Ulliance Well-Being Blog

September 10th is Global Suicide Prevention Day.

Suicide is the tenth leading cause of death in the United States, according to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. In 2017, more than 47,000 people died of suicide, and there were 1.4 million suicide attempts.

Transitioning back to a new school year can be harsh after an amazing summer.

Unfortunately, the summer months are quickly slipping away.  Before we know it, students everywhere will say goodbye to the long, lazy days of summer, and hello to a hectic schedule.  Yes, it’s once again time to turn our attention to a new school year. It can be a harsh transition, especially if you’ve spent the summer months mastering new relaxation techniques. 

First Responders Put Themselves Last When It Comes to Mental Health

With all of the tragedy around us everyday, from workplace violence, random shootings, to everyday car accidents, first responders are there to help others—and always ready to act at a moment’s notice. But it is easy to minimize the toll that it takes on first responders. We often think of them as heros, and they are, but they are also just human beings like our neighbor, sister, brother, mother, father, close relative or friend. They are constantly being put to the test. 

Manager, director, chief. No matter what the title is, a title alone can’t make a leader.

Throughout our careers, many of us have the opportunity to work for different types of leaders. Some leaders take credit for our hard work. Some leaders mentor us to enhance our career development. Some leaders help develop us to be leaders ourselves. Some leaders even inspire us to change the world! 

Understanding responses to tragic events can help you cope effectively with your feelings, thoughts and behaviors along the path to recovery.

The mass shooting last week in Gilroy, CA, and this weekend in El Paso, TX, and Dayton, OH, have once again shocked the nation to a state of alarm. Everyone responds in their own unique way and most often, carry a myriad of complex and unpleasant feelings into the workplace. 

Through personalized communication and sharing of resources, you’ll reach onsite and offsite employees.

Remote work offers many benefits to both employees and organizations. From increased worker productivity and lower overhead expenses to decreased employee stress and a smaller carbon footprint, the practice of remote working is growing in popularity. The 2018 State of the Remote Job Marketplace report from FlexJobs says there are now 3.9 million Americans, or 2.9 percent of the total US workforce, who work from home at least half the time—a 115 percent increase from 2005.

Digital Citizenship is more than just a teaching technique; it is a way to prep students/technology users for a society driven by technology. Digital citizenship is the continuously developing norms of appropriate, responsible and empowered technology use. 

The concept of Digital Citizenship has become an important area of educational knowledge not only in the United States but world wide. Whether referred to as digital citizenship, digital wellness or digital ethics, the issues remain the same: how should we act when we are using digital devices, interacting with others online, and what should be taught to help the next generation be better stewards when utilizing technology.

Children today are growing up in a different world from that which many of us remember from our childhoods. Technological advances have transformed the way kids live, learn and play. It is important for adults to adapt, too, to better prepare children to be smart and savvy digital citizens.

Good digital citizenship is about more than limited screen time or off-limits websites. It refers to appropriate, responsible and empowered use of technology. 

As new tech is developed, or more apps are released, the reasons for teaching good digital citizenship to children remain the same.  We, as adults, need to set good examples by following these rule ourselves—not do the old, do as I say, not as I do  credo.

Rightsizing—the long-term move to get the right people into the right seats within an organization—almost always involves letting people go. But that doesn’t mean that the process can’t be approached strategically.

You, as a manager, must be prepared if your company is planning to layoff several employees at once. That means knowing how timing and details affect the situation of rightsizing, even if it is an ongoing process. 

Workforce attrition is one of the easiest—and least uncomfortable—ways to rightsize your organization. The slow but steady method can be realized by not filling vacant positions and/or putting in place a hiring freeze. Because the responsibilities of departing employees may need to be shifted to remaining staff, this method requires a strong alignment between organizational goals and talent management.

According to the Detroit Free Press, 2019 has had one of the wettest springs on record here in Michigan! And we all know, with more rain comes more mosquitoes. Currently, MI is predicted to have an above average mosquito season thanks to the wetter than normal conditions. With cookout season upon us, these menacing mosquitoes will be waiting to feast on us in droves. Protecting yourself from mosquito bites is imperative since they can carry diseases that cause severe symptoms like vomiting, diarrhea and even death.

Opioid Addiction Can Threaten Your Workforce ► Counter low productivity, higher health care costs, and distracted workers with these 3 steps.

The opioid crisis in the United States touches people from all walks of life. Every economic class, every race, every profession.

As opioid prescriptions increase, so, too, does addiction, abuse and overdose deaths. According to the Centers for Disease Control, opioids were involved in 47,600 overdose deaths in 2017, accounting for 67.8 percent of all drug overdose fatalities. Employers across the country are working to curb the misuse of prescription opioids. With more employees falling victim to addiction, employers are seeing lower productivity, higher health care costs and fewer qualified
job applicants.

As more employees become addicted to opioids, manufacturing employers face a particularly high threat— given the risks associated with workers operating machinery and the environment of a manufacturing facility.