When an emergency strikes, will you and your employees be ready to respond? Do you have an emergency action plan in place? Even if you have a written plan in place, will everyone react according to the plan?

Having a plan is critical, especially in an emergency, but it won’t do you any good if your employees don’t know how to respond! You can help lead the fight by effectively communicating and training your employees on what the plan is and how to respond in case of emergency.

Today we’re sharing insight from guest blogger Amish Shah, President & CEO of Kem Krest. We hope you enjoy Amish’s wisdom and perspective.

As a curious youngster my favorite word was “Why?” and the most disheartening response was “Because I said so!” While parents have every right to give direct commands without providing further details, (and frankly it would be exhausting if you had to debate every decision), an answer without context and understanding always leaves people unsettled and dejected.

Why is timely reporting important for workers’ compensation claims? If you, as the employer, report claims in a timely manner you’ll see faster treatment for the injured employee, the prevention of injury exacerbation, and even future accident prevention. You’ll also likely notice lower costs.

Spring brings rising temperatures, extended daylight, and blooming flowers. Though the cold weather and icy road conditions of winter are gone, it’s important to remember that the spring and summer months have their own hazardous weather conditions that require preparation.

“This is how you do it: You sit down at the keyboard and you put one word after another until it’s done. It’s that easy and that hard.” – fiction writer Neil Gaiman

You’re reading my hectoblog. That’s means #100 in case you slept through the metric system lessons in school. A solid hundo. The Benjamin of blogs. My blogging century club.

I’ll sleep when I’m dead.

Maybe you’ve used that phrase or heard a colleague or friend utter it. In the midst of our busy lives, sleep often falls by the wayside. But the reality is - sleep isn’t an option. A recent British survey revealed that people who sleep less than six hours a night have a 13% higher mortality rate than those sleeping at least seven hours.

Many factors contribute to sleeplessness such as family worries and financial concerns, but one factor that stands out above others: work. The work we do can affect the quality of sleep we get. It can impact how much free time we have, how anxious we feel, and how tired we are.

Today we’re sharing insight from guest blogger Terry Bush, Director of HR Services at Kruggel Lawton CPAs. We hope you enjoy Terry’s wisdom and perspective.

I’ve been fortunate to be in the accounting profession my entire career thus far. It's incredibly rewarding and also a bit ironic. Rewarding in that I get to work with talented, motivated, enjoyable people every day, something for which I feel very lucky. Ironic in that my academic background is human resources, and I wasn't planning or expecting to join this industry.

Countless people have influenced my life, mostly for the good I’d like to think. Perhaps I’ve discarded memories of those whose impact wasn’t positive or hopefully I’ve forgiven them. At any rate, lately I've been thinking about some of the people who have had the most significant and positive impact on my career. These individuals have taught me so much. Taking the time to reflect on these relationships has been quite valuable.

Today we’re sharing insight from guest blogger, Dr. Eric Bricker, Chief Medical Officer of Compass Professional Health Services. We hope you enjoy Dr. Bricker’s wisdom and perspective.

The February 28, 2017 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) published an article by Dr. Michael Fischer and Dr. Jerry Avorn entitled, “Step Therapy—Clinical Algorithms, Legislation and Optimal Prescribing,” that explains the benefits of step therapy, an approach intended to control the costs and risks posed by prescription drugs.

Step therapy is a relatively new program offered by insurers and pharmacy benefits managers (PBMs) that requires patients to try lower cost or generic medications before they can ‘step up’ to a more expensive medication.

According to the National Safety Council, motor vehicle deaths increased 6% in 2016 over the 2015 data, with an estimated total of 40,200 lives lost. The annual death toll from car crashes hasn’t surpassed 40,000 since 2007, so the new data is concerning.

Why such an increase? Officials say part of this escalation can be attributed to higher road density. An improving economy and higher employment rates combined with lower average gas rates to put more drivers on the road, and these motorists are covering more ground.

Today we’re sharing insight from guest blogger Jim Spuller. Jim has 40+ years of sales, marketing, and leadership experience and now provides sales training and leadership as a Business Development Consultant for Gibson. We hope you enjoy his wisdom and perspective.

How important is connectivity and what are the benefits? When people speak of connectivity today one thinks of the internet via LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or the like, but the lost art of human connectivity is the subject of today’s blog. While I am clearly an advocate of technology, there is something missing with the lack of personal interaction.