Flashings

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How to help a depressed employee

The presence of employees with mild depressive disorders in the workplace is a situation that needs to be handled with sensitivity and care. As an employer, you can do something to support such employees. Following are some tips to help you handle a depressed employee:

• Work with the employee to set reasonable workplace goals. An employee with a depressive disorder may have an unrealistic view of what needs to be accomplished.
  
  
• Help the employee break large tasks into smaller tasks and prioritize to accomplish what he can. This can take some of the pressure off the employee.
  
  
• If your company has an employee assistance program, be sure to provide the employee with information about it.
  
  
• Encourage the employee to get involved in workplace activities; this could provide enjoyment, as well as build the employee's self-esteem.
  
  
• Be patient with the employee.

Source: Adapted from the National Institute of Mental Health Web site as cited in First Draft, May issue.

Know how to say good-bye

When attending social business events or trade shows, there always are certain people with whom you need to talk. However, it sometimes can be difficult to gracefully conclude a conversation with one person when you need to move on and talk with someone else. Karen Susman, a communications coach, offers the following tips for saying the difficult "good-bye" to your current conversation companion:

• If the conversation is over, don't linger awkwardly or try to make small talk. Realize it would be best for both of you to move on with other conversations.
  
  
• Although many people choose to lie about needing to be somewhere else (and are often caught in that lie), you should instead show the person respect and courtesy when you exit. Be honest, and wrap up the conversation in a courteous way.
  
  
• Devise some truthful and graceful exit lines you can use. Some examples include "It was nice to talk to you. As we agreed, I'll call you"; "Perhaps we can get together at the convention next month"; or "I see someone else I need to talk with. Do we need to cover anything else?"
  
  
• You can help your conversation partner make the transition by introducing them to someone else or going to get food or a drink.

Making a graceful exit from conversations can help ensure you will continue your business relationships in the future.

Source: Adapted from "Make your good-byes a good experience" from The Manager's Intelligence Report, May issue.

"Courage is going from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm."
—Winston Churchill

ICC helps develop building code for Mexico

The International Code Council (ICC) has partnered with the Mexican government to develop a residential building code that will serve as a guide for creating new codes and standards in Mexico. As part of the Memorandum of Understanding between ICC and the Mexican National Commission of Housing Development, ICC will provide technical assistance.

"The Mexican government has a long-term plan to update its construction standards to include the safest techniques, materials and technologies," says ICC Chief Executive Officer James Lee Witt. "The I-Codes, already enforced in thousands of U.S. jurisdictions, will be the basis for housing construction in Mexico. The codes will provide Mexico's residents with safe, affordable and comfortable housing."

"Signing this agreement is a concrete step in support of the housing sector within the framework of the Housing Sector Program Strategies," says Carlos Gutierrez Ruiz, national commissioner of housing development for Mexico. "This also is a great opportunity for ICC and the National Commission of Housing Development to establish the basis to participate in the development of instruments to promote quality and safety in residential buildings in Mexico."James J. Giese

Details

President of Jim Giese Roofing, Dubuque, Iowa

What is the most unusual roofing project you've performed?
The most recent was the Grand River Convention Center in Dubuque, Iowa. The facility overlooks the Mississippi River and has several roof levels with sweeping curves, half barrels and architecturally designed "standing seams" incorporated into the single-ply PVC roof system.

Why did you become a roofing contractor?
My grandfather started Giese Sheet Metal Co. in 1923, and my dad and his two brothers continued the business when he died in 1952. The company had a roofing division, and I was offered the position of roofing department manager in 1973 soon after I had completed my formal education and tested the job market elsewhere. In 1981, I formed my own company, and, subsequently, my brother and cousin took over Giese Sheet Metal.

What was your first roofing experience?
In 1963, during my senior year of high school, I worked as a gofer on a new construction project applying built-up roof systems during my Christmas break. It was miserably cold, and I complained until the foreman told me if I'd move a little, I'd warm up. He was right.

What are your favorite items on your desk?
My computer (when it treats me well) and a stuffed lawyer with Velcro-connected arms, legs and head that can be torn off should the urge occur.

What do you consider your most rewarding experiences?
On the professional side, starting and building my own business. On the personal side, watching my children pursue their dreams in acting, golf and volleyball.

What was your first job?
I worked at a local greenhouse/florist business doing odd jobs and weeding flower beds and plant beds.

What is your favorite vacation?
Any golf outing with friends. The best, however, was the surprise birthday vacation for my wife's 40th birthday. We went on a cruise to the St. Thomas area with five couples and had a blast.

What do you consider a waste of time?
Driving.

What are your best and worst habits?
My best habit is reliability. If I say I will do something, I rarely fail to do it. My worst habit is that I can be somewhat disorganized. Thankfully, I have an excellent office manager that keeps me orderly. I also suffer from impatience, especially while driving.

What is your biggest pet peeve?
Inefficient, inattentive drivers.

If you could invite any three people to dinner (dead or alive), whom would you invite and why?
I'll go with Ludwig Von Mises and Milton Friedman because their economic and free market scholarship is of great interest to me. Walter Williams, as well, because he has a knack for telling stories that simplify and make economics, "the dismal science," more understandable.

What is your favorite stress reliever?
Playing basketball. I can still shoot the ball pretty well, but unfortunately, I'm now too slow to get open.

What are the most challenging aspects of your job?
Keeping up with a myriad of government rules, mandates and regulations. Also, dealing with insurance issues and finding and training qualified labor.

What is your roofing industry involvement?
I have been active in the Iowa Roofing Contractors Association since the 1970s and served as its president. Recently, I agreed to serve on NRCA's board of directors and am looking forward to that opportunity.

People would be surprised to know ...
I was shot in a robbery attempt while selling Christmas trees for a local service club in 1977.

Great Lakes Chemical Corp. increases prices

On July 1, Great Lakes Chemical Corp., Indianapolis, increased its prices for Firemaster® 550/Firemaster 552, tetrabromophthalic anhydride (PHT4), PHT4 derivatives and hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD) flame retardants. Prices for the Firemaster® 550/Firemaster 552 series, PHT4, and PHT4 derivatives will increase by up to 15 cents per pound. Prices for (HBCD) will increase by up to 5 percent.

Prices are increasing as a result of the rapidly increasing costs of key raw materials, energy products and logistics that also have caused availability concerns and to achieve profitability levels.

Dow Chemical extends operations at LaPorte facility

The Dow Chemical Co., Midland, Mich., has announced it will extend part of its polymeric methylene diphenyl diisocyanate (PMDI) operations at its LaPorte, Texas, facility. The extension is a result of the company's new Freeport, Texas, PMDI facility being in the midst of its start-up process.

In addition, the force majeure Dow Chemical had declared for its MDI products in North America has been lifted. However, because of strong demand for MDI products, an order control is in place for North America.

"With MDI in such high demand, we are fortunate to have the ability to extend operations at our LaPorte facility, which will enable us to continue to meet the majority of our customers' needs while Freeport becomes fully operational," says Chuck Reardon, North American product market manager for polyurethanes at Dow Chemical. "The extension of our LaPorte facility will allow us to counterbalance the slower than expected start-up at Freeport and offer better security of supplying moving forward.

"However, we anticipate no net increase in capacity, resulting in the need for order control to help manage product allocation in this sold-out MDI market," Reardon continues. "Once the new Freeport plant is running at designed rates, we intend to shut down the LaPorte plant as originally announced."

Reprinted by permission of United Media.