Hello ,

I like board meetings. I enjoy the give and take of discussion, the ideas that result from group dynamics. We spend a great deal of time getting information together for our insurance boards in advance of each meeting. Most of our board members read through the reports and are ready to discuss proposals and options when they come to the meeting. I have found board members want to be active and engaged in real decision making, and they do not want to have their time wasted.

 

Not everyone is comfortable with board meetings. I have talked with many county staff members who shudder at the thought of making presentations, and really do not want to have to attend a commissioners or county council meeting unless absolutely necessary. I would argue that to really do your risk management job well, interacting with and reporting to the commissioners or council is important.

 

If you can sit down and write out your proposal, recommendation or explanation of the problem in advance, and get it to the decision makers in advance of the meeting, I believe this makes your chances of success greater. Most decision makers don't want to be surprised, especially in a public meeting. Try to anticipate questions or objections and present your data in a factual, non-judgmental way. Remember that while you may have lived with the issue for some time and understand all the background issues and events which have led to your proposal, the decision makers may not share your depth of experience with the issue. Provide some written history, but not a volume of paper! Make it clear you are familiar with the issue, and be ready to answer questions. Don't hide any details "till later" as that will no doubt lead to a surprise or may result in decision makers being suspicious of you the next time you present a recommendation.

 

Sometimes you can get others to support your position. We do this a lot with insurance and risk management issues, and are happy to provide our opinion as to insurance coverage, riskiness of the exposure being considered, and comparisons with what we see other counties doing.

  

Make sure you call us when you need help with something,

                              John Sallade

The Pennsylvania Counties Risk Pool (PCoRP) was successful with this year's June 1 renewal and was able to negotiate a flat renewal, meaning that PCoRP Members on a pool wide average will see no change in their costs from last year's renewal. The rates adopted by the PCoRP Board are a pool-wide average. Each member's individual cost may vary up or down from the pool average depending on exposures (property values, payroll, number of officers, number of autos, etc.) and on the member's claims experience.

 

All of PCoRP's reinsurance companies that participated in last year's program offered a competitive renewal for this year, therefore the board renewed coverage with all of last year's reinsurers. Specific information on any changes in the terms and conditions of the PCoRP Coverage Document was included within each member's renewal proposal. The majority of the changes made to the PCoRP Coverage Document this year clarify the intent of existing provisions. Members should refer to the proposal under the 2011-2012 PCoRP Memorandum of Coverage and Coverage Document Changes section of their renewal packet for a complete detailing of changes.

 

The PCoRP Board of Directors met on April 7, 2011, and adopted terms for PCoRP's insurance program renewal effective June 1, 2011. All members received a detailed renewal summary and other documents in a renewal packet in early May.

 

PCoRP provides liability, property, auto and crime coverages to 44 counties and four county related entities. For more information about PCoRP contact Karen Cohen at CCAP.

 

  

  

Public employers are constantly faced with the challenges of dealing with changing federal and state laws and mandates, union contracts, memorandums of understanding and management directives. When you add in the differences in management that can happen as a result of elections, the amount of change and uncertainty can seem overwhelming. While these challenges can be considerable, they pale in comparison to the challenges presented by that which is our greatest asset and our greatest headache - our employees. 

 

We hire employees to perform the services of county government and to put a face on those services. We hire them based upon their credentials and experience. Hopefully, we also hire them based upon their personality fit with existing employees and their ability to relate successfully with our constituents. 

 

I have often joked to supervisors during training seminars that they would have a great job if it weren't for the people!  But the "people" ARE their job - especially getting the most efficient, effective and error-free production from them. Ninety percent of our training seminars focus on how to accomplish exactly that. We are constantly reviewing strategies designed to get our employees to work as teams, to provide great service and to buy into visions, goals and new operating systems. The quest for a better worksite will continue forever, Don Quixote!

 

Unfortunately, employees are not as concrete as even the most maddening federal mandate. They are endlessly complex, and those complexities constantly change over time. Our employees grow and mature. They fall in love (sometimes at work!). They marry. They have children. (Not necessarily in that order.) They divorce. They get sick or lose loved ones to an early death. They eat too much, drink too much alcohol and take drugs to help them cope with life's slings and arrows. Their finances change over time and many find themselves unable to keep up with their bills.  They have strained relationships with their parents, their spouses and their children. Their work suffers and the other employees soon resent them, and then there are the supervisors who often seem reluctant or clueless as to how to deal with the situation. 

 

When you inject the pressures of the "Great Recession" into their lives, the employee's problems, real or perceived, multiply by 50 to 100 percent.  But wait, isn't the "Great Recession" officially over? The stock market has been climbing for two years. Businesses are posting record profits. The United States economy is projected to grow about 3 percent this year. 

 

SO WHAT COULD BE WRONG? 

 

After the federal government stopped its stimulus spending, the revenue shortfalls fell to the states. As we all know, Pennsylvania is facing about a four billion dollar shortfall. The governor's budget calls for deep cuts in public education, higher education and state government. Even if our county employees are not personally facing the budget ax, many of them are married to or related to someone who works for the state or a school district. Many others have children attending college or preparing to do so.  For many county employees, the highly debilitating stress that is born of uncertainty returns. Concerns about budgets, employment and the cost of living increase dramatically. Gas prices spiral upward. Those employees not affected directly by the budget cuts will be worried about their adult children or other relatives and friends. The evidence to support this theory is borne out in our EAP utilization numbers:  since January 1, we have seen a 15 percent increase in requests for services through the EAP by county employees. The increase in requests for help with emotionally related issues has increased more than 26 percent. 

 

When our employees are asked to perform their jobs under considerable stress, several things can happen:

 

1. They bring their personal concerns to work with them. This leads to a lack of focus, a decrease in clarity of thought, and an increase in mistakes. The amount of work accomplished can diminish by up to 25 percent.
2. This stress brings out the worst in our personalities and behavior. Customers, coworkers and vendors and suppliers usually bear the brunt of these changes.  Any efforts made at encouraging teamwork and excellent customer service are sabotaged.
3. Ongoing high stress levels lead to psychological and physical illness.  Absenteeism, presenteeism and use of health insurance increase as they try to cope with these issues, which can be real or perceived.
4. Some employees turn to drugs or alcohol as a coping mechanism. Self-medication is seen as a way to reduce the stress and ease both physical and emotional pain. Increasing self-medication can lead to performance problems at work.
5. A few employees may resort to violence. If an employee loses most or all of their support system, and feels completely powerless over the negative changes in their life, he/she may see this as the only way out. This violence can be directed at self or others.

 

What is the appropriate response to all of this? Employers must be vigilant in watching for the tell-tale signs of excessive stress in their workforce. Front line supervisors must be educated on recognizing and dealing with the effects of stress on their employees.  They must also be well versed in the Employee Assistance Program (EAP). They need to know how it works, what it can and cannot do, and how to steer employees to its services.  Employees must be constantly reminded of the EAP benefit, so that they can voluntarily access its services should the need arise. 

 

The EAP needs to adjust its sails as well. It needs to examine the services it offers to be sure that they meet the current needs of their clients. We do this on an ongoing basis. So far this year we have developed a specific package of services for our school district clients as they struggle to deal with unprecedented budget cuts. We are reviewing the services we can provide for those with college age children, and the services we provide to families and veterans of our current wars. Also this year, we have built new training programs designed to help employees and their families deal with budgeting and financial issues. 

 

But to weather this current economic storm, we need to work as a partnership. While employers manage job performance and service delivery, the EAP must be ready to help employees and their family members with the stressors and problems impacting their lives. The EAP is only as effective as the services it delivers. Strong support for the EAP by county management is a key to our mutual success. Historically, those counties that regularly promote the EAP to their employees have the highest utilization and the best results. A large part of that promotion can be through the materials we provide free of charge, or through a link to the EAP website through the county's intranet. In-person training programs also put a face to the program's services and emphasize the EAP's confidentiality. 

 

We welcome any recommendations for improvement of our service delivery to our clients, or ideas for how we can be more effective in helping your employees. By working together, we can address problems before they become overwhelming and ensure a brighter future for county employees and their families.

 

For more information about the EAP program or the CCAP UC Trust, which sponsor the EAP for its members, contact Julia Jackson at CCAP.

 

  

PELICAN Insurance, PACAH and CCAP's nursing home liability insurance program, recently unveiled a new loss control incentive program aimed at limiting losses and providing premium savings. The program offers three activities providing premium credits of up to 3 percent annually.

  

The first time this credit can be earned will be for the March 1, 2012 renewal based on activities conducted from March 2011 through February 2012. For more information, contact your PELICAN loss control specialist or Christie Ward at (800) 895-9039 or cward@pacounties.org.

  

  

  

  

CCAP's Public Institution Medical Cost Containment program welcomes Terry Browning, Kevin Deparlos and Jonathan Byrnes to the program's governing board. All were appointed to fill vacancies on the board. Terry is Tioga County's Deputy Warden, Kevin is Lycoming County's Warden, and Jonathan is Business Manager, Bucks County Health Department.

 

The PIMCC program provides medical cost containment services to county prisons and nursing homes, including contract negotiation and medical bill review. For more information on PIMCC contact Patty Ensminger or Donna Lyter at CCAP.

 

  

NATIONAL SAFETY AWARENESS AND WELLNESS OBSERVANCES FOR JUNE