Plamsa TV Displays for the SMB

Plasma TV Displays have slowly worked their way into the office of the small and medium business over the last few years. You might notice them in a waiting room displaying an informational video about the services offered by their owner. You might notice them in the manager’s office watching a CCTV security system. You might notice them at a trade show set up with the company booth. You might even notice them just running as a TV in a break room with no, pardon the pun, commercial use at all. But without regard to their use if you keep your eyes open you will notice plasma TV displays in a great many of spots.

According to our sources a good number of the early adapter's of this technology are seeing their early model plasma TV displays reach the end of their lifecycle. A common scenario appears to be an older 42” plasma being replaced with a new, brighter, faster, and larger 84” plasma TV display.

After some additional research we felt the need to comment that at current prices we are not ready to recommend that everyone run out and upgrade to an 84” plasma TV display, but we do think that in certain situations it could be looked at as a wise marketing investment.

For example an 84” plasma TV display in a high traffic area would be a solid eye catcher if you wanted your infomercial to be seen. And an 84” plasma TV would be stunning at a trade show or even the occasional SMB event such as an open house.

While prices of new 84” plasma TV units, which are still in the five thousand dollar range, might preclude the upgrade in certain situations we are also told that the an 84” plasma TV rental is becoming common for short term events.

Click on these links to read more about: Plasma TV Technology, Why a Plasma TV is Popular for Exhibits, or a Plasma TV Rental.

Top 10 Stressors in the Workplace

No job is completely stress free. There are many things that happen at work that frustrate all of us and stress us out, and we all know that stress is never good for our health. Here are the top 10 reasons work can be so stressful:

1. The amount of work that needs to be done. It can be extremely stressful knowing that you have a huge workload and sometimes it can be hard to find the time to get it all accomplished.

2. Feeling that your work is not fully valued.

3. Work deadlines. Like I said before, it can be hard to find the time to get all of your work done, and it makes it especially stressful knowing that you have deadlines to meet.

4. Sometimes the type of work we are doing can add to the stress. Take IT jobs for example. It can be extremely frustrating when troubleshooting problems and errors, especially when you are not sure what the issue is. And knowing that your customers are expecting to see results can make it even worse!

5. Having to take on other employee's work. Its bad enough worrying about all the work you have to do, let alone doing the other guys work too.

6. Being unhappy with your job position. We all know how much stress doing a job that you dislike can be.

7. Not being in control of the work day. It can be stressful not knowing what exactly is on the agenda for your work day. "Whats the boss got in store for me today?" People like to be in control of what they are spending their time on and it can be frustrating when you have to work on unexpected things.

8. Long hours. Like the Led Zeppelin song 'Since I've Been Loving You' "Ive been working from 7 to 11 every night.. and it kind of makes life a drag."

9. Work Environment. Pesky co-workers, demanding bosses, tempuratures, personal space, interuptions, lack of support from colleagues and managers, desk location, colleagues not pulling their weight, the list could go on and on... all of these things can drive people crazy.

10. Bosses and managers changing their minds about the work they want done. This is self explanatory.

All of these things can cause stress. Corporations can help to reduce a lot of this stress if they pay attention to what is causing most of it. But at the same time the stress really depends on how the individual handles the work day. People have different tolerances for the stuff that they have to put up with from day to day. Now that you know a lot of the reasons for why we get so stressed out you can think of ways to avoid those situations(even though some of them can be inevitable).

Stress is not healthy for anyone, so dont forget to take a deep breath and relax a little bit during the work day.

CCTV Learning Center - SMB DIY

CCTV Security Cameras Systems are no longer just for fortune 500 companies. SBM owners all over the country are purchasing and installing their own CCTV Security Systems on a daily basis.

These Security Camera Systems are being used to help with inventory shrinkage, accident claims, to provide management control, and general security.

As the SMB owner is historically a Do It Yourself (DIY) personality the CCTV Learning Center sponsored by Camera Security Now is the perfect place to start for research or installation tips.

Full of DIY CCTV videos and informational articles the CCTV Learning Center can give a potential CCTV buyer the knowledge to make the right purchase or that added bit of information to get his install done right.

The CCTV Learning Center even has a link to Ask a CCTV Expert any question you might have about your CCTV project.

What's not covered in an SMB HSA

HSAs can make employee paychecks go further, but what are some of the downsides to HSA?
HSA stands for Health Savings Account. For more information on HSA's visit the Wiki page on HSA

One downside is that many things are not covered. The following expenses are not eligible for reimbursement under a Health FSA, HRA or HSA:

Annual medical contract fees for exclusive provider care Arch supports, knee wrist braces (unless prescribed for a specific medical condition) Breast pumps (unless medically required to care for a premature infant) Blood pressure machines (unless prescribed by a physician as medically required for constant monitoring of blood pressure due to a
medical condition) Cosmetic surgery Dental bleaching or any other teeth whitening Domestic help fees (for services of a non-medical nature) Electric toothbrushes replacement brushes Electrolysis or hair removal Hair transplant Health club dues/memberships (unless part of a medically prescribed regimen to treat a specific condition) Humidifiers (unless prescribed by a physician to treat a specific medical condition) Insurance premiums of any kind (see below exceptions for HRA and HSA) Laetrile, even if prescribed by a doctor, is not reimbursable. Lens replacement insurance Marijuana, even if prescribed for medicinal purposes, is not reimbursable. Massage therapy (unless prescribed by a physician to treat an injury or trauma, or for rehabilitative purposes) Over the counter items which are items not categorized as a medicine or drug and may include, but are not limited to, hot pads, support
pillows, bandages, ACE wraps, nail clippers, pumice stones, feminine hygiene products, etc. are not reimbursable (unless used to treat
a specific medical condition). Over-the-counter toiletries or personal hygiene items which may include, but are not limited to shampoo,
toothpaste, conditioners, hand creams, deodorant, shaving cream, razors, dental floss, body powders, hair gels/sprays, make-up, nail
polish accessories, soap, mouthwash, etc. are not reimbursable. Physical therapy treatments for general well-being Supplements - The cost of supplements taken for general well-being are not reimbursable. However, the cost of supplements taken to
alleviate a specific medical condition is reimbursable. A physician should substantiate the diagnosis of a specific medical condition
and acknowledge that the supplement being used alleviates the medical condition diagnosed. Tuition for special schools (unless it is a special school to treat a specific condition such as blindness, speech, etc.) Union dues Vitamins - Daily multi-vitamins taken for general well-being are not reimbursable. Vitamins taken to treat a specific medical condition
are reimbursable. A diagnosis of the medical condition should accompany the vitamin claim. Prenatal vitamins obtained by prescription
are reimbursable. Weight loss machines
Source: Cigna

Here are some SMB employee and employer concerns we will review:
What are the excluded HSA Expenses?
What are the HSA Contribution Limits?
Is an HSA Taxable to the Employee or Employer?
What are some HSA things I should know?

Part 1 in 10 Year Case Study on an SMB

Utilizing Your Day To The Fullest

Something I suffered from in the past was lack of an effective time management strategy for my work day. A good time management strategy will help you to accomplish what you want to accomplish in a day faster, and it will help you get more individual tasks completed daily. Here's a list of some techniques to help you better utilize the time you have:

* Create a list of tasks to complete each day
Plan ahead and compile a list of things you want to get done every day. Throughout your day go through and consult your list, and check off tasks as you complete them.
* Put follow-up items on your list for the next day or two
If you have a task that you just can't squeeze in today, go ahead and start an advance list and put it on tomorrow or the day after's agenda.
* Bring forward unfinished work from the previous day
Items on your agenda that you haven't completed can be added to the next day's agenda and finish them then.
*Keep track of due dates
Use your list to keep track of when tasks need to be completed.
* Keep a list of monthly priorities
A list of things you need to do between one month and the next will be helpful in compiling your list of daily activities.
* Keep track of long-term commitments
Something so far in the future that it couldn't be placed on your daily, tomorrow, or monthly list needs to be kept track of somehow as well.
* Keep your work area clean and organized
Lack of organization will lead to a lot of time wasted when you're searching for something you need.
* Keep all your current work in a single area
Multitasking is a necessity, it happens. Make yours go smoother by keeping all your resources for your current projects in a single location.
* Get rid of old documents that you no longer need
Try to keep the amount of files you have on-hand to a bare minimum. Throw out the stuff from a few months ago that you will never need to reference again.

Not all of these strategies will work for everyone, but I think that if you give it some effort they can all have a positive impact on your work efficiency.

sources: Tom Mochal, Tech Republic