Research shows business owners are increasingly relaxed about employees doing personal tasks during the workday. Here's why that's the right approach.

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You pay your workers, obviously, to work. Sure, you understand that they also have busy lives outside of the office and, just like you, struggle to fit in all the errands, emails, trips to the bank, and kids' activities that clutter their calendars.

But if you catch members of your team doing personal chores during the workday, you're still going to be annoyed, right?

Wrong, argues a recent post on Knowledge@Wharton Today, which recommends business owners and managers make a conscious decision to chill out about their employees doing personal chores during company time. Why? First off, you'll be in increasingly good company, according to recent research. The post explains:

The study of 1,000 employees and employers from the United States, Great Britain, Germany, France, and Ireland found that many managers are taking an increasingly relaxed attitude toward how workers structure their days, in part because the bosses assume--correctly, according to the study results--that many are putting in time outside the office to finish work tasks.

Smart bosses, in other words, are starting to grasp that work is something you do, not a place or a set of hours. "In the pre-Internet world and in the manufacturing-based economy, your physical presence was really the thing that mattered," explains Wharton management professor Stewart Friedman in the post. "Performance management systems were created around the idea of time as the essential metric," he says. But time plays a different role these days in many businesses.

If you run a retail business, say, where physical presence is key, employees actually being available the entire workday is obviously essential. But if your business is about information, and productivity is measured in the output of the mind not the quantity of effort or amount of personal touch, then it's less of an issue if you're employees are slipping off to the bank in the middle of the afternoon.

As The Chief Happiness Officer blog has explained, the idea of productivity being a direct function of time is a relic of an industrial age when the longer you stood on the production line, the more widgets you'd produce. In the information economy, where inspiration is more valuable, new rules of productivity apply, according to the post. These dictate that longer hours don't always equal greater results, output varies wildly over time (and that's OK), and happiness is good for productivity.

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Employees Doing Personal Chores at Work? Let Them!

According to the draft guidelines issued by Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority (IRDA) in May, travel, personal accident and critical illness (CI) covers will come under the health insurance segment. Health insurance business means the effecting of insurance contracts which provide for sickness benefits or medical, surgical or hospital expense benefits, travel health insurance and personal accident cover, said the IRDA draft.

At present, personal accident and CI covers come under miscellaneous business. The Health Insurance Act, which comprises health insurance, does not include travel, personal accident and CI covers. Hence to include these covers under the health insurance may require the approval of finance ministry.

Also, personal accident, CI and travel covers are offered only as standalone coversan insurance product that an individual buys to cover a specific risk or cost. It is the opposite of an insurance policy with broad coverage that applies to a number of risks in different scenarios. While, benefit covers (issued by life insurers) can be bought as an add-on on term plans. IRDA wants travel medical policies to be offered either as a standalone product or as an add-on cover to existing health policy as and when existing policyholder travels. Anshul Anand, CEO, PolicyMantra.com, said, In the draft guideline, IRDA has mentioned two options for travel insurancestandalone policy or as an add-on to the existing health insurance policy. Lifetime renewability is not applicable for travel insurance as it is provided for temporary visit and lifetime renewability is available only when there isuninterruptedrenewal hence this contradicts.

The renewability of health insurance policies (Chapter IV) of the draft, says, Benefit based policies where policies terminate on happening of the event as per the terms and conditions of the policy; renewability clause shall explicitly state such conditions in the promotion material and the policy documents. Ex. Critical illness benefits policies.

In case of CI, policy ceases once the benefit is paid while in health insurance continues even after the claim is made. CI are like riders or standalone cover which cannot be renewed like health insurance plans, added Mr Anand.

He further said, Portability thing is not clearly mentioned in the draft for CI and hence it will raise some concerns as CI works differently from mediclaim. We will be able to comment more only when IRDA supply further documents on CI. We have also discussed things with reinsurer and they too felt that more clarification is needed. The regulator has also disallowed assigning policies to anyone else. Thus, policyholders may not be able link any of the general insurance policies to loan.

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NEW YORK, July 27,2012 /PRNewswire/ --With more than 81% of the HBA Global audience influencing the purchase of products and services for brand development of cosmetics, fragrances, personal care and skin care lines, the atmosphere at the event was all about business.More than 16,615 health and beauty professionals converged under one roof to source new suppliers, gain knowledge on industry trends, and develop new business relationships.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120727/NY47682-a) (Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120727/NY47682-b) (Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120426/NY95610LOGO)

Boasting a 4% increase in attendance, the recently concluded HBA Global took place from June 19-21 at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York. All the major brands were in attendance including Avon, Coty, Estee Lauder, L'Oreal, Revlon, Procter & Gamble, LVMH, and Unilever. In addition, HBA Global was an important forum for many emerging and niche brands and remains unmatched in providing information and resources needed to get new products to market.

"HBA Global has truly helped in the growth of my business by providing a number of useful resources, such as education, an array of exhibitors and a great place to network with my peers," said Tonya Tko, Manager, TKYOSKIN.

Attendees cited finding new suppliers a top objective at HBA Global and the event had a wide range of business services related to product and packaging development. More than 15 countries were represented as international resources with the majority from the United States.

"HBA Global is a great show for San-Mar Labs because it provides an excellent venue and a central meeting location to meet and greet current and new customers in a condensed couple of days making it more than convenient to do business," said Frank Penna, Vice President, San-Mar Laboratories Inc. of Elmsford, NY.

Several new features were added to the HBA exhibit floor and were popular among attendees. Innovation Pavilions in Anti-Aging Skincare, Eco & Sustainability as well as Tubes attracted more than 70% of the HBA Global audience.

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Business-Building Strong At HBA Global In New York

Ritas Career Corner With Rita B. Allen

Have mentors played an essential role in your professional and/or personal development? As you have advanced in your career, have you taken the time to mentor others whom you have worked with and/or managed? Having and being a mentor are two of the major milestones during ones career and contribute greatly to establishing and building your personal brand.

The typical image of a mentor is of someone in the workplace but mentors enter our lives from a variety of venues, each offering different learnings that speak to our many needs. Those needs can be quite diverse and filled by a variety of mentors, each offering wisdom and counsel in different ways. In fact, its important to search out multiple mentors to address our multiple needs. Be your own advocate and initiate these relationships rather than waiting to be mentored. Find your authentic self and personal brand by identifying what value you have to offer as well as what you aspire to achieve. Seek out potential mentors, trusted advisors as well as sponsors for support throughout the different phases of your career. In addition, welcome opportunities to mentor others throughout their careers.

A Five Step Model for Developing Mentor Relationships:

Step 1 First and foremost, identify what you need Set goals and objectives that you would like to achieve with each specific mentor. Be realistic and practical with your expectations being thoughtful and mindful of their time. Make sure that you are creating a partnership that is one of give and take. Offer your assistance, knowledge and resources to your mentors just as frequently as you ask for their help. It is all about relationship building what you put into the relationship is just as important, if not more so, than what you get out of the relationship. Approach each mentor in a sincere and authentic manner. Be clear and concise in communicating your needs and expectations. Ask them for their input and feedback.

Step 2 Reach out to a variety of mentors to meet diverse needs Establish mentor relationships with multiple individuals across many parts of your life. Mentors come in all shapes and sizes from all faucets of our world both personally and professionally. They can come in the form of role models, peers, colleagues, managers, leaders, professors, teachers, family members, friends, relatives, coaches and other contacts. We enter into these mentor relationships as well as maintain them in formal and informal ways. The key is to be diligent in establishing and nurturing long lasting relationships with all of the mentors in our lifetime. Be pro-active and strategic by identifying mentors that cross all of the different paths of your career and enhance your ability to develop and grow both personally and professionally.

Step 3 Create a strategy that offers your value-add and keeps mentors engaged Identify your personal brand and articulate it effectively. Prior to entering into any mentor relationship, do your homework. Prepare yourself for the difficult questions a mentor will ask you and be ready for the challenge. Enter into the relationship confident and empowered. Know yourself your strengths, weaknesses, skills, competencies, interests, values and priorities. Assess your short and long term goals for your career and life. Invest in your education and continued advancement. Be active in professional associations and involved in your community. Take on leadership roles that nourish and feed your passion(s)!

Step 4 Stay true to your vision and your goals Keep a formal plan that you update and visit regularly. You cannot stay true to yourself if you do not keep yourself accountable. The mentee is the driver for any mentor relationship it is important to be mindful of this and be diligent with your initiatives. Have a vision that spans over ten years at a minimum and revisit your goals on a regular basis. Make changes and adjustments as necessary. Keep an open mind to new possibilities while staying focused on your track.

Step 5 Communicate, Communicate, Communicate! Keep the channels of communication open throughout the entire mentor relationship and beyond. Let your mentor know of your progress your struggles, lessons learned, and successes. Be sure to give your mentor feedback on a regular basis by sharing the ways they are positively impacting you. Show your gratitude and appreciation. Be an active listener reflect on the feedback you receive and incorporate it into your strategies. Keep an open mind and be flexible to new opportunities and possibilities. Accept constructive criticism and offer concerns. Dont be afraid to show vulnerability and take some risks. Open and honest communications will set the foundation for building a trusting relationship and rapport for both mentor and mentee.

Mentors are an essential ingredient for career success! Be sure to include this important and valuable resource in your career planning and development strategies. Remember, it is every individuals job to manage their own career not their mentors!

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Seek out mentors in building your personal brand

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Amazon (AMZN), which has come under intense scrutiny for unfavorable labor conditions at its fulfillment centers, announced a new worker-education program this week to help improve the careers of some of the company's most dedicated employees.

The largest U.S. online retailer plans to reimburse its full-time hourly workers for vocational training at an accredited school. Selected employees would be given $2,000 a year for four years.

The caveat lies in the program requirements. In order to apply and participate, workers must have been with the company for at least three consecutive years.

Amazon posted details about its program on its retail site Monday:

"At Amazon, we like to pioneer, we like to invent, and we're not willing to do things the normal way if we can figure out a better way. It can be difficult in this economy to have the flexibility and financial resources to teach yourself new skills. So, for people who've been with us as little as three years, we're offering to pre-pay 95% of the cost of courses such as aircraft mechanics, computer-aided design, machine tool technologies, medical lab technologies, nursing, and many other fields."

Amazon's Career Choice Program: Good for Workers or P.R. Stunt?

Showcasing the company's new education program on the Amazon homepage has some critics wondering whether this program is nothing more than an attempt to improve the company's image.

Will Oremus of Slate is skeptical and wrote this week:

"There's something puzzling about the company's use of its massively trafficked front page to broadcast this program. In an economy full of unemployed people desperate for work, does Amazon really have to blast all of its millions of customers to find a few hundred new applicants?"

Link:
Amazon’s New Worker Education Program: Good Business or PR Stunt?

Add to the long list of health benefits attributed to regular yoga practice better balance, increased confidence and higher quality of life in survivors of stroke

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You dont have to be a devoted yogi to reap the benefits of the cobra pose. A new study in chronic stroke survivors shows that practicing yoga can improve balance in patients, giving them more confidence to handle day-to-day activities and potentially reducing disability.

The study, published in the American Heart Associations journal Stroke, involved 47 stroke survivors, mostly male veterans, who had had their stroke six months prior. The participants were still experiencing balance problems, which can be long-lasting after stroke, arising from injury to central brain structures and impaired senses. Difficulties with balance can lead to a higher risk of falls, further injury and continued disability.

The oldest patient was in his 90s. To qualify for the study, all the participants had to be able to stand on their own.

The patients were divided into three groups: one group participated in twice-weekly sessions of group yoga for eight weeks; another group, the yoga-plus group, met twice weekly for yoga and listened to relaxation recordings three times a week; and the control group received usual medical care, without yoga rehabilitation.

(MORE:Does Yoga Really Drive People Wild with Desire?)

The study authors note that natural recovery and focused rehabilitation therapy typically end about six months after a stroke, but patients may still remain disabled. Improvements after the six-month window take longer to occur, but we know for a fact that the brain still can change, said lead study author Dr. Arlene Schmid, a rehabilitation research scientist at Roudebush Veterans AdministrationMedical Center in Indianapolis, in a statement.

Indeed, the pilot study found that even patients with significant paralysis following stroke were able to do modified yoga poses. The participants were guided by a registered yoga therapist, who helped them learn various modified poses that increased in difficulty week by week. The patients started with simple rotational moves on the mat, such as pigeon pose, and worked toward more challenging poses that required standing, including chair pose. They also used relaxation and meditation techniques.

By the end of the eight weeks, those in the yoga and yoga plus groups had improved their balance on tests of standing, standing with their eyes closed, standing with their feet together and turning around 360 degrees, compared with patients in the control group. Whats more, the yoga participants also reported being less afraid of falling, feeling more independent and enjoying better quality of life.

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Yoga Can Help Stroke Survivors Regain Their Balance

The ancient practice improved motor function and balance in stroke survivors

By Daily Mail Reporter

PUBLISHED: 02:30 EST, 27 July 2012 | UPDATED: 02:30 EST, 27 July 2012

Survivors who had yoga classes felt less afraid of falling (posed)

Yoga may help stroke survivors improve their balance, according to a new study.

Researchers found group yoga can improve balance in stroke survivors who no longer receive rehabilitative care.

In a pilot study, scientists tested the potential benefits of yoga among chronic stroke survivors - those whose stroke occurred more than six months earlier.

Lead researcher Doctor Arlene Schmid, a rehabilitation research scientist at Indiana University in the United States, said: 'For people with chronic stroke, something like yoga in a group environment is cost effective and appears to improve motor function and balance.'

The study's 47 participants, about three-quarters of them male veterans, were divided into three groups: twice-weekly group yoga for eight weeks; a 'yoga-plus' group, which met twice weekly and had a relaxation recording to use at least three times a week; and a usual medical care group that did no rehabilitation.

The yoga classes, taught by a registered yoga therapist, included modified yoga postures, relaxation, and meditation. Classes grew more challenging each week.

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Yoga helps stroke patients regain their balance

They randomly assigned participants, all of whom could stand unaided, to one of three groups - two yoga groups and one who received usual care. The oldest participant was 90.

Those in the yoga groups took part in classes that gradually got more difficult.

Tests found people in the yoga groups had better balance, less fear of falling, were more independent and happier with their lives than those who did not do yoga.

Arlene Schmid, assistant professor of occupational medicine, said: For chronic stroke patients, even if they remain disabled, natural recovery and acute rehabilitation therapy typically ends after six months, or maybe a year.

But we know for a fact that the brain still can change. The problem is the healthcare system is not necessarily willing to pay for that change.

The study demonstrated that with some assistance, even chronic stroke patients with significant paralysis on one side can manage to do modified yoga poses.

Yoga participants also told researchers they were more confident, saying they felt more able to take showers unaided, get out and about and visit friends.

Prof Schmid continued: It has to do with the confidence of being more mobile. Although they took time to unfold, these were very meaningful changes in life for people."

Writing in the journal Stroke, she and colleagues suggested that yoga might be better than traditional exercises because the combination of poses, breathing and meditation made the brain work harder.

However, they cautioned it was only a small study and so they could only draw limited conclusions from it.

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Yoga 'helps stroke patients recover balance'

Add to the long list of health benefits attributed to regular yoga practice better balance, increased confidence and higher quality of life in survivors of stroke

Image Source / Getty Images

You dont have to be a devoted yogi to reap the benefits of the cobra pose. A new study in chronic stroke survivors shows that practicing yoga can improve balance in patients, giving them more confidence to handle day-to-day activities and potentially reducing disability.

The study, published in the American Heart Associations journal Stroke, involved 47 stroke survivors, mostly male veterans, who had had their stroke six months prior. The participants were still experiencing balance problems, which can be long-lasting after stroke, arising from injury to central brain structures and impaired senses. Difficulties with balance can lead to a higher risk of falls, further injury and continued disability.

The oldest patient was in his 90s. To qualify for the study, all the participants had to be able to stand on their own.

The patients were divided into three groups: one group participated in twice-weekly sessions of group yoga for eight weeks; another group, the yoga-plus group, met twice weekly for yoga and listened to relaxation recordings three times a week; and the control group received usual medical care, without yoga rehabilitation.

(MORE:Does Yoga Really Drive People Wild with Desire?)

The study authors note that natural recovery and focused rehabilitation therapy typically end about six months after a stroke, but patients may still remain disabled. Improvements after the six-month window take longer to occur, but we know for a fact that the brain still can change, said lead study author Dr. Arlene Schmid, a rehabilitation research scientist at Roudebush Veterans AdministrationMedical Center in Indianapolis, in a statement.

Indeed, the pilot study found that even patients with significant paralysis following stroke were able to do modified yoga poses. The participants were guided by a registered yoga therapist, who helped them learn various modified poses that increased in difficulty week by week. The patients started with simple rotational moves on the mat, such as pigeon pose, and worked toward more challenging poses that required standing, including chair pose. They also used relaxation and meditation techniques.

By the end of the eight weeks, those in the yoga and yoga plus groups had improved their balance on tests of standing, standing with their eyes closed, standing with their feet together and turning around 360 degrees, compared with patients in the control group. Whats more, the yoga participants also reported being less afraid of falling, feeling more independent and enjoying better quality of life.

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Yoga Can Help Stroke Victims Regain Balance

Geno Auriemma (Getty)LONDON Across a life of basketball, even as the victories and championships and perfect seasons piled up, Geno Auriemma always figured there was one goal out of reach: United States women's national team coach.

It wasn't just that he was born in Italy. It wasn't just that he was a man in a women's game. It wasn't just that he was from the college ranks and the trend lately swung to taking pro coaches.

It was Geno himself. He is, admittedly, an abrasive force. Unapologetic. Politically incorrect. Not at all a member of the inner cliques of the women's basketball. He's had longstanding feuds with any number of coaches, most famously Pat Summitt, the icon of the sport.

He wins games, not popularity contests. Getting to be national team coach is, quite often, a popularity contest.

"I did think that if there was a committee that picked the coach, then the chances of me getting picked were zero," Auriemma said Thursday.

[ Related: Kevin Love is not happy with his playing time ]

It turns out there wasn't a committee, at least not in a traditional manner. Carol Callan, the women's national team director had the most to say, and Auriemma isn't 804-129 (.862) by accident. So one day in April, 2009, Auriemma's phone rang in his office at the University of Connecticut, and Callan told him he was hired.

So here he sat at the Olympics' Main Press Center, talking about the women's teams' 33-game, four-gold-medals win streak, discussing six of his former UConn Huskies on the squad and basically revealing an opportunity he didn't see coming.

"I could never, ever, ever be here as an athlete," he said. "So you kind of live vicariously."

This is a culmination for an American original. He was an immigrant kid, moving to Norristown, Pa., at age seven, speaking only Italian. His parents weren't interested in sports, and Auriemma said he wasn't any good at them anyway. The only positive was since they never attended his games, he'd just tell them he played well.

Continued here:
Women's hoops coach Geno Auriemma on cusp of adding golden chapter to remarkable tale