Tips from March 4, 2010 The Small Business tips today discuss managing emotions when dealing with other people. Emotion= Energy in MOTION. You are expressing outwardly what you are feeling. Once you start, it is hard to stop. Take a step back from a potentially emotionally charged situation. Gather your thoughts, take a deep breath, and decide how to proceed with the situation. Keep a journal. Writing down feelings is a good way to let out how you are feeling emotionally, and to gather your thoughts. It also helps to keep your emotions in check. Talk to those friends and family members that you trust. When you can confide in someone and discuss your true feelings, it helps to express your feelings in a safe way. Daily Overview: Keep your emotions in check, especially at the workplace. Losing your cool can be detrimental to your image. [Read Full Article]

We use "people skills" each day during every interaction with others.  Interactions in the workplace generally have a professional manner, and are typically analyzed and scrutinized. Look no further if you desire to boost your personal skills, be confident in the office, connect with others to establish rapport, and understand your reasoning for miscommunication. Follow these Ten Commandments for People Skills in the Workplace.1. Thou Shall Not ComplainDon't complain! The workplace will be a stressful environment at times. Complaining at work takes away from productivity and invites negativity to take over. At least half of the people you complain to at work will not care, and some could even think that you got what you had coming. If you're frustrated with something while at work, save it for personal time.2. Thou Shall SmileSmile and say cheese! Smiling is part of the foundation for outstanding people skills. It shows the worl... [Read Full Article]

Government & PoliticsSmall Business Incentives Face a Hard Road in CongressPresident Obama’s incentives for small business to create jobs appear to be foundering at the other end of Pennsylvania Avenue. Those proposals — tax credits for hiring and investment and initiatives to spur lending to small firms — all face strong resistance, and not all of it comes from the Senate. Each chamber has embraced separate elements of the administration’s agenda, and, for the moment, none of those elements overlap.Government & PoliticsU.S. Salary-Increase Budgets Hit 25-Year LowChanges to salary structures... [Read Full Article]

Management and OperationsIdentify New Consumer NormsThe recession has changed how customers shop, possibly forever. Entrepreneur.com Management and Operations Resolving Employee Complaints Before They Hit the Internet The question is what to do about employee complaints about the workplace. It's more than a matter of damage control. Trying to repair the harm to internal morale, recruitment efforts, and corporate reputations after the fact is not as effective as preventing the damage in the first place. ManageSmarter.com Management and Operations [Read Full Article]

Tips from October 6, 2009 The Small Business tips today cover working towards a happy workplace. Engage your employees. Reiterate your goals and have them working hard to get involved and participate. Encourage productivity and offer rewards by giving hard workers breaks: they deserve it! Ask for feedback. What keeps employees motivated? Engaged? Energized? Incorporate their suggestions Make sure employees Say, Stay, Strive. Say good things; intend to Stay at your biz; Strive to give 100%. Daily Overview: A good environment leads to happiness, which in turn will lead to productivity & satisfaction. [Read Full Article]

In just five months, the H1N1 Virus, commonly known as the Swine Flu, has affected thousands of people around the world and became a global epidemic. Specifically, the Western Hemisphere has seen the worst of the Swine Flu, with South America leading with the most cases and deaths, and North America following behind. Of the over 3,000 deaths from the epidemic worldwide, almost 700 were in the United States. Last week, the Food and Drug Administration approved a vaccine for the H1N1 virus and will start mass producing and distributing around the world. There are a limited number of supplies available at the beginning of October. 45 million doses of the 195 million ordered by the government are scheduled to arrive October 15. The same side effects that people experience from the normal flu vaccine could be experienced with the H1N1 vaccine. There are also tests to see how many doses the average adult and child need to protect themselves of the epidemic, as well as the effectiveness of the vac... [Read Full Article]

Tips from August 4, 2009 The Small Business tips today discuss people management: confronting problems in the workplace. Try to let the two parties solve the conflict on their own. Take action when the conflict is affecting their work & others. Listen to each side of the story. Let them speak their mind to understand each side. Decide if it is personal or work-related. Take attention away from details. Look at the bigger picture. Identify the motivation for the real problem & its real cause. Be fair. Do not play favorites, include office politics, or take sides. Doing so will ruin your credibility & role as a leader. Daily Overview: Listen, understand, & respect both parties to resolve office conflicts fairly, quickly, and cleanly. [Read Full Article]

Tips from June 26, 2009 The Small Business tips today will be how to establish workplace safety. Keep a stocked first aid kit at your workplace in case of a medical emergency.  Keep emergency numbers for the police, fire department, hospital, and poison control center in an area where all employees can reach them, such as the break room. Educate employees about safety during a fire, tornado, or lock down emergency.  Have practice drills every few months and post evacuation and safety information in the workplace. Keep your business sanitary, including the supply and break rooms.  Restrooms need to be kept up to code and sanitized on an hourly basis. OSHA On-Site Consultation is offered to small and medium sized businesses for free, although priority is given to working environments which are likely for hazards.  OSHA consultants educate employers about the safety hazards that are present in their workplace. [Read Full Article]