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HomeMy WebLinkAboutJuneCM OF SEBASTIAN NEWSLETTER FROM THE DESK OF PHIL BOWERS Why Have Employee Evaluations! As the personnel rules are being reviewed, certain personnel activities come to mind that raise questions. I want to share some questions about employee evaluations. Why do we do them? What purpose do they serve? What purpose do they serve here in Sebastian? Well apparently they play a part in moving an employee through the steps of their salary range. Are they used to identify employees for recognition that may go the `extra mile' in job performance? Are they used to identify areas when: training may assist the employee in doing a better job or maybe just knowing more about their job? When an employee is given a rating of `needs improvement' or `unsatisfactory' what happens next? Should something follow? Should the employee and supervisor develop an agreed plan of action to remedy that rating. What should be done if a negative rating is not dealt with or continues into another evaluation cycle. Should the employee that is barely `satisfactory' be treated and recognized the same as an employee that performs well above `satisfactory'? What should the difference be? Do employee evaluations motivate? Do they contribute to a sense of well being about yourself as it relates to your department or the whole work force? What do employee performance evaluations mean to you? I would be interested in receiving your comments and thoughts on this subject. FOR RENT. Gerry Kubes in Community Development is looking for a room mate. Please call 589-3080 if you or anyone you know is interested in renting. .TUNE, 1997 INSIDE CITY LIMITS Birthdays 06/02 Michael Whitney - P/W Maint. Worker III 06/06 Desmond Chambers - P/W Building Maint. Tech. 06/16 Doris Lee - HIR Human Resource Tech. 06/18 Gene Ewert - P/D Police Lieutenant 06/25 Jeffrey Chandler - P/D Police Officer 06/27 Robert Massarelli - C/D Comm. Devel. Director 06/29 Randy Bonar - C/D Code Enforcement Officer Lonzevity Emulovees with 10 or more Years of service: 06/26/84 Michael Beyer - Police Sergeant 06/10/85 Linda Kinchen - Eng. Administrative Asst. 06/30/86 Gary Nicholas - P/W Maintenance Wrk. U Employees with 5-9 vears of service: 06/01/91 Bernita McClanahan - G/C Starter/Ranger 06/10/91 Brian Grzesiak - P/W Maintenance Wrk. I Imnortant Dates $ 06/13/97 Pay Day * 06/14/97 Flag Day 9 06/15/97 Father's Day $ 06/27/97 Pay Day "And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave/O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave." —Francts Scott Key (1779-1843) MISCELLANEOUS EMPLOYEE NEWSt Congratulations to Michelle Morris on the birth of her son. Congratulations to Susie Holmes on the birth of her daughter, Jane Holmes is a grandmother again. City of Sebastian Employee Newsletter MYDAD Mender of toys, leader of boys, changer of fuses, kisser of bruises, —bless him, Dear Lord. Mover of Couches, smoother of ouches, pounder of nails, teller of tales —reward him, 0 Lord. Hanger of screens, counselor of teens, fixer of bikes, chastiser of tykes —help him, 0 Lord. Raker of leaves, cleaner of eaves, dryer of dishes, fulfiller of wishes — bless him, 0 Lord. Jo Ann Heidbreder Did Ya Know! The annual Commerce Clearing House Absence Survey suggest that our losses from absenteeism and tardiness may be higher than we think. For example, a firm with 105 employees loses about $52,000 a year through absences and tardiness that are not only unexcused but largely unnoticed. That's about $496 per employee. And that doesn't include the hidden costs that occur when projects are late or residents receive poor service due to under staffing. —HR Direct News you can use! Literacy If you can read this newsletter, be thankful! — 22% of Americans, including many high school graduates — are fimctionally illiterate. That means that nearly half of America's 191 million adults aren't able to compose a letter in English, or read a medicine label. NOTE: One of the most worthwhile ways you can serve society is to help people learn to read. — Are You Normal? Bernice Kanner Plan Ahead Remodeling or buildine? If you plan to live in your home throughout your "senior" years, make sure you learn about something called "universal design" — architectural details that accommodate the needs of older and/or physically challenged people. The idea is to be able to live comfortable in your home in 10 or 20 years should you or your partner become physically impaired. The Center for Universal Design at North Carolina State University — 1-800-647-6777 — can answer technical questions, help you locate products, and provide special reading materials. International Thomson Publishing — 1-800-842- 3636 — carries several books on the subject of accessible/barrier-free housing design.❑ Arsine Parents Because of increasing life expectancy, more people 65 and older will have living parents who are in their 80s and 90s. When you're planning for your retirement, keep this reality in mind in terms of now much income you'll need and where you'll need to five. —Source: Beth Soldo, specialist in the demography of aging, Georgetown University SAFETY! Lead Paint 0 Lead Paint —sold in the U.S. until 1978— presents little danger if it's stable. But when it's sanded or stripped off during renovations, it presents a "clear danger" to people in the household. If your home was built before 1978, call Environmental Protection Agency hotline -1 -800 -424 - Lead— for lead paint removal guidelines. —Source: Environmental Protection Agency Bleach Never mix chlorine bleach with ammonia, or with cleaning products that contain ammonia — the fumes can seriously injure or kill. —Source: U.S. Consumer Product 8 No Nonsense Safety Reminders ❑ Swimming pools should be completely enclosed by five-foot fencing with self-locking gates. Safety and rescue equipment should be on hand. ❑ Never dive into shallow or cloudy water. Diving injuries are a leading cause of paralysis. ❑ While boating, kids and adults should always wear Coast -Guard -approved personal floatation devices (i.e., life preservers.) ❑ Non -swimming children should wear a life preserver (and be closely supervised) whenever they're even near water. ❑ Wear appropriate safety gear whenever you're on wheels (e.g., helmet, knee pads, wrist guards). ❑ Keep kids off window sills moven if the windows have screens. Every summer, children are killed when they tumble out of open and /or screened windows. ❑ Wear non -slip shoes, and ear and eye protection, when you mow the grass—and keep kids inside until you're finished. ❑ Keep kids and pets away from hot grills. ❑ Don't get "casual" about fireworks. Today's fun isn't worth even a small risk of loosing your fingers, hands, or eyes. Enjoy your city's public display and find other personal entertainment.❑ City of Sebastian Employee Newsletter Com ulsive Sho in ? It's estimated that at least 10 million Americans are addicted to shopping. Bankruptcy, divorce, alcoholismca , depression, and hospitalization n result. Take the test! Yes? • Do you shop to change your mood? • Do you feel high when you shop, and depressed or guilty afterward? g Do you buy what you don't use/wear? O Do you spend more than six hours a week shopping? • Do you hide your shopping or he about it? O Do you argue with your partner/family about it? O Do you constantly think about shopping, even when you aren't doing it? O Do you worry about money, but continue to shop? • Have you tried to cut down, but can't? Ifyou answered "Yes" to six or more of these questions, you may need professional help. For more information about local support groups, write: Debtors Anonymous, PO Box 400, Grand Central Station, New York, NY 10163 Bits And Pieces It is not the critic who counts, not the man who points out how the strong man stumbled or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena; whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs and comes up short again and again; who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, and spends himself in a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows in the end the triumph of high achievement; and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that this place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat. — Theodore Roosevelt QUOTABLE QUOTES Are we having fun? K Laughter and good humor are the canaries in the mine of commerce. If employees, customers, and vendors aren't laughing and having a good time at your company, something is wrong." ❑ —Growing a Business, Paul Hawken Secret of Happiness 66We act as if comfort and luxury were the chief requirement of life — when all we really need to make us happy is something to be enthusiastic about." —Charles `The Four TIRES ofLivine' "I have this theory that our lives rest on four essential tires: A Love Tire, a Mental/Physical Health Tire, a Career Tire, and a Spiritual Tire. (Go ahead and laugh, but I've seen entire self-help movements based on flimsier premises!) When it comes to the Four Tires of Living, very few of us are actually driving a balanced vehicle. Once that was me behind the wheel. I put everything into my Career Tire. Did I pay any attention to my other tires? The Spirituality Tire? Hardly. The Mental/Physical Health Tire? No. Sir. The Love Tire? Hey, ask my ex-girlfriend. I was a workaholic. I was driving on one big, fat, over -inflated Career Tire like some mutant Big Daddy Garlits Off -Road funny car. And when that Tire blew — brother, I realized I'd been going nowhere but in circles. — Source: Adapted from Self -Help for the Bleak by Rich Hall GET IN GEAR. -GET ORGANIZED AT THE OFFICE • Delegate work to responsible co-workers. • Make up to-do lists, and prioritize each item. • Get to work a few minutes early, if possible. This will help you get settled and organized in a relaxed way. • Take a break. Clear your mind and move your to.do. You can't be productive from morning until night without several good breathers. • Clear it out. If not at the end of each day, then at least by Friday, you should be able to see the bottom of your in -box, or at least part ofyour desktop. Read it, do it, file it, or dump it. AT HOME • Set up a "workstation" for every routine task, whether it's paying bills, writing letters, or doing laundry. Keep all necessary tools withing easy reach. This way, you won't be wasting time looking for your favorite pen, or stamps, or a scoop for the laundry detergent. • Make to-do lists. It will give you a great feeling of accomplishment to be able to cross something off the list. • Plan your next day's wardrobe the night before, and assemble it all in one convenient spot. • Each time you service your car, write it in a notebook, along with the date, who did the work, and the current mileage. Keep it in your glove compartment. • Do mindless chores — like putting stamps on envelopes or sorting the laundry — while you're on the phone. — Source: 500 Terrific Ideas for Organizing Everything, by Sheree Bykofsky. City of Sebastian Employee Newsletter Take time to PAUSE Whatever happened to the pauses in our lives? We've lost them! We let technology weasel them away from us — and in the process we've become a crabby nasty, me -first nation of soreheads... We're a hurried people. Whether we're logging onto the information highway, tossing back a double espresso, or listening to a talk -show host appropriately named "Rush," things are going too fast to make sense. THE'GOOD OLD DAYS" We long for the old days because life was slower. There was time to assimilate new ideas, personalities, and technologies. We didn't have to pace ourselves — life did it for us. But as we moved from typewriters to word processors, from wall phones to car phones, and from stoves to microwaves, we lost assimilation time. In his book 79melock, Ralph Keyes wams us that "The overall effect of eliminating one opportunity after another to catch our breath will be to create a breathless society." Our brains may have resented the pause we took to change the paper in our typewriter, but our nervous systems liked it. We need to find ways to reclaim the pauses. MASTERING TT ALL Rapid change is here to stay. If you want to master it, let alone survive it, you'll have to learn to pace yourself. The trick is to give yourself assimilation time. Pause to share a joke, buy flowers, walk around the block, or count an unexpected blessing — your good health, a helpful neighbor, an old car that keeps on running... When stimuli are coming from all directions, take time to pause — to take a deep breath (maybe two deep breaths) and decide where's the best place to focus your energy. Don't wait for your annual vacation to pause — take time to pause in little ways throughout the day. You can be the Master of Your Universe or a Poster Child for the Breathless Society. It's entirely your choice.❑ —Adapted from an article by Patt Schwab, PhD. Dr. Schwab speaks internationally on the topics of managing change and using humor in the workplace. FIRST AID Poison Ivy, Oak, & Sumac Although these plants can cause an allergic reaction in 50% of people, only a minority of people have significant swelling and blistering. You don't have to touch the actual plant to have problems. You can pick up the oily resin of these plants from your outdoor clothes, your pet's fur, or the smoke of burning plants. SYMPTOMS Itching, redness, swelling, and/or blisters. The itching and rash may not begin for several hours or days. WHAT TO DO 1. If you know you've touched a poisonous plant, immediately use soap and water to clean the skin of the oily resin. (If water is not available, apply rubbing alcohol from your first aid kit) 2. Apply calamine lotion or baking soda paste (mix 1 tsp. of water with 3 tsp. of baking soda). Or, try a lukewarm bath sprinkled with a cup or two of Aveeno. (Careful -this can make a tub slippery.) Nonprescription bydrocortisone creams in strengths of 1% or less don't work A doctor can prescribe a corticosteroid ointment for severe rashes. 3. For itching, immerse the area in hot water (water should redden, not bum). Do not use soap. The heat will release the histamine in the skin's cells that cause the itching. Although you will feel itchy during this process, it should give you up to eight hours of relief.[] —Source. National Safety Council First Aid Handbook LIVE TO BE 97? Hazel Wolfs Secrets Hazel Wolf; 97, says her secrets to longevity include: not owning a TV (prevents stress); not owning a car (prevents worrying about parking); not having medical insurance (forces you to do things to stay healthy); *and eating an apple every day. Interesting, but not necessarily recommended.❑ —Seattle -area resident Hazel Wolf is an Audubon Society secretary and a longtime social activist. City of Sebastian Employee Newsletter