Incomia

Holding doors, saying “please” and “thank you” and practicing good table manners—most of us are well versed in these common social etiquette behaviors. But as technology and work arrangements evolve, the rules governing workplace communication etiquette may need to do the same. Do you have to respond to an email within a certain number of hours? How long do you have to send a message back to a colleague? And if your first communication goes unanswered, when should you follow up? While norms and rules might vary by company, here are some general best practices for clear and concise communication . The danger in not outlining communication expectations Stress. Burnout. Having to be “always on,” even during off-hours. A BBC Worklife headline once referred to it as “The crippling expectation of 24/7 digital availability .” Courtney Leyes is a Tennessee-based partner with Fisher Phillips, a nationwide labor and employment law firm. She often feels the need to immediately respond to emai...

Whether you’re launching a new business as the sole employee or you’ve been successfully running things for a few years, there’s no doubt that you’re busy checking off tasks on your to-do list. But just because you’re doing doesn’t necessarily mean you’re accomplishing . It can feel paradoxical. Getting your inbox to zero might feel like progress, but not if you’re just avoiding larger, more meaningful tasks to help your business grow. This is where learning how to delegate effectively is useful. How to delegate successfully When you become a leader, the paradox shifts slightly. You need to inspire others to accomplish more while being less involved. This is a difficult transition for leaders. The move from doing to delegating is not an easy one . It requires communication, trust and a solid team.  To figure out the best arrangement for your needs, first determine the duties you must handle. Then figure out what duties you can delegate to someone else. Once you’ve done that,...

This is part of our series on IWT’s 4-Day Workweek Challenge, where we take you behind the scenes to show what it’s like for us as we test out a compressed work schedule. The blog post you’re about to read is written by Tony Ho Tran, a professional journalist for The Daily Beast and a […] Source from I Will Teach You To Be Rich https://ift.tt/Mzd6uTb

Millions of Americans were unemployed, a spate of bank runs swept the country, drought and dust storms ravaged the state—and yet none of that dissuaded one couple from opening a drugstore in a small South Dakota town in December 1931. Almost a century later, that store with humble beginnings has grown into one of the most iconic roadside attractions in the U.S. Ted and Dorothy Hustead answered the call of entrepreneurship during the Great Depression. Wall Drug was by no means an overnight success, and the couple gave themselves five years to see out their vision as they awaited the completion of Mount Rushmore and, hopefully, a wave of tourists. Those tourists started arriving—but not as customers. “There was a lot of talk about going broke,” says Rick Hustead, grandson of Ted and Dorothy and the third generation to run Wall Drug in his current role as chairman. His daughter, Sarah, is manager and vice president. “They weren’t doing hardly any business.” In their fifth year of busin...

In seventh grade, Maggie Skarich Joos dreamed of owning a restaurant. But years later, after studying hospitality management and working in several restaurants, Skarich Joos realized the long evenings weren’t a good fit for her. She decided to channel her passion for food into creating The Real Good Life , a meal delivery business serving the Milwaukee area. What started as a one-person cooking operation in a church basement has since expanded to a bigger organization with its own kitchen, more than 30 employees and a rotating weekly menu including a soup, salad, entrée and—as a nod to its founder’s love of chocolate—an indulgent dessert. We spoke with Skarich Joos about how she got started, what challenges she faced and how she balances work, family and self-care. This interview has been edited for length and clarity. How did you decide to start The Real Good Life? Maggie Skarich Joos: I was staying at home with my first daughter, doing food marketing. I met a woman who was a lun...

Saving and planning for retirement as a self-employed person can be more difficult than for others. Company employees often have access to a 401(k) or other retirement savings account that lets them make automatic contributions pulled from every paycheck. Meanwhile, self-employed individuals must take their retirement savings into their own hands. For individuals who are self-employed, finding the best retirement plan that offers tax advantages now and in the future can take time and effort. Multiple plan options are available, and it is important to carefully consider your options and research before committing. While it can be daunting, finding the right plan to fit your needs can help you ensure you are ready for retirement when the time comes.  How is a self-employed retirement plan different from a 401(k)? You might be familiar with 401(k) plans and automatic payroll deductions at a traditional employer. However, the available options differ when you’re self-employed. The...

About a decade ago, Google launched an initiative to determine what makes the perfect team.  “Code-named Project Aristotle—a tribute to Aristotle’s quote, ‘the whole is greater than the sum of its parts,’” according to re:Work , the initiative studied 180 teams company-wide to determine why some succeeded and others floundered.  It wasn’t easy. A data-driven company to its core, Google researchers initially struggled to find connections between the teams that were thriving. Some of the best teams were full of friends who saw one another outside of work; others, The New York Times reported , “were made up of people who were basically strangers away from the conference room.” Over the course of several years, unexpected findings emerged from Project Aristotle. The best teams didn’t have the smartest people or even the hardest workers—among other characteristics, such as dependability and clear goals, they were teams where members listened to one another, respected each other...