This is the time of year for performance reviews, that annual ritual in which all of your employees explain why they’re the single greatest worker in the history of the labor force. OK, that’s a slight exaggeration — but how much of one, exactly?

Our business.com research team conducted a study of nearly 1,000 current American employees about their self-perception. Here’s what we found:

• 57% of U.S. workers consider themselves higher achievers than their colleagues, which (you might’ve noticed) is mathematically impossible.
• More than 8 in 10 feel they deserve a pay raise, but only 3 in 10 plan to ask for one, possibly because you are terrifying.
• Remote workers are less likely to rate themselves highly or expect pay raises. (So much for going hog wild on the RTO policy.)

There are a bunch of other fascinating results from our study, so check it out now at business.com.

Week off: How to close down your office for the winter break

Maid: Netflix protagonist finds her niche and cleans the competition

PlayStation: Sony’s console was originally a Nintendo partnership

(Source: Shutterstock)

Your business is probably closing up shop for the week between Christmas and New Year’s, but simply telling employees to set up OOO messages isn’t enough. To fully relax and recharge over the holidays, let’s make a list and check it twice. 

Communicate your plan

Your staff already knows that they will be off, but consider informing your vendors, suppliers, and partners, too. You can also add a temporary pop-up or banner to your website; mention it in holiday greeting posts on your social media channels; and change your company’s outgoing voicemail greeting. 

Secure your systems and location

Before everyone leaves, make sure to complete critical IT system updates. Often ignored, cyberthreats increase during the holidays because criminals know that companies operate with reduced staff.

“This preventive measure protects confidential data …something that many companies may overlook in the rush to get ready for the festivities,” says Wayne Mills, head of U.K. and Ireland operations at Seven Seas Worldwide Group.

Also, ensure that physical equipment and inventory are secure with locks and alarms. You might also want to notify your building’s facility managers that you and your team will be away for the week. Unplug non-essential devices to reduce electrical risks (plus, it’ll save on energy costs).

Tie up year-end financials and maintenance

Make sure that all financial tasks — such as year-end payroll and expense approvals — are completed before the closure. While you’re at it, pay bills and finalize any necessary financial reports.

Additionally, use this downtime for office maintenance tasks like “deep cleaning and necessary repairs, enhancing your workspace’s efficiency and safety,” suggests Alexander Havkin, regional sales and project manager for Ecoline Windows. It’ll be less disruptive while everybody’s out.

(Source: Shutterstock)

In Netflix’s drama series Maid, based on the memoir of the same name, down-on-her-luck protagonist Alex (Margaret Qualley) supports daughter Maddy (Rylea Nevaeh Whittet) by cleaning houses. When Alex loses her job at a cleaning service, she posts her own ads … but doesn’t have any luck until she gets a message from a compulsive hoarder.

Despite the heavy workload — most maids refuse to work with hoarders, the series reveals — Alex takes on the task and does an excellent job. Pleased with her efforts, the client introduces Alex to a hoarder support group, and Alex suddenly has more work than she knows what to do with.

Maid is primarily an inspirational story of tenacity in the face of hardship, but it also has a business lesson for solopreneurs: in an overcrowded market, identify niche and unserved verticals that competitors have overlooked or dismissed. It will allow you to narrow your focus, build a reliable and grateful customer base, and clean up financially.

(Source: Universal Pictures)

Your Christmas shopping list might include a Sony PlayStation 5 — or PS5 games, anyway — but in a slightly different timeline, your list may have included a Nintendo PlayStation 5.

Sony and Nintendo began their decades-long rivalry with a betrayal that shook the gaming world. On May 28, 1991, Sony revealed at the Consumer Electronics Show in Chicago that it was collaborating with Nintendo on a new console. A day after Sony’s announcement, however, Nintendo announced that it would be dropping Sony to work with Philips instead.

The news shocked Sony, leaving them publicly embarrassed, but it all worked out. In 1994, Sony released the PlayStation, which sold approximately 100 million units, followed by 158 million units for 2000’s PS2, making it the best-selling video-game console ever.

There’s only a single Nintendo PlayStation prototype left in existence, which sold to a private collector for $360,000 in 2020. It’s a remnant of what could’ve been … and a reminder that sometimes DIY beats a partnership.

• 1792: The Insurance Company in North America issued the first life insurance policy in the U.S. (However, the concept of life insurance dates back to the Roman Empire.)
• 1892: J. Paul Getty was born. The oil tycoon dedicated his wealth to museums and art institutions, including the popular Getty Center in Los Angeles.
• 1903: Italo Marchiony received his patent for the ice cream cone.
• 1939: Gone With the Wind premiered in Atlanta. It remains the most successful film of all time when adjusted for inflation, making an estimated $4.2 billion in today’s dollars.

Written by Jake Wengroff and Ali Saleh. Comic by John McNamee.