CMA Daily News

Managing Energy In The Workplace

Managing energy is not just about food. It's about managing working conditions that affect how your body releases energy. This includes managing stress, oxygen levels, exercise levels and food breaks. Work demands can zap energy very quickly so you need to have a few tricks up your sleeve to boost your energy supply to help you both physically and mentally.

The Brain Protein Continuum

The neurons in your brain are largely made of fat. The brain cells communicate with each other using neurotransmitters. Neurotransmitters are made up from amino acids; protein building blocks. Another important amino acid is tyrosine.

Eating protein increase levels of tyrosine in the brain, helping the brain generate nor-epinephrine and dopamine. These chemicals promote alertness. The absorption of protein is assisted by carbohydrates. So eating a balanced supply of carbs and protein throughout the day will keep that brain network humming and avoid that 3pm black hole.

Top 10 Work Day Energy Guidelines

 

1. Start the day well rested - Treat your bed as an important energy re-supply station and ensure you book in long enough for the process to be completed. That means 7 to 9 hours a night.
2. Try a workout first thing - even 20 minutes will boost your bodies oxygen supply and keep your head thinking straight longer during the day. It's often much harder to feel inspired at the end of the day. If morning isn't your thing - the evening can still work. Try tricking yourself. Change into workout gear as soon as you get home. Switch on the television or put on a DVD, and instead of heading for the couch, sit on a workout bike or yoga mat with some weights. A few seconds later the brain starts connecting the visual messages and before you know it an hour has gone by.
3. Keep the body supplied with fuel - Eat a small, healthy snack every few hour of lean protein and whole grain carbs. The carbs provide a rapid energy release, while the protein provides longer-lasting energy.
4. Keep the body well hydrated - air conditioning is extremely drying on your system, and that includes the brain.
5. Take an oxygen break - if you don't have time for a full lunch break, take at least a 10 minute walk around the block or anywhere where there is more oxygen than car fumes. I use walking catch-ups. If a staff member wants to chat about something briefly I get us both out for a walk.
6. Try boosting energy during the day - some deep breathing [preferably not whilst on the phone to the CEO]; taking the stairs instead of the elevator or just standing up doing some leg raises all help to move oxygen around the body and boost the cells energy producing processes. I keep a small hand weight on my desk and it's amazing what you can do during a phone call!
7. Keep good energy nutrition snacks at work - protein balls are my favourite. I make them on Sunday and they last the whole week in the refrigerator. [that is if I don't eat them all by Thursday]. I use them for my 3pm low zone snack and as a mental pick-me-up before entering a long meeting.
8. Reduce the alcohol during the week - try getting it down to one glass a night - you will be amazed how much easier it is to get out of bed in the morning and you will be more likely to feel like doing that early morning workout. And your skin will look fantastic!
9. Go easy on the coffee - caffeine is not a good long term solution for energy throughout the day. It's addictive and better left to one cup first thing in the morning. You will sleep better also.
10. Reduce the size of your evening meal and avoid carbs after 6pm - you will find you will sleep better and that translates into more energy during the day.

And if you want to contribute to the worlds renewable energy supply - take a leaf from enterprising gym enthusiasts like Doug Woodwring who are harnessing energy created from everyday workouts and converting it into usable power.

Author: Nicola Carr is a fitness and life advocate for anti-tiredness.com Learn how to avoid tiredness and maintain muscle mass using antiaging bodybuilding She has also been a management performance consultant for many years.

CMA New Member - Standards of Excellence

From their website:

Premier supplier of home appliances, plumbing fixtures, and decorative hardware. Showrooms in California and Reno, NV display their latest creations.

Manual of Credit & Commercial Laws Now Available

The Manual of Credit & Commercial Laws, 98th Edition

Written by experts in the field and published by the most reliable source—it's the one tool you can't do without.

New information:
• Reclamation and Other Return of Goods Remedies
• Compliance Issues and Regulations

Updates:
• Mechanics' Lien Laws
• Construction Bonds on Public Projects
• Prompt Pay Statutes
• Limitations for Civil Actions
• Tenancy by the Entireties
• Homestead and Personal Property Exemptions
• U.S. District Court System Locator
• Bad Check Laws by State

Member Price - $70.00
Click here to visit the NACM-National Bookstore, or call 410.740.5560.

Bernanke: Subprime Meltdown Seems Contained

Near-term prospects for the housing market –the principal source of the slowdown in economic growth over the past year – remain uncertain, but the impact of subprime lending troubles has not rippled into other sectors, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke told the U.S. Congress Joint Economic Committee on Wednesday.

“Even if demand for housing falls no further, weakness in residential construction is likely to remain a drag on economic growth for a time as homebuilders try to reduce their inventories of unsold homes,” Bernanke said.

Developments in subprime mortgage markets “raise additional questions about the housing sector. Delinquency rates on variable-interest-rate loans to subprime borrowers, which account for a bit less than 10% of all mortgages outstanding, have climbed sharply in recent months,” the chairman noted.

A large increase in early defaults on recently originated subprime variable-rate mortgages “casts serious doubt on the adequacy of the underwriting standards for these products,” Bernanke said.

The implications of these developments for the housing market as a whole, he said, are less than clear. “The tightening of lending standards, although an appropriate market response, will reduce somewhat the effective demand for housing, and foreclosed properties will add to the inventories of unsold homes.”

Bernanke told Congress that the impact on the broader economy and financial markets of the problems in the subprime market “seems likely to be contained,” adding that mortgages to prime borrowers and fixed-rate mortgages to all classes of borrowers continue to perform well, with low rates of delinquency.

The Fed will keep monitoring the situation closely, he said.

Source: Credit and Collections World

Top 5 Reasons to Attend Success Mastery

“Emotional intelligence isn’t a luxury you can dispense with in tough times.  It’s a basic tool, that deployed with finesse is key to professional success.”     Harvard Business Review

Top 5 reasons to attend:

1. Learn the difference between expressing your thoughts and feelings and the expression of what will get you the best result in the situation.
2. Learn to better understand yourself and other people. Use this to improve results and get more cooperation with your co-workers and customers.
3. Assess your current needs for balancing work and personal demands to create a healthier workplace.
4. Create a plan to achieve your desired goals and maximize your success.
5. Last but not least, learn to identify your stress “triggers” and transform stress into positive energy.

About your presenter:  Jodi Walker is a Certified Speaking Professional. Only 7% of the speakers from the International Federation of Speakers and the National Speakers Association have attained this designation.  She has spoken on five continents and works with organizations to tap into the talent of their greatest resource – their people.

Click here to download the flyer, click on anscers Events to register.

This series is designed to provide you with the skills to effectively manage work and life challenges in order to be more productive, profitable and happier. Employees become more enthused and committed by enhancing both their personal and professional development through effective life management tools. The outcome for the organization is improved morale and higher performance from more skilled and accountable employees.

Housing Bubble Deflation Negatively Impacting Other Industries

The ripple effects from the housing slowdown are reaching across a wide variety of economic and industry sectors, according to analysis from global accounts receivable management service provider Euler Hermes ACI.

In the latest Euler Hermes ACI U.S. Industry Outlook publication, two of the industry sectors that are spotlighted — lumber and chemicals — are showing "signs of weakness," said Euler Hermes ACI Risk VP Tony Clary. "The chemicals outlook continues to be tied directly to the strength of the U.S. economy, while the lumber industry is — of course — closely related to the housing market," he said. "With a forecasted economic slowdown and an already slowing housing market, both of these industry sectors show an increased amount of risk."

In 2006, the chemical sector saw stability and improved operating margins in both commodity and specialty chemicals as the U.S. economy maintained its growth. Good pricing and easing energy costs in the latter part of the year allowed momentum to continue, but end-user markets — particularly housing — saw a significant reversal in activity, which has impacted demand. The outlook for 2007 now reflects the current state of the U.S. economy. "The uncertainty over the housing market and a decline in industrial and manufacturing activity are likely to create a much more difficult environment," said Clary.

Meanwhile, 2006 saw a marked change in lumber industry conditions, as the quickly declining housing market caused lumber prices to slump, a condition that is continuing as the market continues to falter in 2007. "There are mixed opinions regarding how long it will take for the housing market to recover, with opinions ranging from the market already hitting bottom to a 24-month period before recovery," Clary stated.

Euler Hermes ACI Chief Economist Dan North referred to the housing market as "decimated" and tied the slowdown to the actions of the U.S. Federal Reserve. "Indeed, when the Fed raised interest rates for the last time in June 2006, the housing market bubble burst; housing prices peaked the very next month," he said.

The economic effects of the burst housing bubble appear to be reaching far and wide throughout the economy. "As of January 2007, asset value equivalent to 15% of GDP has disappeared from the housing market," said North. "This fall in value will not only cause mortgage defaults to rise and credit conditions to deteriorate, it will destroy some of the equity built up in the past few years which has been used to fuel consumer spending. As the consumer accounts for two-thirds of all economic activity, a faltering consumer will surely lead to a faltering economy. On a more intuitive level, asset value equivalent to 15% of GDP can not simply disappear without having a significant impact on the economy."

North said the time period for a housing market recovery could be a long one. "Before the bubble burst, year-over-year home prices had fallen only five times in the 451 months that prices have been recorded, and they had only once fallen for two consecutive months. The six month drop in housing prices from August 2006 to January 2007 is unprecedented, and four of the past six drops are the largest ever. Certainly this market has suffered a severe blow, and it seems unlikely that a meaningful recovery is imminent," he commented.

Source: Euler Hermes ACI
In the face of today's changing economic climate, recognizing and managing future risks becomes a priority for business leaders. Euler Hermes ACI accounts receivable management services can provide a business with products and services to protect cash flow. For more information, visit www.eulerhermes.com/usa.

Get the IRS to Help Collect from Your Most Delinquent Accounts

At some point every business will encounter this problem: the customer who refuses to pay. You've tried every tactic at your disposal, but to no avail. What else can you do prior to writing it off or placing the account with a collection agency?

The IRS Advantage
The collection strategy works on the premise of reporting the debt as a loss. The IRS will view this as income to the debtor. In other words, your loss becomes your customer's gain and as such can be reported to the IRS at yearend. It's a well-known fact that the IRS routinely runs computer matches of 1099s against the recipient's tax filing. This could increase their chances of an IRS examination letter and audit — something most businesses want to avoid.

Specifically, you would mail or fax a letter along with the appropriate IRS Form requesting their tax ID information. The letter should state that the debt has been deemed uncollectible and needs to be reported to the IRS as debt cancellation income. For more effectiveness, you should follow-up with a phone call to mention the enclosed forms and penalties for failure to furnish TIN.

Created in 1993 and reviewed by TIGTA in 2005, this innovative and powerful letter/script set can either be used by creditors directly or by third party collectors.

This changes the rules of the game. Once your debtor realizes the IRS could be examining their tax filing a little more closely, you'll be surprised how quickly a check will arrive in the mail.
Source: Ben F. Ricci, Stevens & Ricci, Inc.

CMA News Readers - Let's Discuss - Have you ever used this tactic before and was it successful? Click the comments link below this post on the CMA News site to add your thoughts.

Facilitate More Productive Meetings

Credit professionals can gain valuable knowledge and information from well-run meetings whether they be industry trade groups, or just brain-storming sessions with other business professionals. In order to get maximum benefit from a meeting, certain care, planning and executing the meeting should be taken in order to reduce the chances of it degenerating into a non-productive session of bickering or off-topic discussions. Those that tuned into an NACM audio teleconference March 12, 2007, learned how they can steer clear of meeting disasters and increase their chances of holding a productive and positive meeting.

Susan Fee, a licensed professional counselor and executive business coach, conducted the audio teleconference. She specializes in helping clients build strong personal and professional relationships by developing effective communication skills. An author of publications that offer tips on better communications and conflict resolution, Fee's past clients include NACM, Motorola, United Airlines and Disney.

"What you allow is what you teach," Fee said. This advice is the foundation of her quest to discovering how to best conduct successful meetings that precisely direct people to the issues which the meeting was intended to address in order to produce positive results for all involved. It is the facilitator's job to ensure that a meeting runs efficiently and effectively. First of all, it is important to determine when a meeting is necessary. "People complain about too many meetings," Fee said. "If the situation can be covered by a memo, then a meeting is not required." She also suggested determining who needs to be at a meeting. "The fewer people who are there, the more that will get done."

Fee laid out a step-by-step guideline for the planning, execution and follow-up of a meeting. She gave very specific advice that included many details, any one of which could derail a meeting if not executed properly. For example, she pointed out that it is essential for the facilitator to start the meeting on time. Otherwise, it will set a bad precedent for others as far as keeping within the time frame of the meeting. Fee offered tips on getting the meeting participants to feel comfortable and more likely to all participate in the discussion. "An ice breaker of some sort may help," she said. "It could be just introductions or something fun." Fee also gave tips on how to facilitate lively debate and differences of opinion without it degenerating into acrimonious disagreements. "Conflict is where new ideas come from." However, she added, "You need to intervene when the conflict gets the group off-topic." Fee also gave tips on how to steer problematic meeting participants into a more productive and relevant mode of discussion.
Source: Tom Diana, NACM Staff Writer, and Susan Fee

Strategies for Improving the Work Environment

For many employees who are dissatisfied with their jobs, it often isn't the work itself that makes the position unrewarding, but rather factors like a poor work-life balance, an uncommunicative supervisor or lack of recognition for strong performance. As a manager, you have the ability to structure your department for maximum worker satisfaction. It's to your benefit to do so, because contented employees are more likely to be loyal to your firm.

A recent Robert Half Management Resources survey of 150 executives with the nation's 1,000 largest firms highlights some ways to make your company a more pleasant place. Executives were asked, "If you were the president of your company, what, if anything, would you change?" Twenty-six percent suggested improving the work environment, and 17% said they'd focus on better employee communication. Here are some of the responses:

• "Focus on programs to help achieve work/life balance."
• "Support more flexible programs such as offering telecommuting options."
• "Allow staff to wear business casual attire all the time."
• "Increase the number of vacation days, and tuition and mileage reimbursements."
• "Promote entrepreneurship."
• "Celebrate more often and offer individual    'thank-yous' for accomplishments."
• "Improve internal communication so everyone is on the same page."
• "Have senior management do more walk-arounds so that people feel a natural connection with those leading the company. It puts a face to a title."
• "Effectively communicate the company vision so everyone is aligned with where the company is going."
• "Be more frank with employees about what is going on with the company."
• "Listen to employees more."

Workplace improvements can create long-lasting benefits in terms of staff productivity and retention. By creating a supportive environment for new ideas and smart risk-taking, as well as by promoting work/life balance, you'll foster a workplace where employees want to stay.
Source: Robert Half Financing and Accounting and Accountemps

CMA New Member - Western Farm Service

From their website:

Premier Retailer of Crop Production Inputs Leader in Precision Ag Technology 

Western Farm Service (WFS) offers growers innovative advances in agricultural products and services. Approximately 100 staffed WFS facilities and 12 agronomists service growers in California, Arizona, Washington, Oregon and Idaho.

WFS is an operating segment of Agrium, a global producer and distributor of nitrogen, phosphate, potash and sulfate. WFS has a sister company in the Midwest, Crop Production Services (CPS), which services the Corn Belt to the east coast.