The fact that Ease@Work is blogging is proof that social media has reached critical mass. When our target audience (anybody managing employees) starts reading this blog in large numbers and utilizing it to exchange ideas, I will believe that social media has reached critical mass as a tool for management. (Believe me, we’re not there yet. I’m patient though. It’s only been 7 months.)

By now, you have probably seen that Cleveland topped this year’s Forbes Magazine list of America’s most miserable cities. As a Cleveland Area native and life-long resident, I am used to reading things like this and am even able to find humor in it. Heck, I even posted it to my Facebook page. If we can’t laugh at ourselves we’ll cry, right?

The world is starting to figure out that early childhood education is very important. Ask any employee with children. One of their biggest challenges is to balance work and parenthood. A good daycare arrangement will put the parent at ease when in the role of an employee and will set the child on a course to becoming a well-educated adult. While Ease@Work helps businesses to address this issue in the workplace, our parent company the Center for Families and Children (CFC) is addressing this issue on a societal level.

When mental illness enters the workplace by Patrick Gaul The Society for Human Resource Management recently published an article of offbeat or humorous stories related by HR Managers to SHRM Online.  One example was a request by a Wiccan employee for time off work to celebrate the Winter Solstice.  The request was granted and the Manager “received [...]

If you are looking at ways to improve development, why not look at the things you highlight when recruiting employees? Are there any benefits that can be efficiently extended to board members? I recently had a conversation with an administrator at a non-profit Ease@Work customer. She had been telling a board member about the new fitness coaching service we had recently added to our program. This board member was interested in this service because, like most of the US population, she was looking for help with weight loss.

As a business owner, manager or human resource (HR) professional, have you noticed a rise in more employees using sick time? Or, have you seen an increase in employees and their family members using health care benefits? Has there been a spike in employees accessing your employee assistance program (EAP) benefit? If so, you’re not alone.

Stress enters our lives on almost a daily basis. Most of the time, we manage our stressors and move on. But the holidays seem to bring with them a heightened element of stress for many. Now, not only do we have to contend with our "normal" stressors, but we also have added pressures from holiday expectations.

The holidays are just around the corner and retailers are gearing up to get into “the black” for 2009. The sales circulars are readied with out of this world deals...all vying for your hard-earned dollars. But watch out! Some deals may be just too good to be true.

This week I concluded a project that began in the spring. I am on the “Chapter Champion” committee for Cleveland Society for Human Resource Management (CSHRM). Our committee is responsible for the annual silent auction which takes place at (almost) every November CSHRM Chapter meeting.

When is the best time to start a fitness program? Whether you’re talking about diet or exercise, people often vow to start health and wellness activities at particular times - next Monday, next week, after the holidays...

What do you do if you sense your relationship with your spouse or significant other is falling apart? What if you miss the intimacy of your earlier relationship and feel like your life together is just a matter of going through the routine?

Childcare resource and referral is essential to an integrated employee assistance program (EAP). In fact, Research by Childstats.gov, a forum on child and family statistics, indicates that less than 5 percent of working mothers were the primary caregiver for children ages 0-4 in 2006. That means that the other 95 percent were receiving care from other sources. Needless-to-say, childcare concerns can have a big impact on workplace productivity if the parent/guardian does not make adequate arrangements for the care of their children.