Show Business r Standard-Examine- Sunday November 11998 business bits Associated Press VSeed a new left shoe for Bar- What do you do if Mr d loses his mustache? Or sdtnebody robs the bank and you have no money to play Monopoly? Or your Q or Z tiles from Scrabble disappear down the garbage disposal? Consumer Reports says toy companies are willing to replace missing pans often for a nominal fee (a new pair of shoes for Barbie costs 50 cents) or for free The magazine poles that many toy makers have telephone numbers or Web sites but some of them can be hard to reach A problem for workers and employers alike: Headaches take a 'great physical toll on the people suffering from them and they also cost employers huge amounts of money in lost productivity The National Headache Foundation says US businesses lose an estimated S50 billion each year dye to absenteeism and medical bjlls Migraine headaches bie? Pota-tohea- toll-fre- e ' which strike as many as 15 percent of the population vs 65 percent to 70 percent for tension-typ- e - are most cost- headaches ly The foundation said 157 million work days are lost each year to migraines at a cost of SI 72 billion A different outlook on employee life: According to a surv ey by RewardsPlus a company that administers benefits for corporations the attitude of US companies toward their responsibility in making their employees' lives better - even outside the workplace - has changed dramatically over the past five years In the survey of managers at 86 private and publicly held firms 91 percent said their companies feel responsible for improving workers' lives Thank you: With a somewhat jaundiced eye toward Thanksgiving SmartMoney magazine has checked on the prices of thank-yo- u gifts that people might want to send to friends lovers relatives pets etc For ex- - ALPINE FINANCIAL RESOURCES INC 12 years satisfying customers Can could consider taking out a newspaper ad But that's going to set you back more than S33000 if you're in Baltimore But getting a song dedication on a radio program won’t cost vou a cent ample giving your building superintendent a bottle of scotch can run as little as $1 1 if you're in Wichita Kan but then we’re If not talking your hardworking employees deserve a big "thank you” you full-pa- coast-to-coa- Strictly confidential! st IMS MW arit fum Telecommuting helps bring balance to life takes Bob Leahey a program manager at Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association more than two hours each way to get to and from work in downtown Chicago and his home in It suburban Harvard 111 "On a typical day I leave early in the morning and don’t get home until about eight at night-an- d often the kids are in bed" said Leahey 38 He's married to Laura Leahey a registered nurse who yvorks at Loyola University Hospital The couple has twin 7- year-ol- d daughters and a son who 5' But every day isn't "tvp-- : ical" anymore For Leahey: For the past year he's been from iomp on Fri- - days One day of working from home still leaves four days of lengthy com-- : muting but what a differ- ence it makes to Leahey "It's one of the best things that has ever happened to me” said the manager “I get to spend more time with my kids and my being home allows my wife to prepare for her shift She only works weekends so I do my job from 9 am to 5 pm on Fridays and then I'm right there and can be Mr Mom when she leaves” Leahey is one of a growing number of very' happy telecommuters nationwide Eric Gold-ma- p of Telecommute America a national organization based in Washington estimates there are million US telecommuters who like Leahey work from home at least one day a month up 30 percent from 1995 Slowly but surely companies are fecognizing there's a payoff in helping employees manage their work and home lives Leahey was among the first to benefit from a pilot program Blue Cross and Blue Shield initiated last year It wilLbe implemented in December for its 850 employees at its Chicago headquarters and Washington DC office What’s unusual about the Blue Cross plan is that it’s available across the board to everyone in the company who qualifies It allows workers to request and work out a flexible plan with AMDS their managers Business objectives and the employee’s productivity and job performance are key to whether the request is granted At any given time an estimated 5 to 10 percent of Blue Cross employees are telecommu- today — apply by phone: fclfi© (H§§ jwr-'After rnaiLm rebate Set store for deads & OMNISERVE W I R l I K S 84 $5000 S -- wwwomniservecellularcom 5000 Rebate ixnr WlmbMStrvkm Ajffnrtnd umtor 1 $6999 -- is Lej&ESS 18 LOCATIONS to Sandy from Logan Riverdale 4105 Rivtrdaie Rd Next to RCWHI)r 393-229- 9 Sunset SoOgdi Ogden 427JHut£oa Hvrnon BM 1485 Layton 2353 N Main hsideSmtttt 725-410- 5000 rebate 1868 N Inside Smiths 479-018- 0 776-201- 1 HJlfielc Mitchell 774-993- 5 Rd Pirn Brigham City Kaysville 06 44 South Main Across from Barnes Bank 444-194- 2 3 South Mam Next to Thompson Hardware 723-229- 0 9 ters “I approached my boss Stev- en Putzinger about telecommuting and he was very supportive" said Leahey "I work in a fully equipped office in my home and it's a win-wi- n situation: On Fridays I have more time with my family yet I get the work done" It also works for the company a federation of 54 independent companies that provide healthcare coverage to nearly 70 million people by giving it “increased access to a new and diverse labor pool improved morale and reduced absences and turnover” according to Scott Scrota executive vice president and chief operating officer "Grateful’' is exactly the way to describe Teresa Anderson 31 senior consultant in product development for the company Anderson who was married two years ago to Dr Kyle Anderson a Chicago orthopedic surgeon was excited when her husband won a one-yefellowship which began in August to the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York But some of her joy faded when she realized she might have to quit her job to be with him Anderson is a highly valued employee who works on national projects and Blue Cross didn't want to lose her Her supervisor Melanie Tillmanns suggested Anderson telecommute from New York for one year and asked her to devise a plan “I work full time from 8 am to 5 pm five days a week" Anderson said from her New York home office “I have a computer fax and phone and do everything I did in Chicago I also go to Chicago once a month for meetings I'm the luckiest person in the world And next August we’ll both be back in Chicago" I asked Anderson if her arrangement with Blue Cross cemented her loyalty to her employer Would she look anywhere else for a job? Her reply: "Are you kidding?" 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