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Using Drones and Robots to Improve Health Care

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By: Robert J. Corona DO, MBA, CEO, Upstate University Hospital

For several years we have been exploring the use of robots and drones in delivering health care. We created a new department, Autonomous Machines, to focus on this vision and to explore the potential. The use of drones and robots for critical deliveries relieves skilled personnel from chasing supplies or spending time on a task that takes them from the patient’s bedside.

The recent pandemic enlightened everyone in healthcare to the vulnerabilities that these technologies can address, including:

• providing support to address staffing challenges, 

• supporting a robust and resilient supply chain,

• minimizing in-person contact, 

• creating convenience for patients.

Internationally, drones have been used to deliver medical products to people who live in remote areas or where doctors are scarce. Across the U.S., drones are being used — mostly still in trial situations — to model how medical supplies could be distributed safely and securely to people who are in remote settings, or to save time over traditional delivery.

While the numbers would need to be calculated at scale, drone delivery for medicine and lab work is proving to be potentially faster and less costly than drivers for certain applications. The movement of material is currently a very labor-intensive and costly operation, and our hospital has a lot of situations where supplies must be in the right place at the right time. For the delivery of lab samples, we currently use a pneumatic tube system or a car courier, both of which have limitations: the tubes have a set footprint and the drivers have multiple delivery priorities. Drones have the potential to get critical samples to an offsite lab directly, within minutes.

For patients and the public there are additional advantages to develop drone applications. For example, future “hospital at home” patients can have drones deliver needed supplies. For patients who are in quarantine or contagious, drones can deliver medications without face-to-face contact or a trip to the pharmacy. For a patient who has transportation issues or limited mobility, a drone can bring medicine or supplies. For a person suffering a heart attack, a drone can deliver an AED to a bystander before the ambulance arrives.

Within our hospital, our use of new robots has become official and is happening now. We have invested in a fleet of 14 TUGs, an autonomous mobile hauling robot designed specifically for hospitals.

With the current staffing shortage that is likely to last for several years, these robots will allow our staff to work at the top of their skill set as the TUGs take over some of the more routine tasks.

Hospitals across the country are turning to robots to help with staff and nursing shortages and the medical robot market is projected to grow into a $43 billion industry in the next five years. Currently, 37 VA Hospitals use the same TUGs as we do, as does Stanford Hospital and University of California San Francisco Medical Center.

Beginning with the transport of critical drugs from our pharmacy within the hospital to our Upstate Cancer Center, we plan to use the new fleet to also transport medical supplies, drugs, linen, meals, and, potentially, clinical equipment.

The TUG robot is about four feet high and uses lidar, laser, sonar, and infrared sensors to navigate. It can get on and off an elevator. When it arrives at its destination it can let itself in. And each of its seven drawers can only be unlocked at the destination it was programmed for and by the person receiving the delivery.

As a level 1 trauma center, teaching hospital, and research center serving Central New York, Upstate serves a diverse population in both rural and urban settings. Developing more uses of technologies — to use within the hospital and outside it — has great potential, especially to reach patients who are traditionally underserved. We are dedicated to building a platform so that we are better prepared for future events, as well as for the future of healthcare.

Tracey Road Equipment: Expanding in More Ways than One

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By: Elizabeth Landry

Reflecting on the past 46 years that Tracey Road Equipment has been in business, the powerhouse company of today is almost unrecognizable compared to its humble beginnings out of one small shop in Syracuse, NY. It’s a testament to President Jerry Tracey’s can-do entrepreneurial spirit and hard work that he built the business himself from the ground up, beginning when he left community college.

“I graduated from high school, went into the Air Force and served in Vietnam. When I came home, I got the GI bill to go to community college, and from community college I started in the business of selling construction equipment. After four years, the company I worked for closed its doors, so along with one of my customers we became partners and created Tracey Road Equipment. A few years later, I bought out my business partner and I’ve been on my own ever since,” said Tracey.

Fast-forward to today and Tracey Road is a construction equipment and truck sales, collision repair, service, parts, and rental dealer with seven and soon-to-be eight locations across New York State. Although the company has expanded and changed throughout the years, Jerry’s strong work ethic as a first-generation business owner is now also reflected in his family members who are involved in Tracey Road’s day-to-day operations. His wife, Debbie, is Vice President, his daughter Christine Julka is the Director of Marketing, his son-in-law Rajan Julka is the company’s Chief Technology Officer, and his sister-in-law Peggy Kip is the Director of Finance.

Paired with the company’s development into a true family-owned business, Tracey Road also found a unique niche in the construction equipment industry along the way. Jerry’s experience in both the trucking and construction industries helped him build a company that offers everything his customers need to finish a job.

“We’re like the Home Depot of the construction transportation industry,” said Tracey.

Scott Collins, Executive Vice President of Sales, emphasized that this end-to-end service sets Tracey Road apart from its competitors.

“For example, let’s say an asphalt paving customer is going to go pave the roads. They can buy a paver from us, they can buy a trailer from us, a roller from us – they can buy all the equipment to do the job and they can buy the truck and the trailer to haul the equipment to the job. Nobody else offers that kind of support, that kind of a one-stop shop,” said Collins.

East Syracuse Expansion

The unique empire that Jerry began building back in 1976 is headquartered in the sprawling, state-of-the-art East Syracuse location. For about three years, this central campus has undergone a massive expansion, adding 35,000 square feet to an already existing 75,000-square-foot facility. The expansion is slated for completion in September of 2022, with an open house scheduled for October 6th.

According to Scott Thayer, Compact Sales Manager at Tracey Road, this expansion will benefit every part of the business.

“The expansion is going to help every aspect of Tracey Road Equipment. It doesn’t matter who it is, everyone is seeing extreme increases in equipment sales, in parts and in service. To keep up with that we had to add mechanics and we had to add space. Especially on the compact side of things – a lot of times [a small excavator] might be the customer’s only machine, and if they cannot get that up and running in a timely fashion, they don’t have another machine to fall back on. That’s where this new addition is going to help, in facilitating quicker turnaround times,” he explained.

As Thayer mentioned, the East Syracuse location expansion creates many career opportunities within Tracey Road. According to Jerry Tracey, the company has a partnership with the BOCES program that aims at helping to educate local students, while building connections with the future workforce.

“We provide a teaching facility for high school juniors and seniors for the diesel tech school. We provide busing for the children and do two classes a day. Some students go into the service shop, some go into the collision body shop, and some go into the parts department, so they learn every aspect of what’s going on,” said Tracey. One goal of this partnership is that these students may one day join the Tracey Road family as employees.

The East Syracuse expansion will provide many benefits for the company, its customers, and the local community, but Jerry was candid about the obstacles the company faced while navigating this expansion.

“Once we got approval from the town planning board, inflation started to hit and our building costs probably went up more than 30%,” he said, adding COVID to the mix also caused supply and building delays.

Tracey’s dedication to the expansion project has not gone unnoticed by the Tracey Road team. Jesse Weller, Sales Manager of the CE (Construction Equipment) Division, recognized that Tracey kept the project moving even when difficulties arose.

“I give Jerry a lot of credit for continuing to push the project and for seeing it through. It’s going to allow us to better serve the customer. We’re growing as a company. As you grow, you need to be able to support the equipment out in the field and we’ve outgrown our current facility,” said Weller.

Additional Locations

In addition to the East Syracuse expansion, Tracey Road is also expanding the company’s regional footprint through new locations. Tracey Road’s facilities are in East Syracuse, Albany, Binghamton, Queensbury, Rochester, Utica and Watertown, and that list is rapidly growing.

“We’re looking for a location in Buffalo right now and also in the Wilkes-Barre area of Pennsylvania,” Tracey said.

But the company’s reach doesn’t end there, either.

“We also have an online parts store that we’ve expanded our footprint into so we have an e-commerce component that will sell parts worldwide,” Tracey revealed.

Expanding into the worldwide market is something Tracey Road has initiated by utilizing the latest online technologies.

“We invest heavily in technology that is probably the most current and up-to-date to pull people to our website and get found nationwide and worldwide,” said Rajan Julka, Chief Technology Officer. “We have a fully dedicated marketing department, which is a little unique inside a dealership. Most dealerships don’t dedicate as many resources as Jerry has to it. We utilize various points of technology to help drive traffic to our site. We have gone from around 100 page views per month to almost 100,000 page views per month on our website.”

New Hitachi Excavator Line

Intertwined with Tracey Road’s physical locations and online expansion is an exciting development within the company’s new product offerings. Tracey Road was recently named one of only two exclusive dealers for the new Hitachi Excavator line in New York State. Hitachi ended a deal to manufacture and sell excavators with John Deere in 2021, launching the new Hitachi Construction Americas brand in March of 2022. With Tracey Road being one of only 14 dealers across the country to represent the new Hitachi Excavators, Tracey emphasized the importance of this expansion within the company’s product offering for its customers.

“Hitachi is the number one worldwide excavator manufacturer, so we’re excited about the opportunity it’s going to bring to us. We will be able to service all the John Deere excavator products along with the Hitachi brand,” Tracey said.

Compared to previous Hitachi models marketed under the John Deere brand, the new High Performance Hitachi excavators feature improved technology not seen in older machines. The biggest improvements include a 3-pump hydraulic system versus the older 2-pump system, a heavy-duty undercarriage and boom assembly, an Ariel Angle camera system, standard LED lights, ConSite Oil and a 4 year/4,000-hour full machine warranty. For Tracey Road’s customers, these new features signify better, longer-lasting performance and an increased return on investment.

Equipment Rental Options

Not only are the new Hitachi excavators available for purchase from Tracey Road, they are also available for rent as part of the company’s vast rental offerings. In order to provide customers with flexibility and options to meet their needs, equipment can be rented on a daily, weekly, monthly, or seasonal basis.

Recent shipping and supply chain constraints mean customers rely on Tracey Road’s wide array of equipment offered for rent, enhancing availability any time customer needs arise. “We rent everything from skid steer attachments all the way up to 180,000-pound excavators,” said Greg Hulslander, Rental Manager at Tracey Road. Equipment and attachment brands available for rent include New Holland, Morbark, Hitachi and Sakai, as well as Astec, which encompasses the Carlson paver line, Roadtec pavers, mills and reclaimers, and KPI-JCI crushers, screeners and conveyers.

Renting provides a “try before you buy” option in which customers can use a portion of previous rental fees toward a down payment to buy the equipment later if it fits their needs for use in upcoming projects.

“Our goal with renting equipment is to make [our customers’] jobs more profitable by making sure they have the right piece of equipment for the job they’re doing,” explained Hulslander. “The customer is number one, and their satisfaction is the key to our success.”

Growth Through Relationships

Certainly, at the center of Tracey Road’s expansion efforts remains the company’s focus on customer satisfaction and customer relationships. Scott Collins explained that Tracey Road’s diverse product offerings allow their sales territories to stay relatively small. He calls this “customer-intimate sales” and emphasized that, at the end of the day, “people buy from people.” After all, Tracey Road may be expanding through facility additions, new locations, and new product lines, but perhaps the most important growth continues to be through building relationships.

Jesse Weller honed in on the company’s focus on relationships, saying, “Jerry built his business on relationships; that’s what’s very dear to him. We are a large company that is family-owned, and the owner is here 7 days a week and he is accessible to all his employees. Although we are a large corporation, we are able to maneuver like a small family-owned business.”

From humble beginnings to the ever-expanding large business it is today, Tracey Road continues to derive its success from investing in its employees and customers. Weller said, “I’ve been really impressed with how Jerry continues to invest in the business. He’s giving us the opportunity to grow through new resources that continue to make us successful and provide our customers with exceptional service.”

When asked about the ultimate focus of Tracey Road as a business, Jerry Tracey responded without hesitation: “We’re a family-operated business and our employees are an extension of our family. We want to make our customers our best business partners, building strong relationships and earning customers for life.”

How to Apply New Revenue Recognition Rules to Uninstalled Materials and Equipment

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Benjamin A. Sumner, CPA, Audit Partner, Dannible & McKee, LLP

It comes as no surprise that the COVID-19 pandemic has led to substantial economic challenges in the construction industry. Supply chains have been inhibited, leading to less than desirable lead times for equipment and materials needed to get projects completed. More recently, inflation has resulted in contract costs that are higher than originally planned. Many contractors have had to take measures to mitigate these challenges, such as purchasing equipment and materials earlier in the contract life cycle than in the past or placing bulk orders for materials in excess of what is needed for a contract completion to take advantage of volume pricing discounts.

While these strategies are excellent ways to help to control the impact the pandemic has had on profitability, it is important for contractors to consider the revenue recognition requirements under Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) Accounting Standards Codification (ASC) 606 for upfront contract fulfillment costs and uninstalled materials when accounting for contracts, since the timing of revenue recognized in relation to these types of costs will likely be different than under previous Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP).

Under accounting practices prior to implementation of ASC 606 for reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2019 (calendar 2020), upfront contract fulfillment costs, including costs of production equipment and materials related to a specific contract, could be charged to job costs and included in the inputs used to measure the percentage of completion on the project, which ultimately drove the revenue recognized to date on the contract.

Conversely, ASC 606 requires revenue to be recognized to depict the transfer of control of goods and services to a customer and specifically calls for upfront contract costs to be recorded on the balance sheet and amortized to contract cost over the expected contract term. While under past practices, revenue would be recognized immediately for materials and equipment purchased specifically for a contract, when accounting for contracts under ASC 606, the materials and equipment cost is required to be charged to contract costs when consumed or installed, delaying the revenue recognized related to these costs.

The method of accounting for materials purchased for contracts is also different under ASC 606 than it was under previous GAAP. Prior to the implementation of ASC 606, accounting for the cost of contract materials depended on whether materials were purchased specifically for a contract, or whether it was general inventory available to be used on several contracts as needed. For materials purchased specifically for a contract, the revenue recognition method was like the previous method described above for upfront contract fulfillment costs, while general materials purchases were included within inventory in the balance sheet until segregated for use on a specific contract.

Under ASC 606, the cost of materials that are not specific to a contract would be accounted for in a similar manner as past practice as inventory on the company’s balance sheet. However, accounting for contract-specific materials under ASC 606 requires some consideration of the timing for when control of those materials has passed to the contract owner. In situations where materials are purchased for a contract or segregated out of inventory for use on a specific contract and billed to the owner but have not yet been installed, the contractor must limit the revenue recognized on these materials to be equivalent to the cost, effectively no gross profit may be recognized. Under ASC 606, recognition of the gross profit component of the contract price related to these materials must be withheld until the materials are installed. Accounting for these situations can be a challenge and requires coordination between project managers, procurement managers and accounting personnel to ensure the transactions are appropriately reflected in the contractor’s financial statements.

It is important for contractors to remember these key changes related to revenue recognition when accounting for their contract activity, especially in the challenging economic environment created by the COVID-19 pandemic.

 

Benjamin A. Sumner, CPA, is an audit partner at Dannible & McKee, LLP, a public accounting firm with offices in Syracuse, Binghamton and Albany. The firm has specialized in providing tax, audit, accounting, and advisory services to the construction industry since its inception in 1978. For more information on this topic, you may contact Ben at bsumner@dmcpas.com or 315-472-9127 x221.

Working in the Heat – OSHA’s National Emphasis Program

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Susan Geier Fahmy, Vice President, Director of Safety & Health Services, Lovell Safety Management Co., LLC.

On July 7, 2020, Tim Barber collapsed and died from heat illness on his second day of work at an upstate Western New York construction site. OSHA’s Heat Illness Prevention Campaign teamed up with the OSHA Region 2, Buffalo Area Office to produce an awareness video on heat illness prevention. Watch: Remembering Tim Barber: A life lost to heat illness at work.

OSHA has launched a National Emphasis Program to protect millions of workers from heat illness and injuries. Through the program, OSHA will conduct heat-related workplace inspections before workers suffer completely preventable injuries, illnesses or, even worse, fatalities.

“Tragically, the three-year average of workplace deaths caused by heat has doubled since the early 1990s. These extreme heat hazards aren’t limited to outdoor occupations, the seasons or geography. From farm workers in California to construction workers in Texas and warehouse workers in Pennsylvania, heat illness – exacerbated by our climate’s rising temperatures – presents a growing hazard for millions of workers,” said Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh. “This enforcement program is another step towards our goal of a federal heat standard.”

Hazardous heat exposure can occur indoors or outdoors and can occur during any season if the conditions are right, not only during heat waves. Occupational risk factors for heat illness include heavy physical activity, warm or hot environmental conditions, lack of acclimatization, and wearing clothing that holds in body heat.

Construction, especially road work, roofing and any other outdoor work has been listed as an industry where workers have suffered heat-related illnesses and where OSHA will focus.

As part of the National Emphasis Program, OSHA will initiate inspections in over 70 high-risk industries in indoor and outdoor work settings when the National Weather Service has issued a heat warning or advisory for a local area. On days when the heat index is 80 F or higher, OSHA inspectors and compliance assistance specialists will engage in outreach and technical assistance to help keep workers safe on the job. Inspectors will look for and address heat hazards during inspections, regardless of whether the industry is targeted in the NEP.

Heat-Related Illness: Know The Signs

It’s important to know the signs of heat-related illness—acting quickly can prevent more serious medical conditions and may even save lives. If an employee has symptoms of heat-related illness, a supervisor should be notified immediately. If able to, move the person to a shaded area loosen his/her clothing, give him/her water (a little at a time), and cool him/her down with ice packs or cool water.

  • Heat Stroke is the most serious heat-related illness and requires immediate medical attention. Symptoms include: confusion, fainting, seizures, very high body temperature and hot, dry skin or profuse sweating. CALL 911 if a worker shows signs of heat stroke.

  • Heat Exhaustion is also a serious illness. Symptoms include: headache, nausea, dizziness, weakness, thirst and heavy sweating. Heat fatigue, and heat rash are less serious, but they are still signs of too much heat exposure.

To Prevent Heat Illness:

Nearly 3 out of 4 heat illness fatalities happen during the first week of work. New and returning workers need to build tolerance to heat by taking frequent breaks and working shorter shifts in the heat to start. Dangerous heat exposure can occur indoors or outdoors, in any season. Ensure that your employees take “it easy” on the first days of work and take time to get used to the heat and build up a tolerance. If a worker has not worked in hot weather for a week or more, their body needs time to adjust.

Follow the 20% Rule — on the 1st day, don’t allow employees to work more than 20% of a shift at full intensity in the heat. Increase their time by no more than 20% a day until they are used to working in the heat.
Provide cool drinking water – encourage workers to drink at least one cup every 20 minutes, even if they are not thirsty.
Rest breaks — allow workers time to recover from heat in a shady or cool location.
Dress for the heat — have workers wear a hat and light-colored, loose fitting, breathable clothing if possible.
Watch out for each other — encourage workers to monitor themselves and others for signs of heat illness.
Look for any signs of heat illness, including fainting, dizziness, nausea, and muscle spasms, and act quickly — when in doubt, call 911.
Offer training on the hazards of heat exposure and how to prevent illness.
Develop an Emergency Plan on what to do if a worker shows signs of heat-related illness.

 
More resources are available on OSHA’s website in English and Spanish and there is even an app to download to your phone to calculate the heat index and provide recommendations based on your risk level.

Check out www.osha.gov/heat for training and other educational resources.

Susan Grier Fahmy, CSP, is Vice President, Director of Safety & Health Services at Lovell Safety Management Co., LLC. You may contact Lovell Safety Management at 1-800-5-LOVELL or visit online at www.LovellSafety.com.

The Challenges of MWBE Certification and Recertification

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Joseph T. Schuler, Esq. & Diana Plue, Esq., Sheats & Bailey, PLLC

New York State has set guidelines for State Agencies to utilize Minority and Women owned businesses (“MWBE”) at certain rates when awarding government contracts.  NYS reached its goal of 30% utilization in 2021.  That statistic, however, fails to illustrate the realities of the MWBE program.

NYS has a 30% utilization goal to help MWBE businesses, but NYS is making it difficult to become and remain certified.  There has been a drastic increase in recertification denials over the last eight (8) years.  Recertification denials have increased each year and nearly doubled since 2019.  NYS has made the certification and especially the recertification process increasingly complicated.  Businesses are finding it harder to obtain and keep their certifications. 

Upon denial, a hearing on appeal offers hope to many companies.  The NYS Division of Minority and Women Business Development (“Division”) would not generally consider evidence introduced during the appeal explaining the woman-owner’s qualifications.  A recent Appellate decision, however, has ruled that NYS law requires the Division to consider all testimony and evidence presented on appeal.  Matter of Scherzi Sys., LLC v. White, 197 A.D.3d 1466.

The Division originally denied the company’s WBE recertification based on the husband, Mr. James Scherzi’s, minority ownership interest and involvement in operations.  The Division found Mrs. Dana Scherzi did not make decisions pertaining to the operation of the business, hold adequate managerial experience or technical competence to be able to operate a software business, and failed to show she contributed money, property, equipment or expertise proportionate to her equity interest in the business. 

Upon initial appeal before the Administrative Law Judge, Dana and James Scherzi testified about Dana’s role and contributions towards the company.  After hearing the evidence, the administrative law judge recommended the original denial be overturned.  The Division’s Director instead upheld the original denial, limiting consideration of the facts to those materials provided in support of the application and disregarding the hearing testimony.  Dana appealed the Director’s determination to NYS’s Third Appellate Department, arguing the determination should be annulled because the Director refused to consider testimony introduced at the administrative hearing when assessing the regulatory factors for MWBE Certification.

The record from the hearing in the Scherzi appeal shows her husband originally started the company to do freelance work, but he did not have high aspirations for it, claiming he “never wanted to run a company.”  The company took off once Dana Scherzi left her career in Corporate IT to join it.  Her contribution in the form of expertise showed she contributed in proportion to the required 51%, but this was only resolved after a hearing, appeal, remand, and finally, a successful hearing.

This issue was the limited scope of review in appeal hearings.  The Director denied certification after determining “testimony at the hearing, that was not part of the application, [wa]s insufficient to meet the substantial evidence standard, as it would be improperly considered facts not in evidence; and, therefore, irrelevant.”  Matter of Scherzi Sys., LLC v. White, 197 A.D.3d 1466.  The Third Department reversed, however, finding it is not only appropriate for an agency to consider the testimony offered at an administrative hearing, but the agency is required to consider the record as a whole pursuant to the State Administrative Procedure Act § 306(1) and CPLR § 7803(4).  That is particularly the case where “the hearing testimony at issue did not constitute new evidence previously unavailable at the time of the application but, instead, served to explain and clarify technical terms and documentation.”

The Scherzi case also confirmed that the woman-owner’s equity contribution to the Company did not have to be monetary to establish her proportionate ownership interest.  Contributions in the form of expertise that directly grows the business may be sufficient to justify ownership interest.  The Director was wrong not to consider the testimony regarding how her expertise grew the business.  The court also implied a company should not be automatically disqualified from WBE Certification simply because a woman owner shares some managerial tasks.

The Court’s decision has strengthened the appeal process by affirming an applicant’s right to explain and expand on the application material in the appeal hearing and requiring the Division to consider all testimony and evidence presented on appeal.  The Court’s decision is also important for confirming that ownership interests can be acquired by means other than a monetary contribution.  Applicants whose initial application or recertification application have been denied should appeal the decision by requesting a hearing rather than submitting papers only.

While this subtle change in the law is recent, the appeals process seems to have been broadened to admit more explanatory testimony.  For those dismayed at the abuse of the MWBE system, this change should ensure that genuine women-owned enterprises can prove their eligibility.  The MWBE certification process is ever-changing and has many twists and turns. 

The attorneys at Sheats & Bailey, PLLC are experienced with these processes, and always ready to lend a hand to applicants facing certification, recertification, or appeal.  For more information or assistance navigating the MWBE landscape contact Diana Plue at Sheats & Bailey, PLLC, Tel: (315) 676-7314.

The information provided in this article is not intended to serve as specific legal advice for any particular situation.  Competent legal and experienced counsel should be consulted.

Is Construction the Obvious Solution to Young Workers’ Career Crises?

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By Hannah Sabitoni, Laborers International Union of North America Health and Safety Fund

Lazy, entitled and technology-addicted are some of the adjectives you may see used to describe Millennials (those born between 1981 and 1996) and Generation Z (1997 – 2012). Despite the stereotype that this group doesn’t want to work hard, they make up nearly half of the current workforce. As the “Great Resignation,” an unexpected surge in retirements and an aging workforce drive up demand for labor, employers need to find ways to appeal to and recruit these younger workers to stay afloat.

“From new infrastructure funding to plans to replace outdated lead pipe service lines, the construction industry is booming and won’t be slowing down anytime soon,” says LIUNA General Secretary-Treasurer and LHSFNA Labor Co-Chairman Armand E. Sabitoni. “Young people are growing tired of spending thousands on a degree to graduate without any guarantee of a job and a career in construction offers an alternative to this path. LIUNA members get fulfilling careers, they get to work on meaningful projects and can build a better future for themselves and the country.”

The construction industry has been facing a worker shortage, and one projection estimates the industry will need 2.2 million more construction workers in the next three years to keep up with demand. At the same time, the overall economy is seeing masses of people quit their jobs in favor of gigs that pay more, offer better benefits packages, and provide a better quality of life. In other words, younger workers are tired of being underpaid and undervalued and are rethinking what they want – and how much they’ll tolerate – in a career.

In many ways, a career in construction seems like an obvious answer to the pleas of fleeing Millennials and Gen Zers: it provides a stable income without college debt and has a relatively low barrier to entry. LIUNA members and other union construction workers receive comprehensive training, phenomenal health and retirement benefits and career advancement opportunities. In addition, union construction workers enjoy the benefits of collective bargaining and advocacy on the job as well as safer work sites. For generations that value security, high wages and fulfilling work, this sounds like a match made in heaven. Yet a recent survey showed that only three percent of young people currently consider a construction career as an option.

Why the Disconnect?

Cultural factors and stigma surrounding the skilled trades are at least partially to blame for younger generations not yet thinking about construction as a career choice. Growing up, Millennials and Gen Zers were told the only way to make a living was to go to college and get a white-collar job. In this narrative, the skilled trades were meant for people looking for a backup plan. In contrast, older generations like Gen Xers and the Baby Boomers grew up seeing the successes of unions and blue-collar workers.

Gen Zers and Millennials are said to value openness, flexibility and independence at the workplace. They want to feel heard and valued by their employer for their unique perspectives. To those born before 1980, this can come off as entitled, opinionated or lazy. Conversely, Gen Xers and Baby Boomers are said to work long hours and value self-reliance and practicality. On the flip side, younger workers may complain their older colleagues are rigid, close-minded and too traditional.

The problem with this type of thinking is that it’s rooted in stereotypes that aren’t necessarily true or helpful. Differing attitudes across generations are most often a product of circumstances, not age. For example, older Millennials entered the workforce during the Great Recession and therefore place a higher value on job security than Gen Zers. Similarly, older Gen Zers entered the workforce in the midst of a pandemic and therefore prefer flexible work arrangements and digital communication.

Another potential reason for the disconnect is that construction is hard, physical work. A career in the skilled trades is demanding and, as with any other industry, comes with its own physical and mental health risks. But despite these risks, one report found that construction workers are among the happiest employees.

While younger generations want to feel satisfied and fulfilled in their everyday work, they also put a high premium on their health and safety. A lot of young workers aren’t willing to risk their health for the sake of a career. This is an opportunity for construction contractors to call attention to health & safety programs that address young people’s concerns and show they care about workers’ well-being.

How Can the Construction Industry Answer the Call?

The more that young people rack up thousands of dollars in student debt and barely make enough to cover their bills post-graduation, the more they question whether the college path is right for everyone. Younger workers are realizing they don’t have to follow the traditional 9-5 corporate lifestyle to achieve success, and researchers predict interest in the skilled trades will increase in the coming years. It’s now up to the employers to address young people’s concerns, show how trade work aligns with their values and adjust their recruiting strategy accordingly.

Millennials and Gen Z can be part of the change they want to see in the construction industry, including more open discussions about formerly taboo topics like mental health or social issues, prioritizing safety and health above a finish-at-any-cost mentality and breaking down the stigma surrounding these jobs. Meanwhile, employers and unions can work to better market apprenticeship programs, robust benefits packages and comprehensive health and safety plans. If there’s one lesson to draw from recent trends, it’s that workers are an employer’s biggest asset and should be treated as such.

Our economy is in a unique moment where five generations currently make up the workforce, so finding common ground and learning to adapt is the best way to attract and retain talent going forward.

The Three Elements of Managing Risks.

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By Paul Coderre, CSP, ARM, OneGroup


Construction is a tough business. The work is tough. The people are tough. The competition is tough.

When considering risk management in construction, it can feel like a challenge to that toughness. In reality, you have worked hard to build your business. Your efforts provide for your family and for the families of your workers. Protecting your business is part of that effort. Risk and its outcome present a real and substantial threat to the business you’ve built.

In the risk management field, we look at threats to an organization’s ability to thrive; further, we’re looking at potentials that threaten an organization’s ability to even survive. Whether the threat is a lawsuit stemming from New York State’s Labor Law, workers’ compensation costs, the cost of putting trucks on the road, or even OSHA fines – the dollars can be big and the impact severe. In the day-to-day grind of bidding and building, investing the time and effort required to manage risks often takes a back seat, but that’s when bad things happen.

So, you may be wondering… Whose responsibility is it to manage the risks faced by your company every day, and how would that be accomplished? What does a solid risk management program look like? I’ve been in the risk management, safety, and loss control field for over 40 years, and I can tell you that protecting your company from risk has very little to do with a traditional safety program. I’ve walked into many a contractor’s office or job trailer and been handed the site safety plan. I’ll look it over and then ask the Super., “Can we go out and see how you’re really doing things?” Most of the time, what I see is very different from what I read. Safety (or risk management) is not a program, or a binder; it’s not a toolbox talk, or computer-based training, or even an inspection. Construction Risk Management is based on the decisions that you, and every one of your employees, make every minute of every day that you are onsite. Safety is someone securing a ladder, checking a ground, or using the right tool for the job. Each of those things stem from a good decision made by the employee. Your risk management challenge is giving them the information to make the decision and holding them accountable to making it.

Managing construction risks depend on the decision you make in writing your contracts (and signing those of others). Managing risk fails when your site supervisor walks past the shaky scaffold, or the subcontractor failing to use their PPE, or allowing the employee to operate that piece of equipment without knowing if they were capable. Managing construction risk is highly dependent on how you, your supervisors, and your site managers respond to an incident, whether it’s an injury, or a near miss, and whether it involves your employee or a subcontractor.

Now, let’s talk about the three key elements of managing construction risks:

  • Preventing of incidents
  • Responding to incidents
  • Managing incident outcomes

Prevention

Needless to say, an incident that doesn’t happen doesn’t cost the organization time or money. However, in order to be confident that the risk of an incident has been minimized, we have to be confident that our employees are making the right decisions every day (i.e., wearing their PPE, erecting the scaffold securely, only accepting well-written contracts… the list goes on). How do you do that? Remember when I said that risk management isn’t a safety program? It’s not. That’s just a book. Prevention of incidents is dependent on every one of your employees knowing what is expected of them and using that knowledge to make decisions every day. Minimizing incidents on a construction site requires that each of your employees apply the safety concepts they’ve been taught. It also relies on your managers and supervisors holding every one of your employees accountable to those concepts every day. So no, safety is not a program or a book; it is a system of defining expectations of conditions and behaviors, and then holding people accountable to the application of those principles. The written program is just a way to make sure everyone is using the same concepts.

Response

The next critical piece of managing risks in construction is how you (or your management team) respond to an incident. Again, we’re talking about any incident – whether an injured worker, a vehicle accident, or a subcontractor incident. The process of responding to the event can mean the difference between a minor disruption and a major claim.

The critical factors in responding to incidents are:

  • taking care of people
  • communicating with whomever needs to be communicated with
  • identifying the real cause of the incident
  • taking steps to prevent it from ever happening again (if possible)

Number one, taking care of the person is a responsibility, not an annoyance. Getting an injured person the medical care they need quickly and efficiently provides you with a host of benefits, including getting the person healed quickly and preserving a good employee. Failure to take care of an injured worker or subcontractor can easily result in long disabilities and lawsuits, not to mention low morale and turnover.

Fast and complete communication within your company and with the insurance carrier is the second critical response factor. Incidents in the field need to be communicated to management and administration quickly so that response can be coordinated. Involving your claim-person immediately upon notice of an incident can help establish appropriate care and preserves the evidence needed should a claim or lawsuit come about.

Managing Incident Outcomes

Claims and lawsuits are common outcomes of accidents within construction operations. Workers’ compensation claims run the gamut from minor incidents with no lost time to debilitating and even fatal incidents. Your ability to manage the claim process depends on the information you gather throughout the claim and the relationship you have with your adjuster.

When an incident occurs, that information should immediately be communicated to your office person who manages such situations. An incident report with all appropriate information about the injured worker, their injuries, treatment, etc. needs to be given to your office so that it can be provided to your claim professional. This allows that person to work with you to determine the best course of action in managing the claim outcome. Your office staff should be actively involved with your claim professionals to provide updated information and to continue managing the claim to achieve its most favorable outcome.

Regular claim review meetings, or periodic claim discussions regarding the status of an injured worker or a liability suit, provide you with an opportunity to contribute information, as well as get information on where the claim is going and what the outcome may be.

In addition to the initial claim report (to get the carrier involved), identifying the true or root cause of the claim, and implementing controls to prevent reoccurrence, is critical both from the standpoint of managing your OSHA exposure to fines and managing the long-term risk to your company. From the OSHA standpoint you’ve seen the new fine structure. No one can afford citations, let alone “willful citations.” Very recently, a roofing contractor was fined over $1M in response to an employee falling from a roof that resulted in a fatality (and that doesn’t even contemplate the labor law case that’s sure to arise).

This devastating accident proves the importance of establishing practices to prevent such incidents. Failing to eliminate or minimize the possibility of reoccurrence of an incident doesn’t make sense. Sometimes closing the barn door after the horse ran out is important, because there are more horses in the barn. It is in the organization’s best interest to dig into the events and decisions surrounding an incident in order to find and prevent those things from happening again.

Overall, risk management in the construction industry is not “having” a safety program. Success in managing risk is about using the tools (i.e., a safety program, training, consistence, accountability) to foster the right decisions among your employees; every hour of every day that they’re on your job site.

For more information, please contact Paul Coderre, Vice President of Risk Management Services at PCoderre@OneGroup.com.

Plan, Train, Repeat; Belle’s AmeriCU aims to be the Employer of Choice

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By Martha Conway

As AmeriCU’s Ron Belle approaches his fifth anniversary with the financial institution, there’s even more to celebrate than the milestone. In his second year as president and chief executive officer, Belle has had the honor of overseeing robust industry-leading growth in membership, assets, loans and more since he began.

He says it’s a continued trajectory that started before him, thanks to the foresight of past leaders who implemented a mission and vision that embraced a set of core values that would culminate unprecedented growth for more than 10 years…a foundation and trend AmeriCU continues to build upon as it rapidly approaches its 75th birthday.

When we spoke to Belle in April last year, AmeriCU was fine-tuning its strategic plan to better support that mission and vision.

“One of the things I’m most proud of is the opportunity to take a look at the credit union from the inside out,” Belle said. “We started to reevaluate and reassess our organization and really, our culture itself, to determine what is best for teammates and members. We took a look at everything from our hiring practices and training to our promotions and products and services, all with the aim to create a better member experience.”

Belle said it was important to lay the groundwork for that change as AmeriCU looked to continue growing responsibly and sustainably, and since becoming CEO, Belle said AmeriCU has expanded on the financial institution’s plan for continued success.

Belle said organizations need to realize that a strategic plan is never complete – it’s a fluid concept that AmeriCU continually reviews and revises to provide the best possible member experience and team environment, and he said the buy-in has been tremendous.

“People like to have a plan,” Belle said. “The strategic plan is the basis of where we want to go. It lays out our focus and direction for teammates and members, and it’s something we expand on every year. When you can articulate that plan and your vision to your teammates, and tie that back to how it benefits our members and our communities, it’s easy to get everyone on board.”

Taking care of its teammates is key to the success of AmeriCU’s overall vision. At AmeriCU, a happy team makes for happy members, so they have placed intense focus on the team environment.

“Our vision is to be the most admired organization in every community we serve,” Belle said. “To be a good citizen in those communities, to give back, to be an organization whose people are sitting on boards, committees and providing community service through a host of volunteer efforts, that directly supports that vision.”

“Our mission to provide our members the right financial services to live life, dream big and achieve financial success means that every day, for every member walking into one of our financial centers or calling or visiting us online, we are making sure they have all they need in every interaction.”

The strategic plan, vision, mission, and organizational culture are four areas AmeriCU teammates talk about, practice, and train in every day.

Digital-first business model

Belle said member demand in recent years for more online services encouraged AmeriCU to adopt a digital-first business model.

“Digital-first is not digital-exclusive,” he said, explaining that technology is very important as AmeriCU looks to the future and what may be coming down the pike in three to five years that may ultimately benefit the member banking experience. “Tech is very important, but it has to be the right tech, and we have to have an idea of how it might evolve with the next generation of that technology.

“Not only must it make sense logistically and for the future, but it also has to make life easier for members and teammates. We’re always going to balance personal interactions with member conveniences, so the value of any technology must be evaluated by the impact it will have. It has to be fast, easy and convenient – it has to be beneficial to all involved.”

A growing footprint

AmeriCU is enjoying its position above the industry standard for credit unions, and Belle said he credits executing the strategic plan to recruit, hire and train the right teammates and provide them with the right tools for success.

“The increased growth across all measures is building upon all past years’ successes,” he said. “Making sure that you’re executing on your strategic plan and the necessary training involved for all teammates to support that. I have to credit our team for embracing the strategic plan, mission, vision, and reflecting the culture we’ve built.”

AmeriCU boasts 19 financial centers in nine counties in Upstate New York. Based in Rome, Oneida County, AmeriCU is also accessible across the globe through a number of other membership avenues, including military affiliations. They recently surpassed an impressive 155,000 members.

The employer of choice

Belle graduated from Utica College of Syracuse University and earned executive management certifications from University of Wisconsin at Madison and Case Western Reserve University. After graduation, he entered the world of financial services before accepting a job at a Syracuse-area bank as a branch manager. From there, he worked his way up, securing increasingly responsible positions and managing greater numbers of people and teams.

That experience has taught him what works and what doesn’t.

Added to the strategic plan for 2022 is the goal of being the employer of choice. Execution of the mission and vision are pivotal to recruiting and training excellent teammates. Interviewing is the place to begin with strong articulation of those concepts and the importance of contributing to the organizational culture for all teammates.

From the first job interview, AmeriCU starts underscoring its passion for its mission, vision, and team culture.

“We don’t want to just be a great place to work,” Belle said. “We want to be the employer of choice. When people come in for interviews, they don’t know about our culture, and when we first talk about it, they might not fully understand it, but they always become interested and start asking a lot of questions about it.”

He said it sets the tone even before they are hired.

“It’s not just something AmeriCU covers at a new hire orientation,” he said. “Teammates are constantly trained in our strategic plan, mission, vision, and culture.”

The employer of choice goal has AmeriCU now asking themselves how they can improve other areas of teammates’ lives, too.

“Some of the questions we’re asking are, ‘How can we improve the lives of our teammates?’ ‘What external trainings and wellness can we provide outside the building and during non-work hours?’” Belle said.

AmeriCU is committed to taking a holistic approach to culture and seeing teammates not just as part of the organization but seeing each of them as a whole person with individual goals and needs.

“It’s been one of AmeriCU’s best retention measures,” Belle said. “The culture of the organization is its heartbeat. If the culture is strong you’re going to see strong retention, and a commitment to the organization and the AmeriCU brand. This really helps us recruit and retain teammates.”

And the efforts have built a team that provides excellent member service.

Aligning team members to improve efficiency

Belle has also been working to restructure the leadership team to better support the evolving needs of the organization, creating new promotional opportunities for teammates that expand their roles, and improving efficiency and decision-making that supports the strategic plan and the entire credit union.

“These expanded assistant vice president and vice president positions provide promotional opportunities for teammates and better align with the strategic plan,” Belle said. “All of these things – the strategic plan, vision and mission statements – support AmeriCU’s core values. The strategic plan asks who we are and who we want to be – all of these pieces align nicely.”

Responsible neighbors

Each year, AmeriCU increases its community giveback efforts. Not only fiscally, but also through volunteer hours and participating on volunteer boards and committees. Among those causes are the American Cancer Society, the Children’s Miracle Network, the Baldwin Fund for Breast Cancer Research, and the American Heart Association, where Belle has been selected as the Chairman for the Syracuse Heart Run and Walk in 2023.

AmeriCU has also bolstered its support of veteran and military organizations through efforts like Military Saves Month and Wreaths Across America, finding new ways to give back to U.S. army members and their families.

“We are always looking to expand our community outreach efforts, our community support, and we want to make sure we are giving back to our communities what they have given to us,” Belle said.

What’s next?

AmeriCU will continue to shape its strategic plan to continue its unprecedented growth and plans to expand financial wellness and training opportunities for its teammates and members.

“We’re really planning for continued growth in all areas,” Belle said.

“We are a fantastic financial institution, yes, but we want people to know we are so much more than that. Of course, we want you to become a member of AmeriCU, but we also are passionate about being a positive presence in your community beyond being just another financial institution. We want to help our communities, and you, to flourish and grow, and that’s part of our strategic direction.

“I hope people see us as more than a credit union; I hope they see us as a neighbor.”

For more information on AmeriCU, visit AmeriCU.org or call 800.388.2000.

SOS Orthopedic & Sports Therapy: An Unparalleled Approach to Patient Care

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By Becca Taurisano

Syracuse Orthopedic Specialists (SOS) opened their Orthopedic & Sports Therapy (O&ST) service line eight years ago with a vision to deliver the highest quality patient care. With four convenient locations in Camillus, North Syracuse, East Syracuse, or Liverpool, patients can choose whether to attend sessions close to home or work. SOS’s main goal is achieving superior patient outcomes and by providing clinicians the resources they need to be successful, the SOS team is maximizing care and minimizing cost.

Tools for Success

As a service line within SOS, O&ST has benefited from a significant investment in facilities and technologies that provide clinicians with what they need to treat patients. “You notice the difference in our facilities as soon as you walk in the door,” says Director, Todd Cardi, PT. “Our facilities are top notch,” says Operations Manager, Michael Linkiewicz, PT, “we have enough space to offer a full range of treatment options to our patients to expedite their recovery.”

SOS employs therapeutic technologies including an MLS class IV robotic laser l to treat pain and inflammation and an RPW shock wave machine to stimulate healing and regeneration of injured soft tissue. Therapists have the ability to provide other alternative and specialty treatments including Sound Assisted Soft Tissue Mobilization (SASTM), Functional Capacity Evaluation (FCE), and Canalith Repositioning.

The O&ST department relies on technology to enhance the patient overall education and experience. For patient education, clinicians use a 3D program called Anatomy TV to explain the procedure that was performed or where their injury occurred. “We put a significant emphasis on patient education,” Cardi says, “in the doctor’s office, you may not have time to get an in-depth explanation. We pick up where the doctor left off.”

Clinicians use a home exercise program module to provide patients with better illustrations of exercises they need to perform outside of their sessions. The program allows for real time feedback from the patient as well as monitoring of their compliance. “These technologies will not only ensure better treatment but will also shorten the length of treatment which can help maintain costs at a reasonable level for our patients,” Linkiewicz says.

Philosophy of Specialization
SOS follows a philosophy of specialization for their therapists as well as their orthopedic surgeons. Over half of the O&ST therapists specialize in one area only including Sports Medicine, Total Joint Replacement, Hand/Wrist/Elbow, Foot/Ankle, Spine, and Shoulder/Upper Extremity. “Just like with SOS physicians, when our therapists are only treating one area of the body, they have a higher level of expertise and can provide better care to the patient,” says Cardi.

There is regular interaction between therapists and physicians in each specialty area to discuss protocols, review case studies, and develop communication patterns. “The coordination among the specialties have driven our outcomes to be consistently better than the national average,” Cardi says.

SOS therapists are encouraged to pursue certifications for various specialties such as Certified Hand Therapist, Pain Management, Fall Prevention, Functional Capacity Evaluation Testing, Vestibular Balance Therapy, McKenzie Spine Evaluation and Treatment, Orthopedic Clinical Specialist, and Sports Metrics/Injury Prevention certification. “We support our therapists in becoming certified in specialties, beyond their required continuing education credits to maintain licensure,” says Linkiewicz.

Team Approach to Care

SOS therapists and therapist assistants work together as a team, providing a continuity of care for the patient, creating confidence in the clinicians, and ensuring patient buy-in and compliance. From the initial evaluation, the patient becomes familiar with both the therapist and assistant they will be working with for the duration of their therapy. SOS strives to have a therapy team skilled in at least one specialty area at every one of their four locations for patient convenience. “Having specialists on site who are skilled in making quick decisions on progression is key,” says Linkiewicz.

Both members of the therapy team become familiar with the patient, their case, and the treatment plan, so if one team member is unavailable, the other can easily take over. “Our team approach is invaluable in maintaining continuity of care. It’s seamless to the patient,” says Linkiewicz. Cardi emphasizes that a patient will get face-to-face contact with their therapy team at every appointment. “That interaction with our therapists is really important. Our therapists will ask patients if they have any questions and reiterate the goal we are working toward to make sure they understand,” he says.

Measuring and Monitoring Success

In order to achieve superior patient outcomes and patient satisfaction, SOS uses the largest and most extensive database available in outpatient orthopedic rehabilitation, provided by Focus on Therapeutic Outcomes Inc. (FOTO). This database allows them to measure patient satisfaction and monitor patient outcomes using data from 36,160,000 patient assessments, 9,545,000+ completed episodes of care, 23,700+ clinicians participating across the United States and Canada from 12,600+ clinics. During patient intake, the therapist collects data from the patient, including demographics, comorbidities, and any information that may affect treatment or recovery. The database creates a Risk Adjusted Profile based on this information and compares patients with similar profiles.

By the time the therapist gets into the treatment room on the first visit, they have a prediction of how long the patient should be in therapy and what functional improvement can be expected. If the patient has a better functional improvement than predicted in the same or fewer visits, then the therapist has achieved a superior outcome. The database information also helps therapists set expectations with the patient to see how they compare to other patients with their same risk adjusted profile.

Subsequent surveys collect patient satisfaction information at critical points in the patient’s recovery. If the patient does not understand their condition well or is not satisfied with their progress, the therapist can address that immediately and correct the issue. Thanks to the continuous quality improvement opportunities provided by the real-time survey responses, 98.6% of SOS O&ST patients are satisfied with their results and experience at discharge. This includes feedback from approximately 9,000 SOS O&ST patients discharged in 2021 compared to 1,053,611 patients in total in the FOTO database for that time period. “When they leave, we want them to be fully satisfied,” says Linkiewicz, “the FOTO database enables us to measure both our effectiveness and patient satisfaction.”

SOS sees patients for 3.5 fewer visits today than they did when they first began utilizing FOTO, and 2.5 fewer visits than the FOTO predicted average per episode of care. This creates a significant cost savings for patients and payers. “Our main priority is superior outcomes over financial reward,” says Linkiewicz, “this demonstrates exactly what we are trying to achieve and that we are well on our way to achieving it.” This approach is working. SOS O&ST sees approximately 13,000 new patients per year, and many are referrals from other satisfied patients.

Cardi says their main goal is to help people recover and get back to functioning as fast as possible. “We are seeing patients less and achieving better outcomes. That puts our doctors at ease. That’s a direct reflection on them. We are extremely proud of how we are performing.”

Comprehensive Care Now and in the Future – CALLOUT

Utilizing best practices, SOS Orthopedic & Sports Therapy provides comprehensive multidisciplinary care for patients, with an eye to the future for growth and improvement.

  • SOS’s Specialists’ One-Day Surgery Center in North Syracuse is a 23-hour care facility for healthy patients to have total joint replacement, spine surgeries, and other procedures in an outpatient environment. SOS therapists are on staff and on call for post-operative patients when they are in recovery. Therapists run through a checklist of functional safety requirements determining if the patient can get on and off a bed, toilet, and chair, navigate stairs, understand how to use an assistive device, brace, or sling. The SOS therapists do not bill patients for this service at the surgery center. “This is what we have committed to as a group as a best practice,” says Cardi, “it is about delivering the best care and it sets us apart.”

 

  • For patients that have chronic pain, SOS O&ST is working with SOS spine physicians and New York Spine and Wellness physicians to develop protocols for pain management and post injection therapy. Spine therapists certified in pain management can help patients with exercise and activity modification to help keep their pain symptoms at bay and improve their function, in addition to their injections or medications that their pain management doctor can provide.

 

  • This fall, SOS will offer an expanded hand and wrist center including certified hand therapists at their 5719 Widewaters location in East Syracuse, allowing them to further improve the communication and collaboration between doctors and therapists for patients who have had tendon repair, fractures, or other hand surgeries. Patients will be able to see their doctor and walk across the hall to get a custom splint from their therapist the same day.

 

  • SOS has the largest athletic training department in Syracuse, working with over 15 area high schools and secondary colleges. Having an athletic trainer on site expedites care when an athlete sustains an injury. If the athlete requires rehabilitation, they are referred to SOS therapists to get them back to their sport as quickly as possible. When the athlete returns to their school, the athletic trainer is there to work with them to further to facilitate a safe return to sport. “Having all the pieces at our disposal allows us to communicate effectively and smoothly, and improve the overall experience for the athlete,” says Linkiewicz.

2 Top Risks for 2022 and Beyond

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By: Pierre Morrisseau, CEO, OneGroup

In this issue of CNY C-Suite I would like to cover two critical risks for 2022.  The first is Cyber Risk.  We have seen cyber transform from a misunderstood threat that most businesses brushed off as rare and happening to big firms, to a significant and sophisticated threat capable of costing into the millions of dollars—even capable of shuttering companies.

A recent large-scale survey by Allianz Global Corporate and Specialty surveyed more than 2,500 risk management experts from more than 88 countries who ranked cyber risk as the number one threat to business. The war between Russia and Ukraine has made this even more significant in 2022 with Russia targeting computer assets around the world.

It is now more important than ever to have good basic controls in place.  This is also becoming critical to get access to good Cyber coverage as the marketplace is becoming more expensive and particular about what they require. The good thing about a number of the Cyber insurance policies is they come with services that will help you prevent a breach or more effectively respond to a breach if you have one. It is critical that you have a plan.

More surprising is a new threat that evolved out of the pandemic: attracting and retaining top talent. Moreover, it appears that finding not just top talent, but enough talent to sustain growth will continue to be a challenge for years to come.

Protiviti® and North Carolina State University surveyed nearly 1,500 C-suite and board positions around the globe identified attracting and retaining top talent as the second most critical risk of the top ten for 2022 and the foreseeable future. There appear to be no easy solutions finding workers due to the complexity of the forces at work to create the shortage. The Survey sites myriad pressures including lingering impact of Covid and its variants, supply chain disruptions, geopolitical tensions, increasing use of artificial intelligence and automation, remote work option requirements by employees and more.

For service companies like OneGroup, finding and growing top talent is an imperative. We feel we must be creative in every area from recruiting, onboarding, training, personal development, and work-life harmony.

I thought I would share one of our recent efforts to strengthen our workforce while giving us a unique recruiting tool. Perhaps it will provide you with ideas that you, too, can deploy to attract talent.

We recently hosted what we branded “Day of Learning.” In fact, we took over the lower level of Syracuse’s Oncenter for two full days dedicated to letting our employees explore different topics of interest – very little was focused on insurance but instead focused on camaraderie, motivational speakers, and mostly, just enjoying each other’s company.

It was the first time the majority of our people had gathered face-to-face in two years. Participation was over 80 percent with people coming from all of our 18 locations including Florida. Since one of our corporate goals is to have our experts and specialists return to the office to facilitate collaboration, we felt this event would help people feel comfortable being out and together again. It exceeded every expectation and opened the door for a majority to return to the office at least some portion of each week.

The event was also intended to demonstrate our commitment to our employees’ individual growth and well-being. Again, it far exceeded our expectations as our people eagerly mingled and self-organized impromptu gatherings to learn more about each other. The results of several surveys throughout reinforced their positive attitudes about their work, their co-workers, and the company of which they are an important part.

We are confident that out of the box efforts like Day of Learning are contributing to employee satisfaction and retention. We are also confident that having a stable of happy ambassadors is not only excellent for our business and our clients but will also attract new top talent.

I will be happy to share the details of Day of Learning and other efforts to attract talent, and I would love to hear what you are doing to grow your workforce.