• MANY BOSSES MEASURE PRESUMED PRODUCTIVITY BASED ON HOW MANY HOURS THEY WITNESS EMPLOYEES ON THE JOB. But working ‘hard’ is not the same as working ‘smart’ – reaching objectives and completing tasks with less time & effort, aka efficiency.  Many studies support the premise that working excessively long sessions, or more than 50 hours weekly, or failure to take lunch breaks or even step away from work every 7- to 90 minutes to clear your head, actually decreases productivity. Moreover, “the myth of the effective multi-tasker has long been debunked, due to interruptions from switching back & forth between tasks when juggling a handful of duties.” DCG offers a courtesy Lunch & Learn program entitled ‘Work Smarter, Not Harder’ which focuses on these areas plus reality-based tools for effective time management. Call us to schedule for your execs, partners, or staff.  [U.S.NEWS & WORLD REPT – 8/5/19]
  • NEARLY 40% OF AMERICAN MIDDLE CLASS JOBS ARE FORECAST TO DECLINE OVER THE NEXT DOZEN YEARS. Most will involve routine and physical tasks in office support, sales and customer services, which have been running with leaner support teams and more digital tools. Admin assistants, bill collectors, fast food attendants and bookkeepers have already lost some quarter-million jobs in a recent five-year period. “Because these roles are distributed across the country, no community will be immune from automation-related displacement.” [McKINSEY GLOBAL INSTITUTE – July 2019]
  • SKEPTICISM AND SAFETY CONCERNS OVER A ‘FLOATING CHERNOBYL’ involve a twin-nuclear-reactor power station which Russia is soon sending on a 4000-mile journey over the Northern Sea. The $330 million plant is expected to provide power for up to 100K homes in remote regions of the Arctic region, based on technology which Russia has developed for nuclear-powered icebreakers & submarines. But claims that the platform is “virtually unsinkable and able to withstand collisions with icebergs and impact of up to 23 foot waves… from a tsunami generated by a 9-point earthquake” are not comforting to many – especially since Russia’s state nuclear energy company plans to license the technology to other countries “where levels of nuclear radiation safety standards & regulation are not on such a high level.” [THE GUARDIAN – 8/4/19]
  • CYBERCRIMINALS ARE ALWAYS A STEP AHEAD. The newest concern is ‘War-shipping.’ U.S. Postal service delivers nearly 485 million first-class pieces of mail & packages daily, plus millions more pieces coming via international couriers – all of which move through corporate mailrooms or get dropped off at residences (including those of corp execs) in range of their home Wi-Fi. A Warship device, “comprised of a single board computer that can run on a basic cell phone battery, can simply by being close to Wi-Fi, infiltrate a network remotely thorough basic wireless scans, similar to what a laptop does when searching for Wi-Fi hotspots. What to do? (1) Treat packages like you would a visitor, with similar security processes; (2) Set a policy to discourage employees from shipping packages to the office; (3) Inspect incoming packages for unsolicited devices; (4) Ensure encryption and other controls appropriate for Wi-Fi protection; (5) Engage experts for a cybersecurity review. DCG can help. [SECURITY INTELLIGENCE.COM – 8//7/19]
  • GETTING UP THE NERVE TO ASK FOR A PAYRAISE? Know that timing is everything! When company spirit is high, evidencing positive customer/sales/earnings/etc. is the best time; when production or hours are down, or layoffs pending, any request “may be viewed as greedy, tone deaf, or even insulting.” Next steps to consider are: (1) Be cognizant of realistic ‘market value’ compensation for the job you’re doing, and have a ‘target range’ within that value which you’d be comfortable with ; (2) Unless expectations have been substantially exceeded or responsibilities substantially increased, a year is the typical wait time; (3) Have a backup negotiation plan in case the salary answer is no – maybe more vacation, remote work, or other work-life balance consideration, along with a clear plan if it’s ‘no’ across the board.  [WASHINGTON POST – 8/4/19]
  • THOUGHTS FOR THE WEEK:  Half the people you know are below average… Never underestimate the power of very stupid people in large groups, or forget that ‘democracy’ substitutes decisions by the incompetent many for appointment by the corrupt few… An interesting anagram: rearranging the letters in ‘election results’ becomes Lies – Let’s Recount.