Resiliency is on display with more than 75 percent of respondents asserting that members feel optimistic or very optimistic about 2021.

Last year, the Management Services Committee provided content regarding lean service throughout 2019, as that was of the utmost importance in many members’ minds. Hopefully, you were able to take some of our ideas and experiences and implement lean service in your service center! Moving forward for 2020, vision and culture in leadership were specifically mentioned as topics of interest in a recent survey. Over the next several months, Management Services Committee members will share their lessons and expertise in a focused article series on this robust topic.

EASA’s most recent Management Pulse survey compared answers to similar questions asked in a healthcare and other benefits survey conducted in September 2014. With the challenges of finding and retaining employees, the survey comparison of what has changed in the last five years could provide some clues to the future direction and employee expectations in those areas.

In 2017, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) recovered $46.3 million for workers alleging sexual harassment. With the rise of the #MeToo movement, this number is likely to keep increasing. It is imperative that employers are informed on what sexual harassment is, who may be liable for harassment, and policies and procedures that are in place or should be in place to help prevent and to report sexual harassment.

Cash flow is the heartbeat of every successful service business. Balancing the ebb and flow between Accounts Payable and Accounts Receivable is a struggle, especially when the customers do not pay within the negotiated term. If a company’s credit requirements are too stringent, we may lose good customers. If too lenient, we are left holding an empty money bag. This Management Pulse article looks at how other EASAns handle this issue.

Can you remember the day when running an EASA business was about just repairing and selling motors, pumps, and other similar types of electromechanical equipment?  Those were the times when you didn’t have to worry about being sued by a herd of lawyers trying to take a chunk of your business. Well, times have changed. Each and every one of us knows how a drug or alcohol impaired employee will not only be a danger to themselves and others, but how they can affect quality, production, and a host of other issues.

Providing a clear and concise handbook (or policy manual) to employees cannot be undervalued or neglected. The handbook can help establish the culture of the organization along with clearly communicating to employees the expectations and policies of the business.  This results of this survey on workplace polices tell the story that most of the organizational managers agree on the importance of the company handbook.

Careful thought needs to be given to the hiring process. Hiring the best candidate should always be the goal. Following proper procedures increases the chances of hiring the best candidate; it also reduces the chances of creating legal liability for your company.

Most business owners and managers will say “employees are our most valuable asset.”  Even though we say it and preach it, do we act like it? The results from the May Management Pulse Survey on hiring practices tell the story that many in our industry don’t spend enough time properly vetting the investment in these critical employees.

In recent years, the cost of providing healthcare has skyrocketed for most companies. These significantly increased costs have caused financial pain and hardships for their employees as well. This Management Pulse survey examines what EASA service center owners report as they and their employees deal with the increasing costs of healthcare.