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A lesson in productivity Nicholas Bloom, a professor at Stanford University, researches productivity and has contributed to the body of research that suggests remote employees are, on average, more productive than on-site employees. In 2013, Bloom ran a study on remote workers; it looked at their productivity when they shifted to a four-day workweek while working from home. On average, productivity rose by 13%. Current data follows similar trends. In July 2020, Lenovo published a study on 20,000 workers who had shifted to a remote model in the wake of COVID-19. The study reconfirmed that productivity increased among those workers, with 63% reporting an increase in productivity (this includes completing more tasks on any given day, completing more tasks ahead of schedule, and being less distracted throughout the day). At the same time, many businesses reported that they saved money by shifting part, or all, of their workforce to a remote model. While upfront, short-term costs of this new setup can be substantial, the long-term costs (and savings) may be worth it. Fewer employees on-site may mean a business can consolidate space and save on rent, utilities, and taxes. What’s the final lesson in this example? Many businesses are deciding to go fully remote. Shifting to a remote business model might be one of your first goals for the first quarter of 2021. If you’ve shifted employees to work remotely on a part-time basis, you’re already halfway there. The next
step is to look closely at the numbers (costs, employee metrics, customer metrics, etc.) and work with your team to make it a long-term reality. Your next step What other goals should you be focused on for the first quarter of 2021? Consider how well or how poorly you weathered the last nine months. This is a great time to address any issues that may have come up. I’ll leave you with a few more questions and ideas to help you with first-quarter goals: • Was your cash flow decimated? How did a reduced cash flow impact your business? How can you mitigate this in the future? (Potential goals: increase business savings, find alternative sources of revenue, etc.) • Did you have to suspend products or services? What led to this suspension? Were these products/services useful at bringing in new or recurring business? Did they help your bottom line? (Potential goals: streamline or phase out products/services that no longer serve the same purpose that they once did.) Before you start setting goals, answer the above questions or other questions that the past year has left you with. Home in on your pain points from 2020 and focus on addressing those in the upcoming quarter. Turn those weaknesses into strengths and start 2021 with a fresh perspective and a fresh set of goals.
NO SHAVE NOVEMBER Can You Outgrow the Best Beard in Hollywood?
If you’re a man who’s made it through these last eight months of quarantine without succumbing to the lazy scraggle of an unkempt beard, you’ve got some willpower. But November is here, which means No Shave November is underway. If you decide to participate, you’ll finally have a worthy excuse to stop the upkeep. The goal of No Shave November is to increase cancer awareness by embracing hair — which many cancer patients lose — and by letting it grow wild for the entire month. Men are encouraged to donate the money they would typically spend on shaving and grooming to those causes that provide cancer prevention education and aid those fighting it. The cause has since blossomed into a yearly fashion trend among men and even women who want to participate by letting their leg hair grow free for the month. It’s a popular trend for celebrities to follow too, as their influence can help raise even more awareness than the average Joe’s beard would. Beard-growing has become an increasingly popular trend in the world of male celebrities, encouraging many to follow their lead. This is an especially admirable trend when it comes to November, and we can expect the usual uptick in beard growth. Every effort
that supports the cause is meaningful, but it’ll be hard to beat the current champion of Hollywood’s favorite celebrity beards: Ryan Reynolds. Just as Reynolds’ career has blossomed from raunchy rom-coms to hilariously inappropriate superheroes, his face has matured from approachably clean-shaven cheeks to a full and grizzled jawline. It’s a look that fans
can’t get enough of and proves that growing an eye-catching beard doesn’t need a ton of maintenance. We’re excited to see how far Reynolds lets it fly this year. But when it comes to No Shave November, it’s not the look of the beard that counts — it’s the awareness the beard raises that should take the spotlight. Whether you aim for a beard as enticing as a celebrity’s or just want to grow one for a meaningful cause, your hair helps. So don’t trim it, no matter how itchy it might get.
2 • swbwlawfirm.com
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