04.02.08
Posted in Uncategorized at 2:00 pm by Diana Heeb Bivona
I am sure everyone knows a young person that seems to spend hours glued to their PlayStation, Gamecube or Wii. Your first reaction, after checking to see if they are not catatonic and have eaten in the last 12 hours, might be to exclaim loudly that they are wasting their life and that nothing good will come from their obsession. But wait….you may well be wrong.
According to the book, The Kids are Alright: How the Gamer Generation is Changing the Workplace by John C. Beck and Mitchell Wade, video gamers will bring an unique set of skills to the corporate world. And just what might those be you ask?
Video gamers potentially:
- Place a high value on being an expert in a particular field/area.
- Develop an unprecedented ability to multi-task.
- Learn to creatively solve problems.
- Have little to no fear of competition.
- Calculate risks and know the importance of getting a good return on investments.
- Enjoy coming out on top.
All qualities that corporate world loves to see in their employees, managers and executives. So, next time you consider hiding the Xbox, think again.
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01.23.08
Posted in Uncategorized at 11:48 am by Diana Heeb Bivona
As small business owners, we know just how frustrating it can be to hire the wrong person. I firmly believe that we feel the impact far worse than a mid to large size firm because we are so dependent on a select few being able to perform and do their jobs well. Hire the wrong employee and it will definitely cost you. Just how much will probably shock you.
Brad Smart, author of Topgrading: How Leading Companies Win by Hiring, Coaching, and Keeping the Best People, interviewed his readers about how many hours managers spend smoothing things over with the ticked off customer, unruffling feathers with co-workers and support staff, coaching and mentoring, lost opportunity, missed goals, performance meetings, severance packages and other distractions resulting from hiring the wrong person.
Smart found the average time spent working with a mis-hire is 150 hours for an employee earning between $90,000 and $150,000. Do you have 150 hours to waste on trying to “fix” a wrong hire?
The moral of the story: while no one may enjoy taking the time or spending the money to do a thorough interview to find the right candidate for the job, it will definitely costs you alot less in the long run.
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01.08.08
Posted in Uncategorized at 10:36 pm by Diana Heeb Bivona
Recently, while skimming through my emails, my eye picked up on a headline that read “All in a Day’s Work: No Comp for Crack Dealer”. Naturally, I had to stop and read it!
The article posted in Workforce Management reported that the Ohio Supreme Court upheld that selling crack cocaine on a continual basis amounted to employment and that it was sufficient cause to terminate an individual’s permanent total disability compensation from the state.
Say what? Yep, you heard correctly. An individual, who was arrested and jailed for selling crack (and who reportedly was making $300 to $500 per week) was fighting the Ohio’s Bureau of Workers’ Compensation who moved to terminate his disability benefits. The nerve! The audacity!
Definitely one that will first make you laugh at just how ridiculous life can be, and then probably make you mad that someone clogged up the courts with something so frivolous and asinine.
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01.07.08
Posted in Uncategorized at 11:44 am by Diana Heeb Bivona
For many businesses, performing background checks — particularly criminal background checks — are an important part of the hiring process. Unfortunately, for small business owners its not always easy to do. The “who” and the “how” often are the biggest questions asked. So, knowing you should do them and why they are important, where do you start? Here are a few suggestions:
Legality. State and federal law dictates alot of what a potential employer can and can not access regarding an individual. Therefore, it is important to work with a vendor who can advise you on what tests are most appropriate for each circumstance, and what can be revealed to whom. Additionally, take a few minutes to research what your state laws are regarding this topic.
Vendors. The market has been flooded with background check vendors in the past several years. In this area, you’d do well to stick with a vendor that is reputable and well-known. Do your homework and shop around. A few of the more well known ones to start with include Sterling Testing, Acxiom, ADP, First Advantage, and Kroll.
Scope. As many people tend to migrate, moving from location to location, it is important that you run a background check not just on a local basis, but state and national level as well. You can often find out where the individual has lived in the past from their application. Start there. County reports tend to be the most reliable, but run all three if you can afford to do so, particularly if they’ve moved.
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01.04.08
Posted in Uncategorized at 8:58 pm by Diana Heeb Bivona
Most small business owners will tell you that a large percentage (if not most) of their waking hours are devoted to thinking of ways to make their businesses more profitable and successful. No surprise there…but what about the idea that many of us are also dreaming up ways to succeed? Yep, I said dreaming.
According to a recent online survey conducted by office supplier, Staples, nearly 51 percent of respondents confirmed they regularly dream about work. Of those individuals, as many as 70 percent said they put business ideas that came to them in dreams into action.
The moral of the story…don’t feel guilty about catching a few “Zs”. You never know. You just might come up with the next great business idea, so have that pen and paper by the bed side, ready to jot it down.
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Posted in Uncategorized at 8:31 pm by Diana Heeb Bivona
Many HR experts predicting trends for 2008 expect to see salaries for talented workers shoot up as demand outstrips the current supply. For a small business owner needing to hire additional help, but operating on a limited budget, this may prove troubling.
To ensure you will “get what you pay for”, take your time and do not settle simply because you are in need of filling the position. Also, consider:
- Providing detailed descriptions/expectations for each “help wanted” ad;
- Listing your job postings in as many sources (newspaper, internet, unemployment/employment agencies, etc.) as either affordable or relevant;
- Thoroughly interviewing a wide selection of qualified job candidates;
- Conducting pre-employment testing when applicable; and
- ALWAYS running background/reference checks.
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11.15.07
Posted in Uncategorized at 2:05 pm by Diana Heeb Bivona
Do you find it difficult as an employer to get your employees to attend training sessions? Struggling with low attendance or constant grumbling by what your workers view as “a waste of time”. If you are, then take comfort in the knowledge that you are not alone. So what can you do? Create a training program that takes into the consideration the diversity of your work staff while still adding value to your organization. Consider:
- Allowing employees to lead training sessions - generates excitement from within the ranks.
- Diversify training. Design new and creative training options for employees, so they are not provided with the “same old thing.”
- Survey. Ask employees for their opinions on training. This is also one way to generate new ideas that can strengthen your current training program.
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11.14.07
Posted in Uncategorized at 11:11 am by Diana Heeb Bivona
There’s a right way to do something and the wrong way to do something. Unfortunately, sometimes doing something the wrong way can end up costing you big time. This is definitely true when it comes to interviewing potential candidates for a job. Violate federal law in terms of asking questions that may be considered discriminatory and find yourself on the receiving end of a lawsuit.
Ira S Wolfe with Success Performance Solutions provides some assistance in the interview process:
Interviewers should ask themselves two questions before interviewing a job applicant:
1) Is the question relevant to the particular job for which the candidate is applying? Should interview questions be used to prove discrimination against you in court, the EEOC will evaluate the merit of the charges based on “business necessity.” But just because it is a business necessity, it might not be legal. And even if it is legal, it might not be deemed a business necessity. Asking questions that aren’t legal or aren’t necessary or appropriate could get you into a whole heap of trouble.
2) Am I asking all applicants for this job the same questions? If you need to ask a
candidate a question about race or religion, for example, out of “business necessity,” make sure you ask those questions to anyone else who applies for that particular position.
Which job interview questions are illegal? Here are a few examples of illegal job interview questions.
Topic: Race/Color
Wrong: What is the color of your skin?
Right: ?
Topic: Religion
Wrong: What religion are you? Do you believe in God? How often do you attend worship services? What are your religious denomination and/or affiliations?
Right: ?
Topic: Nationality/Language
Wrong: You’ve got a strong accent; did you just cross the Mexican border? Where were you/your parents born? What’s your citizenship status? What’s your maiden name? What’s your first language? How did you learn to speak ____?
Right: ?
Topic: Age
Wrong: How old are you? Are you planning to retire?
Right: ?
Topic: Sex
Wrong: What’s your marital status? Are you pregnant? Do you plan on having a family anytime soon? How many kids do you have? What are your childcare arrangements?
Right: ?
Topic: Affiliations
Wrong: List all the clubs and social organizations to which you belong.
Right: ?
Topic: Personal
Wrong: How tall are you? How much do you weigh? Why do you wear your hair like that? What kind of music do you listen to?
Right: ?
Topic: Disabilities
Wrong: Do you have a particular disability? How severe is it? Do you have any diseases? Fill out this medical history for you and your family.
Right: ?
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10.10.07
Posted in Uncategorized at 12:23 pm by Diana Heeb Bivona
You want to drum up a little free publicity for your small business, but aren’t exactly sure where to start? Or, maybe you are concerned that you don’t have the budget to get the job done. Would you be surprised to learn that it is relatively easy to start-up a PR campaign at little or no cost?
That’s what publicist and nationally published author Deanne Schulz says. She suggests you start by asking yourself a few questions, such as:
- Who are you?
Sometimes it’s hard to draft a simple and powerful message. If asked, could you tell someone if 15 seconds what you did in a language they’d understand?
- What is your hook?
This is what sets you apart from the competition. What makes your company special? What do you bring to the table? How will someone benefit from your goods and services? What is the point of difference between your product and all the others out there?
- Who are you trying to reach?
You need to know as much as you can about your target audience - the individuals who will use your goods or services.
- How will you reach your target audience?
Press Releases to journalists, phone calls to media organizations, customized emails to decision-makers, how-to articles, radio interviews, and guest blogging are just a few of the free ways to pitch yourself as an expert and generate your own publicity.
- When should you reach out?
Is your business seasonal? Can you tie with charitable events? Specific holidays? How about current news stories?
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10.09.07
Posted in Uncategorized at 11:33 am by Diana Heeb Bivona
As a small business owner, it is sometimes difficult to determine if you should be filing quarterly estimated taxes. The answer is “it depends”. Much will depend on your family’s total tax position. Yes, I said family. For most sole proprietors, its not just about your business income, but all income.
If you have enough earnings from your business, you may have to make quarterly estimated tax payments. However, if your family has enough withholding from other jobs to cover your tax liability, then you may not have to make quarterly payments.
Your estimated taxes should reflect your family’s total expected tax liability. That tax liability will depend on:
- amount of family income
- itemized deductions
- number of children
- amount of business expenses
For more information on this subject, read IRS Publication 505, Tax Withholding and Estimated Tax available at the IRS website.
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