At Gibson, we are proud of the company culture we have established, but in order for our culture to stay strong, we must pay attention to how to we handle the integration of new employees. This is the onboarding process.

The goal of onboarding is to have engaged employees who feel valued and become a part of the company culture. Not only does onboarding teach an employee about the company and their role, but it helps them feel like a part of the organization, which in turn makes them a more engaged, empowered and productive employee.

How do you accomplish this? How do you successfully integrate new employees into your company culture?

Workplace injuries can quickly take their toll on the injured worker, other employees and the company. Not only are their increased medical expenses, but there are production losses and added stress to your existing workforce – the costs add up fast! Working with an occupational health facility can significantly help a company control their occupational injuries, illnesses and the related expenses.

According to the Insurance Research Council, 16.3% of all drivers in Indiana do not carry any insurance. Outside of Indiana, one in seven drivers have no insurance. Of those who do carry it, they may only purchase the minimum limits required by the state. What happens if you get into an accident with one of these drivers? Will you be properly covered?

You experience a power surge at your home and everything plugged in gets fried – including your big screen TV and electronics. Are you covered with your standard homeowners policy?

What about if someone spills a glass of wine all over your brand new area rug, or perhaps you spill bleach on your couch on the way to the laundry room? Does your policy cover you for those losses?

Someone has a little too much to drink at your summer party and accidently knocks over your entertainment center, breaking your TV and stereo system? Will you be covered?

As baby boomers reach retirement age, many are choosing to work longer, thus changing the demographic makeup of your workforce. There are proven benefits – they are some of your most loyal and experienced employees, which makes it important for risk and safety professionals to look for targeted strategies to safeguard the safety of their aging workforce.

Studies show that one in four workers will be older than age 55 by 2030. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the numbers of workers age 55 and over will increase from 19 million in 2020 to 32 million by 2015. Workers have several motivators for working longer including improved medical treatment, financial needs (short-term and for retirement), the opportunity to use their talents and skills, to keep mentally and physically healthy, and the enjoyment of work. Regardless of the motivating factor, it is clear that the aging workforce trend is going to be bringing changes to the workforce in the years to come.

Today’s business climate requires that companies keep an especially close eye on expenses. One area where this monitoring sometimes escapes the attention of accountants, bookkeepers, and others who are responsible for corporate financials is workers’ compensation.

Workers’ compensation claims are ultimately a liability for an employer, whether the actual money paid to the injured worker is done through the state, through a private insurance company, or through the self-insured employer itself. But the direct costs of claims are not the only potential expense that employers can incur when it comes to workers’ compensation. Two very costly mistakes that often escape oversight but that can ultimately have a devastating effect on an employer's financial position include:

• Overestimating the amount of reserves needed to pay particular claims
• Failing to bring injured workers back to transitional duty

Whether in the workplace or at home, leading by example is a powerful motivating force. As a parent, you teach your children by example. As a supervisor at work, you can have a great, positive influence by not only your actions but also your expectations.

Knowing what's included in your homeowners coverage before you have a claim can be incredibly valuable!

No, it’s not the latest Hollywood movie about guys and their need for speed. For those of you who know me well, sarcasm is one of my most endearing traits! So as a follow up to Tim Leman’s New Year Safety blog, I thought it would be fun to share my top driving annoyances. While no one reading this is guilty of any of these driving violations, I’m sure we all can think of someone who is. Not surprising, many of these habits cause the majority of claims each year.