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Money for Nothing

There was a time, not too many years ago, when relationship articles were the hot topic. They still are, but they’re not the hottest topic anymore. In its place is now money and security.

One of my publishers, whose opinions I greatly respect, was talking to me about the kinds of articles that most people are reading these days and we thought that with people so concerned about wanting to meet and marry their soul mate, that they were the articles most people gravitate toward. We were wrong.

I was looking over the stats of the articles that I’ve written over the last four years (over 900 articles) and what I discovered is that relationships, which used to be the prime focus of people, has been steadily losing ground to articles about money.

People are now more concerned about financial security than meeting their soul mate. There is more of a here today, gone tomorrow, way of looking at their lives. And business articles, which used to be a big drawing card, don’t seem to have the same impact that they used to.

Today’s hot topics center around getting money for nothing. People have always been attracted to articles about getting a lot of money without having to work for it, but lately, it’s been almost a mania, as evidenced by all the people who set up gofundme websites. This concept is now called crowdsourcing. I call it panhandling or standing there with a begging bowl in your hands asking strangers for money.

I had heard a story about a lazy, spoiled, twenty-one-year-old girl, who is in excellent health, setting up a gofundme website asking people to donate money so that she can go to Japan on a two-week vacation. The hands out, begging bowl concept, annoyed me so much that I wrote an article about it. And, wouldn’t you know it, but the number of people who read that one article climbed much higher and much faster than most of my other articles.

People take a look at Bill Gates and Warren Buffett and all they can see is the billions of dollars they have and they want to have what those two men have. They don’t see all the hard work that went into accumulating that wealth, nor do they see the kind of hard work they do to sustain their wealth. They just see a lot of money and they think they are entitled to the same riches.

Sad to say, but we’re living in a lazy, selfish, society these days and we’ve lost our moral compass along the way. We need to get back to the things that are really important before our whole society comes crumbling down around us.

Connie H. Deutsch is an internationally known business consultant and personal advisor who has a keen understanding of human nature and is a natural problem-solver.

Find Freelance Work With Free Classifieds Online

Are you one of the increasing number of people joining the freelance workforce? Or are in you in the position of either having been made redundant, or facing job cuts at work? If so, then free classifieds online could be one way of finding employment working for yourself.What skills do you have? What kind of service could you offer? If you have a skill that other people could use, then with a bit of help from a free classifieds online service you can build a business that will allow you the freedom of using your skills to build a business.Time is one of the scarcest resources many people have today, and so anyone with a skill that can save someone else time is likely to find themselves being hired. If you place an ad with a free classifieds online site you’ll be able to let people know what you can do for them and how by employing you, they will be able to spend less time doing what they have to do and more time doing what they want to do.For example, are you any good at gardening? Yard work is a chore for most professional people who spend far too many hours in the workplace. They want to spend their weekends relaxing with their partners and children, not tending to the yard. Place an ad that tells these people that the cost of spending time with their family over a weekend without feeling guilty about mowing the lawn is $x – you’re a freelancer, you set the rate! Don’t just think about selling your services, think about selling the idea of free time; remember that’s the commodity people are looking for.Read through the other ads in the free classifieds online site that offer similar services to the ones you’re trying to sell. How have they worded their ads? If you were in need of their services, would you be tempted to ring one of these people? Think about the services you offer. If you needed someone like you, what would attract you to a certain ad? This is the kind of wording you need to put in your own ad. If you wouldn’t hire you based on your ad, why should someone else?Keep your ad short and to the point. Take the time to think out the words that people will search for when looking for your type of service. Think about the things you can offer, not just in terms of your professional expertise, but other important things such as flexibility, customized, free quotes. Are you qualified in the area you’re seeking work? If so, make sure you state you are certified. These are all things that can set you apart from other freelancers.Free classifieds online cost you nothing but the time to focus your mind on selling yourself. Use the time wisely and make the most out of these sites, they could hold the key to your future.

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Educated Management Will Help Keep Your Business in Labor Law Compliance

Managers are the primary contact with most of the rank-and-file employees in an organization. Whether it is an office manager in doctor’s office, the warehouse manager in a storage facility, or an inventory manager in a retail operation, all managers interact with their staff on a daily basis. As such, maintaining an educated and informed management team will go a long way in helping your business comply with complicated labor and employment laws.In an informal poll taken by AllBusiness (a division of Dunn & Bradstreet), managers were asked, “What is a manager’s role”? The answers were wide-ranging, but all shared the same underlying theme: daily oversight of the staff:”A manager’s role is to provide proper oversight and direction to a group that is trying to accomplish a certain task. They may also act as a mediator between those under him. Managers may need to be called upon at times to be disciplinarians or morale boosters.”"To make sure the place runs smoothly.”"A manager’s role is to maintain a productive atmosphere while conserving cost. He is the communication link between the employees and upper management.”The Manager’s RoleFor a manager to effectively do their job, they must be educated on the proper methods of discipline, motivation, and management. Furthermore, managers act as a direct extension of the executives and ownership of the organization. As such, any misstep by a manager may expose the entire organization to an employment lawsuit. While much of a manager’s role may seem like common sense, they must virtually become employment law and human resources experts to do their job properly.Dozens of State and Federal laws dictate precisely how managers can treat employees, speak to them, discipline, warn, and terminate them.Some of the most important laws governing these areas are Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 which prohibits employment discrimination; the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 (ADEA), which protects individuals who are 40 years of age or older; the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA), which prohibits disability discrimination, and the Civil Rights Act of 1991, which, among other things, provides monetary damages in cases of intentional employment discrimination.Educated Managers = Safe EmployersSo, while you may have hired your manager to “make sure the place runs smoothly”, or to “maintain a productive atmosphere”, equally, if not more important, is to make sure your management team is aware of the laws that govern their daily interaction with their staff. If you follow the steps below, you’ll be on your way to protecting your company, and yourself, from lawsuits:
Make sure management is familiar with all company policies and procedures.
Managers should actively review the Employee Handbook.
They should be familiar with the company Mission Statement.
Managers should be positive role models, always acting ethically with motivational leadership skills.
Act professionally at all times.
Encourage management to attend training classes to further educate themselves.
CONSTANTLY and CONSISTENTLY contact the Human Resources department before taking employment-related action.
In summary, encourage and provide learning opportunities to your management staff. Make it clear to them that conscious application of that knowledge is expected on a daily basis. Following these best practices will go a long way to help you and your business remain compliant with employment and labor laws, while promoting a positive and motivated work environment.

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