By Tonya Mott

On a journey to finding my “prime time”, I have more tips to share with my fellow busy ????’s! 

The latest findings on my journey comes from this article, “Don’t Listen to those productivity gurus: why waking up at 6am won’t make you successful” – click here to read the article.

Here’s my takeaways:

• ⏰ “Your internal prime time is the time of day, according to your body clock, when you are the most alert and productive.” – Brian Tracy

• ????Tackle the most important strategic work during your prime time and you’ll stay motivated, make steady progress, and avoid feeling overwhelmed.

• ???? Circadian rhythms, affect our sleep and waking cycles, body temperature, and hormone levels.

• ????turns into this ???? – Ultradian rhythms are peaks and valleys we deal with in the workday.  They run in 90–120-minute cycles. Ultradian rhythms explain why you can start a task feeling excited and alert, then two hours later; you’re checking Instagram and hunting for snacks.

• ????????‍♀️????Engage your body prior to your prime time.  What you eat and exercise promotes energy and brainpower.

• ???? Seize your downtime – Relaxation promotes creative thinking.  It’s another kind of prime time.

• ???????? Protect your prime time – Your peak hours are priceless, draw clear boundaries and protect them however you can.

???? to finding more balance in our lives.  More tips coming soon, I’m just getting started ????????

By Tonya Mott

 

A colleague recently recommended the book , Two Awesome Hours by Josh Davis.  The title peaked my interest; I would kill to feel like I climbed a mountain in two hours.  My reality has been more like go, go, go , all day , all night  and pray that by the time I’m crashing into bed, I’ve accomplished something of significance.  It’s typically a feeling of  tiredness and then confusion, what the heck did I do today.  I must’ve done something because I feel like I a marathon.

I started to read the book on a flight home from a work trip. I got a few chapters in and of course, the minute the plane landed I was off and running again. Still finding myself without those “Two Awesome Hours” to finish the book, I was able to get good summaries through a podcast, and a book summary.

• The Less Doing Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-less-doing-podcast/id605938952?i=1000345906234
• Book Summary: https://www.summary.com/book-reviews/_/Two-Awesome-Hours/

Here’s a few tips I learned that have helped me take back control of my days and find my two (probably three) awesome hours:

• Machines and computers can be efficient for 8 to 10 hours a day but humans cannot.
• Mental Energy – What time of day are you most productive? Are you a morning person or an afternoon person? Use this time to work on the tasks that require focus or the difficult tasks you’ve been putting off.
• Before and after your two, three, four awesome hours is a free for all.  Handle and manage anything and everything that comes your way (Davis says “two” is an arbitrary number, you can determine how many hours you’re most effective in a day).
• Remove all the clutter from your workspace, it’s distracting and can cause unnecessary guilt and anxiety.  Even if it’s just throwing everything in a box and hiding it under desk.
• Decision Points – Moments in the day when you are deciding what to do next.  Don’t operate on auto pilot instead make a conscious effort to decide what to do next.
• And last but not least, my favorite – Stop attempting to get to inbox zero first thing in the day.  This will kill your mental energy and cause brain fatigue.  I’ve stopped coming in first thing in the morning and going through each email one by one thinking when I get to zero I’ll feel accomplished.  Instead I skim through looking for anything urgent and for everything else:
  • ⏰ Schedule it
  • ✅ If it takes less than a minute, I take care of it
  • Or, I file it.

Good luck to you on the journey to find your two awesome hours, I hope this article gets you closer to your goal!

By Bailey Penrose

It’s fall.  Granted, late fall, but as the last leaves tenaciously hang on to their branches so do I hang on to the season.  As we slide begrudgingly into winter why not try a few last Autumn recipes?  Below are some of my favorites, I hope you get a chance to enjoy a couple of them too.

Golden Milk at Minimalist Baker

A co-worker turned me on to Golden Milk a few years back. When she first mentioned it, I made a face like she’d suggested I try the cinnamon challenge (Note: do not try the cinnamon challenge).  Turmeric and coconut milk together sound more like a punishment than a good time.  However, after giving it a try, I’ve found that Golden Milk is a sweet and spicy drink that seriously hits the spot on frosty days.

If you don’t feel up to making the mix yourself, Summit Spice & Tea in Anchorage sells their own blend. 

Scotch Eggs at Outlander Kitchen

Scotch Eggs could be breakfast, lunch, or dinner.  They’re hearty and portable.  I tend to bake mine, as I freely admit that I’m scared of frying anything with hot oil.  Those souls braver than me can attempt the frying option. 

German Solyanka at Lavender & Macarons

I made this for my friends’ Oktoberfest party because I thought it sounded weird, and why not inflict that on a group of friends?  It’s got pickles in it!  This soup turned out to be wonderfully hearty with an interesting hot and sour taste.  With a chunk of bread this is an excellent option for those cold, rainy, fall afternoons.

Vegan Cream of Mushroom Soup at Hot for Food

Packed full of mushrooms, wine, and spinach, you’ll hardly notice the substitute of coconut milk for cream.  The silky texture and deep flavor of this soup make for a satisfying meal.  Plus, it’s crazy easy.  Great for weeknights when you’ve had a long day. 

Chickpea Bowl with Roasted Vegetables and Cilantro Cashew Cream at Naturally Ella

Another weeknight meal, roasting vegetables and making the rice is a cinch while the cashew cream adds a fun kick of flavor.  For those unfortunate members of society who hate cilantro with a deep and abiding hatred, you can always substitute dill instead. 

Two Chocolate Chip Cookies at No. 2 Pencil

I love to bake, but I never bake.  No one ever bakes small batches of things.  Recipes for cookies or brownies or anything sweet invariably lead you to make enough to feed a legion.  When it’s just you and you just want a dang cookie it’s hard to justify whipping up a bake-sale’s worth of chocolate-chip goodness.  Thus the brilliance of this recipe, the guilt-free (or at least guilt-reduced) joy of only two cookies at a time.

Wishing everyone a fun and safe Autumn season!

 

This article is from RISQ Consulting’s MyWave Connect portal, a resource available to all RISQ Consulting clients. Please contact your Benefits Consultant or Account Executive for more information or for help setting up your own login.

Overview

On Oct. 8, 2019, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) published a proposed rule to amend employee tip regulations under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). This proposed rule has been issued, in part, to incorporate legislation approved by Congress in 2018. The rule also incorporates guidance the DOL has published over the years about tipped wages.

Some expect the proposed rule will “provide employers greater flexibility in determining pay practices for tipped and non-tipped workers.” These individuals also expect that the proposed rule “may allow for a reduction in wage disparities among employees who contribute to the customers’ experience.”

Action Steps

The DOL is inviting the public to comment on this proposed rule. Employers and individuals who wish to comment must submit their remarks by Dec. 9, 2019.

In addition, because the rule offers a departure from current practices, affected employers should become familiar with this proposal and monitor DOL activity regarding the rule.

Minimum Wage, Cash Wage and Tip Credit

The FLSA requires covered employers to pay their employees’ wages at a rate that is at least equal to the federal minimum wage rate, which is currently set at $7.25 per hour. However, the FLSA also allows an exemption for tipped employees. Tipped employees under the FLSA are individuals who are engaged in an occupation in which they “customarily and regularly” receive at least $30 in tips per month.

Under the tipped employee exemption, employers can pay their tipped employees a lower wage—also known as a cash wage—of $2.13 per hour, as long as the employee’s tips are sufficient to make up the difference between the cash wage and the federal minimum wage rate. The difference between these two rates is known as a tip credit. Based on the current federal minimum wage rate and cash wage, the current tip credit is $5.12 per hour.

Using the tip credit is permitted only when, among other things, employers allow their employees to retain all of their tips.

Tip Pooling

The FLSA also allows employers to collect all the tips employees receive into a common employee tip pool. This practice enables the employer to then redistribute wages among tipped employees in an equitable manner. However, under the law, employers that use a tip credit to calculate their employees’ wages are permitted to redistribute pooled tips only among tipped employees.

But the law didn’t explicitly address whether this restriction also applied to employers that do not use a tip credit. As a result, in 2011, the DOL revised its tip regulations to extend tip pooling restrictions to all employers, regardless of whether they use the tip credit. This meant that pooled tips could only be redistributed among tipped employees, and not shared with non-tipped employees, such as dishwashers and cooks.

The Proposed Rule

In 2018, Congress amended section 3(m) of the FLSA in the Consolidated Appropriations Act (CAA). Among other things, the CAA overturned the DOL’s authority to extend the restriction on tip-pooling to employers that do not use the tip credit. The DOL is issuing the current proposed rule to harmonize FLSA standards with the CAA. The rule, if finalized, would also codify long-standing DOL guidance on how employers should handle tip wages.

If adopted, the new rule would:

• Prohibit employers from keeping their employees’ tips and specifically prohibit managers and supervisors from keeping any portion of employee tips, including tips from a tip pool;

• Limit an employer’s control over employee tips to:
  • Distributing tips to the employees who received them;
  • Implementing mandatory tip pools in compliance with FLSA regulations;
  • Redistributing pooled tips to employees in the pool;

• Use the executive exemption’s duties test to determine whether an employee is a manager or supervisor (managers and supervisors would not be allowed to keep any portion of an employee’s tips);

• Remove the restrictions on an employer’s use of employees’ tips when the employer does not take a tip credit (this would allow employers that do not take an FLSA tip credit to distribute pooled tips to a broader group of workers, such as cooks or dishwashers);

• Require employers to redistribute pooled tips at least as often as when they pay wages (this aligns the policy for cash tips with the current policy for tips paid via credit card);

• Incorporate new civil money penalties, as required by the CAA (current penalties cannot exceed $1,100). These new penalties would be imposed when an employer unlawfully keeps tips. The DOL would only assess these new penalties when the violations are repeated or willful;

• Require employers that do not take a tip credit to keep records of those employees who receive tips and the tip amounts they receive; and

• Allow employers to use the tip credit when they pay employees who perform tipped and non-tipped activities, but only if non-tipped activities are performed “contemporaneously” with tipped activities. Contemporaneously would also include activities that are performed at a reasonable time immediately before or after performing tipped activities or duties.

Finally, the new rule would also harmonize FLSA requirements with Executive Order 13658 (Establishing a Minimum Wage for Contractors) and withdraw the DOL’s 2017 proposed rule on tip credit regulations (the 2017 proposed rule has been superseded by the CAA).

By Alison Nelson

From new definitions of work-life balance to utilizing more technology, it’s no secret that the incoming workforce is invoking changes throughout businesses everywhere. One change that I find to be particularly interesting is the death of the traditional office layout. Millennials and Generation Z both want to be able to move around throughout the day and as a result, the stationary desk and cubicle are on the decline.

 I stumbled upon this article in Forbes by Barnaby Lashbrooke, titled “This Is the Hottest Trend in Office Design Right Now”. The article describes some of the office layouts that companies are changing to in order to attract and retain employees. Open spaces with casual couches, booths, fun chairs, and tables sprinkled throughout allow employees to switch up their seating and are rapidly replacing traditional desks and cubicles.

The goal behind the new design is to encourage creative thinking, increase collaboration, and to create group workspaces. If you switch to an open office layout, it should be noted that this design is not a “one size fits all”.  The article states that there should be a variety of areas throughout the office, ranging from social coffeehouse-style areas, to meeting rooms and a few “individual and focus” areas for those who need some extra space to focus on their work or projects.

Overall, the benefits of an open-seating office plan are significant. It can increase communication, help your team bond, encourage creativity, attract new employees, and so much more! Take a look around your workspace, is it time for an update?

Check out the images below for some office space inspiration and be sure to read this Forbes article to learn more about office designs-

https://www.forbes.com/sites/barnabylashbrooke/2019/08/27/this-is-the-hottest-trend-in-office-design-right-now/#66c625be7787

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This article is from RISQ Consulting’s MyWave Connect portal, a resource available to all RISQ Consulting clients. Please contact your Benefits Consultant or Account Executive for more information or for help setting up your own login.

3 Risks Associated With Removable Media Devices

Portable hard drives, USB flash drives, memory cards and other types of removable media are vital for the quick storage and transportation of data. For many businesses, removable media can be used as backup storage for critical digital files or even free up additional storage space for work computers.

While removable media is easy to use and has many business applications, it isn’t without its share of risks. The following are some considerations to keep in mind when using removable media at your organization:

• Data security—Because removeable media devices are typically small and easy to transport, they can easily be lost or stolen. In fact, every time you allow an employee to use a USB flash drive or other small storage device, your organization’s critical or sensitive information could fall into the wrong hands. What’s more, even if you encrypt your removable storage devices, you will not be able to recover lost files once the USB flash drive or other device is lost.
• Malware—Simply put, when employees use removable media devices, they can unknowingly spread malware between devices. This is because malicious software can easily be installed on USB flash drives and other storage devices. In addition, it just takes one infected device to infiltrate your company’s entire network.
• Media failure—Despite its low cost and convenience, removable media is inherently risky. This is because many devices have short life spans and can fail without warning. As such, if a device fails and your organization doesn’t have the files backed up, you could lose key files and data.

Thankfully, there are ways to mitigate risks associated with removable media. To use these devices effectively while maintaining data security, consider doing the following:

• Develop a policy for related to removable media use.
• Install anti-virus software that scans removable media devices.
• Ensure all removable media devices are encrypted. Passwords to these devices should never be shared.
• Instruct employees to never use unapproved removable media in a computer.
• Have employees keep personal and business data separate.
• Establish a process for wiping all portable media devices when they are no longer needed.

Best Practices for Contracting With Managed Service Providers (MSPs)

While working with a managed service provider (MSP) can be efficient and cost-effective, it’s important to carefully consider the organization that you plan on working with and get a holistic view of its operations and security. Because an MSP has direct access to sensitive systems and information, working with one is not to be taken lightly. While doing so puts your IT infrastructure in the hands of experts, it also comes with its own risks. For example, MSPs may be a target for cyber criminals, as compromising one MSP potentially compromises every organization that it works with.

To help keep your organization’s digital information and resources secure, there are a number of best practices and security considerations to keep in mind when contracting with managed service providers:

• Perform a detailed risk assessment and enforce associated mitigations before working with a managed service provider. Some considerations include:
  • How a cloud service (if used) is implemented and managed
  • Who has access to data and how it is secured
  • The intended purpose of engaging with the managed service provider
  • Potential challenges that may arise during incident detection and response, such as the managed service provider’s availability during off hours
• Keep operating systems and software up to date.
• Ensure that an MSP follows organizational security, privacy and legislative requirements.
• Find out how closely the MSP adheres to an IT security management framework.
• Use secure computers with multifactor authentication, strong passwords, few access privileges and encrypted network traffic to administer the cloud service.
• Do not provide the MSP with account credentials or access to systems outside of their responsibility.
• Use cryptographic controls to protect data in transit to and from the MSP.
• Consider full data encryption for critical information while at rest and while maintaining control of encryption keys.
• Employ full hard-drive encryption to ensure data at rest on storage media is not recoverable should the MSP replace or upgrade physical hard drives.

Cloud Computing 101

There are many benefits to adopting cloud computing at your organization, such as reduced IT costs and increased scalability. However, it’s important to note that there are different cloud service and deployment models, each with their own benefits and risks. There is no single type of cloud computing that will work best for everyone, so it’s important to conduct research to determine the right fit for your organization.

Types of Cloud Computing Service Models:

There are three distinct cloud computing service models: Software as a Service (SaaS), Platform as a Service (PaaS) and Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS).

The SaaS distribution model provides you with an application that is managed by the service provider and accessible through the internet. As such, SaaS applications need not be installed or updated on individual computers.

The PaaS model allows organizations to safely develop, test and deploy applications without needing to manage the underlying infrastructure. This provides flexibility that allows deployments to scale quickly. The IaaS model provides organizations with a specified amount of cloud storage space to do with whatever they want. This allows the greatest amount of flexibility, as the organization is responsible for accessing, monitoring and managing their data that is stored in the cloud. In this case, the service provider typically only manages hardware, storage and networking, though other services may be provided at additional costs

Types of Cloud Deployment Models:

Just like with service models, there are various different ways that a cloud can be deployed. This includes a public cloud, which is cost-effective and efficient but means that your data may be stored on the same server as others’. A private cloud, however, allows your organization greater control over infrastructure and computational resources by having them located on private networks.

Lastly, a hybrid cloud combines on-site infrastructure with a cloud environment. This allows organizations to utilize different types of service providers based on what is ideal for each business requirement.

For more risk management strategies related to cyber exposures, contact RISQ Consulting today.

By Jennifer Outcelt

If you follow the Vantage Point blog religiously (and you should), then you have certainly read another post of mine referencing the popular podcast Freakonomics Radio. Not only do I love this podcast for its ability to articulate complicated concepts in engaging ways, I also love how it makes me feel smarter and generally better than my counterparts. However, I am convinced this is a placebo effect because I am definitely neither of those things.

For this post, I’m excited to share a fantastic Freakonomics episode which I find to be inherently applicable to anyone who can classify themselves as human (unless you are an AI that has gained consciousness and is studying human weakness for an eventual overthrow, then I assume this classification applies to you).

As humans, we suck at planning, and it can all be attributed to this annoying tendency toward optimism. There is a researched fallacy called the Planning Fallacy, and it’s “a tendency to underestimate the time it will take to complete a project while knowing that similar projects have typically taken longer in the past. So it’s a combination of optimistic prediction about a particular case in the face of more general knowledge that would suggest otherwise.” Basically, this episode is all about the Planning Fallacy, Optimism Bias, and why everything we humans do takes longer, costs more, is more effort, and generally leaves us bewildered that our expectations were way off.

So, why don’t we learn from experience and get more realistic in our estimates? Click on the Freakonomics episode link below and listen (or read) to be enlightened! You can also find the Freakonomics Radio podcast on most podcast applications.

Here’s Why All Your Projects Are Always Late — and What to Do About It (Ep. 323)