Monthly Archives: August 2011

Interactive Intelligence Sept. 24 Gala to Raise Funds for Indiana Youth

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Categories: Technology

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If you’re not familiar with Indiana Chamber member Interactive Intelligence, it’s a remarkably successful business communications software provider based in Indianapolis. But it’s also a company with a social conscience. Through its foundation, the company raises funds for local not-for-profit organizations including the Julian Center, Save the Children and FIRST, each selected annually by the company’s board, based on projects that promote technology education to targeted at-risk youth. One of the main sources of revenue for the foundation is the Annual Interactive Intelligence Foundation Auction Gala. The company relays:

On Saturday, September 24, the Interactive Intelligence Foundation will hold its 1st Annual Interactive Intelligence Foundation Auction Gala at the JW Marriott Indianapolis.The goal of the event is to bring together numerous Indianapolis corporations, Interactive Intelligence employees and volunteers who will join together to assist in fostering life improvement for at-risk youth.

With an estimated attendance of over 200 attendees, enjoy a fun evening of entertainment, a live and silent auction and much more! The Interactive Intelligence Foundation Auction Gala provides not only an opportunity to support a great cause, but is also a great marketing opportunity for local businesses and is a powerful way to advertise while helping those in need.

Items up for bid include: a Vegas vacation featuring a stay at a five-star hotel, tickets to Cirque du Soleil, limo transportation and a helicopter ride to the Grand Canyon; a Sugarland autographed guitar; a party at the Rathskeller for 25 people; four-course meal with complimentary red and white wine for up to 10 guests in the JW Marriott’s private dining room in Osteria Pronto; several golf packages; an elephant behind-the-scenes experience including a painting at the Indianapolis Zoo, and more.

Click here for more details and ticket pricing info.

Event highlights include a reception, three-course dinner, the auction, and live entertainment provided by Fingertrip.

House GOP: We Have a Plan

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Categories: Business News, Environment, Government

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House Republicans in Congress have a plan for their quickly-approaching fall/winter session. Will it be carried out? Based on recent experiences, one has to be skeptical. But a plan to tackle relief for small businesses and specific costly regulations is a good first step.

The Small Business & Entrepreneurship Council says the following was included in a memo from Majority Leader Eric Cantor of Virginia to caucus members:

The House GOP plans to repeal specific regulations, and advance broader regulatory reform bills such as the REINS Act and Regulatory Flexibility Improvements Act.  In addition, there will be forthcoming action on a bill to allow small business owners to take a tax deduction equal to 20% of their income. Hopefully, the House will move quickly on this pro-growth proposal.

The House GOP will move to repeal the 3% withholding mandate on government contractors. As SBE Council and its allies have argued, this withholding tax would especially burden small business contractors by worsening cash flow conditions and putting small firms at a competitive disadvantage in the government procurement marketplace. The mandate will also raise costs for taxpayers and state and local governments.      

The "top 10 job-destroying regulations" identified by the GOP leadership, and the time-table for congressional action follows:

NLRB’s Boeing Ruling (Action: Week of September 12): H.R. 2587, the Protecting Jobs From Government Interference Act, would take the common sense step of preventing the NLRB from restricting where an employer can create jobs in the United States.

Utility MACT and CSAPR (Action: Week of September 19): H.R. 2401, the Transparency in Regulatory Analysis of Impacts on the Nation (TRAIN) Act would require a cumulative economic analysis for specific EPA rules, and specifically delay the final date for both the utility MACT and CSAPR rules until the full impact of the Obama Administration’s regulatory agenda has been studied.

Boiler MACT (Action: Week of October 3):  H.R. 2250, the EPA Regulatory Relief Act would provide a legislative stay of four interrelated rules issued by the EPA in March of this year.  The legislation would also provide the EPA with at least 15 months to re-propose and finalize new, achievable rules that do not destroy jobs, and provide employers with an extended compliance period.

Cement MACT (Action: Week of October 3):  H.R. 2681, the Cement Sector Regulatory Relief Act would provide a legislative stay of these three rules and provide EPA with at least 15 months to re-propose and finalize new, achievable rules that do not destroy jobs, and provide employers with an extended compliance period.

Coal Ash (Action: October/November): H.R. 2273, the Coals Residuals Reuse and Management Act would create an enforceable minimum standard for the regulation of coal ash by the states, allowing their use in a safe manner that protects jobs.

Grandfathered Health Plans (Action: November/December): The Energy and Commerce, Ways and Means, and Education and Workforce committees will soon be working on legislation to repeal these ObamaCare restrictions. Small business owners and their employees will not be able to "keep the health care plans they currently have" as promised by President Obama and supporters of the health care law.

Ozone Rule (Action: Winter): This effective ban or restriction on construction and industrial growth for much of America is possibly the most harmful of all the currently anticipated Obama Administration regulations. Consequences would reach far across the U.S. economy, resulting in an estimated cost of $1 trillion or more over a decade and millions of jobs. 

Farm Dust (Action: Winter): The EPA is expected to issue revised standards for particulate matter (PM) in the near future. The House will act on H.R. 1633, the Farm Dust Regulation Prevention Act. H.R. 1633 would protect American farmers and jobs by establishing a one year prohibition against revising any national ambient air quality standard applicable to coarse PM and limiting federal regulation of dust where it is already regulated under state and local laws.

Greenhouse Gas (Action: Winter): The EPA’s upcoming greenhouse gas new source performance standards (NSPS) will affect new and existing oil, natural gas, and coal-fired power plants, as well as oil refineries, nationwide. 

NLRB’s Ambush Elections (Action: Winter): This summer, the NLRB issued a notice of proposed rulemaking that could significantly alter current union representation election procedures, giving both employers and employees little time to react to union formations in the future. The result will increase labor costs and uncertainty for nearly all private employers in the U.S. The House will soon consider legislation that will bring common sense to union organizing procedures to protect the interests of both employers and their workers.

Does NFL Put Your Staffers on ‘Fantasy Island?’

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I’m what you’d call a fantasy football enthusiast. I never allow myself to join more than two leagues, however (normally one with money, and one just for pride), lest I lose focus. And I’m not one to be bragadocious, but I’ve won my paid league three out of the last four years — but whatever. Surprisingly, women never seem to be as impressed by that on first dates as one might think. But they soon change their tunes when that $100 first place check rolls in at the end of the season and I treat them to a romantic evening at Applebee’s. "Go ahead, get some dessert; you’re rolling with a champion tonight."

Challenger, Gray & Christmas sent a release that I’ll post in its entirety below conveying that while 21 million American workers indulge in the seductive temptress that is fantasy football, employers may not need to view it as a danger to productivity.

With less than two weeks to go before the opening kick-off in the National Football League season, fantasy football participants across the country are undoubtedly spending more time than usual fine-tuning their draft selections and rosters due to a lock-out shortened pre-season.  Unfortunately for the nation’s employers, some of the extra time spent on player research may come during business hours.

However, even with an estimated 21.3 million full-time workers participating in fantasy sports each year, with some spending as much as nine hours per week managing their teams, the impact on overall workplace productivity is negligible, according to the workplace experts at global outplacement consultancy Challenger, Gray & Christmas, Inc.

“In an information-based economy, productivity is very difficult to measure.  And the same widespread access to the internet from our desks, phones and laptops that allows people to manage their fantasy teams from any place at any time, also allows work to be completed outside of traditional 9-to-5 work hours,” said John A. Challenger, chief executive officer of Challenger, Gray & Christmas.

According to statistics from the Fantasy Sports Trade Association, the number of people participating in fantasy sports in the United States and Canada has grown 60 percent over the past four years to 32 million.  The Association’s research indicates that 19 percent of full-time workers in the U.S. have played fantasy sports in the past year. That comes to about 21,253,000 workers.

Football is, of course, the most popular fantasy sport, played by roughly 80 percent of all fantasy sports participants.  According to market research, players spend up to nine hours a week planning and plotting their strategies for weekly matchups in 70 million free and paid leagues (the average player belongs to 2.5 leagues).

“It is impossible to determine how much of that weekly prep time is spent during work hours.  It is even more difficult to determine how time spent managing teams during work hours actually impacts productivity or the company’s bottom line,” said Challenger.

“If you look at a company’s third and fourth quarter earnings statements, it is unlikely that you will find a fantasy football effect.  The impact is more likely to be seen by department managers and team leaders, who have a better sense of their workers’ day-to-day work flow.  Even at level, though, it might not be worth cracking down on fantasy football, unless the quantity or quality of an individual’s work drops off significantly,” he added.

A survey conducted during the 2010 football season by Challenger found that fantasy football had little to no impact on productivity.  Ranking the level of distraction on a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being no noticeable impact, nearly 70 percent said four or lower.  Less than eight percent of respondents said the level of distraction rated a 7 or 8 and none of the respondents felt the phenomenon deserved a 9 or 10.

“An across-the-board ban on all fantasy football or sports websites could backfire in the form of reduced morale and loyalty.  The result could be far worse than the loss of productivity caused by 10 to 20 minutes of team management each day.

“Companies that not only allow workers to indulge in fantasy football, but actually encourage it by organizing company leagues are likely to see significant benefits in morale as well as productivity,” Challenger said. “In the long run, this may lead to increased employee retention.”

In a 2006 Ipsos survey, 40 percent of respondents said fantasy sports participation was a positive influence in the workplace.  Another 40 percent said it increases camaraderie among employees.  One in five said their involvement in fantasy sports enabled them to make a valuable business contact.

Furthermore, a more recent study by researchers at the National University of Singapore found that occasional non-work-related web browsing at the office can refresh tired workers and enhance overall productivity.

Despite evidence of fantasy football’s positive impact on the workplace, less than eight percent those surveyed by Challenger last season said their companies “embrace” fantasy football participation as a morale-boosting activity and none of the employers reported officially organized leagues.

And yes, for the first time, the Chamber is having an internal league for staff. Of course, it’s just for pride (and assuming pride is a zero sum game, I plan to acquire all of it by the end of the season).

Employees More Ethical on the Homefront

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Telecommuters are more ethical than those toiling in the office every day — or maybe being at home or another remote location simply offers fewer opportunities to get oneself into trouble.

Those are the less than clear conclusions from a recent study.

In a survey of 200 firms by the Ethisphere Institute and Jones Lang LaSalle, only 11 percent said work-from-home employees had committed ethics violations in the past two years.

But 36 percent reported "visible ethics violations" by employees who don’t work from home regularly, and 43 percent reported non-visible violations for this group, such as expense account fraud or bribery, MarketWatch reports.

Those of us who usually work from home would like to think this is because of our high ethical standards.

But it turns out we are nothing special. We’re just isolated.

"You can see why someone working from home wouldn’t get embroiled in some of the things that lead to trouble," Mark Ohringer, executive vice president and global general counsel for Jones Lang LaSalle, was quoted as saying.

When a worker isn’t in the office, the opportunity to tell inappropriate jokes or harass people diminishes (much to our annoyance).

Other misconduct includes theft, expense-report abuse and misusing social media, other experts say. In fact, the employee’s eagerness to maintain his or her work-from-home privilege may make that person extra careful to comply with a company’s ethics policy, MarketWatch says.

Telecommuting is becoming increasingly popular, and some employees may also behave well because they’re afraid of losing their work-from-home privileges, MarketWatch states.

NLRB on the Warpath Again?

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Categories: Government, Human Resources

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Despite the attention placed on Congress and its apparent inability to work together or with the White House, more than a few people in the business world lose more sleep because of the work of agencies in our nation’s capital.

Two expected examples on the union organizing front (where Congress has at least stepped up to stop the so-called "card check" legislation):

  • The National Labor Relations Board is looking to shorten union elections from approximately 40 days to as few as 10. The result would be employers having less time to make their case to employees against unionizing (in other words, counteract the pro-union efforts that have been going on prior to the scheduling of the election).
  • The Labor Department is expected to require enhanced reporting of consulting arrangements by companies that use outside guidance to oppose union organizing efforts.

Manufacturing Study: Time to Act or Else?

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In Indiana, we make things. Engage in a discussion about that topic today, and it’s typically referred to as advanced manufacturing. No matter the name, it’s important.

On a national level, the State Science & Technology Institute summarizes a recent study by Booz & Co. and the University of Michigan’s Tauber Institute for Global Operations.

The authors point out three significant findings that emerged from the study. First, contrary to popular belief, U.S. manufacturing has been much more productive. Currently, U.S. companies produce about 75 percent of the products consumed by the nation. Second, manufacturing will remain largely regional. According to the authors, no single country will become "the factory of the world." Instead, manufacturers will increasingly locate factories close to major markets, including the U.S., Europe and Southeast Asia. Third, labor costs and currency rates are playing a decreasing role in decisions by manufacturing executives. Instead, four other factors are driving manufacturers’ choices:

  • The skill level and quality of factory employees, especially for high-tech facilities;

  • The presence of high-impact clusters;

  • Access to nearby countries with emerging consumer markets and lower-cost labor; and,

  • A reasonably competitive regulatory and tax environment.

The authors contend that if U.S. business leaders, educators and policymakers make "a series of identifiable smart actions and choices" that a manufacturing-driven economy could produce up to 95 percent of all products consumed by the nation. According to the report, the series of actions and choices includes recommendations in four policy areas:

  • Attract the best workers — currently, the U.S. faces a shortage of qualified manufacturing employees. To address this problem, policy makers must develop educational initiatives that promote engineering, relax federal immigration regulations for trained knowledge workers (e.g., H-1B visas) and establish state manufacturing education initiatives (e.g., scholarships and other programs). Manufacturing companies must also offer a more collaborative workplace experience, attract workers by attending campus recruitment events and industry job fairs, increase college internships, form partnerships with local colleges and universities and partner with other manufacturers to jointly support specialized training programs.

  • Invest in high-impact clusters — In the context of manufacturing, clusters are essential to grow geographic concentrations of interconnected companies, suppliers, service providers and associated institutions. State and local governments can encourage clusters by investing in infrastructure—roads, ports, rail lines and communication links—for centers that have begun to form organically. However, studies have shown that governments should not seek to micromanage cluster creation.

  • Build a future with Mexico — Mexico offers a cost-conscious and attractive alternative to China and other distant offshoring sites. By developing production facilities there, manufacturers can tap a relatively low-cost labor pool and maintain tight links with R&D talent and facilities in the United States.

  • Simplify and streamline the tax and regulatory structure — Policymakers should reduce taxation levels and tax code complexity. In the Booz & Company survey, 61 percent of respondents cited government regulations and policies as having a negative impact on their companies’ U.S. manufacturing output.

Twitter Me This: Positive or Negative Rules?

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Of those many tweets floating around regarding business products or customer service, do more fall in the positive or negative column? According to recent research, it depends on who you ask. The customers say they are offering more praise, while the companies are measuring more criticism.

Many companies are under the impression that opinion about brands on Twitter is mostly negative, but a new survey conducted by Econsultancy and supported by Toluna shows evidence to the contrary. The firm’s Twitter for Business Guide, published this week, includes findings from consumer research — which indicates that a higher proportion of consumers have conveyed positive, rather than negative feedback on the social platform. The survey found that 26% of consumers say they have complained about a brand on Twitter compared to over half (58%) who have praised a brand on the site.

The findings contrast with research from Brandwatch’s Customer Service Index, which indicates that the majority of tweets about brands are negative. Brandwatch surveyed brands that are using Twitter for customer service, and used reputation-monitoring software to look at how customers were expressing their views and how brands responded. The contrast in results is explained by a difference in the approach to the research and user perception about how they tweet. While the Brandwatch study analyzed the volume of existing tweets using reputation monitoring software, Econsultancy’s research looks at how consumers observe their experiences of giving feedback.

For now, tweets are king in the social media world. As for tomorrow (or a little further down the road), who knows? 

How the Colts Came to Indy

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I was a kid when the Colts moved from Baltimore to Indianapolis, but do have vivid recollections of watching the events unfold on TV. Just over two decades later, I was a lucky spectator at the RCA Dome witnessing the team beat the New England Patriots en route to the 2007 Super Bowl win. In short, I pretty much can’t remember what my sport’s life was like without the team.

For the Chamber’s September/October issue of BizVoice ® magazine (available here on Friday), we explore the deal that made it all happen. Below are some bonus quotes not found in that story.

Bill Hudnut, then mayor of Indianapolis and current Maryland resident:

“I was elated! I remember signing the papers on that Wednesday afternoon and then Thursday morning I did not announce it because I did not want to scare off (Colts owner Robert) Irsay or antagonize him by doing a premature announcement. His people had to do it first and they did middle of the day on Thursday. So I said how terrific it was and I had a news conference that afternoon.”

David Frick, then deputy mayor and attorney for the city of Indianapolis, on his role and the local movers and shakers involved:

“There was a small group the mayor convened called the 706 club; that was the room number at the Columbia Club where we used to meet. The mayor had brought together Herb Simon, Jim Morris, P.E. MacAllister, who was chairman of the Capital Improvement Board, and Tom Moses, who headed up the water company. Of all people in our community he (Moses) probably had the most connections with NFL owners; he used to work for the Murchison family that owned the Dallas Cowboys for a number of years.

“I would sit down with that group and we would talk about where we were in the negotiation, what changes we would want to make to our offer and get their input on steps to take. I’m fortunate in getting credit for bringing the Colts to Indianapolis, but there were other people heavily involved in the process who helped guide that negotiation.

“I really made my living both as a lawyer, and then I’ve spent the bulk of my career outside of being a lawyer, doing deals. And each deal has its unique characteristic. … But this is clearly the one that has had the most impact on the biggest number of people. It wasn’t the toughest, but to get the Colts deal done in a compressed timeframe (six weeks) and to have such a significant impact was very personally satisfying to me.”

Technology: Love It or Leave It? Nah, Just Use It in Moderation

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Let me start by saying this: Technology isn’t all bad. It’s just best in small doses. Check out my ode to the merits – and downfalls – of technology.

Love it: I remember writing essays while attending high school and groaning in frustration when I made a mistake and didn’t have any correction ribbon left. Today, I vanquish typos with a quick keystroke.

Leave it: Oh, Mr. Spell Check. You trick people into thinking that an e-mail free of spelling errors prevents them from sending a message full of grammatical errors. Shame on you.

Love it: Sending a text message to a colleague, friend or loved one is extremely efficient.

Leave it: Dining with someone who is glued to their cell phone – barely nodding and mumbling “uh-huhs” as you attempt to converse with them – makes me want to take their phone and throw it across the room

Love it: I can’t express how much I loved playing “Super Mario Brothers” (all of them!) when I was in middle school. In case you’re wondering, I did not watch the related cheesy television show.

Leave it: Children who overindulge in video games can experience significant learning and developmental challenges. Moderation is key.

Love it: It’s so nice to shop online during the holidays and not risk my life battling the crowds for presents. During the Cabbage Patch Kids craze of 1983, my mom happily clutched one of the coveted dolls in her arms until a tall man reached down and ripped it out of her hands. There’s the spirit of Christmas.

Leave it: With convenience comes the fear of breached passwords and identify theft.

Love it: Online educational games provide a fun outlet for adults and kids alike.

Leave it: Where would I be without my memories of playing board games such as Uncle Wiggily and Scrabble? You can find many of these games online, but it’s just not the same as sitting around the table with family members on a Saturday night.

So, the moral of the story is moderation, moderation, moderation. It’s the philosophy I apply to most things in life, such as when I journey to Olive Garden and indulge in my favorite dessert. I would happily order two, but the thought of being carried out on a stretcher due to overeating deters me. It would just be too much of a good thing. Makes sense, doesn’t it?
 

Technology Proves Too Distracting for Many

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Avoiding distractions at work has almost become a job unto itself. An online survey (wouldn’t this contribute to the lack of focus on the task at hand) of IT users at U.S. and global companies revealed the following:

  • The majority (57%) of work interruptions now involve either using collaboration and social tools like e-mail, social networks, text messaging and IM, or switching windows among disparate standalone tools and applications. In fact, 45% of employees work only 15 minutes or less without getting interrupted, and 53% waste at least one hour a day due to all types of distractions.That hour per day translates into $10,375 of wasted productivity per person per year, assuming an average salary of $30/hour.
  • That is more than the average U.S. driver will spend this year to own and maintain a car, according to the Automobile Association of America (AAA). That means that for businesses with 1,000 employees, the cost of employee interruptions exceeds $10 million per year.   The actual cost of distraction is even higher in terms of negative impacts on work output, work quality, and relationships with clients and co-workers.
  • The increasingly common addiction to web-based activity – which psychologists call ‘online compulsive disorder’ – is pervasive in the workplace.  For example, two out of three people will tune out of face-to-face meetings to communicate digitally with someone else.  The addiction is also taking over people’s personal lives.  Case in point:  the majority of people under the age of 40 stay digitally connected in bed, and 44% of people under 30 stay connected during a night out at the movies.
  • Two-thirds of companies and technology users are pursuing tools and strategies to minimize digital distractions, reflecting an understanding of the need to restore productivity that is being sapped by misuse of digital applications.