Each year OSHA releases the 10 most frequently cited standards.

Are you taking proper precautions to avoid these hazards in your facility?

Today we’re sharing insight from guest blogger Jerry Scott. We hope you enjoy Jerry’s wisdom and perspective.

“Anyone can become angry – that is easy. But to be angry with the right person, to the right degree, at the right time, for the right purpose, and in the right way – this is not easy.” - Aristotle, The Nicomachean Ethics

Businesses must approach disaster planning as a probable scenario. Approaching it as a possible scenario is not enough. There are several points of impact resulting from a disruption in power, from (the obvious) loss of connectivity, to (the physical) damaged equipment, or (the elusive) reputation damage. Businesses lose more than just power when an outage occurs. Disaster preparedness involves a planning process resulting in both external and internal communications that help a business continue operating as usual, no matter the situation. To facilitate the planning process, ten steps are discussed, beginning with the “Analysis Of Potential Threats,” and concluding with the ever-important “Recovery Phase.”

Fall is my favorite time of the year. The crisp temperatures and awesome views of the changing leaves are just a couple of reasons. Fall also brings the month of October, which happens to be National ESOP Month. It might not technically be as good as Christmas, but October is a great month for us at Gibson! We celebrate our GESOP throughout the month.

Yes, we celebrate our GESOP in the other months as well, but typically we have one ownership-related activity each month. In October, we have an ownership activity each week. One week, we’re bringing in Dairy Queen treats with themes of “How Sweet It Is To Be An Employee Owner” and “It’s A Treat To Work At Gibson”. Another week, we’re playing GESOP bingo, where all winning cards will go into a drawing for a really cool prize.

Today we’re sharing insight from guest blogger Ron Kitchens, chief executive officer of the Southwest Michigan First Group of Companies. Tim Leman is taking time off from writing his weekly blog to work on an exciting project focused on culture and leadership. We hope you enjoy Ron’s wisdom and perspective.

Always take a chance on better, even if it seems threatening. - Ed Catmull

Success is one of the most dangerous things that any organization can experience because once you’ve tasted success, you become more risk averse. You don’t want to give that up. You don’t want to risk failing anymore because now you know how awesome it feels to be successful. So, what do you do about it? You have to create systems that constantly challenge the status quo.

Employee Engagement. Company Culture. Establishing a positive company culture matters. A company’s culture can be an incredible asset…but if not given the proper attention, it can become your greatest risk.

Culture is the values, beliefs, and the norms of a company. It’s not your policies and procedures; it’s the way you do things. It has many facets. Safety, employee wellness, employee wellbeing, and even the overall organizational health. And in order to establish a positive culture, you must engage your company leaders AND your employees.

We understand the steps to fire prevention and protection for our home. We teach our kids the importance of smoke detectors and why they need to be checked regularly. We establish an escape plan and determine a meeting place. In school, our kids learn what to do and where to go in case of a fire. And they participate in numerous drills.

But what about our workplace? Are we properly prepared to handle a fire? Have we trained our employees and practiced our action plan?

Just as with your family or at school, taking time to plan BEFORE a fire can be critical to survival. Here are four basic steps to help you create a pre-fire plan

Today we’re sharing insight from guest blogger Mike Cahill, member of the Gibson Board of Directors, CEO of AWS Foundation, and former CEO of Tower Bank & Trust. Tim Leman is taking time off from writing his weekly blog to work on an exciting project focused on culture and leadership. We hope you enjoy Mike’s wisdom and perspective.

People who know me know I enjoy mentoring young people. Maybe it’s because I have four children born between 1984 and 2000. Maybe it’s because the demographics show this to be the largest population group. Or maybe it’s because this generation is just beginning to influence the workforce.

As much as we talk about Millennials, let’s not forget about Boomers and Gen Xers. These two generations currently dominate the workplace. I’m a Boomer. The gray hairs give it away.

Birth certificates, passports, bank statements, bills, receipts, family health records, insurance paperwork, tax receipts, credit card info – your family accumulates a lot of important documents. What do you do with all of these records? How do you decide what to store and for long? What is the safest storage method for your files?

Taking time to organize and protect your family’s records is important. Not only can it save you time when you need to find specific documents, but it can also significantly help in case of emergency.

As the use of social media continues to grow exponentially, the line between professional and personal life tends to blur. Most likely, many of your employees are using social networks for personal use. They have connected with coworkers and clients. They may also help share posts from your company’s social networks to their own personal ones. The employee’s network of friends and followers probably begin to associate the individual with your company. This can be great. Employees can become some of your most effective brand advocates.

However, being aware of the potential risks is important.