Offices Are Laying Off Workers, But Owners Can Still Take Other Steps To Save Money

BY MARK SHAW

The economic outlook for 2023 is the dreaded R word—Recession.

It`s here. We know the media and our government are not exactly forthcoming saying it’s here, but if you are a consumer you see the change. Technology is often the canary in the coal mine. When tech companies start cutting jobs, that is when we see things starting.

Amazon, Facebook, Twitter, and just a few days ago Salesforce, recently cut their workforce. Additionally, the news was just released that the financial sector cuts are coming. These two major driving economic forces are the first to start the layoffs. Next up, all of us.

But as a small business owner there is some comfort in the fact that you can probably find some places to cut costs and save money. Ideally, you have probably been doing this all along as the inflation numbers have grown. When it comes to your technology, if you currently have an IT staff, even if it’s just one person, you can use some costeffective, time-tested methods to meet your needs.

In today’s world you can outsource your information technology for often a fraction of the cost of retaining a fully loaded employee. Multiple studies shown that firms with 1-10 IT staff members have seen significant savings by outsourcing to an IT consulting firm. I have first-hand experience of the best ways this can and has been done.

First, outsourcing doesn’t have to mean firing people and leaving them without a job. We all put people first and finding a balance is ideal. So, you are now left wondering how do I save money, cut staff, and still get great technology support and advice? Well, there are a few ways to do this. Let’s talk about what using a third party company to manage your IT needs can do to dramatically improve your life.

No more loaded costs with 401k, healthcare, vacations.

No more worries about all the keys to the kingdom in one person’s hands.

No more fears over someone else scooping up your critical tech staff.

No myopic view of the world. Only seeing your business and no ability to benchmark what the best of the best are doing.

Imagine you now take those dollars spent on internal IT staff and move them to someone else. Someone who will handle all that and provide a team of engineers, customer service, and technology solutions for your business. You’ll no longer be worried about costs of staff or the dreaded “What happens if so and so is hit by a bus” scenarios.

You have a team who also has seen businesses just like yours, probably many of them. This group of skilled people can work daily to manage your environment, sometimes 24/7/365. Watching your technology around the clock requires a massive amount of resources, experience and expertise. No one person or even your small set of inhouse staff could possibly do this.

To take this one step farther, many IT firms like my own are always looking for great tech talent. On more than one occasion, we have worked with a company to bring some of their team who otherwise might be laid off and put them to work for us. This keeps a friendly face your staff all knows and allows us to introduce new people as well. What a complete win-win-win scenario.

You get to reduce costs, the IT consulting firm gets to add a valuable person to the team and the employee you had to let go is now comfortably employed and is still a resource to you.

Take that, recession.

SUNY Empire State Agrees To Provide College Credit To Some State DMV Employees

The state Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) has a new partnership with SUNY Empire State to provide college credit to eligible employees. The credits can be used as general learning in any undergraduate program at the college.

To be eligible, a new or current employee must have completed all three components of DMV’s new employee training program (NETP)—License, Registration, and Enforcement—in addition to a customer service component. Current employees must have completed the training since 2013 to be eligible. Those who have done so can receive six college credits from SUNY Empire, which represents a savings of $2,015.20 in tuition fees.

The DMV Statewide Training team will provide proof of completion of the three NETP courses to SUNY Empire for interested employees. The department has assigned staff members to serve as advisors to answer questions and help employees explore this opportunity.

“We are always looking for new and innovative ways to help our employees gain new skills through training and to advance their careers, so we are very excited to roll out this new partnership with SUNY Empire,” said DMV Executive Deputy Commissioner Christian Jackstadt. “The flexibility that SUNY Empire provides will allow all our employees throughout the state to take advantage of this opportunity. This partnership is one of many initiatives we have introduced as part of a strategic effort to attract and retain top talent and make careers at the DMV even more rewarding.”

“SUNY Empire State is thrilled to partner with the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles in service to the agency’s employees,” said SUNY Empire State President Lisa Vollendorf, Ph.D. “Our commitment is and has always been to drive educational attainment in New York state and beyond, driving social mobility and reaching students who can benefit from our flexible and innovative academic experiences.”

To learn more about career opportunities at the DMV, benefits, and how to apply, visit dmv.ny.gov/careers/careers.

Uncommon Grounds Expands Again, Adds A New Store In Stuyvesant Plaza

Uncommon Grounds, which started on Broadway in Saratoga Springs, recently opened a new cafe in Stuyvesant Plaza in Albany County.

It is the company’s fourth community cafe.

Like the others, it is a purveyor of freshroasted specialty coffee.

The coffeehouse offers a menu of signature beverages, homemade bagels, soups, salads and desserts. Approximately 20 fulland part-time employees staff the shop.

“We’re very excited to unveil our newest location in Albany,” the company said. “Stuyvesant Plaza is a one-of-a-kind location and we can’t wait to welcome Plaza shoppers and tenants for a meal or a hot cup of coffee. We look forward to continuing to grow our business there.”

“Uncommon Grounds is a Capital Region favorite, and we’re happy to welcome them to Stuyvesant Plaza,” said Stuyvesant Plaza

General Manager Rachel Ferluge.

Uncommon Grounds’ current Albany location in University Plaza is staying open. The coffee shop has two other locations in Saratoga Springs and Clifton Park.

Uncommon Grounds first opened in 1992 in downtown Saratoga Springs, with the mission to procure high quality coffee beans from reliable sources committed to ethical and sustainable practices. In 1996, the café began serving fresh New York Cityinspired bagels and cream cheese prepared from scratch daily. The brand freshly roasts all of its coffee in-house.

Uncommon Grounds joins the numerous restaurants and eateries at Stuyvesant Plaza, including Bellini’s Counter, Bountiful Bread, Peaches Café and others. It is sited where Bruegger’s Bagels was previously located, adjacent to CVS Pharmacy.

For more information about Uncommon Grounds, visit UncommonGrounds.com.