• AS YEAR-END ‘REVIEWS’ COMMENCE, AND EMPLOYERS WRESTLE with bonus and salary issues, the critical importance of process and employee perception are often overlooked, to the detriment of subsequent performance, team engagement and loyalty. PROCESS relates to an evaluation program which measures past accomplishments in a manner communicated effectively and perceived by employees as being realistic & fair. Recognition of performance through compensation is always a critical factor in motivating subsequent performance. Often overlooked, however, is that “a common denominator in our human experience is wanting to be understood and validated… with research showing that financial incentives can actively backfire when employees don’t also feel appreciated… Recognition is about what people do; appreciation is about who they are.” DCG have decades of experience in design & implementation of effective Performance Evaluation programs, including ‘next step’ targeting to motivate millennial and Z-generation workers. Call Dennis for courtesy counsel.  . [HARVARD BUSINESS REVIEW – 11/12/19]

• ADDITIONALLY, BE AWARE THAT A STRATEGY OF GIVING YEAR-END PROMOTIONS IN LIEU OF COMPENSATION can sometimes meet objectives of employees. But, unless promotions to increased supervisory positions are to people with Leadership skills, this strategy can also backfire – as support staff efficiency, effectiveness and even retention can diminish. Critical factors for effective Leadership, which are very often overlooked, are: (1) Motivation & personality to be a positive influence and catalyst for team morale, performance and well-being; (2) Operational expertise for credibility and capacity to leverage subordinates’ knowledge; (3) ‘Emotional intelligence’ which allows for “empathy to best read and understand others”; with (4) Willingness and integrity to mediate differing points of view. [FAST COMPANY – 11/6/19]

• ‘YEAR END’ ALSO OFTEN STRETCHES EMPLOYEES EMOTIONALLY, impacting their efficiency and, as work backs up, increasing frustration about meeting job responsibilities. In this situation, “it is likely that conversations will shift from work at hand to speculation on what’s next,” further increasing loss of productivity. “Stretched worker teams require definitive prioritization & communication to balance time, quality and costs of prioritized initiatives, with information shared regularly that includes rationales and insights… Without practical and meaningful actions which demonstrate understanding, empathy & transparency, Leadership credibility can be killed” and profitability impacted. [CEO WORLD MAGAZINE – 11/6/19]

• DIGITAL SCREENS ALL EMIT WAVE LENGTHS OF ‘BLUE LIGHT’ which, beyond causing eye strain & insomnia, can damage the retina and increase risk for macular degeneration (a leading cause of blindness in seniors). Recent studies suggest that the average American adult spends over nine hours daily looking at digital media – smartphones, tablets, computers, TVs, e-readers – with users checking their smartphones over 50 times. Obviously, taking steps to reduce screen time is prudent and possible. [LIFE EXTENSION – 12/19]
• TODAY’S ‘WEALTH TAX’ DIATRIBE FROM POLITICIANS are in search of funding for progressive policies, and about “reversing a decades-long trend of widening inequality.” Pontifications begin with stats like ‘trillions of dollars in hands of the richest .1% mostly escape taxation,’ or “the ten wealthiest Americans got $163 billion richer over the past five years.” Studies do suggest that half the wealthy folks’ annual earnings are reported, at best, via mechanisms including (1) controlling when and in what form they receive income; (2) borrowing against investments rather than selling and paying taxes; and (3) flexibility in holding assets until death which can defer capital gain taxes forever. So, proposals from candidates and others now range from flat tax rate increases to a ‘mark-to-market’ system where all gains/losses on publically-traded assets are reported annually as ‘realized’ versus when ‘recognized.’ Higher corporate rates are also being touted, but “that doesn’t look as good on a bumper sticker.” [BLOOMBERG BUSINESSWEEK – 11/11/19]
• THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK:  The Life of a Woman – from birth to seniorhood.