Employees do their best for employers who do their best for their workforce. An environment that fosters a healthy attitude results in stronger employee engagement and, ultimately, productivity. And this healthy work environment encompasses employee benefits, company culture and physical space in addition to wellness programs. For those who wonder what motivates and entices … [More]
R. Allan Allford, Delta Dental of Arizona
Workplace health is a complicated issue, and employers face a multitude of responsibilities. One aspect, of course, is the healthcare mandate expressly imposed by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. In addition to physical well-being is the more subjective psychological well-being — much of which derives from the workplace environment created by company culture. And … [More]
Disruptive Innovation: The Quintessential David and Goliath Story
Disruptive innovation can be deliberately engineered, but the term “disruptive” is a relative concept. As we apply it to business, the same product can be disruptive if produced by one vendor, while from another, it can be sustaining. Depending on the alternatives it’s being compared to, it can be either disruptive or sustaining, and sometimes both at the same time. The … [More]
Motivation: Why Money Won’t Work
Spending time trying to identify what motivates one’s employees and then finding meaningful ways to do those things might not be the easiest strategy, but it is one that is consistently more successful than money. While we all love a good gift card, why do organizations continue to spend countless dollars trying to motivate and engage their staff with monetary incentives if we … [More]
Motivation: Gamifying the Workplace
Only 31.5 percent of U.S. workers were engaged in their jobs in 2014, according to a 2015 Gallup poll. A recently released survey from global business gamification leader Badgeville suggests gamification may be a motivator to help overcome this disengagement. The independent survey of more than 500 business workers, ranging from entry-level employees to C-level executives, … [More]
New Labor Rules Are Reason for Risk Assessment
The National Labor Relations Board has, historically, focused on the unionized part of the National Labor Relations Act, but the act has always covered non-unionized employees as well — and this is where the current NLRB is especially focused. The NLRA’s “mutual aid and protection” component is what the NLRB is using to greatly expand its realm of authority. According to Joe … [More]
The Value of Professional Interim Management
Nonprofits that have lost a leader — to retirement, a career move, or even termination — often feel an urgency to find an immediate replacement. This is, in many cases, a misguided strategy, says Linda Lyman, nonprofit consultant and retired president and CEO of New Pathways for Youth. “For a board that is feeling pressured to hire immediately, interim managers can provide a … [More]
John Lines: Adding Value in Auction Innovation
Supply chain end-of-life for one business may be just the beginning for another, and John Lines’ Phoenix-based Surplus Asset Management helps make that connection as businesses remodel or close. “We sell a grocery store chain, and that allows little mom-and-pop bakeries or pizza or grocery stores to open up for a huge savings over new equipment,” says Lines, founder and CEO of … [More]
Manufacturing and Logistics – Arizona vs. the Nation
Arizona has received a C grade for its manufacturing industry and D in logistics, says a new report from Ball State University. The “2015 Manufacturing and Logistics Report,” prepared by Ball State’s Center for Business and Economic Research (CBER) for Conexus Indiana, the state’s advanced manufacturing initiative, shows how each state ranks among its peers in several areas … [More]
Thwart Internet Hackers with Employee Firewall
There has been a lot of investment in corporate IT security, especially infrastructure, observes Felix Odigie, CEO of Inspired eLearning, and it has paid off — networks are more secure. But with hackers finding it more difficult to hack the network, they have turned their attention to the weakest link: humans. “It’s easier to hack users of the network — employees, vendors, … [More]
Distracted Driving Is an Employer Issue
Distracted driving is a potential minefield for employers, due to a liability issue that many misunderstand. “A common mistake is to think, ‘If it’s the driver’s equipment, we don’t have any responsibility.’ That is not so,” says David Lewis, CEO of HR company OperationsInc, noting, “The courts have emphatically said that if a person is performing work for your firm, and at the … [More]
Advancing Safety in Medical Imagery
The use of advanced imagery in healthcare is increasing, but this technology that helps improve patient outcome also has the potential to do harm. Scottsdale-based PACSHealth, LLC manufactures a tool that collects data and sets up the ability to send alerts, reports and other components around that data set to ensure what is being programmed is actually what is delivered and … [More]
Bonus Payments Help UnitedHealthcare Promote Value-Based Care
Through its PATH program, which annually rewards physicians who meet certain performance-based criteria, UnitedHealthcare awarded approximately $1.2 million in bonus payments to 30 Arizona care providers named winners of the PATH Excellence in Patient Service Awards. Care providers who earned recognition as a UnitedHealthcare PATH Excellence in Patient Service Award winner have … [More]
Communication Key in Care
Today’s dynamic healthcare landscape relies on highly educated and motivated leaders with strong managerial expertise to oversee large healthcare operations and their success is determined by how well they clearly communicate with patients, staff, providers, business partners, insurance companies, and regulators. Blair Smith, Ph.D., dean of informatics-management-technology … [More]
New Hotel Revitalizes Phoenix Historic Landmark
Preserving a Phoenix landmark and providing a mid-scale hotel option to Downtown Phoenix, CSM Corporation is renovating the long-vacant Professional Building at Monroe Street and Central Avenue to a Hilton Garden Inn. From the outside, the hotel will look nearly identical to its predecessor, with its striking limestone façade, grand entryway and Art Deco architecture. … [More]
Data Centers Becoming Important Utility
The “cloud” that has become a ubiquitous presence in contemporary life actually resides on the ground — this is a data center (not to be confused with a call center, which is low-wage employment generally of a customer-service nature). “Every kind of business and service needs to be able to store data and transmit it at high speed,” observes Russell Smoldon, CEO of B3 … [More]
Digital Communication
Web chat, social media channels and mobile communications are quickly taking over the role of traditional telephone contact in the field of customer service. In order to enable organizations to provide the best possible services for their customers via all channels of communication, European market leader Workstreampeople is launching a new version of Anywhere365. This platform … [More]
Global Opportunities Measured
Exporting represents a $928-billion opportunity for U.S. midsized companies over the next 10 years, yet only 17 percent of middle market firms currently trade internationally. What if exporting wasn’t as risky as rumored? Or as difficult to get started? What if a business knew it could sell profitably and get paid? American Express Grow Global is a new program that provides … [More]
