Grainger has made its policies, culture and applicant pool more inclusive and diverse by conducting employee surveys, analyzing job listings to remove exclusive language and holding regular sessions where employees can give feedback to top executives, Chief Human Resources Officer Kathleen Carroll says. The distributor is also continuing its leader calls, which began as a weekly occurrence during the pandemic before switching to monthly and routinely attract around 2,000 participants.

Amazon is increasing the fees it charges multichannel sellers for fulfillment of goods sold on other platforms starting Jan. 19, while also providing "faster shipping, free integrator apps, and enhanced shipment tracking functionality." Amazon also recently said it will make unbranded packaging the default for off-platform sales "at no additional cost."

Choosing a reactive strategy when dealing with supply chain risks is akin to ignoring the smoke and waiting for a full-blown fire, SaferMe lead safety researcher Steve Cantwell writes. Putting a proactive strategy in place doesn't have to be complicated, but planning should start from the top down and include all departments, as well as third-party partners, Cantwell writes.

Salespeople can boost a product or service's perceived value by pricing it higher and using high-quality packaging and marketing for stronger buyer presentations, writes sales trainer Paul Reilly. "Perceived value is how something looks, feels and sounds to the buyer," Reilly explains.

Next year will be an important one for business-to-business marketing as competition and investment increase, and companies looking to stand out should consider memorable campaigns using channels like connected TV, advises Anteriad's Dee Blohm. Content that evokes emotion, conversational marketing and the use of first-party data for identity-based targeting are among Blohm's other tips.

People who used paper calendars to plan their activities -- whether for school or finishing a project -- were more likely to complete their tasks than those who used calendars on their phones, according to a study. Researchers say paper calendars "allow people to see the big picture" and create more detailed and cohesive plans to accomplish their goals.

Meetings are ruined when leaders allow distractions, don't provide material for review ahead of time and fail to spell out what needs to happen afterward, say experts. "Over time it creates a sense of little or no progress, which demotivates people, as well as makes them develop a cynical attitude toward work," says author and development coach Stefan Falk.