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Are You A Good Listener?

By Benecia Beyer

Today's employees want to be asked for feedback and they want to be heard. This is according to a survey conducted of 2,000 employees across multiple generations. One quarter of "Generation X" employees (born between 1965 and 1979) considered it very important to get feedback from their  boss at least once a week, if not every day.  Only 11% of "Traditionalists" (born between 1928 and 1945) desired that level of communication. Clearly, times have changed and so have employee attitudes. Here are some tips for becoming a better listener.

• Fix Your Gaze
  When you speak with someone, maintain eye contact with that person. How many times have you been talking to someone who glances over your shoulder as if they are looking for someone more interesting? It doesn't leave you with a positive impression, does it? Fix your gaze on the person speaking.
• Ask Question in Response To A Questions
  By doing this you show respect and a genuine interest in the well-being of the other person. Just as eye contact makes people feel important, asking questions makes them feel as though their opinions count. In a business setting, ask questions that move the conversation forward and that give you another opportunity to listen to the speaker. And don't interrupt when your question is being answered!
• Incorporate Feedback
  Solicit opinions and then take action based on that feedback, if appropriate. The more you ask for opinions, the more comfortable people feel offering it.
• Be Available For Tough Questions
  When people know that you are available for the tough questions too and that you invite them instead of shrink away from them - they have all the more respect for you.

You just might be surprised at just how much more successful you are when you listen more and speak less.

Business Tips on Holiday Gift Giving

By Benecia Beyer

Generally, business gifts to clients and customers can be deducted against taxable income. But the IRS sets a limit, $25 per client/customer. There is no limit on the number of gifts you can give, only the value. And that $25 limit is per year. It does not include incidental costs such as packaging, insurance, mailing, etc - the IRS says the cost is incidental as long as it doesn't add substantial value to the gift.

When it comes to employees, the IRS looks closely at any and every form of compensation. Some companies reward workers with year-end or holiday bonuses. While employees might view this as a gift, the extra income is taxable compensation. The employer must withhold payroll taxes and the company is entitled to a deduction for the employee pay.

If, to promote employee goodwill, you distribute turkeys, hams or other merchandise of nominal value to your workforce at the holidays, you can deduct the cost of these items as a non-wage business expense. And your workers do not have to report the value of the gift as income.

The key is that the gift meets the IRS' de minimus standard. This means that its value is so low, taking into account how frequently you provide similar benefits to other workers, that accounting for the gift would be unreasonable or administratively impractical.

Cash, however, regardless of how little, is never considered a de minimus benefit.

You can also treat your workers to a holiday buffet and receive a tax gift for your company. The IRS Says that meals you furnish your employees as part of a "recreational or social activity" such as a company picnic or holiday party, are fully deductible.

And unlike usual business situations that involve food and beverages, neither you nor your workers are required to talk about business before, during or after the event.

H A P P Y   H O L I D A Y S   T O   Y O U !

Healthy Habits at Work

By Benecia Beyer

Many companies are starting to sound like moms: They are pushing employees to eat their vegetables and go outside and play. And they are not being gentle about it.

L.L. Bean actually shuts down its manufacturing line 3 times a day for mandatory five-minute stretches, designed to prevent the most common injuries workers suffer. At retailer Replacements LTD, 250 employees take part in a walking program organized by the company nurse. T-shirt manufacturer American Apparel has 80 loaner bikes, locks and helmets for employees and hosted an employee screening of "Fast Food Nation", a film where the villain is the meat industry.

Mounting health care costs are driving the changes. Employee assistance company ComPsych Corp. runs what it calls "trainwreck exercises" in which insurance companies compute how long they can absorb healthcare cost increases before they become unprofitable. Health insurance premiums for 2006 rose 7.7% - twice the rate of inflation.

While some companies are responding to higher healthcare costs by cutting employees' coverage and shifting more of the cost to the employee, others are doing everything they can to convince employees to adopt healthier habits in the hopes they will avoid diseases caused or complicated by eating poorly and being inactive.

Because employees spend so much of their day at work, it is important that some healthy eating habits and exercise be incorporated into the work day. For example: if workers don't have access to fruits and vegetables on the job, they will need to consume between one and two servings every waking hour after work to meet the goal of eating 5-9 servings a day. And to reach the recommended 10,000 steps a day, sedentary workers would have to spend most of their evenings in motion.

Try to make some changes into your daily work lifestyle: incorporate little exercise breaks in the work day, park your car farther from the building, take the stairs instead of the elevator, organize a "walking meeting" instead of around the conference table.

Small Business Owners - Lighter on Bonuses

By Benecia Beyer

Fewer small business owners will reward their staff this holiday season with bonuses, but more will give time off, according to The Open from American Express Small Business Monitor, a semi-annual survey of small business owners. And, in the spirit of the season, there is a notable increase in the number of small business owners who will ask their employees to volunteer as a group.

This holiday season, only 47% of small business owners say they will hand out bonuses compared to 54% in 2005. By contrast, 55% of owners surveyed plan to give the gift of time off, up 8% from last year. Interestingly, one third of business owners (36%) find they are frustrated in general with not having enough time themselves, up significantly from the spring (23%).

"Despite a strong economy, the survey shows that small business owners have felt a financial pinch from higher gas and energy costs," said Alice Bredin, OPEN from American Express small business advisor. "Cautious about the future, they are keeping a watchful eye on their money, investing where it matters to grow the business -- customer service, technology, and in particular health benefits from employees (71% versus 54% from last year). Perhaps this explains why fewer appear to have dollars for raises and bonuses this year."

Thirty-one percent of small business owners attribute their success to their ability to create good relationships and a sense of community through their business. This may help explain why 26% will ask their staff to take part in a volunteer activity as a group this holiday -- up considerably from last year (16%).