Customize your employee benefits package

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By CEO Jim Annis

Gone are the days of “simple” easy-to-target advertising on three TV stations to broad segmented target markets. With thousands of cable channels, smartphones and online data, we now have microsegmentation. Microsegments aim to limit customers into very small segments — or even as individuals — which helps modern marketers determine exactly what the customer wants at every level. This has the pitfall of hyper-fragmentation. How do we reach everyone cost-effectively? Read more →

Will your career path take you to the top?

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By Jim Annis, CEO

 

Succession planning is the cultivation of new leaders to replace old leaders. Today we’re writing it from the employee perspective. Why? Sometimes as employers we really do not know how to identify future leaders. Other times employees who could be leaders are screaming at us – in nonverbal ways – that they’re interested but we are too busy to notice. Employees, here are case studies demonstrating how to break through the noise and create a path to succession: Read more →

Jim Annis talks workplace on The Jon Sanchez Show

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CEO Jim Annis talks on The Jon Sanchez Show (kkoh-am 780). Workplace dynamics, generations, social media, and the workforce are discussed in this not-to-miss 20 minute segment.

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Recreational marijuana is legal; now what?

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By Jim Annis, CEO

You may know it as cannabis, Mary Jane, pot, grass, 420, burnie, and many more creative names. Whatever you call it, recreational marijuana is now legal in Nevada. What does that mean exactly? That is a little more complicated. This article is not about medical marijuana, because medical marijuana has been around since 2014 and is already incorporated into most workplace drug free policies. Don’t confuse the two. Here is what we know.

If you are 21 or older, you may have an ounce or less of marijuana intended for recreational use in your possession. You must use this amount in your own home or private space, and you may not use the drug in public. Separate provisions in the statute also license the commercial production and retail sale of cannabis. Those regulations do not take effect until January 1, 2018; however, for employers, these rules matter now. How do you handle this? Our top five answers are:

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Get Creative for SUCCESSFUL HIRING in 2017

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by Celeste Johnson, COO

 

Northern Nevada is now an employee market. Implications for employers include a multitude of things – one being the way they hire. Employers must step out of their box, implementing creative tactics and strategies to find (and retain) top talent.

Why is this? The Northern Nevada market is now at full employment. Essentially, there are more jobs than people. There are some creative strategies employers should consider when looking to grow and change in 2017.

  1. Re-think your strategy.

When a key employee leaves your company, do you automatically replace the position? Every time someone leaves, for better or for worse, you have an opportunity to reset your goals and objectives as well as revisit your organizational structure. Maybe the position is something that can be outsourced, automated, shared between two current employees, or done remotely, leaving you freedom to allocate that budget elsewhere. This is a chance for you to get creative and ensure you are as efficient as possible with your staff. Don’t repeat the knee-jerking habit of hiring a replacement… at least not right away.

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The Nervous Nine of Human Resources – What Now?

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By Jim Annis, CEO

 

As a regular columnist and presenter, I address employment, workplace and business issues across the country. In ALL cases, I’ve always managed my public persona like I treat my in-laws – never discuss politics or religion – until today. My responsibility as an NCET presenter on this topic compels me to do so.

If mainstream Democrats won in November, we would have been able to predict future actions of the National Labor Relations Board. If mainstream Republicans won, we would have made confident decisions based on party lines. President Elect Trump is a wild card. Sometimes he goes party, then he does a 180. Employers are asking, “What now? How do I plan?” Here are five tips:

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Workplace trends in 2017

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By Jim Annis, CEO

 

Sitting around the management table, we are all in agreement about the following factors that will influence the workplace in 2017; however, we are not all in agreement about how they will reveal themselves. Time will tell. Starting a dialogue is a great place to start. Let’s begin …

Millennialization of the workplace

This is the single most prominent issue. How are we adapting? Forty percent of our management team falls into this generation. We consider ourselves fairly progressive in this aspect. How have we adjusted to their wants, needs and desires? We have allowed more casual dress (I, however, still come to work in a suit and tie). There is a more relaxed style of communication and through different methods like texting. When a project is identified as a priority, we have more of an open exchange about a project before it starts, as well as constant communication during the process. In decades past, this culture shift is in contrast to work dumping, “Here is a binder of everything I did this month,” and then the employee would drop said binder on supervisor’s desk. We’re a better team because we adjust quality as we collaborate while the work is being done versus a post mortem process improvement.

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The workplace togetherness guide

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By CEO Jim Annis

How do you approach the times of “togetherness” at your workplace? Open and honest communication helps increase the transparency of the organization and equal truth in my mind. That is one of the elements for a great place to work. We have had several goals for staff meetings over the years, from over-communicating and getting everyone on the same page to making every meeting “fun” in some capacity. At the rate of change our work and nonwork lives are morphing with technology and cultural shifts, it makes sense the traditional all-staff meeting needs to evolve, so we’re changing it up.

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12 trends in business 2016

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by Jim Annis, CEO

 

Every year we have a little fun marrying a well-loved holiday song and HR trends. Sing the words to the tune of, “The Twelve Days of Christmas.” Here we go:

On the first day of Christmas,
My true love gave to me,
A Reno-o Re-enaissance.

On the second day of Christmas,
My true love gave to me,
Full employment,
And a Reno-o Re-enaissance.

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But vs. And

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By Anastasia Warren, Sales and Marketing Manager

 

“I like that idea, but we need to weigh the pros and cons.”

If my upper leadership responds with this, I automatically feel that my input is inadequate. That my solution was the wrong one. That there are too many flaws to my idea.

“I like that idea, and we need to weigh the pros and cons.”

If my upper leadership responds with this, I have hope. I feel that I contributed, that my opinion is valued, that there was something to what I said.

It’s no surprise to us that positivity and positive reinforcement is important. In the workplace, in relationships, in your life.

And in the workplace, not every single idea is going to be a good one. Not every single idea is going to move forward.

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