Michael Levitt's Blog, page 72
July 8, 2021
Top 4 Employee Perks Your Team Will Appreciate
Employee perks - or benefits - are essential in your business. Firstly, they show your employees that you care about them, giving something back for all their hard work. Secondly, they aid in employee retention as people will want to stay for your company because of the amazing perks you provide. It's not uncommon for the employee benefits program to be the sole reason someone stays at a company for a very long time!
Clearly, there are countless employee perks out there, but which ones are the most popular? Here are the top employee benefits your team will appreciate the most:
Healthcare insurance
It's no secret that the cost of healthcare is outrageously high. Consequently, one of the best perks you can offer your employees is free healthcare. Well, technically it's not free, but providing them with healthcare insurance means they are covered for a large selection of healthcare services. If they or someone in their family gets sick, they know they have the insurance to get the treatment required without it being a big financial issue.
Sticking with the healthcare theme, a lot of businesses are providing wellness programs at work. These can include all sorts of things - such as regular health screenings for employees. Effectively, a wellness program is designed to help your team remain healthy in all aspects of their wellbeing. This includes providing mental health services to deal with stress, implementing healthy eating habits at work, and so on. It's a desirable perk as your employees know that you are actively trying to look after their health & wellbeing.
Annual bonusesYou really need to implement an annual bonus of some sort in your business. While people love all the wellness and healthcare perks, nothing compares to financial ones. They enjoy getting extra money for working hard, and you should create a bonus system that rewards the hardest workers more than others. How much should you offer as a bonus? It really depends, and some industries offer a lot more than others. In truck driving, a lot of truck driver teams can earn up to $10,000 in bonuses each year. However, this is largely down to the amount of work they do, driving for 11 hours each day. In a typical office job, the industry average will probably be well below this. A good idea is to find the average for your industry, then offer a little bit more than it.
Providing employee discounts on your own products/services is an excellent idea. They get to save money, but you also ensure that they aren't using rival businesses! Alongside this, try to work with other companies to provide discounts for your employees as well. For instance, you might be able to negotiate a discount with the local grocery store, so all of your employees get money off whenever they shop there.
Any type of employee perk is better than not having one at all. Still, if you want the best perks to please your team, these four are the top ones to consider.
How To Improve Employee Wellness
To be a successful business leader it’s important to focus on employee wellness. Your staff need to be healthy and happy in order to thrive, and produce creative work. There are so many ways that you can improve employee wellness so let's take a look.
According to NAMI, ‘20.6% of U.S. adults experienced mental illness in 2019 (51.5 million people). This represents 1 in 5 adults.’ If you’d like to support your employees, mental health training is incredibly valuable. Mental health training might cover a range of different themes including:
Learning to spot mental health symptoms.
How to manage anxiety and stress.
Avoiding burnout and asking for help.
Supporting coworkers with their wellness.
If you want to improve staff wellness it’s a good idea to offer wellbeing platforms. To get started check out these useful workplace wellness apps:
Unmind is an excellent mental health resource, aimed at small businesses. The content was designed to improve well being and overall health. There are lots of different categories to focus on whether it’s self-care, sleep, happiness or fitness.
Wellable is a wellness app that can help employees to focus on different aspects of wellness. There are programs to support financial health, mental health, emotional and social health. Staff can access various activities and exercise to improve their well-being. Features include wellness goals, journals, and progress tracking.
Micromanaging and rigid work schedules can put employees under a lot of pressure. If your workplace conditions are not very flexible, your staff feel stressed out, and under appreciated. There are many ways that you can keep things flexible, including:
Allow flexible shifts where staff can choose their hours.
Permit staff to work from home, even if it’s only one or two days a week.
Encourage autonomous teams, to give your staff more responsibility and freedom.
Allow ‘wellness’ days, where staff can take time off for their mental health.
Give staff time off on their birthdays, or for other special occasions.
Provide your employees with feedback, using regular one to one sessions. Ask your staff how they feel within their role, and if there is anything that they need support with. If you want your employees to feel valued it’s important to show them that you care. By providing feedback you can help your employees to develop and grow.
To support staff wellness you need to create the right working conditions. Ensure that you set up ergonomic workstations, to prevent injuries and aches, and pains. Use air purifiers and plants to improve the air quality. You might also like to provide on-site exercise classes if you have the means to do so. There are plenty of ways you can improve your workplace.
To learn more about health and wellness, get in touch with Kevin Lucas. Kevin is a health and wellness advocate, public speaker, and entrepreneur. The more you learn about wellness, the easier it is to support your staff.
Strategies for Optimizing Data Center Operations
In our modern digital era, data centers are the operational backbones for numerous industries and enterprises. With their ability to maintain network systems, store valuable information, and support IT, data centers can assuredly meet business objectives and increase an organization’s productivity levels.
However, not all data centers operate daily at their ultimate efficiency. As these organized data hubs continue to push the boundaries of possibility, they must meet incessant demands for more and more power and capacity. For better data management, a constructed plan of key strategies is necessary to maintain business performance. Consider the following strategies for optimizing data center operations. Enabling higher levels of operational consistency is the target goal.
Monitor the Environment InvariablyMonitoring infrastructure and cloud computing is common knowledge in the industry. However, utilizing the proper monitoring solutions and software is one of the major strategies for optimizing data center operations. Collecting real-time data on energy consumption and power utilization helps foster greater decision-making. Managers should take advantage of robust analytical tools to assure consistent IT system availability and identify future problems. Failure to adequately measure performance output is a sign of poor management, leading to potential uptime loss.
Fully Leverage Flexibility and ScalabilityRethinking architecture and layout across the board is a top tip for a summer-ready data center. Augmenting scalability in this way is also one of the leading strategies for optimizing data center operations. Undoubtedly, optimizing a data center’s layout involves a wide range of variables. Consider optimizing cooling through smart architecture and spacing, and ensure methods for accommodating growth or increasing capacity. The right infrastructure design and components are integral to meeting current and future operating requirements.
Reduce Risk With Process AutomationAutomation is major in technological advancement. Data centers and onsite storage hubs are complex connectivity structures. Even the best design structures cannot make up for administrative inefficiencies. Curbing human error with automation resources helps relieve pressure and keep up with ongoing workflow tasks and demands.
As current systems are perpetually evolving, their numerous facets endure alteration and modification daily. Automation management tools strategically provide superior value to regularly performed processes and tasks necessary for day-to-day operations. Minimizing prevalent risk in the environment of modern data centers is of the essence. Optimization is a system-wide enterprise that offers savings and rewarding assets for the future of a business when done suitably.
How To Start up a Successful Dental Practice
Independent care practitioners have the best of both worlds—the ability to practice their proficiencies freely, and skillfully manage their career as a business venture. Nonetheless, opening up your own practice is no simple feat. Today’s modern healthcare system has created boundless opportunities for patients to select care, forcing private practitioners to level up their game in the so-called marketplace.
Your main concern should always be your patient’s wellbeing and satisfaction, but looking at your private clinic or practice as a business endeavor is integral to deliver desired results for all parties. To begin on the right foot, consider the following strategies for optimizing your procedures and services as a dental professional. Here’s how to start up a successful dental practice and welcome new patients.
Be Unique: Differentiate Yourself From CompetitorsThere’s nothing wrong with being average. Yet, if you have the chance as a healthcare professional, why not try to become a bonafide leader in your field? If you desire to genuinely establish your practice as a leading oral health provider in the local area, you must identify and market the one-of-a-kind advantages you offer.
Attracting and retaining patients is key to a successful dental business; a one-size-fits-all approach does not apply to patient care. Highlight what sets your practice apart right off the bat, such as service versatility or certain specialties, to build awareness and authority. Your approach, rapport, and knowledge will speak for themselves.
Focus On Productivity: Capitalize On Operative HoursAre you still deliberating about how to start up a successful dental practice? Besides focusing on marketing and building a reputation, you must step back and think about your target customers. The work hours you set will dictate the fullness of care you can provide to them. Focusing on efficiency and the ability to accommodate patient needs puts your best foot forward.
Only so many hours exist in a workday. Using each minute to its greatest advantage aids both your business and your customers. Be sure to create patient policies, create a user-friendly system to manage bookings effectively, and create flexible hours to maximize productivity. Successful healthcare professionals make the most of their own time and their staff’s time.
Assemble a Team: Set Up an Office CultureYour practice needs a strong team of staff members—a team that will critically contribute to its overall success. From the ground up, assemble a steady team to have on your side. Properly screening and hiring candidates that can grow with your business is essential.
As time goes on, be on the lookout for occupational dentistry health hazards, as a happy and healthy office culture leads to superior collaboration. Providing adequate and continuous employee training is an investment in everyone’s careers. The right investments go far in encouraging a satisfying environment that fosters success for years to come.
How To Help Your Employees Achieve Work-Life Balance
Recruiting new employees now and then isn't only tiring but costly for a firm. You will spend much time in the process, and some areas of operation may be affected. As an employer, this can be frustrating since you will also have to orient the new staff.
Many employees quit their jobs for different reasons, but one of the major ones is failing to achieve a work-life balance. Like James T Crane says, everything has to sync and balance for it to thrive. Employers have to conform to the needs of their employees for them to succeed.
In a world whereby personal contentment is a priority, employers need to help their employees find work-life balance. This will create a win-win situation, and both will carry on with their roles with ease. However, you will acknowledge that juggling work, family, and personal life can be stressful for anyone.
It can also affect one's mental health, and if they are in critical areas of operation, this can have adverse consequences. You can help your employees achieve the balance they seek through;
Flexible Working HoursEmpower your employees to manage their own time. It will help if you don't mind giving them the option of working remotely and managing their time. But, instead, ensure that they know you trust them enough to get the job done regardless of when and where they work.
Focusing on the GoalDon't look at the amount of time that employees are working but instead at their productivity. Focus on what they have achieved during the hours they have put in. This will make them be open to flexible schedules and adjust to different working shifts.
Encouraging VacationsEncourage your employees to go on vacations since this will help them get some time to rejuvenate. As a result, they will be able to relax and come back feeling refreshed. Besides, a change of scenery can be beneficial for them.
Office Babysitting ServicesIf your company can afford to hire childminders, this will be a big step for parents. They can come with their little ones to work and leave them to the care of the nannies. They will perform better knowing that their children are close by, especially if the child is still breastfeeding.
Ask Your EmployeesHave a heart-to-heart with your employees and find out what they need to help them achieve the balance. This will give you an idea of setting up the right environment for them to achieve work-life balance. You might not be able to implement all their ideas, but you can work around incorporating them step by step.
What Will the Company Gain
Your company stands to gain a lot when employees can find the balance they seek. Some of the benefits the company will experience are;
Increased performance
Happier employees
Loyalty and commitment
Decrease in absenteeism
Healthier employees
A cut on recruitment costs
Employees will strive to establish a long-term working relationship with you, and you won't have to worry about operations coming to a standstill. They no longer have to come up with excuses to miss work since everything is working out well for them. You can all focus on attaining the company's goals and generating more revenue. You will also gain a positive employer perception; consequently, many people will want to come and work for you.
July 7, 2021
Types of Industrial Communication Networks
Many industrial businesses, such as manufacturing plants, warehouses, and construction firms, require expansive communication networks. These networks make it possible to store and transfer data, power automation equipment, and run control systems. While there is a variety of different types of industrial communication networks out there, the two most popular are LAN and WAN.
LANLAN stands for Local Area Network. These are used when a business’s communication network only exists locally. It is also an isolated network that only contains the data and processes it is provided. A LAN is ideal if a business does not need to communicate data with a more extensive network.
WANA WAN, or Wide Area Network, is a global system. This type of network allows businesses to use WANs to connect their data with other networks. WANs come in handy if a company has different branches, particularly if one branch is part of a larger company. Businesses that need to communicate with other networks would benefit from a WAN.
SCADA SystemsOne popular type of industrial communication network is SCADA. This control system architecture stands for Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition. Many businesses choose to use SCADA systems for their operations because they can be connected to many PLCs (programmable logic controllers) and automated systems. SCADA is able to control and regulate all of these systems at once. Additionally, SCADA systems require little maintenance and allow businesses to control processes and devices remotely.
Other Industrial Communication NetworksIn addition to SCADA, there are several other industrial communication networks. They include but are not limited to:
Ethernet
DeviceNet
Modbus
ControlNet
While these industrial communication networks operate similarly, each has its own unique benefits. DeviceNet, for example, allows businesses to manipulate devices out on the field. These devices may include switches, panel displays, and sensors. ControlNet uses Common Industrial Protocol to merge the feel of a peer-to-peer network with the speed of an I/O system. Finally, Modbus is an open system that is popular for an array of industrial control applications.
What Does A Thought Leader Look Like?
In the business world, there is a huge difference between a manager and a leader. Every manager understands the challenges they face to get acknowledged as a leader by their team. It is a long process that will need to establish trust, knowledge, and empathy.
But, your team acknowledgment is only the beginning of the journey as a leader. Leadership is about driving your business and your team forward, motivating people, and giving them a vision they can relate to. Yet, a leader to a team carries little weight in a competitive market. Someone like Steve Jobs, for instance, has been praised for his leadership abilities by competitors. Why so? Because Jobs was a thought leader. He was someone who could disturb the tech status quo and make space for Apple. He was someone other companies would listen to. He was, for a long time, the voice of the smartphone industry.
So… not everyone can be Steve Jobs. But that doesn’t mean you can’t be a thought leader.
Someone who’s educated in their field
A thought leader is someone who can speak confidently about their industry. It doesn’t mean you should know everything about it. But you need to be educated in your field to confidently juggle new ideas and strategies. You might choose to pursue your studies to assert your expertise. Alternatively, you can also consider other sources of information, such as audience group research and tech innovations. While a former computing engineer, Steve Jobs did not design the iPhone he presented to the audience in 2007. He, however, understood the technological potential and the audience mindset.
A thought leader knows what they are talking about. So, the audience is more likely to trust someone who has a history of success and involvement in the relevant field. Someone such as Paul Ognibene of Cohasset, for instance, is a respected voice in real estate development projects because he’s got a long history of supporting communities through a variety of services. His involvement in revitalizing real estate comes from a deep understanding of community needs, which he gathered through his successful career.
Publishing a book may not be the quickest way to get noticed by your peers. But it is one of the most effective if you wish to speak at events and share your idea with a broad audience. Writing a book positions you as an expert. Unlike bloggers who can enjoy short-lived expertise online, a writer can live forever on the shelves of a library. Your book could become a development tool for professionals as well as a strategy to gain the public’s trust.
Thought leaders know they have achieved their goals when they receive requests to appear as a guest at events and on other platforms. Whether you are invited as a speaker to a conference or appearing as an expert in a video interview, recognition is the highest form of praise you can receive from the public.
Be seen, be heard, be trusted, as the leader says. Be seen by those in your industry but not in your business, and you can establish yourself as a reputable thought leader. To disturb the market with new ideas, you need to make sure that the market is ready to listen to you.
Be The Business People Remember
What makes a brand unforgettable?
Most people assume that being memorable comes with size and capital. A brand like Samsung is not something you’d easily forget. On the other hand, small businesses can struggle to establish themselves.
Here’s one piece of wisdom you want to remember at all times as you are creating your momtrepreneur’s brand: One step at a time. Focus on your local market because you can aspire to international audience groups like multinational brands. The strategies we’re going to share work for businesses of all sizes, regardless of your budget. In other words, you don’t have to be big to leave an unforgettable impression on your audience.
Don’t mess with their delivery/return
Passing an order is an exciting journey for customers. According to psychologists, customers who purchase a product online already experience the joy of ownership from the moment of purchase. The longer they wait for their parcel, the more frustrated they become as they feel like the company is denying them ownership. So, if you are struggling to deliver on time and manage their parcels, it’s a good idea to look for simple order fulfillment services. Third-party logistics services can overlook every step of the shipping and return process on your behalf, ensuring that everything arrives safely and on time.
Ultimately, people consume content all day long. Our smartphones are constantly buzzing with notifications and activities. So, if you are going to share content, you need to be smart about it. People forget irrelevant and low-quality content and experiences. So, if you are going to be remembered, you need to make your content count. How does it work? Informative articles or tutorials can attract visitors. If you find it hard to build a strong presence online, you can also share your content at local events. An invitation to visit your shop before the grand opening or to discover new fitness routines can be a memorable local event for your community. It’s the ideal opportunity to build an experience people won’t forget.
Be the brand that makes customers feel liked individuals. Everybody wants to matter. But with big brands, customers are unlikely to be more than a transaction number. On the other hand, a small business can afford to spend time with individual customers to get to know them. Whether you run an independent coffee shop or offer tailored fitness programs, you want to spend time talking to your customers and learning about them.
Be authentic
Authenticity is one of your buzzwords that can be confusing. What does it mean to be authentic as a brand? Neil Patel, top digital marketing guru, puts it in clear words, being authentic is about “staying true to who you are”. Ultimately, your customers build a relationship with you, so they want to feel they can take your words at face value. An authentic brand that remains faithful to its values and activities is like a trusted friend to the audience. It’s a business people can rely on.
Building a memorable brand is all about managing the impression you leave your customers. People expect reliability, valuable experiences, appreciation, and authenticity. You don’t have to be a big company to meet their expectations. But it’s a never-ending project, so be prepared to stay focused as you build your unforgettable business experience.
July 6, 2021
The Big Legal Challenges When Opening Your Own Golf Course Business
Golf is just as popular as ever and if you have the opportunity to buy a large parcel of land, opening your own golf business is a great idea. Once you are up and running, you can turn it into a very profitable business. However, a lot of people steer clear of this option because of the legal challenges involved.
There are a number of legal hurdles you need to overcome if you want to get your golf business off the ground but as long as you are prepared for them, you shouldn’t let that put you off. These are some of the big legal challenges that golf resort businesses must face.
Planning PermissionFirstly, you need to make sure that you can get the right planning permission to build a golf course in the first place, and this can be difficult. Depending on the location of the land, you may need to convince local homeowners of the benefits of your new business. There are also issues to do with sustainability and environmental damage. It is more important than ever for businesses to exercise social responsibility and when converting a large piece of land into a golf course, you will need to address environmental concerns before planning permission is granted. This means making provisions for protecting wildlife and ensuring that local ecosystems are preserved while the work is carried out.
Water Supply IssuesManaging the water in a golf course also brings legal challenges with it. Ensuring that there is enough water to maintain the grass is important, and any changes made to natural water features must be approved too. There are some complicated laws to contend with here, so hiring a specialist water attorney is crucial. It is likely that these issues may be tied into your application for planning, so make sure that you consider them when purchasing the land and making your plans for development.
InsuranceAlthough golf isn’t the most dangerous sport out there, people can still get injured on your course. It’s crucial that you protect yourself with the right liability insurance so you cannot be sued in the event of an accident. Beyond that, you also need contents insurance to protect anything stored inside the buildings and buildings insurance to protect the properties themselves.
Retail LicensesIn many cases, golf courses will have an on-site shop where people can buy all of their golfing gear. This is a great way to add another source of revenue to your business, but there are extra legal requirements to deal with. There are laws in place to protect the interests of consumers and ensure that you are describing products accurately, displaying prices clearly, and operating a fair returns policy. You will also need the correct licenses to operate a retail store in the first place. It’s important that you are on the right side of retail law, so do your research beforehand and make sure you know what your responsibilities as a business are.
These are the crucial legal issues that you will have to overcome when opening your own golf course business.
Sometimes TV Dramas Keep You On Your Toes
When you run a small business, you need to know how to make the most of your limited resources. The truth is that you can’t do it all by yourself. It might seem like a cost-effective plan at first. But you’ll end up wasting valuable time and affecting your productivity.
When you can’t afford to hire a new team member to secure access to unique skill sets, you need to trust an external expert. Outsourcing to specialist companies are reaching out to contractors are the most popular solutions for small business owners. However, how do you know if you’ve found a trustworthy partner? Too many businesses fail to research their experts. If you are going to trust someone with your company’s future, you want to make sure they will do a good job.
As surprising as it might sound, TV dramas can be just the wake-up call you need. More often than not, excess trust can be damaging in a business. New and inexperienced business owners can fall for con artists and poor-quality suppliers. Here are some surprising things you can learn from your favorite TV show.
#1. K-Drama Healer and security teams
Netflix is promoting South Korean dramas with a large library of exciting titles. One of those, Healer, is an action pack series with South Korean action heartthrob Ji Chan-Wook playing an illegal night courier. He’s someone people call for a variety of services, including securing information secretly. The night courier accepts most jobs, except those involving violence. With a strict rule of not killing anyone — either target or enemy — Healer shows a range of action moves, tech gadgets, and smart thinking to complete his contracts.
As a viewer, we get to discover how easy it is to distract security guards, using neither violence nor threat. Healer relies on a convincing narrative in his day-to-day interactions with people, using conversational and acting skills that are not dissimilar to scammers. Granted, it’s fiction. But the fiction also asks an important question: What if your security provider falls for similar tricks? Can you sue a security company that fails to deliver what it promised? Law specialists advise caution when it comes to interacting with a negligent company. It’s not always easy to prove negligence. Ideally, you want to do your research and compare security packages. Sometimes, it’s worth checking employees’ and customers’ feedback online. You want a company that provides regular training for the security guards and supports its clients successfully.
#2. The moving Navillera on Netflix shows delivery risks
If you’ve spotted Navillera appearing on Netflix at the start of the year, it’s another K-drama that’s been sponsored by the streaming giant. Originally, Navillera is a webtoon that has received high praises in South Korea. The series brings Song Kang, a young actor playing a ballet dancer, and veteran actor Park In-hwan as an old man wishing to learn ballet. The moving story takes the viewer through the path of an elderly gentleman determined to learn ballet despite experiencing alarming symptoms of dementia. Packed with delicate sensibility and emotions, Navillera offers a unique insight into the minds of someone affected by Alzheimer’s and the efforts of those around him.
What does it teach you about finding the right partner? Navillera shows delivery couriers working on small bikes as they reach clients’ locations. Regardless of the weather, the couriers are equipped with minimal protection on unstable vehicles. If you are looking for a delivery service, the first thing you want is to ask if your designated delivery station drivers receive the appropriate gear and equipment. Injuries caused by inadequate equipment could leave your business without any delivery service.
#3. The US Scorpion on IT services
Away from South Korean TV dramas, and back to more popular US TV shows. In 2014, when CBS launched the first season of Scorpion, the audience was mesmerized. The main character, Walter O’Brien, is loosely inspired by the Irish businessman and IT expert with the same name. Opinions are divided whether the real O’Brien achieved as much as his fictional counterpart (many believe he didn’t and lied his way into the spotlight). Still, the exciting high-tech hacking and action-packed series remains a must-see. Scorpion shows a team of geniuses tackles a variety of complex problems to protect citizens against high-tech threats. Naturally, the show delights in revealing multiple tech hacking scenarios that can save the day at the last minute. But, from a business perspective, the most important thing that Scorpion does for your business is highlighting how much data can be easily accessible to individuals with the right tech and mindsets. As a company outsourcing IT services, you want to make sure you can trust your IT provider. A dedicated IT provider maintains training and constantly adjust their strategy and services to meet new threats.
#4. Death in Paradise
If you are not familiar with the French-British TV series Death in Paradise, you can catch up on Netflix. The show offers a modern crime drama in the veins of Hercule Poirot or Murder She Wrote. It’s family-friendly but not without some unexpected surprises. The show excels in hiding criminals under the most inconspicuous disguise, turning a cleaning lady into an accomplice to a murder. And somehow, it also shows us that we need to remain vigilant. Providers that tend to go unnoticed, such as your cleaning team, can genuinely get away with murder, according to Death in Paradise. So, if you are hiring cleaning services, you want to check feedback from clients. Murder may not be on the cards, but theft and data corruption could be a risk.
#5. Dr. House and the case of extreme food poisoning
In an early episode of House MD, the diagnostic team faces a woman who is slowly poisoning her husband by tempering with his food every day using only small doses. The accrued dose over time puts his body under great pressure. Intentional food poisoning is not something a business should worry about. But food catering can be a source of risk for your team. Indeed, as many workers in the hospitality sector have been left without an income for the best part of the pandemic, most are now unwilling to take a day off when they are unwell. They can’t afford to lose money. Enquire about your provider’s policy regarding health checks for their team.
Of course, TV shows don’t show a realistic view of the world. But they can help you spot potential risks for your business. Are you sure you can trust your service providers?
