Posted by Nick Purcell on Thu, Mar 29, 2012 @ 01:02 PM
I have just returned from Austin, Texas and the South by Southwest 2012 (SXSW for those in the "know".) For those who have never heard of it, SXSW is a conference/festival that includes music, film and interactive portions. Being into social media and blogging, or a "geek" as Lynn so affectionately puts it, I really wanted to go to the interactive sessions. These are geared towards new media and therefore social media, game development, and blogging. All covered by use for businesses.
When I walked in on the first day, the first thought was I didn't know there was this many people in the world. Okay, maybe a bit of an exaggeration but it was a lot of people. Over 40,000 people were in Austin for SXSW alone. So yeah, it got pretty crowded, but awesome to see this atmosphere packed with innovators and businesspeople. Just the kind of person I aspire you to be.
Amidst the freebies and the unique marketing techniques was some very informative sessions on how to use new media in your business. They were mostly focused on start ups, but there were definitely lessons that could be taken away and applied to companies such as Rogers & Gray Insurance.
One of the biggest lessons I took away from the entire experience was be different when marketing. This was evident around SXSW. All these startups had their own unique ways of trying to get their name out there. They did that with costumes, freebies, and in-your-face marketing techniques.
This is something that anyone can apply to their business, no matter how big the company, or small the budget. You just have to be creative and realize that people like to be entertained. If you entertain them and create a meaningful connection, then you have done pretty well and it doesn't matter how much you spent.
Can't wait to go back to SXSW again. Anyone else go?
Posted by Lynn Mason-Small on Mon, Mar 19, 2012 @ 12:00 PM
Summer is just around the corner - are you thinking of bringing on some interns? If so, you may be wondering if you are obligated to pay these individuals for work performed during the course of the internship. The following guidelines provided by the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) can help you determine whether interns must be paid the federal minimum wage and overtime under the Fair Labor Standards Act for the services that they provide to "for-profit" private sector employers. Rogers & Gray Insurance has brought on some interns in the past - in personal insurance, business insurance and marketing - with good success. In a couple of cases, the interns have ended up with paying jobs with us!
Background
The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), which sets standards for the basic minimum wage and overtime pay, affects most private and public employment. Unless specifically exempted, workers covered by the FLSA are entitled to a minimum wage of not less than $7.25 per hour and overtime pay at a rate of not less than one and one-half times their regular rate of pay after 40 hours of work in a workweek.
Covered and non-exempt individuals who are "suffered or permitted" to work must be compensated under the law for the services they perform for an employer. Internships in the "for-profit" private sector will most often be viewed as employment, unless the test described below relating to trainees is met. Interns in the "for-profit" private sector who qualify as employees rather than trainees typically must be paid at least the minimum wage as well as overtime compensation for over 40 hours worked in a workweek.
The Test for Unpaid Interns
There are some circumstances under which individuals who participate in "for-profit" private sector internships or training programs may do so without compensation. This may apply to interns who receive training for their own educational benefit if the training meets certain criteria.
The determination of whether an internship or training program meets this exclusion depends upon all of the facts and circumstances of each such program. The following six criteria must be applied when making this determination:
- The internship, even though it includes actual operation of the facilities of the employer, is similar to training which would be given in an educational environment;
- The internship experience is for the benefit of the intern;
- The intern does not displace regular employees, but works under close supervision of existing staff;
- The employer that provides the training derives no immediate advantage from the activities of the intern, and on occasion its operations may actually be impeded;
- The intern is not necessarily entitled to a job at the conclusion of the internship; and
- The employer and the intern understand that the intern is not entitled to wages for the time spent in the internship.
If all of the factors listed above are met, an employment relationship likely does not exist under the FLSA, and the Act’s minimum wage and overtime provisions do not apply to the intern. This exclusion from the definition of employment is necessarily quite narrow because the FLSA’s definition of “employ” is very broad.
For a more detailed explanation of the factors used in the test for unpaid interns, review the DOL Internship Programs Fact Sheet. You may also contact the DOL's Wage and Hour Division, at 1-866-487-9243, for help in determining the employment status of your workers.
Posted by Lynn Mason-Small on Tue, Mar 13, 2012 @ 10:02 AM
Charles N. Robinson, President and CEO of Rogers & Gray Insurance Agency is pleased to announce that Mark A. Carrick has recently been hired as Business Process Manager.
Mr. Carrick joins the agency with many years of experience in the Business Analyst field, including time with Loring, Wolcott & Coolidge in Boston where he was most recently Senior Business & Information Systems Analyst and Fidelity Investments in Boston.
A graduate of Babson College, Mr. Carrick received a Bachelors of Science degree in Business Management with a concentration in Management Information Systems. He lives in South Boston with his wife.
Rogers & Gray Insurance operates 8 offices in Massachusetts and is licensed in 27 states. For more information on the company, please visit www.rogersgray.com or contact:
Lynn Mason-Small
VP, Business Development
508.760.4626
Lsmall@rogersgray.com
Posted by Lynn Mason-Small on Wed, Mar 07, 2012 @ 10:14 AM
Charles N. Robinson, President and CEO of Rogers & Gray Insurance Agency announced the new hire of Levi J. Smith as Sales Executive, Business Insurance.
Mr. Smith is a licensed insurance professional with many years of sales, management, and business development experience. He will be located in the Kingston office and will service all of Southeastern Massachusetts.
An active member of the community, Mr. Smith is involved with the Rotary Club of Harwich/Dennis, the Cape Cod Young Professionals and is on the Board of Directors at the Lower Cape Community Development Partnership.
Mr. Smith lives in Hyannis with his wife and son and is a graduate of Point Loma Nazarene University in San Diego, CA.
Rogers & Gray Insurance operates 8 offices in Massachusetts and is licensed in 27 states. For more information on the company, please visit www.rogersgray.com or contact:
Lynn Mason-Small
VP, Business Development
508.760.4626
Lsmall@rogersgray.com
Posted by Lynn Mason-Small on Tue, Feb 28, 2012 @ 11:00 AM
Rogers & Gray recently consolidated 2 of our Plymouth offices into one, larger office in Kingston, MA. It's a great space and our personal insurance, business insurance and employee benefits team members seem to be settling in nicely. There are lots of benefits to the location, including a beautiful scenery.
One of the unexpected perks of our move is the Kingston House of Pizza. This little place is tucked off of Route 3A in Kingston and has quickly grown to be my favorite neighborhood place. Why? Nope not because of the food (but the food is yummy), it's because of the friendly guy that works there. I have no idea if he is the owner or not, but he never fails to put a smile on my face and the faces of all the other patrons who walk in there.
He always calls me "Miss" ... and I think he may be younger than me, so that really makes me happy. Then he asks about my weekend, chats with other customers and has a demeanor so friendly, that while in Kingston, I'd be hard-pressed to order pizza, salads, subs etc...from any other local place.
Now Rogers & Gray doesn't have the luxury of handing out yummy pizza as our product. Our product is the safety and security you get when you purchase an insurance policy. And we know, in a lot of cases, it's just paper. But I hope that we strive to be like the friendliest pizza guy in the neighborhood. Our insurance offices on Cape Cod and the South Shore, are staffed with kind, caring people who want to take care of you.
What's business do you really love to frequent because of the service? I always love hearing of great places!
Posted by Lynn Mason-Small on Fri, Feb 10, 2012 @ 01:14 PM
Charles Robinson, President & CEO of Rogers & Gray Insurance recently announced the following additions and changes to the Corporate Officers of the Company.
Following the annual meeting of the Board of Directors, the following were elected:
- Erin Viehl was elected to the corporate position of Senior Vice President
- John Gilligan was elected to the corporate position of Vice President
- Allison Frommeyer was elected to the corporate position of Assistant Vice President
- John Foley was affirmed from his date of hire as Vice President
Rogers & Gray Insurance operates 8 offices in Massachusetts. For more information on the company, please visit www.rogersgray.com or contact:
Lynn Mason-Small
VP, Business Development
508.760.4626
Lsmall@rogersgray.com
Posted by Nick Purcell on Wed, Feb 08, 2012 @ 11:45 AM
With more people looking for jobs today, there is a major problem presenting itself for employers. Employees who are applying for jobs are lying about important aspects of their lives. In most cases, the truth may be a disqualifying factor. To avoid the hassle of hiring an unfit employee, it's important to conduct a background check.
According to the ADP's 2009 Hiring Index:
- 46% of the 1.7 million applicants reviewed had discrepancies in their resume's employment, credentials, education or reference checks sections.
- 37% of applicants had discrepancies traffic violations or convictions.
- 6% of applications had discrepancies in criminal records
While not all applicants lie about convictions, others may fabricate details that make them look more appealing, which is commonly called resume padding. It's important to be able to identify both omissions and lies.
Understanding What Is In a Background Check
Not all background checks are the same, in fact there are hundreds of online services that advertise cheap and fast background checks. But these checks often are found to have
limited data. Due to this, it is best to use state resources.
How To Perform a Background Check
Usually, the office of the Highway Patrol is the best place to begin a search. Some jobs require a prospective employee to manage a budget and handle money. If this is the case, it's a good idea to request a credit check also. It's important to have the applicant's:
- SSN
- Date of Birth
- Any last names or aliases they've used in the past 10 years
Be sure to have the applicant's approval before performing a background check. Social media sites can also be beneficial when researching a potential employee. Though people may make fictitious profiles and claims on social media sites, so this information shouldn't replace what is available on a background check. Only in certain cases will these discrepancies raise a red flag against a potential employee.
Be specific in what information you decide to verify with a background check or credit check, and only perform those checks when there is a direct correlation with job duties. If an applicant will be caring for individuals, it's important to verify that they don't have any past charges of abuse, assault or neglect. Always use common sense to determine which bits of information need to be verified.
Employer Reference Considerations
Verifying employment and inquiring about an applicant's work ethic with a previous employer is important. Look up the number using a reliable source to verify the number. Although it isn't common, sometimes applicants provide erroneous phone numbers that may not belong to the previous employer they listed. Instead, they’ll supply the number to a friend. Once on the call, be sure to ask pointed and concise questions to the applicant's previous employer. The following questions are good examples:
- What are the application's strengths?
- How does the applicant deal with stress and conflict?
- In what ways could the applicant improve?
- How do the applicant's skills with other team members rank?
The best time to perform a background check is after extending an offer for employment. It's always a good idea to state upfront in the job posting that a background check will be performed for qualified applicants. This is usually effective in discouraging applicants from lying on their application. The most important thing to remember is to always obtain an applicant's written permission before ordering a background or credit check for them. This applies to all industries, not just insurance.
Posted by Lynn Mason-Small on Tue, Jan 24, 2012 @ 10:00 AM
I clearly remember my father kicking me out of the car. I was about 17 and he was trying to teach me how to drive a standard...on the steepest hill in our town. I didn't do so hot...and he finally just kicked me out and told me to walk home (we lived close). Nice.
While my dad may not have ranked high on the patience scale, he did teach me some good things about driving. Always steer into a skid. How to use my mirrors. How to avoid hydroplaning. How to pay my car insurance bill on time. How to check the oil.
What he didn't have to teach me: don't text and drive.
We didn't have cell phones back in 1988 when I got my license. It's downright frightening on our roads today. People are more distracted while driving, chatting on their cell and texting their buddies.
How do you teach them how incredably dangerous this is? (sidenote: if anyone knows how I can get this through my husbands head too, that would be appreciated)
So when I came on this bit of info, I thought it would be a good one to share Our partners, Safety Insurance, has partnered with Safe Roads Alliance and Travelers Marketing to develop the first "The Parent's Supervised Driving Guide". The guide provides detailed instruction for parents in helping them teach their teens how to drive and will be provided to all operators at the time they receive their learners permit.
It's great and well worth the read. Even if you got your license in 1988.
PS...here are some more tips for winter weather driving.
Posted by Lynn Mason-Small on Tue, Jan 17, 2012 @ 03:19 PM
I had one...and totally forgot it. Really, it was AWESOME and I can't remember a thing about what I wanted to talk about. I'm not even sure it was insurance related. This does not bode well for my aging brain.
So that got me to thinking about organization. How I probably need to make that a priority in my life (clearly, huh?). I feel like good ideas for blogging, social media, marketing campaigns, insurance webinars, enewsletter postings on employee benefits etc...continually fly in my head and fly right out as soon as the next crisis happens, the phone rings or someone comes into the office with chocolate.
How do you keep organized? I've tried some of the suggestions that blogging "experts" have suggested. I put in my calendar a regular "Blog Article" task, complete with reminder that I promptly dismiss as soon as it pops up on my screen.
I also started just sticking my ideas in the "notes" section of my iPhone. That went the way of the exercises my former trainer told me to put in there too (which really is a problem since the above mentioned chocolate bring-ins happen all to often).
I love the "work with a team" approach. That would be so AMAZING (said with a little song in my voice) except that I can't seem to get anyone else interested in blogging (with the exception of my intern Nick - whom I affectionatly call my "cute little intern" - which I'm sure he hates with a passion). And with a marketing & business development dept. of exactly 1.5 staff members in our insurance agency, we're a bit understaffed and stuff is flying at us all the time.
Well, I think I've used enough double quotations for today...any suggestions are greatly appreciated - even if your suggestion is anti-aging games!
Posted by Lynn Mason-Small on Fri, Jan 06, 2012 @ 03:04 PM
Did you see the last blog post from our intern, Nick? He totally called me out for the entire internet to see by challenging me to a blog-off!
You see, Nick has been blogging for us for a few months now...everything from how to heat your house safely in the winter, blogs you should check out, and business networking. He's learning fast, BUT has yet to surpass my highest rated blog post (and in all honesty, it's not like it was a mind-blower) - so Nick decided that he was going to spend his second semester with us, working to "pulverize" my post! Funny kid he is...
So I was thinking about ways that I could step up my game. I've been slacking a bit since Nick arrived...but no more! Like I said, it's on like Donkey Kong...he and I will be blogging away in an effort to show each other up. Good times....Good times.
But before I get into my blogging about insurance topics, I had a great experience last night with some in-person Social Networking. I spent the night at the Cape Cod Young Professionals event at a new restaurant named Red Faced Jacks. It was a good time and saw lots of familiar faces ... but I also met some new ones ... and ones who I had WANTED to meet no less! I love when that happens.
It reminded me that yes, it does pay off to get out of the office sometimes. This coincides with my one (I have many) of my New Years Resolutions - to create more EFFECTIVE business relationships. I think this is one I can stick to..unlike the others which mainly involved depriving myself of all things good - like chocolate!