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Along with the surge of people working from home or in hybrid situations over the last few years, there has also been an increase in employers looking for ways to monitor their employees’ work activities to ensure they actually ARE working when remote. This is no surprise given the new “quiet quitting” trend that has now evolved into “Bare Minimum Mondays” and “Try Less Tuesdays.” Sadly, some employees are taking advantage of working remotely as a way of working less. Of course, not all remote employees are slackers – but how can an employer know the difference? That’s where tools like Teramind and ActivTrak come into play. These are software tools that can be installed on employees’ workstations and laptops to monitor their activity, both while in the office and remote. Not only will these tools provide insights into productivity and where employees are spending their time, an employer can also see when someone checks in to work and leaves for the day. These apps can also help in ensuring employees aren’t surfing inappropriate websites during work hours using company resources. While many people are against monitoring, it’s perfectly legal in the US, provided this is for work-related activities on workplace devices. Monitoring laws do vary by state, so you should always check with an HR attorney on any employee-related monitoring. While there is no requirement to gain consent on a federal level, some states require that you establish consent before monitoring. It’s also legal to monitor company-owned devices outside of work hours, including Internet traffic, search terms, websites visited, GPS geolocation and content viewed, to name a few things. If you issue your employees’ phones, you are legally allowed to monitor them as well. It’s even legal to monitor your employees’ own personal devices if you have a BYOD (bring your own device) to work, provided those devices are used for work purposes. If you are thinking of rolling out employee-monitoring software, here are a few recommendations. Let your employees know you WILL be monitoring them, and how, before rolling out any monitoring activities. Being totally transparent about what you are monitoring and why is important to establishing and maintaining trust with your employees. Most people would be very upset to discover you were monitoring them without their knowledge. While it’s legally your right (in most states) to monitor without letting them know, we feel it’s best to be open about this so they understand what’s being recorded. Put in writing what is and isn’t allowed during work hours and on company-owned assets. If you don’t want employees visiting what you deem as inappropriate websites and mixing personal activities with work activities on company-owned devices, let them know that. If they work from home, set guidelines such as start and end times for work and how long and how frequently they can take breaks, detailing when they need to be available (at work). No one likes getting a speeding ticket when there’s no speed limit signs posted. Be absolutely clear on your expectations and put them in writing so there’s no risk of “You never told me that…” happening. Get legal advice before implementing any kind of monitoring software, cameras or activities. Laws can change – and with privacy of data becoming more critical (and a legal hot potato), we suggest you work with an HR attorney to make sure you’re not violating anyone’s rights. Recently, the fast-food restaurant White Castle was hit with a lawsuit that could cost them up to $17 billion for using fingerprint login software for their employees to access certain systems. The lawsuit claims they violated Illinois’s biometric identification laws by asking employees to use their fingerprint as a secure way of logging in to their systems without first gaining consent. So, while it’s legal to monitor employees, you still need to be mindful of employment laws and data and privacy protection of the employees you monitor. Need help implementing a more secure and productive remote workplace? Click here to schedule a quick call to discuss your options and to get ideas on how we can help you and your entire team be productive and safe, no matter where or how you choose to work.

How To Apply For Your Share Of Facebook’s Recent $725 Million Privacy Lawsuit Here’s a shocker: Facebook is being forced to pay a whopping $725 million in a settlement following a number of lawsuits claiming they violated users’ privacy. This is in addition to another class action lawsuit for $650 million for storing and collecting the biometric data of nearly 1.3 million Illinois residents without their knowledge or consent.  The lawsuits allege that Facebook shared data from users and their friends with third parties without the users’ knowledge or consent and then failed to monitor or direct how these third parties accessed the data or what they did with it. The plaintiffs’ lawyers estimate about 250 to 280 million people may be eligible for payments as part of this suit. The money being paid to each person depends on how long they’ve had a Facebook account and how many people actually file claims. Users will get “points” for every month they’ve had an account between May 24, 2007, and December 22, 2022. The money will be split (after lawyers’ fees are paid, of course) based on those numbers, so don’t expect a financial windfall that will allow you to move to Beverly Hills. The only people getting rich here are the lawyers. If you had a Facebook account during the dates above, you’re automatically part of the settlement, but you must submit a claim by August 25 of this year using this website. If you do nothing, you won’t get paid and you’ll give up the right to sue or be part of another lawsuit against Facebook related to these claims. However, if you’re feeling ambitious (and have deep pockets to pay the legal fees), you can choose to opt out of this lawsuit and attempt to sue Facebook separately, under your own initiative.  We should all be happy that big tech companies accessing, selling, and sharing our data without our knowledge or consent are being held accountable; but it’s not enough to depend on lawyers or our government to protect our identity and personal information. Companies like Meta make far too much money from our data to turn away from selling it and using it. For example, Meta made over $116 billion last year from a FREE app. That money is coming from selling access and data. This lawsuit, while sizeable, only represents just 0.62% of the company’s total revenue – a rounding error. The entire dark web and the rise of hacking demonstrate how much money there is to be made from gaining access to personally identifiable information, so you need to be careful you don’t end up a victim of your data being stolen, shared, and sold.  One of the ways to prevent your information from being shared is by going into the privacy settings on Facebook and finding “Your Facebook information.” From there, click “Off-Facebook activity” and “Recent activity” to clear your history. You can also click “Manage future activity” and choose “Disconnect future activity” to disable this feature. Of course, if you like the ads you get from Facebook this will (should?) make all of that go away.  Another suggestion is to check the privacy settings on your phone to ensure apps installed aren’t getting free access to your camera and microphone unless specifically given permission by you to perform those functions. Many apps will install with that access feature turned on and require you to opt-out.  Of course, as a business owner, YOU have to also think about how you are storing and using your client’s data. As this lawsuit proves, the government is taking data privacy and protection seriously, which is why you’re seeing more regulatory compliance for data security and privacy hitting all industry sectors. If you want to make sure you’re not accidentally exposing your clients’ data and violating data protection laws, schedule a quick call with us to discuss your concerns and see if there are ways we can help you avoid exposing your clients’ and employees’ data by accident. 

They say, “You get what you tolerate” and now more than ever, we’ve been conditioned to tolerate worse service at higher prices. Companies get a ‘free pass’ simply by saying phrases like “the labor shortage,” “because COVID,” or “inflation.” But it doesn’t have to be that way. While you may be able to still do business even with some less-than-stellar vendors in some areas if all your computers were to suddenly stop working, your network go down, your files gone, chances are you’d be dead in the water. Your business depends on technology, and you need to make sure everything is up and running RIGHT and you’re protected ALL the time. Here’s a list of ten common problems, complaints, and just downright failures in service we hear of all the time…and I’ll show you how to eliminate them in your business. When you call your IT company, your message goes to voice mail and you’re stuck waiting hours (or even days) for a call back so your problem gets resolved. You often must reach out multiple times to get a problem resolved and you need to check back to see what the status is and get a timeframe. Your IT company doesn’t proactively monitor, patch and update your computer network’s critical security settings daily (or at least weekly) leaving your entire business vulnerable to attacks. Your IT company doesn’t offer proof that they are backing up ALL your data, laptops, and devices. Your IT company doesn’t meet with you regularly (at least once a quarter) to report what they’ve been doing, review projects and offer new ways to improve your network’s performance instead of waiting until you have a problem to make recommendations. Your IT company doesn’t provide detailed invoices that clearly explain what you are paying for. Your IT company doesn’t explain what they are doing and answer your questions in terms that you can understand, NOT in “geek speak” and they don’t routinely ask if there’s anything else they can help with, no matter how small. Your IT company doesn’t proactively discuss cybersecurity with you or make recommendations for protecting your network from ransomware and offer employee training videos, so they don’t fall victim to a scam. Your IT company hasn’t provided you complete network documentation, and they hold the “keys to the kingdom” refusing to give you admin passwords so you’re totally helpless if something goes wrong and you can’t get a hold of them. Techs arrive late and dressed like they just got out of bed, and you cringe every time you need to make that call because they’ll make you feel dumb or like they are ‘doing you a favor’ even though you’re paying them! If you’re tolerating any of these common problems, know that you don’t have to! You could be paying for substandard support and worse, not be keeping your company protected. This could jeopardize your data and your network’s security and cost you thousands in lost productivity because you and your employees are spending time dealing with problems that shouldn’t exist. If that’s the case, then it’s time you see what else is out there and make sure you’re getting what you pay for. To schedule a free 10-minute discovery call to see how we can get rid of your tech issues, go to https://calendar.app.google/jSA1tteBxFJKnJkX6 or call us at 774-241-8600.

You’ve heard the phrase “Get with the program!” It’s often used as a direct order to someone to fall in line with the way things are supposed to be done at your company. The problem is, most business owners don’t have “a program” for employees to get with, and therefore they get wild and erratic results, as well as a lot less performance, output, and productivity, from each person they employ. Then everyone’s frustrated – you, because nobody is doing what you need them to do, and them, because they weren’t given clear instructions and guides on the work and results they are supposed to be doing. Given the current economic environment, with inflation still high, salary demands on the rise, and a potential hard recession looming, no business can afford to employ people who aren’t “with the program” anymore. To be clear, I’m not talking about a sweatshop, boiler-room “manual” of step-by-step instructions on every little thing you do in your office (although that may be necessary for some positions and tasks). I’m talking about a well-thought-out and clearly communicated set of RESULTS and EXPECTATIONS for each person in your company, so they can be extremely clear about what results they are supposed to be delivering for you. We call it a job scorecard. For example, is the purpose of your receptionist to “answer the phone” or is it to be the “director of first impressions,” ensuring that every client, prospect, or person calling your office is delighted by how they are treated and helped? To ensure every prospect is promptly connected with a salesperson and not left to wander in your phone tree or leave a voice mail for some unknown stranger, hoping for a callback? Most simply tell their assistant, “Answer the phone.” But even a rude, stupid, and willfully spiteful person can do that. Are you sure that’s what you want? Left to their own devices, some employees might do just that. How often have you called a company to talk to someone in “customer service” and they made you angrier and more upset than before you called in? My point exactly. So, step one is make sure every employee has a scorecard that clearly defines the following: Mission of the Position: What’s the purpose of that position? To increase sales? Delight customers? Prevent cancellations and churn? Develop clients and nurture repeat business? Start here when thinking of positions in your company. Key Results: Once you know the mission of the position, the next section you need to articulate is what key results that person is supposed to achieve in a way that’s measurable. For sales and marketing professionals, that’s easy. Secure $100,000 in new sales every month. Generate 10 qualified appointees/leads a week. In customer service, that might be a client “saves” or upgrades. On a service desk, like ours, it may be the speed of tickets cleared and customer satisfaction ratings. For leaders, it may be hitting certain revenue and profitability targets. To the best of your ability, give everyone at least one, but no more than three, key results they need to achieve. This takes the drama out of performance because if it’s measured, it’s not based on an opinion or anecdotal evidence. Specific Responsibilities: Next, make sure every employee has a list of specific actions, tasks, and responsibilities they must fulfill every day, week, month, quarter, and year. That way you avoid dropped balls and overlooked tasks because “no one told me I was supposed to do that.” Of course, if you’re clear on the outcomes a person needs to accomplish, the tasks nearly write themselves – after all, if the goal is to lower churn or increase sales, and employees are compensated that way, it’s infinitely easier to “motivate” them to do what’s necessary. Once you have these roles and scorecards, it’s helpful to share them with the entire team so everyone in the company understands what each person’s roles and responsibilities are. One way of sharing is in Microsoft Teams, where you can create Wikis, To-Do lists, file sharing, checklists, and chat to collaborate on projects that cross multiple departments and employees.  If you want help exploring how to use any of these tools in your company, click here to schedule a quick discovery call to see what’s possible. 

Southwest Airlines’ recent fiasco that caused them to cancel over 16,700 flights, leaving people stranded across America, was the epitome of what’s happening with so many businesses right now across the US. A total and complete meltdown in service due to cheapness. During their busiest season, Southwest had to apologize for miscommunications that led to thousands of their customers being left stranded at airports. In Nashville, the airport police were telling checked-in travelers whose Southwest flights had been canceled that they would be arrested and physically removed for trespassing if they didn’t voluntarily leave the secure area because their boarding passes were no longer valid. Southwest employees were getting into verbal fights with obviously frustrated passengers, and very little communication was offered to passengers.  This little nightmare is estimated to have cost Southwest in the neighborhood of $725 million to $825 million, not to mention the loyalty of its customers and the damage to its reputation. Now, how’s the cost of that IT upgrading looking, Mr. CEO? Of course, nobody likes to invest money into IT upgrades and other “infrastructure” improvements. Money spent on a new website will drive new opportunities into your organization and (hopefully) give you an advantage over your competition. An easy investment. Money spent on office remodeling can be enjoyed every day, making employees happier and impressing clients who visit the office – another “easy” investment that delivers visible, tangible ROI instantly. But NOBODY likes to spend thousands of dollars on basic IT upgrades – UNTIL the meltdown brings your organization to a grinding halt at the worst possible time.  So, what should you spend on IT? According to a study done by TechTarget, companies generating less than $50 million in revenue spend an average of 6.9% of their total revenue on IT costs. But with regulatory compliance laws and cyber-attacks on the uptick, those budgets need to be increased in order to simply avoid a massive loss. Another survey, conducted by Capterra, showed that 75% of SMBs said they would be spending 10% to 20% MORE in 2023 on software and IT than in the previous year. A HUGE increase.  What are they spending it on? Cyber security being driven by compliance regulations and risk management is, without a doubt, one of the big areas of increase in spending. Another is workforce enablement to give employees more flexible (but secure) ways to work from home, on the road, or in the office. And finally, many companies are investing in any kind of technology that will reduce their need for and dependency on growing their workforce. Overhead walks on two legs – so, if a business can increase productivity without adding people, that’s always a win. Being “too cheap” in anything as a means to improve profits is a terrible long-term strategy. In fact, it’s a misnomer to even call it a “strategy.” It’s simply a short-term fix that should only be used in the most dire of times. Cutting IT spending to the quick gives a false sense of savings, as Southwest Airlines discovered. It’s not a problem until it IS. Then you have a giant, expensive mess to clean up that could cost you far more in losses than in money saved short term.  Book a 10-minute discovery call to see what you should expect to pay for IT in your area.