Layout Image

Archive for Small Business

Twitter for Small Business

Monday, December 17th, 2012

How do you engage with your customers? If you’re like many small businesses, you may have a lot to gain by engaging in conversations through Twitter. Check out this infographic on Twitter for Small Business created by Search Engine People, an internet marketing company based in Ontario. Read More→

Take the Stress Out of Scheduling Employee Vacations

Monday, March 21st, 2011

vacationsSummer vacation is supposed to be a care-free time away from the daily grind. But as a business leader, the warmer months often bring an influx of requests for time off, increasing your workload and stress level. Simplify scheduling employee vacations with a bit of planning and a little extra communication.

Set Clear Expectations
During the busy summer months, make sure your staff knows the deadlines for asking for time off. Encourage them to plan ahead by turning in their requests as early as possible.

If necessary, set blackout days where no one can request time off, or set a limit as to how many employees can request off for a particular day. If requests exceed this number, determine who gets time off by seniority or by whoever asked first.
Read More→

Comments (1)

What We’re Reading Now: Surviving the Toxic Workplace

Friday, February 11th, 2011

“Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life.” That famous saying by Confucius has circulated from generation to generation, providing hope and drive for countless workers. Unfortunately, what that wonderful sentiment doesn’t take into account is the fact that most jobs involve working with other people, and no matter how much you love your work, people aren’t always so easy to love.

In Linnda Durré’s recent book, Surviving the Toxic Workplace, she delves into the “people” element of work and provides a practical plan for dealing with “Staff Infections.” These infections go far beyond bickering around the water cooler. Not only do “many people feel helpless and hopeless in confronting problems at work,” “companies lose billions of dollars each year because of miscommunication, poor time management, alcoholism and drug addition, high turnover, and lowered productivity” – all of which are either causes or symptoms of negative workplace behaviors.
Read More→

Comments (0)

Managing Your Company’s Greatest Assets

Tuesday, February 1st, 2011

iStock_000010714275XSmall[1]Your financial assets are important to you, your security, and your future, so you keep a watchful eye on your investments. You carefully develop financial plans and strategies, forecast and analyze potential growth, and even enlist the help of financial experts to ensure you manage your money effectively. You manage your financial assets carefully, because you know what they’re worth.

You understand the value and importance of your financial investments. But, are you managing your company’s greatest assets – your people – as well as you manage your finances?

Every employee, no matter their role, whether directly or indirectly, has the ability to significantly impact productivity, retention, customer satisfaction, growth, and your business’ bottom line. But, increasingly heavy workloads, rising stress levels, and lower wages have left many employees feeling undervalued at work. The Society of Human Resource Management recently reported that according to a survey released by HCL Technologies, a global offshore IT services company, U.S. workers said that while rank-and-file employees bear the greatest responsibility for ensuring the quality of their company’s products and customer service, company leaders value them least over management and customers.
Read More→

nittygrittyofleadershipThe world’s top business leaders weren’t born knowing how to lead their teams to success. Instead, they started out like any other manager: learning the ropes and hoping for the best.

Perhaps time crunches and budget cutbacks have inadvertently caused managing your team to fall to the bottom of your list of priorities. Your schedule may be hectic, but that’s all the more reason to have your team working at its full potential.

Now’s the perfect time to take the reins and refresh yourself on the basics of great leadership. You’ll soon find that no matter the industry, top leaders have one thing in common – they harness the power of their teams to achieve more with less.
Read More→

Three Ways to Retain Workers Now

Monday, January 10th, 2011

Group of happy business people laughingThis January, news stories abound with the latest reports about worker satisfaction and the many professionals hoping to change jobs in 2011. Whether employees are seeking greener pastures with better benefits or are just ready for a change, companies may soon find themselves struggling to retain top talent.

In fact, only 5% of the 1,413 employees surveyed by Right Management in October and November 2010 said they wanted to stay at their current position. Some 84 % stated they plan to change jobs in 2011, a 60% increase over the same period in 2009.
Read More→

The Monster of a Challenge Facing Companies in 2011

Tuesday, January 4th, 2011

challengeA recent survey released by the American Psychological Association (APA) reported that nearly 75% of Americans say they’re stressed out. And, among their top stress-causing concerns, 70% of respondents reported work as a big contributor, surpassed only by money with 76% of respondents worried about income, followed by 65% of respondents apprehensive about the economy. High workplace stress levels aren’t just impacting the U.S. Stress levels across Canada were up 30% in 2010, according to a recent Desjardins Financial Security National Health Survey. Experts suggest it is the biggest occupational health problem facing Canada.

Hefty workloads, deficient resources, and continued apprehension about the economy, financial stability, and job security are just a few of the troubles plaguing the workplace and distressing employees. But, because stress has become such a common reality in today’s world, it can be easy to overlook its frightening impact in the workplace.
Read More→

Leadership Traits that Stress Your Employees

Monday, December 13th, 2010

stressfullleadershiptraitsThere is no such thing as a perfect leader. No matter how experienced you are, there is always something you can learn about your leadership style that will help strengthen the working relationship between you and your employees. So, even if you have a healthy rapport with your team, don’t forget to step back from time-to-time to ensure you haven’t unknowingly developed any the following bad habits.

Big ideas, little follow-through
As a leader, you’re not only responsible for coming up with your company’s next big idea; you also have to build excitement for it among your employees. And, if you have a strong, motivated team, that shouldn’t be difficult. However, once you’ve built a consensus and everyone starts working toward making your ideas a reality, you have to be prepared to follow through to completion. It can be frustrating for employees to put in some serious elbow grease only to see a project fizzle out or never get implemented. Your team deserves to see the fruits of their labor and to have the opportunity to bask in the glory of a job well done.
Read More→

5 Signs It’s Time for Damage Control

Tuesday, December 7th, 2010

Happy business man looking at his wrist-watchWhile this year has been an improvement for many businesses over the dismal 2008 and 2009 years we’d all like to forget, economic recovery has remained slow. And, leading economists expect that growth to remain modest through 2011, a difficult forecast for many employers and their employees who’ve struggled to stay afloat under the weight of increasingly heavier workloads and high stress levels.

We’ve all felt – to put it mildly – the pinch of the recession. Companies have faced pay cuts, job losses, and financial issues. While some individuals have adjusted to an increase in their workload, others are still struggling to survive. It has impacted employee morale, loyalty, engagement, and more. When employees feel overworked and underpaid, relationships with their managers can also suffer. And, the strain on workers is likely to continue in 2011 with businesses still reluctant to hire and salaries projected to increase by only 2.5 percent in 2011, according to the Conference Board, a global, independent research association.
Read More→

OMG! What Are Your Employees Texting?

Friday, October 22nd, 2010

textingIf you haven’t typed THX, LOL, or GTG on your phone keypad within the last 24 hours, chances are you eventually will. Every year, texting is becoming more and more popular. According to Nielsen Wire, a media research corporation, over 2.5 billion texts are sent each day in the US, and the primary use of cell phones is now to send texts, not make phone calls. In particular, the texting use of the generation that will be entering the workforce in a few years is exploding. The average American teen sends over 3,300 texts every month.

With that kind of popularity, the workplace couldn’t expect to remain unaffected for long, as a survey from textPlus, a free texting app, recently showed. According to the survey, 11% of college students and recent grads think it’s fine to ask for a raise through a text, 32% say it’s appropriate to “call in sick” by text, and 11% think it’s ok to quit a job via a text. More than two out of 10 respondents have actually texted in sick, and the numbers for the following generation, ages 13 to 17, are even higher.
Read More→

Comments (5)