Want to make an impact on your organization? Have coffee!

LinkedIn is more than just a networking site.  It's a wealth of career-enhancing info at your fingertips! Whether you're new to your job or a seasoned veteran, check out this LinkedIn article for tips on getting and giving more every day that you're on the job.
www.linkedin.com/coffee-meetings-Aaron-Hurst

We're Hiring!

Please pass the word along...  we have openings and we're looking for passionate team members who want to make a difference in the lives of children and educators one product at a time.  Here's what we're looking for right now:

Brand Manager - Learning Resources

Business Systems Analyst - ETA hand2mind

Digital Graphic Designer - ETA hand2mind

Forecast/Inventory Analyst - Learning Resources

Marketing and Sales Business Analyst - ETA hand2mind

Payroll Supervisor - Fairway Talent

Product Development Manager - ETA hand2mind

Purchasing Manager - ETA hand2mind

Sales Manager - Latin America - Learning Resources

Sales Operations Manager - ETA hand2mind

Senior Marketing Manager - ETA hand2mind

Vice President of Human Resources - Fairway Talent

Annual Gift of Learning (and bikes!)

So the holidays got a little brighter for both our employees and a group of pretty lucky kids today. We did something different for our Gift of Learning event this year that pulls our hard-working team members away from their busy jobs for a chance to develop skills while doing some holiday socializing (and eating too, of course... we always get a great lunch out of the deal!).  Instead of a speaker or a presentation, we invited the group from Corporate Teams to lead their Build-a-Bike program!

Employees were divided into groups and each completed challenges to "earn" pieces of the bike they were to assemble and decorate for their chosen child.  A couple pictures below show our teams building balloon towers - working together, they had only the breath in their lungs, a few balloons, and a roll of tape to construct a ceiling-scraping tower.  We all did it!  Other challenges included balancing 10 nails on the head of one nail and keeping a piece of paper aloft for 30 seconds (much harder than it sounds!). In the end, the bikes were safety checked before we got to meet our kids and hand over the finished bikes, complete with a helmet and a lock.  The large space even allowed them to hop on and ride!  Have fun, kids - enjoy those shiny new bikes!  We sure enjoyed putting them together for you (and we all got a little better working as a team in the process!).

It's all about the children and their families this holiday season at ETA hand2mind

ETA hand2mind team members fulfilled the wish lists for several families needing a little extra cheer this holiday.  From toys to housewares, coats to bedding, not an item was missed as the elves at ETA hand2mind joined in the spirit of giving.  Donations were carefully wrapped, labeled, and deposited at our front desk before being packed into cars for the ride to a local school.  Teachers then set them aside for delivery to our adopted families - we wish them and all a very happy holidays!

Tips to prepare for our favorite time of year... performance review time!!

Make the most of your performance review time as we end the year and gear up for 2015! Prepare ahead of time and consider this an opportunity to connect with your manager and celebrate what you've accomplished and where you're headed.  Check out this quick article for more How To details.
http://hrweb.berkeley.edu/performance-management

Holiday Celebrations at Educational Insights

Fun times and holiday cheer in Gardena, California when the Educational Insights team and a few representatives from our Learning Resources team got together to kick off the season of celebration.  Festivities were held at the Monkish Brewing Company with pizza provided by Chef Joseph Boness of Vella Pizza - yum!  2014 has been a great year for both teams with lots of growth and new employees joining the ranks - they certainly have good reason to raise their glasses in a toast to current and future success!    

Ugly Sweaters? Must be Friday Fun day at ETA hand2mind!

Members of our ETA hand2mind team took a break from their busy year-end to don their fun (and over-the-top) holiday sweaters and hang out with the Purchasing team.  Lots of food and good cheer as well as make-your-own cutout snowflakes.  Good times!