Brad Dunlap, Insurance Recruiting Specialists

America continues to battle through one of the toughest economic periods in the last 100 years. As you know, the staffing cycle through a recessionary period consists of four stages:

1) Reduce existing staff
2) Increase the workload of remaining employees
3) Hire temporary employees when business volume increases
4) Convert temporary employees and hire additional staff as needed

Many of our customers have determined that the cost of an IRS contract
insurance professional is very similar to that of a staff employee. However, the IRS contractor offers greater flexibility; thereby reducing fixed costs. In addition, contract workers improve staff morale since these individuals help reduce workloads when business increases while also giving employees job security during quieter periods. Maintaining a pool of talented IRS contractors has become the perfect solution for many insurance organizations.

All the best,

President, Insurance Recruiting Specialists

The History of Hurricane Names

Naming hurricanes has been a practice for hundreds of years. Historically, hurricanes in the West Indies were named after the particular Saint’s day on which the hurricane occurred.

Using women’s names was adapted during World War II, springing from a 1941 novel called “Storm” by George R. Stewart.

In 1951, the United States established a phonetic alphabet system for naming hurricanes, but this proved to be too confusing, so in 1953 the practice reverted back to using women’s names.

It wasn’t until 1978 that Atlantic and the Gulf of Mexico storms were given both female and male names. Eventually the World Meteorology Organization adapted a universal list for naming hurricanes. Due to the scarcity of names beginning with “Q”, “U”, “X”, “Y” and “Z” , these letters are not used.

Once a tropical storm begins to travel in a counter-clockwise direction and exceeds 38 miles per hour, the Tropical Prediction Center in Miami, Florida gives it a name. The names of hurricanes causing significant death and damage are usually retired.