If you have ever simply watched people at work you will find that many often come in late or miss work entirely for days on end. We may be able to procedure a connection in our reasoning that says all these people showing up 10 minutes late can add up to lots of lost revenue for the company. The problem is how to control attendance issues and still treat everyone fairly?
A CCH study on unexcused absenteeism indicates that 83% of employers feel that unexcused absenteeism will continue to rise. The problem is that absenteeism costs have been growing which now range around $800 per employee per year. It doesn’t seem like much but when this cost is multiplied by 10 or 20 employees the numbers speak for themselves.
Absenteeism and Punctuality Policies
Having an absenteeism and punctuality policy is important for any business with employees. Such policies help keep records on missed work time, succor employees to attend work, and set a case for dismissal when an employee fails to follow the obligation of his/her work terms. The right kind of policy can save your company tons of money as the years go by.
The first thing an owner has to determine is what status his employees tumble into. Salaried and professional employees are typically considered “exempt” while hourly workers are “non-exempt”. Exempt means that the employees are not based upon their time at work but on the function of their job. They can work longer hours without paying overtime. Non-exempt employees are paid for each tiny they are at work and are entitled to overtime pay.
Hourly or non-exempt workers can have their pay reduced for anytime they miss from work while salaried or except workers cannot. For example, if a salaried worker misses 4 hours a day but work any part of that day their pay cannot be affected. The only time a salaried worker can have his/her pay adjusted is when on a leave of absence or when an entire day is missed for personal reasons. To punish the lateness of a salaried worker by adjusting pay creates a risk of entitling them to overtime.
Attendance policies vary from company to company and from state to site. However, the best attendance policies usually have a progressive component to them. For example, verbal warning, written warning, suspension and termination would be part of a progressive discipline policy. The other method that could be used is the point system. As the worker receives points for attendance he/she will incur increase discipline. Once he/she has reached the threshold he/she will be terminated.
The use of an absenteeism policy that is progressive ensures that all workers are treated fairly. They are warned each time they are disciplined and cannot claim ignorance. Furthermore, the documentation provided at each level of the discipline gives an appearance of professionalism on behalf of the organization and a sense of fairness to the employee.
Salaried workers can be under the same progressive attendance system as an hourly worker. The disagreement is that they cannot have their pay deducted. Once must also judge that salaried workers should be given notes-to-file instead of employee counseling reports (discipline) so that their “at-will” status is not in jeopardy.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics a total of 2.8 million workdays a year are lost due to illness or injury. Assuming that the average worker made around 40K per year we would add 35% for benefits to approach to a total compensation cost of 54K per year per employee. If we divide this 54K by 2080 worked in a year we come to $25.96/hour labor cost. A single employee absence for a day would cost the average company around $207.68 per day. Thus if you have 10 absences a year your cost would be around $2000. This figure doesn’t include the cost of the actual profit you would have lost due to not getting your products or services finished.
Methods of Reducing Absenteeism
1.) No-fault attendance policy
2.) Progressive discipline
3.) Incentives for good attendance.
4.) Compose the workplace more fun.
5.) Pre-employment physicals and drug tests.
6.) Conduct employment history investigations before hiring.
7.) Value the attendance and contribution of each worker.
8.) Attendance should be included as one of the criteria for raises/promotions.
9.) Request medical documentation for all unexcused absences.
Filed under Car Insurance Companies by on Mar 15th, 2011. Comment. 
“You cannot claim to worship Jesus in the Tabernacle, if you do not pity Jesus in the slums. . . It is folly — it is madness — to suppose that you can worship Jesus in the Sacraments and Jesus on the throne of glory, when you are sweating him in the souls and bodies of his children.”- – Bishop Frank Weston at the 1923 Anglo-Catholic Congress
1923 Anglo-Catholic Congress
Christian socialism is a small branch of Christian thought and practice that grew in England and the United States. It seeks to place the values of archaic Christian value in juxtaposition to the values of capitalism and corporate culture. In Europe a Christian socialism usually is referring to labor movement activity lead by a Christian leader.
The roots of Christian socialism go back to 1848, when Chartism failed to produce widespread improvement of circumstances for the English worker. Chartism was a set of principles that English reformers hoped would bring better social conditions for working class people. Rather than Marx; Christian socialism was defined by such men as Carlyle, Coleridge and Southey.
The movement in 1854 founded a common laborers association, a workingmen’s college, and helped politically influence some reform to benefit the common laborer. John Ludlow, Frederick Maurice, and Charles Kingsley tried to organize the church to speak out against the excesses of capitalism. They in general failed in their effort but the work was taken on by such groups as the Fabian Society, advocates of “guild socialism” and many Roman Catholic groups.
In America Christians organized a labor organization in 1889 known as the Society of Christian Socialist and tried to carry on the work of earlier Christian Socialist leaders such as Washington Gladden and Richard Ely.
Anglo-Catholic Socialism is small sphere of Christians who adhere to the practices of “High Church; but also advocate progressive social practice and speak for the concerns of the working man. The “Oxford Movement” had special appeal to the working man with its emphasis on the “Incarnation” of Christ. This emphasis on the “Incarnation” and Jesus’ own glide as a common laborer during his time on earth gave some branches of Anglo-Catholics some connection to Christian Socialism’. This lead to the eventual establishment of the Jubilee Group in England in the mid twentieth century and eventually to the Society of Sacramental Socialist who serene try to influence progressive political reform today. Progressive Anglo Catholics also associate themselves with groups that in general advocate social progress without supporting socialism; such as Affirming Catholicism. Confirming Catholicism has both American and English groups.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anglo-Catholicism
http://thechristiansocialist.blogspot.com/
http://www.anglocatholicsocialism.org/christiansocialism.html
Filed under Car Insurance Wikipedia by on Feb 27th, 2011. Comment.
GEICO Auto Insurance devised a series of cavemen commercials. One commercial advertisement that aired in September 2006 contained no dialogue, but used music, advertisements and a twist on the cavemen stereotype within the advertisement to sell the product.
Three cavemen commercials by GEICO aired in 2004, but after two years of cavemen absence, GEICO decided to bring back the commercials and the fourth aired in September of 2006. In the fourth commercial, a caveman on a moving airport sidewalk sees a billboard for GEICO featuring a stereotypical caveman along with the GEICO slogan, “So easy a caveman can do it.” The product the commercial is advertising for is GEICO Auto Insurance, but the advertisement is also selling an experience and a lifestyle. The experience that one gets with GEICO insurance is an easy one, while the lifestyle one gets with GEICO is a apt and insured one.
The commercial entertains the audience by using the familiar and likeable character of the caveman, and also uses an upbeat electronic song, “Remind Me” by Röyksopp, that plays in the background. The ad is also a parody of the opening scene of the 1967 film, The Graduate. In the movie, Dustin Hoffman’s character, Ben Braddock, walks on a moving sidewalk at an airport, demonstrating the ability to allude to different forms of media in a single advertisement.
By insisting that GEICO Insurance is “So easy a caveman can do it,” the ad creators are reaching out to customers who are either uninsured or melancholy with their current auto insurance. These are also customers who are not necessarily lacking in intelligence, but ones who value necessary tasks, such as obtaining auto insurance, to be simple, fast and easy. The geographic location that this commercial is geared towards is the District of Columbia and all of the United States, except Massachusetts, the only places where GEICO writes auto insurance.
The commercial succeeds in reaching this audience by using widely known stereotypes. The stereotype of the caveman contrasts with the “real-life caveman” because the billboard ad within the commercial depicts an image of a caveman that is hairy, wearing fur and holding a club. This image projects the stereotypical behavior of a caveman onto the viewer as well, behavior that is aggressive and has a distress adapting. The caveman in the commercial is depicted as completely regular and normal, despite his facial features and excess hair. Because of the opposition, the “regular” caveman in today’s society becomes offended at the obvious degradation of cavemen.
This advertisement uses the contrast to stress its honesty about how easy GEICO auto insurance is to obtain and use. The “caveman” stereotype is one that was intelligently selected by GEICO because although it is widely known and understood by a variety of different ages and ethnicities, it is a stereotype that is rather uncontroversial to people of all backgrounds. A slur against Asian, African-American or female stereotypes would undoubtedly cause an uproar against people of those ethnicities or genders. Since there are no cavemen in today’s society, the commercials are completely fictional and are not used to slander any living human being.
This commercial definitely succeeded as an ad as GEICO continued to make more cavemen oriented commercials following this one. The popularity of these commercials was so huge that in 2007, an interactive Web site about the characters was created. “Caveman Crib” features the inside of a technologically savvy and modern apartment of cavemen. The apartment comes complete with a laptop, a flat mask TV and even an IPod. When you enter the kitchen of the picturesque bachelor pad, you are able to click and hear yell messages left on the modern, cordless telephone. One message even refers to the caveman airport commercial when the fictional GEICO advertiser addresses the caveman’s questions about the offensive display, but suggests “we’re not positively sure you saw one of our ads or not.” This sentence reaffirms the world’s blindness to the cavemen stereotype as depicted in the commercials. In October of 2007, a spin-off TV series on ABC was made titled, Cavemen. The show is described by ABC as a “unique buddy comedy that offers a clever twist on stereotypes and turns race relations on its head,” a statement that adequately describes not only the show and the interactive Web site, but also the entire message conveyed in all of the GEICO cavemen commercials.
Filed under Compare Car Insurance by on Feb 25th, 2011. Comment.
For many, shopping is a way to relax, have fun, or relieve stress. Fair hearing the word “shopping” conjures up feelings of exhilaration at the thought of finding that perfect pair of shoes on sale. However, hearing the word “shopping” and “car insurance” in the same sentence often has quite the opposite carry out.
Shopping for car insurance is obviously nothing like spending the day at the mall, but it does not need to be something to terror, either. Navigating your way through all the numbers and terminology is not as difficult as it may seem. There are several tools available to support you with the shopping process. Investing time and worry is crucial in making an educated decision. In the end, choosing the right insurance company and policy can save you a substantial amount of money. After all, who doesn’t like a bargain, right?
The first step in the shopping process is to determine what kind of coverage you need. Since each state has their absorb requirements, it’s important to know how powerful insurance is valuable in your particular state. Visit www.carinsurance.com for a detailed list of state-by-state requirements.
The next step involves a little bit of homework. Experts recommend that you take some time to research each potential insurance company’s ratings. Websites such as www.fitchratings.com and www.weissratings.com will help you learn about a company’s financial strength. It is also a marvelous idea to get opinions from friends and family on what the like or dislike about their own insurance provider. Once you have done your research, make a list of the companies you are enthusiastic in contacting.
Now comes the fun fraction, it’s time to get a quote. Although it may not be as enjoyable as shoe shopping, the concept is much the same. You are essentially hunting down a bargain. Dick Luedkke, spokesperson for State Farm Insurance, offers this bit of advice regarding auto insurance, “It really pays to shop around. Premiums for exactly the same coverage can vary substantially from carrier to carrier.” Gleaming that, it is important to take the time to compare rates of several different insurance companies so you don’t end up paying more than you need to.
The internet is flooded with websites such as www.esurance.com that offer free insurance quotes. Once you find a site that suits you, begin by submitting the required information. Some websites offer instant quotes, while others will contact you later by email. If you assume to speak to a live person, simply call each company on your list to receive a quote over the phone. Remember, don’t hesitate to ask questions. It’s always a good opinion to educate yourself before, rather than after, you need to make a claim.
After you have done your research and sorted through all the quotes, it’s time to choose which company to choose, and which policy to consume. By now, you know how much insurance you need, as well as what policy will be most beneficial to you. Contact an agent and arrange a meeting to review the policy, discuss any concerns, and sign the contract. Make sure to read your policy carefully before you sign it to avoid any unwanted surprises in the future.
By being proactive in the shopping process, and educating yourself along the way, you can be confident knowing that you made the right choice for your auto insurance needs. Now go out and reward yourself with those new shoes!
Source: http://ideas.thenest.com/buying-guides/buying-a-car/Articles/shopping-for-insurance.aspx
Filed under Car Insurance Ratings by on Feb 23rd, 2011. Comment.
Are you seeking ways to get cheap car insurance? Everyone is trying to cut corners due to the economic downturn, and car insurance is a large part of anyone’s budget.
The quandary is how cheap is defined; the dictionary will give you two options. Cheap can mean having a surprising low cost for the product or service obtained, or it can mean a product that is low-quality and inferior.
Your goal should be to obtain the best quality insurance coverage you can secure at the lowest possible notice. The alternative can leave you in a genuine dreadful situation.
If you purchase a poor policy that has inadequate coverage, you can kill up financially ruined. That policy will not turn out to be a savings!The most principal step in knowing how to get cheap car insurance is to do comparison shopping. You would not consider of purchasing a refrigerator without checking for the best options available at the best price. The same applies to insuring your automobile. How do you do this? You could call several agencies or go in person; some people purchase to do business this way. The alternative more and more people are using is to get online and get several quotes. You can just search “car insurance quotes” or you can be more specific and search for “car insurance quotes Cleveland” or the name of your town. Unprejudiced remember to compare apples to apples, not just focusing on the price, but the policy details.
Consider the deductible involved: a higher deductible usually means you get a slightly lower premium. The downside is that at the time of an accident, you must have access to that cash immediately, especially if someone else’s vehicle is involved or if your vehicle is under lien.
Liability coverage is one area where you want to tip-toe. You don’t want to ever be caught with inadequate coverage. Most states have required amounts you have to carry, but that may not be enough.
In a split second that it takes you to look off the road, you could cause an accident. Just hospital bills for someone you injured could mount up to an exorbitant amount. And, you must consider the poor possibility of a lawsuit. Notice how many law offices there are in your town; they are not operating solely for divorce cases!
While you certainly don’t want to pay for unnecessary coverage, you need to be SURE you are adequately protected. Here is the Most IMPORTANT part of any policy quote you consider when trying to get cheap auto insurance.
I am not an insurance professional, but I have worked as a right secretary. I do know that this is one area where trying to set money the wrong way could raze the rest of your life. If you don’t have the money when they sue you, it will be garnisheed out of your salary forever!
Ask lots of questions to friends and family about their liability coverage. Ask insurance professionals and bag out what level of liability coverage you should score, if you are unsure. Having a good driving record will encourage you get cheap car insurance. Be sure all records are correctly expunged at the right time, if you have had a few marks against you.
It is helpful if anyone on your policy takes approved drivers education courses, especially drivers under 25 and any drivers with some past problems that are causing higher rates. Take any driver schools available for folks with speeding tickets, whether the court orders it or not. Usually, if the margin of speeding is great or reckless driving is keen, the judge will require it.
If you have younger drivers, it is important that you document their good grades, if they have them. This will often help you get cheap car insurance. Also, you can cover them to just drive one vehicle, if desired, but be sure that they don’t drive the other vehicles uninsured. I would be quite careful with that option.
Think ahead about those sports cars; check what the rating of a vehicle is before you purchase it. Some cars are speed demons, causing the calmest of individuals to rev their engines! Some vehicles are a car thief’ s choice. Others are classics with very high cost replacement parts. consider all of these issues before purchase, if possible!
This next option sounds really bizarre, but natty up your credit rating. Check for errors. Automobile insurance companies are checking credit more and more, especially since so worthy of this is done online, now. This will effect your ability to get cheap insurance.
Tips & Warnings
- JUST BE Certain, you get adequate coverage, or you could be regretting that cheap car insurance the rest of your life.
Filed under Car Insurance Reviews by on Feb 20th, 2011. Comment.
