Top News
It’s no secret that most Americans work more than 40 hours a week, but are those extra hours necessary? "So many people say, ‘I have to do this,’ but they might just be putting those expectations on themselves," says Maura Thomas, productivity expert, author, and founder of RegainYourTime.com. Many people make assumptions about what their boss wants without ever testing the waters to find out if it’s true. ( Fast Company)
Visit https://www.fastcompany.com/3066632/work-smart/how-to-work-only-40-hours-a-week-this-year to view the full article online.
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Career
Have a New Year's resolution to work from home more this year — maybe to spend more time with your children or save some gas money? Thanks to the flexible world of the Internet, I've been able to work away from The Post's D.C. office for about a year and a half now — joining an estimated 37 percent of Americans who say they've telecommuted. Working from home can have its own charms and challenges. Here's what I've learned about teleworking in my time away, including some tech tips to make sure that your office of one keeps chugging along. ( The Washington Post)
Visit https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-switch/wp/2017/01/03/10-ways-to-improve-your-productivity-this-year/?utm_term=.1f99a68db75c to view the full article online.
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C-suite executives don’t know where you stand if you don’t tell them. As they work on succession planning, they’re eager to help you succeed. Ideally, they’d like to have a phalanx of executives-in-waiting so the organization thrives over the long term. Knowing you are someone who produces stellar results and has the ambition to move forward is the powerful combination they’re looking for, and it will make them more willing to invest in you. ( Harvard Business Review)
Visit https://hbr.org/2017/01/if-you-want-to-get-promoted-say-so to view the full article online.
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Diversity in the Workplace
Almost everyone wins when it comes to referral hiring, through which an employee recommends someone for an opening at his or her company. The job applicant comes in the door with a personal recommendation and is therefore more likely to get the job. Companies cut hiring costs since referral hires take less time, start the job quicker, and stay at companies longer. The referral hires themselves report higher levels of satisfaction. And the original employee who did the referring often gets a nice cash bonus and a new work friend. It's a nice, closed-loop system that works out well for everyone—that is, unless you don't have the right network to get the job. Referral hiring isn't great for diversity. ( Bloomberg)
Visit https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-12-23/hiring-an-employee-s-buddy-is-fueling-a-major-workplace-crisis to view the full article online.
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International
Global markets spent most of 2016 adjusting to the reality of a slow but steady weakening of China’s currency. Now, it is Beijing that appears uncomfortable with that state of affairs. Financial regulators appear to have grown increasingly concerned in recent weeks about the pace of the renminbi’s depreciation and the amount of capital flowing out of the country. ( The New York Times)
Visit http://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/05/business/dealbook/china-currency-renminbi-yuan.html?ref=business&_r=0 to view the full article online.
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Entrepreneurship
With the new year upon, many of us are setting resolutions for our personal and professional lives. Are you looking to transition from an employee to an entrepreneur? Do you want to solve needs in new and profitable ways? Do you want to take risks to move your business to the next level? Are you ready to step out and raise venture capital for your business, or are you hoping to be better a leader or person overall? Below are five books to help you turn those resolution ideas for 2017 into a plan of action: ( Black Enterprise)
Visit http://www.blackenterprise.com/small-business/tools-resources/5-books-keep-from-failing-during-business/ to view the full article online.
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The U.S. Small Business Administration announced the launch of the 2017 InnovateHER: Innovating for Women Business Challenge, a nationwide business competition to drive attention and resources to innovative products and services that make our lives easier and longer. Competitors vie for $70,000 in prize money provided to SBA for the InnovateHER competition through a gift from the Sara Blakely Foundation. ( Black PRWire)
Visit http://www.blackprwire.com/press-releases/bprw-sba-launches-2017-innovateher-business-challenge to view the full article online.
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The Economy
Whether they shout "Roll Tide" or spell out "C-L-E-M-S-O-N," fans at college football's national championship are going to pay a lot to get into the stands. The average resale price of a ticket to Monday's Alabama-Clemson game is $2,945, a record for the college title game, according to TicketIQ, which tracks sales. ( CNN Money)
Visit http://money.cnn.com/2017/01/04/news/alabama-clemson-football-ticket-prices/index.html to view the full article online.
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Government
A U.S. regulator on Tuesday ordered credit reporting agencies TransUnion and Equifax to pay more than $23.2 million in fines and restitution for deceiving consumers about the usefulness and cost of credit scores they bought. The U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau said the payments also resolve charges that TransUnion and Equifax lured consumers into enrolling in credit services advertised as free or costing only $1, but which could cost more than $200 a year. ( CNBC)
Visit http://www.cnbc.com/2017/01/03/us-fines-transunion-equifax-for-deceit-over-credit-scores.html to view the full article online.
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Lifestyle
Bae, the fastest-growing dating app for African-American millennial singles in the U.S., is going international. The app was just acquired by if(we), the parent company of Tagged, one of the largest dating sites in the world, with an eye to becoming the place for black singles to meet, play, engage, and find love. The Bae name is being retired and its users will be streamlined into Tagged and its global dating pool. ( Fast Company)
Visit https://www.fastcompany.com/3066795/startup-report/bae-the-top-dating-app-for-black-singles-is-going-global to view the full article online.
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