Michael Levitt's Blog, page 24

Engaging Virtual Teambuilding Activities

With so many of us working from home, it is easy to forget that connection and communication must be fostered. Workplace wellness is crucial, and these engaging virtual teambuilding activities are sure to help your team connect and lower their stress at the same time.

Virtual Icebreaker

Virtual icebreakers are a great way to help team members get to know each other, and they're also an effective way for your team to learn more about each other, both personally and professionally. Virtual icebreakers are fun, but they also help boost team morale and even increase productivity.

Some of our favorite virtual teambuilding activities including:

Virtual Show and Tell

Virtual show and tell is a great way to create friendly relationships between coworkers. Team members get to share interesting facts or new skills they've learned, but they also get to see a little bit of the world that their coworkers live in.

Choose a topic for team members to share, such as pets, family, hobbies, vacations, etc. Explain that each person should prepare one item from home that relates to that topic and be prepared to tell the story behind it.

Encourage each person to speak for 30 seconds about their item, and give themselves a chance for questions from coworkers after finishing their presentation.

Virtual Dance Break

Here’s a challenge for your team: put on your favorite song, turn up the volume, and host a dance party! This activity is designed to get your blood flowing and relieve stress. For those who think you can't dance: that's not true! Everyone who can move, can participate. It's a fun way to be expressive without words.

For those of you who are confident dancers, be sure to have fun and show off! Dance as big or small as you want.

Virtual Minute to Win It Challenge 

We're tired of our average gameshow format challenges. Sometimes, the rules are too tricky for our team to grasp fully, and some teams don't have a leader. Virtual Minute to Win It challenges are full of fun, engaging challenges. Your goal is to beat two other teams to be named the winner of the challenge series—people with competitive spirits really enjoy these types of activities.

Virtual Game Night

Nothing beats a good game night. You can relax, laugh, and get to know your colleagues in a casual setting. Here are some of the best virtual games that you can use:

Gartic Phone

A virtual version of telephone, the one where you pass along information and watch how it evolves from person to person. It is easy to play virtually with no log in required or separate account required. Additionally, people are probably familiar with the basic rules, so it's easy enough for people who might be less tech-savvy.

Taboo

Like the game above, people only need their devices to play! The main activity is guessing words but with the added restriction of words that cannot be used. This one can take some prep time to create the slides, but it is a hit every time!

Kahoot!

This quiz game has infinite possibilities. Participants use a code to log in and answer random questions from predesigned games or you can take a moment to create a themed quiz such as #1 hits from the 90s or take the time to make company specific games that could be used to award prizes.

Creativity and Flexibility

The activity needs to have a clear purpose. Is the goal of the activity to build trust, foster communication, or reduce stress? Next, there should be an element of fun. If people find the exercise boring or too difficult, they will stop paying attention. Make sure that the activity you choose is engaging.

Finally, engaging virtual teambuilding activities must also be relevant to your work environment and help accomplish your overall objective as a remote team—better communication or more focused collaboration on specific projects.

3 Top Soft Skills for Laboratory Managers

Poor management support in laboratories negatively affects the efficiency of sample analysis. It also contributes to low morale in the workplace. Many lab managers worked effectively in previous staff roles with strong technical skills. But management positions place a stronger emphasis on soft skills that people use to communicate with one another. Let’s look at the importance of the top soft skills for laboratory managers.

1. Communication

When people communicate with each other, they exchange information. These exchanges can be written, verbal, or nonverbal. This simple concept becomes complicated when either the sender or the recipient lacks interest, gets distracted, or feels strong emotions. Using imprecise language or loaded words—especially with a negative tone—also frustrates communication efforts.

Great lab managers choose the right time and the right words for delivering their messages. They also listen and read actively to understand the other party. Effective communication increases accuracy in labs, which is why managers with poor soft skills are top laboratory workplace challenges.

2. Relationship-Building

When lab managers develop a relationship with each team member, this benefits the manager, the employee, and the whole team. Personal relationships build respect and understanding between management and the team. Managers can develop these relationships with one-on-one staff meetings and positive interactions.

Lab staff are more likely to go to a manager with a problem or for guidance when they feel the manager knows them personally. And managers benefit from a deeper understanding of the day-to-day work in their laboratory. Building relationships is a top soft skill for laboratory managers because fractured laboratories don’t produce high-quality work.

3. Problem-Solving

Problem-solving requires hard technical skills, but in a management position, it often also requires soft skills. When a manager relies on staff to solve an issue, effective communication and good relationships come in handy. Managers must maintain a higher-level focus on problems by managing staff who work on a more granular level to achieve goals. Managers who stay calm, positive, and open in the face of intimidating problems help staff perform at their highest levels.

5 Ways to Improve your Business by Prioritizing Employee Wellbeing

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After the devastating effects of the pandemic on people’s mental and physical health, it is more important than ever that employers are creating a healthy environment for workers and showing the value they place on their employees’ wellbeing. There are several ways that a business can prioritize the health of staff as a part of the employment package. Read on for more information.

Promote good physical health in the workplace

Encouraging staff to look after their physical health can come in various methods; for example, by providing a healthy lunch menu and creating exercise clubs in the office. Many offices even offer an in-house massage service on a weekly or daily basis. These types of offerings can make an employee feel more encouraged instead of worried that they should prioritize their workload over their health. The physical benefits of helping employees to avoid work-related muscle pain or other conditions are also advantageous to the business, as it will reduce the chances of work absences and long-term sickness.

Deliver management training

Training your management team sufficiently is extremely important to ensure the rest of your team is set up for success. Creating effective communication skills so that when employees need support, there are processes set up to help them. A manager who is ill-equipped to handle staff needs can do much more harm than good, by making employees feel unsupported and undervalued. This will often lead to a lack of productivity, burn-out, and even resignations.

Provide mental health awareness training for all

As well as managers having basic training, it is useful for all staff to have mental health awareness training. This can help provide information on key symptoms to look out for in common mental health illnesses such as high functioning depression. Having a plan in place to support your employees and their mental health goes a long way. With mental health struggles being more prominent in society than ever, training your team on awareness is extremely important. 

Provide a healthcare service and counseling service

These days it is becoming more expected for employers to offer a private healthcare service as part of the employment contract offered in a business. Often this will include either a face-to-face appointment or a telephone counseling service. This service remains anonymous, and the data is not reported back to the company. A service such as this can offer vital support to employees who do not feel comfortable approaching friends and family or are unable to access services elsewhere.

Offer volunteer placement days

Lastly, allowing staff to follow their passions, and showing that their involvement in other aspects of life such as charity work brings value to the company, is a positive step towards increasing health, employee engagement, and social skills. Many businesses will offer a set number of days for staff to volunteer for a nonprofit each year. This could be organized by the business or by the employee, and can often be physical activities such as a community gardening project. Many organizations are now offering the service of being a middleman for companies to organize this.

However your company supports employee wellbeing, this should be thought through carefully and delivered sensitively with the involvement of employees, allowing them to express their needs within the business.

6 Types Of Security Every Small Business Needs (And How to Get It)

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What do you think about when you hear the word “security”? Do you picture burly men with guns and vests, a high tower filled with locked rooms, or maybe a tiny hut with a fence? How about images of locking up at night? Does it conjure up thoughts of prison or Fort Knox? 

Security is generally thought of as something that protects you from danger and risk—something that keeps malicious people out while keeping good people in. And small businesses need security in several different forms. 

Physical Security

Physical security encompasses everything that comes in contact with the building itself. As well as the parking lot and sidewalks around your facility. Things like a clean and well-maintained building are part of physical security, as are items like appropriate signage, adequate lighting, and good landscaping. 

Physical security also means having a receptionist or security guard screen visitors and keep a log of who comes and goes. This will help you create a record of who has been in your building and make it harder for people who shouldn’t be there to gain access. 

Network Security

When you have computers or other devices on a network, you have a greater risk of hackers breaking in. Therefore, network security should be a top priority for any business that shares a network between multiple computers. Network security includes things like firewalls, antivirus software, and encryption. 

Network security should be assessed by a company specializing in information technology or IT. You may also find it helpful to hire an outside company to conduct network security audits. A network security audit identifies risks and vulnerabilities in your network and can help you create a plan to improve your network security.

Online Security

Online security involves protecting your reputation and the integrity of your website. Online security includes safeguarding your website from malicious software and ensuring your website is hosted on a secure server. It’s also vital to protect your company email address and all social media accounts from being hacked. 

This can be as simple as getting a dedicated email address for your business and regularly changing the passwords for your social media accounts.

Data Security

Data security is about protecting both your physical data and your electronic data. It is critical to protect sensitive data stored both onsite and offsite. If you store sensitive data offsite, make sure you use a reputable company equipped to handle the security risks of storing your data in the cloud. If you store data onsite, make sure a strong firewall protects it. 

Data security also means keeping an eye on who has access to your data and ensuring your employees are keeping data secure. Kenny Natiss understands the importance of information security, so it makes sense that you should too. 

Digital Asset Security

With modern technology taking hold of our world and lives, it makes sense that businesses are undergoing a digital transformation. Digital asset security refers to protecting your intellectual property and copyrighted items. This includes your logo, software, images, videos, and other digital assets. You may want to file for a trademark or copyright to protect your intellectual property. You should also have a policy to make sure employees are not copying or stealing copyrighted content from other websites.

Employee Education And Awareness

The last piece of the security puzzle is the people who work in your business. It is imperative to make sure your employees are educated and aware of any security threats. This might include threats from physical break-ins, data breaches, and fraudulent schemes. It can also help ensure your employees know how to handle sensitive data, like customer information and payment details. 

3 Savvy Alternative Investments To Consider

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One piece of investing advice that’s routinely brought up is diversifying your portfolio. That’s harder to put into practice than many people might think. There are quite a few investments, especially alternative investments, to consider. Which ones are the best ones to choose?

While that can vary from person to person - your investing goals, etc., matter significantly - a few particular options stand out. Not only will they help you diversify your portfolio, but you could reap a significant return on investment with them.

Savvy Alternative Investments To Consider: Top 3 Options1. Cryptocurrency

Cryptocurrencies have been appealing for several years, thanks to their explosive growth in value. They could provide a large return on investment over the short-term and boast more transparency for investors. It’s also quite easy to open and fund a crypto account to start investing.

When you’re looking for a crypto account, you’ll need to consider multiple factors, such as fees, transparency, compatibility with cryptocoins, and more. While that means spending time researching various aspects, that’s an undeniable part of investing already; it’s something you’ll need to do regardless of what you’re investing in.

Cryptocurrencies also have a certain amount of in-built risk, as they can be quite volatile. You’ll need to take more of a hands-on approach with this than some other alternative investments.

2. Commodities

Commodities are often seen as one of the safer alternative investments to consider, as they’re stabler than other options. They’re also hedged against inflation by standard, making them one of the better-recommended long-term investments.

Investors also don’t need accreditation to start trading commodities, making these one of the easier ones to start investing in. The low barriers to entry extend further than that, as you wouldn’t need too large of a budget to start investing in commodities; the finances associated with some options can be quite low.

Though that means a lower return on investment, they can be a recommended option for investors starting with a small budget.

3. Private Debt

Private debt, also known as private credit, is debt that’s offered to companies for their operations. Investing in this is more accessible than many people assume, although you’ll need to consider the risk-return ratio if you’re thinking about this.

An illiquid investment, it’s harder to withdraw funds from this than it is with other investment classes. It does have the potential for much larger returns on investment than alternatives, however. See this as more of a long-term option, rather than something you can dip in and out of.

There are a few ways to take advantage of private debt investing, including:

Mezzanine Investing

Distressed Debt

Direct Lending

Savvy Alternative Investments To Consider: Wrapping Up

Picking the right alternative investments to diversify your portfolio can be more difficult than you’d expect. You’ll have to consider multiple factors, such as your investing budget and goals.

Each of the above come highly recommended, however. While you’ll need to put some thought and effort into picking the right ones for you, they all boast multiple benefits, including a potentially high return on investment.

Aid Your Company In Reaching New Heights

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Business owners are prone to feeling imprisoned from time to time. Sales have reached a stalemate, hiring staff to increase production has been tough, or you simply feel stuck. When this happens, you may need the help of a new set of eyes to help you re-energize and grow your business. 

Examine Every Option For Reaching Your Audience 

Consider launching a digital storefront as a way to enhance sales if you're a retailer who doesn't already have one. Once you've gathered enough subscriber emails, consider executing an email campaign to keep your brand in front of your audience. Also, don't forget about social media.

You can also look to go beyond digital, sometimes consumers just don’t know how much they need or want something until they see it in person. If you think your business could grow more by having a physical storefront you can look at getting a commercial real estate lawyer and someone to help you scope out the best location so you can get more traffic and more sales. 

Use Social Media Wisely - It's More Than a Sales Channel 

Companies must abandon the bad habit of selling constantly on social media networks. Marketing and sales are two different things, and focusing just on social media sales could lead to failure. Create and document content that benefits the customer while also building a relationship. This might include information about the industry, how-to videos, or even humorous behind-the-scenes footage. 

Giving more than you take is the foundation of all relationships. Share your market research, trends, and insights. When a potential customer is ready to buy, they will turn to a brand they are familiar with and trust, which will be you! 

As a small business owner, it's vital to know who your customers are, where they spend their time, what they're looking for, and how your firm can meet their needs. In today's world, waiting for clients to come to you is no longer a sustainable business strategy. Companies must approach their clients and build close relationships with them to leave a lasting influence in today's shifting business environment. Your small business won't be able to grow its revenue if it can't extend its customer base. Social networking is an excellent and cost-effective approach to accomplish this.

Get Your Customers to Trust You And Be Loyal

Customer loyalty is built on the foundation of excellent customer service. A joyful client experience is the cornerstone of excellent customer service, and first impressions are critical in this regard. If a customer appreciates their experience with your services, they are more likely to use them again and again. If your company has a user-friendly website and relevant marketing collateral, your prospects will rise, and customers who have gotten good service will commonly promote you to friends and associates. This is why investing in your customer care team and their training is critical.

The business world can feel like a minefield and be tricky at times, there is always another avenue to take and new things to try. 

How To Reduce Downtime on a Construction Site

Reducing downtime on a construction site is extremely important for the wallet of the business and the quality of work the company is trying to produce. Employees must remain productive and forward-thinking with problem-solving solutions to stay on schedule and prioritize tasks. Downtime is inevitable but making the most of the time you have can further your business and creates a constructive worksite.

Commit to Preventative Maintenance

Extensive industrial equipment is bound to break down or malfunction. Better prepare your employees and management team by using preventative maintenance on your construction equipment. Know your machines inside and out to handle things better when they go awry to minimize downtime.

Rotate Employees

Depending on the project, employees could be on the construction site for the better part of their day. Doing heavy labor can be taxing; to keep a steady flow of productivity, rotate workers in and out to refresh and relieve the employees that might be losing energy. Excessive downtime hurts the work on the construction site and the corporate end.

Check Weather Conditions

Another variable that cannot be overlooked is the weather. Mother Nature does not abide by our rules, and there will be days when the weather will not permit outdoor work. Prepare for these days and discuss with management and the team how you will work around the weather to further the project along.

Schedule Downtime

It may seem counterintuitive, but scheduling downtime in advance helps cut back on unwelcome interims in work. Spend a moment or two calculating what equipment the construction site needs, inspecting and repairing work, and gathering resources. If you remain vigilant in filling every minute of the day with tasks, downtime can become valuable and productive for the business as a whole.

By reducing downtime on a construction site, projects get done faster and costs decrease. Breaks and little downtime are unavoidable but filling every minute with productivity ensures no money or time is lost.

Do Guard Shacks Need a Bathroom—Why or Why Not?

Guard shacks provide numerous amenities for those who use them, whether that be a parking lot attendant at an event, a guard outside of a business, or any other kind of worker. You can now purchase or fit most guard shacks with HVAC equipment and electricity for better comfort and safety. Another amenity that has become available is built-in bathrooms. Some people think that’s unnecessary since event spaces and businesses already have bathrooms nearby. So why do guard shacks need a bathroom? Keep reading to learn why this amenity is a good investment.

Easily Meet OSHA Requirements

OSHA requires employers to allow employees to take bathroom breaks as needed, regardless of the type of work the employee is doing. That means even security guards and parking lot attendants need a readily accessible bathroom. However, OSHA makes the exception that those in mobile workforces or a generally unused area need to be within short driving distance of a bathroom.

Keep Your Area More Secure

Unless you have more than one guard or attendant working at a time, bathroom breaks mean that your area is temporarily unmanned. That temporary window for someone to commit a crime or sneak into your event widens if they have to walk into the business or event space to use a bathroom and then walk back out. Providing a guard shack with a bathroom shortens that unmanned time since all they need to do is open and close a door to be in the bathroom and then back out on the job again.

Use Space to the Utmost Potential

A guard shack with a bathroom doesn’t just have to be for your security guard or parking attendant. These bathrooms meet standard building requirements, so guests can use them if necessary. While a guard or attendant may not constantly want visitors in their space, especially since this could be a safety hazard, it’s good to have something available if people are waiting in long ticket lines or no other restroom is nearby.

So why do guard shacks need a bathroom? This accommodation helps you easily meet OSHA requirements, keeps your area more secure, and uses your space to the utmost potential. While shacks with restrooms are slightly more expensive than regular guard shacks, this is an amenity that you won’t regret investing in.

4 Industries You Wish You Invested In 10 Years Ago

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Whether you invest your money in stocks or a business idea, you always want to catch trends before they happen. Most people make their money by capitalizing on ideas that seem small at the time but skyrocket over the course of a decade or so. 

Right now, there are plenty of industries - and business ideas within these industries - that seemed laughable a decade ago. Well, maybe not laughable, but they weren’t worth considering. You didn’t think about investing in them, but now you realize you should’ve! If you’d known that they were on course to thrive, you would definitely have invested time and money ten years ago. 

Keeping that in mind, here are the industries you wish you invested in a decade ago:

Cybersecurity

Cybersecurity is something that has absolutely taken off in the last decade. Most tech experts would’ve predicted this ten years ago, which is why they’re currently rolling around in piles of money. 

To be honest, most tech-related industries could’ve made this list. These were things we knew might be worth investing in, but we didn’t know how prominent they’d be. Cybersecurity is a great example of this. Who could’ve predicted the dramatic increase in cyber attacks since 2012?

The more technologically advanced the world becomes, the more cyber threats there will be. If you invested in cybersecurity or started a cybersecurity business a few years ago, you could be making loads of money right now. 

Cloud Computing

Another industry that has seen significant growth - particularly over the last two years. Now, this is a sector you wish you invested in, but mainly because of what happened to the world in 2020. We got hit by a global pandemic, forcing people indoors and shutting companies down. It meant that, for the first time ever, businesses were forced to work from home. 

Already, cloud computing companies started maximizing their profits. Sales were going through the roof, and there was a renewed demand for cloud-based applications, etc. Software providers were seeing more users than ever before, opening the door for more money to be made. 

If you invested in this industry a decade ago, you’d be in the prime position to capitalize on the increased demand for cloud services. But, things are still going on an upward trend. The pandemic made a lot of people realize they prefer working from home, so the demand for cloud services continues to grow globally!

Cannabis

Ten years ago, most people wouldn’t have thought that the cannabis industry was a worthy investment. Primarily, this was because it remained an illegal substance in most states. Even if it was legal, it was only for medical use. 

Oh, how times change! 

New regulations and rules mean that cannabis - and cannabis-related businesses - are now legal in most places. Moreover, better technology and science have led to the emergence of CBD businesses. This has blasted the industry into overdrive, making it way more profitable than it ever was. 

When you see how successful many businesses are in this sector, you’ll wish you invested money a long time ago. You’ll wish you took a risk and bought some growing kits, bagged yourself some Twister Timmers, and started growing your own cannabis plants. If you did, you could be sitting on a fortune now!

Real Estate

Yes, you will always, always, always look back on a decade and wish you invested in real estate. 

This same article could be published in ten years' time, and real estate will still be on the list. It is an industry that always sees continued growth. In fact, it has seen a 27.4% increase in GDP since the year 2000. 

If you invested in real estate a decade ago, you’d be sitting on a pretty fortune right now. Even if you bought houses and kept them, they’d be worth way more money to sell right now. But, consider how much money you could’ve made in rent over the past ten years! It would’ve allowed you to invest in more real estate - or perhaps had the money to invest in some of these other industries! 

No matter the time period, real estate is always an industry you will look at and wish you invested in. 

While it’s sad that you missed opportunities relating to these industries, you don’t have to get too upset. The beauty of everything on this list is that the sectors are still growing. If you start a business in any of these industries right now, it could be highly profitable for many years to come.

Can Digital Transformation Improve Your Business?

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Digital transformation is one of the most important trends in business today. It is a revolution in how we work, communicate and produce content. However, it has been rather slow to take off for a variety of reasons, such as the fact that it requires an investment in new technology and infrastructure and time to learn and implement.

Despite all this, a digital strategy can help businesses to grow. It can be used to increase efficiency in workflows and reduce costs through automation. Digital strategy can also help companies become more competitive by helping them understand their customers better, find out what they are interested in, and create content that will satisfy them.

How does Digital Transformation Improve Your Business? 

The first step to improving your business is understanding what you do and what you do well. Then you can take action to make sure that your company is doing everything right by making sure that all employees are trained in the right way of working with technology.

Digital transformation can be seen as a series of actions taken by companies to transform their business from one where they are not as productive as they could be into one where they can deliver more value to their customers. However, it is always growing and can shape and change your company. If you want to learn more about digital transformation, see below:

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