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Financial stress is a significant, ever-present burden for many Americans. Money gets tight for everyone once in a while—especially amid crises like the coronavirus pandemic—but for some, it never goes away. In fact, according to an economic report from the Federal Reserve, nearly 4 in 10 American adults wouldn’t be able to come up with…

Ollis/Akers/Arney CEO, Richard Ollis, spoke with Springfield Business Journal and offered a few simple tips to help you navigate some of the mental challenges brought on by isolation and this Coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic. Source: sbjLive

There’s no denying that virtual meetings have become a workplace norm. Several factors fueling that growth include access, price and need. Most laptops, tablets and smartphones have built-in webcams and microphones so employees can dial in to a virtual meeting from anywhere and at any time. These technology advancements have created affordable and easy-to-use tools…

You found a great job candidate, but now they aren’t responding to your calls and emails about an interview. Your new hire never showed up for their first day. An employee left work one day and never returned. These are all examples of ghosting in the workplace—abruptly ending communication without explanation. What Is Ghosting? Ghosting…

The Small Business Administration (SBA) recently released two additional final interim rules to provide further guidance for Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan borrowers and lenders. Specifically, the two rules provide guidance for loan review procedures, loan forgiveness, and borrower and lender responsibilities. This article provides a general overview of the two final interim rules. For…

Smartphones have made our lives so much easier, but they can also impact our physical and mental well-being. To build a healthier relationship with your phone, keep in mind the following: Set clear boundaries. If you are always waiting for work or personal messages, you may feel chained to the device, so it’s helpful to…

(May 20, 2020) In our last communication, we focused on our return to work plans and policies that businesses should consider to protect their organization, their employees and their customers. Several areas are difficult and controversial (masks and travel) and each business should implement what works best for them. We’ll cover another “hot topic” in…

Mental health—how you think, feel and act—can change over time due to factors like workload, stress and work-life balance. lhe COVID- 19 pandemic and quarantining certainly qualify as stressful factors. 1 in 5 Americans experience mental illness each year. 1 in 25 Americans live with a serious mental illness. 2.4 million live with schizophrenia. million…

In response to the debilitating effect the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has had on small businesses across the country, the federal government funded a program under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act (CARES Act) called the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). Approximately $670 billion has been allocated to the PPP fund, and small businesses across…

The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has issued new model notices for group health plan administrators to use to comply with COBRA notification requirements, the agency announced on May 1, 2020. Although plan administrators are not required to use the updated model notices, the DOL generally considers their use—with the addition of appropriate plan information—to…