Blog Feed

Team-Building Activity: Playing the Cards

Here’s a team-building activity for adults that is fun and generates valuable information at the team level.  It works for teams of 6 to 60+ and requires only a stack of index cards (at least 3 cards per person) and pens or markers. First, create small groups of 2 to…
Read More

Excel Data Validation: Check Formatting of Entered Data

Excel allows you to set certain cells to accept only a certain data format that you specify. You can prompt the user with guidelines about the proper way to enter their data. You can even specify that data must fall in a certain data range if you wish. When data…
Read More

Use Graphics to Compare Cell Values in Excel

Want a quick way to view and interpret data directly in the tables without resorting to graphs or charts? You can add color bars, icons or graphics that reflect the meaning of the data in each cell to get an “at a glance” view of your data. Conditional formatting means…
Read More

3 Easy Ways to Customize Excel Sparklines

After your sparklines have been created, Excel offers several tools for you to control which value points are shown, set options on the vertical axis, and define how empty values are displayed. You can also change colors, apply styles from Office’s pre-loaded style gallery or apply a custom style that…
Read More

Update: Overtime Exemptions Final Rule (Video)

Transcript So December 1, 2016 came and went. And guess what employers around the country did not do? You guessed it. They did not implement the new rules governing overtime exemptions. Why not? Is the whole country suddenly non-compliant? No, of course not. You know better than that. What did…
Read More

USCIS Increases I-9 Penalties (Video)

Lisa Smith covers the increase in I-9 penalties for noncompliance. Transcript In my last installment, we talked about the new I-9. Let's talk about why it's so very important to make sure you follow all of the instructions. Did you know, in addition to publishing the new I-9, USCIS also…
Read More

USCIS Issues a New I-9 (Video)

In this video, learn about the new I-9 form released this year. Transcript So, 2017 has arrived and we have a brand new I-9. Did you know that? On November 14, 2016, the USCIS issued the new version of I-9. The mandatory implementation date for this I-9 is January 22,…
Read More

Use Sparklines to Display Trends in Excel

A sparkline is a tiny chart in the background of a cell. When you use a sparkline, you can easily see the relationships between it and its underlying data. And, you can copy sparklines to adjacent cells by using the Fill Handle. Sparklines are printed as-is when you print a…
Read More

Motivating Employees Through Employee Engagement Surveys

There are many survey tools available to assess employee engagement in your organization. This article provides ideas and activities to engage your employees through two simple and interactive employee surveys. These surveys will provide you with feedback about employee motivation and offer paths forward for increased engagement. Survey 1: Defining…
Read More

8 Simple Activities that Build Employee Engagement

Thoughtfully motivating and engaging employees takes a concerted and systemic approach throughout the organization. That said, there are also simple activities that also support employee engagement — make it a point to do one a day and you will see the benefits in both the short and long term. Say…
Read More
< >