Customer service in the millennial age

Several recent experiences with different companies chat service have proven to be helpful and satisfying interactions. It seems that the customer service experience through chats and emails has been getting better. Either training has improved or companies are finally responding to customer needs. Another possible solution for this phenomenon is that the work force is getting younger.

According to a U.S Census Bureau report from June 2015, millennials represent more than one quarter of the nation’s population at 83.1 million. In comparison, the next largest population are Baby Boomers at 75.4 million. With their defined birth years between 1982 and 2000, they are well into the workforce and setting policy and trends. The economic landscape is adjusting. Millennials have grown up always digitally connected through cell phones, computers, games, and tablets. They tend to have less money to spend and will use their digital resources to scour for deals. The biggest generation in U.S. history is changing our economic landscape and how companies do business.

Companies have had email and chat alternatives for customer service contact for some time. It is reasonable to say that as millennials enter the work force they will bring their values and habits with them. One of those is reluctance to speaking on the telephone. They’d much rather stay within the digital world. They, themselves, use resources such as chat and email to communicate with business. In turn they provide the same service they would like to receive, putting more effort into something in which they believe a valuable resource.

Just a theory.

See our blog archive for other posts relating to millennials:

#IQUIT February 2014

Not like all the others September 2016

Should social media rants get you fired?

Should an employee be fired because of social media rants? Some business experts feel that employees that sound off should be fired because they don’t uphold the character and face of company. The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) has heard these types of cases since 2010 and began issuing decisions in 2012. The NLRB usually sides with the employee, reasoning that the employee’s social media postings are protected activities under the National Labor Relations Act, specifically-Employee rights to organize and speak out against unfair labor conditions.

If the rants take place on company time, using company resources, the employee could be disciplined for infractions other than the actual posting. But when the postings occur outside of work, the line has been drawn between employee rights and violating policy.

Beyond firing someone for something you don’t like on social media is the policy prohibiting the rant. If the company doesn’t have a policy then little action can be taken. Many businesses, especially small business, have no policy regarding social media. Employee handbooks and company policy need to be  living documents. It seems like there is always a new topic to be covered. Social media policy is an extension of that organism. Although social media and employees going off on their employers are not new, the policies governing how businesses handle it are still evolving. And the NLRB helps draft those policies each time it offers a decision. Businesses have to stay abreast of the issues and the decisions being made.

Defending the honor of the company or getting rid of a bad employee, firing someone for his or her rants on social media can be a dicey situation. Opening up the company as well as the person responsible for the firing to court action.

See our blog archive for other posts relating to social media policy issues:

Enforcing company policy May 2015

What is your social media policy? March 2016

Social media checks July 2016

How well do you know someone?

Watching the vetting process for the new presidential cabinet you heard politicians and others vouching for the nominees.  They would qualify their knowledge of the person’s background by stating how long they’ve known the person, “I’ve known this person for five years.” Really? Five whole years?

There is the possibility that you can really get to know someone in a short span of time. But it is highly unlikely, especially if you’re not with the person 24/7. There have been incidents of husbands and wives, who have been married for more than a decade, not knowing of the others “secret” life. So how can you vouch for a person, you have known for five years, and periodically interact with? If your “friend” is forty and you’ve known them for five, or even ten years, that seems like an eternity. However, they’ve had twenty-two years of adulthood before you ever met them.

Then you have the now cliché neighbor of a crime suspect, “[He’s] always been a good neighbor. Quiet. Never bothered anyone.” Chances are the neighbor is basing their assessment on fact. They never really knew the suspect so, of course, they were quiet and never bothered anyone.

If a background investigator has ever contacted you regarding an investigation for a security clearance how well you know someone can become shockingly evident. People obtaining security clearances fill out a questionnaire, part of which includes references. These references have to be non-work, friends and neighbors. Sometimes you have no idea why your name was used. You hardly know the person. But sometimes the investigation is for someone you’ve “known” for ten or more years (Most backgrounds require the reference to be a person you’ve known for five or more). But you don’t hang out with them, you don’t interact socially, you lose touch. But here is your name as a reference. The investigator starts asking the standard questions and you realize that although you’ve known this person since college, you cannot provide one piece of information that can verify anything about the person’s proclivity for cheese or espionage.

So to stand before a congressional committee and state that, “I’ve known this person for five years and they have absolutely the best character”, is little bit of a stretch.

See our blog archive for other posts relating to character association: 

Don’t want to know July 24, 2013

Have you ever been convicted of a crime February 3, 2014

Tax [Fraud] Season

Once the calendar year turns over thoughts of filing taxes begin. So do the warnings of tax fraud and prevention tips. Having been the victim of tax fraud I know the inconvenience of proving your true identity to the IRS; now having to file under a number rather than your true name. As the digital world expands, so does tax refund fraud. It’s a good bet that you know someone who has been a victim or that you, yourself, are a victim.

Theft

Most people will file their tax returns electronically, either themselves or through a tax preparer. It’s quick, it’s easy, you get your refund faster. Unless you get an error saying that you have already filed. You’re first reaction is that there is a mistake, but you soon realize that you have been the victim of identity theft. Someone has obtained your name and social security number and filed your taxes on your behalf.

It may not have been a direct theft in the classic sense. It could have happened during an electronic data breach of a larger scale or someone hacked your computer, any number of ways. Your information is uploaded to the dark web (it’s a real thing that criminals use to conduct their business or exchange information) and resold many times. The criminal then fills out an electronic tax return with your information and bogus financial information and has the refund sent to a direct deposit or PO Box. The IRS does compare information against past filings but that doesn’t occur until well after the refund has been issued. Software is in place to try and stop fraud, but, again, the refunds are issued so quickly it happens before any alarms go off.

You then have to go through an arduous process to prove yourself to the IRS, file the fraud report, and wait for the IRS to investigate your claim. If they find that you are a victim they will then issue your return and assign you an identification number to use for future filings. The whole process takes several months. Other than the waiting, it really wasn’t an unpleasant experience and the refund was issued in a timeframe shorter than expected. It’s also interesting to request a copy of the fraudulently filed return from the IRS. You get to see what deductions your other self made and the amount some PO box received.

Prevention

One school of thought of being susceptible to fraud is filing returns late in the season, near the April 15 deadline. This gives the criminals time to file their fake returns and receive the refunds before you file. Tax regulators say to file early to get a refund as quickly as possible, thus beating the criminals to your money. States have even made the effort to streamline the process so that refunds are received as quickly as possible after the return is filed.

Law enforcement doesn’t comment on the timing of the filing, but rather to delay the issuance of the refund so that fraudulent returns can be identified.  At a recent tax security summit, the U.S. Attorney for Maryland, Rod Rosenstein, commented from the panel, “The quicker you are on paying refunds, the greater the risk of not finding fraud.”

Hawaii, Illinois, Louisiana, Minnesota, Montana, North Dakota, South Carolina, and Utah are some of the states that are slowing returns to further prevent fraud. Maryland issues refunds within two days of receipt of the return. The comptroller’s office relying on analytical software to detect digitally filed fraudulent returns. Additionally, Maryland will not issue refunds until the comptroller’s office has a W-2 on file. With these methods in place the comptroller’s office hopes to combat fraud while at the same time efficiently serving the taxpayers.

The Maryland legislature this year is considering a bill named the Taxpayer Protection Act of 2017. This bill would give the comptroller’s office broader authority to build criminal cases against fraud and extend the statute of limitations for prosecution to six years.

There is no way to know if your personal data has been stolen. Regarding taxes it is best to file early. If you do become a victim, report it to the comptroller’s office and IRS as soon as you are aware. Document everything you do and who you speak to. Secondarily, begin looking into your banking and credit cards as they may have been breached as well. Review statements and set up alerts.

Be sure to read our others posts related to identity theft.

Keys to the vault August 26, 2015

There's been a breach February 18, 2015

Taking your identity on vacation June 17, 2013

Which came first …

Read an interesting article about the Maryland marijuana dispensaries. Seems that it is now legal to grow the marijuana for medicinal resale, but remains Illegal to buy seeds or seedlings to start the growing process.

Maryland passed a law in 2014 decriminalizing smaller amounts of marijuana and allowing for dispensaries to grow and dispense medicinal marijuana. In December 2016 the Maryland Medical Cannabis Commission approved 102 dispensaries that have been granted a license to begin growing marijuana. They have 365 days to begin their operations. The problem for these newly licensed businesses is-How do you start a business based on growing an organic product when it is illegal to buy or import the seeds or seedlings?

Once the grow operations have their crop started that crop and further crops are legal under the law.  However, obtaining the startup seeds is illegal under federal and Maryland law, as well as some other states that have approved medical and/or decriminalized marijuana. In Washington, D.C. for example, it is legal to possess and grow marijuana at home but illegal to buy or sell seeds and plants. Mostly state regulators and law enforcement are turning their heads when it comes to the topic. A don’t ask don’t tell sort of thing.

With all the politics that went into decriminalizing marijuana in Maryland and setting up the laws to allow for dispensaries it seems like someone would have taken this conundrum into consideration. Now that the licenses have been granted and the dispensaries are on the clock it will be interesting to see if this legislative session takes up the issue and corrects the legal blockade.

See our blog archive for other posts relating to medical marijuana:

Medical Marijuana in Workplace May 2013

437th session has more business laws

The 437^th session of the Maryland General assembly convened on January 11, 2017 and will run for the next ninety days. Before the session started two news stories came out in December that will affect Maryland business and, as always, these things tend to hit small business owners in some way.

Governor Hogan, who has been a strong proponent for Maryland business, big and small, announced on December 7, 2016, that he plans on proposing mandatory paid sick leave in his legislative package. Under his proposal, businesses that have at least 50 employees will be required to offer paid sick leave totaling at least 40 hours a year and the ability for employees to roll over a maximum of 40 hours each year. Part-time employees would be covered after a minimum of 30 working hours and seasonal industries would be exempt if workers are employed for less than 120 days in a 12-month period. Small businesses, with less than 50 employees, who offer paid sick leave, would be eligible for tax relief.

During the announcement Governor Hogan said, “While all of us agree that more workers need sick leave in Maryland, it would be irresponsible to put a law on the books that unfairly penalizes our state’s job creators. It is clear that, in order to move forward, we must strike a balance between the needs of Maryland’s employees while not hurting our small businesses and continuing to foster a more business-friendly climate in our state.”

On December 20, 2016, news broke that five retailers who do business in Maryland agreed to end “on call” scheduling. This type of scheduling is not what one would commonly define as being available to be recalled to work. No, this type of on call means that employees must call their employer an hour before a scheduled shift to find out if they are required to work that day. If not, they are not paid for that shift, even though they may have been scheduled or planning to work.  

Aeropostale, Carter's, Disney, PacSun and Zumiez stopped the practice after an inquiry from attorneys general in Maryland, New York, California, Connecticut, Illinois, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New York, Rhode Island, and the District of Columbia. In part, the inquiry stated that unpredictable schedules make it difficult for retail employees to work a second job, pursue an education, or care for family members.

The Maryland gubernatorial election is in 2018 and you can expect the political posturing to start this legislative session. Hang on, because this ride is always bumpy. We’ll see what comes out in April.

How to buy a gun in Maryland

Note: This post was originally published on January 28, 2016 and has been updated with new information.

Buying a handgun (regulated firearm) in Maryland just got easier, at least the process is easier. The Firearm Safety Act of 2013 added steps to the purchase process, but it also included language that the Maryland State Police must create an electronic purchase application that can be submitted online. Beginning January 1, 2017, all handgun purchase applications must be submitted through the Maryland State Police Licensing Portal.

Handgun purchase history

The impetus to first write this post in January 2016 was in response to a friend’s question as to how to buy a handgun in Maryland. The question may seem silly coming from an avid hunter who owns firearms of all kinds and has purchased handguns in the past. But, if you haven’t bought a handgun in the last three years Maryland laws changed in 2013 and the process is quite different than it has been for the last twenty years.

You haven’t been able to go into a gun store in Maryland and walk out with a handgun for fifty years. In 1966, Maryland enacted laws that required a background check and a seven-day waiting period for the purchase of handguns. The purchaser completed a personal questionnaire and the form was submitted to the Maryland State Police (MSP) to conduct the background check. If you cleared the check, and seven days had passed, the store could transfer the gun to the buyer. That part of purchasing a gun hadn’t changed for a generation of gun buyers, until 2000.

The Responsible Gun Safety Act of 2000 added the requirement that purchasers must complete a firearms safety class prior to purchasing a gun. The buyer still completed the forms, which were submitted to the MSP for a background check, and waited seven days, but before the buyer could obtain the gun they had to complete a certified firearms safety-training course.

Purchase Process

The process changed most recently in 2013. The Firearm Safety Act of 2013 added another step to the purchasing process. A prospective buyer must now possess a Handgun Qualification License (HQL). As part of the HQL application process the buyer must submit to a fingerprint background check, submit an application for a HQL to the MSP, and complete a four-hour Firearms Safety Training Course presented by a State approved instructor. The HQL is good for ten years and costs $50. However, the application cannot be submitted without digital fingerprints, the cost of which vary by vendor and is in addition to the HQL fee.

Also included in the Firearm Safety Act of 2013 was the requirement that the MSP create an electronic application. Purchase applications will no longer be submitted on paper forms via the firearms dealer. The prospective purchaser will submit applications through the Maryland State Police Licensing Portal. All the fees remain the same, including the $10 application fee, which is paid at the time of the application submission. If the purchaser does not have access to a computer, Internet, or credit card, the application may be submitted through a firearms dealers’ on site portal. The online application goes directly to MSP and removes the dealer for the submission process.

Now to answer the question-How to buy a handgun in Maryland?  Another four pages could be written, but to be succinct, the prospective buyer must complete the following process.

1. Obtain digital fingerprints
2. Submit digital fingerprints to the MSP
3. Submit application to the MSP for HQL
4. Complete Firearms Safety Training Course
5. Receive HQL card
6.  Complete the online Application to purchase handgun through the MSP portal
7. Wait seven days
8. Go to the firearms dealer, supply the dealer with your last name as used on the application and the unique 77R-E application number
9. The Dealer logs into the MSP Licensing Portal and queries the system for the last name and application number combination provided
10.  If the application has be approved the dealer may transfer the gun

You now own a handgun. Of course, Maryland’s one gun a month law is still in effect. So if you desire to own another gun you have to wait thirty days. The subsequent purchases would be easier as you already have your HQL. You would only need to complete and submit the new application to the MSP and wait the seven days.

Of course, with any law there are exceptions. There are exceptions to the training component and to the need for a HQL. For more, the Maryland State Police, Licensing Division, provides a detailed explanation of the Handgun Qualification License process on it’s website.

From the Maryland State Police on September 18, 2020:

Beginning October 1, 2020, the MSP will discontinue printing Handgun Qualification License (HQL) Cards in their current form. 

All HQL applicants approved for an HQL, on or after October 1, 2020, will receive, via US mail, a paper HQL. For further information on the HQL, please visit the HQL page of the MSP website. 

HQL page 

MSP Licensing Portal

MSP Licensing Portal User’s guide