Wednesday, April 30, 2003

WE'RE BACK!

We went on vacation up north during spring break and had a really great time. My lovely sister-in-law and her family, leant us their trailer up in Oregon and it is situated right next to (read that on) the beach. Oh my! It was heavenly. The trailer is very small but very home like. The size didn't really matter. We were outdoors on the beach for a better part of the time any way. On rainly days, my sister-in-law had made us a list of activities to do. I think we hit them all. We went to a tour of the Tillamook Cheese Factory which was wonderful. We got to see how they made, sliced and packaged the cheese and then got to try some samples. Mmmmmm. On another day, we went to the Pioneer Museum which was fascinating. They had alot of old things to look at. My 5 year old is kind of wasted on museums so far. We came, we saw, let's go. :) Next we went and visited Air Museum which had just about every plane you could think of, including some of those that were really old. We took a bunch of pictures so I'll add some of them here at a later date.

When we arrived, my sister-in-law had taken some plastic eggs and filled them up with tiny seashells and planted them all around the trailer. The kids had a blast finding them. She also gave them each a stuffed Easter Bunny and some Easter pencils. What a treat for the girls! It was nice as we had arrived there on Easter so we hadn't done our normal Easter celebration with the kids. Later on that evening, my husband and I did the "Easter" thing for the girls in the trailer. I hid the stuff while he went and played on the beach with the girls for a while. Turned out great and the girls are convinced that I called the Easter Bunny to come to the trailer in the evening because we wouldn't be home.

I'll write more later about the rest of our trip. Right now...I'm ready to hit the sack. :) Take care all...ciao4now!

Tuesday, April 08, 2003

MISCELLANEOUS TIDBITS

The girls are doing wonderfully, as always. I must admit to wanting to be in another state this weekend. They did alot of fighting all the way through. Sometimes it's like that. I feel very blessed that this type of behavior, for extended periods of time, is quite unusual. It has to make you wonder if they feel the stress in the adults around them during the war, and this is one of their ways of dealing with it. I'm mostly over analyzing I'm sure, but I think as parents we tend to do this when our children exhibit behavior that is out of the norm. I couldn't resist posting some really cute pictures of them.


I'm on the Diversity Council this year at work and I must say, we've done some interesting things. I've learned quite a bit during the process. The leader of the council sends out weekly diversity messages, many of them quite thought provoking. With all of the unrest and uncertainty due to the war, I thought this particular one was appropriate.



War Challenges Our Ability to Maintain “Business As Usual.”

Once again, the mood of the country has been affected by world events as war with Iraq has begun. Many of us are confused. We wonder. We worry. And we watch. While in our offices, hospitals, schools, and factories, there is an attempt to keep a sense of normalcy, however, tension may be affecting behaviors. Employees may be edgy, troubled, and confused as they deal with their anxiety. Some may be concerned about their personal safety or the security of America. Others could be thinking about our soldiers in battle or the people of Iraq. And, in the midst of this, there may be heated conversations between people with opposing views about why we are at war or pointed comments about the “good guys” and the “bad.” All this means that our lives have changed and “business as usual’ is more difficult to maintain. As people feel a loss of control they can become distracted, unmotivated, and, ultimately, unproductive. Helping individuals deal with this anxiety will help lessen the tension, provide support for them at this time of uncertainty about the days ahead, and keep the wheels of our businesses rolling. Here are a few suggestions of things that might help lessen the tension and provide support.

Acknowledge Wartime Anxiety

World events in the days and weeks ahead are likely to be stressful. This is the time for compassionate managers to acknowledge that people may feel troubled. The Media will be showing graphic photos of events far away, while at home, we hear of orange alerts and heightened security. The range of reactions will vary depending on people’s feelings about this conflict and their beliefs about this war. Some may exhibit little to no change in emotion or behavior. Others may react to the distractions with symptoms of anxiety including reduced concentration, heightened irritability or sensitivity, and physical maladies-all of these make work difficult. Allow people the space they need and acknowledge the emotional stress they may be feeling. For those who seem to be distracted, a few minutes spent in letting them express their thoughts and feelings will allow the focus to shift to the work at hand. Without investing this time, pent up emotions may heighten symptoms. For many people, work will be the “safe haven” where they can turn their attention to something they know and can control.

Provide Safety Information

One of the major concerns everyone has is about their own personal safety and the safety of their families. One way to reduce anxiety is to provide as much information as you can about safety. Inform your employees of what the company will do in case of a disaster or chemical emergency. Providing concrete information and steps to follow will reduce anxiety about what might happen. If there are activities related to safety in the community, it would be helpful to make this information available.

Maintain a Normal Routine, But Be Flexible

The uncertainty of each day will be eased if individuals know that they can do something about their concerns. Some may find relief checking in with their children. Some may seek travel alternatives to avoid flying. Employees may request paid time off to attend prayer services or to take a mental health break. Other may request a change in their schedule to partake in stress relieving activities such as fitness classes or workout programs. While this may cause minimal disruption in workflow, any supportive gesture will mean a great deal. Although sensitive to these accommodations, most people will expect normal activities will occur. Encourage people to do good work, continue to enjoy each other at work, laugh, and socialize.

Maintain the Message of Respect

While there will be many perspectives on the current events, this is a time to be hypersensitive to maintaining respectful behavior. Just as the issues following 9/11 encouraged us to build bridges of understanding, wartime tension requires us to keep the message of Appreciation in front of everyone. Not only must this message be audible and visible, it must be enforced. Workplaces will be tested during this time to see if the messages of respect and dignity are truly embedded in the culture. People of different races, nationalities, religions, life experiences, and opinions come together at work. We are all one in the discomfort of war. Seize the opportunity to have conversations that promote learning, listening, and unity.

Infuse Conversations with Humanity

There is a plethora of media out there on this world conflict. Military jargon, battle decries, casualty numbers, frightening language, and disturbing images will plague us. Now more than ever, people need to hear words that are comforting. Work to infuse conversations with words of compassion, empathy, understanding, and healing. Hope is the best antidote for anxiety.

United Now More Than Ever
From: ProGroup, Inc. Riverplace One Main St. S.E. Suite 200 Minneapolis, MN 55414
Phone: 800.651.4093 Fax: 612.379.7048 www.progroupinc.com
progroup@progroupinc.com




DOES MANAGEMENT LACK THE HUMAN TOUCH?

I have found that I have been asking myself that question lately. We had an All-Hands staff meeting last week and the guest speaker was our new functional manager. In other words, one of the big bosses. I came away from that meeting with a bad feeling. She was very negative in general, and didn't have many good things to say about our operation here. One of her top priorities is to get a valid EVM (Earned Value Management) system into place because of some problems that occurred during an audit. When an employee asked her why it was allowed to get this way, she replied that she didn't know and it wasn't on her watch anyway (nuff said)

My unpleasant feeling only intensified as the meeting progressed. During the course of an hour, he did alot of posturing. "I" set this up, "I" came up with the idea and impletemented it, etc. When a manager exhibits this type of behavior, it really bothers me. You know very well she had a team of people doing the work and backing her up. I am fortunate that the lower level managers, supervisors and leads (the one's I work for at least) are not like that. For me personnally, it makes me feel as if we are part of a whole team when credit is given where it is deserved. It helps employees feel as though they are significantly contributing and are valued.

We are moving towards a "One Company" approach, and the road has been very rocky. The morale of the employees is at an all time low, due to past lay-offs and rumors of future one's. Add that to the increasing workload and it is the recipe for stress and unhappiness on the job. What excaberates it is that management has copped the attitude that "change happens, there's going to be more of it, and it's only going to get worse." What happened to the human touch? What happened to showing (or at least acting) like you really understood and cared about the impact all of this was going to have on your employees. I ask you management types out there. Does becoming a Manager automatically obliterate all "human" feeling so that you become detatched from the very workforce that supports you? Do you make all of your decisions based soley on what is for the good of the company and not worry about your employees? If so, I'm not so sure I'd want to be a part of that. Don't get me wrong. These changes being implemented are, for the most part, likely valid and will enable us to improve the way we do business. What I'm questioning is how the ideas are presented to the population, as well as the fact that no one goes to the worker in order to measure the impact that these changes will have.

So it goes......



Monday, April 07, 2003

MORE PICTURES!

Finally got the rest of the pictures posted up in my album for my youngest's fifth birthday. We have some really good ones there. You can tell that everyone really had a good time, especially the birthday girl. I loved making a cake. It was alot of work but when I saw her face, it was totally worth it. It is so hard to comprehend that she is five now and will be going to Kindergarten next year. It seems only yesterday she was a baby.

DAYLIGHT SAVINGS TIME

I love the extra daylight at the end of the day but losing that hour is getting harder on me as I get older. I am so sleepy this morning. To top it all off, I carpool and the we had to drop of the husband of the lady I ride in with at the airport so we had to leave a little earlier. This is not a problem, and I don't mind doing it in the least, but oiy, I was having a hard enough time coping with losing that hour, much less getting up ealier. I should have brought my pillow in.

That's about it for now. If you haven't already been to my guestbook make sure you drop by and sign it. Thanks, and have a great day everyone!!!!!

Sunday, April 06, 2003

MORE ADDED TO SITE

Well, I've added my husband's resume to my site. That was interesting. Take a look at it and let me know what you think. I'll probably modify the format after a bit but I've had enough html this morning to last me a while.

LAZY SUNDAY

We are having a lazy Sunday today. I really do need to get this old bod in gear and hop into the shower and start doing some work around the house. We acquired some items from my brother, such as a very large bookcase and some plant stands. I need to do some major reorganizing to make things look right. This means, emptying an existing bookcase of encyclopedias, clearing away the toys, moving new bookcase to to where toys were, moving old bookcase to new location and then figuring out what the heck I'm going to do with the toys. Sigh..I guess this would be a good time to go through all of the toys and get rid of some of them. But don't tell the girls I said that.

Saturday, April 05, 2003

Major Redesign

As you can see, I've revamped my blog. I've also included links to my home page and various other areas to my site. Any feedback you have for here, or anywhere else is greatly appreciated.