Fund Management, Business and Marketing Resources at Pubdef Weekly

Women: When to Start Long Term Care Insurance?

women buy long term care insurance

Why Women should consider Long Term Care now. Why? Because women who are going to buy a Long Term Care Insurance policy should start to think about long term care coverage as soon as it is feasible for them to afford. For example, maybe middle aged women buy long term care insurance This is when costs are the lowest but most women can still qualify as well, often also with preferred discounts. Rates never go down, they only go up. So as the saying goes, “no better time than the present”

Please, Don’t Wait! It seems that those who wait are often later plagued by chronic conditions. We see it all the time! When this happens, it is natural that most people’s attention to long-term care risk becomes much more of a focal point, but it is too late. Many people begin to worry, and some even become frightened. But at this point, buying long-term care insurance becomes much less appealing, because of the high cost of premium and most importantly not being insurable at any cost due to these chronic conditions. So, the moral of this story is that you should plan ahead and enjoy the golden years of your life with Long Term Care Insurance.

The Right Team Members May Soon Be Hard To Find

Just a few years ago we thought we had the best of times. We could continue to grow forever if only we had the right people. The problem was unemployment was so low (under 5%) it was hard to keep good talent on your team. The moment you had a good team, a member would leave for a higher salary or signing bonus from somewhere else. It was difficult to keep the same team members in your business. Although sales were lining up, efficiencies were being challenged due to the lack of consistent team members, which led to inconsistent quality and higher training costs. These elements challenged one’s business reputation.

As the economy slowed down, large corporations began making cost cutting decisions. One of these cost cutting decisions was to reduce the employee count and labor costs. As the employee dismissals increased so did the unemployment rate. Small businesses were slow to implement cost cutting measures including dismissing employees.

The great recession felt more like a depression for small businesses, especially those who depend on other small businesses and consumer discretionary spending. The focus changed quickly to fear and panic. The shift in focus was to survival. Why worry about anything else when you have the next payroll or rent to make?

But the first signs of recovery are just now trickling down from mega corporations to main street businesses. It took almost two years after the recovery of large corporations for the effects to trickle down to local businesses. And now recovery seems to be more and more stable, slowly growing. It may not be exciting yet, but by the end of 2012, small businesses may be in a much better business environment. Without forward thinking, it will be difficult to position small businesses well to succeed as the economy continues to build strength. The psyche for the business owner is volatile and fragile at the moment. Why worry about something that “could” happen in the future when I am worried about payroll next week?

During the downturn, employees were thankful to have a job. However, to retain their position employees were required to work harder, work longer hours, for less money, no or lower bonuses and in a declining work environment. The work force moral in large and small businesses is low at the current moment. Employees have stuck with their current employer because it is safe or the fear of moving, especially when unemployment was 10%.

Employees will feel more confident to seek a better work environment as the economy improves. The employees may not move for compensation as a primarily motivation. The primary motivation might be a better work environment, including a positive work environment, philosophies which match their value system, and investment in their professional education.

During 2011 through 2013 the US Federal Reserve believes the US economy will continue to recover and unemployment will decrease from the current 9% to 7%. With an improved economy and lower labor pool, a labor shortage of high quality employees is possible.

Small businesses are heading towards a future of being caught off guard once again. As the economy improves the small business owner will be focused on prior problems and current sales instead on current problems and future sales. This is likely to result in employees finding new employment and catching the employer off guard. The small business owner will not want to face this challenge as their sales and business improve.

A solution for small businesses is to take a look at the work environment they provide. Does the small business have the right team in place for current and future work load? What values and philosophies does your small business stand for? What changes can you make today to improve your team’s moral? A business owner can hire a coach or consultant to help with transitions or to conduct personality profiles to build a team which can work well together. I encourage you to take actions today to build a stronger team and business for your future.

Human Resources Jobs – All You Need to Know

As the big multinational companies as well as other small ones are focusing on the quality of their employees to meet the cut throat competitions of today, the jobs related to human resource management are also gaining importance day by day. The human resources jobs are mostly management oriented.

The work of a hr manager or assistant is primarily involved with the personnel department of a company. He is entrusted with all responsibilities regarding the employees of the company. Starting from the quality of the company’s hr, their productive capacity to solving any problem encountered by the workers is the job of hr personnel.

The hiring of a new employee is also done by workers of this department.

Workers of the hr department are required to publish advertisements on news papers and business journals for hiring of new employees. They are also required to interview these aspirant workers and select the ones who would best serve the interest of the company. They may also get in touch with executive recruiters or other employment services to fulfill the requirement of employees.

The managers of the hr department are also capable of firing an employee if they are unable to meet the expectations of the company. Human resources jobs also include organizing trainings, workshops and presentations that will enhance the quality and potential of the workforce of the company. These trainings and workshops are innovative and effective that will leave an impact on the workers attending them.

Human resources jobs also address issues related to attendance, safety at the place of work and even health issues of the employees. They are involved with the up keeping of the mental health of the personnel. It is their job to ensure a healthy working atmosphere and to look after other recreational activities for the workers that will help in keeping their mind fresh and active.

Basically, hr works are concerned with the workforce of a company and are responsible for any work related to the management of hr. However, it is a job that requires special skills and abilities and only people who are professionally qualified for the job are hired.

So, if you are interested in getting a hr job, you should first get a degree in business administration or management, specializing in human resources. You should also be well aware of all local and state laws and regulations relating to employment.

Human resource managers have very high demand as most companies are now paying attention to the hr department. They also get paid well and so human resources jobs are quite attractive from all perspectives.

So if you are creative with original ideas and are have special interest in the field of human resources, a human resource job will be the ideal one for you!

Employee Retention And Recruitment For Small Business

One of the biggest problems faced by many industries today is the issue of employment turnover rates. In some cases it may be because the work itself is just not the type of thing that people generally stay in over the course of their lives. And in other cases, the problem may be with management. Now it’s only natural that workers should change over time, but where it becomes a problem is when a business is not able to hang onto anybody. This can be a real problem for small businesses because training costs in money and productivity. Here is some advice on employee retention for small businesses.

-Foster An Organisational Philosophy

This doesn’t necessarily mean but could include group talks and gatherings, but the idea is to make sure that there is a standard in place that people can rally behind. If you have rules in place that force employees and management to work as a team and treat each other and customers with respect, it can help in establishing rapport between individuals. Other ideas could include making workplace goals or giving people treats such as pizza or drinks in exchange for performing well. Try to find ways to establish teamwork.

-Be Generous With Bonuses And Holidays

Another way to keep people wanting to work for your company is by not being stingy with bonuses and holidays. If people do a good job, don’t be afraid to show it. If you really can’t afford to give bonuses to everybody, consider reserving those bonuses for management positions while allowing people to take holidays and breaks. This is likely to increase productivity when combined with a team mentality towards getting work done. The idea is to make sure that people are able to appreciate working for an employer who doesn’t ask for the moon while failing to practice any reciprocity towards the workers that make operation possible.

-Pay Competitive Wages

Way too often what happens is that people may truly enjoy working for a particular business, but when a higher paying opportunity comes up they are forced to leave. One method of preventing this approach is to make sure that what you are paying people is competitive or at least close to it. That doesn’t mean overpaying people to make them stay, as eventually workplace changes have to happen. However the key here is to make sure that you are paying below minimum wage for work that sees most people making twice that amount.

Employee retention is a tricky thing for even larger businesses to negotiate effectively. The reason for that is that many people have different motives for leaving. If a business is failing to keep workers, that means that most likely something needs to change in the management of employees. Some ways to encourage people to stay are to start by fostering a team-oriented workplace philosophy, being generous with bonuses and holidays where possible, and by paying people well for the work they do. The key here is to make sure that workers are in an environment that shows them that employers would like them to stay.

Expect Targeted Recruitment From Your IT Recruitment Agency

If you already use an IT recruitment agency, you are probably doing so for a number of reasons. As well as saving you time and money, employing the services of an agency can help your business find some of the best talent available.

A good IT recruitment agency will offer quality over quantity every time, so it is important that you know they are adopting a targeted approach to recruitment. However, if you feel you are not receiving this level of service, or have not yet decided on which IT recruitment agency to use, these are three fundamental points for you to look out for:

1.) Their advertising approach should vary based on each vacancy. A good agency recognises that, to get the best candidates, it is often necessary to advertise in more niche publications. The methods for attracting candidates should not just be limited to job boards either, but also include e-mail marketing, referral networks and much more.

2.) Their internal systems should enable a targeted approach. A good agency will be able to record vital bits of information about each candidate who makes contact with them. Not only should this be able to document their key skills, but also more niche skills that may be relevant to specific projects. A rich, constantly refreshed and well-ordered database will help to drastically cut the time it takes to find good candidates.

3.) They should employ advanced headhunting techniques. Of course each approach depends on each requirement. However, for high level positions, the best consultants will not wait for the ad responses to roll in, but actively seek to establish contact with candidates they know or believe will be interested in the requirement. Your IT recruitment agency should have consultants who are well trained in this regard.

Irrational Decisions Of Organizations On Laying Off Employees

Out of fear and guilt many executives choose to give employees as little forewarning as possible about upcoming layoff. Managers fear that if employees know their fate ahead of time, they may become demoralized and unproductive- they may even sabotage the business. However, there is no documented evidence that advance notice of a layoff increases the incidence of employee sabotage.

The lack of notice, however, does dramatically increase mistrust of management among surviving workers. Trust is based on mutual respect. When employees discover what has been brewing without their knowledge or input, they see a blatant disrespect for their integrity, destroying trust. By not giving employees information that could be enormously helpful to them in planning their own lives, management initiates a cycle of mistrust and helplessness that can be very destructive and require years to correct.

Many managers believe that after a layoff, the less said about it the better. With luck, everyone will just forget and move on. The reality is that surviving employees will talk about what’s happened whether the management team does or doesn’t. The more the company tries to suppress these discussions and act as if nothing has happened, the more subversive the discussion becomes. Remaining employees will react to what has happened regardless of whether the management does.

Recovery from a layoff is greatly hastened if managers and employees are allowed to speak their minds freely about what’s happened. In fact, it can be a great opportunity for the survivors to pull together and review ties. When management refuses to acknowledge what’s has really taken place, it appears emphatically heartless, feeding the employees’ sense of helplessness. If management won’t talk about it even after the fact, what else is it hiding?

An organization that isn’t functioning at optimal efficiency and is thinking that a layoff is needed must keep in mind a few key principles;

Is the problem too many people or too little Profit? This is the critical first question to ask before any layoff. Using a layoff as a cost-cutting measure is utterly foolish; throwing away valuable talent and organizational learning only makes a bad situation worse. When your business lacks revenue, annihilating intellectual capital and thus reducing the efficiency of remaining resources as well as the potential for future growth is not the solution. If the answer is too many employees, then you’ve begun the process of a well-thought-out strategy for change.

To legitimately determine if you have too many employees, look at the organization’s business plan, not its head count. What product and services will you be offering? Which of these products and services is likely to be profitable? What talent will you need to run the new organization? These questions will help you plan for the post-layoff future. Those issues will enable a quick turn around from the inevitably negative effects of downsizing to positive growth in value and efficiency.

What will the post-layoff company look like? Having a clear, well-defined vision of the new company is imperative before the layoff is executed. Management should know what it wants to accomplish, where the emphasis will be in the new organization, and what staff will be needed. If not directed according to a clear vision of the future, the new organization is likely to carry forward some of the same problems, that initially created the need for the layoff.

Unfortunately, many managers understand the momentum of the old organization to recreate the same problems. Without a clear defined, shared vision of the new company among the entire management team, the past will be likely to sabotage the future and create a cycle of repeated layoffs with little improvement on organizational efficiency.

Always respect people’s dignity. The methods employed in many poorly executed layoffs treat employees like children. Information is withheld and doled out. Managers’ control over their employees is violated. Human resource representatives scurry from the hush-hush meeting to another. How management treats laid-off employees is how it vicariously treats remaining employees.

In a layoff, everything is done in the same arena, with everyone observing. Why does this matter? Because successful planning will keep the new organization going and improve its result. You must keep exceptional talent, who are also the employees most marketable to other organizations. When they see the company treating laid-off employees poorly, they’ll start looking for a better place to work.

Respect the law. While it’s important not to allow the legal department to design a layoff, it’s nevertheless important to respect the employment laws. In different countries, such laws include entitlements tied to civil rights, age discrimination, disabilities, worked adjustment, and retaining. These laws should be respected for what they intend as well as what they prescribe or proscribe.

If you plan your layoff according to business needs, and not head count or seniority, you should have no problem upholding the law. You will almost always find yourself in legal trouble when you base your layoff on factors other than business needs.

There are two important factors to keep in mind when planning a layoff; respecting employees dignity, and business planning. No one, from the mail-room to the boardroom enjoys downsizing. But when it is unavoidable, a layoff can be accomplished in such a way that the problem is fixed and the organization excels.

How to Hire the Front Desk Position For Healthcare

I would say only three of four Front desks/ Reception personnel hired today will end up being a bad hire in six months. The reason being, the person hiring has no idea how to advertise, interview or choose the hire correctly. They have no skill or manual to efficiently process applicants and choose the person with the greatest chance of success.

As you may have experienced a bad hire can destroy your practice. Poor patient interaction, lack of insurance knowledge, substandard secretarial skills, irresponsibility,
and lack of honesty can cost you many times more than the employees wage.

The following outline will increase your awareness in the hiring process. I urge you to improve your hiring skill and build a practice with stability, cohesiveness and a culture that supports your mission.

Set Expectations
Hiring a front deck person is like computer dating. The hiring doctor advertises his/her wish list to what they are looking for. Record a list of every requirement, skill, and personality attributes that you desire in the position. This may allow you to get a more accurate perspective for the necessary knowledge and abilities needed to succeed in this position.

Help Wanted Advertisement
A certain way to increase the success rate the help wanted advertisement must state exactly what you are looking for; advertising their expectation of the position. Conversely, the Front desk person can evaluate the advertisement with a critical eye to the fit of the position in relationship to their own personality and needs. The goal of the ad is to attract the person that fits the ad and to weed out the ones that do not. This is the beginning of the courtship, to see if each party’s expectation is similar. It is done very impersonally and efficiently.

The location you are advertising in must be congruent to the position you are filling. The most efficient vehicle to advertise is the internet. In this day and age the person searching for employment in a newspaper may not be the person for your position. For the position of front desk, you can advertise to the general population through Craig’s List or your local town’s web site. Many towns now have web sites with help wanted classified sections.

Resume Review
The question you must ask yourself when reviewing the resumes is, “does this applicant fit the needs of the position?” Take all personal attributes out of the resume review process. Compare the resume against your check or wish list of the position and make a cut and dry decision. Do not be swayed by anything but the facts presented on the resume. Separate the resumes into two piles, the ones you want invest an interview call and the ones that you have no interest in pursuing.

Interview Process
The process is similar to any one of the reality shows where the looser is never seen again and the winner has competed challenges and has succeeded in overcoming all obstacles. The first interview is by phone. Set aside time, preferably in the evening, and speak with each applicant for 5-10 minutes maxi¬mum. Prepare with written specific open-ended questions that will evaluate the applicant for the position offered. Put your effort into listening to the applicants answers. Ask yourself would you want this person answering your phone.

The second, third and possible fourth interviews pair down the field matching the applicants to your original wish list. The questions asked begin general and then become specific in all areas of the job responsibilities. Each important task will have questions or exercises to measure their competencies.

Once you have chosen a few candidates I recommend a series of aptitude and personality tests to confirm our decision. The internet offers many tests that challenge the applicants technical and emotional talents.

The Decision Making Process
As the pool of applicants are reduced through interviews to a few each person’s back round is thoroughly researched. The Internet offers many services that dig deep into a person’s past; history is the best window of the future.

Selection
Once you have gone through this process to choose your new hire, you can feel confident that you have utilized an intelligent process that will allow you the best chance of success.

How to Train the People Behind the Skills

Many organizations suffer the consequences of poor training in the simple procedures of soft skills.

An organization’s success depends not only on hard technical skills, but its members’ ability to work together effectively. Success can be jeopardized by factors such as inter-staff politics, personal agendas, lack of energy and commitment to organizational goals, and poor communication.

How can your organization avoid these dangers and achieve actionable outcomes with LMS online training?

The purpose of any kind of training is the acquisition of skills. So what kind of skills are teachable? What skills can you expect to nurture in online training? The truth is that all skills, both soft and hard, are teachable-and critical to an organization’s success.

Soft skills, or “people skills,” are utilized in both professional and personal life, and include all the procedures involved in effective communication. These include listening, engaging in dialogue, providing feedback, functioning in a team setting, resolving issues and conflicts, and contributing in staff meetings.

Hard skills, on the other hand, refer to the occupational requirements of a position. These include technical or administrative skills related directly to the organization’s business. Examples include typing, software knowledge, operating machinery, and speaking a foreign language.

Hard skills are often contrasted to soft skills and defined as specific and “teachable” abilities which can be quantified and defined. However, unlike a personal attribute or natural talent, a skill is always something that can be learned, and converted into a personal and professional attribute.

It’s simple. In order to learn any skill, you need to learn and recall information accompanied by certain steps to follow. Then you need to apply the information and steps. It isn’t necessary that a learner understand all the principles behind the subject matter in order to gain the skills required to perform the tasks well, but that he or she understand what steps to take and how to take them in a given situation.

So how can you deliver effective LMS training for project management and other In order to deliver effective online training in soft or hard skills, there are three simple steps: 1. Provide the information and steps. 2. Reinforce through practice and exercises. 3. Use quizzes and tests to confirm knowledge.

Social Media Screening for New Hires? Proceed With Caution!

At the speed of well, light, social media has exploded as the favored recruiting and screening tool for many recruiters and employers. National surveys say 73 percent of HR and recruiting professionals now rely on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and corporate blogs to identify, approach, and check out candidates for job openings.

Why? The social networking approach is inexpensive, easy to use, and it offers both a huge audience of job seekers and the tools to sort through them quickly and efficiently.

But, make no mistake; there are pitfalls and potential risks for employers. From the violation of discrimination and privacy laws, to reliance on the oft times unreliable information that is available on social media sites. If you’re not prepared to recognize and avoid the potential pitfalls, you could be greeted with a nasty legal surprise!

You will need answers to these and other questions before proceeding… and even then, do so with caution

· Which federal and state laws come into play when you use Facebook, LinkedIn, and other social media channels to make employment decisions?

· What information must you disclose to applicants when you use social media to screen them?

· How can you proceed safely if you discover potentially negative information on the Internet about an applicant?

· What are the dangers of relying on social media data about an applicant that may prove later to be unreliable, completely false, or defamatory?

There are many other unique legal issues you may face when using social media for recruiting and screening. You could even face negligent hiring claims. Our best advice would be to consult with a professional who understands the social media landscape before proceeding.

3 Generational Groupings In Today’s Workforce

From various sources, it seems there is a general consensus on 3 generational groupings in today’s workforce:
The Baby Boomers, born during the post-World War II boom, roughly between the years of 1946 to 1960. There were seventy-six million American babies born in this timeframe, creating an expansive need for education and training during this period. Characteristics of this group include higher rates of participation in advanced education and training, nearly perfect attendance, as well as an assumption of lifelong prosperity and entitlement. These workers have had the tendency to “work hard and play hard,” while remaining loyal to employers for long periods of time, with an eye toward retirement from that entity some day.

Generation X, born between 1961 and 1981, this group represents a blending of the Baby Boomer methodical classroom training and the advent of technology (computers, videogames and the Internet.) The changing business and educational world demanded more flexible thinking and a dynamic workforce than ever before, transitioning from “paper driven” workflow and personal communication tools to newer and faster processes and throughput. Characteristics of this group include the expressed desire to succeed, the willingness to cautiously try new jobs and tasks, the flexibility to adapt to new situations with a grounded foundation in the “way we used to do it.” Members of this group are often placed in the role of mediator between the Baby Boomers and Generation Y groups based on their own experience and understanding of both perspectives.

Generation Y, born between 1981 and 2001, also known as Millennials, this group has not known a world without advanced technology. They have grown up with knowledge and experience with computers, iPods, and cell phones. Characteristics of this group include an expectation of quick advancement in the workplace, the need for rapid responses to inquires and concerns, consistently less patient, a high focus on execution, the demand for immediate and easy-to-use training and education, a possession of greater entrepreneurial thinking, and a lower expectation of usage of interpersonal communication (more emphasis on email and instant messaging than in-person or phone calls).

So, how does a manager blend all of the talents in the workplace from these diverse groups of employees into a cohesive team, focusing on the success of the organization? To answer that question, the manager must assume that members of each group are critical to the success of the company and, when positioned effectively, will grow and succeed on their own merits. Given that premise, the manager then should focus on what each member brings, not only in pure on-the-job skills, but also their respective “ingredients” or individual make-up. What are the elements of an employee’s make-up?

These ingredients can include the employee’s generational grouping, demographics, attitude, experience, and their specific work needs (including their focus on the level of importance of more money, an important title, employee benefits, professional growth, etc.) By understanding and focusing on each employee, within the context of the organizational structure, the manager has created a staffing gameplan for success. Typically, the Baby Boomers provide the foundation of the organization through their professional experience, loyalty and ability to mentor others.

The Generation X members provide the bridge, understanding the tasks needed to be done and providing effective communication between all stakeholders. Finally, the Generation Y group represent the future of the organization, empowered with quick learning skills, fueled by the initiative to grow and succeed, focused on “what’s next” -perfect candidates for succession planning and as part of mentor / mentee programs. The workplace is changing rapidly and we, as managers, must change rapidly as well.