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Gaining altitude at board meetings

Robert C. Harris Association Management

Governance is characterized as a high-level, strategic effort by a governing body. An association board should advance a cause or mission, serve stakeholders and make best use of resources. For some staff executives, it is only a dream to get the board thinking strategically. Many describe their board meetings as a social gathering, not producing significant results. Contrast the perspectives of an airline flight to the boardroom. Directors enter, sit at a table, open an information packet, listen to reports and deliberate. The agenda guides discussions that must be completed before adjournment.

Coronavirus: A reminder for employers to have contingency plans for health…

D. Albert Brannen Business Management, Services & Risk Management

The recent outbreak of coronavirus in China reminds us that employers need to take certain actions to be prepared for public health crises in general. This article outlines some of the basic steps that employers can take now to get ready for a rapid spread of flu, coronavirus or some other pandemic threat. For example, you should strive to keep your safety policies and practices up to date. Consider what policies or practices you can adopt now that may come into play if there is a pandemic or major outbreak.

How to weigh and implement the 4-day workweek

Terri Williams Business Management, Services & Risk Management

In August 2019, Microsoft Japan launched a pilot program consisting of a four-day workweek — with employees off on Fridays. Most meetings were replaced with in-office messaging, and the meetings that were held could not last longer than 30 minutes. Microsoft said the company had a 40% increase in productivity compared to a year prior. But can this strategy work for any company? "The four-day workweek requires that companies establish a set of core values and guiding principles as a framework to help supervisors and managers enhance their decision-making regarding the equitable distribution of work," says Dr. J. Gerald Suarez at the University of Maryland.

Why California needs a public utility option — but not prisoner futility

Michelle R. Matisons Waste Management & Environmental

When universal values of dignified workplaces cautiously attending to dwindling resources are contemplated in the U.S., minds often wander to the Golden State. But not so fast. Northern California's International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) 1245 union opposes new legislation, Senate Bill 917, to turn bankrupt PG&E into a public utility — harkening back to yesteryear’s spotted owl vs. logger debates regarding old growth forests. The term "labor power" takes on new meaning to survive these divisive times; labor clashes with the environment again.

How to use Google’s featured snippets to boost your digital marketing…

Lisa Mulcahy Marketing

When it comes to your brand's ranking in a Google search, you're most likely focusing your efforts on getting the top ranking in search results. In reality, gaining "featured snippet" status can be much more beneficial to your marketing efforts. So, what's a featured snippet? It's the "answer box" that is located at the very top of a Google page and directly answers a question posed in searches. That spot will create colossal exposure for your brand. While Google does determine which sites are chosen to be featured snippets, there are ways you can greatly improve the likelihood of becoming one.

Workplace fatalities are at their highest levels since 2008. What’s…

Terri Williams Business Management, Services & Risk Management

In December 2019, the U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics released workplace injury data from 2018. There were 5,250 fatal workplace injuries, which represents a 2% increase over 2017. This is also the highest amount since 2008, and it should be noted that from 2009-15, workplace fatalities were in the 4,500 to 4,600 range. Two particular causes of workplace fatalities increased significantly. Deaths from unintentional overdoses as a result of nonmedical consumption of drugs or alcohol while at work increased 12%. Work-related suicides increased by 11%.

Infographic: The people and tech behind data science

Brian Wallace Science & Technology

Between 2011 and 2012, job listings for "data scientist" increased 15,000%. "Data science" might be a buzzword, but it isn’t a new idea — in fact, it has been on a journey to the mainstream for almost three centuries. By 2025, 175 billion terabytes of data will be created every day. To understand and analyze the world's surging data, advanced tools are needed. Learn more with this infographic.

ADA amends policy in recognition of religious diversity in dentistry

Tammy Hinojos Oral & Dental Healthcare

Diversity and inclusivity are increasingly top of mind for industries and corporations across the globe. Those are good things. American dentistry’s governing body, the American Dental Association (ADA), is no different in that regard. The organization recently made a move to be more inclusive to dental professionals with different religious beliefs and those with no religious affiliation at all. The ADA House of Delegates voted at its meeting last September to rescind the policy used by some state and local dental societies during their meetings.

How to prevent ‘passive clone syndrome’ in your organization

Simma Lieberman Business Management, Services & Risk Management

I recently watched a Bruce Willis movie called "Surrogates" for the second time. People stay home, send their surrogates to work and use remote controls to interact with them. The surrogates are exact clones of their "owners." Although "Surrogates" is in the future, it made me think about workplaces today. Willis is an FBI agent who sends his FBI surrogate to solve a murder, until he realizes that he needs to personally be involved. He leaves the house and takes his true self to work to find the killer. Are your employees sending their clones to work?

5 counterintuitive principles that will change your life

Hank Boyer Business Management, Services & Risk Management

It's not easy to be counterintuitive and go against the old paradigms. Yet history teaches us that most breakthrough successes have come from running counter to the prevailing paradigms. For example, where would we be today if, in 1981, Bill Gates of Microsoft had believed his own pronouncement, "640K of memory ought to be enough for anybody," and stopped pushing the limits of what computers could do? So, take a walk on the wild side, try these five counterintuitive principles for yourself, and see if they help you achieve breakthrough performance.

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