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The Online Newsletter for Clients of Express Personnel Services. Talking About Our Generations: Part Five of Five
The February issue of e-Xchange featured a closer look at the Baby Boomers. � This month takes a more in-depth look at the Traditionalists, individuals born between 1900 and 1946. ���Even though most Traditionalists are at or near retirement age, many are still working and plan on continuing to do so, at least part time, well into the future. � To lessen the impact of the approaching labor shortfall due to the retiring Baby Boomers, employers need to recognize the strengths of mature Traditionalist workers and increase recruiting and hiring of this population. � Providing part-time positions, flexible schedules and job sharing options can help retain this generation after they retire from full-time work, and will allow companies to continue to utilize their dedication and experience. �� Traditionalists came of age during a time of economic depression and world war. � These events united this generation, causing them to value group membership and responsibility. � Many of them have military backgrounds, leading them to use a command and control management style. � They typically trust hierarchy and authority and value stability, security, a sense of community and patriotism. � Numerous Traditionalists have worked for the same employer or in the same field their entire professional careers, demonstrating their emphasis on loyalty. � Traditionalists hold others accountable for their actions and despise laziness. � They expect to be treated with respect, dislike vulgar language and prefer proper, professional dress. The Traditionalists' emphasis on punctuality, manners and professionalism makes them excellent employees. � Their strong work ethic and dedication makes them good mentors for younger, less experienced workers. � They do less job hopping, rarely have child-care responsibilities and have already fine-tuned their abilities and strengths. � In addition, they tend to spend less time socializing on the job than their younger counterparts. � While employers may worry that this generation is not technologically savvy, the truth is workers over 50 are the fastest-growing group of Internet users. With such a wealth of experience and knowledge, the Traditionalists are too valuable a resource for employers to let slip away. � By rethinking retirement beliefs and offering flexible work options, employers can hold onto to this generation of workers and gain wisdom from them while preventing a problematic labor shortfall in their organization.
The Health-Care Dilemma: Part One of Three According to the Kaiser Family Foundation and the Health Research and Educational Trust, the average employer cost of health coverage in the U.S. increased almost 50% from 2001 to 2003, and could very well double again by 2010. Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina reports that 55% of their 3 million members are overweight, leading to $83 million in additional costs to the plan. It costs at least 30% more to cover obese members and 18% more to cover overweight members than normal-weight members. While Canadian health care is provided by the government, employers there still face repercussions from an overweight workforce. When workers miss work due to health concerns, it lowers morale and productivity. While its not an employer's job to force workers to be healthy, striving to contain costs and encourage healthy living can save money, increase productivity and retain and recruit workers. ���With a large amount of the workforce headed toward retirement, the focus of recruiting will be twofold: to retain older workers and to recruit younger workers to fill the void. Many older workers are facing the repercussions of a sedentary, unhealthy lifestyle. Adolescents tend to weigh more today than they did a decade ago, which will likely lead to additional health problems, perhaps at earlier ages than their parents. This means health care will be even more of an issue in the years to come. � ���What does all this mean for employers? Obesity tends to lead to serious health issues such as diabetes and heart disease. These diseases can lead to costly surgeries, medical treatment and prescriptions, which can all affect a company's bottom line. In addition, when employees don't feel good, they are not going to be as satisfied with their job or be as productive. � Innovative programs designed to lower health-care costs are sometimes hard to measure, leading some companies to doubt the benefits of the investment. Part of the problem stems from a lack of communication from management to employees of new programs, resulting in low employee involvement. The next two issues of e-Xchange will discuss the various types of programs available to lower health-care costs and how to best communicate those plans to the workforce. The April issue will be available on www.expresspros.com March 25. � ���� Tips for Tax Preparation: Part One of Two
Has tax season crept up on you and forced you into full-fledged panic mode? � Take a deep breath and relax. A few simple steps can save you time and stress when preparing for the April 15 deadline. ���The key to avoiding unnecessary migraines during tax time is to organize and prepare early. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) recommends saving all receipts and other records from the year. Good recordkeeping is beneficial when documenting the deductions you've claimed on your return, and will help you reference any transactions made during the year. � This will also help prevent you from overlooking valuable deductions. In most cases, you should keep tax records for three years, but some records relating to stock transactions, IRAs and business or rental property, should be saved longer. � A general list of documents to keep includes:
Obtaining the correct forms is another important step in preparing to file your taxes. � The IRS provides several forms and publications to help ease the tax-filing process. � These forms are available on the Internet, on CD-ROM, through fax, over the telephone, through the mail, at local IRS offices, and at some banks, libraries, post offices, copy centers and office supply stores. � For more information about IRS forms and publications or to order forms call (800) 829-3676, or visit IRS online at www.irs.gov/formspubs/index.html. ���While some people opt to fill out paper forms, computer savvy applicants may be interested in a newer filing method. � The use of the Internet has dramatically transformed the filing process. � IRS e-filing, a convenient way to electronically file your federal taxes, offers an alternative to paper filing. � The advantages to e-filing include confirmation that your return has been received, the elimination of mail delays and lost checks, more reliable mathematical calculations and quicker access to refunded cash. Now that you have completed the preparation stage, all that remains is to fill out the forms and file them. Check out next month?s issue of e-Xchange, available March 25 at www.expresspros.com, to learn helpful tips on filing your taxes. Employment Situation Summary United States Non-farm employment increased by 146,000 jobs in January and the unemployment rate decreased to 5.2%???. � Major Industry Employment for January 2005 • Construction: + 7,065 • Manufacturing: + 14,305 • Retail Trade: + 15,093 • Professional & Business Services: + 16,675 • Educational & Health Services: + 17,190 • Leisure & Hospitality: + 12,600 • Government: + � 21,711 Canada Employment fell by 5,700 jobs in January with the unemployment rate holding steady at 7%. ��
Major Industry Employment for January 2005 • Retail & Wholesale: + 18,000 • Health Care & Social Assistance: - 14,000 • Manufacturing: + 14,000 • Public Administration: -14,000 • Construction: +10,000
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e-Xchange
is a publication of Express Services, Inc., Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Copyright
2004.
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