Jobs
All In Or Out? How Business Owners Can Deal With COVID’S Cloudy Future
As the coronavirus pandemic continues, small businesses have reopened across the nation but certainty and optimism are a long way from being restored.
Spikes in infections in many states, double-digit unemployment, consumer and lender concerns, and steep economic challenges in the wake of a long shutdown make it difficult to forecast if and when many companies will fully recover. Small business owners – many of them baby boomers and in the retirement age range – are in a difficult position trying to decide whether to risk staying in business or sell and cut their losses, says Michael Sipe, author of The AVADA Principle and founder of the consulting firm 10x Catalyst Groups (www.10xgroups.com).
“We are in the early stages of a depression that’s going to go on quite a while,” Sipe says. “Many small business owners are in their 60s and 70s, and they’re tired and beat up. Some recovered from the financial collapse of 2008, but now they’re getting hammered again.
“Customers and employees are scared or nervous. The supply chain is a big problem, and there’s this crazy situation where prices are going up because of the shortages, but meanwhile we have a depression because there aren’t enough transactions.”
Sipe offers the following suggestions to small business owners as they try to sort out their future amidst so much uncertainty:
- Quit. “A lot of people are going to do that,” Sipe says. “And if that’s the decision, they should quit fast. Don’t drag this out. One of the things that happened in the recession of 2008 was people refused to face reality, and it cost them everything, their savings and retirement. If you’re 60 to 70 years old right now and don’t know if you can gut this out another 10 or 15 years, then cut your losses. You’ll have a little nest egg now as opposed to spending all of it trying to bail the business out.”
- Reinvent. “If you’re not going to quit,” Sipe says, “then you’ve got to change. Just slugging it out and hoping it’s going to get better or that it will get back to normal – that kind of thinking is ridiculous. We have huge structural problems as a country. So if you’re going to reinvent, you have to come back to the fundamentals of business. The owner has to back up and say, ‘What are the fundamental concerns of customers we are actually trying to address here?’ And focus energy on those prime areas that are going to move people to pay a good margin for your product. Don’t ask why it’s not easier; ask how you can get better.”
- Be flexible. Given the fluid state of our world, Sipe says changing some of your business model and processes may have to become a habit. “The next thing business owners have to do is realize what they changed today may need to change tomorrow,” he says. “The innovation has to happen every day. That has a lot to do with listening to customers and anticipating what they would respond to. Engagement with customers and engagement in the innovation process for owners is absolutely critical. If an owner is not willing to try and get that figured out with and for their customers, they’re going to fail.”
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“The business has to be infused with a fresh energy and a fresh passion,” Sipe says. “If you’re not going to quit during these extremely difficult times, that means you’ve got to get back in the game. And you’ve got to play hard, because this is going to be tough.”
About Michael Sipe
Michael Sipe, author of The AVADA Principle, is the founder of 10x Catalyst Groups (www.10xgroups.com), which helps entrepreneurs grow profitable and thriving businesses organized on a foundation of Biblical principles. Sipe has also enjoyed a successful 30-plus year career in mergers, acquisitions, and business development as the founder of CrossPointe Capital, a middle market investment-banking firm. In that capacity, he consulted with and evaluated over 5,000 companies and has provided advisory services for approximately a half-billion dollars in business sales involving hundreds of companies. He remains active in transactional work and has been a key advisor in mergers and acquisitions projects covering a multitude of industry sectors.
Wisconsin McDonald’s Restaurants to Hire 6770 Employees This Summer
In its fifth year, Archways to Opportunity continues to provide tuition assistance and skills development to McDonald’s diverse employee community
As states and communities continue to re-open their economies, McDonald’s restaurants are expecting to hire approximately 260,000 restaurant employees this summer. This comes as McDonald’s restaurants begin to welcome customers back into dining rooms with extra precautions in place. McDonald’s has implemented nearly 50 new safety procedures to protect crew and customers. These include wellness and temperature checks, social distancing floor stickers, protective barriers at order points, masks and gloves for employees with the addition of new procedures, and training for the opening of dining rooms.
“It was important to us to stay open through Drive Thru, take-out and delivery to serve our communities throughout the COVID-19 crisis. As local business owners, we’re proud to provide employment and educational opportunities to our crew and look forward to welcoming new employees to our McFamily this summer,” said D.W. Rause, McDonald’s Owner/Operator. “We are a people business at our core, and as we look to re-open our dining rooms, the safety and wellness of our customers and employees is a top priority, as it has been throughout our 65-year history. That’s why we have implemented significant safety processes in our restaurants and will continue to adhere to a set of national minimum standards laid out by McDonald’s as well as following any state and local laws.”
Through a summer job at a McDonald’s restaurant, individuals not only learn work readiness skills on the job, such as teamwork, customer service and responsibility, they will also have the chance to further their education.
This year marks the five-year anniversary of Archways to Opportunity and so far McDonald’s has given out more than $100 million in tuition assistance and supported more than 55,000 restaurant workers and corporate employees. Eligible after just 90 days and 15 hours a week, restaurant employees can earn a high school diploma and receive $2,500 in upfront college tuition assistance. Restaurant employees can also access free education and career advising services and the opportunity to learn English as a second language. Archways to Opportunity has proven to promote opportunity and mobility for McDonald’s diverse employee community.. More than 50 percent of the participants are individuals who identify as people of color and almost two-thirds of participants are women. To date, McDonald’s has given out more than $450,000 in tuition assistance and supported 208 restaurant employees in Wisconsin
In addition to Archways to Opportunity, McDonald’s continues to invest in the communities in which it serves through two major scholarship programs, HACER® National Scholarships and Thurgood Marshall Black and Positively Golden Scholarships.
Job seekers can visit McDonalds.com/careers to learn more and apply to a restaurant near them, or text ‘worksforme’ to 36453 to start an application via text.” They can also start a job application by saying, “Alexa, help me get a job at McDonald’s” to any Alexa device or saying, “Hey Google, help me get a job at McDonald’s” to any device with the Google Assistant built-in. Potential applicants will receive a text message shortly thereafter with a link to continue their application process.
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About McDonald’s USA
McDonald’s serves a variety of menu options made with quality ingredients to more than 25 million customers every day. Ninety-five percent of McDonald’s 14,000 U.S. restaurants are independently owned and operated by business men and women. For more information, visit www.mcdonalds.com, or follow us on Twitter @McDonalds and Facebook at www.facebook.com/mcdonalds
Diversity And Inclusion In The Workplace Starts With The Job Ad
300 IT Jobs to Be Created in Downtown Milwaukee
Global IT innovator partners with Northwestern Mutual to bring new tech jobs and training to Milwaukee
GalaxE.Solutions hiring and nearing completed plans for its new Innovation Hub downtown
MILWAUKEE, Wis. — GalaxE.Solutions an IT services company, in partnership with Northwestern Mutual, has announced the launch of “Outsource to Milwaukee,” which will create hundreds of new tech jobs in the city of Milwaukee. GalaxE is in the process of hiring an initial 300 team members while selecting office space for an innovation center that will be located in the downtown area.
GalaxE.Solutions recognizes Milwaukee is an ideal city for expanding its “Outsource to America” initiative, which is poised to bring outsourced IT jobs back to the United States. Milwaukee is the third city in the Outsource to America program, joining Hartford, CT and Detroit, MI. GalaxE is focused on expanding the number of U.S.-based IT hubs by bringing outsourced jobs back to the United States. GalaxE’s IT program appeals to U.S. companies because it can offer workforce resilience at a price point that is competitive with offshore services.
“Milwaukee is a tremendous city to live and work, and its access to talent, top academic institutions and tremendous opportunities for collaboration makes it an outstanding location for our next investment,” said Tim Bryan, CEO, GalaxE.Solutions. “In the post COVID-19 world, overseas work-from-home challenges with infrastructure, security and compliance are creating critical problems for U.S. companies that rely on technology to do business. Our model brings much of that work and jobs back to the U.S. using domestic teams and transformational technology to provide greater accuracy and efficiencies for a competitive alternative to outsourcing abroad.”
The Outsource program focuses on workforce and community development, cultivating jobs, job training and creating economic opportunities that target displaced populations. This is accomplished through the development of public-private partnerships with local and state government, alignment with academic institutions and collaboration with community leadership.
“GalaxE shares our commitment to upskilling local talent to fill the critical tech job needs in the Milwaukee region,” said Neal Sample, chief information officer, Northwestern Mutual. “GalaxE’s Outsource initiative has proven success in Detroit and Hartford in creating job growth, especially for those in underserved communities. Outsource to Milwaukee will allow us to build a more inclusive economy, advancing and creating new job opportunities during this unprecedented time.”
Learn more about Outsource to America here.
About GalaxE.Solutions
GalaxE.Solutions, Inc., is a leading provider of software services and IT business support systems. With more than 30 years of experience in the healthcare, retail, and financial industries, the company facilitates the secure sharing of critical information across internal networks and over the Internet to improve client competitiveness, efficiency, and business results. In addition to its corporate headquarters and primary delivery center in Somerset, New Jersey, GalaxE.Solutions has additional offices and delivery centers in Detroit, Hartford, New York, NY, Toronto, Canada, United Kingdom and Bangalore and Hyderabad, India as well as Belgium, Brazil, China, Ireland, Japan and Singapore. For more information about GalaxE.Solutions and its portfolio of services including GxFource™, its proprietary enterprise Transformation as a Platform, visit: Galaxe.com.
Northwestern Mutual has been helping people and businesses achieve financial security for more than 160 years. Through a holistic planning approach, Northwestern Mutual combines the expertise of its financial professionals with a personalized digital experience and industry-leading products to help its clients plan for what’s most important. With $290.3 billion in total assets, $29.9 billion in revenues, and $1.9 trillion worth of life insurance protection in force, Northwestern Mutual delivers financial security to more than 4.6 million people with life, disability income and long-term care insurance, annuities, and brokerage and advisory services. The company manages more than $161 billion of investments owned by its clients and held or managed through its wealth management and investment services businesses. Northwestern Mutual ranks 102 on the 2020 FORTUNE 500 and is recognized by FORTUNE® as one of the “World’s Most Admired” life insurance companies in 2020. Northwestern Mutual also received the highest score among individual life insurance providers in the J.D. Power 2019 U.S. Life Insurance Satisfaction Study.
Northwestern Mutual is the marketing name for The Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company (NM), Milwaukee, WI (life and disability insurance, annuities, and life insurance with long-term care benefits) and its subsidiaries. Subsidiaries include Northwestern Mutual Investment Services, LLC (NMIS) (securities), broker-dealer, registered investment adviser, member FINRA and SIPC; the Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Company® (NMWMC) (fiduciary and fee-based financial planning services), federal savings bank; and Northwestern Long Term Care Insurance Company (NLTC) (long-term care insurance).
Opportunity Wisconsin Statement on May Jobs Report
Opportunity Wisconsin also releases new graphic outlining the tough choices Wisconsin workers continue to face as corporations get billions
MADISON, Wis. — Today, as President Trump took a Rose Garden victory lap on everything from COVID-19, to racial inequality and the economy – even going so far as to say this is a “great day” for George Floyd – Opportunity Wisconsin released the following statement on the May jobs report which shows unemployment is still the highest it’s been since the Great Depression. While the numbers indicate the unemployment rate for white Americans was 12.4% in May, it was 17.6% for Hispanics and 16.8% for African-Americans.
“While President Trump desperately wants us to believe the American economy is on the road to recovery after his mishandling of the COVID-19 crisis, today’s jobs report tells a very different story,” said Kate Beaton, Opportunity Wisconsin steering committee member and Eau Claire alderperson. “Not only are BIPOC in America facing staggering death rates during this pandemic, they are also continuing to see skyrocketing unemployment numbers. Economic recovery doesn’t mean opportunity for some, it must mean opportunity for all. Now, more than ever, it should be clear that policymakers should focus on working Wisconsinites and reject President Trump’s attempts to placate Wall Street and give big corporations more handouts.”
Congress must move quickly to put money into families’ pockets, prevent economic freefall and collapse, and fix the underlying economic problems that have made this crisis so much worse than it needed to be. Opportunity Wisconsin recently sent a letter to Congressional leaders demanding support for working Wisconsinites in the HEROES Act, which has yet to be taken up by the Senate.
Last month, Opportunity Wisconsin unveiled a new website to share updated and aggregated job data from across the state. The website includes data visualizations on total layoffs during the coronavirus pandemic, layoffs over time by company, layoffs broken down by notice type, companies with the highest number of total layoffs, and several others.
While Wisconsin workers continue to suffer, President Trump continues his push to cut off unemployment benefits and force workers back on the job before it’s safe. Today Opportunity Wisconsin also released the following graphic outlining the tough choices Wisconsin workers continue to face as corporations get billions.
Ald. Lewis seeks quicker benefits process for residents hurting because of COVID-19
Alderwoman Chantia Lewis is working to help residents who are suffering from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic get faster and easier access to resources and assistance.
In a letter sent to Caleb Frostman, secretary of the state Department of Workforce Development, Alderwoman Lewis seeks better and quicker service for residents applying for unemployment benefits, housing assistance and medical care as a result of the pandemic.
“Many of those I represent are already facing profound medical challenges and are now confronted with pay cuts, limited work hours, furloughs, and even outright layoffs. For many of them the difference between medical care, food, and shelter and destitution may prove to be their ability to apply for and receive unemployment benefits in a timely fashion,” Alderwoman Lewis said.
The alderwoman urges Mr. Frostman to “do all in your power” to make the unemployment benefits application and review process “as transparent and seamless as possible.” “I honestly believe every day lost is a potential danger (to those affected),” she said.
Alderwoman Lewis, who serves as a member of the Public Safety and Health Committee (and the Licenses Committee), said she plans to share recommended application and process tips directly with residents so they can quickly and successfully apply for benefits.
New To Working From Home Full-Time? Here’s How To Stay Productive
As the coronavirus pandemic threatens public health and the U.S. economy, more people are working from home on a regular basis. The move follows social distancing guidelines as an attempt to slow the outbreak, but keeping scattered workforces connected and productive can be challenging for managers and employees.
“This is new terrain for all involved, but employees and their companies can come out of this stronger by learning how to work together even better while they’re physically apart,” says Dr. Jim Guilkey (www.jimguilkey.com), author of M-Pact Learning: The New Competitive Advantage — What All Executives Need To Know.
“Optimally, working remotely can sharpen the skills you have and open new avenues of training that broaden skill-sets and increase results. But technology alone can’t smooth the transition to remote working, and both employees and business leaders must learn how to implement new structures and some new or tweaked processes.”
Dr. Guilkey offers tips for both managers and associates to make working from home work out well for their companies:
For employees:
● Get started early. “When going to the office, you normally get up and out the door early,” Dr. Guilkey says. “At home, this is more difficult. Get up, take a shower, and get started.”
● Create a dedicated work space. People who haven’t worked remotely may need to experiment with different approaches to find what setting works best for them. “Just because you’re not going to the office doesn’t mean you can’t have an office. Dedicate a specific room or surface in your home to work,” Dr. Guilkey says. “You should associate your home office with your actual office. This creates the correct mindset for being productive.”
● Structure your day like you would in the office. Workers need to adopt exceptional conscientiousness when it comes to dividing their day into intensive work, communications, personal time and family life,” Dr. Guilkey says. “Have an agenda. Schedule meetings and project time and stay on schedule.”
For managers:
● Set expectations. “It is vital that employees know what is expected of them,” Dr. Guilkey says. “When will you be available? How long will it take to get back to someone?”
● Create a cadence of communication. Without daily face-to-face interaction, there’s more importance on communication. “A rhythm of communication is vital – daily check-ins, weekly one-on-ones, weekly team meetings, etc. ” Dr. Guilkey says.
● Take a video-first approach. “Video, with all the current technology, is the most effective means of remote communication,” Dr. Guilkey says. “Invest in reliable tools.”
● Maintain company social bonds. One drawback of working remotely is the potential breaking of social bonds that are necessary for productive teamwork. “Video conferencing or a quick Google chat with a colleague is vital to keep relationships strong,” Dr. Guilkey says. “Employees miss face-to-face banter and impromptu discussions in the physical office, so seeing faces on the screen daily is optimal for morale and a sense of normalcy.”
“Employees and employers can take this unprecedented time as a time to improve individually and as a company,” Dr. Guilkey says. “Working from home and working well together can go hand-in-hand when everyone is pulling even harder in the same direction.”
About Dr. Jim Guilkey
Jim Guilkey, PhD (http://www.jimguilkey.com) is the author of M-Pact Learning: The New Competitive Advantage — What All Executives Need To Know. He is the president of S4 NetQuest and a nationally recognized expert in instructional design and learning strategy, with extensive experience in leading the design, development, and implementation of innovative, highly effective learning solutions. Under his leadership, S4 NetQuest has transformed the learning programs for numerous corporations, including Johnson & Johnson, McDonald’s, Merck, Nationwide, Chase Bank, BMW, Cardinal Health, Domino’s, GE Medical, Kaiser Permanente, Yum! Brands, and others. Guilkey is a frequent speaker at national conferences and corporate training meetings. Before co-founding S4 NetQuest, Guilkey served as the assistant director of flight education at The Ohio State University. He received a BS in aviation and an MA and PhD in instructional design and technology from Ohio State.
DWD Closes Job Centers Across the State in an Effort to Prevent the Spread of COVID-19
MADISON – The Department of Workforce Development (DWD) announced that Job Centers across the state will be closed to the public starting Wednesday, March 25, 2020 to help contain the spread of COVID-19 and to follow the Governor’s Emergency Order #12, “Safer at Home.” Services to the public will remain available online and assistance will also be delivered over the phone.
“Our dedicated job center staff have been putting themselves and their families at risk each day while working directly with the public providing assistance at the job centers statewide,” DWD Secretary Caleb Frostman said. “We are focused on preventing the spread of COVID-19 while still providing our customers with the support and assistance they need to access unemployment and job search services remotely.”
Customers filing for Unemployment Insurance (UI) should visit https://dwd.wisconsin.gov/uiben/ for information, videos, and to apply for unemployment benefits. Applying for unemployment benefits is a two-step process:
- Apply online the week you become unemployed and
- File a weekly claim for each week you would like to receive benefits.
Job Search assistance can also be found online. Register on JobCenterofWisconsin.com (JCW) to create a resume, search for jobs, view online workshops, and research labor market information. Job seekers can email questions to[email protected]. Staff will be offering over-the-phone appointments to assist people who are searching for jobs, registering on JCW, or utilizing online tools. Please call the number listed below for your county to make an appointment for over-the-phone support for job search assistance.
Job Center staff will not be able to answer questions about specific UI claims, please contact UI for assistance regarding specific claims.
Call for job search assistance:
Southeast:
Kenosha, Racine, and Walworth: (262) 638- 6426
Milwaukee: (414) 874-0318
Ozaukee, Washington, and Waukesha: (262) 335-5315
South Central: (608) 242-4881
Columbia, Dane, Dodge, Jefferson, Marquette, and Sauk
Fox Valley: (920) 997-3272
Calumet, Fond du Lac, Green Lake, Waupaca, Waushara, and Winnebago
Northeast: (920) 448-6760
Brown, Door, Florence, Kewaunee, Manitowoc, Marinette, Menominee, Oconto, Outagamie, Shawano, and Sheboygan
North Central: (715) 261-8700
Adams, Forest, Langlade, Lincoln, Marathon, Oneida, Portage, Vilas, and Wood
North West: (715) 392-7800
Ashland, Bayfield, Burnett, Douglas, Iron, Price, Rusk, Sawyer, Taylor, and Washburn
West Central: (715) 836-5156
Barron, Chippewa, Clark, Dunn, Eau Claire, Pepin, Pierce, Polk, and St. Croix
Western: (608) 789-5627
Buffalo, Crawford, Jackson, Juneau, La Crosse, Monroe, Trempealeau, and Vernon
Southwest: (608) 901- 5700
Grant, Green, Iowa, Lafayette, Richland, and Rock
Additional information for employers and employees affected by job loss and economic changes due to COVID-19 can be found on DWD’s COVID-19 information website: dwd.wisconsin.gov/covid19/
DWD Announces New Webpage Providing Unemployment Insurance Claims Data
The Department of Workforce Development (DWD) launched a new webpage that displays preliminary numbers related to unemployment claims received by DWD’s Unemployment Insurance Division (UI). Information can be viewed by visiting https://dwd.wisconsin.gov/covid19/public/ui-stats.htm.
The displayed data currently includes the preliminary number of unemployment applications filed each day in the week, as well as last year’s counts for the same day and week for comparison. The preliminary number of unemployment weekly claims filed each day will be included as of Monday, March 23, 2020. The preliminary numbers will be updated daily.
The data are used in current economic analysis of unemployment trends in the nation, and in each state. Unemployment applications measure emerging unemployment and continued weekly claims measure the number of persons claiming unemployment benefits.
The Department of Workforce Development encourages people to file for unemployment benefits online. For more information on how to file a claim for unemployment benefits, please visit https://dwd.wisconsin.gov/uiben/.