Working Mother Best 100 Companies to Work For List
http://www.workingmother.com/bestlist.html

Working Mother Magazine has announced the selection of companies for their 2004 awards. Check out who made the annual list and how they did it.

Rules for Employer Provided Meals and Lodging

Do you know the proper rules for deducting the cost of lodging, meals and other expenses when traveling away from home for business? Find out rules for meals and lodging on the irs.gov website at:

http://www.irs.gov/businesses/small/article/0,,id=129291,00.html

Addressing Health Care Economics with Employees
http://www.benefitnews.com/detail.cfm?id=6488

New plan structures give employees the potential to increase the quality of care while helping their employers - and themselves - manage the cost. This new health environment requires employees to share in more of the cost of the plan - particularly in retirement, where it is becoming more likely that future retirees will pay all of the premium cost.

National Depression Screening Day

On Thursday, October 7, National Depression Screening Day will be held at approximately 7,000 sites across the U.S. Anyone who is concerned that they may be affected by depression, bipolar disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, or generalized anxiety disorder may complete an anonymous questionnaire that will assess their likelihood of having one of these disorders.

According to Screening for Mental Health, Inc., mental health disorders affect men and women differently. But the statistics are not what one might expect. For example, although the general public tends to associate post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) with male war veterans, women are actually twice as likely to experience PTSD. Also, while nearly twice as many women as men experience depression, depressed men are less likely to seek help.

To find a National Depression Screening Day site near you, visit http://www.mentalhealthscreening.org or call 1-800-520-NDSD (6373).

Providing consumers with branded health information is more than a good idea — it’s good business.

Average Number of Unproductive Hours in a Typical Eight-Hour Work Day, by Condition*

* On days when affected by the condition / Sample Size = 563
Source: Medstat. For additional detail, please visit http://www.medstat.com

Health, Finances Affected By Worker Stress
http://www.themarlinco.com/

A number of recent surveys show that stress among American workers is increasing, and it’s affecting their health.

The Marlin Company’s tenth annual “Attitudes in the American Workplace” poll indicated that almost three-fourths – 70% – of American workers believe that employees in their workplace are more stressed now than they were a year ago.

The poll also discovered that 60% of workers say that their job negatively affects their physical and emotional well-being sometimes, often or very often.

An AP poll indicated that although almost half of U.S. workers found their job very satisfying, stress at work is a frequent complaint, with 34% dissatisfied with the amount of stress.

A New York Times article revealed that 53% of U.S. workers say work leaves them “overtired and overwhelmed.”

The American Institute of Stress claimed that workplace stress causes U.S. companies more than $300 billion per year. Stressed workers incur 46% higher health care costs, or $600 more per person.

Nontraditional hours and digital technologies that keep workers tethered to their jobs add to the stress, with American workers putting in more than 1,800 annual hours, says the International Labor Office – 350 more than the Germans and slightly more than the Japanese.

Long-Distance Caregiving Poses Challenges

Long-distance caregiving causes workers to carve time out of their workday to handle caregiving tasks.

A new survey of 1,130 long-distance caregivers from MetLife Mature Market Institute and the National Alliance for Caregiving shows 64% of long-distance caregivers work full-time, and 18% work part-time. To accommodate caregiving demands, men and women are equally likely to rearrange work schedules, leave early, come in late, take unpaid leave or consider changing employers, but women are more likely than men to miss work days or switch from full-time to part-time employment.

Almost 50% of long-distance caregivers spend eight hours per week managing needed care services. Long-distance caregivers live an average of 450 miles from the care recipient, the survey indicates.

"The contributions made by long-distance caregivers underscore the need to recognize the role played by all caregivers in the long-term care system today,” says Sandra Timmermann, director of the MetLife Mature Market Institute. “Employers should consider the impact that long-distance caregiving has on workplace productivity and identify solutions to assist caregivers so they can do their jobs, tend to their own families and provide care for their parents."

A copy of the study may be found at www.metlife.com.

Find a Flu Shot Clinic

The American Lung Association Flu Shot Locator can help you find a nearby clinic. Learn more about who should get a flu shot and how to tell the difference between a cold and the flu.
http://www.findaflushot.com/lungusa