Who needs Benefits?

I've been sampling what Harvard Pilgrim Health Care has to offer for Wellness coaching. It's an interesting start, but from a practical standpoint just another part of the self-delusion of self-improvement.

My road to wellness - HPHC style:
1. Filled out the online Health Assessment. I've learned that I need to exercise more and eat healthier. Also, is it wrong that the questions about stress and hating my job/co-workers made me laugh out loud?
2. Got a call from the Health Coach to see if I'd like further information or phone coaching. For informational purposes only... sounds like the disclaimer on an herbal remedy.
3. Had my first coaching call, where I set one goal to start - exercise 3-5 times per week on my tread mill or home gym in the mornings. I am actually thinking about doing this more, because he's going to call me again in a few weeks to check on my progress.
4. I have actually been working out some days, and doing a lot of sanding/painting on the weekends (which counts officially).

I'm not feeling any healthier yet, but I am thinking about feeling healthier. I guess that's baby steps.

I hate the alphabet

The summer is almost over here in the Northeast, and it's that time of year again for burning eyes and strained shoulders. Back to school, touch football? Not in HR. No, it's time to make all of the policy and compliance updates to the Employee Handbook that have been put off for the past year (or more...), so we can get them approved for January 1st. So they can then change them again and we're no longer up to date. I'm going blind from alphabet soup.

Here are some overviews of areas we've all been putting off:

• New FMLA Rules: 10 Important Revisions
• New FMLA Rules: More Important Changes
• ADA Amendments Act (ADAA) of 2008 and EEOC Issues New ADA Guidance
• Unscrambling the New Legislative Requirements of 2009
• Gallagher Benefits Services Webinars (some require registration but good content for HRA/HSA, HIPAA, COBRA, etc.)
  

Technology = Productivity and other Myths

I've been feeling very cynical (more than usual) this summer, bored at work and trying to find things to be productive. My current fix - my new Blackberry Curve 8900. My productivity has gone through the roof, although I don't seem to be getting much more done. More updates on how I'm using my permanent internet IV in future posts. It's the beginning of the end when you send BB messenger messages back and forth to your husband when you're in the same room (and no one else is there).

Recession Fatigue - the new Workplace Fad

Now that Swine Flu isn't so exciting anymore for the unscrupulous media and business hysterics, we need to move onto the NEXT THING (unless you're that poor kid (life=ruined)).

Recession Fatigue has my vote. You know it's real when Forbes says it is.

Found a funnier posts about this topic from Well Heeled, with a Mission. I also cringe when I hear "in this economy" - same reaction that I used to get to hearing "sea change" during the late 90's.

I have fad fatigue. That's a real thing too, but there is seemingly no cure.

SHRM Article on Immigrant Visas - KBACE Interviewed

Earlier this year, a staff reporter from SHRM interviewed me, my VP of HR and several KBACE employees who are on H1-B visas. It was an interesting experience, and I think we finally got the proper message across - that hiring using immigrant visas is a necessary part of working in the technology industry, not a necessary evil as many would portray it but just a part of doing business. I think the quote attributed to our VP is actually something I said, as I kept repeating this message.

One thing that was part of the employee interviews but not a theme of her article is the extreme level of uncertainty that employees live under while in the green card process. I can't imagine living in limbo and constant fear that you will be required to return to your home country, if you lose your job or your applications are not approved.

The SHRM article can be viewed here: http://moss07.shrm.org/Publications/hrmagazine/EditorialContent/Pages/0609zeidner.aspx

So you have employees in every state

At my current company, we have employees in almost every state, working from their homes and traveling to client sites 4 days per week. We don't have an internal corporate counsel, so to keep on top of all the state regulations without paying extreme hourly fees to our employment attorney,

I've found these lists of laws by state to be very useful:

• Who is a dependent for Health Insurance? National Conference of State Legislators
• When do you need to provide Final Pay to terminating employees? Nolo
• Which states allow vacation to be forfeited (use-it-or-lose-it) at year end? Employment Law Handbook

Something Actually Useful - Online Recruiting Tools

Diigo

• Online collaborative research and learning tool that allows any group of people to pool their findings through group bookmarks, highlights, sticky notes, and forum. Shared company research, tap into communities of shared interest to get contacts by industry or profession.
  
• Free

Ning

• Limitless customizable social network. Not single sign-on for each group yet but still in development. Recruiter Earth group provides great tools and weekly contact lists by name/industry. Allows you to tap into communities by interest, profession, company, college attended.
  
• Free

Jobtarget

• One place to post your jobs to ANY job board on the Internet, allowing you to compare prices. Find and post to niche boards without setting up accounts, including user groups and associations.
  
• No mark-up on job postings.

My Perfect Gig

• Candidate matching site, takes the requirements in a job req and finds candidates with matching skills. Also includes intelligence and market data on similar openings. Find the number of jobs posted online, including location and the name of the company doing the hiring, as listed on industry job sites. Look at competitive demand and make job posting requirements realistic.
  
• Free?

Employon

• Database of online resumes and job postings by category. See who’s posting jobs and get free resumes emailed daily by your selected criteria.
  
• Fees vary

Alexa

• Web traffic metrics and site demographics, collected through installed toolbars. View which careers websites are getting the most traffic and compare over time.
  
• Free

Skill Survey

• On-demand reference checking technology enables employers to review applicants' professional references using a 360-approach for assessing applicants' past performance. This includes survey templates by role, allowing anonymous entry, with reporting on totals and comments. Get more details than name/dates or positive responses over the phone, to share with the hiring manager and candidate for coaching. Also tap into references as passive candidates or networking opportunities
• $50-$80 per check

That said - I'm still looking for a new job

In spite of all of that, I'm still looking for a new job, so I can move out of Fitchburg and back to New York (Albany area) to be closer to family. HR jobs seem to be few and far between right now, with lots of people laid off recently. I'm trying to expand my online presence, to network and be one of those sought-after "passive job seekers" so I'll be found. One frustrating thing about Twitter - my thoughts are too long winded and I may give up in favor of this.

Someone should make Match.com for job search and recruiting. I'd be happy to take a personality test and a skills assessment to be matched up by 'chemistry' to the right employer/opportunity. If anyone finds me on the web and wants to work on a business proposal, I'm slow at work right now so I'd be happy to put in some time on this during the day.

Update - there is a site that says it does this: www.realmatch.com. The jury is still out as to whether this actually works, especially since it only gets jobs from participating companies, not aggregating from other job boards or career sites like simplyhired.com or indeed.com.

Contemplating the Tidal Aspects of Economics Recently

Everyone seems to be on the band wagon that the economy is terrible - but my company is doing fine, and so is my husband's, so in spite of having a minor cut in my bonus, everything is still the same. I'm guessing this is the case for a lot of people, except those who unfortunately have lost their jobs. Gas is cheaper and food and utility costs and my mortgage payments aren't any higher than they were last year, when the economy was fine.

So I am officially not participating in the recession, and recently splurged on myself at the day spa (with my credit card rewards - I'm not that crazy). If everyone who has a job did this, we would be okay and maybe we could start an undertow pulling the economy out the other way.