Small businesses sound the alarm on inflation, energy, supply chain delays

High inflation, rising interest rates, rampant regulations and ongoing supply chain problems are forcing small companies to make sacrifices just to survive, several small business owners in West Virginia told House lawmakers on Monday.

Members of the House Ways and Means Committee traveled to Petersburg, West Virginia, on Monday to hear directly from small business owners there about the difficult reality they face thanks to rising costs and the ever-present threat of more federal regulations. READ MORE

As pressure mounts on managers, 3 ways to improve their effectiveness

Over the last three years, managers have taken on incredible loads: from the emotional strains of the pandemic to the challenges of social unrest to the fear and difficulties of returning to the office. And now, here they are, watching their colleagues and employees get laid off, knowing they will have to pick up the pieces of what is left behind.

Is it any wonder that managers are less engaged and effective READ MORE

Americans delay retirement, looking to gig work to make ends meet

Rising prices are taking a bite out of Americans' budgets and market volatility is hammering their portfolios, leading many to reassess their plans for retirement.

A majority now plan to remain in the workforce longer than they originally planned or have abandoned the idea of leaving it altogether. But with the added threat of further layoffs, older Americans are increasingly looking to gig work to make ends meet, according to new data from AARP. READ MORE

How to prepare for the contingent workforce rise of 2023

Companies have long used contingent workers to help address workforce challenges—and the demand is now greater than ever.

Today, with the rise of remote and hybrid work, organizations can more easily expand their searches for talent in different markets, countries and populations—and this has also enabled companies to engage temporary and other types of contingent workers, a critical source of talent to help organizations confront the Great Resignation and quiet quitting. Staffing companies in the U.S. engaged 2.7 million temporary and contract workers per week on average in the first quarter of 2022. READ MORE

Why Success Doesn’t Lead to Satisfaction

As 2022 came to a close, I was enjoying a year-end reflection session with an executive client, whom we’ll call Logan. As we looked back over his accomplishments for the year, he said something that utterly astonished me: “You know, I was almost happy.” Probing into what he could have possibly meant, he reflected that despite having met or exceeded nearly all his goals, he was obsessed with the one goal he fell short on (which, frankly, was inconsequential to his year’s runaway success). I thought we’d met to revel in the many fruits of his hard work. Instead, his ability to feel well-earned joy was hijacked by only partially achieving one of his goals. READ MORE

Potential Google killer could change US workforce as we know it

For years, we’ve heard of the potential challenges artificial intelligence posed for multiple industries. Now, as Microsoft’s partnership with OpenAI blossoms, experts are signaling a potential new threat to white-collar workers and the tech industry.

Hudson Institute senior fellow Arthur Herman warned FOX Business that OpenAI’s program, ChatGPT could push the country into a "different kind of credential society." READ MORE

Why are so many tech companies laying people off right now?

There’s an eerie similarity to the statements tech companies have made about their recent layoffs. Mainly, if the press releases are to be believed, the C-suite of every Big Tech company on Earth — well, with the notable exception of Apple, which has not announced layoffs — figured no one would ever go outside or spend money offline again after the pandemic and their various online businesses would stay just as big as they were during the heights of covid. READ MORE

Too many companies botch mass layoffs. Here’s how they should approach them

You commute to the office only to find your security badge no longer works.

You log on to your work computer and are denied access.

A pre-dawn email arrives that you miss — especially if it’s sent ahead of a major holiday.

A dispassionate Zoom call is held with hundreds of people.

You get an automated call.

Or — surprise! — you get a severance payment for the job you thought you still had. READ MORE

'Shark Tank' star Kevin O'Leary trashes blue states for punishing success: 'Heyday years' over

Mr. Wonderful has his finger on the pulse of small business innovation — and is claiming that states like New York, Massachusetts and California no longer do.

Millionaire entrepreneur and television personality Kevin O’Leary called out Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., by name Friday on "Varney & Co.," as well as other anti-business leaders, for punishing American success. READ MORE

'Slashers' Are on the Rise. Employers Are Taking Advantage

"Slashing," or engaging in several vocations simultaneously, is not a new phenomenon. Employees have long pursued side hustles and interests outside their 9-to-5 routine, making names for themselves as writers/musicians, bankers/freelance designers, and coders/photographers. But slash careers are on the rise. According to a recent survey from software company Zapier, 40 percent of Americans dabbled in a side hustle in 2022, compared to 34 percent in December 2020. That's a boon to employers. READ MORE

How Big Tech’s pandemic bubble burst

In January 2021, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella spoke in lofty terms about how the first year of the pandemic had sparked a staggering shift toward online services, benefiting his company in the process. “What we have witnessed over the past year is the dawn of a second wave of digital transformation sweeping every company and every industry,” he said. READ MORE

The Rewards of Hiring Freelancers Far Outweigh the Manageable Risks of Misclassification

Whether or not the global economy sinks into recession in 2023, employers are acting like it will. News of hiring freezes, double-digit layoffs in tech and mediaOpen in a new tab and daily recession mongering suggest two things are coming: the need to position companies to be agile amid the uncertainty; and the opportunity to engage some of the best talent available.  READ MORE