How much does employee turnover cost you? Cha-ching

Attached is a great article to breaks down the direct and indirect costs of employee turnover.  Take these calculations and apply them to your unique business.  If you are honest about the missed opportunity costs, ramp up time, etc. this should be like a kick in the head to say, "Take care of your people! Work as hard on retaining your great talent as you did to atttract them in the first place!"

http://www.jdapsi.com/Client/articles/coh

Simplify your life

“Simplify, simplify.”-Henry Thoreau

Have you ever thought, how can I streamline my life, and live simply?  Do my employees feel the same way?  By wanting and doing less, more space can be created for those things that really matter.  Living simply is not a new idea.  In fact there are magazines and websites dedicated to the concept.  But we are really doing towards this goal - reading, blogging or complaining about the clutter in our lives?  Well, here is an action item that is not just a step, but a giant leap towards in the right direction…

Outsource all of your necessary “to do’s” to your concierge service.  I don’t understand why more people aren’t liberating themselves of these responsibilities.  After all, it might be your responsibility to make sure there is food on the table to feed your family, but does that mean that you personally have to pick out the produce?  Do what is core – sitting down to dinner with your family and discussing your day – and outsource the rest!

Women in business…of course, the playing field is not level, but we’re not complaining!

I had the opportunity to be part of an illustrious panel of successful female entrepreneurs last week at the Entrepreneur Advisory Symposium.  I was honored to share the spotlight with such accomplished women as Debra Kline CEO of Business Wise.  However, we were all a bit surprised that the moderator was obviously looking for a fight.  He argued that “we’ve come a long way baby” and why do we need professional organizations of women in business and initiatives specifically geared towards advancing women in the professional arena.  He is entitled to his opinion.  After all it was his event, but what a missed opportunity!  There was no discussion about the work/family compromises and struggles professional women face, the lack of professional female role models when most of us were attempting to chart out path, and so much more.  Although the format was disappointing, I appreciate the opportunity to represent my counterparts and I  hope I did you proud!

Leadership Atlanta

Check out the May 17-21, 2010 issue of the Atlanta Business Chronicle to see a complete list of the 2011 Class of Leadership Atlanta.  Andrea is very honored to have been selected as part of the prestigious group of leaders and is looking forward to contributing and learning!  To learn more about Leadership Atlanta, visit their website at www.leadershipatlanta.org

Andrea Arena is a leading Mom in Business

Vote for me as a Leading Mom In Business.  Remember to vote daily!

http://www.startupnation.com/leading-moms-in-business/contestant/8081/index.php

Start Up Nation is Celebrating America's top Mom owned businesses and 2 Places At 1 Time, Inc. definitely fits the bill, but we can't win without your vote.  The company with the most votes wins!  So, pls. vote for us today!

Founder and president of the national corporate concierge service, 2 Places At 1 Time, I am also a 43 yr old single Mom of a 19 month old. I live the work/life balance challenge every day and have built a company that helps working Moms address this challenging issue.

2 Places At 1 Time Concierge Service is a “next-generation” work-life benefit. Our concierge service gets the job done, so our corporate clients' employees can focus on theirs. 2 Places At 1 Time tackles virtually any personal task: from detailed vacation planning to buying concert tickets, from gift buying to meeting contractors or repair people at the home. The result is simple. Corporations underwrite the cost of the program and employees can more effectively manage their time and improve their job performance thanks to a better balance of the demands on their professional and personal lives.

From walking dogs and scooping litter boxes to stock the refrigerator and meeting the plumber at the home, waiting in line at the DMV for car tags and locating the hottest new toy during the holidays, planning kids birthday parties, picking up the troop’s girl scout cookies and making sure your child is not the only without tap shoes at dance class  – these are just some of the ways we save time for Moms across the US and Canada.