This is what causes poor communication at work

This is what causes poor communication at workThis is what causes poor communication at workIts easier than ever to communicate with colleagues. And yet, that doesnt always make us more efficient.In fact, just the opposite happens.I experienced this recently while working on a project for my company, Morphic Therapeutic. Our facility is located on the AstraZeneca campus, and it has a pretty stunning auditorium inside. Weve been considering having a TedX conference there for a while.The conference is in June, and the fantastic and highly capable AstraZeneca team wanted to platzset up a website for it. We had a meeting to discuss putting up the website, and things immediately became more complicated than necessary.I told them, Just give me everything you want to put on the website in one shot. Ill take care of getting the site up.People were dumbfounded.It welches like I had just said something truly shocking. They told me, No, we cant do that. We dont have all the content together rig ht now. Well just give it to you as we put it together. And we need to be able to change it on the fly.And thats when it really hit me. Weve reached a new way of working. Projects are now handled in a piecemeal manner. People decide what theyre working on by the order of the emails in their inbox.Its gone beyond multi-tasking. Were spending our days in an entirely distracted state, leaping from one thing to the next without a true plan of action.Our standard of work is now completely ad hocIn my previous job, there was a Board member who was older than fruchtwein of us by decades. And he came right out and told us, Im never going to get all this new technology right.He was right. We actually kept a fax machine around for him to use until he retired. He had never touched email.Sometimes, I used to ask him at board dinners, Dont you think things were less efficient in your day?I mean, its hard for us to even imagine writing out a memo and then physically transporting it somewhere else . That sounds ludicrous now.But oddly enough, he felt work actually used to be more efficient than it is today. I know that seems like a bold thing to say- and Im not suggesting we go back to 1970s technology- but I do think he had a point.When the cost of communication is high, you take the time to make sure everything is right. When the physical memo is being taken somewhere and passed around, theres no time for revisions, edits, or iterations. What you send is what people see.Communication has become cheap. It costs nothing to send an email or a few Slack messages. Even when you send those messages, you can easily undo or edit the text. And because of that, people no longer feel their message has to include something momentous. It doesnt have to be thorough and thought out. They dont have to give someone all the necessary information at once.They can just send along each piece as they receive it from someone else.The chain of communication has become massively inefficientI used t o think if I walked into a company and saw buzzing activity, that meant it was an amazing, hardworking, and exciting company. Thats surely a sign of a company that is going places. Now, I see all that buzzing and ad hoc communication, and it strikes me as downright inefficient.Communication feels like work. You can spend your entire day answering emails and still feel exhausted in the evening. You feel like youve put in an entire day of work, when in reality youve just been reacting to messages other people sent you.And there are downsides to operating that way. You arent doing work that really moves anything forward. Larger projects take longer and longer as more time is spent sifting through and responding to communications from other people.You dont have to work that wayReaction is your default setting. But getting yourself out of that default mode takes structure and planning.Structuring projects requires more work, but its more efficientDoing something is not always better than doing nothing. The quality and efficiency of what youre doing matters.Taking the time upfront to structure a project, your weekly schedule, or your daily routine requires more effort than taking things as they come. But the reward is a greater sense of control and efficiency. The level of communication can even be a marker for how well things were thought through up-front.Structuring processes also cuts down on things most people tend to complain about, like meetings. When information is doled out piece by piece, many meetings are required to continually update people on the iterations.But if you carefully structure a project, youll find that you really dont need most meetings. People have everything they need to get the work done. They understand their part of the project as it relates to the whole.Regardless of the new means of communication at our hands, discipline, organization, and focus are still the most effective tools for getting things done. We dont have to go back to fax machines, but we should take advantage of silent mode more often if we want to do work that makes an impact.This post was originally published on Quora.com.

Affordable Care Act 2016 Requirements for Small Business

Affordable Care Act 2016 Requirements for Small BusinessAffordable Care Act 2016 Requirements for Small BusinessAffordable Care Act 2016 Requirements for Small Business NelsonAs a small business owner, youre no doubt aware of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA), President Obamas sweeping health care legislation, which became law in 2010.Many small businesses havent had to pay particularly close attention to the legislation, as they are generally exempt from Affordable Care Act mandates. But there are a few things you will want to keep in mind about how you will or wont be affected by the ACA in 2016, particularly if your business employs 51-99 people. Is your Company Exempt from ACA Requirements?If you have 50 or fewer employees, you are exempt from ACA requirements to either offer affordable health insurance coverage or pay a per-worker assessment, also known as pay or play. (These began on Jan. 1, 2015 for employers with 100 or mora full-time employees.) While yo u arent required to provide coverage under the law, you can, of course, choose to purchase coverage through the Small Business Health Options Program (SHOP) exchange in your state or buy coverage in the private market.However, if your company employs 51-99 workers, you should be aware that the ACAs transitional rules for small and mid-size businesses expire on Jan. 1, 2016. This means your business must provide employees with pay or play provisions, as mentioned above. These are also known as employer shared responsibility. Double-Check ACA CalculationsIts highly advisable that you confirm that your count of full-time employees aligns with that of the ACA. The ACA defines a full-time employee someone who works either- A minimum of 30 hours per week- 130 hours per month- Or a total of 1,560 hours in a yearMoreover, if you own or have a significant stake in multiple small businesses, be aware that roll-up provisions apply. Under the ACA, these businesses are grouped together when calc ulating the number of employees.Dont Overlook ACA Tax CreditsIf your business employs 25 or fewer full-time employees (particularly low- or moderate-income workers) and youve enrolled in an employer-sponsored health plan through your SHOP marketplace, you may qualify for certain types of subsidized coverage that went into effect in 2014, such as the Small Business Health Care Tax Credit. In order to qualify for this tax credit, employees must earn an average annual wages of $50,000 or less and pay at least 50 percent of their employees premiums. The tax credit ranges from 50% of premiums paid for eligible small employers, and from 25% to 35% of employer premiums paid for tax-exempt eligible small employers.The New Definition of Small GroupIf you have 51-99 employees, as of Jan. 1, 2016, your health insurer considers your company a small group rather than a mid-market group.This expanded definition of small group, which until now welches defined as 50 or fewer employees, may seem inn ocuous, but is very important. It will impact prices, risk ratings, provider networks, and the types of benefits that these companies are accustomed to offering, says Helena Ruffin, president and owner of The Ruffin Group Insurance Services.For ACA plans, small employer group healthcare premiums are based on your companys modified community rating, a rating based on the cost of care in a particular geographic area, which is meant to ensure that people within the same region arent priced differently.Before the ACA was implemented, group ratings could vary widely based upon demographics and medical underwriting, a process by which insurers assessed the groups projected health risk to determine price. Other allowed rating factors for ACA plans include age, tobacco use and family size.Ruffin notes that for ACA plans, age is calculated by employees birth dates (rather than expanded rate increments such as 35-39 years that were used in the past) and is adjusted annually. These changes may result in higher insurance costs for many small businesses.In fact, a 2014 report from theCenters for Medicare and Medicaid Servicesreports that65% of small businesses would likely pay more. On the flip side, if you have a young workforce and are based in a region with favorable community rates, the new pricing may actually work in your favor.Ruffin advises that you start looking into your options. If your plan renews in December, make sure your agent is knocking on your door right now. Ask your agent to prepare a benchmark report to compare prices with other carriers in their market, and begin your transition. Say Goodbye to Grandmother PlansRegardless of the number of employees you have, your insurance plans are likely to change come Jan. 1, 2016, due to the end of grandmothering, explains Chuck Kiskaden, president and CEO of Health Benefits Advisors. Grandmothering refers to a transitional policy for certain types of coverage in the small group market.When the ACA was first impl emented, companies of all sizes were told that if they liked their plans, they could keep them. But all grandmother plans end with Jan. 1, 2016 and later renewals, and companies will need to transition to an ACA-defined bronze, silver, gold or platinum plan, says Kiskaden.Kiskaden recommends that these companies look into their plan options, since they wont be able to continue on their old plans after Jan. 1, 2016, though groups that renews before January can keep their grandmothered status until they renew in 2016.Employers with 51-99 employees would primarily do this to keep from being forced into small group age rating of premiums and small group metal products, says Kiskaden. He adds that costs are likely to be higher in these new plans, but cant be higher than 3X the lowest-cost plan.Looking for more information? Check out this ACA plan overview to assist with choosinga plan thats right for your small business. Plans that are available in your area, of course, will vary.Will yo ur company be ready for the ACAs 2016 requirements? Its time to closely examine your plan options and start educating employees about any plan changes.

How to Write an Entry-Level Resume With a Template

How to Write an Entry-Level Resume With a TemplateHow to Write an Entry-Level Resume With a TemplateWhen you are applying for an entry-level location, you may or may not have the exact education or experience that corresponds to the job description and requirements. Nevertheless, if you feel that you are a good fit for the position and the company, you can tailor your resume to show how your educational achievements and your relevant experience would help you perform in the job for which you are applying. The following resume template lists the information that you should include on your resume when applying for an entry-level position. Resume Template - Entry Level Contact InformationThe first section of your resume should include information on how the employer can contact you FirstName LastNameStreet AddressCity, StateZip CodePhoneEmail AddressLinkedIn Address Even as an entry-level professional, its important to capitalize upon the networking opportunities that social media s ites like LinkedIn provide. Make sure that your LinkedIn profile is robust and articulate, then start building your network with former instructors, peers, and people youve met through work or at job fairs. Skills Summary In an opening skills summary, include specific mention of the skills related to the position/career field that you are applying for- for example,computer skills, language skills, and interpersonal skills like listening skills, teamwork, motivation, communications, and conflict resolution. These keywords should be mentioned both in the initial summary of the resume and throughout the Experience section. Education In theeducation section of your resume, list the schools and colleges you have attended, the diplomas or degrees you attained, and any special awards and honors you earned along with relevant extracurricular activities. If your college GPA was 3.5 or higher, you can mention this after the title of your diploma College, City, State, Type of Degree / Diploma (3.5 GPA)Awards, Honors, Extracurricular ActivitiesSchool, City, State, Type of Degree / CertificationAwards, Honors, Extracurricular Activities Experience This section of your entry-level resume includes yourwork history in reverse chronological order. List the companies you worked for, their location (city and state), dates of employment, the positions you held, and abulleted listof responsibilities and achievements. If you have completed internships, its fine to include themin the experience sectionof your resume. You can also list summer jobs along with relevant volunteer or extracurricular experience that might indicate how you are uniquely qualified for the job. Company 1City, StateDates Worked Job Title Responsibilities/AchievementsResponsibilities/Achievements Company 2City, StateDates Worked Job Title Responsibilities/AchievementsResponsibilities/Achievements Customize Your Resume In all cases, be sure to personalize and customize your resumeso that it reflects your ski lls and abilities and connects them with the jobs you are applying for. Repeat the keywords that you have identified in the job announcement youre interested in and also in other similar job announcements. For example, if you are applying for a job as a restaurant team member at a restaurant that has posted that it is looking for someone who loves to help and serve others (both customers and team members), you might add a description of your volunteer work serving the homeless at a local soup kitchen under the Experience section of your resume. Try to make this description as responsive as possible to the qualifications a specific employer is seeking. Say, for instance, that another keyword phrase in this job posting mentions that the employer wants someone with a friendly, enthusiastic attitude. On your resume, note that your supervisor at the soup kitchen encouraged you to learn to smile at every person whom you served. These are not boasts- they are merely facts that you are addi ng to your resume to help the company understand your skills, even if you werent paid. By emphasizing both the hard and the soft skills youve gained during your education, summer jobs, and volunteer work in your resume, youll build a persuasive case for why youre the ideal candidate for your first entry-level position.