Employee retention and strategies for optimizing it are a constant consideration for organizations. It might be particularly important for those having specialized, customer-facing employees. For those firms, an employee transitioning to a new firm brings along an additional issue. Will clients follow the employee rather than being loyal to the firm?This is particularly an issue for law firms, financial firms, [...]
Design thinking is immensely important to business. It's important to client and customer growth and retention. Its application can foster innovation and smooth innovation's acceptance. It can be a key part of business strategy. Many people, though, are unsure about how "design thinking" as a term used in business differs from product design - the creation of logos, the [...]
Whether you have to approach an employee about needed improvement in job performance or softer skills such as team play, it can be difficult to truly engage the person. No one likes to hear criticism. Even constructive criticism can cause an employee to tune out and not hear what's being said. They may focus more, in the conversation and [...]
Netflix is one of the most disruptive digital companies. It moved from the margins of DVD provision from its inception as a mail service in a way that eventually helped to drive its bricks-and-mortar competitor, Blockbuster, out of business. It continues to remap the content provision industry by creating an array of popular content, from House of Cards to Orange Is the New [...]
Many managers and employees keep track of hours expended on the job as a guide to productivity and engagement. Hours expended rather than tasks done, or quality of tasks, become major metrics in business operations. Many observers believe, however, that managing energy is a better alternative. There are several reasons for this. First, clocking hours can become too much [...]
Ransomware is a cyber attack in which malware is placed in the computer(s) of unsuspecting persons or businesses. The computer system is locked and unavailable to users until a certain amount of cash - sometimes demanded in Bitcoins or gift cards - is turned over to the hackers. The cash is the "ransom" that unlocks the system again. Instructions on [...]
The Harvard Business Review points out an even more intriguing statistic about co-working spaces: Workers in them thrive much more than workers in conventional offices.Autonomy and Flexibility ValuedThe HBR wanted to know why employees were far more likely to thrive.A big reason was the autonomy and flexibility co-working spaces offer. Jobs can be done at any time. Most co-working spaces are open to members [...]
People voting in the recent elections may have found the actual process to be surprisingly old-school. In a world where transactions from checking a bank account to receiving medical advice takes place online and can occur 24/7, voting often requires a special trip to a specific location on a particular day. Ballots and voter IDs are still often paper, marked [...]
THE DIGITAL REVOLUTION AND ARCHITECTURE Work It! Staff January 19, 2017 Digital Architecture is undergoing a paradigm shift as a result of the digital revolution. The Third Industrial Revolution and Its Impact on Architecture An article in Architect: The Journal of the American Institute of Architects points out that the characteristics of the Third Industrial Revolution are likely to have a revolutionary effect [...]
DOES THE GENDER OF VIRTUAL ASSISTANTS MATTER? Work It! Staff January 18, 2017 Digital Many observers feel that the increasing use of virtual assistants, such as Apple's Siri and Amazon's Alexa, will be among the top technology news stories of 2017. Yet, an increasing number of people, both in the tech field and outside of it, also feel that the gender [...]
IS THERE A RIGHT TO DISCONNECT: OR, SHOULD E-MAIL BE OFF LIMITS OFF HOURS? Work It! Staff February 1, 2017 Collaberation French workers seemingly have it made: 35-hour work weeks and a large amount of vacation each year. As of January 1, 2017, a law went into effect covering employees in companies with more than 50 employees. The "right to disconnect" law requires [...]
THE EMERGENCE OF GENERATION X CHANGES DIGITAL WORK Work It! Staff January 13, 2017 Collaberation While Baby Boomers and Millennials get a lot of press, Generation X is moving to the fore in terms of exerting influence in corporations, politicals, and digital start-ups. Baby Boomers, those born between 1946 and 1964, originally got attention because of their critical mass. Born in [...]
SHOULD BUSINESSES AIM AT INNOVATION OR FAMILIARITY? Digital NPA Work It! Staff January 12, 2017 Many businesses believe they need to rebrand frequently or innovate constantly to keep consumer interest and increase reach, penetration, and sales. Recent research, however, suggests that consumers are creatures of habit rather than necessarily always responders to innovation. Cumulative Advantage as Important as Competitive Advantage An article in [...]
THE CLOUD IS ONLY AS GOOD AS YOUR NETWORK Work It! Staff July 31, 2017 Cloud The cloud can make us work smarter, faster, and cheaper, but many companies aren’t getting all they should from their investment—because the cloud has an Achilles’ heel. It can only perform as well as its weakest link, according to research from the Boston Consulting Group. For [...]