Business

We’ve been talking about employee engagement and how to improve it. But, how do you know if your efforts are actually working?

Bentonville plays host to the new Women in Technology Conference Oct. 22, part of the Northwest Arkansas Technology Summit held at the John Q. Hammons Convention Center in Rogers.

Email marketing, content marketing and social media are the best channels for digital lead generation, according to a recent study. While this isn’t surprising news, it is always interesting to see the latest data and research around digital lead nurturing and lead generation strategies.

When it comes to honesty on social media, consumers expect it more from businesses than they do politicians – or even their family.

Procrastination: we’ve all dealt with it at some point. But did you know it goes deeper than just putting off a task? In our minds, each task falls into one of four categories: expectancy, value, time or impulsivity. Or in layman’s terms, we don’t care, we’re not getting the wanted results, our time is too valuable, or we’re just downright impulsive.

In our last issue, I focused on how employee recognition can help improve employee engagement. Today, I want to talk about the importance of feedback.

What started as a quest to find a swimming pool for her daughter’s swim team turned into the beginning of a career in public service.

According to the Northwest Arkansas Council’s analysis of new U.S. Census Bureau population estimates, NWA ranked among the fastest-growing places in the U.S. Estimates show the region should soon be among the 100 largest metros in the nation.

With so many great organizations to support, how do you pick just one and still make a lasting impact? There are a few things to consider before writing that check or volunteering.

The devices that we use are not literally listening in on our conversations. However, the services we use regularly are collecting data about our online behaviors and cross-referencing this with other data that exists about us.

It seems that a lot of folks are into podcasts these days. With topics ranging from true crime to food-related topics, there’s something for everyone to listen to. Whether you like to listen at work or listen to topics about work to help you be your best self at the office, here are five helpful podcasts to check out:

Startup Junkie is hosting an opportunity to learn more about the entrepreneurial ecosystem in Fayetteville. Startup Crawl is a one-night tour of Fayetteville’s startup community where people can check out the Innovation District and meet local startup founders and employees.

Up to 40 percent of food grown, processed and transported in the United States is never eaten, yet 1 in 8 Americans – 1 in 5 Arkansans – suffers food insecurity. The average four-person family wastes $1,500 a year on food.

Most of us spend lots of time with our co-workers. What could you do differently to be a better one? Sources from human resource blogs to Reader’s Digest offer tips on how to be a better co-worker.

In the last issue, I wrote about employee engagement and what we can do to improve it. Now, let’s focus on how employee recognition helps. Everyone wants to feel appreciated for a job well done, but recognition isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution. You need to figure out what resonates with your people.

“Thought leadership” was once thought of as nothing more than the latest buzzword. But now, with content and social sharing becoming so prevalent – and a mandate for most brands – educating and guiding your followers is super important.

The Better Business Bureau of Arkansas is hosting a CyberSecurity Summit in Rogers, Monday, Oct. 8, from 11 a.m.-2:30 p.m. This is a no-cost event for business owners to hear from the experts on the importance of securing your business’ data in the digital age.

Cyber security threats are out there every day for businesses, regardless of their size. That’s why business owners should lead by example and teach employees how to protect confidential information, like company finances.

Job seekers are enticed by work-from-home options according to research from staffing firm Robert Half. More than three quarters of surveyed professionals (77 percent) said they are more likely to accept a job offer if there is an option for telecommuting. Those in San Francisco and Los Angeles are most likely to seek this perk, citing long commute times.

Challenge: Your client needs fresh ideas – a WOW. This request is tailor-made for brainstorming. Consultant Todd Henry advises session leaders define the situation in advance instead of “fast-twitch thinkers” throwing out a million ideas while “slow- twitch thinkers” quietly deliberate.

I’m a member of a really great group called Vistage, the world’s leading organization that helps CEOs drive better business decisions and results.

Casinos in Arkansas? It’s a hotly debated topic. Nate Steel, attorney with Steel, Wright and Gray law firm, spoke to host Natalie Ghidotti about Driving Arkansas Forward, a group supporting a proposed ballot measure for voters to authorize casinos in four Arkansas counties this coming November.

The SBA profile for Arkansas indicates small businesses (fewer than 500 workers) employ about 48.5 percent of the private workforce. Yet, only 25 percent of these businesses are women-owned. Minority business ownership is even lower at 14.7 percent.

Influencers can increase purchase intent by 5.2x. A single positive recommendation from an influencer can trump your most engaging post.

A new joint tech initiative called the Data Transfer Project was announced by Google, Facebook, Microsoft and Twitter. Google’s blog post detailing the project explains that the primary goal is to “transfer data directly from one service to another, without needing to download and re-upload it.”

The second annual World Woman Summit will be a two-day event this year. Held at the Clinton Presidential Library, the conference will take place on Oct. 11-12.

Ideal circumstances for productivity don’t always present themselves while traveling. It’s all about finding your zone amidst chaos. Stay focused with a few tips:

Fewer cubicles foster more face-to-face interaction between coworkers, right? That’s the thinking behind the trend toward open workspaces, anyway.

Unemployment is at historically low rates, so it’s becoming tougher for businesses to find top talent. Even worse, according to Gallup’s 2018 State of the American Workplace, only 33% of employees are engaged in their jobs. How do we fix this? I think it’s critical for business owners and managers to ensure that the right people are in the right seats.

Lisa Fischer was a brand before she even realized it. Since signing off as a morning show co-host on B98.5, where she was for more than a decade, Fischer wasted no time in getting back to what she does best — dispensing advice and laughs.