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July 5, 2005

 

The Astron Road Show
 

If you’ll be in Orlando for the ASHHRA conference July 17th – 19th, be sure to stop by booth 227!  The Astron team will be there to say hello to old friends and to meet new acquaintances.  National Directors Michael Maciekowich and Jennifer Loftus will be working the booth, as will Automation Expert John Sazaklis.  See you there!

If Orlando in July is not your cup of tea, Mike Maciekowich has two upcoming speaking engagements.  For those on the East Coast, be sure to catch Mike at the New York State SHRM Conference on July 19th in Albany, NY.  For our readers on the West Coast, Mike will be the keynote speaker at the San Francisco HR Star Conference July 20th.

 

And the Winner Is...

 

 

 

 

 

And the Lucky Winner of Our Movie Match-Up Contest is...
Luisa Marciano!

Congratulations to Luisa Marciano, Abigail Kirsch’s Corporate Director of Human Resources.  Luisa, who matched all ten quotes and movies correctly, was randomly picked out of the correct entries received to win a Mega Movie Night, which includes a Blockbuster gift certificate & other movie-related goodies. 

Honorable mentions go out to Maribeth Kibbey, Associate Director - Center of Human Capital Strategy of the Performance Institute and Liz Greene of NYU who also successfully matched all ten quotes.

Thank you to all who entered.  Stay tuned for upcoming Astron contests!  

Here are the match-ups:

 

1.)  "I'm no fool. I've killed the boss, you think they're not gonna fire me for a thing like that?"
            I.) 9 to 5 (1980)

 

2.)  "Greed is good!”
            J.) Wall Street (1987)

 

 3.)  "First prize is a new car.  Second prize is a set of steak knives.  Third prize is...you're fired."
            D.) Glengarry Glen Ross (1992)

4.)  "Never burn bridges.  Today's junior executive is tomorrow's senior partner."
            A.) Working Girl (1988)

 

5.)  "Sounds like somebody's got a case of the Mondays!"
            C.) Office Space (1999)

 

6.)  "If you have education, intelligence, and ability, so much the better. But, remember that thousands have reached the top without any of these qualities." 
            B.) How to Succeed in Business without Really Trying (1967)

 

7.)  "Who are those guys? Do they work for me?”   "Everybody works for you, Howard.”
            H.) The Aviator (2004)

 

8.)  "What's the benefit of me being an awesome wingman?”   "You get to keep your job.”
            E.) In Good Company (2005)

 

9.)  "Forget it! I'm stayin' right where I am. It's gonna take you and the police department and the fire department and the National Guard to get me outta here!"
            G.) Norma Rae (1979)

 

10.)  "The network is complaining about a lack of diversity here at the station.”  "Now, stop me if I'm wrong Ed, but I believe ‘diversity’ is an old, old wooden ship built in the civil war era.”
            F.) Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004) 
 


 

Avoid the Summertime Blues –
How to Manage During the Vacation Season
 

Summertime and the living is easy.  Or is it?  For managers, the summer season can be stressful, especially when they, as well as their key employees, plan vacations and work still needs to get done.

At times, it can be tempting for managers to cancel their vacations and encourage employees to do the same.  However, experts warn against these actions.  Psychologists and HR professionals agree that taking time to rest and refuel is vital to a person’s health and well-being.

In the Career Journal article, “Canceling a Vacation Can Cost You Dearly,” Wall Street Journal columnist Sue Shellenbarger stresses the importance of getting away from the office. “If you are considering canceling a vacation, and if you have a choice in the matter, don't do it,” said Shellenbarger.   In her article, she references a 14-year study of 12,866 men, published in the journal Psychosomatic Medicine, which found annual vacations sharply reduced the risk of death among middle-aged men. Similarly, a 20-year study of 749 middle-aged women by the Centers for Disease Control found a link between a lack of vacations and higher risk of heart attack and death.

But how easy is it to truly get away? Gadgets that are geared to make working while on the road convenient, such as laptops, PDAs, and cell phones, can be highly distracting when taking time off.  As revealed in a recent study commissioned by America Online, email addiction is running rampant in the United States. About a fourth of the respondents acknowledged being so addicted to e-mail that they can't go more than a couple of days without checking their messages.  In addition, 60% of respondents admitted logging into their in-boxes while they are on vacation.   

Email addiction aside, there are ways to truly enjoy a vacation and avoid stress.  The key is planning ahead.  Paul McDonald, Executive Director of Robert Half Management Resources, suggests the following tips in the HR Reporter article, “What the CFO does on a Summer Vacation”:

 

·       Designate point persons.  Inform outside contacts in advance of your upcoming vacation and let them know who will be managing your work while you are away.  Be sure to include your point person’s contact information in out of office reply emails and voice mail messages.   

·       Provide clear instructions.  Let your team know exactly what you are working on, and how to handle possible issues in case emergencies or concerns arise.

·      Determine “check-in” times.  If you can’t avoid checking your email and voice mail, only do so at a specific time rather than throughout the day.  Let your team know exactly when you will be checking in so that any matters can be discussed at that time.

Even if you or your employees haven’t planned a summer vacation, it’s important to take some time to enjoy the warm weather.  Summer is an excellent time to plan a company picnic, spend a day at a theme park, or attend a baseball game. “Besides being fun, office parties serve as morale boosters,” says Sharon Opfermann, Board Member, Utah Society for Human Resource Management Council in the Salt Lake Tribune article, “Summer is a Perfect Time to Escape the Office for a Morale Boost.”

Remember, planning ahead and allowing time for relaxation can do wonders for keeping your employees happy and healthy.  “Easy” summertime living can help your employees recharge, in preparation for a productive and exciting fall.  


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