Quarterly Publication - January 2015 - No.4EMPOWERING PEOPLE THROUGH TECHNOLOGY

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Magazine

By Blaine Brickhouse

By Eric Nazarian

By Alberto Arriola

Life-Long-Learning

Empowered toSucceed

New Pension Legislation Adopted as Part of the Government Spending Legislation

Strong links for astronger chain

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New Pension Legislation Adoptedas Part of the Government Spending

Legislation

Page 6Life-Long-Learning

Strong links for a stronger chain

Page 8

On the spotPage 14

Empowered toSucceed

Page 12

Core Value: Life-Long-LearningPage 15

Our company guest on this issue, Findley Davies.

By Eric Nazarian

6 tips to become a better team member

Dawn Sawyer - HR & Benefits Professional

New Pension Legislation Adopted as Part of theGovernment Spending Legislation

On December 16, President Obama signed into law new pension legislation affecting both multi-employer and single employer pension plans. The legislation was a part of the government spending legislation which will fund most of the federal gov-ernment through September 2015.

Multiemployer Pension Plan ProvisionsThe most significant and controversial provision of the new legislation is the one that allows plans which are in critical and declining status to reduce pension benefits for certain retirees. Benefits for retirees over age 80 would not be reduced and those between age 75 and 80 would have smaller reductions than those retirees under age 75. Crit-ical and declining status generally includes plans which are projected to become insolvent (1) within 15 years, or (2) within 20 years if the ratio of in-active to active participants exceeds 2 to 1 or the plan is under 80% funded. Such plans would need to receive approval from the IRS, DOL, and Pension Benefit Guarantee Corporation (“PBGC”) in order to cut pensions. Plan members would need to vote to reduce benefits before such reduction could take place. Members of large plans with over $1 billion in projected required PBGC assistance would not be eligible to vote on reductions.

The rationale of allowing cut backs is that plan members might be better off with some reduction in benefits, which could be paid over a longer pe-riod of time, than continue with no reduction and have the plan become insolvent with much smaller benefits being provided by the PBGC.

Other multiemployer provisions include:

An increase in the multiemployer PBGC premium from $13 per participant (previously scheduled for 2015) to $26 per participant.The Pension Protection Funding Rules become per-manent (they were scheduled to expire December 31, 2014). These rules require the trustees to take

action to improve the funded status of the plan if the plan falls in endangered or critical status.Plans which are projected to fall into the critical status within five years are allowed to declare criti-cal status immediately.Single Employer Pension Plan ProvisionsThe legislation limits the PBGC’s enforcement in the case of a plan sponsor’s downsizing under Section 4062(e) of ERISA. Section 4062(e) required plan sponsors who shut down a major facility with accompanying layoffs to provide security to the PBGC in the event of a subsequent distress termination of the plan. The PBGC has often ag-gressively interpreted when these situations have occurred. The new legislation clarifies and limits the situations covered by Section 4062(e).

The new legislation allows plans which previous-ly had a normal retirement age of the earlier of a specified age and 30 years of service to continue this definition for employees hired before January 1, 2017. In 2007, the IRS had issued restrictions on the definition of normal retirement age if the age was earlier than 62.

By Blaine Brickhouse FSA | bbrickhouse@findleydavies.com

Our company guest on this issue, Findley Davies.Blaine Brickhouse, Pension Actuary, shares his

expertise on the new pension legislation

This article is reprinted with permission from Findley Davies, an independent consulting firm which provides strategic counsel to help navigate the changing benefits landscape

and successfully manage workforce issues.www.findleydavies.com

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Most people associate learning with formal

education at school, college, university etc.

We are all told, from an early age, that we

should ‘get a good education’. Generally

speaking it is true that a formal education

and the resulting qualifications are import-

ant. Education may maximize our potential to

find better, more satisfying jobs, earn more

and, perhaps, become more successful in our

chosen career. However, ‘schooling’ is only

one type of learning. There are many other

opportunities to further your knowledge and

develop the skills you need throughout life.

Knowledge can be acquired and skill-sets

developed anywhere – learning is unavoidable

and happens all the time. However, lifelong

learning is about creating and maintaining a

positive attitude to learning both for person-

al and professional development. Lifelong

learners are motivated to learn and develop

because they want to: it is a deliberate and

voluntary act. Lifelong learning can enhance

our understanding of the world around us,

provide us with more and better opportunities

and improve our quality of life. There are two

main reasons for learning throughout life: for

personal development and for professional

development. These reasons may not neces-

sarily be distinct as personal development can

improve your employment opportunities and

professional development can enable personal

growth.

Learning for Personal Development

There does not need to be a specific reason

for learning since learning for the sake of

learning can in itself be a rewarding expe-

rience. There is a common view that con-

tinuous learning and having an active mind

throughout life may delay or halt the progress

of some forms of dementia, although there is

actually very little scientific evidence to sup-

port these claims. However, keeping the brain

active does have advantages since learning

can prevent you from becoming bored and

thus enable a more fulfilling life at any age.

There are, of course, many reasons why peo-

ple learn for personal development.

• You want to increase your knowledge or skills around a particular hobby or pastime that you enjoy.

• You want to develop some entirely new skill that will in some way enhance your life – take a pottery or car mechanic course for example.

• You want to research a medical condi-tion or your ancestry.

• You’re planning a trip and want to learn more about the history and culture of your destination.

Learning for Professional Development

Being well-educated is not necessarily the key

to employment. Although qualifications may

get you an interview, actually getting the job

can take a lot more. Employers are looking

for well-balanced people with transferrable

Life-long-learning By Eric Nazarian

us wider experience on which to build our

knowledge and more transferable skills in

readiness for your next move.

From a financial point of view, a more highly

skilled and knowledgeable worker is an asset

to any company and can lead to faster promo-

tion with associated salary increases. Some-

one who can offer more expertise will be of

more value not just to employers but also

to customers. Expertise is also, often, a key

quality of an effective leader.

If you are frustrated with your job, continuing

to hone your skills will make it easier to find

new ways out of a potentially stressful work

situation. Keeping an open mind to learning

and giving yourself room for flexibility is key

to job satisfaction. Furthermore, potentially

staying ahead of competitors for jobs by be-

ing more experienced or knowledgeable can

give you an edge.

skills. This includes being able to demon-

strate that you are keen to learn and develop.

If you do find yourself unemployed then use

the time wisely. Learning something new can

pay-off with new opportunities which might

not otherwise have arisen. While you are em-

ployed, take advantage of training, coaching

or mentoring opportunities and work on your

continuous professional development as you

will likely become better at what you do and

more indispensable to your current or future

employer.

Putting the time in for extra learning brings

its own rewards. It means we can get more

personal satisfaction from our lives and jobs

as we understand more about who we are and

what we do. This can lead to better results

and a more rewarding working day in turn. If

you choose to learn about another comple-

mentary sector, this enables opportunities to

specialize and potentially earn more or move

to a connected industry. In turn this gives

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There is a philosophical difference between truth and fact. Take for example the cliché “There is no ‘I’ in team”. We cannot ignore the fact that a team, by definition, is comprised of individuals and the truth that “one bad apple can spoil the bunch”.

Every day we engage in team activities that re-quire our absolute best to achieve our desired results. To relocate ourselves from one point to another, regardless of whether we drive or use public transportation, requires our full at-tention and participation in following the rules that every driver or pedestrian must observe. Ignoring these rules can be very dangerous and chaotic, not only for that individual, but for the ones sharing the same route as well.

Another truth is a team works better when its members are collaborative, leveraging every-

one’s unique strengths. This is exactly what makes a team so powerful in the first place; however, the better prepared each individual is, the stronger the team will be. It is our ob-ligation as members of any type of collective activity to give the best of ourselves and be aware of our strengths and weaknesses. The more we improve ourselves, the better fit we become in any team. So if you are already part of a team, this is an excellent opportunity for introspection. Do you have room to improve?

Consider the fact that you are becoming part of a new or existing team. When a team adds a new member, there can be speculation about the perceived fit that new member will be? Typically, an existing team that adds a new member already has an established set of expectations. Whatever your truths are, here are some recommendations to help you be-come a stellar team player!

By Alberto Arriola

Strong links for astronger chain

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1- Bepositive

Who cares if I am not smiling if I am getting my job done anyway? This and similar complaints are not new in the work environment. But before you use it as your own, think about it. If you are grumpy, people will be less likely to ask you for your help.

We spent half of our day at work, and sometimes we have more contact with our coworkers than with our own family. So make the effort and cre-ate good relationships at work. Everyone will want you on their team if you have a smile and upbeat attitude!

2- Stay up-to-date

If you want to be the best in your field you have to be up to date. But before you imagine yourself buried under a pile of books, remember that in today’s world learning is a suit that comes in all sizes.

If you are not too keen on reading, you can always watch video tutorials online, subscribe to a maga-zine, join a group, or even visit an annual conven-tion. Learning can be fun!

Sometimes you can find a great book or class but you don’t have the money or even the time for it. But don’t worry, most companies understand the value of training. Gather information about a course you want to take and prepare a list of points why this will be beneficial to you and the company. They might offer to pay, if not the whole fee, part of it. Or perhaps they will even approve some time out of the office so you can attend the course.

3- Come out of your comfort zone

Coming out of our comfort zone can be applied to many facets of our work. One way is through offering help in other areas that might not be our expertise, but always coming with a “willing to learn” attitude.

I am not saying that you should take on more than you can handle, but when things get complicated or rushed, those who are versatile enough to help in other areas are the best team members that you can find. Don’t be afraid to try new things!

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4- Be resourceful

Being resourceful helps both the company and your-self. You can save the company money if you use your creativity and resources around you.

When it comes to getting the job done, you don’t have to do everything yourself. People are also a resource, and as long as you know the right people you can dele-gate or outsource responsibilities. If you have contacts in your industry with different specialties, you can exchange work, ideas, and reference clients.

5- Haveanobligingattitude

Sometimes we expect leniency from our companies when we need to leave early or take a few hours in the morning for personal reasons. In the same way we should be able to recognize when the company needs our help and be willing to staying longer or reviewing an email on the weekend if needed.

Make yourself available and let your team know that they can reach you out if they need to. They might nev-er do it outside of work hours, but this obliging attitude is basic to fit in any team. Plus, when you are open to help others, they will be willing to help you back.

6- Be a team player

Every player would love to score a goal, but nobody wants to play with those who are ball hogs all the time. Be sure to find a balance between showcasing your skills and allowing others to participate as well. Some-times it just requires asking the opinion of the quiet ones to make them feel included. But self-awareness is needed to realize when you are the quiet one.

Don’t let a meeting pass without speaking your mind or just asking a question. You don’t have to teach anything to be participative.

If you are lacking in one of these areas, try it out! There is no better excuse than a New Year’s resolution to try new things. You won’t regret it!

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PlatformOne employees team buildingthrough fitness activities

Hotlanta half marathon - Atlanta

Flavor run 5k - Tampa

Zombie run 5k - Atlanta

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What does empowered mean? It comes from the family of the word empowers that has been on the knowledge table for quite a long time, well before I was able to spell or even pronounce it. Research states the origin of the word empowers began in the mid 17th century centering around the meaning of “to invest with power or to authorize”. So does it mean the same today as it did in the mid 17th century? Yes but with more pizazz. The pizazz includes confidence; education and continual learning; effective listening and communicat-ing; building and sustaining quality relation-ships; understanding; accepting and acknowl-edging that change is evident; creating the quilt of a leader, and openness to alternative ways of looking at and behaving in today’s world. The list of pizazz could continue and there may be words or statements that I have not referenced, but you follow the picture that is being painted. You may even have words of your own. Feel free to see what others you can add.

Being empowered one must use learning to think things through and not be passive re-ceivers of information but continue to be active learners paying attention to different components or assumptions, suggestions and consequences on the journey to successful empowerment. It is not an over night process or the luck of the draw, but it is attainable with instructions (reading, receiving feedback, taking an active part, asking questions) prac-tice (actually doing it) and passion (the can and will do attitude). Let’s take a look at my viewpoint of the word empowered in small parts so that it can be put back together as one dynamic puzzle.

Success lives within being empowered. It begins with knowing oneself, what talents skills and opportunities one has and where one can get help along the way. Everyone has the seeds of success within them, but do they know how to develop, nurture, nourish and water them. In other words do the have the

Empowered to Succeed

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desire? A great author, John Eldredge stated, “Desire is the essence of the human soul; the secret of our existence; absolutely nothing of human greatness is ever accomplished with-out it”. Empowered to desire; take the neces-sary steps and be willing to learn new things, as well as to embrace new information, ideas and processes. Be honest with yourself and with others about your goals and your direc-tion.

Let’s not forget humor. Laugh at yourself; take a moment or an oxygen break to re-charge your inner self so that you can con-tinue your drive, motivation and enthusiasm. Practice healthy habits of good health to take care of your body. Research has stated that everyone should have at least one hearty laugh a day. Have you had your laugh today? What is success and having the capacity to be empowered without laughter, humor, fun enjoying life and doing what gives your joy

Life long learning better known as the 3 L’s are three words when left alone each word is

a little vague but when you put them together as one with the empowered to succeed jour-ney everything becomes very clear. It gives you a road map to continue to gather knowl-edge nuggets that can be applied to business, relationships, family, health, friendships, goals, decisions, life, opportunities, and em-bracing change.

The information I just shared is not the main event of empowered to succeed, but just my viewpoint. After all life long learning and be-ing empowered to succeed is one path. It is taking the first steps to facing the unknown. Novelist James Baldwin commented “Not every thing that is faced can be changed. But noth-ing can be changed until it is faced”. Happy traveling on your journey….. Empow-ered to Succeed!

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We are happy to introduce our new HR Profes-sional Dawn Sawyer!

Dawn comes to us with a Bachelor’s degree in HR Management and a background in HR/Bene-fits administration. She was born and raised in Covington, GA and has an older brother as well as a large extended family. When she is not managing our client base she is busy reading or doing hair on the side as a hobby. Dawn has been with PlatformOne for four months and says that she really enjoys the culture of the company. She says there are many ave-nues in which to learn about our varied client base, and she enjoys the ongoing process of learning her craft.

We are happy to welcome Dawn to the Platfor-mOne family!

On the spot

KudosIvy Townsend is hands down the best customer service rep I’ve ever heard on the phone. Listening

to her voice is like getting a hug over the phone line. We are very lucky to have her on our team representing our core value of Communication.

Lisa Bendig

I’d like to recognize Alberto for doing a phenomenal job on creating our new Owner’s Manual. His combination of creativity, technical skills and commitment management were excellent examples of our

core values of abundance, communication and passion! Eric Nazarian

I would like to send a Kudos to the implementation team for Upland Software. The time period in which we implemented this client was very short but we all pulled together and made it happen.

Nina Holder

I’d like to thank John Phipps, he has proactively identified some previously undiscussed methods that we can use to meet our paperless initiative and has started the ball rolling on several of them. Thank you!

Rockie Stoeffler

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www.Plat formOne.com2435 Tech Center ParkwayLawrenceville, GA 30043Telephone: 770.623.9143