Aaron asked me whether he should work from home or obtain a small, independent office. I asked Aaron to list the pluses and minuses of each possibility. Here is his list:

Off-site office:

            +  Closer to customers

You may have seen the recent news reports about how British schools were dropping analog clocks.  They are replacing the clocks with those big and little hands with digital clocks because most students can't tell time the old way. Initially I was disgusted thinking about it.  “Good grief,” I thought, “is it true that kids can't read a clock face anymore?”  I wondered if the next step was to change Big Ben in England.

Then I wondered how important was it for somebody to know the time by reading the hands of clock?  Does it really matter whether they read the clock by hands or simply numbers? No. People don't need to keep time my way; they just need to keep time.

Today’s news scares us with instance after instance of large-scale data hacks gobbling up incredible amounts of information. If you are on anyone's database or have done any shopping online, you can assume somebody has taken your data at some time in the past. Even if a criminal never used your data, there is still reason for concern.  King Solomon cautioned, “A prudent person foresees danger and takes precautions. The simpleton goes blindly on and suffers the consequences.” (Proverbs 22:3, NLT) The best we can do is to take good precautions.

When people decide to move, most immediately put up a For Sale sign on their current home hoping to sell the property as quickly as possible. In some cases this may not be the best investment strategy.

If a family has funds for an additional down payment, they may want to consider keeping their current house and renting it. The advantage is that renters will pay off the mortgage.  Then, the property owner will end up with a property free and clear in the future. Over time, rentals generally increase their value, providing better cash flow for the homeowner. Additionally, if interest rates increase in the future; a low interest mortgage will have substantial value.

I stopped by a lunch spot for a quick meal and ordered a salad. The server carried my food in one hand and two customers’ drinks in another.  On the way to the table, she sneezed. However, she was unable to cover her mouth and sneezed directly into my salad and the two drinks. Without missing a beat, she placed my salad down in front of me and walked away. I pick up viruses easily. I could have eaten the lunch and taken a chance or asked for a new salad. I chose the latter. Let someone call me picky, but it wasn’t worth risking a cold.    

The manager wasn't happy redoing the salad, but he did. However, while waiting, I witnessed the same server coughing and sneezing in the kitchen and over other plates. 

When I was done I spoke with the manager. I asked if he felt it was a good idea to have an obviously sick person serve customers and work with food in the kitchen. He shrugged his shoulders, listened, and we both moved on. For me, I won't be going back.  If the manager didn’t care about employees sneezing over food, I couldn’t help wonder what happened in the back that you can’t see.   

Other times I have experienced sneezing cashiers, sales people who coughed into a right hand before extending it to shake mine. I offered a knuckle bump instead. 
Managers have a responsibility to insure customers are protected. Part of the protection is not to allow sick staff to serve or be in contact with customers. As we enter the cold and flu season establish a sick day policy. Insist folks stay home when ill.