Market Watch

Is the U.S. ready for a four-day work week? 00:00 00:0001:47GO LIVE Facebook Twitter Email Embed SpeedNormal Autoplay Some companies are figuring out whether a four-day workweek is realistic in the U.S., as new research shows it could benefit employees and employers alike. The nation is still seeing low unemployment numbers, and many businesses say it’s still difficult to find people to hire. So they’re being forced to develop new ways to attract and retain people. "It’s nice to actually feel like we do have off time, and that we are protective of that time," said Nate Jones, an experienced analyst and head of research at CX Pilots, a business consulting company that’s trying out a four-day, ten-hour schedule. Jones says his weekends now feel a little more like a weekend because he tries to make the most of that extra free day. "I’m meal prepping, I’m doing laundry, catching up with family," he said. "The pandemic made me think more about what I care about," said CX Pilots founder Steven Keith. He says the new schedule is working well, and the company has not seen a change in workplace productivity. Steven Keith is the founder of CX Pilots. […]

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Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Photographer: Jeremy Suyker/Bloomberg Confidence among businesses in Saudi Arabia’s non-oil sector rose to a two-year high in January, as firms reported strong new order growth and started to see improvements in supply chains and softening inflation. New order growth rose compared to December and was the second highest level in the past 16 months, according to a survey of purchasing managers compiled by S&P Global. Foreign demand also increased rapidly and to a greater degree than at the end of 2022. The Riyad Bank Saudi PMI rose to 58.2 from 56.9 in December, well above the 50-mark separating growth from contraction. Last month’s figure was the second-highest recorded since September 2021 after November’s more than seven-year high . It’s the latest sign that last year’s economic boom is continuing even as oil prices fall from recent highs. Overall growth was an estimated 8.7% last year, Saudi official projections showed, making it the fastest growing major economy. The positive sentiment was “driven by the ongoing improvement in the business environment, private-sector employment, and increased foreign investment with governance and labor market reform,” said Naif Al-Ghaith, chief economist at Riyad Bank. The kingdom’s non-oil economy, the engine of […]

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Detail of a mans hand scrolling through Netflix on an Apple iPad Pro, taken on March 6, 2020. (Photo … [+] Future Publishing via Getty Images Here are five things in technology that happened this past week and how they affect your business. Did you miss them? 1 – A foldable iPad could arrive as early as next year, according to an Apple analyst. According to a supply chain analyst, Apple could potentially develop a foldable iPad as soon as 2024. The release of the foldable model is expected to improve shipments and product variety. The same analyst also predicts that the foldable iPad will be released alongside an improved iPad Mini, with Apple potentially starting production for that model early next year. (Source: The Verge ) Why this is important for your business: Foldable devices aren’t new – Samsung has been selling these for a few years. But a foldable iPad could be a big seller and also open the door to an avalanche of similar products. These devices will save space and could be very helpful for remote employees or people on the road. 2 – ChromeOS and Microsoft 365 will start playing nicer with each other […]

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Hands forming a heart getty Entrepreneurship is a long, complicated road, often littered with unforeseen landmines and fires that need to be put out. It’s not a lifestyle for the timid, and its fast-paced nature rarely presents opportunities for contemplative reflection. As 2023 unfolds, however, it’s important to take a step back and look at areas where your business may need more attention in order to achieve your goals. We interviewed prominent leaders at three companies and asked them why they thinking taking a step back to review company processes is a necessary task. Where should they begin? "Entrepreneurs start their companies to pursue their dreams," says Greg Alexander, CEO at Collective 54, the first mastermind community for boutique professional services firms. "Yet, in pursuit of these dreams, life gets in the way. Between emails, Zoom calls, and client meetings, it’s important to step back from time to time to sift through the noise and remember why you’re in business to begin with." Harshith Ramesh, co-CEO of Episource, a leading provider of risk adjustment services, software, and solutions for health plans and medical groups, said he tries to look at tasks in terms of the "Eisenhower Matrix," a 2×2 […]

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A father-and-daughter investment team from Chelsea, Massachusetts, have purchased the Phoenix Inn Hotel in North Creek for $1.94 million, marking the second ownership change for the Adirondacks resort in three years. Buhai Ren and his daughter, Zihan "Hannah" Ren, acquired the 31-room hotel from Diana Espalza. The transaction closed Feb. 1. Broker Mitch Muroff of Muroff Hospitality Group represented the seller and secured the buyer. The acquisition was financed with a mortgage through Celtic Bank Corp. of Salt Lake City, Utah. The 2.33-acre resort, located 3 miles north of Gore Mountain Ski Resort, features close to 7,500 square feet of meeting, restaurant and event space including a ballroom for up to 300 guests. "We had three or four serious inquiries in a relatively short amount of time," Muroff said. "A few offers came in after the property already was under contract." Muroff listed the Phoenix Inn for sale June 15 and the Ren family signed a letter of intent to buy the property three months later. Formerly known as the Copperfield Inn Resort, the boutique hotel underwent more than $1 million in renovations after Espalza bought the property in December 2019 from Michael Ellis and Copperfield Resorts LLC. Espalza […]

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Special to The Tennessean Consider creating podcast content Targeted podcast can bring marketing, company benefits “Welcome to the Half-Geek-Half-Human podcast where we discuss the intersections between technology, business, and life.” A few weeks ago, our tech consulting firm decided it was time to jump on the bandwagon and start up our own podcast. This is something we had been reticent to do in the past. With over 3 million podcasts already out there, we asked ourselves, “What’s the point?” It seemed like the last thing the world needed was another podcast taking up space. And with all that competition, why would anyone use their valuable time to listen to what we had to say? Our thinking changed though about a year into the pandemic. As many analysts predicted, the demand for podcasts dropped about 10% when the pandemic first hit. With everyone quarantined at home spending less time in their cars or at gyms, it made sense that the audience for podcasting would fade. But then something interesting happened. After the quick dip in podcast popularity, the trend reversed itself. Overall, worldwide pandemic podcast listenership ultimately increased by more than 40%. Apparently, we all love interesting content, and it’s […]

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Tyson Foods announces new team member benefits to support overall health, wellness SPRINGDALE, Ark. – Tyson Foods announced this week new changes and investments aimed at further intensifying U.S. team members relationships and enhancing workplace culture. According to a news release, specifically, they are making changes to U.S. based policies and practices related to healthcare and overall wellness. The company’s new policies and investments are in addition to recent compensation benefits. Tyson recently announced it invested more than $50 million in thank you bonuses and $100 million in wage increases for U.S. hourly workers over the past year. "Tyson Foods has invested more than $20 million this year to offer longer parental leave, additional mental health support and other wellness and health plan benefits to further enhance Team Member wellbeing as part of the company’s caring and inclusive culture," the release states. "The company increased its parental leave program to include eight weeks paid leave for mothers and two weeks paid leave for U.S. team members whose spouse or partner gave birth to provide bonding time with their new family member. We also continue to offer four weeks of paid parental leave for adoptive parents." This spring, Tyson team […]

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Extinguisher Guys owner Kevin Boushee shows a batch of extinguishers that he refurbished at his East Grand Forks business. EAST GRAND FORKS — Kevin Boushee fought fires for 25 years. Now he’s trying to prevent them. When the East Grand Forks firefighter retired nearly two years ago, he agreed with his wife that he was too young to retire. So he started Extinguisher Guys, a locally owned business that deals with anything involving fire extinguishers. Last summer Boushee went to Illinois to learn the business, train, become a certified technician and buy a custom trailer that allows him to work remotely at the site of businesses. He and his son, Bennett, are both certified technicians. The family business also includes a daughter and a nephew. “As the assistant chief for several years, I did most of the company inspections,” Boushee said. “One of the main things I found was extinguishers were outdated or not in service.” Boushee said business has been OK. Companies must have their extinguishers touched once a year by a certified technician. So he’s waiting on several spots in which the clock is expiring on the extinguishers. “It’s kind of a niche in town,” Boushee said. […]

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Photo by Julita / Pixabay The Women’s Business Development Council (WBDC) has relaunched its Equity Match Grant Program, which provides women-owned businesses across the Connecticut with grants of between $2,500 and $10,000. This is the sixth round of grants since the first round was allocated in 2020. “We are so pleased to once again extend the opportunity for our state’s women-owned businesses to benefit from a WBDC Equity Match Grant,” said WBDC Founder and CEO Fran Pastore in a press statement announcing the new grants. “In addition to the wonderful stories we hear about how these grants are boosting small businesses, the data is also showing significant impacts on business outcomes.” Previous rounds of the grant funding have given over $1.5 million to more than 160 different businesses, including many that are minority owned or situated in economically distressed communities. The application process for the new grant funding round opened on Jan. 17 and will run through Feb. 28. Applicants are expected to lay out a plan for the funds which will improve their business, though the money cannot be used to cover operating costs, real estate improvement expenses, or to pay off previously acquired debt. Applicants must also […]

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The Minnesota Capitol rotunda. DULUTH — A pair of bills that would require all of Minnesota’s employers to provide up to 24 weeks of paid family and medical leave are moving quickly through the Legislature. While similar workplace mandates proposed in 2019 failed to pass, the bills are gaining momentum with the support of Democratic–Farmer–Labor majorities in the Minnesota House of Representatives and Senate. Among those in favor is Rep. Liz Olson, DFL-Duluth. Liz Olson “There are over 900,000 Minnesota workers — a full third of the workforce — who don’t have access to any paid time off. As a result, they often rush back to work after giving birth before they’ve had adequate time to stay home and bond with their newborn. Or perhaps they can’t spend precious time caring for a family member in the twilight of their life. It’s unconscionable so many workers face this predicament,” Olson said. The Paid Family and Medical Leave Act is essentially an unemployment insurance to be administered by the Department of Employment and Economic Development. Paid family and medical leave would be self-funded by a 0.7% payroll tax on employers with contributions said to cover benefits and administrative costs. The […]

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