Top 10 Outsourcing Tips

More and more businesses are looking to accomplish more for less with outsourcing business and recruiting processes. Save time, money and resources and expand the reach of your business by outsourcing projects to skilled vendors. Here is a list of basic tips to help you outsource successfully.

10. Review the Portfolio- It's pretty basic. Check out each company's body of work (white papers, samples, case studies) before considering them as a vendor.

9. Don't Go Too Big...at first - Right out of the gate, be careful not to hand over mission critical projects to a new vendor.

8. Define Milestones - Schedule checkpoints where the status of the project is reviewed. This will ensure that you meet the final deadline.

7. Who Owns This? - Negotiate and define the ownership of the end work up front.

6. Post-Project Support - Do you need a warranty? A support clause? Discounts on future modifications? Before any work is done, negotiate the post-project expectations and support systems and you will save yourself headaches down the line.

5. Get Everything in Writing - Of course you'll get the initial contract agreement on paper...but make sure to secure and archive any proposed changes to the initial agreement, whether they are agreed upon or not.

4. Clarify the Scope - Any successful outsourcing initative begins with a defined goal and the requirements. Be specific about your expectations and the deliverables needed so the vendor can provide a correct and reasonable proposal. Give vendors all the facts. Most of all, create a project schedule and stick to it; you will see the positive effect this has on your cost-savings.

3. It's an Interview - When you receive proposals from potential providers, evaluate them as you would a resume and interview of a new employee. Ask questions. Check references. Have an open dialogue. The vendor you choose will become an extension of your team.

2. Specific Experience and Cultural Fit - The provider you select needs experience with the type of project that you’re undertaking. And going hand-in-hand with that is the vendor's corporate culture. Your needs should match their experience and their company's values, culture and style should compliment your own.

1. Best Price does not Necessarily Equal the Best Choice - Don't be tempted to choose the cheapest vendor just because they are the cheapest. Yes, it is possible that they are the best choice, but dig deeper. Will saving money by choosing the cheapest vendor now truly pay off later when it comes to quality and creating a long-term, viable relationship?

Top 10 Places Office Germs Hide

It's Wellness Wednesday at Arcus and that means we all clean our desks and door handles with Clorox wipes. It means the Arcus Wellness Committee passes out vitamin drops to the entire team. In the middle of winter, it's important to stay healthy and track down those pesky germs. I am an avid user of Purell: each desk at Arcus is equipped with a bottle of hand sanitizer and throughout the building there are many Purell stations! The Arcus Wellness Committee has put together the top ten places germs hide in the office.

10. The restroom - This is an obvious one. Sadly, some people still do not wash their hands after using the restroom. Wash your hands!

9. The coffee station - Got a Keurig? A Flavia? A good old Mr. Coffee? All of them are smothered in bacteria. Wash them inside and out daily.

8. Handles - A large number of people have direct hand contact with door, closet and drawer handles. Just face it: they are contaminated. We wipe our handles every week on Wednesday! We post signs around the Arcus Corporate Headquarters asking Team Members to wash their hands.

7. Carpeting - Carpets are covered with outside dirt. Steam clean them regularly to keep the germs and allergens at bay.

6. The microwave - Everyone touches the buttons on your office microwave daily. Wash your hands before starting in on your leftovers for lunch.

5. The phones - Your desk phone and especially any shared phones in the building are surely covered in germs. Clean them before each use.

4. Your cell phone - It doesn't matter if you carry a Blackberry, Android or iPhone, your phone is filthy. Clean it at least once a week with an antibacterial wipe.

3. Your keyboard and mouse - It doesn't hurt to clean your keyboard or mouse before using them every day. Use a disinfecting wipe and compressed air to clean it thoroughly.

2. Office supplies - Most of us chew pens and pencils or at least hold them in our mouths. Carry your own pens and don't share them.

1. Your desk! - The average office desk contains 20,961 germs per square inch! Clear your clutter and wipe it down now.

Stay healthy!

Top Ten Bizarre Holidays

Here at Arcus we have been building our 2010 Calendar. What better way to fill out the calendar of a quirky company like Arcus than to celebrate as many ridiculous holidays as possible. Ali Peters, Arcus Marketing Assistant, has put together her top ten list of bizarre, unusual and downright funny holidays. (By the way, did you know today is Rubber Duckie Day?)

10. National Chocolate Covered Anything Day (December 16)

9. Wear Brown Shoes Day (December 4) 

8. Clean Out Your Refrigerator Day (November 15) 

7. Evaluate Your Life Day (October 19)

6. Don't Cry Over Spilled Milk Day (February 11) 

5. No Socks Day (May 8) 

4. Everything You Do Is Right Day (March 16) 

3. Something on a Stick Day (March 28) 

2. Wiggle Your Toes Day (August 6) 

1. National Talk Like a Pirate Day (September 19)

HONORABLE MENTION 

The three runners-up that didn't quite make our top ten list are

* National Dance Like a Chicken Day (May 14)

* National PB&J Day (April 2)

And, well, we put off deciding on the Third Runner-Up and we couldn't decide between Be Late for Something Day (September 5) or Fight Procrastination Day (September 6). 

10 New Years Resolutions

10. Get a Better Education - Many people went back to school during the economic crisis. In 2010, there will be many who will jump on that bandwagon.

9. Drink Less Alcohol - Even though we work hard and play hard at Arcus, it is all about balance in everything. When it comes to drinking, balance and moderation are especially important. Whether it is for your health or any other reason, drinking less is a decent and honorable resolution this new year's.

8. Quit Smoking - No matter how you do it - "Cold turkey", gradually, the patch, gum, or pill - staying away from cigarettes is a beneficial goal for the new year. The Arcus Wellness Committee will applaud me for saying that! I applaud their efforts in helping us stay healthy!

7. Be a Better Employee/Employer - You got to love what you do and do it well. It's a mantra that we should all live by. 2010 is going to be a fantastic year at Arcus!

6. Manage Stress - 2009 was a stressful year... there's no two ways about it. Stress can affect jobs, family, love and health, so this resolution is beneficial for anybody and everybody.

5. Take a Trip - Many people are planning trips to far off lands! I will continue my travels to our Latin American Headquarters in San Jose, Costa Rica and I am looking forward to that. Maybe you have a resolution to go to a place you haver never been to? Or to a favorite vacation spot?

4. Reduce Debt & Save Money - In financial meltdown aftermath of the past year, there are a lot of people putting this daunting task on their resolution radar for 2010 and it is well worth it.

3. Be Nice - "It's nice to be important, but it's more important to be nice." Smile. Say hello. Listen. Be courteous, sincere and humble. Offer to help. Surrounding yourself with nice people. Lots of folks are gearing up for a more pleasant new year and adding this to their list of resolutions!

2. Get Fit - For those who maintain a healthy weight, but want to go to move forward. Maybe you want to work out regularly? Or even run a marathon like our friend Jack Daly?

1. Lose Weight - The most popular resolution every year. Diet and exercise will lead the way for this resolution. Luckily the Arcus Team has the Arcus Fitness Center to help shed the pounds!

What are your New Year's resolutions?

10 Best Things about the Holidays

We are in the thick of the holiday season! Christmas is only two days away! It's a time for family, friends, decorating and hanging lights. A time for the magic of Santa and gift-giving. Here is the Arcus list of holiday favorites!

10. Wishing people "Happy Holidays", "Merry Christmas", "Happy Hanukkah", etc. - It's a fantastic way to begin or end a conversation. I wish we had festive greetings for the rest of the year, don't you?

9. Christmas Lights - There are some amazing lights this year in nearby Hershey, PA. Check out this link here for my favorite YouTube video of Christmas Lights: this guy must be a Griswold!

8. Snow - And we certainly had plenty of it this past week!

7. Christmas movies - Rudolph, Frosty, The Grinch, It's a Wonderful Life, White Christmas, A Christmas Story, National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, A Christmas Carol, Miracle on 34th Street, The Santa Clause, and Elf are some of the favorites around Arcus Corporate Headquarters!

6. Holiday Food - At Arcus, we like to work hard and play hard. And to do that, and keep up our energy, we like food. A lot. Too much, according to our Wellness Committee!

5. The Arcus Christmas Party - We had a bang up time on December 5th. It was a casual evening with fantastic food and drink!

4. Giving Gifts - The shopping may be annoying but there is nothing like seeing your loved one unwrap the perfect gift.

3. The Decorations - You should see the Arcus Cafe! We have some gorgeous decorations created by Amy Hewitt!

2. Time with family, friends and my Arcus Team! Is there anything better this time of year?

1. The tradition - Family, friends, food, festivities, presents, cookies for Santa, overfull stockings or watching a good film; traditions are essential to the human experience.

Happy Holidays from Arcus!

Top 10 Ways to De-Stress at Work

At Arcus we work hard and play hard. Sometimes with all that hard work and play, we forget to relax and destress. To help counteract that tension, this week is Stress Free Week at Arcus!

Monday: Bubble Wrap Popping Party

Tuesday: No Meeting Day

Wednesday: Yoga

Thursday: Massages

Friday: Happy Hour at the Arcus Bar!

Although you may not have these de-stressing activities to look forward to at your workplace, there are many things you can do to decompress at the workplace. Here are the Arcus top ten ways to destress at work.

10. In your workspace, surround yourself with things that make you happy, such as pictures of your family or flowers.

9. De-clutter your desk! Sort that pile of paper that has been haunting you. 8. Clean out your inbox. A de-cluttered inbox equals a de-cluttered mind.

7. Schedule some time everyday to organize. And then don't ignore that calendar notification!

6. Take a walk. Instead of calling Karen who works down the hall, get up out of that chair and walk to her office. 

5. Eat healthy. Switch from coffee and soda to tea. Keep some healthy snacks at work. 

4. Stay active. Try simple stretches at your desk. There is nothing worse for your posture than being hunched over a keyboard all day. Even better, take half your lunch hour to exercise. 

3. Be positive. Smile at a coworker. Compliment someone today.

2. Learn to say "No". Now this may seem like I am contradicting myself, but you can tell someone "no" and be positive at the same time! There is a difference between being helpful at the office and knowing how and when to prioritize.

1. Work in a career you love. When you love it, it stops being work.

Top Ten Arcus Thanksgiving Favorites

After Monday's Arcus Thanksgiving Potluck, I was inspired to make a top ten list of our favorite Thanksgiving foods here at Arcus!

10. Cranberries - Whether it's sauce, homemade, from a can, or mixed into a salad, cranberries are a Thanksgiving staple we can't live without. Michelle's cranberry applesauce was a big hit.

9. Corn - We like it creamed, casseroled, sweet, on or off the cob, white or yellow. Sue Stone and Chris Fogarty's corn dishes were great.

8. Rolls - If we didn't have rolls, what would we dip into the leftover gravy? Thank you Sean and Chanin for the bags and bags of fantastic rolls!

7. Pumpkin Pie - I almost said apple pie here, but I am a purist. Pumpkin pie is a must for Turkey Day. Mindy and Steve came through with some great pies.

6. Sweet Potatoes - It just looks cool with those marshmallows on top. Mary's Candied Sweet Potatoes were decadent.

5. Green Bean Casserole - It must have the frizzled onions on top. No questions asked. Eric and Rozell's green bean casseroles were huge! We are still eating them!

4. Mashed Potatoes - Homemade please. Marshall's mashed potatoes dissapeared! No seconds were to be found!

3. Stuffing - Kristen's sausage stuffing, Ben's vegetarian stuffing, and Karen Dobosh's pineapple stuffing were all delicious. Someday we'll finish eating the leftovers!

2. Ham - Candied, Honey-Baked, or Smoked. 'Nuf said.

1. Turkey - The best part is figuring our what to do with all the leftovers after Turkey Day.

And I didn't even get to mention Tammy's Butternut Squash, Charlie's Buffalo Chicken Dip (that old Thanksgiving favorite) or Jacob's Five Cheese Mac and Cheese. Thanks to all who cooked! With all the awesome chefs here, I'm sensing an Arcus Cookbook in the future... Gobble Gobble!

Top 10 Reasons to help Arcus Can Hunger in Central PA

10.) Hunger is a real problem everywhere; even in Central Pennsylvania.
9.) 1,000,000,000 people suffer from hunger worldwide and most are women and children.
8.) 1 in 8 Americans struggle with the reality of food insecurity and hunger.
7.) 8 in 1,000 American children will die before turning 5 from hunger.
6.) Because 98% of all food banks reported a significant surge for food assistance in the past year.
5.) 55% of all food banks had to turn people away due to shortages this past year.
4.) Because 24,000 people die every single day from hunger.
3.) Bethesda Mission has been helping hopeless, helpless, and homeless people for over 90 years!
2.) We need the help of the entire Central PA community to reach our goal of 10 tons of food.
1.) Because You Can! (Get it, “Can”?!?) With your help, we can reach our goal and help towards alleviating this problem. Together, we can make a world of difference!

Sources: FRAC, WorldHunger.org, Feeding America

Top 10 List for Doing Business with Arcus Costa Rica

10.) 92% English Proficiency.

9.) 96% Literacy Rate.

8.) Considered the safest nation in Central America.

7.) Pro-American, pro-business sentiment.

6.) Personnel act as an extension of any U.S. team.

5.) Direct flight from most major U.S. Cities.

4.) Extremely friendly, hard-working people.

3.) Gorgeous beaches – perfect for surfing and windsurfing.

2.) Plenty of activities to do – jungles, coffee plantations and volcanos. What’s not to love about this?!?

1.) The Arcus office and the team in place there, of course! Oh, and the Arcus Costa Rica mascot, Barcusita!