MultiBriefs - Your source for industry specific News Briefs

Green buildings can make employees more productive

Terri Williams Business Management, Services & Risk Management

There are a lot of things that you can do to increase employee productivity, but there’s one thing you probably haven’t considered: the physical workplace. According to a new report, creating a "green" environment isn’t just good for the environment; it’s good for your company’s bottom line. The World Green Building Council's (WorldGBC) report, "Doing Right by Planet and People," demonstrates the additional benefits that green buildings can offer besides decreased energy use.

The problem with nice employees

Catherine Iste Business Management, Services & Risk Management

Though I have never been accused of being nice at work, my sister suffers from chronic niceness. She recently joked if she ever had to terminate someone, instead of firing them, she would likely end up baking them cookies and finding some way to share her job, à la Norm Peterson from "Cheers." While I would love to work in a place full of people like my sister, I am not sure how productive it would be. Here are some problems with nice employees and a few ways we figured out to address them so everyone wins.

Age discrimination harms everyone, but it’s hard to prove

Patrick Gleeson Business Management, Services & Risk Management

You may think you have a realistic understanding of discrimination against older workers, but it's likely you underestimate how widespread age discrimination in employment actually is. For example, "front-facing" jobs in industries that involve in-person contact with customers often go to younger workers whose presence suggests that the company is forward-looking and innovative. Contrary to its reputation for liberal political and social ideas, Silicon Valley is another prominent offender. But it's less well-known that this kind of discrimination exists in nearly every industry in America.

A zero-based committee process

Robert C. Harris Association Management

When managing association finances, most people are familiar with the concept of zero-based budgeting. With a zero-based budget approach, every expense must be justified before adding it to the budget. The purpose is to reduce spending by looking at where costs can be trimmed. For an association, the justification for the budget should be closely tied to the strategic plan. The same process can be applied to committees.

How will the Bipartisan Budget Act affect businesses, government?

Seth Sandronsky Business Management, Services & Risk Management

Now that President Trump has inked the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2019, what does it mean for businesses and the federal government? For one thing, the BBA 2019 suspends the national debt limit until after the 2020 election and hikes spending by $324 billion over two years. "That makes it easier for Congress to do something to help small businesses if it wants to," Frank Knapp Jr., head of the South Carolina Small Business Chamber of Commerce, told MultiBriefs in an email. "We'll see."

US economy adds 164,000 new hires; unemployment rate stays at 3.7%

Seth Sandronsky Business Management, Services & Risk Management

In July, U.S. payrolls added 164,000 workers versus job gains of 224,000 in June, as the unemployment rate stayed at 3.7%, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. There were 6.1 million unemployed workers in July, close to the same number as June. The number of long-term unemployed persons decreased 248,000 in July from June. The employment-to-population ratio rate stayed nearly the same in July versus June, the BLS reported.

How to role model good choices for your employees

Anne Rose Business Management, Services & Risk Management

I am not advocating parenting your employees. But some of your employees may not have had the best role models in their life, so they have undeveloped critical judgment skills and poor decision-making with an inability to predict the consequences of their behavior. I worked with a young lady once who had barely been on the job for one week before asking for a day off to go shopping with her mother. That judgment is bad enough, but she confided to me that her mother had advised her to simply call in sick and not risk asking for the day off!

Why and how to actively retain and recruit introverts

Catherine Iste Business Management, Services & Risk Management

Quiet and introspective are not words any of us tend to use in our job postings. Instead, we focus on "high-energy" and "dynamic" team players. Doing so, however, can leave out a significant pool of qualified applicants. In this employee-friendly market, limiting our pool of potential candidates helps no one. Instead, consider these simple steps to understand and actively recruit introverts.

Avoid these 5 mistakes with your LinkedIn profile

Sheilamary Koch Marketing

Any professional can benefit from having a profile on LinkedIn. Beyond being the place to be for job seekers and recruiters, happily employed people are taking advantage of the platform to gain recognition and to network. Statistics back up claims that LinkedIn is a B2B gold mine — and is where most Fortune 500 decision-makers and executives like to spend their spare time. Over 80% of lead generation from social media comes from LinkedIn, according to Hootsuite. In 2018, 93% of B2B marketers called it the most effective social media site.

From good old boys to good governance

Robert C. Harris Association Management

Perception is reality. If it is perceived to be true, it will seem more important than the facts. If members perceive the organization’s leadership to be good old boys, it can damage the credibility of an association or chamber. Characteristics of good old boys include directors with seemingly perpetual terms, a lack of diversity, and director ages representative of baby boomers and older (55 to 75) blocking the entry of young, diverse and emerging leaders.

Industries