Our hearts go out to the people in Oklahoma who are suffering such severe tornado damage. The people in these communities are no strangers to trouble - this tornado took a very similar path to May 3, 1999 tornado.

We've compiled some disaster response resources that may be helpful.

People search
Let people know you are OK, search for loved ones: Safe & Well

How to help

• Red Cross - The organization says in the immediate aftermath, the best way to help is to donate at RedCross.org or donate $10 by texting REDCROSS to 90999
• Red Cross Blood
• Operation USA
• Salvation Army

Sadly, there is no shortage of fraudulent opportunists willing to take advantage of people's generous nature. Be particularly careful of solicitations via phone, email, or social networking sites. The FTC Charity Checklist offers tips on how to avoid scams. You can also check out more a charity in advance through the Better Business Bureau’s Wise Giving Alliance.

Shelters & Housing
The University of Oklahoma is opening up spaces in Housing for the displaced families! Call 405-325-2511

To search for open shelters: text SHELTER and a Zip Code to 43362 (4FEMA)
For example, if you lived in Washington, DC you would text: SHELTER 20472
Before you go to a shelter, always check with your local emergency management agency for availability & services. Also: Search for Red Cross Shelters

FEMA Housing Portal - help for individuals and families who have been displaced by a disaster to find a place to live. The portal consolidates rental resources identified and provided by federal agencies, such as the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), U.S. Veterans Administration (VA), private organizations, and the public, to help individuals and families find available rental units in their area.

Disaster Recovery Centers (DRC)
Search by texting: To search for open Disaster Recovery Centers, text: DRC and a Zip Code to 43362 (4FEMA). For example, if you lived in Washington, DC you would text: DRC 20472

DisasterAssistance.Gov - information on how you might be able to get help from the U.S. Government before, during and after a disaster. Learn what help you might be able to apply for from 17 government agencies in Spanish and English, apply for help from FEMA online, reduce the number of forms you have to fill out, shorten the time it takes to apply for aid, check the progress of your applications online and more. Fill out a questionnaire to learn which assistance programs you may be eligible for and apply for assistance.

Telephone Helplines
If your employer has an EAP, that's a good place to start. But if you or someone you know needs immediate help and you don't have an EAP, here are some resources:

• SAMSHA's Disaster Distress helpline - Call 1-800-985-5990 or Text TalkWithUs to 66746 and TTY for Deaf/Hearing Impaired: 1-800-846-8517
• Question about Government Services - Call 1-800-FED INFO (1-800-333-4636) if you have questions about government services, but don't know what agency to contact.
• American Red Cross - Call 1-800-RED-CROSS (1-800-733-2767) for information on evacuation, shelter, and assistance.
• National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-TALK (1-888-628-9454 for Spanish-speaking callers)
• Clean-up hazards & safety - call 1-800-CDC-INFO (1-800-232-4636), TTY 1-888-232-6348, for information on preventing illness and injury. Available 24/7 in English and Spanish
• To report oil,chemical, or hazardous substance releases or spills, call the National Response Center 800-424-8802
• Food Safety - Call the USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline at: 1-888-MPHotline (1-888-674-6854) or Email to mphotline.fsis@usda.gov
• Lost Bank Records, ATM Cards, Reach Your Bank and More Call 1-877-ASK-FDIC (1-877-275-3342) TDD 1-800-925-4618
• National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline 866-720-5721 from the Department of Justice
• Small Business Administration Business Disaster Loans
  Call 1-800-659-2955 TTY 1-800-877-8339 for business disaster loan program information.

Mental and Emotional Health
Coping with Disasters - The emotional toll that disaster brings can sometimes be even more devastating than the financial strains of damage and loss of home, business, or personal property. This FEMA resource offers information on understanding common human reactions to disaster events and recognizing signs of disaster related stress and strategies for easing stress. Also, information on helping lids cope with disaster and typical children's reactions to disaster by age.

Common Reactions After Trauma - Most people have some kind of stress reaction after a trauma. Having such a reaction has nothing to do with personal weakness. Stress reactions may last for several days or even a few weeks. For most people, if symptoms occur, they will slowly decrease over time. All kinds of trauma survivors commonly experience stress reactions. This is true for veterans, children, and disaster rescue or relief workers. If you understand what is happening when you or someone you know reacts to a traumatic event, you may be less fearful and better able to handle things.

Tips for Survivors of a Traumatic Event - Managing Your Stress (PDF) - When you are exposed to traumatic events such as natural disaster, be aware of how these events can affect you personally. Most people show signs of stress after the event. These signs are normal. Over time, as your life gets back to normal, they should decrease. After a stressful event, monitor your own physical and mental health. Know the signs of stress in yourself and your loved ones. Know how to relieve stress. And know when to get help.

Self-Care After Disasters - Natural and technological disasters impact survivors, bereaved family members, witnesses to the event, and friends of those involved. Rescue workers, emergency medical and mental health care providers, and volunteers are also affected. Disasters can also impact members of the media, as well as citizens of the community, the country, and the world. Disasters can cause a number of different stress reactions in those affected. There are many steps you can take to manage stress after a disaster.

Coping with Traumatic Stress Reactions - When trauma survivors take direct action to cope with their stress reactions, they put themselves in a position of power. Active coping with the trauma makes you begin to feel less helpless.

Effects of Disasters: Risk and Resilience Factors - Learn about factors that make it more likely that someone will have more severe or longer- lasting stress reactions after disasters

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
An easy-to-read booklet on Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) that explains what it is, when it starts, how long it lasts, and how to get help.

Talking with kids about disasters
Dramatic images repeated on the news or talked about at school can be upsetting to adults, but even more so to kids who may not have the life experience to put things in perspective. This can lead to anxiety or fear about many of the things being discussed: natural disasters, disruption, loss, and death. We've put together a few resources for parents and teachers to help discuss these things with kids.

• Talking with kids about world natural disasters
• TV News and Accidents & Disasters - Talking with Kids about Tough Issues
• 8 Steps To Explain Disasters to Children
• Explaining death to children
• KidsHealth: Anxiety, fears, and phobias

Other Practicalities
Medical Device and Hurricane Emergencies - During natural disasters, medical devices may be exposed to fluctuating power, contaminants, or unusual levels of heat or humidity. These resources offer information about using medical devices during and following emergency situations due to hurricanes.

Replace your vital documents - links to information about replacing military service records, passports, birth, marriage & death certificates, and other important records. It includes links to information about restoring damaged documents and money.

IRS: Disaster Assistance and Emergency Relief for Individuals and Businesses - Special tax law provisions may help taxpayers and businesses recover financially from the impact of a disaster, especially when the federal government declares their location to be a major disaster area. Depending on the circumstances, the IRS may grant additional time to file returns and pay taxes. Both individuals and businesses in a federally declared disaster area can get a faster refund by claiming losses related to the disaster on the tax return for the previous year, usually by filing an amended return.

Disaster Recovery Scams – The FTC talks about common disaster recovery scams.

Posted by Julie Ferguson on May 21, 2013 at 8:33 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | E-mail this post

If you're like most HR people, you've seen more than your your share of resumes. Are there any that stood out from the crowd or that particularly stuck in your mind over the years? How do you feel about video resumes, would a 6-second Vine clip get your attention? Would a stylized infographic impress you? What about a resume that is converted into a chocolate bar? In the past, we've posted about resumes that hiring managers found "memorable" - and note the intentional ambiguity in that word. More recently, we've found some interesting examples of creative resumes, many harnessing social media. We've gathered some of the most creative and unusual examples of resumes for your perusal. Whether or not they'd make it through your screening process or they succeeded in landing the candidate the job, they've certainly succeeded in gaining some momentum in social and traditional media.

10 Creative Social Media Resumes.

9 Dynamic Digital Resumes That Stand Out From the Crowd

10 Resumes That Got Worldwide Attention

Creative Graphic Resume Designs – 53 Examples

Luís Gandarez gathers a variety of creative Curriculum Vitae on Pinterest

23 Cool Resumes On Instagram

And perhaps on the "too creative" side, we offer:
150 Funniest Resume Mistakes, Bloopers and Blunders Ever

This Is The Worst Resume Ever

Thoughts on creative resumes
John Feldmann talks about how much is too much when it comes to creative resumes

Melanie Pinola at Lifehacker talks about how electronic resume management systems work and how to design your resume to get past the resume robots

Do Creative Resumes Really Get You The Job?

20 Resume Tips from a Hiring Manager

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Want to ensure a winning team in your organization? In addition to help for your employees, ESI EAP offers a full suite of tools for supervisors and managers, including our ESI Management Academy. Trainings cover compliance issues, management skills and more. If you want to learn more about how ESI can provide more employee EAP benefits and more employer services, call us at 800-535-4841.

Posted by Julie Ferguson on May 19, 2013 at 4:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | E-mail this post

There was an interesting legal exchange on the Huffington Post last week about the issue of at-will law. The segment is summarized as: "In 49 of 50 states there's no law requiring just cause for employee termination. Is at-will employment necessary to promote U.S. business, or exploitative of workers?"

The segment is hosted by Ahmed Shihab-Eldin of Huffington Post and includes employment law attorneys Page Fiedler and Jon Hyman and labor rights and union activist Rand Wilson. Wilson favors expanding protections for workers and Hyman argues that sufficient laws and remedies exist to generally deter employers from capricious firing. Fiedler represented an employee who was fired for being too attractive. It's an interesting and lively (28 minute) exchange. One point of interest is that Fiedler offers an endorsement of the good job that the HR profession is doing in helping to ensure that workers are being treated more fairly.

You can see the full segment in the embedded video below or visit the event page to see the segment and related matter: You're Fired! No, Really....

Related, in response to a statement he made, Hyman blogs about How much it costs to defend an employment lawsuit, a strong deterrent to an employer for arbitrary termination decisions.

"The reality is that defending a discrimination or other employment lawsuit is expensive. Defending a case through discovery and a ruling on a motion for summary judgment can cost an employer between $75,000 and $125,000. If an employer loses summary judgment (which, much more often than not, is the case), the employer can expect to spend a total of $175,000 to $250,000 to take a case to a jury verdict at trial.

Most employers, if acting rationally, will chose to retain an employee instead of assuming the risk of a $250,000 legal bill with an uncertain outcome."

Huffington Post points to these related articles for further reading
It's All Too Easy to Get Fired in America: In 49 of 50 States, You Can Be Fired for Any Reason

Rules of Termination: Contemplate before you terminate

Also related:
Employment At Will: The Most Misunderstood Workplace Principle

NLRB Confirms Legality of Most At-Will Disclaimers (and Employers Everywhere Rejoice)

Posted by Julie Ferguson on May 18, 2013 at 1:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | E-mail this post

Does it seem as though there's nothing but violence and tragedy on the news? We have a bit of an antidote to renew your faith in the goodness of the human spirit. Two videos have been making the web circuit over the past few weeks that show people caught in random acts of kindness.

The first is a compilation of Russian dashcam videos. For insurance purposes, many Russian drivers keep dasboard recorders - that's why we were able to watch so many great live images of the recent meteorite flashing across the sky. Now, a new compilation shows people caught in the act of doing good deeds.

Another video captures Los Angeles Dodger outfielder Matt Kemp's touching act of kindness to a young fan who has a terminal illness. More of the story behind this kind gesture.

Random acts of kindness are free and open to anyone to perform. Plus, they are often contagious. Can they find a place in your workplace? Some think they not just can, they should. A recent article in the New York Times, talks about Wharton professor Adam Grant's new book, Give and Take, in which he makes the case that giving is the secret to getting ahead, a philosophy he espouses in his own career. The article is well worth a reading, and it looks like the book should make it to the top of your summer reading list.

Here's a brief excerpt of the article:

"Organizational psychology has long concerned itself with how to design work so that people will enjoy it and want to keep doing it. Traditionally the thinking has been that employers should appeal to workers’ more obvious forms of self-interest: financial incentives, yes, but also work that is inherently interesting or offers the possibility for career advancement. Grant’s research, which has generated broad interest in the study of relationships at work and will be published for the first time for a popular audience in his new book, “Give and Take,” starts with a premise that turns the thinking behind those theories on its head. The greatest untapped source of motivation, he argues, is a sense of service to others; focusing on the contribution of our work to other people’s lives has the potential to make us more productive than thinking about helping ourselves."

Posted by Julie Ferguson on May 12, 2013 at 9:32 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | E-mail this post

For the 13th consecutive year, salary.com is tracking data on the market value of a Mom. More than 6,000 moms were surveyed to quantify hours by job description to compute the yearly average. Moms are multi-talented multi-taskers who perform a variety of roles: CEO, janitor, psychologist, laundry worker, van driver, cook, housekeeper,computer operator, facilities manager, and day care teacher.

Stay-at-home moms work an average of 94 hours per week for a total estimated "mom salary" of $113,586 a year. Working moms -- in addition to their 40-hour work week -- spend an additional 58 hours on household and childcare jobs, and would earn a total of $67,435 if they collected a paycheck.

You can see more detail on the jobs that Moms perform and how that salary was calculated, or use the salary wizard to build a paycheck for a Mom that you know. Also, see some graphs and charts tracking Moms' value over the years, infographic style. We're including one one Working Moms.

Posted by Julie Ferguson on May 11, 2013 at 12:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | E-mail this post

An interesting historical employment document has been circulating on the web recently - a 1938 job rejection letter from Walt Disney Studios to an aspiring young female animator. It's of interest because the reason for the candidate's rejection is simply that the candidate was a woman, and as the letter states, "women do not do any of the creative work in connection with preparing the cartoons for the screen." The beautifully preserved letter on vintage letterhead goes on to say that the work is performed entirely by young men, and therefore, "girls are not considered for the training school."

For related documents that depict the role of women in the workplace, see our posts on the 1943 Disney Handbook and Danger: Women at Work, a WWII era training clip.

In fairness to Disney, job discrimination against women was the order of the day 75 years ago ... in fact, a lot more recently than that. Employment listings were routinely categorized as "male" or "female" jobs and a job candidate's sex was routinely used as a reason for rejection. In reading historic documents, sex discrimination was actually added to the EEOC as a "poison pill" that many thought might doom the legislation:

"...After all, the prohibition against sex discrimination had been added as a last minute amendment by Congressman Howard Smith of Virginia who opposed the civil rights legislation and thought that Congress would reject a bill that mandated equal rights for women.

Indeed, most supporters of Title VII initially opposed the Smith amendment because they, too, thought that it would doom the legislation. The amendment stayed in because female members of Congress argued that there was a need to protect equal job opportunities for women. Congresswoman Katherine St. George of New York argued that she could think of "nothing more logical than this amendment" and that while women did not need any special privileges "because we outlast you, we outlive you, . . . we are entitled to this little crumb of equality." The need for this "little crumb of equality" was dramatically illustrated by the unexpectedly large number of sex discrimination charges filed in that first year."

For more on job discrimination and the early years of laws prohibiting such discrimination, see the EEOC's 35th Year Anniversary 1965-2000

Posted by Julie Ferguson on May 5, 2013 at 1:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | E-mail this post

James Hamblin, MD, The Atlantic's Health editor, offers a good Q&A summary: What Is Obamacare?

Dean & Draper, an insurance agency in Texas, hosted a seminar in Houston to educate employers on requirements of the healthcare reform law. Although some details are Texas-specific, the bulk of the 90 minute presentation are not state exclusive. (Thanks to Philip Miles at Lawffice Space for the pointer. )

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ESI EAP offers 24-7 access to counselors and a wide variety of support resources for employees and family members who are facing difficult health challenges. We also offer wellness benefits and health risk assessments, including discounts for weight loss programs, exercise and nutrition programs, and stop smoking programs. If you want to learn more about how ESI can provide more employee EAP benefits and more employer services, call us at 800-535-4841.

Posted by Julie Ferguson on April 30, 2013 at 10:28 AM | Permalink | E-mail this post

The following are health promotions for May that offer themes for your workplace wellness programs. Most of the linked sites offer tool-kits with posters, articles, fact sheets, or interactive features that can be shared with your employees.

May is National Physical Fitness and Sports Month and it's also National Bike Month, which ties in nicely. Bike Month can be fun to celebrate at work and at home. It has the double bonus of promoting both a healthy activity and one that is friendly to the environment. May 13 to 17 is Bike to Work Week, with May 17 designated as Bike to Work Day. Here's a step-by-step Bike Month Guide (PDF) offering ideas for how to promote or support the effort in the workplace. And for family members, there's also Bike to School Day on May 8.

Mental Health Month - This year's theme is Pathways to Wellness, with emphasis on the link between physical and mental health. "The fact is our overall well-being is tied to the balance that exists between our emotional, physical, spiritual and mental health. Whatever our situation, we are all at risk of stress given the demands of daily life and the challenges it brings-at home, at work and in life. Steps that build and maintain well-being and help us all achieve wellness involve a balanced diet, regular exercise, enough sleep, a sense of self-worth, development of coping skills that promote resiliency, emotional awareness, and connections to family, friends and community." The linked site has a Toolkit with posters, fact sheets, and more.

Melanoma/Skin Cancer Detection and Prevention Month - Skin cancer will affect 1 in 5 Americans, and more than 3.5 million new cases in 2 million people are diagnosed each year. People of all colors and races can get skin cancer. There are many different types of skin cancer, but melanoma is the most deadly. With early detection and proper treatment, the cure rate for the most common types of cancer is high, and if melanoma is detected before it spreads, it also has a high cure rate.Why not point your employees and their family members to a free skin cancer screening. A skin cancer screening is a visual inspection of your skin by a medical professional. No blood work is conducted at a screening.

May 5 to May 11 is North American Occupational Safety and Health Week - Here's a fun and simple way to acknowledge it - simply print out the winners of the 2013 Safety on the Job Kids' Poster Contest Winners - they are cute and good reminder why we all want to be safe at work - to return safely to families and kids!

NAOSH 2013 from jon schwerman on Vimeo.

Other Health Observances in May

• Arthritis Awareness Month
• National Asthma and Allergy Awareness Month
• ALS Awareness Month
• Global Youth Traffic Safety Month

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ESI EAP offers 24-7 access to counselors and a wide variety of support resources for employees and family members who are facing difficult health challenges. We also offer wellness benefits and health risk assessments, including discounts for weight loss programs, exercise and nutrition programs, and stop smoking programs. If you want to learn more about how ESI can provide more employee EAP benefits and more employer services, call us at 800-535-4841.

Posted by Julie Ferguson on April 25, 2013 at 8:20 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | E-mail this post

Remove my stitches! And 14 other all-time crazy requests from the boss - Eric B. Meyers shares the results of a recent CareerBuilder survey at The Employer Handbook.

How To: Have a Performance Conversation With An Employee - Sharlyn Lauby of HR Bartender offers an excellent outline to help you plan a productive conversation with an underperforming employee.

How to Procrastinate at Work: A Complete (Research-Based!) Guide - At The Atlantic, Anna Codrea-Rado tallies up the pluses and minuses of procrastinating on the job.

5 Tips for Making Workplace Policy Changes Work - At Law.com, Catherine Dunn references the recent brouhahas, pushback, and public criticism that Yahoo and BestBuy were subjected to when changing work policies. She notes that changing policies can put employers at higher risk of disparate treatment, which can result in lawsuits. She offers a path that employers can take to ensure a better work policy transition.

7 Types of Negotiation And 1 Big Myth - Anna Mar of Simplicable says that negotiations should all be win-win, but that it is a myth that every negotiation has a potential win-win outcome. She says that is important to consider which type of negotiating you're facing because each demands a different strategy, and outlines seven types of negotiations.

A Legendary CEO for the Rest of Us - Wally Bock offers a profile of Costco CEO James Sinegal and talks about why he's a good model of leadership.

‘Please don’t be a Muslim’: Boston marathon blasts draw condemnation and dread in Muslim world - an article by Max Fisher in the Washington Post discusses the fear of discrimination, typecasting, and retaliation that many Muslims have when a violent event occurs.

Growing numbers of workers with disabilities bring challenges, opportunities - At HR Hero, Tammy Binford syas that, "It’s clear that employers need to be ready to not just accommodate workers with disabilities but also capitalize on the strengths those employees can bring to the workplace." She links to a recent report from the Conference Board and includes some steps for employers wanting to attract and keep employees with disabilities. See also: “Disability” is increasing…why?

Is your job killing you? How Job Type Impacts Wellness And What You Can Do To Change It - According to the recently released Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index survey, physicians were found to have the highest well-being index score, followed by teachers, business owners, and other professionals. At the bottom of the index were transportation and manufacturing or production workers.

Roger Ebert did not lose his battle with cancer - Michael A. Wosnick makes the case for why we should think about the way we talk about a person's death. "Cancer is not a game of winners and losers. If you live you win and if you die you lose? How inappropriate is that?" He says that while it’s not quite victim blaming, "it does have ring of placing the ultimate responsibility for having died in the hands of the deceased."

The Manager Who Kept a Six-Year Diary of Her Mistakes - "For more than six years, Elaine Wherry, 35, the co-founder of chat site Meebo (acquired by Google last summer) carefully jotted down nearly every mistake she made as an employee and manager. Wherry described her experience as a chronicler of error during the SXSW Interactive conference earlier this month."

Other Noteworthy items

• State-Level Trends in Employer-Sponsored Health Insurance - A State-by-State Analysis
• A refresher course for employers on retaliation
• BYOD: What’s Your Policy?
• 28 days later? Passage of time justifies recertification of intermittent FMLA leave
• Talk So Performance Produces Results
• Perks, Insurance, and Atypical Benefits--How Do You Compare?
• Common Sense Leadership
• Hey HR Get Over It, Social Media Is Here to Stay!
• 10 Phrases That Can Solve Any Work Problem

Posted by Julie Ferguson on April 18, 2013 at 9:13 AM | Permalink | E-mail this post

Google resources related to the Boston Marathon explosions

• Boston Mayor's Hotline for families of victims: 617-635-4500
• Boston Police line for witnesses who may have information: 800-494-8477
• Red Cross Safe and Well

Live blog at the Boston Globe with news updates and information about closures

The Boston Marathon Bombing: Keep Calm and Carry On

American Psychological Association - Managing traumatic stress: Coping with terrorism

Common Reactions After Trauma

Acts of Violence, Terrorism, or War: Triggers for Veterans

Talking to Kids

Guide for Parents and Educators: Tips for Talking to Children and Youth After Traumatic Events (PDF)

Children's Age-Related Reactions to a Traumatic Event

Talking with Kids about Tough Issues

First responders

Marathon medical tent ‘transformed into trauma unit’

Disaster Rescue and Response Workers

Rookie first responders traumatized by…trauma - Experience helps police officers, firefighters cope

Posted by Julie Ferguson on April 16, 2013 at 7:13 AM | Permalink | E-mail this post