Letter from the President
Dear Friends:

With 2005 right around the corner, I thought I’d take this opportunity to write briefly about a subject that gained considerable attention in 2004—and one that I think you’ll be hearing more about in the coming year. I’m referring to “talent management.”

While business consultants and HR staffs have used this term for some time, it has only recently become popular with Corporate America at large. Of course, talent management (or TM for short) is still a new enough concept to be defined in many different ways. One thing that everyone seems to agree on, however, is that TM is much more than mere recruitment and retention. TM can also encompass professional development (training), leadership training (mentoring and executive coaching), performance management and reward, and workforce planning efforts, to name a few potential components. Recent studies show that CEOs are more concerned than ever about talent-related issues.

So, why do I bring up this subject? I believe it’s directly related to LifeCare’s mission and the products and services we deliver. Work/life programs are designed to help build cultures of support and to make employees' lives easier to manage. And these are precisely the kinds of benefits and support programs that today’s best talent is looking for. As your organizations deal in their own ways with TM, be sure to keep spreading the word about your work/life programs. Make sure new recruits know you have these offerings in place, and make sure that employees at every level understand how many different ways these programs can improve their quality of life. If you don’t have a high-quality work/life program in place, give us a call at 866-675-3751 and we’ll be happy to discuss how we can help you create a program customized specifically to your needs.

As always, we’d appreciate knowing how we can better serve you. So e-mail, fax or call us (800-873-4636) if you’d like to share ideas and offer feedback.

And on behalf of the entire LifeCare team … have a happy and safe New Year!

Sincerely,

John B. Place, President