Commentary
How to Create a Healthier Workforce
A new study shows that in 2015, the prescription opioid crisis caused almost one million people to be absent from their jobs.
Most companies do not truly understand their employees health challenges. Theyll collect basic health information such as height, weight, blood pressure, and smoking status, but this data rarely provides actionable insights to better support their employees. Such data is particularly useless when trying to identify those with prescription opioid addiction and abuse. A new study…
You Want Great Seafood? Then Vote Yes on Initiative 1631
Ethan Stowell, owner of 16 Seattle area restaurants, urges Washington voters to approve the initiative.
A key piece of keeping 16 restaurants successfully running is ensuring abundant supplies of quality local ingredients. Among those, seafood is paramount. I love fresh, raw, light food, and seafood fits that bill with its clean, healthy versatility. The culture of Seattle is steeped in a history of productive fish and shellfish resources. But of…
Does Anyone Really Understand Blockchain?
Does it even matter?
This article appears in print in the October 2018 issue. Click here for a free subscription. For those of you hoping to get into the emerging technologies of artificial intelligence, the internet of things or big data, or at least relieve eager investors of money they were planning to throw at them, we have some…
Why Washington Mutual’s Failure Still Matters
Resurrecting the saga of Washington Mutuals failure every few years isnt a bad idea.
This article appears in print in the September 2018 issue. Click here for a free subscription. This may be the last column I write or that youll bother reading about the anniversary of the Washington Mutual collapse. That acknowledgment might seem overly dismissive of a story that was, at the time, a big deal around…
The Answer to Seattle’s Traffic Problems? Shared Self-Driving Vehicles
Lets make sure unwise application of self-driving technology doesnt become self-fulfilling prophecy.
This article appears in print in the September 2018 issue. Click here for a free subscription. This summer, boston permitted the citywide expansion of a previously limited pilot program for autonomous vehicles (AVs) by MIT spinoff nuTonomy. The move was a recognition that the arrival of AVs is happening a lot faster than anyone expected,…
Why It’s Important for Businesses to Empower Customer Service Reps
Power to the (customer service) people, or else we're doomed.
This article appears in print in the August 2018 issue. Click here for a free subscription. In the annals of retailer/client relationships, nothing reverberates as instructively as the bizarre story some say its fact, others say its fake of a guy in Alaska returning an automobile tire to a Nordstrom store for a refund. Rest…
What HR Needs To Do in the Wake of #MeToo
"Post #MeToo, why hasnt human resources dropped everything to respond quickly, discreetly and effectively to complaints of abuse and harassment?"
This article appears in print in the August 2018 issue. Click here for a free subscription. Good news: more women are reporting workplace harassment, and the press is paying attention. The bad news is most women, such as those at Nike, must advocate for themselves. A 2017 Harris poll found that just 20 percent of…
50+ Businesses Join Pearl Jam to Call for Shared Strategy to Fight Homelessness in Seattle Region
The Home Shows have inspired the business community to share their vision for fighting homelessness
More than 90 Seattle area businesses have joined legendary band Pearl Jam in their effort to fight against homelessness in the Seattle area. More than $11 million has already been raised, exceeding initial goals, and all kinds of special promotions and initiatives have been happening all over the city this week to help the cause….
Let’s Embrace Seafair
Here's to the business of building community.
This article appears in print in the September 2018 issue. Click here for a free subscription. Great communities have impressive traditions. In Seattle, where Seafair just put its 69th edition to bed, the tradition is doing just fine. I will confess that Seafair and I havent had much of a relationship in recent years. When…
Why Clever Marketing Is Really What Made Seattle a Global City
Its not necessarily about what youre selling. Its more about how you sell it. And that's been as true for Microsoft and Starbucks as it has for Sub Pop and grunge
This article appears in print in the August 2018 issue. Click here for a free subscription. Theres a lot of mythology around Seattles emergence as a global city. Start with Chief Sealths mid-1880s message to white settlers, perhaps apocryphal, in which he reportedly said, The earth does not belong to man; man belongs to the…
After the Head Tax, Big Tech Is Discovering its Political Clout
Is Big Tech taking the place of Big Timber?
This story appears in the July 2018 issue. Click here for a free subscription. If your bill is in trouble for no discernible reason, Big Timber is against it. If your bill dies for no discernible reason, Boeing is against it. That was Jacobsens Law, formulated and named by a former state senator from Seattle…
Extend Your Education: Lifelong Learning Is the New Reality for a Successful Career
"We arent standing still anymore. And neither can our education."
I was seeking an accelerated course of study… Hamilton, an American musical Not long ago in the history of the American worker, the gold standard of success was employment at the same place for 30 years, followed by a full pension by 55. Not anymore. Were undergoing a changing social contract between workers and employers….
Equal Pay for Equal Work: What Employers Need to Know About Washingtons New Pay Equity Law
Employers cannot justify current pay gaps based on past compensation levels.
This story appears in the July 2018 issue. Click here for a free subscription. With heightened attention being placed on gender-based workplace discrimination, Washington has joined a growing list of states passing sweeping new laws to achieve pay equity. Businesses of all sizes should take steps to ensure compliance with these new laws or risk…