Archive for November 22, 2011

22 Nov 2011
Misc.

Reducing Work Place Stress

We tweeted a link this morning to an article from the Wall Street Journal documenting some of the hazards of depression in the legal world. Being in our industry is a high-stress and long hours affair. So today we’re bringing some tips to reduce stress so that you can be a healthier person not just at work, but also at home.

1. Recognize the signs

The first step to reducing your stress is simply being aware of it. Are you anxious? Tense at your desk? More tired than usual? Having a quicker temper or lashing out at coworkers? Are you having trouble at home? Are you struggling to get out of bed? There are many, many signs that can point to being overly stressed out. Take a moment to step back and think about how tense you are, and you’ll be on your way to minimizing it.

2. Take care of yourself

The best thing you can do to reduce stress is to take care of your own personal health first and foremost. It doesn’t require drastic steps either. You simply need to make time to do something you enjoy doing. Read a book. Watch a good movie. Go to your favorite restaurant. That alone will help immensely. It’s also important to exercise and eat well. It’s okay to dine out once in a while, but continuously eating junk food will leave you feeling gross.

3. Prioritize and organize

Notice how workplace productivity is actually 3rd on this list? Your personal health will do more to impact stress levels than doing things correctly in your office. Having said that, the better organized you are, the less stressful you’ll be. Take 15 minutes at the beginning of each to set your priorities, and you’ll already feel much better just having them down on paper instead of floating around in your head.

4. Get emotionally healthy

Doing this means understanding and controlling to a certain extent your emotions. It means being able to recognize your emotions, and come to understand that you have more control over them than you might initially realize. This also means learning how to communicate well, and seek to understand people before becoming defensive or lashing out.

There are many, many other ways to reduce stress in your life – these are just a few to get you started. What do YOU do to reduce your stress? Tell us on Facebook and Twitter!

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18 Nov 2011
General Legal

Class Action Filed Against Whirlpool

Class actions lawsuits are always news to us, but when it’s a major consumer products company being filed against, it should be news to our readers as well. As with last week’s post about Naked Juice products, now Whirlpool comes under fire – but for a much more dangerous reason.

Hundreds of consumers are reporting that their dishwashers have randomly started on fire – allegedly due to faulty circuit boards. Watch the video below for more details.

Find us on Facebook and Twitter – and soon Google+ as well!

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15 Nov 2011
General Legal

The Legal Value of a Twitter Follower

A recent lawsuit highlights the importance of having contracts written out and policies created for social media use at your company. A short recap of the suit:

An employee of the phone news website PhoneDog used the company’s Twitter account to build a following of nearly 17,000 people. When this employee left the company, he simply changed the name of the company’s Twitter account to his own personal name (a very easy thing to do on twitter.com).

The company is now suing this former employee for the value of those followers. Specifically they are suing for $2.50 per follower per month, amounting to nearly $340,000. PhoneDog claims that these followers were acquired while doing company work and while interacting on behalf of the company. Most industry experts agree that there is value attached to followers, but that $2.50 is quite a steep asking price.

There is absolutely validity to this claim. Do you have an employee that created your social media accounts? Do you have it in writing that all content, names, accounts, etc. are company property if/when the relationship is over? Make sure these items are in place BEFORE you dive in to social media, or your company could end up in a tricky situation like this one.

What do you think? Should PhoneDog be paid on behalf of all the followers they lost? Let us know on Facebook and Twitter!

 

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08 Nov 2011
Leadership

The Key to Innovation

No matter the industry, innovation is without a doubt one of the keys to success. It does not happen naturally, however. It has to be fostered and it must have an environment where creativity is allowed and even expected. Tom Peters shares his idea of what the most important aspect to innovation is, with our favorite quote highlighted below:

Hang out with boring, and thou shalt become more boring. Hang out with cool, and thou shalt become more cool.

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04 Nov 2011
General Legal • Lawsuits

Naked Juice is Facing Lawsuit

Naked Juice, owned by PepsiCo, is facing a class action lawsuit for false advertising on its products. Naked is famously known for having “all-natural” juices, which makes the juice extraordinarily popular with the health/wellness/nutrition crowd, as well as the Average Joe looking to stay a bit healthier or lose a few inches on the waistline.

The lawsuit takes aim at Naked’s claim that its juices are 100% natural and 100% fruit juice. The claim is that this is misleading, and that there are in fact synthetic ingredients and chemical compounds that do not fit into that description. The suit also claims there are additives to make the juice feel more fruity while drinking – for example that pulpy and fibrous feeling in your mouth.

What do you think? Do you drink Naked Juice products? Would be upset if you found out the juices were not in fact 100% natural? Is anything we eat or drink today from a store truly natural?

Chime in over on Facebook and Twitter pages!

 

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01 Nov 2011
Personal Finance

10 Way to Improve Your Credit Score | Part 2

Last week we started this mini-series on improving your credit score. We revealed to you that over 1/3 of American’s don’t even know their score, let alone know how to fix it. Here are tips 6-10.

6. Don’t close delinquent accounts – Although your first instinct might be to close delinquent credit cards, doing so can and often will hurt your credit score, especially if the lender also stops reporting your credit limit.

7. Talk to your creditors – You would be surprised at the help you might receive if you call your credit card issuer. Many of them have temporary hardship programs that will reduce your monthly payments until you can get back on your feet.

8. Pay a debt off - The amount of debt you’re carrying is 30% of your credit score, so you’ll have to start paying off your debts to improve it. If this means selling some of your things then that is what you have to do.

9. Get professional help – You have resources available to you. If you are overwhelmed by your situation, seek professional assistance. In fact, your credit card billing statements now include the number to credit counseling agencies that can help you.

10. Be patient AND persistent - Patience isn’t a factor that’s used to calcalate your credit score, but it’s something you need to have while you’re repairing your credit. Your credit wasn’t damaged overnight, so don’t expect it to improve in that amount of time. Continue paying your debts on time each month and over time you will see your credit score improve.

Hope you enjoyed this mini-series, and let us know if you have questions!

 

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