Expert Advice
Identity Theft: Dangers Lurk in Your Office Copier
By Ira Wolfe Thursday May 13, 2010When office and public copiers, printers or multifunction machines are returned to the lender (or sold at garage sales), did you give even a second thought to what happens to the digital data stored on the equipment’s hard drive?
Shift from 'Us vs. Them' to 'Us & Them' in the Workplace
By Jay Forte Wednesday May 12, 2010I am reading Robert Wright’s book, NonZero – The Logic of Human Destiny. He explains today’s interdependent world in terms zero-sum and non-zero-sum game theory. Zero-sum means I win, you lose. Non-zero-sum means we both win or we both lose.
As Health Care Rules Kick in, Small Business Owners Express Doubts
By Bruce Phillips Wednesday May 12, 2010Two months after Congress enacted sweeping health care reform and most small business owners still can't figure out what it entails. The confusion is problematic because new rules affecting employers are starting to take effect now.
Video: Is Your Business Ready for Social Media 2.0?
By Ira Wolfe Tuesday May 11, 2010The revolution known as social media continues to consume conversations from high school to Wall Street. It’s a guaranteed controversy generator at human resource gatherings and a show-stopper during sales and marketing meetings. The convergence of digital technology, mass appeal and low-cost yet sophisticated and powerful applications have changed the way nearly every organization imaginable is doing business…whether they know it or not.
Prepare for a Star Employee's Defection Before it Happens
By Jay Forte Tuesday May 11, 2010As banks can be “too large to fail,” can employees know too much or be too critical to go? Are you doing everything to encourage key employees to stay? But if they must go, how do you successfully plan for their departure?
9 Unmistakable Signs of a Broken Company (Listen Up, US Airways)
By Ira Wolfe Monday May 10, 2010Every morning I receive an email from Seth Godin. And every morning, Seth sends a torrent of ideas racing through my head. He takes complex ideas and dysfunctional situations and helps me make sense of them. Today he did it again.
Manager's Dilemma: How to Focus Employees When Jobs Are Cut
By Jay Forte Monday May 10, 2010In this week's Manager's Dilemma, I look at a problem many managers face today: workers who have survived company layoffs are consumed with fear that they too may be cut and can't focus on their jobs. Productivity is suffering. Here's the familiar scenario: XYZ Corporation is a 300-employee manufacturer of tradeshow displays, an area that has been particularly hard hit as companies cut back on conferences. The company has laid off 25 employees (mostly in production and customer service), cut benefits, trimmed overhead and eliminated a lot of waste.
What Your Lawyer Won't Tell You About Asset Protection
By Kevin Beaver Monday May 10, 2010So, you think you have this IT thing down pat. You've got email, Skype and the essential firewall, anti-virus, and so on for computer and network protection. But what about your intellectual property? You know, product design specifications, source code, customer lists and so on that you've worked so hard to build. How are you keeping them under wraps?
Manager's Dilemma Solved: What Is Wrong With Our Hiring?
By Jay Forte Monday May 10, 2010In last week’s Manager's Dilemma, we met Bill, a customer service manager who seems unable to retain the right people. Bill continues to use the hiring process that has existed for years, including using a standard ad, 30-minute interviews and always asking the same questions. He then always hires the best of those who interview. How should BIll change his hiring approach to hire employees who are a better fit?
Must-Reads for Managing Small Business IT
By Kevin Beaver Friday May 7, 2010Your email system is arguably the most critical component of your IT infrastructure. You simply cannot ignore the big ticket items that affect practically every email server. If you, like many businesses, rely on Microsoft Exchange, here are nine Exchange Server risks you don’t want to overlook.