Hello!  My name is Annie Conner and I am the Chief Compliance Officer at Conner Benefits. 

Just to give you a little bit of background on myself, I have worked at Conner Benefits for the last five years and I have an absolute blast when I come to work!  My grandfather, Clay Conner, started this agency back in 1949.  My father, Jim, and my two uncles, Jack and Tom, purchased the business from my grandfather in the 70’s and have been running it ever since.  I have the privilege of being a third generation member of the Conner Agency along with other multiple cousins and siblings.  Many people ask me about the dynamics of working with my family and I always answer that it is such a blessing that I have this opportunity.  To be able to interact daily with my family and learn from each other has been such an awesome experience in my life. 

I’ll give you a quick summary of my resume:  I graduated from Purdue University (Go Boilers!!) with a degree in Small Business Management.  I was VERY sad to leave my alma mater but was excited about joining the family business.  In late 2003, I started my Human Resources training at an agency in St. Petersburg, Florida called Compliance Check.  I have to say that this program was right up my alley!  I am a major bookworm and I love the challenge of a new project.  So, when I was presented with the opportunity to assist HR’s with various laws, I hopped on the idea and never looked back.  It’s not been an easy road since laws seem to change at the exact moment we all become comfortable with them.  But I have been able to meet so many amazing people and learn so much about each individual organization that it’s worth dealing with all the regulatory mumbo-jumbo.  I have worked with many employers across the city and some parts of the state in all different areas of HR compliance.  Here are some of the areas that I focus on:  FMLA, ADA, COBRA, HIPAA, Employee Handbooks, USERRA, IRCA, EEOC, Sexual Harassment, FLSA, and Work Comp.   Every month I hold a 3-hour seminar on one of these topics as well.  Also, I recently obtained my SPHR designation and vow to never take that test again (4 hours is just too long!!).

My goal for this blog is to be able to interact with you in a completely different forum.  I’m not exactly computer literate so I hope you will be able to bear with me as we get started.  Blogs provide a whole new world of building relationships!  I’m sure we’ll be discussing legislative changes, articles, lawsuits, etc., but also feel free to ask me any questions about problems you are experiencing in your day-to-day HR world. 

Welcome and happy blogging!!!!!

I wanted to write a short post, in case you haven’t heard, that the Americans with Disabilities Act has recently been expanded.

President Bush signed the ADA Amendments Act of 2008 (ADAAA) into law last week after much support from Congress.  The ADAAA will become effective January 1, 2009, so employers and HR’s are encouraged to understand and implement the new changes ASAP.

There are three areas of change the ADAAA focuses on and I have included a short summary of those areas:

1. Due to a series of contradicting U.S. Supreme Court decisions beginning in 1999, the ADAAA now clarifies who is “covered” under the ADA.  The term “disability” was broadened in favor of more individuals, and it clarifies that an impairment that substantially limits one major life activity need not limit other major life activities to be a disability. 
   
   The ADAAA also protects individuals suffering from episodic impairments (or impairments in remission) so long as the impairment would substantially limit a major life activity when active.
   
   Finally, “disability” excludes consideration of the ameliorative effects of measures such as medication or treatment when determining whether an impairment substantially limits a major life activity. 

2. The second change the ADAAA has added is that it provides a detailed list of the tasks that constitute “major life activities,” including physical tasks like walking, lifting, standing; mental tasks like reading, thinking, learning; and even the operation of major bodily functions, such as immune system functions, cell growth and reproductive functions.

3. The third item under the ADAAA redefines the requirements of being “regarded as having an impairment,” specifying that individuals who are subjected to discrimination prohibited by the ADA, whether or not an actual or perceived impairment does limit the individual’s major life activities, will still be regarded as having an impairment. 

Conner will provide more detailed coverage of the Act as we get more information.  In the meantime, I’m curious to see how difficult/simple the new changes will be when administering the ADA. 

Our first step to altering our “business lifestyle” was to change the goodies that are brought in to the office.  Many times throughout the week our kitchen table is FULL of desserts, candy and chips (my weakness!).  These items are brought in with the best of intentions, usually as a way to get rid of weekend leftovers or as a gift from a vendor or customer.  But as we all know, even the best intentions can have negative results. 

Take me for example, when my mind needs a break from updating a seminar or reviewing regulations (studying FMLA regs can certainly work up your appetite!) I’d find myself wandering in to the kitchen just to “grab a snack.”  By the end of the day, I would realize that I eaten approximately 5 snacks.  Oops!  I’d justify my lack of willpower by saying that I’m not eating them all at once but throughout the entire day which is better for my metabolism (isn’t that what most health articles tell you to do?).  My office snacking habits were as absurd as my rationalizations behind them.

With the amount of yummy snacks brought in on such a regular basis, we decided that a change was necessary.  As difficult as it was, we had to ban all unhealthy goodies from the premises.  Yes, there was a small outcry but once waist lines started dropping and energy started increasing everyone jumped on board.  The goodies were replaced by a fruit bowl which can appease a sweet tooth just as well as an Entenmanns Chocolate Éclairs can and doesn’t cause the headache that comes with a 3 p.m. sugar crash.  Healthy snacks were welcomed and encouraged to share with everyone and we are even considering a “healthy food bakeoff” in the future.

Just one small step created a BIG culture change here at Conner. What has your organization done in order to incorporate health and wellness into its culture?  I love hearing ideas and as I explained above, even the simplest ideas can have a positive impact.  Stay tuned for more Lifestyle Steps here at Conner….