Despite enormous strides in business, government and other areas, women don’t always get the respect men do for their leadership abilities, even when they can boast greater accomplishments. But the combination of a pandemic, a recession and an election that 2020 brought could be the impetus for changing the way people view women and their leadership styles, a development … [More]
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Health Insurance, Labor, and Taxes Remain Top Issues for Small Business Owners, Says Study
NFIB
Many top concerns, including the cost of health insurance, labor, and taxes, remain constant despite economic conditions, according to the 2020 NFIB Problems and Priorities Survey. The data, collected just prior to the COVID-19 health and economic crisis, reflects owners’ views four years into one of the largest U.S. economic expansions. “Although the government shutdowns … [More]
Survey: 84 Percent of U.S. Workers Blame Bad Managers for Creating Unnecessary Stress
Society for Human Resource Management
A new SHRM (Society for Human Resource Management) survey affirms the workplace adage that employees leave managers, not companies, as 84 percent of U.S. workers say poorly trained managers create a lot of unnecessary work and stress. The survey of U.S. workers examined their perspective on how ill—or well-equipped—their supervisor(s) were to manage people, the most important … [More]
The ‘Musts’ to Make Meetings Safer in the Age of COVID-19
by Dr. Richard Arriviello
Large corporate meetings and industry events, so much a part of the American business ecosystem, remain on hold, have been postponed, or have been cancelled altogether. When they will happen again is anybody’s guess. COVID-19’s spikes in many states have prompted pauses and rollbacks to business re-openings and put large gatherings farther into the future. But at the same … [More]
Arizona Companies Launch Inaugural COVID-19 Consortium
The AZ COVID-19 Consortium
The AZ COVID-19 Consortium, a private sector collaborative of Phoenix-based companies, each holding an intervention to combat the spread of coronavirus, have come together by combining their ingenuity and solution-driven passion to serve to test a comprehensive solution to slow and stop the spread of coronavirus. The Consortium prioritized their initial efforts in partnership … [More]
The Two Types of ROI: Return on Investment vs. Return on Influence
by Christopher Tompkins
In the marketing world, many businesses focus on ROI (return on investment). However, when they don’t get the immediate monetary results they desire, they begin to pull away from social media marketing. But there is another side of the coin: ROI 2.0 (return on influence). Many businesses have begun investing more time and money into individuals or organizations who can … [More]
Fitness Co. Believes Industry Is Being Overlooked, Files ‘Contempt’ Motion
Mountainside Fitness
Mountainside Fitness has filed a “Motion of Contempt” against Governor Doug Ducey in another attempt to get the governor and the state to follow Arizona Superior Court JudgeTimothy J. Thomason’s order and provide health clubs an avenue for re-opening. Mountainside Fitness’ court filing comes after Governor Ducey defied the Judge Thomason’s order and once again failed to give … [More]
Survey: Federal Government Receives Failing Grade on COVID-19 Response, Arizona Ranks Last
Thumbtack
Thumbtack, the app that helps local professionals and customers find each other, today announced results from its 2020 Small Business Friendliness Survey. In its 9th year, this survey represents the largest continuous study in the U.S. of small business perceptions on government policy. Last month, more than 2,400 small business owners nationwide evaluated federal, state, … [More]
COVID-19 Stories: Starting a Business during COVID
by Stefanie Lerner
Encore Creative was my pride and joy. I joined what was then known as Encore Entertainment in 2002. It was already a successful Arizona entertainment event production company, but in 2014 I took the reins and began leading the company. Through the years, we built a great scenic shop to fabricate one-of-a-kind set pieces, a cast of stellar entertainers and artists, and grew from … [More]
How Businesses Can Avoid Becoming Irrelevant in a Changing World
inbusinessPHX.com
The business world has produced a veritable graveyard of once magnificently successful companies that came, conquered and thrived – but ultimately perished. In many cases, those businesses share a common reason for their demise: Times changed. They didn’t. “I’ve always been fond of the saying that if you don’t like change, you’re going to like irrelevance even less,” says … [More]
COVID-19 Stories: Our Journey to Safely Reopening
by John Mahlmeister
To keep employees and customers safe amidst the global COVID-19 pandemic, many companies have had to alter the way they do business. As stay-at-home orders lift from state to state, these companies continue to look for ways to improve safety and sanitation in the workplace. One such company is national ice machine provider Easy Ice. Before allowing its employees to return to … [More]
Cultivating Brand Activism? Pointers to Help Businesses Decide and Plan
by Andrea Fryrear
From the team formerly known as the Washington Redskins to #BlackLivesMatter to saying goodbye to Uncle Ben and Aunt Jemima, social activism is the latest must-have for brands. But should you join in? And if so, how can you do so without seeming cynical, especially if this is your first time dipping your toes into the social justice water? Brand activism is a significant … [More]
4 Factors to Consider Before Buying an Essential Business in COVID Times
inbusinessPHX.com
The shutdowns and rollbacks of businesses due to the COVID-19 pandemic continue to play havoc with the U.S. economy. But the least-affected businesses during the crisis, for the most part, have been those deemed “essential” by state and local governments, allowing those companies to remain fully operational or close to it. Meanwhile, with the idea that essential businesses … [More]
Small Business Employment Rebound Moderates in July
Paychex | IHS Markit Small Business Employment Watch
The latest Paychex | IHS Markit Small Business Employment Watch shows that employment growth moderated as new COVID-19 hot spots emerged in the South and West regions of the U.S. The national jobs index slipped 0.24 percent in July to 94.59. Hourly earnings growth also slowed slightly to 3.29 percent last month, but increasing hours worked, spurred by the shifting workforce … [More]
Restaurant Group Ensures Safety and Guidance with Triage Co. Services
Company Nurse LLC
Arizona-based restaurant group Pita Jungle utilizes local business Company Nurse LLC, the premier nurse triage and reporting service for workplace injuries, to further protect their employees, customers and vendors from COVID-19 exposures with Company Nurse's COVID-19 digital screening solution and triage guidance service. Company Nurse’s new service provides employees with … [More]
21% of Employees Are Tracked with Employee Monitoring Software; Executives Believe It’s Bad for Morale, HR Departments & Millennials Disagree
Clutch
Only 21% of employees say their employer tracks them with employee monitoring software, according to new data from Clutch, the leading B2B ratings and reviews firm. Searches for employee monitoring software have skyrocketed as a result of COVID-19, leading businesses to weigh the pros and cons of using software to track their employees' productivity. Nearly half of employees … [More]
How an Integrated Life (Not a Balanced One) Is Key to Work Satisfaction
inbusinessPHX.com
In a world where working from home, family, recreation, faith and other factors compete for our time, people speak about the need to seek a “balanced life.” But maybe “balance” is the wrong goal. “The concept of being in ‘balance’ has the potential to set us up for immediate failure,” says Michael Sipe, author of The AVADA Principle and founder of the consulting firm 10x … [More]
July Commercial Chapter 11s Increase 52% over Last Year, Total Filings Down 33%
Rick McCartney
Total commercial chapter 11 filings in July 2020 increased 52 percent from the previous year, according to data provided by Epiq. Commercial chapter 11 filings totaled 643 in July 2020, expanding from the July 2019 total of 423. Conversely, total commercial filings decreased 17 percent in July 2020, as the 2,768 filings were down from the 3,314 commercial filings registered in … [More]
