We're so so so excited about Camp OrgOrg, and every week we lock in more beautiful content for you beautiful people. This week, I can't wait to share with you more information about what we're calling "Live Forums": it's OrgOrg IRL. As we described in our last blog post, Live Forums are a chance to meet for small group discussions and workshops and meeting your online friends face to face. Or just taking a little break. Up to you.

What can you expect?
From 2:45-4:00pm, Camp OrgOrg will feature an "Open House" of sorts, where you can walk around from table to table in our main hall, popping in on brief or longer discussions and workshops. It's going to be informal, unconference-style, for the most part, and to be honest, I'm not sure how it's all going to go. I hope it will be fun!  :)

This is new and exciting (for me, anyway) and I think it has the potential to be an incredibly informative, educational, and invigorating experience. Eeeee!

What kinds of discussions and workshops do we have lined up?

The Importance of Mentorship // Charu Sharma @ NextPlay
​*sponsored*
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​We help Square, Lyft, Org Org, etc. to build mentorship programs that work! Come learn best practices on finding a mentor/mentee, mentorship etiquette and driving the most effective 1:1's. Bonus: Enter a raffle to win a free 6 month pilot, if your company has >50 employees.
​
(15-minute presentation, repeated 4 times.)

13 Mistakes To Avoid When Building Out Your Next Office // Adam Felson and Kira Courpet @ officemorph
​*sponsored*

We'll be talking about concepts from our guidebook of the same title (we'll have plenty of copies to share as give-aways).  It will be a lively presentation about our tried and true tips and tricks for running a smooth office renovation project. 

(15-minute presentation, repeated 4 times.)

Wellbeing @ Work // Stacey Nordwall @ CultureAmp

​Please join me for an ongoing open discussion about how to frame what wellbeing means for your company. This includes creating communications and education around your initiatives, determining the components of wellbeing people in your organization value, and experimenting with and implementing wellbeing programs.

​(open discussion)

Designing and Implementing Leave Policies // Dana Brown @ DoorDash

​Drop in for a casual conversation to discuss your best practices on company leave policies plus tips, tricks, & tools you use to administer leaves at your organization.

​(open discussion)

Making an open floor plan office work // Miranda Hanna @ Milkwood Designs

Struggling with an open office floor plan? Aren't we all? Workplace designer, Miranda Hanna, from Milkwood Designs will discuss best practices for how to mitigate common problems in an open office - without having to spend your entire Series B. Bring questions!

(15min talk with quick Q&A, repeated 4 times) 

How to say "NO" // Monica Volk @ Square
​
Join Square EA Monica Volk for a discussion on how and why you should say "No" in order to ensure that your company is getting the right work done, by the right people, in a positive and productive way! We'll start by outlining why sometimes saying "No" can be the best thing for the business, break down a few real-life case studies into concrete best practices, and workshop times when you have (or wish you had!) said "No."

(30-45 minutes of presentation and discussion starting at 2:45 and again at 3:15. Check out the Emergency Guide to Saying No in your swag bag for spoilers!)

How to find your dream office space // Hillary Hogan and Brittan Hawken @ JLL
​​*sponsored*

Are you looking for your dream office space? We work with growing companies from seed stage to post-IPO on uncovering a space that embodies your unique culture. We have helped companies like Stride Health, Heap Analytics, Envoy, Square, Shift Technologies, Stitchfix, and Lyft.

​Swing on by, we're here to help! 

Personal Financial Checkup Checklist // Jeff Nordin @ Core Financial Concepts
​​*sponsored*

Stop by and pick your Financial Checkup Checklist! We will be reviewing and discussing 20 concepts that are key for personal financial health.

(open discussion)

• Difficult People (how to deal and stay productive) // Tiffany Turner

Do people love to complain to/at you? Do you love to complain yourself? Come learn what's occurring inside complaints, and how to manage difficult people who love to complain all the time! We'll look at how to shift your relationship to complaining in a way that costs you less energy, and generates more productivity. This breakout session will be held for 30-minutes. If you miss the first round, come on over for round two! If there's extra time, we'll do live Q&A to address any real-time difficulties attendees are experiencing. 

(30 min session presented twice)                                                      

Holiday Party Planning for All Budgets // Emily Stember @ Rhumbix

We'll discuss the key elements of a good holiday party and how to make them work for your budget, whatever that might be! I've planned holiday parties for under $500 onsite at the office and for a few hundred with an almost unlimited budget, I'm excited to help make your holiday party dreams come true!

(20-min sessions, repeated 3 times)

Finance 101 // Waseem Daher @ Pilot
*sponsored*
​​
Want to learn the basics of business finance? Not sure what credit card provider to use? Join Waseem Daher, CEO of Pilot, in a talk about best practices around business finances, budgeting, and more.

(One talk; We'll have a short Q&A after the talk -- Bring questions!)

Salary Negotiation // Casey Shultz

Salary negotiation doesn't have to be a stressful experience. Casey Shultz will walk you through the steps of how to research the market rate for your position and level of responsibility and leverage that information when negotiating the salary you deserve.

​(15-min sessions, repeated 4 times)

We've also heard from you that you're interested in talking about performance management, leave policies, budgets & spreadsheets, and more that we don't have experts lined up for! We'll have plenty of open tables so that you can start your own discussions as you see fit! Find your "birds of a feather" and get to it!

And of course, there will be space for more casual meetings so you can say hi to your buddies, new and old.

I always find that when I'm at a conference, I don't have the time I'd like to just casually say hello to people, have a short but deep conversation, or yeah, check my work Slack "just for a sec." My hope is that between the "passing periods" in between sessions and our afternoon of more casual Live Forums, you'll have plenty of time to connect and recharge throughout the day!

See you in a week!
​Kim

Does retaining employees sometimes feel like a never-ending task? I think you'll agree when I say that retaining top talent is a crucial, but difficult component of organizational success. After all, the cost to hire a new employee is immense. It costs thousands of dollars. Not to mention it costs you and your team countless hours of extra work.

But, what if there was a simple solution to reduce employee turnover and all the headaches that go with it?

It turns out there is.

It all boils down to trust. The notion of trust is nothing new. In fact, business consultant Stephen M.R. Covey even boldly titled his 2006 book: "Trust: The One Thing That Changes Everything." Trust is as relevant today as it was then. It is still a major factor in employee retention and well-being. Unfortunately, the message most often communicated by the actions of organizational leaders is not "we care," but rather "you are expendable."

In this 2018 study, 53% of employees identified trust as the primary deciding factor in whether to stay or leave, with 25% of people admitting to leaving their jobs as a result of feeling a lack of trust.

But trust is also a bit abstract, I mean how can a manager or team easily and tangibly build trust?

One easy, but often overlooked, way to build trust is to show up when your employees or co-workers need you the most.

Instead of leaving a card and/or flowers on the person's desk like every other organization does, you have an opportunity to really step up here and show reliability, integrity, and genuine empathy when an he or she is going through a difficult situation.

But how, you say? After all, when someone is going through an unexpected illness or injury, the loss of a loved one, a divorce, or any other hardship, it feels a bit awkward. After all, what should you say or not say? If you're like most managers, you are often unsure of how to remain professional, yet show that you do care.

An innovative wellbeing company located in San Jose, CA has come up with a solution. The Cheerbox. The Cheerbox is a curated care package that includes practical tools for wellbeing and healing based on the science of Positive Psychology.

Cheerboxes go much further in fostering trust and wellbeing within the workforce than does the standard flower bouquet or candy assortment. This is demonstrated by the fact that Cheerboxes have been shown to increase employee engagement by 33%.*

By going to Cheerbox.com you can choose the appropriate type of care package for your employee. The ordering process only takes a matter of minutes.

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Imagine how cared for your employee or team member will feel when instead of receiving a generic sympathy card, they receive a personalized and practical gift package. Something that truly makes them feel valued. ​
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It is something no team member will soon forget.

They will remember your kindness and how their company went above and beyond for them during a particularly hard time in their lives.

So there you have it.

Empathy creates trust. This trust in turn naturally decreases employee turnover.

​

About the writer:
Tamar Lucien is cofounder of Cheerbox, a Y-Combinator backed company based in San Jose, CA.  Tamar has over 6 years experience in HR/Staffing and has managed an employee population of over 200 employees. She understands first hand the challenges of Office Managers or HR Directors to address significant life changes of all employees. When she is not being the Chief of Cheerfulness at Cheerbox she enjoys spending time hiking, cooking and learning how to surf.

​

Happy Humpday Y'all! We're a little over 2 weeks away from Camp OrgOrg, the most amazing, first-of-it's-kind conference curated specifically for office superstars- admins, office managers, executive assistants, HR professionals, & event planners. Tickets are still on sale, and we're confident all attendees will walk away with actionable ideas and advice they can immediately implement in their daily work lives. This is truly one of the best and most unique learning and development opportunities for folks in our space. On that note, we wanted to provide a few tips and tricks for asking work to foot the bill. 

1. Come with data points. Highlight keywords in the agenda so you can easily show your manager what you'll be learning. Print out short bios of keynote speakers from Linkedin to further highlight the value this conference will bring to you. 

2. List the top 3 reasons you'd like to attend. Learning new skills that will help with a project that was just assigned to you, learning from others experiences, networking opportunities, being able to return to work with fresh eyes and new ideas. 

The benefits to attending a conference are endless, our friends at Eden recently did a blog post on some if you need inspiration. 

3. Have a follow-up email with concise information and a link to the conference at the ready. Don't make your boss go digging around on the internet after your chat, shoot over a concise, yet detailed email covering the highlights you spoke about.

We can't wait to see you at Camp!!

PS here are links to two recent blog posts about content at camp :) 
Our original blog post about camp content
Update blog post about the Live Forums

Set a budget

Work with your finance department to set a budget for your design project. Make sure you consider larger, more inflexible costs such as construction and any permits you need as well as paint, furniture, and decor items.

Create a plan

Ask your landlord for blueprints for your office space so you can create a layout that includes measurements for all walls, ceilings, doors, and door swings so that you can create an accurate plan. If you are undertaking a major redesign working with an interior designer can help simplify the planning process and ensure the you can realize your goals for your space efficiently. They can also help source furniture and fixtures that match your office aesthetic at a good value.

​

For guidance on managing  a redesign and more budget-friendly design ideas, download Managed by Q’s free guide Designing an Office Space Your Team Will Love. The guide includes:
- Tips for creating a seating chart
- Design pieces worth investing in
- The right order to install new furniture, fixtures, and art
- How to find affordable art
- How to choose the right plants for your space

Office operations teams will learn how to add details that will enliven their space and manage office design projects, including planning, budgeting, and goal setting. Get your free guide and start creating a great space for your team

​

If you're a member of OrgOrg, you've undoubtedly already heard about Camp OrgOrg. Maybe you've already bought your ticket, and are counting down the days when you'll convene with your colleagues to learn and grow and hang out and eat delicious things together.

We've planned, we've brainstormed, we've coordinated, and queued up speakers and are ready to host you at the best, most authentic Admin // Office Management // HR conference EVER. 
​
Friday, October 5, 2018. At Bespoke in San Francisco. 
Keep reading. Learn more. Get excited.

We're excited to announce our keynote speaker for Camp OrgOrg: Phoenix Normand. If you haven't heard of Phoenix (but really though, who hasn't?) you're missing out! Phoenix is a well-known career Executive Assistant with over 20 years of experience, and is the founder of Mega University and This. My Tribe. and an overall badass.

During our lunchtime keynote, Phoenix is going to dish some of his best secrets to taking your career to the next level. 

A HUGE part of OrgOrg is our lively and active Google Group. We wanted to recreate the best of that live, in person, and allow this awesome community to connect with each other IRL. There will be some tables set aside for facilitated discussions, shorter "lightening talks", and spontaneous breakout conversations, but we'll also have space for you and a buddy (or a group, or whatever) to get together and just talk.

Currently planned talks include a skillshare on saying no, wellness in the workplace, salary negotiations, making mentorships work, planning an office move, and how to make your coworkers' complaints into something productive. If there's a topic you want to make sure we cover, let us know and we'll try to make it happen! Otherwise, there will be empty tables just waiting for you to gather your own group and start talking!

You can also use the afternoon time to just break out and meet the people you've been talking to via email. It can be so hard to find time to make authentic connections during conferences, so we wanted to make sure to set aside time for you to meet and talk to each other.

​Or take a break. Breaks are important too.

We're bringing together a stellar group of executives to talk about Change Management: How to stay authentic to your values during times of change (things like the effects of fundraising, product pivots, and employee churn). What is your role as a PeopleOps person? How do you get executive support and participation? How the heck do you hold onto what you hold dear when everything's changing? Welcome to startups :)

​More on this panel to come soon!

An evening shindig featuring s'mores and crafts and games and quiet spaces and more delicious food and drink. Maybe even a few surprises, too.

Plus bonus activities throughout the day from Wise Guys Events. A nursing/pumping room. A recharging and quiet working station. Free headshots. Microkitchens. Bevi. Supplies in the bathrooms. Swag.

​I mean.

We're so excited to go to camp with you! 
​<3 Kim

When you’ve scaled a company fast, you learn the hard way where your free startup system ideas bend — and break.  It’s fun. I love happening upon a list of things where you say to yourself, “I’ll never do it that way again.” No, seriously. 😅

So, here’s a quick Google Admin trick that will help you set up an Out of Office (OOO) Calendar that’s cheap and won’t break at 75 team members.  You can also use this trick to create a general office events (HQ) Calendar.

​Note that I’m making some assumptions here​

• You likely are or are close with your Google Apps for Business Super Admin
• You have or want to create a cheap effective calendar for OOO or HQ events
• You probably have an unlimited or flexible PTO policy
• You trust your employees to do the right thing
• You need an OOO calendar mostly for scheduling team events and interviews
• Your HRIS doesn’t manage your team’s OOO

The Old Approach to an OOO Calendar
You’ve probably set up an OOO Calendar this way:

• On your computer, open Google Calendar
• On the left side, above "My calendars," click “Add other calendars” and then “New calendar”
• Add a name and description for your calendar: “OOO Calendar”
• Click “Create calendar”
• Click on it in the left bar to share your calendar, then select “Share with specific people”

3 Difficulties with the Old Approach to an OOO Calendar

1. This Calendar isn’t automatically visible to everyone in your domain
   • So, for every new hire, you need to manually share that calendar with them
2. To use this Calendar, your team needs to do something they’ve probably never done before unless they’re a Super Admin, EA, or Recruiter
   • They need to change the “Owner” of the event by selecting “OOO Calendar” in the dropdown menu
3. To make (2) possible, everyone on your team needs to have editing access to this calendar
   • Events start disappearing when everyone has edit access and you reach a large number of employees (75 is a typical breaking point). That’s because many people don’t realize they’re deleting an event for the entire company when they remove an event they’ve personally declined.

The Better Way to Build an OOO Calendar​
Start by creating an email address called OOO@yourcompany.com.  Yes, this will cost you $5 per month (or $4.17 when you have the Basic Annual Plan), but trust me — it’s worth it.

3 Benefits of This Approach

1. Anyone in your domain can search for and find it
   • You search for it like you would any other email address
   • You’ll want to set your Google Admin Calendar External Sharing settings to “Share all information, and allow managing of calendar”
2. To use this calendar, your team doesn’t need to learn anything new
   • To add an event to this calendar, they only need to add OOO@ as a guest to an event that is on their own calendar
   • As a bonus, this forces the team member to have their OOO on their calendar AND the OOO calendar
3. To make (2) possible, NOBODY on your team needs to have editing access to the calendar — no more missing events😜

How do I socialize this new OOO Calendar with my team?​
Here’s a quick template I drafted to help you educate your team about your new OOO Calendar. Have fun...and then book some personal OOO time to reward yourself for building a better process for your company!
​

A big shout-out to Jane Stecyk for editing!  I couldn't do it without you.  If you have questions or want more information on this subject, leave a comment below and I’ll answer.  Thanks for reading!
​

Set clear goals and stay organized

What is the purpose of your event? Are you celebrating your team’s accomplishments, enabling people to unwind after an intense campaign, hosting clients or community members, or sharing content with a speaker or panel discussion? Knowing your desired outcome for your event before you start planning can help streamline your decision making.

To stay organized throughout the process, create a checklist that includes all components of your event including:
​
 - Budget
 - Date and time
 - Location
 - Expected attendance
 - Activities
 - Food and beverage menu
 - Swag and giveaways
 - Publicity
 - Logistics for staff and volunteers

Assign dates to your checklist to hold yourself accountable and put follow up reminders in your calendar. That way nothing gets left to the last minute. For a more detailed event planning calendar, download The Complete Guide to Office Management from Managed by Q.

Get creative with venues

When you are hosting large, annual events such as your company holiday or summer party, planning in advance is your best advantage. Venues, especially those that have a larger capacity, can book up quickly, so it’s best to book three-to-six months in advance. For events outside of popular times of the year, a months notice is often sufficient. Because venue rental can be a major expense for events, flex your creativity and explore alternative locations. You can transform your office by bringing in fresh decor pieces, use a short-term rental space like a Breather or Splacer, or use a public space like a park, community garden, or museum to hold a memorable event.

Ensure your event and activities fits a range of needs

While building diverse teams is top of mind for many companies when it comes to hiring, creating an inclusive culture is an equally essential day-to-day practice and is an important factor when it comes to team event planning. To ensure you are creating an event that is welcoming to a wide range of team members, consider details like dietary needs, non-alcoholic beverage options for non-drinkers, and timing to accommodate those who have family care obligations.

When planning activities, think about how you can engage different personality types. While you may have a dance or karaoke party for the extroverts, be sure you also have quieter areas for small group or one-on-one conversations, or activities like a photo booth that don’t require performing in front of a large group to ensure more introverted team members feel comfortable.

​

Eleanor Whitney is the Managing Editor at Managed by Q. She is a writer, musician, and community manager based in Brooklyn, New York. In 2013 Microcosm Publishing released her first book, Grow, a field guide for creatives to build satisfying companies and careers. She is currently working on her second book, a feminist memoir, to be published in 2018.

Managed by Q is the platform for office management. Q makes it easy to run an office by connecting companies to services, including cleaning, maintenance, office administration, IT, and security. A solution for recurring and ad-hoc office needs, Q saves companies valuable time and supports office operations for thousands of businesses nationwide.

By Leia Rollag, OrgOrg Resources Lead

Now, if you add a new team member to team-a@, their email address will automatically become a guest of your All-Hands Weekly Meeting and the Team A Meeting.  Easy.

(3) Automatically update Drive folder viewing and editing permissions with Groups
Last, but not least, a Google Group can be added to a Drive folder to set the level of viewing and editing access for that folder, also just like an email address.

The structure could look like this:

• Company Drive Folder : all@ view only access, yourname@ edit access
  • Team A Drive Folder : team-a@ view and edit access
  • Team B Drive Folder : team-b@ view and edit access

This translates to:

• Everyone in all@ can VIEW what’s in the Company Drive Folder, including what’s in:
  • Team A Drive Folder
  • Team B Drive Folder
• You can EDIT what’s in the Company Drive Folder, including what’s in:
  • Team A Drive Folder
  • Team B Drive Folder
• Team members in team-a@ can EDIT what’s in the Team A Drive Folder
• Team members in team-b@ can EDIT what’s in the Team B Drive Folder

Here’s what your company drive folder could look like:

This means that if you add a new team member to team-a@, they will automatically have viewing permissions to everything in the Company Drive Folder AND editing permissions to everything in the Team A Drive Folder.  Neat.

As a bonus, this structure gives all and only the right team members editing access to folders.  When a company hits 100 employees, you start to see files and folders go missing because it’s too easy to move things around in Drive without training... and who has time to spend on that?!

Troubleshooting and caveats
Nesting Groups

• Set an alert so you know when someone accidentally removes themself from their group:
  • Reports > Groups > Event Name > Select “User removed from a group” > Hit “Set Alert”
• I don’t recommend nesting non-team groups, e.g. inbound support tickets, inbound bills
  • They should be kept separate since they are for non-team specific communication
  • Plus, it tends to introduce spam into email, which leads individuals to unsubscribe from the group

Groups and Calendar

• When you’re creating a new team group, check to make sure the members update in Calendar
• If they don't, remove and re-add the team group to the parent group in Google Groups and check again

Groups and Drive

• You’ll still need to share the link to the Company Drive Folder with the new team member, ideally in their onboarding email​

More of My Preferred Google Admin Settings
There are so many stories behind each of these.  I’ll save you the read time and give you a list

Enforce 2-step verification

• Security > Advanced security settings > Authentication > 2-step verification > Enforcement > Turn on enforcement now or from date 

Only domain admins can create groups

• Apps > G Suite > Settings for Groups for Business > Sharing Settings > Creating Groups > Only domain admins can create groups

Turn OFF link drive sharing default setting

• Apps > G Suite > Settings for Drive and Docs > Link sharing > OFF - Only the owner has access until they share the file

Setup and set permissions by organizational units

• Home > Directory > Users > Manage Organizational Units > Create a new organizational unit
• Separate full-time, contractors, and non-people email addresses

Be selective when you allow organizational units to automatically forward incoming email to another address

• Apps > G Suite > Settings for Gmail > Advanced Settings > End User Access > Automatic Forwarding > Don’t Check “Allow users to automatically forward incoming email to another address”

Be thoughtful when you allow your team to download Drive File Stream or Backup and Sync applications

• Alls > G Suite > Settings for Drive and Docs > Features and Applications

Turn on Labs everywhere, especially Gmail!

• I LOVE multiple inboxes ;)

And, most of all, search G Suite Administrator Help Center and POKE AROUND!  That's how you can learn anything.

​
A big shout-out to Jane Stecyk and Kim for editing!  I couldn't do it without you.  If you have questions or want more information on any of these settings or my reasons for loving them, leave a comment below and I’ll answer.  Thanks for reading!