March 2015 by Loc8

March 2015 | www.Loc8.ae

Tea Break

Recognising how hard people work, LOC8 wants to provide some business free, easy reading for that all important TeaBreak moment. We hope you enjoy this production and find it interesting. September 2009 | Issue II | www.loc8.ae

March 2015 | www.Loc8.ae

Table of Contents Numbers in the News

Health Watch

Many people suffering from depression aren’t doing anything about it. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Is staying single better for your health? While many studies tout the positive health benefits of getting married, not every single person is necessarily looking at a short, unhappy life.. . . . . . . .

Safety Monitor

Workplace Workshop

Science Lab

7 8 9

At work, most people try to hit the ground running when they arrive in the morning. . . . . . . . . . . . . Scientists studying genetics are investigating two common beverages that are popular around the world. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Creativity

Want to motivate employees to become more innovative? . . . . . . . . . .

Success & Personal Growth

You can’t get ahead if you’re not willing to take chances. . . . . . . . . . . .

Anecdotes

Manager’s Mentor

Family Matters

Grins & Giggles

Author and illustrator Maurice Sendak liked to tell the story of a card he got from a young fan of his famous book Where the Wild Things Are. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

As a manager, you want to help employees through difficult situations, yet you don’t have time to deal with every issue they might bring to you. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

The death of a co-worker can be just as devastating as the loss of a family member. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Two priests went to Hawaii for vacation and decided not to wear any of their clerical garments—nothing to indicate that they were anything other than ordinary tourists. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Money Maters

Money problems crop up in almost every family. Open and honest communication are the keys to preventing them—or resolving them peacefully. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Odds & Ends

For many people, St. Patrick represents an excuse to wear green on March 17, maybe go to a parade, and drink some Irish whiskey. ....................

Quotes .......................................................

March 2015 | www.Loc8.ae

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Numbers in the News Sobering facts about depression in the U.S. Many people suffering from depression aren’t doing anything about it. The National Center for Health Statistics has reported that almost 8 percent of Americans say they’ve recently been depressed, and 3 percent of those indicate they’ve endured severe symptoms, including difficulty working, going to school, or participating in normal social activities. The NCHS also reports that 65 percent of people with serious symptoms aren’t receiving treatment from a mental health professional. Women of all ages are more likely than men to be depressed, with those between 40 and 59 years of age showing the highest rates. Poverty also appears to be a contributing factor: People living below the federal poverty line are more than twice as likely to suffer from depression, regardless of race.

Moms at home on the upswing

The percentage of mothers who don’t work outside the home has risen in recent years. The Pew Research Center reports that the number of stay-at-home moms in the USA reached 29 percent in 2012, up from a low of 23 percent in 1999. “Traditional” mothers— married and staying at home while their husbands work—make up the majority: approximately two-thirds of the 10.4 million total One possible reason for the increase (though not the only one): difficulty finding work. In 2000, just 1 percent stated they remained in the home because they couldn’t find a job; in 2012, that number had grown to 6 percent.

March 2015 | www.Loc8.ae

Health Watch Singlehood: The pros and cons for your well-being

Is staying single better for your health? While many studies tout the positive health benefits of getting married, not every single person is necessarily looking at a short, unhappy life. From the book Singled Out: How Singles Are Stereotyped, Stigmatized, and Ignored, and Still Live Happily Ever After, by Bella DePaulo (St. Martin’s), come these possible advantages offered by the single life: • Weight. Married people tend to gain weight during the first few years after their wedding, according to the Health Psychology journal—possibly because they no longer worry about attracting partners. • Exercise. Similarly, single people tend to exercise more, at least according to one University of Maryland study. Perhaps married people are too busy to exercise, or feel less pressure about it. • Friendships. Singles generally have a wider circle of friends and work harder at maintaining their relationships, says a University of Massachusetts at Amherst study. They tend to do more volunteer work and stay closer to their siblings as well. • Stress. Couples are more likely to worry and argue about money, and suffer from credit card debt, according to one 2014 survey. Single people may do less housework, leading to less stress about keeping their homes neat. On the other hand, singles face some health risks of their own. They’re more likely to smoke, and according to a 2012 study by Emory University, their mortality rate in the months following heart surgery is three times higher than that of married folks. And since they’re 5 percent more likely to develop heart disease, that’s not a risk to ignore.

Link found between stress and stroke

Stroke is a devastating experience in which blood is cut off from a part of the brain. It can have many contributing factors, and one of them, physicians now say, is stress. According to the journal Stroke, researchers looked at medical records of more than 6,000 men and women who participated in a 16-year study. As part of the study, participants’ anxiety levels were measured. Over the course of time, 416 people suffered at least one stroke. The researchers determined that the risk of stroke rose 14 percent among individuals with higher anxiety levels, as measured in terms of such symptoms as extreme nervousness, tension, and general stress. Participants with especially high rates of these symptoms were identified as having an increased risk of 33 percent. One possible connection: Anxiety and stress often lead to unhealthy habits like poor nutrition, smoking and drinking, and lack of exercise. Stress also contributes to higher blood pressure, one of the culprits behind stroke. Stress leads to many health problems, so it shouldn’t be overlooked by anyone who wants to lead a long life with reduced risk of stroke and other diseases.

Can a cup of coffee improve your health?

Many people enjoy their daily cup (or more) of coffee. It can have benefits beyond helping people wake up in the morning, though. The Tech Times website lists these positive attributes of moderate caffeine consumption: • Exercise. A study cited by the International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism found that people who drank a caffeinated beverage before exercise burned 15 percent more calories during their workouts than those who took a placebo. • Eyesight. The chlorogenic acid in coffee contains a strong antioxidant that’s been shown to prevent retinal degeneration in mice. Research suggests it might play a role in helping humans prevent deteriorating vision and blindness. • Diabetes. A Harvard School of Public Health study found that people who drank an extra cup of coffee a day over four years decreased their risk of a Type 2 diabetes diagnosis by 11 percent. March 2015 | www.Loc8.ae

Safety Monitor Eliminate distractions to ensure workplace safety

The most common cause of on-the-job injuries is distractions. Employees who are busy, stressed, or thinking about anything other than the work at hand are more vulnerable to accidents and injuries than those who stay focused on safety. If you’re a manager, follow these tips to keep your employees’ minds where they ought to be: • Set a visible example. Employees usually take their cues about safety from their supervisors. Don’t just talk about safety the way you talk about productivity and quality—follow all safety rules yourself and address every violation promptly. • Monitor time pressures. Workers chasing tight deadlines sometimes take unsafe shortcuts. Require your employees to talk with you before sidestepping safety practices in order to get work done faster. Emphasize that safe practices save time in the long run by avoiding time lost to injuries. Build enough time and overtime into your budget so that workers can finish a job without rushing. • Maintain safe equipment and facilities. Poorly designed, poorly maintained equipment is a distraction in itself. Buy only equipment that’s designed to protect the workers operating it, keep all equipment in good repair, and stick to the maintenance schedule. Empower workers to stop work and contact you at once if equipment seems unsafe to operate.

Apply the right first aid to the eyes The eyes can be the most vulnerable part of our bodies when we’re at work. Using the proper eye protection on the job is important, but accidents like chemical splashes or collisions can still happen. The first aid that you apply to your eyes can mean the difference between minor eye damage and permanent disability. Follow these first aid techniques in these specific situations: • Foreign objects. Don’t rub your eyes. Instead, lift your upper eyelid outward and gently pull it over your lower lashes. This will cause your eye to tear, which can wash out the foreign object. However, if an object is embedded in your eye, don’t try to remove it and immediately seek medical attention. • Chemicals. Immediately flush your eyes with cool water for at least 15 minutes. If possible, keep your head under a stream of water from the faucet, or slowly pour water from a cup to your eyes. If you wear contacts, remove them immediately and then flush your eyes. See a doctor right away. • Black eyes. If you get a blow to the eyes, use cold compresses for about 15 minutes every hour. Have your doctor check your eyes for any internal damage. • Cut or penetration. Gently cover your eye with a bandage or gauze and go to a nearby hospital. Don’t try to flush your eyes with water, remove the object, or apply medication.

Don’t let computer screens damage your eyesight

Millions of workers suffer from symptoms related to Computer Vision Syndrome (CVS). It’s a temporary but unpleasant condition caused by sitting in front of a computer monitor for too long. Symptoms include dry, burning eyes, blurred vision, delayed focusing, altered color perception, and headaches. The cause? Studies suggest that CVS sufferers do not blink enough when sitting in front of the screen, which results in dry eyes. To alleviate CVS, use eye drops to lubricate your eyes. Other recommendations include stepping away from the computer for brief periods, using anti-reflective screen filters, readjusting monitors to soften display colors, and wearing tinted glasses. March 2015 | www.Loc8.ae

Workplace Workshop Resist last-minute errors as you head for the door

At work, most people try to hit the ground running when they arrive in the morning. But how you finish out your workday may be just as important to your productivity. Instead of trying to pack as much as you can into your last few minutes, increase your efficiency by avoiding these activities: • Big decisions. You’re rushed, you’re tired, and you’re focused on going home. Any decisions you make in a hurry usually won’t be as successful as those you consider when you’re fresh. • New projects. You won’t make much headway during the last 10 minutes of the day. Make a few notes if you must, but don’t try to get a jump start on important work when you and your co-workers are finishing current jobs. • Leaving people hanging. Take a look at your commitments from the day. If anyone is waiting for a return phone call or a quick email, get back to him or her before you leave, as long as you can answer questions quickly and succinctly. You want people to know you value their time. • Obsessing over uncompleted tasks. Checking your to-do list can lead to frustration if you worry about the tasks you didn’t accomplish. Concentrate instead on putting tomorrow’s to-do list together and getting a fresh start in the morning. • Not saying goodbye. You’ll build better relationships by taking the time to say good night to your co-workers and boss. You don’t have to linger, but you should make sure people know you’re leaving and that you look forward to seeing them tomorrow.

Is your manager too ‘nice’? Get the guidance you need Most bosses want to be nice to their employees. But sometimes you run into a manager who’s so committed to being friendly and inoffensive that he or she doesn’t provide the kind of direction and feedback you need. If that happens to you, try these tips for enhancing your relationship (as suggested by author and professional coach Lisa Quast on the Forbes website): • Talk to your boss. Sit down to explain your need for more feedback and guidance. Be clear but polite. Most bosses will be happy to give you the coaching you want once they realize you’re open to it. • Agree on goals. If your manager simply isn’t inclined to take a more direct approach with you, do your best to develop some solid, measurable goals together. This will give you at least some idea of how well you’re contributing to your organization’s success. • Volunteer outside your department. Get involved in committees and task forces that bring you into contact with other managers. You’ll learn from different people and receive more of the professional guidance and leadership you’re looking for. • Look for mentors. Seek out other managers who are willing to coach you and help you develop your skills. Don’t bad-mouth your current boss; simply express interest in maximizing your potential so you can do a better job for your organization.

Meeting success: Ask these three questions

• If you spend a lot of time in meetings, as either a leader or participant, you may have noticed that you can’t always tell whether a meeting has been successful or not. Whenever you’re unsure that a meeting has accomplished anything of value, try asking these three questions: • Was this decision the best one we could make? • Will it be good for the people in the organization? • Will it be good for our customers? • If you can’t answer yes to all three of these questions, then you and your co-workers have more work to do.

March 2015 | www.Loc8.ae

Science Lab Coffee and booze: The genetic history Scientists studying genetics are investigating two common beverages that are popular around the world. Here’s a quick look at what they’ve found: • Coffee. Researchers at the Coffee and Caffeine Genetics Consortium (presumably located right near a Starbucks somewhere) have identified six genetic variants that affect our taste for coffee and caffeine, as well as our response to it. Two of these variants may influence the positive effects of caffeine on people. The discovery may help physicians advise people on increasing or decreasing their caffeine consumption for better health. • Alcohol. We may have developed the ability to process alcohol long before anyone brewed that first keg of beer. Scientists at Santa Fe College in Gainesville, Fla., studied a set of genes related to the enzymes that break down alcohol, and found evidence of a mutation 10 million years ago that enabled our ancestors to safely consume spoiled and fermented fruit on the ground when other food was scarce. This coincides with the days when tree dwellers began moving to the forest floor to live. So did the ability to tolerate booze lead to the rise of human civilization? It’s something to think about over happy hour.

Dwarf stars not conducive to extraterrestrial life • The search for planets capable of supporting life may have hit a speed bump. The most common exoplanets discovered up to now tend to orbit close to low-mass stars, known as M dwarfs. These planets may be plentiful (or at least easier for astronomers to find), but computer simulations suggest that their proximity to these suns causes their water and atmosphere to burn away while they’re forming. • Stars are created in the collapse of interstellar gas, producing energy as they shrink. M dwarfs, having less mass, take longer to develop and remain very hot as their planets solidify, creating conditions that can boil oceans and turn atmospheres to steam. In addition, M dwarfs emit lots of ultraviolet light and X-rays, which also heat upper atmospheres, forcing them to expand and ultimately bleed away from the world. • So tomorrow’s star explorers may have to look for different destinations as they journey out into the universe.

World’s oldest engraving found on Java shell Humans and their ancestors have been engraving rocks and shells for millions of years. The latest evidence of this is a 500,000-year-old shell discovered by archaeologists on the island of Java, bearing a zigzag pattern that’s older than the weathering on the shell’s surface. The shell would have been engraved by a member of homo erectus, a predecessor to modern humans (homo sapiens). Prior to this find (reported on the Science Daily website), the oldest similar engravings were about 100,000 years old, made by modern humans in Africa. The Java inhabitants apparently drilled holes through the shells of large freshwater mussels using a shark’s tooth to open the shellfish up and get at its meat, targeting with precision the correct point at which the shell closes. They ate the meat, then used the shells as knives and other tools. Asia has so far not been deeply explored for prehistoric artifacts. This find may change that. March 2015 | www.Loc8.ae

Creativity Inspire innovation in your workforce Want to motivate employees to become more innovative? Give them a chance to get more involved in your organization’s success by paying attention to these important psychological factors: • Purpose. A mission statement is only a first step. Make a point of constantly reinforcing what your organization wants to achieve and why it’s a worthwhile goal. • Belonging. Employees want to feel welcome and included. Pay attention to them as individuals. Find out what drives them to succeed so you can use that energy to achieve your organization’s goals. • Strong leadership. Employees need clear direction. Communicate with them and stand your ground when quality and ethics are in question. • Team focus. On a team, people should support the overall goal first, and their own career needs second. Do everything you can to instill a sense of team spirit in your workforce, not a “looking out for No. 1” mentality. • Measurement. Clear goals and accurate metrics tell employees what’s valued and important. Workers are more likely to be productive if their efforts are monitored and supported by management—as long as it doesn’t turn into micromanagement.

Secrets of creativity from a sci-fi master

Isaac Asimov wrote more than 100 books, many of them novels of highly imaginative science fiction. A recently discovered essay of his on the topic of creativity outlines some of his thoughts on generating innovative ideas that apply to any situation in which you need to develop new concepts or fresh ways of approaching a problem. Keep these in mind when trying to open your mind: • Be unreasonable. Many great ideas sound preposterous when they’re first introduced. Give yourself (and others) permission to explore anything, no matter how crazy it might sound. You need to think beyond your preconceived notions of what’s “right” in order to break new ground. • Brainstorm on your own. Sitting in a room full of other people shouting ideas can be distracting when you’re trying to focus. And many people are reluctant to share their most outlandish suggestions for fear of being criticized or embarrassed. Spend some time free-associating on your own to get comfortable thinking outside the box. • Collaborate with other creative people. Get into the habit of picking other people’s brains when trying to come up with something new. Hang out with imaginative thinkers and bounce your ideas off them. Often they’ll help you come up with an angle you haven’t thought of.

Stay in control of the brainstorming process Brainstorming can be a powerful process for sparking creativity and stocking your pantry of ideas. But sessions can easily devolve into meaningless time traps if at least some semblance of organization isn’t present. Here are some tips for making your next brainstorming session productive: • Create a concrete goal. Write a single sentence that describes what you hope to achieve in the session. • Choose the right people. Emphasize that each person has been invited for a reason. Select creative types as well as technical experts, and at least a couple of people who are unfamiliar with the project. Limit attendance to about seven March 2015 | www.Loc8.ae

Success & Personal Growth Two thoughtful exercises for self-development You can’t get ahead if you’re not willing to take chances. Professional development coach Rich Gee suggests these two exercises for getting started on the next step in your life or career: • Explain where you are now to your past self. Pretend you can talk to yourself five years ago. Tell this past self what to expect—the bad as well as the good. You’ll gain insight into what you might have done differently that may help you in the future. You’ll also remind yourself that you can survive anything life can throw at you. • Look back from your future. Now pretend that you’re talking to a version of yourself from five years in the future. Imagine where you want to be, and what advice he or she might give you. This will give you a positive vision and concrete goals to strive toward. With a clear view of where you want to be, you’ll be able to take specific steps to reach your professional and personal objectives.

What’s a worthwhile goal?

A goal should reflect your values, of course—what you really want, not what you should want, or what other people want you to achieve. Career and financial goals are perhaps the most obvious targets, but you don’t have to zero in on work. Perhaps you have an artistic dream—to write a novel, or learn the piano. Or maybe you want to work on some aspect of your personality: become more assertive, or empathetic, or less cynical. Whatever goal you pursue, follow this constructive advice: • Make it positive. State your objective in affirmative terms: what you will do (“Eat balanced meals every day”), not what you won’t do (“Stop eating chocolate”). Remind yourself of what you want, not what you’re denying yourself. • Take a step-by-step approach. Start with the big picture, but then start determining what you need to do to get there. Break your plan down to the smallest level of detail; think of what you can do every day to get yourself a little closer to your target. Focus on things you can control: You can’t make your book a best-seller, but you can write two pages every day, so concentrate on that.

Only connect: Assemble a network that leads to success

If the secret of success is more about who you know than what you know, then networking is a key factor in achieving your dreams. Follow this advice to build and maintain a network of contacts who can help you get ahead in your career, whatever it may be: • Look for referrals. Instead of introducing yourself to random strangers, start with the people you know—friends and colleagues who can put you in touch with the people who have helped them. Ask them for introductions, or at least get permission to use their names when approaching worthwhile contacts. • Help other people. Don’t think in terms of what your contacts can do for you. Offer your own knowledge and expertise to help them solve their problems. You’ll gain a reputation for helpfulness that will build bonds of trust and respect—instead of being seen as a selfish moocher. March 2015 | www.Loc8.ae

Anecdotes Eating it up Author and illustrator Maurice Sendak liked to tell the story of a card he got from a young fan of his famous book Where the Wild Things Are. The card had a charming little drawing on it, and it enchanted Sendak so much that he quickly made another drawing of his own and sent it to the child. A few days later he received a letter from the child’s mother: “My son liked your card so much, he ate it.” “That to me was one of the highest compliments I’ve ever received,” Sendak said. “He didn’t care that it was an original Maurice Sendak drawing or anything. He saw it, he loved it, he ate it.”

Two angels Two angels decided to explore the world. On their first day, they walked for a long time and were exhausted in their human form when they came to a large mansion. After knocking on the door, they asked the rich man inside for a place to sleep. The wealthy owner rudely told them they could sleep in the basement. Downstairs, as they were getting ready for bed, one of the angels spotted a small hole in the wall and repaired it so that it could no longer be seen. The next day they set out again. At nightfall they found a small farmhouse and asked the old woman inside if they could spend the night. The woman insisted they sleep in her bed while she slept on the floor. The next morning she woke up to find that her cow was dead. The angels did what they could to help, but eventually they had to leave. As they walked down the road, the second angel said to the first: “What did you do? The rich man was rude, and you helped him. That woman was kind, and now her cow is dead. Did you do something?” “Yes,” the first angel said. “Inside that hole in the rich man’s wall was the key to a room full of gold that he was trying to keep hidden. So I filled it in, and now he won’t be able to unlock his vault. Last night I heard Death come to the old woman’s door, and I convinced him to take the cow instead of her.” Just a reminder that things aren’t always what they seem.

The power of brainstorming An electric utility firm in the northwestern U.S. had problems with ice building up on its power transmission lines during the winter. The company had to send linesmen out to climb the pylons holding the lines and clear off the ice and snow. It was difficult and dangerous work, especially as bears sometimes wandered close to the pylons as the linesmen were working. One day a group of linesmen got together for a brainstorming session, hoping to find a better and safer way to clear away the ice. One linesman mentioned that a bear had actually climbed a pylon after him once. That led to a humorous suggestion of placing honey pots at the top of the pylons to attract the bears, who would knock the snow and ice free as they tried to get to the honey. Then an administrative assistant said, “But we’d need to use helicopters to place the pots at the top of the pylons, and the vibrations would frighten the bears and chase them away.” March 2015 | www.Loc8.ae

Manager’s Mentor Don’t let problems overwhelm your day

As a manager, you want to help employees through difficult situations, yet you don’t have time to deal with every issue they might bring to you. Here’s an idea for evaluating which employee problems are important enough to win your attention: When an employee comes to you about a problem, ask him or her to rate it in urgency on a scale of 1-10. If the employee decides that the problem rates only a 2 or 3, you probably don’t have to get involved. If necessary, spend a few minutes discussing possible solutions, then send the employee on his or her way to deal with it independently.

Steer clear of these firing errors

No one likes to fire an employee, but sometimes it’s necessary. Just make sure you’ve done everything possible to avoid a lawsuit from a disgruntled ex-employee. Watch out for these potential problems: • Prior complaints. If the employee has a history of making complaints against your organization—for harassment, discrimination, safety—you could be open to a charge of retaliation. • Age. Be careful about terminating anyone over the age of 40—especially if you plan to replace him or her with a younger worker. Age-discrimination lawsuits result in some of the mostly costly awards to former employees. • Protected classes. This should be a no-brainer, but the complaints keep coming. State and federal laws prohibit firing anyone because of his or her sex, race, religion, national origin, or disability. Be sure you can show that you’re not firing someone for any of these factors. • Employment contracts. Review any contracts that cover the scope and duration of an employee’s work. Find out what your options and obligations are. You may be liable for severance pay, or the contract may entitle the worker to an extra warning period on top of your own disciplinary procedures. • Promises of security. Be careful not to casually say something that might imply a guarantee of future employment. A statement like “You’ll always have a job here” can cause nightmares when business slows down and you need to lay someone off. • Multiple layoffs. If you need to fire several employees at the same time, whatever the reason, make sure you’re not going to be seen as targeting a particular group of people—all the women, for example, or everyone over 40.

Erase fear when you analyze ideas with your team Innovation calls for change, and change scares a lot of people. When managers and employees are scared, they may not look closely or fairly at ideas for new products, improvements, and cost-cutting measures. To evaluate new ideas more effectively, look at these factors: • Pluses. Name three positive aspects of the idea. If it’s a new product, for example, your pluses might be: 1) “It lets us target a new market”; 2) “It complements the products we’re already making”; and 3) “It’s cool.” • Potential. Identify three positive results that might spring from the idea once it’s implemented: 1) “We can increase our market share”; 2) “We can make more money”; and 3) “We can be seen as an innovative, creative company.” • Negatives. Explore what might go wrong. “If the product doesn’t catch on quickly, we might lose money and have to lay people off.” • Solutions. Generate some ideas that respond to your concerns. “We can do focus groups to test the potential response, and start out producing the products in small numbers until we’re sure it’s viable.” March 2015 | www.Loc8.ae

Family Matters Help co-workers deal with a death in the ‘family’ The death of a co-worker can be just as devastating as the loss of a family member. Keep the morale of your workplace family intact when tragedy strikes by helping employees manage their grief: • Break the news gently. Don’t let news of an employee’s death circulate by word of mouth. Make an announcement, send out a carefully worded email, or quickly call your workforce together and tell everyone at the same time. Depending on the circumstances of the death, you may also want to offer counseling services. • Mourn the loss together. Even though the employee’s loved ones will probably organize a funeral or memorial service, you should provide an opportunity for workers to share their grief and memories through a candlelight service, wake, or other group ritual. Be sure to enlist the aid of those closest to the worker in planning such activities. • Leave things as they are. Don’t be too quick to clean out or reassign the employee’s workstation. Unless the family wishes to immediately come in and remove the worker’s belongings, just leave things as they are for a while. When you feel the time is right to move on, ask those who were closest to the employee to pack things up—perhaps after hours—and take them to the employee’s family. • Avoid “replacing” the employee. As much as possible, rearrange the workspace, redistribute duties, and redefine job descriptions so you don’t wind up saddling a new employee with the burden of trying to fill the shoes of one who has died. • Cherish your memories. Don’t shy away from comments or stories about the worker you’ve lost. Let the employee live on in your memory—and in your workplace lore.

Spur your kids’ creativity Most parents want to raise children who are bright and creative. If you’re looking for ways to spark your kids’ imagination, try these simple strategies: • Bring kids into the kitchen. Encourage your children to help you pick recipes, gather ingredients, and make meals and snacks. They’ll enjoy helping, and you can experiment with different ingredients and arrangements to make something new. • Get out the blocks. Simple toys like building blocks allow children to put together their own towers, castles, and other structures, teaching them to let their imagination soar. • Put on a show. Ask your kids to dress up and act out a made-up scene, or something they’ve seen in a movie. Encourage them to improvise. Play games like charades, sing songs as a family, and put on a talent show when groups get together. • Do some artwork. Keep a set of watercolors and other paints on hand, as well as crayons, colored pencils, construction paper, clay, and the like. Praise your children’s artistic talent and give them the time and space to develop their creativity.

Stay safe when driving your newborn home Bringing a newborn baby home from the hospital is an exciting and joyous moment in a parent’s life. Just be careful to do it safely. According to the WebMD website, a study of 267 families discovered that 93 percent made one or more major errors when installing their infant car seat or placing their new baby securely inside it. The most common mistakes: • Safety harness too loose : 69 percent • Retainer clip not high enough : 34 percent • Use of unapproved accessories : 20 percent • Harness too high : 18 percent • Incorrectly adjusted harness : 15 percent

March 2015 | www.Loc8.ae

Grins & Giggles Out of uniform

Two priests went to Hawaii for vacation and decided not to wear any of their clerical garments—nothing to indicate that they were anything other than ordinary tourists. On the first day of their vacation, they were sitting on the beach in T-shirts, shorts, and sandals when a beautiful woman walked by on her way to the ocean for a swim. They smiled politely, and she surprised them by smiling back and saying, “Good morning, Fathers.” The priests looked at each other. “How did she know?” asked Father O’Malley. “No idea,” replied Father Fitzpatrick. A few hours later she came out of the ocean and walked past them again on her way back to the hotel. “The water’s great, Fathers,” she said with a wave. “We must be doing something wrong,” Father O’Malley said. Father Fitzpatrick went to a nearby shop and came back with the loudest Hawaiian shirts and shorts he could find. The next day the two priests were back out on the beach when the woman came by again on her way to swim. “It’s a lovely morning, isn’t it, Fathers?” she asked. “Now just a minute!” Father O’Malley stood up. “We’re out here far away from our church in Hawaiian shirts and shorts—how is it that you know we’re both priests?” “Why Father O’Malley, Father Fitzpatrick, don’t you recognize me?” the woman asked. “It’s me, Sister Margaret.”

Risky business

A doctor and a lawyer ran into each other at an exotic Mexican resort. Friends since college, they’d fallen out of touch, so they quickly asked what the other had been up to. The lawyer said, “I got sucked into a lousy real estate deal. Then one day a fire burned down the building and I collected $100,000 in insurance.” “Really?” the doctor said. “Something similar happened to me. I invested in a small business in Mississippi, but then the river overflowed and a flood destroyed the place. I got half a million from my flood insurance.” “Wow,” the lawyer said. “How on earth did you arrange a flood?”

Kids say the smartest things

These words of wisdom are said to have come from real kids who obviously have a lot more wisdom than one might expect: • Never trust a dog to watch your food. • When your dad is mad and asks you, “Do I look stupid?” don’t answer him. • Never tell your mom her diet’s not working. • Home is where the house is. • Laugh and the whole world laughs with you, cry and ... you have to blow your nose. • If you want a kitten, start out by asking for a horse. • Don’t pick on your sister when she’s holding a baseball bat. • When you get a bad grade in school, show it to your mom when she’s on the phone. March 2015 | www.Loc8.ae

Money Matters Discuss money without anger or tears

Money problems crop up in almost every family. Open and honest communication are the keys to preventing them—or resolving them peacefully. Try to discuss money issues on a regular basis, so financial issues don’t sneak up on you. Here are some guidelines to follow: • Take a democratic approach. Include all family members in financial discussions. Let everyone express an opinion—including children. Family members will probably be more supportive of decisions made if they feel like their opinions have been taken into consideration. • Identify problems clearly. If you’re spending too much money, try to narrow the problem down. Are you overspending in one area? Does your family spend too much money at the beginning of the month, leaving no money for the end of the month? • Avoid blaming. Use “I” statements when discussing the problem, and avoid using “you” or blaming statements. For instance, you might want to say: “I get stressed out at the end of the month because we spend all our money in the first two weeks. Is there anything we can do to avoid this situation?” • Listen. Make sure you listen to what everyone has to say. Try to validate their feelings. For instance, you might say: “I know going to the movies is important to you. But maybe you could spread them out over the month, rather than going to three movies in one weekend.” • Be willing to negotiate. For instance, your agreement might be: “Let’s try this—no more than two movies per pay period, and no more than one movie per weekend.” Be clear, so there’s no room for misunderstanding. Write down the agreement and have everyone sign it.

When tuition doesn’t add up

If your employer offers an allowance for college tuition or professional development, you may find yourself spending more and more of your own money as the cost of education rises. Here’s how to get more money from a willing employer: • Gather information. Determine how much you’ve spent on tuition so far. Include both organization funds and your own money. A sizable investment of your own will demonstrate an honest commitment to your development. • Prove your value. List the areas in which your education has helped you improve your job performance. Communication, computer skills, financial acumen, and so on all make a good case for your increased contribution. Even better, try to quantify your contributions: Has an accounting course helped you save the organization money? • Create a budget. Determine your upcoming tuition costs and propose a yearly figure that will cover them for the near future. • Provide context. When was the last time your organization’s tuition allowance was raised? What kind of tuition reimbursements are your organization’s competitors offering? If you’re a valuable employee, your employer should be considering a wide range of retention strategies.

Read the fine print in your retirement plan

Few of us know all the mechanics of our 401(k) or other retirement plans. That can cause unpleasant surprises when people retire or switch jobs. Here are some important things to learn: • Trading limits. Many plans allow you to move money, but with strings attached. Don’t move long-term retirement savings around for short periods of time. If you do want to switch from time to time, keep in mind that your plan may allow only a set number of trades each week, month, quarter, or year. • Account valuations. Find out how often the value of your retirement account is calculated. You can get the most out of your money by timing your retirement or departure. Most organizations value everything the day you leave, but some value your account weekly, monthly, or quarterly. • Withdrawal options. Some plans don’t allow retirees to keep their money in place. Instead, they’re paid the lump sum to be reinvested elsewhere. Other plans allow retirees to take a stream of payments as an income source while the rest of the money stays in the plan. March 2015 | www.Loc8.ae

Odds & Ends The facts behind St. Patrick and his day

For many people, St. Patrick represents an excuse to wear green on March 17, maybe go to a parade, and drink some Irish whiskey. But who was St. Patrick in real life? The most common belief is that he drove the snakes out of Ireland. Ireland probably never had snakes, though, and the myth may refer to Patrick’s efforts to stamp out the serpent imagery used by the Druids. He also may have used the three-leafed shamrock to illustrate the concept of the Holy Trinity to the people he was trying to convert to Christianity as a missionary in Ireland during the fifth century. Historians agree that Patrick was born in Roman-occupied Britain, the son of a Christian deacon. At age 16 he was captured and taken to Ireland, where he was a slave for six years. During this time, his Christian faith strengthened. One day, according to a letter he wrote about his early life, he heard a voice promising he would soon return home. Shortly afterward he escaped his captors and went back to his family. He later wrote that an angel appeared to him in a dream, telling him to return to Ireland as a missionary. Patrick went back to the land where he had been a slave to convert the Irish and to minister to those Christians living there. Why do we celebrate him on March 17? That’s believed to be the date of his death. Although never formally canonized, Patrick came to be considered a saint. March 17 was celebrated as a religious holiday until 1903, when it became a public holiday in Ireland by an act of the British Parliament.

Snappy comebacks

At one time or another, we’ve all been victims of insults that leave us fuming without an appropriate reply. Would that we could have been as quick-witted as these individuals: • An actress to actress/writer Ilka Chase: “I enjoyed your book. Who wrote it for you?” Chase: “I’m so glad you liked it. Who read it to you?” • Playwright George Bernard Shaw to his wife: “Isn’t it true, my dear, that male judgment is superior to female judgment?” Charlotte Shaw: “Of course, dear. After all, you married me—and I you.” • Poet Lewis Morris to writer Oscar Wilde: “There’s a conspiracy against me, a conspiracy of silence, but what can one do? What should I do?” Wilde: “Join it.” • Member of Parliament to Winston Churchill: “Mr. Churchill, must you fall asleep while I’m speaking?” Churchill: “No, it’s purely voluntary.” • Playwright Noel Coward to writer Edna Ferber (who was wearing a tailored suit at the time): “You look almost like a man.” Ferber: “So do you.”

Never too late to succeed

Are you starting to feel discouraged that you haven’t yet made your mark in the world? Whatever your age, take heart. Many famous individuals achieved their greatest accomplishments during their senior years: • “Colonel” Harlan Sanders was 65 when he began trying to license his “finger lickin’ good” chicken recipe, launching what would become Kentucky Fried Chicken. • Dr. William Worrall Mayo was 70 when he founded his world-famous medical clinic. • Piano virtuoso Claudio Arrau gave 110 concerts at the age of 75. • Andrea Doria, one of the most famous naval commanders of the 16th century, was 84 when he set sail to take on Barbary pirates. • Architect Frank Lloyd Wright was 89 when he completed work on the Guggenheim Museum. • Ichijirou Araya reached the summit of Japan’s Mount Fuji at the age of 100. March 2015 | www.Loc8.ae

Quotes It is all about numbers. It is all about sequence. It’s the mathematical logic of being alive. —Aimee Bender Numbers are the masters of the weak, but the slaves of the strong. —Charles Babbage A good laugh and a long sleep are the best cures in the doctor’s book. —Irish proverb When you are young and healthy, it never occurs to you that in a single second your whole life could change. —Annette Funicello A prudent man foresees the difficulties ahead and prepares for them; the simpleton goes blindly on and suffers the consequences. —Proverbs 22:3 Hard work is a prison sentence only if it does not have meaning. —Malcolm Gladwell When given an opportunity, deliver excellence and never quit. —Robert Rodríguez Science may be described as the art of systematic oversimplification. —Karl Popper Science cannot solve the ultimate mystery of nature. And that is because, in the last analysis, we ourselves are a part of the mystery that we are trying to solve. —Max Planck One of the most important universal truths is that to speed up effectively you must learn to slow down. —Michael Gelb Creativity, as has been said, consists largely of rearranging what we know in order to find out what we do not know. Hence, to think creatively, we must be able to look afresh at what we normally take for granted. —George Kneller Don’t spend time beating on a wall, hoping to transform it into a door. —Coco Chanel I’m a success today because I had a friend who believed in me and I didn’t have the heart to let him down. —Abraham Lincoln There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you. —Maya Angelou After nourishment, shelter and companionship, stories are the thing we need most in the world. —Philip Pullman Your inspiration taps hidden reserves of promise that sustain people through times that induce despair. You enable people to envision a future that sustains the best from their past while also holding out new possibilities. —Ronald A. Heifetz Family quarrels have a total bitterness unmatched by others. —Mignon McLaughlin A good laugh heals a lot of hurts. —Madeleine L’Engle Among those whom I like or admire, I can find no common denominator, but among those whom I love, I can: all of them make me laugh. —W. H. Auden March 2015 | www.Loc8.ae

Quotes Wealth is not about having a lot of money; it’s about having a lot of options. —Chris Rock Having money is a way of being free of money. —Albert Camus St. Patrick’s Day is an enchanted time—a day to begin transforming winter’s dreams into summer’s magic. —Adrienne Cook A best friend is like a four leaf clover: hard to find and lucky to have. —Unknown

JEFFERSON JOHN JOHNSON KNOX MADISON MARTIN MILLARD MONROE PIERCE POLK

March 2015 | www.Loc8.ae

QUINCY TAYLOR THOMAS TYLER VANBURAN WASHINGTON WILLIAM ZACHARY