The Financial Literacy Imperative of 2020
By Victoria Miron VranićNovember is Financial Literacy Month in Canada. Current circumstances have contributed to a heightened insecurity about business and personal finance. So, we thought it was appropriate to talk about what financial literacy means during unstable times and consider the elements needed for financial wellness. In the June 2020 article in Benefits Canada, Kelsey Rolfe reported that employees were […]
Membership has SME Benefits
By Victoria Miron VranićThe road is still rocky, but we’re getting back to business. Shopping local right now could be the difference between businesses staying afloat or going under. As we carefully begin the climb back up the profit-margin ladder, it’s good to know that we have the support of our communities and local, provincial and federal governments that […]
Embrace Uncertainty
By Victoria Miron VranićHow entrepreneurial thinking might outwit coronavirus Are entrepreneurs better equipped to manage the uncertainty of COVID-19? Is being able to navigate the unknown a factor in resiliency, or simply a necessary evil of business independence? It’s impossible to know the answer to these questions right now, but historically, philosophers believed that embracing uncertainty had its own […]
Company Culture = Future Resilience
By Victoria Miron Vranić“Culture matters because it has a direct effect on people factors such as employee engagement and motivation; and productivity factors such as product and customer service quality. Basically, organizational culture has a direct impact on the long-term viability of the organization.” That’s according to Allan M. Stewart, President of Human Synergistics Canada. But in the last five months, few small […]
Stress-Less Tips for Returning Employees to the Workplace
By Victoria Miron VranićIt’s finally happening. The moment small business owners across Ontario have been waiting for: Stage 3. While all of us aren’t there yet, we’ve been preparing for the transition to reopening since we first went into isolation. Things will be different when we return to our daily routines. Not everyone will be coming back into […]
Flexibility has its Benefits
By Victoria Miron VranićManagement didn’t want it. The job function wasn’t a match. Technology needed to support it, unavailable. And productivity would suffer, without a doubt. Put a big red X through flexible working arrangements and file it in the round bin. Yet less than two years after the Conference Board of Canada survey found the previously mentioned […]
Is Your Data Remotely Safe?
By Victoria Miron VranićSimple tips to keeping your small business data digitally secure in remote environments Working from home started out as a short-term fix to comply with the Ontario government’s physical distancing laws. Unsure of how long the new rules would be in place, many employees packed up their personal belongings, their laptop computers if they had […]
Benefit Plans – Lifelines for Employees and Employers
By Victoria Miron VranićRight now, we need to pull together and support one another, yet we find ourselves working remotely or facing decisions as to whom to keep on staff and whom to lay off. At a time like this, the way you respond as a leader will set the tone for how your company will weather the […]
There is Help and Hope for Small Business
By Victoria Miron VranićThe outlook for small business seems bleak right now. The implementation of self-isolation and social distancing to limit the spread of COVID-19 started affecting businesses with fewer customers in our stores or clients in our chairs. With the resolution last week to close all businesses except for essential services, the tough situation got exponentially worse. […]
Boosting Morale – Finding Benefits That Matter to Keep Staff Productive
By Victoria Miron VranićThe workplace is undergoing major changes right now. Staff, especially in smaller businesses, may be feeling insecure. When toilet paper becomes the hottest commodity in the marketplace, you know something’s just not right. Staying a metre away from colleagues and customers, working from home, self-isolation, and staycations pretty much sums up life in Ontario now, […]
