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A new 3D-printed construction technique turns corn into a novel building material. Corncretl is a biocomposite made from corn waste known as nejayote that’s rich in calcium. It’s dried, pulverized, and mixed with minerals, and the resulting material is applied using a 3D printer. This corn-based construction material was made by Manufactura, a Mexican sustainable materials company, and it imagines a second life for waste from the most widely produced grain in the world. The project started as an invitation by chef Jorge Armando, the founder of catering brand Taco Kween Berlin, to find ways he could reintegrate waste generated by his taqueria into architecture. A team led by designer Dinorah Schulte created corncretl during a residency last year in Massa Lombarda, Italy. “The material combines recycled nejayote derivatives with limestone and Carrara marble powder, connecting pre-Hispanic construction knowledge from Mexico with material traditions from northern Italy,” Schulte tells Fast Company. Growing momentum for clean cement alternatives Many sustainable materials studios are researching concrete alternatives. And while corncretl is just in the prototyping stage, food waste has been tested as a potential building material more broadly. Researchers at the University of Tokyo made a construction material it said was harder than cement in 2022 out of raw materials like coffee grounds, powered fruit and vegetable waste, and seaweed. Last year, researchers at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology developed a rammed earth material encased in cardboard, which eliminated the need for cement completely, and Manufactura experimented with building materials made from coffee too. Designers have turned to 3D printers to build everything from train shelters to houses, and developing alternative materials to print with could lead to cheaper, more durable, and more sustainable construction methods. After Schulte’s team developed corncretl, they then moved to practical application, prototyping three panels for modular construction using a Kuka robotic arm. “The project employs an internal infill structure that allows the 3D-printed wall to be self-supporting, eliminating the need for external scaffolding during fabrication,” Schulte says, and the geometry of the system was inspired by terrazzo patterns found in the Roman Empire, particularly Rimini, Italy, where the team visited. “During a visit to the city museum, we were struck by the expressive curved terrazzo motifs, which became a starting point for translating historical geometries into a contemporary, computationally designed 3D-printed wall, culturally rooted yet forward-looking,” she says. Corn, or maize, is native to Mexico, and the country produces 27 million metric tons of it annually, according to the Wilson Center, a think tank. Finding an alternative use for nejayote, then, could then turn a waste stream from a popular food into the basis for building physical structures. If the byproduct from cooking tortillas proves to be one such source, taquerias could one day find themselves in the restaurant and construction businesses. View the full article

In the early days of SEO, authority was a crude concept. In the early 2000s, ranking well often came down to how effectively you could game PageRank. Buy enough links, repeat the right keywords, and visibility followed. It was mechanical, transactional, and remarkably easy to manipulate. Two decades later, that version of search is largely extinct. Algorithms have matured. So has Google’s understanding of brands, people, and real-world reputation. In a landscape increasingly shaped by AI-powered discovery, authority is no longer a secondary ranking factor – it’s the foundational principle. This is the logical conclusion of a long, deliberate evolution in search. From links to legitimacy: How authority evolved Google’s first major move against manipulation came with Penguin, which forced the industry to evolve. That’s when “digital PR” began emerging as a more palatable framing than link building. Google also began experimenting with entity-based understanding. Author photos appeared in search results. Knowledge panels surfaced. Brands, authors, and organizations were treated less like URLs and more like connected entities. Although experiments like Google authorship were eventually retired, the direction was clear. Google was redefining how it assessed website and brand authority. Instead of asking, “Who links to this page?” the algorithms increasingly asked, “Who authored this content, and how are they recognized elsewhere?” That shift has only accelerated over the past 12 months, as AI-driven search experiences have made the trend impossible to ignore. Dig deeper: From SEO to algorithmic education: The roadmap for long-term brand authority Helpful content and the end of synthetic authority The integration of the helpful content system into Google’s core algorithm marked a turning point. Sites that built visibility through over-optimization saw organic performance erode almost overnight. In contrast, brands demonstrating depth, experience, and strong brand authority gained ground. Search systems are now far better at evaluating whether content reflects lived expertise. Over-optimized sites – those with disproportionately high link metrics but limited brand recognition – have struggled as a result. In recent core updates, larger, well-known brands have consistently outperformed smaller sites that were technically strong but lacked brand authority. Authority, not optimization, has become a key differentiator. Your customers search everywhere. Make sure your brand shows up. The SEO toolkit you know, plus the AI visibility data you need. Start Free Trial Get started with Authority in an AI‑mediated search world Large language models (LLMs) learn from the open web: journalism, reviews, forums, social platforms, video transcripts, and expert commentary. Reputation is inferred through the frequency, consistency, and context of brand mentions. This has profound implications for how brands approach SEO. Reddit, Quora, LinkedIn, YouTube, and trusted review platforms such as G2 are among the most heavily cited sources in AI search responses. These aren’t environments you can fully control. They reflect what people actually say about your brand, not what you claim about yourself. In other words, authority is now externally validated – and much harder to influence. Visibility is no longer driven solely by what happens on your website. It’s shaped by how convincingly your brand shows up across the wider digital ecosystem. This doesn’t mean the end of Google Market share data continues to show Google commanding over 90% of global search usage, with AI platforms accounting for a fraction of referral traffic. Even among heavy ChatGPT users, the vast majority still rely on Google as part of their search behavior. Google is absorbing AI-style answers into its own interface through AI Overviews, AI Mode, and other generative enhancements. Users aren’t abandoning Google. They’re encountering AI within it. The opportunity lies in building authority that performs across both traditional and AI-mediated search surfaces. I’ve previously written about the concept of building a total search strategy. Brand building is the new SEO multiplier One of the more uncomfortable realizations for SEO practitioners is that some of the most effective authority signals sit outside traditional search channels. Digital PR, brand advertising, events, partnerships, and even offline activity increasingly influence organic performance. A physical event can generate listings on event platforms, coverage in local press, and organic social discussion – each feeding into a broader perception of legitimacy. This is where paid and organic disciplines begin to converge. Brand awareness improves click‑through rates. Familiar names attract citations. Mentions on YouTube or in long-form journalism reinforce topical authority in ways links alone never could. We’ve even seen a recent study showing YouTube comments as a leading factor correlated with AI mentions. As someone who works across both paid and organic strategy, I see this multiplier effect repeatedly. Strong brands don’t just convert better – they now perform better organically, too. Dig deeper: The new SEO imperative: Building your brand Get the newsletter search marketers rely on. See terms. A practical framework: The three pillars of authority Building authority requires a holistic approach – one that starts with brand strategy, category understanding, and a broader set of tactics than traditional SEO. I’ve developed a simple framework that ensures consistent focus on three core pillars: 1. Category authority: Owning the truth, not just the traffic This is about defining how the category itself is understood, not merely competing within it. Authority begins upstream of content production, with a clear point of view on what matters, what’s outdated, and what’s misunderstood. Rather than chasing keywords, the goal is to become the reference point others defer to when making sense of the space. This is the layer search engines and LLMs increasingly reward because it signals genuine expertise rather than tactical optimization. 2. Canonical authority: Creating the definitive explanations If category authority sets the belief system, canonical authority operationalizes it. This is where brands invest in explanation-first content that answers questions properly, not superficially. Canonical explanations are designed to be cited, reused, and paraphrased across the ecosystem: by journalists, analysts, creators, forums, and AI systems. They form the backbone of content infrastructure – hubs, guides, FAQs, and explainers that are structurally sound, consistently updated, and clearly authored. In an AI-mediated search environment, these assets become the raw material models learn from and reference, making them central to long-term visibility. 3. Distributed authority: Proving legitimacy beyond your website What matters isn’t just what you publish, but how your brand shows up across platforms you don’t control. This includes: PR coverage. Social mentions. Video platforms. Communities. Reviews. Events. Even product experiences. Distribution and amplification aren’t afterthoughts. They’re how authority is stress-tested in public. Consistent, credible presence across these surfaces feeds both human perception and algorithmic inference, reinforcing legitimacy at scale. Dig deeper: How paid, earned, shared, and owned media shape generative search visibility Building authority beats chasing algorithms Every evolution in search presents the same choice. You can react – scrambling to interpret updates, tweaking tactics, and hoping the next change favors you. Or you can invest in becoming the recognized authority in your space. This requires patience, cross-channel collaboration, and genuine investment. But it’s the only approach that’s proved durable across decades of algorithmic change. The tactics influencing performance today feel less like legacy SEO and far more like classic marketing and PR: building authority, earning attention, and influencing demand rather than engineering visibility. No doubt Google will continue to evolve. AI systems will mature. New discovery platforms will emerge. None of that changes the underlying truth: Authority has always been the hardest signal to earn – and the most valuable once established. View the full article

The President’s latest plans for a White House annex could subtly reshape the path around the South Lawn, and its resulting irregularity says a lot about the Administration’s capacity for design nuance. The latest renderings for a new proposed building on the site of the demolished East Wing were briefly posted to the National Capital Planning Commission website on February 13, and then deleted. The plans call for a ballroom much bigger than the rest of the White House. So big, in fact, that it ruins the shape of the South Lawn driveway. Under the proposal, a new garden would cover the site of the Jacqueline Kennedy Garden, which was demolished alongside the East Wing last year, while a roughly 22,000-square-foot ballroom would jut out ever so slightly into the path of the looping driveway that encircles the most famous backyard in the U.S. The elongated oval drive would then have to be pushed in on one side to accommodate the footprint of the enlarged ballroom, like the side view of an spherical exercise ball under pressure. Rather than maintain the intentional harmony of the current drive, the proposed path turns the South Lawn into a deferential design afterthought that makes way for The President’s dream ballroom. In the grand scheme of The President’s presidency—and the White House’s overall facade—a rerouted driveway is a minor thing. But the effect on this subtle element reflects the lengths his team will go to shoehorn his design ideas into reality, even if it means upsetting core design principles like balance elsewhere. Gold-obsessed, unless it’s the golden ratio Of course, nothing about The President’s proposed ballroom has ever been symmetrical, nor have any of his other White House design projects been particularly subtle. He started by tearing out the Rose Garden and putting a car lot-sized flag poll on the North Lawn and then got to work tearing down portions of the White House before anyone could okay it or say no. The President replaced the original architect for the ballroom in December after clashes over its size. A National Park Service report last year found the plans would “disrupt the historical continuity of the White House grounds and alter the architectural integrity of the east side of the property.” The latest proposed elevations for the ballroom, which were designed by Shalom Baranes Associates, a Washington, D.C., architectural firm, are more than twice the size of the since-demolished East Wing. The drafted design gives the White House complex the look of a male fiddler crab, which has one claw that’s bigger than the other. The planned ballroom dwarfs the West Wing in sheer footprint, which would make the overall visual balance of the White House grossly asymmetrical upon its completion. Heightwise, however, the building appears in the renderings to rise about as tall as the Executive Mansion itself, and the proposal takes great pains to show that it won’t be visible from various vantage points in Washington, D.C., like from the Jefferson Memorial or from the U.S. Capitol steps facing northwest. The building is designed with a neoclassical facade, Corinthian columns, and a wide staircase entrance, matching the call for classical architecture The President asked for in an executive order. Fine arts fueled by cash, but not the arts Construction of the ballroom will be paid for by corporate donors, raising thorny ethical questions for a president who once claimed to “drain the swamp.” Two-thirds of known corporate donors to the ballroom have received $279 billion in government contracts over the past five years. Some donors, including Amazon, Apple, Meta, Microsoft, Nvidia, and T-Mobile are facing federal enforcement actions, according to a review from Public Citizen, a nonprofit consumer advocacy group. Earlier this month, the watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) found that many donors failed to disclose their contributions in lobbying disclosure filings. The President has taken steps to remove friction or opposition to his plans to build the new building. Last October, he fired every member of the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts board, the agency that would have reviewed his construction plans. Now, his 26-year-old executive assistant Chamberlain Harris, who has no background in the arts, is set to be named to commission Thursday, according to The Washington Post. View the full article

Microsoft co-founder cancels plans to deliver keynote speech at high-profile event on ThursdayView the full article

The pressure to adopt AI is relentless. Boards, investors, and the market tell us that if we don’t, we’ll be left behind. The result is a frantic gold rush to implement AI for AI’s sake, leading to expensive pilots, frustrated teams, and disappointing ROI. The problem is that we’re treating AI like a magic wand—a one-size-fits-all solution for any problem. But true transformation comes from strategically applying it where it can make the most impact. This is the “AI sweet spot,” where the real competitive advantage lies. It’s not about having the most advanced AI, but about having the right AI, applied to the right problems, with the right people. Here are five ways to find it. 1. Start with Your Biggest Bottleneck, Not Your Biggest Budget Many organizations fall into the trap of allocating their AI budget to the department that shouts the loudest. It’s a recipe for wasted resources. Instead of asking, “Where can we spend our AI budget?” ask, “Where is our biggest organizational bottleneck?” Identify the most time-consuming, repetitive processes in your company. Is it the hours your marketing team spends on pre-meeting research? The manual data entry bogging down your finance department? These pain points are your starting line. For example, one company I worked with found their sales team was spending over five hours preparing for a single client meeting. By implementing an AI agent to handle the research and data compilation, they reduced that prep time by 87%, saving nearly $300,000 a year in productivity costs. The AI wasn’t flashy, but it solved a real, costly problem. That’s a sweet spot. 2. Ask ‘Will This Enhance or Replace?’ The quickest way to kill an AI initiative is to make your employees feel threatened by it. When people hear “AI,” they often think “job replacement.” This fear breeds resistance and undermines adoption. As a leader, your job is to reframe the conversation from replacement to augmentation. Before implementing any AI tool, ask a simple question: Will this technology enhance our team’s capabilities, or simply replace a human function? The sweet spot is almost always in enhancement. Think of AI not as a new employee, but as a tireless intern or a brilliant colleague for every member of your team. It can handle the grunt work, analyze massive datasets, and surface key insights, freeing up your people to do what they do best: think critically and make strategic decisions. When your team sees AI as a partner that makes their jobs better, they will champion its adoption. 3. Build Trust Before You Build the Tech We don’t use tools we don’t trust. If your team doesn’t understand how an AI system works or why it makes certain recommendations, they will find workarounds to avoid using it. Trust isn’t a feature you can add later; it has to be the foundation of your implementation strategy. This starts with creating a culture of psychological safety, where employees feel safe to ask questions and even challenge the AI. Be transparent. Explain what the AI does, what data it uses, and where its limitations are. Appoint human oversights for critical processes, ensuring that a person is always in the loop for high-stakes decisions. In my work, I use the framework “13 Behaviors of Trust,” and it applies as much to AI as it does to people. An AI system earns trust when it is competent (delivers results) and has character (operates with integrity). Without that trust, even the most powerful AI is just expensive code. 4. Tie Every AI Initiative to a Business Goal “Exploring AI capabilities” is not a business strategy. Too many AI projects exist in a vacuum, disconnected from the company’s core objectives. If you can’t draw a straight line from your AI initiative to a specific goal—like increasing customer retention or reducing operational costs—you shouldn’t be doing it. Before you approve any AI project, map it directly to your company’s OKRs or strategic pillars. How will this tool help us achieve our vision? How does it support our mission? This forces a level of discipline that prevents you from chasing shiny objects. It ensures that your AI strategy is not an isolated IT function, but an integral part of your overall business strategy. AI that doesn’t align with your core purpose will always be a cost center. AI that does becomes a powerful engine for value creation. 5. Create Space for Learning, Not Just Execution Leaders often expect an immediate, seamless return on their AI investment. But there is no magic switch. Successful adoption requires moving your team from a zone of comfort, through the uncertainty of fear, and into zones of learning and growth. This takes time and patience. Don’t just budget for the technology; budget for the learning curve. Create sandboxes where teams can experiment with new AI tools without fear of failure. Celebrate the small wins and the lessons learned from missteps. The organizations that are truly winning with AI aren’t the ones that got it perfect on day one. They are the ones that fostered a culture of continuous learning, empowering their employees to adapt and grow. The long-term ROI from an empowered, AI-fluent workforce will far exceed any short-term gains from a rushed implementation. Finding your AI sweet spot is less about technology and more about psychology, strategy, and culture. It’s about shifting your focus from what AI can do to what it should do for your organization and your people. Stop chasing the AI hype and start solving your real-world business problems. That’s where you’ll find the lasting advantage. View the full article

Three individuals contacted Whitehall over past conduct after former consul emerged as cabinet secretary frontrunner View the full article

The credit reporting agency must revise its customer agreements because a judge disagreed with its attempt to end the case through an arbitration clause. View the full article

The 2026 Milan-Cortino Winter Olympics is set to debut a new sport: ski mountaineering, also known as skimo. Over the course of two days at the Stelvio Ski Centre located in Bormio, Italy, 36 athletes will compete in three main events: men’s sprints, women’s sprints, and mixed relay. The race is part endurance and speed, as typical skimo competitions feature athletes racing against each other as they ascend uphill with support of climbing skins before skiing downhill. The Winter Olympics version, however, differs in format. This version compresses the competition into a roughly three-minute race. Each leg of a skimo race requires its own specialized equipment. And that equipment matters. Who wins and loses in skimo is often a matter of milliseconds, determined during the transitions between the three distinct moments of the race: ascent, boot-packing (mountaineering), and descent. That’s where a 76 year-old German company comes in. Dynafit created the DNA Sprint Collection, a six-product line engineered specifically for the Olympic stage that 11 out of 36 athletes will use during the competition. The remaining athletes will use similar equipment provided by different brands in line with the International Ski Mountaineering Federation’s (ISMF) requirements. Dynafit’s Design Philosophy A typical skimo competition features rough, high alpine terrain and harsh, snowy conditions that are physically demanding on athletes. To maneuver this challenging terrain, athletes rely on gear such as skis, boots, poles, gloves, backpacks (to hold equipment while transitioning from one part of the race to the other), crampons (a spike attachment for athletes boots to grip onto ice while on foot), and avalanche gear. All of this gear is specifically designed to be lightweight to assist athletes in navigating the challenging, mountainous terrain. Historically, Dynafit is known for pioneering the boots and tech binding (a mechanism that lets athletes lift their heel while climbing uphill and lock into place to descend downhill) critical for performing the sport. Now, as the dominant brand in the $1.24 billion skimo equipment market, the company produces a range of products, including helmets, race suits, boots, skis, and skins, for the casual and elite skier. “ The biggest challenge in our development [is] to find the balance between weight and safety,” says Manuel Aumann, Dynafit’s Operations and R&D Director Bindings. Aumann explains that the company has an abundance of testing experience to ensure their products’ durability and safety. “We have to save every gram . . . but also [deliver] high safety products,” explains Aumann. “[For] every 100 grams you save on your boot or the ski, or on the binding, you could carry seven times more weight on the backpack. For our customers and for the athletes, [that] pushes them to the next level.” Re-Thinking Skimo Designs This will not be the first time that skimo qualifies as a Winter Olympic sport. Between 1924 and 1936, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) included skimo in the Winter Games but later discontinued it in part due to its dangerous nature. Then in July 2021, the IOC unanimously approved skimo’s inclusion in the 2026 Winter Olympics. For the occasion, Dynafit developed a unique line specific for the Olympics, including skis, bindings, poles, gloves, and backpacks. Creating a line of products to help elevate athletes’ performance involved a two-step process. First, in 2022, Dynafit hosted an international summit with 25 of its sponsored athletes to curate their feedback on equipment constraints. That input served as the foundation for the company’s four-year process from the redesign to market availability of its specialty product line. Aumann and his team dissected the Olympic format to inform their design process. The Olympic race focuses on sprint races. Athletes will be required to complete an uphill ascent on skis, transition into a short bootpacking section, then transition again for a downhill descent. This race format requires fast transitions between each phase. “The two minutes 30, you can split [in] time slots,” says Aumann. The rough estimation [is] two minutes for the uphill and 30 seconds for the downhill. We got into the analysis of where we can have the most benefit if we change something.” The team determined that the first half of the race, involving the ascent with skis and the transition where athletes remove their skis and place them into their backpacks just before continuing onto bootpacking (a foot race on skis with the assistance of poles), would yield the most benefit. The Dynafit team learned that while most of the new product line required minimal adjustments, their skis and bindings would require significant design alterations. “The handling operations, they’re quite important on this high level,” explains Aumann. “It’s really about the second[s] they can save during [these] transitions.” The rough alpine terrain of a standard skimo competition requires skis to have increased “skiability,” meaning they are carved and built for those conditions in order for athletes to make safe turns. Since the Olympics course will have smoother slopes with fewer steep curves and banked turns to help athletes, it allows skis to have less “skiability.” In other words, the skis do not need to be optimized for tough terrains, allowing Aumann and his team to focus on narrowing the ski-waist from 64 mm to 61 mm. “With this [slimmer] ski, we could save weight,” says Aumann. While a traditional race touring ski weighs 690 grams, the altered ski weighs only 650 grams. Another benefit of this slimmer version of the ski, particularly its narrower tail, is that it allows athletes to better handle transitions. For instance, when athletes move from skiing uphill to bootpacking, they must quickly loop their skis onto their backpack for the foot race and then later unhook them for the descent downhill. Ultimately, this design change is intended to help athletes shave off incremental seconds, which is critical in a sprint where every tenth of a second counts. Further, during the uphill transition from skis to bootpacking (the foot race), athletes will need to release themselves from their ski bindings, where steel pins meet the boot inserts to secure the boots within the binding. Then on the descent portion of the course, athletes need to step back into their ski bindings. The act of stepping in and out of skis presented additional time-saving opportunities and speed optimization. Aumann and his team made three key design changes to their fully aluminum, binding product. “What we did is to really make [the grip zone], where the athlete can grab, wider,” explains Aumann. [The athletes] don’t have to look down, but can grab it in a very easy way without looking.” The team widened the grip zone for the heel piece as well as the locking lever of the binding. Providing athletes with a larger grip zone surface allows athletes to use one hand to release their boots from the binding, saving at least a few tenths of a second. Lastly, the team redesigned its ski race stoppers, a safety feature required by the ISMF. Generally, standard ski touring stoppers deploy a small metal arm, or wire, into the snow to slow the ski if an athlete loses it or releases from the binding. According to Aumann, each stopper includes a plastic cap at the end to help it grip and fix into the snow. While a traditional alpine ski touring stopper features sharp contours and edges that can easily snag on a loop in an athletes’ backpack, Dynafit’s re-designed stopper lacks these features. Rather, the team modified the transition point where the plastic cap meets a metal wire by creating a smooth, rounded curve surface. By rounding out the curve, the updated design reduces the risk of catching onto other surfaces while improving overall reliability, all without adding weight. The modified race stopper alone weighs just 30 grams, compared to the 70 to 100 grams typical of standard touring models. Another important aspect of the redesign is that the stopper automatically retracts when athletes switch to the descend/downhill model, eliminating an additional step for manual adjustment. Aumann acknowledges that this design process helped accelerate a trend already happening across the industry. As the sport has grown in the past couple of years, manufacturers have increasingly considered tradeoffs rather than focusing solely on making lighter products. “Within the last two years that [has] changed,” says Aumann. “Perfect handling of the products [is] a very high priority. So, it is [acceptable] to have a product with a few [more] grams if the handling is better and can save time.” Dynafit has already begun incorporating these design tweaks into its commercial products. View the full article

Police raid follows release of documents detailing former prince’s ties to late sex offenderView the full article

Most leaders understand their message needs to define exactly who their work is for. Fewer realize that it should also define who it’s not for. Fewer still realize that their message is unintentionally excluding some of the very people they want to attract. Effective messaging repels on purpose. Careless messaging excludes by accident. And for leaders, knowing the difference can make or break your organization’s credibility. REPEL TO ATTRACT The idea of intentionally turning away potential customers can make leaders uncomfortable. It seems counterintuitive, even reckless, to deliberately shrink your total addressable market when you’re trying to grow. But trying to message to everyone can come at a high cost, resulting in: Misaligned employees. People who don’t share your organization’s values may become unhappy and disengaged, ultimately eroding your culture and reputation. Wrong-fit customers. They’ll never be satisfied with what wasn’t designed for them, leading to negative reviews, returns, and reputation damage. Wasted resources. Messaging too broadly can result in additional expenses, from advertising to (and trying to convert) a larger pool of prospects, all the way through to customer service. The costs of attracting the wrong audience compound over time, while organizations with the deepest loyalty are often the ones explicitly saying “this wasn’t created for you.” Two particularly effective ways to do this are through values-based declarations and explicit audience definition. Values-based repelling involves taking a strong public stance on the ideas that matter most to your brand, effectively filtering out those who don’t share those values. When Patagonia launched their edgy “Don’t Buy This Jacket” campaign with a full-page ad in the New York Times on Black Friday, they weren’t just making a statement about overconsumption; they were signaling to impulse buyers and fast-fashion hunters that Patagonia isn’t for them. It was a bold expression of “this is what we stand for, and this is what we don’t.” Meanwhile, explicit audience definition expresses who an organization stands for. Basecamp takes this approach by saying: We are for this group. We are not for that group. This builds community and loyalty by creating a “small business” Us (“We stand with the underdogs. Freelancer? Underfunded non-profit? Small team feeling stuck in a large enterprise? Start-up battling established competitors? You’re our people.”) versus a “big business” Them (“They’re slow. They’re conservative. They talk too much. They’ve stopped taking risks. They’re resting on their laurels, gliding on their reputation.”) dynamic that makes their ideal customers feel seen and understood. So when does repelling cross over from “good” to “bad”—and is it possible to repel too much? In many cases, it’s not a matter of degree (turning the repelling dial up or down), but of intentionality. Often, the smallest details create unexpected barriers. Seemingly minor messaging decisions, invisible to internal teams who know what they meant to say, can alienate the very people you’d like to attract. BARRIERS YOU DIDN’T MEAN TO BUILD Every message draws a line: inviting some in, leaving others out. The risk is when that line is invisible to you but glaringly obvious to your audience. Strategic narrowing is, by definition, intentional. You decide who—and only who—you’re speaking to and why, shaping your message around what will resonate most. Careless narrowing happens when you filter people out by default through assumptions, jargon, stereotypes, unconscious bias, or unclear values. This type of exclusion isn’t deliberate. It’s built into the words we use, the assumptions we make, and the systems we design. It often feels harmless in the moment; after all, you didn’t mean to exclude anyone. But messaging missteps stack up, often in ways we don’t see until it’s too late. And when a message ends up alienating the very people you’re trying to reach, it can undermine everything you’re building: your team, your customers, and your reputation. Unintentional exclusion carries real costs: 1. Talent loss Talented candidates self-select out because they don’t see themselves reflected in your language, imagery, or values, leaving roles harder to fill. Current employees who feel overlooked or alienated disengage, and that disengagement can wreak havoc on your culture. This shows up in a number of quiet ways, for example: A company says it values a diverse workforce but schedules events on days that are major holidays for some employees. A strong candidate doesn’t apply because the job description uses jargon or must-haves that don’t actually matter. Company headquarters are accessible by public transport but the company offsite is not. Leadership talks a big game when it comes to its global perspective, but every quarter the big all-hands meeting is only live in US time zones. 2. Missed growth Customers who don’t see themselves in your story won’t buy in. People who could have been strong advocates never consider your product because the way you described it suggested it wasn’t for them. This shows up in many ways: Product positioning that assumes sameness. Parenting apps marketed “for busy moms” can unintentionally exclude dads, grandparents, or other caregivers who share the same challenges. Language that creates barriers. A landing page filled with jargon can leave first-time buyers feeling shut out rather than invited in. Product design with hidden friction. An app that assumes constant high-speed internet excludes rural users. Low-contrast color palettes exclude those with low vision. Visuals that signal who belongs. When websites or ads feature only one demographic, they subtly suggest others aren’t welcome, even if they are part of the intended audience. Peloton learned this the hard way. An early campaign centered on ultra-fit people in luxury apartments projected an elite, upper-class image that excluded people who weren’t wealthy and who represented a wider range of body types. The campaign also came under fire for portraying a sexist dynamic. While the intent was to be inspirational and aspirational, it didn’t take into account where many of its potential customers were starting out, and it wasn’t aligned with Peloton’s founding goal of democratizing fitness. The brand smartly course-corrected in 2023 with new messaging and ethos, emphasizing “fitness offerings for all ages, levels, and walks of life.” 3. Damaged credibility Beyond costing you potential customers and engaged employees, accidental exclusion damages how the broader market perceives your brand. When your company’s behavior contradicts your stated mission or core values, stakeholders notice the gap between what you claim to stand for and what your words and actions actually signal. The resulting erosion of trust can be imperceptible until it turns into a full-blown reputation crisis. Once trust is lost, it’s difficult to win it back. The difference between strategic and careless narrowing is intention and awareness: one sharpens your message, the other shrinks your reach. The result is always the same: qualified candidates opt out, customers conclude “not for me,” and stakeholders lose trust. You didn’t choose a niche—you just made yours significantly smaller. HOW TO REPEL, NOT EXCLUDE People are highly attuned to language. They notice who’s acknowledged and who’s overlooked, especially when it’s them. In a crowded market, intentional communication determines whether you expand opportunity or reinforce barriers. Inclusive messaging doesn’t mean trying to be everything to everyone. It means being deliberate about the language you use and the lines you draw so the right people feel welcomed in, not left out. To avoid missteps, regularly pause to ask: Who might this message unintentionally exclude? Are we relying on assumptions that not everyone shares? Does our language and imagery draw people in or push them away? Build guardrails into your processes throughout your organization: Choose words and imagery carefully. Intentionally repel those who are not ideal customers or employees, but incorporate safeguards and checks to make sure you’re not using language or visuals that unintentionally exclude. When creating a customer avatar, consider relying less on demographics and more on psychographics. What are their attitudes, values, and interests? Consider how your message might land differently based on someone’s lived experience, perspective, and motivations. Run language and formatting through an inclusivity check, test job posts with employees from different backgrounds, and test brand copy with focus groups who have different points of view and lived experience. When diverse perspectives are considered, accidental exclusion decreases. The business case is clear: employees are attracted and retained, brand messages land with the right audience, and teams better identify products and services for a broader customer base. According to a BCG study, companies with more diverse leadership boast 19% higher innovation revenue. And McKinsey finds that companies with diverse leadership teams are 39% more likely to outperform their peers financially. Make checking for accidental exclusion and unintended barriers a regular practice. Invite perspectives from people who don’t look, think, or work like you. Brands that do this consistently don’t just avoid costly mistakes—they build stronger cultures, retain better talent, attract the right customers, and gain credibility that lasts. View the full article

Appointment ends days of speculation over who will hold country’s most senior civil service postView the full article

Change often fails and that rarely has anything to do with whether the concept is a good one or not. As Howard Aiken famously put it, “Don’t worry about people stealing your ideas. If your ideas are any good, you’ll have to ram them down people’s throat.” As the creator of the Harvard Mark, one of the very first computers, he was speaking from experience. The truth is that any time you set out to make an impact there’s going to be some who won’t like it. They’ll seek to undermine what you are trying to achieve and they will do it in ways that are dishonest, underhanded and deceptive. It’s a hard truth, but one we all need to accept: resistance is inevitable when you try to drive change. Once you internalize that, you can begin to move forward. When we work with organizations trying to adopt and scale new ideas, one of the first things we do is work to anticipate and build strategies to overcome resistance. We start by working to understand where resistance is most likely to come from and devise a plan to address the concerns opponents are likely to exploit. Understanding Sources Of Rational Resistance There are many good reasons to resist change. The status quo, for better or worse, is what people have become used to. They understand its benefits and how to work around its shortcomings. So the first barrier to change is the need to build trust in an alternative, more uncertain path. A second source of resistance is change fatigue. We live in an era that glorifies change, where disruption has taken on an almost cult-like status. So we need to consider not only the merits and demerits of a single initiative, but also the broader context—what has come before and what else is happening at the time. Many organizations juggle too many initiatives and the ones that fail increase change fatigue, making it harder for those that follow. A third source is competing incentives and commitments. Incentives, both explicit and implicit, are usually designed to reflect the status quo which is why many change leaders find themselves in the awkward position of asking people to act against their own interests, In other cases, the conflict is self-imposed, such as when a manager who wants to delegate more also sees herself as a hands-on manager. Finally, every change faces switching costs. Change always requires some investment in time, resources, training and other areas. Opponents of change often make the case that these costs exceed the potential benefits, which puts the burden of proof on those who support doing things differently. The key thing to overcome rational resistance is to anticipate it, which is why one of the first things that we do when we start working with an organization is to do a resistance inventory, laying out the categories of resistance and discussing what types of resistance can be expected, hope they will most likely manifest themselves and what strategies can mitigate them. Anticipating Irrational Resistance Many argue that resistance to change is merely an illusion. They claim that if you’re facing pushback, it’s either because you haven’t effectively communicated the value proposition or haven’t put in the effort to understand the “root causes” behind the opposition. Surely, if your idea has value, people will embrace it. Now, that’s just silly. Resistance doesn’t need a rational basis and often doesn’t have one. The truth is that humans form attachments to people, ideas, traditions and other things. When we feel that those attachments are being threatened, we will tend to act out in ways that don’t reflect our best selves. Anybody who has ever been in a romantic relationship or part of a family knows that. Transformation isn’t a popularity contest. It’s not consensus driven. It’s also not some heroic journey to some alternative future state about which everyone agrees (they never will). Change is always a strategic conflict between that desired future state and the status quo, which always has inertia on its side and sources of power keeping it in place. To overcome that resistance, you need to be clear-eyed and hard-nosed. Success or failure has surprisingly little to do with the quality or usefulness of your initial idea. Good ideas fail all the time. That’s why you need to be strategic. Slogans and gimmicks won’t help you. Change isn’t about persuasion—it’s about power and collective dynamics. Building Strategies To Overcome Resistance The first principle of building strategies to overcome resistance is to address the causes of rational resistance you’ve uncovered in your resistance inventory. Another approach you can apply at the same time is to recruit a few skeptics to form an internal red team to let you know where you’re going wrong. They’re bound to identify blind spots and can often become genuine supporters over time. Irrational resistance, however, requires more specific strategies. The first is to start with a majority. You can always expand a majority out, but once you’re in the minority, you will feel immediate pushback. You get to decide who you put in the room, so choose wisely. You have no obligation to invite the bomb throwers in. A second strategy is simply to not engage with your most active resistors. Decades of research has found that you usually need only 10% to 20% participation to hit an inflection point, so you don’t need to convince everyone at once. Go to where the energy is. Find people already enthusiastic about your idea, gain traction toward that 10%-20% threshold. A final strategy is a dilemma action in which you identify a shared value and then design a constructive act rooted in that shared value. That creates a dilemma for your opponents because they need to either let the constructive act go forward, or to violate the shared value. Either way, your change moves forward. Dilemma actions have been used for at least a century—famous examples include Gandhi’s Salt March, King’s Birmingham Campaign and Alice Paul’s Silent Sentinels. One of my favorites was a Lego protest in Siberia. They are just as effective in an organizational context, using an opponent’s resistance against them. Change Is A Strategic Conflict Many assume that you bring about change through persuasion. They believe that once people understand the idea they will embrace it. So they work to build awareness, desire and knowledge about the idea and equip people with the skills to implement it in the hopes that the transformation will take hold on its own and become self-sustaining. They are usually sorely disappointed. Decades of evidence show that shifts in knowledge and attitudes usually don’t result in changes in practice. There is also a large body of research that suggests providing people with the right information is unlikely to meaningfully influence their behavior. People aren’t blank slates—they bring prior beliefs and biases that shape how they respond to new ideas. The truth is that change isn’t some kind of hero’s journey to some alternative future state. It is a strategic conflict between that desired state and the status quo, which always has inertia on its side and never yields its power gracefully. It has sources of power keeping it in place and those sources of power have an institutional basis. That’s why you need to begin to think about how you will overcome resistance from the start. You can’t just wait until you encounter it and react, but must work to anticipate it and devise strategies in advance. That’s what makes the difference between successful changemakers and mere frustrated dreamers who once had an idea. View the full article

Fifty years is a long time for any company to stay in business. About 20% fail in their first year. By year five, roughly half are gone. By the end of a decade, nearly 70% don’t make it. Reaching a golden anniversary raises a question about what allows some businesses to last. The answers are often framed in terms of Herculean efforts, access to capital, and brilliant strategy. All those matter. But in my experience, the gift of longevity is the result of something less visible and harder to measure: the quality of the relationships built along the way. This factor was apparent to me when I opened my first flower shop on April 1, 1976, and it only grew stronger as that little business blossomed into 1-800-Flowers.com. When we stayed focused on our relationships, we moved forward. When we lost sight of them, we stumbled. Those relationships, of course, begin with customers who trust you with moments that matter in their lives. They extend to the florists, growers, makers, and partners who bring care and craftsmanship to the work every day. And they include the people inside the company, whose pride, judgment, and commitment ultimately shape what the business becomes. Relationships, up close Fifty years ago, I was working full-time as a social worker and part-time as a bartender. Both jobs showed me how our lives are shaped by relationships and how difficult it can be to express what we feel when the stakes are high. When the opportunity arose to buy the small flower shop across the street from the bar where I worked, I took it. In both jobs, I had seen people searching for ways to connect. If words sometimes fell short—and alcohol helped loosen them—why couldn’t flowers do their own kind of work? That tiny shop on Manhattan’s Upper East Side became a place where people brought moments they cared about: a birthday, a reconciliation, a loss, to name a few. In those early days, orders rarely came without context. A customer might explain that her daughter had just moved into her first apartment and felt lonely. Someone else would describe a gathering they hoped would feel warm rather than formal. People shared intimate details of their lives—it was the 1970s!—and many stopped by simply to say hello, swap gossip, or ask for a restaurant recommendation. Funeral work made that lesson unmistakable. Families came in for flowers, but what they really wanted was a way to express what words couldn’t reach. Over time, we became known for deeply personal tributes—arrangements shaped like garbage trucks for a sanitation worker, or gates left intentionally open because, as one family put it, “you never lock the gates to heaven.” Those moments stayed with me. They made it clear, early on, that carelessness had consequences—and that trust, once given, had to be earned again every single day. Scaling trust Built on strong relationships, that single flower shop grew into a small chain. Business was good, but I could see opportunities to grow further. The challenge then—as it remains today—was how to expand without losing the trust that had been built one customer at a time. We learned early on that convenience plays a role in trust, and technology became a powerful way to deliver it. In 1984, while listening to the radio one morning as I shaved in the bathroom, I heard about the growing impact of toll-free phone numbers. The company that owned the 1-800-Flowers number hadn’t figured out how to turn it into a national floral business. I thought we could with the right investment in telemarketing—this has always been a relationship business, after all. It worked so well that the phone number eventually became the name of the company. That was just the first of several technology waves we’ve navigated. We moved online when plenty of people doubted anyone would buy something so personal over the internet. We embraced mobile early. And today, we’re exploring how artificial intelligence can help people choose, personalize, and communicate more thoughtfully. Each shift mattered only to the extent that it made human connection easier. Technology earned its place when it helped people act on intentions they already had. It succeeded when it reduced friction in relationships—and failed whenever it distracted from them. Stewardship is a choice The trust required to build and sustain relationships is neither automatic nor permanent. It has to be earned again and again. I saw it up close as 1-800-Flowers.com expanded beyond flowers into gourmet food and gift baskets, and we began evaluating businesses to bring into the family. I remember my first visit to Harry & David after we acquired the company in 2014. Years of ownership changes and aggressive cost-cutting had taken a toll. Trust between leadership and employees had been badly damaged, and customers had noticed. When I arrived, the leadership team braced for a familiar conversation. They had grown used to owners focused on extracting value by cutting costs, narrowing ambition, and shrinking the future. People were understandably guarded, uncertain about what came next. But the conversation took a different turn. Instead of talking about what could be stripped away, we talked about planting more fruit trees and protecting what made the brand distinctive for the long term. The focus was stewardship rather than short-term returns. Previous owners had talked about harvesting value. We were talking about cultivating it. One longtime employee told me afterward that he had never heard an owner speak that way. Staying connected in a crisis The shift toward digital commerce brought challenges, especially when it came to maintaining relationships with customers who now encountered us through screens rather than storefronts. Technology created reach and convenience, but it couldn’t replace the power of being together. The pandemic brought that reality into sharp focus. In a moment of urgency, we closed all but one of our remaining Harry & David retail stores. As the crisis unfolded, I asked a simple question of my executive team: How do we stay close to our customers now? How do we check in, not as a business, but as people? A young woman in my office suggested writing a newsletter. That idea became the Celebrations Pulse. The first subject line captured the intent: “Just checking in.” In those early weeks, I shared thoughts on staying connected and maintaining perspective during a period of isolation and uncertainty. The response surprised me. Readers were struck that a brand wasn’t trying to sell them anything. As weeks turned into months, the focus naturally widened from COVID to loneliness, from crisis to connection, from coping to the deeper reasons we celebrate in the first place. We eventually invited readers to share their own stories, many of which became the foundation for future letters. What began as a simple outreach grew into an ongoing weekly conversation. Circulation steadily expanded, from six million to 10 million readers. Today, it’s approaching 20 million—proof that even in a digital world, people still value being seen, heard, and remembered. Another turning point Technology continues to evolve, and customer expectations evolve with it. The tools change, the pace increases, and leadership requires a willingness to keep learning. What matters most is staying attentive to the people you serve and the promises you’ve made to them. It’s easy to rely on approaches that worked well in earlier chapters. Over time, though, the work asks for new skills and fresh perspective. Relationships don’t stay strong by standing still; they grow when you meet people where they are. We were reminded of that in late 2024, when our food brands introduced a new order-management system ahead of the holiday season. The rollout didn’t meet our expectations, and some customers were left waiting during moments that mattered to them. It was a difficult experience, and a revealing one. As the company approached its 50th anniversary, that moment prompted reflection. Longevity brings responsibility—not only to honor what has worked, but to make thoughtful decisions that support the relationships the business depends on today and in the future. In the spring of 2025, I stepped aside as CEO of 1-800-Flowers.com and continued as chairman. I’m now partnering with our new CEO, Adolfo Villagomez. His experience at Home Depot and strength in operations and team culture balance my own perspective. He’s the yin to my yang as we move into the next chapter. After fifty years, the lesson is a simple one. As title and tools change, what endures is the work of earning trust—by listening closely, acting responsibly, and making decisions that keep relationships at the center. 50 years of gratitude Rather than protecting a legacy, the work ahead is about continuing to earn trust one decision, one interaction, and one relationship at a time. Gratitude keeps that responsibility front and center. Businesses don’t last because they declare success. They last because enough people decide, again and again, that they’re worth believing in. For that belief—and for the people who continue to extend it—I remain deeply grateful. View the full article

Oil price rises as aircraft carrier and refuelling planes head to region in one of biggest build-ups since 2003 Iraq invasionView the full article

At the Winter Olympics, skiers, bobsledders, speedskaters, and many other athletes all have to master one critical moment: when to start. That split second is paramount during competition because when everyone is strong and skilled, a moment of hesitation can separate gold from silver. A competitor who hesitates too much will be left behind—but moving too early will get them disqualified. Though the circumstances are less intense, this paradox of hesitation applies to daily life. Waiting for the right moment to cross the street, or pausing before deciding whether to answer a call from a number you don’t recognize, are daily examples of hesitation. Importantly, some psychiatric conditions such as obsessive-compulsive disorder are characterized by impulsivity, or a lack of hesitation, while excessive hesitation is a crippling consequence of several anxiety disorders. As a neuroscientist, I have been working to uncover how the brain decides when to act and when to wait. Recent research from my team and me helps explain why this split-second pause happens, offering insight not only into elite athletic performance, but also how people make everyday decisions when the potential outcome isn’t clear. We found that the key to hesitation is a response to uncertainty. This could be where a dropped hockey puck will land, when a race starts, or placing your order at a new restaurant. Hesitation and the brain To understand how the brain controls hesitation, my colleagues and I designed a simple decision-making task in mice. The task required the mouse’s brain to interpret signals that were predictably good, predictably bad or—most importantly—uncertain, meaning somewhere in between. Different auditory tones indicated whether a drop of sugar water would soon be delivered, not delivered, or had a 50/50 chance of delivery. How the mice behaved would not affect the outcome. Nevertheless, mice would still wait longer before licking to see whether a reward had been given in the uncertain scenario. Just like in people, unpredictable situations led to delays in response. This hesitation was not the result of vacillating between options in indecision, but an active and regulated brain process to pause before acting due to environmental uncertainty. When we examined neural activity associated with the onset of licking, we identified a specific group of neurons that became active only when outcomes were unclear. Those neurons effectively controlled whether the brain should commit to an action or pause to gather more information. The degree to which these neurons were active could predict whether mice would hesitate before making a decision. To confirm that these neurons played a role in controlling hesitation, we used a technique called optogenetics to briefly turn these brain cells on or off. When we activated the neurons, mice hesitated more. When we silenced them, that hesitation faded, and their responses were quicker by several hundred milliseconds, in line with their reactions to predictable situations. Researchers can use optogenetics to turn brain cells on or off. Daily life, disease, and downhill racing Our findings suggest that, rather than a weakness to overcome, hesitation appears to be a fundamental brain feature that helps people and animals navigate an uncertain world and avoid costly mistakes. Our study also provides insights into the balance of action and inaction in health and disease. The hesitation neurons are located in the basal ganglia, the same part of the brain affected in Parkinson’s disease, OCD, and addiction. While researchers must still determine how much overlap or interaction there is between the cells involved in hesitation and those affected in psychiatric disorders, their overlap in circuitry points to possible targets for treatment. Our next step is to understand how cells controlling hesitation interact with drugs treating ADHD and OCD, conditions where patients can respond impulsively during volatile or uncertain situations. We also aim to identify which brain areas provide these cells with information about uncertainty—the environmental signal so critical to hesitation. While researchers have found that several parts of an area of the brain called the prefrontal cortex encode uncertainty, it’s unclear how the brain actually makes use of this information, where the rubber meets the road. Hesitation is not a flaw—it’s a critical feature for navigating an unpredictable world. Whether you’re a figure skater waiting for the perfect moment to launch your jump or just going about your day, the circuitry behind hesitation plays an important role in figuring out the timing to get the action right. Eric Yttri is an associate professor of biological sciences at Carnegie Mellon University. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. View the full article

Yoon Suk Yeol jailed for life after leading insurrection that plunged country into political crisis View the full article

“Before The Whale, I had everything to prove. And now, to be honest, not so much,” Oscar winner Brendan Fraser, 57, told AARP The Magazine in an interview last month. The 50-and-older segment is the fastest-growing demographic in the world, according to Myechia Minter-Jordan, AARP’s CEO. And three years ago, Fraser—a Hollywood mainstay for 35 years whose career has been marked by challenges like depression and work drought—was nominated for (and won) his first Academy Award for playing the lead in director Darren Aronofsky’s prestige drama The Whale. In his acceptance speech, Fraser thanked Aronofsky “for throwing me a creative lifeline.” In the interview with AARP, he delves further into his professional journey, sharing high points and personal setbacks, as well ambitious persistence in middle age. From Encino Man and George of the Jungle to The Mummy and The Whale, Fraser has long been a leading man. But he flashes back to his first paid gig as a mascot for a storage unit company in Seattle, making $14 an hour: “I’ve never been flipped off more in my life,” he said. Eventually, he got acting gigs and moved from roles like “Sailor Number One” to becoming a Hollywood megastar and blockbuster headliner. Fraser also detailed struggling with depression after an incident in 2003, when he alleged that the president of the Foreign Press Association groped him at an event. He talked about the importance of safeguarding his mental health following the incident: “I’ve learned to check in with myself and constantly reevaluate what’s important. And you also need to ask for help when you need it. Early on, I didn’t know you could ask for help. I only saw the stigma of it. I was afraid to say, ‘I need a hand.’” Fraser said he again found himself in a dark place when, despite being a Hollywood A-lister, he ended up in a prolonged career lull for the entire 2010s (despite the fact that he never actually stopped working). The AARP The Magazine article called it a “less star-studded” period in which “he wasn’t connecting with audiences the way he once had.” “The silence in a career can be deafening,” Fraser told the magazine. He expounded on his philosophy of perseverance: “For a long time there, I felt like I disappointed people because I hadn’t met their expectations,” he said. “But I’m still here, you know? This is what I do.” This lesson in humility and gratitude can create confidence and better health. In fact, there’s research that shows gratitude’s heath perks, such as greater emotional and social well-being, improved sleep, lower depression risk, and even better heart heath markers, according to Harvard Health. “In this job, you live in a constant state of panic, and you can’t get too comfortable,” Fraser revealed. “I’ve learned to check in with myself and constantly reevaluate what’s important.” Staying true to your values and your core goals can keep you focused on your career path, too. The intersection of values, passion, and purpose can culminate across industries, whether that’s working as an actor, a software designer, an account executive, an attorney, or a small-business owner. In a Harvard Business Review article titled “Values, Passion, or Purpose—Which Should Guide Your Career?,” writer Irina Cozma summarizes the principle: “We all know following this advice isn’t as easy as it sounds,” Cozma wrote. This commitment to self-reliance is a continual and evolving commitment. Incorporating these mantras can help you build a career that is a combination of feeling successful, but also deeply fulfilling, she said. Finally, supporting each other’s mental health is crucial. Fraser touched on the importance of reaching out for help—and the same is true in professional contexts. A 2024 study by the University of New Mexico’s Anderson School of Management, published in The Journal of Social Psychology, showcases how receiving help at work can mitigate exhaustion levels for workers. “This research points to the importance of us working together. Being able to find unique and creative ways to still foster those relationships, even virtually, is extremely important,” said associate professor Andrea Hetrick, the study’s lead author, in a press release. Fraser’s most recent film, 2025’s Rental Family, has him starring as an American actor doing stand-in work for strangers for a Japanese talent agency. It’s the latest movie in his decades-long career—one marked by resilience in the face of prolonged dry spells and huge mental health roadblocks in a brutally competitive, age-conscious industry. He said he relies on therapy, as well as “reaching out to friends, getting the exercise you need, even having a bit of breakfast. They’re small things, but when you’re dealing with those feelings, they can make a monumental difference.” View the full article

Imposter syndrome happens when we have the feeling that we do not deserve what we have achieved, fearing that we’ll be discovered to be fakes or frauds. Our successes, we tell ourselves, were achieved not through our actual abilities and talents, but through some combination of luck, timing, and mistakes others made that allowed us to slip through the cracks. Nobody is immune to this feeling, and it affects all segments of the public—from leaders, artists, actors, and the people we see as high achievers. Sheryl Sandberg, Harvard grad and former Facebook COO, wrote in her 2013 book Lean In: “Every time I took a test, I was sure that it had gone badly. And every time I didn’t embarrass myself—or even excelled—I believed that I had fooled everyone yet again. One day soon, the jig would be up.” Sandberg is joined by a long list of well-known people who have readily admitted feeling this way. But emotional intelligence offers us help and direction in overcoming this pervasive yet very common problem. Commonly understood as the ability to recognize, understand, and manage our emotions, emotional intelligence gives us the ability to understand ourselves and others in ways that increase our ability to work through our unpleasant thoughts and feelings. As an author of two books on emotional intelligence, I have written extensively on the topic. When we experience imposter feelings, they provide us with guidelines and tools that will help us to release the negative impacts that come with them. Instead of experiencing self-doubt, we will move toward welcoming our success. Self-awareness, the root of emotional intelligence, is a powerful aide in determining how we relate to self-doubt and our inner voice. When we are self-aware, we learn to create space between how we are feeling and what we know to be facts. We can choose to feel fear and self-doubt without accepting them as being based in reality. This allows us to choose thoughts that support that we have genuinely earned our achievements. People with strong emotional intelligence have the ability to relate to and connect well with others. When sharing their doubts, they soon become acutely aware of how common this problem is, allowing them to normalize their feelings around the issue. This provides them with relief that what they are experiencing is nothing out of the ordinary that needs to be feared and overly stressed about. Knowing that there are many others who experience the same thing takes a lot of the sting out of our feelings that we are alone with this experience. One of the characteristics of people who struggle with imposter syndrome is that they tend to be very hard on themselves. This was true for Suzanne Smith, a college professor and the CEO of the nonprofit management company Social Impact Architects, who describes herself as a “recovering perfectionist.” As Smith tells her entrepreneurship students: “Imposter syndrome isn’t proof you’re unqualified. It’s often evidence that you’re growing.” She has spent the last decade becoming more emotionally aware of that tendency and intentionally practicing positive self-talk. And now she shares that journey with her students and clients and the readers of her weekly Substack newsletter, helping them differentiate between perception and reality in order to build healthier habits. Often, when we’re being hard on ourselves, it means that we are giving little attention to our strengths and instead are amplifying our weaknesses. Empathy, a major aspect of emotional intelligence, helps us not only to see others’ strengths more clearly but also to acknowledge our own abilities and treat ourselves with compassion when we fail to reach our goals. It helps us to recognize that we are a work in progress, and to understand that setbacks and failures are a normal part of the learning process. It allows us to see our achievements, not with arrogance, but as a result of our determination and ongoing growth. One of the skills of emotional intelligence is the ability to regulate our emotions. Imposter syndrome can bring up strong feelings of anxiety, causing us to overprepare or avoid so that we don’t have to deal with strong feelings. People who know how to regulate are able to keep thoughts and feelings from overwhelming their ability to think rationally and logically. They have developed the ability to remember times that they successfully overcame stressful times and to think of situations that ended well. Emotionally intelligent people use setbacks and failures as learning opportunities rather than taking them personally as indicators that there is something lacking in them. They understand that oftentimes, very successful people have failed multiple times. This way of thinking becomes useful once imposter syndrome takes hold. But when it does, we can look back and see that our progress indicates a persistence, determination, and ability that, over time, end up showing results—rather than internal doubts about our success. View the full article

In 2013, when Meredith O’Connor was 16, the music video for her debut single “Celebrity” went viral. Afterward, she channeled her own stardom into championing childhood mental health: As a hyperactive kid, O’Connor says she was often the subject of bullying, and when her music career gave her a platform, she was eager to use it to advocate on behalf of other victims. “I knew my fan base was younger, but I didn’t know how many people would resonate with mental health challenges,” she says. “I realized there were millions of gifted people that are being marginalized, and that’s when I really wanted to start the mental health study.” Since blowing up YouTube over a decade ago, O’Connor earned a master’s degree in mental health counseling and cofounded the Mental Health Counseling Services of Manhattan in 2024. In working closely with public schools, O’Connor says she was struck by the many ways in which standardized tests disadvantage neurodivergent students. “That observation led me to speak directly with leaders across law, advisory firms, and business about how hiring and evaluation systems might evolve in an AI economy.” O’Connor explains that the more she spoke with AmLaw 20 firms and Fortune 500 executives, the more she realized that the kinds of skills they desired from graduates were not the skills that were measured and rewarded on standardized tests. That’s especially true for those like herself with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), who have many natural advantages, but often struggle with memorization and sustaining focus. “Before age 23, the ADHD brain is gifted in many things. But one of the areas of slower development is executive function,” she says, explaining that the limitation affects short-term memory, concentration, and impulse control. “By the time [those with ADHD] are 18, you’ll have taken all these aptitude tests that are studying parts of the brain that have not developed yet.” Those with ADHD, however, often excel in areas like abstract thinking, creative problem-solving, resilience, and empathy—all of which are seeing heightened value by employers in the age of artificial intelligence. “It’s better than humans at many of the tasks that people who are neurodivergent struggle with,” O’Connor says. “Skills that are aligned with being an entrepreneur, skills that align with communication, skills that align with problem-solving—those are the things that AI can’t do better than humans yet.” People with ADHD often demonstrate certain natural strengths and challenges. By sheer coincidence, many of the challenges can now be mitigated using AI tools. And at the same time, many of the ADHD advantages—like creative problem-solving, abstract thinking, and intuition—are seen as increasingly valuable in an AI-enabled world. AI Excels Where ADHD-ers Often Fall Short Those with ADHD often struggle with routine processes, time management, and processing large volumes of information. But AI tools are proving effective in helping them overcome those gaps. Rather than sitting still and paying attention for long periods in an academic lecture or a meeting, for example, AI software can now record that information, transcribe it, and highlight key points in a more condensed format. “Traditional environments are not designed for them; they are designed for the neurotypical person. And I think AI can help level the playing field,” says Rebecca Koniahgari, the founder of Bryge AI, a tool that helps neurotypical people better communicate with ADHD-ers (or “bridge the gap,” the inspiration for the product’s name). The New York-based engineer says she developed the product to better communicate with colleagues and friends who have been diagnosed with the condition. Instead of asking people with ADHD to adapt their communication style, Bryge AI is intended to be used by those who “love, live, or work with” someone who has ADHD. “I’m neurotypical, and the burden of communication has always been on the other person [with ADHD], so let’s meet them halfway,” Koniahgari says. The online app allows users to input a message and then “translates” it into a more ADHD-friendly structure that emphasizes clarity, brevity, and emotional intelligence—flagging potential issues, such as language, that might trigger anxiety, lack clarity, or use negative framing. After launching the prototype she developed at a hackathon event hosted by AI coding platform Bolt, Koniahgari was awarded a silver medal for Bryge AI at the 2025 Stevie Awards for Women in Business. Now, Koniahgari says she’s looking to integrate the technology into other AI tools like ChatGPT or Claude AI, and eventually into workplace communication platforms like Slack, to make it even more accessible and widely available. ADHD-ers Often Excel Where AI Falls Short Just as the technology can help fill the gaps where ADHD-ers struggle the most, ADHD-ers seem well positioned to fill the gaps where the technology often struggles, like with creative problem-solving, out-of-the-box thinking, and adaptability. According to a recent study conducted by researchers at Drexel University, those with ADHD tend to solve problems using insight rather than analytical skills. Instead of working out problems in steps, their brains often make subconscious connections that result in an “aha” moment of insight. “We hypothesized that people who have stronger ADHD symptoms would solve more of these puzzles with an a-ha moment, with insight, and that turned out to be true,” explains John Kounios, a professor of psychological and brain sciences at Drexel University, and one of the paper’s coauthors. “The thing that was surprising—although, in retrospect, it makes perfect sense—is that the people who solved the most puzzles were the ones who were lowest in ADHD symptoms and [who were] highest in ADHD symptoms.” The study asked participants a series of questions that are commonly used to screen for ADHD symptoms, and only included participants who had not been diagnosed with, or weren’t taking medication for, a cognitive disorder. Kounios explains that those who demonstrate more ADHD symptoms excel at solving problems using insight, those with the fewest symptoms also tend to excel by using analytical reasoning, while those in the middle aren’t particularly good at either. “The chatbots do not do this kind of spontaneous cognition that humans do, so human creativity sets the agenda,” Kounios says. “What people who have ADHD are good at is coming up with solutions to problems that no one knew they had.” A Team Effort Between the Neurotypical, Neurodivergent, and AI Kounios warns, however, that like other technology tools, there is a fine line between assistance and distraction—and AI could pose challenges to those who are already struggling to maintain focus. “It would require the person with ADHD to have the discipline to use chatbots in [a productive] way,” he says. “Certainly, it can be a rabbit hole that people can fall into.” That is why Kounios believes that people can best leverage their unique strengths and limit their natural challenges when they solve problems using the latest AI tools alongside teammates who think differently. “There’s research literature on the benefits of having sort of diverse teams,” he says. “You want to have some people who are older and some people who are younger . . . male and female . . . all kinds of different people.” Kounios adds that similar research is proving the same for neurodiversity. “I think it’s also good to have a mixture of cognitive profiles—some people who are going to be more scattered, less focused, maybe more creative, along with people who are much more analytical, focused, and systematic.” View the full article

When managing a business, comprehension fundamental payroll services is crucial for maintaining compliance and efficiency. Key services include effective employee time and attendance tracking, which reduces payroll errors, and payroll tax management to prevent penalties. Implementing direct deposit can improve employee satisfaction, during managing paid time off guarantees compliance with labor laws. Each of these services plays a critical role in your payroll process, and knowing how they work together can streamline your operations. Explore these services further to improve your payroll strategy. Key Takeaways Accurate employee time and attendance tracking ensures fair compensation and reduces payroll errors, integrating seamlessly with payroll services. Payroll tax management helps avoid substantial civil penalties by ensuring compliance with federal, state, and local tax regulations. Direct deposit streamlines payment processing, aligning with employee preferences and enhancing satisfaction while reducing administrative costs. Efficient management of paid time off and sick leave fosters employee satisfaction and compliance, minimizing administrative burdens on HR departments. Year-end tax form preparation, including W-2s and 1099s, is crucial for compliance and reduces stress during audits with professional support. Employee Time and Attendance Tracking Employee time and attendance tracking is critical for maintaining payroll accuracy and ensuring fair compensation for your workforce. By utilizing modern time-tracking systems such as biometric scanners or mobile apps, you can greatly improve efficiency compared to traditional methods like manual time cards. Accurate tracking not only reduces payroll errors but also mitigates compliance risks associated with labor laws, providing documented evidence of hours worked, which is essential for audits. Many small business owners spend considerable time on payroll tasks, making effective tracking important for reducing administrative burdens. When you integrate time and attendance tracking with your payroll services for small business, it streamlines operations, improves data accuracy, and in the end boosts productivity, making it an invaluable asset for any payroll company for small business. Payroll Tax Management and Compliance Managing payroll taxes and ensuring compliance with regulations is a crucial responsibility for any business owner. In 2023, tax compliance issues led to over $65.5 billion in civil penalties, underscoring the importance of effective payroll tax management. Accurate payroll services for businesses can help you avoid more than $8.5 billion in fines because of employment tax problems. By providing timely and precise payroll tax filings, these services mitigate risks from misclassifying workers or filing late. Moreover, top-tier payroll services manage all federal, state, and local year-end taxes, including W-2s, ensuring compliance. Accessing expert support during audits and tax season can relieve stress, allowing you to navigate regulations effectively as you resolve issues efficiently. Direct Deposit and Payment Distribution When you implement direct deposit for payroll, you streamline payment processing and improve employee convenience. This method allows wages to be deposited directly into bank accounts, eliminating the need for physical checks and reducing administrative tasks. Streamlined Payment Processing Streamlined payment processing is a crucial component of modern payroll services, greatly improving the efficiency of wage distribution. By implementing direct deposit, you can provide employees with electronic access to their wages, eliminating the need for physical checks and boosting security. This method not only saves you up to $3 per paycheck compared to traditional distribution but likewise aligns with the preferences of over 80% of employees who favor the convenience it offers. Automated payment distribution guarantees timely and accurate deposits that comply with federal and state regulations, reducing the risk of penalties. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8RYQj1TKyPU Furthermore, direct deposit simplifies the payment experience, improves employee satisfaction, and cultivates trust, ultimately contributing to better retention and a more engaged workforce. Enhanced Employee Convenience The convenience of direct deposit greatly improves employee satisfaction by streamlining the way wages are received. With around 82% of employees preferring direct deposit over traditional checks, this electronic payment method eliminates the hassle of paper checks and reduces the risk of lost payments. By using payroll services that provide automated direct deposit setups, you guarantee timely and accurate payments, considerably lowering administrative burdens and processing errors. Direct deposit accelerates the payroll process, helping you meet payment deadlines effortlessly, which is vital for compliance with labor laws. Furthermore, many payroll providers offer self-service portals where employees can access their pay stubs and payment history, enhancing transparency and making it easier for them to manage their financial information. Management of Paid Time Off and Sick Leave Effective management of paid time off (PTO) and sick leave is essential for businesses aiming to maintain employee satisfaction as well as adhering to labor laws. By ensuring compliance with statutory obligations regarding leave entitlements, you can avoid penalties associated with misclassification and late filings. Nonetheless, managing PTO and sick leave can take up to 10 hours a month, which can be an administrative burden for small business owners. Outsourcing this management can streamline processes and improve efficiency. Implementing self-service portals allows employees to request and track their leave easily, enhancing transparency. This not only saves time for HR but likewise boosts workforce morale by clarifying leave policies and ensuring employees feel valued and informed about their entitlements. Year-End Tax Forms and Reporting As businesses approach the end of the fiscal year, preparing year-end tax forms such as W-2s and 1099s becomes a critical task for compliance with federal tax regulations. These forms report employee earnings and independent contractor payments to the IRS, helping you avoid penalties for misclassification or incorrect filings. Utilizing payroll services can ease this administrative burden, guaranteeing accurate preparation and timely submission. Remember, you must provide employees with their W-2s by January 31st, allowing them adequate time to prepare their personal tax returns. Moreover, payroll services streamline the generation of year-end reports, offering insights into payroll expenditures, which can facilitate better financial planning for the upcoming year. Stay organized, and guarantee compliance to keep your business running smoothly. Integration With Accounting and HR Software Integrating payroll services with your accounting and HR software not merely streamlines your business operations but furthermore improves data accuracy across all platforms. When you connect payroll with accounting software, financial data automatically syncs, reducing manual entry errors and enhancing record-keeping for payroll and financial reports. Many payroll providers offer bidirectional integration, meaning updates in either system are reflected in real-time. This capability likewise extends to HR software, simplifying employee onboarding and management, guaranteeing that employee information and time tracking stay current as well as complying with labor laws. By leveraging these integrations, you can markedly increase operational efficiency, allowing your team to focus on strategic activities rather than administrative tasks. Popular accounting systems like QuickBooks guarantee consolidated financial management and easier tax filing. Access to Expert Support and Resources When you engage with payroll services, you gain access to expert guidance during audits, ensuring you’re prepared and compliant with regulations. These services furthermore provide valuable compliance and legal resources, helping you navigate the intricacies of labor laws effectively. In addition, many payroll providers offer training and development opportunities, allowing you to stay updated on best practices and improve your team’s skills. Expert Guidance During Audits Maneuvering through an audit can be intimidating, especially for small business owners who may lack the resources or expertise to handle the intricacies involved. Fortunately, expert guidance during audits can ease this burden considerably. Access to dedicated audit resources can help you navigate complex processes. Expert support minimizes potential penalties by ensuring compliance with tax regulations. Professional payroll services assist in addressing discrepancies and errors effectively. Streamlined year-end preparation includes generating necessary tax documents like W-2s and 1099s. Knowledgeable professionals clarify payroll liabilities and help maintain accurate records. Utilizing payroll providers with audit support not merely reduces stress but additionally safeguards your business against costly fines and compliance issues, allowing you to focus on growth and stability. Compliance and Legal Resources Accessing expert support and resources for compliance and legal matters is essential for businesses maneuvering the intricacies of payroll management. Top-tier payroll services provide guidance on complex labor laws and tax regulations, helping you minimize the risk of costly penalties. In 2023, companies faced over $8.5 billion in fines related to employment tax issues, underscoring the importance of accurate payroll processing. These services guarantee timely filings and correct calculations for employment taxes, which are critical for remaining compliant with federal and state regulations. Furthermore, having access to resources during audits and tax season can relieve stress and boost your confidence in handling payroll obligations. Thorough payroll services keep you updated on changing tax laws, helping you maintain continuous compliance. Training and Development Opportunities To effectively manage payroll processes, businesses benefit greatly from training and development opportunities offered by payroll service providers. These resources equip you with the knowledge needed to navigate complex payroll systems and meet compliance standards. Access to expert support during audits and tax season Training resources customized to stay updated on tax regulations Webinars and workshops covering fundamental payroll topics Personalized guidance from dedicated payroll specialists Implementation of the latest technology and processes for efficiency Frequently Asked Questions What Is the Best Payroll Service for a Small Business? When choosing the best payroll service for your small business, consider Gusto for its user-friendly interface and extensive HR features. If you manage hourly employees, Homebase offers excellent scheduling and time tracking integration. For those already using QuickBooks, QuickBooks Payroll provides seamless integration but lacks scheduling tools. Paychex Flex is ideal if you anticipate growth, offering dedicated HR support. Assess your specific needs to determine which service aligns best with your business model. What Are the Different Types of Payroll Services? There are several types of payroll services you can choose from. Full-service payroll handles everything, including tax calculations and filings. Online payroll services offer cloud-based management, perfect for remote access. Payroll processing services focus solely on calculating employee pay, whereas businesses manage tax filings. Specialized payroll services cater to unique industry needs, and integrated payroll services connect with other tools, enhancing efficiency. Each option suits different business requirements, ensuring you can find the right fit. What Are the 5 Basic Steps of Using the Payroll System? To effectively use a payroll system, you should follow five basic steps. First, gather accurate employee information and time records. Next, choose a payroll system that meets your business needs. Then, implement a time-tracking method to monitor hours worked. After that, calculate gross salary and deductions, including taxes. Finally, distribute payments to employees as you generate payroll reports to maintain compliance with tax regulations. This guarantees a smooth payroll process for your organization. What Do Employers Need for Payroll? To manage payroll effectively, you need accurate employee information, including names, addresses, tax IDs, and salary details. It’s essential to obtain an Employer Identification Number (EIN) for tax purposes and classify workers correctly as employees or independent contractors. Implement a reliable time tracking system to calculate wages accurately. Finally, make certain you understand compliance with federal, state, and local tax laws, and regularly audit your payroll records to maintain accuracy and avoid penalties. Conclusion Incorporating these seven vital payroll services can markedly improve your business’s efficiency and compliance. By effectively tracking employee time, managing payroll taxes, and providing direct deposit, you streamline operations and enhance employee satisfaction. Furthermore, handling paid time off accurately and maintaining proper year-end reporting are critical for regulatory adherence. Finally, integrating payroll with accounting software and accessing expert support guarantees your business remains up-to-date with best practices and legal requirements, ultimately promoting a more organized payroll process. Image via Google Gemini and ArtSmart This article, "7 Essential Payroll Services for Businesses You Need to Know" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

When managing a business, comprehension fundamental payroll services is crucial for maintaining compliance and efficiency. Key services include effective employee time and attendance tracking, which reduces payroll errors, and payroll tax management to prevent penalties. Implementing direct deposit can improve employee satisfaction, during managing paid time off guarantees compliance with labor laws. Each of these services plays a critical role in your payroll process, and knowing how they work together can streamline your operations. Explore these services further to improve your payroll strategy. Key Takeaways Accurate employee time and attendance tracking ensures fair compensation and reduces payroll errors, integrating seamlessly with payroll services. Payroll tax management helps avoid substantial civil penalties by ensuring compliance with federal, state, and local tax regulations. Direct deposit streamlines payment processing, aligning with employee preferences and enhancing satisfaction while reducing administrative costs. Efficient management of paid time off and sick leave fosters employee satisfaction and compliance, minimizing administrative burdens on HR departments. Year-end tax form preparation, including W-2s and 1099s, is crucial for compliance and reduces stress during audits with professional support. Employee Time and Attendance Tracking Employee time and attendance tracking is critical for maintaining payroll accuracy and ensuring fair compensation for your workforce. By utilizing modern time-tracking systems such as biometric scanners or mobile apps, you can greatly improve efficiency compared to traditional methods like manual time cards. Accurate tracking not only reduces payroll errors but also mitigates compliance risks associated with labor laws, providing documented evidence of hours worked, which is essential for audits. Many small business owners spend considerable time on payroll tasks, making effective tracking important for reducing administrative burdens. When you integrate time and attendance tracking with your payroll services for small business, it streamlines operations, improves data accuracy, and in the end boosts productivity, making it an invaluable asset for any payroll company for small business. Payroll Tax Management and Compliance Managing payroll taxes and ensuring compliance with regulations is a crucial responsibility for any business owner. In 2023, tax compliance issues led to over $65.5 billion in civil penalties, underscoring the importance of effective payroll tax management. Accurate payroll services for businesses can help you avoid more than $8.5 billion in fines because of employment tax problems. By providing timely and precise payroll tax filings, these services mitigate risks from misclassifying workers or filing late. Moreover, top-tier payroll services manage all federal, state, and local year-end taxes, including W-2s, ensuring compliance. Accessing expert support during audits and tax season can relieve stress, allowing you to navigate regulations effectively as you resolve issues efficiently. Direct Deposit and Payment Distribution When you implement direct deposit for payroll, you streamline payment processing and improve employee convenience. This method allows wages to be deposited directly into bank accounts, eliminating the need for physical checks and reducing administrative tasks. Streamlined Payment Processing Streamlined payment processing is a crucial component of modern payroll services, greatly improving the efficiency of wage distribution. By implementing direct deposit, you can provide employees with electronic access to their wages, eliminating the need for physical checks and boosting security. This method not only saves you up to $3 per paycheck compared to traditional distribution but likewise aligns with the preferences of over 80% of employees who favor the convenience it offers. Automated payment distribution guarantees timely and accurate deposits that comply with federal and state regulations, reducing the risk of penalties. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8RYQj1TKyPU Furthermore, direct deposit simplifies the payment experience, improves employee satisfaction, and cultivates trust, ultimately contributing to better retention and a more engaged workforce. Enhanced Employee Convenience The convenience of direct deposit greatly improves employee satisfaction by streamlining the way wages are received. With around 82% of employees preferring direct deposit over traditional checks, this electronic payment method eliminates the hassle of paper checks and reduces the risk of lost payments. By using payroll services that provide automated direct deposit setups, you guarantee timely and accurate payments, considerably lowering administrative burdens and processing errors. Direct deposit accelerates the payroll process, helping you meet payment deadlines effortlessly, which is vital for compliance with labor laws. Furthermore, many payroll providers offer self-service portals where employees can access their pay stubs and payment history, enhancing transparency and making it easier for them to manage their financial information. Management of Paid Time Off and Sick Leave Effective management of paid time off (PTO) and sick leave is essential for businesses aiming to maintain employee satisfaction as well as adhering to labor laws. By ensuring compliance with statutory obligations regarding leave entitlements, you can avoid penalties associated with misclassification and late filings. Nonetheless, managing PTO and sick leave can take up to 10 hours a month, which can be an administrative burden for small business owners. Outsourcing this management can streamline processes and improve efficiency. Implementing self-service portals allows employees to request and track their leave easily, enhancing transparency. This not only saves time for HR but likewise boosts workforce morale by clarifying leave policies and ensuring employees feel valued and informed about their entitlements. Year-End Tax Forms and Reporting As businesses approach the end of the fiscal year, preparing year-end tax forms such as W-2s and 1099s becomes a critical task for compliance with federal tax regulations. These forms report employee earnings and independent contractor payments to the IRS, helping you avoid penalties for misclassification or incorrect filings. Utilizing payroll services can ease this administrative burden, guaranteeing accurate preparation and timely submission. Remember, you must provide employees with their W-2s by January 31st, allowing them adequate time to prepare their personal tax returns. Moreover, payroll services streamline the generation of year-end reports, offering insights into payroll expenditures, which can facilitate better financial planning for the upcoming year. Stay organized, and guarantee compliance to keep your business running smoothly. Integration With Accounting and HR Software Integrating payroll services with your accounting and HR software not merely streamlines your business operations but furthermore improves data accuracy across all platforms. When you connect payroll with accounting software, financial data automatically syncs, reducing manual entry errors and enhancing record-keeping for payroll and financial reports. Many payroll providers offer bidirectional integration, meaning updates in either system are reflected in real-time. This capability likewise extends to HR software, simplifying employee onboarding and management, guaranteeing that employee information and time tracking stay current as well as complying with labor laws. By leveraging these integrations, you can markedly increase operational efficiency, allowing your team to focus on strategic activities rather than administrative tasks. Popular accounting systems like QuickBooks guarantee consolidated financial management and easier tax filing. Access to Expert Support and Resources When you engage with payroll services, you gain access to expert guidance during audits, ensuring you’re prepared and compliant with regulations. These services furthermore provide valuable compliance and legal resources, helping you navigate the intricacies of labor laws effectively. In addition, many payroll providers offer training and development opportunities, allowing you to stay updated on best practices and improve your team’s skills. Expert Guidance During Audits Maneuvering through an audit can be intimidating, especially for small business owners who may lack the resources or expertise to handle the intricacies involved. Fortunately, expert guidance during audits can ease this burden considerably. Access to dedicated audit resources can help you navigate complex processes. Expert support minimizes potential penalties by ensuring compliance with tax regulations. Professional payroll services assist in addressing discrepancies and errors effectively. Streamlined year-end preparation includes generating necessary tax documents like W-2s and 1099s. Knowledgeable professionals clarify payroll liabilities and help maintain accurate records. Utilizing payroll providers with audit support not merely reduces stress but additionally safeguards your business against costly fines and compliance issues, allowing you to focus on growth and stability. Compliance and Legal Resources Accessing expert support and resources for compliance and legal matters is essential for businesses maneuvering the intricacies of payroll management. Top-tier payroll services provide guidance on complex labor laws and tax regulations, helping you minimize the risk of costly penalties. In 2023, companies faced over $8.5 billion in fines related to employment tax issues, underscoring the importance of accurate payroll processing. These services guarantee timely filings and correct calculations for employment taxes, which are critical for remaining compliant with federal and state regulations. Furthermore, having access to resources during audits and tax season can relieve stress and boost your confidence in handling payroll obligations. Thorough payroll services keep you updated on changing tax laws, helping you maintain continuous compliance. Training and Development Opportunities To effectively manage payroll processes, businesses benefit greatly from training and development opportunities offered by payroll service providers. These resources equip you with the knowledge needed to navigate complex payroll systems and meet compliance standards. Access to expert support during audits and tax season Training resources customized to stay updated on tax regulations Webinars and workshops covering fundamental payroll topics Personalized guidance from dedicated payroll specialists Implementation of the latest technology and processes for efficiency Frequently Asked Questions What Is the Best Payroll Service for a Small Business? When choosing the best payroll service for your small business, consider Gusto for its user-friendly interface and extensive HR features. If you manage hourly employees, Homebase offers excellent scheduling and time tracking integration. For those already using QuickBooks, QuickBooks Payroll provides seamless integration but lacks scheduling tools. Paychex Flex is ideal if you anticipate growth, offering dedicated HR support. Assess your specific needs to determine which service aligns best with your business model. What Are the Different Types of Payroll Services? There are several types of payroll services you can choose from. Full-service payroll handles everything, including tax calculations and filings. Online payroll services offer cloud-based management, perfect for remote access. Payroll processing services focus solely on calculating employee pay, whereas businesses manage tax filings. Specialized payroll services cater to unique industry needs, and integrated payroll services connect with other tools, enhancing efficiency. Each option suits different business requirements, ensuring you can find the right fit. What Are the 5 Basic Steps of Using the Payroll System? To effectively use a payroll system, you should follow five basic steps. First, gather accurate employee information and time records. Next, choose a payroll system that meets your business needs. Then, implement a time-tracking method to monitor hours worked. After that, calculate gross salary and deductions, including taxes. Finally, distribute payments to employees as you generate payroll reports to maintain compliance with tax regulations. This guarantees a smooth payroll process for your organization. What Do Employers Need for Payroll? To manage payroll effectively, you need accurate employee information, including names, addresses, tax IDs, and salary details. It’s essential to obtain an Employer Identification Number (EIN) for tax purposes and classify workers correctly as employees or independent contractors. Implement a reliable time tracking system to calculate wages accurately. Finally, make certain you understand compliance with federal, state, and local tax laws, and regularly audit your payroll records to maintain accuracy and avoid penalties. Conclusion Incorporating these seven vital payroll services can markedly improve your business’s efficiency and compliance. By effectively tracking employee time, managing payroll taxes, and providing direct deposit, you streamline operations and enhance employee satisfaction. Furthermore, handling paid time off accurately and maintaining proper year-end reporting are critical for regulatory adherence. Finally, integrating payroll with accounting software and accessing expert support guarantees your business remains up-to-date with best practices and legal requirements, ultimately promoting a more organized payroll process. Image via Google Gemini and ArtSmart This article, "7 Essential Payroll Services for Businesses You Need to Know" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. Should I tell people at the company we just acquired what they’re in for? A few years ago, I started at a small company which within a year of me joining was acquired by a massive international company based on the opposite coast. At the time, my boss and the now (forcibly) retired owner were told that we would still be able to be largely independent, with more support for the work we do currently. It wasn’t until all the paperwork was signed, sealed, and delivered that everyone realized this couldn’t be further from the truth. Staff and offices we were promised wouldn’t be touched have been gutted. Our workload has at least doubled, but without any additional support. Corporate leadership is wildly out of touch and mismanaged, and because they decided to grow “inorganically” (aka, buying up every company in even slightly adjacent fields), the internal structure is a mess. Nothing can get done in HR or Accounting without going through the corporate office, which has extensive turnover, making simple tasks like sending out a check or updating a staff member’s insurance take at least 2-3 weeks (or it’s just forgotten about entirely). It. Is. A. MESS. Everyone is overworked, everything is disorganized, and the only solutions corporate has come up with seem to be (1) ending work from home accommodations (which almost resulted in a mutiny within the corporate office itself) and (2) ACQUIRE MORE COMPANIES! We just acquired another company of about 200 people in the same city my office is located in. Corporate basically shoved our legacy team into the newly purchased company’s office and volun-told my boss to “guide” the new team through the acquisition process since we “know the ropes.” My boss and I are at a loss. This team has been told all the same fairytales we heard when we were acquired. They do not know that their lovely support staff will likely be cut in the next 1-2 years. They do not know that corporate will make those cuts without anyone set up to take over their workload, and anyone left over will be forced to just take it on themselves. They do not know that corporate will make sweeping decisions at the drop of a hat without doing due diligence. Aside from just bailing out and finding a new job (which I have been working on), do you have any advice on how best to approach this with the new team? Do we let them figure out the worst of it on their own? For now, my boss and I have decided if we’re asked direct questions by the new team, we will be as honest as possible without sharing too much as to scare them. But this feels disingenuous and eventually the cat’s going to come tumbling out of the bag, especially since we’re supposed to be the ones “guiding” them. Oh gosh, tell them. When you do it, be honest without editorializing. So it’s not, “Corporate is a mess, this is a disaster, they are out of their gourds.” It’s, “This is what our experience has been, and the challenges have been XYZ” — with the facts delivered dryly and matter-of-factly. They’re going to be able to figure out the “this is a disaster” part on their own. 2. Interviewer didn’t ask me any questions I recently interviewed for a job. Once we started the interview, he asked me why I was leaving my current job, and after I answered, he started talking about what the job entails, the benefits, etc., but did not ask me another question till the end, asking if I had any questions for him. After that, he said he had a couple more interviews, but he would follow up in two weeks with an offer. It wasn’t until after I left that I was a little confused because this all happened in the span of 20 minutes. I haven’t done many interviews, but is this normal interview behavior? It’s the behavior of a bad interviewer — someone who doesn’t know how to evaluate candidates and instead is going based on vibe. It doesn’t necessarily mean it’s a bad place to work (although if they’ve assembled a good staff, it’ll be more by accident than intentional design) but it’s a flag to, if you get an offer, slow down and make sure you’ve asked enough to (a) determine what it would actually be like to work there and (b) weigh whether if you’d actually be good at the work you’re being offered, since the interviewer didn’t do that part himself. Related: can you ask an interviewer to stop talking so much? 3. Hard skills versus soft skills in a movie Over the weekend, I saw the new Sam Raimi movie “Send Help” with Dylan O’Brien and Rachel McAdams. Without giving away too much about the movie for those who want to see it, in an early scene that sets up the rest of the movie, Dylan’s character inherits a company after his dad’s death and, although Rachel was promised a VP spot by his father after working at the company for seven years, he gives the VP spot to his frat brother who was only at the company for six months. When she confronts him about it, he tells her that she lacks the people skills to become a VP and that the job also requires the ability to play golf. And the thing is, watching the movie, he wasn’t totally wrong? Her character was very good at her job in strategy and planning but lacks any and all soft skills. She has no friends at work, she’s awkward, she’s passive, and she doesn’t read social cues well. If his father had really felt strongly about the promotion, he should have had her boss work with her to train her in those skills. Because a VP does need those skills. Right? I felt like he was a jerk and went about it all wrong, but wasn’t totally off the mark. I don’t work in business, but I am middle management in my job and did not have soft skills naturally and had to work on them, and am still working on them (it’s hard when they are not your natural state — I just want to hide out in my office and avoid confrontation as a norm) but it can be done if you want the job enough. I was just interested in your take. With the caveat that I haven’t seen the movie and don’t know anything about it so I’m just basing this on what you’ve written here: yes. Most upper management positions require people skills, leadership positions definitely do, and anything dealing with clients definitely does. That doesn’t mean the frat brother was the right choice either (maybe he was, I have no idea) and clearly the movie sounds interested in setting up a dichotomy between “highly qualified woman without social flash” and “unqualified man who knows how to schmooze,” but it’s definitely true that in many jobs, people skills are an important piece of the qualifications, not just an optional nice-to-have bonus. 4. Job wants reference forms completed before you even interview My spouse got called for an interview for a state government job. For the interview, he’s required to bring forms completed by his references, as well as employer verification forms filled out by his former and current employers. This seems disrespectful of applicants and their contacts. My spouse hasn’t even spoken with the hiring manager yet and isn’t even certain he wants the job. Do you think it’s a bad sign? Government jobs have their own extremely rigid and often nonsensical bureaucracy. If that kind of thing is going to drive him bananas, it’s a bad sign in the sense of “this is a taste of what working with a large and rigid bureaucracy will be like,” but you shouldn’t read much more than that into it. 5. How do I tell my boss I have cancer? I’ve just been diagnosed with breast cancer. I haven’t even figured out my next steps yet, but I know that we’ll have to involve notifying my work. There’s going to be surgery, possibly follow-up treatments, the works. What is the best way to tell my boss without completely undermining myself or coming across as a liability to the company? I’d love to trust that I’ll be treated fairly, but I cannot lose my job in my health insurance now. You don’t need to share anything you’re not comfortable sharing. If you’d prefer, you can just say, “I have a medical situation that I’m going to be dealing with over the coming months and I’m going to need some time off for surgery and follow-ups. I’ll let you know the details as I get them, but wanted to give you a heads-up that it’s coming.” Your boss will probably express concern and you can respond to that with something simple like, “Thank you, I appreciate it and I’ll keep you posted.” For what it’s worth, no good company will see you as a liability for having breast cancer, and it would be illegal for them to fire you for being sick (although realistically, that does happen to people so I get why you’re worried). I would say to look at what you know of your company and your boss and how they operate as you decide what you’re comfortable sharing. Sending you good thoughts for a good outcome! The post should I tell people at the company we acquired what they’re in for, interviewer didn’t ask me any questions, and more appeared first on Ask a Manager. View the full article

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