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Question: A newly hired employee quit after their first day. To keep things simple, can we just pay them as an independent contractor? Answer: No, that approach is not compliant with regulations. The IRS, the U.S. Department of Labor, and state agencies have specific criteria for determining who is an employee and who is an
Introduction When I was a young Applications Analyst for Linotype on Long Island, I was flabbergasted by the number of three-letter acronyms (TLAs) that had developed around PostScript and prepress. (Pre-press was still hyphenated at the time, which gives you an idea of how long ago this was.) For fun, I created a three-letter acronym
These management tips are brought to you by your printing industry association… The customer service representative’s role varies dramatically across the industry. In some instances, the individual is an extension of the sales representative and heavily involved with customer contact including face-to-face visits. In other instances, the CSR is a project manager whose role is
One of the biggest risks to printing plants and smaller printing facilities is fire, which can spread rapidly in these environments thanks to the large volumes of paper and flammable liquids on-site. Facilities that are most at risk are those that have high ceilings, large footprints and hold large quantities of paper inventory that is
With some businesses allowing workers to play music while they work, sometimes that music can disturb other staff, particularly if the songs have vulgar lyrics. Now the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court has held that playing music with tawdry lyrics that make some employees uncomfortable can be considered harassment in the workplace under Title VII of
Ransomware attacks against businesses and incidents that compromise their e-mail systems are on the rise again. They are threatening organizations of all sizes — and may target yours. Small businesses are particularly vulnerable to these types of attacks, as the cyber criminals know that they typically have less sophisticated networks and protection. Accenture reported that nearly
What’s the most important number in your business life? Your hit ratio—the percentage of quotes that turn into orders. It’s the number that separates high-profit printers from also-rans. Why? Because it recognizes that a revenue-maximizing pricing policy isn’t created by your internally focused estimating system, “your cost,” but by your customers and the competitors that
Thoughts from a “Printing Industry Performance & Insights” study Dr. Ralph Williams Jr.Associate Professor of ManagementJones College of BusinessMiddle Tennessee State University Dr. Randy ClarkAssociate Professor of MarketingJones College of BusinessMiddle Tennessee State University Our April 2022 “Printing Industry Performance & Insights” study focused on sales management and marketing in printing firms. In that survey,
A May 2023 study[] of 15 second and third-graders in Haifa, Israel provides new evidence supporting the value of print. The study examined brain wave activity and concluded that reading on paper stimulated key parts of the brain more effectively than reading the same text on a screen. The study has important implications for the
Question: What is mentoring in the workplace? Answer: Mentoring is a professional relationship between a senior or more experienced employee (the mentor) and a newer or less experienced one (the mentee). The mentor shares their knowledge and experience, offering guidance, advice, feedback, and encouragement. The mentee, for their part, can go to their mentor with
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