2 JUNE 2025 PANORA OFFICE Main Office: 641.755.2424 Technical Support: 641.755.TECH (8324) Request a Service Call: 641.755.2424 Request a Locate: 800.292.8989 Mailing: 114 East Main, PO Box 189 Panora, IA 50216 GUTHRIE CENTER OFFICE Main Office: 641.332.2000 Technical Support: 641.332.2225 Request a Service Call: 641.332.2000 Request a Locate: 800.292.8989 Mailing: 403 State Street Guthrie Center, IA 50115 Solutions for Business is a publication of Panora Fiber, located at 114 East Main, PO Box 189, Panora, IA 50216 and 403 State Street, Guthrie Center, IA 50115. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form, electronic, photocopying, recording, mechanical, or otherwise without the prior written permission of Panora Fiber. All rights are reserved. Editorial and Circulation – Contact Jaime Waddle, 114 East Main St., P.O. Box 189, Panora, IA 50216, 641.755.2424 Trademarks – All brand names and product names used in this publication are trade names, service marks, trademarks, or registered trademarks of their respective owners. Additional Issues – Extra issues are available to business customers on a limited basis while supplies last. Contact Jaime Waddle, 114 East Main St., P.O. Box 189, Panora, IA 50216, 641.755.2424 Copyright © 2025 by Panora Fiber and Cornerstone Publishing Group, Inc. POSTMASTER Send changes to: Jaime Waddle, 114 East Main St., P.O. Box 189, Panora, IA 50216 JUN 25 PRINTED ON RECYCLED PAPER FOR BUSINESS This issue features topics related to HR, PBC, AI, and IT. If you love acronyms, you’re in luck! Actually, all of you will probably find content to help you better manage your business. On page 3, we share definitions of the HR terms Career Catfishing, Ghost Jobs, and More. To achieve the best outcomes, it’s important to understand the new behaviors of job seekers and employers in today’s market. You’ll find a Business Spotlight on Panorama Benefits Company (PBC) on pages 4 and 5. While this company is only two years old, its founders have 50+ years of experience in the financial services industry. You won’t want to miss their unique approach to traditional employee benefits, selective and business owner benefits, and employee financial wellness. Panora Fiber proudly provides communications services to PBC and to the homes of its co-founders Mitch Johnk and Ellen Betzer. AI Use Is Booming Among Small Businesses, as you’ll see on page 6. Has your business jumped on the AI bandwagon yet? That’s followed on page 7 with 4 Signs You Might Need IT Support, which includes a reminder that Panora Fiber offers a variety of IT services for businesses. Given the acronym theme, I encourage you to LMK (let me know) if you have questions about Panora Fiber, and we’ll get back to you ASAP. Sincerely, Andrew M. Randol General Manager Panora Fiber
JUNE 2025 3 SOLUTIONS As you may have discovered in your community, job seekers and employers are behaving in ways not seen in previous decades—which can create challenges for both groups. Career Catfishing, Ghost Jobs, and More Let’s start with terms related to job seeker and employee behaviors: Career Catfishing is when someone completes the application and interview process, accepts the job offer, but then doesn’t show up on the scheduled first day of work. This is most commonly done by members of Gen Z, who may have received a better job offer or simply changed their minds. Why don’t they contact the company and let them know? Some feel they don’t owe prospective employers anything after a long and dispiriting recruitment process during which they were treated badly. Quiet Quitting is not a literal resignation. Instead, it’s a shift in work ethic. An employee will do the bare minimum required by their job description without going above and beyond, essentially disengaging from work without formally resigning. It can be a sign of dissatisfaction or burnout. Revenge Quitting is the trend of workers leaving a job in response to negative experiences such as lack of recognition, burnout, or disengagement with workplace culture. Experts say it’s the result of a workplace evolution that’s been brewing for years. Rapid technological advancements, coupled with changing generational expectations, are accelerating the shift. Task Masking refers to employees who make themselves appear like they’re doing a lot of work—by keyboarding loudly, pretending to take notes in meetings, or frequently checking emails—when in reality, they’re barely working. Here are terms for what some employers are doing: Corporate Catfishing is when job descriptions oversell opportunities, downplay challenges, or omit critical details. Such misrepresentation in employment listings erodes trust and causes applicants to feel misled. They may choose to back out of the job after a few days rather endure the mismatch. Ghost Jobs are fake job openings posted by companies on job boards. This might be done for several reasons: 1) To make it look as if they’re recruiting and therefore growing. 2) To keep their present employees on their toes. 3) To test the waters without actually looking to hire. Hybrid Hierarchy is a termused when top talent is permitted to enjoy flexible schedules while other employees are required to be in the office. What’s the takeaway from all of this for employers? Treat job seekers and employees fairly, honestly, and respectfully. Get up to speed on current employment terms
4 JUNE 2025 BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT Johnk and Operations Manager Ellen Betzer co-founded Panorama Benefits Company in 2023, located at 110 East Main St. in Panora. Both are multi-licensed professionals with extensive experience in the financial services industry, including 17 years working together at Johnk’s previous business, Total Financial Solutions. A New Approach to Benefits Panorama Benefits Company helps small- to medium-size Iowa businesses in three main areas—traditional employee benefits, selective and business owner benefits, and financial wellness for employees, executives and business owners. “While there are many vendors of traditional employee benefits, these are often sold like commodities and handed out like participation trophies, supported with little or poor education. Quality talent doesn’t get excited about participation trophies. Worse yet, compensation and benefits can be out of alignment, adversely impacting key employees. We assess the situation and offer benefit restoration ideas,” said Johnk. He continued, “At Panorama Benefits Company, we work to create a customized, multi-level benefits program that incorporates merit and achievement. We want the benefits program to be understood and appreciated by employees, helping create a workforce that’s loyal, competent, and confident, able to help our client businesses grow. To go one step further, we provide comprehensive financial coaching for everyone, including executives and owners, to help improve their financial wellness.” What additional advantages can businesses gain by choosing to work with Panorama Benefits Company? Johnk replied, “Workingwith us, they can have one vendor for everything except their health insurance. This saves time and money while simplifying their processes.” “The employment landscape has changed, and there’s now a battle for attracting and retaining talent. Panorama Benefits Company helps our employers win the battle through multi-level benefit designs and comprehensive workplace financial wellness programs,” said President Mitch Johnk. Making benefits more beneficial to employees and employers Panorama Benefits Company Mitch Johnk and Ellen Betzer
JUNE 2025 5 SOLUTIONS Advice on How to Retain Key Employees Panorama Benefits Company can help your business retain key employees, also known as Difference Makers, who make the largest impact on productivity, sales, and overall success. Traditionally, businesses try to retain Difference Makers by offering more compensation (which is not effective because it merely increases their street value) and improving benefit packages for everyone (which doesn’t motivate most Difference Makers). Here’s the three-step approach that Panorama Benefits Company will take with your business if your goal is to improve retention of Difference Makers: • Evaluation of your current benefit package • Identification of your Difference Makers • Creation of desirable benefits that keep your Difference Makers engaged and prevent them from looking for other employment opportunities No discussion of Difference Makers would be complete without mentioning business owners, who are themselves Difference Makers with their own unique benefit needs. Panorama Benefits Company recognizes this and provides services including key person protection, succession planning, and informal business valuation. Panora Fiber Connections Panora Fiber keeps the Panorama Benefits Company office connected with fiber internet and phone services. “When we transitioned from Total Financial Solutions to Panorama Benefits Company, Panora Fiber looked at the communications services we had and made recommendations on the appropriate changes to make moving forward. This helped us save money on our monthly charges. Panora Fiber’s internet service is dependable, which is important to our business. If we ever have questions or problems, they’re quick to respond,” said Johnk. He and his family have used Panora Fiber services at home—home phone, internet, and cable TV/streaming services—for the 22+ years they’ve lived in the area. The same goes for Betzer, whose family has lived here for 21+ years. Betzer shared this story about Panora Fiber going the extramile: “My husband bought a robotic mower and snowblower this fall and needed to beef up our internet service for that. When he contacted Panora Fiber, they researched what we’d bought, made recommendations, and came ready to help to make sure it would work for us. That’s impressive!” Beyond communications services, Panorama Benefits Company and Panora Fiber share a commitment to the local community. Johnk noted, “We’ve enjoyed serving alongside them in the Panora Chamber of Commerce and Panora Area Development Group. Panora Fiber is assisting with technology for the Business Owner Summer Summit here in Panora in June, and it’s reassuring to know we have their expertise in that area.” For complete details on the product-based solutions, assessments, and workplace financial wellness services offered by Panorama Benefits Company, visit panoramabenefits.com.
6 JUNE 2025 What are some examples? Generative AI tools such as ChatGPT and Adobe Firefly can help with content creation for all types of marketing and advertising applications—including blog posts, social media, and emails. AI-enabled Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software can help drive sales or identify marketing opportunities based on its learnings from customer behavior and data, such as offering incentives based on order value and frequency. It can also help predict future customer behavior and provide suggestions related to developing trends. Adding a chatbot to a website is another example of AI use. Chatbots can field common requests from customers and free up time for employees to address more complex issues. They also extend customer service hours beyond the usual hours of operation. Is your business currently using any generative AI tools? If not, these benefits may encourage you to start: • Improved efficiency: AI can increase employee productivity by decreasing the time required for rote or recurring tasks. • Reduced costs: AI can help optimize inventory management to minimize costs associated with overstocking and stockouts. • Enhanced customer experience: AI can assist in personalizing content or business offerings to offer more customers a unique engagement with the brand. • Increased growth opportunities: Many AI programs incorporate machine learning algorithms, which can offer an enhanced understanding of customer behavior via pattern recognition that improves over time. This can lead to better sales and revenue growth. • Better decision making: AI can provide and interpret analytics on large volumes of key business data to facilitate better problem solving. It’s important to note that you’re probably already using common technology that’s in some way enabled by AI technology, such as mapping apps, financial management tools, and virus detection. It could be time to go from dipping your toes in the AI water to jumping in! According to the 2024 U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s report, “Empowering Small Business: The Impact of Technology on U.S. Small Business,” generative AI use has nearly doubled to 40%, compared to 23% in 2023. These businesses are mostly using generative AI for marketing tasks and to better understand and communicate with customers. AI Use Is Booming Among Small Businesses Employees Celebrating Milestone Anniversaries At Panora Fiber’s 2025 Annual Meeting, Board President Ron Reynolds recognized years of service for employees celebrating milestone work anniversaries this year: • Plant Manager Bill Dorsett, 45 years • General Manager/ CEO Andrew Randol, 30 years • Customer Service Specialist Pam Klinkefus, 30 years • Combination Technician Mike Moore, 25 years • Combination Technician Paul Brewster, 25 years Panora Fiber is fortunate to have so many long-tenured employees on our team, since they contribute invaluable knowledge, experience, and talents that enable our company to thrive and serve our customers well. The U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that the median number of years that wage and salary workers had been with their current employer was 3.9 years in 2024. So, if your company has long-tenured employees like we do, be sure to let them know how much they’re appreciated.
JUNE 2025 7 SOLUTIONS 4 Signs You Might Need IT Support Let’s say your business has one employee who’s responsible for handlingmost IT issues. How do you knowwhen it’s time to consider adding outsourced IT support? Look for these signs: 1. You’re over reliant on one person to fix it all. If your business experiences IT failures when your in-house IT person is away on vacation or out sick, you face two not-so-great options: 1) Muddle through, possibly with greatly reduced productivity, and wait for them to return. 2) Pay an expensive consultancy fee for someone outside your company—who’s unfamiliar with its environment— to troubleshoot the issue, diagnose the fault, and restore service. 2. You frequently face technical issues. It disrupts your operations when your IT systems are unreliable, regularly have faults and incidents, experience unexpected downtime, or have slow performance issues. If your in-house IT person is regularly having to “put out fires,” it makes sense to bring in help. Outsourcing your IT support to a professional team can help identify the root causes of these issues, implement proactive measures to prevent future problems, and provide timely resolutions when problems do occur. 3. You have lingering security concerns. As cybercriminals become more sophisticated and change their strategies, it’s essential to update the security measures you have in place to protect your sensitive data and customer information. It can be challenging for one employee to keep up with security issues, so out- sourcing your IT support to a provider with specialized security knowledge can significantly strengthen your defenses. They can help you develop and implement a robust cybersecurity strategy, perform regular security audits, and provide ongoing monitoring and support to mitigate risks. 4. There’s a diminished focus on core business activities. If your in-house IT person is spending too much time on reactive tasks and not enough on strategic initiatives, outsourcing can free up your internal resources to focus on core business activities, such as innovation, customer service, and other key areas that drive business growth. Panora Fiber can help your business with cybersecurity and provide other IT services. To schedule a free tech assessment, call us at 641.755.2424 in Panora or 641.332.2000 in Guthrie Center. Time to Upgrade Your PCs to Windows 11 Microsoft will no longer support Windows 10 after fall 2025. You can upgrade now to Windows 11 as long as your PCs are running the most current version of Windows 10 and meet the minimum hardware specifications. Here’s what Panora Fiber wants you to know: • For most users, transitioning to Windows 11 will feel quite familiar. The shift fromWindows 10 to Windows 11 is far less dramatic than the change we experienced moving fromWindows 7 to Windows 10. • It’s best to not wait until the last moment to make the switch, since proactively upgrading ensures a smoother transition and continued support. • We offer a comprehensive approach to support businesses during the upgrade process, which includes assessing current PCs to determine Windows 11 compatibility. • If new PCs are needed, we can help you select replacements that perfectly match your requirements. We also handle the setup and seamless data transfer from your old devices. If you have any questions, call 641.755.2424 in Panora or 641.332.2000 in Guthrie Center.
Cornerstone Group © 2025 Get in the Fast Lane to Career Success at Panora Fiber! We’re seeking enthusiastic and motivated individuals to join our dynamic team as Fiber-to-theHome Technicians. You’ll play a key role in bringing high-speed broadband and other advanced services to homes and businesses across Guthrie, Dallas, and Madison counties. WE’RE HIRING FIBER-TO-THE-HOME TECHNICIANS What You’ll Do: • Work directly with customers to install and maintain fiber-optic lines. • Troubleshoot and resolve customer connectivity issues. • Provide exceptional customer service and technical support. What You’ll Bring: • A strong work ethic and a desire to learn and grow. • Excellent communication and interpersonal skills. • Basic computer and networking knowledge (preferred). • A valid driver’s license. Why Choose Panora Fiber? • Work for a forward-thinking company revolutionizing broadband access in the region. • Enjoy competitive compensation and benefits. • Gain valuable experience in a rapidly growing industry. • Join a supportive and collaborative team environment. Visit panorafiber.com/employment for details or send inquiries to jobs@panorafiber.com.
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