Get Awesome for 2017

The end of the year is always a time of reflection and appreciation of what we’ve accomplished, what triumphs we’ve had and what hurdles we needed to get over to come out on top.  It’s a chance to look back on a year of accomplishments and plan for the year to come.  To be a person who strives to improve upon themselves and be a better person is an awesome way to look at the new year…

Have you thought about how you’ll improve yourself next year both professionally and personally?  Here are a few ideas on how you can “get awesome” for 2017:

Get Healthy

Health always comes first!  Invest in a health monitor, and encourage your coworkers do to lunchtime walks.  Heck, clear out the warehouse and do yoga!  Just get moving!  Look into organic fruit and delivery services for the office.  You can pitch in or order one and keep it available for employees to pick from.  Schedule that annual physical and if the doctor tells you your (insert test result here) is too high (or too low), fix it!  Make sure you get your eight hours of sleep.  Oh, and stop eating fast food…it’s bad for you!

Get Organized

The new year is a perfect time to get organized!  Unclutter your desk, do that filing you’ve been meaning to do, and get rid of anything that you don’t need in your office!  Chuck it or give it away to charity.  A messy office equals a messy mind.  Get organized to get efficient.

Get Productive

Bored at work?  Lacking motivation?  Picasso said, “Inspiration exists but it has to find you working.” Make a vow to uplift yourself when you’re lacking motivation to just start moving.  This applies not only to the workplace but in other areas of your life.  Get up and start that laundry, that work project, that gym session…just get moving!

Get “Paper”

Money. Cash. Coin.  I know you want more of it.  It’s tough to save especially with the financial burdens we all have. Make 2017 a year to find ways to put away more cash.  Increase your tax-deferred 401k contribution by a percent, sign up for an FSA account and use tax-free dollars to pay for your family’s medical expenses.  If budgeting is a struggle there are free handy tools out there like Mint.  Don’t think you have enough money to invest in stocks? Apps like Acorns rounds up your purchases and invests it for you.  I’ve personally used this app and have saved $1000 last year plus a 4% gain.

Get Humble

Often times we get defensive when we’re in argument with another person, both at work and home.  Make 2017 a year to be the one who humbles up in these situations.  It is powerful to be “right”, but it is more powerful to set aside your pride and realize when you are in the wrong (and even more powerful if you aren’t but don’t point out someone else’s “wrong”).   “Humility is the solid foundation of all virtues.” –Confucius

Get Awesome!

You are your number one critic when you should be your number one fan!  Be kinder to yourself, give yourself grace and allow for slip ups and mistakes.  Nobody is perfect and you shouldn’t expect yourself to be either.  Take an inventory of all the things that make you a wonderful, caring, successful person and write it down!  At times when you’re feeling you need a pep talk, read the list back to yourself.   You are where you are for a reason!  You.  Are.  Awesome.

However you decide to start the new year, whether it be toasting champagne, banging pots and pans with your kids, or sleeping (because you know you need it), make sure you start off on the right foot with a positive outlook for 2017!

By: LeiLani Quiray, SPHR

HR Director of VertiSource HR

 

Distracting Year-End Reporting Woes

We have finally come to one of the greatest times of the year. This is a time where we can take a step back from our normal, day-to-day distractions and spend time with friends, family, and other loved ones and enjoy the great holiday season. It truly is the most wonderful time of the year.

It can also, however, be a stressful time as well as we not only make personal preparations for the holiday season, but also as we have to prepare our respective organizations to comply with year-end reporting requirements issued by the federal government along with respective state governments. Taking a step back from our distractions then becomes easier said than done.

Reporting compliance is a necessity. One of a few issues that many organizations throughout the country have had to face is the excruciating pain of paying fines because they transmitted their respective reports later than the required due date(s). And these fines are increasing with each passing year. With an ever-changing world in which we live, it can be difficult to keep up with the latest updates and changes on what, how, and when various reports should be completed.

You don’t want to face this enduring distraction during the holiday season. This article will assist you by providing key suggestions for your organization to consider in order to stay on top of the latest reporting updates and trends.

Establish a report “due date” calendar: Conduct some research into what reporting deadlines are applicable to your organization and create a calendar tailored to those deadlines. Additionally, add to it any steps or processes that must be taken into consideration so that nothing is missed as you and your team work toward meeting reporting deadlines. We may, at times, forget about our calendar. I know that I have on more occasions than I can count. Therefore, create notices that will keep you updated with reminders of when reports are due. Believe me, notices and reminders save lives.

Communicate with staff and assign/divvy out tasks/responsibilities: Providing reports to both federal and state agencies can be a heavy burden for an individual to bear. Communicate and work with your staff in regards to the reporting deadlines. Establish a sense of urgency among your team to provide accurate and timely reports. Assign and divvy out reporting responsibilities to your team. Train them on the ins and outs of the report(s) that they are assigned. Go as far as to cross-train each of them in the event that an individual is absent from conducting their normal, reporting routine. Building safeguards within the framework of your plan will ensure that when a piece of the process is missing, there is another source to provide support in its absence.  

Don’t procrastinate: Above all, do not delay in implementing these suggestions and others you can think of from beginning to end. Remember that the longer you wait in submitting accurate and timely reports, the more likely it is that your organization will encounter problems, particularly in producing inaccurate reports, repeated attempts to correct information, and late submissions after the required deadline(s) have passed. Organizations can incur heavy fines and penalties associated with many of these items among others. Therefore, take charge. Start now. Be ready.

Don’t procrastinate. Do something about your reporting process now. Research and establish your “due date” calendar. Assign and divvy out tasks and responsibilities to minimize your workload while establishing safeguards to protect the reporting process from any interruption. Help your organization avoid the unnecessary pitfalls and the heavy costs associated with late and inaccurate submissions of your reports. Don’t let it become your enduring distraction from the holiday season.

By: Mark A. McDonald
Human Resources, VertiSource HR