The October Team Player

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Happy October!

We have a new hire and 3 promotions this month at The HR Team.

Our new hire is Angela Martin ("Angie"). Angie is an HRIS specialist who actually joined our team this summer. Angie's wide ranging experience includes working for HRIS and HR generalist roles at Accenture, PHH, Alpharma, Johns Hopkins, and Ryland Homes. Angie has a BA in Psychology from University of Massachusetts and an MBA from Loyola. As a result of Angie's arrival, The HR Team is now able to provide a more well rounded HR approach to our clients' needs using all resources which now include HR specific technology applications.

Our three promotions are Karen Warthen, Dani Schuman and Melissa Linton. Karen has been promoted to the newly created position of Consulting Manager, Dani to Consultant and Melissa to Senior Generalist.

Please join me in welcoming and congratulating this amazing crew of HR professionals.

Flu Shot Clinic

On October 16th, The HR Team will have a flu shot clinic in our offices. The clinic is open to clients and friends (who are 18 and older) at a cost of $23 per shot. If you would like an appointment, please contact Tara at hr2@thehrhteam.com by this Thursday to schedule one.

Heart Walk

I am pleased to announce that on November 3rd, The HR Team will once again be participating in the Howard County Heart Walk. Please visit our Heartwalk website to find out how to join us or donate to this worthy cause.

Top Halloween Costumes

According to extremehalloween.com, the top costumes for 2007 are:

• For Boys - Captain Jack Sparrow, Spiderman (black suit), Shrek, Harry Potter.
• For Girls - girl pirate, Disney Cinderella, Fairy witch.
• For Babies - Dronkey (baby of Donkey and Dragon from Shrek), Pea in Pod, baby Spidey, toddler lady bug.

Workers' Top Annoyance: Unusual Cell Phone Rings Called Distracting

The temperature of the workplace was people's top complaint for many years. In the same location, some said it was too hot and other workers said it was too cold. Fortunately, some thought the temperature was just right.

Very few people think the ringing of someone's cell phone is just right. In a study by workforce solutions firm Randstad USA, unusual rings were named as workers' number one pet peeve.

Randstad reports that many rings are particularly obnoxious like fire engine sirens, a fog horn, or a child's voice crying out. Many people have several rings to identify various callers such as parents, friends, and spouses.

With so many ringtones available online, it shouldn't be difficult to pick one that doesn't drive co-workers and customers to distraction. According to M:Metrics, a Seattle-based research firm, 19.8 million mobile-phone users downloaded ringtones in one recent month. About half of them were employed full time.

Part of the problem is with more open workspaces. Some companies pipe "white sound" into open areas to reduce noise. Another factor is the increased number of young people who have grown up with cell phones.

Most organizations require that phones be set on vibrate during meetings and when talking with customers.

We should remember that discretion is best when choosing a ringtone. Consider what bosses and co-workers will think when your phone rings.

You Know You Are Suffering From "Job Burnout" When

• Visions of the upcoming weekend help you make it through Monday.
• You don't set your alarm anymore because you know the pager will go off before the alarm does.
• You leave for a party and instinctively bring your ID badge.
• Your Day Timer exploded a week ago.

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