StartupNation

---

WJR Business Beat with Jeff Sloan: The Importance of Compliance in Business Today (Episode 267) Posted: 30 Jul 2021 11:33 AM PDT On today’s Business Beat, Jeff talks to Greg Packer, CEO of HR outsourcing firm AccessPoint and StartupNation’s human resources expert, about how crucial compliance in business is. Tune in to the Business Beat, below, to learn more about compliance in business and how the pros can help: Schedule a Consultation with AccessPoint Tune in to News/Talk 760 AM WJR weekday mornings at 7:11 a.m. for the WJR Business Beat. Listeners outside of the Detroit area can listen live HERE. Are you an entrepreneur with a great story to share? If so, contact us at editor@startupnation.com and we'll feature you on an upcoming segment of the WJR Business Beat! WJR Business Beat Transcript Good morning, Paul! You know, it’s always been difficult as a small business owner to deal with HR — that’s human resources. So many rules and regulations, so many issues to stay on top of, constantly changing, and the pandemic has just made it all infinitely more challenge. And so we always recommend outsourcing this activity to experts. One such expert is Greg Packer. He’s the CEO of AccessPoint, and he’s our expert on all matters HR. Greg, one thing we all want to know is how has the pandemic impacted HR today? Dramatically would be a good word. We’ve seen a mass exodus from offices. It’s almost like people couldn’t get out of town fast enough. So, what it’s done … to the employment environment is that people suddenly had to adapt and get used to employees working in other places or working from their homes. So, you made them a company with three, four or five employees, and they’re working in three or four different jurisdictions. So, now all of a sudden, you have a Michigan-based company, and they’ve got an employee in Illinois, California and Florida. Well, they’re now an employer in each of those states. Most employment rules are state-based and local-based. You have lots of regional taxes. Almost any place you live has a municipal tax. Compliance is our job, to keep our clients compliant. So, Greg, rather than trying to figure it all out on our own, what could an outsourced HR solution do for us? So, the HR world, the employment compliance world, is becoming more and more complex. Every time a new law is passed or a court case is decided, it changes the rules and the compliance responsibilities, and employers are expected to be the babysitters and take on the responsibility of reporting taxes and comply with all sorts of different rules and regulations. So, we take the problems, headaches of all of our clients and consolidate them together, and we can then afford to invest in experts to deal with those problems and provide them on an incremental basis to each of our clients. So, when they need a little bit of workplace safety help or a little bit of benefits help or a little bit of payroll help, we have an expert that’s familiar with their landscape and their situation. Our bottom line: just like when it comes to setting up your legal or accounting work, go with the pros when it comes to HR. I’m Jeff Sloan, founder and CEO of StartupNation.com, and that’s today’s Business Beat on the Great Voice of the Great Lakes, WJR. The post WJR Business Beat with Jeff Sloan: The Importance of Compliance in Business Today (Episode 267) appeared first on StartupNation.

Master These 5 Communication Skills to Help Scale Your Business Posted: 30 Jul 2021 06:00 AM PDT Communication is frequently cited as one of the most important soft skills that business professionals need. It ranked fifth on the list of Udemy's fastest-growing soft skills for 2020, with 40% of companies planning to invest in training employees on better communication and storytelling. As an entrepreneur, this skill is critical. It's up to you to communicate the values, mission and needs of the company while also role modeling great communication skills to your employees. When done right, great communication skills lead to a variety of benefits, including: Stronger relationships among your team and with clients, investors and stakeholders. Deeper trust among team members who feel you openly communicate with them. Great productivity. StartupNation exclusive discounts and savings on Dell products and accessories: Learn more here As you consider how to improve your communication as an entrepreneur, focus on these five key communication skills: Each of the following can benefit you and your business when mastered and implemented. Virtual communication The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the value of virtual communication. Even as vaccine rates increase, some companies are considering keeping virtual discussions as the main form of communication across teams. However, don't mistake your need for great virtual communication as a need for excessive communication.  As Leila Ansart, leadership advisor, explains in her article about virtual leadership strategies, "When leading a remote workforce, communicating even more with your employees is essential. However, this doesn't mean you should just increase the number of required virtual meetings in order to update them on priorities." Mastering your virtual communication skills is all about knowing when to communicate in the first place. Because Zoom fatigue is real, the goal is to avoid over-communicating and, instead, focus on what needs to be said — and when. For example, you may not need to have an all-hands meeting to discuss a new client. Instead, you can communicate only with the people directly impacted.  From here, you can focus on mastering other keys for great virtual communication skills, including: Staying focused and present. Help employees stay engaged by engaging yourself. Maintaining eye contact to show you're listening and hearing the speaker. Being inclusive and inviting everyone to speak and share. Feedback How do employees know they're doing something poorly if no one tells them? Giving feedback is a critical aspect of your role. Part of your job is to evaluate the actions of someone else to help them improve, which in turn benefits the business overall. However, giving feedback isn't easy, whether it's positive or negative. According to a survey of 7,600 people, 44% of respondents believe giving feedback is stressful or difficult. Yet, another 37% also said they don't give positive feedback at all. Practice giving feedback to the people around you, focusing both on positive and negative feedback. You can do this one-on-one in individual employee meetings or in a group setting, calling co-workers and employees out for a job well done.  As with anything, the more you do it, the easier it gets. In the end, the business is better off with employees who are clear on what they’re doing right and how they can improve.  Related: 10 Negotiation Techniques to Make You a Better Entrepreneur Negotiation People often think of intense boardroom debates when they talk about negotiation, but the reality is much simpler. You create negotiations when you set employee schedules or choose a meeting time with a contractor. As Dr. Mara Olekalns says, "Small negotiations are woven through the fabric of our everyday working lives. We use negotiations to help ourselves, our team members, and manage our work as we move towards our goals."  Knowing this can help you see the many ways you can master your negotiation skills in small ways — before you get to the boardroom where you're making bigger decisions. Negotiation involves listening to the needs of others while advocating for your own goals. Practice your negotiation techniques in small ways throughout each day to make it a strength. For example, you might negotiate: A solution to a conflict between employees. A decision about whether to work with a specific client.  A new remote work schedule that ensures productivity.  Persuasion Persuasion is all about being a great salesperson, and every entrepreneur needs to know how to sell. Ultimately, however, mastering this skill is about understanding what persuasion really is: clearly stating the benefits of taking a certain path and aligning those benefits to the needs of whomever you're speaking with.  The funny thing is, we often think of being persuasive as winning a major argument when, in fact, you do this with the people around you in a range of situations every day. For example, getting someone to choose a meeting time that works for your schedule is all about the power of persuasion.  If you're struggling to get what you need done or bringing your team on board with a new idea, come back to the basics of persuasive communication: aligning what you want or need with the needs of the person you're convincing. For example, if an employee is asking for an extended deadline, you might negotiate with him or her to find a way to provide extra support. This way, he or she needs less of an extension, allowing you to give him or her what they need while keeping the client happy. Sign Up: Receive the StartupNation newsletter! Listening Being a good communicator doesn't mean you're a good listener. Even worse, it may be easy to point out when someone around you isn't listening, but it's harder to notice when you're doing it yourself. Just because you're nodding and making eye contact doesn't necessarily mean you're digesting the information.  When practicing this skill, consider the LAW formula. Professor Judi Brownell at Cornell University's Hotel School explains that this is where listening = ability + willingness. To master your listening skills, you need to improve your ability and willingness. Here are some ways to do exactly that: Practice stepping aside when someone wants to talk so you can focus all your attention on him or her.  Look for body language and unspoken words that add meaning to the message, and mirror it back. Communicate and summarize back to the person you are speaking with to confirm you are on the same page.  Key takeaways: Master communication skills, improve your business Communication is key in building a successful business. However, it's a complex soft skill because everyone has different strengths and weaknesses within it. Just because someone is a confident public speaker doesn't mean he or she is good at listening. In addition, someone who cares deeply about their business can struggle to persuade others to see the value in what they offer.  Use these strategies to improve the key communication skills that matter for entrepreneurs so you can connect with employees, persuade investors and give feedback that improves the business as a whole. The post Master These 5 Communication Skills to Help Scale Your Business appeared first on StartupNation.

You are subscribed to email updates from StartupNation. To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now.	Email delivery powered by Google
Google, 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043, United States