Archive | Workplace Technology

Ziplocks

A Point of View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

On April 2, 2015

Category: Getting the Job Done, Small Business Success, Travel, Workplace Technology

I don’t know how we survived without ziplock bags (generically speaking, though I know it is a brand name, but Ziplocs or Glad, or whatever).  It seems strange writing about them in this blog, but my partner’s and my goal was to write about things related to our small business(es).  And, ziplocks have been a […]

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Another View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

On April 2, 2015

Category: Getting the Job Done, Small Business Success, Travel, Workplace Technology

As odd as it may seem to be writing in praise of lowly plastic zippered bags, this handy invention has been a tremendous help to me, in many ways. I use plastic zippered bags to contain all of my toiletries inside my suitcase. I double bag the toiletries to prevent the inevitable leaks from permeating […]

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Back it up!

A Point of View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

On March 5, 2015

Category: Getting the Job Done, Small Business Success, Workplace Technology

This post is an extension of the post about hurricanes and other disasters in that it discusses what should be a basic business practice in a world where computers dominate our business lives.  BACK THEM UP!  And back them up in more than 1 way if possible.  And, make sure the back ups are not […]

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Another View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

On March 5, 2015

Category: Getting the Job Done, Small Business Success, Workplace Technology

Proactivity is the key in preventing many computer nightmares. Recently, due to an unforeseen, extremely negative event concerning Magnus’ long time computer technician, we were compelled to hire a new computer tech. The new computer tech explained his philosophy to my partner and me during our first meeting: constant monitoring of our system, to prevent […]

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Dealing with Hurricanes: Disaster Planning

Floridians, at least we natives, know that hurricanes are a fact of life (some newcomers have to experience one to understand such storms).  And while we are all sometimes a bit complacent about hurricanes or the other disasters that befall others who live in other locations (as I write this, Boston is suffering record snow […]

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Several years before David and I owned our business, Magnus, I worked at a large litigation consulting firm that had offices in every major city in the U.S.A. One of the offices was located in Philadelphia, in a large downtown building that burned to the ground one night. Unfortunately for my employer, no one had […]

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Technical support temperament

A Point of View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

On December 4, 2014

Category: Business Partnerships, Business personalities, Careers, Employment, Partnerships, Small Business Success, Work-Life, Workplace Technology

It is important to know one’s strengths and weaknesses and, in a partnership, to divide tasks in a way that recognizes them.  Strengths and weaknesses take many forms, but one of the potential areas to consider in a partnership is whose temperament is better suited to dealing with “technical support” or “customer service.”   In our […]

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David is right. I do not “suffer fools gladly,” and therefore, I cannot tolerate speaking with technical support people, who, in my opinion, often lack both technical expertise and support skills. Sadly, although David’s time is just as valuable as mine, my refusal to be placed on hold for what seems like hours, only to […]

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Technology transitions can be painful

A Point of View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

On October 9, 2014

Category: Careers, Employment, Getting the Job Done, Small Business Success, Workplace Technology

As we have developed our blogs and topics, we’ve found often one thing leads to another. My recent post on scanning the horizon for changes led me to this post. When we started our trial consulting business, Magnus Research Consultants, in 1993 we had to provide clients with VHS videotapes of the proceedings. I researched […]

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Another View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

On October 9, 2014

Category: Careers, Employment, Getting the Job Done, Small Business Success, Workplace Technology

I enjoy change, but sometimes change comes at a high price. In the example David mentioned regarding our company’s change in video equipment, the costs were enormous, in terms of both financial expenditures and personnel. In fact, we lost a long time employee, largely due to mistakes he made during our transitional period between analog […]

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Scanning the horizon for changes

A Point of View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

On October 2, 2014

Category: Careers, Employment, Getting the Job Done, Small Business Success, Workplace Technology

Everyday in business is a good day.  But, being is business isn’t the same from day to day; doing business the same way it has always been done is not a recipe for success.  Many of the changes we’ve faced are the same ones faced by any small business.  Changes in technology, changes in the […]

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Another View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

On October 2, 2014

Category: Careers, Employment, Getting the Job Done, Small Business Success, Workplace Technology

As with many things in life, some changes are positive and others, less than positive. Regardless of how we feel about changes, they are going to happen, so it is important to be ready to adapt to our new situation as soon as the inevitable change occurs. I have a lot of friends who are […]

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Force Feeding Employees

A Point of View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

On September 18, 2014

Category: Business personalities, Careers, Employment, Litigation Tips, Managing Employees, Small Business Success, Trial Consulting, Workplace Technology

Force feeding certainly has a negative connotation and perhaps isn’t the best connotation in a work environment.  But, sometimes you have to really push employees to do things and to do them in a way you, their boss, want them done.  In recent years, one of the things I have had to force has been […]

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The older I get, and the more experience I have as a social psychologist, the younger and more inexperienced my employees appear to me. Work tasks they are completing for the first time are often tasks I have been performing for decades. Things that are second nature to me are sometimes difficult for them. Because […]

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Adapting ideas from other fields & industries

A Point of View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

On August 21, 2014

Category: Careers, Employment, Getting the Job Done, Life Outside of Work, Workplace Technology

There are few roadmaps for how to run a business, of any size. And, with both Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in business, I can attest that how to actually operate a business, small or large, is not taught in college or graduate school. It comes from doing it, or observing it, and a lot of […]

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Another View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

On August 21, 2014

Category: Careers, Employment, Getting the Job Done, Life Outside of Work, Workplace Technology

This is an interesting topic for me because it is my field of social psychology that has been adapted to many other fields, including organizational behavior, marketing research, health care, law, and many more. There are numerous research techniques, such as focus groups, that were developed by social psychologists that have a large following in […]

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Hawaii

From December, 2007 through January, 2008, my husband and I spent one glorious month in Hawai’i. We were able to celebrate two milestones, a wedding anniversary and a “big” birthday (mine) while we were there; these events were, of course, the reasons for this fantastic trip. Due to the fact that my husband and I […]

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Being able to do something like we did, spending a month in Hawai’i, is one of the major benefits of owning the company.  Though it is true in some countries that 4 week vacations are the norm, it is not so in the U.S.A.  Thus, being able to get away and absorb the culture is […]

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Something WILL Go Wrong

A Point of View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

On March 10, 2014

Category: Careers, Employment, Getting the Job Done, Managing Employees, Travel, Trial Consulting, Workplace Technology

My spouse/business partner and I strive for excellence, if not perfection, in everything we do on behalf of our clients, our employees, and ourselves. This is a noble aspiration, however, people and situations being what they are, invariably and despite our best efforts and intentions, something goes wrong. Our jury research exercises involve travel, often […]

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Another View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

On March 10, 2014

Category: Careers, Employment, Getting the Job Done, Managing Employees, Travel, Trial Consulting, Workplace Technology

The “something” which goes wrong can be painful, a big problem, or, more frequently something which is less obvious. It is critical to keep one’s cool when things go wrong – as in “don’t let them see you sweat.” But, that is sometimes easier said than done. For us as managers, it has been important […]

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