LEADERSHIP Summer 2016
Easy Ways to Get More Done Each Day pg. 4 OTC Meds and Work: Not a Great Combination pg. 10
Business Travel Stress-Busters Seven Rules for Legal Advertising Guidelines for Handling Discrimination & Harassment Complaints
Leadership Summer 2016
MINES & Associates 10367 West Centennial Road Littleton, Colorado 80127 800.873.7138 www.MINESandAssociates.com
A word from your Account Management Team... Welcome to the Summer 2016 issue of Leadership!
Summer 2016 is bound to be a hot one no matter where you work. Let us help you beat the heat by helping you keep your cool!
As the sun shines and the heat bears down we’ll help you keep your motivation with ways to get more done each day and help you stay the course in the face of any stress you might encounter in the process. Going somewhere for business this summer, check out our resources on how to survive the business travel stress. Next we have a couple policy-related articles this quarter to address your online advertising woes and discrimination complaint procedures. Lastly check out our guide to OTC medicine and how it might interfere with your workday. Please don’t forget the sunscreen this summer and don’t forget to call your Employee Assistance Program at 1-800873-7138 if you need anything. To your health!
– The MINES Team
. . . . . . . . C r edits . . . . . . . Wellness Library Health Ink and Vitality Communications ©2016 Easy Ways to Get More Done Each Day pg. 4 Business Travel Stress-Busters pg. 11 Stress Directions ©2015 Staying the Course pg. 5 Nolo Legal Press ©2016 Guidelines for Handling Discrimination and Harassment Complaints pp. 6-7 Seven Rules for Legal Advertising pp. 8-9 Krames Staywell OTC Meds and Work: Not a Great Combination pg. 10
2016 2016 is the year to get involved! Don’t worry MINES is here to help you do just that by highlighting important topics throughout the year, along with resources that will help you get involved with the issues that matter most to you, helping to not only enhance your own wellbeing but giving you the tools to get out and make a difference in your community. Total Wellbeing will continue to connect the dots and relate all topics this year to the 8 core dimensions of wellness: Physical, Occupational, Intellectual, Environmental, Financial, Social, Spiritual, and Emotional Wellness to make sure you have a crystal clear picture of how you can achieve your own Total Wellbeing.
Total Wellbeing Get Involved
Physical Spiritual Intellectual Social
Total
Emotional Financial Occupational Environmental
In 2016 MINES & Associates will be talking about the importance of getting involved with the issues that are important with you. MINES will be talking about national events, social issues, awareness months, and more to make sure you know whats going on in the world and how it connects to your wellbeing and what you can do to make a difference!
Enhancing Social Wellness Your Community Matters
The 8 dimensions of wellbeing don’t just apply to one person, they apply to our entire society. Social influence is a huge factor that contributes to each of our levels of wellness, but it all starts with the individual. With this in mind, our challenge to you in 2016 is to see how you can not only enhance your own wellbeing but those around you as well. Get out there, get involved, be well, and see if you can’t inspire your friends and loved ones to do the same. Game on!
Wellness Webinars
Support from the experts
Wellbeing
Join our partner, Brown Richards, for any of their monthly webinars. 2016 will cover great new topics ranging from organizing your life, facts about cancer awareness, productivity, communication, and much more! Visit our website to learn more, or register for upcoming events at www.minesandassociates.com/webinar.
Is there a topic you’d like to see us explore? We’d love to hear from you. Shoot us an e-mail at communications@minesandassociates.com and let us know what you’d like to see.
www.MINESandAssociates.com | 800.873.7138
Easy Ways to Get More Done Each Day “Look out for time robbers. People can -- and do -rob you of your time. “Robbers include co-workers, friends, vendors, and some customers,” says Mr. Corsini. “Avoid, neglect and manage those who rob you of your time when you’re at work.”
If you’ve ever worked for most of a morning or afternoon and not gotten much accomplished, you may have wondered where the time went.
“But an effective manager knows exactly where his or her time goes,” says Marc Corsini, president of the Corsini Consulting Group in Birmingham, AL. “And anyone can become more effective at managing time. It’s a matter of pinpointing how you spend your day, overcoming time-wasting hurdles, and concentrating on making the most of the time you have.”
Mr. Corsini offers the following suggestions about how to get more done each day.
Time matters
• Try to accomplish as much as you can in the shortest amount of time. “Work expands to fill the time available for its completion,” says Mr. Corsini. “So instead of setting aside a day to write a report, give yourself a morning or afternoon. Chances are you’ll knock it out in the time you allow.” • Prioritize. You only have enough time in your day to do the important things. “A day consists of three kinds of activities: Have to dos, need to dos, and nice to dos,” says Mr. Corsini. “Forget the nice to dos. Start with the have to dos and work your way down. Spend your first hour at work on your most important activity for the day, then pick the next most important and so on.”
• Focus on outcomes, not activities. “Nobody cares how hard you’re working,” says Mr. Corsini. “They only care about what you’re accomplishing.”
• Develop a sense of priority. “The best cure for procrastination is to develop a strong sense of urgency,” says Mr. Corsini
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• Be a planner. Set aside the last 15 minutes of each business day to evaluate what you have done that day and plan to do the next. Establish and prioritize your objectives, to dos, and appointments for the coming day. “Avoid the ‘planning paradox’ of failing to plan because it takes time,” says Mr. Corsini. “And be sure to focus on short- and long-term planning.”
• Plan a weekly vacation. “Most people are the most productive right before they go on a vacation. They have a sense of urgency. They delegate. They focus. They work on the most important projects and forget the other stuff,” says Mr. Corsini. “Pick one day a week and act like you’re about to go on vacation for a month. You’ll be surprised how much you’ll accomplish.” • Minimize phone tag. To do so, focus on making calls when you’re most likely to reach people. Develop additional contacts within an organization. Get to know your contacts’ assistants. Leave careful, creative messages defining exactly what you need and your time frame. Establish regular “in-office” hours so people know when they can reach you. • Make appointments with yourself. When you have an important project you need to finish, schedule time on your calendar to complete it.
• Leave an hour early. “Having less time to get things done forces you to work only on the really important tasks,” says Mr. Corsini. “By reducing the amount of time you have, you force yourself to focus on results.” • Look out for time robbers. People can -- and do -- rob you of your time. “Robbers include co-workers, friends, vendors, and some customers,” says Mr. Corsini. “Avoid, neglect, and manage those who rob you of your time when you’re at work.”
• Give yourself some slack. Schedule slack time in your day so you can handle unexpected activities and issues. M
Staying the Course “While you may need medication to regulate your endocrine disorder, the stress of your personal life may throw your system further out of balance and escalate the need for medical care and an increase in medication.”
Your endocrine system is highly responsive to stress. It is responsible for the mobilization of your body’s resources to deal with stress. Acting on signals from your brain, your hypothalamus alerts your pituitary gland which then releases stress hormones into your blood stream. These blood-borne stress hormones from your pituitary then travel to specific endocrine glands located elsewhere in your body. Upon arrival, they stimulate these distant glands to dump additional, and more powerful, stress hormones into your blood stream.
The most significant of these hormones are adreno-corticotrophic hormones (ACTH), released by your pituitary, and the cortisol that ACTH releases from the outer layers of your adrenal glands. Cortisol plays a primary role in your stress reactions which in the short term are beneficial. It releases glucose from your liver and insulin from your pancreas, to supply the quick energy needed for a fight/flight response. Cortisol increases the activity of your immune system and the excitability of your brain and sympathetic nervous system. It also protects against inflammation and fights off allergies.
“Your hormonal system is a delicately balanced clockwork of numerous, interacting bits of biochemistry. Stress disrupts this normal balance by putting it on a war time footing. ”
While a number of hormones are released in relatively large amounts in times of stress, others are shut down or slowed to very low levels of production and release. Sex hormones, for instance, are inhibited by stress, leading to lowered sexual desire in both men and women, and to menstrual irregularities in women. Growth hormone production and release diminishes, causing slow or arrested growth and development in children.
Your hormonal system is a delicately balanced clockwork of numerous, interacting bits of biochemistry. Stress disrupts this normal balance by putting it on a war time footing. If this goes on too long, or if your hormonal system can’t synthesize key substances, the system stops functioning normally. Stress symptoms then appear. This, however, takes one to five years of fairly chronic stress. Once this happens, though, it takes time for your endocrine system to repair itself. There are no quick fixes. Your body has marvelous healing powers; but it needs you to provide a healthy diet, rest, and peace of mind for them to work effectively. Many endocrine problems are related to genetic predispositions, such as diabetes or arthritis. While you may need medication to regulate your endocrine disorder, the stress of your personal life may throw your system further out of balance and escalate the need for medical care and an increase in medication.
While both men and women have similar difficulties with diabetes and arthritis, men tend to have fewer endocrine problems than women, who must deal with more intense monthly hormonal changes, as well as other reproductive events. Birth control pills may have side effects. Infertility workups may mean taking doses of strong hormones at different points in the menstrual cycle. Gynecological surgery may disrupt normal hormonal patterns. Menopause may mean years of hot flashes, mood swings, and decreased ability to manage stress. While there is limited research on hormonal influences on women’s adaptation to stress, we do know that there are many individual differences. A hysterectomy may mean relief from discomfort to one woman and the onset of difficulties for another. A growing sensitivity to these factors will make it easier to cope with them if they happen to you. M Summer 2016 Leadership
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Guidelines for Handling Discrimination and Harrassment Complaints
Most employers are anxious when faced with discrimination and harassment complaints. And with good reason: Such complaints can lead to workplace tension, government investigations, and even costly legal battles. If the complaint is mishandled, even unintentionally, an employer may unwittingly put itself out of business.
If you take the complaint seriously, however, and follow a careful strategy for dealing with it, you can reduce the likelihood of a lawsuit and even improve employee relations in the process. Here are some basics rules to follow if you receive a complaint of discrimination or harassment:
• Keep an open mind. Many employers have a hard time believing that discrimination or harassment could be happening right under their noses. As a result, they often fail to investigate complaints, assuming that they could not possibly be true. Unfortunately, failing to investigate a complaint is a surefire way to land in court. Investigate every complaint you receive. Don’t come to any conclusions until your investigation is complete.
• Treat the complainer with respect and compassion. Employees often find it extremely difficult to complain about discrimination or harassment. They feel vulnerable and afraid. This can have an impact on the quality of their work, and it can also lead them to seek outside assistance from lawyers. When an employee comes to you with concerns about discrimination or harassment, be understanding. An employee who feels that you are taking the problem seriously is less likely to escalate the issue to a government agency or to court. • Do not blame the complainer. You may be tempted to become angry at the complaining employee for the fact that you must now deal with the specter of discrimination and harassment in your business. But don’t forget that the complaining employee is the victim and not the cause of the problem. If you allow yourself to become angry at the employee, you open yourself up to claims of illegal retaliation (see next tip, below). You also run the risk of polarizing your workplace, damaging morale, and lowering productivity. • Don’t retaliate against the complainer. It is against the law to punish someone for complaining about discrimination or harassment. The most obvious forms of retaliation are termination, discipline, demotion, pay cuts, or threats to do any of these things. More subtle forms of retaliation may include changing the shift hours or work area of the accuser, changing the accuser’s job responsibilities, or isolating the accuser by leaving her out of meetings and other office functions.
• Follow established procedures. If you have an employee handbook or other documented policies relating to discrimination and harassment, follow those policies. Don’t open yourself up to claims of unfair treatment by bending the rules.
• Educate yourself. Do some research on the law of discrimination and harassment: what it is, how it is proven in court, and what your responsibilities are as an employer.
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“Keep it confidential. A discrimination complaint can polarize a workplace. Workers will likely side with either the complaining employee or the accused employee, and the rumor mill will start working overtime. ” • Interview the people involved. Start by talking to the person who complained. Find out exactly what the employee’s concerns are. Get details: what was said or done, when, and where, and who else was there. Take notes of your interviews. Then talk to any employees who are being accused of discrimination or harassment. Get details from them as well. Be sure to interview any witnesses who may have seen or heard any problematic conduct. Gather any relevant documents.
• Look for corroboration or contradiction. Discrimination and harassment complaints often offer the classic example of “he said/she said.” Often, the accuser and accused offer different versions of incidents, leaving you with conflicting stories. You may have to turn to other sources for clues. For example, schedules, time cards, and other attendance records (for trainings, meetings, and so on) may help you determine if each party was where he or she claimed to be. Witnesses -including coworkers, vendors, customers, or friends -- may have seen part of an incident. And, in some cases, documents will prove one side right. After all, it’s hard to argue with an email that contains racial slurs or sexual innuendo. • Keep it confidential. A discrimination complaint can polarize a workplace. Workers will likely side with either the complaining employee or the accused employee, and the rumor mill will start working overtime. Worse, if too many details about the complaint are leaked, you may be accused of damaging the reputation of the alleged victim or alleged harasser -- and get slapped with a defamation lawsuit. Avoid these problems by insisting on confidentiality and practicing it in your investigation.
• Write it all down. Take notes during your interviews. Before the interview is over, go back through your notes with the interviewee to make sure you got it right. Keep a journal of your investigation. Write down the steps you have taken to get at the truth, including dates and places of interviews you have conducted. Write down the names of all documents you have reviewed. Document any action taken against the accused or the reasons for deciding not to take action. This written record will protect you later if your employee claims that you ignored a complaint or conducted a one-sided investigation.
• Cooperate with government agencies. If the employee makes a complaint with a government agency (either the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) or an equivalent state agency), that agency may investigate. It will probably ask you to provide certain documents, give your side of the story, and explain any efforts you made to deal with the complaint yourself. Be cautious, but cooperative. Try to provide the agency with the materials it requests, but remember that the agency is gathering evidence that could be used against you later. This is a good time to consider hiring a lawyer to advise you. • Consider hiring an experienced investigator. Many law firms and private consulting agencies will investigate workplace complaints for a fee. You might consider bringing in outside help if more than one employee complains of harassment; the accused is a high-ranking official in your business (like the president or CEO); the accuser has publicized the complaint, either in the workplace or in the media; the accusations are extreme (allegations of rape or assault, for example); or, for any reason, you feel too personally involved to make a fair, objective decision.
• Take appropriate action against the wrongdoer(s). Once you have gathered all the information available, sit down and decide what you think really happened. If you conclude that some form of discrimination or harassment occurred, figure out how to discipline the wrongdoer(s) appropriately. Termination may be warranted for more egregious kinds of discrimination and harassment, such as threats, stalking, or repeated and unwanted physical contact. Lesser discipline, such as a warning or counseling, might be in order if the harassment arises out of a misunderstanding (a blundered attempt to ask a coworker on a date, for example). Once you have decided on an appropriate action, take it quickly, document it, and notify the accuser. M Summer 2016 Leadership 7
Seven Rules for Legal Advertising
Advertising is regulated by both federal and state law. Under the law, your ad is unlawful if it tends to mislead or deceive. Your intentions don’t matter. If your ad is deceptive, you’ll face legal problems even if you have the best intentions in the world. In addition, if your ad contains a false statement, you have violated the law. The fact that you didn’t know the information was false is irrelevant. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is the main federal agency that takes action against unlawful advertising. State and local governments also go after businesses that violate advertising laws; usually this is the responsibility of the state attorney general, the consumer protection agency, and the local district attorney. Consumers and competitors may also be able to proceed directly against the advertiser.
The Federal Trade Commission
For the most part, the FTC relies on consumers and competitors to report unlawful advertising. If FTC investigators are convinced that an ad violates the law, they usually try to bring the violator into voluntary compliance through informal means. If that doesn’t work, the FTC can issue a cease-and-desist order and bring a civil lawsuit on behalf of people who have been harmed. The FTC can also seek a court order (injunction) to stop a questionable ad while an investigation is in progress. In addition, the FTC can require an advertiser to run corrective ads -- ads that state the correct facts and admit that an earlier ad was deceptive. Over the years, the FTC has taken action against many businesses accused of engaging in false and deceptive advertising. A significant number of those administrative actions have been tested in court. By and large, courts have upheld even the most stringent FTC policies.
State Laws Against False Advertising
Most states also have laws -- usually in the form of consumer fraud or deceptive practices statutes -- that regulate advertising. Under these laws, state or local officials can seek injunctions against unlawful ads and take legal action to get restitution to consumers. Some laws provide for criminal penalties -- fines and jail -- but criminal proceedings for false advertising are rare unless fraud is involved.
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Consumers often have the right to sue advertisers under state consumer protection laws. Such cases usually are based on one of two legal theories: unfair competition or commercial disparagement. A competitor harmed by unlawful advertising, or faced with the likelihood of such harm, generally has the right to seek an injunction and possibly an award of money (damages) as well, although damages are often difficult to prove. For example, someone who purchases a product or services in reliance on a false or deceptive ad might sue in small claims court for a refund or join with others (sometimes tens of thousands of others) to sue for a huge sum in another court. The following rules will help keep your ads within safe and legal limits.
Rule 1 -- Be Accurate
Make sure your ads are factually correct and that they don’t tend to deceive or mislead the buying public. Don’t show a picture of this year’s model of a product if what you’re selling is last year’s model, even if they look almost the same.
Be truthful about what consumers can expect from your product. Don’t say ABC pills will cure headaches if the pills offer only temporary pain relief. Don’t claim a rug shampooer is a wizard at removing all kinds of stains when in fact there are some it won’t budge. Waterproof or fireproof means just that -- not water resistant or fire resistant under some circumstances. The term polar, when attached to winter gear, suggests that it will keep people warm in extreme cold, not that it’s just adequate when the temperature drops near freezing.
Rule 2 -- Get Permission
Does your ad feature someone’s picture or endorsement? Does it quote material written by someone not on your staff or employed by your advertising agency? Does it use the name of a national organization such as the Boy Scouts or Red Cross? If so, get written permission.
Under U.S. copyright law, the “fair use” doctrine allows limited quotations from copyrighted works without specific authorization from the copyright owner. In some circumstances, this doctrine provides legal justification for the widespread practice of quoting from favorable reviews in ads for books, movies, and plays -- and even vacuum cleaners. However, with the exception of brief quotes from product or service reviews, you should always seek permission to quote protected material.
to avoid. • If the $8.95 is more than you usually charge for this kind of paint, the brush isn’t free and you shouldn’t call it free. • Don’t reduce the quality of the paint that the customer must purchase or the quantity of any services (such as free delivery) you normally provide. If you provide a lesser product or service, you’re exacting a hidden cost for the brush. • Disclose any other terms, conditions, or limitations.
Don’t knock the goods, services, or reputation of others by giving false or misleading information. If you compare your goods and services with those of other companies, double check your information to make sure that every statement in your ad is accurate.
Rule 6 -- Be Careful When You Describe Sales and Savings
When you advertise goods for sale, make every effort to have enough on hand to supply the demand that it’s reasonable to expect. If you don’t think you can meet the demand, state in your ad that quantities are limited. You may even want to state the number of units on hand.
Rule 7 -- Observe Limitations on Offers of Credit
Rule 3 -- Treat Competitors Fairly
Rule 4 -- Have Sufficient Quantities on Hand
State law may require merchants to stock an advertised product in quantities large enough to meet reasonably expected demand, unless the ad states that stock is limited. California, for example, has such a law. In other states, merchants may have to give a rain check if they run out of advertised goods in certain circumstances. Make sure you know what your state requires.
Rule 5 -- Watch Out for the Word “Free”
If you say that goods or services are “free” or “without charge,” be sure there are no unstated terms or conditions that qualify the offer. If there are any limits, state them clearly and conspicuously. Let’s assume that you offer a free paintbrush to anyone who buys a can of paint for $8.95 and that you describe the kind of brush. Because you’re disclosing the terms and conditions of your offer, you’re in good shape so far. But there are pitfalls
What counts is the overall impression created by the ad -- not the technical truthfulness of the individual parts. Taken as a whole, your ad must fairly inform the ordinary consumer.
You should be absolutely truthful in all claims about pricing. The most common pitfall is making doctored price comparisons with other merchants or with your own “regular” prices. Don’t advertise that you offer easy credit unless it’s true. A business that’s not careful in this area can be charged with engaging in an unfair or deceptive practice that violates FTC law. You don’t offer easy credit if: • You don’t extend credit to people who don’t have a good credit rating. • You offer credit to people with marginal or poor credit ratings but you require a higher down payment or shorter repayment period than is ordinarily required for credit-worthy people. • You offer credit to poor credit risks, but once all the fine print is deciphered, the true cost of credit you charge exceeds the average charged by others in your retail market. • You offer credit to poor risks at favorable terms but employ draconian (although legal) collection practices against buyers who fall behind. If you advertise specific credit terms, you must provide all relevant details, including the down payment, the terms of repayment, and the annual interest rate. M
Summer 2016 Leadership 9
OTC Meds and Work: Not a Great Combination
Many Americans are unaware that common over-thecounter (OTC) medications can cause side effects that could jeopardize their health and impair their ability to perform everyday activities. Some of these side effects can be felt, but others can’t. Side effects you can feel are physical reactions such as dizziness, drowsiness, double vision, headache, and vertigo. Those you can’t feel, like confusion, depression, or slow reactions, usually undermine or alter your perception, attention, and judgment. They can be especially dangerous if you’re involved in activities that require mental alertness and concentration.
“Environmental factors such as heat, humidity, cold, or exposure to chemicals may alter the effects of certain medications.”
Safety and productivity “Medicines contain chemical agents that affect the living processes. These effects may be helpful, but they may also have an adverse impact,” says Roy L. DeHart, M.D., M.P.H., a professor of medicine at Vanderbilt University. And a recent survey found that half of all American adults are taking at least one medication at any point in time.
The type of work you do and your work environment can affect your response to, or awareness of, side effects. “For example, an individual responsible for observing gauges in a control room may feel the drowsy effects of antihistamines more than someone employed in active physical work,” Dr. DeHart says.
Environmental factors such as heat, humidity, cold, or exposure to chemicals may alter the effects of certain medications. Someone working in a hot and humid environment will perspire heavily, resulting in dehydration and an electrolyte imbalance. This imbalance can alter the way a drug works. “Patients and physicians need to be mindful of any workplace factors that could aggravate side effects of medications,” Dr. DeHart says.
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Taking antihistamines Many traditional antihistamines may cause potentially dangerous side effects. Antihistamines containing diphenhydramine or chlorpheniramine produce side effects you can feel, such as drowsiness, as well as some you can’t feel, such as impaired judgment, slowed reaction time, and impaired motor coordination and cognitive performance. “When activities that require mental alertness and concentration, such as work performance and driving, are performed while taking these drugs, the effect is troublesome and potentially hazardous,” says Eli O. Meltzer, M.D., an allergist and immunologist at the Children’s Hospital and Health Center in San Diego. Newer antihistamines such as Claritin and Alegra are less sedating and don’t cause the same side effects.
What you can do
Read and heed the warnings on all drug packaging. Don’t assume OTC medications are safe and won’t cause dangerous side effects.
“Take all medications according to package directions. One of every ten hospitalizations occurs because of medication mismanagement.”
Choose a non-sedating antihistamine. Ask your pharmacist if there are any drug interactions of which you should be aware. Antihistamines and cold and allergy medications may interact with other medications you are taking. Take all medications according to package directions. One of every ten hospitalizations occurs because of medication mismanagement.
Avoid alcohol when taking medications. Alcohol can worsen the negative effects of many medications and can make you very drowsy when combined with antihistamines. M
Business Travel Stress-Busters
If you travel a lot for business, you know the routine: stress, stress, and more stress.
“Business travel is inherently stressful, but you can reduce your stress by adopting a healthful attitude toward delays and missed meetings, building some personal time into your schedule, and learning how to increase your comfort while you’re in transit,” says Bill Tulin, a San Francisco-based attorney and coauthor of “Travel Fitness: Feel Better, Perform Better on the Road.” The payoff for incorporating wellness in your travel plans includes improved physical well-being, mental alertness, and better job performance. The following suggestions can help reduce the stress of travel:
• Avoid connecting flights, peak travel times, and busy airports. Take nonstop flights whenever possible to avoid layovers and decrease your chances of delayed or canceled flights. Likewise, avoid travel on Mondays and Fridays and flights that depart or arrive between 7 and 9 a.m. and 4 and 7 p.m.
• Schedule extra time to get there. “If an out-of-town meeting is scheduled for 10 a.m., don’t catch a flight that arrives at 9 a.m.,” Tulin says. “Instead, give yourself plenty of time to rent a car and make it to your meeting.” • Do a pre-trip workout. “Doing a 15 to 20-minute workout on the day you leave can help you relax and get in shape for the rigors of the road,” Tulin says. “The better shape you’re in before you leave, the better you’ll feel while you’re gone.”
• Adopt a healthful attitude. There’s no use worrying about things you can’t control, such as flight delays or canceled flights. “When things go wrong, use the time to catch up on your reading or other work,” Tulin says. “To use an airport layover creatively, spend the time contemplating one of your life’s goals and brainstorm ways to achieve it.” • Practice deep breathing. “Taking three slow, deep breaths can lower your pulse by five points and help you relax and deal with a highly stressful situation,” Tulin says.
• Take time for yourself. Plan ahead to see friends for dinner or lunch when traveling to a distant city. Read a mystery or another kind of book instead of business briefs in the evening. Listen to music instead of sales tapes when driving. • Create a personal travel mantra. Come up with a positive phrase to help you cope with in-transit stress. For example, repeating the phrase “I am where I’m supposed to be,” may help you relax when a situation beyond your control develops.
Survive Your Seat
However you travel - by plane, car, boat, or train - there’s no escaping lots of sitting.
To avoid back, neck, and leg pain, practice dynamic sitting -- a way of sitting that allows your bones, instead of your muscles and ligaments, to support your body. To sit this way: Slightly arch your lower back and distribute your weight evenly over your pelvic bones. Don’t cross your legs. Keep your shoulders and abdomen relaxed and slightly arch your neck. Choosing a rental car with an adjustable seat is important if you’ll be driving a lot. “Your best bet is a car with a seat that has a six-way power-seat adjustment, so you can adjust the seat forward, back, up and down, as well as adjust the tilt of the seat back,” Tulin says. “Being able to determine the best seat position for you is crucial to comfort.” M
Summer 2016 Leadership 11
A note to Supervisors... From time to time, situations arise when a supervisor is not sure how to respond to a particular behavior. The Employee Assistance Program is available on a 24/7 basis for consultation on issues such as: referring an employee to the EAP, how best to respond to and manage difficult behavior in the workplace, and whether training or some other form of group intervention (such as an organizational intervention or a conflict resolution) may be helpful for a particular situation. The EAP can serve as an ally to anyone who is working with a troubled employee.
• 24/7 supervisor consultation regarding problems in the workplace
• Assessment of behavioral risk on the job • Return-to-Duty conferences
• Advisory services in writing, revising, and implementing policies
• Supervisor and Manager training
• Unlimited formal Work Performance Referrals
• Coaching for management and leadership skills
• Conflict resolution for supervisor-employee problems
MINES believes that employees are an organization’s most valuable resource. Your EAP is always available to provide you and your employees with support.
The MINES Team
Questions? Reach us at 800.873.7138 | www.MINESandAssociates.com