HR Fall Newsletter Design 3 Single

The

Issue October 2018 Fall Issue

“Self-belief and
hard work will
always earn you

success.”

- Viral Kohli

Congratulations on 10+Years!

We would like to congratulate the employees below for 10+ years of service to our firm! Each of you plays
such a significant part in our success and we truly appreciate your dedication. Each of the employees below
will receive a gift card as a token of our gratitude; additionally, the offices where these tenured employees
work will receive a breakfast to celebrate this accomplishment. Thank you for your service! Going forward,
we will recognize employees who reach 10, 15 and 20 years with our firm.

• Caridad Pino, 20 years, Miami • Jenny Shaver, 14 years, Ft. Lauderdale
• Maria Hernandez, 20 years, Miami • Katherine Peña, 13 years, Miami
• Hazel Sariol, 18 years, Miami • Janet Robelen, 13 years, Ft. Lauderdale
• Maria Romero, 17 years, Tampa • Yvonne Pratts, 13 years, Tampa
• Susanne Uncapher, 17 years, Orlando • Deb Colby Cull, 13 years, Tampa
• Vicki Bishop, 17 years, Miami • Eileen Eslick, 11 years, Tampa
• Michelle Vazquez, 16 years, Orlando • Stepheny Whittler, 11 years, Tampa
• Ann Jedlinski, 10 years, Miami

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• Support and motivation for a full year to help you It includes:
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• Step-by-step Success Guides.
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• Quick and simple recipes.

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Staying accountable to your goals is easier than ever • And much more.

with: This program is FREE to employees enrolled in a

• Food, activity, weight and goal trackers. UnitedHealthcare medical plan.

• Unlimited access to digital content. Get started today at success.realappeal.com. We

• Your online group class, which is designed to encourage employees to consult their physician
help you build camaraderie
before starting any weight loss program.
and accountability with others in the program.

• Weekly health tips from celebrities, athletes and

health experts.

Page 2

Employee Spotlight

Penny Ingram (Intake Clerk)

Our employees are what truly make QPWB a diverse What do you find most enjoyable about your job?

place to work. With 20+ offices across the United I really love that I have the opportunity to interact

States, we have some incredible people with many with the people across all the different offices. Since

different personalities and backgrounds contributing I am always communicating with the attorneys and

to the firms continued success. Meet Penny Ingram! secretaries over the phone and through email, I

Penny is an intake clerk in our accounting department have gotten to know a lot of wonderful people in the

who began her career with QPWB in July of 2016. company who are very personable. I also really enjoy

She is the only person in accounting with her specific my co-workers in the accounting department. We

title and set of responsibilities. Due to the unique all have our own areas of strength, but work really

nature of her job, we decided to kick off our employee well as a team and help each other out whenever

spotlight series by interviewing Penny. necessary.

In one sentence what does an Intake Clerk do? What are some of the challenges you encounter

An intake clerk essentially makes sure that all new in your role?

cases get opened in the billing system so that the The high volume of new cases being opened in the

attorneys can have new matters to bill on. billing cycle is definitely the biggest challenge. I am

How would you describe a typical workday? the only intake clerk in the firm and I need to juggle

My day consists of interacting with attorneys and two sets of emails with incoming requests. In the past
paralegals through email and telephone. Often legal year we have gained a lot of new attorneys which has
secretaries will put in a request through Aderant and led to new clients and new matters, so on any given
I will need to reach out to them or their attorneys to day I may open 100+ new cases.

clarify the information and rates they provided are If you could visit anywhere in the world that you

accurate. Once I am able to verify, I go ahead and haven’t gone before, where would it be and why?

open the matter for them. It would be a tie between Sicily and Ireland. My

How did you get to where you are today? mother’s side of the family was from Sicily and my

Originally, I worked at a medical malpractice law firm grandmother was Irish. So I would really love to visit
on the plaintiff’s side. I started off as a receptionist both and see the places my family members grew up
there, but took on additional administrative assistant in.

and accounting duties. At one point I decided that I What are some of your passions outside of work?

wanted to leave the legal industry, but a friend told I love to travel – specifically camping and going on

me that insurance defense was completely different cruises!

from what I was used to and referred me to QPWB!

Page 3

ReBciaplesamic Chicken with

Roasted Tomatoes

Ingredients How to Make It

• 1 pint grape tomatoes Step 1
• 1 tablespoon honey • Preheat oven to 450°.
• 1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon salt, divided 4 (6-ounce) Step 2
• Combine first 3 ingredients in a small bowl;
skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper place tomato mixture on a foil-lined jelly-roll
pan. Bake at 450° for 12 minutes or until
cooking spray tomato skins burst and begin to wrinkle,
• Balsamic vinaigrette salad spritzer (such as stirring once. Transfer tomatoes to a bowl,
scraping juices into bowl. Stir 1/4 teaspoon
Wish-Bone) salt into tomato mixture.

Step 3
• Place each chicken breast half between 2

sheets of heavy-duty plastic wrap; pound
to 1/4-inch thickness using a meat mallet or
small heavy skillet. Sprinkle chicken evenly
with 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper.

Step 4
• Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-

high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add
chicken; cook 3 to 4 minutes on each side.
Place chicken on individual plates; coat each
breast half with 2 to 3 sprays of balsamic
spritzer. Spoon tomatoes evenly over chicken.

Page 4

How to Recharge During Lunch

Lunch breaks are the perfect opportunity to refresh
after a busy morning and come back feeling refreshed
and renewed. Below are some tips that can help you
make the most out of your break:

1. Leave your desk – Studies have shown that

a change in your environment is beneficial to How Can Extreme Heat Affect Me?

productivity and creative thinking. Even stepping

out for just 10 to 15 minutes can help you feel The Center for Disease Control and Prevention
more energized when you return.
(CDC) says that more than 600 people in the United
2. Go for a walk outside – Finding the time to States die every year from heat-related illness that
exercise or move our bodies can be difficult are preventable. Heat affects everybody! A normal
when we are sitting for 8 hours a day. However,
your lunch break can be the perfect opportunity body temperature for adults is around 98.6 F. When
to squeeze in a 20 to 30 minute walk. Not only you are sick, you may get a fever with symptoms

will the exercise boost your energy levels and such as headache, sweating or fatigue. Much like
improve brain function, but being outside will a fever, extreme heat stresses your body’s ability to

allow you to take in the fresh air and get your maintain its normal temperature.

daily dose of vitamin D. According to the American Red Cross, the following

3. Catch up with friends, family and co-workers tips will help keep your body temperature safe during
– Your lunch break is also a great time to connect extreme heat:

with someone you haven’t spoken to in a while.

Even a 10 minute conversation with someone • Wear loose, light-weight, and breathable fabrics
you love can put you in a more positive mindset like linen or cotton.
for the rest of the day.
• Stay indoors or in the shade between 11 a.m. – 3 p.m.
4. Meditate – Meditation is a wonderful habit to • Stay hydrated and replenish your fluids: Divide
cultivate. Not only will it help reduce stress and
anxiety, but it has also been proven to boost your body weight in half (using pounds), then
memory, focus and your overall mood. There are drink that many ounces.
a variety of apps and guided meditation videos to • Pay attention to what you eat and drink. Keep your
help you get started clearing your mind. core temperature down by eating smaller meals
and choosing cooling foods like cucumbers,
5. Read a book – A good way to disconnect during salads, vegetables and fruits.
your lunch break is to get lost in a story or topic • Plan outdoor exercise for cooler times of the day
that is completely unrelated to your job. Whether like early morning or late evening.
it’s something educational or purely fiction, a

good book allows you to escape from your own

thoughts for a while or learn something new.

Page 5

Cyber Security Tips What is an Employee Assistance
Program (EAP)?

Times have changed. An Employment Assistance Program (EAP) is a

According to Quora.com, confidential service that provides professional

somewhere between 1996 counseling and referral services designed to help you

and 2001, Internet became with personal, job or family related problems. If you

widely popularized. Since are enrolled in our United Healthcare Medical Plans,
then, workplaces have you are eligible for services provided by the Care 24
completely shifted the way they communicate.
Communication is occurring largely via email which we EAP. You can contact Care 24 anytime, day or night
now have accessible on multiple devices at any given at 1-888-887-4114. The EAP can help you understand
time. As employees of a law firm, it is our responsibility what options are available for your particular needs.

to take very seriously protecting that confidential Some of the most common concerns are:

information that we work with daily. Here are three tips

on how to better safeguard this information: • Stress, anxiety and depression

1. If you are using your mobile device or laptop to • Grief and loss

receive emails or view documents, make sure your • Parent-child conflicts

phone has a passcode enabled. This way if your • Separation and divorce
phone is lost or stolen, someone is less likely to • Coping with serious illness
be able to access any information. Also, remember • Managing anger
not to use the same password for every account. • Illegal drug use and problem drinking
• Elder care issues
2. Make sure you lock your workstation any time you
step away from your desk or laptop. You never

know if a client, maintenance staff member, or For more information (click here) or if
contractor could be walking around. You do not you have any questions, please email
want anyone to gain unauthorized access or view
something they should not be seeing. On that same [email protected].

note, make sure none of your passwords are taped

on to your computer or written down somewhere

obvious.

3. When you leave for the day, make sure to lock
your office. If you work in a cubicle or open area,
make sure any documents containing personal
employee or client information are locked away
safely. On that same note, make sure when you
are disposing of any documents that contain
confidential information, you are shredding it and
not tossing it in the regular trash bin.

Page 6

401 (K) FAQ’s TRIVIA

• When can I enroll in the 401(k) plan? Eligibility You learned in the newsletter that
starts on the 1st of the month following 6 full as employees of a law firm, it is our
months of employment. Example: Date of hire responsibility to take the confidential
is 1/13. The 6 month counting period begins 2/1 information we work with seriously.
and ends 7/1, making the eligibility date 8/1.
What was one of the tips we
• How much can I contribute? You can contribute suggested in the newsletter to help
from 1% to 90% of your pre-tax compensation better safeguard this information?
each year. The maximum amount for 2018 is
$18,500. You may contribute an additional $6,000 Please email your response
at the beginning of the year in which you turn age to [email protected].
50, for a maximum of $24,500 yearly.
The first person to respond
• How much does the firm match? Up to 4%
each period that you contribute. correctly will win a giftcard!

• When am I fully vested? Immediately 100%
vested in your employee elective deferral,
matching funds and rollover contributions.

• How do I sign up?
○○Go to www.mykplan.com
○○Click on Register Now and follow the prompts

• What if I need more detailed information?
Contact our financial advisor Craig Rosen from
Edward Jones at 954-472-9995

Page 7

This edition of the HR newsletter is dedicated in loving memory to our fellow colleagues Debra McCarthy
and Christopher Levesque who passed earlier this year. Chris was a part of an organization called Camp
One Step, which empowers children who have been diagnosed with cancer to find new hope and believe in
a brighter future.

To learn more about the camp or make a donation please visit: https://camponestep.org.

Contributors: • Karen Rivera
• Rene Lopez • Vickie Salvatierra
• Jennifer Varela • Angie Altamirano
• Annie Trujillo

Designer:
• Chelsea Echeverria

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