Employers

20 Jul Occupational Hazard: Keep Your Desk Neat and Clear Your Head

Posted at 07:00h in Employers, Small Business Owners, Startups

We get it. The workday seems to be getting more and more hectic. Checking your email, sitting on conference calls, creating presentations and meeting deadlines can quickly overwhelm. But one way to keep calm and carry on is to keep your desk neat and office space tidy. Despite recent reports that a messy desk can support creativity, it’s fairly limited to the idea of keeping files accessible, not a desk full of post-its and pictures.

Use these ideas to keep your desk neat:

06 Jul Breaking Up is Hard to Do: How to Fire Someone (Nicely)

Posted at 07:00h in Employers, Small Business Owners, Startups

There are lots of perks to being the boss – you might make more money, avoid the least interesting work, and have better hours. But there’s one job that makes everyone else relieved they are not in charge, and that’s when it is time to terminate an employee. If you don’t know how to fire someone in the least painful way possible, these tips might make a tough situation a little more bearable.

Consider these tips on how to fire someone (and be a little less miserable):

22 Jun Know Thy Hire: How to Do Reference Checks Well

Posted at 07:00h in Employers, Small Business Owners, Startups

We recently posted tips for job candidates about how to line up the best references before they start the application process. But what if you’re on the other side of the hiring table? How can you do reference checks well and learn the most about your potential hire?

Here are things to keep in mind to do reference checks well:

15 Jun Small Talk – How to Network for a Small Business

Posted at 07:00h in Employers, Small Business Owners, Startups

There are some of us that just love to talk. On the phone, on the subway, in the dry cleaners line. And that’s fabulous. They probably have no trouble walking into a hotel meeting room full of strangers and hawking their wares. But when you need to network for a small business, you might be less than excited to pack up your business cards and work the room. Still, connecting with people live (yes, it’s still done) is a great way to make new contacts, get some advice, and generate leads.

Here are some tips to help you network for a small business :

01 Jun Big Goals, Little Dollars – Your Business on a Budget

Posted at 07:00h in Employers, Small Business Owners, Startups

Let’s face it, even the largest companies are smart about how they spend money, and try to keep expenses in check. But there’s a difference between being Coca-Cola and being a new business. You can grow your top line, but to have a great bottom line, you need to keep costs down. So how to run your business on a budget but still get the job done?

Here are tips for running your business on a budget:

04 May It Ain’t Easy Being Green: Building an Eco-Friendly Office

Posted at 07:00h in Employers, Small Business Owners, Startups

Most of us recycle, and are mindful of wasting water or using Styrofoam, or other environmentally-conscious things. But that’s usually on an individual level, in our homes. While we might remember to recycle printed documents, sometimes there aren’t many more eco-friendly activities during the work day. But if you are committed, and creative, you can find a lot of little ways to make the corporate carbon footprint a bit smaller.

Here are ways to create an eco-friendly office:

27 Apr Home Work: Setting Up a Great Home Office

Posted at 07:00h in Employers, Small Business Owners, Startups

We wrote some time ago about telecommuting and how to make that work for you. But key to working remotely is having the right set-up at home to be able to be productive and the best way to have a dedicated space for your work.

Here are some tips for setting up a great home office:

13 Apr Good Talk: How to Run an Effective Meeting

Posted at 07:00h in Employers, Small Business Owners, Startups

We can’t avoid the team meeting, the one-on-one feedback session, or the companywide annual call. We’re humans, and we like to interact. Business meetings are simply a fact of American corporate life. But they also can easily disintegrate into unfocused, undisciplined wastes of time. How do you make sure that you run an effective meeting that is worth its conference room hour?

Here are tips on how to run an effective meeting:

30 Mar Get Social: Using LinkedIn for Recruiting

Posted at 07:00h in Employers, Small Business Owners, Startups

We have discussed in the past how LinkedIn is a must-use resource if you are looking for a job. But it is also incredibly valuable as an employer looking for new hires. With more than 400 million members, there’s a huge pool of talent available. And if you take advantage of the extensive features available, you can easily design a search where you are using LinkedIn for recruiting that is productive and not overwhelming.

Here are some tips to using LinkedIn for recruiting:

23 Mar Using a Managed Service Provider (MSP)

Posted at 07:00h in Employers, Small Business Owners, Startups

You’re a growing business, and you suddenly realize you need a lot more support in areas like IT or accounting. Or maybe you have a short-term project that needs a lot of people, but not forever. Or you have a lot of temporary support from a variety of agencies, but its time-consuming to manage them all. One solution could be using a managed service provider.