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Trends in 2018 you didn’t know you missed and a few to look for in…
Catherine Iste Business Management, Services & Risk ManagementSocial media has helped us all become more in tune with what is trending. However, most of us are not as hyperaware of what is trending in the workplace as we are in our nonprofessional feeds. As such, here is a quick breakdown of a few trends that made a significant mark on 2018 and a few more trends to look out for in 2019. For example, from schools to banks, nonprofits to tech companies, design thinking has left the traditional realms of the creatives and crept into cubicles everywhere.
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‘Tis the season to avoid office party lawsuits
Terri Williams Business Management, Services & Risk ManagementAccording to a new OfficeTeam survey, 93 percent of organizations will provide some type of seasonal activity this year — whether off-site or on-site. Also, 41 percent of companies plan to spend more on this year’s festivities. "Hosting holiday activities is a great way for companies to recognize teams and thank them for their hard work," according to Stephanie Naznitsky, executive director of OfficeTeam. On the other hand, almost everyone has a "Hey, remember that time at the holiday office party when . . ." story about out-of-control behavior.
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A stock market survival course: Part 2
Patrick Gleeson Business Management, Services & Risk ManagementThis is the second article of a five-part survival course designed to give you essential information you need to succeed as an investor in the stock market. None of it is mere opinion. The first article summarized the generally poor stock market performance of individual investors and explained why. This second article explains why stock-picking itself is a bad idea no matter who’s doing the picking.
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Overcoming career setbacks
Catherine Iste Business Management, Services & Risk ManagementThe end of the year is not just for stressful mandatory fun or closing out and prepping for the next year. The end of the year is still a common time for companies to conduct layoffs. Here are a few steps to follow if you are faced with a layoff at year-end. For example, with most of us, addressing finances is the most pressing issue when unexpectedly facing unemployment. Tackle this stressor head-on, right away.
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No response is not a response
Lloyd Princeton Business Management, Services & Risk ManagementHave you ever had the experience of trying to get the attention of a store clerk or waiter, only to have them go about whatever they were doing and act like you weren’t there? How did that make you feel? Were you annoyed, angry, exasperated? I’m guessing the one thing you weren’t feeling was satisfied that they had properly responded to your attempt to communicate with them. The point of my example is that most people in a face-to-face situation would consider being ignored or not getting or giving a response as inappropriate and rude. Yet, it is becoming quite common in business communications.
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Smart strategies for cutting competition between your employees
Lisa Mulcahy Business Management, Services & Risk ManagementCompetition in your marketplace is part of the drill when it comes to doing business. When your employees start to compete with each other in potentially destructive ways, however, your business can quickly suffer. As a manager, it's key to shape your policy so that team success always overrides the personal gain of the employees who work for you — so how do you handle the personnel conflicts that aggressive individual team members can cause?
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Top 3 lessons from Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales
Emma Fitzpatrick RetailYou did it! You, along with your hard-working employees, made it through the most chaotic shopping season of the year. Though, if you manage a brick-and-mortar store, perhaps it didn’t feel that busy. Traffic in stores across the country on Black Friday was down nearly 2 percent, according to ShopperTrak. Many store employees said it felt like just a regular busy weekend shopping day. But fear not! There are still many, many big shopping days coming your way in December. Read on to see what you can gleam from the Thanksgiving weekend sales.
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Disorganize to increase your creativity
Patrick Gleeson Business Management, Services & Risk ManagementIncreasingly in this century, researchers and business analysts are paying attention to what increases creativity. What are the approaches and habits you can adopt that will promote and increase your own creative output? Some of the research results are surprising. Although earlier articles and books on the creative process recommended such common-sense strategies as organizing your time and workspace to maximize creative output, more recent data-based research suggests there’s more to It than that — that too narrow a focus on organization can inhibit creativity.
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How to decode your boss’ management style
Roberta Matuson Business Management, Services & Risk ManagementHow I long for the '60s! Back in those days, you could receive a free decoder ring inside boxes of select boxes of Captain Crunch cereal! There were many times throughout my career when I wished I had kept that ring. I could have used it to better understand my boss and our relationship. Consider me your decoder ring! When you have a clear sense of where your boss is coming from, you can adjust your expectations and communication style. By doing so, you can achieve a prosperous and peaceful coexistence with one of the most important people in your life — your boss.
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A radical year-end challenge: 3 steps to end even a bad year on a high…
Catherine Iste Business Management, Services & Risk ManagementWhen we have a great year, we can fail to take the time to think about all the work, luck and assistance that had to come together to make it possible. Conversely, when we have a bad year, we often have no problem compiling lists of reasons for why it happened. Regardless of which type of year this turns out to be, taking these three steps will help wrap up any kind of year on a good note. The first step is all about mindset. Even at the end of a terrible year, there was something or someone that shone like a light at the end of the long tunnel.
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