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Item of the Week with Katy Burum

Memorial Day is now behind us, schools are wrapping up the calendar year, and pools have officially opened. Now that June has arrived, get ready to embrace the days filled with sunny skies, fresh cut lawns, and family vacations taking off–also known as summer time.

Last week, we asked our veteran National Sales Rep, Katy Burum, for her recommended item of the week for those in a pickle on what to suggest to your customers. She didn’t have one single item for this popular time of year but rather an entire category—Sunscreen and lots of it! Katy is no stranger to making recommendations. She has been a top Sales Representative at SnugZ USA and is going 13+ years strong with us. Her keen knowledge and robust work ethic did not go unnoticed either; this year, Katy was recognized as the #5,  out of top 20, Supplier Sales Representatives by ASI Advantages magazine.

Whether your customers have plans this summer to visit a National Park, go on a cruise, or getaway trip to the beach, you’ll want to consider getting them Katy’s recommendation because accompanied with these fun filled days are threatening ultraviolet rays and nasty sunburns. For many of us, sunscreen can be an easily forgettable item to pack but fun in the sun comes with responsibility. Though, initial sunscreen application is just not enough. Did you know experts recommend applying sunscreen 30 minutes before going out? Moreover, be sure to reapply at 80 minutes, especially if you’re sweating or swimming. Don’t be conservative on the amount you slather up either because most of us don’t put on enough. The recommended amount use of sunscreen for an adult is 1 oz., or a full shot glass.

Next, does the level of SPF matter? You bet. Make no mistake, any sunscreen is better than no sunscreen. However, there is a difference in the levels variations of SPF. SPF stands for Sun Protection Factor and it’s a formula designed to calculate how long one can withstand being in the sun until they begin to burn. For example, an SPF 15 sunscreen means:

Minutes to burn without sunscreen x SPF number = maximum sun exposure time

How do you calculate this formula? Let’s say you step outside and within 10 minutes you begin to burn. If you were to apply an SPF 15, at the rate your skin burns, that means it will protect you up to 150 minutes without burning. However, before you make a dart for the beach, this equation isn’t accurate for everyone and those who participated in the testing may burn faster than you. It’s important to know your skin type because this will play a role in finding out which SPF works best for you. To find which skin type you are, click here.

Now begs the question, SPF 15 vs SPF 100, is there a significant difference? Absolutely. Did you know the recommended use is between 15-50. Beyond SPF 50, you’re really not getting that much more skin protection, a mere 1%. Take a look at the chart below provided by Consumer Reports. An SPF 15 will protect you at a level 93% of UV Rays and SPF 50 will protect you at 98%. No sunscreen will protect you 100%.

Consumer Reports

All in all, Sunscreen is important. Not only to protect your skin from getting sunburn but Melanoma has never been more of a threat. Melanoma is one of the seven most common cancers in the US and largely rising among young adults. According to the Skin Cancer Foundation, an estimated 73,000+ new cases of Melanoma will be diagnosed this year and it accounts for the majority of skin cancer deaths. Katy highly recommends sticking with sunscreen as you think about your customers this time of year. Below we have our starting sunscreen lineup for you to choose from. Believe us when we say they’re sun-sational.

  • ZSUNPLSP20: 2 oz. SPF 50 Squeeze Pouch Sunscreen. It’s a new product of the year  TSA carry on. Also available in 1 oz. and SPF 30.
  • ZSUN19-ZLBPWT.HC: Lip balm and Sunscreen SPF 30 combo with Carabiner attached. One goes where the other goes.
  • ZSUNJT: Jumbo Sunscreen SPF 30 Tubes for outdoor events like golfing or concerts or kids camps.
  • ZSUNPLIRCP: This two-fer is a Suncreen SPF 50 + Bug repellent combo, DEET-free, another handy item for any outdoor event.
  • ZSUN10: 1 oz. Round Bottle with SPF 30. This is a perennial best seller.

 

To receive a quote or get a question answered, you can reach our Customer Service department at 888-447-6840.

 

Sources:

Advantages Best Reps 2015. (2015, February 15). Retrieved May 24, 2015, from https://www.asicentral.com/news/magazines/advantages/january-2015/advantages-best-reps-2015/

What to Know About Sunscreen Before Buying It | Sunscreen Ratings – Consumer Reports News. (2014, May 1). Retrieved May 19, 2015, from http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/magazine/2014/07/what-to-know-about-sunscreen-before-buying-it/index.htm

Jeffries, M. (n.d.). SPF Numbers – HowStuffWorks. Retrieved May 17, 2015, from http://health.howstuffworks.com/skin-care/beauty/sun-care/spf.htm

Skin Cancer Foundation. (n.d.). Retrieved May 23, 2015, from http://www.skincancer.org/skin-cancer-information/skin-cancer-facts

 

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Kiss of Appreciation

 

Last week our SnugZ Accounting Team got together for their weekly Monday meeting. This meeting is very similar to most meetings that take place Monday morning in offices across the nation–review past projects and last week’s performance, discuss upcoming events, and observe this week’s objectives. However, this particular meeting started off with a neat team exercise.

If your company or team hasn’t yet participated in it, we recommend it. It’s a simple, easy-to-do exercise that strengthens employee morale and promotes teamwork. It’s called the Kiss of Appreciation.  Don’t fret, there is zero employee contact.

Its objective is to help strengthen your team by having members show their appreciation for each other’s contributions while reinforcing how important each person is to the team’s success.

 

What do you do?

  1. Ask everyone to take three Kisses®
  2. One for them to enjoy
  3. The other two are to distribute to those who they enjoy working with, wish to thank,  want to recognize for going above and beyond their job responsibility, etc
  4. Hint: make the first person who grabs the treats start the activity

Wrap up with asking everyone:

  1. How did it feel to receive a Kiss?
  2. How did it feel to give away a Kiss?
  3. Were there any surprises?

 

We gave it a go last week and it went fantastic. As usual, ten o’clock rolled around Monday morning and the team started filling in the room. To their surprise there lay a variety of Hershey’s Kisses® in the middle of the table. Almost immediately, some made a move for the chocolate temptations.

Once everyone was in the room, the instructions were explained.  Shaun Stoddard, Accounting Manager, started off the exercise and one by one, members started distributing Kisses®. What happened next was anticipated but not to the extent; it was truly amazing and inspiring. Considerate and thoughtful words of appreciation were expressed for each other’s work ethic. Small contributions which were part of one’s everyday job made significant impact to another’s daily tasks. Members who were once distant strangers at work expressed how grateful they were their desks were merged closer to each other because since then a friendship was born. One member articulated how grateful she was for a teammate who checked in with her after a difficult week at home and how much it meant to receive that. Lastly, a member thanked a teammate for stepping up and improving her work ethic. She explained the two didn’t get along at first but a robust relationship had been built after that and she was thankful for it. Furthermore, this was her first time telling her.

 

It was an eye opener for all. When the exercise was over, we followed up with the discussion questions and this is what they had to say:

How did it feel to receive a KISS?

  • It felt really good
  • I feel like I was more than just a co-worker but a real friend
  • It was unexpected
  • I truly felt  appreciated
  • It made me realize how often I don’t tell the person on my team how much I truly appreciate them and their work
  • The little things you do for folks go a long way and that was great to be recognized for
  • I felt loved
  • It’s a good feeling to know people are thinking of me

Were you surprised?

  • Yes I didn’t think ever to receive a kiss from that person
  • You bet, I didn’t think someone was going to give me one

How did it feel to give a kiss?

“We did have our problems and she wasn’t the only childish one in the equation. We have been getting along but I have known I needed to let her know our past is water under the bridge to me and we have a good friendship that is probably stronger because of our problems.  This activity gave me the opportunity to do it and to do it publicly so everyone else in the department knew we were okay.  It felt right.” -Tammy Hart

We found this exercise in Award Speaker and Trainer, David Greenberg’s 12 Simply Do-It-Yourself Team Building Games and Icebreakers, you can access the full PDF by clicking here.

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May 2015 MVP’s

May is a month packed with a number of events. College finals are wrapping up, graduates to-be are preparing for their big ceremony, don’t forget mom’s present for Mother’s Day, and one of the biggest vacation holidays of the year is approaching fast—Memorial Weekend. P.s. don’t forget the sunscreen.

Along with this action packed month, SnugZ USA would like to recognize May’s Most Valuable Players. We’ve receive feedback from our Managers and Supervisors on individuals who have demonstrated exceptional work and gone above and beyond their call of duty. This month we would like to award Sam Bairagee, Alex Ortiz, and Amanda Barlow as our 2015 May MVP’s.

 Administration – Sam Bairagee

 

In the short time that Sam has been with SnugZ, he has proven his value to the Marketing/Art Team and to the company with his outstanding work ethic, high attention to detail, and positive attitude. No matter how busy he is, he exemplifies our core values in all he does and treats his co-workers like his customers.

He is simultaneously juggling multiple individual projects all meanwhile managing  the virtual queue. We are very lucky to have Sam on our team and he makes SnugZ an even better place to work. #teamelevated

When he’s not working, Sam enjoys to go hiking and camping with his wife, Shannon. No kids yet for these lovebirds but they do claim to have an overweight cat that’s convinced it’s a dog. If he’s not out adventuring come weekends, Sam enjoys a little down time to simply relax. Turkey Day is this guy’s favorite holiday because “It’s an excuse to eat without being judged.” Spot on Sam. We asked Sam for any last words and he said, “Every time you stretch a font, somewhere, a designer cries!” 

 

Production – Alex Ortiz

 

Alex has been a SnugZian for over a year now and has implemented and displayed his hard work ethic. Just recently he was promoted to become the Team Lead in our Burn Screen department. Alex has stepped up as a leader these past couple of months while we experienced some employee turnover and his help did not go unrecognized. He is always willing to work overtime and pick up some additional projects to help make the department successful. Just in the past month, he has been reclaiming, stripping screens of excess paint which can be tedious work,  screens sometimes all shift and he never complains. Alex is a great asset to the team and supports everyone around him.

Alex lives in Salt Lake City now but he derives from four hours south in sunny St. George, Utah. There he attended Dixie High for four years and was involved in the ROTC (Reserve Officers’ Training Corps) program; he was a lieutenant  during his time with the group. Naturally, leadership and discipline come innate to Alex. He hopes to join the Air Force Academy in the future one day.  When he’s away from his work duties, he watches over his younger siblings. He recently took his younger brother to watch the new Avengers movie. In July of this year, Alex plans on traveling to Mexico to visit his youngest brother and treat him to a visit to Disneyland.

We’re very glad to call Alex a SnugZian and part of the team. Appreciate all you do Alex, we salute you. You’re team is excited for your leadership.

 

 Labs – Amanda Barlow

Amanda is a recent hire but her work ethic reflects that of a veteran. In her short time at SnugZ she has already proven herself to be incredible asset and it’s hard to notice her abnormal ability to easily pick up new skills. Since her inception with us, she has demonstrated her willingness to go above and beyond her job responsibility and to meet any crazy request we send her direction.

She works overtime without any reluctance and capable of working odd hours whenever asked. Once again, her ability to quickly learn a new skill has helped her excel in every task presented upon her. She is an inspiration to those around her. We’re uber grateful for her positive attitude and hard work. She reflect every characteristic of a team player.

Amanda is originally from Colorado City, Colorado. She comes from a family of 10 children! Amanda is the sixth child and one of four daughters. She currently lives in South Jordan, Utah with her boyfriend. Her favorite dogs are Dachshunds. When she’s not at work she enjoys a good nap and has a deep passion for baking. Ginger cookies are her favorite. One unique hobby of Amanda’s is modeling. She always had a great admiration, delight, and connection with models and runways. Just last week she finished her first photo shoot.  Lastly, she’s looking forward to her summer vacation she has planned in August in San Diego, California.

 

Does your company offer Employee of the Month? Or some method of recognition? Whatever form it may be, some is better than none; especially after a great effort on the employee’s part. By displaying acknowledgment to your worker for their labors, you are:

  • Letting employees know that their work is valued and appreciated
  • Gives employees a sense of ownership and belonging in their place of work
  • Improves morale
  • Enhances loyalty
  • Helps build a supportive work environment
  • Increases employee motivation
  • Improves employee retention

Now there is much debate on how to correctly appreciate employees. An article in Inc. magazine talks about the importance of face time and individual recognition rather than public announcements. Whether you agree or not, this is a continuously debated topic in search for the correct methods. If you’re new to an employee of the month program, you can’t go wrong asking your subordinates, “How would you  like to be recognized?”

 

Citations:

Heintz, N. (2009, September 1). Building a Culture of Employee Appreciation. Retrieved May 7, 2015, from http://www.inc.com/magazine/20090901/building-a-culture-of-employee-appreciation.html