When Shall We Meet?
3pm on Tuesday—this has been reported to be the best time to schedule a meeting. Monday morning, when workers file back to their desks after the weekend, is the worst time, according to a study conducted by WhenIsGood.net, an online meeting planning service. The study, which examined data compiled from users’ suggested, accepted and rejected meeting times, showed that afternoons tend to be better than mornings in terms of workers’ flexibility. And this flexibility didn’t seem to fluctuate at the beginning, middle or end of the workweek—it was pretty consistent across the board.
NO Today, YES Tomorrow
When presenting a new idea to the boss or making a sales proposal to a prospective client, we often receive negative responses. In these cases, “no” shouldn’t be taken personally, nor considered to be a dead end. Instead, think of it as “not now” or “maybe another time.” Business etiquette expert Ann Marie Sabath suggests making a point to end the conversation positively by getting the person you’re speaking with to answer something affirmatively, even if it’s just “Yes, you may contact me next year about this.” In order to stay on their radar, make sure to follow up in writing, expressing your interest in working with them in the future. You never know when that “no” will turn into a “yes.”
Source: Business Etiquette by Ann Marie Sabath
Workplace Milestone for Women
Women are moving toward a new milestone, now constituting nearly half of all those employed in the United States. A Pew Research Center study reports that women are outpacing men in both education and earnings growth. The recession has also contributed to the changing workforce. The Pew study attributed about 75 percent of the recent decline in employment to jobs typically held by males.
How Not to File Your Taxes
Trying to save money by doing your own taxes this year? Use this checklist to avoid the usual mistakes. The 10 most common tax return missteps:
- Social security numbers—incorrect, missing or don’t match the names
- Required documentation (W-2s, 1099s, etc.) not attached
- Return not signed
- Incorrect filing status recorded
- Math errors—a math mistake, the IRS says, need not be a calculation error. It can be as simple as copying a number incorrectly, like reporting wages of $29, 472 as $24,972.
- Incorrect or missing forms and schedules
- Use of standard deduction when itemizing would have saved the taxpayer more money. The Government Accountability Office estimates that over a half-million taxpayers could save by itemizing.
- Social Security—taxable benefits worksheet not completed
- Failing to claim credits or figuring credits in error. Typical examples include the child tax credit and earned-income credit. Either the taxpayer does not understand credit eligibility or calculates incorrectly.
- Omitting income items.
Source: digits.hrblock.com
