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Communicate Better for Better Results

A recent survey by US staffing agency, Accountemps found that 1/3 of HR managers cited communication issues as the main cause of staff morale issues. Communication was also the most popular solution to the problem of low morale, with 38% of managers stating that communication, over monetary and other rewards, was the best remedy to poor morale at work. It’s easy to turn to incentives such as days off, recognition programs and monetary bonuses in an attempt to boost staff morale, but if there is a fundamental lack of clear communication between managers and staff, these “solutions” are unlikely to have any long-term impact on staff attitudes. Employees like to feel that their superiors are honest and transparent and that they are kept in the loop in terms of the overall plans of the company. This is particularly important in the recent tough economic times, when threats of redundancy and gossip has the potential to damage staff morale. Good companies not only need to reco

We Do Total Comp Statements

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Fast. Accurate. In whatever format you want. At Just Got Word, we like to make a statement. If your employees and other benefit users don't appreciate your company offerings, maybe you need to market them a little better. Get the word out about what they got.  Let us make a statement for your organization. JustGotWord LLC. 212.535.0870

ACA Status?

Two forces are at work, literally laying in wait to decimate the ACA (aka Obamacare). There are the Trump campaign promises to throw it away, coupled with increased Republican power. In an Election Day upheaval, we now have a clean Republican sweep at the Federal legislative and executive branches, which means impending Republicanizan on the judicial branch. With virtual control of the White House and both chambers, the GOP will have the votes to cast Obamacare away. The question isn’t if they’ll do it. The relevant questions are how they’ll dismantle it and to what extent . Those on the party's conservative wings are already clamoring for repeal as a top Trump administration priority. But Trump himself has consistently vacillated on this complex issue. One moment he makes unequivocal denunciations (‘it must be killed’) with furrowed eyebrows, and the next, when pressed for an alternative, he comes up with vague notions sounding similar to what Obamacare already offers. So wher

Everything You Need to Know about Social Media

Watch the video . (thanks Tim)

If You've Got Bad News, Give It Up

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For a number of reasons, both good and bad, companies, unions and benefit funds are faced with difficult business results that lead to reductions in employee benefit 'entitlements.' Examples would include measures like reduced monthly pension amounts and increased participant cost sharing in medical benefit plans. But there is no need to stick your head in the sand, and, in so doing, keep participants (ne: recipients) in the dark. What is needed is a communications plan to create an actionable strategy to keep everyone informed and up-to-date. Too often, communications is an afterthought to lengthy and painful financial strategy sessions.  It doesn't have to be. At Just Got Word, we specialize in putting together participatory communication action plans that get everyone on the same page.  We find this to be very supportive of employee recruiting and retention goals.

Social Media Experts

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Just Got Word LLC has been retained by Factuarial, a New York-based actuarial services firm, to design and execute a social media strategy to help fuel Factuarial's ongoing growth.  Just Got Word will redesign Factuarial's website, and create a vibrant network of social media outlets to ramp up their expanding presence. We do social media, and we do it well.  Let us do it for your firm.  We are creative, fast and reasonably priced.  Let us help you wake up and energize your world.

Pension Wars -- It's every man for himself

For those of you wondering what the future holds for union pension plans, here's a quick glimpse of what the future will bring.  This just in from the Duluth News Tribune: "An estimated 700 people packed Coffman Memorial Union at the University of Minnesota on Tuesday to oppose major pension cuts proposed by the Teamsters’ Central States Pension Plan. One by one the Teamsters, many of them retired, stepped to the microphone to ask the U.S. Treasury to reject the cuts and find a different solution to the sea of red ink threatening to swallow the giant retirement fund. “We worked hard for our money,” said Teamster Dennis Henderson of North St. Paul. Others angrily described the proposed cuts as unfair and devastating. Kenneth Feinberg, the Treasury appointee who hosted the session, said he was determined to make sure retirees were heard. It’s the seventh feedback session on the cuts he’s held around the country. There was a similar turnout for a session in Detroit on Monday.