They say you can’t go home again, but, as is often the case, “they” are wrong. A recent survey of more than 1,800 human resources professionals found that people who apply for jobs at organizations they had previously left are being welcomed back with open arms. A full 76 percent of respondents said their company is more accepting of re-hiring former employees than in the past. While only about 15 percent of American workers have ever returned to a former employee, 40 percent said they would consider it as an option. A Evergreen has its own “Boomerang Club” of people who have left and returned. The agency works hard to create a safe, positive work environment for employees, but even so, there are reasons why someone would leave, such as to pursue career or education opportunities that aren’t available here, or in response to a major life change. Let’s hear from the Boomerang Club members themselves. A “I left Evergreen (then AIDS Community Services) to work for a New York State health and social services training organization,” said Kate Gallivan. “I was overseeing four statewide HIV/AIDS training contracts. It was a great opportunity to continue working in HIV/AIDS in a broader capacity.” “I left to be a background singer on a Christmas tour in Germany and to finish my education,” said Elise Robinson. “Working full time, going to school full time and family life taught me great time management skills, but I was becoming burnt out.” Education is a common thread for several people. Jacob Perrello left to finish graduate school. Jason Rein left to complete his nursing degree and advanced training to become
a nurse practitioner. “I left Evergreen after I finished nursing school,” says Gloria Kornowski. “I wanted to work in a hospital and experience that side of nursing.” “I actually left two times,” said Andrew Mattle. “The first time I left to become the CEO of Adoption Star. I wanted to pursue a new career path and help babies/children find forever homes. I also wanted the opportunity to run an agency and, to be honest, I was burned out from AIDS work. When I started at WNYAP (Western New York AIDS Project, which became ACS and then Evergreen) in 1988 I had a case load of 100 and every one of them had died. I was tired. The second time I left to be a stay at home dad for my young children.” A Changing employers means, well, change. Folks who left Evergreen had to adjust to new job duties, new co-workers and a new work environment. “At our agency I’d become used to continuously changing how we did things in order to improve our services and accomplish our goals,” said Kate Gallivan. “What I experienced working for the state was just the opposite — such resistance to change or trying new approaches to make things better.” “I missed the relationships I developed while working at Evergreen and the work culture,” said Elise Robinson. “The work environment here was like family, and it was flexible with my personal family life.” “You cannot imagine how much I missed every day’s new adventure of learning from and working with clients as a care coordinator,” said Carolee Corbitt. “I missed being in a positive environment where people are happy to be there and enjoy what they do,” said Gloria Kornowski. “I also missed our patients and having the time to
talk to them and get to know them.” “I missed my amazing co-workers,” said Matthew John Pasquarella. “And the stability of a professionally run organization.” “While I was away, it became abundantly clear how Evergreen truly values its employees,” said Jacob Perrello. “I paid attention to the growth of the Association and I was like, ‘Yeah, Evergreen seems like it’s poised for the future. How do I get back there?’” A What’s it like when the Boomerangs return? “So much changed in the agency during the seven years I was gone,” said Kate Gallivan. “Not only had the number of employees nearly tripled, there was so much more depth and breadth in our services. Perhaps most significant was the impact of technology on our work. When I left in 1999, we were just starting to use email and the “worldwide web” was in its infancy! In spite of all of these changes, what remained the same was our agency values, our commitment to client-centered services, and hiring the most caring, smart people I have ever worked with!” “Definitely different,” said Elise Robinson. “The agency was much larger and I saw changes right away. More services available, departments were larger, and the work requirements had changed. However, the overall essence of ACS, now Evergreen, was the same.” “It felt like coming home,” said Jacob Perrello. “Seeing familiar faces and hearing ‘I knew you’d be back’ brought a smile to my face that lasted for weeks. Actually, I’m still smiling and growing. For that, I’m grateful. I’m declaring here that I would be proud to become a ‘lifer’ here at Evergreen. I value our mission and want to continue to do my part to contribute to it.” Connections
July Birthdays Renae Michael.............................. July 1 Gerrod Bennett.............................. July 2 Nakia Fears.................................... July 3 Michael Kettle................................ July 6 Corrin Carey................................... July 8 Danielle Shaw................................ July 8 Rebekeh Russell........................... July 10 Aaron Chiz...................................... July 10 Katherine Mego............................. July 11 Joelle Toal...................................... July 12 Ray Ganoe...................................... July 14 Renee Posey.................................. July 15 Joseph Sieracki............................ July 15 Gary Williams................................ July 15 Ian Schunk..................................... July 16 Kara Mizak..................................... July 17 Shawn Moultrie............................. July 17 Laurie Abbatessa.......................... July 17 Mark Mondanaro.......................... July 18 John Proctor.................................. July 18 Keisha Leavy................................. July 19 Gloria Kornowski.......................... July 19 John Carocci................................. July 21 Rebekeh Bongiorno...................... July 22 Andrew Mattle............................... July 24 Shannon Curry-Izzo..................... July 25 Antione Reese............................... July 26 Cheryl Brunetti.............................. July 26 Christine DeVoe............................ July 27 Linda Colburn................................ July 27 Thomas Green.............................. July 27 Richmond Wills............................. July 27 Cecil Sutton................................... July 29 Kathryn Kraft................................. July 31 Monique Stays.............................. July 31
July Anniversaries Shaquita Wilson....................... 1 year Shaun Woods........................... 1 year The 500 Club is an elite group of walkers who have raised $500 or more toward the AIDS Walk 2017 total. Club members receive special incentives (this year’s plush robes were a big hit!), raffles and prizes, and a delicious thank you dinner at Salvatore’s Italian Gardens.
Nakia Fears............................... 1 year Melissa Gulino.......................... 1 year Lorraine Cullis........................... 1 year Maria Marchinda...................... 1 year Renae Michael.......................... 1 year Brittany Price............................ 1 year Kara Mizak................................. 1 year Brianna Cabrera....................... 1 year Michael Kettle........................... 1 year Melissa Murray......................... 1 year Annette Pabon.......................... 1 year Emma Fabian............................ 2 years Melissa Delgado...................... 2 years Harry Berkoh-Asamoah......... 2 years Gianna Batt............................... 2 years Bianca Morris............................ 3 years Becky Siuta................................ 3 years Renee Hartson.......................... 3 years Marlyn Moore........................... 3 years Steven Rein............................... 3 years Cameron Schraufstetter........ 3 years Jimi McMaster......................... 3 years Stephani Miranda.................... 4 years Christina Turner....................... 5 years Barbara Poff.............................. 5 years Patrick Hildenbrandt............... 6 years Tara Monaco............................. 7 years Dale Kingston........................... 11 years Norma Bocanegra................... 12 years
LIKE
many people these days, I
you cannot use this money until you reach age 59½.
carry some student debt.
We’re also fortunate, at this time, to have available
It’s everywhere I go, and
to us health insurance with zero premium, also
it impacts just about everything I do financially.
known as a High Deductible Health Plan (HDHP).
Luckily we work for Evergreen, which is a not-for-
With the HDHP you are eligible to contribute to a
profit employer and designated 501(c)(3) entity
Health Savings Account (HSA). The HSA is similar
under the Internal Revenue Code. This means we’re
to a retirement account as the contributions you
eligible to participate in the Public Service Loan
make to the account are excluded from your income
Forgiveness (PLSF) program that Dave Haefner
tax calculations on payday. The main difference is
describes in detail in his article “The Public Service
that you may use these funds for qualified medical
Loan Forgiveness Program” (see June ‘16 issue of
expenses right now. You own the money in your
Connections). Student Loan Debt At the time
account and you can keep it indefinitely. You can
that article was written, we didn’t know the 2016
contribute up to $3,400 per year for self-only HDHP
Presidential Election would turn out the way it
coverage or $6,750 for family coverage. This reduces
did. One item on the new President’s to-do list is to
your tax burden and increases the money you have
eliminate the PSLF program. Sounds scary, right?
for health expenses. Once you hit age 65 the rules
Let’s break it down. First, this bit of legislation would
of what you can do with your HSA money change
have to make it past the House and the Senate. This
a bit. You can continue to use your account tax-
may take a while. Second, it cannot be applied to loans
free for out of pocket health expenses. You can also
that already exist; it would only apply to new loans
use that money for other expenses much like your
after the bill makes it through the gauntlet to legality.
retirement. If not used for medical expenses your
So take a deep breath, and if you don’t take advantage
money will be taxable but there will not be a penalty
of PSLF, do your homework and start taking
(remember your 403(b) money is taxable when you
advantage! Savings and Retirement A benefit to
use it too). To help demonstrate, ADP has a great
employees of Evergreen is the ability to participate
tool that allows you to see how pre-tax deductions
in a 403(b) retirement savings program. You may
impact your take home pay. It can be found at:
contribute a portion of your income (up to $18,000
www.adp.com/tools-and-resources/calculators-
for 2017) to a retirement account that you don’t
and-tools/payroll-calculators/salary-paycheck-
pay tax on until you use it later in life. As an added
calculator.aspx. Just plug in the variables that apply
bonus, Evergreen will match your contribution up
to you. It’s simple and easy to use if you have your
to 5 percent of your gross salary. This is free money
paystub handy, which you can access through the
to you and not taxable until you use it. The catch is
ADP portal at your workstation.
Connections
Evacuations are an important part of keeping our staff and clients safe. Evergreen conducts periodic evacuation drills — at least one per shift, per quarter — in all agency locations. Due to the number of new staff and veteran staff adjusting to new spaces, we made a few procedural changes for the most recent drill. Unfortunately, this led to some confusion and the full evacuation took more time than it has in the past. | To help make evacuations as quick and smooth as possible, we ask point people to know who is in your group. With constant staff changes, point people should also check their in-out board and checklist for errors at least monthly. If a point person or alternate are not on site, the immediate supervisor should be familiar with the procedure and take up the paddle in their absence. For greater efficiency, a new plan for how we should line up has been developed. This
plan will be distributed to your point person shortly, if not by the time you read this. | To be sure all systems are working, we may do traditional drills with the fire alarm, or utilize the all-page system. Additionally, we’re planning to test the all-page system more regularly to make sure it’s working in the event of an actual non-fire emergency. The more comfortable everyone is with all our options, the better we’ll be prepared if such a situation was to arise. | We also have a Safety Committee that meets quarterly. Membership on the committee isn’t where we’d like it to be. If you think you have the time and would like to join, please let us know! The Safety Committee is an important part of keeping Evergreen’s safety procedures current, and it’s an opportunity for you to bring your center’s unique safety concerns to the table. Feel free to contact me via phone or email. Connections
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The National Quality Center (NQC) and the HIV/AIDS Bureau recognizes the outstanding work of Ryan White grantees and consumers that have shown exemplary performance or leadership in some aspect of quality management. NQC acknowledges excellence and aims to promote these quality champions to further spread quality improvement. Evergreen’s very own Dawn Trotter, Retention Support Assistant, was awarded the 2017 NQC Award for Consumer Engagement in Quality Improvement. Brian Kempf, Julie Vaughan and Andy Kiener are pleased to have nominated Dawn for all she contributes to Team Evergreen. Congratulations Dawn! And Congratulations as well to Liza Pereira, Retention Support Assistant, shown here at the Creative Mornings Buffalo event where she was the keynote speaker. - Andy Kiener
In today’s workplace we find a range of ages from Baby
• Reverse mentoring closes the knowledge gap for both
Boomers to Generation Xers to Millennials. Along with an
parties. Older employees learn about new technology
increase in boomers working past retirement age, there is a
and how tools such as social media can reach newer
steady stream of tech-savvy millennial graduates entering
audiences.
the workforce. While there may be stark differences in
terminology and industry practices from older employees.
Younger
employees
learn
business
communication styles, work habits and values of each generation, both groups can learn much from each other. In the past, you’d often hear of mentoring roles in which older,
• It also empowers and challenges both emerging and established leaders.
more seasoned colleagues would take a younger person under their wings and guide them through various experiences
• It bridges the gap between employee generations and
in the workplace. What has recently been discovered is that
changes the conversation from ‘it’s us versus them’ to
young people aren’t the only ones who can benefit from
‘how can we learn from one another’.
training and mentoring in the office. The concept is called reverse mentoring – pairing older workers with younger ones
Also, mentoring relationships shouldn’t be restricted to
to educate one another on how businesses work and how
people who have similar backgrounds or jobs – because
new approaches in thinking can improve them. There are
there’s so much to be learned from people who are different
many benefits of reverse mentoring, such as:
from ourselves!
Connections
Dear Tayrin, Inc. recently celebrated 5 years of service with an event held at Chocolate Bar. Congratulations and thanks to both Tayrin herself and Dear Tayrin, Inc. for making a real difference in our community!