 Today’s social media climate should help remind employers that they must be cognizant of the impact claims of sexual or other harassment can have on their business and reputation. To protect themselves and their businesses, employers should review their handbook and the harassment policies and procedures that they are currently enforcing. Employers should also implement a process for monitoring legislative changes, as it is likely that new laws and standards around harassment will be implemented soon.
When reviewing harassment policies, there are several items that an employer should consider. The most important is to remember that the types of harassment that can lead to liability extend beyond conduct that is sexual in nature. According to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), there are two types of sexual harassment claims: “quid pro quo” and “hostile work environment.” The EEOC provides guidance on defining harassment and establishing liability that can be helpful for employers. Although the EEOC can provide great information and guidance, employers should be cautious of using the legal terminology and definitions that these documents contain. If your policy language isn’t easily understandable or doesn’t provide context, it may be deemed inadequate. When developing anti-harassment policy language, it is important to clearly state what prohibited behaviors look like. For harassment to be illegal, it must be “severe and pervasive.” In developing anti-harassment policies, the goal should be to stop and correct these behaviors before they rise to that level. For employees to understand what is expected of them, I recommend that employers include language such as “the following behaviors are unacceptable and therefore prohibited, even if not unlawful.” This helps to clarify that even if a certain behavior isn’t actually illegal, it is still prohibited by your organization. Employers should also include language that explains that prohibited harassment goes beyond just sexual. Harassment can occur in many forms and circumstances.
Employers should ensure that their policy language also indicates that these expectations apply to both employees and non-employees and are also in effect when the employee is not working but engaged in activities with other staff members, such as company events, whether those events are on company property or not. It is also important for employers to make it clear that the company’s anti-harassment policies apply not only to the spoken or written word but also to e-mail, text messages, and social media posts. There have been many instances in recent news of cases of harassment involving text messages and social media. Consider adding verbiage that states that the harassment policy applies to social media posts and online commenting. Of course, having a thorough anti-harassment policy is just half the equation. Having effective complaint and investigation processes are also essential to protect your business. For more information on anti-harassment policies and how to enforce them, it would be wise for employers to consult with an employment attorney. To add anti-harassment policies to your handbook, or if you don’t have an employee handbook, contact Maria Novak 610-405-0633.
0 Comments
While a podcast is a great way to bring new readers to your blog, it’s not the only reason you should start one. In addition to new followers, you connect with your audience on a more personal level.
Hearing someone speak is undoubtedly more personal than reading words on a screen. With this kind of connection, you can gain your listener’s trust and get their attention in lesser time than it takes to read a blog post. It may seem obvious, but when you’re talking to a mic, it’s easy to get self-conscious and not sound like yourself. Smile, laugh, be yourself and enjoy the process of getting your message out there. Soon you’ll have a group of followers who can’t wait for your next episode. A well-planned podcast will make your podcasting routine easier. Just like a blog, a podcast needs a content calendar, so you have a clear idea of what you need to accomplish for each episode. Follow an outline The dangers of recording a podcast without an outline are that you’ll go off-topic and find yourself rambling on about something else entirely. Storytelling is ok if the story is part of the original plan but can sound like rambling if it is not part of your original outline. Just like a blog post, a podcast should have an introduction, body, and conclusion. You don’t have to write a script that you read word-for-word; that would just sound like an advertisement or a bad commercial. Just make yourself a bullet point list of what you’ll talk about and in what order. While talking about something else for a few minutes can add personality to your podcast, you need to know when to bring your show back to delivering the subject matter at hand. Getting personal Speaking of personality, one of the benefits of a podcast is connecting with your audience on a deeper, more personal level. Podcasts are great for telling personal stories that relate to the episode’s topic. If you’re giving advice about how to do a certain task, talk about how you learned to do the task effectively or whether you had challenges along the way. Vulnerability makes you more human. Episodes List potential episode titles and schedule to publish them in a logical order. For instance, an episode with the title “How to Choose a Web Host” should come first before “How to Set Up Your Blog.” You can also have a theme or single general topic and break it down into sub-topics within a given time frame. For instance, you can assign April as “SEO month,” so all your episodes will be about SEO for April. When you have a clear content plan for your podcast, you don’t have to worry about coming up with a topic for your next episode. All you need to focus on is creating and recording the content. Invest in a quality microphone Don’t just buy a cheap microphone; you’ll end up having to heavily edit the recording to compensate for poor audio quality. If you have the budget, or you can wait a little longer to have enough money to buy a quality microphone, I suggest you do so. Having the best possible recording equipment will save you a lot of trouble when it’s time to edit your audio and will make you sound more like yourself when speaking. Get a professionally made podcast cover image & intro Unless you’re a graphic designer, I suggest having your podcast cover image made by a professional. You can ask around for the best designers in your area, or just contact me and I can design one for you at minimal cost. Make sure you choose a designer whose graphic style matches with your personal brand. Have a clear idea of how you want your image to look and take your time giving clear instructions. Better yet, if you speak with a good marketer, they will even help you design the image before creating it. Take note that your podcast cover image will appear as a thumbnail image on most podcast streaming services, so go for a design that still stands out even when it’s small. Choosing a podcasting web host Does your business have a blog on your website? Are you sending out informational and educational news?
Regularly posting blogs and sharing news and education can benefit your business in numerous ways. If you help people solve a problem related to your industry, or teach them something they did not know, your name is front of mind when they need to hire someone. This isn’t automatic, but the effect is real. For purposes of this article all content writing including social media posts will be addressed as “blogging” unless I am referring to one specific type of writing. There’s a growing misconception that blogging isn’t important, or that it’s not as important as it once was. Somewhere in the last few years, blogs began feeling a bit old school. But that’s not the right way to look at it. The real question isn’t whether they’re new or old, it’s whether publishing blogs gets results. And the truth is that writing blogs and posts remain highly effective marketing tools. Blogging regularly is not only a low-cost marketing strategy, it allows you to position yourself as an industry expert. It builds trust with your audience and immediately establishes your expertise. Your blog posts should be tied to your other marketing efforts and should build your industry connections. When done right, a business blog can market your company, attract new customers, and position you as an industry leader. Unfortunately, many businesses start blogging without a clear idea of what to write about or how to use it to market their company. As a result, business blogging often takes up time and energy without producing any benefit. The main thing to keep in mind is that your site content, marketing materials, social media, news, articles, and blogs must all be consistent yet for each media, must be written differently. It sounds overwhelming but can be accomplished. Improving Your Writing 1. Define your audience You would never run a magazine ad or a TV commercial without knowing the intended audience. Similarly, you should never create a blog or post without knowing for whom you are writing. These are your target customers - - the people most likely to be searching for and interested in learning about your business. If you don’t yet have a defined audience, create a reader profile based on what you know about your ideal customers. Include the following information:
Gathering this information will help you choose topics to write about and create a blog that your customers will care about. And, if you really have multiple audiences, make sure you write different things to address all of them separately. 2. Create an editorial calendar Customers, blog readers, and search engines all like predictability. If you start writing, but then don’t post for several weeks, readers are less likely to come back and see what else you’ve written. A website that publishes infrequently won’t rank as high in search engines, making it less likely that customers will find you through online search. It’s hard to publish regularly if you are struggling to think of things to write about or forgetting that your blog exists. To prevent this, create an editorial calendar that lays out a plan for what you will write and when it will be published. The frequency of your posts doesn’t matter as much as the quality and consistency. One well-written, relevant blog post every two weeks will market your business better than daily poor-quality posts or a blog that hasn’t been updated in months. 3. Brainstorm keywords for each post. If you want customers to find your website when they search online, your blog posts must include related phrases that customers might type into a search engine. Before you write each post, brainstorm long-tail keywords and include them in your writing. For example, if your company provides accounting services to small and mid-size businesses, your customers may search for “small business accounting tips.” Aim for one main keyword and two or three secondary keywords that are relevant to the topic you are writing about. 4. Optimize your posts for search engines To optimize your blog posts for SEO, add signals that tell search engines what your post is about. When search engines read these signals, they can direct relevant traffic to your website. Incorporate keywords as naturally as possible. Do not add keywords randomly or in sentences where they don’t fit organically; this is known as “keyword stuffing” and signals to search engines that your site isn’t trustworthy. The written post isn’t the only place where you should use keywords. They should also appear in the following places:
When you optimize all these places, you send multiple signals to search engines and make it easier for them to direct customers to your blog. Ignore every stigma you’ve ever heard about cold calling. A lot of entrepreneurs and salespeople believe that it is no longer an efficient form of marketing. But then again, many entrepreneurs started their business using cold calling and still believe in its effectiveness.
Basic tips for your cold calling efforts: Start with your target industry. Public annual reports, business organization lists, and press releases are a great place to find prospects to add to your calling list. Also, depending upon your industry, you may need to delve further into research, but it will be worth it when you have a successful list.* Call outside normal hours. Do not call several times a day; that’s annoying. Instead, call early in the morning, during lunchtime, or after work. If the person that answered the phone isn’t the one you want, act like that person is the one you’re trying to reach. Modify your strategy. And, if they direct you to the correct person, thank them. Add the phrase “Can you help me?” and many people will! First off, try not to sound like a salesperson. You’ll have 10 seconds to catch their attention. Don’t waste it making it all about you. Say “Hi (name), my name is (your name). I’m hoping you can help me. If I wanted to provide (your product or service) to your company, who would I need to impress to get that business?” Remember, if you sound like a salesperson, you’re guaranteed to get a dial tone. What about rejection? You cannot take it personally. You need to be immune to rejection. How do you get good clients? In the beginning, it is quantity first because it is impossible to know which of them will be “good.” And what is your definition of a good client? Many believe it is the size of the client or the amount of money you make. Or it could be the loyalty of the client – knowing that they will stay with you and that turns into long-term income. Some of the best clients could come from jobs that some might consider the worst. And some of the worst clients may come from projects that you consider to be the best. So, it is hard to determine who is going to be that “good” client. There is no way to guess. Think about how many appointments you need to make to close one account and figure the time you need to make that many calls. Then make sure to carve out that amount of time in your day. A few calls a couple of times a week could make all the difference. *Want a custom call list? We provide that service! Call us at 610-405-0633.  Sports and business have a lot in common. It doesn’t matter what sport you play; the objective is to win. Similarly, it doesn’t matter what kind of business you operate, you want to win. Winning in sports could mean ending with the most points or arriving at a destination faster than the rest. In the business world, winning might be outselling a competitor or having world-class customer service. Parallels exist at the leadership level in sports and business. A great coach is often synonymous with a great team. Comparably, outstanding businesses are commonly led by exceptional leaders. What great leaders do differently
Although some leaders make success appear effortless, businesses don’t just become successful by accident. It’s the leader’s vision that not only puts the game in play but keeps the momentum going. Great leaders know how to scout talent. Sure, they may delegate the talent search to a member of their team (i.e., human resources), but they do so with a strong list of criteria they are looking for in each candidate. Leaders are looking to fill roles, but not just any ordinary person will do - - they want the “one.” Even after hiring the right person to fill a role, great leaders aim to fully develop those team members. They aren’t satisfied with the status quo; they know the success of the team is contingent upon the successful development of individuals. Positioning Filling roles is only part of the equation. After finding the right people, great leaders make sure to position their team members in a way that results in the best outcomes. Observing Like a coach watching a tactical play, great leaders are always observing the flow of business and keeping an eye out for opportunities for improvement or growth. They recognize areas of strength and areas in need of improvement. They are continuously analyzing whether the best strategy is a complete overhaul of a team or to simply swap out one aspect of the process. Communicating It’s one thing for a leader to be able to communicate with team members. It’s something else entirely to teach team members how to effectively communicate with each other. Clear communication is imperative in sports and business. However, communication doesn’t always come naturally. Therefore, great leaders will set expectations for communication by modeling good communication on their end. Great leaders know no one gets anywhere by expecting people to read minds. Motivating You’d be hard-pressed to hear a coach telling a team “This game is no big deal,” or a business leader saying: “This client doesn’t really matter.” Coaches and business leaders won’t disregard any role as unimportant or irrelevant; they will tell each player the expectation for performance. Motivation doesn’t always need to be a loud, inspirational pep talk. Many great leaders quietly motivate their team. Team members of great leaders know the walk is always more important than the talk. Becoming A Great Leader You don’t need to be the coach of a championship sports team to be an outstanding leader; you can be a great leader in business. In fact, all you really need is to keep your focus on the fact that great leaders are always surrounded by great teams who look up to them, trust them, and know trust is a two-way street. Great leaders scout talent to fill roles, position, and reposition, observe and analyze, communicate, and motivate. Think like a great leader, act like a great leader, and your team will see you as a great leader. The workplace in 2021 requires employers to rethink priorities and development of necessary skill sets. Businesses should embrace a dynamic approach to reskilling talent as new skills become relevant and necessary.
Businesses of all sizes have been drastically affected by the coronavirus outbreak. As things have unfolded over the last few months, it is an interesting time to be in marketing and communications.
One thing that is abundantly clear is that many businesses have experienced a situation unlike any before. The pandemic is a perfect example of a case for a communications plan. Having an emergency communication plan is essential for your business. You need to know what to say and when to say it. When you are faced with a crisis, you don’t want to be in a state of confusion scrambling around for the right things to say, regardless if it is an outbreak like coronavirus, a social issue, or an emergency within your staff or family. Your messages should be kept simple and updated regularly. The Communications Team It doesn’t matter the size of your company or whether you have a marketing team - you need to know who is responsible for communications. Ideally, this would include the CEO/owner, leadership team and a communications person. It is important to have all these members on the same page, but you’ll need only one person to craft the message and one person to proof and approve the message. This will help to ensure that one person is saying what they want to say and not representing the whole company. You may think a small business with one owner only requires that one person to be the point, however, if the emergency is impacting the owner, someone needs to communicate that. Also, allocate a responsible person to maintain phone numbers and emails for staff that is regularly updated. If your plan needs to be activated, you must be able to reach your employees in the easiest way possible. You will also need a media plan if the need arises to contact the press. Issues of Response It is important to know what issues will need a reaction from you, and whether these situations need responses internally, with customers, with the public, or all. Truthfully, there are small and large crises all the time, and you can’t really respond to every single one. Do you respond to national situations or a local tragedy? Do you respond to political situations? Something to think about is how responding (or not responding) to a situation aligns with your core values and how it looks socially. It’s also important to consider your customers and their concerns about the situation. Does the situation impact your customers’ ability to do business with you? Does responding to the situation reassure your customers or only cause them more worry? The messages and the delivery Regardless if it is just the owner or a team, it is good to always have an extra set of eyes on the message. So, if you are the business owner, you might be the one to draft your company memo but have your office administrator proof the message. If you are a marketing manager, you might write the message and have the business owner approve it. Some details to think about:
Determine What to Include in the Message When writing a message to staff, it is important to be positive in stressful times. Everyone reacts differently to situations. In the situation of coronavirus, some people may just want to keep working while others may be experiencing great anxiety. It is important leaders remain calm and be encouraging. For addressing staff in any situation, some things to highlight are: No one knows what lasting effect the coronavirus will have on our economy. We have no idea the timeframes or the long-term repercussions on our businesses.
This disruption is testing everyone’s emotional and social operating system and functioning, which is better known as emotional intelligence. As Darwin deduced, those who survive “are not the strongest or the most intelligent, but the most adaptable to change.” It’s the responsibility of leaders to show empathy, optimism, and flexibility that will lead businesses out of this crisis. It may all come down to our ability to be problem-solvers. This crisis will probably not end in the next few weeks, and with so many people experiencing high anxiety, this could be a good time to refresh our emotional Intelligence Skills. Be Empathetic Keep in mind that this event is impacting everyone, not just you and your business. Remind yourself that you have no idea what someone else may be going through. Sensing that everyone is in a similar situation is a remedy for elevated levels of stress and pessimism that may only compound your frustration and ability to Solve Problems. |
Boost Your BusinessMaria NovakI have over 35 years' experience in Marketing Small Businesses. Categories
All
|
RSS Feed
|
|
Copyright © 2025 Maria L. Novak Marketing Solutions & Business Development
|
|
Award Winning Newsletter & Email Marketing Services
|