Refresh Your Space Before the Ball Drops
Set Your Workplace Up For Success with These 5 Tips
The holidays bring merriment and celebration – and hopefully a few days away from work! Before you leave the office to celebrate with friends and family, take a little time to set things up for a fresh start when you return.
Set new passwords. Take time before this year ends to set new, secure passwords for each of your accounts. Avoid using personal information or a one-word password. These passwords are easy to hack, compromising your security. Instead, try using a password that includes letters, numbers and special characters. To help your memory, create a pass-phrase that consists of letters and numbers in a sentence. For example, use something you want to remember anyway, like “I must pick up my kids at 3,” using “impumk@3” as your password. Or, combine important words and numbers like your son’s name and age, alternating “Ryan” and “son,” adding the age of “6” to form “Rsyoann6,” a very secure password.
Organize your electronic files. Archive and file e-mail, documents and other electronic files that you no longer need to access regularly to free up space and make reference easy later on. Delete e-mail messages that you won’t need for future reference. If you have duplicate documents, keep the most updated one and delete unneeded extras. For computer files, create topical folders for each project and organize within those folders by year. Keep it simple and easy to navigate, creating desktop shortcuts to the folders you access the most.
Toss old documents. Do you really need to keep that interoffice memo about last year’s Valentine’s party or the three-inch thick manual for a computer program you stopped using years ago? Carve out a few hours of time before you leave for the holidays to sort through all your paper documents. Make a goal of throwing out 50% of your pile – you’ll never miss it. Research shows that people don’t touch most of their paper files again after they’re stored away. Go through every file, pile and folder, tossing anything you have saved electronically along with items you don’t need to keep for record purposes. Get every piece of paper off your desk and in its place so you can return to work without feeling overwhelmed by the paper mountain. Often, cluttered papers don’t require work, but they can make you feel buried in a sea of to-dos if they aren’t out of sight.
Record a new voicemail greeting. Chances are, you recorded your voicemail message the week you started and haven’t thought about it since. Taking a few moments to record a new, personalized voicemail message at the start of the year will encourage repeat callers to leave you messages since they will know you don’t ignore your message system. Add a personal message and speak with energy and enthusiasm to create a memorable, professional greeting.
Change your workspace. Changing up your work landscape can help you have a fresh mindset when you start work again after a break. Try rearranging your setup by moving your desk or computer or rearranging shelves and drawers. If you have a standard workspace setup you can’t change, add something new like an updated family photo or put a favorite photo in a new picture frame. Purchase a new office plant or coffee mug you can enjoy. Take down old, faded posters and documents and minimize the visual clutter in your space.
Share these tips with your staff and schedule a few hours for the team to de-clutter their desks. You will find that holiday joy will linger when you return to work with a clean, organized workspace set up for a productive new year.
5 Ways to Make Work Fun
Activate Your Workforce with these Creative Ideas
When you walk in the door to work each morning, chances are, you already know basically what you will be doing the rest of the day. For most everyone, work is fairly consistent from day to day, and even the type of variety that may come up is fairly predictable. But whether you sit at a desk or oversee an assembly line, you probably enjoy a break from the routine. The same is true for your employees. Activities that allow people to break away from the norm are a great way to build teams. Check out these ideas on how to infuse some life into your workforce.
• Mystery Employee – Create a questionnaire for each of your employees asking for little-known facts that will be difficult for co-workers to guess, such as childhood hobbies, least-favorite color, guilty-pleasure televisions shows or their middle name. Type a short paragraph on each employee’s answers to distribute to everyone and see who can guess the correct co-worker for each. You can use the mystery cards all at once and deem the person with the most correct guesses the winner. Or, if you play periodically until everyone’s been featured, put all those who guess correctly into a drawing for a prize. Consider letting the winner off an hour early as their reward. This game is a great way to encourage team members to get to know one another and can be a nice break from the daily grind.
• Soup’s On – Have a company- or department-wide potluck lunch. Coordinate the meal so that each work group or team is responsible for one portion, such as vegetables, breads, entrees, salads, desserts and drinks. Try a spin on this idea and make your potluck into a cook-off. Have participants vote on the best dish in each category and give ribbons or prizes to the winners. This activity can bring your group together and provide a fun break in the middle of the day.
• Out of Office Experience – Try moving your staff meeting or planning retreat out of the office for a breath of fresh air. A local restaurant or activity center may be the perfect spot. For a less expensive alternative, consider taking your team to your home for a time of planning in a relaxed environment. Then, when the work is done, save some time to play. Sometimes, simply changing your setting can boost productivity and morale.
• Family Day – Designate an afternoon for your employees to invite their families to work. This could come in the form of a holiday party or company picnic, but keep in mind that no matter how large or small your workforce, your employees will appreciate being able to share about their jobs with those they love.
• Lunch Tournament – Bring board games, cards, checkers or chess boards for a lunch-time game tournament. Provide food and drinks to employees who participate and extend lunch by an extra hour. You can create brackets or team names and designate prizes for the winners, such as a traveling trophy or a day off from work. To maximize team building, pair up people who don’t normally work together. This fun and simple activity offers a break from the routine and will energize your employees.
Try using these ideas this week to liven up things in your workplace. You will find that your efforts are appreciated by your employees as they get to know one another better and enjoy a break from the routine.
End of the Year Tax Tips for Small Businesses
Plan Your Finances Before the Year Ends
With the end of the year approaching, it’s important to take time for tax planning before the new year arrives. A few tips can help small businesses come out ahead with their tax strategy.
• Spend money now. If your business needs items such as office supplies, equipment, furniture, vehicles, services or other items that you can afford to purchase now, do so to maximize your deductions for the year. In addition, pay bills and give to charities before the year ends so those deductions count toward this year’s taxes.
• Consider income deferral. Billing at the end of the year for finished work will mean you receive payment next year and are taxed for it in 2007. Sole proprietorships, partnerships, and LLCs frequently benefit from income deferral, depending upon their tax rates. It’s important to consider whether your business can sustain this technique based on profitability and cash flow, so contact a professional for more advice on using this strategy.
• Don’t forget retirement. You can reduce your taxable income by contributing to a retirement plan such as an IRA. If you don’t already use a retirement plan, doing so can help you save for the future as well as shape up your tax situation. Consult a financial advisor for the best solutions for your retirement planning.
• Remember your employees. End of the year bonuses not only ensure your employees know they are appreciated for all their hard work, they can also help with end-of-the-year taxes. Make sure to declare bonuses in 2006 in order to count for this year’s taxes.
• Check in with your CPA. Make sure you’ve updated all your accounting records and met with your CPA while you still have time to impact your financial situation for the year. Double check to make sure you get any deductions you qualify for. Make sure your books are current and correct, and have your CPA look them over for any details you might have missed. In addition, ask them for advice on using any of the strategies listed above to ensure you are in the best possible shape for tax season.
Though it’s easy to put off thinking about your taxes, planning your finances can help put your business in good shape for a successful year.
Make sure to consult with a professional to determine the right course of action for your business.
Employment Situation Summary
United States
Non-farm employment rose by 92,000 jobs in October, and the unemployment rate fell slightly to 4.4%.
Major Industry Employment for October 2006
• Construction: - 26,000
• Manufacturing: - 39,000
• Retail Trade: + 43,000
• Professional & Business Services: + 12,000
• Educational & Health Services: + 28,000
• Leisure & Hospitality: + 35,000
• Government: - 34,000
Canada
Employment increased by 51,000 in October, and the unemployment rate fell slightly to 6.2%.
Major Industry Employment for October 2006
• Construction: + 21,000
• Manufacturing: - 15,000
• Trade: - 8,000
• Transportation & Warehousing: + 13,000
• Finance, Insurance, Real Estate & Leasing: + 8,000
• Business, Building & Support Services: + 15,000
• Educational Services: + 24,000
• Information, Culture & Recreation: - 4,000
•
Accommodation
and Food Services: + 6,000
• Public Administration: + 12,000
e-Xchange is a publication of Express Services, Inc., Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Copyright 2006.