How Tech Guru Keyur Desai Built a Career Successfully Blending Cutting Edge Technology Sound Business Strategy Building Your Future Now

How Tech Guru Keyur Desai Built a Career Successfully Blending Cutting Edge Technology Sound Business Strategy Building Your Future Now Ever since I was a kid I wanted to do high end computer stuffNASA type projects. Starts Keyur Desai when explaining his life long fasincation with technology. It was natural for me to go into engineering. Desais first professional job was as a network engineer which he started even before he graduated university. I quickly realized that the job I wanted to do and the job I was doing were two different things. The job I wanted to do involved the latest cutting edge technology. Instead Desai was stuck doing projects involving mundane tasks. I worked with a little black box. Someone told me the inputs and what we needed for the system to output. I had no idea how that compontent that I was building was going to be used. It could be used in a voice mail system, in a spaceship or a toaster. I also had no input on how it should be used. It was then Desai knew he needed to make a drastic change in his career direction. So I started to do research where were all the cool engineering jobs I wanted to do? I found out through asking a lot of professors and doing research on the internet that if you wanted to do the cool jobs you have to go to the States especially at the University level there. So I had to apply for a Masters there and that was one thing I didnt want to do to: move away from Canada. Desai understood that Canada possessed a more service-orientated economy as well as the fact that he had to be on-call 27/4 with little job security, no benefits, no overtime nor sick pay. So what I wanted to do was do a masters in business rather than in engineering. But before I could do that I had to change jobs. I ended up choosing the financial sector because its huge in Canada. Desai ended up applying to several banks and other financial institutions and was eventually hired by Manulife. I never heard of [them] before I applied for the position. The only way I found out about the job was when a family friend who worked there told me about the job posting and thought it would be a good fit for me. So I applied and the first job I got there was as a contract position. Because of my experience at Manulife I always think of the business side first and technology always comes second to me Little did Desai know that he would embark on an amazing career journey at Manulife that would span almost 8 years, several promotions and various career-defining projects. His first role at Manulife was to input information from some clients into the system. Desai explains, Usually companies would login to the Manulife website to change benefits and update information, but with bigger clients like Air Canada or Home Depot they would provide their own feeds. So my first job was to take a feed from one of our bigger clients and load that into the system. So typically a client like Air Canada provides their data in their format. I would manually massage it to fit the Manulife format and load it into the system. The files that we would get would usually take upwards of 4 hours to get it to fit and working with our system. After a couple of months I went to my manager and said I could automate this. It was at this point Desai made his calculated risk that would change his career path forever. He proposed to his manager that they use automation technology to streamline the process. To his surprise, they approved it. Desai wasted no time acquiring a license for development software. I then went about automating the files. One which would have taken 4 hours before took 30 seconds now because of the automation. Then I spent the next couple of months doing the rest of the files and when I finished my name kind of spread through Manulifethat I could work wonders with automation. Then my manager started to loan me out to other teams. Desai then notes, My contract was coming up so they ended up letting me apply internally in the group. Desai evaluted the files from the new company and quickly came up with a plan to build a prototype of development software in order to intregrate these new files. Desais work didnt go unnoticed. He was then hired in a full time capacity. Everyone really liked the prototype so we rolled it out to over 300 users in distribution, At first it was just contacts and then the users started to ask if we could add other data like sales, then we quickly added other important data that could easily be accessed by Manulife. He continues, Then different areas within the company started coming to me and asking me about the system I just developed. So instead of 300 people which it was intended for there were 2500 people across the globe using this system. At that point the system needed upgrading so I was given approval to build my first team of 2 developers. Before I was doing codingnow these 2 developers were doing the coding. What I would do all the time is use technology because I was so comfortable with it Desai immersed himself in the business side and the leadership team started engaging him in strategy sessions. I was able to add a lot of valuea lot more than I thought and a lot more then the leadership team thought. So then I started a massive project to restructure how the distribution team ran. We spent about a year and half building out the entire plan and then the stock market dropped and leadership didnt want to go through with the whole plan. I went back to them and said instead of the whole project lets just do a little piece. Desai was assigned to the project which he created and executed building a team of 10 people which he trained and mentored. I was then promoted and was in charge of the back-end part of distribution. I was responsible for financial reporting, sales reporting, external and internal compensation, broker rewards, training and development, event planning and technology. And what I would do all the time is use technology because I was so comfortable with it. We were reporting billions of dollars of sales internally and externally just using a team of 2 or 3 people because everything was automated. After 12 years at Manulife Desai decided to look for a new challenage. I needed to drive the business more and needed more of the ability to have an influence because I think there is a lot I can do. So I ended up at another company called People Corporation. I learned a lot there. Manulife was a 40 billion dollar company and people corp was a 250 million dollar company. Desai relished his experience at People Corporation. Because Manlife was so big; whatever I did did not have an impact on stock prices. Now if I hired 2 people at $100,000 each it would have a direct impact on the stock price. I became much more aware of how things work, how things flow from the business to the outside world and while I was doing that I was applying the same principles that I developed at Manulife keeping technology in my back pocket and putting it on the table when we needed to. I was known as the business orientated head of IT. After working at People Corporation for several years Desai noticed there was a gap between technology and business. He notes, Since the beginning of my career I have seen numerous projects fail due to a communications gap and lack of understanding, businesses don’t quite understand how IT works and IT doesn’t necessarily understand the challenges faced by the business. Most of my career I’ve bridged this gap at Manulife and People Corporation. Desai continues, And over the last year at People Corporation I started thinking a lot about this. I could help bridge this gap between business and technology for others and I would get a lot of satisfaction out of helping businesses move past these challenges. Desai became very serious about striking out on his own. “I spent a lot of time thinking about it and building a business plan. Eventually I started my own business called Imagis. And the idea is that we do start with basic consulting. We help businesses understand their challenges, prioritize their needs then help them develop an action plan. We dont have packaged products or solutions. As we worked through our first set of clients, we realized that SMEs did not have the same access to leading edge technologies or offshoring like the multinationals. So, we introduced a risk free/worry free near shoring and off shoring solutions. We provide the quality and quality and standards you expect of onshore projects with speed and cost effectiveness of nearshore and offshore teams by having a dedicated local team that facilitates all of the outsourced work. We also offer access to Robotic Process Automation (RPA) with artificial intelligence. Traditionally RPA is prohibitively expensive fo r SMEs however, our product is targeted at SMEs. Desais company focuses on relationships rather than big contracts. We dont complete with Deloittes or KPMG. The big contracts. We want to have relationships with businesses and help grow with them. We dont look for contracts that are millions of dollars. Instead we look for contracts that are the right size for the clients and delivers value to them. Desai is founder and partner of Imagis Inc based in Mississauga, Canada whose primary objective is to bring leading edge technologies, out sourcing capabilities and top tier consulting to business that dont think they can afford them. You can learn more about Imagis Inc and read his insightful blog on robotic process automation at Imagis.ca Image: Courtesy of Keyur Desai

Can Resume Writing Services Be Deducted From Your Taxes?

Can Resume Writing Services Be Deducted From Your Taxes?Do Can Resume Writing Services be Deducted From the Tax? One of the biggest questions that I get asked is if writing services can be deducted from your taxes. The short answer is a resounding 'Yes.'Every year, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) hands out millions of dollars in back taxes to taxpayers who thought they could get away with it. Unfortunately, the IRS does not take into account what it calls 'contract work.' In the words of the Internal Revenue Service, this is any type of work you do for a company or business for a monetary compensation. As long as you are being paid an hourly rate for that work, the IRS considers it to be employment and thus it is taxable.There is no time machine, where you can go back in time and change the laws on employment and taxation. The laws of the land are the same today as they were 100 years ago when the Internal Revenue Service was established.So, can resume writing services be deducted from your taxes? A tax attorney can explain the IRS' interpretation of contracts with a client and tell you whether it can be deducted from your taxes. If it can be deducted, then you may be able to save some money by deducting the full amount of your contract fees.If you are considering hiring a tax attorney, find one who specializes in employment law and has a good reputation for being straightforward and fair. With a good tax attorney, you should be able to keep more of your hard-earned cash.In addition, find a tax attorney who will also help you set up your employment taxes. You may need to make changes to your personal return as well to adjust for tax benefits you may have under the terms of your employment contract.You should also find a tax attorney who will provide advice on working with your employers. For example, if you work for a company that pays you solely for completing a certain project or assignment, find an attorney who will be able to help you write a pay stub th at includes any and all bonuses and commissions you may have received. If you use any of the services offered by a tax attorney, be sure to ask if they are willing to set up such forms for you.Don't forget to ask your tax attorney to look at your employment tax returns to see what deductions can be claimed on them. If you have been using the services of a tax attorney, ask him or her to review your most recent tax return as well. While tax attorneys can only give advice about employment tax issues, they can also review your most recent return and offer suggestions about things you may want to try on.

Asking If Your Data Is Safe Is The Wrong Question Heres What You Should Ask Instead

Asking If Your Data Is Safe Is The Wrong Question â€" Here’s What You Should Ask Instead With cloud-based data storage taking over the world, people want to know if their data is safe. Asking if your data is safe implies that it’s possible for data to be safe in an absolute manner â€" as if you can push a button or buy a security product that automatically makes your data safe. Unfortunately, data can never be 100% safe. The better question to ask is, “How can I protect my data to the best of my ability?” The answer is to be diligent about what security measures you put in place, and how you manage your data. For example, if you collect customer information in a database, you may have purchased some kind of encrypted protection for that data. However, unless you understand how encryption works, you won’t be able to tell where your encryption falls short. For example, say your data is encrypted while being stored on your hard drive or server. That’s important, but it’s not enough. Unless data is encrypted in transit, it’s at risk of being compromised. End-to-end encryption solves this dilemma and encrypts data while it’s moving from one source to another destination. An increasing number of data breaches proves data isn’t safe Businesses, government agencies, and other organizations experienced fewer than 200 data breaches in 2005. By 2017, that number topped 1,300, according to statistics reported by Market Watch. Market Watch also quotes the Identity Theft Resource Center’s website to say, “It is the opinion of the ITRC that the criminal population is stealing more data from companies, AND data breaches are being more frequently publicized.” So, while the numbers between 2005-2017 show a drastic increase in data breaches, it could be partly due to their wider publication. However, the fact that data breaches occur at all says one thing: data isn’t inherently safe. VANs are a step in the right direction A Virtual Account Number (VAN) is an account number generated by your bank that’s connected to your bank-issued account, but it’s designed to be used only once. It’s basically a disposable credit card number. You can designate the dollar amount it can be used for along with a date of expiration. This prevents your credit card number from sitting in a database for a long time where it’s vulnerable to data breaches. However, it’s not practical for purchases or situations where you might need to present your physical card, like hotel reservations or items you might need to return. The existence of security measures doesn’t make data safe, either Businesses have too much at stake to ignore the need to keep data secure. Risking the potential identity theft of their customers isn’t an option. Naturally, they’ll buy the security services presented to them as solutions to safeguard this data. However, it’s a misconception that data is safe when security measures are in place. The truth is, security measures aren’t foolproof. Today’s top security measure will soon become yesterday’s easy hack. More than that, most data breaches aren’t the result of hacking, but negligence. Rather than hacking, many criminals only need to exploit oversights made by the business. Data breaches have devastating consequences for everyone The devastating effects of a data breach can hit businesses that had nothing to do with the data breach. For example, many criminals use stolen credit card information to make purchases, and when those charges are disputed, it results in a loss for the merchant. As a merchant, the only way to avoid chargeback fees from the credit card company is to provide compelling information that proves the authorized cardholder made the transaction. Such proof is virtually impossible to obtain when the transactions are the result of genuine credit card fraud. The unfortunate truth is that many merchants end up having to defend themselves legally to prove fraud was committed, and even when they win, they still have to pay court fees. It’s expensive to be the victim of fraud. We haven’t seen the last of the data breaches To help businesses prepare for these emerging threats, Experian has released their annual Data Breach Industry Forecast with five key predictions for 2018. “It’s critical that businesses learn what’s on the horizon and incorporate these threats into their incident response plans,” says Experian’s vice president Michael Bruemmer. The potential for fraud is always lurking around the corner, and there’s no doubt we’ll continue to see more data breaches hit the news. Being diligent with your own data security measures reduces the potential for other businesses becoming the victim of fraudulent chargebacks.

How Solo-Entrepeneurs Can Take Guilt Free Vacations - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

How Solo-Entrepeneurs Can Take Guilt Free Vacations - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career You are reading this while I am with my wife on a beach in Belize. It’s our first vacation (or “holiday” as the Europeans call it) of 2014. As a solo entrepreneur vacations stress me out. If I’m not connecting with clients and prospects I’m losing touch with my business and may not have one when I return. So, I plan accordingly and make sure everyone gets touched the week before I leave and I schedule re-connection appointments for when I return. Think about how much more productive we would all be if we worked as diligently every day as we do the days before we head out on vacation. Why don’t we do that? Because there is no sense of urgency. The lack of urgency in our day-to-day business allows distractions to creep in. I’ve noticed this even when there is a sense of urgency around certain deadlines that have to be met. I’m sure you have, too. But, not when we head out on vacation. We keep our heads to the grindstone, churning it out and clearing our desk so it can be stacked with new stuff while were away, right? I also have to admit I do not shut down 100% on vacation. I can’t. There is just too much for me to monitor when away at this point and that’s okay. My laptop comes with me and I check/respond to emails and respond to voice mails every 48 hours or so, taking a couple of hours out of my vacation to do so. This saves boatloads of stress, and allows me to relax even more while away and be able to hit the ground running when I return. My wife and I schedule enough “alone time” on our vacations so that we can fill it any way we want and this is how I apply some of mine. I’m writing about this because I think we get into thought patterns with rules for how things “have to be” that limit us and create more stress in our lives, instead of doing what is reasonable and helps. Last year I was able to generate significant revenue for my company offering virtual trainings through teleclass series and webinars. It just so happened that one of my series fell during a week we were on vacation. The “show” had to go on. So I took two hours out of my eight days to deliver a webinar from the general manager’s office of the resort we were at. My clients were served, I was pleased that I was able to keep my promise to them, and my wife got some extra alone time. Everybody won! It was a great vacation as despite all that “work” I was able to read two non-business books during that week, (the only rule my wife requires of me when I’m away “no business books only pleasure reading.”) Bruce, a biography about my rock and roll hero Bruce Springsteen, and The Gone Girl, a best selling novel. On this vacation I’m reading Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets and The Hunger Games. I know, I’m a little behind on my fiction titles. See you next week!

Would You Rather Work for a Man or Woman

Would You Rather Work for a Man or Woman By, Dave Thomas Have you ever stopped to think about whether you prefer working for a man or a woman? Having been in the journalism field for some 22 years, I’ve worked under both genders and can honestly say I’ve noticed some trends evolve. At least from my experiences, men get the nod in these instances: • They tend to not hold grudges and forget disagreements quicker; • They are more comfortable generally discussing issues outside the office among other men; • They are more apt to speak their minds. On the other side of the table, women get the nod in these instances: • They think things through generally more and the ramifications of decisions; • They will go to bat for you because you’re not one of the guys in the locker room where you are in constant competition with each other; • They are more organized and therefore have a better-run system, provided it is not micro-managed. Now of course there are men who will cross over and micro-manage the heck out of you, and some female bosses will not go to bat for you because you’re not part of their circle of friends in the office, oftentimes other women. In two-plus decades in the working world, I’ve honestly not even looked at whether or not the boss was a man or woman. The bottom line to me is do they treat you with respect and give you the chance to succeed in your given position? Too often today, office politics become intertwined in the workplace, leading to unhappy bosses and employees. While many of us spend 40 hours or more at our respective positions each week, it is what you make of the job that will oftentimes determine whether or not you’re going to be successful there. I’ve been asked by several bosses over the years if I was happy in my position and I always respond the same way. Honestly, my happiness is not the most important thing. Am I a productive worker and do I get along with my co-workers, including the boss? I’ve always said that I can find happiness outside of any job I’m in; doesn’t mean I want to be miserable 40 hours a week, but my happiness in the 9 to 5 world is not something that will make or break me. A job and a boss are what you make of them. For me, it doesn’t really matter if the person I report to wears a suit or a dress. How they treat me, the opportunities I’m given to excel, and will they be true to their words are what matter most in my book. So if you expected me to say one sex is better to work for than the other, it isn’t happening. What is your experience? Do you have a preference of working with one sex over the other?

18 Ideas for Improving Your Personal Productivity at Work - CareerMetis.com

18 Ideas for Improving Your Personal Productivity at Work We as Employees / Office workers always wish to do more at work, but fall short on this goal most of the times.Being more productive at work isn’t a magic and you cannot become productive unless you make a deliberate effort.evalBeing productive at work really requires being more deliberate about how you deal with your time and approach your daily tasks. You must learn, in person as well as in a group, to work smarter, to work quicker, and to carry out your tasks in such a way that you don’t give up the quality of work.You cannot become indolent in your work because it hampers your productivity.Following are some of the tips that may help you to increase your personal productivity at work:1. Get SmarterLack of adequate time is one of the chief reasons that destroys your personal productivity at work. You are typically required to complete multiple tasks in shorter periods of time. As a result, making the most of your time is important. Obviously, your personal productivity at work depends on how effectively you use up the available working hours.One of the obvious Use a to-do list. Leverage technology when possible. Delegate wherever you can. If you can shave off 1 hour of your day by proper time management skills â€" how much more can you get accomplished?3. Prioritize Your Tasks Prioritizing your tasks will allow you to increase personal productivity at work. Focus on carrying out the most demanding/difficult tasks during your most productive moments. And do the less challenging tasks during the rest of the day. Create a Must-Do-First list.And your use your Must-Do-First List to prioritize your tasks accordingly. These lists are very important since it increases your efficiency and you will be able to complete your tasks with less or no stress.Make a list of all the things thing that you have got to complete every single day. You should make sure to place the challenging and very important tasks at the top, and the least significant or less challenging tas ks towards the end of the list.4. Set Deadlines for Your TasksevalSetting realistic deadline for your tasks is a sensible choice to increase your personal productivity at work. Giving practical deadlines to your different tasks will let you to complete the tasks on the dot, and you will make a purposeful effort to meet the deadlines that you set.Take a look at your Must-Do-First list and calculate the time every task needs to be completed. Don’t set a deadline that you cannot achieve. This puts more pressure on you, and will definitely stress you out. Give yourself ample time to complete each task.5. Avoid Multi-taskingContrary to popular belief â€" multi-tasking is not efficient or effective.Remember that performing two or more tasks at a time will stress you out. If you do so, you will fail to complete the tasks on time and you will become ineffective at work.Try to concentrate on one task at a time and get them completed effectively before moving to the next task. Don’t make your work harder by trying to complete multiple tasks together.6. Take Regular BreaksYou cannot work long hours at a stretch. You are not a machine. Actually machines also need rest times.Take regular breaks in between your work to reset/rejuvenate. If you try to work non-stop without taking the required breaks, you will become exhausted and this will hamper your productivity. Hence, you should know when to take break and when not to take break.The most productive people are familiar with when to take a break. They know that working non-stop is tiring and stressful. Studies point out that taking short breaks during the workday is more effective and can increase your personal productivity. Taking a break also might be useful in keeping you on track and avoiding boredom at work.7. Get Rid Of DistractionsDistractions can have horrible effects on your personal productivity. If you are constantly distracted, you won’t be able to complete the tasks on time and you will have to spend som e extra hours to finish your tasks.evalSome of the most common things that distract you at work are the internet, mobile phones, email or message notifications, chatting with colleagues, etc.We have all been here and we know this already. That’s why, I won’t get into too much explanation or details. The more focused we can stay on the task at hand â€" the more we can get done.8. Love Your WorkYou must be passionate about your work and love what you do in order to increase your personal productivity. If you are not happy about what you do, you will not perform your work effectively. Period. You will do the work or might complete the task for the sake of doing it.Your love and enthusiasm towards your work is crucial since it will reflect in whatever you do at work. Finding joy and love in your work is indispensable because it can let you to perform at your best. When you are passionate about your work and love what you do, nobody needs to force you to do the work because it will c ome naturally to you. You won’t feel your work as a burden.9. Start Your Work Early The time that you choose to start your work every day can have a huge influence in your productivity at work. Highly productive people are at their offices early.evalWhen you start your work early in the morning, you will get an adequate amount of time to plan your work, create a Must-Do-First list and complete the tasks on time with more efficacy.If you are late to work, you will not get ample time to plan your work, get prepared and you will have to start your work right away or will have to scramble to get things done.Start your job early as it makes you comfortable, relax, and effectively plan. It will also give you ample time and take you away from being hurry to finish your tasks. And you will even avoid the dreadful morning rush hour. Who likes commuting during rush hours anyway?10. Sleep Well This is a very talked about topic nowadays â€" Sleep.Sleeping well is often an overlooked factor to improve your productivity at work. Once again, this is one of those things that does not require a lengthy explanation.If you are always sleeping less than adequately, it will be hard for you to be effectively productivity at your work. You will be constantly distracted feeling heavy-eyed when you are at work. Your whole day will be spoiled if you don’t sleep well. Hence, plan your evenings appropriately and go to the bed early in order to enjoy sound sleep.11. Do the most Difficult Tasks FirstAim to do the most difficult tasks first thing in the morning. You are usually more refreshed and full of energy in the morning hours ; and it will be the right time to do the most challenging or difficult tasks.When you make a list, make sure to arrange the challenging tasks for the mornings. The most testing tasks should be the one that you need to complete first in the morning and it will help you to carry out the work with more focus. You also feel a sense of accomplishment and a surge of positive emotions once you complete a difficult task.12. Find your Prime Time We all work differently. Some people work well in the morning, others are afternoon workers. Find your most productive time in the day and plan your work accordingly. Therefore, it is your responsibility to find out your prime time and make sure to exploit it in order to increase your personal productivity at work.13. Avoid Using Social Media Keep in mind that using social media while you are at work can decrease your personal productivity at work. Social media offers a lot of positive effects to people. However, everything has a time and place.Ever spent tons of time, reading about your friend’s updates on Facebook or Pictures on Instagram. Enough said, we have all been guilty of this.You should minimize browsing your social media accounts unless your work demands it. Some employees are required to make use of social media as part of their job.14. A Productive Workplace Keep in mind that the people a re usually productive at their work if the workplace is productive. Hence, it is essential for the people to create a productive workplace culture. You have to form positive relationships among your colleagues, with your teams, team leaders, managers, etc. No one likes to go to work in a toxic work environment.A collaborative and productive workplace inspires people and helps them to work with dedication and loyalty. People feel encouraged to work and complete task even if it is demanding to them if they are working in a productive workplace15. Prepare in Advance Remember the Must-Do-First List?Aim to look at your work list for the next day in the evening or night. It will allow you to have a clearer idea about your tasks and will help you prioritize your tasks. Preparing in advance allows you to save your time for planning about the tasks in the morning and you can start your work right away.Create a habit of planning your entire next day tasks before going home. It aids you to go home with ideas and insights or to think about better ideas / insights that you can apply to the next day. It also saves you from doing this in the morning. So you can go to the office and get started right away.16. Avoid Snacks and Heavy LunchYou should ensure to stay away from having snacks and heavy lunch if you wish to focus fully on your work. Lots of people have the habit of munching snacks during their work and it usually has a bad effect on their productivity. Having snacks and heavy lunch will usually have them feeling fatigued.When your stomach is too full, you will not be able to work properly and you will lose concentration in what you do. Remember the post-lunch or afternoon crash?17. Learn From OthersYou should be able to learn from others and it can direct you to excel in your work. Don’t be shy in asking others for help. Identify the people who are able to inspire you in what you are trying to do and learn from them. Make an effort to understand their approaches, p ractices at work and adopt those into your work.18. A Positive AttitudeYour success and productivity at work is determined mostly by your attitude and how you approach your tasks. If you think and believe that you cannot complete certain tasks, then you won’t be able to do it. If you are confident and positive, then you will be capable of completing any difficult tasks with ease.Develop a positive mental attitude and it can aid you to make consistent and persistent actions in your work.

CA looks at webstress - The Chief Happiness Officer Blog

CA looks at webstress - The Chief Happiness Officer Blog Last week on my twitter account (click here to follow me), I hinted at this mysterious project in London that I couldnt talk more about. Well now I finally can and its a really cool one :o) CA (formerly Computer Associates) commissioned a study (called The CA 2009 Webstress Index) to look at webstress, a term they came up with to describe the frustration and unhappiness you experience when a crucial web application is not working properly. Here I am, talking about the study: And here are some of the key findings: 68% of workers say they rely on web applications more now than two years ago and 97% wouldn?t be able to do their job without them. 24% say that every day they have to cope with badly performing applications with an additional third 34% claiming this happens on a weekly basis. 81% say they have no choice but to use some business applications even when they aren?t working properly You can see the whole study here. This study is interesting because it confirms something Ive seen in many workplaces: Employees are reliant on IT systems to their jobs. Increasingly, the IT systems we use are web applications, meaning they reside somewhere on the internet. When these systems are slow, buggy or unavailable we get frustrated and angry. This is especially true these days, where companies are demanding ever higher levels of productivity, efficiency and customer service from their people. If companies demand this but dont give employees the well-functioning tools they need to deliver, the result is unhappiness at work. And of course, when employees are unhappy at work, the results are: Lower productivity Higher absenteeism Higher employee turnover Lower customer satisfaction Lower profits These factors taken together can cost organizations huge sums of money. Speaking from my own experience, my own company is absolutely dependent on web apps all our vital IT systems run on a web server somewhere. If any of them are not working, were basically crippled. Fortunately, that happens very rarely or I would be suffering from seeeeerious webstress :o) The same goes on the customer side. We all use web applications to buy books, plane tickets, movie tickets, hotels, etc. and when these web apps arent working or seem too slow, there are always ten other sites offering much the same products at much the same prices. If your company offers any kind of web application to its customers, that system should make them happy. At the very least, it shouldnt give them webstress and make the unhappy because its, slow, buggy or even down. I think its time for organizations to take webstress seriously. CAs study confirms what Ive seen in many workplaces all over the world, namely that badly performing web applications is a major source of unhappiness at work and in customers. And THATS why I am so excited about the CA study. Full disclosure: CA offers Application Performance Monitoring Solutions that let organizations track the performance of web applications. They are paying me to contribute to this campaign but I still mean every word :o) Your take What about you? Are you using any crucial web apps in your job? Have you experienced web stress? Thanks for visiting my blog. If you're new here, you should check out this list of my 10 most popular articles. And if you want more great tips and ideas you should check out our newsletter about happiness at work. It's great and it's free :-)Share this:LinkedInFacebookTwitterRedditPinterest Related

Art - and the right way to job search - are in the eye of the beholder -

Art - and the right way to job search - are in the eye of the beholder - Theres a reason, I think, that so many artists and creative people live in New York City (and other big cities). There is so much going on there, it is almost impossible NOT to be inspired in some way just in walking down the street. Having recently come back from a visit to the Big Apple, I decided to take a lesson from one of my blogging mentors, Anita Bruzzese, whom I admire, among other reasons, for the fact that she never has writers block! Anita suggested that I should take inspiration from what is all around me. So, some NYC inspired thoughts for the job seeker One of the highlights of our trip was a visit to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. A few thoughts the museum inspired in me Forgive me for saying so, but am I the only one who thinks, Art is in the eye of the beholder whenever I visit a museum? Of course, the halls were full of masterpieces, but when I visit their famous collection, there is always something I walk by and say hmmTHATs in the Met? To a certain extent, the same concept art is in the eye of the beholder applies to the job search. I have written about the fact that there is no ONE right way to look for a job. If someone tells you that they offer the holy grail of job search, be wary. The fact is, just as certain art appeals to some more than others, resumes, job search techniques and approaches for the hunt can only be evaluated individually. Everyone brings a unique set of circumstances to the table biases and personal preferences are an undeniable aspect of job hunting. My colleague Louise Fletcher recently addressed the issue of including something on the resume that may not appeal to 100% of readers. Her client was concerned, but she argued that doing something that is   calibrated to appeal to your target audience has the potential to appeal to more people than not. There are many nuances in job huntingHow you write your resume, what you say in your LinkedIn profileIf you should write a social resume. Its not a one size fits all or a come as you are job market. Everyone has an opinion, and you want to be sure that you are listening to someone who is an expert to advise you. Stay tuned for more thoughtsFeel free to share your insights! There is no one size fits all career advice. Dont you deserve the best, personalized information and help? Learn how I can help you with your search. Frustrated that your search isnt resulting in a job? In Atlanta? Join me and Stephanie A. Lloyd, CEO of Radiant Veracity for our series of in-person job search interventions. Read more about how to propel your search and sign up here. Photo credits:   wallyg