Category Archives: Office / HR / Employment

The Atrium Financial Group, a member of the Private Client Group at Northwestern Mutual, recently celebrated the opening of its office at 11 South St., Glens Falls, with a ribbon cutting ceremony that was marked by the donation of $2,500 to the Family Service Association of Glens Falls Inc.

The donation benefited the Family Service Association’s Emergency Christmas initiative.

The new satellite office is led by private wealth advisor Sherry Finkel Murphy, CFP, ChFC, RICP.

The company said the new location allows the Atrium Financial Group to strengthen its presence in the Adirondack region, while continuing to build relationships with both new and existing clients and further develop their commitment to the Glens Falls community.

The Atrium Financial Group is led by founder and private wealth advisor William J. Newman, CFP, ChFC, CASL, RICP; partner and private wealth advisor Jeremiah J. Makey, CFP, CLU, ChFC, CASL, AEP; and partner and private wealth advisor Michael P. Mennella, CFP, CLU, ChFC, CLTC. The firm works with families and small businesses that share its values of family, commitment to excellence, mutual respect, integrity, and personal and professional growth. 

By Jennifer Farnsworth
MCW Janitorial Services has been servicing the Glens Falls area for years, so opening an office in the city seemed like the next logistical step.
Operations Manager Reed Chronis said the new location allows the company to better serve what is already a strong client base. The company cleans businesses all over the Capital Region and North Country areas.
“We have been aggressively pursuing business in the Queensbury and Glens Falls area for some time, and the response has been steady. The new office will give us the opportunity to meet the needs of customers we already have in that area as well as new business,” said Chronis.
The new office is at at 175 Broad St., Suite 188, Glens Falls.
MCW services include commercial janitorial, same-day COVID-19 disinfections, carpet cleaning, maintenance, pressure washing, painting, parking lot maintenance, school consultations, and post-construction clean-up.

By Rose Miller
When the news of an FDA approved Covid-19 vaccine was going to become available, I joined many with feelings of joy and hope. I envision a future where we can all live, work and play together again.
Personally, I am tracking vaccine availability closely and I will be seizing the day when I can get a shot. Sign me up. I will be carping a whole lot of diem when this is over.
In the workplace, the expectation was that my staff and the workplaces we support would be equally excited about getting vaccinated. Unfortunately, we are hearing that’s not always the case.
In fact, Dr. McKenna of Albany Medical Center believes that production of the vaccine will greatly improve, and supply will meet or exceed demand in the near future. One of his major concerns was the public’s resistance to getting vaccinated. He and public health officials know for these vaccines to truly turn the tide of the pandemic, there will need to be near universal willingness among Americans to get the shot.
It’s important to understand what’s behind the fear. According to a poll by the Kaiser Family Foundation and The Undefeated, some 70 percent of Black Americans believe that people are treated unfairly based on race or ethnicity when they seek medical care. Examples of malpractice and unauthorized experimentation are far from forgotten by the Black community.

By Michael Cruz
Your new employee is starting Monday. You think, “I hope they work out well.” The worst thing that can happen to you is that you have to start searching all over again. Not, really the worst thing. The real worst thing is that they do not work out—and they stay on your payroll.
This can be avoided. The big mistake we make is to focus on their skill. Can they perform the tasks well? Let’s modify the question to what you should be thinking? Can they perform their tasks well, here? We often interview for skills. Why not, skills are often easier to measure. Yet the key question is whether they have the right soft skills to fit into your company’s culture.
Most people struggle to define ‘soft’ skills. Yet, those traits have more to do with our success than anything else. Does your company focus on getting results? Is it okay to be a free wheeler or do you need to follow specific structure? Do the people you work with give specific direction? Or do you expect others to figure it out? Answering these questions helps you hire better. This allows us to change the way we get to know candidates. Take the time to figure this out.

By Christine Graf
Express Employment Professionals, a locally owned small business, opened its second Capital Region location in December.
It is located in the T.J. Maxx plaza on Route 50 in Saratoga Springs. Owner Jordan Modiano opened his first Express Employment franchise in Albany in September 2015.
“To put it simply, we help people find jobs, and we help companies find employees,” he said.
A Long Island native, Modiano moved to the area in 1999. He had a 20-year career in advertising and marketing before purchasing the franchise. Express Employment Professionals was founded in 1983 and has more than 780 franchise locations in the United States, Canada, and South Africa.
“I wanted to do something that made a difference in people’s lives and the community that I live in,” Modiano “That’s been something I’ve wanted to do for a long time.”
According to Modiano, his franchise currently specializes in providing employment services to several specific employment sectors.

By Susan E. Campbell
Small business owners have the flexibility to choose whichever type of retirement plan they desire to accumulate a future nest egg on a tax-deferred basis. But that doesn’t mean the decision is easy, or that the company may need to change to a different plan in years ahead.
“Each of the four basic types of defined contribution plans has advantages and drawbacks,” said Laurie A. Stillwell, CPA, in Saratoga Springs.
“My job is to talk through what the business owners’ goals are and direct them to the plan that checks those boxes,” she said.
“Companies are not stuck in a plan once they have it,” said Richard J. Fuller, CPA in Glens Falls. “But if there is to be a switch, it has to be done right.”
“There is no one-size-fits-all with retirement plans,” said Stillwell. “A plan may work well for the first five years, but in year 10 or 15, it may no longer fit.”

By Christine Graf
The state’s paid family leave program (PFL) is having a significant impact on some businesses, say those in the Human Resources field.
New York’s PFL has been in effect since 2018, but won’t be completely phased in until 2021. It provides paid time off for individuals to bond with a newly born, adopted or fostered child, care for a family member with a serious illness, or assist a loved one when a family member is deployed abroad on active military service.
As of Jan. 1, New Yorkers may be eligible to take up to 10 weeks of family leave and receive 55 percent of their salary. By 2021, 12 weeks of leave will be offered at 67 percent pay. Weekly pay caps are calculated based on state averages.
Gail Hamel, the owner of Lake George-based Hamel Resources, said the law impacts some businesses more than others. She is a human resources consultant who works with both large and small businesses.
“The biggest thing with the paid family leave act is certainly scheduling,” she said. “Especially when you have an employer with a limited number of employees.”
She said many of her smaller clients were exempt from the FMLA because they had less than 50 employees. That is not the case with New York’s PFL. Although public employ

By Rose Miller
Who didn’t love Sinatra? Even if you didn’t grow up in his era of popularity, you probably still tap a toe or know a verse of “New York, New York” (not the Alicia Keyes/Jay Z version either).
But I can remember the last few years he was still performing on stage. It wasn’t the wisest choice. The voice was gone and the visual presentation not good. It can be painful to watch a person who is beyond their prime try to keep going well beyond the time to say goodbye.
I’m seeing the same thing in the business world. Both employers and employees who don’t want to admit it is their time to say goodbye. The problem has the same attributes to breaking up with an old lover. You keep at it, keep trying to make it work. You feel badly most of the time. Frowns replace smiles. A sense of emptiness replaces fulfillment.
Yet, sometimes it is better to leave things broken than to hurt yourself during the breakup. From the employers’ side, the end of a long-term relationship with his or her company seems incomprehensible. The person has invested everything into building the business- time, money, knowledge, and relationships were all built around the business. The owner’s identity is tied to the business and is inextricably wrapped in the connection.

Longtime area gastroenterologist Dr. Howard P. Fritz has been named chief medical officer and vice president of medical affairs at Glens Falls Hospital.
He succeeds Dr. Robert Pringle who was serving on an interim basis as the hospital conducted a candidate search.
Dr. Fritz retired as a partner in Gastroenterology Associates of Northern New York in September 2018 after 29 years with the practice.
In his new role, Fritz oversees all clinical operations at the hospital, including adherence to best practices and ensuring overall quality of care; serves as a liaison between the medical staff and administration; and assists in physician recruitment and strategic planning.
“Dr. Fritz is highly respected among the members of our medical community and cares very deeply about making Glens Falls Hospital the best it can possibly be,” said President and CEO Dianne Shugrue. “He has been an advocate for continuous improvement as a practicing member of our medical staff, and is now in an even greater position to lead the way forward from a quality of care standpoint.”
“I believe in the mission,” said Fritz. “Glens Falls Hospital is a not-for-profit, community based hospital. The hospital and the healthcare team that works with and within it are committed to providing high-quality care to as many people as possible, as close to home as possible. I can’t imagine this community without the hospital, and I look forward to working with everyone here to ensure that people get the highest quality care from the time they come in the door to the time they are discharged in better health.”