Supporting Employee Mental Health in a Remote World

 Mental health goes far beyond treating mental illness. Mental health includes a person’s thoughts, feelings, and behaviors as well as their emotional and social well-being. Additionally, mental wellbeing is dynamic, meaning it is influenced by factors such as their workload, stress, and work-life balance. Because of this, employers must consider strategies that are intended to support mental health. While it is known that the coronavirus pandemic has negatively impacted mental health, it is just as important to point out that America was experiencing a mental health crisis long before the pandemic. Over the past decade, mental and emotional issues have “increased significantly,” according to research by the American Psychological Association.

The rise is mental health conditions alongside Covid-19 has been labelled as “another health crisis” in the United States. Just this past June, a survey by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that 40.9% of the 5,470 respondents reported a mental or behavioral health condition, such as anxiety, depression, or increased substance use. July research from Kaiser Family Foundation emphasized those findings, with 53% of respondents reporting that worrying about Covid-19 is harming their mental health.

As organization leaders, you have probably witnessed the effects of mental health challenges in the workplace, and maybe have experienced your own share of these challenges. Many people are stressed out and burned out. No matter how hard they try to overcome the effects of burnout — and despite the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy companies have embraced in the past — some people just can’t leave their worries at the door. There are still reasons to be hopeful. One is financial: an April 2018 article shared that roughly 86% of employees saw improved work performance, and 80% experienced higher job satisfaction following treatment for depression.

The pandemic didn’t create the mental health crisis, but it certainly exacerbated it, and mental health challenges will continue to impact employees and organizations long after the virus has been managed. But for those in a leadership position, there are a few ways to provide your employees with the support they need at work and in life.

Set the Tone Create a culture where people feel safe and encouraged to seek mental health services. Allow mental health to be talked about openly in the workplace. Sharing your own challenges, normalizing therapy, and destigmatizing mental illness are ways that can make your employees feel more comfortable with having a conversation themselves.

Improve Access Make sure you’re offering the care your people need. Review your benefits package to ensure these services are not unattainable to access due to high out-of-pocket costs or a narrow provider network. There is also the obstacle of simply getting to an in-person appointment. Many people must travel long distances or wait weeks or even months to see a provider. As you work to improve access, you might also consider giving employees access to teletherapy to remove these obstacles and ensure they can connect with a provider quickly and conveniently.

Take Care of Their Families Verify your benefits plan includes the right services for dependents. Even your best employees will struggle at work if there are struggles at home. This is especially true for employees whose children might be facing mental health challenges worsened by the pandemic.

Train Your Leaders Lasting cultural changes start from the top down. Provide training for your leaders and executives so they understand the importance of mental wellness, the signs of mental and emotional challenges, and the solutions your organization offers.

Create an Employee Resource Group Gather help from your organizations front lines to gain a better understanding into the challenges and concerns your employees are facing. Work together to customize solutions that improve employee wellness and create a culture of openness and support — and be prepared to make good on those solutions.

Offer ‘Mental Health’ Days Show your employees it is okay to take a breather when needed. Make it acceptable for your staff to take time off for mental health by building it into your organizations sick-time policy.

While the coronavirus pandemic did not cause the mental health crisis, it certainly has shined the spotlight on mental health issues in America. Today, it is crucial that employers prioritize their employees’ mental health and wellbeing by creating a supportive environment, reducing stigma, making help accessible and training management to connect employees with mental health resources. By promoting helpful programs and communicating openly and honestly, your organization should be able to create a culture that supports all aspects of an employee’s wellbeing.

Check out Hawley & Associates' 2nd Quarter Newsletter!

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New Executive Order Signed to Support Child Welfare Systems

As child-protection agencies across the country struggle with multiple challenges related to the coronavirus pandemic, President Trump signed an executive order focused on strengthening child-welfare programs nationwide. We at Hawley and Associates were enthusiastic to read the underlying goals of this order, which include decreasing child maltreatment, empowering adoption programs and increasing support for at-risk families, with the goal that fewer children need to be separated from their home and placed in foster care.

The order also aims to enhance federal oversight of child-welfare requirements by having Health and Human Services (HHS) advise states on the use of federal funds to support legal representation for parents and kids. It also directs HHS Secretary Alex Azar to assist care-givers by increasing the availability of trauma-informed trainings, expanding education options, and addressing barriers to accessing federal funding.

The global pandemic has left child-protection agencies with a slew of issues. Some family proceedings have been disrupted, which at times has caused delay in the child’s exit from foster care to return home. Many biological parents have been denied normally routine in-person visits with children placed in foster care. All while some agencies are saying it’s become harder than ever to recruit new foster parents.

This executive order has come when our child-welfare systems have needed it most. It envisions three basic areas of reform:

• Creating “robust partnerships” between state agencies and public, private, faith-based, and community organizations. The goals would include development for community-based, abuse-prevention and family support services and holding states accountable for recruiting an adequate number of foster and adoptive families.  
• Improving resources provided to caregivers and those in care. The order says HHS will increase the availability of trauma-informed training, support guardianship through funding and grants, and enhance support for kinship care for the roughly 20,000 young people who age out of foster care each year.
• Improving federal oversight over key statutory child-welfare requirements. Among other steps, this proposal directs HHS to advise sates on the possible use of federal funds to support high-quality legal representation for parents and children.

Martin Guggenheim, a law professor at New York University who focuses on children’s rights and family law, said he was heartened by the mention of legal representation.

“Rigorous research proves that improving parent representation is one of the best ways to promote the safety, permanency and well-being of children,” he said via email. “It significantly reduces the amount of time children must endure the trauma of foster care.”

Hawley and Associates commends this corrective legislative action to provide much needed aid to those serving our child-welfare systems and most importantly, the children who depend on them for their support and services. We are eager to see this order come into fruition and will be monitoring its progress closely.

The Gift of Art: 10-Year-Old Girl Gives 1,500 Art Kits to Kids in Foster Care and Homeless Shelters During Pandemic

A 10-year-old girl is solely responsible for giving the gift of art and smiles to more than 1,500 kids in foster care and homeless shelters during the Covid-19 shutdowns. The brains behind Chelsea’s Charity – a nonprofit started in August 2019 for the purpose of donating art kits to at-risk children – is Chelsea Phaire, a vibrant sixth grader from Danbury, Connecticut, who started this organization with her parents as part of her 10th birthday present.

“Since she was seven, she was begging me and her dad to start a charity,” Candace Phaire, Chelsea’s mom, told CNN. “She was so persistent, every couple of months she would ask, ‘Are we starting Chelsea’s Charity yet?’ When she was turning 10, she asked us again, and we decided it was time to go for it.”

Chelsea asked people to give her art supplies instead of birthday gifts as a way of commencing the charity on her birthday. After the first round of donations helped to supply several dozen art kits for children in need, Chelsea pushed on and set up her charity’s Amazon Wishlist as a way to collect supplies for the kits. Since then, Chelsea’s Charity has donated hundreds of art kits to women’s shelters, schools, and homeless shelters impacted by gun violence in 12 US States. Each kit contains crayons, gel pens, coloring books, paper, and colored pencils. Although stay-at-home orders have prevented her from personally delivering the kits like she normally would, she has still managed to send an additional 1,500 art kits since quarantine started.

Chelsea believes art is a healing remedy, which is why her mission is to help as many traumatized kids as she possibly can through art. Despite her tenacity and zest for life, she herself is no stranger to trauma. When Chelsea was just 8, someone considered part of her family lost their life to gun violence. This was the point that art went from being a hobby to the perfect therapy. Knowing that there are other children out there also dealing with trauma is what motivated Chelsea to help make art more accessible to kids in need and to help them cope with their emotions.

Candace Phaire, who is a professor of early-childhood education at Central Connecticut State University, believes art plays an important role in the emotional development of children. “Art therapy is being prescribed a lot more to support the mental health of young kids, especially those with social and emotional deficiencies,” Phaire told CNN. “Now with Covid-19, a lot of kids in shelters and also children in foster homes might not have access to art supplies they usually find in school. It is also mental health awareness month, so that’s definitely motivating us to ramp it up and send even more kits.”

While she may have had to alter her in-person delivery service to accommodate social distancing, it won’t stop Chelsea from bringing smiles and hope to children all over the country. During such unprecedented times we are all experiencing, it’s restorative to see such selfless action taken to spread joy and wonderment throughout our communities. All of us here at Hawley and Associates commend Chelsea and her willingness to serve others and we have been truly inspired by the message behind Chelsea’s Charity.

Life After Lock-down: Going Back into the Office

With so many phrases and terms being thrown at us every day relating to COVID-19, it’s enough to keep our heads spinning for a while. The most prominent term being discussed is social distancing – the entire world now recognizes the importance of staying six feet apart from one another.  Even though our entire planet is going through this crisis together, we are all in very different stages of pandemic life. But as we begin to visualize life after COVID-19 and re-emerge into society again, we need to start thinking about the new normal and how we will adjust. The “six-feet rule” isn’t going away anytime soon and we must all come to terms with how critical it is to normalize this guideline into everyday life.

Government-mandated lock-down orders to help contain the spread of the virus have radically changed how and where people work, with millions switching from the office to the dining room and meetings moving to video conference. As restrictions are relaxed, offices are being redesigned to minimize transmission risk and prevent a second wave of coronavirus cases. Imagine one-way corridors, buffer zones around desks, and clear plastic screens to guard against coughs or sneezes becoming the new office standards after stay-at-home orders have been lifted.

International real estate company Cushman & Wakefield has come up with a workplace design concept to help initiate the new model of office life. The concept uses social distancing guidelines to keep areas around desks empty. A prototype in the company’s Amsterdam office shows clients how spaces can be newly configured. Changes could be hard to adapt to for workers who are used to the social interactions in modern open-plan offices, and research shows that the more isolation that employees experience, or perceive, has a negative impact on their satisfaction with work and overall mental well-being.

Employers are seeing the immense benefits of remote working during the pandemic and some companies, like Nationwide, have already taken the plunge to make it a part of their permanent work culture. Many companies are performing much better than they predicted at the beginning of the crisis, with employees stating they are getting more work done, feeling more productive, and managing a better work-life balance.

When and if you return from remote work, let’s acknowledge that there are big and small adjustments we can make to improve sanitation and safety in the workplace. While the full impact of COVID-19 on work and the workplace has yet to be determined, it is clear the pandemic’s lingering effects will leave a trail of uncertainty as we navigate a new normal. A silver living of our forced isolation is that is has given us a lot of time to think more strategically about our environments. Let’s use this time to make them better. 

A Big Drop in Child Abuse Reports in L.A. Leaves Advocates Worried, Not Relieved.

Reports of suspected child abuse in L.A. County have taken a nose-dive in recent weeks. That news may sound incredible during normal times, but in a COVID-19 world, that drop has advocates very concerned. According to a statement by DCFS Director Bobby Cagle, since the middle of March, L.A. county has seen a 40%-60% decrease in the number of suspected child abuse reports from the public.

Numbers like these leave child advocates feeling uneasy. People who are mandated to report suspected child abuse, like teachers, cannot flag what they do not see when kids are out of school. These children are out of sight, and that’s very frightening. DCFS usually sees a large increase in the number of reports after kids come back from summer break, which is something expected to happen when children start to return to school. The increase could be more striking than they have seen historically. In order to brace for the possible escalation of cases, the agency is recruiting additional foster families who can step in under those circumstances.

Meanwhile, advocates are worried about how the coronavirus is affecting current foster families. Older foster youth who are now providing for themselves are also feeling the effects of a catering economy, as many have been laid off. Situations like this can really send these children into a difficult situation where they don’t have a safe place to live and are not able to meet their very basic needs like food.

Nonprofits that provide housing, mental health therapy, legal assistance and other services for abused kids are struggling amidst the crisis, with fundraising events cancelled and other donations dwindling. Yet despite all the challenges they are faced with, there are still people doing what they can. Social workers are still responding to emergency calls and going into the community. Attorneys and judges are working together to hold some hearings virtually. And volunteers are working with nonprofits to get iPad’s and laptops to foster kids who need them to keep up with their schoolwork.

On April 13^th, California Governor Gavin Newsom announced a $42 million in funding for children who are at greater risk for abuse or neglect because of the pandemic. This funding includes almost seven million dollars for social worker overtime and additional outreach and nearly two million to extend poster care payments for the roughly 200 youth who age out of the system every month.

IF YOU SUSPECT CHILD ABUSE OR NEGLECT:

• LA County Child Protection Hotline: 1-(800) 540-4000
• Alliance for Children’s Rights
• Childhelp National Abuse Hotline: 1-(800) 422-4453

Hawley & Associates' 4th Quarter Newsletter - Why Businesses Should Prepare Now For A Hardening Insurance Market

Please enjoy Hawley & Associates' 4th Quarter Newsletter.  This edition has some important information on changes in the insurance marketplace in 2020, that may affect your organization.

Please click link:  https://conta.cc/2Sf8PIS

GivingTuesday is Here! What Will You Give?

GivingTuesday is a global generosity movement unleashing the power of people and organizations to transform their communities and the world on December 3, 2019 and every day.

One of the best ways to give is to get involved is in your own community. We have supplied a link to a directory to help you find organizations, events, and ways to give back in your own community.

Thank you for giving! 

Quote for the Day

The Hardening Insurance Market – Three Things to Get You Through The Storm

Because insurance carriers are experiencing higher than expected losses, a hardening insurance market is rearing its ugly head. A hardening market means increased premiums and tighter underwriting requirements for many lines of coverage, including; commercial property, E&O, D&O, Auto and EPL. The 2017 hurricane season and the 2018 California wildfires resulted in a combined insured loss of more than 212 billion dollars and are major contributors in this turn.

One area being hit particularly hard is the adoption & foster care sector. Due to increased litigation, settlements and judgments, some carriers are now reluctant to offer broad coverage with high limits. Some carriers are even exiting these markets all together, making it much harder for some brokers to have access to carriers that are willing to write these risks, let alone even to provide a quote.

In a hardening market, there are three things that can help you ride out the storm:

1. Specialty Broker:  Having a broker that specializes in your line of business and knows your unique risks and exposures is imperative in positively representing your best interest to the insurance carriers. Their specialty allows them stronger relationships with underwriters, greater negotiating power to lower premiums and access to more carriers than that of a generalist broker.  Remember, an insurance broker (vs. an agent) works for YOU, not the insurance carrier.

2. Risk Management: A clean loss history is always more favorable than a poor loss history.  A poor loss history tells the carrier that you are a bad risk.  This can result in even higher premiums or worse yet a non-renewal notice. By designing and implementing a strong risk management plan, your broker can paint a positive picture to the insurance carrier and show that you are proactive in helping to eliminate or reduce your risk.

3. Don’t Hop Around: Believe it or not, jumping from carrier to carrier every year looking for the lowest price can cost you more in the long run. Carriers have been known not to quote simply for the fact that the insured is not loyal to any one carrier. Showing stability and loyalty (even if you have a loss and premiums increase) is a positive indicator in the eyes of the carrier.

Even in this hardening market, Hawley & Associates continues to exclusively serve the nonprofit and social service community.  Our specialty allows us broad access specialty markets & programs, including programs for hard-to-place risks, such as adoption & foster care.  Let our mission empower your mission!

Honoring All Who Served

Veteran's Day was November 11th, so I am a little late in writing this post.  But, it is never too late to thank and honor all the men and women who have served in the United States Armed Forces. We are forever grateful for your service and sacrifice.

Agent vs. Broker - What Is The Difference?

The terms Agent and Broker are sometimes used in the same context, but in reality, they are quite different.  Both do act as a liaison between the insured and the insurance company, but the main difference is who they represent.

AGENT:

An insurance agent works for the insurance company.  They can represent one or more insurance companies and acts as an extension of those companies. They are authorized to bind or initiate coverage on behalf of the insured.

There are two types agents: Captive and Independent. A Captive agent sells insurance for one specific insurance company.  An Independent agent sells insurance for multiple insurance companies.  In essence, they do the ‘shopping’ for you.

      

BROKER:   

An insurance broker works for their clients.  They are an advocate and work in the best interest of their client, not the insurance company.

There are typically two types of brokers: Generalists and Specialists.  Generalists do not restrict themselves to certain industries or lines of business and sometimes consider themselves as a “one stop shop”.  They can insure gas stations, restaurants and even nonprofits.  With their book of business being so broad, it may be difficult for them to have the necessary knowledge and expertise into a particular industry or business, especially ones that are complex or have high risk factors.

A specialty broker does just that; they specialize or have a niche in a particular line of business or industry. They have access to a variety of markets, comparing multiple programs side by side. They generally have stronger relationships with underwriters and have a unique ability to negotiate for better terms and premiums. They will also have a better understanding of the exposures and various risks associated with a particular industry or business and can better recommend the specialized insurance solutions needed.

10 Steps To Minimize Risk When Employees Work Remotely

Many organizations are embracing a remote working lifestyle and this trend is only rising. Nearly 3% of the US workforce works remotely in some capacity.  This is a 115 percent increase from 2005.

For all the benefits it may bring, it is opening your business up to an increased risk of a serious data breach.  There are many factors that can contribute to your business becoming the next victim of a cyber attack:

•           Inability to enforce security protocols
•          Remote workers risky behavior
•          Not adhering to security best practices
•           Sharing devices with family and friends
•           Not recognizing suspicious behavior

So, what can you do?

Cyber threats will always be a part of our reality, and cyber security has a hard time keeping up in this ever-changing environment.  If you have employees that work remotely, now is the time to take another hard look at the security of your data.  Here are 10 steps you can take to help minimize your risks:

1. Establish written company security protocols 
2. Restrict or limit the use of public Wi-Fi
3. Use a Virtual Private Network (VPN)
4. Raise awareness by educating workers on how to recognize suspicious behavior
5. Monitor company issued devices (check your state statutes)
6. Apply cloud services
7. Enable data protection software on all devices
8. Restrict employees use the internet and not to use device for personal reasons
9. Proper password management
10. Do not share devices with friends or family

Contact Hawley& Associates today for information on Commercial Cyber Insurance and how it can protect your organization in the event of a data breach.

To Those Affected By Hurricane Dorian

Our thoughts and prayers go out to all those in the path hurricane Dorian and the subsequent tropical storm.  Our sincere wish is for everyone's well-being and safety.

We talked to a client who was in an evacuation zone.  They were in surprisingly good spirits and had already moved their residential clients to a safe place.  We do stand in awe of the resilience of our clients who live and work in these affected areas and their continued commitment to serve and care for others.

If your agency is impacted by the storm, please be assured we are here for you every step of the way. We are just a phone call or email away.  If you need assistance after-hours, please don't hesitate to call our emergency claims/service line at (425) 577-4957.

On behalf of everyone at Hawley & Associates, we wish everyone strength and safety during this difficult time.
 

Happy 125th Anniversary LABOR DAY!

This year we celebrate the 125th anniversary of the Labor Day holiday. Has it really been around that long?!

Labor Day officially became a federal holiday in June 1894 and was enacted to honor the American labor movement.  Oregon was the first state to make Labor Day an official public holiday.  By the time it became a federal holiday, thirty U.S. states officially adopted and celebrated Labor Day.

Labor Day has often been called "the unofficial end of summer". Many families take their yearly vacations around this time of year, just to have one last 'fling' before the kids go back to school and the season changes. 

So, here's to the hard-working American; the backbone of our country! Enjoy the long holiday weekend! 

Far and away the best prize that life offers is the chance to work hard at work worth doing. – Thomas Jefferson

Exclusive WorldPro Insurance Program for Social Service Organizations

Besides offering tailor-made insurance programs designed specifically around your unique operations and exposures, Hawley & Associates offers the exclusive WorldPro Insurance Program.  It is the most comprehensive and cost competitive program offered to social service organizations today.  Since it’s inception, WorldPro now insures some of the largest nonprofit organizations in the country.

Program Highlights:

¨ High Limits (including abuse)

¨ Stand-alone Umbrella coverage

¨ Program will defend a negligence, error or omissions claim brought anywhere in the world, with      no limitation as to venue, change of venue or any other exclusion involving jurisdiction

¨ Special Defense Fund available to any employee wrongfully accused of abuse or molestation

¨ No territorial exclusions or restrictions

Hawley & Associates has been instrumental in introducing several new social service insurance programs to the market and we will continue to work hard to find even more markets and programs to bring down premiums for our clients and help you serve the under-served.

Contact us today for more information!

Wayne Hawley Giving Grant - Don't Miss Out!

The Wayne Hawley Giving Grant is exclusive to H&A clients that serve the social service and nonprofit community.

The grant is named in loving memory of Phil Hawley's father, Wayne Hawley, who was instrumental in the formation of Hawley & Associates, and a guiding force in making our agency the strong, dedicated and caring company it is today.

The grant is comprised of two individual grants in the amount of $5,000.00 each.

Click here for more information!

Deadline for applications is September 30, 2019!

Food Safety Tips for An Amazing Summer!

Food-borne illnesses are most common in summer. With higher temps and sometimes ‘not so ideal’ conditions, such as camping or a maybe a long road trip, bacteria growth reigns supreme.

Here are some great tips to keep your summer plans on track and most importantly safe!

1. Use separate cutting boards for raw meat and vegetables to reduce the chance of cross-contamination. Harmful bacteria present in raw meat and poultry can contaminate even cooked food.

2. Keep perishable food cold until ready to use. 

3. Never use tongs or utensils that have touched raw meat or poultry to serve cooked food.

4. Camping – Keeps foods cold!  A block of ice last longer than ice cubes.  Empty milk cartons filled with water and then frozen are a great alternative to ice cubes or purchasing block ice in the store.  Also, fuller coolers tend to stay cooler longer.

5. Put cold drinks in a separate cooler.  This will help minimize the number of times the cooler is opened, thus keeping the food cooler colder longer.

6. Don’t reuse marinades.  This will prevent raw meat juices getting onto your cooked food. 

7. Cook food thoroughly.  Using a thermometer gives you the best results in determining whether your meat is under or overcooked.

8. Throw out leftovers.  Perishable items left out for two or more hours should not be consumed.

9. Thaw and marinade food in the refrigerator.

10. Keep things clean, including your hands!

Foster Parent Liability Insurance

Being a foster parent today can be more challenging than ever, as many foster children come into the system already abused or neglected.  Allegations of abuse in the foster care system are not uncommon. In 2016, approximately 4.1 million allegations of child abuse and neglect were made to child protective service agencies.

According to the National Foster Parent Association, adoptive parents have a 1 in 8 chance of being falsely accused of abuse or neglect.  Lawsuits can be brought by the biological parent, the child, or others arising out of the foster parent/child relationship.

Every responsible foster parent should consider Foster Parent Liability Insurance, which defends foster parents from allegations of abuse. Attorney fees, defense costs and award judgments can rack up thousands of dollars, even if they are unsubstantiated.

For more information on this important coverage, please contact Hawley & Associates.

Hawley & Associates accepting RFP’s for Insurance Brokerage Services

Hawley & Associates specializes in providing custom insurance solutions for social service and nonprofit organizations across the country.  It’s all we do. This specialization gives us a unique advantage in negotiating lower premiums and providing your organization with the most comprehensive and cost-effective coverage, along with tailored risk management solutions that perfectly align with your unique operations and exposures.

Our specialized niche, exclusive programs, broad access to specialty markets, strong carrier alliances, and team-based approach allows Hawley & Associates to best partner with your organization and support the great work that you do!

Let’s partner in 2019!