fabiochiu/medium-articles huggingface dataset:
4 Ways to Make Email Newsletters More Engaging
By: Destry Witt
Tags: Employee Engagement, Email Marketing, Newsletter

Email newsletters can be a great way to drive sales, share updates, and keep people interested in a product or service. However, the newsletters have to grab the customers’ attention every month and make them want to keep reading. Otherwise, they’ll end up unsubscribing or send the newsletters straight to their spam folder. Here are some tips on creating engaging content for email newsletters.

How-To Guides

A good email newsletter creates value for the subscriber instead of merely promoting a product or service. The best newsletters make customers walk away feeling like they’ve learned something new. And if they have good feelings about the newsletter, they’ll view the company positively.

How-to articles can add value to email newsletters . They teach the customer something new, help them find new ways to use the product, and create content that the customer is inspired to share with their family members. Plus, they invite the customer to try a hands-on activity instead of passively reading an article.

Company Milestones

Sharing company milestones can be an essential part of email marketing . Company milestones might include awards, sales achievements, employee accomplishments, anniversaries, and other landmarks that the company has reached. This sends the message that the business is doing well and experiencing rapid growth.

It also gives the reader confidence in the company and makes them feel like this is a business they can trust. Sharing milestones can even improve morale among the employees and give credit to an incredibly well employee.

Infographics

A large, full-color image is usually easier to digest than blocks of text. To get certain pieces of information across, companies can use a chart, diagram, or infographic. They can hire a graphic designer or make an infographic in-house using various online tools.

A well-designed infographic immediately grabs the viewer’s attention and keeps them engaged with short, relevant blurbs of content. An infographic might demonstrate the company’s sales, introduce new products, or talk about their primary target audiences. Good infographics are direct, memorable, and easy to understand.

Customer Reviews

Businesses can add customer reviews to the end of their newsletter to show that their company is credible and well-received. Plus, the customers might be flattered if they see their name in the monthly company newsletter.
Is Learning The New Pension?. “If you know stuff and can demonstrate…
By: Handshake Partners
Tags: Social Impact, Employee Engagement, Employee Experience, Upskilling Employees, Upskilling

“If you know stuff and can demonstrate that you know stuff and have been upskilling yourself with online training to do the task that we need, you’re hired.” — Ravi Kumar

New York Times opinion columnist, Thomas L. Friedman warns us about an era of “Schumpeterian creative destruction” to follow after the pandemic in his opinion piece After the Pandemic, a Revolution in Education and Work Awaits.

According to Friedman, the Schumpeterian creative destruction era will bring humans to chase after AI to remain relevant, employable and consequently, turn us into lifelong learners.

Relevant: The rapid growth in digitization and globalization is changing the nature of work and the workplace. Some jobs machines will do, others will be able to be done by anyone from anywhere, and a few will still require offices.

Employable: We are warned about our children, possibly even ourselves, being expected (and hopefully prepared) to change jobs and professions repeatedly throughout our lifetime. Therefore, to remain employable, we are to continuously keep learning.

So, why is it expected to be destructive?

Apparently, lines between employers, employees, teachers and governments will be blurred, and this may lead to certain institutions to disappear ( bye Universities?). As more people with access to computers & credit (which translate into cheap access to innovation tools), more new products and services to solve for society’s largest health, social, environmental and the economic issues will be created rapidly. Seems like a positive disruption.

The majority of Friedman’s insights come from conversations with Ravi Kumar, president of Infosys. Kumar suggests that the modularization, and digitalization of work will create opportunities for more people to compete for jobs regardless of university degrees.

In this context, the concept of “re-skilling” or lifelong learning, makes sense. Lifelong learning- from kindergarten to higher education-in the context of the Sustainable Development Goals and other global challenges including the pandemic positions us too in a time perfect for innovation.

Educators and corporations must both agree that complex adaptive coalitions will become the standard business model, almost like “interchangeable parts” did for the industrial revolution in the 19th century. Curriculums are likely to narrow and focus on employability and vocational skills.

Ultimately, the idea of lifelong learning, offers opportunities to build a future that is fair, safe, inclusive and sustainable where, regardless of what new crises are to come, we will be skilled to reinvent ourselves and our value as needed.

Read the full article here.

PS, if you want to look forward to an actual $$$ pension, beyond lifelong learning, get familiar with your employer’s 401k or look into a Roth IRA and start saving today.
What Are the Pros and Cons of Employee Monitoring Software?
By: Danielle Gradwell
Tags: Employee Engagement, Employee Monitoring

Employee monitoring software can be defined as computer and/or web software designed to monitor the work activities of employees who work remotely from any location in the world. The use of remote employee monitoring software has increased drastically over the course of the past few months, and it seems as though this system is here to stay. The computer and web-based software have proven to be extremely beneficial for many companies who need to automatically assess or stay up-to-date on employee productivity and attendance, as well as web and application usage, during work hours. Although this software is extremely beneficial to any company that chooses to use it, there have been multiple complaints and criticisms regarding the use of this software.

Ways in Which Employees Can Be Monitored

There are multiple ways in which employees can be monitored during work hours when they are not working at home. Some of these include reading company emails, reviewing employee phone conversations, and setting up monitors that show how much time was spent on work. Other ways to monitor employees include the use of screen recording software, using the clock in and clock out tracking software, and recording employee access to certain areas and/or files.

*Originally posted on m2sys blog, author — Tyler Mitchell
Construye un Buen Ambiente Laboral en tu Empresa
By: Akiba Blog
Tags: Ambiente Laboral, HR, Employee Engagement, Talent Management

in In Bitcoin We Trust
The Definitive Guide to Corporate Gifting
By: Victoria Pi
Tags: Gifting, Employee Engagement, Employee Experience, Corporate Culture, Giftpack Ai

Tips for success

There are common do’s and don’ts when it comes to gifting for business. We’re here to help you navigate the best-practice methods to avoid pitfalls and drive home the message you want to send every time.

DON’t — Gift clichés

People love feeling appreciated and gifting memorable presents reinforces the extent that you value your partnerships. However, sending the wrong gift can be dangerous in undermining the message you want to tell. Devote some time to do research and prevent missing your mark.

Common clichés include:

Over-promotional gifts

Impersonal gifts

Exclusive holiday season gifting

Poor presentation

Ignoring religious and cultural beliefs

DO — Prioritize personalization

It’s tempting to save yourself time by sending the same gift to all your recipients. But, it contradicts the message of authenticity emphasized with your gesture. Caring about your recipients means getting to know them to gift something valuable. Show that you took time to think about the gift rather than pluck something off the shelf at the last minute.

Choosing the right gift for the right person is at the heart of personalization. Customizing a gift doesn’t have to be a challenge. The item you give already indicates the extent you went to understand the giftee’s needs. There is a variety of ways to personalize a gift from crafting a hand-written card to purposeful packaging tailored to the receiver. The aim is to express your attention to detail to highlight their individuality.

If you’re struggling to figure out what to give, whether you know your recipient for a long time or never met them before, try this free gift generator. Giftpack’s personal gifting assistant uses AI technology to match gifts to any individual at the click of a button. Take the guesswork out of gifting and let Giftpack help you find a gift out of millions of options that fit your recipient.

DO — Understand current trends

Gifting trends change over time. Being aware of current trends can help guide you to choosing a suitable present. The most influential factor affecting gifting trends in 2020 is the pandemic. It changed many people’s behaviors and habits. Remote work altered normal working dynamics. The focus shifted to businesses connecting with employees through different channels and methods.

Gifting trends of 2020 include:

Gift cards

Health and wellness

Outdoor

Work-from-home

Self-care

Online courses

DO — Take a reality check

Expectations don’t always match reality when it happens, especially when it comes to gifting. Planned actions don’t always have the outcome you desire, but you can go about finding ways to protect yourself from gifting mishaps. Our top tips from above about personalization, trends, and clichés are a starting point for you to ensure your present hits the right mark.
Importance of Employee Recognition at Workplace
By: Abhijit Kumar Ray
Tags: Employee Engagement, Hrms Software, Payroll, Employee Recognition, Employees

Creating a great place to work is a big challenge. A place where employees can thrive can be created only when there is an appreciation of their efforts and recognition for the work put in. Recognized employees translate into happy employees who are productive at their workplace and satisfied with their job role.

Recognition should not be a one-off activity in an organization. In fact, there is no specific need to allot a single day for employee recognition. Recognition can be in day-to-day activities and daily tasks. When you take the time out to appreciate your employees and their efforts, it demonstrates how much of a measurable impact they’re having on your business.

Among employees who received no recognition, only 48 percent indicated they trusted their higher-ups.

Appreciation is a fundamental human need. More than that, employee recognition helps to retain the top talent, increase productivity levels, and drive employee engagement.

How to show employee appreciation at your workplace?

Be timely Be specific Remember that every small effort counts Make recognition an important event Make meaningful gestures of gratitude

It is important for every organization to have its own employee recognition program that aligns with its goals and values. Lack of such an initiative will lead to distrust amongst the employees, make them feel undervalued and appreciated. This can further lead your top employees to join your competitors which can prove detrimental in the long run.

The significance of employee recognition simply cannot be ignored.

Visit the top choice Payroll Software in the MENA regional countries.
What is not changing?
By: Jonathan Mills
Tags: Employee Engagement, Sustainability, Care, Values Based Leadership, Leadership Behaviors

2020 has been a year like no other — some are even saying: “It’s the end of the world as we know it”. People have endured hardships everywhere. The COVID-19 pandemic has been pervasive with virtually no-one left untouched. Lives and livelihoods have been lost. Economies are under huge strain. The prospects for any quick recoveries look bleak. How should we then be approaching 2021?

Against all odds this year, we have been resilient. We have comforted those who were fearful. We have supported those in need. We have connected digitally where we could. Of course, there were those who behaved badly: corrupt opportunists, who attempted to take advantage of our fragility and plunder funds meant for relief efforts — they will be brought to book hopefully. In this period of uncertainty and as we approach the “new world” with many changes looming, however, what remains the same (or should remain the same) for our planning purposes?

Respect for each other — the dignity of the human being should always be upheld, no matter what the new world looks like. Humans are not pawns on political chess boards, but precious members of society and should be treated as such. Valuing all forms of diversity — we must celebrate uniqueness and difference in whatever form (ethnicity, gender, education, culture, background, upbringing, exposure, experience, etc.). We should not stop at “tolerance”, which means “putting up with someone else”, but rather learn how to love each other. Sincere engagement with all employees — be it remotely or in person, emotional connection is needed to express our humanness and to support growth. Empathy, identifying with the emotional condition of the other person, is essential during times of change. Leaders need to be truly present. Inclusion — giving opportunities for contribution and participation, including decision-making, especially when the decision is going to affect employees. Authentic listening is necessary to grow trust. Recognition — leaders need to grow confidence in employees by acknowledging discretionary effort, successes and energy applied appropriately and thus celebrating growth together. Sustainability — we need to future-proof our world, our societies and our companies. We just cannot behave selfishly anymore and ignore issues that negatively impact sustainability — we have to act in 2021. Care — expressing concern for the vulnerable and finding sustainable solutions for issues like poverty, clean water, sufficient cultivation of food, shelter, safety, etc. Non-government organisations that address these issues, on their own, can’t meet all these needs — governments, companies and communities need to participate together to find viable solutions.

As those in leadership, and employees alike, tentatively step into a post-pandemic “new world” and attempt to re-establish livelihoods and economies, may they continue to uphold the values that respect our humanness — our interconnectedness, our interdependency and our need for a sustainable future.
Ideas for an end of year party
Tags: Employee Engagement, Post Covid 19 Recovery, Christmas Party, Human Resource Software, Team Building

The year 2020 has been a very challenging one for the whole world, more so for Nigerians, from the deadly Corona Virus to losing people during the End Sars protest to the increase in the price of general goods (Ordinary Onions, I know right?).

Phew!!! What a year!!!🤦🏾‍♂️ As we plan and are optimistic about the new year, an Office Party is always a great way to motivate and uplift the spirit of your employees. We thought to share some ideas with you for a great end of year party.

A themed party: Everyone loves a themed party, this will make them excited and full of anticipation, it will also make them feel special and loved. You can include costumes, dress codes or colour codes to make it creative and memorable for them.

Extend the invite: Extend the invite across the employees, make it a plus one or plus two invitations to family members and their loved one. Many employees this year, working from home also meant working with their spouse and children, your employees will appreciate having to share the fun part of their work as well with their spouse or families.

Play games: Games are usually the centre of attraction in parties, it lightens the mood of the guest. These days’ people have been so caught up with work that they barely have time for other things, playing games will enable them spend quality time not just as a company but as a family. A few games you could play at the party;

Impression

Charades

Gidiwords

Musical chairs

2truths 1lie

Award giving: Give out recognition awards or prizes to show appreciation for their commitment and dedication this year, make them feel valued, this will also encourage them to do better in the year to come.

Secret Santa: As the name implies, this means exchanges of gifts in a group or community without revealing the identity of the giver. Randomly assign employees to whom they give a gift to.

Refreshments: No party is ever complete without an” item 7". Treat your employees to the sumptuous” party Jollof “, fried rice or any other refreshments to kick off the party. You could make it a dinner party as well, at a fancy restaurant, or just at the newest cool spot around.

Take it out of the office: Yes, it is an Office party but that does not mean it has to be done in the office. There are lots of exciting places around the country or just within your State. Here are some suggestions.

Even though you work remotely currently, you could still have a fun virtual Party, by taking traditional party ideas and make them virtual

Play interactive online games: You can check out Jack box games for ideas

Fun Prizes for each game-winner: A fun certificate, A shout-out at the next company meeting, Vouchers or gifts cards

Food and drinks virtually — have them delivered

Send gifts to doorsteps.

The whole idea is to ensure your employees have fun whether it’s an in-person or virtual party.
Drivers of Team Engagement: 12 necessary Questions first
By: Oezguer Kibarogullari
Tags: Employee Engagement, Leadership Skills, Motivation, Organizational Culture, Team Building

“A minute to learn, a lifetime to master”, but discussions about different topics with friends allows you to find the connection what to learn first, before you proceed. Here we go :)

No efficiency before effectiveness.

No commitment without transparency.

No #innovation without #mindset.

No values without problems.

No changes without people.

No learnings without failures.

No greatness before visions.

And no engagement without motivation.

And there is no need to reinvent the wheel. Just for part of more engagement and motivation, we could find the following questions from the Gallup’ s engagement model. You can discuss these questions with you team mates or with yourself. However, the more positive answers, the better :)

Do you know what is expected of you at work? Do you have the materials and equipment you need to do your work right? At work, do you have the opportunity to do what you do best every day? In the last seven days, have you received recognition or praise for doing good work? Does your supervisor or someone at work seem to care about you as a person? Is there someone at work who encourages your development? Do your opinions seem to count? Are your opinions heard? Does the mission or purpose of your company make you feel your job is important? Are your associates or fellow employees committed to doing quality work? Do you have a best friend at work? In the last six months, has someone at work has talked to you about your progress? This last year, have you had opportunities at work to learn and grow?

The source of the Gallup research: Download File Gallup 2020 Meta-Analysis Brief.pdf

And here is the homepage for detailed version of the research: How to Improve Employee Engagement in the Workplace | Gallup
¿Qué Tipo de Cultura Organizacional Tiene tu Empresa?
By: Akiba Blog
Tags: Employee Engagement, Enterprise, Entrepreneurship, Organizational Culture, Culture Change

in Strategy for the Rest of Us
Social Recognition: The Most Powerful HR Tool In The Digital Era
By: Karan Singh
Tags: Employee Retention, Employee Recognition, Employee Engagement

Recognition is not a scarce resource. You can’t use it up or run out of it.

Evolution of Employee Recognition:

Although there is not one single event that highlights the scope of workplace recognition, some form of rewards could be found in ancient Greece during the first Olympic where the winners of the events were awarded prizes, including horses, laurel (or olive) leaf crowns and bronze tripods. These athletes were honored with statues and inscriptions too. Starting in 1896, Olympic medals were introduced which became a huge part of the modern games and are considered to be a great recognition in the sports fraternity. Human nature is known to revolve around the need for appreciation and rewards which keeps them motivated to achieve their goals, be it on the Olympic ground or modern workplace.

During the 20th century, most of the workplace recognition was based on B.F. Skinner’s study of positive reinforcement where he theorized that companies reward only those employees that display hard-working behaviour continuously. It was also observed that the recognition was heavily influenced by the employee tenure back then.

Employee recognition in the modern workplace, which began as a North American concept, in recent decades has been embraced by businesses in South America, Europe, Asia and around the globe. Earlier employees were recognized for reaching significant milestones like tenure, safety or sales achievements typically and were felicitated with a memento, lapel pins or merchandise.

Soon technology continued to advance, and in the late 90s employee reward platforms were introduced making the process of redeeming rewards simpler and quicker. Soon ‘performance points programs’ were developed, allowing organizations to distribute points for specific achievements and tasks which could be banked and redeemed for incentives.

Today, successful employee recognition is not driven by the number of years an employee has served in the organization but is given to employees for their successful performance, for unique ideas, maybe for meeting tight timelines, for active participation, even for displaying company values. Rewards today are also given peer to peer. And the most latest trend, social media has become a part of our daily lives, social recognition has become the in thing.

Read how social recognition platform is making a way into the modern work culture — https://bit.ly/BuzzzSocialRecognition
High employee turnover does not necessarily mean it’s bad?
Tags: Business Management, Employee Engagement, Human Resource Management, Bad Employers, Choose The Right Employee

The most feared in management is kidnapped by mediocre employees! Excellent employees take the initiative to lose! Good management will make the employees stay in the company for a longer period of time. Don’t be afraid of employees leaving, because I am here to tell you the ways to manage it.

The more changing in employees, the better! As a result, the employees will gain more knowledge and experience and the company might have to pay a high salary than before.

An employee who leaves the team easily has no responsibility performance.

Which team has problems and which team has advantages? If it is slightly uncomfortable or tempting, it will be easily shaken. In this case, such a person cannot be entrusted with heavy responsibility.

Complaining and blaming the team is to slap yourself, saying that you are incompetent and it’s like giving up the opportunity!

Employees who cross the river then break the bridge are impossible to have gratitude. Don’t let this type of employee stay in the company. Creating profit is the core value of your existence.

Encounter pressure from the outside world then wants to escape. It is a risk for such employees to stay. If you encounter problems, please think first. It only reflects that the problem is the primary level. Thinking and solving problems is the advanced level.

A business needs to work with these type of people;

1) A person who can always grow with the team.

2) People who are always optimistic about the future of the team.

3) People who can find their place in the constant exploration of the

team.

4) People who are constantly learning new things for the team’s new

goals.

5) People with strong pressure resistance and patience.

6) Those who share the same heart and mind with the team, help each

other in the same boat, and share the joys and sorrows, do not care

about personal gains and losses and take care of the overall

situation.

In a group, people are divided into five types: scum, personnel, manpower, talents, & character.

Scum is a complaint of grievances, nothing to do, provokes incidents, eats inside and the ruins outside.

Personnel is the only ones who don’t like to do things with wages, and they don’t want to do things that are not related to themselves.

Manpower is to arrange what to do then they will do it, if not arrange then he/she won’t do it. He/she will wait for the order.

Talented people are willing to do things from the heart every day, to be responsible, to have ideas, to be organized, to know that the company’s business is done well, to benefit itself, and to really care for the company.

Character a person who is fully engaged, thinking and doing things with his soul and determined to do something with the company!

Management is to eliminate scums, activate personnel, train people, reuse talents, and bind with characters! Using the management model of the business partner to activate the continuous motivation of the employees. It is equal to doing it for the boss!
Do you love your job?
By: Raj Bhatia
Tags: Employee Engagement, Employment, Careers, Performance Reviews, Job Satisfaction

Picture from Pexels

Do you love your job? Where do you see yourself five years from now — this is what every boss asks her juniors. What do you say? Remember, bosses expect you to sound optimistic and ambitious.

Executives say they wish to be managers, managers express they should be VPs, and the VPs say they would like to see themselves as CXOs. It is not important whether you get there five years later or not. What matters is, do you feel fulfilled? Is the job exciting? The answer is no, in most cases.

What a waste? Had you foreseen it, you may have made a different choice.

Masha argues you can. By revisiting “peak experiences” — experiences that left you exhilarated. These can help you figure out the kind of job you would find exciting and fulfilling. So in the future, you don’t make the mistake of picking an assignment that leaves you fatigued.
The High Cost of Workplace Burnout
By: Dr Rick Goodman
Tags: Management, Employee Engagement, Entrepreneurship, Leadership, Burnout

Leaders, do you have an interest in keeping workplace morale high? In protecting your employees from burnout, stress, and fatigue? In providing them with the resources they need to tackle major anxieties or seasons of struggle? Of encouraging all employees — yourself included — to take vacation time in order to recharge those batteries and stave off exhaustion?

You should be, and not just because it’s the right thing to do. It’s also something that can impact your business at the bottom line. And if you aren’t mindful of workplace burnout, it could cost you big time.

How Workplace Burnout Costs Businesses

Indeed, workplace burnout has become an epidemic. And as more and more leaders and employees are succumbing to the physical and emotional ravages of workplace anxiety, it’s costing businesses billions of dollars each year.

That’s right, billions. And that number encompasses all of the following:

The cost of replacing employees who leave the company because they feel overworked and underappreciated.

The cost of sick days, call-outs, and employee absenteeism.

Missed opportunities from sapped creativity and impaired ingenuity.

Higher healthcare costs for your employees, which can put a big ding into workplace insurance costs.

A general lack of energy and forward momentum.

Managing Burnout

The bottom line is that when you and your employees feel consistently burned out — beaten down by the stresses of daily life and work — it can have a big, negative impact on the entire team. So what can be done about it?

Well, we’re in the midst of the holiday season right now, so I hope one thing you’re doing is taking vacation — and encouraging your employees to do likewise! Something else to consider is investing in stress management training, or at the very least in exemplifying stress mitigation techniques for your employees. Even communication and regular affirmation can help avert workplace burnout; hard work is easier to swallow when it seems like it’s appreciated and meaningful!

Whatever you do, don’t ignore the problem of burnout. If you don’t deal with it early on, it could cost you big time.
5ives: WORK
By: Ray Chung
Tags: Culture, Employee Engagement, Work, Entrepreneurship, Happiness

[Through 5ives I hope to share my reflections on a variety of topics, within the constraints of five quotes, statistics, principles, stories, and verses. I’ve limited myself to five in an attempt to free myself from the “analysis paralysis” that can result from an overabundance of available information. 5ives capture my thought process at a certain point in time. I have in no way concluded my thinking on these topics, and I welcome comments, feedback, or questions. Simply reach out to me at rayc22+run@gmail.com.]

Estimates suggest we’ll spend ⅓ of our lives at work, averaging 90,000 hours over the course of a lifetime. Because so much of our time is devoted to work, the topic deserves our thought, and it’s what I’m pondering in this edition of 5ives.

Photo: Boh Tea Garden — Cameron Highlands, Malaysia (June 2018)

5 QUOTES

“Instead of wondering when your next vacation is, maybe you should set up a life you don’t need to escape from.” ― Seth Godin

“…work provides dignity, value, and purpose. Work verifies our identity, creates communities, produces jobs, and renews cities.” ― Peter Greer

“Nothing ever comes to one, that is worth having, except as a result of hard work.” — Booker T. Washington

“Authentic happiness derives from raising the bar for yourself, not rating yourself against others.” ― Martin Seligman

“Happiness is really just about four things: perceived control, perceived progress, connectedness (number and depth of your relationships), and vision/meaning (being part of something bigger than yourself).” ― Tony Hsieh

5 STATS

85% of employees are not engaged or are actively disengaged in the workplace. (source)

1 in 3 employees strongly agree that they trust the leadership of their organization. (source)

Only about half of all workers strongly indicate that they know what is expected of them at work. (source)

81% of employees would consider leaving their jobs for the right offer, even if they aren’t actively looking for a job. (source)

26% of employees strongly agree that the feedback they receive helps them do better work. (source)

Photo: Cameron Highlands Tea Plantation, Malaysia (June 2018)

5 PRINCIPLES

*I don’t get paid for any of these endorsements.

Photo: Traveling from Tanah Rata to Cameron Highlands, Malaysia (June 2018)

5 STORIES

The story behind New York Giant’s “All In” (link)

An Interview with Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh (link)

Made to Flourish — The Surprising Story of the Oxygen Mask (link)

The Lancaster Stroopies Company story with Jonathan and Jennie Geoff (link)

YouTuber Casey Neistat’s perspective on work (link)

5 VERSES
I’m breaking up with my employer.
By: Sterling Page
Tags: Life, Employee Engagement, Work, Life Lessons, Experience

I’m breaking up with my employer.

I’m an insurance billing and collection specialist with a long history of effective and timely collections of doctors’ medical bills. My collection rate is in the high 90s. I’ve scored millions of dollars from insurance companies that didn’t want to pay doctors’ bills.

Our practice merged with a larger one. The new company does not entertain remote workers, and their central billing office is in another state. But don’t worry, they said, we’re carving out room for you in the new company.

Today I heard a rumor that the position they carved out was as a receptionist.

Enough.

Time to take my own damn advice and go out on my own.

Bye, Felicia.
How Tribe 9 Foods Lives Its Mission
By: Tribe Foods
Tags: Impact, Employee Engagement, Stakeholder Capitalism, B Corp, Food

In 2017, with the dedication and commitment of five entrepreneurs, Tribe 9 Foods was founded in Madison, Wisconsin, when three fast-growing companies merged. RP’s Pasta, Yumbutter, and Ona came together to combine their unique and diverse skills, with the fundamental belief they could make great products and make the world better. A new, innovative specialty food manufacturing company was born with the intention to use business as a force for good.

The path forward was clear:

Create more nutritious products.

Provide more great jobs for employees.

Contribute more to our communities.

Demonstrate how to be a responsible and sustainable manufacturer.

Establishing the Mission

From day one, Tribe 9 Foods’ mission has been to improve lives through food. The company became a Certified B Corporation in 2018, shortly after the company’s inception. Today, it is the largest B Corp in the state of Wisconsin.

“Right from the beginning, our team was tasked with building a company that would have an unparalleled positive impact,” says Gregg Gillman, Tribe 9’s Director of Finance. “While many companies our size and age are solely focused on funding products and profit, it’s part of our DNA to consider the world, the community, and the people around us.”

Tribe 9’s Senior Director of Marketing, Andy Allcock, was drawn to the company because of its B Corp status, like so many other of its employees.

“Being part of a B Corp means I can be proud of where I work, what we’re doing, and the lasting impact of Tribe 9 Foods,” Allcock says. “I’m motivated knowing that the efforts of my team to tell more people about the wonderful products we make allows us to not only grow sales, but to expand the positive impact we have on the world.”

Empowering Employees

To improve lives through food, Tribe 9 ensures, first and foremost, that it improves the lives of the people who make its business possible. Any sustainable business requires a strong workforce made up of passionate people doing meaningful work.

When asked which B Corp values were most important to him, Will Ciurzcak, vice president of operations, didn’t hesitate with his answer: “As a manager of people and departments, I value the fact that B Corps take the time to understand the biggest asset in any business is the people. It’s important to me that everyone here can view their job as a career and have a path to advancement if they want it.”
In Only Saturday
By: Lynn Browder
Tags: Life, Parenting, Autism, Life Lessons, Inspiration

In Only Saturday

I went to the bathroom. I had told Owen I was going. I wanted to take a toy back to his room first. He can hear the vibrations in the floor as I walk. He came running to the hall. His toes started pounding the ground and then the screaming began. And so the bathroom rules start again. I told him I put the toy up and was now going to the bathroom. He closed the bathroom door when I went in and immediately started banging on it. He then opened the door and asked if I was ok. I wanted to cry. The screams from the day echo in my soul. This is all been so incredibly hard on him. He doesn’t understand any of it. One day he gets to do all the activities he loves and the next day walking out our door brought all the unknowns slapping us in the face, keeping us inside. How could he possibly understand, I still don’t understand it all. Finally, he was able to go to school, and then that was gone in a heartbeat. He got exposed to the virus, he was quarantined. It will be over a month before he goes back to school with the holiday break. Our world has changed but I can’t explain it to him. I told him he would see his teacher soon. He screamed. He can’t comprehend what that means. My heart aches. I asked Owen what he wanted for dinner and he said, “want to paint baby red bird”. We had roast beef and macaroni and cheese. I walked to get more milk and I turned around to see him sitting on the table. The same table that three screws have fallen out of from his sitting on it that I’ve had to replace. The one calming supplement that has worked for years finally met its match tonight. Almost four hours later Owen was asleep. He screamed for all the things I couldn’t give him, cried while asking for the things I could, and finally fell asleep in my arms after asking for a big hug one more time. My prayer for tomorrow is to have calm for my baby. I hold onto his singing in French most of the day and laughing about the snow. It puts the smile on my face and the song in my heart. Dream big, follow your heart, and know that you are important. Smiles to all and donut daze!
Den Done Friday
By: Lynn Browder
Tags: Life, Parenting, Autism, Life Lessons, Inspiration

Den Done Friday

Snow and more snow and snow kept us home today. The roads were clear after a while but it was easier to keep Owen at home. Tomorrow we will go to celebrate Christmas with my parents. He talked French and German all morning, asking Siri, “I want chocolate milk please in German”, laughing hysterically when it would pull up and then asking for the phrase in numerous other languages. I asked him to tell me something in French and he squealed with it quickly escalating to a meltdown. As soon as I stopped asking he went right back to speaking French. Half of it is not recognizable and the other half is said all squished together with delight. I recognize some of it and then tell him he’s doing a good job about the rest. The big milk spill happened today, they happen a couple of times a week. He understands that he “makea de mess”, squealing he says this, but then his sensory needs take over. He will sit in it, slosh in it, or walk through the entire house with the dripping milk coming from everywhere. If I catch him quick enough he screams the entire time I ask him to sit while I clean him and the mess up. I breathe. He does really well most of the time with an open cup and I want him to have that independence. He’s made me laugh so many times and when he uses his words I want to sing it from the rooftops. Sometimes when he doesn’t want to do something or when he thinks he will push my buttons his words are even more fluid. We had spaghetti for dinner. He ate about ten bites, stopped, and promptly declared, “I need to go potty” as he was running there. When he was done he came back to the table but he said, “you done not going to eatening no dinner you done yum yum no more dinner tonight”. The “no more dinner tonight” runs a close second to my favorite phrase “you done throw it in de trash”. But he’s listening and learning and together we are growing. The older he gets the more his opinions completely matter to him and he makes sure they matter to me. For bedtime, I started early, way early. I took away all the electronics, I made everything calm, got all the steps ready for his bath, we read several books together, took an extra long bath, and had his tea ready that I keep hoping will help him sleep again. Two hours later he was still not asleep. But we also had lots of fun today. I got him new bath toys and one of them was letters. We spelled words on the tub wall and he did amazing. So thankful for my gift of my sweet baby O. Challenges come and days fade away but the smile he gives me keeps my heart singing with delight. Be thankful for your gifts, be happy in your heart, and know that tomorrow the struggles will fade away. Smiles to all and donut daze!
Byrcha,
By: Keira Fulton-Lees
Tags: Ocd, Autism, Journaling

Byrcha,

Thank you for your reply and you are completely right about channeling my monologuing into poetry and writing, as I I’m a prolific writer on medium and I have my own publication:

ArtfullyAutistic – The Beauty of Autism within the Written Word, Music, and the Visual Arts

I no longer journal anymore, as it became gradually and suddenly a great detriment to my mental health because also having OCD in addition to ASD and ADHD, I had to stop because I was journaling literally every minute of every single day and I could not stop myself. It was only through the uses of medication called luvox that I was able to start myself.

The cadence of music and the tempo of music or things that I use to get through meltdowns. I do that by playing the same 3-hour instrumental guitar melody I found on YouTube about 15 years ago and while I’m having a meltdown I will listen to the music while counting with my fingers repetitively to the beat of the music and that really really helps.

As for the monologuing itself, that’s a tough one to tackle because I’m not even aware that it’s happening often until it’s too late.

Thanks again for responding to my story.

Sincerely,

Keira Fulton-Lees

Artfully Autistic Advocate for Autism
Twins: Chapter 1
By: Brian Theobald
Tags: Autism, Psychopathy, Fiction, Psychological Thriller

It began innocently enough. The first time the cats came by, I just wanted to feed them, so I went inside and came back with a few scraps of roast beef from the fridge. Mom saw me and stuck her nose in, as usual.

“Oh, don’t do that! You feed them once and they’ll never leave. They probably have rabies or something.” She grabbed her broom and swiped at them. “Go, get, get!”

Sam seemed to have sensed the commotion and wandered outside from the living room. Through a series of wild gesticulations and semi-coherent utterances, he somehow managed to convey that he wanted to feed them too.

Mom immediately dropped the broom and fell to her knees to meet my brother’s gaze. She would move heaven and earth just to get him to look up from the TV or his iPad or his coloring books and join the world, even for a second.

“Oh, Sammy, do you wanna feed the kitties? Come on, come with Mommy!”

She ushered him inside and dug out a can of tuna and a saucer. Sam followed her lead and ran to the fridge and pulled out a carton of milk. “Good job, Sammy!” Mom said, touseling his hair. He hopped on one leg in anticipation, clumsy and ungainly, gripping at his other foot and pulling on the sock. He giggled and chewed on his sleeve as Mom opened the tin can and poured the milk into the saucer.

She let him do the honors and bring the food out to the cats. He was unsteady on his feet, so Mom gently guided him as he walked. “Careful, careful…”

He jumped up and down and clapped and squealed with delight as the animals ate. “Yeah…” Mom said, stroking his back and giggling along with him. “They sure are hungry, huh?”

“Can we get a cat?” I asked, sidling up to Mom. “That could help Sam, right?”

Her tone completely changed as her eyes met mine. “Yeah, right,” she said in a huff. “That’s all I need around here, something else to take care of.

“Sammy,” she said, and turned my brother’s head in her direction, stroking his hair. “Let’s name the kitties, okay? Pick out some names.”

He bleated out a few words in his harsh, wrecked, too-loud voice. Mom eventually deciphered that he’d said “Sunshine” and “Marbles,” and so that came to be their names.

“Which one is which?” I asked.

Mom regarded me with a weariness I should have been accustomed to at that point. “Does it matter?”

Sunshine and Marbles came back the next day, and the next, so Mom and Sam continued the ritual until Sam finally lost interest. The cats continued to show up in the evenings like clockwork, though, proving Mom’s axiom. Eventually, Mom tried shooing them away again, to no avail. Until that fateful day when they stepped onto our property for the last time.
12 days of autistic Christmas
By: Ruth Banning
Tags: Autism, Christmas, Actuallyautistic

12 days of autistic Christmas

On the 12th day of Christmas autism gave to me…

12 unplanned tangents

11 research sessions

10 fingers stimming

9 calls unanswered

8 projects started

7 special interests

6 events avoided

5 epiphanies

4 mental blanks

3 samefoods

2 verbal stims

And my favorite song on replay
Before Thursday
By: Lynn Browder
Tags: Life, Parenting, Autism, Life Lessons, Inspiration

Before Thursday

I want to hang the gone fishing sign out and not even think about what tomorrow is. It’s emotional, it’s flat out emotional. People ask me all the time what Owen wants for Christmas. I don’t mind the questions, never mind the questions at all, because it gives me the opportunity to share our journey but I don’t always know how to answer the questions. This is the first year I’ve felt like he has had a remote connection to Christmas. I don’t have one decoration up in my house, not a tree, not a bright twinkling lightbulb, not one thing. I showed him the decorations and he hides or screams. He has a hard time when the kitchen drawer is open for me to get anything out of it. He will run from another room to make sure I close it properly and then stands there inspecting it. I will tell you I have stuff out of place and everywhere so it’s not that something necessarily has to be in order but it can’t be out of his order or realm. He sees decorations in other places and he is fine with them but it’s not directly in his home. However, he gets upset quickly if it is not what he wants and where it should be. The rules are the rules until they aren’t the rules anymore. When he was younger I would try giving him wrapped presents. They would sit here for days wrapped under the tree and then I had him help me unwrap them. The emotions swell inside me again. I sat with my baby on the floor, cradling him for hours because I had taken the wrapping paper off the packages. He tried to put it back on. He couldn’t handle the difference of seeing the boxes without paper. My heart still cries out in pain seeing how hard that was on him. As the years moved forward we’ve worked on it. He can handle gift bags and now he can handle brown wrapping paper. So I breathe. Tomorrow we celebrate in our way and in our time. And I pray a lot, celebrating what Christmas really means to us. Today we sang, we laughed, we loved, and we learned and tomorrow I will be thankful for my blessings. Here’s to the joy of what tomorrow will bring. Make your dreams come true. Smiles to all and donut daze!