Lending Library

For obvious reasons (to many of us anyway), "on your end," "on my end," and "on our end" should be shunned from all speech, emails, documents, and any and all communication.

Please stop.

It's getting bad.

Whenever I read a business email that ends with something like, "Keep me posted on your end," I think of this scene from The Great Outdoors with John Candy:

http://youtu.be/OBJ-MpPBDug?t=2m19s

That bear is not OK on his end

Jake Hoopes and I pulled all the "on (take your pick) end" statements from our inbox over the last year. Here are 52 of the highlights and our reactions to each. While some may seem a little juvenile, these are actual comments made by professionals in a wide variety of industries. We did not make this stuff up:

Emails with 'On Your End'

1. There is not a problem on your end.

When you say it that way, yes, it is a big problem.

2. I also want to be clear that we have strong evidence of a breach on your end.

What? I take offense. There has never been a breach on my end.

3. We need to speak with one of your IT guys to get familiar with some of the technical points on your end.

Sorry, I don't want you familiar with any of that.

4. Should a position become offered on your end, make sure you let me know.

Ummm ... That's not going to happen. Ever.

5. Can you track codes on your end?

Do you track them on yours?

6. I think we have what we need on your end.

I hope so.

7. Does this work for you or are things still a bit crazy on your end?

Frankly, that's none of your business.

8. If you want to put that in place on your end, I am fine with that...

First, that's none of your business either. Second, I don't need permission from you to do it.

9. Let me know if anything happens on your end.

When something happens on my end, I'll be the only one to know.

10. Can you check to see if there were performance issues on your end?

I'll worry about my own end's performance issues!

11. It'll be easy from your end.

What's that supposed to mean?

12. Let me know how it looks on your end.

It always looks fantastic. Always.

13. I have my programmer looking into it more, but I thought it might be something on your end.

Keep your programmer to yourself, buddy.

14. Even if this may not be an optimal time to entertain new opportunities on your end, I'd still like to start a dialogue with an eye toward future opportunities.

Hey! Keep your eye turned the other way, bub.

15. Please ensure to make the necessary changes on your end ...

Great advice. But my end is fine, thank you.

16. Would either of those options work on your end?

Ummm ... no.

17. If I remember right, you set something up on your end so it would work properly.

You're right. My end works perfectly. But how do you know?

18. How are things coming on your end?

Like I said before, things there are fantastic.

19. ... by asking more specific questions on your end.

What's with the obsession?

20. Would your team be able to make it happen on your end?

Not on my end!

21. You would not need to do anything on your end other than show up.

I already do that all day long.

22. I just wanted to see where we are against the prepay on your end.

I'm still confused by what you mean with that.

23. To make this work, I would need some minor development support on your end.

How about we develop your end? Would you like that?

24. Hope all is well on your end.

I would hope you wouldn't care about my end.

25. Do you track codes on your end?

Do you?

26. It's easier for you to process on your end.

How would you know?

27. Not too much text is required on your end.

No text is required there at all!

28. Keep me posted on your end.

I will keep you far away from my end, thank you.

29. Hope you are seeing that on your end.

What? What's on my end?

30. Not sure if this causes any problems on your end.

This causes many problems, but not on my end.

31. What does it take on your end to get the most out of it?

Metamucil?

32. I would like to get my arms around how things are going on your end.

Come again?

Emails with 'On My End'

33. It will take several weeks on my end to create.

Glad it's on yours and not mine.

34. Need anything else on my end?

Please no. Please no. Please no.

35. I should be able to make that happen on my end.

Well, of all people, you should know, I guess.

36. Something weird is happening on my end. What's up?

What would ever make you think that I should know that?

37. ...implement the changes on my end.

Implement your own changes!

38. I just want to get a few people on my end on the phone.

Well, to each their own, eh?

39. It was done on my end and didn't give me anything like this.

I think that's a personal problem. But I know a doctor ...

40. It was firing correctly on my end over the weekend.

I would hope so. You should probably keep tabs on that, by the way—privately.

41. I'm a bit busy on my end, but I have time later today.

Oh, man. I'm busy later today. Actually, I'm all booked up for the next 10 years!

42. There are errors, but they are not on my end. :p Somebody else caused it. (Yes, the author actually wrote that tongue smiley face.)

Really, I don't want to know about it.

43. Those are the exact numbers I will have here on my end.

The mere fact that you're counting creeps me out a little.

Emails with 'On Our End'

44. It takes a lot of effort on our end.

[Insert grunt here]

45. What do you need on our end to help facilitate this process?

Nothing. Nothing. Nothing. Nothing. Nothing. Nothing.

46. We need the ability to add on our end to take advantage of ...

Stop right there! I'm sure you can take care of that on your own.

47. We need to know if it will be compatible for us to modify the form on our end.

Is that even possible? I'd be curious to know that, too ...

48. This represents a substantial amount on our end.

That's good, right? But keep the details to yourself.

49. I think we have what we need on our end.

That's just fine. But do I really need to know that?

50. I'm happy to search for someone else on our end who can help.

Go right ahead.

51. After repeated attempts on our end to engage with the client ...

I'm surprised he didn't fail miserably the first time.

52. He knows the week is on track on our end.

... I'm so confused I have no response for this one.

The End

So next time you're tempted to write "on your end," remember the pictures and suffering that term brings to many of us, and please don't do it. For most sentences, you can just leave out those words and it means the same thing.

Keep me posted on your end means the same thing as keep me posted. Similarly, Please ensure to make the necessary changes on your end means the same thing as Please ensure to make the necessary changes.

You get the point from our end, I'm sure. So take care of this small problem on your end and everyone else's end will be much happier.

Your Turn

Are you annoyed by "on your end?" What other business terms need to go away?

Occasionally, employees come to their employers strapped for cash and asking for a loan.

Lending money to employees may seem harmless, but if not handled correctly, the practice can cause significant problems and disruptions to an organization's operations. Here are a few general comments regarding lending to employees:

Chronic financial problems.

Employees who borrow from their employers generally have chronic personal financial problems. Unfortunately the problem is usually much more severe than the employee will let on, and the employee has come to the employer as a last resort.

Multi-time event.

It generally won't be a one-time event. You want to be kind as an employer, but once this door is opened it is very difficult to shut.

Do some research to ensure the employee has not already attempted or committed fraud against the company. The "Fraud Triangle" identifies the 3 elements generally present if fraud occurs --opportunity, financial pressure, and rationalization. If an employee has come to you for a loan, they are most likely feeling financial pressure. Because of the many and shared responsibilities in a small business, many employees have the opportunity to commit fraud. And, a person under financial pressure and who may be overworked in a small business, can always find good rationalizations for taking "just what's owed to them" from their employer.

Watch employee carefully.

If you decline an employee's request for a loan, make sure to watch the employee carefully. The stresses related to the fraud triangle may have increased by you saying "No," and the employee may get desperate.

Empathy

When an employee comes to you asking for help, this opens the door to a frank, and what can be, healthy discussion regarding their personal finances. Make sure you are well aware of the circumstances that have put the employee in this situation. Your understanding will help you not only make the correct decision, but also help the employee with more permanent solutions. This is also an opportunity for you to evaluate the employee's compensation. Many employees do not know how to ask their employer for a raise, it it may be that they've earned it.

5 keys to lending money to employees:

1. Make sure there is a specific need. Ask your employee to provide a bill or invoice related to the money they are borrowing. This helps the employee understand you are helping them with a specific need and not just dolling out money.

2. Limit the number of times employees can borrow. Limiting the number of times an employee can borrow accomplishes two goals: First, it encourages the employee to fix the financial problems in their personal life because you've eliminated a crutch for them to turn to. Second, you limit the potential personnel problems that can accompanying employee lending.

3. Charge interest. Employees may come to an employer because they won't have to pay interest like they would at a "payday loan" company. A common action by those in personal financial difficulty is to seek out lending sources with the "cheapest" money. By charging interest you show your employee your company's money is just as valuable as that of anyone else, and you avoid employees taking advantage of you. Make sure you abide by any related state laws.

4. Require employee to sign a note with repayment terms. For the safety of the company, and to ensure the employee understands the severity of borrowing from the company, formalize the arrangement by drafting a note payable to the company and require the employee to sign it. Make sure to include the repayment terms, interest rate and actions if employee defaults.

5. Draw a hard line from the beginning. Whatever your stance on lending to employees, you will be better off if you define the boundaries in which you will lend and stick within them. Employees in desperate financial situations will become like children; they will push the boundaries to get as much as possible. As a good parent would do, employers need to stand firm and act in a way that is best for the employee.

6. Follow through on your side of the agreement. If the employee defaults on the agreement, follow through on the default terms specified in the note signed by the employee. These actions may include automatic deductions from the employee's paycheck or legal action if the employee has quit.

7. Don't overestimate loyalty. A person in financial distress may do irrational things. The employees who can do the most damage and cause the most pain are those you feel are most loyal.

8. Don't do anything that will jeopardize your company or other employees. This needs no more pontification.

In our role as employers it is sometimes difficult to make hard decisions that are more beneficial for the employee than he or she may realize. Again, it's like being a parent. When you involve an employee's personal financial matters, it gets even more complicated. It's always best to err on the side of what benefits the overall business and what is best for the employee.

Business owners: Have you ever loaned money to one of your employees? Employees: Have you ever asked for a loan from your employer? If so, please share your experience:

With the onslaught of natural disasters that have occurred over the past few years, many businesses have suffered the loss or damage of assets, and more. These physical and economic damages have caused many businesses to have to shut their doors, or reduced their production and output.

To help combat some of the problems for homeowners, renters, and businesses -- both private and non-profit -- the SBA provides low-interest disaster loans to help repair or replace real estate, property, machinery, equipment, inventory, and other business assets that may have been destroyed or damaged by a declared disaster.

SBA has disaster offices throughout the country, where they provide low-interest, long-term loans. There are a variety of SBA loans, including:

• Home and personal property loans- These loans are available to those in declared disaster areas, and those who are known as the victims of a disaster. Even though they are from the SBA, you do not have to be a business to get them.
• Business physical disaster loans- Any business or private, non-profit organization located in a declared disaster area that incurred damage during the disaster can apply for a loan to help replace or repair the said damage.
• Economic injury disaster loans- This is a loan for small business or private, nonprofit organizations that have suffered economic injury, even if they did not suffer physical damage, due to a declared disaster.
• Military reservists economic injury loans- These loans are only for eligible small businesses to help them meet ordinary and necessary operating expenses that it could have met, but are now unable because an important employee was called into active duty because of a disaster.

The loans that are of greatest importance to businesses are physical disaster loans and economic injury disaster loans. Here is a little more information about said loans:

Physical Disaster Loans

• Businesses of all sizes and private, nonprofit organizations may apply.
• Loan amounts can be up to $2 million.
• Loans must be used to repair or replace damaged real estate, equipment, inventory and fixtures.
• Loans may not be used for expansion unless required to be up to code.
• The loan may be increased up to 20% of the total amount of disaster damage (verified by SBA) to prevent future damage by disasters of the same type.
• Loans are to cover under-insured loses or uninsured losses.

Economic Injury Disaster Loans

• Small businesses, small agricultural cooperatives and certain private, nonprofit organizations of all sizes that suffer from substantial economic injury may be eligible to apply.
• Loans may be up to $2 million.
• Loans may be used to meet necessary financial obligations that they would have been able to pay had the disaster not occurred.

For both loans, interest rates won't exceed 4% if the business does not have credit available elsewhere. The repayment term may be up to 30 years, and will depend on the business's ability to repay. If the business has credit available somewhere else they interest rate won't exceed 8%. The loans may be applied for directly to the SBA, at which time the SBA will send out an inspector to estimate damage, if the loan is awarded, funds may only be used under the stipulated SBA guidelines.