so. </font></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" align="left"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1"><span style="mso-ignore: vglayout">
They do not see it as an extra holiday or an extension to vacation.
</span></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" align="left"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1"><span style="mso-ignore: vglayout">
However, according to a nationwide survey by <b>CareerBuilders.com</b>
almost one third of workers call in sick with a fake excuse!
And that�s just the number who admitted it! Although employers
say they typically don�t question the excuse given, 27% say they have
fired a worker for calling in sick without a legitimate reason.
</span></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" align="left"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1"><span style="mso-ignore: vglayout">
The real reason employees missed this work was:</span></font></p>
<div align="left">
<table border="0" width="50%" id="table22">
<tr>
<td>
<h3><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><span style="mso-ignore: vglayout">
●</span></font></h3>
</td>
<td> <font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1">
Wanting to Relax </font></td>
<td width="330"> <font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1">
48%</font></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
<h3><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><span style="mso-ignore: vglayout">
●</span></font></h3>
</td>
<td> <font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1">
Catching Up on My Sleep</font></td>
<td width="330"> <font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1">
24%</font></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
<h3><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><span style="mso-ignore: vglayout">
●</span></font></h3>
</td>
<td> <font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1">
Running Errands </font></td>
<td width="330"> <font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1">
20%</font></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
<h3><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><span style="mso-ignore: vglayout">
●</span></font></h3>
</td>
<td> <font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1">
Doctor�s Appointments </font></td>
<td width="330"> <font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1">
16%</font></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
<h3><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><span style="mso-ignore: vglayout">
●</span></font></h3>
</td>
<td> <font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1">
Plans With My Friends </font></td>
<td width="330"> <font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1">
16%</font></td>
</tr>
</table>
</div>
<p class="MsoNormal" align="left"><span style="mso-ignore: vglayout"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" align="left"><span style="mso-ignore: vglayout">
<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1">25% of
those surveyed said they consider paid sick leave to be vacation days
and treat them as such. 45% of hiring managers say they have
caught an employee calling in with a fake excuse. </font></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" align="left"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1"><span style="mso-ignore: vglayout">
According to <b>CareerBuilders.com</b>, this begs two questions, �Do
you have the right employees working for you? And Do you
have the right management controls and practices in place for your
staff?</span></font></p>
<p>
</div>
<span style="mso-ignore: vglayout">
<div align="center">
<table border="1" width="50%" id="table19" height="87">
<tr>
<td height="81" valign="top">
<h3 class="MsoBodyText3" align="center"><font size="4" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">�We
have a system that increasingly taxes work and subsidizes nonwork�</font></h3>
<h3 class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center">
<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><b><span style="font-size: 14.0pt"><font color="#000000"><i>-Milton
Friedman</i></font></span></b></font></h3>
</td>
</tr>
</table>
</div>
<p class="MsoNormal"> </p>
</span>
<div align="center">
<h2 align="center" style="text-align:center"><span style="mso-ignore: vglayout"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">If
You�re Going To Cheat, Then Do It Right!</font></span></h2>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ignore: vglayout"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" align="left"><span style="mso-ignore: vglayout"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1">As
a follow up to the article above, this report from the Bureau of Labor
Statistics (BLS) described three mainstream magazines that promote
stealing that paid time off. </font></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" align="left"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1"><span style="mso-ignore: vglayout"><b><i>
Men�s Journal</i></b> provided detailed advice on how to sneak out
of work to enjoy the nice weather.</span></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" align="left"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1"><span style="mso-ignore: vglayout"><b><i>
Jane</i></b> magazine offered ways to run your own business on your
employers time.</span></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" align="left"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1"><span style="mso-ignore: vglayout"><b><i>
Field And Stream</i></b>. In their advice column called �Ask Dr. Bill�,
the question for the December 2006 issue is, �What Should I do if
my boss won�t let me take a day off to go hunting?� Dr. Bills answer
is �You can always get off work, even if they know your lying, they
can�t prove it� </span></font></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText2" align="left"> <font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1"><span style="mso-ignore: vglayout">�The
two keys� he says �are:</span></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" align="left"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1"><span style="mso-ignore: vglayout"><b>
1 Attitude</b> �You�re not calling in to <i>ask</i> to be sick.
You�re calling in to <i>tell </i>them your sick�</span></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" align="left"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1"><span style="mso-ignore: vglayout">2<b>.
Diarrhea</b> �This is a magic word. Use it early and use
it often. As soon as your boss senses you may describe yours
in detail, you will find yourself talking to a dial tone�</span></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" align="left"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1"><span style="mso-ignore: vglayout">
It�s a little tough for a company trying to manage this problem when
free lessons are convincing employees that this is an entitlement
that must be used up.</span></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1"><span style="mso-ignore: vglayout"> </span></font></p>
<table border="1" width="50%" id="table20">
<tr>
<td valign="top">
<h3 class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">�<b><span style="font-size: 14.0pt">Live
in such a way that you would not be ashamed to sell your parrot
to the town gossip�</span></b></font></h3>
<h3 class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center">
<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><b><span style="font-size: 14.0pt"><i>-Will
Rogers</i></span></b></font></h3>
</td>
</tr>
</table>
</div>
<blockquote>
<hr width="75%">
<p></p>
</blockquote>
</blockquote>
<span style="text-decoration: none"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1">
<table border="0" width="33%">
<tr>
<td width="64%" valign="top">
<div style="border-style: solid; border-width: 1; padding-left: 4; padding-right: 4; padding-top: 1; padding-bottom: 1">
<p align="left"><font size="-1"
face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><b>Minimum Wage:</b></font></p>
</div>
</td>
<center>
<td width="100%" valign="top">
<h3><font
face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">$5.15/hr.</font></h3>
</td>
</center>
</tr>
</table>
<table border="0" width="99%">
<tr>
<td width="13%" valign="middle" style="border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1; border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1; border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1"><font
face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1"><b>Average
Income:</b></font></td>
<td width="67%" style="border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1">
<table border="1" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="border-collapse: collapse" bordercolor="#111111" width="100%" id="AutoNumber4" height="76">
<tr>
<td width="100%" height="76">
<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="border-collapse: collapse" bordercolor="#111111" width="100%" id="AutoNumber5">
<tr>
<td width="50%" align="center"><b><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1">Hourly</font></b></td>
<td width="50%" align="center"><b><font size="-1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Weekly</font></b></td>
</tr>
</table>
<table border="1" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="border-collapse: collapse" bordercolor="#111111" width="100%" id="AutoNumber6" height="50">
<tr>
<td width="25%" height="50">
<p align="center"> <u><font size="-1"><b>November</b></font></u><b><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1"><u>
2005</u></font></b><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1"><br>
$16.28</font>
</td>
<td width="25%" height="50">
<p align="center"> <span style="text-decoration: none"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1">
<u><font size="-1"><b>November</b></font></u></font></span><b><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1"><span style="text-decoration: none"><u>
2006</u></span></font></b><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1"><u><br>
</u>$16.94</font>
</td>
<td width="25%" height="50">
<p align="center"> <span style="text-decoration: none"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1">
<u><font size="-1"><b>November</b></font><b> 2005</b></u><br>
</font></span>
<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1">
$550.26</font>
</td>
<td width="25%" height="50">
<p align="center"> <span style="text-decoration: none"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1">
<u><font size="-1"><b>November</b></font><b> 2006</b></u></font></span><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1"><u><br>
</u>$574.27</font>
</td>
</tr>
</table>
</td>
</tr>
</table>
</td>
<td width="20%" bgcolor="#C0C0C0">
<table border="0" width="99%" height="96">
<tr>
<td width="100%" height="40" colspan="2">
<h3 align="center"><span style="text-decoration: none"><font
face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1"><b>Federal<br>
Poverty Level:</b></font></span></h3>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="50%" height="48">
<p align="center"><b><u><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1">One
(1) Person<br>
</font></u></b><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1">$10,160</font>
</td>
<td width="50%" height="48">
<p align="center"><u><b><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1">Family
of Four</font></b></u><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1"><br>
$19,806</font>
</td>
</tr>
</table>
</td>
</tr>
</table>
<hr noshade color="#000000">
<hr noshade color="#000000">
</font><table border="0" width="100%">
<b></b><tr>
<b><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1">
<td width="37%" style="border-style: solid; border-width: 1">
<p align="left"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"
size="-1"><b>IRS Mileage Allowance :</b></font></p>
</td>
</font></b><center><b></b><td width="63%" style="border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1">
<b><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1">
<div align="left"><font size="-1"><b>44.5</b> </font><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"
size="-1">cents per mile</font></div>
</font></b><div align="left"><b><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1"><font size="-1">As of January 1st 2007
increases to 48.5</font></font><font face="Verdana" size="-1">
cents</font><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1">
per mile</font></b><b><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"
size="-1"><br>
</font></font></b></div>
</td>
</center>
</tr>
</table>
<table border="0" width="100%" bgcolor="#C0C0C0">
<tr>
<td width="32%" style="border-style: solid; border-width: 1">
<p align="left"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"
size="-1"><b>Postage:</b></font></p>
</td>
<center>
<td width="68%" style="border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1"> </td>
</center>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="32%" style="border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"
size="-1">1 oz.</font></td>
<td width="68%"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"
size="-1">.39</font></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="32%"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"
size="-1">Each additional ounce</font></td>
<td width="68%"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"
size="-1">.24</font></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="32%"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"
size="-1"><i>Postcards</i></font></td>
<td width="68%"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"
size="-1">.24</font></td>
</tr>
</table>
<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1">
<hr noshade color="#000000">
<b>
<p>
<table border="0" width="38%" bgcolor="#FFFFFF" style="border-collapse: collapse" bordercolor="#111111" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0">
</table>
<table border="0" width="98%">
<tr>
<td width="34%" style="border-style: solid; border-width: 1">
<p align="left"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"
size="-1"><b><u>Population:</u></b></font></p>
</td>
<center>
<td width="82%" style="border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1"> </td>
</center>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="34%" style="border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"
size="-1"><b>World</b></font></td>
<td width="82%">
<p align="left"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"
size="-1">6.5 Billion</font>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="34%" valign="top"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"
size="-1"><b>U.S.</b></font></td>
<td width="82%" valign="top">
<p align="left"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1">300
Million</font>
<p align="left"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1"><i>One
birth every 8 seconds<br>
One death every 13 seconds<br>
One new immigrant every 30 seconds<br>
Net gain = 1 person every second</i></font>
</td>
</tr>
</table>
</b>
<hr noshade color="#000000">
<table border="1" width="99%" bgcolor="#C0C0C0">
<tr> <b>
<td width="48%" style="border-style: solid; border-width: 1">
<p align="left"><b> <font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1">U.S.
Workforce</font></b></p>
</td>
</b>
<center>
<td width="12%" align="center"> <span style="text-decoration: none">
<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1"> <u><font size="-1"><b>November</b></font></u></font></span><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><b><u><font size="-1">
2005</font></u></b></font></td>
<b>
<td width="12%" align="center"> <span style="text-decoration: none">
<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1"> <u><font size="-1"><b>November</b></font></u></font></span><u><span style="font-weight:700"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1">
</font></span> </u><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1"><u>
<b> 2006 </b></u></font></td>
</b>
</center>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="48%"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"
size="-1">U.S. Civilian Workforce</font></td>
<td width="12%" align="center"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1">150,183,000</font></td>
<td width="12%" align="center"><font size="-1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">152,381,000</font></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="48%"><font size="-1">Number Employed</font></td>
<td width="12%" align="center"> <font size="-1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">142,611,000</font></td>
<td width="12%" align="center"> <font size="-1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">
145,564,000</font></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="48%"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"
size="-1">Number Unemployed</font></td>
<td width="12%" align="center"> <font size="-1">7,572,000</font></td>
<td width="12%" align="center"> <font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1">
6,817,000</font></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="48%"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"
size="-1">Unemployment Rate</font></td>
<td width="12%" align="center">
<p><font size="-1">5.0</font><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1">%</font></p>
</td>
<td width="12%" align="center">
<p><font size="-1">4.5</font><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1">%</font></p>
</td>
</tr>
</table>
<hr noshade color="#000000">
<table border="0" width="100%" bgcolor="#FFFFFF" style="border-collapse: collapse" bordercolor="#111111" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" height="96">
<tr>
<td width="43%" style="border-style: solid; border-width: 1" height="38">
<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><b><font size="-1">2005
Absentee Rates </font></b></font></td>
<center>
<td width="56%" align="center" valign="top" height="38"> </td>
</center>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="44%" style="border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1" height="31">
<font size="-1"><span style="text-decoration: none"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Men
</font></span> </font></td>
<td width="56%" align="center" valign="top" height="31">
<div align="center"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1">2.5%</font></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="44%" style="border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1" height="27">
<font size="-1"><span style="text-decoration: none"> <font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Women</font></span></font></td>
<td width="56%" align="center" valign="top" height="27">
<div align="center"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1">4.4%</font></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="44%" style="border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1" height="23">
<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1"><b>Total</b></font></td>
<td width="56%" align="center" valign="top" height="23">
<h4 align="center"><font size="-1"><b><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">3.3%</font></b></font></h4>
</td>
</tr>
</table>
<hr noshade color="#000000">
<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="border-collapse: collapse" bordercolor="#111111" width="100%" id="AutoNumber3" bgcolor="#C0C0C0">
<tr>
<td width="100%">
<h4><b><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">PRODUCTIVITY
OF THE AMERICAN WORKFORCE</font></b><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><br>
(The amount of goods produced, divided by the number of work hours
it took to produce it)</font></h4>
</td>
</tr>
</table>
<p>
<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="border-collapse: collapse" bordercolor="#111111" width="100%" id="AutoNumber2" bgcolor="#C0C0C0">
<tr>
<td width="32%">
<p><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1"><b>1992</b></font></p>
</td>
<td width="68%">
<p><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1">3.7%</font></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="32%">
<p><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1"><b>1993</b></font></p>
</td>
<td width="68%">
<p><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1">0.5%</font></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="32%">
<p><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1"><b>1994</b></font></p>
</td>
<td width="68%">
<p><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1">1.3%</font></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="32%">
<p><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1"><b>1995</b></font></p>
</td>
<td width="68%">
<p><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1">0.9%</font></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="32%">
<p><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1"><b>1996</b></font></p>
</td>
<td width="68%">
<p><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1">2.5%</font></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="32%">
<p><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1"><b>1997</b></font></p>
</td>
<td width="68%">
<p><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1">2.0%</font></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="32%">
<p><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1"><b>1998</b></font></p>
</td>
<td width="68%">
<p><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1">2.6%</font></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="32%">
<p><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1"><b>1999</b></font></p>
</td>
<td width="68%">
<p><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1">2.4%</font></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="32%">
<p><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1"><b>2000</b></font></p>
</td>
<td width="68%">
<p><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1">2.9%</font></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="32%">
<p><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1"><b>2001</b></font></p>
</td>
<td width="68%">
<p><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1">1.1%</font></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="32%">
<p><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1"><b>2002</b></font></p>
</td>
<td width="68%">
<p><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1">4.7%</font></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="32%"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1"><b>2003</b></font></td>
<td width="68%"><font size="-1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">4.5%</font></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="32%"><font size="-1"><b>2004</b></font></td>
<td width="68%"><font size="-1">4.0%</font></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="32%">
<span style="text-decoration: none">
<font size="-1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><b>2005</b></font></span></td>
<td width="68%">
<span style="text-decoration: none">
<font size="-1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">2.6%</font></span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="32%">
<span style="text-decoration: none">
<font size="-1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><b>1st
Quarter 2006</b></font></span></td>
<td width="68%">
<span style="text-decoration: none">
<font size="-1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">+3.7%</font></span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="32%">
<span style="text-decoration: none"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1">
<font size="-1"><b>2nd</b></font><b>
Quarter 2006</b></font></span></td>
<td width="68%">
<span style="text-decoration: none">
<font size="-1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">+1.6%</font></span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="32%">
<font size="-1"><b>3rd</b></font><span style="text-decoration: none"><font size="-1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><b>
Quarter 2006</b></font></span></td>
<td width="68%">
<font size="-1">Stable - No Change</font></td>
</tr>
</table>
</font></span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="100%" height="21"> </td>
</tr>
</table>
<p><font face="Verdana" size="2">� William J. Cook</font></p>
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