by admin | Aug 14, 2018 | Benefit Management, Human Resources, Workplace
“Design thinking” is a fairly common term. Even if the phrase is new to you, it’s reasonably easy to intuit how it works: design thinking is a process for creative problem solving, utilizing creative tools like empathy and experimentation, often with a strong visual component. The term dates from 1968 and was first used in The Sciences of The Artificial, a text written by Nobel Laureate Herbert Simon.
For Simon, design thinking involved seven components, but today it’s usually distilled to five: empathize, define, ideate, prototype, test. In this way, creative tools are employed to serve individuals in a group, with a solution-driven focus. It’s important to note that these components are not necessarily sequential. Rather, they are specific modes, each with specific tools that contribute equally to solving an issue.
Most significantly, as Steve Boese of HR Executive noted in a recent column, design thinking is a rising trend in HR leadership. “Those using this strategy,” he says, “challenge existing assumptions and approaches to solving a problem, and ask questions to identify alternative solutions that might not be readily apparent.”Design thinking helps teams make decisions that include employees in meaningful ways, personalize target metrics, work outside the box, and produce concrete solutions. Even teams with established, productive structures use design thinking in the review process, or to test out expanded options.
Boese says that the key shift design thinking offers any team is the opportunity to troubleshoot solutions before they’re put into real-time practice. The main goal of design thinking is not process completion, low error rates, or output reports, as with other forms of HR technology, but employee satisfaction and engagement. More often than not, this leads to increased morale and even more opportunities for success.
by Bill Olson
Originally posted on ubabenefits.com
by admin | Aug 9, 2018 | Human Resources, Workplace
Incidences of workplace violence are becoming more common and are all over the news. It’s not just high-profile headline cases that are a concern—it’s happening on a smaller scale in all kinds of businesses. Threats to workplaces can take many forms, from cyberbullying and workplace harassment to physical altercations and targeted violence.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) estimates that every year nearly 2 million U.S. workers are victims of workplace violence, with a total economic cost of more than $55 billion. According to the most recent National Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries, violence in the workplace increased 23 percent between 2015 and 2016 to become the second-most common category of workplace fatalities, behind transportation incidents.
Assessing elements of risk that may trigger violence, along with developing a prevention plan, is critical.
While a bill has been recently introduced in Congress relating to workplace violence in the healthcare industry, and some states address workplace violence in their safety regulations, there are no specific OSHA standards for workplace violence at the federal level outside of the OSHA General Duty Clause. This clause requires employers to provide their employees with a place of employment that is “free from recognized hazards that are causing or are likely to cause death or serious harm.”
If your clients experience acts of workplace violence or become aware of threats, intimidation, or other indicators suggesting that the potential for violence in the workplace exists, OSHA and state programs would expect them to implement a workplace violence prevention program combined with controls and training.
The good news is, you can help arm your clients with strategies for reducing the risk of workplace violence this summer.
Prevention is key
Assessing elements of risk that may trigger violence, along with developing a prevention plan, is critical. This starts with a complete evaluation of the organization’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats as they relate to the types of risks the organization might face. A review of the company’s strategic objectives and deliverables, the resources available to employees to accomplish these deliverables, and the physical layout of the facility are important elements to include in this evaluation.
Workplace violence preparation and prevention strategies
Hire right. Your clients’ businesses may be at risk due to the actions of their employees. Advise them to make good hiring decisions by clearly defining job requirements and thoroughly evaluating applicants. They should look carefully at resumes and job applications, probe gaps in applicants’ work histories, and verify education and work experience. Encourage them to conduct reference and background checks and be consistent with all applicants throughout the hiring process. That way, they can potentially avoid bad hires or negligent hiring claims.
Set clear expectations. When employees know what is expected of them, including behaviors important to the organization and performance standards, and those expectations are consistently enforced, they may experience less work-related stress and anxiety that can lead to hostility and violent outbursts.
Nurture an inclusive company culture. Studies show that in companies where employees feel like they are a part of the business and understand how their work contributes to the organization’s success, employees are more engaged and have more trust in their leaders and co-workers. Encourage your clients to focus on an inclusive culture built on strong values and it might result in fewer accidents, less absenteeism, and reduced risk for EPLI claims or workplace violence incidents.
Establish emergency preparedness plans. Advise your clients to develop emergency plans covering human-caused emergencies such as crime and violence, as well as hazards caused by natural disasters, outbreaks of disease, and accidents.
Establish safe reporting systems. Recommend that clients establish more than one method for employees to report any type of threat or issue that makes them feel unsafe in the workplace. These systems should include clear communication to employees that everyone is responsible for workplace safety, and there will be no retaliation for reporting safety concerns.
Provide workplace wellness programs. Some safety experts suggest that companies that demonstrate their commitment to their employees’ wellbeing through comprehensive wellness programs may reduce the risk of workplace violence. The rationale is that these programs help to defuse employee stress, anxiety, and unhealthy personal behaviors that can lead to violence.
Train, train, train. Every member of the team should be trained to know what to do in each type of emergency. In the case of workplace violence prevention, encourage your clients to train employees who have contact with the public about how to defuse potentially violent situations and protect themselves. Designate management team members to receive additional training to recognize the signs of employee distress — such as physical exhaustion, missing work commitments, more time out of the office, violent outbursts, isolating themselves from co-workers, or talking about hurting themselves or others — with the proper procedures for handling those situations. Well-trained team members who react quickly can save lives.
With the proper planning, systems, communications, and training, your clients can be better prepared to prevent or lessen the threats of workplace violence.
Originally published by www.thinkhr.com
by admin | Aug 7, 2018 | Group Benefit Plans, Hot Topics
Q.For a high deductible health plan (HDHP) to qualify for health savings account (HSA) eligibility, what is the minimum amount that an embedded individual deductible can be?
A.For 2018, the embedded individual deductible must be at least $2,700. For an HDHP to qualify for HSA eligibility, an individual with family coverage would need to satisfy the required minimum annual deductible for family HDHP coverage (which is at least $2,700 for 2018) before any amounts are paid from the HDHP.
by admin | Aug 3, 2018 | Hot Topics
We are halfway through our summer break and by now you have heard 1,000 times, “I’m bored!” from your kids! How do you survive the summer and keep your sanity? Follow these tips to make this summer break memorable and tackle the challenge of keeping your kids engaged.
- Keep A Routine
Kids thrive with schedules. The idea of just lazing around all summer sounds great at the beginning, but it feeds the “I’m bored” monster. Having no routine or daily schedule leaves kids with no expectations of what needs to be accomplished for the day. I cannot count the number of times I’ve texted my children from work at 1pm, “Have you gotten dressed and brushed your teeth?” Set up a daily routine and post it in a well-traveled location in your home. Set up expectations for the day—make your bed, get dressed, feed the dogs, brush your teeth, put away laundry. Simple tasks give familiarity to the day and help guide them to productivity.
- Water & Sun Safety
Teach your kids to always ask before heading out to the pool—whether it’s in your backyard, a friend’s house, or the neighborhood splash park. When they are in the water, make sure someone is watching. Among preventable injuries, drowning is the leading cause of death for children 1 – 4 years old. Drowning happens quickly and quietly—not like it’s portrayed in movies and on TV with lots of splashing and yelling. Keep kids in your sight at all times. Likewise, pay attention to applying sunscreen consistently. The sun’s UV rays can damage your skin in as little as 15 minutes. Apply sunscreen every hour and if possible, have your children wear UV protected clothing and hats.
- Summer Bucket List
Make your “Top 5 Summer Activities” list as a family and schedule them! Maybe it’s to try the new snow cone shop around the corner or go to a special concert series in the park. Your community is bustling with things to do during the summer. Research what special speakers are coming to your local library, break out your list of favorite movies from when you were a kid and introduce them to your children (Space Camp, Neverending Story, Flight of the Navigator!), make slime! Making a list of these fun activities gives your children something to look forward to and work towards achieving.
- Learn a New Skill
This summer’s skill in my house is learning how to type! I found a website that has free lessons and skills tests and my kiddos are completing modules of learning online during the day. Our hope is by the end of the summer, our teenagers can type using all 10 fingers! Figure out a skill that your children could benefit from learning and find a way to teach them this skill. It doesn’t mean you are now instructing them on how to play a violin, but if they want to learn, can you find a local music store that has some summer lessons? Or what about your friend’s artistic teenager who could teach your child how to draw anime or how to sing?
- READ!
You knew that one was coming. We’ve all heard of the “summer slide” where kids slide backwards in learning during their summer break. Reading not only prevents this slide but can propel your child into success for the coming school year. Get to your local library and talk with your librarians about the latest book series that are on fire for your school-aged children. Read along with your kid so you can discuss the twists and turns in the books. Have your student draw pictures of their favorite scenes in their book. Get your noses in some books! Readers are leaders!!
With these survival tips you will be blazing the trails to a successful summer. Parents—you got this!
by admin | Aug 1, 2018 | Hot Topics, Workplace
The world is connected nowadays through our screens. Whether it be email, texting, websites, FaceTime, or social media; we all use technology to connect us to others.
