Are You Guilty of Stereotyping in Your Small Business?
When you think of diversity in the workplace you typically think of race and gender, but in reality workplace diversity is actually much broader. Consider your co-workers they differ in a variety of ways such as age, marital status and family responsibilities. All of these differences can lead to stereotyping which may result in workplace tension. Is stereotyping harmful in the workplace? Quite simply, the answer is “Yes.” Stereotyping, or in other words placing labels on people, results from making general assumptions about an individual with little or no personal knowledge about them. For example, we’ve all heard the spacey blond jokes which is a play on the assumption that all blonds are dumb — but of course, we know that isn’t true. As Dolly Parton says, “I’m not blond and I’m not dumb.” Unfortunately, in the workplace it’s no laughing matter. What happens when you make these assumptions is you subconsciously start to look for things to confirm your beliefs……and overtime you might pick up on one or two isolated incidents that cause you justify or confirm your assumptions. So you close your mind about the individual which damages your ability to really work well with that person. Below are some of the common stereotypes which can impact the workplace. * Single vs. Married: Single people feel as though they are seen in one of two ways. First, they are often thought to be frivolous and more interested in their social life than they are their work. Plus, many say they feel stigmatized by their single status as being damaged goods because they aren’t married. Secondly, some say their married co-workers think they should be able to work longer hours because they don’t have any outside responsibilities. However, on the flip side singles often say they can focus more on their work because they are single and can use it to their advantage to get ahead. While others view their married counterparts as having an advantage because they have a partner to help with outside responsibilities. * Children vs. No Children. While this typically impacts women more than men, it isn’t just a female issue. But a lot of women say they are made to feel guilty at work because of how they have to juggle their work and childcare responsibilities while at the same time they are made to feel guilty because they’re working and not at home with their children. Employees who don’t have children sometimes feel resentful when they have to cover for co-workers who frequently are absent because of child-related emergencies. Today, about 2/3′s of working women have young children at home so many employers are finding ways to manage this fairly. * Baby Boomer vs. Generation Y: As the population ages, more people are choosing to work much longer in their careers. The Baby Boomer generation hasn’t grown up with technology as the Generation Y workers. So there is a tension between the tried and true ways of doing business versus the technological solutions of today. This generational gap can create serious friction in the work place. But instead of immediately stereotyping the individual, you should get to know the other person and appreciate each others strengths. Learn from each other. * Women — Married and Marginalized. Although over half the working population...
read moreDirect Mail Marketing: Is It Dead?
The other day I got a big envelope in the mail. I knew it was a direct mail marketing piece of some kind. Although I usually toss these immediately, I opened this one up. Inside was a sample of a 39-cent pen with my company’s name imprinted on the side. It’s not exactly the way I promote my business, but it did start me thinking about the state of direct mail marketing. Can it still be useful for small businesses or would you be better off attaching your business cards to the legs of passenger pigeons? Out of curiosity I looked at the Twitter frequency of two hashtags. #Emailmarketing is used about 90 times an hour. When I checked #directmailmarketing, I found that it hadn’t been used in five days. However, given that hashtags and email both live in the electronic, virtual world, I don’t think it was a totally fair comparison. In fact, before you think that I’m totally negative on direct mail, I need to point out that tech giants like Google and Apple often make excellent use of direct mail pieces. If you have a Google AdWords account and haven’t run a campaign in a while, there’s a good chance you’ve received some snail mail from Google. Usually it’s a succinctly written postcard prompting you to contact them for advice. Go local or go home In recent years, I’ve published many articles on the importance of local marketing initiatives. Further, Internet marketing has increasingly targeted the local market. If your business depends on local customers, have you tried gathering all their email addresses? There’s really no good way to do an email blast to everyone living within five miles of your business, is there? However, you can easily target a direct market mailing to the geographic area that best represents your customer base. A well designed direct mail piece to your local area can be an excellent tool for your marketing efforts. If you want to expand your business, or announce new products of services, a good brochure or postcard can be very effective. Premiums I believe that the company that sent me the imprinted pen missed the target a bit. However, some premiums sent via direct mail can do a great job helping you brand your business in your local area. I would bet that more than half of the people who read this have one or more imprinted magnets for local businesses holding up a drawing or some other important notice on their refrigerator doors right now. (I certainly do.) We see those business names and logos every day for years. Apple, by the way, has used direct mail campaigns to distribute slick posters that feature its products. These posters are so well done that they are often plastered to the walls of tech writers and other industry influencers. Finally, as much as I believe in smart email marketing campaigns, so far I haven’t received any email enclosures that will stick to my refrigerator or are beautiful enough to post on the office bulletin board. Direct mail marketing may still be very useful for your business. Give it some...
read moreWhat’s Your Employment Brand?
Did you know your company has an employment brand? Whether by design or default (usually by default) every company has its own employment brand. I talk to many small business owners who tell me they have difficulty attracting and retaining the talent they need to grow their businesses. They typically blame their inability to provide competitive salary and benefits packages to their employees. But money isn’t always the biggest motivator for employees today — particularly younger workers. Many job seekers place more importance on the quality of the work environment when making a job choice. Some people refer to it as the “cool” factor — companies that offer employees a sense of purpose and an opportunity to have fun on the job. That’s what defines their employment brand. Many talented workers are willing to take less in pay and benefits in order to be part of a company that they believe in and that gives them the opportunity to flourish. Have you ever asked one of your employees why they wanted to work for you? Even more important, have you ever inquired as to why an employee has resigned? Do your team members recommend your company to others? You need to know the statement your employment brand makes in the market. If you don’t like what you discover, put together an action plan to change it. Build a company culture people want to be part of and you’ll find it easy to attract the best and the brightest to help you build your business...
read moreEmployers Beware of Cyber-Bullies in the Workplace
The increased use of social media platforms may be affecting your company’s morale. A recent study from AVG Technologies finds the mis-use of social media infiltrating the workplace with negative effects. Over half of those employees surveyed believe their company is responsible for online behavior of co-workers, but 25 percent say they aren’t protected from cyber-bullying within existing company policies. What constitutes cyber-bullying? Four out of five (80 percent ) believe that sending unpleasant or defamatory remarks to or about a co-worker constitutes cyber-bullying. Other respondents find romantic advances from colleagues or supervisors, negative comments about their work or appearance, and secretive discussions about their work performance all to be forms of cyber-bullying. In addition to affecting company morale, cyber-bullying may also lead to workplace violence. Fifty one percent of the surveyed workers admit they would confront colleagues in person if they felt they were a victim of cyber-bullying. While you can’t control everything your employees post in social media, as a small business owner you need to maintain a written social media policy. Review the policy with your team so everyone is aware of what’s acceptable and what’s not. Define the consequences for the mis-use of social media. Most importantly, encourage employees to careful about what they post on social media platforms. Bottom line: If you don’t want to see it in the headlines of the New York Times, don’t post...
read moreHow to Cash In on a ‘World’ of Opportunities
Consider these developments: Africa will be transformed economically over the next 10 years. By 2016, China will be the world’s largest economy. Dubai International just passed Heathrow as the world’s business airport for international travel. Do these facts help put the future of commerce in perspective? If economic opportunity is knocking at a door for your business, that door may not be located in the next community, but instead could be half way around the world. Start with two simple questions…well, simple to ask, less simple to answer: Is there demand for your product or service abroad? How can you bring your product or service to market abroad? If you are still with me, I’m going to assume—safely, I believe—that expanding overseas would be a new venture for you. Therefore, answering the first question above is the critical one, and also question which you are probably not prepared to answer. Question #1 If you can budget for it, hiring a consultant experienced in helping businesses establish operations overseas is a great way to go. Just make sure you hire the right person. Contact references and make sure that previous clients have expanded successfully in the same geographic area. If you want to dive in and do some digging yourself, one of your best resources will be the U.S. Commercial Service. The service has offices all around the country so there’s a good chance you can make an appointment and talk to a real person. You can also kick off the process by calling 1-800-USA-TRADE (872-8723). Also, be sure to check out the list of current webinars; you might find one that targets your industry sector. The service works mostly with small and medium sized businesses, so there’s a good chance you’ll fit right in. Making the move Exactly the best way to bring your product or service to countries around the globe is a big question. You can export. You can manufacture overseas. You can do a combination of both approaches. There is a good chance you’ll have to establish an office in another country and this can be tricky. Again, there are consultants who can guide you. Another option is to partner with a foreign company. This is often the preferred strategy because the foreign company will have a track record you can review as well as the infrastructure you’re going to require. Using technology Some small businesses will find that the Internet and various apps can provide the tools they need to sell overseas. Service providers looking to expand overseas can use products like GoToMeeting, WebEx, and WizIQ to give them a virtual “presence” with their new clients. Translations services such as Acapelabox as well as working with overseas freelancers through services like Elance can prove to be very useful as US companies get their websites and marketing materials ready for foreign markets. I don’t know exactly which small businesses will expand overseas, but I know many will. Will yours be among...
read moreWonder Why So Many Women Are Smiling? They Are Entrepreneurs.
Okay, I know this is going to put legions of self-help authors who target the female audience out of business, but there is one simple key to happiness: be a successful women entrepreneur. Babson College and Baruch College just issued their 2013 Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) US Report, which makes it abundantly clear that established female business owners are enjoying a level of happiness that would cause Pharrell Williams to break out in song. The study found that women who own established businesses rank their well-being more than twice as high as women who are neither entrepreneurs nor business owners. Also, one in 10 US women is starting or running a new business. Beyond economic and social benefits “Women entrepreneurs show a substantial boost in well-being as their businesses mature, demonstrating the personal return on investment that comes with venturing into entrepreneurship. Our research found that the benefits of entrepreneurship extend beyond economic and social value. Clearly, entrepreneurship provides women a most satisfying career choice,” says Donna J. Kelley, lead author and associate professor of entrepreneurship at Babson College. Paradoxically, we may have the misery of the “Great Recession” to thank for this increased happiness among women. History teaches us that financial hard times prompt many who have lost their jobs to strike out on their own and establish businesses. Certainly many women took this course of action over the last several years. Not all of the good news in the study relates directly to women. The findings are also pretty upbeat for American entrepreneurs and business owners in general: Almost half – 47 percent – of Americans think there are good opportunities for starting a business right now and that’s the highest that figure has been since they started the study back in 1999. Some 56 percent of Americans believe they have what it takes to start their own businesses. That level of confidence is the highest among the 24 developed economies covered in the report. 37 percent of US entrepreneurs are planning to create jobs and employ six or more employees in the next five years. Older Americans doing well It also looks like many older Americans are turning to entrepreneurship to launch those second and third careers. Folks who are 55-64 years old are just as likely as younger Americans to recognize entrepreneurial opportunities and at the same time they’re less risk averse. All of this adds of to Americans leading all the other developed economies among older entrepreneurs. If you need a little extra boost of confidence to start or expand your business, this study should provide it. Image: Smiling Girl by Eric McGregor – used via CC BY...
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