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Google has introduced a “Creative Content” section in Merchant Center, giving brands the ability to manage video assets directly alongside product listings. The feature enhances both paid and organic visibility across Google surfaces. Why we care. Videos uploaded here automatically sync with the Google Ads asset library for linked accounts — streamlining creative management and strengthening brand storytelling across campaigns. Where to find it. If available in your account, look under Creative content → Video assets, just below Product Studio. Video sources: Social channels (including TikTok) Your website Google’s Product Studio The cool part. Users can map videos to specific product listings — and even use AI-powered product mapping from connected YouTube channels. First seen. This update was first spotted by Senior Search Specialist, Casey Gill which she shared on LinkedIn. What’s next. Marketers are eager to test how this integration impacts both performance and discoverability — early adopters, what’s your verdict so far? View the full article

At its first investor day in a decade and a half, the nation's second-largest bank pegged its guidance for return on tangible common equity at a slightly higher level than what it reported last quarter. Not all investors were impressed. View the full article

Thanksgiving is just around the corner. So it’s time for business owners to give thanks for their customers, clients, team members, partners, and anyone else who made an impact on operations this year. In preparation for the holiday, you may want to compose a quick message to people who have impacted your business in the past year, giving thanks and wishing them a happy holiday. Thanksgiving Messages for Businesses If you’re not sure where to start when crafting this message, here are some examples of different Thanksgiving messages for businesses to consider. Looking for the perfect Thanksgiving gift? Check out: Thanksgiving Gifts for Clients, Co-workers, Employees, and Your Boss Share a Simple Thanks Thanksgiving is a time for gratitude. So in any message, it’s important to say thank you in some way, whether you’re speaking to customers or those involved with the behind-the-scenes of your business. Share your appreciation in a quick social media post, an email or even a photo or video post. Use these examples below. Just remember to swap in your business name over the placeholder. Examples Happy Thanksgiving from all of us at [Business Name]! We’re grateful for your support! Wishing you a bountiful Thanksgiving! Thank you for being part of our [Business Name] family! This Thanksgiving, we’re thankful for our loyal customers! You make [Business Name] what it is! Grateful hearts and full plates! Happy Thanksgiving from [Business Name]! At [Business Name], we count our blessings every day! Wishing you a joyous Thanksgiving! Thank you for supporting small businesses like [Business Name]! Have a wonderful Thanksgiving! May your Thanksgiving be filled with love, laughter, and delicious food! From [Business Name]! Thanksgiving is a time for gratitude! We’re thankful for amazing customers like you! Happy Thanksgiving from [Business Name]! Happy Thanksgiving! We appreciate your support and wish you a day full of joy! Love, [Business Name]! Here’s to a Thanksgiving full of blessings and joy! Thank you for being with us at [Business Name]! This Thanksgiving, we’re giving thanks for YOU! Enjoy the holiday from all of us at [Business Name]! Happy Thanksgiving! Your support means the world to us at [Business Name]! Feeling grateful for our amazing customers! Thank you for choosing [Business Name]! Wishing you a Thanksgiving filled with warmth, love, and delicious food! From [Business Name]! Thanksgiving is all about gratitude! We appreciate your business at [Business Name]! Cheers to a Thanksgiving filled with good food and great company! Happy Thanksgiving from [Business Name]! Thankful for the chance to serve you! Wishing you a wonderful Thanksgiving! Love, [Business Name]! May your Thanksgiving be as wonderful as our customers! Thank you for being part of [Business Name]! Happy Thanksgiving! We’re thankful for your support and wish you a joyful holiday! This Thanksgiving, we’re thankful for all of you! Enjoy your day from [Business Name]! Celebrating gratitude this Thanksgiving! Thank you for supporting [Business Name]! May your Thanksgiving be filled with love, laughter, and great memories! From [Business Name]! Happy Thanksgiving! Your support makes [Business Name] thrive! Thank you! We’re counting our blessings this Thanksgiving, and you’re one of them! Love, [Business Name]! Wishing you a harvest of blessings this Thanksgiving! Thank you for being with [Business Name]! Offer a Longer, Heartfelt Message Longer messages are perfect for businesses that have small teams or work closely with clients. It gives you the opportunity to share a few different sentiments and really drive your point home. It also allows you to personalize the messaging a bit. You can use these examples as a starting point and then add some more personal details to make your message stand out for clients or team members. Share these messages in a blog post, email newsletter or even a handwritten letter. You could also create a video of you speaking the message directly to customers. Examples Happy Thanksgiving from [Business Name]! This time of year, we reflect on all that we are grateful for. Our loyal customers make our journey worthwhile, and we are truly thankful for your support. May your Thanksgiving be filled with love, laughter, and delicious food! Enjoy this special day with your loved ones. Gratitude in Every Bite at [Business Name]! This Thanksgiving, we’re reminded of the importance of community. Thank you for choosing us and for allowing us to be part of your celebrations. We hope your holiday table is filled with joy and amazing dishes. Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family! Thanksgiving Wishes from [Business Name]! As we gather around the table this season, we want to express our heartfelt appreciation for your continued support. We couldn’t have come this far without you! Wishing you a Thanksgiving filled with warmth, cherished moments, and great food! Celebrating Gratitude at [Business Name]! Thanksgiving is a time for reflection, and we want to take a moment to thank our incredible customers. Your support has been the foundation of our success. We hope your holiday is filled with joy, laughter, and unforgettable memories with family and friends! Thankful for You at [Business Name]! This Thanksgiving, we want to acknowledge the amazing community that surrounds us. We are so grateful for each of you and for the trust you place in us. May your Thanksgiving be overflowing with love, gratitude, and delicious food shared with those you cherish! A Grateful Heart at [Business Name]! This Thanksgiving, we reflect on the blessings of the past year. Our customers inspire us every day, and we are thankful for your support. We wish you a wonderful Thanksgiving filled with happiness, delicious meals, and joyful gatherings with family and friends! Happy Thanksgiving from Your Friends at [Business Name]! We are so thankful for your continued support and loyalty. This holiday season, may you find joy in every moment spent with loved ones. Wishing you a Thanksgiving full of warmth, happiness, and delicious treats! Gratitude and Thanks from [Business Name]! As we celebrate Thanksgiving, we are reminded of the community that has helped us grow. Your support means everything to us! We hope your holiday is filled with joy, laughter, and wonderful food shared with family and friends. Happy Thanksgiving! Wishing You a Joyous Thanksgiving from [Business Name]! This time of year brings a chance to reflect on what we are thankful for. We are grateful for our wonderful customers who inspire us daily. May your Thanksgiving be filled with love, laughter, and memorable moments with those you cherish! Thanksgiving Reflections from [Business Name]! As we gather with loved ones this Thanksgiving, we want to express our gratitude to you, our valued customers. Your support has made a significant impact on our journey, and we couldn’t be more thankful. Wishing you a warm and joyful holiday filled with good food and great company! Grateful for Our Community at [Business Name]! This Thanksgiving, we want to take a moment to say thank you. Your support has been invaluable to us, and we are proud to serve such an amazing community. May your holiday be filled with love, laughter, and delicious food shared with family and friends! Happy Thanksgiving from All of Us at [Business Name]! We are so thankful for each and every one of you. This holiday season, may you find joy in every moment spent with loved ones. We hope your Thanksgiving is filled with happiness, laughter, and unforgettable memories! Celebrating Gratitude at [Business Name]! Thanksgiving is a time to reflect on all the blessings we’ve received. We are incredibly grateful for our loyal customers and the community that supports us. May your holiday be filled with joy, delicious food, and cherished moments with family! Thankful for You! A Thanksgiving Message from [Business Name]! As we celebrate Thanksgiving, we are reminded of the wonderful community that surrounds us. Your support has been a blessing, and we are truly grateful. Wishing you a Thanksgiving filled with love, laughter, and great food! A Heartfelt Thank You from [Business Name]! This Thanksgiving, we want to express our gratitude for your continued support. We appreciate your trust in us and hope your holiday is filled with joy, laughter, and delicious meals shared with loved ones. Happy Thanksgiving! Warm Wishes from [Business Name] This Thanksgiving! As we reflect on the past year, we are thankful for the community we serve. Your support has made our journey possible, and we are deeply grateful. Wishing you a Thanksgiving full of warmth, happiness, and memorable moments! Gratitude and Thanksgiving from [Business Name]! This season, we celebrate the amazing customers who make our business thrive. Thank you for being part of our journey! May your Thanksgiving be filled with love, laughter, and delicious food shared with those you hold dear! Happy Thanksgiving from Your Friends at [Business Name]! We are grateful for your continued support and loyalty. This holiday season, may you find joy in every moment spent with loved ones. Wishing you a Thanksgiving full of warmth, happiness, and delicious treats! A Grateful Heart at [Business Name]! As we celebrate Thanksgiving, we are thankful for each of you. Your support means everything to us, and we wish you a wonderful holiday filled with happiness, good food, and joyful gatherings! Thanksgiving Reflections from [Business Name]! This Thanksgiving, we want to express our gratitude to you, our valued customers. Your support has made a significant impact on our journey, and we couldn’t be more thankful. Wishing you a warm and joyful holiday filled with good food and great company! Thankful for Our Community at [Business Name]! This Thanksgiving, we want to take a moment to say thank you. Your support has been invaluable to us, and we are proud to serve such an amazing community. May your holiday be filled with love, laughter, and delicious food shared with family and friends! Happy Thanksgiving from All of Us at [Business Name]! We are so thankful for each and every one of you. This holiday season, may you find joy in every moment spent with loved ones. We hope your Thanksgiving is filled with happiness, laughter, and unforgettable memories! Celebrating Gratitude at [Business Name]! Thanksgiving is a time to reflect on all the blessings we’ve received. We are incredibly grateful for our loyal customers and the community that supports us. May your holiday be filled with joy, delicious food, and cherished moments with family! Thankful for You! A Thanksgiving Message from [Business Name]! As we celebrate Thanksgiving, we are reminded of the wonderful community that surrounds us. Your support has been a blessing, and we are truly grateful. Wishing you a Thanksgiving filled with love, laughter, and great food! A Heartfelt Thank You from [Business Name]! This Thanksgiving, we want to express our gratitude for your continued support. We appreciate your trust in us and hope your holiday is filled with joy, laughter, and delicious meals shared with loved ones. Happy Thanksgiving! Wish Everyone a Happy Holiday Sometimes, a simple “Happy Thanksgiving” goes a long way. You might consider adding this type of greeting to a festive image or at the end of a video. You can share this type of post on social media or even turn it into an actual card. It could also make for a perfect visual for blog posts or email newsletters that feature longer messages as well. You could also share text-only messages on Twitter or other short-form platforms. Examples Happy Thanksgiving from [Business Name]! We’re thankful for YOU! Have a wonderful Thanksgiving! Gratitude and good vibes from [Business Name]! Wishing you a joyful Thanksgiving! Thank you for supporting [Business Name]! Happy Thanksgiving! Cheers to a bountiful Thanksgiving! Thankful for our amazing customers! Happy Thanksgiving! Wishing you love and laughter this Thanksgiving! Grateful hearts at [Business Name]! Have a fantastic Thanksgiving! Happy Thanksgiving! Enjoy the holiday with loved ones! We appreciate you! Wishing you a wonderful Thanksgiving! Sending Thanksgiving blessings your way! Thank you for being part of the [Business Name] family! May your Thanksgiving be filled with joy! Wishing you a harvest of happiness this Thanksgiving! Grateful for your support! Happy Thanksgiving from [Business Name]! Cheers to family, friends, and great food! Happy Thanksgiving! Thanksgiving is better with you! Have a lovely holiday! We’re thankful for you! Enjoy your Thanksgiving feast! Happy Thanksgiving! May your day be filled with love! Wishing you a day of gratitude and joy! Thankful for your support at [Business Name]! Happy Thanksgiving! Here’s to a festive and joyful Thanksgiving! Wishing you all the best this Thanksgiving! Happy Thanksgiving! Enjoy every moment! Thanksgiving Messages to Employees As a small business owner, you are surely thankful for the hard work and dedication of your employees. They may already know this but on Thanksgiving, it’s great to remind them and let them know you’re thinking of them, too. Here are some great examples and inspirations for messages you, as a small business owner, can send to your employees on Thanksgiving: Happy Thanksgiving! I’m grateful to have you on our team at [Business Name]! Wishing you a joyful Thanksgiving filled with love and laughter! Thank you for all your hard work! This Thanksgiving, I want you to know how much I appreciate you! Enjoy the holiday! Happy Thanksgiving to a fantastic team member! Your dedication makes [Business Name] shine! Grateful for your hard work and commitment! Have a wonderful Thanksgiving! Wishing you a bountiful Thanksgiving! Thank you for being such an important part of [Business Name]! Happy Thanksgiving! I appreciate everything you do for our team! Enjoy the holiday! Thank you for your hard work and dedication! Wishing you a happy Thanksgiving! Wishing you a Thanksgiving full of blessings and joy! You make [Business Name] a better place! Happy Thanksgiving! I’m thankful for your contributions to our team! Enjoy the festivities! Gratitude fills the air this Thanksgiving! Thank you for being a valuable part of [Business Name]! Wishing you a day of relaxation and joy! Happy Thanksgiving! Happy Thanksgiving to an amazing employee! Your hard work doesn’t go unnoticed! I appreciate your efforts and dedication! Have a wonderful Thanksgiving with loved ones! Wishing you a joyful Thanksgiving! Thank you for all you do at [Business Name]! Happy Thanksgiving! May your holiday be filled with happiness and good food! Grateful for your teamwork and spirit! Have a fantastic Thanksgiving! Thank you for being such a crucial part of [Business Name]! Wishing you a happy Thanksgiving! Happy Thanksgiving! Your hard work and dedication are truly appreciated! Wishing you a wonderful Thanksgiving filled with love and laughter! Enjoy your time off! Grateful for your contributions! Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family! Thank you for your hard work and commitment! Enjoy a well-deserved Thanksgiving break! Wishing you a day full of happiness and gratitude! Happy Thanksgiving! Happy Thanksgiving! I appreciate everything you do for our team! Thank you for your dedication and hard work! Have a joyful Thanksgiving! Thanksgiving Messages from Employees to a Boss Need to let your boss know you’re thankful on this holiday? We’ve got you covered, too. Try out some of these Thanksgiving messages or let them inspire you to write your own: Happy Thanksgiving! I’m grateful for your leadership and support! Wishing you a joyful Thanksgiving filled with love and laughter! Thank you for being such a great boss! Happy Thanksgiving! I appreciate everything you do for our team! Thank you for your guidance and support! Wishing you a wonderful Thanksgiving! Grateful to work under your leadership! Have a fantastic Thanksgiving! Wishing you a Thanksgiving full of happiness and good food! Thank you for your mentorship! Happy Thanksgiving! I appreciate your hard work and dedication to our team! Thank you for being an inspiring leader! Enjoy a well-deserved Thanksgiving break! Wishing you a day of relaxation and joy! Thank you for your support! Happy Thanksgiving! I’m thankful to have such a supportive boss! Grateful for your leadership and encouragement! Enjoy your holiday! Wishing you a Thanksgiving filled with warmth and happiness! Thank you for all you do! Thank you for being an amazing boss! Have a joyful Thanksgiving! Happy Thanksgiving! I appreciate your hard work and dedication to our success! Wishing you a bountiful Thanksgiving! Thank you for your mentorship! Thank you for your guidance and support! Enjoy a wonderful Thanksgiving! Happy Thanksgiving! Grateful to work under such a great leader! Wishing you a Thanksgiving full of blessings and joy! Thank you for your encouragement! Thank you for being an incredible boss! Have a fabulous Thanksgiving! Wishing you a day of gratitude and relaxation! Happy Thanksgiving! Happy Thanksgiving! Your leadership makes a difference every day! Grateful for your support and encouragement! Enjoy the holiday! Wishing you a joyful Thanksgiving filled with love! Thank you for everything! Happy Thanksgiving! Your guidance is truly appreciated! Thank you for your hard work and dedication! Have a wonderful Thanksgiving! The Power of Gratitude in Business Thanksgiving is not just a time to enjoy a hearty meal and spend quality time with loved ones; it also holds significant value in the business world. Embracing the spirit of gratitude can have a profound impact on a business’s success and overall well-being. Here’s why incorporating gratitude into business practices is essential: Building Stronger Relationships: Expressing genuine thanks to customers, clients, and team members fosters a sense of connection and appreciation. It strengthens the bond between the business and its stakeholders, leading to increased loyalty and trust. Enhancing Company Culture: Cultivating a culture of gratitude within the organization encourages team members to feel valued and recognized for their contributions. This, in turn, boosts employee morale and engagement, leading to higher productivity and job satisfaction. Generating Positive Word-of-Mouth: Happy and appreciated customers are more likely to share positive experiences with others, leading to valuable word-of-mouth referrals. Satisfied employees may also speak positively about the company, attracting top talent. Creating a Positive Reputation: Businesses that prioritize gratitude and appreciation tend to be perceived positively by their customers, employees, and partners. This positive reputation can lead to increased brand loyalty and goodwill. Strengthening Business Resilience: In times of challenges or crises, businesses with a culture of gratitude often rally together and support one another. A strong sense of unity can help the business navigate through difficult times more effectively. Enhancing Customer Experience: When customers feel valued and appreciated, they are more likely to return and continue doing business with the company. This can lead to long-term customer relationships and increased customer lifetime value. Inspiring Innovation and Creativity: A culture of gratitude encourages open communication and a willingness to listen to different perspectives. This environment can spark innovation and creativity as team members feel comfortable sharing their ideas. Fostering a Positive Work Environment: Grateful leaders and managers create a positive work environment where team members feel motivated and valued. This positivity can lead to reduced workplace stress and improved well-being. Empowering Leadership: Leaders who express gratitude and appreciation earn the respect and loyalty of their team members. This respect strengthens their ability to lead effectively and inspire others. Encouraging Continuous Improvement: Expressing gratitude to team members for their efforts and achievements encourages a growth mindset. Team members are more likely to embrace challenges and seek opportunities for improvement. By incorporating gratitude into the fabric of their business, small business owners can create a thriving and harmonious environment that benefits all stakeholders. This Thanksgiving, let us celebrate the power of gratitude and make it a year-round practice to foster a positive and impactful business journey. Benefits of Gratitude in BusinessDescription Building Stronger RelationshipsExpressing genuine thanks to customers, clients, and team members fosters a sense of connection and appreciation. Enhancing Company CultureCultivating a culture of gratitude encourages team members to feel valued and recognized, leading to higher morale and engagement. Generating Positive Word-of-MouthHappy customers are more likely to share positive experiences, leading to valuable word-of-mouth referrals and positive reputation. Creating a Positive ReputationPrioritizing gratitude is perceived positively by customers, employees, and partners, fostering brand loyalty and goodwill. Strengthening Business ResilienceA culture of gratitude fosters unity, helping businesses navigate challenges and crises with support from a cohesive team. Enhancing Customer ExperienceCustomer appreciation leads to increased loyalty, resulting in long-term customer relationships and higher customer lifetime value. Inspiring Innovation and CreativityGratitude encourages open communication and idea-sharing, sparking innovation and creativity among team members. Fostering a Positive Work EnvironmentGrateful leaders create a motivating work environment, reducing stress and promoting overall well-being among team members. Empowering LeadershipLeaders who express gratitude earn respect and loyalty, empowering them to lead effectively and inspire their teams. Encouraging Continuous ImprovementAcknowledging efforts and achievements fosters a growth mindset, encouraging team members to embrace challenges and seek improvement. Conclusion: Embrace the Spirit of Thanksgiving As Thanksgiving approaches, small business owners have a wonderful opportunity to express gratitude and appreciation to those who have made a significant impact on their journey throughout the year. Thanksgiving messages for businesses offer a chance to foster a deeper connection with clients, customers, team members, partners, and everyone else who contributed to the success and growth of the business. A simple “thank you” goes a long way in conveying genuine appreciation to customers and clients. Acknowledging their patronage and support in a quick social media post, an email, or a photo or video post can create a heartwarming bond and strengthen the relationship between the business and its valued stakeholders. These expressions of gratitude remind customers that they are an essential part of the business’s success story. For businesses with close-knit teams or clients, heartfelt and longer messages allow for a more personal touch. Adding specific details and sentiments can make these messages stand out, reinforcing the warmth and sincerity behind the expression of thanks. Whether shared through a blog post, email newsletter, handwritten letter, or personalized video, these messages create a sense of belonging and appreciation for the recipients. Additionally, a simple “Happy Thanksgiving” greeting can be a warm and festive gesture. Adding it to a visual image or video enhances the impact of the message, making it shareable across various platforms. This type of greeting, combined with longer messages, fosters an environment of joy, love, and gratitude during the holiday season. In conclusion, Thanksgiving is a time for businesses to embrace the spirit of giving thanks and spreading gratitude. Taking the opportunity to express appreciation through thoughtful messages brings immeasurable benefits, from strengthening customer loyalty to uplifting team morale. By sharing gratitude, small business owners can create a sense of togetherness and foster meaningful connections with those who have contributed to their journey. Let the true essence of Thanksgiving shine through these messages, making this holiday season a time of joy, reflection, and heartfelt appreciation for all. Photo via Shutterstock This article, "Fantastic Thanksgiving Messages for Businesses" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

Thanksgiving is just around the corner. So it’s time for business owners to give thanks for their customers, clients, team members, partners, and anyone else who made an impact on operations this year. In preparation for the holiday, you may want to compose a quick message to people who have impacted your business in the past year, giving thanks and wishing them a happy holiday. Thanksgiving Messages for Businesses If you’re not sure where to start when crafting this message, here are some examples of different Thanksgiving messages for businesses to consider. Looking for the perfect Thanksgiving gift? Check out: Thanksgiving Gifts for Clients, Co-workers, Employees, and Your Boss Share a Simple Thanks Thanksgiving is a time for gratitude. So in any message, it’s important to say thank you in some way, whether you’re speaking to customers or those involved with the behind-the-scenes of your business. Share your appreciation in a quick social media post, an email or even a photo or video post. Use these examples below. Just remember to swap in your business name over the placeholder. Examples Happy Thanksgiving from all of us at [Business Name]! We’re grateful for your support! Wishing you a bountiful Thanksgiving! Thank you for being part of our [Business Name] family! This Thanksgiving, we’re thankful for our loyal customers! You make [Business Name] what it is! Grateful hearts and full plates! Happy Thanksgiving from [Business Name]! At [Business Name], we count our blessings every day! Wishing you a joyous Thanksgiving! Thank you for supporting small businesses like [Business Name]! Have a wonderful Thanksgiving! May your Thanksgiving be filled with love, laughter, and delicious food! From [Business Name]! Thanksgiving is a time for gratitude! We’re thankful for amazing customers like you! Happy Thanksgiving from [Business Name]! Happy Thanksgiving! We appreciate your support and wish you a day full of joy! Love, [Business Name]! Here’s to a Thanksgiving full of blessings and joy! Thank you for being with us at [Business Name]! This Thanksgiving, we’re giving thanks for YOU! Enjoy the holiday from all of us at [Business Name]! Happy Thanksgiving! Your support means the world to us at [Business Name]! Feeling grateful for our amazing customers! Thank you for choosing [Business Name]! Wishing you a Thanksgiving filled with warmth, love, and delicious food! From [Business Name]! Thanksgiving is all about gratitude! We appreciate your business at [Business Name]! Cheers to a Thanksgiving filled with good food and great company! Happy Thanksgiving from [Business Name]! Thankful for the chance to serve you! Wishing you a wonderful Thanksgiving! Love, [Business Name]! May your Thanksgiving be as wonderful as our customers! Thank you for being part of [Business Name]! Happy Thanksgiving! We’re thankful for your support and wish you a joyful holiday! This Thanksgiving, we’re thankful for all of you! Enjoy your day from [Business Name]! Celebrating gratitude this Thanksgiving! Thank you for supporting [Business Name]! May your Thanksgiving be filled with love, laughter, and great memories! From [Business Name]! Happy Thanksgiving! Your support makes [Business Name] thrive! Thank you! We’re counting our blessings this Thanksgiving, and you’re one of them! Love, [Business Name]! Wishing you a harvest of blessings this Thanksgiving! Thank you for being with [Business Name]! Offer a Longer, Heartfelt Message Longer messages are perfect for businesses that have small teams or work closely with clients. It gives you the opportunity to share a few different sentiments and really drive your point home. It also allows you to personalize the messaging a bit. You can use these examples as a starting point and then add some more personal details to make your message stand out for clients or team members. Share these messages in a blog post, email newsletter or even a handwritten letter. You could also create a video of you speaking the message directly to customers. Examples Happy Thanksgiving from [Business Name]! This time of year, we reflect on all that we are grateful for. Our loyal customers make our journey worthwhile, and we are truly thankful for your support. May your Thanksgiving be filled with love, laughter, and delicious food! Enjoy this special day with your loved ones. Gratitude in Every Bite at [Business Name]! This Thanksgiving, we’re reminded of the importance of community. Thank you for choosing us and for allowing us to be part of your celebrations. We hope your holiday table is filled with joy and amazing dishes. Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family! Thanksgiving Wishes from [Business Name]! As we gather around the table this season, we want to express our heartfelt appreciation for your continued support. We couldn’t have come this far without you! Wishing you a Thanksgiving filled with warmth, cherished moments, and great food! Celebrating Gratitude at [Business Name]! Thanksgiving is a time for reflection, and we want to take a moment to thank our incredible customers. Your support has been the foundation of our success. We hope your holiday is filled with joy, laughter, and unforgettable memories with family and friends! Thankful for You at [Business Name]! This Thanksgiving, we want to acknowledge the amazing community that surrounds us. We are so grateful for each of you and for the trust you place in us. May your Thanksgiving be overflowing with love, gratitude, and delicious food shared with those you cherish! A Grateful Heart at [Business Name]! This Thanksgiving, we reflect on the blessings of the past year. Our customers inspire us every day, and we are thankful for your support. We wish you a wonderful Thanksgiving filled with happiness, delicious meals, and joyful gatherings with family and friends! Happy Thanksgiving from Your Friends at [Business Name]! We are so thankful for your continued support and loyalty. This holiday season, may you find joy in every moment spent with loved ones. Wishing you a Thanksgiving full of warmth, happiness, and delicious treats! Gratitude and Thanks from [Business Name]! As we celebrate Thanksgiving, we are reminded of the community that has helped us grow. Your support means everything to us! We hope your holiday is filled with joy, laughter, and wonderful food shared with family and friends. Happy Thanksgiving! Wishing You a Joyous Thanksgiving from [Business Name]! This time of year brings a chance to reflect on what we are thankful for. We are grateful for our wonderful customers who inspire us daily. May your Thanksgiving be filled with love, laughter, and memorable moments with those you cherish! Thanksgiving Reflections from [Business Name]! As we gather with loved ones this Thanksgiving, we want to express our gratitude to you, our valued customers. Your support has made a significant impact on our journey, and we couldn’t be more thankful. Wishing you a warm and joyful holiday filled with good food and great company! Grateful for Our Community at [Business Name]! This Thanksgiving, we want to take a moment to say thank you. Your support has been invaluable to us, and we are proud to serve such an amazing community. May your holiday be filled with love, laughter, and delicious food shared with family and friends! Happy Thanksgiving from All of Us at [Business Name]! We are so thankful for each and every one of you. This holiday season, may you find joy in every moment spent with loved ones. We hope your Thanksgiving is filled with happiness, laughter, and unforgettable memories! Celebrating Gratitude at [Business Name]! Thanksgiving is a time to reflect on all the blessings we’ve received. We are incredibly grateful for our loyal customers and the community that supports us. May your holiday be filled with joy, delicious food, and cherished moments with family! Thankful for You! A Thanksgiving Message from [Business Name]! As we celebrate Thanksgiving, we are reminded of the wonderful community that surrounds us. Your support has been a blessing, and we are truly grateful. Wishing you a Thanksgiving filled with love, laughter, and great food! A Heartfelt Thank You from [Business Name]! This Thanksgiving, we want to express our gratitude for your continued support. We appreciate your trust in us and hope your holiday is filled with joy, laughter, and delicious meals shared with loved ones. Happy Thanksgiving! Warm Wishes from [Business Name] This Thanksgiving! As we reflect on the past year, we are thankful for the community we serve. Your support has made our journey possible, and we are deeply grateful. Wishing you a Thanksgiving full of warmth, happiness, and memorable moments! Gratitude and Thanksgiving from [Business Name]! This season, we celebrate the amazing customers who make our business thrive. Thank you for being part of our journey! May your Thanksgiving be filled with love, laughter, and delicious food shared with those you hold dear! Happy Thanksgiving from Your Friends at [Business Name]! We are grateful for your continued support and loyalty. This holiday season, may you find joy in every moment spent with loved ones. Wishing you a Thanksgiving full of warmth, happiness, and delicious treats! A Grateful Heart at [Business Name]! As we celebrate Thanksgiving, we are thankful for each of you. Your support means everything to us, and we wish you a wonderful holiday filled with happiness, good food, and joyful gatherings! Thanksgiving Reflections from [Business Name]! This Thanksgiving, we want to express our gratitude to you, our valued customers. Your support has made a significant impact on our journey, and we couldn’t be more thankful. Wishing you a warm and joyful holiday filled with good food and great company! Thankful for Our Community at [Business Name]! This Thanksgiving, we want to take a moment to say thank you. Your support has been invaluable to us, and we are proud to serve such an amazing community. May your holiday be filled with love, laughter, and delicious food shared with family and friends! Happy Thanksgiving from All of Us at [Business Name]! We are so thankful for each and every one of you. This holiday season, may you find joy in every moment spent with loved ones. We hope your Thanksgiving is filled with happiness, laughter, and unforgettable memories! Celebrating Gratitude at [Business Name]! Thanksgiving is a time to reflect on all the blessings we’ve received. We are incredibly grateful for our loyal customers and the community that supports us. May your holiday be filled with joy, delicious food, and cherished moments with family! Thankful for You! A Thanksgiving Message from [Business Name]! As we celebrate Thanksgiving, we are reminded of the wonderful community that surrounds us. Your support has been a blessing, and we are truly grateful. Wishing you a Thanksgiving filled with love, laughter, and great food! A Heartfelt Thank You from [Business Name]! This Thanksgiving, we want to express our gratitude for your continued support. We appreciate your trust in us and hope your holiday is filled with joy, laughter, and delicious meals shared with loved ones. Happy Thanksgiving! Wish Everyone a Happy Holiday Sometimes, a simple “Happy Thanksgiving” goes a long way. You might consider adding this type of greeting to a festive image or at the end of a video. You can share this type of post on social media or even turn it into an actual card. It could also make for a perfect visual for blog posts or email newsletters that feature longer messages as well. You could also share text-only messages on Twitter or other short-form platforms. Examples Happy Thanksgiving from [Business Name]! We’re thankful for YOU! Have a wonderful Thanksgiving! Gratitude and good vibes from [Business Name]! Wishing you a joyful Thanksgiving! Thank you for supporting [Business Name]! Happy Thanksgiving! Cheers to a bountiful Thanksgiving! Thankful for our amazing customers! Happy Thanksgiving! Wishing you love and laughter this Thanksgiving! Grateful hearts at [Business Name]! Have a fantastic Thanksgiving! Happy Thanksgiving! Enjoy the holiday with loved ones! We appreciate you! Wishing you a wonderful Thanksgiving! Sending Thanksgiving blessings your way! Thank you for being part of the [Business Name] family! May your Thanksgiving be filled with joy! Wishing you a harvest of happiness this Thanksgiving! Grateful for your support! Happy Thanksgiving from [Business Name]! Cheers to family, friends, and great food! Happy Thanksgiving! Thanksgiving is better with you! Have a lovely holiday! We’re thankful for you! Enjoy your Thanksgiving feast! Happy Thanksgiving! May your day be filled with love! Wishing you a day of gratitude and joy! Thankful for your support at [Business Name]! Happy Thanksgiving! Here’s to a festive and joyful Thanksgiving! Wishing you all the best this Thanksgiving! Happy Thanksgiving! Enjoy every moment! Thanksgiving Messages to Employees As a small business owner, you are surely thankful for the hard work and dedication of your employees. They may already know this but on Thanksgiving, it’s great to remind them and let them know you’re thinking of them, too. Here are some great examples and inspirations for messages you, as a small business owner, can send to your employees on Thanksgiving: Happy Thanksgiving! I’m grateful to have you on our team at [Business Name]! Wishing you a joyful Thanksgiving filled with love and laughter! Thank you for all your hard work! This Thanksgiving, I want you to know how much I appreciate you! Enjoy the holiday! Happy Thanksgiving to a fantastic team member! Your dedication makes [Business Name] shine! Grateful for your hard work and commitment! Have a wonderful Thanksgiving! Wishing you a bountiful Thanksgiving! Thank you for being such an important part of [Business Name]! Happy Thanksgiving! I appreciate everything you do for our team! Enjoy the holiday! Thank you for your hard work and dedication! Wishing you a happy Thanksgiving! Wishing you a Thanksgiving full of blessings and joy! You make [Business Name] a better place! Happy Thanksgiving! I’m thankful for your contributions to our team! Enjoy the festivities! Gratitude fills the air this Thanksgiving! Thank you for being a valuable part of [Business Name]! Wishing you a day of relaxation and joy! Happy Thanksgiving! Happy Thanksgiving to an amazing employee! Your hard work doesn’t go unnoticed! I appreciate your efforts and dedication! Have a wonderful Thanksgiving with loved ones! Wishing you a joyful Thanksgiving! Thank you for all you do at [Business Name]! Happy Thanksgiving! May your holiday be filled with happiness and good food! Grateful for your teamwork and spirit! Have a fantastic Thanksgiving! Thank you for being such a crucial part of [Business Name]! Wishing you a happy Thanksgiving! Happy Thanksgiving! Your hard work and dedication are truly appreciated! Wishing you a wonderful Thanksgiving filled with love and laughter! Enjoy your time off! Grateful for your contributions! Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family! Thank you for your hard work and commitment! Enjoy a well-deserved Thanksgiving break! Wishing you a day full of happiness and gratitude! Happy Thanksgiving! Happy Thanksgiving! I appreciate everything you do for our team! Thank you for your dedication and hard work! Have a joyful Thanksgiving! Thanksgiving Messages from Employees to a Boss Need to let your boss know you’re thankful on this holiday? We’ve got you covered, too. Try out some of these Thanksgiving messages or let them inspire you to write your own: Happy Thanksgiving! I’m grateful for your leadership and support! Wishing you a joyful Thanksgiving filled with love and laughter! Thank you for being such a great boss! Happy Thanksgiving! I appreciate everything you do for our team! Thank you for your guidance and support! Wishing you a wonderful Thanksgiving! Grateful to work under your leadership! Have a fantastic Thanksgiving! Wishing you a Thanksgiving full of happiness and good food! Thank you for your mentorship! Happy Thanksgiving! I appreciate your hard work and dedication to our team! Thank you for being an inspiring leader! Enjoy a well-deserved Thanksgiving break! Wishing you a day of relaxation and joy! Thank you for your support! Happy Thanksgiving! I’m thankful to have such a supportive boss! Grateful for your leadership and encouragement! Enjoy your holiday! Wishing you a Thanksgiving filled with warmth and happiness! Thank you for all you do! Thank you for being an amazing boss! Have a joyful Thanksgiving! Happy Thanksgiving! I appreciate your hard work and dedication to our success! Wishing you a bountiful Thanksgiving! Thank you for your mentorship! Thank you for your guidance and support! Enjoy a wonderful Thanksgiving! Happy Thanksgiving! Grateful to work under such a great leader! Wishing you a Thanksgiving full of blessings and joy! Thank you for your encouragement! Thank you for being an incredible boss! Have a fabulous Thanksgiving! Wishing you a day of gratitude and relaxation! Happy Thanksgiving! Happy Thanksgiving! Your leadership makes a difference every day! Grateful for your support and encouragement! Enjoy the holiday! Wishing you a joyful Thanksgiving filled with love! Thank you for everything! Happy Thanksgiving! Your guidance is truly appreciated! Thank you for your hard work and dedication! Have a wonderful Thanksgiving! The Power of Gratitude in Business Thanksgiving is not just a time to enjoy a hearty meal and spend quality time with loved ones; it also holds significant value in the business world. Embracing the spirit of gratitude can have a profound impact on a business’s success and overall well-being. Here’s why incorporating gratitude into business practices is essential: Building Stronger Relationships: Expressing genuine thanks to customers, clients, and team members fosters a sense of connection and appreciation. It strengthens the bond between the business and its stakeholders, leading to increased loyalty and trust. Enhancing Company Culture: Cultivating a culture of gratitude within the organization encourages team members to feel valued and recognized for their contributions. This, in turn, boosts employee morale and engagement, leading to higher productivity and job satisfaction. Generating Positive Word-of-Mouth: Happy and appreciated customers are more likely to share positive experiences with others, leading to valuable word-of-mouth referrals. Satisfied employees may also speak positively about the company, attracting top talent. Creating a Positive Reputation: Businesses that prioritize gratitude and appreciation tend to be perceived positively by their customers, employees, and partners. This positive reputation can lead to increased brand loyalty and goodwill. Strengthening Business Resilience: In times of challenges or crises, businesses with a culture of gratitude often rally together and support one another. A strong sense of unity can help the business navigate through difficult times more effectively. Enhancing Customer Experience: When customers feel valued and appreciated, they are more likely to return and continue doing business with the company. This can lead to long-term customer relationships and increased customer lifetime value. Inspiring Innovation and Creativity: A culture of gratitude encourages open communication and a willingness to listen to different perspectives. This environment can spark innovation and creativity as team members feel comfortable sharing their ideas. Fostering a Positive Work Environment: Grateful leaders and managers create a positive work environment where team members feel motivated and valued. This positivity can lead to reduced workplace stress and improved well-being. Empowering Leadership: Leaders who express gratitude and appreciation earn the respect and loyalty of their team members. This respect strengthens their ability to lead effectively and inspire others. Encouraging Continuous Improvement: Expressing gratitude to team members for their efforts and achievements encourages a growth mindset. Team members are more likely to embrace challenges and seek opportunities for improvement. By incorporating gratitude into the fabric of their business, small business owners can create a thriving and harmonious environment that benefits all stakeholders. This Thanksgiving, let us celebrate the power of gratitude and make it a year-round practice to foster a positive and impactful business journey. Benefits of Gratitude in BusinessDescription Building Stronger RelationshipsExpressing genuine thanks to customers, clients, and team members fosters a sense of connection and appreciation. Enhancing Company CultureCultivating a culture of gratitude encourages team members to feel valued and recognized, leading to higher morale and engagement. Generating Positive Word-of-MouthHappy customers are more likely to share positive experiences, leading to valuable word-of-mouth referrals and positive reputation. Creating a Positive ReputationPrioritizing gratitude is perceived positively by customers, employees, and partners, fostering brand loyalty and goodwill. Strengthening Business ResilienceA culture of gratitude fosters unity, helping businesses navigate challenges and crises with support from a cohesive team. Enhancing Customer ExperienceCustomer appreciation leads to increased loyalty, resulting in long-term customer relationships and higher customer lifetime value. Inspiring Innovation and CreativityGratitude encourages open communication and idea-sharing, sparking innovation and creativity among team members. Fostering a Positive Work EnvironmentGrateful leaders create a motivating work environment, reducing stress and promoting overall well-being among team members. Empowering LeadershipLeaders who express gratitude earn respect and loyalty, empowering them to lead effectively and inspire their teams. Encouraging Continuous ImprovementAcknowledging efforts and achievements fosters a growth mindset, encouraging team members to embrace challenges and seek improvement. Conclusion: Embrace the Spirit of Thanksgiving As Thanksgiving approaches, small business owners have a wonderful opportunity to express gratitude and appreciation to those who have made a significant impact on their journey throughout the year. Thanksgiving messages for businesses offer a chance to foster a deeper connection with clients, customers, team members, partners, and everyone else who contributed to the success and growth of the business. A simple “thank you” goes a long way in conveying genuine appreciation to customers and clients. Acknowledging their patronage and support in a quick social media post, an email, or a photo or video post can create a heartwarming bond and strengthen the relationship between the business and its valued stakeholders. These expressions of gratitude remind customers that they are an essential part of the business’s success story. For businesses with close-knit teams or clients, heartfelt and longer messages allow for a more personal touch. Adding specific details and sentiments can make these messages stand out, reinforcing the warmth and sincerity behind the expression of thanks. Whether shared through a blog post, email newsletter, handwritten letter, or personalized video, these messages create a sense of belonging and appreciation for the recipients. Additionally, a simple “Happy Thanksgiving” greeting can be a warm and festive gesture. Adding it to a visual image or video enhances the impact of the message, making it shareable across various platforms. This type of greeting, combined with longer messages, fosters an environment of joy, love, and gratitude during the holiday season. In conclusion, Thanksgiving is a time for businesses to embrace the spirit of giving thanks and spreading gratitude. Taking the opportunity to express appreciation through thoughtful messages brings immeasurable benefits, from strengthening customer loyalty to uplifting team morale. By sharing gratitude, small business owners can create a sense of togetherness and foster meaningful connections with those who have contributed to their journey. Let the true essence of Thanksgiving shine through these messages, making this holiday season a time of joy, reflection, and heartfelt appreciation for all. Photo via Shutterstock This article, "Fantastic Thanksgiving Messages for Businesses" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Your house is supposed to be your refuge from the weather, a place where you can feel comfortable no matter how frigid it gets outside. But with rising utility costs, keeping your house warm can be more of a challenge than it used to be—and even if you’re proactive about defending against the cold, your home can still take a wintry beating. Now’s the time to take action. Home maintenance products designed to defend your home against freezing temperatures, blowing snow, and freezing damage will not only make your home more comfortable, but also hardened against winter damage. The basicsThere are a few simple purchases you shouldn't skip this year—even if the Farmer's Almanac is predicting a moderate season. Space heaters. No matter how much effort you put into it, your house (or specific areas of it) may still be chillier than you want. A solid space heater or two will serve you well. Caulk. Re-caulking windows and doors will help keep out drafts and protect your home from water and ice damage. You can even use a caulk with a built-in trigger so you don’t need a caulking gun. Weather stripping. Some foam weather stripping tape around windows and doors can go a long way toward blocking drafts. You could also apply some classic plastic window insulation kits to particularly drafty spots. Draft blockers. Placing a few draft blockers under doors can help keep cold air out and warm air in. Under Door Draft Stopper and Blocker $46.90 at Amazon Learn More Learn More $46.90 at Amazon Power snow shovelIf you live in an area where it snows, you know you’ve got some shoveling in your future. In this day and age, however, doing that shoveling manually is just a way to destroy your back and ruin your day. A cordless power shovel will make clearing those steps, sidewalks, and driveways a lot easier, and get you inside for cocoa a lot faster. Thermal curtainsIf you’ve taken the basic steps to stop drafts from coming into the house but you’re still feeling the chill near your windows, thermal curtains will add a layer of insulation to hold back that cold air. Bonus: They’ll do similar work in the summer, helping your home to stay cool. NICETOWN Bedroom Blackout Draperies Panels, Three Pass Microfiber Noise Reducing Thermal Insulated Solid Ring Top Window Curtains (Two Panels, 42 x 72 Inch, Gray) $21.63 at Amazon $25.45 Save $3.82 Learn More Learn More $21.63 at Amazon $25.45 Save $3.82 Pipe temperature monitorsFrozen pipes are a nightmare. Leaving a strategically chosen faucet to drip during cold snaps can help prevent your pipes from bursting, but it won’t actually stop them from freezing. You need two things: Pipe insulation tape (or foam covers, though the tape is more flexible and easier to adapt), and pipe temperature monitors like this one, or this one. The insulation can help keep your pipes warm, and the monitors will give you some warning if things are headed toward a freezing disaster. If you want to be really proactive about frozen pipes, you could also invest in pipe heat cables, which will keep your pipes at a steady temperature and make freezing pretty much impossible as long as you have power. Garage door insulation kitYour garage door is just slightly better than having a huge, garage-sized open space on your house. If you want to have a warmer home overall, sealing up that drafty garage door with an insulation kit is a good start. It’s relatively easy to apply, and will make a difference in terms of drafts and heat transfer without compromising your door’s operation. Bonus: It also works to reduce sound transfer, making your garage a little quieter. Reach Barrier 3009 Garage Door Kit Adhesive Pads Included, 8 Bubble Insulation Panels, Silver $82.00 at Walmart $69.95 Save 0.00 Learn More Learn More $82.00 at Walmart $69.95 Save 0.00 Roof heat cables and rakesYour roof is (hopefully) built to handle snow loads, but that doesn’t mean having several feet of heavy snow sitting on it for weeks or months is a good idea. You can shovel your roof if you’re careful, but a good roof rake is a safer and easier option. You can also invest in some roof heat cables—these can prevent ice dams, which occur when your home’s interior heat melts roof snow, which then re-freezes at the edges, causing leaks and expensive damage. Faucet coversAll the pipe insulation in the world won’t help if you have exterior spigots or faucets on your house. These fixtures can freeze, too, and cause damage to both the exterior and interior of your home. To prevent that, pick up a few inexpensive faucet covers and pop them on every exterior fixture you have. View the full article

Monday, November 3, saw nearly 5,000 flights delayed in the U.S. The weekend prior saw more than 10,000. Cancellations are stacking up as well. As the length of this most recent government shutdown sets new records, those headaches at the airport aren’t expected to ease. They are, in fact, likely to get worse. And while that’s scary news for anyone who might be planning to head home for Thanksgiving, there’s a chance it could be what gets the government back to work. Republicans and Democrats are still at odds, and neither is showing any sign of backing down. Even the brief cessation of SNAP benefits (and the lawsuits that followed) hasn’t brought about a détente. But airlines are key to the financial health of the country—and air traffic controllers have been the key factor in ending a shutdown in the past. Major airlines are already applying pressure. Delta, United, American, and Southwest have all called on Congress to pass a stopgap funding bill that would allow the government to reopen, citing risks to aviation safety. The airline industry lobby typically carries significant weight in Washington, as it represents 10 million jobs. It’s also a critical part of the tourism and cargo transport industries, in addition to general business. Last year, companies spent $1.47 trillion on business travel worldwide. The delays and cancellations have been increasing for the past few weeks, as staffing shortages become more common. Air traffic controllers have been working without pay for over a month, and as a result, some have begun to call in sick. That’s reminiscent of the government shutdown of 2019. And it was those shortages that were largely credited for breaking the logjam in Congress. On January 25, 2019, the 35th day of that shutdown, 10 air traffic controllers—six from northern Virginia and four from Florida—stayed home. That wasn’t a huge number in the grand scheme of things, but with just those 10 absences, delays stacked up at several hubs and shut down travel temporarily at LaGuardia Airport in New York. The shutdown was settled before the end of the day. The National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA) has said it does not “endorse, support or condone” any coordinated activity by members that would impact the capacity and safety of air traffic control systems (i.e., no organized sick-outs), but it has urged the government to end the shutdown and pay its workers as soon as possible to ensure the skies are safe. “For this nation’s air traffic controllers, missing just one paycheck can be a significant hardship, as it is for all working Americans. Asking them to go without a full month’s pay or more is simply not sustainable,” said NATCA president Nick Daniels in a statement. “These professionals are required to oversee the movement of the nation’s passengers and cargo while many are working 10-hour days and six-day workweeks due to the ongoing staffing shortage, all without pay. This situation creates substantial distractions for individuals who are already engaged in extremely stressful work.” This comes on top of an existing shortage of air traffic control workers. There is, of course, no guarantee that delays and cancellations will force Democrats and Republicans to reopen the government this time around. Both sides are playing an ongoing game of chicken, which reached new heights Tuesday when U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said that “some” airspaces in the U.S. might need to be closed if the shutdown continues. He also warned that should air traffic controllers miss another full paycheck, it would result in “mass flight delays and mass cancellations” around the country. That came a day after he told CNBC that if he thought travel was to become too risky in his department’s opinion, he would “shut the whole airspace down. We won’t let people travel.” The last time that occurred was following the September 11 terror attacks in 2001. View the full article

Last month we talked about “other duties as assigned” — things you’ve been asked to do at work that were wildly outside of your job description. Here are 15 of my favorite stories that you shared. 1. The handmade crafts I had a manager whose in-laws held a handmade-only Christmas exchange every year. They were all crafty and she was decidedly not, and they made some intimidatingly great things — the one memorable example she cited was that someone hand-carved a chess set for the exchange. She made us figure out her craft and do her craft for her a team event every year. The one year I participated, we made a decent felt-flower wreath for her mother in law. It was fun, but in hindsight, wildly inappropriate. 2. The wake-up service When our organization hosted a fancy pants conference, my psychotic ex-boss, Robin*, announced that she needed an intern to wake her up every day. I’m not kidding. She wanted to give one of us an extra key to her suite to wake her up in the morning at whatever time she stated the night before. An alarm clock wasn’t good enough. Robin wanted a human being to wake her with her fresh coffee order. (She was also obsessed with the British royal family so I wonder if that’s where she got the idea.) And, yes, she put it under “other duties as assigned.” I have no idea if anyone ever fulfilled her stupid request; all I know is it wasn’t me! *Name not changed out of complete, sheer disrespect. 3. The weed I was a day shift bartender, and my boss had a side business as a drug dealer. One morning I showed up to start my opening duties and there were massive amounts of weed hung up to dry all throughout the bar, clipped to strings like laundry drying in the sun. My boss hadn’t even left a note or anything asking me to take it down, and he wasn’t responding to my carefully worded texts asking that he help me or at least come pick it up. This bar only had dim lighting, there were no bright overhead lights that I could turn on, so I had to run around in the dark looking for all the strings and collecting the weed in empty liquor bottle boxes while I was also stressing about getting more and more behind on all the usual things I needed to do before opening the bar. Even after I opened, I found some more that I had missed, and all day I was panicked that maybe this would be one of those days that the bar got chosen for a random inspection. 4. The missing knife I had a summer job creating a database for the local university’s research farm. One morning my supervisor asked me if I had ever used a metal detector before. He’d dropped a 12-inch knife somewhere in a corn field, and it was cheaper to have me find it than puncture a tractor tire! I was given a metal detector and walked around for about 20 minutes before I found it. 5. The underwear order First job out of college, I worked for a 90-year-old man in his third career. He was not at all senile, very fit, had all his faculties. Honestly, a very impressive human. He did, however, often call me his secretary and sometimes made comments that were a bit outdated. I brushed them off, it was annoying but didn’t offend me. What I could not brush off is when he walked into the office one morning with a clothing catalogue, dropped it in front of me with a page open to men’s underwear, and told me to order him three value-packs. I was an office manager in a graduate program and he was the program chair. 6. The returned belt This didn’t happen to me, but to my coworker and close friend. Our boss went on a date and had the guy back to her house for the evening. She discovered the next morning that he’d left his belt behind. She told my coworker to take the belt and return it to him at his office at the state capitol, where he worked as a state representative. That workplace was wild. 7. The artwork I worked in fundraising for a nonprofit that cared for youth who were removed from their homes, as well as families in foster care or in need of parenting support, etc. Our donors loved receiving “gifts from the kids” but (1) the kids are in school all day and they’re not a craft factory and (2) most of our kids were tweens or teens and were uninterested in creating dorky “art” for rich people. So my boss’s solution was for ME to make the kid art, including writing messages like “thank you for caring for us” written with my non-dominant hand to look like they were done by kids. I’m still embarrassed that I went along with it, but I was very young and nervous about losing my job. 8. The lost ear I was a young woman – early 20s – and lived in a small country town that had an old pub with an attached store and petrol pump. On Sundays, all the city folk would come out for a drive and the owner did an outdoor BBQ lunch. I worked as a waitress and drinks server. A group of bikies asked, quite politely, if they could use the BBQ after lunch was over, but the boss said no. Well, this did not go down well. Drinks were drunk, tempers flared, and it ended in a big fight during which one of the bikies literally bit off the owner’s ear. They retreated inside and I was sent out to look for the missing ear. Which I did, crawling on my hands and knees with beer cans flying over me. I found the ear, it was successfully reattached, and that was the end of it. I wasn’t particularly scared at the time, but when I look back! 9. The dandelion weeding Back when I worked in fund raising for a Catholic girls high school, the very expansive front lawn of the school had a LOT of dandelions in it. The president of the school felt that it was my job, as the school’s chief fund raiser, to weed the lawn on a regular basis because the presence of weeds instead of perfectly manicured grass could affect the school’s fund raising goals. I refused. 10. The ticket chase I had to log onto a ticket purchase portal to wait in a virtual line to get BTS tickets on behalf of my manager. She had the whole team of us doing this and was running back and forth with her credit card in hand in hopes of getting the tickets. I reported this to our confidential ombudsperson line. 11. The shake monitor I once had an office-assistant-type job at a wedding and event venue. Turns out, my MOST ESSENTIAL duty, which was not listed in the job description and did not come up in the interviews, was to make the GM’s meal-replacement shake at lunch and then check on him every half hour to see if he finished it, remind him to finish it if he hadn’t yet, then wash the shake container and return it exactly to the correct spot in the cabinet. Other work needed doing? If it was in the afternoon, it wasn’t getting done. His office was at the other end of the building, so I’d have to walk there (leaving early enough to arrive precisely at the 30-minute mark), then wait for him to be free, remind him to drink his shake, then walk back to my desk. And repeat, and repeat, and repeat… 12. The wet shoes In my first job out of college, my boss asked me to dry his shoes, which got wet in the rain. He plunked them down on my desk and said he needed them dry for a meeting in 15 minutes. I’m still not sure what he expected me to do because at a certain point, only time can dry things. The hard -unabsorbent paper towels from the bathroom weren’t going to cut it. I was a receptionist but in no way a personal assistant. 13. The bartender I had to bartend. This was at a makeshift bar set up in a machine shop, at age 14. My actual job was working for my uncle during the summer helping with paperwork/filing. He decided to host an open house celebration to recognize the business receiving a prestigious quality certification so I was pressed into service. I did not know how to bartend. I assumed until corrected (after a few hours) that all mixed drinks were poured half and half. His customers had a fantastic time! 14. The trick-or-treating Not sure if this counts because I created the duty myself. I work in a hospital with a small rehab wing, and it always saddens me when patients are stuck in the hospital during holidays. Especially my favorite one, Halloween. So, with the approval of the unit manager, I made signs and plastered them around the hospital for employees to bring their costumed kids trick or treating on the rehab unit on Halloween. I provide the candy myself and give it to the patients to give out to the trick or treaters. The patients adore this and take lots of photos to share with their friends and families. This is the third year now that I’ve done this. 15. The cat attentions We had an office cat named Baconfingers. She belonged to an employee who passed away, so folks had a lot of affection for this her. When I was hired, I was told that if she wanted attention, I was allowed to stop working and give her scritches for up to 15 minutes, and to code that time under office management. Most of the time, Baconfingers roosted on top of a filing cabinet, but occasionally she would just make her rounds around the office, going from desk to desk getting scritches from different people in 15 minute increments. The post the shoe dryer, the wake-up service, and more ridiculous “other duties as assigned” appeared first on Ask a Manager. View the full article

Ambassador Warren Stephens says he is urgently raising the issue because ‘decisions are being made that are irreversible’View the full article

Google's AI Mode has new agentic capabilities for booking event tickets and beauty and wellness appointments, so AI will do most of the work to find and curate the best options based on your inputs. Google first launched agentic capabilities for AI Mode in August: The initial feature could help locate restaurant reservations based on inputs like party size, location, cuisine, and preferred dates and times. For example, you can enter "find me a table for 8 people next Saturday for a birthday dinner ... thinking outdoor rustic garden vibes with live music" and AI Mode will return suggestions with links to book. While they won't actually finalize the reservation for you, Google's AI agents can present you with real-time availability using live web browsing as well as integrations with OpenTable, Resy, Tock, Ticketmaster, StubHub, SeatGeek, and Booksy. Google Flights also has an AI tool called Flight Deals, which can suggest itineraries based on a general search query (or simply your current location) and then connect you to the main Google Flights interface with links for booking. Use AI Mode to book tickets and appointmentsAs with restaurant reservations, AI Mode can conduct searches for tickets to events, such as concerts, as well as wellness appointments like haircuts and massages. Enter parameters like performer name or preferred service and pricing, and the AI agent will return recommendations with instructions on how to finalize your booking. For example, I used queries like "I'd like to get a massage in the next two weeks with someone specializing in sports massage. Prefer availability on Fridays or in the evenings." and "Find me tickets for the upcoming Nate Bargatze show in Utah. Prefer mid-range pricing." AI Mode compiled ticket options broken down by show date and ticket price and provide links to the booking platforms (like StubHub, SeatGeek, and Vivid Seats) with the cheapest tickets for each event. Again, the agent can't actually complete the transaction, but it can get you all the way to that final step. According to Google's Search Labs page, these agentic features are available to U.S. users ages 18 and over who are signed into their personal Google Account. You must have Web & App Activity turned on and enable Agentic capabilites in AI Mode. View the full article

On the same day Shein opened its first store in Paris, the French government said Wednesday it will suspend Shein’s website over its alleged online sale of childlike “sex dolls” online until it complies with French law, according to the Associated Press. Fast Company has reached out to Shein for comment. A spokesperson for the company told Reuters it was working with authorities; and it has banned sex dolls on its site. A French consumer watchdog discovered the dolls and weapons on the site over the weekend, per Reuters. (Under French law, the government can order businesses to remove illegal content from their websites, such as child pornography within 24 hours, and block access to those sites, AP reported.) This is the online Chinese retailer’s first brick-and-mortar store in Paris, which is located on the sixth floor of the iconic BHV department store in the heart of the city. Shein sells heavily discounted, ultra “fast-fashion” and has drawn protests and boycotts from French shop owners and consumers, who decry the environmental impact that comes from making large amounts of cheap products, as well as the working conditions at its factories. Police stood guard outside BHV on Tuesday, and again on Wednesday, bracing for the store’s opening, after several weeks of intermittent strikes, protests and boycotts; including by activists stood topless outside BHV on Monday, while several French fashion brands said they were pulling out, according to CNN. Meanwhile, Disneyland Paris cancelled its holiday window display and pop-up store in BHV Marais, Agence France-Presse reported. “Conditions are no longer exist to calmly hold Christmas events,” Shein told AFP. Shein said it plans to open five other store locations in France in: Dijon, Reims, Grenoble, Angers and Limoges, AFP reported. View the full article

What makes the situation alarming is the government attack on the fair lending enforcement infrastructure, said Lisa Rice of the National Fair Housing Alliance. View the full article

Republican governor says party suffered a ‘butt-whipping’ as voters delivered a rebuke to the president’s agendaView the full article

Google will be removing more search features in the coming months, but it has not disclosed the full list of which features. It appears that Google will do away with some of the currently supported structured data types used for rich results in Google Search, plus some search features. This comes after Google dropped support for several search features back in June, but then Google documented which ones those were. Later, Google confirmed the removal of those structured data types. What Google said. John Mueller, Search Advocate at Google, wrote: “We’re beginning to phase these lesser-used features out. “This update will simplify the page and improve the speed of search results. “This is part of our ongoing work to make sure we’re helping you find what you need as efficiently as possible, and we’ll continue to look for ways to make Search work better for you.” But it does not specifically list which structured data types are being removed. Mueller wrote: “Starting in January 2026, we’ll remove support for the structured data types in Search Console and its API.” More details. A Google spokesperson told me this is not the end of all structured data/rich results. Google will deprecate the practice problems structured data and that Dataset structured data is only used by Dataset Search, and not Google Search. Plus, Google said it undeprecated the book actions as there are still some features using the markup in Google Search. Google also said it will remove the “Today’s Doodle” box, nutrition facts, nearby offers and events, local bikeshare station status, and a TV season selector. This is not the full list of what is being removed, but just some examples of the small, organizational elements of the page that were rarely used and in many instances didn’t have official names, Google told me. Why we care. These changes may require you to remove unsupported code from your webpages. As a result, your site’s click-through rates from Google Search could be affected, and some search features you’re familiar with might no longer appear. Without knowing all the specifics, it’s difficult to predict the exact impact. Hopefully, any effects on your site will be minimal. View the full article

Porte Neue is the typeface of effortless sophistication, and that’s why the ‘Fast Company’ design team chose it for the latest issue View the full article

At my local Blink Fitness—which is now a PureGym—I recently worked in sets with another woman on the assisted pull-up machine. For me, the vibe was utter relief. No one was being rude about sharing equipment, it didn't feel remotely competitive, and there was a safety and solidarity in being the only two women in that quadrant of the gym at that moment. For a brief window, the gym felt like a space for both catharsis and camaraderie. Unfortunately, this moment only made me realize how rare this sort of shared gym culture has become. Truthfully, I don't know if gym culture was ever for me. The stereotype is it's all bros, right? I'm no Joey Swoll, self-described "CEO of gym positivity," one of those influencer types with a manic positivity that's either repellent or inspiring, depending on who you ask. As a casual gym-goer and as a woman, I've always felt the need to strike the perfect balance between exuding confidence and staying somewhat invisible. That's not exactly a recipe for community. So I could say a lot about what this piece is not about. It's not about "being a woman" and dodging sexual harassment. It's not about class studios, either, which have their own worlds and Pilates-based politics. My focus today is on something simpler and broader: the quiet disappearance of gym culture, and what's been lost as solo at-home workouts become increasingly high-tech and accessible. My job has deepened this strange distance. I spend my days testing the latest smart rowing machines, adjustable dumbbells, and stair steppers—equipment so sophisticated and convenient that the question isn't whether you can replicate a gym experience at home, but why you'd bother leaving at all. I've cycled through enough gear to outfit a small fitness studio, each piece promising to deliver professional results without the commute, the membership fees, or the potential for uncomfortable interactions. And it works. The technology is legitimately impressive. But something has been lost in this seamless transition to convenience. I write this now with a bit of a naive, romanticized gaze, wondering what life could've been like for me if I were a big, friendly man in the idealized gym culture of yore. From this vantage point, what is this ideal gym culture that I'm even imagining? And is it worth mourning something that may have never truly existed for everyone? The quiet disappearance of shared gym cultureAs smart home fitness tech increases, we're trading community for convenience, and we might not get it back. Echo Wang, a certified yoga teacher and founder of Yoga Kawa, says, "the gym used to be a social anchor. People went not just to work out, but to belong." Now that home fitness equipment has made working out at home simple, that gym atmosphere is fading. Wang says that watching someone push themselves hard beside you provided extra motivation—it was infectious. Those conversations between sets kept people engaged, while exercising alone at home makes it simpler to skip workouts and lose momentum. Even those who still attend gyms exist in isolated worlds, noise-canceling headphones blocking out the sounds of clanking weights and ambient energy that once made gyms feel alive. Eye contact has disappeared, small talk has vanished—only repetitions and personal playlists remain. "Convenience gets you going," Wang says, "but being part of something keeps you coming back." Dr. Jesse Shaw, associate professor of sports medicine at University of Western States, says he built his training philosophy around competitive energy. From his military days through his current work in collegiate athletics, he's pursued being the biggest and fastest person in the gym—and when he wasn't, that drove him to train harder. He sees how home technology can fill this gap, pointing to how Peloton created a community and culture around their equipment that mimics this motivational aspect. But Shaw has also witnessed troubling changes. He's observed an unfortunate shift for dedicated gym-goers who want to focus on serious training without being filmed or waiting for someone to complete their "workout" content creation. As I recently covered, posting workouts online has become less about documenting personal progress and more about performing fitness for an audience—a shift that fundamentally changes the gym environment itself. The era of classic "meat heads"—big, burly people moving serious weight—has largely disappeared. Shaw also notes the changing group dynamics: During his military service, he was comfortable training alone and would simply ask someone nearby for a spot when needed. Now, he sees most people arrive in groups and tend to avoid lifting heavy weight efficiently. Shaw believes the at-home workout convenience that emerged from social and medical necessity remains a valuable exercise option. However, he's witnessed numerous gym closures due to weak attendance and poor recovery of membership numbers. Technology has altered both the pace and focus of current gym-goers, creating a need to document and share workouts online to feel a sense of accomplishment. Some home technologies, like Peloton, depend heavily on social features, building a culture and shared drive to improve and compete on leaderboards. The type of gym you go to mattersCost and type play a huge role in gym dynamics. My colleague Lindsey Ellefson shared how when she taught spin at the NYU community gym, which is free for students, she found the environment to be talkative, friendly, and wildly collegiate. But where she works now, a "luxury gym," feels much more insular and everyone is kind of closed off. In the same vein, I spoke with a friend who has a gym in his apartment building, who told me how interacting with people you know are your neighbors can feel safer and easier compared to walking up to total strangers at a bigger establishment. For Kris Herbert, founder and owner of The Gym Venice, the cultural deterioration goes deeper. He's particularly concerned about low-cost, high-volume "value" gyms, where minimal financial and personal investment leads to vanishing individual responsibility. This lack of ownership creates spaces that are frequently dirty, disorganized, and dangerous. These gyms are places people use, rather than belong to. Herbert has tracked a clear cultural transformation: People once trained together, spotted each other, and conversed between sets—now most members train in isolation, earbuds inserted, eyes averted. There was a time when entering the gym felt like walking into "Cheers," where everyone knew your name. That community feeling has been largely replaced by convenience. Part of this shift stems from accessibility: Today, you can find answers to virtually any training question online without human interaction. While access to credible information can accelerate progress, it can't replicate the accountability, camaraderie, and shared energy of training with others. Herbert emphasizes that the social dimension of training is one of the most undervalued performance enhancers available. When you work out alongside others who notice your effort, encourage your development, and hold you accountable, you naturally push harder, maintain better consistency, and enjoy the experience more. That sense of belonging fuels not only better gym results but also enhanced mood, confidence, and overall mental health. How we can rebuild gym cultureTo rebuild this culture, Herbert suggests starting small. Introduce yourself to regulars, offer to spot someone, ask a question, acknowledge someone's consistency. These simple interactions remind us that fitness encompasses social, emotional, and deeply human elements beyond the physical. The gym should be somewhere people not only grow stronger but also belong. Smart fitness technology has made training more accessible—you can follow programs, track metrics, and receive feedback from your living room. But while this convenience eliminates friction, it also eliminates connection. The human elements of training—the cues, corrections, and shared energy—truly drive long-term progress and fulfillment. Smart technology might make working out easier, but it will never replace the power of human connection. I still test equipment at home. I still appreciate the convenience of rolling out of bed and onto a rowing machine without navigating complicated social dynamics or waiting for equipment. But I've started going back to the gym twice a week, trying to figure out what this whole gym culture thing could mean for someone like me. Maybe that ideal gym culture I'm imagining—the one where people belonged, where community thrived—was always more accessible to some than others. Maybe it was never perfect. But hey, even an imperfect community beats isolation. And maybe, if we're intentional about it, we can build something better than what came before—one shared set on the assisted pull-up machine at a time. View the full article

Across the country, Americans have seen their electricity bills spike this year. Energy prices have been rising faster than inflation, and are expected to just keep rising. In two states in particular, this issue became a core tenant of the Democratic candidates’ governors races. Mikie Sherrill in New Jersey and Abigail Spanberger in Virginia both ran in part on a promise to keep electricity costs down—and both won big on election night. “Voters in New Jersey and Virginia chose leaders ready to take on soaring energy costs and the powerful interests driving them higher,” Evergreen Action executive director Lena Moffitt said in a statement. “Governors-elect Mikie Sherrill and Abigail Spanberger earned voters’ trust with common-sense plans to lower costs by fixing [electricity grid operator] PJM’s broken system and expanding cheap, homegrown, faster-to-build clean energy,” she added. “In elections defined by the skyrocketing cost of living, voters made clear they want leaders who will actually do something about it.” How New Jersey’s new governor will tackle electricity prices Rising electricity rates have hit New Jersey particularly hard. Residents there saw prices spike about 21% over this past year. Sherrill, who won New Jersey with just over 56% of votes, pledged to declare a “state of emergency on utility costs” on her first day in office. She has also promised to freeze residents’ utility rates, build more “cheaper and cleaner power,” and push utility companies to be more transparent. Sherrill’s state of emergency could be seen as a counter to the states of emergency that President The President declared at the beginning of his second term. The President’s move to declare a national energy emergency cited a need to boost oil and gas production, even though increased drilling doesn’t necessarily translate to lower gas prices for consumers, and renewable power is the cheapest form of new energy to build. The President also promised to slash electricity bills for Americans during his run for the presidency, but so far into his term, energy price are up, and expected to keep climbing. Experts have blamed his actions like inhibiting renewables, canceling federal energy assistance, and enacting tariffs on energy imports. For New Jersey, the governor declaring a state of emergency is a signal of her priorities. “It’s put everyone on notice that I am no longer going to allow the can to be kicked down the road,” she said on WNYC Thursday morning. “It gives everyone a sense of urgency that this has got to be tackled, and it’s got to be tackled now.” That pledge has already resulted in utility companies saying they’ll come to the table to negotiate, and spurred discussions among workers about programs that could help the electricity grid, she added. Sherrill also campaigned on developing plans for new nuclear capacity in New Jersey. How Virginia’s new governor will tackle electricity prices Virginia is home to the biggest data center market in the world, with more than 600 clustered around Washington, D.C., and Richmond. And though the state’s electricity prices haven’t risen as steeply as New Jersey’s, they’ve still risen about 6.7% over the last year. As even more data centers are proposed and built, experts say energy prices are likely to increase to meet growing energy demands. Dominion Energy, the biggest electric utility in the state, is also looking to build more natural gas units to support those data centers. That raises environmental concerns, and also price concerns. Natural gas is getting more expensive because the U.S. is exporting more and more of it to other countries. Spanberger, who won Virginia with just over 57% of the votes, made an “Affordable Virginia Plan” a core part of her campaign. Along with housing and healthcare, the plan specifically calls out energy bills as an area she’ll focus on. To do so, she says she’ll expand and support Virginia’s local electricity generation—including its “nation-leading offshore wind development.” She plans to incentivize more solar energy projects on rooftops, parking lots, former industrial sites, abandoned mines, schools, and public buildings, supported by battery storage. She’ll also encourage the development of nuclear, geothermal, fusion, and hydrogen. Spanberger has called out data centers specifically as well, saying she’ll make sure they pay “their own way and their fair share” of their new electricity and transmission needs. It’s not yet clear how exactly she’ll do that, and Dominion contests the idea that data centers are being subsidized by consumers; instead, the utility has blamed inflation for rising costs. But Dominion is also currently seeking to raise rates even more to increase its profit margins. Depending on how that case pans out, Spanberger said during a debate that “it may require action within the General Assembly to ensure that large utility users like data centers are paying their fair share for the energy that they consume.” View the full article

I’ve been writing professionally since 2002, and in that time, I’ve experimented with lots of different strategies to keep myself on track. (I’ve been a columnist at Fortune and Fast Company, and am now a contributing writer for The New York Times Opinion Section, in addition to cohosting Slate’s Money podcast, and I’ve been an editor, reporter, and opinion writer for a number of other places.) I also have, shall we say, a fragmented attention span, and my therapist likes to routinely bring up how many women my age have undiagnosed ADHD, which I now take as a not-so-subtle hint. So I need systems and routines maybe a bit more than the average person, and it has taken me a while to find the right ones. But I stumbled upon my biggest problem with developing a consistent writing practice by accident when I added a couple of components that focused not on the writing itself, but on idea generation and development. Like most professional writers, I take notes and carry a notebook everywhere, and my journalistic background has primed me to capture details and thoughts even when I’m not on the clock. That said, there was not much consistency to it for a long time, and I didn’t have a process for taking those notes and thoughts and fashioning them into something that might qualify as a good work product, or if I was being really ambitious, art. The problem was that I was not giving myself enough raw creative material to work with, and would come up short when I needed to get something onto the page. The system I use now is a combination of physical note-taking, collation, and then review and organization once a month. I am fascinated by and have tried the Zettlekasten method, but it’s way too complicated for me. A lightweight solution My version is much more lightweight. My physical note-taking is the same, and I added morning pages right when I get up, which more than anything just allows me to clear my head of to-do list items and anxieties so I can think clearly about other things. The nature of my job(s) also means that I can’t stay out of the news cycle or off social, though consuming less of both would certainly enhance my concentration, so I try to cordon it off in time blocks and get much of my writing done before I get sucked into whatever new chaos is brewing in the outside world. Once a week, I add notes and references that I think I want to keep to a master file similar to Steven Johnson’s “Spark file” and once a month, I set aside an hour or two on a Sunday to review it and break useful pieces into notes for discrete columns or fiction or wherever I think they belong. As a result, I never really have to sit down to a blank page. There’s always something in progress to work on and new ideas in the pipeline. I don’t have to stare at a screen in an increasing state of despair and desperation until something finally emerges from my addled brain. This specific system may not work for everybody, but what I think is generalizable is that it’s hard to keep up a writing practice if you let the well of creativity run dry. It’s important to keep it full, even when you’re not working on anything in particular. I’m teaching a Zoom workshop in December on how to make this process work for you and how to set up a creative practice in general, if you’re interested in learning more about how to do this. (Registration and info are here.) I’m also interested in what other people do to make their creative practice sustainable, so suggestions and tips are welcome! View the full article

Last night, Zohran Mamdani defeated Andrew Cuomo to become the next mayor of New York City. Cue the online crashouts. Leading the pack is Will & Grace star Debra Messing, who is now facing intense backlash for sharing dozens of posts smearing the Democratic candidate on Instagram in the run up to polls closing. Messing took part in early voting last week, sharing in a post that she cast her ballot for Cuomo, who ran as an independent. Before the race was called, Messing took to her Instagram Stories to share an onslaught of anti-Mamdani graphics and videos, many including blatant Islamophobia. She reposted a video of one influencer calling Mamdani “Osama bin Mamdani.” Another featured a ballot on which the options were “A Democrat” and “An Actual Communist Jihadist… A literal Karl Marx-quoting, America-hating jihadist.” Mamdani is not a communist but a democratic socialist. Messing, who is Jewish and an advocate for Israel, also shared one meme saying Jews do not fly planes into buildings, as well as a Truth Social post from President Donald The President saying that any Jewish person who votes for Mamdani is “a stupid person.” Other posts that appeared on Messing’s Story came from conservative outlets such as CPAC, Breitbart, and Newsmax. Her 100 plus Instagram Story crashout did not go unnoticed. “The way my thread ended abruptly because this woman reached her 100 instagram stories a day limit by 1pm eastern,” one X user wrote, citing Instagram’s 100 Storiers per day limit. “She said 431st of all,” another quipped. “I think Zohran has actually broken her brain,” one wrote. “Fascinating albeit kinda scary to watch though.” As Mamdani swept to victory Tuesday night, receiving 50.4% of the vote to become New York City’s new mayor, Messing’s meltdown is unlikely to be soon forgotten. “I will personally make sure that Debra Messing’s Islamophobic crashout on Instagram is written into the history books,” one wrote. Fast Company has reached out to Messing for comment. Messing is not alone in publicly voicing her displeasure with last night’s result, much to the amusement of Mandani voters. “Where the meltdowns at, i need the best rightwing meltdowns to laugh at,” one X user posted. Messing’s crashout is high up in the replies. Actor and comedian Michael Rapapaport also features on the list, with one calling his online reaction “the greatest crash out in history.” Mamdani’s election makes him the first Muslim and Indian American mayor for the city and, at 34, youngest mayor in generations. He will take office on January 1, 2026. “I feel compelled to report that Debra Messing has not posted a single instagram story since the results were announced,” one X user noted. . View the full article

Google isn't new to adding AI to its products, and that includes Google Maps. The company already has AI tools that let you ask Gemini for directions to your destination, or get more info about it, and today, it's rolling out new features to help turn the chatbot into a (to borrow a term from Microsoft) copilot. With Gemini in Google Maps, you'll be able to ask open-ended questions and even have the AI take action for you, based on its responses. The idea is to make the app easier to work with while driving, which, yes, means you can also wake the bot with a simple "Hey Google." Let's say you get peckish while driving. You'll be able to wake the bot with your voice, ask it for restaurants along your drive, and then have it alter your route to direct you to one of them. Or, if you have a passenger with you, they could also summon the bot with a Gemini icon in the top-right corner of the Google Maps screen. This is a major update compared to prior AI integration in Maps, which was mostly restricted to asking questions about certain routes or destinations before you started driving. Gemini will purportedly make Google Maps routes easier to followBut even if you're not actively talking to the AI to help you navigate, it'll still supposedly make Maps better for you. Rather than relying on generic instructions like "turn right in 500 feet," Google says Maps will now also sometimes direct users by pointing out easy-to-spot landmarks along their route instead. That means you might get an instruction saying "turn right after the Thai Siam Restaurant," with the restaurant itself being highlighted on your Maps app as you approach. To do this, the bot will cross-reference Google Street View photos with your route. I'll admit I'm a little skeptical that it might pick an easy-to-miss landmark—I don't trust myself to be able to spot the right restaurant while driving—but if it works, it could be more intuitive than trying to figure out how many feet are between me and my turn. Gemini will work with other apps from within MapsThere's also integration to help you better interact with Google's other apps while in Maps, like Calendar. The company says that, while talking to the bot about your route, you could also ping it to add an event to Calendar; assuming you've already given it permission to do so, it'll automatically follow through on your request. The company's also added a Google Lens button to Maps, so once you arrive at wherever you're going, you'll be able to point your phone at landmarks or your destination and ask Gemini for more details about them without having to leave Maps. Smarter commutesOutside of connecting with other apps, Maps is also getting some of the same features as Waze, but with a twist. Google is adding a feature called Proactive Traffic Alerts to Maps, which sets Gemini to monitor disruptions to your most commonly traveled routes in the background. The idea is that you likely don't open Maps or Waze for your daily commute, which means you're not getting traffic alerts while you drive. Now, the AI will work for you while the app is closed, too, and will notify you on its own if it detects a crash or road closure while you're on one of your routine drives. The catch to all of this? There are plenty of ways it could go wrong, and there's no way to test it yet. Imagine the AI hallucinates a landmark that isn't there or has closed, and you miss a needed turn. In a roundtable with journalists (h/t The Verge), Google Maps product director Amanda Moore insisted that all training is "using the actual place information in the real world" and said "there should be no hallucinations on places to stop at or things like that," but this is definitely something I'd want to try out first in a low stakes environment, rather than diving into it immediately on a cross-country road trip. (Even if a landmark is real, that doesn't automatically mean pointing it out will be useful.) When you can try Gemini in Google MapsUnfortunately, it'll take a little while before you can try out any of these new features. Gemini-based navigation starts rolling out "in the coming weeks" and Lens in Maps is set for "later this month." Proactive traffic alerts and landmark-based navigation start their rollouts today, but it might still be a bit until they hit your iOS and Android device. View the full article

A reader writes: I am hiring for a position that is fairly entry-level office work. A candidate, who is fairly young, lists two positions in the past decade which they were fired from. They were post-college full-time positions, not high school summer jobs where turnover would be expected to be high and where the job may not be a huge priority for the employee. This seems like a lot. I would follow up with a reference check to get more details if I move this candidate forward, but I’m not sure if I should just disqualify them. If it matters, there are other candidates I’m leaning toward, but this candidate is currently in my top tier in terms of skills and experience. I answer this question — and two others — over at Inc. today, where I’m revisiting letters that have been buried in the archives here from years ago (and sometimes updating/expanding my answers to them). You can read it here. Other questions I’m answering there today include: People keep booking “getting to know you” meetings with me Job candidate’s profile picture is heavily Photoshopped The post how much of a red flag is it if a job candidate was fired twice previously? appeared first on Ask a Manager. View the full article

Private-sector payrolls increased by 42,000 after a revised 29,000 decline a month earlier, according to ADP Research data released Wednesday. View the full article

French authorities have warned they may block access to Shein after it emerged that the online fast fashion giant had been selling sex dolls with a childlike appearance. France’s consumer watchdog, the Directorate General for Competition, Consumer Affairs and Fraud Control, said last week it had discovered the dolls on Shein’s website, noting that their descriptions and categorization left little doubt as to their child-pornographic nature. The agency has referred the case to public prosecutors, and Economy Minister Roland Lescure said on Monday he would seek to ban Shein from the French market if such incidents were to occur again. “This is provided for by law,” he said. “In cases involving terrorism, drug trafficking, or child pornographic materials, the government has the right to request that access to the French market be prohibited,” Lescure told BFM TV. The law authorizes French authorities to order online platforms to remove clearly illegal content such as child pornography within 24 hours. If they fail to comply, authorities can require internet service providers and search engines to block access and delist the site. The watchdog said it has issued a formal notice urging the platform to take urgent corrective measures. Shein said in a statement that it has banned all sex-doll products, and temporarily removed its adult products category for review. It added that it has launched an investigation to determine how these listings bypassed its screening measures. “The fight against child exploitation is non-negotiable for Shein,” said Executive Chairman Donald Tang said in the statement. “These were marketplace listings from third-party sellers, but I take this personally. Trust is our foundation, and we will not allow anything that violates it.” He noted that every related product has been removed and that “We are tracing the source and will take swift, decisive action against those responsible.” Meanwhile, a parliamentary fact-finding mission on the inspection of products imported into France announced it will summon Shein officials for questioning. “No economic actor can consider themselves above the law. A retailer who sold such an item would have had their store immediately closed by a prefectoral order. Shein must provide an explanation,” said the mission rapporteur, Antoine Vermorel-Marques. Under French law, the distribution via electronic communication networks of child-pornographic materials is punishable by up to seven years in prison and a 100,000 euro ($115,000) fine. The watchdog also noted that Shein sells other pornographic products including adultlike sex dolls without effective age-filtering measures to prevent “minors or sensitive audiences from accessing such pornographic content.” Shein was founded in China in 2012, and the low-cost online retailer is now based in Singapore. Reaching customers mainly through its app, it has enjoyed a meteoric rise to become a global leader in fast fashion, shipping to 150 countries. The company has faced criticism over its labor practices and environmental record. Lescure’s comments came just days before Shein is due to open its first permanent physical store in Paris, located inside the BHV Marais department store in the heart of the French capital city. The opening has sparked controversy, with an online petition protesting Shein’s arrival gathering more than 100,000 signatures. Frederic Merlin, president of Societe des Grands Magasins, which owns BHV, called the sale of the dolls on Shein’s platform “indecent” and “unacceptable,” adding that “no product from Shein’s international marketplace” will be sold at the department store. Meanwhile, the child-protection NGO Mouv’Enfants staged a protest at BHV. “As long as these dolls are available somewhere in the world, the company will remain an accomplice to a system that enables sex crimes against children,” co-founder Arnaud Gallais said. —Samuel Petrequin, Associated Press View the full article

It’s a learning process that benefits both you and the client. By Jody Padar Radical Pricing – By The Radical CPA Go PRO for members-only access to more Jody Padar. View the full article

It’s a learning process that benefits both you and the client. By Jody Padar Radical Pricing – By The Radical CPA Go PRO for members-only access to more Jody Padar. View the full article

Learning how to make a project schedule in Excel helps project managers plan tasks, set deadlines and track progress with accessible tools they already use. A project schedule in Excel organizes activities in a timeline format, showing task durations, dependencies and milestones. While limited for large projects, creating an Excel project schedule or downloading a project schedule for Excel is a quick way to get started managing smaller projects efficiently without investing in complex software. /wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Project-Schedule-Template-for-Excel.png Get your free Project Schedule Template Use this free Project Schedule Template for Excel to manage your projects better. Download Excel File Why Should You Make a Project Schedule in Excel? Using a project schedule in Excel or an Excel project schedule template allows you to manage tasks, dates and progress in a familiar spreadsheet format. It’s ideal for small projects, startups or teams that need a quick, no-cost solution. A project schedule for Excel provides flexibility for editing data manually and adjusting as plans evolve. However, Excel lacks automation and collaboration tools needed for larger or more dynamic projects. Project management software offers a more robust way to build and manage a schedule. While a project schedule in Excel helps organize basic tasks, tools like ProjectManager automate updates, link dependencies and provide real-time tracking across teams. ProjectManager transforms an Excel project schedule into a dynamic live plan. Our Gantt charts not only schedule tasks, resources and costs, but link dependencies, filter for the critical path and set a baseline to track progress in real time. Plus, plans are shared across multiple project views, such as task lists, calendars and kanban boards. Users can view project progress from multiple perspectives. Our resource management tools balance workloads while dashboards and reports track performance and costs automatically, with AI summarizing and offering insightful recommendations. When you outgrow static Excel templates, get started with ProjectManager for free. /wp-content/uploads/2022/07/construction-gantt-resources-costs-150-CTA-BUTTON-1.jpgLearn more When Should You Make an Excel Project Schedule An Excel project schedule is best used when managing small to medium projects that need clear organization without complex tools. It’s ideal for teams that prefer spreadsheets and want to plan timelines, track progress and assign responsibilities manually. You should make a project schedule in Excel when tasks are simple, dependencies are few and collaboration needs are limited. This approach helps maintain structure while avoiding the costs of more advanced project management platforms. What Should Be Included in an Excel Project Schedule? A well-designed project schedule for Excel should capture every essential element of your plan. When you use a project schedule in Excel, it’s important to define all key project components clearly so stakeholders can follow progress and identify bottlenecks early. A project schedule Excel template helps standardize these components for consistency and better organization. List of project tasks Start and end dates Task duration Priority level of each task Percentage of completion Task owner Resources Estimated costs How to Make a Project Schedule in Excel Creating a project schedule in Excel helps organize every step of your project from planning to completion. Follow these steps to build a clear, functional schedule that tracks progress and deadlines effectively. 1. Make a Project Task List Start your Excel project schedule by listing all project tasks in a single column. Include every step necessary to complete the project, from initial planning to final delivery. This task list forms the foundation of your project schedule for Excel and ensures that no important activities are overlooked during execution or tracking. /wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Project-Schedule-Template-for-Excel-Task-list.png 2. Assign an Owner and Priority Level to Project Tasks Next, assign each task in your Excel project schedule an owner responsible for completion. Then set a priority level for each task to indicate urgency. This helps your team focus on critical activities, ensures accountability, and makes it easier to manage workloads. Clearly defining ownership and priority in your project schedule for Excel improves efficiency and keeps the project on track. /wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Project-Schedule-Template-for-Excel-task-owner-and-priority.png 3. Monitor the Percentage of Completion of Tasks Track the percentage of completion for each task in your Excel project schedule to measure progress against deadlines. This allows managers to quickly identify delays, allocate resources where needed, and keep stakeholders informed. Regularly updating task completion percentages ensures your project schedule for Excel remains accurate, supports timely decision making, and helps maintain overall project efficiency. /wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Project-Schedule-Template-for-Excel-percentage-of-completion.png 3. Make a Gantt Chart (Optional) If you’d like a visual representation of your project schedule, you can add a Gantt chart to your project schedule in Excel. However, this can be a time-consuming task, so it’s optional. Without the Gantt chart, your Excel project schedule it’s still functional. /wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Project-Schedule-Template-for-Excel-Gantt-chart-and-percentage-of-completion.png If you’d like to add a Gantt chart to your project schedule, you can simply download our free project schedule Excel template, which has the elements we’ve shown above and also includes a Gantt chart on the right-hand side. Or if you prefer, you can also learn how to make a Gantt chart in Excel by visiting our blog. Project Schedule Template for Excel Using a project schedule template for Excel simplifies planning and tracking projects by providing a ready-made structure for your tasks, dates, and resources. An Excel project schedule template ensures consistency across projects, making it easier to monitor deadlines, progress, and resource allocation. /wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Project-Schedule-Template-for-Excel.png Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced manager, a project schedule Excel template saves time while maintaining accuracy. These templates allow you to focus on execution rather than setup, streamline communication with your team and keep all project details organized in a single, easy-to-update file. Related: 7 Best Project Scheduling Tools: Pros, Cons & Real User Reviews (2025) Advantages of an Excel Project Schedule An Excel project schedule offers several benefits that make it a popular choice for small and medium-sized projects. First, it’s highly accessible. Almost everyone has access to Excel or Google Sheets, which means teams can create and share project schedules without investing in specialized project management software. This accessibility allows project managers to set up and update schedules quickly, helping teams stay aligned on tasks, deadlines and deliverables. Excel also provides a familiar interface, which reduces the learning curve. Second, Excel is extremely flexible. Project managers can customize columns, rows and formulas to track tasks, start and end dates, resources and costs. Conditional formatting can highlight overdue tasks or approaching deadlines, making it easy to identify risks. Excel’s built-in formulas allow automatic calculations for durations, resource allocation, and budget tracking. Additionally, Excel supports charts and graphs, which enable managers to visualize timelines, workloads and progress. The flexibility of Excel makes it a suitable choice for various project types. Finally, Excel allows easy collaboration when used with cloud services such as OneDrive or Google Drive. Multiple team members can access the same project schedule simultaneously, make updates, and track changes in real time. For smaller teams or projects with limited budgets, this collaborative feature helps keep everyone informed and accountable. Overall, an Excel project schedule provides affordability, accessibility and flexibility. Disadvantages of an Excel Project Schedule Despite its advantages, an Excel project schedule has limitations that can affect efficiency and accuracy in larger or more complex projects. One major drawback is that Excel isn’t inherently designed for project management, so it lacks automated features such as task dependencies, critical path analysis or real-time alerts. Managers must manually update schedules, adjust formulas and track progress, which increases the risk of human error. Another limitation is scalability. While Excel works well for small projects with a limited number of tasks, it becomes cumbersome when handling larger projects with multiple teams or interdependent activities. Tracking changes across multiple sheets or linking tasks in different spreadsheets can be confusing and time-consuming. Excel also has limited visualization capabilities compared to project management tools. Gantt charts, dashboards or workload charts require manual setup and maintenance, which can distract managers from actual project oversight. Finally, Excel lacks integration with other project management or business software, limiting automation and reporting. Unlike project management platforms, it cannot automatically pull data from timesheets, budget tracking tools or resource management systems. For teams managing multiple projects simultaneously, these constraints make Excel inefficient for maintaining accurate, up-to-date project schedules. More Free Project Scheduling Templates for Excel In addition to a standard project schedule in Excel, several free templates can help streamline project planning and tracking. These templates provide ready-made structures for managing tasks, timelines, and dependencies, reducing setup time and ensuring consistency. Each template addresses specific aspects of project management, from analyzing the critical path to monitoring task progress, making it easier for teams to stay organized and focused. Critical Path Template Download this free critical path template to help project managers identify the sequence of essential tasks that determine the project’s overall duration. By mapping task dependencies and durations, this template highlights the longest stretch of dependent activities, allowing managers to focus on tasks that directly affect the deadline. It is especially useful for complex projects where delays in critical tasks can impact the entire schedule. Teams can use this template to plan, prioritize, and adjust timelines efficiently, ensuring on-time project delivery. PERT Chart Template Use this free PERT chart template to assist in visualizing project tasks, milestones, and dependencies in a network diagram format. It allows managers to estimate the shortest, longest, and most likely completion times for each task, helping predict overall project duration. This template is ideal for projects with uncertainty in task durations, as it provides insight into potential delays and areas that may require additional resources. Using a PERT chart improves decision-making and enhances scheduling accuracy in Excel-based project plans. Task Tracker Dashboard The task tracker dashboard template offers a consolidated view of all project tasks, their status, and assigned team members. It helps managers monitor task completion, track progress against deadlines, and identify bottlenecks in real time. With visual indicators and filters for priority or department, this dashboard improves team accountability and provides an at-a-glance understanding of the project’s overall health. It’s particularly useful for ongoing projects with multiple tasks and cross-functional teams. ProjectManager Is Better Than Making a Project Schedule In Excel While Excel project schedules are functional for small projects, ProjectManager provides multiple project views that make managing complex projects much easier. Managers and teams can switch between Gantt charts, kanban boards, sheet views and calendar views to visualize timelines, dependencies and task progress. Unlike Excel, these views are dynamic and update automatically when changes are made. Teams can filter tasks by priority, status or assignee, which improves clarity and ensures everyone knows what to focus on. Our software’s multiple views allow managers to adapt workflows quickly, identify potential bottlenecks and align resources efficiently across multiple projects. Optimize Resources With Advanced Management Tools ProjectManager offers robust resource management features that go far beyond what Excel can handle. The team page lets managers see all team members, their assigned tasks and filter for a daily or weekly view of progress and priority. Tasks can be updated without leaving the page. Workload charts display who is over- or under-allocated, allowing managers to reassign tasks proactively to balance workloads. Managers can track labor costs, equipment usage and material allocations all in one platform. This real-time insight reduces overwork, prevents resource conflicts and ensures the right resources are available at the right time, leading to more efficient project delivery and cost savings. /wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Team-Light-2554x1372-1.png Track Progress and Performance With Automated Tools Tracking project progress in ProjectManager is seamless thanks to dashboards, customizable reports and integrated timesheets. Dashboards provide a live snapshot of project status, showing task completion, budget usage and upcoming deadlines. Timesheets can be updated directly by team members on-site or remotely using our mobile app, giving managers accurate labor cost tracking. AI Project Insights analyzes trends, flags risks and forecasts potential delays, which enables data-driven decisions. Our software automates reporting and consolidates metrics across multiple projects, providing insight into performance that Excel simply cannot offer, ensuring projects stay on schedule and on budget. /wp-content/uploads/2025/10/AI-Insights-Light-Mode-Dashboard-GPT5.png Related Project Scheduling Content A project schedule in Excel can be helpful, but for readers who want to take full advantage of what project scheduling offers, check out the links below. They lead to articles on how to make a schedule with the critical path method, define a master schedule and much more. 15 Best Project Scheduling Templates for Excel Top 10 Project Scheduling Techniques (With Pros and Cons) How to make a CPM Schedule: CPM Scheduling Basics Resource Scheduling in Project Management What Is a Master Schedule in Project Management? Schedule Variance: What Is It & How Do I Calculate It? What Is Schedule Planning In Project Management? ProjectManager is online project and portfolio management software that connects teams, whether they’re in the office or out in the field. They can share files, comment at the task level and stay updated with email and in-app notifications. Get started with ProjectManager today for free. The post How to Make a Project Schedule in Excel (Template Included) appeared first on ProjectManager. View the full article