This Week's Herman Trend Alert The Consequences of Virtual Meetings

The Herman Trend Alert May 21, 2008 Secondhand Smoke Injures Heart Cells Whether you live in the United States, Brazil, or China, study after study has documented the negative effects of smoking; a just-published study in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology (JACC) documents the seemingly permanent adverse effects of secondhand smoke. For a while, we have known that the children of smokers are one-third more likely to develop serious lung disease. (In high school, Joyce was the victim of her mother's secondhand smoke.) However, this recent study confirms "brief exposure to secondhand smoking increases the risk of vascular [fluid carrying systems in the body] disease and [should be] a major public health concern". The increased risk of heart disease is significant. The study followed a group of healthy nonsmokers (average age of 30.3 years) who were exposed to 30 minutes of secondhand smoke on two separate days. The levels of smoke were gauged at the same levels commonly observed in passive smokers. For the non-secondhand smoke environment, researchers simply used smoke-free air. Measurements were taken before exposure (baseline), immediately after (0 hour), and at one hour, 2.5 hours, and 24 hours after. Findings were startling. Only a 30-minute exposure to secondhand smoke resulted in indications of heart cell damage and decreased blood flow. Twenty-four hours following exposure, though normal blood flow resumed, there was continuing evidence of heart cell damage. Our forecast: all insurance companies will begin to ask prospective policyholders if any member of the family is a smoker. (Some already do.) There will be greater discrimination against smokers and their families. Hopefully, more smokers will be encouraged to quit, based on research like this study. In addition, wise employers will extend their wellness programs to the families of employees to eliminate this risk for their workers. In the short term, there will be an opportunity for marketers to capitalize on this addiction by offering "smoking vacations" and other social opportunities for smokers to be with other smokers in an inclusive environment. More countries around the world will choose to isolate smokers. Special thanks to Ernie Clevenger who publishes MyHealthGuide, one of my sources for staying up-to-date on development in medicine. (www.MyHealthGuide.com). © Copyright 1998- by The Herman Group, Inc. -- reproduction for publication is encouraged, with the following attribution: From "The Herman Trend Alert," by Roger Herman and Joyce Gioia, Strategic Business Futurists. (800) 227-3566 or http://www.hermangroup.com. The Herman Trend Alert is a trademark of The Herman Group, Inc." BACK BY POPULAR DEMAND: RETENTION SPECIALIST PROGRAM A growing number of people have expressed an interest in attending our Employee Retention Specialist Certificate Program. We'd like to schedule on that's convenient for those who want to attend, but need your feedback to do so. Please place RETENTION SPECIALIST in the subject line and Joyce will personally call you back to schedule the workshop. Or you can call Joyce directly at 336-210-3548 (PDT this and next week). BUSINESS IS PICKING UP Most employers are unprepared. The recovery will bring a new set of challenges for employers that have been in prolonged contracted mode. They will need more skilled workers or will need now to begin to upskill their current staffs. But organizations can not engage in Strategic Workforce Planning, when they don't know how. That's where The Herman Group can help. We can help you with your "People Review"----large or small---so that you will know who you will need and when you will need them. . . and we can also guide you to the best sources for the people you will need. For more information, call Joyce at 336-210-3548 or e-mail joyce@hermangroup.com. FIND OUT WHAT YOUR EMPLOYEES REALLY THINK AND FEEL Discover what’s really going on in the hearts and minds of your employees. Our InnerViews interviewing service uses SPHRs and PHRs, certified human resource professionals to probe for the information you really need to know. Exit and Stay Interviews, as well as Why-Didn't-You-Take-Our-Offer Interviews. Call Rosalie Catalano at 937-416-7066, or read more at: http://www.hermangroup.com/retentionconnection/exit_interviews.html. Herman Trend Alerts are produced by the Herman Group, strategic business futurists, Certified Management Consultants, authors, and professional speakers. New subscribers are welcome. There is no charge for this public service. The Herman Trend Alert is received by over 30,000 subscribers in 78 countries, in addition to other websites and printed magazines. Do you enjoy receiving this weekly e-mail update? Contact us about our co-branded Trend Alert service. Click here to sign up for the Herman Trend Alert. Subscribe or Unsubscribe to weekly Herman Trend Alert View this week's Herman Trend Alert Archived Weekly Herman Trend Alerts

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