ASHHRA eNews Pulse

Dear ASHHRA Members,

GETTING TO KNOW YOU, GETTING TO KNOW ME

Happy New Year! My wish to you for 2011, is to remain healthy, employed, and challenged in your work! I want to start the year with some encouragement. If you have gotten to know me, you may have heard me mention this before, but ASHHRA needs your voice. Your participation in making our organization "Great to Greater" is what I’d like to see continuously throughout the new year and beyond, and into this "era of change." So, how can you help us, you ask? The simplest form of involvement is giving us your feedback. HR people are generally not shy about doing so. If there is something you’d like to see improved or implemented, please let me, or any of your 2011 ASHHRA Board, or Stephanie Drake and the ASHHRA staff know what’s on your mind. We are here to serve.

On a higher level, get involved with a committee or volunteer for a board assignment when the nomination process begins. I have always said there are those who "do" and those who watch others "do." Be a "doer"! This is your organization and if you want to make it "greater," be a "doer." We welcome you! In my HR role and as a leader my emphasis to those who have worked with me has always been two-fold, teamwork and customer service. Without it, we are less than effective.

My promise to you for 2011 is that our board, your leadership team, will strive to provide the highest level of customer service and aspire to be the best team ever. We have some significant goals for this year, in conjunction with our strategic plan, and are ready to take them on aggressively. In order for you to know me a little better, on the Gallup Strengths Finder assessment, my strengths in leadership are Arranger, WOO, Maximizer, Strategic, and Relator. On the Myers Briggs, I am an ENFP. That will tell you volumes about me! I look forward to meeting many more of you and getting to know you throughout the year.

In closing, I would like to thank 2010 President Jeff Payne for his outstanding leadership and guidance. In addition, I offer great respect and admiration for the 2010 Board of Directors and the tremendous work that was accomplished in a year of turbulent economics. We are much stronger for that effort. For those departing our Board, Past President Dan Zuhlke, Bob Morrison, Jim Frain, and my fellow "Blues Brother" Barry Lindeman, I salute you and will cherish your leadership and friendship. Again, this organization is much stronger because of you! To Stephanie and the ASHHRA staff, you worked miracles in 2010 and I thank you. I look forward to working with you for an even more successful 2011!

Robert Walters, SPHR
Corporate Director, HR Operations
Health First, Inc.
3550 North Harbor City Blvd.
Melbourne, FL 32932-0069
(321) 434-1957
bob.walters@health-first.org

 

The December 2010 issue of the Health Care Labor Report has the latest information on labor activity, trends, and events. Access it now!

Visit http://www.ashhra.org/member/hc_labor_report.shtml?oamfd=t to view the full article online.

 

Congratulations to the Philadelphia and Suburban Healthcare Human Resource Society for celebrating 50 years of service to the Philadelphia area Healthcare Community. See the photo here.

Visit http://www.ashhra.org/about/Regions/Region_2.shtml to view the full article online.

 

A New York City operating room nurse signed a form offered at her hiring, which allowed her to refuse to participate in abortions and some other procedures. But five years after the hospital hired her, she was called in for emergency surgery that turned out to be a late-term abortion. She assisted but later filed a grievance, saying the procedure had conflicted with her religion. Then she sued.
SOURCE: HR.BLR.com

Visit http://hr.blr.com/HR-news/Discrimination/Religious-Discrimination/Can-a-Nurse-Be-a-Conscientious-Objector/ to view the full article online.

 

By Michael R. Greco
Read about these top five non-compete and trade secret issues:
1. Texas supreme court decision: can money serve as consideration for a non-compete?
2. California clarity on trade secrets exception
3. Computer fraud & abuse act: a split among the circuits
4. Non-compete legislation to resurface in Massachusetts
5. Social media issues gain traction
SOURCE: TLNT

Visit http://www.tlnt.com/2011/01/04/top-5-non-compete-and-trade-secret-issues-to-watch-for-in-2011/ to view the full article online.

 

In 2010, more than two dozen provisions under the healthcare reform law kicked in. And in 2011, there’s plenty more for employers to worry about. In total, The Kaiser Family Foundation says 21 provisions take effect this year. Here are seven of the most important.
SOURCE: HRMorning

Visit http://www.hrmorning.com/7-key-health-reform-mandates-that-kick-in-for-2011/ to view the full article online.

 

By Nadia Gruzd
It goes without saying that without good, qualified employees, you cannot serve your patients, their families, and the community. Hiring the right people and engaging and retaining your employees will result in higher morale, lower employee turnover, and a much stronger bottom line.

Visit https://www.naylornetwork.com/ahh-nwl/articles/index-v2.asp?aid=134767&issueID=22500 to view the full article online.

 

The holiday season may be drawing to a close, but repercussions of being on the naughty list are only just starting to be felt. This isn’t a reference to those snide remarks behind a friend’s back or the sick day that truly was taken to watch the season finale of Dancing with the Stars on the DVR. No, this naughty list is the one that includes any company that took advantage of the recent economic challenges to reduce labor costs through excessive downsizing and that then wrung every last bit of productivity out of their layoff survivors. Yes, hiring figures are starting to creep up, and as employees learn to trust the uptick is solid, the great employee migration will begin.
SOURCE: TLNT

Visit http://www.tlnt.com/2011/01/06/what-the-latest-numbers-tell-us-the-voluntary-turnover-exodus-has-begun/ to view the full article online.

 

Want to change employee behavior? The age-old approach is pretty straightforward: Reward the good and punish the bad. Now research out of Northwestern University says it’s a little bit more complicated than that. Florian Herold, an assistant professor at Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Management, has come up with a theory that boils down to this: Carrots and sticks are still the way to go – as long as you use the carrot first.
SOURCE: HRMorning

Visit http://www.hrmorning.com/a-small-change-that-produces-big-performance-results/#more-16828 to view the full article online.

 

Here's the latest on salary increases for 2011, and if this all sounds vaguely familiar it’s because the latest survey and forecast is not far off from a lot of other surveys and predictions you read about here over the last six months.
SOURCE: TLNT

Visit http://www.tlnt.com/2011/01/04/the-latest-word-on-salary-increases-for-2011-it-will-be-2-8/ to view the full article online.

 

The minimum wage rate increased in seven states on January 1, 2011, as a result of annual adjustments indexed to cost-of-living increases.
SOURCE: HR.BLR.com

Visit http://hr.blr.com/HR-news/Compensation/Minimum-Wage/Minimum-Wage-Increase-in-7-States/ to view the full article online.

 

Now that our politicians have finally come to a decision about the new 2011 tax law, your employees have a decision of their own to make – what will they do with the 2 percent raise they will see in their paychecks?
SOURCE: TLNT

Visit http://www.tlnt.com/2011/01/10/financial-education-at-work-helping-employees-with-their-2-decision/ to view the full article online.

 

E-mail issues, healthcare reform, union threats, annoying workplace behaviors... it’s been an interesting year for HR pros, to say the least. Here’s a rundown of HRMorning’s 10 most-viewed stories of 2010.
SOURCE: HRMorning

Visit http://www.hrmorning.com/what-you-clicked-on-most-top-hr-stories-of-2010/ to view the full article online.

 

Every new year I start to think about how I can make myself better for the upcoming year – what did I do well, what do I need to stop doing and what do I need to do more of. As I began to think about those things recently, I started to notice habits that creep up from time to time that hinder my own performance. Also, recognizing habits of my staff that are holding them back from reaching their full potential (oh great, they are saying right now!). This came full circle when I thought of what it is that makes great HR pros great, and what habits are holding us back as a profession, so here’s my list:
SOURCE: Fistful of Talent

Visit http://www.fistfuloftalent.com/2011/01/5-habits-the-make-you-bad-at-hr.html to view the full article online.

 

By Jim Camp
A trainer and coach offers four basic rules to help HR executives successfully navigate through emotionally charged confrontations. And the first rule? Maintain a sense of calm and open-mindedness.
SOURCE: Human Resource Executive Online

Visit http://www.hreonline.com/HRE/story.jsp?storyId=533328550&topic=Main to view the full article online.

 

By Terry Dunne
Hospital employment numbers at some hospitals are growing and at others they are dropping. But for those responsible for administering hospital retirement plans, both growth and reductions in workforce create potential problems when it comes to maintaining the retirement plans for former employees.

Visit https://www.naylornetwork.com/ahh-nwl/articles/index-v2.asp?aid=134776&issueID=22500 to view the full article online.

 

Flex time fans have another industry to use as an example of proof that the concept can work. In years past, those grueling weeks often fueled nasty marital spats about missed dinners and children’s tantrums over forgotten basketball games. Not anymore. At Ernst & Young, as at the nation’s other major accounting firms, workplace flexibility has been built into the culture – even during crunch time.
SOURCE: TLNT

Visit http://www.tlnt.com/2011/01/11/think-flex-time-isnt-possible-at-your-company-think-again/ to view the full article online.

 

Individual and family health insurance premiums increased by an average of 34 percent and 41 percent respectively between 2003 and 2009, according to a new study. What states were hit hardest?
SOURCE: HRMorning

Visit http://www.hrmorning.com/which-states-pay-the-most-for-health-care/ to view the full article online.

 

Taxation affects many people. Recently, the subject has become the focus of much political attention, most notably involving the Bush tax cuts. The debate directly affects many physicians, whose income levels are the primary target of the possible staggering tax increases when the Bush cuts end on December 31, 2010. Most significant among those are the return of 39.6 percent tax rates on earnings and dividends, and 20 percent tax rates on long-term capital gains. Neither the Obama Administration nor Congress has been clear on the extent to which the Bush cuts will be retained. As such, year-end tax planning requires an extraordinary effort to engage in transactions that optimize one's tax posture under either scenario.
SOURCE: Physicians News Digest Online

Visit http://www.physiciansnews.com/2010/12/16/2010-tax-planning-for-docs-whats-certain-and-what-is-not/ to view the full article online.

 

Managers tend to interact with their direct reports only on "special occasions" such as when something goes wrong or when they want a direct report to tackle a new project, says Bruce Tulgan, author and consultant. As a result, many managers do not set clear expectations for employees, which can lead to a variety of performance problems.
SOURCE: HR.BLR.COM

Visit http://hr.blr.com/HR-news/HR-Administration/HR-Management/Are-Managers-Sabotaging-Employees-Work-By-Not-Sett/ to view the full article online.

 

The year 2010 was remarkable for its series of public gaffes made by CEOs and other leaders that shattered organizations, share price, job tenure, coastlines, and even religious tolerance. In 2011, we can learn from their mistakes in order to protect our own reputations.
SOURCE: TLNT

Visit http://www.tlnt.com/2011/01/04/10-ways-leaders-can-protect-their-reputations-in-2011/ to view the full article online.

 

Jupiter Medical Center (JMC) was one of only four healthcare organizations surveyed nationally to receive the Laureate Award for Workplace Enhancement from The Jackson Group. This is the second year JMC received the award.

Visit https://www.naylornetwork.com/ahh-nwl/articles/index-v2.asp?aid=134782&issueID=22500 to view the full article online.