Archives: Blogs

Cal Wilson / August 9, 2022

Many of us wake up every workday with a torrent of emails sitting in our inbox. Our first task when we clock in is probably to sort through them, only to have more and more come through over the rest of the day.  

If this sounds familiar, you might be dealing with email overload. In this issue of the Pulse, we’re looking at the phenomenon of email overload, and how you can set yourself free.  

Email overload.  

The responsibilities of your job include keeping up to date on your inbox, but likely you have a lot better things you could be doing with your day. For most people, sorting through emails, reading, and replying shouldn’t be their constant task – that’s what happens when email overload kicks in.  

Email overload is a phenomenon where a worker cannot reasonably keep up with the number of emails they receive. It has only grown worse in the wake of remote work, when previously in-person interactions are often now relayed over email, or other platforms like Slack or Microsoft Teams.  

What are the symptoms? 

Unsure if this is you? Here are some symptoms to watch out for: 

• You feel like you’re always behind on your email, unable to catch up. 
• Checking your email stresses you out, because you know you have a lot of messages to answer. 
• You’re getting follow up emails on messages you haven’t replied to yet.  
• The urge to check your inbox distracts you from getting other tasks done or follows you outside of work hours.  

This leads to stress, decreased productivity and increased distraction, and can also increase the chances of errors and burnout.

Where is the escape route? 

Unfortunately, we can’t change the structure of today’s workplace communications. Unless you’re looking to completely change your job, you’re going to have to deal with the flow of emails and notifications in one way or another.  

Luckily, there are strategies you can take to lighten the load, and organize your communications more effectively: 

• Task batch your email activity – group similar tasks together, such as replying to emails or following up on communications and complete them in a designated time each day. This will help alleviate the pressure to keep checking your inbox and taking immediate action.   
• Unsubscribe where possible – you’re more than likely receiving all kinds of newsletters, promotional emails, and social media notifications that are causing clutter. You should be able to unsubscribe from those which you no longer find useful.  
• Set up filters and rules – filters automatically sort your messages into specific folders based on certain criteria, and can even automatically delete certain messages before you ever have to see them.  
• Re-examine company protocols – one of the causes behind email overload is a lack of clear and effective protocols. Is there a better way to handle communication? Are you receiving emails someone else should be handling? Sometimes the overload can be solved by internal decision-making. 
  

There’s an app for that. 

If you’re interested in any of these strategies, there’s most likely an app out there to help you. Modern technology is both the problem and the solution!  

For task batching, calendar apps like Google Calendars can be a great help. There are several apps dedicated to email organization, including unenrollment tools and other forms of productivity aids.  

In conclusion… 

Email overload is an all-too-common reality of the digital age. Fortunately, there are strategies to lessen the burden, freeing up your inbox and your time.  

Cal Wilson / July 26, 2022

The success of many businesses lies with the talent and intuition of salespeople. We’ve all had experiences with great salespeople, and poor salespeople, that stick out in our memory, and probably influenced our choice to buy a product or service.  

So what are the traits of a truly excellent salesperson? Not just someone who can close a transaction, but someone who will make your customers’ overall experience positive and memorable. In this issue of The Pulse, we examine those key characteristics your business should pay attention to when hiring or training salespeople.  

It’s a mix of qualities, habits, and skills.  

There are many components that make a great salesperson. From inherent qualities, like charm, to good habits and skills developed over time, it takes the right combination to achieve excellence.  

Habits and skills you can help train and develop in your employees; therefore, the underlying qualities are going to be really important to look for when hiring.  

What are those qualities? 

The best salespeople have the following qualities: 

• Empathy – they’re able to genuinely understand their customers’ needs and feelings.  
• Honesty – you don’t want a snake oil salesman representing your business; honest salespeople are the best direction for your team.  
• Hunger – a drive to sell that goes beyond making money. 
• Competitiveness – they’re constantly striving to not only be the best at what they do, but improve on their own performance.  
• Confidence – this is self-explanatory, but is also a quality that can be built and boosted in employees with the right management.  
• Enthusiasm – a good salesperson is motivated and ready when they’re working, always looking for possibilities.  
• Resilience – the ability to bounce back after a dry spell or particularly bad outcome. Resilient salespeople find creative ways to turn things around, rather than giving up or becoming defeated.  
• Multitasking capabilities – salespeople can juggle multiple opportunities at once, closing existing deals while following new leads, and responding to queries.  
• Charisma and charm – the ability to create a great first impression and maintain relationships is a big asset in sales.  

This is by no means an exhaustive list, but top sellers and earners certainly possess these qualities and more. 

What skills can be learned and developed? 

Whether you’re hiring a salesperson and looking for a certain set of existing skills, or looking to develop key skills in your existing team, here are a great set to pay attention to: 

• Listening skills – active, engaged listening is necessary to discovering a customer’s needs and satisfying them. 
• Strong communication – communication and persuasion, both verbal and written, are imperative in sales. The importance of continuing development in this area cannot be understated.  
• Networking – especially in the digital era, networking allows for building and maintaining strong relationships, creating leads, and closing deals.  
• Understanding value – a good salesperson knows selling is more than just a price point, it’s about using value propositions to their full advantage.  

Again, this isn’t an exhaustive list. But if you’re looking to boost your sales team’s abilities, this is a great place to start.  

Strong salespeople practice strong habits.  

Habit and routine are often at the route of workplace success. This is just as true in sales as in any other kind of work.  

Some of the habits that are particularly successful in sales include: 

• Developing a measurable, repeatable sales process designed to move as many prospects from connection to closing.  
• Adopt an always learning attitude and continue to update product/service knowledge.  
• Scheduling consistent follow ups. 
• Creating a personalized message and approach.  
• Shadowing your peers and learning from top earners.  
• Asking for referrals.  

In conclusion… 

The quality of your sales team can make or break your business. Fortunately, the best salespeople have qualities, skills, and habits in common that you can identify.   

Cal Wilson / July 12, 2022

You’ve probably heard a lot of buzz about four-day work weeks this year. As more countries try it out, and researchers hail the benefits, the concept of a permanent three-day weekend has been at the forefront of many of our imaginations.  

In this issue of the Pulse, we take a look at this trend, and why some are calling for it to become a permanent solution.  

Some countries are headed towards a four-day work week.  

Workers across the globe have been asking to work a four-day work week for the same salary and benefits, while completing the same workload. Many have suggested this is the future of the work-life balance, productivity, and employee satisfaction.  

In 2022, the four-day work week is making waves in the following countries: 

• Belgium, where workers won the right to a four-day week in March. Employees will be able to decide whether to work four or five days a week, with the same workload.  
• The United Kingdom is launching a pilot program, involving 60 companies and approximately 3,000 employees, to test the “impact of shorter working hours on businesses’ productivity and the well-being of their workers” among other things.  
• Scotland and Spain will also be launching a similar trials in the future. 
• In Iceland, nearly 90% of the working population now having reduced hours or other accommodations.  
• In Japan, Microsoft found that giving employees a three-day weekend for a month boosted productivity by 40%.  
• Germans already work a shorter work week than the traditional 40 hours – on average 34.2 hours a week – but 71% of people working in Germany would like to have the option to only work four days a week. 

What about North America? 

While the gears are not in motion as much as they are elsewhere, North Americans are showing strong interest in a reduced work week.  

One study by Qualtrics found that 92% of U.S. workers support a reduced work week, even if it means working longer hours. Likewise, “three of four employees (74 per cent) say they would be able to complete the same amount of work in four days, but most (72 per cent) say they would have to work longer hours on workdays to do so.” 

Canada is feeling much the same. According to Maru Public Opinion, 79% of full-time workers are willing to shorten their weeks.  Indeed also found that 41% of Canadian employers were also considering alternative schedules.  

Does the world need shorter work weeks?  

You may be thinking, of course it would be nice to work a shorter week, but is it realistic? According to many, a reduced week may become a pressing need.  

Economists David Rosnick and Mark Weisbrot have argued that a reduction in working hours will naturally correlate with a much needed reduction in energy consumption. According to them, “if Americans simply followed European levels of working hours, for example, they would see an estimated 20% reduction in energy use – and hence in carbon emissions.” 

A four-day work week reduces: 

• Commuting related consumption and emissions. 
• Use of air conditioning and heating. 
• Use of office lighting. 
• Time spent running computers and other devices that generate a lot of heat. 

In 2007, Utah “redefined the working week for state employees, with extended hours on Monday to Thursday meaning it could eliminate Fridays entirely. In its first ten months, the move saved the state at least US$1.8m.” 

This is all without even reducing the total number of hours worked from 40.  

Longer weekends are better for workers’ health.  

A permanent three-day weekend has been linked to better mental and physical health. An experiment in Sweden from 2015 found the shortened work week reduced sickness and increased productivity.  

In comparison, long working hours with less down time has been connected to an increased risk of stroke, coronary heart disease, and developing type 2 diabetes. 

Experts believe automation will make the four-day week necessary.  

Automation may leave us with no other choice but a reduced work week.  

As automation increases, and our daily processes become quicker and more seamless, many workers will find themselves filling redundant hours. Anthropologist David Graeber says this has left, and will leave, many employees underutilized in their workplaces – yet stuck with the traditional 40-hour work week due “to the persistent issue of ‘presenteeism’ – where workers are valued… for hours logged in the office rather than productivity.” 

However, increasingly there is predicted to be less working hours to go around, due to machine learning and advanced robotics. A reduced work week may be the only option.  

In conclusion… 

Across the world, workers, employers, and governments are considering the merits of a four-day work week. The results could be beneficial for workers’ health, the environment, business’ operational spend, and adjusting to increasing automation. While nothing is set in stone, it looks like the work week of the future may be shorter.  

Cal Wilson / June 28, 2022

You’ve probably seen dynamic pricing in action before – even if you didn’t realize it. It’s a common pricing model for goods like motor fuel or airline tickets. 

But is dynamic pricing becoming more and more common with household and other everyday products? This video from the Wall Street Journal investigates dynamic pricing.