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Chamber News
events, advocacy, and more
July 11, 2022
"Change is like making an omelet,
you need to break a few eggs along the way."
It's no longer a secret - it's so-long
It’s that time. Time for the Chamber to move on beyond having an interim CEO, and hire a full-time Director. As many of you are aware 3-years ago the chamber was in dire straits. The board seriously looked at options of dissolving or even merging with another. In the end we decided that we would give it one more shot and I was installed ‘temporarily’ as the Interim CEO - we figured it would be a year ... tops.

As a business coach my specialties include crisis and project management. Talk about something that needed to be turned around! And we did. From 120 or so members to over 200 now. From a fund balance $4,000 to over $130,000 today. We hosted literally hundreds of networking and educational events. Not only had our finances improved, but our image in the community is now considered impactful. Our filter for everything has been “Will it positively impact our members?” and if the answer was no – the idea was rejected.

Change is challenging. You may have heard the saying that change is like making an omelet, you need to break a few eggs along with the way. If you were one of the eggs I broke along the way, I won’t apologize. Why? Because you can choose to stand in three places during a crisis – to the side, behind, or in the way. Those that were in the way had some damage done to their shells. I didn’t take this challenge on to make friends, it was to make a difference.

There is never a good time to leave, but also you never want to overstay your welcome. It’s time for a manager to come in, smooth out some of the rough edges, and maybe even glue some of those fragile shells back together. It will be up to the board and whomever they entrust with that responsibility.

Over the next several weeks, I will continue with the administrative duties, produce the newsletter and social media posts, and mail out member invoicing. So, you will still be hearing from me.

However, since I am still recovering from surgery (ha ha - don't believe anything you read in newspapers, even if they have reliable sources. I never had surgery) I will be stepping away from meetings, activities, networking, or other events that the board may be planning.

What's next?
I’ll be back at it with Kole Performance Group where our motto is, we work hard today for a better tomorrow. I truly hope you have been satisfied with what we have worked on together, and wish it leads to a better tomorrow.

Follow my blog Kole Hard Facts for leadership, sales, and management tips. And of course, if you need assistance, or if you simply want to throw an idea around, never hesitate to contact me. My passion (outside of my family) is helping small businesses succeed.

Michael Kole
Kole Performance Group
(734) 516-0221
John Maxwell Certified Speaker, Trainer, Coach
DiSC Consultant
Zig Ziglar Certified Trainer & Speaker
Featured Event
New Member - Optimum Natural Distributors
July Sale
Thru July 29th
Optimum Natural Distributors
307 Industrial Park, Belleville
Take a look at our new member Optimum! Optimum Natural Distributors is a wholesaler and retailer of unique and hard to find health products such as: Alkaline Water, Black Seed, Colloidal Silver, Sea Moss, Hydrogen Peroxide, Moringa, Soursop, Harataki, Optimum 3 Blend (gold, silver and copper minerals) and Pain Liniment, and incense, crystals, smudge sticks and other spiritual based items.  

(800) 680-2429
Mon-Fri. 9-6pm
Chamber Members Appreciation Night
July 26th
5-7pm - BYC
Members, come out and enjoy a relaxing evening at the BYC. Enjoy the beautiful view, open bard, expanded appetizer menu, and more!

This is a networking event, thanks to Genisys Credit Union & NextHome Evolution, our Networking Sponsors.
Yes, unlimited PTO is available
By Anthony Kaylin, courtesy of SBAM Approved Partner ASE

With the holiday behind us and the pandemic winding its way leading to more normalcy, the ability to rest and essentially take it easy is creating an opportunity to recharge and become more productive. With most organizations offering limited time off, depending on the number of years the employee has worked, time off can range from 10 days to 25 days according to ASE’s 2022 Michigan Policies & Practices Survey.

Yet according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), many employees do not take full vacations, leaving days on the table. In a use it or lose it situation, the employee loses out. However, according to the ASE survey, a majority of companies pay out all or a portion of unused time. This could be a strong reason why employees do not use PTO time.

There are a number of companies that bucked the trend on PTO, with many providing unlimited PTO, mostly in the IT sector, from Netflix, Sony Electronics, Twitter, and LinkedIn. For most of these employers, employees still have to schedule time off, and it has to be approved by their managers. But other than that, as long as work is being done, employees have the freedom to take time off without rigid limits.
The idea of unlimited PTO is a scary proposition to most employers. However, a recent Mercer survey, Mercer’s Survey on Absence and Disability Management, found that 20% of the 405 responding organizations offered unlimited PTO to at least some employees in 2021, up significantly from 14% of respondents in both 2015 and 2018. While 8% offer this benefit to executives only, employers are just as likely to offer it to all exempt employees (8%), and an additional 4% offer it to all employees.

Growing acceptance is coming slowly. New era, new benefits, new expectations from the new workforce, particularly for work/life balance. A new reality for many organizations has set in – remote work and the 24/7 nature of technology have blurred the distinction between work and not working. Further, it creates an ease in recordkeeping and expense savings with the deletion of vacation-related liability accruals. Moreover, unlimited PTO should satisfy requirements under most states paid time off laws like in Michigan.

Unlimited PTO has shown that there is increased communication between employees and management to ensure work is completed. It also alleviates issues of employees feeling like they have to go to work sick, which is a serious issue, especially in today’s environment. Studies have shown that productivity goes up when the employee feels like they own and control their own time. 
Continued ...

The grand majority of employees do not abuse it and use about the same as they do today, maybe a little more.
Some downsides are employee misuse: 1) Employee expecting accruals when terminating for payout if policy so dictates, 2) Employees not being there when needed, 3) Finally, some employees fear use and end up taking less than the standard two weeks as they feel uncomfortable declaring their work is done and their schedule is free.
If after investigation, an unlimited PTO seems like a policy worth implementing, Mercer recommends the following.
  1. Engage all stakeholders on the potential policy. An unlimited PTO needs to fit within the organization’s processes as to how to get work done. Just because it is asked, management does not have to approve, but there needs to be clear guidelines for approval or denial. 
  2. Anticipate employee reaction. If employees assumed payoffs for unused vacation or at termination, there may have to be some financial incentive to convince employees to buy-in. While the majority of employers in the Mercer survey have opted to have accrual balances forfeited where allowed by state wage laws (58%), others have paid out existing balances (44%). Mercer recommends considering various accrual transition approaches – including financial and employee relations implications – as an important part of your design strategy. 
  3. Finally, set the guidelines and train, train, and then offer more training for managers and employees to understand how the new approach works. Then follow-up with surveys to see how it is working.
News | Advocacy | Member Events
Summer Concert Series Begins
Van Buren Parks & Rec has their summer series beginning this week! Come out Wednesday to Quirk Park to enjoy some sweet summer sounds. Bring a blanket, chair, picnic basket or whatever you like and take in the free event.

I take shots at government quite often, but will also point out the positives. This concert series is a welcomed benefit that our tax dollars are providing. We also want to thank Van Buren Township for both the Free Movie in the Park and the amazing Fireworks display during the weekend of Lake Fest!
America's Seed Fund Week
July 18-22nd
America's Seed Fund Week is a collaborative series of events connecting entrepreneurs working on advanced technologies and the organizations that support them to the country’s largest source of early-stage funding – America’s Seed Fund, the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs. Whether you’re a new entrepreneur, existing small business, or entrepreneur support organization, join the America's Seed Fund Week virtual event on July 18-22, 2022 to hear directly from federal agency program managers that invest over $4 billion in over 7,000 new awards annually and celebrate 40 years of small business innovation.

When regulations go to far
Small businesses, such as local farms, will be negatively impacted with new SEC Requirements. Large corporations that are being forced to provide climate data along their entire supply chain, may force unreasonable costs on small businesses. Egg farms could be forced to calculate how much emissions are created by their chickens. Independent gas stations also will be saddled with carbon emission calculations.

These types of added costs will put undue burdens on small businesses, and could jeopardize their entire business. If your customers are large companies that are listed on the stock market, you may want to read the journals article.
Dates to circle!
Thanks to our Corporate Members
Belleville Area Chamber of Commerce
248 Main Street - Belleville, MI 48111
(734) 697-7151