Author: Brian Smith, IA Business Advisors

team

7 Essential Qualities for a Positive Team Culture

One of the most common questions my clients ask me is how I keep my teams so positive. Culture is unique to each organization, and culture is people. Within each company is a unique culture defined by the people within it. At the same time, several important qualities span all of our organizations’ cultures—and many […]

recruiter

Time for Recruiters to Stand Out

Everyone can relate to the feeling of walking into a job interview with one goal in mind. Without knowing who else applied for the position and how many are competing for it, the ability to stand out remains immensely important. There is endless information out there on how to stand out in a job interview, […]

travel

Employee Attitudes on the Return to Business Travel

Not so long ago, business travel was a key component of the work lives of countless employees who experienced the familiar ritual of Monday morning and Thursday evening flights and continental breakfasts at major hotel chains. The COVID-19 pandemic, of course, had grounded the vast majority of business travel to a halt. But, now that […]

Kimberly Nerpouni

Faces of HR: For Kimberly Nerpouni, Connecting Teams and the Employee Experience Leads to Success

Before Kimberly Nerpouni got her start in the HR industry, she worked in the IT industry as an analyst. By 2001, she was working at Macromedia building and managing a 35-person IT and Engineering Support team. During this time, Nerpouni realized developing teams was her passion, not information technology. “I made the leap to human […]

diversity and inclusion

Looking at the ‘10 Facets of Workplace Diversity and Inclusion’

When people think of “diversity and inclusion” (D&I), invariably their minds immediately go to racial and ethnic identity, with gender likely coming in a relatively close second. Indeed, both the presence and the inclusion of women and people of color represent key elements of any D&I strategy; however, the diversity of human beings spans far […]

digital nomad

IT Enables a Growing Population of Digital Nomads

There is a “digital nomad” movement gaining momentum. While many of us have experienced the world through our screens the last year, digital nomads have been conducting business wherever they want—anywhere in the world. Digital nomads are placing no limits on the location of their workplace, seeking out places with reliable Internet connections and flexible […]

customer harassment

Tips to Limit Risk of Employee Harassment by Customers

Most employers are equipped to respond to employee allegations of harassment by coworkers or managers. There are added levels of difficulty, however, when they complain about harassment by a customer, contractor, or other visitor to the business. A federal court of appeals recently ruled a Harrah’s Casino employee can go to trial on her claims […]

What Governor’s Antivaccine Mandate Order Means for Texas Employers

Texas Governor Greg Abbott this week issued Executive Order (EO) GA-40 setting the state on a collision course with the federal government over whether private employers can issue a vaccine mandate to their employees. The order states in pertinent part: No entity in Texas can compel receipt of a COVID-19 vaccine by any individual, including […]

resignation

New Data Shines Additional Light on Great Resignation

Business publications and workforce commentators have recently embraced the term “Great Resignation” to describe the phenomenon of workers fleeing the labor force and the corresponding challenges faced by employers. While this may be a catchy label, it also represents a very real challenge for companies around the world struggling to maintain basic operations, let alone […]

flu

The Next Health Challenge for Employers: Navigating Flu Season Amid a Pandemic

Living through a pandemic has taught us many things, chief among them being that just when you think you’ve adapted to a new normal, it’s already changed. Viruses evolve, as do our responses. Today, we have a better understanding of how the virus spreads and vaccines that are effective and readily available. But we’re also […]