Employment Resources

If you’re lucky enough to have time off this Thanksgiving, make a conscious effort to get away and leave work behind. Turn off your email, let calls go to voicemail and leave projects for Monday. You deserve time away, and your family, body and work will thank you.

1. Enjoy Your Family and Friends

Whether you spend time with friends down the street or fly across the country to see your family, appreciate the time away with your loved ones. Bake cookies with your kids, go shopping with your mom or play football with your friends. Be completely present as you make memories and strengthen your relationships this holiday.

2. Relax Your Body

As your doctor will tell you, constant pressure, tension and stress from work can create long-term health consequences. Relax your body and improve your health when you take a complete break from work. Nap, exercise or just sit around and pet your dog as you reduce stress and relax your body.

3. Focus on Your Hobbies

If you can’t remember the last time you picked up your paintbrushes, tennis racket or gardening tools, now’s the time to reengage with your hobbies. You feel mentally relaxed, rested and energized after focusing your brain on fun and fulfilling hobbies and interests that aren’t related to work.

4. Set Healthy Boundaries

Feeling guilty about taking time off work is a sign that you need better work-life balance. Establish healthier boundaries and start this holiday season.

5. Refresh Your Brain

Creativity and problem solving, two essential job skills, require tons of mental energy. On vacation, give your brain a rest, recharge your energy and prep yourself for greater success once you return to work.

6. Find Your Smile

A cheerful mental attitude keeps you motivated at work, but when was the last time you smiled? Find your smile when you get away from work and enjoy a restful vacation.

7. Take Care of Business

Are you putting off a dental cleaning, car repair or garage clean up? That list clutters your mind and distracts you from doing your best at work. Spend a few hours this holiday taking care of business at home, and relieve the clutter in your mind.

This Thanksgiving, you owe it to yourself to take a break from work. Your break will help you enjoy your holiday and work smarter.

With open enrollment season in full swing, now’s the perfect time to evaluate your employee health insurance benefits. Unfortunately, a recent Aflac survey reveals that most employees don’t spend enough time evaluating their benefits packages.

*Two out of five, or 41 percent, of American employees spend under 15 minutes choosing health benefits for the upcoming year.
*Twenty-four percent spend less than five minutes selecting benefits.
*These same employees will research new cars for 10 hours, family vacations for five hours and new computers for four hours.

You owe it to yourself and your future health to invest time in choosing the right health insurance benefits.

Understand Your Benefits

Technical jargon on insurance papers can be confusing, but would you rather wade through it now or miss out on important benefits when you’re sick? Take time now to figure out which procedures are covered, where you can get treatment and how much deductible you’ll owe. Don’t be like 73 percent of employees who don’t understand their health insurance benefits.

Know What’s Changing

Maybe your employer now offers Health Savings Accounts or dental insurance. These benefit changes could help you stay healthy. Unlike 64 percent of employees who don’t take time to understand their benefit changes, you can ask about changes and understand them.

Select Partners for Long-Term Health

Now’s the time to switch coverage options if you want to switch doctors or pharmacies. While you’re inspecting your benefits package, make sure your preferred hospital and lab is covered, too. Your healthcare team partner with you for long-term health, so take time to ensure you can see your preferred partners.

Save Money

When you don’t make a careful decision about your benefits, you could be throwing away $750 a year on wasted premiums and lost benefits, which is what 42 percent of Americans do. Save that money when you invest time in choosing your health benefits.

Choose Premiums You Can Afford

Employers increasingly push rising insurance costs onto employees. By picking and choosing the benefit package options you want, you also select the premium you can afford. A few hours now prevents insurance premiums from straining your family’s budget in the new year.

Although nine out of 10 Americans auto-enroll and keep the same benefits every year, take time to ask your employer or insurance agent questions and verify the exact coverage you want. You’ll be glad you did.

Life insurance makes sense for you because it gives your surviving family members financial peace of mind if you were to die. However, do your kids need life insurance, too? November is National Adoption Month and a good time to consider this insurance option for your children.

Receive Lifetime Coverage

Pay the monthly premiums, and your children gain insurance for life. In many cases, they won’t even need a health exam when they’re older unless they want a death benefit increase.

Enjoy Low Rates

Most life insurance policies use age to determine premiums. You’ll pay less to insure your young children, and permanent policies lock in the premiums for the life of the policy.

Eliminate Health Exams

Most life insurance policies don’t require kids to undergo a complete medical exam. Since kids are usually healthier than adults, they typically won’t be denied coverage. This benefit is especially important if a serious medical condition like diabetes or heart disease runs in your child’s family.

Gain Cash Value

The premiums you pay for permanent life insurance cover the policy and build cash value. That cash could grow at a variable or fixed interest rate. By the time your kids turn 18, they could have a healthy accumulation of cash to pay for college, buy a house or save until they retire.

Cover Final Expenses

Parents don’t expect their children to die young, but accidents happen. Life insurance covers final expenses and protects your family’s finances.

Evaluate Your Budget

Despite the benefits; your budget may not stretch enough to include life insurance for your kids. After you ensure you’re adequately insured, weigh the benefits of life insurance for your children and discuss your needs with your insurance agent. He or she can work with you to find a policy that’s right for you.

Consider Alternative Saving Tools

Roth IRAs and 529 Plans assist parents in saving money for their children’s futures. Investigate these saving options as you choose the best way to provide for your children.

Whether or not you plan to adopt a child during National Adoption Month, November’s a good time to consider life insurance. Your agent can discuss your options with you as you adequately care for your children.

No matter how old you are, retirement will be here sooner than you think. Your employer can help you prepare for this season of life. As you decide if you should transfer existing 401(k) funds into a Roth 401(k), consider your tax preferences.

When You Pay Taxes Matters

Most investment strategists typically recommend that consumers like you invest pre-tax money in their retirement accounts. That means you deposit funds into your retirement account before you pay taxes on the cash. Traditional 401(k)s work this way and allow you to pay taxes on the money you withdraw during retirement.

Open a Roth 401(k), and you’ll be depositing cash that’s already been taxed. When you’re ready to retire, the only taxes you pay are on the profits your investment earned.

You Choose the Option You Prefer

Ultimately, the choice of whether to stick with a traditional 401(k) or transfer to a Roth 401(k) is up to you. After all, it’s your money and your future. Your current and future tax brackets are invaluable tools that can help you decide what to do.

*If your current tax bracket is fairly high and you expect it to decrease once you enter retirement age, stick with your traditional 401(k).
*If you expect to be in a higher tax bracket during retirement or are you a young worker who’s just starting out in your career, the Roth 401(k) is a wise choice. It lets you pay taxes on your investment now when you have more disposable income.

Are you ready to make a decision about whether or not choosing a Roth 401(k) is right for you? Then, talk to your company’s human resources department. Find out if the new Roth 401(k) is available and clarify any questions you might have about retirement investing. With this information, you ensure your retirement account wishes are put into practice as you prepare for the future.

Do you wake up excited to go to work each day? If so, your employer probably knows the secret to employee satisfaction. This secret provides high rates of employee productivity, attendance and retention, and you’ll want to learn more as you get excited about work.

The Secret to Employee Satisfaction

The insurance company AFLAC actually discovered the employee satisfaction secret during a survey of successful companies. They originally wanted to know why some companies enjoyed rising sales and others did not. What they discovered has great impact for you.

According to AFLAC, companies that provide good benefits to their employees receive better productivity, attendance and retention in return. They also grow faster and thrive more than peer companies.

A Sanofi Healthcare Survey concluded the same thing. When asked if they would prefer a benefits package or $10,000, almost 60 percent of the surveyed employees preferred the benefits. Nearly 48 percent also chose the benefits when offered $20,000.

Benefits Packages Pay Off

While some companies balk at offering extensive benefits to their employees, that investment pays for itself. In fact, the benefits that provide the best employee satisfaction include:

*Major medical coverage
*Life insurance
*401(k) plans
*Flexible work options

A good benefit package prompts workers to stay healthy, remain loyal to the company and work harder each day. Ultimately, these benefits provide financial payback to companies who invest in good benefits.

Where can you find the best benefits? Try Microsoft, Whole Foods Market, Qualcomm, three of only 14 companies in the U.S. that pay 100 percent of their employees’ health insurance costs. Zappos, Cisco Systems, IBM and Morningstar also offer unique benefits like vehicle tune-ups, large sabbaticals, extra 401(k) contributions and life coaching.

If you’re satisfied with your job, thank your boss for the benefits package. If not, ask your HR manager for details about all the benefits your company offers. There might be a few you don’t know about that will unlock your employee satisfaction.

Are you facing a project or decision at work that has you stumped? Follow Christopher Columbus’s lead and find your solution when you think outside the box.

Change the Scenery

The same four walls of your office or company’s conference room feel familiar, but they do nothing to cultivate creativity. Try rearranging your office, moving the meeting to a different room or taking a walk. The change in scenery might be exactly what your brain needs to jumpstart creativity and innovation.

Draw a Picture

Most people approach problems with left-brain logic. So, if you’re stuck, tap into your right-brained creativity as you grab markers or crayons and draw a picture. A few minutes of doodling can boost your ability to see outside conventional logic and discover your next great idea.

Study a Different Industry

Whether you’re a lawyer, teacher or farmer, many of the same problems you face also affect people who work in other industries. Study web pages, trade magazines and books about other industries, and your chances of finding new angles or ways of looking at your problems increase.

Turn It Upside Down

Instead of staring at the page for hours, take a different approach. Turn the paper upside down, re-arrange the patterns or start at the end and work backwards. See what new ideas you spark when you turn your problem upside down.

Discover Why Things are Done One Way

Maybe part of your problem comes from doing things the same way they’ve been done for years. But do you even know why things are done the way they’re done? The answers you need might show up when you turn away from traditions and make your own rules.

Columbus did more than discover the Americas. His example inspires you to think creatively. Do just that when you think outside the box and solve your problems this Columbus Day.

When you’re ill, you need a doctor you trust. But what if your doctor is unfamiliar with your condition, rarely has open appointments or acts rudely towards you? Or what happens when you move to another town or across the country? Six tips help you switch to a new doctor with ease and confidence.

1.  Ask for Recommendations

Trusted family members, friends and neighbors can offer advice on which doctors offer emergency appointments, which ones are great with kids and which ones have poor bedside manners.

1. Check the Doctor’s Credentials

To handle your specific medical needs, you deserve a specialist with the appropriate training and accreditation. Verify these credentials before you choose your new doctor.

1. Ask if the Practice Accepts New Patients and Your Insurance

There’s no sense in getting your hopes up about seeing the perfect doctor if he or she is closed to new patients or doesn’t accept your insurance. A quick call to the office will confirm these facts.

1. Schedule a Consultation

Before you go through the entire switching process, schedule a phone, email or in-person meeting with the doctor. That initial consultation gives you a feel for the doctor’s bedside manner and competence.

1. Complete the Required Transfer Papers at Work

Your human resources department will have the essential paperwork you need to transfer doctors successfully. Complete these forms as soon as possible to finalize the switch.

1. Transfer Your Medical Records

You’ll likely have to pay a fee for this service, especially if you’re transferring records to a doctor outside of your current network. Save money by asking if only essential information can be transferred or if you can carry your file personally to the new doctor.

You deserve to receive medical treatment from a doctor who treats you right and is one whom you trust. When you’re ready to switch doctors, follow six tips that ensure you obtain the medical treatment you need.

Most employers have to carry unemployment insurance on their employees. Do you really understand, though, when you can use your unemployment insurance benefits? Knowing the answer to this question can help you make important decisions about using this coverage.

What is Unemployment Insurance?

Unemployment Insurance is designed to help you cover expenses when you’re between jobs. It usually gives you a percentage of your working wages rather than a full paycheck.

Unemployment laws also vary by state. Although they follow guidelines from the federal government, each state’s Department of Labor determines how much coverage workers get when they file for unemployment.

Who’s Eligible to Collect Unemployment Benefits?

If you’ve been laid off or fired and are not at fault, you may qualify for unemployment. You will generally be disqualified from receiving unemployment, though, if you:

*Quit without having a good cause,
*Are fired for misconduct,
*Resign because of illness,
*Become involved in a labor dispute or
*Leave to get married or attend school.

What are Unemployment Insurance Limits?

Most states allow you to receive unemployment benefits for up to 26 weeks. In cases, you may be eligible for extensions based on federal guidelines or your state’s unemployment rates.

When Should You File?

As soon as you’re laid off or let go from your job, file for unemployment. It often takes two to three weeks for benefits to start, so a delay in filing means a delay in receiving benefits.

Also, realize that unemployment is not a free ride. While you can use the money to pay any expenses, you typically have to prove that you’re looking for employment to receive ongoing benefits. You’ll also have to report any hours you worked.

Unemployment insurance gives you some financial assistance if you lose your job.
Don’t quit and expect to be compensated, though. Discuss this coverage with your employer, insurance company or Department of Labor if you need further clarification.

If your employer offers disability insurance, you can use it when you become injured or too ill to work. You need to know the exclusions, though, as you understand the coverage and payment this insurance offers. Otherwise, you could become disabled and be unable to take advantage of your insurance policy.

Short-Term and Long-Term Disability Insurance Exclusions

For starters, both short-term and long-term disability include similar exclusions. These policies will not cover disabilities that occur because of:

1. Self-inflicted injuries that occur when you’re sane or insane,
2. Acts of declared or undeclared war,
3. Criminal acts you commit or attempt to commit,
4. Civil commotion, riots, insurrections or rebellions and
5. Motor vehicle accidents that occur when you’re driving while under the influence of alcohol.

Two Potential Exclusions

The two types of disability insurance also have an individual exclusion. Short-term disability insurance typically excludes illnesses or injury related to your occupation, but those illnesses and injuries are covered by workers compensation. Long-term disability insurance will not go into effect if you’re incarcerated because of a criminal act or public offense.

Other Disability Insurance Limitations

In addition to these short-term and long-term exclusions, your disability insurance policy might only provide two years of coverage for mental-nervous disorders. So, if you’re disabled because of stress, depression, anxiety, dementia or another mental-nervous disorder, you only receive disability benefits for two years. Additionally, your policy might limit coverage for drug or alcohol addiction. If you suffer from a disabling addiction, your policy may either exclude coverage or cover you for only one year.

Despite these exclusions, disability insurance provides valuable assistance if you become disabled and cannot work. Ask your employer if he or she offers short-term and long-term disability insurance. Then, read your policy carefully and understand its exclusions and limitations. If you don’t have disability coverage, talk with your insurance agent about purchasing a disability policy today.

You may be familiar with cholesterol and its challenge to your overall health. Most doctors suggest you exercise for 10-20 minutes at a time to gain its full cholesterol-reducing effects. That’s because exercising:

*Helps you lose weight, which lowers your bad cholesterol, or LDL.
*Stimulates enzymes that exile LDL from your bloodstream.
*Expands the size of the protein particles, or lipoproteins, that carry LDL and make it harder for them to accumulate.

In honor of September’s Cholesterol Awareness Month, exercise in the office as you reduce your cholesterol and improve your health.

1. Walk

From parking in the back of the parking lot to taking the stairs instead of the elevator, use every opportunity to walk to your destination. You could even store a spare pair of sneakers in your desk and hit the halls or sidewalk during your lunch breaks. If these options don’t work for you, walk in place while talking on the phone and request walking meetings with coworkers.

2. Bike

If you’re lucky enough to work in a building with a gym, hit the exercise bikes before or after work. You could also commute on your bike or set up a small exercise bike in the corner of your office. Alternatively, pedal your legs as if you were on a bike while you work to take advantage of this exercise’s benefits.

3. Move

Depending on your job, you may be unable to walk or bike on the job. Any movement you can incorporate into your daily routine is better than sitting still all day. So, stand up and stretch, do squats, jump in place, sit on a yoga ball or dance down the halls.
These movements all improve your heart health.

Exercising regularly won’t reduce your cholesterol overnight. However, taking small steps and staying active in the office can help you stay healthy. Be sure to see your doctor for regular exams and additional information on keeping your cholesterol in check, too.