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» Self-esteem's bottom line » When dependents reverse roles » Content filtering serious to employers
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DAVID SWANN / DSWANN@STARBULLETIN.COM The bottom line
of high self-esteemConfident workers make
a successful business
If I had a quarter for every time I've been asked: "What does all this 'touchy-feely stuff have to do with the bottom line?' " the pile would look like I'd hit three cherries at Las Vegas. So let me see if I can boil the issue down to its simplest with reference to a table.
Our levels of self-esteem -- our feelings about ourselves -- directly influence a variety of factors: How confident we feel about our abilities to handle new and challenging tasks; the extent we are willing to take the moderate risks so characteristic of people with a desire to excel at whatever they do; the extent to which we can resist getting frozen by fear of the unknown; our willingness to think for ourselves, to offer ideas that might be opposite to those taken by the majority versus shrinking into the safety of the universal "We." In the jargon of the day, people with high self-esteem are often spoken of as "having it all together."
Self-esteem High Certainty High Uncertainty High Very High High Low Moderately Low Very Low So what does an individual's "having it all together" have to do with an organization's bottom line? The research is very clear. During periods of low organizational change, when things are relatively certain and predictable, people with high self-esteem clearly stand out above the rest. Their morale, productivity and satisfaction -- the steam engines of every organization's bottom line -- are running at very high levels. In other words, they not only out-produce every one else, remain more loyal and take fewer sick days, they also do not poison the environment for others with the constant negativity and whining which characterizes their low morale colleagues.
However, as we are all too well aware, periods of low organizational change are few and far between these days. Turmoil, ambiguity and uncertainty are more the soup de jour. Those with high self-esteem suffer the natural human consequences of these conditions -- their productivity, morale and satisfaction does drop a bit, from very high to high. But their low self-esteem counterparts really fall apart with plummeting morale, satisfaction and productivity figures.
To fully grasp the managerial implications of these repeated findings, we need to be certain we understand the fundamental roots of our feelings of self-esteem. They are, in a word, relationships. Let's take an extreme example. Have you ever seen a puppy dog sidle up to you when you reached out to pet it in a hesitant, fearful, okole-first manner in anticipation of a rapid getaway? If you have, you've seen a puppy that has been badly treated by someone.
To be sure, our feelings of self-worth can be traced to our childhoods. But current circumstances, specifically relationships with significant others -- like managers -- can and do activate old self-effacing scars where they exist. They also can and do activate new and more positive self-images. The Pygmalion Effect, the self-fulfilling prophecy, operates regardless of whether our beliefs and actions are self-esteem producing or self-defeat producing.
So if you're a CEO, sit back and ask yourself: Do you have any policies and procedures that might be causing people to feel de-valued? Do you have any managers or supervisors who you know can be really verbally harsh sometimes? Does your organizational culture create win-win or win-lose dynamics among people?
For the facts are clear. Employees who are treated as valuable assets cannot help but be of greater value to you, and to themselves.
In other words, if your people are made to feel like winners, you can't lose.
Irwin Rubin is a Honolulu-based author and president of Temenos Inc., which specializes in executive leadership development and behavioral coaching, communication skill building training, and large system culture change. His column appears twice a month in the Honolulu Star Bulletin. Send questions and column suggestions to temenos@lava.net or visit temenosinc.com.
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When parent and child
reverse roles, so may
the 'dependent'If you provide more than half
of the support for a parent, you
may be entitled to a tax break
When we start off in life, our parents provide love and nurturing, as well as the necessities of daily life. As time passes, we grow into adulthood. Our relationship with our parents becomes one of equals, with each providing love and nurturing for the other, while both are self-sufficient. Often, parents reach a stage in their lives when they are no longer self-sufficient, typically due to advanced age or illness.
While we bear the emotional responsibility with love, at times caring for our parents can be an economic hardship at a time that we are raising children of our own. Luckily, under such circumstances, the government gives us a break.
Your parent is your dependent if you provided more than one-half of his or her support during the year for food, shelter, clothing, medical care and housing. Insurance payments, Medicaid benefits and Medicare benefits are not counted in this support calculation. For example, your mother lives with you and you provide her with housing, food and utilities. She has medical expenses of $5,000 a year, of which Medicare picks up $3,000. She gets Social Security of $500 per month, or $6,000 per year. She uses her social security check to pay her uncovered medical expenses, for clothing, etc. Let's assume the value of the housing is $500 per month and the food and utilities is $200 per month, for a total of $8,400 per year. The total amount spent for your mother's support is $14,400, of which you provided approximately 58 percent, so she is your dependent.
Even if you do not contribute more than 50 percent of her total support, you may still qualify if all of the following apply:
>> You contributed at least 10 percent of her support.Once you have determined that your parent is your dependent, you can deduct your parent's medical expenses. For this purpose, your parent must be your dependent on either the date the services were performed or when they were paid for. However, these will be considered as other medical expenses for yourself and your other dependents. In other words, you will need to itemize your expenses and you can only deduct them to the extent they exceed 7.5 percent of your adjusted gross income.
>> You and other persons besides your mother contribute more than 50 percent of her support.
>> No individual provided more than 50 percent of her support.
>> Each other person contributing 10 percent or more signs Form 2120 waiving his or her right to claim your mother as a dependent.
>> You attach that Form 2120 to your return.If your parent is your dependent, you may be able to get a dependent care credit for part of qualifying expenses if:
>> Your parent cannot care for himself or herself, andFinally, you can claim a personal exemption for your dependent parent if he or she does not claim the personal exemption himself or herself.
>> Your parent resides with you.While the financial burden of caring for a parent may be lightened by tax deductions or credits, proper planning with long term care insurance or other methods could remove this financial burden. A qualified estate planning attorney can help you and your parents plan to reduce the financial burden of their care so you can focus on providing your parents with the love and nurturing they deserve, without worrying about the financial aspects.
Attorneys Judith Sterling and Michelle Tucker are partners in the Honolulu law firm of Sterling & Tucker. Reach them through www.sterlingandtucker.com or www.hawaiielderlaw.com, or by calling 531-5391.
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Content filtering
is serious concern
for employers
Last of two parts | Part OneIn part one of our series on content filtering, we discussed the plethora of problems stemming from employees who spend an inordinate amount of time online in nonproductive or irresponsible pursuits.
Known as cyber-slacking, this includes everything from checking sports scores to downloading music files or even porn videos. The upshot is that lost productivity related to Internet misuse costs Hawaii employers millions of dollars a year. Content filtering (or lack thereof) is also a real concern for home users. If there are young children who spend unsupervised time on the Internet, you'll want to be certain that they are not exposed to pornography, gambling, hate groups or other potentially harmful influences.
Of late, the subject of shielding kids from sexually explicit material has been more than just an issue for home Internet users. The Supreme Court decided last June that Congress is allowed to protect children from pornography on public library computers, a move the majority said does not infringe on the free-speech rights of others. The ruling upheld a federal law that allows the federal government to withhold money from libraries that won't install blocking devices.
Opponents such as the American Library Association and the American Civil Liberties Union contested the law, saying it violated free-speech rights of adults and could impede minors from getting information about topics including religion and health. But they lost their First Amendment challenge. (In my experience, some content filtering products do misinterpret legitimate content, but many are quite reliable in discerning between, for example, a health information Web site and porn.)
Content filtering or "content inspection" programs examine Internet-transmitted data to determine the nature of the subject matter. The material may range from malicious code (viruses) to "unacceptable" Web sites. A content inspection program is able to effectively scan incoming data and then remove or block hazardous files or offensive URLs.
Content filters can also help safeguard an organization from liability if your employees obtain illegal copies of MP3 music files, movies, software, etc. This should be taken seriously. Trade groups such as the Business Software Alliance have gotten large financial settlements from organizations such as Temple University and America Life for use of unlicensed software that was most likely downloaded from the Internet.
So, how do you maintain a consistency in policy across all media?
Its tempting to be a strict cop, but in the long run, consistent policies are easier to manage and enforce. For example, if CNN is on all day in the employee lunchroom on the TV, it doesn't make sense to block CNN.com on the company network.
A good place to start is to make certain your Internet use policy is consistent with your other acceptable-use policies (for phone, fax, office machines, etc.) and of course in line with federal, state and local government guidelines. Oftentimes you'll find yourself strengthening your other use policies so that they are consistent with your Internet use policy.
In creating policy, consider employee benefits and entitlements. Nowadays many employees consider Internet access an entitlement -- much as telephone access was years ago. Prior to blocking sites -- which is not a small feat -- consider whether you would be as willing to restrict your phone system so that only business calls can be placed.
I believe a straightforward way to get started on a uniform policy is to inform your employees precisely what media the rules apply to. Naturally, you'll want to ensure you are within your rights to enforce your intended policy and make certain you have protected your organization against criminal and civil liabilities.
Protecting children from Internet content is something that every parent should consider. There are scads of programs that block Web sites you'd rather not have your kids spending time on.
Content filtering is not a perfect technology, but there are some excellent choices in the under-$50 range. However, the best home policy is to use an Internet filter in conjunction with basic Internet safety rules (i.e., stay out of chat rooms) as part of your overall containment strategy.
To research this topic on your own, there are countless sites dedicated to the subject. Check out internetfilterreview.com for reviews and a great list of Internet child safety resources.
John Agsalud is president of ISDI, a Honolulu-based IT outsourcing, systems integration and consulting firm. He can be reached at jagsalud@isdi-hi.com or by calling 944-8742.
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