Every business needs to fully understand digital harassment and be ready to take the necessary steps to competently deal with it. Strictly speaking, digital harassment is the use of digital technology to bully, sexually harass or otherwise intimidate or harass someone. This includes emails, texts, comments on social media sites, inappropriate actions at work or outside of work that involves employees, digital stalking and much more. Every business, of every size, needs to have a digital media policy that includes digital harassment.

Digital communications take out the human factor as there are no non-verbal cues that can be seen, leaving every communication open to interpretation. Because of the nature of social media and its ability to hide the perpetrator, digital harassment has become more and more widespread. People can test the water without fear of rejection, so texting, emails or other uses of technology are common ways to harass a worker. Social media sites such as Facebook are often used as vehicles for harassment, providing a forum for workers to comment on physical assets of co-workers or to judge them on their political or personal beliefs. Digital communications can also be used as a way for managers to control workers by constantly bombarding them with IMs or emails 24/7. This is also a form of digital harassment.

Harassing behavior doesn't have to happen only at work for it to be considered workplace harassment. Employees can have offending conversations on private mobile devices or outside of company hours.

What can and should you do as a small business owner?

Tip no. 1: Have a strong, clearly written digital media policy. Make sure it is given to every employee and manager. State what is considered harassment and what the consequences will be if the policy is violated.

RELATED: Do you have these 10 things in your employee handbook?

Tip no. 2: If there is an incident of digital harassment, try to get proof. This can be in the form of screen shots, copies of texts, emails, recordings of offensive voicemails, etc.  Document and save all copies of any evidence. You may need these in the event of any legal situations. It also shows your employees that you take the situation seriously and are taking the necessary steps to prevent or stop all forms of digital harassment.

Tip no. 3: Hold a meeting with everyone involved and document what goes on in these meetings using detailed reports. It is also a good idea to have a third-party note-taker present during these meetings. During the meetings, document the following:

1. An explanation of the events
2. A list of everyone involved
3. How you dealt with the offending behavior
4. A list of any witnesses
5. The date and time of all communications relating to the incident

This also acts as physical proof that an employee filed a complaint and spoke to HR or management.

RELATED: Read more by Tim Dimoff.

A word of caution before you record phone calls. Check your state laws as they can vary as to the legality of recordings. Some states require both parties to consent to the recording. Other states only require one person to consent to the recording.

You should not tolerate harassment of any kind and should encourage your workers to have open, honest conversations with management or human resources.

President, SACS Consulting & Investigative Services, Speaker, Trainer, Corporate Security ExpertTimothy A. Dimoff, CPP, president of SACS Consulting & Investigative Services, Inc., is a speaker, trainer and author and a leading authority in high-risk workplace and human resource security and crime issues. He is a Certified Protection Professional; a certified legal expert in corporate security procedures and training; a member of the Ohio and International Narcotic Associations; the Ohio and National Societies for Human Resource Managers; and the American Society for Industrial Security. He holds a B.S. in Sociology, with an emphasis in criminology, from Dennison University. Contact him at info@sacsconsulting.com.

Energy Contracts can be very confusing. Here are some tips on what to look for.

1. What is the price you are being offered?  (Is it a fixed all in price?) 

2. Is it a Variable Market Price?
 What is included in your price? (e.g., the cost of Energy and Transportation or the cost of energy only) 

Here are some simple descriptions of what to look for:

Price Options  
There are two main price options: fixed rate and variable rate. While there are other options, the majority of customers fall into one of these two buckets. 

• A fixed-rate option has the price you pay per kilowatt-hour locked in for the length of the contract.

• A variable-rate option allows the price you pay to vary based on certain variables. 

What is a True Fixed Price 
A fixed price will remain the same for a set period of time. This will give you certainty that your price will not change during the term of the agreement. the only exception is if there is a “Change in Law” your supplier may opt to pass through a FERC (Federal Energy Regulatory Commission) approved price increase. If the FERC approves a price increase it is allowed to be passed through. 

• A "fixed all-inclusive product" should contain all of the above components wrapped into one rate—your price. For this maximum price protection scenario, the price will contain a premium to cover the cost components that may vary over the duration of your service. This premium protects a supplier, who must estimate all of these changing cost components in order to provide you with an all-inclusive price for your desired term.

• A "fixed product with varying pass-through charges" could include one or more of the above components wrapped into your fixed rate, and several others passed through separately. It could also mean that your energy component is fixed and all of the other charges are passed through at cost.

A fixed price contract cannot contain a provision to routinely pass through cost components and must incorporate these costs into the fixed price at the start of your contract. However, if the methodology for determining the capacity price as approved by the FERC was changed during the contract, this could be considered a regulatory change and the incremental cost could be passed through as a line item assuming the contract had a regulatory- out clause that identifies capacity cost change as a potential pass through. (Capacity is the physical amount of electricity the utility has available to serve customers, in megawatts (MW) and is related to peak demand.)
So, why would this not be considered a “variable” contract? It’s because the pass through is limited to the incremental cost or new cost caused by the regulatory change.

Understanding Variable Contracts
If you select a variable rate, the rate may change with market conditions. So, if market prices increase, your rate may increase. If market prices drop, your rate may decrease. Variable contracts are structured such that all (or some part) of the cost component (capacity, for example) is routinely passed through every billing cycle.

Variable pass through component costs are the result of variable quantities or variable prices or quantity and price that creates a variable cost to the Supplier. This is passed directly to the retail buyer. For example, the capacity cost component of a customer’s price is the product of the kW quantity and the capacity price. 

Variable contracts can be written in a number of different ways. A few examples:

• Some contracts might pass through changes in the capacity price while keeping other obligations fixed. 

• Contracts might fix the capacity price and pass through costs related to change in the annual capacity obligation. 

• Still other contracts could pass through all capacity costs based on the specific wording in your contract. .

• A fully variable contract would pass through all costs including the energy. The variable energy price could be based on an hourly index or some type of variable procurement methodology.

There are a host of other things that could be written into a variable contract. Your energy consultant can explain these items and what impact they have on you.
 
Engaging a reputable procurement consultant can help you avoid unpleasant, unexpected costs during the term of your contract. Allow the experts at the COSE/GCP Energy Team help you understand wording in your energy contract.

Can I grow another 10% or 20%?

That’s the question Steve Petti, president of New Image Media in Warrensville Heights, asks himself at the outset of every year. It’s likely also a similar question other small business owners are asking themselves around this time of year, too. But to achieve that growth, business owners first will need to get their priorities in order and what better time to do that than at the beginning of the year?

Mind Your Business reached out to a selection of top small business owners and entrepreneurs to collect their thoughts on how to prioritize goals for the year so that ultimate goal—growth—is attainable. Here’s what they had to say.

Kimberly L. Jacobs, CEO, Kings Medical Group

At the beginning of each year, Jacobs asks each of her team members to jot down the ideas they have for the next 12 months for their specific areas. Then, the team comes together to discuss everyone’s ideas.

“We rate them on how much will it cost? How much will it generate? Is it achievable in 12 months? Will it require additional resources? Does it align with our corporate culture?” she says. Ideas that don’t meet those guidelines fall to the bottom of the list, meaning team members need to sell their ideas to the group if they want to see them implemented.

“The vetted list, then, becomes our strategic vision for the next 12 months,” she adds.

Jacobs is a big believer in transparency and that applies to setting goals. After the meeting, each of the goals set for the year is given a due date and the team keeps track of how far along they are to reaching the goal. Each of the ideas are revisited every quarter and can be adjusted if the organization’s thinking has changed.

“A lot can change in 12 months and you don’t want someone working on a goal for the sake of working on a goal,” Jacobs says.

Steve Petti, president, New Image Media

Similar to Jacobs, Petti’s thinking around setting annual expectations for his business involve the process of actually writing them down. Seeing the goal in writing makes it more tangible and gives it more weight.

Also similar to Kings Medical, New Image’s goals and expectations center around Petti’s efforts to build his business. “We made an aggressive commitment to grow,” he says.

“We revised our vision statement and prominently posted it on our wall,” he adds. “Our vision is to be NEO’s most recognized name in video for business. We need to remind ourselves daily.”

But saying he wants to grow is one thing. Actually achieving that growth is another. So, what is one action Petti intends to take during 2016 to help him achieve the growth goal he has set for himself?

“Grow our audience,” Petti says. He has faith in his business model and wants to spread the word. A priority for him in 2016 is to get out and attend events—and build as many relationships as he can.

Raquel Eatmon, CEO, Rising Media

After Raquel Eatmon, CEO of Rising Media in Beachwood, has spent time reflecting on her goals for the upcoming year, she then starts the process of thinking about the best way to take action on the expectations she has set for herself.

One important question that runs through her head is: “Do I need to ask for help?”

In her former life as a TV news journalist, she became used to being able to wrap up a story at the end of the day into a tidy report. Such is not the case when it comes to business, as she has discovered.

“I have to go easy on myself,” she says. Eatmon has found it best to pace herself and not get caught up in measuring herself against other CEOs. If she has to, she rolls items over if they need another day to complete.

Lisa Stouffer, president and chief human resource consultant, Cephala Recruiting and Consulting

If revenue growth is a goal for your company in 2016, then there is a good chance that staff growth is going to come into play, too. During a recent COSE webinar, Stouffer pointed to the growing numbers of the millennial generation as a potential source of that staff growth. Companies with growth in their sights should prioritize the hiring of this upcoming generation.

And what’s the best way to attract these millennials? Millennials want to be treated as individuals, so that is a good place to start, she says.

“Do you send out cold, auto-generated emails to applicants?” she asks. “Is it easy for them to check on their application? Is it easy for them to check the application on a mobile app?”

Further, companies should begin drafting other changes to their hiring process. Three things small business owners can be doing right now to appeal to millennials include:

• Communicate your purpose: Millennials want your company’s message to them to be genuine. Explain how prospective employees fit into your business’ architecture.
• Put your culture out front: Show off your workplace on your company’s website. Think about including video testimonials from current employees. You want job applicants to be able to picture themselves working at your business.
• Be proactive: Don’t wait weeks or months to get back in touch with applicants. Reach out as soon as possible. And once the candidate is onboard, consider instituting “stay interviews” to help identify what drives your employees. What’s their passion? What keeps them coming in everyday? “Use this feedback to enhance your company’s benefits and culture,” Stouffer says.

Next Step

Hiring millennials

In a recent human resources report, PricewaterhouseCoopers identified several additional tactics employers should use if “hire staff” is one of the expectations they have set.

• Provide flexibility: Give them the freedom to work in the environment that suits them best, even if it means that environment is the local coffee shop.
• Enable growth: Put millennials on rotational assignments to give them a taste of many different parts of your business. Challenge them to come up with new ways to streamline processes.
• Give feedback: Give honest feedback in real time. Don’t wait for annual review time.

Want more? Additional resources for this story can be found online at www.cose.org/myb.

Earlier this week, OHTech joined 130 people from around the country for the 4th annual TechAmerica DC Fly-In.

The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) goes into full effect on May 25. While the law is intended to protect the data and privacy of individuals within the European Union (EU), it could also impact some companies here in Northeast Ohio that come in contact with EU citizens or businesses.

Why might your business take note of the GDPR?  Because it matters to organizations outside of the EU that store or process data of people who live in the EU. 

Here are the eight, brief fundamental privacy rights dictated by the GDPR and how businesses are expected to comply.

Right to be informed

An overarching theme of the GDPR is that of transparency. Two things to think about: Does your business have a clearly worded and easy-to-find privacy policy? Is your business able to respond to customer inquiries in a timely manner?

Right of access

If a customer reaches out, companies must provide for free a digital copy of their customer information. This must be distributed within one month of the request.

Right to rectification

If there is an error in the customer record, companies must rectify that error in a timely manner.

Right to be forgotten

If a customer requests it, companies must be able to completely erase that customer’s records from their systems.

Right to restrict processing

Customers have the right to restrict the use of their personal data.

Right to data portability

Any customer who opts in to provide their personal data may request that this data be shared with another organization.

Right to object

Customers can take back their consent to the use of their information and can object to their data being used for a particular function.

Rights in relation to automated decision-making and profiling

Customers are protected from potentially harmful decisions being made about their data without their knowledge that do not involve human intervention.

Want to know more? Click here to read the official GDPR Regulation Language issued by the EU.