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Recent presentations include our luncheon keynote brief to the Houston Chapter of the Institute of Management Consultants held on November 19, 2010 at the Houston Engineering Science Society Club in Houston. Our topic was "Working with the Government". On November 21 we presented an Operations Information briefing for the United States Naval Academy at Messina Hof Winery and Resort in Bryan, TX. One of our managers, Thom, was chosen to serve on the Executive Committee of the Formation in Direction (FIND) program for the Episcopal Diocese of Texas. The program provides a three-year course of instruction leading to certification as a Spiritual Director.

As a continuing service to our clients and friends, we will also include our "Notes from the Human Side" column online here at the new Website. Many of our past colleagues at Schult/Oakwood Homes, Trajen FBO, Encore Support Systems and BMI Defense Systems are familiar with these notes from past newsletters. We will also be include Security Notes to, Landmark Aviations FLIGHTLINE newsletter in the near future.

Fairwind HR SolutionsRainbow over Fairwinds

"Notes from the Human Side" January 2011

Wake up to a New Year and make a difference?

Folks, we all make choices these days and each choice does have an impact on not only our future, but also the future of those around us, colleagues, friends, and family. Too often these days we are unduly influenced by marketing and an environment that promotes bad choices for both our health and that of our loved ones. We all know that smoking is bad for us - yet people continue to smoke, and now research shows that those who smoke are also probably slowly taking an extended life away from their children and other close family members while they re-breath the air we all share. Now here is the next kicker. Who pays for the medical care for those individuals who still smoke? We all do and it is very expensive. Recently I learned that even if you quit smoking 20 years ago, the remnants of the damage done can come back to haunt the former smoker as bladder cancer or kidney disease. How about that for bad news! As our great nation moves into the 21st century, we will be faced with more, not less, Health Care costs unless we start to make better choices.

Guess what - Smoke is not the only killer out there. An article published in our local newspaper on December 2, 2010 highlighted another life threatening byproduct of what we humans consume:

Fairwind HR SolutionsThom at Happy Dashers

Fat

There was a time when being fat (overweight, plump, diet challenged, etc.) was a sign of prosperity and only the well-to-do had that option. Excess fat cells served to help during long winters without food or when wars, blockades and sieges interfered with a regularly scheduled dinner. Today is not yesterday. Now many of our poorest citizens are the same ones who have the most excess weight (FAT). We are no longer a community of hunter-gathers who burned off most of their calories in the quest for food. As a race, we no longer have the need for the coca, nicotine or caffeine (pick your drug) to keep us awake in order to keep up the extended searches for food. We have an easier choice buy the foods we know are good for us and buy only what our body needs to eat, not what it wants to eat. A healthy diet is not expensive when you also consider the proper portions of the food we need to eat. We can train our palates to enjoy good food. A great first step in that training regime is to turn off the television food advertisements.

So now I provide three resolutions for 2011 that will have a positive side effect on another worry we have: the National Debt (PS worry, and the associated stress also a killer).

  1. Do not smoke and stay away from people that do. If you know and love them, encourage them to quit. This is a self motivator, folks, as you will also be lowering your own health insurance and our great nation's one coffin nail at a time.
  2. Push way from the table early. Eat good food in moderation and read the labels. Encourage others to do likewise. This will also help to save lives and make them more meaningful.
  3. Exercise because it is good for you and do it with folks you care about. A walk in the park is a good thing and it is not wasting time.

Implementation of these resolutions by everyone would have a positive long term effect on the cost of National Health Insurance.

Fairwinds,

Thom

Fairwind HR SolutionsBarkley the Frog

Frequently Asked Questions

Our frequently asked questions (FAQ) column will provide a reference more often than a long answer. For now, the question I get asked the most is, “When do I have to pay someone who is no longer working for our company?”

The answer depends on why the individual left. In Texas we have the Texas Payday Law which basically gives a company until the next scheduled payday to pay the individual, if the employee initiated the exit. If the Company initiated the exit, then the company has 6 Days to make the payment to the former employee. The reference for this is the Texas Payday Law. The TWC website is always an excellent source and the services are prepaid with our tax dollars. William T. Simmons, who serves as the legal counsel for the Commission Chair Tom Paulson, has been known to respond to questions directly when asked via email.