Flashings

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ANSI introduces hearing loss prevention standard

The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE) have introduced standard ANSI/ASSE A10.46-2007, "Hearing Loss Prevention in Construction and Demolition Workers." This standard, which was approved by ANSI March 5, is intended to help employers prevent occupational hearing loss among construction and demolition workers.

ANSI/ASSE A10.46-2007 applies to all construction and demolition workers with potential noise exposures of 85 decibels, A-weighted and higher.

For more information or to obtain a copy of the standard, go to www.asse.org.

Dow Chemical raises prices

The Dow Chemical Co., Midland, Mich., has raised its prices in North America for VORANATE™ toluene diisocyanate by 10 cents per pound and methylene diphenyl diisocyanate by 5 cents per pound. The increases took effect April 1.

"Tight supply conditions globally and continued volatility regarding raw materials and energy costs are the driving forces behind these price increases," says Tom Feige, North American product marketing manager of Dow Polyurethanes, a business group of The Dow Chemical Co.

Ditch clichés

Do you use phrases such as "think outside the box" or "get your ducks in a row"? If you use clichés when speaking to your employees, rid yourself of the habit as soon as possible.

Although you may think this kind of language makes you sound like you know what you are talking about, conversation expert Loren Ekroth says clichés actually can make employers sound insincere and foolish. For a better response from employees, speak simply and clearly.

Source: Adapted from First Draft, March issue

Don't let friendship disrupt morale

Everyone wants to be liked, but employees need your leadership more than your friendship. Supervisors who put aside their responsibilities to befriend employees often end up shortchanging employees. If you think you may be behaving more like a buddy than a boss, consider the following:

• It is your job to push employees out of their comfort zones and challenge them with tasks that will expand their knowledge and abilities. In contrast, a friend's role is to try to ease burdens and make life more comfortable.
• Managers provide recognition to employees when it is due; friends often give praise regardless of accomplishments.
• It is your job to teach workers what they need to know, even if the information is bad news. Friends tend to relay only good news to protect people from unpleasant truths.
• Managers should hold employees accountable for mistakes to help employees learn; friends often ignore small mistakes or flaws.

Source: Adapted from Beware of letting friendship disrupt morale as cited by The Motivational Manager, March issue

Let workers reward each other

To raise company morale, Kimley-Horn & Associates Inc., Cary, N.C., suggests giving employees an opportunity to reward each other. Employees of the civil-engineering company can award a $50 bonus—plus $5 for taxes—to any other employee.

Employees can download a form, explain why the recipient deserves a bonus and personally hand it to the recipient. The recipient then can collect the money from payroll immediately—and management has no veto power.

Kimley-Horn & Associates, which has about 2,300 employees, awarded 6,174 bonuses during 2006. The company says there is almost no abuse of the program.

Source: Adapted from The Wall Street Journal, March 19 issue

Work through grudges

Relationships between supervisors and employees can be complicated, and grudges sometimes can result. Grudges are damaging to a professional relationship, and you may have trouble distinguishing your personal overreactions from legitimate misgivings about an employee. Take the following steps if you feel you may be holding a grudge:

1. Recognize grudges. Do you avoid depending on an employee even when he has completed many previous tasks? Are you more than willing to believe criticism or gossip about an employee? Are you unwilling to speak directly with an employee? All can be signs of a grudge.
2. Find the cause of a grudge. Grudges sometimes stem from prejudices regarding race, nationality, religion, politics, appearance or age. Additionally, workplace grudges often begin when an employee fails to live up to a manager's expectations, makes a serious error or repeatedly makes minor errors, has a bad attitude or makes negative comments that are overheard.
3. Work through the grudge. Restrain your irritation, and focus on measuring and evaluating the employee's work objectively. Then, provide prompt, complete and honest feedback. Most important, don't avoid confrontation—grudges feed on denial.

Source: Adapted from Don't let grudges poison your leadership as cited by The Manager's Intelligence Report, March issue

DETAILS

Jim Eckstein Jr.
President of C.A. Eckstein Inc., Cincinnati

What is the most unusual roofing project you've performed?
Reroofing a 93-building apartment complex in a high-crime area.

Why did you become a roofing contractor?
I grew up in the roofing business. My dad did it; I'm doing it; now my son is doing it.

What was your first roofing experience?
Working on roofs during a summer when I was in high school.

What are your favorite items on your desk?
Photographs of my three grandsons.

What do you consider your most rewarding experiences?
Seeing all the people who work for my company enjoy a good lifestyle.

What are your best and worst habits?
I'm a fair person, but I also am an impatient person.

What is your biggest pet peeve?
People who are late for appointments.

What was your first job?
I worked at a fruit and vegetable store when I was 15.

What is your favorite vacation?
Going on cruises—anywhere—with my wife, Vicki.

What do you consider a waste of time?
Waiting in line.

If you could invite any three people to dinner (dead or alive), whom would you invite and why?
Ronald Reagan because he was a great communicator; Norman Schwarzkopf because he was a great leader; and Jim Eckstein Sr. because he is the nicest and most honest person I know.

What is your favorite stress reliever?
Golf—I don't play enough to get upset with the game, and I get to beat that little white ball all over the place.

What are the most challenging aspects of your job?
Keeping 30 people focused on a goal and working with them to achieve that goal.

What is your roofing industry involvement?
I serve on NRCA's board of directors and the Ohio Roofing Contractors Association's (ORCA's) board of directors. I previously have served as an NRCA vice president and ORCA president and on the Midwest Roofing Contractors Asso­ciation's board of directors.

People would be surprised to know …
I was a pretty good pitcher during high school and college.

SBA issues minority business ownership report

The U.S. Small Business Administration's (SBA's) Office of Advocacy has released Minorities in Business: A Demographic Review of Minority Business Owners, a report that discusses how minority business ownership changed from 1997 to 2002. Data for the report primarily are from the 2002 U.S. Census Bureau's Survey of Business Owners and Self-Employed Persons.

The report shows in 2002 Asians owned 4.6 percent of all firms (1.1 million); blacks owned 5 percent (1.2 million); Hispanics owned 6.6 percent (1.6 million); Native Americans owned 0.8 percent (200,000); and Pacific Islanders owned 0.1 percent (30,000).

Additionally, the report shows in 2002 women owned 17 percent of all firms (900,000). Women owned 22 percent of Asian-owned firms (71,000), 29 percent of black-owned firms (27,000), 22 percent of Hispanic-owned firms (43,000), 30 percent of Native American-owned firms (7,000) and 23 percent of Pacific Islander-owned firms (800).

A complete copy of this report can be accessed at www.sba.gov/advo.

Conquer language barriers

There are more than 250 languages commonly spoken in the U.S., and almost every workplace encounters language barriers. If you face a language barrier with an employee, remember the following suggestions:

• Change the setting. A change of scenery or short break can help an employee feel more comfortable admitting to confusion or a misunderstanding.
• Explain your commitment to clear communication. Let the employee know you would rather eliminate confusion now than after an error occurs. Phrase your need as a request, such as, "Please let me know what I can do to help you deliver quality results."
• Change communication tactics. You want an employee to admit to a lack of understanding, but having to explain something that seems basic can try your patience. When this happens, changing communication styles—such as from conversation to written instructions—can alleviate frustrations.
• Praise the employee for admitting confusion and asking questions. These behaviors take courage and demonstrate a commitment to communication.

Source: Adapted from Sidestep a language barrier as cited by Communication Briefings, May issue