With remote work so prevalent, some companies now use electronic monitoring to determine how much time employees spend working. One field study, discussed in Harvard Business Review, concludes that the use of electronic monitoring is backfiring.  The researchers learned that when electronic monitoring was used, workers tended to put less effort into their work. ...

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A friend of mine had history with a publicly traded company that had invested heavily in a DEI program. He believed their program was harming the business. He called a board member to ask a simple but profound question. “What problem were you trying to solve with this program?” The program has since been ...

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When it comes to work it seems there are often two extremes. Either work is just a paycheck, or work is something that can become an idol.  Personally, I can lean towards letting work become an idol. I have to work at setting boundaries. For many of us work is a way to find ...

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When it’s back-to-school time many parents are looking for a little grace and a family-friendly workplace. It takes time and effort for involved parents to get kids settled into a new school year.   One way for an employer to build loyalty with their employees is to allow parents flexibility when needed. Since the work ...

The post Back to School Opportunities appeared first on Unconventional Business Network.

When I was a banker I worked with hundreds of small businesses, most of whom never had a budget for their business. They sometimes pulled together projections to obtain a loan, but they rarely used them for comparison purposes later.  Although a budget is simply a tool to help you compare your original expectations ...

The post Small Business Stewardship appeared first on Unconventional Business Network.

As a college graduate, one adjustment I had to make was from being a student who managed my own time to suddenly being accountable to an employer. My new role required more discipline and sensitivity to my boss’ expectations.   Soon, I learned that working for a business required that I produce at a high-level ...

The post The Transition From College appeared first on Unconventional Business Network.

My friend, Brad, has led a men’s ministry for decades. While having coffee, Brad said to me, “If I picked up every man’s phone in this place, I’d likely find pornography on half of them.”  Brad lamented how some men can view pornography in one moment and teach Sunday School the next. Men may ...

The post Compartmentalized Lives appeared first on Unconventional Business Network.

According to a Gallup State of the Workplace 2023 survey, 44% of global employees experienced daily workplace stress in 2023. This was an all-time high for the second year in a row!  Worse yet, we have a growing mental health crisis leaving us short of psychiatrists and behavioral health professionals to care for our ...

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When I was a banker I worked with hundreds of small businesses, most of whom never had a budget for their business. They sometimes pulled together projections to obtain a loan, but they rarely used them for comparison purposes later.  Although a budget is simply a tool to help you compare your original expectations ...

The post Small Business Stewardship appeared first on Unconventional Business Network.

Someone backed into my wife’s car and left a dent and drove away. When my wife shared with the body shop owner what had happened, he told Kathy that he heard one even worse.  One of his customers returned from a store to find their car damaged and the following note on her car. ...

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