Business.com |
- 5 Behaviors Women in the Workplace Need to Jettison
- Business Owners Want More Convenient Banking Services
- Best IT Governance Certifications 2018
- 10 Business Ideas for Entrepreneurial College Grads
- 5 Tips to Protect Your WordPress Website From Hackers in 2019
- Do Fake Twitter Followers Pay Off?
- Does Your Company Culture Encourage Leadership to Take Vacations?
| 5 Behaviors Women in the Workplace Need to Jettison Posted: 12 Apr 2019 12:00 PM PDT  Co-authored by Beverly Wallace, the vice president of executive development, talent and capability at Prudential. The advancement of female talent is a multi-faceted, many-phased journey. While much attention is rightfully placed on changing corporate culture, attacking unconscious bias and moving away from the "old boy network" paradigm, there's comparatively little focus on the needed shifts in attitudes and behavior by women themselves. In our decades of working with major corporations in developing their female talent, we have pinpointed five career-thwarting behaviors women need to jettison. While women themselves must choose to shed these behaviors, success depends on the help and support of their managers, mentors and organizational leaders. Women have to do it themselves, but they can't do it alone. 1. PerfectionismPerfectionism is a career derailer that starts early and stays late, especially for achievement-oriented women. It sabotages success by keeping women turned inward, rather than expanding their horizons to focus on customer and organizational needs. Perfectionism also stops women from seeking roles and assignments for which they have many, but not all, qualifications. Here are some ways women can turn away from perfectionism.
2. LikeabilityIn general, women have different organizational expectations than men. They tend to be the nurturers and the peacemakers. As a result, they can be reticent to "tell it like it is" for fear of not being liked or being viewed as too hard-nosed. There is certainly a need for women's culturally-supported behaviors in the workplace, but not always. Just like their male colleagues, women leaders must motivate their team to achieve goals and objectives, and that calls for a variety of techniques and strategies. The following approaches have proven effective in helping women balance being liked with being effective.
3. Trying to do it allAs we work with talented women, we see the toll that trying to do everything takes, especially for mid-career women. This failure to set boundaries is the main cause of women abandoning their organizations at this career stage. As a result, the diverse talent pool that corporations desperately need is being drained and women are missing out on advancement opportunities. It's never easy. However, these strategies have an excellent track record of easing the burden and the stress.
4. Failing to connect with mentorsNumerous studies have shown that women are not as adept as their male counterparts at forging relationships with mentors. Mentors are coaches and sounding boards, providing women with vital insights into aligning their career advancement with corporate goals. Both women and their organizations need to take steps to improve the mentoring experience.
5. Not helping other women get a seat at the tableThe failure to shed the other four behaviors is largely the cause for this one. When women are focused on being perfect, making sure they are liked, doing it all and doing it without a corporate-aligned perspective, there is little time or energy to help other women achieve success. Additionally, by clinging to these career-stymying behaviors, women are less likely to reach the leadership levels where they can be most effective in advancing female colleagues. Achieving sustainable diversity is an "all in" game. Until women at every level broaden their focus to include other talented women and understand the wider corporate landscape, the number of women in leadership roles will continue to disappoint. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Business Owners Want More Convenient Banking Services Posted: 12 Apr 2019 10:44 AM PDT  For small business owners, choosing the right banking partner is paramount to making sure orders get filled, employees get paid and operating costs are managed in a timely manner. A recent survey of 600 business owners with annual sales revenue figures of $20 million or less conducted by nonprofit financial consulting firm BAI investigated how businesses bank in 2019. Its research highlighted some of the challenges of business banking, as well as the types of financial services that entrepreneurs want and need. "Businesses need their financial services provider to make their banking experience easy, so they can focus on running their business," said Karl Dahlgren, managing director of research for BAI. Business owners want customized banking servicesFinding the right business banking solution is an important step in maintaining a company's cash flow. When asked what they wanted in a financial services provider, business owners participating in the BAI survey consistently said they sought out ease of use and business-friendly policies when choosing a partner. [Related: Business Bank Account Mistakes to Avoid] According to the survey, the top three reasons a business owner would choose a new financial services provider are "lowest fees, best rates and understanding their business needs." In the same vein, respondents listed the top four improvements they would like to see in the current business financial services space:
"One of the most important priorities we uncovered is that business owners expect a smooth omnichannel experience, which they are not receiving today," Dahlgren said. "By listening to and understanding the voice of the customer, financial services leaders can seize an opportunity to stand out amongst the competition and provide unparalleled service offerings." Editor's note: If you're looking for information to help you find financing for your business, use the questionnaire below to have our sister site BuyerZone provide you with information from a variety of vendors for free. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Best IT Governance Certifications 2018 Posted: 12 Apr 2019 10:05 AM PDT  Today's organizations must keep a careful eye on regulations that address financial accountability, data security and protection, confidentiality, and customer privacy. Add to that the need to minimize risk, maintain profitability, ensure efficiency and meet strategic goals, and there's a lot on the plate. Because IT plays such a major role in all these areas, organizational governance extends to IT as well. In turn, this prompts a need for serious-minded people who understand these worlds, can meet overarching business goals and will realize mission statements. IT governance adds structure to the process of aligning IT with business strategies. It seeks to produce measurable results, to meet regulatory and legal obligations, and to ensure that investments produce positive gains. Several governance frameworks are available to help reach these goals – COBIT, ISO/IEC 38500 and ITIL, to name just a few. In this article, we look at five IT governance certifications that are well known and well regarded across a variety of industries and fields. We conducted a search of several popular job boards for the certifications featured here. We found no shortage of requests from employers seeking candidates holding these best-of-the-best credentials. We limited our search to the U.S. (With its roots in Great Britain and Europe, ITIL is bound to be in higher demand across the pond.) Most of these certifications have hefty work experience requirements. Thus, it's safe to speculate that these certifications aim at experts who are leaders in their organizations. Job board search results (in alphabetical order, by certification)
As far as salaries go, Simply Hired reports an average salary of $81,642 for IT governance, risk and compliance jobs, topping out around $133,642. Risk manager salaries average $94,110, with some salaries as high as $163,160. Glassdoor reports a salary range for IT governance, risk and compliance from $75,474 to $111,000, with risk managers' pay ranging from $99,949 to $134,000. Let's look at the top five IT governance certifications for 2019. ITIL ExpertITIL (formerly known as the Information Technology Infrastructure Library) is a well-defined set of best practices that organizations use to design, implement, manage and maintain IT service projects. ITIL's primary focus is service management, which aligns IT projects and services with the business goals of an organization. ITIL also meets quality standards set by ISO/IEC 20000, so an organization that consistently and closely follows ITIL practices is quite likely to offer high-quality products or services. In 2013, ITIL was acquired by Axelos, which focuses on global best practices and standards. Axelos also offers certifications for Resilia, Prince2 (2009 and 2017), Prince2 Agile, AgileSHIFT, P30, MSP, M_o_R, P3M3, MoP and MoV. Axelos manages updates to the ITIL framework, but this organization also accredits ITIL exam institutes and licenses third-party organizations to use ITIL's intellectual property. The ITIL V3 certification tier offers several certifications to help employers find or groom employees with the right skills and knowledge to implement ITIL processes:
The ITIL Expert certification recognizes well-rounded and balanced knowledge across all areas of the ITIL service lifecycle. The Foundation, Practitioner and Intermediate tiers require certification exams. To achieve the ITIL Expert credential, candidates must hold the ITIL Foundation certificate or a Bridge qualification equivalent, acquire at least 17 credits per the ITIL Credit System, and pass the Managing Across the Lifecycle (MALC) exam to amass a total of 22 credits. Achieving the ITIL Expert level is a prerequisite for the ITIL Master Qualification, the pinnacle ITIL credential. The ITIL Master is also in high demand, primarily in large enterprises, government agencies and so forth. The ITIL certification program is currently migrating from ITIL V3 to ITIL V4. The new ITIL V4 will have a different look and feel from ITIL V3. Instead of five credentials, ITIL V4 will only encompass four certifications – Foundation, Managing Professional, Strategic Leader and Master. The ITIL V4 Foundation exam is targeted for release on February 28, 2019. The remaining certs are scheduled to be released sometime during the second half of 2019. ITIL recommends that ITIL V3 Foundation candidates pursue the ITIL V4 Foundation instead. Candidates who are at the ITIL V3 Intermediate level should continue certifying on V3. Professionals who earned the Expert designation on ITIL V3 will be eligible to take the Managing Professional (ITIL MP) as soon as it is released. Since ITIL is in transition, candidates should check back frequently for updates on targeted release dates, prerequisites, and exam information. ITIL Expert facts and figures
CGEIT: Certified in the Governance of Enterprise ITISACA is a highly respected, global nonprofit association that provides education, conferences, publications and certification for IT governance professionals. Four certifications are available from ISACA that address information systems auditing, information security management, enterprise IT governance, and risk and information systems control:
ISACA also offers the Cybersecurity Nexus (CSX) program. Candidates can achieve the CSX Practitioner (CSX-P) certification by passing a performance-based exam. The CGEIT credential is geared toward professionals who play a significant role in managing, advising and/or assuring IT governance. Typical job roles include senior security analyst and chief information security officer – the upper echelon of the organization chart. Professionals at this level align IT with business strategies and goals, manage IT investments to maximize return on investment, strive for excellence in IT operations and governance, and promote greater efficiency and effectiveness in IT while minimizing risk. ISACA's CGEIT exam covers five domains that address various aspects of governance and risk management:
ISACA's work experience requirements for the CGEIT qualification are demanding. To meet the five-year minimum requirement, one year must be directly related to enterprise IT governance frameworks. For the other four years, you must demonstrate experience in at least two of these domains: strategic management, benefits realization, risk optimization and resource optimization. If you teach an accredited IT governance curriculum at an approved institution, you can count two full-time years toward every year of the CGEIT work requirement. Candidates with certain types of management experience and advanced degrees or certifications may substitute up to two years to meet the experience requirement. CGEIT facts and figures
CGRC: Certified in Governance, Risk and ComplianceMaking its second appearance on our top five list is the Certified in Governance, Risk and Compliance (CGRC) credential from the GRC Group. A globally recognized leader in governance, risk and compliance, the GRC Group consists of two institutions:
The GRC Institute offers two certification tiers – Base Level and Pro Level – with four certifications at each level. Base-Level certifications:
Pro-Level certifications:
Certification requirements for the CGRC are stringent. To earn the credential, candidates must possess the CGOV, CIRM and CICM certifications. Current membership in the GRC Group is required, plus a minimum of three years of professional experience. Exams are required for the lower-level certifications, but not for the CGRC. To maintain the credential, candidates must earn 12 hours of training and keep their GRC Group membership current. CGRC facts and figures
CRISC: Certified in Risk and Information Systems ControlAnother certification from ISACA, Certified in Risk and Information Systems Control (CRISC), recognizes IT professionals who are responsible for an organization's risk management program. CRISC professionals manage risk, design and oversee response measures, monitor systems for risk, and ensure the organization's risk management strategies are met. Organizations look for employees with the CRISC credential for jobs, such as IT security analyst, security engineer or architect, information assurance program manager and senior IT auditor. The CRISC exam covers four domains that are periodically updated to reflect the changing needs of the profession:
ISACA requires CRISC candidates to have a minimum of three years of cumulative, professional-level risk management and control experience, and to perform tasks in at least two CRISC domains, one of which must be in Domain 1 or 2. Work experience must be within the preceding 10 years from the date of application. Alternatively, candidates for CRISC certification have up to five years to fulfill the work experience requirement after passing the exam. Since the inception of the CRISC certification program in 2010, more than 20,000 professionals have acquired this certification. Such a strong response says a lot about the program and the need for this type of credential in the enterprise workforce. CRISC facts and figures
PMI-RMP: Project Management Institute – Risk Management ProfessionalThe highly regarded Project Management Institute (PMI) is perhaps best known for its Project Management Professional (PMP) credential, but it also offers the PMI Risk Management Professional (PMI-RMP) for governance, risk and compliance professionals. The PMI-RMP recognizes individuals who have a combination of top-notch project management skills and the ability to identify and accurately assess project risks and then mitigate identified threats to organizations. Candidates must pass one exam and meet considerable education and experience requirements. The exam focuses on the following domains:
Once you achieve the PMI-RMP, you may maintain the credential by earning 30 professional development units (PDUs) in one or more risk management topics every three years. PMI-RMP facts and figures
Beyond the top 5: More IT governance certificationsBeyond the top five IT governance certifications covered in this article, other certification programs can further the careers and professional development of IT professionals working in governance, risk management, and compliance. For example, interested parties should check out the Governance, Risk Management and Compliance Professional (GRCP) certification by OCEG. Another credential worth noting is the Leadership Professional in Ethics & Compliance (LPEC) certification from the Ethics and Compliance Initiative (ECI). ECI bills itself as the oldest ethics and compliance research organization in the U.S. If you're based in the U.K., consider the BCS Information Security Management Principles Foundation Certificate. BCS is based in the U.K., and, while popular overseas, its credentials just haven't gained enough popularity in the U.S. to maintain a slot in the top five. The BCS certifications are still excellent and worth considering if you're working overseas in the U.K. or EMEA. Finally, the Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA) has a well-established certification program aimed at auditors in the government and financial sectors. Within the IIA lineup is the Certification in Risk Management Assurance (CRMA) credential, which identifies professionals who provide risk management assurance and advice to senior management and audit committees. Be sure to investigate these certs on your own. One of them might prove even more valuable to your career path than the ones we've featured here. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 10 Business Ideas for Entrepreneurial College Grads Posted: 12 Apr 2019 10:00 AM PDT  Traditional 9-to-5 jobs are no longer a strict norm, especially for young people just entering the workforce. Side hustles, freelance work and self-run enterprises are increasingly popular and offer a plethora of ways to make a living from outside the confines of a cubicle. Many recent grads are choosing to forge their own paths by starting their own businesses across a wide variety of industries. Here are 10 low-cost business ideas you can start as a new graduate. Clothing companyDid you dream of working in the fashion world, but couldn't find more than a few low-level opportunities in the field? If you have a great eye for design, you can strike out on your own and start an independent clothing company. Knowing how to sew or silk-screen will help you get off the ground, but you'll eventually need to find a good manufacturer to reach the next stage of growth. As with any business, high-quality products combined with great marketing skills are the keys to success. Content creationThanks to social media and the 24-hour news cycle, creative individuals like writers and graphic designers can use their talents to produce high-quality, shareable content for businesses and media outlets. A growing gig economy of freelance and contract workers makes it easier than ever to market yourself as a professional freelance content creator. This can also be a great way to build up your skills should you choose to seek a full-time job later on. To help yourself stand out, make sure you have an idea of your brand, how you want to market yourself and how you want your skills to be used. Electronic repairIn today's tech-obsessed world, most people use smartphones, tablets and laptops daily. With this constant usage, there's a good chance that at least one of those devices is going to crash or break at some point. If you're a techie who can fix these issues with relative ease, you can offer to repair people's electronics for cheaper than what the big retailers charge. Start by marketing your services to students at your alma mater who don't want to wait for the campus IT department to fix their hard drives. Event entertainmentIf you spent your undergrad years tinkering with sound-mixing software and staffing the DJ booth at your college radio station, starting an event entertainment company could be the right path for you. With only your music collection and your laptop, you can get people out on the dance floor at weddings and birthday parties, or simply provide background music at more casual events. DJ equipment is a big investment, but plenty of companies offer daily rentals of speakers, subwoofers and other accessories that you can use until you save up enough to buy your own. Fitness instructionWere you constantly hitting the gym after class? Turn your passion for fitness into a lucrative job by becoming a fitness instructor or personal trainer. You'll have to put in a small amount of time and money to get certified, but organizations like the Aerobics and Fitness Association of America offer online certification programs that you can complete at your own pace. Once you're a certified trainer, you can look for openings at local gyms or work one-on-one with clients at their homes. You can also find numerous programs for certification to teach fitness classes such as yoga or Zumba. Graphic designAre you a whiz with software tools like Adobe Illustrator or Photoshop? Many small businesses are clamoring for affordable access to professional branding, such as logos, banners and signs. If you're about to leave college with a toolbox full of graphic design skills, consider launching a freelance design business that caters to other entrepreneurs. Once you establish a network of contacts and a reputation for quality designs, you can leverage past work into new jobs and possibly even set yourself up with a full-time job right out of college. Handmade craftsDo you have a knack for knitting, making jewelry or creating other small crafts? If you can produce a lot of items quickly, you can open up an online storefront and sell your creations to the public. Startup costs are extremely low if you purchase your materials in bulk from a craft supplier, and if you can turn orders around quickly, you'll make a profit in no time. You could even turn your store into a full-time gig. Websites such as Etsy, Bonanza and ArtFire are great places to sell your work, and a supplementary Instagram account can help drive traffic to your online store. Social media consultationWant to put that marketing or communications degree to good use? Consider starting a social media consulting firm. Small businesses often have to take care of their own social media marketing. With so many other responsibilities, though, the company's owners may be too busy to come up with great strategies for each of the growing number of social channels businesses are expected to utilize. As a consultant, you can help businesses determine the best tactics, posting schedules and content for your clients' target audiences. As their follower counts grow, so will your business. [Related: Helpful Social Media Courses for New Marketers] Teaching your skillAre you an expert in photography? Guitar? Coding? Consider starting a freelance business teaching your skill to others. This is a great way to utilize (and monetize) your passion, and if you have a knack for teaching, you can grow your business to incorporate multiple teachers and skill subsets. Start by making sure you have a way to show your expertise in you field (think a website with your photos or audio clips, or an active Instagram feed with other examples of your work), and get the word out through as many channels as possible. Partnership with man's best friendWith 7 out of 10 millennials reporting they own a furry friend, there's a rich market for all types of pet care, such as grooming, walking, sitting and training. If you have skills in or passion for any of these areas, you can start up a business in no time. Pet sitting and walking requires little to no professional knowledge or equipment, while grooming and training will be more time- and cost-intensive. Head to your local dog park or grooming center to find clients and identify customer needs. Whatever you do, make sure it's something you're familiar with. "Recent college graduates should focus on a particular niche," said Matthew Ross, co-owner and CEO of The Slumber Yard. "Don't worry about capturing the entire market early on – you can always expand operations later." Additional reporting by Nicole Fallon and Adam C. Uzialko. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 5 Tips to Protect Your WordPress Website From Hackers in 2019 Posted: 12 Apr 2019 10:00 AM PDT  The rapid growth of technology over the past decade is without a doubt one of the best tools for business owners today. Despite all the fantastic advances, there is one area that leaves many people fearful – especially those who own businesses. We are, of course, talking about cybercrime, and more specifically, hacking. If the wrong person makes it past your security barriers and gains access to your website, you could have countless hours of work ahead of you to get your site back. The worst possible outcome during a data breach is that your customers' sensitive information, such as credit card data, becomes fair game to the hacker. According to Norton, the average cost of a data breach in 2018 for a company in the United States is about $7.9 million. That's some serious cash. Luckily, there are steps you can take to protect your WordPress website. Here are five ways you can protect your site and your customers' data from malicious cyberattacks. Backup your websiteCreating a backup version of your website is the first thing you should do when you want to protect your site. There are numerous WordPress plugins available that can help you store a copy of your websites' data on a secure server. Backing up your website means that you'll be able to bring your website back up and restore it to its original state following a cyberattack. Some hackers take down sites just for the sake of ruining someone's day. The ability to recall your website from a backup program gives you peace of mind and takes off some of the pressure if hackers make it through your line of defense. Only download trusted pluginsWordPress has over 55,000 plugins to date. While many of these plugins can prove useful to new and experienced users alike, the truth is that some plugins are safer than others. Some plugins give hackers behind-the-scenes information on your website, design, and even your customers. If you want to ensure that your website is protected from malicious hackers, always research the plugins and check reviews before you decide to install one on your site. When you only use trusted plugins, you're ensuring that your website and the people who visit it remain safe. Mind your passwordsWe all know the importance of having strong, unique passwords when it comes to protecting things like our bank accounts and social media pages. However, plenty of cybercriminals can use a brute force attack on your WordPress login page to gain access to your website. There are some things you can do to prevent hackers from cracking your password and accessing your website. First, make sure your password is complicated and nearly impossible to guess. Use a random combination of numbers, letters, and symbols for maximum security. It's also crucial that you add an attempt limit when entering your password. For example, after five attempts your account locks you out until you verify your identity through your email address. Update all themes and plugins regularlyHow many times have you received an option to update Windows only to delay it until tomorrow? The truth is that when you delay updates, you're at risk for a cyberattack. Make sure you're frequently checking your WordPress plugins and themes and ensuring that they're all up to date. In most cases, these updates resolve potential security risks associated with an exploit. The more frequently you update your WordPress themes and plugins, the better. Choose a reliable hosting platformHosting platforms can be a goldmine for hackers. If you're using a hosting platform that's outdated or unreliable, you're putting your website and your customers at risk for an attack. When you're getting ready to create your website, make sure you check into different hosting options and look for honest, unbiased reviews. A quick Google search will help you identify which hosting platforms have been around for years and receive great feedback, and which ones are more obscure and don't have many reviews or much commentary from the WordPress community. ConclusionYou need security measures on your WordPress website. There are always going to be people seeking to do harm by hacking websites. The best thing you can do is take preventive steps to ensure that you don't become a victim of a cyberattack and then prepare for the worst so you know what to do if a hacker manages to make it past all of your defensive measures. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Do Fake Twitter Followers Pay Off? Posted: 12 Apr 2019 04:03 AM PDT  Fake followers jumped to the forefront of the media in 2018 when Twitter purged millions of fake or inactive accounts, but the problem remains with shocking numbers. According to the service Twitter Audit, more than 11 million of the New York Times' 42 million followers are fake, and nearly 7 million of President Donald Trump's 59.9 million followers are bogus accounts. A fake follower can mean a lot of different things. It could be a bot that may or may not have nefarious purposes. It might be a fake account created to inflate a brand's number of followers. Some people create fake accounts to qualify for online sweepstakes or giveaways. The bottom line is there are not real people behind these accounts and they do not engage. The need for the initial purge stemmed from the belief that the more followers you have, the more successful your account will be. Many Twitter users look at follower counts as a bellwether of how many people the posts are reaching. That's a huge misconception, according to Alex Hinojosa, senior vice president of digital marketing and media at 4media group. Editor's note: Looking for information on social media marketing services for your business? Use the questionnaire below, and get quickly connected to our vendor partners to learn more about a customized strategy and pricing for your business:
"It's not about the following size," Hinojosa said. "It's about the level of engagement. It takes an understanding of the value of [social media] to see this. Businesses need to build credibility through content so when they're ready to ask for something, the followers are willing to give. That doesn't happen because of following size." Why are fake followers bad for business?Fake followers can mess up your engagement rate, lower your ranking in users' news feeds and affect your conversion rates. They can also negatively affect your credibility and even get you banned from the platform. "Trust and transparency are two critical components of any successful brand," said Linda Pophal, owner and consultant at Strategic Communications. "Taking part in fraudulent practices like buying fake followers isn't a good way to build trust." Followers who don't feel they can trust your brand will not engage with your content, which could have disastrous consequences for your business. Fake followers are dead weight when it comes to engagement. [Interested in social media marketing solutions for your small business? Check out our best picks and reviews.] "Fake followers can't do anything for you," Hinojosa said. "You can't drive legitimate engagement – and, ultimately, web traffic. It's more valuable to have 500 dedicated followers who actively engage than 5,000 who don't." Followers who actively engage with your posts will drive you higher on news feeds and Google result pages, and they have stronger potential to gain you new followers. Hinojosa offered three additional steps to help smaller brands gain more valuable social media followers:
"Be wary of the quick fix," Hinojosa said. "Social media has incredible value as a lead generator, but take it seriously. If you're not going to truly get into the game, don't fake it." How can you spot fakers?The easiest way to catch fake accounts is by looking at follower counts vs. engagement levels. If a user's profile says they have 6,000 followers but they average two likes per tweet or photo, that is a big red flag. Authentic followers will engage with the content the account posts, and the follower and engagement numbers will reflect each other. Another quick check is how many posts the account has. If it has fewer than 10 posts but thousands of followers, it's likely that many of those followers were purchased. There are also several services and tools designed to help users and businesses catch false accounts. For example, SocialBlade tracks progress and growth on various social platforms and makes the data free and available to the public. You can use this to monitor if an account has an unusual spike in followers. Twitter Audit allows you to check how many of a given Twitter account's followers are real, giving you clear real vs. fake numbers and an audit score. Botcheck.me is a machine-learning tool that observes accounts and lets you know if it exhibits common bot behavior (it also offers a Chrome extension). "[You] can guard against fake followers by proactively removing bots as they begin to follow [your] account," said Megan Zaleski, social media coordinator at HeraldPR. "[Make sure to] perform your due diligence." Kathleen Hayn, PR account manager at Slice Communications, recommends going through your followers quarterly to make sure they are still active and have not turned to spam. Bottom lineAs social media and social media influencers continue to grow, so does the proliferation of fake and spam accounts. But by sticking to tried-and-true methods of gaining real followers and staying vigilant against fake accounts, your business is sure to build engagement and make an impact where it matters. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Does Your Company Culture Encourage Leadership to Take Vacations? Posted: 12 Apr 2019 04:00 AM PDT  If your company is like most U.S. businesses, your employees aren't taking much time off. Despite being offered fewer vacation days than any other country in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), more than half of U.S. workers didn't use all their vacation days in 2017. This is a big problem because not taking time off hurts employee productivity, increases burnout, and leads to higher employee turnover. All of this negatively affects your company's bottom line. If you want to address the problem of vacation time left on the table, the first place you should look is at your leadership team. Managers set an example for the rest of the company, so it's necessary that they set the tone by taking their vacation time and truly separating from work while they're away. Very few leaders unplug while they're on vacation. According to Project: Time Off, only 14% of managers resist checking in at work while they're on vacation. Senior leadership is even worse – a paltry 7% of senior leaders totally unplug while they're away. It's important to cultivate a company culture where employees feel supported in taking time off, and it starts with your leadership team. The benefits of vacation for executivesBeyond the tone it sets for other employees, senior leaders should take time off because it's good for them and it's good for the company. People simply can't do their best and most creative work without taking mental breaks. Just as ideas come to people in the shower, they come to people while they're not at work. Many entrepreneurs and artists have had their best ideas while out of the office. The founder of Instagram had the idea for the app's photo filters while taking a walk on the beach in Mexico. Blake Mycoskie was taking time off from working at his startup when he came up with the business idea for TOMS shoes. Lin Manuel Miranda had the idea for the musical Hamilton while on vacation. Despite all the benefits of time off, 67% of executive and senior leaders failed to use up their vacation time in 2015. Not only does this deny them the benefits of a holiday, but it also signals to the rest of the company that vacation isn't important. Why don't executives take vacations?To change executives' behavior, it's important to understand why they don't take time off. Below are some of the most common reasons and some suggestions of things you can do to support your leadership team. There are other reasons, so you'll want to ask your leaders what's holding them back from taking their vacation time. 1. They dread returning to a mountain of work. Senior leaders, which Project: Time Off defines as leaders with titles "comparable to senior vice president, vice president, director, and managing director," say that the fear of returning to a huge backlog of work is the greatest challenge to taking a vacation; 55% of them cited this as a barrier. For those below senior leadership, the barrier is less overwhelming. Still, 26% of executives, which Project: Time Off defines as the C-suite, presidents and owners of businesses, fear returning to a backlog of work. But, having one in four executives feel reluctant about taking a vacation is still too many. Nothing inspires dread like facing an overflowing inbox or a pile of issues that need resolving upon returning from a vacation. One way to address this is with an email detox program for employees taking time off. Daimler and Huffington Post are two examples of companies that delete vacationing workers' incoming email. Senders receive an auto-response telling them that the recipient is on vacation and suggesting they resend the email when the employee returns. On their return, executives have no more email in their inbox than they did when they left. Senders have the chance to consider: is this email really important enough to send when the recipient is back to work? 2. They fear it will look like they're not committed to their jobs. It's a common fear that being out of the office reflects poorly on performance as an employee. Of those who are concerned that taking time off makes them appear less dedicated – or even replaceable – 61% fail to take all of their vacation time. Executives are not immune to this fear. A chief financial officer may be concerned about appearing lazy to the CEO. Even a CEO may be concerned that the board of directors will frown on her taking time off. Vacation-positive messages must come straight from the top – your CEO, board of directors, and anyone else in a leadership role – to ensure employees feel that taking vacation won't count against them. Being neutral or saying nothing about time off isn't enough to counter a perception that "vacation = uncommitted." Your company's leaders must actively encourage vacations, not just with their subordinates but also with each other. 3. They think their workload is too heavy. People who believe their workload is too heavy to take time off are far more likely to have unused vacation time than those who don't feel this way. It's a problem for your company if executives believe their workload is too heavy for them to get away from the office. What would happen if they got sick or had to suddenly leave for another reason? Your company would be left in the lurch. Good leaders know how to delegate and empower their employees to take charge of projects. This not only helps employees learn and grow in their careers, but also ensures each executive's workload doesn't become untenable. Encourage your executives to mentor and delegate, so they can feel confident handing responsibilities to others while they're away. Consider having each executive at your company draft a written document outlining which employees will take on each of their duties in their absence. One strategy used by many manufacturing companies that can help ease the above concerns is to shut down the entire organization for one or two weeks at a time. If everyone's out of the office, there's no pressure to check in or send that one important email since no one else is around to read it. Organizations like Adobe, LinkedIn, and TED all shut down for one- or two-week periods every year. Many companies choose to close between Christmas and New Year's Day, giving employees a week-long holiday that only costs the company roughly four days. There are many other ways to overcome the barriers that prevent executives from taking their vacation time. The important thing is that you check in with your leadership team to see whether they're taking the time off allotted to them, and if they aren't, ask why. It may take some time and a few different approaches to address the array of concerns leaders have with taking time away from work. When your leadership team uses their vacations, they return feeling refreshed and invigorated at work and they lead by example, helping all of your employees feel supported in taking the time off they deserve. |
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