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In this March 2021 issue:

• Massive Open Online Courses
• The Desk Edit
• Managing Up
• The HR Formula
• Employer Webinar

MOOCs: Free, Ivy-League Education

The quote “once you stop learning, you start dying” is attributed to the great inventor Albert Einstein. The sentiment is a good reminder for those who put their educational pursuits on hold last year when the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic swept across the world. You may have been thinking about increasing your knowledge in any number of areas: human resources, project management or accounting. It is time to pick up where you left off and decide how to appropriate your 2021 training budget for quality education. One option to consider is a Massive Open Online Course, referred to in shorthand as a MOOC. A MOOC is a cost-effective resource that offers online, university-grade education. You would be surprised what is available at your fingertips!

The Desk Edit

The “Home Edit” craze took over Instagram newsfeeds in recent months. Followers of this organizational powerhouse posted pictures of perfectly organized drawers and color-coded closets. But devotees are doing it for more than just some attention on the “gram.” Research shows that de-cluttering your environment offers benefits ranging from increased concentration to decreased stress levels. But why stop with your sock drawer? Your workspace could also use a little tidying, whether at the office or a desk in your home. You have had quite the year and deserve the perks that come along with having an organized office. So, grab your color-coded folders and dust cloth - let’s clean up your desk!

Managing from Down Under

The days of waiting for your manager to provide play-by-play instruction have fallen by the wayside in favor of “managing up,” a term in corporate-speak that simply means “managing your manager.” Dana Brownlee, renowned leadership influencer, defines “managing up” as an employee “customizing their work style/behaviors to better suit their manager” and “taking steps to make their manager’s job easier…” While this practice came into fashion as a technique to make your boss’s life easier and show your value as a proactive employee, the present-day impetus has more to do with what it offers the employee. An employee skilled at “managing up” exhibits executive level communications and strategic insight – two key skills necessary to build a leadership profile.

The "Magical" HR Formula

The People team, Human Resources, Human Capital….no matter what you call the HR team, they are necessary to keep a business running smoothly. As firms add people to their headcount or new geographies to the map, a common question is whether the company has the “right” number of HR people. The Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) reports over half of small businesses manage their human resources internally without outside resources. What is the ideal ratio for proper HR employee support?

Employer Webinar

Group Health Plan Considerations for MEWAs and PEOs

Tuesday, April 13th, 2021
2:00 p.m. ET / 11:00 a.m. PT

Whether an employer is participating in a multiple employer welfare arrangement (MEWA) and to what extent state laws will apply to the arrangement is often a source of confusion for employers. Employers often work with professional employer organizations (PEOs) without understanding the effect it can have on group health plan compliance. This webinar will help employers understand when a MEWA has been created and will provide an overview of important compliance considerations when a MEWA is created and when an employer is leaving a MEWA.