Enabling Growth and Balance
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Growth is our focus and engagement is our strength.
Auxin Group is a self-directed, professionally guided Career (Re)Engagement Development Program
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Remember Everyone’s Invisible Backpack
I have one. You have one. Your family members and friends have one. The cashiers at the grocery store have their own. Your children’s teachers, your co-workers, your doctor… literally everyone is walking around with an invisible backpack loaded with stress and anxiety due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
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These emotions are hitting all of us because we are living with so much uncertainty. Is my job secure? What’s going to happen with my kids’ camp this summer? What about the fall? This is unchartered territory. There are no rituals or rules or lanes to guide us. When we are adrift and overwhelmed with endless worries, the filters disappear, and our words don’t always come out quite right. We unintentionally ignite a fire with another human being. In these intense moments, when someone else’s comments hit you hard, be forgiving. Remember the backpack, theirs and yours. Their backpack affects what they say, and your backpack affects what you hear.
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Laura Morgan
is the Founder/President of Auxin Group. Her 30-year career in Human Resource Management has taught her to embrace growth and balance. Her recipe is simple: work, volunteer and play. She launched Auxin Group to teach others to do the same.
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Tips to Help Jump Start Your Investments
Financial Wellness, the ability to manage both short-term and long-term needs, is one of the key components of
Auxin’s W.E.L.L.N.E.S.S. model
which encourages a balanced lifestyle. Current events have obviously shaken the global economy and left many of us with mounds of financial questions.
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Greg Bielak
, a millennial who started investing on his own right out of high school and has had some great success, shared his expertise during the recent Auxin presentation, Stock-A-Palooza.
Here’s a look at some of his recommendations:
Trading platforms:
Greg introduced several platforms for independent trading including
robinhood.com
and
Merrill Edge
which is owned by Bank of America and allows you to easily transfer funds between accounts. Both offer trading at no cost, which Greg says is important to consider when selecting a trading interface.
Do Your Homework:
Do your research before making any investments. You can find definitions for common financial words and phrases at
robinhood.com
.
CNBC
is a great place to look up individual stocks and see how they compare to the big indexes like the S&P 500, Dow Jones Industrial Average, and the Nasdaq.
General Trading Strategies:
Pick large companies because it’s unlikely they will go bankrupt. Invest in companies and sectors in which you believe. Look for growth and innovation among your potential investments. Greg also recommends avoiding investing in retail because “everyone is buying on Amazon.”
Retirement Accounts:
Take advantage of them!
A
401(k)
is an employer-sponsored savings plan that is taxed upon withdrawal. Invest the maximum amount that your company will match.
A
Roth IRA
only accepts contributions that are made with after-tax dollars which means the distributions (i.e. earnings) from these accounts are tax-free.
The markets will fluctuate and take some deep drops, but Greg anticipates that the economy will recover in three to four years. So, he says, make your investments and leave your money alone.
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Team Effectiveness
We’ve all been a part of teams: work, volunteer, sports, school, social. Some offer such an awesome experience that we jump at every chance to connect while others take all of our energy to keep up our commitment. Why are some teams so great and others downright difficult? During this session, we'll talk about developing relationships that will lead to improved productivity and a positive team experience for all. (W.E.L.L.N.E.S.S.: Learn & Lead)
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A Picture is Worth 1,000 Words
Pick your three favorite photos and get ready for show and tell. This social team building activity will help our Associates get to know one another better. (W.E.L.L.N.E.S.S.: Social & Gather)
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Our clients are welcome to attend our programs and workshops.
We hope you will join us!
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Personality & Connections Play Key Role in Recruiting
A recent recruiting project provided Auxin Associates the opportunity to use their knowledge of team work to help a Chicago-based bioscience company find top talent.
The challenge: figure out the optimal way to discover the best candidates that would fit the company.
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The Auxin team collaborated to come up with an approach that would focus the search and establish a warm connection to desirable recruits.
Valerie Stephens
, Auxin Associate, said the key was digging beyond the job description. “We created a questionnaire for the client to find out what they really needed in terms of personality and leadership style,” she said.
Next, the Auxin team used LinkedIn Recruiter and searched the networks of both the client and Auxin leadership to identify, vet, and engage top candidates for three roles including some executive positions.
It was an experiment that worked out really well. Not only did they use their own skills, but they also learned how to source a candidate by tightening the circle and looking closely at connections.
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Auxin Group is an “on-hand” team of multi-skilled and motivated specialists
who have flexible schedules, experience, knowledge
and collaborative tools to get the job done quickly.
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Meet Lora Mirasola: Associate Brings Extensive HR Experience
After 25 years in human resources with a specialty in benefits and wellness,
Lora Mirasola
is perfectly matched for AuxinGroup as the team’s newest Associate. “I’m all about how to improve employees and helping them to be their best self,” she said.
Lora grew up in Milwaukee and attended the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee where she earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration with a double major in human resources and production operations management. She initially focused on buying and manufacturing, but an internship with a staffing agency developed her interest in human resources. She spent the majority of her career at Charter Manufacturing serving as a Benefits Manager, Director of Benefits and Wellness, and most recently as the Wellness Manager. In that latest role, Lora developed programs around employee well-being such as a weight loss initiative that helped 180 people collectively lose more than 2,000 pounds including an executive who dropped 80 pounds! “The success stories got me energized,” she said.
Lora currently lives in Sussex, Wisconsin with her husband and three children, boy-girl twins who are almost 21 and came home early from college this spring, and a 13-year-old son. The kids are all active in sports and typically keep the family busy attending competitions. Of course, now, everyone is home “playing musical chairs” as they manage work and online learning while also enjoying home cooked meals, puzzles, and walks. Lora says she loves to entertain and has converted her social outings with friends to regular Google meetups. She is excited to be a part of Auxin Group, take advantage of its virtual opportunities, network with the team, and provide her expertise to any projects that come her way.
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Auxin Group is always looking for great people.
or to refer candidates to our Talent Management Team.
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Given current events, Auxin is extending it's 30-day free offer into the month of May, so sign up now and get started on your journey of growth, development, and career (re)engagement.
It's a great way to lighten your invisible backpack!
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Considering Layoffs or Furloughs?
Our New Tool, CoreTeam
, is Here to Help
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Many companies are evaluating their workforce under the financial pressure of COVID-19. Layoffs, furloughs, and pay cuts are all on the table.
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Leveraging SimplyMerit’s infrastructure,
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Go Live with
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Email us
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today.
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A Division of MorganHR
Delighting managers with technology to make consistent, equitable,
and start your free trial now.
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Auxin Group, a division of MorganHR,
is a unique benefit program that provides relevant training and collaborative project-based experiences to encourage ongoing growth and development.
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