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We collect basic website visitor information on this website and store it in cookies. We also utilize Google Analytics to track page view information to assist us in improving our website.
Every business is different, with respect to what they do to generate value for their clients and shareholders. Some are incorporated, while others are not. Some manufacture products, and others provide services. Some employ highly educated professional people, while other companies hire unskilled workers.
There are endless ways that businesses are designed to create value, but one thing remains constant…each business must attract the appropriate people to perform the work that gets results for the beneficiaries of the products and/or services that they deliver.
We all know that good people in every walk of life are hard to find and sometimes, even harder to keep. Life changes and evolves constantly, and these changes affect how people perform.
Managing the distractions that life delivers is not always easy, even for highly educated professionals. In our fast-paced society, we are constantly faced with changes, and not all of the changes are good news.
What I’m getting at is that maintaining good health, be it physical, mental or spiritual, is key to being able to deal properly with change.
How is the current economy going to affect your business, your job, your family? The same question generally affects other changes that we are faced with: health issues, car maintenance, your roof that needs to be replaced, your kids who need help with education...the list is endless.
All these changes that you come up against will deliver some level of stress. It’s up to you to find the best way to cope. Good health can provide many advantages for coping with the dynamics that come your way. Unchecked health concerns can lead to bigger problems.
Employee Benefits are a wonderful tool to help people deal with the issues and the rising cost of Health Care.
Some companies provide a full suite of benefits, including retirement savings. Other companies provide very little in the form of benefits. No two companies are alike. No two company sponsored benefits plans are alike.
Most successful companies know that the more they care for their employees, the easier it is for their employees to care for the company they work with.
My role as an Employee Benefits Advisor is to provide guidance that helps business owners provide what they feel is adequate coverage for their employees. This can be dramatically different for each company.
One thing will never change… most people do not buy what they need or want; they buy what they can afford that best serves their needs.
Business owners who take on the role of being a conscientious Corporate Leader know that most people need benefits. Benefits that are properly designed will help companies attract and maintain stronger employees.
My best advice is to make sure you are aligned with a Benefits Advisor that is focused on advising, not focused on selling.
A good advisor is always working to help you grow your business, by aligning you with a cost-effective benefits solution that serves your employees’ needs, within your budget.
A good long-lasting benefits solution is based on a strong platform backed by Risk Management strategies that protect your employees over the long term.
To learn more about how Bauer Benefits helps our clients deliver “Better Benefits for Less Money”, you are welcome to plan a free consultation.
Ross W. Bauer
519-240-1290
In today’s rapidly changing energy landscape, purchasing energy isn’t just about finding the lowest commodity price anymore.
Forward-thinking energy managers and purchasers are expanding their focus to include strategies that lower costs, increase energy efficiency, and reduce carbon emissions.
Here are 5 essential areas to consider when optimizing your facility’s energy purchases:
An energy audit — often starting with a free walk-through — is a crucial first step toward improving your facility’s efficiency. A comprehensive audit will:
Analyze current energy usage
Highlight opportunities for energy savings and equipment upgrades.
Prioritise projects based on your key factors such as cost, ROI, safety, and carbon reduction.
Installing an Energy Metering and Monitoring System (EMIS) allows you to track real-time energy consumption, making it easier to spot inefficiencies. Many capital improvements can qualify for provincial and federal funding, helping to reduce out-of-pocket costs while delivering long-term savings.
Natural gas prices are forecasted to nearly double over the next two years. Since natural gas is a major input cost for electricity generation, electricity rates are also expected to rise.
Facilities can mitigate these risks by:
Purchasing energy supply through third-party suppliers or brokers.
Locking in rates through hedging strategies, protecting against extreme market volatility caused by events like hurricanes or global disruptions.
Choosing between fixed rates and spot market pricing options based on their risk tolerance and budget predictability needs.
Hedging provides budget stability and protection against unexpected price spikes — crucial for long-term planning.
Facilities can further optimize electricity costs through programs like:
Demand Response Programs: Curtail electricity use during peak periods in exchange for financial incentives.
Ontario’s Industrial Conservation Initiative (ICI): Reduce your Global Adjustment costs by cutting usage during Ontario’s five highest system peaks.
To participate effectively, many facilities partner with peak advisory services that help predict when these peaks will occur.
Other options to manage peak demands include installing on-site energy storage or backup generation systems, further reducing reliance on expensive grid power during critical periods.
Assessing the business case for solar energy has never been more compelling. New incentive programs are encouraging companies to install solar panels for:
Net Metering: Sell excess energy back to the grid.
Load Displacement: Offset internal energy use directly.
Solar installations not only reduce utility bills but also significantly lower a company's carbon footprint — helping to meet sustainability goals and prepare for a net zero future.
Start with a Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Reduction Plan to benchmark and assess your current emissions. Key steps include:
Implementing energy efficiency and conservation projects.
Integrating renewable energy sources like solar and wind.
Purchasing Qualified Carbon Offsets or Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs) for any remaining emissions.
A clear roadmap to net zero helps align your facility with evolving regulatory requirements and strengthens your brand’s commitment to environmental responsibility.
If any of these are of interest to you, please do not hesitate to reach out to Steve Sabean by phone or text at (519) 577-2362 or via email [email protected]
For many of us, a hybrid work experience is emerging, which can obscure the dividing line between work and personal life. Working from both the office and from home has great benefits, but it is time to explore new ways to experience the upsides of new work patterns.
From booking focus time to taking breaks between meetings, we picked the most popular productivity tips used that we use with Microsoft 365 Tools. Here are our top four work habits to try in 2023:
Spending many hours staring at a screen with white light causes eyestrain. Dark Mode offers us the benefits of decreasing visual fatigue and reducing battery usage in services and applications such as Microsoft 365.
The dark theme changes the default bright background colour in Microsoft 365 to a darker colour; this theme helps protect the eyes in low-light environments or if the user prefers to work on less bright interfaces.
According to a study by XDA Developers, it is possible to reduce battery consumption up to 63% when using Dark Mode.
For people on the go or who can think and talk faster than they can type, you can dictate content in several Office applications in Microsoft 365. Click the microphone icon and start talking in Word, PowerPoint, Teams chat, and new emails created within Outlook.
We’ve all experienced days of back-to-back meetings and constant interruptions when it is hard to find a moment to focus on getting work done.
Some people even report spending 80% of their days collaborating, and research has shown it can take over 20 minutes to refocus after checking one email. These constant distractions can increase stress and lower productivity.
Rather than trying to cram work into the small pockets of time you have between meetings, block your calendar for a few hours every day for focus time to get work done without distractions.
You can even find and schedule focus time automatically in Microsoft Teams & Outlook with Microsoft Viva Insights, which helps to minimize notifications from Teams chats and calls during these blocks.
With 55% more meetings on calendars each week than before the pandemic, it’s no surprise that back-to-back meetings increase stress and decrease your ability to focus.
The solution, take short breaks. Just five minutes can allow our brains to “reset” and reduce meeting fatigue. This helps boost our attention and engagement for the next task at hand.
So, while it may seem counterproductive, taking breaks is essential for productivity.
Take control of your Microsoft Office Calendar: File->Options->Calendar->Calendar Options
Author
Name: David Cameron
Title: CEO
Website: www.coretecsystems.com
Email: [email protected]
Company Summary:
CoreTec Systems is a Microsoft partner specialized in Cloud Applications. We focus on Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), Customer Relationship Management (CRM), Office 365 Implementations, Migrations and Training. We are a certified reseller of Microsoft Cloud Solutions for Small to Medium Size Business. We provide support to businesses located across Canada.
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, businesses had to adapt to remote work and remain connected with their employees. Collaboration tools have become increasingly popular in this situation, as they help teams stay productive, manage deadlines, and stay on top of important projects. Sanj Rajput (REM's marketing director) discusses the need for collaboration tools in business and emphasizes the benefits of Office 365, a popular platform with several productivity-boosting features.
One of the most useful features of Office 365 is PowerApps, which allows the user to manage organizational data by running an app. Other notable features include Office Online, Flow, Video, OneDrive for Business, Calendar, Exchange, Planner, Skype for Business, Teams, Groups, Yammer, Power BI, and Delve.
Aside from Office 365, there are several other collaborative tools available. Slack is a popular instant messaging platform that allows for easy communication and file transfers. Flowdock is a messaging platform that integrates notifications from other channels like Twitter and Asana. Asana is a project management tool that allows users to assign tasks, add followers, and keep track of deadlines. Dapulse is another visually appealing and easy-to-use platform that helps set goals, communicate with team members, and assign tasks. Redbooth is a basic tool that allows video calling, while Wimi offers team members their own unified workspace and cloud-based system for file syncing. Quip allows users to upload and edit various file types, while Google Docs allows multiple users to edit files at the same time. Lastly, Codingteam is a collaborative tool that allows teams to work together on coding projects.
Collaboration tools are necessary for businesses, particularly those working remotely. They provide an efficient and productive way for teams to communicate, stay organized, and remain connected. With the plethora of collaboration tools available, businesses can choose the platform that best suits their needs and makes collaboration easier.
View the full article, along with links to the mentioned collaborative software on REM’s Small Business blog.
Contact
Name: Rob Matlow
Title: President
Website: https://remwebsolutions.com
Email: [email protected]
Company Summary:
REM Web Solutions is a full-service website agency that provides website design/development, and other services to businesses in Kitchener-Waterloo and surrounding areas. They have been in business since 2001 and have worked with over 1500 clients. They are committed to providing high-quality services that help businesses grow and succeed.
Please contact Ross Bauer for more information about the Strategic Partners.
(519) 240-1290
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