A Winter Storm Warning has been issued for Southeast Texas. The warning is in effect 9 p.m. Thursday through 9 a.m. Friday. The National Weather Service says a cold front with an arctic air mass behind it will move into Southeast Texas on Thursday.

Here are some helpful driving tips for your commute Friday. Above all, remain calm and confident. Eliminate any distractions, such as your cell phone or a loud radio.

The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) says it will begin their de-icing operation Wednesday night, and they will be putting magnesium chloride on bridges.

TxDOT says motorists should use extreme caution and remember these safe driving tips:
•Reduce speed
•Maintain at least three times the normal following distance.
•Use extra caution on bridges, ramps, overpasses and shaded areas as they tend to freeze first.
•If you start to slide, ease off the gas pedal or brakes. Steer into the direction of the skid until you feel you have regained traction then straighten your vehicle.

The Texas Department of Public Safety released a list of emergency supplies drivers can keep in their vehicle:
•Blankets/sleeping bags and extra clothing, mittens and hat
•Cell phone, radio, flashlight, extra batteries
•First-aid kit and pocket knife
•High-calorie, nonperishable food, bottled water
•Sack of sand or cat litter for de-icing roadway
•Windshield scraper, tool kit, booster cables, tow rope and shovel

If you did not register for online w2 access, your w2 will be mailed out by 1/31/14 to the address we have on file.

http://oneword365.com/

 

Happy New Year from Kate and Heather!

If you choose to celebrate, please celebrate responsibly.

Statistics show that traffic-related fatalities increase significantly around the holidays. As such, AAA Texas sponsors a complimentary Tipsy Tow on New Year’s Eve and the Fourth of July, which offers free rides to drivers who have been drinking. Avoid becoming a statistic, and help guests stay safe by following these tips:

• Ensure that all guests have a ride to and from their destination in a car driven by a non-drinking designated driver
• Plan activities that take the focus away from drinking, and make non-alcoholic beverages readily available
• Serve high-protein snacks to slow down alcohol absorption
• Stop serving alcohol at least 90 minutes before a party ends, and serve guests coffee or dessert
• Take car keys from intoxicated guests who plan to drive home

Tipsy Tow service provides a complimentary ride and vehicle tow up to ten miles from the point of pickup to drivers who have consumed alcohol on New Year’s Eve and the Fourth of July. Tipsy Tow service is available to members and non-members. Ask for a Tipsy Tow by calling 1-800-AAA-HELP [222-4357]

Attention All Employees- Marketplace health insurance information

Attention All Employees:

                                                                                                                                                              

In 2014, the health care reform law creates a new type of online marketplace for purchasing health insurance coverage. This marketplace is referred to as a Health Insurance Marketplace, or an Exchange. You are not required to purchase insurance coverage through the Marketplace.

Global Employment Solutions is providing the attached notice to help you understand your health insurance coverage options that will be available to you starting in 2014. Please click on the word "attached" and a new page with open. 

Beginning in October 2013, you will be able to find and compare health insurance plans through the Marketplace and your coverage may start as early as January 1, 2014.

If you purchase coverage through a Marketplace, you may be eligible for a federal subsidy that lowers your monthly premiums or reduces your cost sharing. However, to receive these federal savings, you cannot be eligible for health plan coverage through the Company that is affordable and provides “minimum value.” This determination is made beginning Jan. 1, 2014.

The availability of coverage through the Marketplace does not affect your eligibility for coverage through the Company’s health plan. The enclosed notice provides information about the Company’s health plan as it exists today. Information on the Company’s health plan coverage for 2013/2014 is provided in attachment. Please contact Human Resources at (303) 216-9500 or hr@gesnetwork.com if you have any additional questions after reading the enclosed materials.

More information on the health care reform law and the Marketplaces is available at www.healthcare.gov.

Please note, it is also open enrollment time for employee paid insurance coverage through Benefits in a Card. Open enrollment began October 1st, and ends October 31st. You can enroll, add dependents, make coverage changes and cancel coverage during this period.

Top 10 inspirational quotes as rated by Forbes Magazine-

Interesting Facts You Didnt Need to Know!

Interesting Facts You Didnt Need to Know!

Four Steps To Resolving Conflict

Conflicts arise and can escalate quickly. They often occur in the midst of our day- to – day lives and we blow up at someone due to the stress of the day or the frustration of the situation.  There are steps that can be implemented to ensure that conflict doesn’t occur or at least it is minimized.

Let’s look at the scenario below.

A group of co-workers are gathered in the conference room for the weekly Tuesday morning meeting.  It is ten minutes past the start time and a crucial member of the team is late….again.  Reluctant to start without her the other people in the meeting start getting antsy and begin grumbling.

The late co-worker comes breezing in 15 minutes late, a coffee in hand.  “Sorry I’m late.”  And she sits down like nothing has happened.

The team leader has had enough and she lets the co-worker know it. 

 “You are always late.  Every meeting you are late and we sit here waiting for you to show up.  You don’t care about our time and you certainly don’t care about the meeting.”

How well do you suppose that scolding will be taken?  The late co-worker will get angry and react in one of two ways.  She will either be as vocal as the person who scolded her.  Yelling right back and becoming defensive.  The late co-worker was just attacked in front of her peers.  She has decided to fight back.   Let the screaming match begin.

Or she will just seethe quietly and engage in passive-aggressive behaviors.  “It won’t happen again.”  She tells the person who just yelled at her.  But internally she is saying, “I’ll show them.”  Next meeting, she is late.

How can you avoid these types of interactions? There are four simple and effective ways to successfully deal with a situation before it can turn into a major conflict.   Instead of confronting the late co-worker in front of her peers, set aside a time to discuss the issue at hand.  Preferably a neutral setting, like a coffee shop.  Then implement the four steps below:

1.       Use “I” statements. 

Tell the late co-worker how her actions make you feel or how they disrupt the schedule.  For example:

 “I am frustrated when you are late to our weekly Tuesday morning meetings.” 

Using “I” statements makes you take ownership of the feelings, which in reality is how you feel about the situation.  Taking ownership of how someone’s words or actions make you feel is just part of emotional maturity.

2.       Listen, listen, listen.

Often what happens is we do not listen to what the other person is saying.  Instead we are “verbally re-arming.”  “As soon as she gets done talking this is what I am going to say, if she ever shuts up that is, oh my goodness I can’t believe she just said that, I NEVER did that!!!”  When you have this dialogue going on there is no room to hear what the other person is saying.

3.       Re-state what the person just said.

Start with, “This is what I heard you say,” and repeat back what you heard.  This is a two-fold strategy. First it lets the person know that you really did listen and secondly it provides you a moment or two to thoughtfully think about how to respond.  You do not have to provide a response immediately.  You can take a few seconds and think about your response.

4.       Provide a resolution to the issue.

Depending on the reason for the chronic lateness a solution to solve the problem is put on the table.

If the person is just someone who likes to sleep in this will be a possible solution:

“If you are late to the meeting I will start the meeting without you.  You will then be responsible for getting the missed information.”     

Or if you find out there is a personal issue at home:

“I had no idea Tuesday’s was the day you were responsible for taking your mother breakfast.  Let’s see if we can start the meeting 30 minutes later.  If not you will need to make sure you get the information you missed.”

Implementing these four steps is a more adult way to handle conflict.  These steps take the issue “outside” the situation and help you calmly and rationally find a solution.