The Thriving Small Business

FLSA Law – Is Your Business In Compliance?

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If you are a small business owner you understand the many hats you need to wear as you get your company off the ground. One hat needs to be understanding FLSA law requirements.

As your business grows, there comes a time that you need to hire employees.

This first hire is always challenging because there are still so many unknowns. Read the Full Article →

Nepotism At Work – 8 Things to Consider

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In the movie “Tommy Boy,” the owner of an auto parts factory gives his dim-witted son (played by Chris Farley) a plush job even though he just graduated college–barely.

The owner’s right-hand man (played by David Spade) doesn’t approve.

When Spade’s character sees Tommy’s new office, he sarcastically quips: “You have a window. Read the Full Article →

5 Common Business Organizational Structures

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Businesses use organizational structures to show a picture of the the chain-of-command and to help employees understand reporting relationships.

Large or small, every organization should operate with a defined organizational structure.

A well thought out and strategic business configuration clarifies reporting relationships and supports good communication. This can result in efficient and effective work process flow and can foster team development. Read the Full Article →

Tips For Conducting Focus Group Interviews

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I was recently asked to provide the definition of a focus group, how to conduct a focus group interview and what is the purpose of focus group interviews.

Focus groups are forums used to gather qualitative data on the customer experience.

This  is a widely used marketing tool which helps organizations develop products and services that are influenced by participating customers.

Read the Full Article →

13 Tips For Improving Job Satisfaction

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According to a Employee Job Satisfaction and Engagement Report by the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), 88% of US employees reported overall satisfaction with their current job in 2015.

This number is the highest level of satisfaction in 10 years. The purpose of the survey was to identify those factors that contribute to employee satisfaction in the workplace. Read the Full Article →

3 Tips To Make Managing Employees Easier

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Anyone who is responsible for managing others will attest to the fact that it can be one of the most challenging aspects of a supervisor’s job.

However when done strategically, and with an end in mind, it can be a positive, and even rewarding, experience for both parties. Understanding some simple performance management tactics can help! Read the Full Article →

3 Ways to Use Data Analytics To Build Your Business

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In recent years, it’s becoming increasingly common for data to be used in every sector to assist business people in cutting costs, creating wares, managing inventory, innovating, streamlining processes, marketing to consumers and even disrupting whole industries.

While once the “magic” of data was limited to huge corporations because of the cost of getting and analyzing it. Read the Full Article →

Wage Garnishments: A Sensitive Legal Requirement

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Early in my career I worked in the payroll office of a large hospital. I was young and naive when I was first exposed to wage garnishments.

I was exposed to wage garnishments at this early age and was required to submit paperwork to have money withheld from an employee’s paycheck when the organization got notice of a garnishment demand. Read the Full Article →

Sample Employee Performance Goals

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We all get that in order to make money, we need to create a quality product or service that someone will pay for. Employee performance goals help organizations do just that.

Providing a well structured performance management process is the most effective way to accomplish organizational goals.

This management of performance should be based on goals set at the organizational level and driven down throughout the organization.

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Ask These 5 Questions To Improve Employee Performance

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There is a secret that can help improve employee performance. Sometimes you simply need to ask some questions.

When I was young I measured the work day by biding my time until lunch, enjoying my lunch and then biding my time until I could clock out and go home.

Mornings drug on but afternoons were even worse.  Read the Full Article →