Imagine this: You stroll through the entrance of a business and see elaborate instruments hanging through a glass window and four big-screen televisions in the lobby. You then walk down a long hallway only to see a cafeteria and a gameroom for employees that includes virtual golf. A quick jaunt upstairs reveals a workout facility and a raquetball court. Oh, and buried in the walls are Nashville-esque sound studios and a plush auditorium fit with state-of-the-art technology.

No, you’re not at some high falootin’ Silicon Valley headquarters. You’re right here in the Hoosier state at Fort Wayne’s Sweetwater Sound, one of Indiana’s greateast success stories. Read all about this thriving business, which began in an old van, in the Chamber’s BizVoice magazine.

In a shaky economy, most small business owners are searching for new avenues to be more frugal and to cut costs. The Indiana Chamber recognizes the need to save in these rollercoaster times. We’ve introduced a number of value added tools in recent years to help your bottom line. Health insurance continues to be at the top of the spending list for Indiana businesses. We encourage you to consider our ChamberCare health insurance discount program. Members of the Indiana Chamber have the opportunity to save 5% off of Anthem Blue Cross & Blue Shield health insurance just by keeping their Indiana Chamber dues current. The program applies for new Anthem accounts with 2-99 employees who are located outside of Marion County.

The savings from ChamberCare could allow you to reinvest the money in a variety of areas. Numerous members have mentioned the savings with ChamberCare allowed them to offer salary increases, Christmas bonuses and reinvest the money in equipment and training.

Membership with the Indiana Chamber also provides you with a number of free services like the HR HELPLINE and the Business Research Center. A discount on health insurance, questions answered on HR topics at no charge and free lists from our Business Research Center can provide a strong ROI to your company in just a matter of days.

Contact Abby Hamilton at the Indiana Chamber – 317-264-3793 or ahamilton@indianachamber.com to learn more about ChamberCare. If you do not have an insurance agent, we are happy to connect you with the appropriate regional contact at Anthem.

In today’s poor economic environment, businesses all across the state (and beyond) are seeking ways to cut costs. One department where your company can control costs is employee benefits.

Turn to the Indiana Chamber’s publication, Building a Business in Indiana (written by a team of attorneys from the Indianapolis law firm Bose McKinney & Evans LLP), for the guidance you’re looking for. Here are just a few ideas, as outlined in Chapter 6: "How Can I Keep My Benefit Costs Under Control?"

Consider implementing a wellness program. When employees are healthier, health care costs are lowered. Wellness programs typically are most successful when coupled with financial incentives.

Reduce annual and lifetime plan limits. Federal law does not prevent a health plan from imposing annual and lifetime benefit maximums. Employers seeking to minimize their financial exposure to unanticipated health care claims should reduce benefit maximums prior to the receipt of significant health claims from a single individual.

Offer different benefits for participants and dependents. Both the ADA and HIPAA explicitly permit health plans to provide different levels of benefits for participants and dependents. For example, it would not violate federal law for a health plan to have a $100,000 benefit cap for employees but only a $50,000 benefit cap for employee dependents.

When the Indiana Chamber asks employers the top challenges facing their companies, among the leading concerns is health care costs. Although no one has come up with the definitive solution yet, workplace wellness programs are gaining momentum and yielding positive benefits — for employees and their organizations.

Wellness is a frequent topic at Chamber conferences, finds its way into several publications, is a frequent topic in BizVoice magazine (nutrition tips for eating on the go are offered in the current issue) and a popular program for our organization. Lunch hour yoga, kickball (yes, I said kickball), a walking club, healthy snacks, health screenings and more are helping the Chamber and its staff.

There are numerous resources to help you get started or enhance an existing program. Let us know how we might be able to help.

1. Hiring too quickly. Poorly chosen new hires cost your company both time and money. Consider trying out new people as contractors before hiring them as regular employees. See Chapter 7: Independent Contractors and Temporary/Part-Time Employees

2. Just paying everyone a salary. Who wants to deal with timecards and calculating overtime pay? Under law, certain employees who don’t qualify for an exemption are entitled to overtime pay, and can’t agree to forego overtime pay in exchange for receiving a salary. Additionally, hourly rates of skilled workers are often comparable with those of full-time staff in the same position. See Chapter 14: Wage and Hour Requirements

3. Thinking you don’t need to spend the time and money on harassment training for all staff. A study estimated that it is 34 times more expensive for employers to ignore workplace harassment than it is for them to establish effective programs and policies to minimize harassment in the workplace. See Chapter 24: Workplace Harassment

The Indiana Chamber’s newly released Employment Law Handbook (Sixth Edition) contains guidance on nearly every issue an Indiana employer needs to know about. From discrimination to post-hire employment policies to benefits to worker’s compensation, you’ll find guidance in this publication.

The Economic Club of Indiana has been doing its thing – bringing in nine thought-provoking speakers for a series of monthly luncheons between September and May – since 1974. A who’s who of Central Indiana business leaders has voluntarily guided the organization’s efforts over those years.

But who have been the most popular speakers? George Schultz, secretary of state at the time, attracted a record crowd of 2,400 in 1985. Other Cabinet officials (Donald Regan and Dick Cheney), presidential hopefuls (the elder George Bush, Ross Perot and Steve Forbes) and numerous media figures have come to Indiana to test their ideas and share their insights.

Two national thought leaders – Steven F. Hayward and Walter Williams – will take to the stage on April 29 and May 9, respectively. And work is under way on the lineup for 2008-2009. The Indiana Chamber serves as the administrative arm of the Economic Club operation.