Trends Contributors Opinion Tired of feeling tired? Business Briefs Business People Almanac
November 12-25, 2020
The Business Times
Page 21
COMING ATTRACTIONS
n The Business Incubator Center in Grand Junction has scheduled presentations on bookkeeping and startups The next bookkeeping boot camp is set for 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Nov. 17 at the center, located at 2591 Legacy Way. Participants will learn how to set up and track business accounting records as well as learn how balance sheets, income statements and cash flow projections are prepared and what they indicate about business operations. Admission is $75, which includes lunch. A two-part webinar on how to start a business is set for 9 to 10:30 a.m. Nov. 18 and 19. A startup workshop is set for 9 to 11:30 a.m. Dec. 8. The webinar and workshop will cover the business planning process, financing and other topics. Admission is $55, which includes admission to Fast Trac classes. The next Leading Edge business planning course is scheduled to begin in February with weekly classes for 12 weeks. The course will cover a range of topics related to starting and running businesses. Participants will write a business plan and test their models for financial viability. Admission is $275 for one person and an additional $100 for a partner or employee. For more information about upcoming events, services and programs offered at the Business Incubator Center, call 243-5242 or visit the website at www.gjincubator.org. n The Colorado Building Farmers program has scheduled a virtual course on the principles of business planning and management. The course is scheduled for Thursday nights Dec. 3 to Feb. 4. Participants will explore how to build farm businesses, plan for new markets, improve accounting and financial analysis and manage risks in crop and livestock enterprises. Participants will present their business plans at the end of the course and receive a certificate of completion. Admission ranges from $50 to $200. To register or obtain more information, visit the website at https://buildingfarmers.com.
Employers play a role in promoting the benefits of a good night’s sleep Have you ever put off sleep to knock out just one more item on your to-do list? If so, your choice likely backfired. It turns out our brains have lists of their own that can only be tackled while we’re asleep. Robbing our brains of enough time to perform these tasks not only impedes our ability to complete our daytime responsibilities effectively and efficiently, but also harms our health. What items are on our brain’s to-do list while we snooze? According to a growing body of research from the Center for Human Sleep Science at the University of California Berkeley, here are some of the most essential: n Sort memories into separate bins labeled “important” and “useless,” then cement the former and recycle the latter to optimize the human operating system. n Turn on the cerebral sewage system to flush toxic proteins and prevent the buildup Rebecca linked to Alzheimer’s disease. Weitzel n Preserve and protect our anti-cancer immune cells and repair DNA to reduce the risk of developing breast, colorectal and lung cancers. n Reboot the cardiovascular system by lowering heart rate and blood pressure to slash the risk of a fatal heart attack. n Regulate hormones linked to appetite and daytime cravings to reduce the risk of weight gain. n Replenish mental and physical capacity to allow for up to 16 hours of high levels of performance, focus and productivity the next day. Given such an important list of tasks, why do we routinely dismiss the importance of sleep — or worse, brag about how we can get by on just four hours of sleep. Much of our attitude about sleep is tied to a culture that values hard work and spurns perceived laziness. But equating sleep with idleness reveals a disconnection between our perception of sleep and how important it really is to well-being. This chasm between the perception and reality of sleep is an area in which employers can swoop in as heroes to rescue people. With the National Safety Council finding that 63 percent of Americans report their sleep needs aren’t met during the week — as well as those who believe their sleep needs are met even when they’re not — employers enjoy a unique opportunity to set the record straight and influence behavior. By influencing workers, employers create a ripple effect that benefits businesses, community health, children and our health care system. This heroic effort involves a three-pronged approach: n First, educate your employees about sleep. Start with a campaign to teach them how much is enough. Almost all experts agree seven to eight hours is ideal for adults. Children and teen-agers
Much of our attitude about sleep is tied to a culture that values hard work and spurns perceived laziness. But equating sleep with idleness reveals a disconnection between our perception of sleep and how important it really is to well-being.
need more. Our sleep requirements remain about the same as we age, although common barriers to good sleep tend to arise. That includes the use of certain medications and decreases in physical activity. n Second, encourage evidence-based sleep-promoting tactics — daily exercise, regular bedtimes, daily exposure to sunlight, resisting the snooze button and avoiding caffeine or alcohol in the evening. A note about alcohol: It’s a sedative, not a sleep aid. While you might fall asleep more quickly after imbibing, you’re not inducing restorative sleep. You might also create workplace promotions with such rules of thumb as a tech curfew in which individuals commit to ditching their devices at least an hour before bedtime. n Third, take an inventory of the ways in which your organization’s culture, environment, job demands, schedules, shifts and unwritten rules could be improved to enhance the ability of employees to get adequate rest and sleep. Helpful interventions to consider include ensuring employees work no more than 10 hours a day or 50 hours a week. Create a culture that expects and rewards sufficient breaks, especially for workers in physically or cognitively demanding jobs. Establish a policy that gives shift workers a minimum of 12 hours between shifts to recover. Offer remote work options to reduce long commutes. Encourage leaders to share how they prioritize sleep. Build sleep education into your safety and wellness programs. Just imagine the collective improvements in your business and our community if more workers gave their brains the necessary time to perform the essential nightly tasks of repair and rejuvenation. Still not convinced? Perhaps you should sleep on it. Rebecca Weitzel is president and co-founder of Good Life Wellness Solutions, which provides affordable and easy to implement workplace well-being solutions, an online platform, consulting and education services tailored to small businesses. Contact Weitzel at (970) 216-6390 or rebecca@goodlifewellnesssolutions.com or visit the website at www.GoodLifeWellnessSolutions.com. F
Event to focus on keeping young professionals on West Slope The Western Colorado Human Resource Association has scheduled a presentation on keeping young professionals working in Western Colorado. The program is set for 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Nov. 18 at Bookcliff Country Club, 2730 G Road in Grand Junction. The program also will be offered virtually. WCHRA members attend at no charge. Guests pay $25 to attend in person, $10 to participate virtually. Colorado Mesa University students may attend in person for $5. The event will include a presentation on keeping young professionals on the Western Slope, including those who graduate from CMU based in Grand Junction. Paola Perez and Madison Donnafield, both seniors at CMU studying business administration and human resource management, will lead the presentation. Perez and Donnafield serve as president and vice president, respectively of the Society
FOR YOUR INFORMATION To register for or obtain more information about the Western Colorado Human Resource Association and its upcoming membership program, visit the website at www.wchra.org. for Human Resource Management student chapter at CMU. Perez and Donnafield will discuss ways to communicate with young professionals, show them they’re valued members of an organization, involve them in decision-making and set them up for success. Perez is an HR intern with the City of Grand Junction. Donnafield is an HR intern with Monument Health. F
