Are You Employing Aimless Drifters?

Morale: noun. The feelings of enthusiasm and loyalty that a person or group has about a task or job. (Merriam-Webster.com)

That pretty much sums it up right there. How is your employee morale these days? Are your employees enthusiastic about their jobs and loyal to you? Or are they half-asleep, have one foot out the door, or have stopped caring about their job? It’s easy to see how poor morale can have a detrimental effect on your organization.

It’s in our nature to improve our well-being and have a sense of purpose in life. Without it, we become aimless drifters without any goals. Can you see why that’s a problem in the workplace?
Let’s be honest. Not all jobs are very stimulating. What we can do is explain to our employees how their job fits into the bigger picture. Why is producing that widget on a daily basis vital for the success of the business? Well-being of the country? World? Etc.

By giving employees a sense of their purpose, showing true appreciation for their work, and doing the little things, you can improve morale and productivity in your workplace.
From the August ed. of The Bertram Business Bulletin

The Rise of the Robot

Retirements, Worker Shortage Leads to Increased Automation

Necessity is the mother of all invention. You’ve probably heard the push for higher minimum wage demanded by fast food workers and the arbitrary $15/hr. demand. Knowing that $10 hamburgers wouldn’t sell particularly well, McDonald’s has introduced a “Create Your Own Taste” self-ordering kiosk. Customers can custom order their meals which are delivered right to their table. It’s not just innovative; it helps them keep payroll down by eliminating these obsolete, order- taking positions.
On a much larger scale, manufacturing has led the charge in automation for years. While many large shops have used robots for years, the smaller manufacturers are now getting in on the party as well. A recent article in the Insurance Journal* cited several reasons for the change:

1. Dwindling Workforce – as baby boomers retire, Millennials have chased other careers instead.
2. Lack of Skilled Workers – Workers who are available often lack the skills needed to perform these jobs.
3. Increased Job Satisfaction – Workers can focus efforts on problem-solving instead of the repetitive tasks now performed by the robots.

The employee benefits climate has also changed dramatically since the ACA went into effect. Employers with over 50 full-time equivalent employees are required to offer group health. This can be crippling to retail establishments or those in the restaurant industry. As these costs continue to soar, employers can realize significant savings by utilizing more automation. The one-time price tag is large, but it more than pays for itself after a few years by avoiding these additional expenses.

And robots don’t complain...

This article is from the May publication of The Bertram Business Bulletin. To subscribe, send your request to abertram@cobrown.com to be included in the mailing list.

*http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/midwest/2015/04/23/365475.htm

Spreading Light Duty Cheer and Reducing Work Comp Costs

I love the Christmas season. The thrill of opening presents isn’t the same as when I was four, but there’s nothing like watching my four year olds tear into their presents after the big guy came. Giving is definitely more fun than receiving. I’m convinced of that.

I also enjoy spreading Christmas cheer. The best part is there are so many ways to do it this time of year. First, you have tree hopping which you’ve probably never heard of unless you grew up in eastern WI. Trust me; it’s the best way to spread cheer. Then you have Christmas cards, cookies, music, work parties, family gatherings, you name it. It’s all good stuff.

Now I’m going to ask you a question, and I want you to think long and hard about it. How do you feel about sending Christmas cards? Personally, I love sending the first few Christmas cards each year. At that point I’m still naïve and ambitious, bound and determined that this is the year I get them out by the first week in December. I also enjoy picking out the stamps too. Kind of dorky, but I find it entertaining. This year’s selection included Hermey, Santa, Rudolph and the Bumble. You couldn’t beat it.

Since I have the attention span of a four year old, I lose interest after about ten cards. Ten cards will take about twenty minutes, and when I see the remaining pile waiting for my attention, I find myself thinking of all the things I’d rather be doing. Like ice fishing, shoveling the driveway, having my fingernails pulled out with pliers, or shopping. Okay, definitely not shopping, but you get the idea. IT’S BORING AS HELL!!! I’m always glad I sent them when it’s over, but at least half my list tends to get theirs between Christmas and New Years Day. I’d be better off sending New Years cards instead.

So what does this have to do with your business? Light duty return-to-work programs. Let’s say you are in an industry that doesn’t lend itself to light duty work, i.e. trucking, manufacturing, construction, you get the idea. You can only file papers and push a broom for so long. And sometimes with doctor restrictions, you can’t even push a broom.

Most employers will end up sending their employee home to watch daytime television. You know, the same daytime television where every other commercial is from a law firm asking him if he’s been injured at work. That same group of lawyers also mentions that your employee’s rights are being violated by you, his employer, or the insurance carrier. You know where this one is going, and it’s not going away soon.

Did you know that medical only claims are discounted by 70% when calculating your experience mod? Just by getting that employee back to work in a limited capacity, you can help prevent an ugly lawsuit and keep your experience mod in check. And usually if you keep your experience mod low, your underwriter is going to throw you a few bones as well in the form of schedule credits. But you don’t have any light duty work you say?  I have two words for you: stuffing envelopes.

Think of a local non-profit group that could use some help stuffing envelopes.  Unless your employee has had a severe brain injury, he likely has the capacity to do this and other simple tasks. The savvy employers are doing this for several reasons: 1) it positively impacts their experience mod; 2) it’s great from a PR standpoint; and 3) It will drive their employee to return to normal duties quicker than if he was sitting at home.

Think back to your Christmas cards and how mind numbingly boring it becomes. Now imagine doing this for eight hours a day, every day, for weeks on end. If you’re a welder, plumber, etc. by trade, you’ll be crawling out of your skin and do everything possible to get back to your normal job. Unless you have some strange disease that makes you love envelope stuffing, this is only slightly better than torture. (Okay, I’m exaggerating a bit here, but you get the point.)

If you’re an injured employee, I think it’s safe to say that some of your ambition to return goes out the window as you relax at home watching re-runs of Rocky from your living room couch. If your employee is forced to stay in a routine that brings him out of his house each day to do some charity work, I think you’ll find him much more willing to return to his normal job duties. There is plenty of charity work outside of stuffing envelopes that he could do, but just by engaging your employee you are helping limit the damage and improving the odds that he will return to work sooner than later.

Do yourself a favor and check with some local charities. You’ll be a hero to them, and them to your business. Or you can give me a call. I’d be happy to have your employees send out my Christmas cards next year.

Andy Bertram
Risk Advisor
C.O. Brown
abertram@cobrown.com
651-800-6173