NEHRA News

These fantastic results are exactly what we experienced over a nine-month period. As the president of a lean call center company, CaLLogix, in New Hampshire (an expensive part of the country for a call center to be located), my focus is on being highly responsive to our clients' changing requirements, delivering exceptional service and managing a profitable company.

Attrition, absenteeism and rising health care costs negatively impact our service and bottom line. Our ability to provide superior service depends upon our staff being ready to take the important calls coming into our center.

When 15 people are absent on a single day in a 200-person call center, we have to scramble to cover the calls those 15 people would have taken. We used to average 15 absences . . . now we average two—that's much easier to manage.

We initially designed our Consciousness @ CaLLogix Wellness Program to address a few big challenges for our employees: smoking cessation, weight loss and stress reduction. Our goal was to help our employees be healthier and happier by reducing smoking, eating healthier and helping them better manage the stress they face in their personal and professional lives.

Our employees are better able to serve our customers when they are healthier and their stress is managed. Not only has our wellness program increased the health of our employees, it has solved some of our key management issues.

Here's how we've designed our program:

• Smoking Cessation Program: We offer this two times per year. More than half of the program participants stopped smoking initially and over 7% are still smoke free one year later.
  
  
• Conscious Success: This program teaches employees how to quickly reduce stress through easy to use mindfulness techniques--which can be used at any time to immediately calm the nervous system and increase effectiveness in the present moment.
• Monday Minute: Conscious Success sends a weekly newsletter with stress reduction tips and we post this on our internal site.
• Meditations: We hold brief stress reduction meditations a few times a week using recordings provided by Harvard Pilgrim and Conscious Success. 
• Webcasts: Conscious Success offers a monthly webcast in which techniques are discussed and taught and questions are answered. 
• Awaken Your Inner Radiance Book: We bought this book for our Supervisors and administrative staff to help them learn how to reduce negative thought patterns and live a more healthy life.
  
  
• Conscious Success Program for Leaders: Our supervisors took a variation of the Conscious Success program which focuses on reducing negative thought patterns and stress that effect leadership and management abilities. A 360° assessment of their emotional and social intelligence was conducted at the beginning of the program and will be evaluated again a year later. We are coaching our Supervisors on the results of the assessments to help them further develop their emotional and social intelligence competencies.
  
  
• Healthy Eating Programs: We organize and run this program internally: 
• Healthy Recipes: In celebration of National Nutrition Month we research and posted a week's worth of healthy recipes and healthy dietary guidelines and tips on our internal website. 
• Healthy Start: To encourage a healthy start to the day we offer a snack each morning during Customer Service week of apples and peanut butter, granola bars, yogurt or orange juice. 
• Happy Healthy Day: On Valentine's Day we wished employees a happy day and introduced them to the delicious health benefits of oranges and dark chocolate.
• Summer BBQ: Offering a relaxing, team building lunch outside.
  
  
• Theme Days: To encourage a relaxed, fun, motivating, and happy atmosphere at work. It gives our Representatives a fun break since their home life is often quite stressful. Some themes are: 50's Day, Patriot's Day, Celtics Day, Red Sox Day, Ugly Sweater Day, Hat Day, Super Hero Day and Halloween (with appropriate) dress up.
  
  
• Customer Service Week: Many of the above-mentioned programs are offered during customer service week. Our most recent theme was Refresh ˜ Recharge ˜ Reconnect. During this week we offered Healthy Start, "Souper" Heroes soup and sandwich lunch, puzzle challenges each morning, blood pressure screening, smoking cessation programs, flu shots, mini office yoga classes, and opportunities to reconnect by having supervisors write compliments about their employees on paper leaves that decorate big paper trees on the walls. 
• +500 STEP CHALLENGE: A few times a year we give pedometers and a log to all employees and encourage them to record the number of steps they take each day. Each time we offer this challenge we get greater participation from our employees. In addition, many employees participate in our walking club, which meets three days per week at lunch. Our employees are now aware of the number of steps they take each day and have become more active. During Customer Service Week, we have a 24 hour step challenge which gets the whole office moving. 
• Snowfly Program: We encourage participation in and reward our employees efforts in these programs with snowfly tokens. With the tokens they get cash and other terrific rewards.

We fully believe in walking our talk. Our management team participates in the Wellness Programs, dresses up for theme days and creates much of the content for our employees. We also celebrate our achievements with our staff. In celebration of our sixth anniversary as a company, we gave each employee a chocolate dipped strawberry, a glass of sparkling cider and a note thanking them for their commitment and outstanding support in fulfilling our promise to our clients and their customers.

 We've noticed some interesting results of this initiative:

• Employees are more likely to participate in smoking cessation and eat healthier once they've participated in the Conscious Success program.
• Each time we offer the +500 Step Challenge participation has grown and the group has become very competitive. Now, during 10-minute breaks on rainy days, we see groups of employees walking the halls rather than sitting in the break room. In total, during our step challenge weeks, our employees have walked 2,710 miles and taken over 5,420,000 steps.
• The number of employees asking for meditation breaks has grown and attendance keeps rising in these sessions.

Here's a specific instance in which we've seen the program improve our customer service: An irate customer, who tried to place an order on line, called in and was not pleasant to our representative. Our rep, who had been in our Conscious Success training that day, did everything right: she apologized to the customer, did not make excuses that may have frustrated the customer even further or become defensive, had incredible patience with the caller, had a positive attitude throughout the call, and turned what could have been a horrible call into a great experience for the customer!

 
Our provider for the smoking cessation is Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, and our provider for our stress reduction program is Conscious Success, LLC.

 

One of the major functions of human resources is not just to hire people, but also to develop the types of programs and benefits that keep them happy at work. Benefits both tangible and intangible can create a more pleasant and productive work environment for everyone, but HR departments are often challenged to find the time and budget to develop engaging programs and perks.

At the Boston Ski & Sports Club, we see this situation time and again: HR representatives who have spearheaded successful "casual" soccer leagues, but are now stuck trying to find other company teams to come out and play, or staffers on the phone with towns and cities, trying to get field permits so their company can develop a softball league. Many HR departments are adept at working with caterers, developing curriculum for corporate retreats, or have gym sales people on speed dial, all in the name of providing an outstanding perks program on top of standard benefits.

As you ring in 2012, make a resolution to find a better way to do things. There are many wonderful programs that provide events designed specifically for corporations of all sizes, and leaving it up to the experts can often save time and money while actually creating a better program for employees. Check out these great alternatives to traditional benefits and retreats.

• Out of the (Gym) Box Discounts: If you listen to your employees' water cooler chatter for the first few months of the year, you may notice increased complaints about the crowdedness of their gym. If your company subsidizes gym memberships or has received a group gym discount, consider providing alternatives. Many companies in Boston will provide a discount to your employees at no cost to the company itself. At the BSSC for example, any company that signs up for our free corporate benefits program can pass along a substantial discount on BSSC membership to their employees.
  
  
• Rock the Company Outing: If your company retreat has gotten bland or boring in recent years, it's time to spice it up. Consider finding an activity that few employees will be familiar with, and allowing them to learn it together. Indoor rock climbing, like that offered at the Boston Rock Gym, takes the idea of a "trust fall" to a new level. Because staffers at indoor rock gyms are experienced with company outings, they not only take care of the logistics, but also provide safe and encouraging instruction that will boost the confidence and camaraderie of your staff.
  
  
• Warming Up the Winter: In New England, many of us hibernate when the snow begins to fall. While your company may host warm weather events, the social scene at most corporations begins to deflate once the holiday party has passed. One way to provide year-round outing and retreat options to your employees is through group ski trips. Whether you're actually paying for a trip or just want to give employees the option to travel, ski and ride together while saving money on transportation, lift tickets, equipment and lessons. Many group travel or ski companies provide options and coordinate logistics for you.
  
  
• Cruising Your Way to a Corporate Retreat: Any meeting where corporate retreat options are being brainstormed includes at least one mention of a cruise around Boston Harbor. It's not a bad event for a warm summer night, but how about kicking it up a notch by teaching employees a new skill and giving them a chance to work together to learn it? Companies like Boston's Courageous Sailing provide sailing outings that include equipment, instruction, and a barbeque on the beach afterwards. It's the perfect combination of activity and relaxing, and it provides something for everyone.
  
  
• Year-Round Engagement: Your company may provide regular yearly or quarterly employee retreats for employees, often to help build their teamwork skills. But regular interaction in a more natural setting can be effective in doing this as well. You can find sports leagues that play both indoors and out, year round, throughout New England. By linking up with a company that specializes in leagues, the pressure is off you to schedule games, find competitors or reserve playing space.

So while planning your corporate outings and benefits program for 2012 and beyond, think outside the box. Remember that great programs don't have to cost a fortune or take an incredible amount of your time away from other HR pursuits. Think of your company as a group with buying power and ask organizations what types of discounts you can pass along to your employees as a larger group.

Ask your employees what they like to do outside of work, and try to find programs that fit into their interests while bringing them outside their comfort zone. This gives you a chance to build their confidence, their teamwork, and their communications skills—all essential assets for a great company makeup.

 
About the Author:
Nancy McGeoghegan is the Sales and Marketing Manager for the Boston Ski & Sports Club. Reach her at nancy@bssc.com.

 

If you know of an individual or company that deserves this award, nominate them today by CLICKING HERE.

Thank you for your nominations!

 

 

• To become a fan of NEHRA on Facebook, CLICK HERE.
  
• If you are already a member of LinkedIn, CLICK HERE to join the NEHRA LinkedIn Community!

If you are not already a member of LinkedIn, you will need to follow the easy steps to create your profile. Once your profile is completed you can follow the steps below to become a member of the Northeast Human Resources Group.

• Find the tab for "Groups" on your home page and select "Group Directory."
• Use the search function in the upper right and type in "Northeast Human Resources Association."
• Click on "Join this Group."
• This will bring you to a description of the group and you will be asked to make selections about your preferences for display the group logo on your personal page.
• Enter a contact email address, a digest e-mail address, delivery frequency, announcements and messages.
• Once you have made these choices click the button "Join Group."
• Your message will come to the NEHRA Group Administrator to verify membership and approve you for the group.

To Join a Community Forum Subgroup on LinkedIn

• Once you are a member of the Northeast Human Resources Group, select "Subgroups."
• Select all the groups you are interested in joining.
• Your request goes to the NEHRA Group Administrator for approval.
• You will receive a message that you are a member of this subgroup and you can begin to read and post information on the Subgroup page.

Current NEHRA Subgroups

• Learning and Development Community Forum
• Diversity and Inclusion Community Forum
• Consultants Community Forum
• Small Business HR Community Forum
• HR Technology Community Forum
• Talent Acquisition Community Forum
• Flexible Workplaces Community Forum

 

As you may know, NEHRA is continuing to evolve to better meet the needs of members. Therefore, we have created a new membership category: Group Membership.

This category is created to recognize the need, and often the desire, of many organizations to control spending and manage membership expenses for their employees.

What does this really mean for you? It means that if your company has five or more current members, you could experience a savings of 10 percent or more on the total cost of these NEHRA memberships through Dec. 31, 2011. In addition, the group membership allows you to renew all memberships at the same time—reducing the hassle and workload of individual renewal dates. Finally—and perhaps most importantly—it ensures that all members of your team have access to programming, to our new webinars, to resources and information at our website and to networking and professional development opportunities.

• How does the program work? All current members from your organization are renewed on a pro-rated basis—based on the individual membership type (NEHRA or NEHRA/SHRM), to bring them to a common renewal date, Dec. 31. Any new members are added and pro-rated, based on a Dec. 31 end date. The entire group is then renewed for another full year, based on this common renewal date.
• Can I add new members? New members can be added to your group at any time during your membership cycle, and their membership will be pro-rated to maintain them on the single renewal date.
• What if someone leaves? You can easily transfer that membership to another employee within your team, with one quick call.
• How does the membership work? Each group member is assigned an individual membership number, allowing them to access information on www.nehra.com and to register for events, webinars and professional development throughout the year.

This is an exciting new opportunity for you to expand access to NEHRA and save money!

If you are interested in learning more about the group membership or getting a quote for your group, please contact Carole Edson, Director of Membership and Alliances, at (781) 239-8705 or cedson@nehra.com.

 

 

It will also ensure that your information is correct in the Member Directory.Once you log in, go to the "About NEHRA" tab and selectMembership Directoryand then click on Update My Membership Profile.

While you are updating your profile, you might want to consider joining one of the Community Forums or adding your name to one of the Listservs.An updated profile and connecting to one of the NEHRA Communities is a great way to maximize your membership and create your personal network.

If you need help with this process please do not hesitate to contact Carole Edson, Director of Membership, at cedson@nehra.com.

 

 

Liz's email address is epicardi@nehra.com.

 

 

 

The CWSP enables all students to earn the majority of their tuition by working in entry-level, clerical positions in a variety of companies. All student workers complete a comprehensive Summer Training Institute in August participating in workshops such as: Phone Skills, Filing, Internet Safety, Excel, Taking Initiative, Business Etiquette, and Business Ethics. The students take great pride in their work and feel a true sense of accomplishment when they help their companies to accomplish mission-critical work. The students work in a wide-range of positions including bank tellers, HR assistants, IT assistants, and more.

The companies or Employment Partners benefit by outsourcing a full-time, entry-level, professional job to one team of four students who share the job.  The NDHS student workers are an innovative resource that enables organizations to increase their diversity and to make a real impact on the workforce of the future without adding to their roster of full-time employees. Many Employment Partners really value the energy that the student workers bring to their companies.

As NDHS continues to grow, the CWSP seeks additional Employment Partners for our students.  To learn more about the CWSP and how it can benefit your company, please go to www.ndhslaw.org/corporate-work-study-program.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Designed to provide episodic care and treatment, but primarily focused on managing chronic, high-cost conditions, on-site clinics have the ability to improve employee health while creating claims cost savings over time that are sufficient to cover the entire annual operating cost.

The breakfast presentation will include case studies on Hay's specific clients and other employers that have achieved positive ROI and health improvements through an on-site clinic strategy.

SPEAKERS:

Eric Kasen
Executive VP
Hays Companies

Lester Morales
National VP
Healthstat

PLEASE RSVP by December 30th to Andrea Devoe via phone at (617) 778-5032 or via email at adevoe@hayscompanies.com.