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Archive for Trends

Quick Tips: 5 Things to Tweet About

Monday, March 12th, 2012

As of just a few weeks ago, there are now more than 500 million registered Twitter users. It’s a massive audience that many businesses are reaching out to in hopes of extending their networks, getting in touch with their customers, and building their brand.

Whether you’re a seasoned user or just starting out, one of the hardest parts of engaging on Twitter is often just figuring out what to say. Here are five ideas to help you join the conversation and get your company involved in the Twitter community.
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Categories : Quick Tips, Tips, Trends
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The Articulate Incompetent

Wednesday, January 25th, 2012

83253175The Internet and digital age have given rise to a new phenomenon. There are people who know enough to be dangerous, not only to themselves but to you and me as well. Beware of the articulate incompetent. These are people who can talk a good game but have little or no experience at applying the newly-found knowledge they espouse.

With the ease of accessing a search engine and a brief period of focus, anyone can begin to convince you that they are an expert on anything.

Our grandparents would have had to travel to several libraries and universities and talk to a number of experts over several months or even years to have access to the information you and I have at our fingertips via the web.
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Categories : Trends, Workplace
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Quick Tips: 5 Out-of-the-Ordinary Holiday Parties

Friday, December 16th, 2011

125726015Each business is as unique as the employees that make up its workforce. But it can be hard to keep the usual annual holiday party fresh and different from year to year, especially when trying to match it to your culture and budget. Check out these five tips on how to turn your year-end bash into an out-of-ordinary holiday party everyone will rave about for months to come.

For the In-Office Party
If you’re trying to keep the festivity costs down, keeping the party in the office and during regular working hours is the way to go. Consider having a progressive potluck luncheon where each department or area of the building hosts a course, such as appetizers, salads, main course, and desserts. Not only will this be extremely inexpensive, if not completely free, your employees will be able to move around and see how other teams are set up.
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Categories : Quick Tips, Tips, Trends
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The Results Are In: Your Thoughts on Telecommuting

Friday, August 12th, 2011

rbmb_39In July, we asked our readers about their views on telecommuting. Interestingly, 60% of you said you allow employees to work from outside the office. This is in contrast to our employee poll on our Movin’ On Up blog that revealed 61% of employees report their employees don’t allow them work outside the office.

Business leaders said their top concerns for allowing employees to telecommute were decreased productivity and the lack of supervision. However, on the flip side, those who do allow employees to work from home reported seeing results including increased morale (56%), increased engagement (18%), lower overhead costs (17%), and reduced turnover (9%). Although less than one-in-10 employers reported offering telecommuting as a way to reduce turnover, 95% of employees said they would change jobs to have the option of working from home.
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Question of the Month: Is Your Workforce Going Mobile?

Wednesday, June 29th, 2011

RL062911According to predictions made by technology researcher IDC, more than 75% of workforces in the U.S. will be mobile to some degree by 2013. While the amount of workers telecommuting stalled during the recession, it is still often seen as a win-win arrangement for both employee and employer.

There is much to be gained by transitioning to a mobile or semi-mobile workforce, including increased employee engagement and productivity, reduced turnover, and lower overhead costs. In fact, the California-based think tank, Telework Research Network found that allowing employees to telecommute just 50% of the time could translate to savings of as much as $10,000 per year, per mobile employee.

What are your thoughts on mobile workforces? Let us know by participating in our survey.

Take the survey!

Categories : Surveys & Polls, Trends
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Make this Serious Workplace Issue Real to Your Employees

Friday, May 27th, 2011

engineer helmetAlright, so it’s not the most exciting topic. For most of us, it’s probably far from exciting. But, whether you work on a construction site or in a traditional nine to five office, safety at work impacts us all in one way or another. For company owners, safety can affect everything from workers’ compensation costs to productivity. For employees, it impacts work environment, health, and morale. So, we should be talking about it.

With rising medical costs and growing workers’ compensation claims, it’s imperative for companies to make sure everyone’s doing their part to keep the workplace safe. So how do you make a less-than-glamorous topic matter to your team?

June is National Safety Month and a great time to get the conversations started. To help, here are some easy ways to make this real workplace issue relevant to your employees.
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Categories : Tips, Trends, Workplace
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New Trends in Business: QR Codes

Wednesday, May 25th, 2011

QR-CodeFirst commercially used on a pack of Wrigley’s gum in 1974, the UPC barcode has enjoyed a long run as the standard auto ID data capture (AIDC) device. Found everywhere from supermarkets to hospitals, it’s nearly impossible to go a day without seeing one. However, there is a new contender that is slowly gaining popularity in the U.S.

The quick reference code, or QR code, is already widely used in Japan. It was originally created by Denso-Wave, a subsidiary of Toyota, as a way to quickly track auto parts during the manufacturing process. However, QR codes are now being adapted for much broader, consumer-focused uses.
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Categories : Innovation, Trends
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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.
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Couple on a deck chair relaxing on the beachThis month, news stories and blog posts have been popping up everywhere on the latest business trend – unlimited vacation. From Seattle to London, people are buzzing about this increasingly popular policy that, according to an NPR article by Jennifer Ludden, 1% of U.S. businesses have adopted.

While that might not sound like much, it means that one out of every 100 businesses in America have removed the “Accrued Paid Time Off” line from their paycheck stubs and now focus on their employees’ results, not their hours worked. And, it’s a trend that’s steadily growing.
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Flip-Flops in the Office? How to Handle Summer Dress Code Issues

Tuesday, August 3rd, 2010

iStock_000011580035XSmallSummertime is here again, and temps are heating up. As the temperature rises, businesses could see a wave of beach attire like flip-flops and snug tops make their way into the office. The heat and an overly relaxed wardrobe could have some employees swimming in a sea of vacation and summer-fun daydreams that could affect productivity at work. If your employee’s workplace summer attire starts looking more like a day at the beach than a day at the office, it may be time to re-enforce your dress code.

Before your company’s casual Fridays turn into beach-bum weekdays, here are some typical workplace attire issues you may face in the summer and tips to address them.
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