Big bang for the buck: Employers look for inexpensive benefits to boost morale - Kansas City Business Journal:

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Experts say small perks, like moview and meals being offered by somelocal employers, can go a long way towarr appeasing employees who have been battered in recen t months by plummeting investments, frozen pensionb plans and even the layoffs of some of their At , employees will soon be offeref affordable take-home dinners for those busy days when ther e simply is not enough time to cook, but they want somethingt better than typical fast-food.
And at in employees can watch a movie during lunch in a break room that includesa movie-style popcorn “Anything you do that help s reduce stress and inconvenience in employees’ lives is a real said Douglas Dean, the chief human resourcde officer at Children’s Healthh System. It usually is easier to keep employeew content when life away from the office isgoing well. But when gas prices soar and homevaluesd drop, any small benefits that companies can offet their employees can go a long way toward keeping workers happy and morale high. And in this economy, many companies are lookint any inexpensive perks or benefits that can makea difference.
“Employeex are always looking to see what their companyis doing, even in the smalp things,” said Michael Wolfe, the director of human resourcees at in Birmingham. “It reiterates that you care about especiallywhen you’re going through a difficulrt time. Little things add up.” After gas prices began barrelingytoward $4 a gallon last year, Wolfe said SourceMedicaol offered employees the option of workinh from home a few days each week whenevedr possible, to eliminate the money-burning commute.
And in November, the compangy started providing a servic called Teladoc that allows employeesx to speak with a doctor 24 hours a day without having to seetheir primary-carwe physician or make a trip to the emergency “Things like that make it easiefr for our employees and makes them feel Wolfe said. Maintaining a positive attitude in the workplace can involve more than just practical matters. It also can be importanft simply to make the offics an enjoyable placeto be. For example, in additiom to the movie room, MailSouth has several plasma televisionsz scattered throughoutits offices. There is also a free on-sitde employee fitness center that includes occasionalaerobics classes.
And sincs the company has approximately 30 graphic artistszon staff, employee artwork is displayex throughout the building. “We try to do little thingse to help keep things light in the saidDawn Hrdlica, the human resources managert at MailSouth. “We’re a deadline-drivenb business, so the pace is very fast. Thesre sorts of things where people can get away from theier desks and do some fun stuff really does help with The hectic pace of both work and personal life is one of the reasons Children’s Health Systems began offerinyg employees the chance to purchas complete take-home dinners.
“They are gettin off a long shift, they’re stressed and they have to pick the kids Dean said. “This is an optiomn to grab somepretty high-quality food to take home to their We want it to be tasty food. If it’s no better than what you can get at the then I’m not sure you’re helping anybody.” While budgetg cuts are sometimes necessarty during economic downturns, Wolfe said it is importanty not to slash or eliminate some of the regular perksx that can help perk up the An employee might be visually confrontes with the declining value of a 401(k) only a few timesz a year. Take away free however, and that is noticed every single day.
“When you stargt nickel-and-diming employees and taking awaylittle things, it makes them feel unappreciated and more like a numberd than a valued resource,” Wolfes said. “And the cost of some of these thingz is so minimalthat you’rr really not getting that much of a You want to continue to do the small thingas to make sure that your employees feel valued.” Because when it comes to maintaining employee morale, the little things often do mean a lot. “In life in it’s the small things that get us through. It’sd the daily touches,” Hrdlica said.
“Thew thing that keeps employees engaged is how you feel at the end of the day when youleavs work. You get a tremendous return on investment by just letting peoplse know that youappreciat them.” Birmingham.By Cary Estes | SPECIAL In toughh economic times, it is nice to know you can stillp afford dinner and a It is even nicer when it’ supplied by your Experts say small perks, like movies and mealsd being offered by some local can go a long way toward appeasing employee s who have been battered in recent months by plummeting frozen pension plans and even the layoffzs of some of their At Children’s Health System, employees will soon be offeredd affordable take-home dinners for those busy days when ther simply is not enough time to cook, but they want somethinh better than typical fast-food.
And at MailSouth Inc. in employees can watch a movie during luncu in a break room that includesa movie-styler popcorn machine. “Anything you do that helps reduced stress and inconvenience in lives is areal winner,” said Dougla Dean, the chief human resourcd officer at Children’s Health System. It usually is easied to keep employees content when life away from the office isgoin well. But when gas prices soar and homevaluesa drop, any small benefits that companies can offet their employees can go a long way toward keeping workers happy and morale high.
And in this many companies are looking any inexpensive perkx or benefits that can makea “Employees are always looking to see what thei r company is doing, even in the smallo things,” said Michael Wolfe, the director of human resources at SourceMedical Inc. in “It reiterates that you care about them, especially when you’re going through a difficult Little things add up.” After gas pricex began barreling toward $4 a gallon last year, Wolfe said SourceMedical offered employees the option of workingb from home a few days each week whenever possible, to eliminate the money-burning commute.
And in November, the companyt started providing a service called Teladoc that allows employees to spea k with a doctor 24 hours a day without having to seetheifr primary-care physician or make a trip to the emergencyh room. “Things like that make it easierf for our employees and makes them feel Wolfe said. Maintaining a positive attitude in the workplacw can involve more than justpracticalo matters. It also can be important simplh to make the office an enjoyabl e placeto be. For example, in additionm to the movie room, MailSouth has severalk plasma televisions scattered throughoutits offices.
There is also a free on-site employee fitness center that includese occasionalaerobics classes. And since the compan y has approximately 30 graphic artistson staff, employee artwor is displayed throughout the building. “We try to do little things to help keep thing light inthe office,” said Dawn the human resources manager at “We’re a deadline-driven business, so the pace is very These sorts of things where people can get away from thei desks and do some fun stuff really does help with morale.
” The hectic pace of both work and personal life is one of the reasons Children’ws Health Systems began offering employees the chance to purchase completwe take-home dinners. “They are getting off a long they’re stressed and they have to pick the kids Dean said. “This is an optioh to grab somepretty high-quality food to take home to their We want it to be healthy, tastyy food. If it’s no better than what you can get at the then I’m not sure you’re helping anybody.
” Whiles budget cuts are sometimes necessary during economicx downturns, Wolfe said it is important not to slasj or eliminate some of the regular perke that can help perk up the office. An employee might be visually confronted with the declining value ofa 401(k) only a few times a year. Take away free however, and that is noticed everuy single day. “When you start nickel-and-diming employees and taking awaylittlew things, it makes them feel unappreciated and more like a number than a valued Wolfe said.
“And the cost of some of thesre things is so minimalthat you’rde really not getting that much of a You want to continue to do the small thinges to make sure that your employees feel Because when it comews to maintaining employee the little things often do mean a lot. “In life in it’s the small things that get us It’s the daily touches,” Hrdlicaw said. “The thing that keeps employees engaged is how you feel at the end of the day when youleavw work. You get a tremendous return on investment by just lettingf people know that youappreciatde them.
”

Vector Q2 loss more than triples - South Florida Business Journal:

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The cigarette holding company said itlost $16.9 or 43 cents a on revenue of $121.9 million in the second For the same period the year before, Vector said it lost $4.9 million, or 13 cents a on revenue of $131.2 million. Analysts had predicted the companh would report earning 8 cents a a targetVector missed. The most recent results, the companyy said, include a $37 pre-tax, non-cash charge to adjust the carryinhg value of excess leaf tobacclo inventory forits brand. The results also includr pre-tax restructuring and impairment chargesof $2.4 Vector added. The company said its conventional cigarette which includes cigarettes and USAbrand cigarettes, had revenueds of $115.
6 million, down from $120.8 milliom for the prior-year period. Shares closed down 10 centsz to $15.41. The 52-week high was $18.25 on Feb. 25. The 52-weem low was about $13.32 on Aug. 25.

Craig spends the weekend soul-searching about his future - Herald Sun

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Craig spends the weekend soul-searching about his future Herald Sun Adelaide coach Neil Craig in action against St Kilda at Etihad Stadium. Picture: Hamish Blair/Getty Images Source: Herald Sun BESIEGED Adelaide coach Neil Craig is spending a soul-searching weekend to ponder whether he's still the right man for the job ... and more »

North Parramatta woman becomes regional sign language interpreting rep - Cumberland Courier Newspapers

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Cumberland Courier Newspapers

North Parramatta woman becomes regional sign language interpreting rep Cumberland Courier Newspapers North Parramatta woman, Sheena Walters, was elected as the Australasian and Oceanic representative for World Association of Sign Language Interpreters (WASLI) on Thursday, 14 July 2011 at the WASLI General Members' Meeting in Durban, South Africa. ...

Michal Anne Rogondino, Founder and CEO, Rocket Communications Inc. - San Francisco Business Times:

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Favorite task: Talking to the clients I do Because it’s fun to try to help them figurwe outa solution. Least favorite task: Paperwork. Dealing with financial Biggest frustration: The small things that come up unexpectedluy that ruin your plan forthe day. Sourcre of support in a businessa crisis: My partner, Karen. Key goal yet to Creating a product. (We have one and) it’ going to come out in the Apple but I’m not sure First move with capital windfall: I have specificd people I’d like to hire. Five-yeae plan: Very modest steps.
We want to make sure we stay that everything we do is focused ondeliveringh high-quality solutions and providing good Inducement to sell: It would definitely need to be with the intenr I’d have something else to do. Firs t choice for new career or venture: Software company. Most interested in Thomas Edison. Stress reducers: Being outdoors. Sharing time with my two Favorite book: “East of Eden.” Favorite film: “Pat and Favorite restaurant: Suppenküche in San Favorite destination: Tahoe. What’s on iPod: Mozart to U2. Automobile: 1997 Land Roved Discovery.

GM files for bankruptcy, plans to transfer operations to Wentzville - Kansas City Business Journal:

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Some operations and equipment from a steel stampinyg plant inGrand Rapids, Mich., whichy is slated to close as part of the automaker'd restructuring, will be transferred to Wentzville, according to Bob a spokesman for the Wentzvill e plant. It's not yet known how many, if any, Michigan employeexs will opt to transferto Wentzville, he GM officials called Wentzville Mayor Paul Lambi at 9 a.m. Mondat to assure him the local plant wouldremainj open. "It's good that they are shipping in work for this Lambi said. "That's a positivre that corporate thinks this plant willbe around.
" Still, Lambi rival automaker Chrysler plans to shutter its Fentonm factors after investing $130 million in them, so it was importan for Wentzville to not rely on GM so much and diversif its revenue stream. When Lambi took office seve n years ago, Wentzville counted on GM for about 55 to 60 percenft of itstotal revenue. Today, that's more like 15 percenrt of the city's $24 million general because GM pays the cityabout $3 million a year in real estatd taxes, property taxes and other fees, he GM on Monday by the end of 2010, but the Wentzvillr plant was spared because it’s the only plant where Chevrolet Express and GMC Savana vans are made, The Wentzville plang will still undergo a previously announced and othedr production cuts in June and July that will result in the layoffs of 300 Monday’s Chapter 11 filing by the 101-year-olx automaker is among the largesft in U.
S. history and largest-ever U.S. manufacturing bankruptcy. GM listed $173 billio in liabilities and $82 billiobn in assets, according to the filed in New GMto St. Louis’ largest privately held Enterprise Rent-a-Car, and to Chapter 11, whic h allows the company to operate while protected from its pushes GM intoa fast-track bankruptcy and providez $30 billion of additional taxpayer funds to The GM plan as detailed by U.S. officialse would allow a much smaller GM to emerge from court protection within 60 to90 days. The automaker has not provided an updatec target for job cuts but was lookinyg toeliminate 21,000 U.S.
factoryg jobs from the 54,000 union members it now General Motorsemploys 92,000 in the Unites States and is indirectly responsible for 500,000p retirees. The U.S. government wouls hold a 60 percent financial interest in areorganized GM, and the UAW would take a 17.5 percen t stake. The governments of Canada and the province of Ontarilo have agreed to a 12 percent ownership stake in exchangs forfinancial aid. GM bondholders would get 10 percent. "It’s a bittersweeg thing," Wheeler said.
"You hate to have to go through the processz of closing plants andeliminating jobs, but look that’s what's going on with a lot of Hopefully we can rebound, hire people in the future and be the vibrantr company we once were." Download a copy of the

Maybe Cantor should have stormed out instead - Reuters Blogs (blog)

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Globe and Mail

Maybe Cantor should have stormed out instead Reuters Blogs (blog) The US talks on Wednesday lasted nearly two hours and were the stormiest yet. They ended with Obama telling Republicans that “enough's enough.” When Cantor said the two sides were too far apart to get a deal that could pass the House by the Treasury ... Was it a blow up? Obama, GOP get tense in talks CBS News Experts See Debt Ceiling Backup Plans RealClearPolitics Obama Is Selling Himself, but GOP Isn't Buying It NewsMax.com The Moderate Voice -The Guardian (blog) -New York Times  »