ThinkBiz Conference | Bellingham HR Consultant

HR Balance LLC will be presenting at the ThinkBiz conference happening in Bellingham, Washington on September 9 and 10.  The topic presented by HR Balance LLC is:  Employee Engagement - The Secret to Business Success.  For more information about the conference, go to http://www.thinkbiznw.com/.

Leadership Myths | Bellingham HR Consultant

There are many myths out there when it comes to leadership and management.  Unfortunately, these myths are often taken as fact - leading people and organizations toward unnecessary waste in energy, money, and ideas.  Here are a few myths to take note of:

• Leaders and Managers are the same... No, they are not the same.  Leaders are about the people.  They influence others into change, action, and results.  Managers, however, are about the tasks.  They're focus is on the end result - achieving goals through authority and discipline.  Often times I see organizations automatically label their managers as "leaders," when - in fact - they are not.  Leaders and managers have two very unique skill sets, and while it is very possible for an individual to be both a leader and a manager - it shouldn't be an assumption they are a leader simply because they are a manager and vise versa.
• Leaders are good managers... Leaders are strong innovators and strategists, but do not necessarily have the know-how to implement their innovations and/or strategies.  Often times, leaders have a focus that is so global, they do not necessarily have the linear thinking necessary to accomplish tasks.
• Leaders are born – not made... While studies on children are showing increasing evidence that leadership skills can present themselves at a very young age, the truth is leadership skills can be made.  Just because an individual doesn't present the necessarily skills and qualities of a leader today, it doesn't mean they cannot present those skills and qualities tomorrow. 

If you want your managers to be leaders and your leaders to be managers, it is important to ensure the appropriate skill sets are in place.  This requires time, energy, focus, and support.  Remember, those managers with leadership skills will not only meet your organizational goals, but they will have the vision to bring their people (and therefore the organization) toward greater successes.

Health Care Reform & The Hidden Tax Change | Bellingham HR Consultant

The new Health Care Reform law is going to impact more than just your health care coverage.  In the finer print of the legislation is tax information that businesses need to be aware of because it does effect their current financial information gathering.  The 1099 is going to be a familiar sight for most.  For more information, read here:  http://money.cnn.com/2010/05/05/smallbusiness/1099_health_care_tax_change/

Survey of Employers and Health Care Reform | Bellingham HR Consultant

Crane Communications Inc. recently published a survey of nearly 3700 executives.  The survey queried business executives on the likelihood of dropping health care coverage due to the passage of the federal health care reform law.

Of those responding, 52.5 percent strongly disagreed with that statement that it wold be better for their organization to stop offering health care benefits and pay a fine under the new law, while 15.3 percent somewhat disagreed with the idea of dropping coverage and paying fines.  While 18 percent somewhat agreed with the idea of dropping coverage, only 14.1 percent strongly believe their organizations would be better off in dropping benefits.

The health care reform language stipulates that beginning 2014, employers with 50 or more full-time employees must offer health care coverage or pay a fine of $2,000 per work per year.  While strong evidence shows employers will not drop health care coverage in favor of a less expensive fine, it is still unclear what the overall impact with be on employer-sponsored health care packages.  In the survey, 43.9 percent of the executives stated the somewhat understood the impact of the law on their business and 38 percent either somewhat agreed or strongly disagreed that they understood the impact.  These are clear indicators the shift to dropping employer-sponsored health care coverage could happen once the vague language in the health care reform law is clarified.

Resource:
Coccia, R. (April 2010)  "Survey Finds Employers Are Unlikely to Drop Health Care Benefits."  Workforce Management, retrieved from http://www.workfroce.com/section/02/feature/27/12/33/index_printer.html