效率工具
Creating the Ideal Team as a Sure Way to Success
You cannot overemphasize the function of a successful team in a business. Every association business needs a successful team to pave a smooth path to success. An ideal team can cause massive growth for your success causing you to dominate your industry. But how can you create this 'perfect' or 'ideal' that will suit your organization and boost its output? Building a successful team can be quite challenging, but you will get the best team for your association business with the right tips.
Set Your Goals
Setting goals should be the first step you take when creating a team for your office. A team without a purpose is just a group of personnel working randomly. The best they will do is complete their daily activities without adding any significant value to your organization. Your team should have goals and objectives to fulfill. These goals and objectives should be time-based, giving yourself a request to meet. Your goals have to be measurable, specific, and achievable. After setting your goals, you should keep track of the progress. You should also lead by example as a way of helping teams grow.
When setting your goals, you have to consider the specific abilities of every member of the team. You have to set predefined roles for each team member according to their skills and area of specialization. Each member of the group contributes an essential section of accomplishing the goals. If you set your goals and have professional team members to achieve these goals, then you are placed on the path to success. It is easier to monitor the team's progress and accomplishment to know where your progress stands because all members share the same team-specific metrics.
Good Relationship
A good relationship is one thing you should build when creating a successful team. If you check a dysfunctional and effective team, you will see one of the things they lack is a good relationship. A successful team prides itself on the relationship between its members. The relationship status makes the team's goal and every member's function clear without any dispute or form of argument. The association also allows the team members to assist one another and make the team objectives a success.
While building a good relationship between your team members, you also have to maximize their potential and provide them with full support. Your support will allow them to perform well and do their job at their best. You can also motivate your remote team to take calculated risks to get results they cannot get in their comfort work zone.
Communication
Communication is also essential when building that ideal team. You have to develop a good communication platform between your team members. Good communication skills will allow you to understand your team members' weaknesses, issues, and problems during a task. Your team members cannot read minds, so you will not pass your messages, ideas, opinions, orders, etc., to them with a lack of communication. Lack of communication can cause resentment and frustration among the team, which is not a good thing for a successful business. Good communication ensures the success of your team instead of putting them in a frustrated state.
Lack of communication can also put your team members in a confused state. Confusion can be one of the most significant setbacks in any business operation. Communication will also allow you to understand the ground's issues, making you decide based on facts and not assumptions.
Increased Accuracy and Security with Automation
Accuracy is one of the most significant factors when it comes to local payroll and compliances. There are various elements involved that can result in errors while calculating a payroll. These elements can be changes in tax rates, amendments in previous laws, or the addition of new laws in local, state, and federal regulations. All these elements make a company’s payroll and compliance management prone to human errors resulting in sizable consequences.
Through automation and a centralized management system, a company can ensure accuracy while managing compliance and payrolls. This eliminates future costs that can arise as a result of such errors. Automation increases accuracy while saving the company’s resources and time which would normally be allocated to repetitive menial tasks involved in this process.
A compliance management system ensures disparate systems that members of the company receive only the information for which they have been authenticated by granting limited and restricted access to employees. Information is communicated correctly, which removes errors and promotes a well-connected work environment. It's instrumental in companies with a large multi-departmental structure. This helps in enhancing data security, using an integrated system, following and maintaining proper payroll processes to pay employees and use cloud-based payroll data.
Using PEO Service Providers
Utilizing partnership with PEO service providers is also one of the best ways to build a team for your industry. The PEO service provider allows companies to lease employees for their administrative tasks and other jobs. PEO service providers help you get efficient and productive workers to make a good team. You can partner with PEO in Germany if you have your business located there. PEO Germany will help you create the ideal team for your management. The team will consist of professionals and experts that will bring massive growth.
Final word
Appreciation goes a long way when creating or maintaining a perfect team within your organization. When you appreciate your team of workers, it gives them the feeling of relevance and importance. Treat the members of your team well by respecting them, give them incentives, etc., and they will provide you with excellent results
About Author: This article is written by a marketing team member at LIKE.TG. LIKE.TG is a leading provider of proven HR solutions, including recruiting, onboarding, employee communications engagement, and rewards recognition. Our user-friendly software increases employee productivity, delivers time and cost savings, and minimizes compliance risk.
10 Steps to the Perfect Employee Onboarding Experience
Onboarding employees is a vital part of any company’s hiring process. It sets the tone for what your new employee can expect and helps them feel comfortable with their decision to join your team.
Converting a new hire into an engaged and productive employee is no small feat. Whether you offer an effective onboarding process can make or break their engagement, productivity, and your company’s culture for years to come. It’s worth the investment in time to get it right.
Accordingly, you may want to take advantage of online employee onboarding to make sure that the process goes smoothly. A web-based employee onboarding system can make sure that you don’t miss any important points.
Employers need to provide new hires with a good start. The perfect employee onboarding systems welcome new employees with open arms. What’s more, it provides them with the resources they need to succeed.
To learn ten steps to the perfect new hire onboarding experience, keep reading.
1. Make Contact Before Day One
Nearly a third of onboarding new hires decide to jump ship or stick around within the first 90 days of employment. With this in mind, it’s important not to throw your new hires to the wolves. In doing so, you’re sending the wrong message. With an official job offer, you can set the right tone from the start.
Something as simple as an offer letter or first-day welcome email can go a long way toward making a new hire feel valued. Alternatively, a comprehensive electronic onboarding may do the trick. Whatever method you use to introduce a new hire to your company, make sure to use it before their first day on the job.
2. Make Their First Day Great
Most new hires want to meet their manager on their first day on the job. They also expect to get introduced to their peers. These basic niceties set the right tone for long-term employment.
More often than not, someone will ask a new hire about their first day of work. This question is common.
However, the answer could mean the difference between a career staff member and someone who’s already thinking about the next employment opportunity. Accordingly, you want to make sure a staff member’s first day on the job goes smoothly. You can do so with the right employee onboarding tools.
3. Provide Structure
Strong HR onboarding software can greatly boost employee retention. It can also significantly impact productivity in a positive way. For instance, you might clearly list a new employee’s roles and responsibilities in your employee onboarding software.
It’s also helpful to schedule a new hire’s first week on the job a week or two ahead of time. The worst feeling for a new hire is not knowing what they should do next. With software onboarding, you can make sure that your new hires are always on task.
Moreover, a highly structured first couple of weeks gives new hires the right impression. It shows new hires nonverbally that you know what you’re doing. For example, you can schedule and track meetings using an employee onboarding website.
4. Assemble a Team for the Process
The amount of support provided by managers during the first two years of employment affects employee sentiment greatly. During this time, employees are clarifying their role with the company.
At the same time, they’re evaluating how they feel about the job. They’re even weighing whether their salary adequately compensates them for their work.
The best way to help your new hire maximize their potential is by assembling a team. The team will provide support and encouragement. You can coordinate the team with a new hire onboarding portal.
Firstly, you’ll need a coach who can take on the role of mentor or advisor. You’ll also want someone else with experience in the position they’ve accepted.
Your new hire will benefit greatly from their expertise when needed. What’s more, they can reach out to team members easily using your new hire onboarding software.
5. Take It Easy on the Paperwork
More often than not, new hires spend their first day at a desk or in a conference room completing paperwork. There are tons of forms to complete, including I-9’s, employee handbook acknowledgments and payroll forms.
Some jobs also require the reading and signing of lengthy nondisclosure agreements. As a result, the first day of work is typically associated with a massive amount of paperwork. However, you can use digital employee onboarding solutions to ease this burden.
There’s a drawback to dropping a load of paper on your new hire the first day on the job. A ton of paperwork on day one can make a new hire feel disenchanted or overwhelmed.
Alternatively, it’s better to spread paperwork out with HR onboarding solutions. Here, you want to afford your new hire flexibility to complete paperwork in a timely manner but at their leisure.
For instance, with the electronic onboarding of new employees, you can allow employees to check all the boxes at their own pace. You may even think about making use of an employee onboarding app.
6. Onboarding Programs Are a Team Effort
In a new workplace, it’s important to feel socially accepted. A feeling of social acceptance is a key factor in the success of new employees. With an HR onboarding solution, you can make sure that your new hires stay connected.
It’s important that a new employee integrates into a company social network. In part, this kind of engagement provides new hires with access to important information and resources.
It takes an entire company to integrate a new hire and get them up to speed.
Here, you want to schedule face time with new hires and veteran employees. You’ll want to have them meet with experienced staff members from every relevant department in their first few weeks.
Part of these meetings may include job shadowing when appropriate. You can schedule these activities with an electronic onboarding platform. You can also make use of employee communication tools that work just like social media.
“Our hiring managers now have a reliable system that is easy to navigate. Our HR team can actively monitor the process, and assist if needed, but Onboard has helped them save so much valuable time and effort while increasing data accuracy. All of this has helped us improve compliance and gives us a powerful tool to achieve even more results in the future.”
Kaylee Collins HR Analyst of Osmose Utilities Services, Inc
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7. Establish Goals From the Start
Most employees will stay with a company for three or more years when they have a great onboarding experience. Vagueness is the enemy of a great new employee experience.
New hires need realistic and defined expectations. What’s more, they need these expectations communicated to them clearly.
With a thorough understanding of their roles, new hires can effectively evaluate their own progress. More importantly, they can prepare for a future with your company. The right onboarding software can help your new hires keep their careers on track.
8. Maintain an Open Dialogue
Nearly half of all workers feel put off when their superiors dismiss their ideas. After getting put on the back burner, most new hires will put forth the effort to share their ideas in the future.
You want your employees active and committed. Actively listening to and responding to employees is a great way to boost employee engagement.
Moreover, it’s vital to leave a channel open for honest, open feedback. By doing so, staff members are more likely to provide you with solutions to problems.
In some cases, they may shine a light on a problem that you didn’t even know existed. Top-notch onboarding software solutions can help you maintain an open line with your new hires.
9. Share Your Company Culture
Rating systems are becoming the norm for everything—including employee satisfaction. As company reviews become more common, HR professionals are noticing that the higher a company’s rating, the more likely new employees are to stay on the job.
Most new hires don’t fail because they don’t know how to do their work. More often than not, their personalities don’t mesh with the company work environment.
Ideally, you don’t want to hire new employees who are a poor cultural fit. Accordingly, you might assess employees in this regard. Even so, you’ll want to actively communicate and emphasized your organizational culture to promote the success of new hires.
10. Give New Hires Time to Adjust
Often, both employees and managers look forward to a scenario where the new hire “hits the ground running.” This phrase gets thrown around a lot and career circles. In reality, however, most employees take about eight months to reach their full potential.
Unfortunately, most employees who try to start out as company rock stars end up failing miserably. Any employer wants their staff members to start producing results as soon as possible.
However, putting too much pressure on employees too soon can prove detrimental to their development. Even worse, it can harm employee retention.
Why Great New Hire Onboarding Matters
As of July 2020, there were 5.8 million new hires in the United States. During the same time, 5 million of them quit, were discharged or got laid off.
On a brighter note, these numbers show that the job market persevered throughout the pandemic. However, this amount of turnover is abysmal.
It can cost more than $6,000 to hire a new employee. As a result, it’s important to onboard new hires attentively.
Hire New Staff, and Keep Them Around!
Despite a new hire’s skill set, it’s important to teach them what they need to know to do their jobs. It’s also important to build trust during the employee onboarding process.
Employees leave new jobs for many reasons. Some employees feel unsatisfied with their managers. Others may feel unhappy with their salaries.
Yet other employees may feel unsatisfied with their career outlook or benefits. In many cases, however, you can avoid this kind of sentiment by setting up new hires to succeed.
There are a lot of steps involved in the onboarding process. With the right technology, however, you can keep it all in sync easily.
From Start to Finish—Your Partner in HR
Now that you’ve learned ten steps to the perfect new hire onboarding experience, all you need is the best onboarding software.
LIKE.TG is the most powerful employee management automation software on the market. Our goal is to help organizations manage human resource tasks more efficiently and productively. We’re committed to making your life easier by automating all of your HR tasks and providing you with a single, easy-to-use system that will save you time and money.
LIKE.TG develops end-to-end onboarding systems for new employees. Our technology also allows you to nurture high-performing employees throughout their time at your company.
With LIKE.TG, your HR team can easily manage every aspect of the job, including payroll, vacation requests, benefits enrollment, salary reviews and much more.
Don’t wait. Start on the path to improving employee engagement today by claiming your free LIKE.TG trial.
About Author: This article is written by a marketing team member at LIKE.TG. LIKE.TG is a leading provider of proven HR solutions, including recruiting, onboarding, employee communications engagement, and rewards recognition. Our user-friendly software increases employee productivity, delivers time and cost savings, and minimizes compliance risk.
10 Effective Ways HR Manager Can Boost Employee Morale
The pandemic completely changed how the world functioned. According to ILO Monitor, 114 million people lost their jobs globally. Such a severe health crisis followed by employment loss is unlike anything we have experienced before.
From astrophysicists to primary school teachers, nearly every professional had to switch to a remote work environment almost overnight. And understandably, positive employee morale took a hit amidst all the chaos and fatalities brought by Coronavirus.
There is no doubt that working from home offers a plethora of benefits for both the organization and employees. The organization can considerably reduce operational costs, while employees can work from their homes’ comfort and save up commuting expenses.
But it’s been over a year since the pandemic started, and there is no certainty about when it will come to an end. Now more than ever, it’s imperative that HR managers offer employees the support they need. And here are some effective ways your organization can do that.
1. Refrain from Laying Off Employees
Mass layoffs have a serious impact on employee morale. While the employees who managed to retain their position may feel a moment of relief, they are likely to live in fear of being next in line for losing their jobs.
As previously mentioned, tens of millions of people lost their jobs because of the pandemic. If your organization has reached a point where it’s necessary to downsize, you should consider alternatives to mass layoffs.
You can suggest reducing work hours or transferring idle employees to other departments. It can also save your organization from going through the exhausting process of layoffs.
2. Keep Employees in the Loop
Humans are naturally wired to resist change. And considering how rapidly things have changed because of the Covid-19 outbreak, your employees might be on edge about how their roles will change.
It is crucial to keep the employees in the loop about the organization’s plan of action for the pandemic. Otherwise, employees might resort to gossiping and believing false rumors, which can propagate unnecessary panic. Employees will be able to concentrate on work rather than getting distracted by what’s transpiring through the grapevine.
The leaders and managers should make it a point to communicate facts clearly. In a crisis, the best way is to lead with truth. If the organization is struggling and may have to take downsizing measures, your employees should be prepared for it.
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3. Follow Safety Guidelines
This pandemic can only be contained if everyone is following health and safety guidelines issued by official healthcare authorities. Whether you work in an industry where telecommuting is not possible or you’re planning to resume in-office operations soon, the health and safety of your employees should be a top priority.
Equip the workplace with basic amenities such as hand sanitizers and hand soaps. Furthermore, it’s important to rearrange the office layout to make sure there is adequate distance between employees. And of course, wearing masks should be mandatory.
4. Offer Essential Medical Resources
The constant fear of contracting Coronavirus or infecting a loved one can be a great source of stress. This is the time to think about offering your employees additional medical resources. Providing employees better medical coverage will be appreciated by them and boost employee morale.
5. Host Virtual Get Together
With traveling restrictions and social distancing measures, many people are unable to see their family or friends on a regular basis.
Therefore, with all the lockdowns and stay-at-home orders, your staff is experiencing isolation like never before. Lack of social interaction can have a significant impact on a person’s mood, well-being, and productivity.
The HR department must find creative ways to host virtual get together for employees. From Happy Hours on Fridays to Trivia Night, planning virtual events every week can help you ensure high morale. You can also explore virtual team-building activities to improve collaboration and communication among team members.
6. Establish Better Channels of Communication
The way this virus has affected the world was completely unpredictable and unexpected. With fake news and other false information circulating on the internet, HR should take the initiative to provide employees with reliable information from official sources. Creating and sharing a weekly newsletter containing information regarding the pandemic can help alleviate anxiety.
Clear communication plays a key role in seamless business operations. Establishing better two-way channels of communication is all the more important now. HR managers should take on the responsibility to routinely talk to individual employees to address their concerns.
Meeting with too many people can make it difficult for some of the staff to share their thoughts. It would be best to follow the 2-pizza rule for meetings to quickly resolve issues and ensure that no one is left behind.
7. Improve Flexibility
It’s quite possible that your employees are taking care of a child, a sick parent, or dealing with their own health issues. Leading with empathy is indispensable in these testing times. Rather than expecting employees to immediately respond to every email or Slack message, allow them more flexibility to manage their schedule.
Several organizations have introduced a flextime work policy. This involves setting a number of core work hours and giving the employees the freedom to choose their starting and ending times.
A compressed workweek is another great alternative to conventional 9-5 work hours. This allows employees to complete their standard 40-hour workweek in less than five days and enjoy a long weekend.
8. Prioritize Work-Life Balance
When employees are working from home, it can become difficult to distinguish between work and personal life. Employees may continue to work, despite completing their work for the day.
Managers and supervisors should avoid asking for updates or calling employees after work hours. Just because they’re at home doesn’t mean they have to be on-call 24/7. Prioritizing work-life balance is necessary to avoid burnout.
Just saying that you care about your employees’ mental health is not enough. It should be an essential part of your company culture. Lead by example and share different ways you are taking care of your mental health. Regularly check in with your employees with a simple ‘how are you?’. Just like email personalization makes customers feel special, it’s also effective in making employees feel seen.
9. Celebrate Personal Wins
These days there isn't much optimistic news to look up to. When every day feels the same, your employees can fall into a funk. This can severely impact their productivity and quality of work.
The HR department can introduce some positivity into employees’ day-to-day lives by celebrating personal wins. Start a newsletter and ask employees to share their achievements, no matter how big or small. Whether a staff member adopted a kitten or someone got to meet their family after months, it’s worth sharing!
10. Encourage Time Off
Since employees are working from home and probably can’t travel anywhere, why would they need leaves? Well, even if employees are not going to Europe on vacation, they still need time off to rest and revitalize. Encourage employees to utilize their paid leaves.
The Bottom Line
The anxiety and stress of these uncertain times are seriously affecting employee morale. Disengaged and unmotivated employees will produce poor quality work, which can be detrimental to your business. This pandemic is an opportunity for organizations to showcase how much they value their employees.
About Author:Becky Halls is a Co-Founder of Hyperise, a Hyper personalization toolkit for B2B marketers. She’s an experienced Growth Marketer, passionate about product design/development and online marketing.
WFH Burnout: A Few Ways To Engage Your Team While Working Remotely
Working remotely makes some things easier, but it isn’t perfect as a full-time approach. Notably, the employee experience still has a risk of burnout: in fact, research suggests (per Indeed) that most people think it’s worsened during the pandemic. Any team member who reaches that point will struggle to get by, and their team will lose productivity.
Due to this, the home office needs just as much HR work as its classic predecessor — or even more. Part of your job as a team manager is to prevent WFH burnout, but there’s a lot to consider. The structure and schedule of your workday, the solitude of working from home and related mental health concerns, the increased influence of remote employees’ personal lives… Juggling these concerns is the path to avoiding burnout in your remote workforce.
In this post, we’re going to cover some straightforward tips for how you can effectively engage a team of remote employees, helping to steer them away from employee burnout. If you can make good use of them in the long term, it’ll greatly strengthen your business. Let’s get started.
Encourage workers to change their surroundings
When you’re in a regular office, the necessary level of activity means that the immediate environment changes somewhat frequently (and the working environment really matters). Workers move post-it notes around, rearrange their desks, alter the lighting… They don’t radically shake things up, but they keep them slightly fresh. Most vitally, the commutes ensure that going to work truly feels like going somewhere.
But when you’re in a home office, it can be the same every day. Despite having the power to tweak it however you like, you might not have the will — and with no commute to keep things interesting, you can start to feel trapped. This is why you should encourage your remote employees to change their surroundings on occasion. It’s key to employee engagement.
You could make it a competition of sorts: who can come up with the most interesting home office arrangement? Alternatively, you could draw inspiration from the featured image and prompt people to take their work laptops outside. A mobile data dongle can easily provide enough speed for this. It isn’t an all-day option, of course, but just an hour or two working outside can leave someone feeling significantly refreshed.
Make the most of suitable communication tools
You may be feeling tired of Zoom at this point, but that doesn’t mean you can’t squeeze more from it. Instead of just holding boring meetings, why not run some social events? You could create some quizzes for people to enjoy, or even some video-gaming contests. Or maybe you could stick with a simple gathering: take an hour or so in the middle of a workday and gather everyone together to talk about whatever comes up.
Keep in mind that Zoom isn’t the only VoIP tool on the market, and others can do some interesting things. Topia, for instance, allows spatial video chat: in other words, participants can move in and out of conversations much as they would in real-world exchanges, elevating employee engagement. Additional features like this can do much to freshen online discussions.
Now, communication tools will never entirely make up for the loss of in-person meetings, so you should still arrange face-to-face meetings whenever possible. Even if you can only get your remote employees together a few times each year, the time spent in physical proximity will do more to support collaboration than anything you can achieve at a distance.
Offer simple suggestions for better work/life balance
Even though remote working has made some parts of work/life balance easier (less time spent commuting means more free time, for instance), it’s made other parts harder. Most notably, clocking in and out isn’t as straightforward as it was. There used to be a clear delineation: your workday begins when you reach the office, and it ends when you leave. Now things are blurry.
Working from home means that you can reach the end of your hours but remain at your workstation with little impetus to go elsewhere. You can unthinkingly work on a project for hours that you’re not getting paid for, then find that you’re feeling unusually weary. Part of this is due to the common fear of being insufficiently productive while working from home: something that can hugely detract from employee engagement even as it keeps people stuck at their desks.
As the team manager, some of the onus is on you to ensure that your remote employees aren’t working too hard. If people are struggling to handle their time effectively, address them not as the boss but as someone else trying to make the best of a tough time. Tell them about how you manage your schedule, and make relevant suggestions (including any time-management tips you can muster). They’ll appreciate the guidance.
Place more emphasis on personal development
The lack of colleague interaction makes remote-working days feel longer yet ultimately seem to have gone by faster. Each day is a grind, then you notice that several months have passed. It’s disconcerting and can make you wonder what you’re actually achieving. It bears noting that burnout isn’t always the result of too much stress, anxiety, or responsibility. Sometimes it can result from a fundamental loss of motivation — so what can motivate people?
Rewards are great, but you need something grander. This is where personal development comes in. Just having a stable job is enough to inspire gratitude, but not enough to really keep someone interested. By listening to what your team members want to achieve and coming up with plans to help them grow, you can solidify their loyalty through employee engagement that makes the average workday feel more meaningful through building up to something bigger.
And remember that a personal development plan doesn’t have to explicitly bring value to the business to be worthwhile. Suppose that one of your workers wants to start running marathons, for instance. It won’t generate any revenue for you, but it will make them healthier and more content, and those things will enhance their productivity. Make your remote employees happy and it’ll always work out well for your company.
About Author: This article is written by a marketing team member at LIKE.TG. LIKE.TG is a leading provider of proven HR solutions, including recruiting, onboarding, employee communications engagement, and rewards recognition. Our user-friendly software increases employee productivity, delivers time and cost savings, and minimizes compliance risk.
How HR Can Help New Employees Settle In
The first week at a new job can be a stressful experience. New hires have to adapt to a new setting, different job functions, and company culture while being the new kid on the block. And with the growing number of remote workers, settling into a new job is even more complicated.
Successful onboarding helps new hires adapt to all these changes. Human resources can take steps to make this process simple and welcoming. Employees start off with a positive experience, which can lead to improved productivity and better employee retention.
How can HR teams create a great onboarding experience from day one?
Welcoming New Employees Right From the Start
Making new employees feel welcome starts before they even step foot into the office. Human resource managers and departments are uniquely skilled to personalize this process for each new employee. Early onboarding strategies start with a congratulatory letter telling them that the company is excited to get them started.
A great way to welcome a new hire is to get their department involved in this process. Allow them to create their own welcome process. They can add their own special details, like making a short video introducing team members.
New employees are always excited to learn about the company's benefits. Ship out a package with your employee handbook and a list of the company's most exciting perks. Highlight unique corporate outings or activities, such as a company picnic or team building events.
You can even include some basic corporate swag like a branded pen and coffee mug. A strong, personalized welcome like this will go a long way to creating a positive memory for freshly hired staff members.
Simplifying the Onboarding Process
To help new employees adapt to the office and company procedures, adapt the onboarding process for a smoother transition. New hires have a lot to get done during their first few days. Simplifying tasks for them will help everyone get up to speed quickly.
Here’s how your department can do that:
The First Day
To ensure new employees have a near-perfect onboarding experience, their first day should be more welcoming and less overwhelming. Work with their department to ensure that they have everything they need to get started on day one. That may mean a bit of extra leg work to ensure that their technology and working spaces are in good order.
Next, make their first day interesting. It will be hard for new hires to retain much if they are forced to watch a one or two-hour video of policies. Go over the broad strokes of what they need to know and offer to answer any detailed questions later.
Meeting their team should be a pleasant experience. If you can, organize as many team members as possible for a brief conference with introductions. If there is more time, you can plan a lunch or breakfast meet and greet.
Getting these small details worked out beforehand will provide a better onboarding experience. When asked, “How was your first day?” new hires can give a good report. This will help your company to stand out to job seekers.
New Hire Documentation
While you don’t want to overwhelm new employees with a lot of paperwork, it is necessary to ensure that important business policies are written down and handed out. Have employees sign the form attesting that they have read and agreed to them as well.
These policies should include:
Rules for governing device use, repair, loss, and return, especially any that can be taken home.
Acceptable behaviors and disciplinary processes. Include social media policies.
Business and/or work hours, including holidays, paid time off, and sick leave policies.
Salary and payment policies.
A more detailed explanation of the benefits.
However, don’t overwhelm them with too much information at one time. Mail the document ahead of time and review the basics at their orientation. You can also provide electronic documentation to reduce paperwork for them.
Onboarding Beyond Day One
Employees should start their new jobs with clear expectations, goals, and the ability to ask questions to clear up confusion. Human resource managers should understand that onboarding doesn’t end with dropping new hires off at their departments to ensure this transition goes smoothly. Instead, HR should collaborate with each department to provide clarity and communication for a successful transition.
Here are some ways that groups can work together to help new employees have a better onboarding experience:
Assign a mentor or a work buddy. The first day in a new office can be intimidating. A mentor can help new employees navigate their career path in your company, and a work buddy provides a lunch partner for day one. They can also answer questions you might not have thought of, like “What do I do if something breaks?”
The more guidance they have, the quicker new staff members will integrate into the company. This will help them feel like part of the team right away.
Spread out the onboarding process. Outside what needs to be covered the first week, create a process to help employees get through their first 90 days. This can ease their stress compared to making them get everything done at once.
This also helps create a positive atmosphere to hit their stride without too much undue anxiety. At 30 days, send them a survey about their onboarding experience so they have time to process their experience. This data is critical to refining your onboarding process.
To improve employee satisfaction, keep in touch from time to time to see how they are doing. New employees who are struggling may feel like giving up after a month and a half. This is a good time to set up a check-in appointment.
If they are struggling, ask them about their specific challenges and if they'd like their department head to sit in a meeting. This will allow you to clear up minor issues and develop a strategy for bigger problems. Following up again at the end of 90 days shows them that they are valuable to the company.
Share company culture. A 2019 survey showed that 79% of adults look at a company’s culture and mission before they even apply. That means that most of your new hires are already keenly aware of this factor.
It’s up to you to make sure that they know what the culture looks like in practice. You may want to survey your current employees to describe your corporate culture. Draft a small document or graphic to illustrate it and make it part of your onboarding documentation.
Onboarding Remote Workers
Since the pandemic, many positions have switched to fully or partially remote. If this applies to you, you can still create a positive onboarding experience. It will just take a bit more effort for today’s HR managers to boost employee morale from a distance.
First of all, all documentation will need to be stored in the cloud. Use digital signatures to streamline employee responses. Work with your IT department to safely set up and secure these processes.
One of your most important tools is creating reliable communication and check-in processes, particularly for remote workers. Organize virtual get-together events along with regular webcam check-ins and work meetings. Integrate ice-breaker and team-building activities to encourage connection with your remote workers.
This new paradigm means you must address remote working issues for both new employees. Set up clear digital policies and make them part of your welcome package. Give new hires the tools to be successful when working remotely, including ways to manage work-life balance and how to incorporate company culture at home.
Providing a positive new hire experience even before their first day goes a long way to improving employee satisfaction. That can lead to more productivity and better retention. HR departments that develop positive onboarding experiences help their companies succeed.
About Author: This article is written by a marketing team member at LIKE.TG. LIKE.TG is a leading provider of proven HR solutions, including recruiting, onboarding, employee communications engagement, and rewards recognition. Our user-friendly software increases employee productivity, delivers time and cost savings, and minimizes compliance risk.
13 Fun & Creative Employee Appreciation Ideas
If you're a team leader, manager, or owner, can you think of the last time that you told your team they were doing a great job or that you appreciate them? If you have to think about the answer for a long time, that's not a great sign.
All too often, employee appreciation is either grossly overlooked or attempted with too little sincerity. When this happens, employees don’t feel truly recognized and respected for their hard work. But it's never too late to change that.
While celebrating Employee Appreciation Day is a good start, it’s actually far more important to show appreciation for your team members in some way every day. By investing time and energy into the self-esteem, confidence, and sense of value that your employees have day to day, everyone benefits from this healthy dynamic of mutual respect and gratitude.
Better employee retention, higher performance, improved productivity, and increased employee engagement within the workplace are all-natural by-products of regularly showing how valued each person is.
While gift cards, ice cream, and other tangible rewards are a great way of showing employees appreciation, below, you’ll find some simple but highly effective employee appreciation ideas that add value to your team members' daily lives and enhance your company culture.
1. Provide a Comfortable Working Environment
Physical comfort is a basic need for any worker. But going a little bit above and beyond can demonstrate your desire to make their day as comfortable and stress-free as possible.
Invest in ergonomic chairs, add some indoor plants, and make sure the office is always looking clean and inviting. Maintain great care of the spaces your employees occupy, as it shows continued effort on the company’s part to make their days as pleasant as possible.
If employees work remotely, ensure that they have the tools they need to get the job done. Working from home is already fraught with additional challenges. Ensuring your employees have a comfortable set-up with the right tools and equipment can reduce stress and improve morale.
2. Regularly Ask for Employee Feedback
Many times, management is clueless about how to really please employees. But there’s a simple solution: asking.
Holding feedback sessions, creating a “suggestions” box, and sending out feedback surveys can help bosses stay in the loop about what kinds of rewards and expressions of gratitude are appreciated most. You can also use one of the SurveyMonkey alternatives, as long as your survey is simple and easy to fill by your employees.
By making sure that employees from every level are provided with the space to speak up about new ideas or issues that concern them, you can hear directly from them how they’d like to be treated and what changes they might like to see in the future.
It also provides an opportunity for managers to pick up on any bullying, harassment, mismanagement or otherwise that may be happening behind the scenes.
3. Celebrate Birthdays and Work Anniversaries
Creating a birthday tradition in the workplace gives employees something extra to look forward to once a year. Plus, it provides everyone with a wonderful excuse to get away from their desks and enjoy a slice of cake!
Keep a birthday calendar in a communal space to help employees get to know each other better and give everyone an annual opportunity to feel celebrated. You can do the same thing with work anniversaries or other life events.
4. Provide Mental Health Days
Most organizations offer sick days and personal days, but few provide days off for mental health. These days are particularly beneficial to those suffering from anxiety, depression, or even high stress. However, they’re also good for when employees feel burned out or in need of a short break to prevent serious mental health issues.
Just like sick days, you can offer mental health days in a limited yearly supply, with the option to extend them if a serious issue arises. Giving your employees time to nurture their mental health shows that you care about them as a person and not just for what they can do for the company.
5. Be Flexible With Paid Time Off
Giving your staff members paid time off is a great way to show appreciation. You can award them additional vacation days that they can use at their leisure or dole out a few hours at a time with late starts, long lunches, and early quitting time. This gives them more time to spend with their family or do something else that they enjoy.
6. Cater Lunch or Provide Snacks
Employers can show appreciation through various food-related gestures that cater to the tastes and preferences of their employees. Here are some ways to incorporate food as a form of appreciation:
Employers can arrange for catered lunches to be brought into the office from popular local restaurants or specialized catering services that offer a variety of cuisines.
Arranging for food trucks to visit the office provides a unique and enjoyable experience.
Set up a well-stocked snack bar with a variety of healthy and indulgent options like fresh fruit, nuts, yogurt, chips, chocolates, and soft drinks.
Providing breakfast treats such as bagels, pastries, or a smoothie bar on certain days of the week can be a delightful way to start the day.
7. Make Celebrating Achievements the Norm
As previously stated, showing employee appreciation isn’t just about one day; it’s about creating a culture of appreciation.
Give positive feedback when your employees accomplish a small task or a big project. This feedback can be in the form of an e-mail or by stopping at their desk. Everyone has different comfort levels, so get to know your employees and what form of communication they are most comfortable with.
Or send out a company-wide email acknowledging your employee's hard work, recent success on a specific project, or anything similar. Other co-workers will most likely respond to the email, adding other congratulations and resulting in an even bigger act of gratitude.
One way you can implement this is by sharing your employee of the month through email. They will love the praise and be happier knowing you want to share their successes with the whole company.
Setting up an employee recognition program is another way to give everyone the opportunity to be recognized, and it helps promote productivity in the workplace.
8. Speak Out Against Discrimination
Having a company culture that refuses to tolerate any form of discrimination and aims to be as inclusive as possible is essential. However, taking measures to frequently discuss what that means will improve the employee experience and everyone’s sense of safety and empathy.
No employee should be made to feel uncomfortable or discriminated against by any person or policy within (or outside of) the working environment.
Show your appreciation for employees belonging to a minority or often discriminated groups. Make it easy for them to bring up concerns and normalize zero-tolerance for bias, bigotry, and discrimination of any kind.
9. Offer Career Advancement
Upskilling is one of the most desirable factors in employment positions. Now, more than ever, employees want to know that there is room for them to grow and expand their careers. Offering career development programs is one great way to give them exactly that.
The rapidly changing world of today means that constant reskilling and retraining exercises are necessary for certain employment roles to stay relevant. Implementing an upskilling program is one of the most useful, valuable, and future-oriented gifts a company can give its employees.
10. Give Career-Based Incentives
One of the most practical ways to show your appreciation for employees is to give them rewards based on facilitating their current job. A bigger working space, a private working space, and mentorship are all highly valued rewards by strategic employees.
Using job-based rewards as incentives for high performance shows that your company is ready and willing to compensate for hard work with realistic opportunities for individual career advancement.
11. Establish an Employee Recognition Program
A great way to show appreciation is to set up an employee recognition program. Appreciation through awards is a reminder of their excellent work. Awards can range in cost depending on the company, but we have a list of ideas for employee appreciation awards to get you started.
Another slightly more involved way is to use gamification to show your appreciation. For instance, you can have each team member claim a task. For each task completed, your team members will receive points associated with the value of their completed tasks.
You can then allow employees to redeem their points using a corporate rewards portal. In the portal, you can offer anything from vacation days, to work-from-home days, or even scholarships for continuing education.
12. Offer Gym Memberships
Employers can demonstrate commitment to their employees' well-being by offering free or discounted gym memberships, or by investing in an on-site company gym. These perks offer a convenient way for them to relieve stress, improve physical health, and boost mental clarity, all of which can enhance productivity and job satisfaction.For companies opting to build an in-house gym, it can encourage a healthy work-life balance, foster greater team bonding as colleagues may work out together, and ultimately, reflect the company's investment in its employees' long-term health and happiness.
13. Get Social
Your company’s social media pages are an excellent place to share some good news. You can use your social media channels to recognize employees on special days, such as their anniversaries or birthdays.
You could also post a photo along with a blurb highlighting an employee’s contribution to your company. You could also list fun and interesting facts about them that their current workers may not know. Or, you could write a glowing LinkedIn recommendation for a star staff member. This kind of recommendation can help them find success in their current role—and in the future.
The Final Word: Always Be Authentic
However your company chooses to celebrate achievements, express its appreciation, and reward employees, the most important thing is that it’s done with authenticity.People can pick up on forced or disingenuous gratitude far more easily than you’d think. That kind of expression is only going to cause a wave of eye-rolling and resentment within the workplace. Neither of which are good for the employees nor the company side they work for.
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About the AuthorThis article is written by our marketing team at LIKE.TG. LIKE.TG is a leading provider of HR solutions, including recruiting, onboarding, employee engagement, and intranet software. Our aim is to help your company improve employee engagement, employee productivity, and to save you valuable time!
Empowering your workforce to be creative
Without a happy and thriving workforce, your business will struggle to be successful. Creativity is key in marketing and empowering your experts can make all the difference to both atmosphere and output.
However, there’s little doubt that COVID-19 has shaken up business as usual – so how can your company balance essential processes with creativity?
Having full control of your marketing processes and utilizing the power of technology can certainly provide a launchpad for creative victories. In this article, we take a look at how you can transform your creative efforts effectively.
The roles of technology and in-house marketing
In-housing, driven by various factors including powerful technology, has been a hot topic in recent years. In a recent study, marketers revealed that they feel in-house marketing will be essential to the sector this year and in the future.
Bannerflow carries out an annual report looking into the state of in-house marketing – the 2021 study reveals that 58% of marketing decision-makers have noted creativity increases from their in-house teams.
Businesses involved in the study are looking to in-housing more and more, too – 73% said they’ve brought all or some of their digital marketing in-house showing a clear popularity increase.
CEO of Bannerflow, Nicholas Högberg, commented on the findings:
“After a turbulent and challenging year for most sectors, many marketing teams remain in-house, but it’s great to see that creativity isn’t being limited – instead it’s flourishing.”
Creativity certainly seems to have been high on the agenda for marketers in the past year. Many have strived to empower this within their in-house teams and maintain motivation during COVID-19 times.
So what have marketers done to inspire creativity in their in-house teams?
Creative workshops – 66%
Cross-team collaboration tasks – 65%
Collaboration tech – 63%
Training – 48%
Interestingly, barriers included organizational structure, pressure to deliver results, plus lack of time and technology.
When it comes to tech – digital transformation has been a big topic for many years, especially in the past year. In fact, digital communications have been sped up by up to four years due to the pandemic, according to a McKinsey report.
Widening your technical capabilities can be a huge driver for success in this area and can amalgamate with in-house marketing to inspire a recipe for success when implemented effectively.
In-house marketing is an exciting, evolving framework and solution – it’s also incredibly flexible and can work for your business in ways that can fit for your business. Businesses are choosing from three ways of in-house working that click with their structure – these are:
A complete in-house marketing agency model
A traditional method
A hybrid approach
Moving further forwards into 2021 and the future, 62% of marketers think in-housing will create the space for more efficient working in a remote setting. In addition, 58% envisage it helping to save on external costs and 57% believe it could increase creativity.
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The next steps you can take to empower your workforce
Get everyone involved
It’s not just the exec team who has great ideas. Lean on your delivery teams for inspiration and creativity when it comes to the services you offer and how to keep people happy in your business. They carry out the day-to-day work so know first-hand what’s important and what’s achievable. Blue sky thinking is great but only if the idea can be serviced.
Allocate time for creativity
Capacity may be tight but it’s important that time is allowed for people to get their heads together and thinking creatively. Schedule dedicated internal time for this and encourage employees to work collaboratively. This could be a regular meeting to discuss plans and strategy or simply an hour in an employee’s schedule for them to think about projects or plans and to offer up to three creative solutions for everyone to consider.
Mix up teams
It’s easy for people to get stuck in a certain way of thinking so have a shake-up when it comes to teams. Encourage cross-collaboration and ask that people learn what others have to offer or what they need for the business to thrive and be innovative.
Your marketing team, for example, may need more input from your sales team in terms of what messaging they think works with clients and what keeps people engaged.
Mix up your teams regularly, ensure people get face-to-face time with those they don’t work with day today and you’ll soon start to see creative solutions to problems at hand.
Delegate responsibility
It’s understandable as a manager or business owner to want to keep those creative ideas close to your chest but delegating responsibility for coming up with ideas can empower people to think creatively. Let people lead and take inspiration from them.
Set clear expectations
Don’t send your employees off on a wild creativity goose chase, ensure they understand why they’re being asked to come up with ideas or get involved with wider business decisions. Set boundaries on what they’re expected to achieve or offer up and you’ll find people more inclined to get involved.
Try to avoid tight deadlines, give people plenty of time to come up with creative solutions to problems. This means taking the time to scope out your plans for the months ahead and briefing people in beforehand on what you aim to achieve and how they can contribute.
Introduce tools that help with collaboration
Project management tools and collaboration tools that allow your workforce to band together to come up with more creative ideas is essential when adopting this shift in mindset.
It’s even more important with more and more businesses now working remotely, allowing employees access to platforms that make collaborations easy.
Reconsider what you can do in house
You know your industry and business better than anyone. Is there work that can be managed in-house that can be injected with a little creativity? As noted, marketing is one area where many businesses are implementing in-house teams.
This allows them to implement processes that allow room for creativity with no need to brief in and manage an external agency. Take back your content creation for social media channels and print advertising.
Is there something that can be done with tone of voice to increase engagement? Are you sharing your message on the right platforms? It’s time to rethink and strategize creatively when spreading the word about what you can do.
Be transparent
Much like setting clear goals and objectives when empowering people to be creative, you should also be transparent about why you’re encouraging this and what you hope to achieve. Everyone needs to be bought into this creative approach and so transparency at the start is key.
Moving your marketing team in-house can have clear benefits for your business – combined with being progressive with technology can contribute to empowering your workforce for years to come
About Author: This article is written by a marketing team member at LIKE.TG. LIKE.TG is a leading provider of proven HR solutions, including recruiting, onboarding, employee communications engagement, and rewards recognition. Our user-friendly software increases employee productivity, delivers time and cost savings, and minimizes compliance risk.
HR Management: What Traits to Look for in Remote Employees
As technology has evolved, remote work has become a new normal for many individuals. With recent technological advances, people can now work from anywhere in the world. Right now, there is an increasing number of companies that rely on remote workers. This year, 55% of businesses globally already offer remote positions, and 18% of the workforce telecommutes on a full-time basis. There’s really no denying how much working remotely has been booming, and right now, there’s no stopping it.
For many people, remote work is a lifesaver, and they have been delighted with this kind of work setting. However, it is not all roses. There are also plenty of things you need to know before your company/business decides on hiring people remotely. What are its advantages? How do you deal with the hiring process? Ultimately, what should you look for in a remote employee? Read on, and we’ll help you get answers to those questions.
Traits to Look For In A Remote Employee
It’s not as easy as it sounds to find a great remote worker. If you are on the hunt for someone to work with you long-term, you have to know what to look for. Your remote worker will be an essential asset to your company, and you should make sure they are a good fit. Here are some of the best qualities of a great remote worker that you should look for:
Communicative
One of the most difficult challenges in working remotely is constant communication. Make sure you look for a responsive candidate that is willing to stay connected with you and their future team, constantly keeping everyone in the loop. This will ensure that you are all on the same page and are working towards the same goal.
Self-Motivated and Disciplined
This is a fundamental trait when working remotely, as nobody is physical with them to make sure they’re doing their tasks and are motivated at all times. The best remote workers know how to move forward even without somebody looking over their shoulder. It’s also a great option to hire someone who already has experience working remotely so that they already know what to expect.
Has Great Organizational Habits
In line with being self-motivated and disciplined, great remote employees should have excellent time management and organizational abilities as well. After all, how their whole day will go all depends on them. So, look for someone who knows how to manage their schedule and keeps a detailed list of their daily tasks. They should also have great attention to detail and be able to meet deadlines.
Collaborative
On top of their strong communication skills, a great remote worker should also know how to collaborate with their remote team. They know what their fellow team members are working on, and they’ll make an effort to complement it.
Passionate
You’ll indeed be flooded with tons of applications, and plenty of them will put little to no effort into their application. A lot of them only apply for a remote job because they like the idea of working at home. Definitely a bad sign, isn’t it? What you want is the exact opposite of that — someone who is truly excited to be a part of what you want to achieve and will work hard to help you with it.
Resourceful
Remote employees wouldn’t have access to office amenities. This means they have to find their own way to be able to work effectively in their environment. On top of that, they would also be great problem solvers. They make an effort to look for resources that will help them resolve the issues they might encounter.
Adaptable and Flexible
A remote worker’s ability and willingness to adjust are vital to building an excellent relationship with their clients and teammates. There are instances when you need them for a meeting at a time that may be weird for them or maybe be unable to respond right away to their questions about work. A great remote employee will still be able to put their best foot forward despite those kinds of circumstances.
Confident and Reliable in Making Decisions
People who are constantly second-guessing themselves are absolutely not fit to be a remote worker. It would help if you had someone who can make thought-out and informed decisions about their work. Choose someone you’d be able to rely on to do the right thing and get the job done.
Business Advantages of Hiring Remote Employees
Still undecided whether hiring remote employees is for you? We’ve listed some of the business advantages of a remote work setting:
Reduced office costs. If you decide on hiring remote workers, you won’t have to spend money on leasing office space and extra utility expenses.
Limitless candidates. Deciding on a remote work setting also means having access to an entire world of possible employees.
Increased Productivity. According to FlexJobs' survey, 95% of their respondents have higher or the same productivity when working from home, and 51% of their respondents report being more productive when working remotely.
Quick Tips on Hiring Remote Employees
Finally, here are some quick tips that can help you through your remote hiring process:
Examine their resume well. A single resume can already tell you a lot about your candidate, so make sure to take a good look at it. Make sure their resumes are well-written. If you want a guide of what an excellent resume looks like, check out these executive resume samples.
Provide questions. Because you now have applicants from all over the world, you will need an efficient way to choose the ones worth interviewing. One way to filter them out is to make them answer a few questions and see if they meet your baseline criteria.
Take advantage of video calling. Hiring someone remotely means you won’t be able to sit with them in the same room during the interviewing process. The next best option you have is a face-to-face video job interview where you can hear how they speak and pick up the non-verbal cues they express while they answer your questions.
Get the candidate’s future team involved in the interview. After all, they are the ones who will collaborate and communicate with each other to achieve the company goals.
Take note of not only their professional background but also their work ethics. Do you think this candidate is really interested in what the company does? Do you think they’ll be able to handle the work well? Do they already have remote work experience? Ask questions that will make the perfect candidate stand out.
Final Thoughts
Nobody is perfect. It’s cliche but it is true. Looking for the best remote employee is definitely not an easy feat. It needs a lot of time and effort. The traits we’ve discussed are just a guide and are only supposed to help you know what qualities you should look for in a remote employee. In reality, you won’t be able to hire someone with all of those traits for every role you need to fill. The important thing is you look for someone that is best suited for each role, be supportive of them, and put an extra measure of patience and training. This way, you’ll be able to help your remote workers move towards success.
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About Author: Mindy Allen is a freelance writer who specializes in website content, blogs, email copywriting, and social media content. She was a former English teacher before she decided to start working remotely. She has been a remote employee for over two years and loves giving tips on remote work settings.
Remote Employee Support Benefits to Consider Giving to Your Team
The business world has become increasingly digital for decades now. Thanks to project management tools, video conferencing, chat platforms, and more, business no longer needs to be conducted under a single roof. Companies can now meet, collaborate, communicate, and get work done from virtually anywhere with an internet connection.
In the face of the novel coronavirus pandemic, remote work has become not just a luxury, but a necessity for businesses around the country. Companies have abandoned their perk-filled offices, and many of them plan to stay this way. This dramatic change has many businesses questioning one single thing: what do benefits look like for employees who work from home?
If you’ve found yourself pondering the same question, we’re here to help. Read on to learn about some employee support benefits to consider giving to your team while they work from home.
Upgrade Health Insurance Coverage
Health is top of mind for people around the globe right now. According to a nationwide Gallup poll, 60% of Americans reported feeling worried about their health in the face of the Coronavirus pandemic, up 21% from pre-pandemic times.
If you run an established company with a handful of full-time employees, chances are that you already offer health insurance to your full-time staff. If so, consider upgrading the health insurance that you offer your employees to help soothe worries and give them a bit more peace of mind.
Here are some modifications to your health insurance plans that you may consider offering:
If you don’t already offer coverage to employees’ dependents, consider extending your coverage to include them, too.
Increase the amount you pay toward your employees’ premiums to relieve some of the financial burdens on them.
Grandfather all covered employees into the next coverage period without needing to meet a certain threshold of hours worked; this can enable employees who need to take time off to do so without fearing losing their health coverage.
Cover Home Office Setup
Chances are, most of your employees never expected to work full time from home. As such, their homes may not be set up with a designated office space. They may find themselves working 8 hours a day from their kitchen table, or bouncing from couch to kitchen to bed to keep comfortable. It’s not optimal for comfort or productivity.
Help them establish a space in their home that’s appropriate for a full day’s work by providing a home office setup stipend. Provide enough for a desk, chair, secondary monitor, keyboard, and mousepad. You may also consider offering an ongoing stipend for internet, as many of your employees may be forced to upgrade their internet speed to enable them to complete work.
Offer Wellness Services
In addition to coronavirus-related health concerns, full-time remote employees currently face a wealth of new wellness concerns, too. Without an office to commute to and coworkers to co-mingle with, many employees face challenges with both physical and mental wellness. Employees risk increases in feelings of isolation, sedentary lifestyles, and stress and anxieties.
The good news is, there is a wealth of corporate wellness software that tackles just this issue. These aren’t your run-of-the-mill calorie-counting and exercise-tracking apps. These softwares offer holistic wellness services, including exercise, nutrition, mental health services, financial guidance, and more. Not only can these services help your employees lead happier, more fulfilling lives, but they can also reduce healthcare costs for you.
Take Care of Lunch
Did you offer employees lunch prior to the pandemic? Many employees rely on work-provided lunches when building their budgets, and the pandemic has caused a nationwide decline in income. In fact, according to a TransUnion survey, 58% of those surveyed reported that their finances have been negatively impacted by the pandemic. Why stop providing free lunch now?
There are a number of different ways to continue providing lunch to your employees, including:
Offer meal services designed specifically for work from home employees
Provide a regular gift card to a meal delivery app or home meal service
Give a weekly stipend to cover what you used too pay per employee for lunch
Childcare Services
Work is just one of the many things that have been changed by the coronavirus pandemic. For parents, perhaps one of the most substantial and complex complications created in the past year is the closure of schools, daycares, and other childcare facilities. Many parents are now faced with paying out of pocket for one-on-one childcare or managing both work and childcare at the same time.
If you have a significant number of parents at your company, it may be nice to offer a stipend to cover childcare during the pandemic. That will allow your employees to focus their full attention on work, eliminating distractions and increasing productivity.
Moving forward, this type of benefit can also open your doors to hiring highly skilled employees who struggle with accepting a full-time position due to childcare needs.
Education
Whether it’s pandemic times or not, education should always be a central feature of your employee benefits offerings. Ongoing learning and education are valuable for so many different reasons. A comprehensive education offering attracts employees who are interested in bettering themselves and growing their skills. That’s not only good for them but for you, too. Ongoing education enables your employees to become experts and thought leaders in your industry.
A thorough education package includes the following elements:
Personal and professional development courses
Industry-specific education and training
Tickets and incentives for attending industry-related conferences
Ongoing peer education via “lunch and learns” and other on-the-clock learning opportunities
The professional world may look totally different than in the past. But, just because times have changed, doesn’t mean you need to sacrifice the perks and benefits that make your company and employees stand out. Consider the above benefits to maintain a happy, healthy, and successful workforce. Who knows—your employees may be happier than they ever have been!
About Author: Matt Casadona has a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, with a concentration in Marketing and a minor in Psychology. He is currently a contributing editor for 365 Business Tips. Matt is passionate about marketing and business strategy and enjoys the San Diego life, traveling and music.
6 Tips To Prepare House for Hybrid Mode of Working Remotely
You probably heard about working remotely. The number of people working from home has significantly increased in the last few years - it doesn’t matter if a person offers translation services in Canterbury, a web developer in Los Angeles, or an HR specialist in Tokyo. WFH gained supporters in almost all niches and countries.
With more and more people joining the ranks of those who work from home, it has become one of the most popular work models in recent years. And, whether we like it or not, it seems like it is here to stay.
One of the solutions many companies implement is offering their employees a chance to work partly from their homes and partly in the office. This hybrid model allows for greater flexibility but also requires some much-needed preparations. If you need some tips on how to prepare your house for such a situation, read on. Below, you will find helpful advice on organizing your workplace, including making your surroundings look professional, inviting more natural light, and many more. Let’s begin.
Remove All Distractions
Working remotely is all about being able to concentrate. And that can be hard to do if you are surrounded by things that can distract you from the task at hand. The best way to avoid this is to remove all unnecessary items and furnishings from your house. Get rid of the pile of old magazines, newspapers, and books that you’ve been meaning to read for ages but never got around to reading. Remove from your sight the TV and computer games, as well as toys for children and pets.
Make Your Home Look Professional
If you want to make your home look professional, you will need to invest some money into it. According to experts from The Pattisall Group, the first thing you should do when trying to make your home more adapted to remote work, is to buy a nice desk and chair that will look great in your home office. Choose furniture that you will find comfortable and looks professional. Also, get it adjusted by a specialist so that you avoid back pain and strain later on.
Invite More Natural Light
If you want to feel more productive during your remote days, one of the best ways to achieve this is to invite natural light into your space. You can do this by opening windows, removing curtains, or buying new blinds. This way, you won’t feel like you are always at home when working remotely from here.
Make Your Office Space Inviting
In order to make your home office space inviting, you should consider putting up inspirational quotes and posters on the walls and purchase some nice artworks or decorations that add character to it. You can also put up photos of your loved ones, for example, or images of places you love. In this way, your office space will feel more like a real workplace and less like a place you have to be stuck at all day long.
Keep Your Workspace Organized
One of the most important aspects of organizing your space for remote work is keeping it tidy and organized. Put all of your papers in files or folders and label them clearly so that you know where everything is whenever you need it. You should also keep pens and pencils in a cup or a container so that they don’t get lost or scattered across the room when not in use.
This also applies to your printer, if you use it. You should clean it often so it doesn’t become clogged with paper dust and smudges. Also, there is nothing more frustrating than trying to retrieve a document from a printer that stopped working because it was full of dust or needed maintenance. Keep this in mind while setting up your home office space.
Update Your Technology
If you haven’t updated your technology in a while, now is a good time to do it. When working remotely, staying connected online at all times is crucial so having faulty equipment can cause problems with productivity and communication with your colleagues.
To avoid this, make sure that you have a good internet connection at home and a laptop or desktop that doesn’t break down easily. Also, there are plenty of applications available online that can help make your remote work easier and more efficient.
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The Bottom Line
Remote work has become a lot more popular in the last couple of years. More and more people decide that they prefer it over the traditional model of work from the office. Many companies understand that which is why they offer their employees a hybrid model of work, where they spend some time working from the office, and some from home.
However, to be able to adapt to this model of work, and continue to be productive, you need to prepare your home. Hopefully, this article showed you how you could do that. Good luck!
About Author:This article is written by a marketing team member at LIKE.TG. LIKE.TG is a leading provider of proven HR solutions, including recruiting, onboarding, employee communications engagement, and rewards recognition. Our user-friendly software increases employee productivity, delivers time and cost savings, and minimizes compliance risk.
5 Tips for Onboarding a New Team Member Successfully
Nothing is more important to the success of a company than its employees. They are those who work on the projects, answer customer calls and actually perform the services, and create/market the products you offer. Of course, in order to have solid employees who help your business, you need to first hire them and have solid talent acquisition strategies. This can involve performing background checks (learn more here), holding interviews, and several other things.
But once they’re hired, the onboarding program or process is what prepares them to work for you and gets them up to speed. Without any further ado, let’s go over some tips for a more successful onboarding process, to make sure every new team member can understand their role.
1. Use the Right Tools and Automation
If you want to onboard as efficiently and successfully as possible, you need to use the right tools and information. If everything is handled manually, it can be a process that drags on and hurts your efficiency. There are many different tools, and the right one will depend on your needs. In addition to using tools, you should automate what you can.
This can reduce the work required to get people onboarded, and can save you a lot of money and time. Everything from HR Payroll Systems to training software can have some automation that can drastically speed up the process, as well as make it go more smoothly for your new hires. Any tool you can use to improve the onboarding experience for every hired employee is a good idea to consider.
2. Be Clear With Duties and Responsibilities
Once a person is hired, it is crucial to let them know their duties and responsibilities as early as possible. They might have an idea from the description and the interview, but you need to now provide them with the specifics.
You need to prepare ahead of time, to ensure that you can clearly state what they should be doing every day. This could simply be explained, or you could even provide them with a role map to show them the scope of their position. If this is poorly done, they could be confused and end up focusing on the wrong things.
3. Set Expectations
It is crucial to set your expectations in terms of the schedule, how to best communicate with the team, the company culture of the business, and more. Every business and company operates differently, so the new team member might not immediately know how things are done.
The more your new hire can know about how your business operates and what is expected of them, the better. By doing this, you can ensure the new hire knows the best way to reach colleagues, how long they are expected to work, and the values or mission behind the business.
4. Train Them Well
Depending on the nature of your business, it is also crucial to train your employees well. You need to ensure they know how to use the different software, apps and tools your team makes use of every day. If you simply throw a new hire into their role without any training, they aren’t very likely to be successful, and will certainly make mistakes.
In addition to training as soon as they’re hired, continued training over time is also a good idea to keep morale high and skills sharp. Training them well over time provides several benefits that can only help your company and employees. Whether they are new or have been working with you for 18 months, training can help them reach new heights.
If you are dealing with a remote employee, be sure to find ways to ensure they are adequately trained, as well. Remote work is growing more common, so you need to be sure you can handle them.
5. Stay Available and Communicate
Few things are as important as communication in business. This is especially true early on, as new team members are likely to have questions or things they will need clarification on. Make sure to communicate well with them, be clear, and ensure you leave an open line of communication if they need it. Employees feel a lot of pressure, so knowing they can turn to you for help can be beneficial.
Be sure to perform regular check-ins as well and ensure everything is going well, but be careful not to micromanage. Make sure to introduce them to the team as well, as building relationships is crucial in a business setting.
In conclusion, we hope that this article and the tips within it have been able to help you have an effective onboarding process for new team members and ensure you can achieve successful integration.
About Author: This article is written by a marketing team member at LIKE.TG. LIKE.TG is a leading provider of proven HR solutions, including recruiting, onboarding, employee communications engagement, and rewards recognition. Our user-friendly software increases employee productivity, delivers time and cost savings, and minimizes compliance risk.
Employee Engagement: Learning from Other Company’s Successes and Failures
Employee engagement is an important part of your business’s bottom line. Without it, you will experience high employee turnover and low morale. The following sections cover common engagement failures, organizations that faced them, and how to do better than them. So if you and your leadership team are ready for changes within your engagement system, here we go.
Failing to communicate
The business may be booming, but that does not mean you can stop proactively listening to your employees. This means scheduling time for QAs or circulating surveys. They need to know that you are keeping them informed and taking their advice and complaints seriously. Your business may be your baby but healthy employee engagement comes from the common endeavor, which means they have to be proud of it too.
Nike is a prime example of what happens when employees' concerns are ignored, and individuals are discouraged from voicing their concerns. In 2018, the company made headlines after numerous women came forward to news outlets discussing a toxic workplace environment. Although Nike did implement changes to address these problems, not before their brand took a lot of damage.
How can your company ensure lines of communication remain open? Regularly scheduled one-on-one sessions are a big way to make sure everyone’s voice is heard. Email communication is another way to involve multiple individuals in a conversation. But even if you speak with all your employees on a regular basis, do not lull yourself into a false sense of security. Be open with your teams and tell them you want to address their concerns, which will go a long way in overcoming engagement issues.
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Not recognizing employee’s work
Everyone enjoys recognition for a job well done. Your employees work hard to hit deadlines and present the best-finished product. A failure to give praise or an acknowledgment of this dedication will lead to poor performance and morale. Implementing a recognition program for top performers in your organization isn’t that hard. From weekly chat messages to company-wide eblasts, all of these are ways to shine a spotlight on your employees of the week.
The global hotel chain, Hilton, implemented a recognition calendar program for employees. This calendar included tips for managers on how to highlight individuals during each month of the year. The program was a great success for the company, especially with keeping individuals engaged in their job.
But it’s not just current employees that benefit from a culture of recognition. Prospective employees can look up your company’s recognition program or hear about it by word of mouth. If you have a great system in place then you can hook some great new individuals for your business.
Preventing individual skill development
Your industry is always changing and evolving, the same goes for your employees. They want to expand their skill set to improve their personal performance and your organization’s results too. But when you hamper any opportunities for education, then your workers end up in a rut. Supporting attendance at virtual events or signing up for educational websites will go a long way in preventing boredom and complacency.
ATT created its own university program for continuing education amongst its employees. The leadership-led program helps employees learn not only about their current position but sets them up for success with future roles within the business. But the company does not just rely on its special university program, it’s also developed other initiatives to help with continued learning opportunities.
Although you may not have the resources to create your own learning program, there are still lots of free resources for your business to utilize. Whether it’s masterclasses on YouTube or your own manager’s presentations, offering skill development is a big plus for employee engagement.
Overlooking support staff
Do not forget your behind-the-scenes people, they’re the ones that are a big part of making your company run smoothly. Whether it’s cleaning staff or part-time employees, they need their moments of recognition too. Although their work isn’t as directly vital to your immediate success your business will still grind to a halt without your cafeteria staff.
Food delivery company DoorDash soured its relationship with its drivers when they failed to properly reimburse them for their services. Although DoorDash’s business model relies on delivery drivers, the drivers didn’t feel they were properly paid for their service and created their own campaign to improve pay. Instead of listening to their employees, DoorDash ignored them.
To avoid a problem like this in your organization, don’t forget all the people that make it a success. Proper pay, recognition, and little acts of kindness go a long way in making your support staff feel appreciated.
Thinking engagement is a one-and-done session
All right, now that you’ve scheduled your monthly meeting with your staff, that’s enough of an investment in employee engagement, right? Wrong! Your relationship with your team is an ongoing process and it involves constant work on your end.
About Author: This article is written by a marketing team member at LIKE.TG. LIKE.TG is a leading provider of proven HR solutions, including recruiting, onboarding, employee communications engagement, and rewards recognition. Our user-friendly software increases employee productivity, delivers time and cost savings, and minimizes compliance risk.
Top 10 HR Trends in Employee Experience: What to Expect
As the new year arrives, companies will regain some control and lead their employees to a newly mapped future. With this comes significant improvement to the employee experience. We're anticipating the following ten new trends in 2021.
Organizations are going on to make preparations for the next twelve months after a historic year of uncertainty and upheaval and planning their company and employees for further changes related to COVID. Although hastily-made modifications to the way we operate were implemented in 2020, 2021 will be the year when these modifications are planned and executed.
Many of these improvements are not ideal like employees were forced to return home to work unexpectedly. Yet they are here to stay for the near future from this point of view. In terms of keeping organizations afloat, several new working ways have so far been successful.
Although some trends have been going on for a while now and have only been magnified by the year's developments, many of these are the inevitable consequence of drastic changes that organizations have to endure and still encounter in some cases.
Employee Experience in 2020
The word "employee experience" was used as a "should do" before COVID. We have been advised that we work on employee experience and see changes in levels of loyalty, retention, happiness, and satisfaction. For many organizations, EX had taken a back seat to more pressing concerns.
But by 2020, those who focused on EX sharply contrasted with those who did not. These groups have been able to successfully shield themselves from the brunt of the pandemic, as they had been supporting their employees with an excellent experience. If you have an organization that listens to its people, regularly evolves its handling of its employees, and takes input and suggestions into account — you have a company that is consistent through trembling or imbalance. Thus, those who practice EX were able to adapt to all aspects of the company when businesses had to make a sudden and immediate transition and were able to experience transformation quickly and efficiently.
However, as EX was not seen by many as a priority, such companies seem to belong to a minority. According to a Forbes report, less than a third of businesses perform quarterly surveys, and just a little more have a forum for workers to have a say. It can seem anachronistic to have a staff that cannot have any observations or perspectives on their personal workplace experience with systems in place. As the pandemic pressured employees at home to meet their homework and childcare obligations, such non-EX companies were practically oblivious to their workforce's needs.
Nevertheless, with efficient communications, two-way conversations and open culture, those highly experienced in EX were able to recognize weak spots, be available to employees' needs and identify possible problems until they become more difficult. When our work's future was imposed on us, the importance of EX was thoroughly and eventually understood.
And what are we expecting from the next 12 months? Do we perform well under these new circumstances? Does it promise more traffic next year? Or are we going to see a way out of the current chaos eventually? Here, we foresee the ten trends that will affect the experience of 2021 employees.
1. Flexible work takes precedence.
The mass migration to work at home caused great concern for the office's future. But home offices helped to maintain business continuity and were successful. We can see that work from home continues in 2021, but with a more outstanding balance with the company. When safe, employers will offer greater flexibility in terms of the workplace.
A Forrester report calls it "the hybrid model anywhere, were working outside the office, including outside of the pandemic limitations, is considered a regular thing. This requires organizations to review their full model – from real estate to management – and determine how they can accomplish long-term objectives outside their traditional offices' real estate borders.
2. System of reimbursement
The laws governing working at home are being investigated. When it becomes an essential part of everyday life, businesses will soon begin formally to change their work policies. In several countries, we have already experienced this. For instance, different nations handle institutional and ongoing job costs at home, such as the US government developing reimbursement arrangements for home internet service and other expenses. Denmark also adds coffee-like food prices to pay packages for its workers.
In order to cover Wi-Fi, utility bills, and even toilet paper used by those living at home, the Dutch Government is encouraged to contribute $2.40 a day to the employee pay packages. France has passed a law defending them against post-hours email; Britain has indicated that the rules on tax deductions on work-related equipment bought during this pandemic may be relaxed. Some improvements could take a few years to enter into law but display a foresight of a more willing government towards working from home.
3. Changes in HR Review Policies
When HR re-examines its policies for employees at home, they will also have to consider how this impacts them. Further lockdown limitations may, for instance, affect schools, nurseries, and childcare, and consequently, it is vital to take account of staff with children.
Any changes that are done must be made clear in advance to employees. Consider the company intranet as a central communication platform. Additionally, update staff manuals with new policies on work from home, evaluation requirements, and other appropriate interventions.
4. Culture has Now Become Reactive.
In the absence of a physical office, the office building can become secondary to the working culture. The digital workplace will grow further and create an omnichannel world where the office's tangible and intangible elements will be brought digitally to the employee. Types of events can be more intuitive and include spaces for workers to enjoy – like huddles, team reunions, all-hands meetings, and satellite workspaces for employees to work in solitude.
While the office culture was more ambient, cultural leaders in a remote work environment might be required. Some workers build programs, launch new camps and initiate conversations. Organizations should concentrate in 2021 on how their working culture is developed in a dispersed workplace.
5. Attention on Mental Health
Has mental health ever been more critical than in 2020? This continues as managers start to consider their employees' emotional and mental well-being and find ways to track it. Most people will establish behavior patterns and reactions and identify people who have negative emotions without meeting their colleagues.
As jobs began to consider the fundamental value of mental health for their employees, the effects of COVID have intensified this awareness, and in 2021 this approach will be further developed.
6. A Trust Culture
Though there were several "firsts," 2020 meant that companies had no choice but to trust their staff with the way they handled their home offices for some kind of continuity. The culture of physical presence could well come to an end as the relationship between employer and employee evolves into the relationship of trust and autonomy.
Organizations have moved to various softwares that help track the level of employee productivity. However, 2020 showed that workers apply the same degree of professional discipline at home when appropriately managed and with the right communication channels in place. The major concerns are loneliness and isolation, which need to be tackled on a case-by-case basis by flexible working, commuting, and better comms networks.
7. Global Workforce
The human resources would no longer look for people of a given location. Any potential vacancy should consider extending the talent pool into a global context. This improves chances for high-quality workers irrespective of their location.
This includes a revision of the typical lifecycle of the organization. Every aspect of your business' working life should be re-tuned, from onboarding to training and development, to be easily available online anywhere in the world. This, of course, poses new cultural and logistical challenges, but companies should start getting used to managing a global workforce.
8. The Importance of IT
In 2021 they will have to place much greater pressure on IT in order to concentrate on delivering a better employee experience. Their position in the process is crucial. They are majorly facing two challenges—a drop in expenditures as companies tighten up to reverse the current economic downturn and collaborate with existing software for a better solution.
IT needs to build ways to support and reduce discomfort for employees. The IT will bear all essential responsibilities, such as social coordination, data maintenance and security. This is not the year of short-term adjustments. By 2020, long due reforms have forced companies to work with speed, strategy, and enterprise to better tackle these challenges.
9. Communication becomes Crucial
The CEO's ability to have an insight into the office was enough to please the employees while leadership was present. At the desk, lunch breaks and sometimes talks, walking in the hallway — each little touchpoint meant a sense of communion and community. It's a little bit different at home. Not only must people feel noticed, but they must also be guided, and a home workplace can serve as a dialogue blocker.
Enable business leaders to look at how the whole company can enjoy similar synergies. At the same time, teams interact more closely than ever with daily stand-ups and immediate chat channels like Slack, Microsoft Teams, etc. The importance of pulse surveys, CEO-led zoom meetings and managers holding more one-to-one talks with team members is the only way to know what is happening in each employee's life at a micro-level. Helping ensure that several home offices collaborate as one company and continues to work seamlessly.
10. Higher need for Automation
With remote work becoming more regular, businesses need to implement software and technology that helps workers when they don't have a physical presence. This program is designed to provide a readily available, humanistic service: an employee's ideal experience.
This part of the company would be one of the first to use intelligent devices without, for instance, an HR department for people who talk face to face, plan meetings, and visit. The employee also maintains the same confidential service quality through applications to connect with the worker on annual leave, health, and job-related concerns while receiving consistent and accurate data that they can evaluate and work on.
The 2020 events have led us to behave reactively and, at times, hastily at a breakneck pace. Therefore, employee experience is an evolving process that transforms small doses but has a dramatic impact on the company. These changes are led by senior management in line with employee feedback, and a feedback loop is formed as these changes are centered. Feedback has taken center stage in such times to really understand what is going on in the home workplace.
This enables companies to step away from a more strategic, awake and considered 2021 mentality from the impulsive and abrupt 2020 decision-making.
That is why EX is more critical now than ever for our employees. Only if we take our workforce's experience exceptionally will we be able to keep track of the pace of change in workplaces and allow for accuracy, creativity and new opportunities – something organizations must concentrate on in the next 12 months more than ever before.
About Author: This article is written by our marketing team at LIKE.TG. LIKE.TG is a leading provider of HR solutions, including recruiting, onboarding, employee engagement, and intranet software. Our aim is to help your company improve employee engagement, employee productivity, and to save you valuable time!
10 Tips to Keep Your Employees Productive
Every business leader has a responsibility to make their employees happy and efficient. Employees are the important asset of a company, and having them engaged in business activities leads to business growth. However, planning an effective strategy is conversely difficult, as it needs too much thought and time. That’s where the role of human resource management comes to the fore. How do HR departments ensure that they keep the employees productive despite the hustle of their work-life? This blog focuses on a similar discussion, giving you the most actionable tips to keep employees productive and the business successful.
1. Make a model of clarity and feedback.
It is crucial to create an atmosphere where everything is clear. Like, if the manager does any mistake, it is their responsibility to admit it. Being honest plays a great role in the company's growth, and getting to admit your blunder is the most significant factor in building an atmosphere of trust and scrupulousness.
It has been seen that whenever a person performs in a leadership role, they try to express their power by proving themselves right in every situation. Moreover, it takes a lot of strength to accept when they are wrong, so forming a transparency layer whenever making any mistake will enhance your image in front of management and raise a new learning environment.
2. Provide a Pleasant and Motivating Working Setup
Another thing you can do is to create a suitable work environment for the employees. So, you can outline it in a way that makes the employees feel satisfied during working. A healthy work environment usually helps the employees stay focused and free of distractions.
For a relaxed atmosphere, you can keep in mind some things like Ample lighting, fixed setting, Pleasant temperature, Conventional space, Admirable food, and so on. Even meeting the necessities like Fresh and Clean air can make employees feel satisfied and keep them motivated the whole day.
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3. Give your team certain tools
When you decide to give your team all the high-quality tools, they will not feel needy and not lose their time asking the leaders to give them what they need to perform the task. Moreover, if the employees are working from home, try to give them the best management tracking applications that will enable them to efficiently connect with the team members and take precise feedback from the team. Also, the employee can put their queries through the tool. This can create a professional environment this is significant for every organization.
4. Help employees to feel valued.
Whenever any employee does the task at hand on time or delivers on other metrics, like improving the profits, it will work if you appreciate or credit them. Organizations that do so successfully build a feeling of pride and are admired by the employees. They try to perform better next time, and this is how they remain encouraged.
If any employee commits a mistake, instead of yelling at them or punishing them, give them the word "it's ok." This will not discourage the team members and make them more responsible for the future to not commit the same mistake again.
Also, through support, employees dedicate themselves to work, which increases their engagement, productivity, and satisfaction. Being a manager or a team leader, you can create a positive impact on your employees. Only a positive environment among all will be the most suitable option to get the desired outcomes.
5. Keep Employees Occupied
If you want your employee to stay productive and deliver great work, you can create a complete manual in a simplistic style. Keep in mind that the employee guidebook will consist of aspects like handling a specific situation or other things. To make them feel like a part of the organization, you can also ask them about their manual approaches.
Other than this, it will work if you have regular meetings with your employees to keep them occupied. Make sure that everyone gets the chance to raise their concerns. This will create a positive work-life balance that eventually leads to the company's progress. People feel that the entire team cares about their opinions when addressing their particular issues/products/services.
6. Dodge micromanagement
Earlier, the companies hesitated to provide remote work, as they were not convinced with the idea and believed that the same level of productivity could not happen remotely. However, these days, everyone is doing remote work. Therefore, managers find it easy to micromanage their teams to upscale their business. But, at the same time, companies should also respect their employees and set clear expectations.
As per the analysis, it has been noted that almost 59% of employees who worked under the manager were micromanaged. While 55% stated, it served them being fruitful. On the other side, 68% find that they overcame their confidence.
Therefore, it is not easy for a manager to bother their juniors to monitor everything going around. Instead, both should correspond to the specific goals, and if the goals are met, managers don't need to worry about the place and how.
7. Allow your team to work at a flexible schedule.
A 9-5 work schedule doesn't look fit at all. However, each employee who works under this span doesn't have to be productive. Thus, you can choose to provide your employees with adjustable work hours like the other companies without considering the negative aspects.
This will allow the employee to build a flexible schedule. Most likely, they will be more productive during the timings that they choose for themselves to work. Also, this will make them happy and content, which ends in boosting productivity. At first, you can analyze everything by outlining the guidelines regarding attendance, information, and availability.
Then, continue to start with a manageable schedule for a single unit and watch the employee's performance accordingly. If, after doing this, you find the employee to be productive then, you can decide on giving manageable timings to the other units. Don't forget to review their performance from time to time.
8. Allow Breaks
Most times, you will find your employees to be bored and dull during work hours. It implies that they need a pause from your side to refocus over. Therefore, it will be ideal if you give them a rest of 10-20 minutes after one 101 hours of working, as it will help them revive their mind and refocus later on. Suppose you encourage breaks, whether, for a snack, tea, bathroom, a glassful of water, or to move, you will find that your employees will stay stimulated, which continues the business' progress.
9. Make your employees part of the bigger picture.
As a team leader or a time manager, you can notify your team about the company's ultimate goals and strategies. This will strengthen communication, and it is an excellent way to keep everyone on the same page.
Your choice can make your productive employees feel appreciated, and it will direct them to work with more devotion for the company's growth and attainment of collective goals.
10. Be compatible
If you want everything to go smoothly, keep in mind to stay steady. At the same time, it is great to connect with the team members at every level. This will make you aware ofemployee happiness,and how they work to meet the organizational objectives.
Hopefully, after getting the information given above, it will clarify that both the commitment and productivity go concurrently. Therefore, by following the tips, you can create an environment that boosts up the employee's productivity, confidence, and recognition at the same time.
About Author: This article is written by our marketing team at LIKE.TG. LIKE.TG is a leading provider of HR solutions, including recruiting, onboarding, employee engagement, and intranet software. Our aim is to help your company improve employee engagement, employee productivity, and to save you valuable time!
Interview Thank You Email Templates With Examples
Sending a thank-you note after a job interview is a longstanding tradition in every industry. From the days of snail mail to the current digital era, employees use this gesture to show appreciation for the opportunity to go through the interview. So, it is essential to write a concise and convincing letter to the company’s employers following the interview.
Most job applicants are afraid to write thank you emails because it seems a bit too forward. Others believe that appreciation letters don’t affect your chances of landing a job.
Well, that’s not entirely true. A well-crafted interview thank you letter can be the ultimate decider between you and another candidate. Moreover, you don’t need to write a full-blown essay as your appreciation email. You can simply hire an essay writer to finetune your delivery.
Let’s discuss the processes involved in writing an appreciation letter and the perfect example to warm any recruiter’s heart.
Why should you send a thank-you email?
An interview thank you note is an excellent addendum to your CV and cover letter. But if you are still having doubts about an appreciation email’s relevance, check out the potential benefits:
Showing appreciation is an act of common courtesy.
If not for anything, you should thank the board for the opportunity after the interview. You should also thank the recruiter or interviewer for spending their time to share the company’s goals with you.
The letter allows you to reaffirm your candidacy.
When you write an appreciation email, it reminds the recruiter about you and your unique skills. You should understand that recruiters in massive companies interview tons of candidates for a vacancy, and your unique appreciation letter distinguishes you from others. And by the way, you can add extra information that you forgot to mention during the main interview.
It puts you in a pole position to land the job.
Recruiters often reach an impasse when choosing candidates. And this deadlock often triggers the ‘elimination’ process to find out the best-suited candidate to fill the position. With your appreciation email, you can tip the scales in your favor instantly.
Key considerations when writing a thank you email
Although sending an appreciation email is a good idea, you need to follow standard writing etiquettes to improve your chance of success. Here are the crucial considerations when writing a thank-you letter:
Timing
All your follow-up emails must arrive within the first 24 hours of the job interview. This technique is useful during the hiring process because it creates a lasting impression on the interview board. So, gather all the relevant facts during the interview and use them to draft an attention-grabbing letter to a specific email address.
Addresses
When it’s time to meet your interviewers, you will be face-to-face with about 3-5 people. Identify the key figures on the board and address your thank you email to them. You could ask them for their business cards after the interview if you couldn’t find their contacts on the company website. Always remember to thank the recruiter (HR personnel) and your would-be boss and make them feel free to contact you for further questions. Don’t send the same spam email to everybody on the board.
Content
An excellent follow-up email must contain accurate information. At the same time, you need to review your work to eliminate embarrassing errors. Also, don’t send generic letters to the recruiter. Let them know that you enjoyed learning from them during the interview. Personalize the contents of the letter to the vacancy requirements and most importantly, don’t use informal language in your letter.
How to write a thank you email
Writing a thank you email after an interview involves listening carefully during the interviewing process. Afterward, use this information to rehash your best attributes as regards the position.
So, how can you write an email that makes a lasting impression on the interview board?
Let’s break it down into seven key steps:
Come up with a clear subject line.
Your subject line should contain the addressee’s name and the purpose of the letter. Also, clarify the job title position. Focus on short descriptions that are readable at a glance.
Personalize the email.
Avoid writing “to whom it may concern” in your follow-up letter. Since you’ve met employers during the interview, you should know their names. Therefore, refer to the addressee by their full name instead of using a generic greeting.
Show gratitude.
Start the letter with ‘thanks’ before going into details. Thank the addressee for the opportunity and insightful conversation.
Keep it specific.
Discuss specific moments in the interview that you found interesting. For example, you can talk about your appreciation of the company’s objectives and direction.
Recap your professional skills.
Don’t assume that the hiring manager remembers everything about you. Mention your professional skills that are relevant to the vacancy. Leverage what you now know from the interview questions and focus on those qualities that align with the company’s values.
Proofread carefully.
Errors in letters can be deal breakers when applying for a job. Go through the letter more than once to ensure that the message is clear and the grammar is intact.
Sign off with a professional greeting.
Don’t forget to end the letter with a professional greeting. To be on the safe side, always use ‘yours sincerely’ as your sign-off greeting.
Moreover, some people still use handwritten letters to deliver their follow-up messages. Although this technique highlights your dedication to professionalism, it doesn’t always end well. For example, the letter could get lost in the mail. Or the addressee would not open it in time.
Therefore, stick to standard emails when writing your appreciation letter because it is more professional and convenient.
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Thank you email templates and examples
Now that we have covered the importance of appreciation letters, let’s go through a short interview thank-you letter sample:
Subject Line: Thanks For The Opportunity {Insert Interviewer’s Name}.
Dear {Insert Interviewer’s Name},
Thanks for the insightful conversation regarding the position at {insert the company’s name}. Our short interaction has piqued my interest more to become part of your workforce.
I was mostly attracted to your clear-cut approach to solving {insert the specific problem}, which is in line with my view on {discuss specific subject}. I believe that I can contribute to the realization of {insert goal} as {insert proposed vacancy} in your company.
Please, don’t hesitate to contact me for additional information. I look forward to your feedback and future cooperation.
Thanks again for the opportunity!
Yours sincerely,
{Full name and contact info}
You can use this email template for any follow-up message and job vacancy. But you need to mention particular areas of interest picked up during the interview. Don’t forget to highlight your ability to perform each task at a high level. And most importantly, keep your letter short and error-free.
About Author: Patricia Lockers is an essay writer helping students with their academic assignments. She has a Ph.D. in History from Stanford. At the moment, she also offers assistance to companies on content creation.
Mobile HR Apps and Best Practices
The Human Resources department of a company handles many responsibilities. Over the years, HR departments have undergone changes, from service-oriented functions to assuming more strategic and versatile roles.
These changes are now happening in the most progressive companies around the world and technology is at the core of these changes. Today, various employee apps offer a wide range of capabilities, and figuring out the ones which are most suited for your company's HR is very important.
LinkedIn
LinkedIn is a must-have app that will give you the capability to find and connect with companies, colleagues, professors, and more. You can even connect with industry specialists and recruiters to create a business network for your company.
Having a solid LinkedIn profile is essential to spread the word about your company. This app will also provide you with amazing networking opportunities while connecting you with a wide range of professionals and information on different topics.
LIKE.TG
Imagine HR software that helps you manage the complete employee lifecycle by automating the processes and digitizing the record-keeping and database management. This is what LIKE.TG does perfectly. From onboarding till the exit of an employee, LIKE.TG enables HR teams to work futuristically by streamlining communication, collaboration and engagement levels.
Employee experience is enhanced in an environment where HRMS is highly people-oriented and where their every need in terms of communication, rewards and recognition, and benefits is timely addressed. A heightened employee experience means higher motivation level, which in turn boosts company productivity. This is why many organizations, ranging from SMB’s to large businesses, trust LIKE.TG as their go-to software when upgrading their HR functions.
Human Resource Magazine SHRM
HR Magazine is a very popular periodical known internationally for HR specialists under the aegis of the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM). The articles in the magazine include topics on law, management, and business practices of the industry written by HR pioneers.
The updated perspectives and findings of these pioneers will keep you informed of the latest trends and news, which may contribute to your assignments and discussions in the company.
The magazine comes out ten times each year and you will find the same content in the printed version and the app. For the latter, you will also find a daily news feed, videos, and other features. You can download this app whether you own an Android or iOS device.
Where could you find some help?
Writing letters and other official documents is an important part of all HR operations. Just as a college student must complete plenty of writing assignments throughout their education, you also need to master writing official documents. While you study your company's policies to ensure that you are doing everything by the book, you can hire professionals to do the writing work for you, especially if you study part-time. It's also possible toask for additional writing servicesfrom EduBirdie. This is a professional writing service you can depend on at any time of the day for any academic work.
Apps for collaboration and learning
Using educational mobile apps has revolutionized face-to-face communication across a variety of work environments, especially for the millennial generation who expects their seniors and colleagues to friendlier, easier to connect with, and more collaborative.
Without these very convenient apps, employees would find their work processes compulsive and boring. Since most of today's employees stay connected using their smartphones, it becomes very important for mobile connectivity to be both dependable and fast.
As an employee, having such an app (or more) will increase your productivity and efficiency. Using an employee app that serves as a channel for communication with other employees will help you stay in tune and in touch with everyone.
Aside from boosting your productivity and efficiency, it will also make your work environment better by enhancing its flexibility. Mobile HR apps will also help you increase your scope through interactive learning.
You can consider these mobile apps as learning tools. Use them to learn the processes in your company and get the training you need too. If you have an HR app, you can use this to improve your skills and improve your productivity.
Easier HR operations
One of the most important reasons why you would download and use apps is to make HR operations easier. Many of the apps being extensively used today are for various HR-related functions like approvals, timesheets, performance appraisals, work schedules, and more.
All these essential processes can now be easily accessed using apps and these have made much of the HR department's work more efficient and faster.
Conclusion
The advancements in HR apps won't stop as technology will continue to evolve to make things faster and more efficient. Once you find the best app for your company, you can start using it to improve how your company'\s HR department operates.
About Author: Michael Turner ranks as the top-rated writer and editor for a highly-reputed academic assignment service for US and UK students. He strives to provide quality work consistently and does this by regularly updating himself with the latest trends. Besides his work, he enjoys blogging, reading sports magazines, and experimenting with new dishes in his kitchen
Fostering Employee Wellness Using Your Intranet
Do you want to create a culture where employees take better care of themselves? If so, your intranet can help.
It’s important for employees to care for themselves, both at work and outside of the office. However, it can prove hard for them to focus on maintaining healthy habits when their primary concern is getting the most out of their careers.
No-room-for-error projects and tight deadlines typically take priority over self-care. With technology, however, you can remind your staff about the importance of caring for themselves. In turn, you can help to boost employee wellness—and productivity.
To learn more about fostering employee wellness using your intranet, keep reading.
Benefits of Using Your Intranet to Foster Employee Wellness
You can get everyone involved in promoting their own wellness by leveraging your corporate intranet. Now, it’s easy for companies to run employee wellness initiatives in tandem with employee recognition programs. For example, you could use your company network to emphasize wellness events such as World Mental Health Day.
This kind of strategy supports a culture of mindfulness. It also builds confidence among employees in your company identity.
Alternatively, you can use your intranet to promote healthy habits in the workplace, such as mindfulness and fitness. As an example, you could encourage employees to occasionally tune out and turn off.
You can also use your intranet to encourage them to take time off that they need to recharge. This point is important, as nearly half of all employees don’t take needed and deserved vacation time.
Stop Conflict Before it Begins witha Culture of “Thank You”
Does your organization foster a culture of micro-rewards and gratitude? If you’re not sure or the answer is “no,” your company culture could be contributing to workplace conflict. Building a culture of “thank you” can be difficult (especially with remote teams), but it doesn’t have to be! Learn more in our eBook, "10 Free / Low Cost Employee Recognition Ideas.”
Learn how!
How Your Intranet Can Help
With the right software, you can manage your employee wellness system effectively. It will enable you to promote, monitor, and manage wellness activities. In doing so, you can create a team that thrives by minding to their health and wellness.
An effective management platform can help you track important wellness KPIs. It will also help you to access and manage risks as it pertains to employee wellness. Moreover, you can follow these metrics in real-time.
Premium software such as LIKE.TG can provide you with a customizable platform that supports your staffs’ wellness journey. With the top HR technology, you can provide a fresh user experience that’s easy to navigate.
For example, you could offer free wellness coaching. This kind of service is highly popular among employees with a desire to improve their wellbeing.
You can also set up a system to support employees in tracking their fitness activities and measuring the results. You can even motivate employees by offering them rewards for successfully completing wellness milestones.
Leveling Up Your Intranet for Employee Wellbeing
Employee wellness includes both physical and mental health. Both work-related and non-related factors affect the state of employees’ physical and emotional wellbeing.
Promoting employee wellness does more than increase workers’ productivity—it improves every aspect of their lives. With employee wellness, you want to build a happier, healthier workforce.
Doing so will positively impact employee performance. Ideally, however, as a human resource professional or company leader, you should primarily have the goal of promoting the health of your peers.
Tracking metrics such as those for participation is vital for the success of employee wellness programs. However, it’s also important to consider what benefits are most useful for your staff.
Different companies have different needs. For example, you may want to offer healthy meal delivery via your corporate intranet. Alternatively, you may offer mental health counseling.
You can even offer gym membership reimbursements as well as bonuses for employees that meet fitness goals. Here, you could tie in bonuses to employee performance in your company’s weight loss program. Alternatively, you might do the same for those who complete a smoking cessation program.
Implementing Your Digital Wellness Strategy
An effective workplace wellness program can help you improve your team and reduce costs. Today, leading firms use technology to drive wellness program participation and awareness. With the right platform, you can amplify your company’s wellness initiatives.
Many employees report conditions such as stress and depression. As a result, it’s becoming increasingly difficult for companies to manage. Resultantly, you must find a way to support your employees if you want to promote productivity.
To remedy this issue, you want to enhance your healthcare programs. To this end, it’s helpful to leverage your digital workplace to build a culture of wellness.
Everyone engages in wellness in different ways. Also, you’ll want to develop a holistic wellness strategy that encompasses both physical and emotional health. With technology, you can develop a wellness program that’s personalized for each of your team members.
Still, you’ll need a way to communicate these ideas with your team members. You’ll also need to communicate your company’s wellness initiatives to management.
Forging Ahead With Digital Deployment
Here, it’s important that managers know that they must empathize with employees’ health and emotional problems. Managers must show sensitivity in this regard. With this in mind, you can even use your company intranet to track managerial awareness of employees’ health statuses.
In the digital age, it’s never been easier to support employee wellbeing. Now, your intranet is a vital tool for creating a company culture of wellness and mindfulness.
Poor employee health costs companies billions of dollars every year. With your digital workplace, however, you have an opportunity to help employees improve their wellness.
It’s important to understand, however, that your company’s path toward wellness is a journey, not a sprint. With time and effective planning, you can promote a healthy, happy work environment.
HR mistakes impact your entire organization. Learn how to avoid the 12 most common mistakes with our free ebook.
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Steps for Getting Started
The losses due to poor employee health continue to rise. As a result, many companies are working for ways to keep these employee health-related expenses manageable and under control.
It’s true that your company’s health and wellness programs can help employees to achieve better health outcomes. Yet, they also help to reduce risk.
Healthy employees are less likely to have problems on the job—either emotional or physical. Furthermore, organizations with happy, healthy employees save on long-term health expenses.
With this in mind, you’ll want to provide your employees with the means and tools for them to take control of their wellness.
A well-executed wellness initiative supported by technology can reduce healthcare costs. It will also enhance productivity and boost employee retention.
The process begins with advocating for the establishment of a wellness program—if your company hasn’t started one already. Your program must provide access to various wellness offerings.
You’ll also need to design and implement the program. However, it’s important not to try to do it all alone. In other words, you’ll want to incorporate the help of experts where possible or needed.
Once you’ve completed these steps, you’ll need to communicate the components of your wellness program with your staff. You’ll also need to deploy mechanisms to increase participation in your company’s wellness program.
Manage the Many Moving Parts of Employee Wellness With the Right Technology
An effective employee wellness program has many components. In most cases, you must contract with several vendors to create the needed services for your wellness program. These vendors may offer services such as:
Disease management
Employee assistance programs
Ergonomics
Screening
Vaccinations
Wellness consulting
Wellness training
However, there’s one constant, no matter how many components you add to your wellness program. You’ll need to communicate your program and encourage employee participation if you want to reap the benefits of healthier employees.
A Better Way to Manage Your Employee Wellness Program
In the past, employers relied on instructor-led, in-person coaching and hard-copy handouts. Today, however, an online solution is a pivotal part of a well-coordinated employee health program.
For instance, you can use your company intranet to provide basic nutrition training. Again, you can also use it to support physical activity.
You can even use your intranet to create a group where employees can share their wellness journeys. For example, you could set up group chats or forums where workers can share their experiences. Once you’ve established the group, you could further leverage it by inviting non-participating employees to join in.
Also, by leveraging technology, your wellness program could grow alongside your company. With the latest technology, you can add as many group members as you need seamlessly.
More importantly, technology enables you to customize your communication with your staff. With the right platform, you can make sure that every corporate message promotes your brand identity.
Still, how do you know what platform can empower you to deliver the many facets of your employee wellness program effectively? Luckily, we have the perfect solution.
Your Intranet Is a Powerful Tool for Promoting Employee Wellness
Now you know more about fostering employee wellness using your intranet. What you need now is an award-winning human resources platform.
LIKE.TG can help you manage the many moving parts of your employee wellness program. With LIKE.TG, you can make it easy for employees to find the wellness information they need on their own time.
With our platform, you can boost employee wellness programs and deliver employee recognition. You can also improve work culture, productivity, and morale.
Set your business up for success. Contact LIKE.TG today to request a free demo and learn more about starting the journey toward corporate wellness.
About Author: This article is written by a marketing team member at LIKE.TG. LIKE.TG is a leading provider of proven HR solutions, including recruiting, onboarding, employee communications engagement, and rewards recognition. Our user-friendly software increases employee productivity, delivers time and cost savings, and minimizes compliance risk.
6 Tools That Will Help to Improve Your Business Productivity
Business owners need to properly manage their time — as well as their team members — to ensure they get the most out of every day. In this article, we’re going to outline several different tools that can help you increase your team efficiency and productivity.
Let’s take a look!
Time tracking software that helps your team stay focused
One way to help your team stay focused and work effectively is to use time tracking software. This can help you to identify when your staff tend to get the most distracted, or when they might need more support. It can also help to ensure that everyone concentrates on the task at hand, and can make it much easier for you to price up jobs based on how long they actually take. This is particularly helpful if you run a business that involves charging by the hour.
LIKE.TG’s time tracking software can help you with all of this! It’s easy to use, secure, and will help you streamline your processes.
Templates that streamline processes and store information
Using templates for jobs you have to do over and over again is another great way to make your life easier and improve your business productivity. There are lots of different template types you could use, but let’s take a look at a couple of examples.
For instance, if you and your team members are focusing on improving your search engine optimization (as you should), Loganix has some great SEO templates that can help you to get more done and store important information effectively. One great example is the content brief template. This will help you organize all the information any writers and editors need before diving into creating your content. The document outline can keep things simple for your writers and help them get work done quickly, while also eliminating any back-and-forth between parties.
LIKE.TG has several helpful onboarding checklist templates, as well. Onboarding can be stressful for employers and employees alike — you don’t want this important process to be rushed or overlooked. To give your new employees the best experience possible, these checklists can help. They give you step-by-step instructions on how to prepare your employees for their new position.
Look at what you and your team members do on a regular basis, and consider if there are any templates that will help to streamline your processes and speed certain tasks up. They can make a huge difference.
Project or employee management software that keeps you on track
As a business owner, it’s a good idea to use a project or employee management program to track different areas and help you stay on top of things. Project management tools can help you set deadlines, make it easier to collaborate with other team members, keep your relevant documents in one place, and help you feel more in control. As a bonus, all of your employees who are using the software will be able to see their daily tasks at a glance.
You might also be interested in using a Performance Management System like LIKE.TG’s to frequently assess your staff, identify any areas they need help with, and provide them with feedback. These are all important jobs, but they can be neglected when you’re busy and struggling to stay on top of things. Having a real system in place will help you to stay on track, keep your employees happy, and make it much easier for you to handle HR-related issues.
Social media scheduling tools that help you stay ahead
Social media marketing is incredibly important for getting the word out about your business. And, bulk scheduling social media posts is often a lot less time-consuming than writing them on a daily basis. To help optimize your social media posts, dig into your analytics and see when your posts tend to get the most engagement, then schedule your activity in advance. Be sure to keep a regular schedule, posting weekly or daily, for instance, in order to get the most out of your content.
If you’re looking for a new tool to help you make the most of your social media time, check out SocialPilot’s round-up of the best social media analytics tools. They can help you make a decision based on a particular program’s price, features, and more.
Checklists that help you to stay on top of everything
Sometimes, it can be hard to stay on top of all of the little jobs you need to do on a regular basis. Creating checklists that you can refer to will help keep you on track and ensure you don’t forget anything. Checklists for daily tasks are certainly important, but it’s also worth creating lists for the things you only do every once in a while, like checking your finances, onboarding employees, preparing for industry events, and even spring cleaning your premises.
It’s easy to put certain tasks off when there's nobody holding you to account, but simply having a checklist to follow can make a huge difference. There’s nothing like the satisfaction of working your way through a checklist and having a spruced up office, better organized finances, and happier team members at the end of it.
Templates that will speed up your graphic design
People love visual content, and everything from your social media updates to your blog posts can involve some graphic design. However, making everything from scratch can be incredibly time-consuming, so it’s worth spending a while creating templates that you can then fall back on to speed things up in the future.
You could create templates for infographics, Instagram posts, blog visuals, email newsletters, and the like. Not only will this save you time and energy, but keeping these designs consistent by using templates can also help you build your brand identity and awareness. This will help to ensure your content becomes recognizable and keeps your business at the forefront of your audience’s minds.
When creating your templates, be sure to incorporate aspects of your branding, including your chosen colors, fonts, brand voice, and more. This will keep things consistent and allow you to stand out from the rest of the crowd.
About Author: Alex Ratynski is the founder of Ratynski Digital, an online marketing consultancy that focuses on helping small and medium-sized businesses achieve their goals. He set up his company after working as a local SEO director for a dental marketing agency, where he helped to turn clients’ ventures into thriving multi-million dollar businesses. He spends most hours strategizing SEO for his clients.
6 Best Job Experts to Follow on Twitter and LinkedIn
Whether you’re currently looking for a job or not, some good career advice can always come in handy. Especially if it’s offered by a top career expert with many years of experience and a bunch of loyal followers, some of whom have already put that advice to practice.
Some time ago, professional advice was not easy to find, but today, thanks to social media, you needn’t go far. Now, it’s the other way round: there are so many career coaches and job search experts that it’s hard to choose.
So, if you’re looking for immediate help with something specific like writing a resume, it’s better to hire a writer on a professional platform – for example, here at https://skillhub.com/blog/upload-resume-linkedin . But when you need inspiration, insights, fresh data on the job market, or first-hand job search tips, social media can be of service. Also, it could be useful for you to research what HR wants to see in candidates and you can do it here https://www.LIKE.TG.com/blog/LIKE.TG-blog-guidelines. It will be the best way to write a perfect resume.
But how does one choose from an abundance of social media experts and coaches? Well, we’ve done the job for you. In this article, you’ll find a list of the best job experts on Twitter and LinkedIn that we suggest you follow.
Twitter Influencers
Twitter is generally regarded as a platform for politicians, celebrities, and their fans. But that’s far from being everything this social network can offer. There are also a lot of experts of all kinds sharing their knowledge and insights – job experts included. So, here are our top-3 Twitter influencers writing career advice.
1. Adam Grant (@AdamMGrant)
Adam Grant’s Twitter profile states he’s currently an “organizational psychologist” at Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. He’s also known as the New York Times #1 best-selling author due to his book Think Again: The Power of Knowing What You Don’t Know. He also has a podcast of his own on TED Talks called WorkLife.
Adam currently has over 400,000 followers, including Hollywood actress, businesswoman, and producer Reese Witherspoon, actor Ashton Kutcher, and other celebrities. The reason for such popularity is probably that Grant manages to maintain the right balance between inspirational tweets, useful research data, and interesting insights.
2. Hannah Morgan (@careersherpa)
A New York-based job market expert Hannah Morgan describes herself as a speaker, author, LinkedIn top voice, and an “unapologetic introvert”. Indeed, she’s better known as a LinkedIn influencer – but her Twitter account is also worth following if you need fast and accessible career advice.
However, if you’re looking for inspirational fluff or deep insights for (aspiring) higher-level executives, Hannah’s profile is probably not the place to go. Her page is about more down-to-Earth topics like:
acing an interview;
networking online;
job search strategies;
resume creation, and the like.
Morgan herself states that the account is aimed at job seekers looking for “help and hope for a faster job search”, so this is exactly what you’ll get there.
3. Alison Doyle (@AlisonDoyle)
One more seasoned job expert sharing useful advice on Twitter is Alison Doyle. She’s the job search expert for The Balance agency and founder of her own company Career Tool Belt that provides advice and assistance to job seekers.
Though she doesn’t have as many followers as “star” influencers, her page offers lots of hands-on tips that anyone still in search of their dream job can make use of instantly. On her account, you can find answers to such questions as what to name as a reason for leaving your previous job, how to choose a resume file name, and more.
LinkedIn Influencers
LinkedIn is still the ultimate place to go to for anything connected with jobs and career growth. Be it networking, posting an online resume, or looking for advice from top experts – this social network offers endless opportunities. And of course, there are many experts there who are worth following. Here are our top 3.
Andrea Koppel
Washington-based expert Andrea Coppel is particularly passionate about helping fresh college graduates make their first steps into their future careers. She’s pretty popular, too, with her profile being included in the 2021 Top Job Search Expert to Follow on LinkedIn by Jobscan and a top-100 Apple podcast of her own called Time4Coffee.
Andrea is also the founder and CEO of College2Career Academy – a company whose name speaks for itself. Koppel’s target audience includes college juniors and seniors as well as their parents, and she specializes in providing concrete actionable advice. But if you’ve only got a high school diploma yet, you can follow her as well.
Rosie McCarthy
Badass Careers founder Rosie McCarthy positions herself as a “career fulfillment coach”. As such, she is devoted to helping millennials and Gen Zs create their personal brands and build meaningful careers. Rosie is based in New Zealand but is committed to helping young people worldwide.
On her page, you can find advice ranging from how to find a career purpose or learn to love your work to practical tips on resume writing. She also offers free weekly training on her YouTube channel.
Lazlo Bock
Former Google employee Lazlo Bock is a big LinkedIn influencer with more than a million followers. He’s now CEO and co-founder of software company Humu, and he’s also known as the author of Work Rules! – a book where he shares his insights from work at Google.
Lazlo still writes a lot about work at Google in particular, but his articles also cover a wide array of topics from company culture to decision-making to resumes and interviews. Quite a lot to linger on.
Final Thoughts
Following job experts on Twitter, LinkedIn, or elsewhere can be very useful indeed. It’s a great way to find out job search tips and get inspiration, especially if you hand-pick the accounts to follow.
However, don’t let it become just another form of procrastination. Remember that knowing what to do is one thing, and doing it – quite another. So, if you find any piece of advice from the experts useful – don’t hesitate to actually follow it.
About Author:This article is written by the Marketing Team of LIKE.TG.LIKE.TG is a leading global provider of Applicant Tracking, Onboarding,Offboarding, Communications, Engagement, Recognition, and Financial Wellness solutions. Its powerful and user-friendly software eliminates manual/paper processes, increases employee productivity and engagement, improves time and cost savings, and reduces regulatory compliance risk
7 Step Recruitment Marketing Action Plan To Hire Candidates
In the hiring market, some challenges can arise at any moment. To overcome this challenge, the recruiter needs to have a recruitment marketing action plan.
Great recruiters can hire candidates at the right time. These employees will have an impact on your organization. Hiring great job seekers takes time, and a working recruitment marketing strategy is a must to find the best candidates.
The need for a recruitment marketing action plan is necessary because being a recruiter is quite hard to fill the job vacancies in this candidate-driven job market. These days candidates are aware and they control which company to choose and work for.
With a lot of companies looking out for the same candidates, one needs to have the right recruitment plan in place. Building a rounded strategy is what every recruiter is looking for.
This blog post will focus on how to build an effective recruitment marketing action plan. You will be able to use it in action immediately and begin attracting great candidates.
#1. First, Define Your Goals
The primary goal of any company is to build a team that is efficient and works toward the company culture. The overall goal of your recruitment marketing action plan is to hire the candidates, and for that, you need to follow the SMART approach. It goes like this:
S: Specific
M: Measurable
A: Achievable
R: Realistic
T: Timely
You need to define specific goals that are measured. Here are common recruitment marketing goals that include:
Improve candidate engagement
Improve employer brand awareness
Get more candidates
Get more career site visitors
Increase in the referral rate
And more.
#2. Recognize The Candidate Persona
A recruitment plan without knowing your ideal candidate audience is a sure shot recipe for disaster. One needs to understand the importance of the candidate persona. The candidate persona includes everything you are looking for in the candidates. Every company can have different requirements for specific candidates.
As a recruiter, you need to stay in touch with all the necessary departments in your organization. You need to keep every team in the loop and ask them about the metrics they need in a candidate. It will keep you updated on the customer portrait and get some tips about it.
Keep in mind what your team lacks and write down the insights. Does your team require a single player or a team player? Like you can narrow down your search and when you understand what you need. It would be easier to get rid of CVs that don't suit the company culture and the expectation of the job profile.
To learn more about recruitment methods, download our ebook now.
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#3. Have An Employer Brand
A recruiter knows that they are in the market, and not only the company chooses the candidates, the candidates also select the right company. You should know why you are the best choice and what extra you can offer to the candidates. Here are some ways you can improve the employer brand:
Nurture your culture: Sharing your company’s work culture with candidates is a sure-shot way to improve the employer brand.
Embrace technology: The use of tools present at your career site is beneficial for candidates, it increases the speed of the hiring process. Take help of chatbots, CRMs, and HRMs.
Treat candidates like your customers: Candidate experience is a vital factor during the recruitment process. Every candidate likes a seamless recruitment experience. The company needs to ensure every candidate gets a feedback email after the interview.
#4. Use Tools To Cultivate The Talent Supply
Candidates find job offers in both traditional and modern ways, the latter gets used more. The candidates with the desired skills are selective about which opportunities they are looking to pursue. Therefore, making it easier for the candidates is the right strategy to follow, do it on your social media channels and in which candidates can apply easily.
Use shorter applications that are prefield and use text messaging to recruit. You can rely on AI-enhanced recruitment trends to make it faster and easier for the candidates to apply to your company and move ahead with the process.
AI technologies help to automate manual and administrative tasks in the process enabling the recruiters to build the relationship and have a positive candidate experience.
#5. Consider The Role Of Social Media
Modern social media platforms play a vital role to communicate with audiences. Almost everyone uses the internet to stay connected with people. One should build the strategy around it.
The next step is to choose the right platform for your social media recruitment strategy. It will help you to target potential candidates. Some of them are ideal, for example, if you need a developer, you can leverage Linkedin for this task. Linkedin will serve a better purpose to source out the passive candidate. There are plenty of job boards present that you can utilize for hiring candidates.
You can use Facebook and Instagram to increase the brand awareness of your company. These two platforms are ideal for building your community by sharing content that is useful to the candidates.
Another thing you can focus on is building a social media career page, this way you will ensure that the candidates stay up to date with the job posting in your company and they can apply directly from your company’s social media account.
#6. Focus On Building The Internal Talent Pool
Promoting employees internally helps the company to solve the conundrum to hire candidates at a rapid pace and fill the open positions. It’s the ideal way to meet the hiring demands while maintaining quality.
Many recruiters believe that they need to hire people from different companies to improve the diversity and strengthen the company.
Focus on your internal employees. The benefit is that you work with them every day, knowing them better.
It’s a necessary point that one should include in their recruitment marketing action plan. Think of how you can improve the top talent pool. Here are some ways:
Know employee goals early: After the candidate’s onboarding is completed, the manager needs to sit down with them and ask them about their future goals and career.
Reward employees: It is ideal to ensure that you are offering opportunities to the employees that are tailored to their goals. Go with individual development programs for employees.
Understand what your employee needs: Employees love to be asked what they need to improve their overall experience in the workplace. It is vital while building an internal talent pipeline.
A recruiter can take the help of properly designed employee referral programs to maximize the internal talent pool.
To learn more about recruitment methods, download our ebook now.
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#7. Evaluate Recruitment Marketing Results
The goals should be measurable in your recruitment marketing action plan. You need to implement your goals and see the results they are providing.
Gather metrics that work for you and what does not work can improve your recruitment marketing plan.
To have better results, you need to experiment. You shouldn’t proceed with the results.
Therefore, HR teams must ensure they store and evaluate data and also track the recruitment marketing metrics. Otherwise, you will find yourself with wasted time and effort.
Wrapping up
Hiring is challenging, but a recruiter has to make a plan accordingly. There must be one plan that one should develop constantly. The best companies take leverage of the recruitment marketing action plan and work. They make changes where it’s necessary, and they know their target audience.
7. Ensure that employees enjoy working
Successful students spend a huge portion of their day reading and learning from the best. Employees also spend countless hours in the workplace. Therefore, you need to ensure that the workplace is a fun and enjoyable place to be for everyone. When you create an environment where employees feel comfortable working, they will be motivated to do their best.
This doesn’t mean that you have to spend thousands of dollars on installing luxurious items in the workplace. You can create a conducive environment in the workplace by allowing birthday celebrations, coffee breaks and encouraging your employees to have casual and friendly conversations instead of talking about work projects all the time.
About Author: Ginni Agarwal is a Talent Acquisition Expert at Upright Human Capital with extensive experience in Tech and Non-tech hiring. She loves blogging, writing articles about Talent Acquisition, and Human resources. She has been associated with the Talent Industry for a while. She enjoys sharing her experience with others.
10 Proven Tips To Successfully Onboarding New Hires
A well-designed and well-executed onboarding process can make a huge difference in your retention efforts. It can also help your new hires secure a long and rewarding career in the organization. In terms of structure and rigor, your onboarding process should be similar to your candidate experience. After all, you want your new hire to feel comfortable in his new position as soon as possible.
There are numerous advantages to making a smooth transition from candidate to employee. You'll not only increase retention, but you'll also improve your brand image and become a company that candidates want to work for. Others will want to work for you if you are perceived as compassionate and nurturing to new employees.
It's a new trend that looks set to continue for a long time to come. What can you add to improve the process if you don't already have an organized, proven onboarding process? Here is a quick guide to improving the process and successfully onboarding new hires.
Before new employees arrive
Before your new employee arrives, make sure you have prepared thoroughly. The last thing you want is for them to show up on the first day and get stuck in an unpleasant situation. It will not improve their opinion of the company.
To help you, we have compiled a list of things you can do to be ready for their arrival.
Make an employee handbook
It's always a great idea to keep your company's employee handbook up-to-date. It's a wonderful resource for every new employee, whether it's a physical book or an online document. It's worth noting that updating an online resource is much easier.
This can include a list of all key personnel, company policies, and who employees should contact if they have any questions. Your sick leave policy, probation periods, and how to schedule annual leave, can employees get paid via bitcoin are just a few examples.
It's also useful for new employees because they'll have somewhere to turn to if they have questions about the process or the rules. The handbook also serves as a useful reference for all employees during their stay in your organization.
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Create an agenda for their first week
Make sure you have a schedule for their first week. This will not only give them some direction and an idea of what they'll be doing, but it will also help you stay organized.
Describe any planned training, tasks to be completed, and meetings with key members of staff on the agenda. This can assist you to demonstrate that you have planned ahead of time for their arrival. As a result, they won't feel like fish out of water.
Schedule a meeting
Schedule a meeting with all essential members of staff to introduce your new hire. This could be for training purposes or simply to provide an overview of their work.
Again, this will help your new hire adapt to the workplace and feel more at ease and comfortable with coworkers. It's also beneficial for them to be aware of everyone's function within the team.
On their first day
The importance of first impressions cannot be overemphasized, and you want your new employee to have a positive first day at your company. What’s more, starting a new job can be stressful, so you want them to feel comfortable right away. There are a few basic steps you may take to guarantee a new recruit is successfully onboarded. These are outlined below.
Give them a companion
It's critical that you spend time onboarding your new hire as a manager. However, you must continue to carry out your regular tasks.
Let’s say your new hire doesn’t know when to post on Instagram. This is not a big problem, assign him a buddy to guide him through the process.
That is why assigning them a buddy may be a beneficial solution. This might be another member of your team who can answer any of their more basic queries and guide them while you are not around. This might be another member of your staff who can help them with their more important questions and provide guidance while you are away. So, whether it’s a difficult task regarding a more successful user acquisition process or something small like how to manage their daily routine, it will also help build team working spirit and a friendly atmosphere.
Take a tour of the office
This does not have to be a time-consuming procedure. Give them a fast tour of the workplace, introduce them to each team and give a quick summary of who everyone is. This is also your chance to show them around the office, including the kitchen, bathroom, and any other useful areas.
The HR team is the first responsible for the process of successful employee onboarding and settling down. However, other team members should also be open and engage the new hire into the team.
After spending so much time in the office, it's easy to forget that everything is new. However, never underestimate the importance of showing your new hire how to make a tasty cup of tea!
Book a team lunch
Booking a team lunch on their first day is a good idea. This is also a fantastic opportunity for them to get to know their coworkers on a more personal level outside of the office and to learn more about their team.
Don’t forget to shoot a fun video with your new team member and post it on your Youtube channel. You can use various useful tools like Youtube thumbnail downloader, video editing, channel management tools to create a professional and engaging video. This will be a big plus for your social marketing. Applicants wishing to work for your company will be delighted with this warm welcome. Plus, you will improve your brand image.
Keep track of video marketing statistics, to use video as part of your marketing wheel.
During the first few weeks
Almost half of the professionals admit that they continue to search for a job during the first month of work. This is not good if you want to successfully recruit a new employee. You should help them get comfortable and feel like a member of the team within the first few weeks.
Set goals for them
While you may want to give them a week or two to adjust to their new role, setting goals for them sooner rather than later is a smart idea. This gives them some direction and reassures them that they are making a significant contribution to the team.
They can be simple goals to achieve or merely to have a better understanding of the company's operations. From your marketing team to develop, make sure they know that their final goal is to track the SMS integration process or make major changes in the code written. By settling these objectives, you can guarantee that your new hires understand what you expect from them. In addition, they will not get bored!
Meet with them regularly
Chat regularly with the new team member. This way, you'll be able to see how they're doing and address any potential issues early on. Schedule a meeting with them at the end of each week. You can talk about their goals and know how they feel about their new role.
During the first weeks, it’s also important to get to know the new member as much as possible. Also known as employee recognition, this process helps you uncover all hidden talents, skills, and resources your new person can provide. Check out how you can avoid making mistakes while practicing this strategy.
Discuss their progress
It seems absurd to discuss your new hire's next career move so soon after starting. They only recently joined, after all! Setting out a clear path for progress, on the other hand, is critical for morale. Professionals do not want to be stuck in a position that prevents them from getting promoted.
Besides making sure to improve business sales and promotion, you should also take good care of your employee progress in various ways. It would be nice to ask if there are any additional workouts that they think they need or would like. You can also find out what they want from the organization and what they hope to achieve over the next few years.
Invest in the right tools and automate your processes
You should use the right tools if you want to onboard as quickly and successfully as possible. If everything is done manually, it might be a time-consuming process that reduces your productivity.
There are many tools available but finding the best performance management solution will depend on your needs. You should automate whatever you can besides using the tools.
This can reduce the time and effort required to onboard new employees, and save you money and time. Everything from HR Payroll Systems to training software can benefit from automation to speed up the process and make it more enjoyable for your new hires. Any employee app that can help you improve the onboarding experience should be considered.
Conclusion
It's crucial to remember that new employees aren't always loyal to your company from the start. To ensure a smooth and successful onboarding process, follow these simple steps.
This will increase the likelihood that your new hire will want to stay and develop at your company. It will also help him get up to speed faster and start making a real impact on the company.
About Author: This article is written by the Marketing Team of LIKE.TG.LIKE.TG is a leading global provider of Applicant Tracking, Onboarding,Offboarding, Communications, Engagement, Recognition, and Financial Wellness solutions. Its powerful and user-friendly software eliminates manual/paper processes, increases employee productivity and engagement, improves time and cost savings, and reduces regulatory compliance risk.
Essential Tips for Effectively Managing Remote Employees
The need to work remotely has grown over the last two years. It is bound to be the norm rather than the exception. For managers, it presents a challenge, knowing that you cannot control the behaviors and activities of people working from home.
The new normal demands that you learn and adjust to new techniques. You have targets to meet yet you cannot directly control the workforce in a traditional office space. How do you manage employees remotely and achieve the desired results? Here are a few insights that will save your day.
Clear and timed expectations
Set expectations for individuals and the entire team. The goals must be realistic, especially those that can still be achieved in the traditional office. The fact that people are working from home should not mean that they remain tied to the desk late into the night. Be realistic to avoid overburdening your workers or leaving them idle.
The best idea to manage expectations is to create milestones. Break down the work into portions that are submitted in shorter intervals. You can track the successful execution of the tasks assigned to individuals and the team.
Documenting communication
Record conversations and save emails as well as chats. It is one way of keeping yourself and the team accountable for performance. Once you indicate that a task should be completed by a particular day or date, the only evidence you have is a recorded phone call, video call, or email.
You avoid disputes arising from missed communication or misunderstood information. Either party can extract the records to support their assertion. Every member of the team should know that communication is recorded
Schedule communication
Do not expect to catch an employee anytime you call. Some may prefer to work in the morning, at night, in the afternoon, at the park or any other schedule they choose. To avoid conflicts with communication, indicate the channels and frequency of communication you will adapt. Queries will only arise if any of the team members breaches this communication protocol.
Schedule the communication points to serve your workload needs. For instance, you may set a briefing meeting in the morning and an evaluation session in the evening. In case you call or email in the course of the day, give a reasonable time zone for the person to respond. It is not always that remote workers are on their desks.
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Regular team meetings
Hold regular meetings with the team. The team meetings are broad-based to address a wide variety of issues. Whether they happen online or physically, they keep the team together. A physical meeting is especially important because it builds a sense of belonging.
While people want to work remotely, they still desire to be a part of a company or group. Provide such an opportunity by holding regular meetings. Use these meetings to address emerging issues and rally the team towards a more efficient mode of operation.
Facilitation
Facilitate your remote workers to deliver the results you need. Provide computers, pay for the internet, and even offer an allowance for furniture. By the time you demand results, the workers will have no excuse for not delivering.
Facilitation is especially important when dealing with software. Remote work requires a lot of collaboration tools for sharing documents, communication, research, and pooling resources. They also need gadgets like laptops and headphones. Ensure that such resources are available before sending the team to work from home.
Embrace technology
Technology will make it easy to manage remote teams and work remotely. To begin with, invest in dashboard applications that can track progress. Take it a step further by acquiring team-communication applications. In case you will be sharing documents and files, you need the right features on these applications.
Remote work demands a lot of communication. Meetings with teams and individual employees will be the order of the day. Identify tools, applications, gadgets, and platforms you can use to actualize communication. UtilizingVoIP solutionscan greatly improve your team's communication efficiency and accessibility.
Since you are dealing with sensitive company information and client documents, you must secure communication channels. Check reviews of the most secure communication and document sharing platforms to use. You must also be sensitive to your employees on how to secure documents and communications made on different platforms.
Carry everyone on board
Remote work is not easy for everyone. Some will adapt fast to technology while others are slow. Some can work alone while others would prefer the traditional office environment. In some cases, some employees want to be micromanaged. Know how to handle your employees so that everyone is on board with remote work.
Training is especially important so that everyone understands the technology and gadgets you will be using. Send technicians to install gadgets and assist remote employees when they get stuck. This is not the time to laugh at the weaknesses of some of your employees, especially on technology.
Regular one-on-one conversations
Organize regular conversations with individual employees. Listen to their concerns and help them to resolve them. Raise any issue you may have with the quality of work they deliver, mode of communication, and general performance. Do not always berate them in general meetings because the issues might not be exhaustively addressed.
Include the non-remote employees
It is not everyone who will be working remotely in your office. For this reason, build a team by involving them in meetings and decision-making. It also includes employees from other departments who support your operations. If these employees are not included, you end up with a disjointed workforce that will not deliver to your expectations.
All members of the team must understand the changes that come with remote work. Some people will embrace the idea fast while others take time. The inability to understand gadgets or applications should not attract ridicule. Sensitize the team on how to handle concerns raised by other members regarding remote work to create a conducive working environment.
Don’t micromanage
The biggest mistake you will make when managing remote workers is to micromanage. As long as you set expectations and facilitate the employees to work, you do not have to follow each of their actions. If you need to track the progress of the work, it is prudent to create milestones. You will only quarrel with workers who fail to meet the milestones.
A dashboard system showing the performance of every individual will help you manage the team better. Whenever you raise an issue about performance, the dashboard gives a clear report. There is no room for bias or favoritism because everyone can see the dashboard.
Support through training
Do not assume that everyone is well-versed with technology. Some employees will be ahead of others in manipulating gadgets and working with the software while others take time. Train all team members so that everyone is on the same pedestal. Continuous training is also recommended to address emerging issues.
The success of any remote working project is communication. Since everyone is at a different location, you must find a way of being in touch, sharing files, and making decisions. Each member of the team must understand the value of timely and detailed communication to make it easier to track the progress of each project. Invest in the right tools, sensitize your workers, and support them to deliver the set results remotely
About Author: Anna is a freelance writer having worked in the role for more than five years. As a seasoned dissertation writer, she has been helping students to ace their exams and complete assignments. Her passion is to help students achieve the best college experience through entrepreneurship, business, and jobs.
4 Steps to Creating a Collaborative Culture and Staff That Thinks Like One
Humans are made to live and work in groups. It is an undeniable fact. Humans have always strived to create strong social structures for their benefit and protection. Humanity has evolved from tribes to today’s multicultural megacities. This great change has been possible through mutual collaboration.
Similarly, there have been immeasurable changes in building effective teams in the workplace. This has not happened by chance but as a result of endless efforts and teamwork.
Now the definition and nature of teams are changing. New layers of complexity are being added to foster strong collaboration. In the digitalized era, teams no longer sit in the same corner of the office. The emergence of cloud technology and collaboration tools ensures that work can be done from anywhere and at any time. Work is no more limited to space and time concepts.
The importance of promoting teamwork and encouraging cross-collaboration is on the rise across all industries. Recognizing individual accomplishments has always been an important part of motivating the workforce. However, bringing people together to accomplish a common goal in an environment of trust has become critical for the company’s growth.
There has been a drastic change in the work collaboration platform over the years. The dramatic enhancements in technology have changed the way how people collaborate at workplaces now.
Change is inevitable. The organizations that do not adapt to the fast-changing business demands are at risk of stagnation. At times, businesses feel uncomfortable to stepping out and do things differently. However, change is unfolding at a faster rate than ever before.
Make collaboration a priority
Collaboration is critical to a team's success. In today’s world, organizations need more than new technology for developing a collaborative business culture. In a competitive environment, only high-performing teams can thrive. By providing tools for company collaboration, it can improve communication and make companies feel more transparent. However, where the workplace culture is fundamentally broken no platform or tool can work.
Before finding solutions, it’s important to consider whether company leaders prioritize teamwork. The organizations have to involve employees, communicate with them to embrace collaboration methods and techniques. Most often, poor leadership is a reason for failure to bring in new technologies and tools to implement collaborative culture. Secondly, employees are also most likely to quit because of poor leadership and weak guidance.
Nothing can be simpler than just asking employees for their opinions. It could be the invitation they need to offer up their contributions. If organizations want employees to collaborate, they should start leading by example.
Collaboration improves the way how a team works together and problem solves. Collaboration leads to innovation, increased success, and improved communication. The concept where a boss dictates what needs to be done has fallen aside. It has been replaced with responsible employees presenting solutions to a problem they have been assigned to solve.
The organizations that manage to build collaboration into their culture will thrive. Companies need to change their training methods to ensure that employees are comfortable in a more flexible and shared environment. The organizations have to prioritize the collaboration culture to sustain growth.
Creating a team culture in business
Every organization has its unique culture. It is an open secret that team culture is important for success. Teamwork is an essential component of a growing enterprise. Sometimes, some challenges arise while blending different personalities and talents.
Organizational teams are a combination of multiple personalities, skill sets, and micro-cultures. They all get together and operate towards common goals. This amalgamation of different backgrounds and subcultures forms a new culture. The company leaders influence the dynamics of the new culture. Leaders are responsible for giving a new direction to this established culture. Effective team collaboration at work is the result of the combined efforts of team managers.
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What is a collaborative culture?
Collaboration represents how people within an organization communicate, relate, and work with one another. People with different backgrounds and talents work towards a common mission, goals, and objectives. To put it simply, collaboration is the heart of teamwork. It makes the team successful.
Developing collaborative culture is essential to accomplish the company goals. It helps to fulfill the mission of the organization. Collaboration is an integral part of every organization. However, not every company has a collaborative culture.
So what is the difference?
In a collaborative culture, collaboration isregular and deliberate. Collaboration is embedded into processes of how people do their work every day. It is in the attitudes that an employee take to their work. Collaborative culture values and practices the idea that we are better together. It is based on the idea that collective intelligence brings in the most creative solutions.
What are the benefits of a collaborative culture?
In the quest for creative solutions, many organizations look for ways to become more collaborative.
“Innovation” is the buzzword these days. Every organization wants to create products, processes, and tools to stay alive in the globalized economy. For them failing to innovate can mean failing to survive. The shortest and most powerful route to innovate is collaboration. The studies have found out that enterprises with collaborative cultures are five times likely to be high-performing.
A collaborative culture ignites innovation. It is the magic formulae in bringing out the best in employees. Collaborative culture makes the employee feel a part of ateam effort. He gets more energized, productive, and adaptable. Collaboration develops feelings of involvement making the employeehappier and less stressed.
Therefore collaborative employees are engaged and productive. Employees who are engaged are the ones who stick around. Collaborative culture promotes employee retention and helps in attracting and recruiting top talent. Learn few ways to engage your team.
What hinders workplace collaboration?
If collaboration is so effective, why aren't all companies doing more of it?
Well, the reason is some people haven't developed the skills of establishing collaborative culture. They are not adequately trained and groomed to contribute to the collaborative culture. Sometimes, people with good collaboration skills hold back while at the workplace. This happens when the managers dictate and direct every move. The trust in the employee’s abilities is missing. Employees are not encouraged to collaborate.
Sometimes, an employee feels that collaboration is something that is to be emphasized occasionally. They feel that collaboration is not the skill they would be rewarded for. Therefore, the managers have a great motivational role to develop and encourage collaborative culture.
Some companies have an entrenched culture of silos. It promotes competition amongst employees instead of encouraging a collaborative and sharing attitude. The culture teds people to hoard information and knowledge as a source of power.
Other companies fail to keep up with all the new ways. They do not recognize and accept that they can work and collaborate. They fail to enthuse the teams and build the trust that they need to collaborate effectively. Sometimes, employees lack the communication tools they need to collaborate with colleagues based at multiple locations.
A positive collaboration attitude magnifies employee’s strengths and capabilities. It invariably helps in employee retention. Still more, positive collaboration brings employees together, enhancescommunication, and builds strong relationships at the workplace. All these factors act as catalysts that improve productivity.
Here are 4 steps to creating a collaborative culture that makes the staff think like one.
1. Create an environment of trust and transparency
Trust is the foundation of any relation or association. A team without trust isn't a team. When the trust factor is missing amongst the team members it becomes just a group of working individuals. These groups often make disappointing progress. In the absence of trust, people avoid sharing information and may not cooperate. The talent and capabilities take the back seat. The members would never utilize their full potential.
On the other hand, when trust is there, each member becomes stronger. He becomes a part of an effective and cohesive group. Trust helps teams and organizations achieve truly meaningful goals.
Trust is essential to develop an effective team. It is the essential ingredient that provides a sense of safety. The feeling of safety makes members feel comfortable to open up with one another. They take appropriate risks and expose vulnerabilities.
Trust fuels innovation, collaboration, creative thinking, and productivity. Trust is also an important factor that is essential for knowledge sharing. A study hasfound that trust is a key element in a team's knowledge acquisition. So when team members trust one another, they will share knowledge, and communicate openly.
How to build trust with employees
Let us see, how a leader can create a culture of trust within a team.
Lead by Example
To build trust within the team, the leader shouldlead by example. He should show his team members that he trusts them. Team members are judging and taking cues from their leader. Therefore he should take the opportunity to show them what trust in others looks like.
Making promises and keeping them is incredibly important in a team. This sets a strong foundation for building long-term trust. Positive follow-through is a step in building trust quickly. It can raise the tone and expectation of the team.
Communicate Openly
Open communication is another essential factor for building trust. The leader should ensure that everyone in the team communicates with one another in an honest and meaningful way.
The leader should create a team charter that should define the purpose of the team. The role of each individual should be defined. Secondly, the team-building exercises should be organized more often. This helps members to understand each other well. It will provide opportunities for members to talk to each other and involve in solving each other’s problems.
Know Each Other Personally
Sharing personal stories is an effective way to build trust. Team members can share their interests and hobbies to get acquainted. Socializing is another effective way of developing strong bonds.
Don't Place Blame
Disappointments and mistakes are common phenomena in the workplace. Putting blame is an easy way out. However, mistakes should be taken constructively. It builds trust and confidence.
2. Focus on relationships
The studies have found that there is a strong correlation between having a best friend at work and overall engagement and productivity. The study stated that people who have a best friend at work, 63% were more than twice more likely to be engaged than the 29% who stated otherwise.
This raises a strong and valid question, “How to cultivate friendships and solidify bonds within teams?”
The majority of friendships in the workplace are spontaneous. When people find common interests with their peers it develops strong bonds between them. However, HR team managers and team members can also facilitate the building of strong bonds amongst people.
Team-building activitiesare the best way to effectively integrate and onboard employees. This will create an environment that will provide opportunities for employees to build strong bonds.
Cultures of collaboration are rooted in building relationships. Technology has made it easier for people that are geographically spread to come together and form bonds. Human beings are social creatures by nature. Considering that one-third of our lives are spent at work, it makes us understand how a good relationship with colleagues will make the jobs more enjoyable.
The more comfortable a worker at the workplace, the more confident he will feel voicing opinions. Teamwork is essential to embrace change, innovate, and create. The success achieved in a team in this way will help the morale and the productivity of the team soar. This brings the members closer to each other and builds a collaborative culture.
Good work relationships also give freedom. In the absence of negative relationships, the energy can be spent focusing on new opportunities. The energy can be utilized in winning new business deals or in focusing on personal development.
A strong professional circle also helps in advancing the career. It also opens up opportunities that otherwise might pass by.
Don’t forget to include remote teammates
Remote teams have evolved that have several benefits. It saves money. Members can be hired regardless of location. However, remote locations can be a hindrance to collaboration. The presence of remote employees makes the companies encourage both remote and in-office employees to connect, share ideas, and feel connected.
A study conducted by theHarvard Business Review confirmed that “remote workers often experienced virtuality as ‘a a barrier’ to forming friendships with their colleagues.”
The organizations should help employees overcome remote location hindrances by starting virtual meetings. These meetings should be focused on building a relationship rather than emphasizing work culture.
Opportunities to meet in person should be created. If in-person meetings are not viable then video calling should be encouraged instead of emails or instant messaging.
3. Encourage and recognize collaborative actions
Irrespective of the size, every win should be celebrated to promote collaborative culture at the workspace. It helps in retaining and encouraging top-performing employees. Everyone wants to be recognized. Some want to celebrate the success in public and others privately. Whatever may be the case, the performing employee should be applauded for his efforts. The reasons why celebration is important are:
Shared success
Celebrating wins encourages a collaborative work environment. This encourages team members to develop an interest in helping out another coworker.
Motivation
Every individual has a different reason for motivation. Monetary incentives motivate some whereas some others are motivated internally. However, the fact is everyone appreciates and needs recognition. It adds to the motivation to all employees
Positivity relationship building in the office
Working for common goals together and sharing successes, encourages a positive atmosphere in the office. It builds relationships and collaborative culture.
Happy people means happy clients
Happy and satisfied will perform better. It also helps in building strong relations with clients.
Recognition of employee’s value and contribution is the best bet to get them engaged. It promotes living life within the organization.
Many research studies have stated a correlation betweenemployee recognition, engagement, and performance. According to asurvey by Globoforce,90% of workers stated that they feel more satisfied through values-based, peer-to-peer recognition.
The question ishow to recognize collaborative actions in the workplace?The simple answer is to publicly praise teams. It is the best reward for their work.
Gamification and recognition create a culture of healthy competition within the workplace. Itboosts collective moraleandhelps motivate employees to collaborate.
Collaboration in businessis one topic that did, still, and will always grab the attention of both businesses and individuals.
4. Leverage Social Collaboration Tools
As a team leader or a time manager, you can notify your team about the company's ultimate goals and strategies. This will strengthen communication, and it is an excellent way to keep everyone on the same page.
Your choice can make your productive employees feel appreciated, and it will direct them to work with more devotion for the company's growth and attainment of collective goals.
Technology is helping high-performing employees to enjoy a collaborative company culture. Social applications allow people to work faster and cheaper.
Heidi Gardner, author of Smart Collaboration praises technology’s ability to promote collaboration across organizations. According to him digital tools like messaging apps, employee experience hubs, survey platform can boost productivity, streamline processes, and open up lines of communication
Leaders in every industry can leverage digital communication tools to facilitate a culture of collaboration at the workplace. The digital communication tools facilitate instant connections between teams and team members. It gives employees access to a searchable archive of information.
In the digital era, social networks and cloud-based tools are instrumental in helping employees collaborate. Collaboration is no longer limited to space or location. Asurveyof business professionals found that 83 percent depend on technology to collaborate. Whereas 82 percent confirmed that the loss of collaboration technology would negatively impact them.
Collaboration tools also help the teams to come together that are working in different geographies and time zones. It has broken the barrier that was earlier limiting individuals from communicating frequently.
Utilizing collaborative tools is very important in creating a collaborative culture for the Companies that have teams spread across different locations. Communication is crucial; it helps members to remain on one page. It helps in sharing information and files, tracking projects, and brainstorming.
Organizations sometimes struggle to encourage a culture of collaboration. But it may not be a lack of trying. Any culture shift is no small undertaking; it inevitably takes time, patience, and regular reinforcement. With Strong leaders, a clear vision, and tools that support collaborative behaviors, a culture of collaboration is possible.
FAQ’s
What are 3 important skills for teamwork and collaboration?
Trust
Tolerance
Self-awareness
What are 4 more important skills for teamwork and collaboration?
Empathy
Transparency
Active listening
Conflict resolution
What is the purpose of collaboration?
Collaboration helps people work together to achieve a common objective. It exists in two forms:
Synchronous: in synchronous form, people interact in real-time through online meetings or instant messaging.
Asynchronous: In this collaborative form the interaction is not time-bound. Like uploading documents or making annotations to shared workspaces.
What is team collaboration?
It refers to a communication and project management approach. Team collaboration emphasizes teamwork, original thinking, and equal participation to achieve objectives.
About Author: Joan Alavedra is co-founder ofOnsite.fun– an end-to-end platform to book, manage and organize team experiences at scale. He is constantly writing about team culture and remote work on his blog.
7 Challenges with a Manual Approach to Onboarding Processes
The first day of a new job can be stressful, especially if the company does not have effective onboarding employees software and tools for new employees. Where a manual approach to onboarding can create a lot of unnecessary challenges, the right onboarding software can help an employee’s first day run much more smoothly.
Whether it’s confusing processes, lack of employer preparation, or confusing information, a lot can go wrong when employers face challenges manual HR onboarding processes can cause. In fact, only 12% of employees say that their organization did a good job when it came to the onboarding experience, according to a Gallup employee engagement survey. HR teams and companies can do a better job of addressing this lack of satisfaction by using employee onboarding software to avoid the challenges of manual onboarding.
1. Inefficient onboarding tools processes waste time on a new hire’s first day
An employee’s first day should be a pleasant one and one that puts them in the best position to add value right out of the gate. But what often happens is a comedy of errors: Badges aren’t ready; forms are not filled out; laptops, equipment, and crucial work materials are not available.
All of these are common inefficiencies that pop up on a new hire’s first day when companies use a manual system. With HR onboarding software and access to self-service onboarding tools, new hires could be filling out paperwork before their first day even starts.
2. HR onboarding and Internal teams aren’t always as ready as they should be
Adding a new member to the team can be exciting, but that doesn’t always mean the team is prepared. If a small team has been scrambling to pick up the slack after a previous employee left, they may not have had time to figure out what their new employee needs to get started. While it may not be anyone’s fault, a lack of preparation won’t set up that new team member for success.
With a step-by-step HR onboarding process, aided by easy-to-use onboarding software, internal teams can know exactly how to prepare without having to overthink it. And their new teammate can be up and running in no time.
3. Compliance issues with I-9 forms and other documents make onboarding tools more complicated
Often, new employees show up without realizing that they need important documents to fill out their I-9 form, like a passport or driver’s license. Even proactive people may show up with the wrong documents and cannot fill out what they need. Onboarding software can automatically provide new employees with a checklist of information, making sure they are compliant from day one.
4. Often new hires don’t know who’s on their team or what their first responsibilities will be
“Most of us remember our first days at every job because of the heightened pressure to impress,” says national workplace expert Lynn Taylor. But new employees can feel less anxious if they are able to plan ahead. (This challenge can be exacerbated when it comes to onboarding remote employees.)
Walking into the office for the first time, a new employee may not be totally clear on all of their duties or who will be working with them. Teams that start onboarding before the official start date can make new hires feel more valued and comfortable.
5. HR has no visibility into other team members’ preparation
Do facilities know we need a badge by Friday? Is HR ready for forms? Does the team know that we’re doing a first-day lunch? Lack of visibility can cause the new hire to get no information or, more confusingly, conflicting information from different departments. A single onboarding system that can be accessed by all relevant parties will ensure clear communication across the board.
6. Without employee onboarding software, Important tasks can fall through the cracks
Forgotten forms, missed introductions, no wifi password. A lot of crucial tasks can fall by the wayside in the rush of onboarding a new employee. Providing new employees with a checklist ahead of time can be one of the most important tools within onboarding software since it ensures that your new employee can literally check all the right boxes as they get started.
7. Missed opportunity to show a professional environment and impress new hires
It only takes 7 seconds to make a first impression, and it may take a while to recover if that impression goes poorly. That means the impression your company makes on a new hire on the first day is critical.
If all a new employee can remember is that the manual HR onboarding process was disorganized, then you’ve missed an opportunity to show that your company has its act together. A digital onboarding system can ease that process and help the company put its best foot forward.
Overcome onboarding issues with automated HR onboarding and onboarding software solutions
Automating the employee onboarding process will help new employees get up and running from the very first day and support them as they adjust to their new roles. And a great onboarding software system will help your organization retain and attract the best talent in a competitive job market.
Now let’s look at a point-by-point example of how powerful HR onboarding solutions and employee onboarding software could overcome each of these seven challenges.
Improve the onboarding experience and make new hires’ first day great
Instead of asking new hires to sit around on their first morning, accelerate the HR onboarding process. For example, LIKE.TG’s Onboarding solution offers capabilities such as self-service onboarding, custom, secure portals, hiring checklists and forms, and other onboarding tools.
With these tools, new hires can complete important tasks before their first day, whether it’s completing tax forms and 401k deductions, reading your company handbook, completing online training modules, and other onboarding system activities that could disrupt their productivity on day one.
Preparing new hires for a productive first day with the right onboarding software
The approach above offers benefits in two important ways:
First, it saves time and streamlines the onboarding experience so new employees can start work right away.
Second, it paves the way for two-way communication and information sharing--again, before day one—so new employees can ask questions, uncover valuable information, reach out to new team members, and more. All of this creates a much more meaningful hiring experience, so new employees are impressed, informed, and ready to start making a difference right out of the gate.
Improving compliance issues
I-9 forms, E-Verify, and compliance are all very important, but until now, they haven’t had the automation to support these processes. As described above, most I-9 and E-Verify processes today are mostly manual in nature, requiring HR team members to manually enter all of this information into siloed systems.
Not only does this waste too much time, but it leads to too many errors, which could lead to compliance headaches down the road. It even helps save money from potential fines, which can add up quickly. Every company operating in the U.S. is required to complete each new hire’s I-9 documentation in just three days. Failure to comply can lead to costly penalties and fines of up to $1,000 per employee.
Fortunately, there is a better way. With LIKE.TG, HR teams and hiring managers can add I-9 documentation and E-Verify tasks directly into any onboarding workflow. compliance solution. For example, as part of our industry-leading Onboarding solution, our I-9 software automates the process of collecting I-9 forms and then integrates this workflow with the Department of Homeland Security’s E-Verify system. I-9 forms are then cross-checked with the appropriate government departments for full compliance.
The best onboarding software makes use of e-signature-enabled capabilities to enable new hires to sign important forms and documents anywhere, anytime, and on any device. They can even convert any existing PDF into a digital form or create their own forms to store, organize, and centralize employee data and personnel files. This is the best way to make sure nothing is ever missed and that the company is always in compliance.
Building teams
It may seem like a strange concept, but onboarding software can foster true connections, build teams and encourage collaboration, all before an employee even joins the company.
Consider the case where a new hire accepts a position but can’t start for two weeks. Instead of waiting for her official start date, her hiring manager sends her a fun video to introduce her to all of the team members, explain everyone’s role, and invites her to a team lunch when she starts. The manager also sends a number of helpful resources, such as a link to the company’s org chart and employee directory.
Instead of waiting for the new hire, this company was able to use the two-week period to their advantage. They created a surprising new hire experience and made her feel welcome and part of the team right from the start. Such an approach goes a long way toward improving employee productivity, morale, engagement, and retention.
Make sure the entire team is ready
From HR’s perspective, the onboarding experience can be customized and automated to make sure nothing falls through the cracks. All parties are notified through the use of a master checklist with separate and distinct tasks.
Make sure nothing slips
With the customized checklists, tasks, and reminders, HR and hiring managers can make sure nothing is overlooked and new employees feel valued and impressed by their onboarding experience. For example, if facilities need to generate an employee badge, they are reminded of this step and also notified that other tasks may be dependent on its completion.
Onboarding checklists can include facilities, IT (to provision new equipment), the hiring manager, HR team members, and more.
Create meaningful impressions and powerful employee experiences with onboarding software
But best of all, onboarding software can help companies create meaningful impressions that differentiate them from the competition. Let’s face it, the bar is set pretty low when it comes to onboarding new employees. A recent Gallup survey found that only 12% of employees reported that their company does a great job of onboarding new employees. This means that 88% of companies just don’t do as good of a job as they should.
Transform onboarding into a new competitive advantage
If every challenge is an opportunity in disguise, companies can turn onboarding into a new--and sustainable--competitive advantage. It’s more than just an HR best practice, it’s a good business idea. Research has shown that strong onboarding processes can lead to a better employee onboarding experience, higher production, and long-term retention. Conversely, a negative onboarding experience results in new hires becoming twice as likely to look for other opportunities sooner than the company would like.
Considering that many companies are currently struggling to find the right workers to make a difference for their business, successful onboarding software solutions could be a difference-maker in success and failure. Discover the many advantages possible with a powerful onboarding solution today.
Interested in more HR systems to help with onboarding at your company? Look no further! Visit www.LIKE.TG.com or request a personalized, no-obligation product demo today.
About Author: This article is written by our marketing team at LIKE.TG. LIKE.TG is a leading provider of HR solutions, including recruiting, onboarding, employee engagement, and intranet software. Our aim is to help your company improve employee engagement, employee productivity, and to save you valuable time!
The Future of Work: Are Co-working Spaces Becoming the New Normal?
“He who controls the spice controls the universe.” That’s the best-known quote from Frank Herbert’s Dune. Spice was the resource that enabled space travel, and as such, the universe couldn’t run without it.
There’s something similar to spice in our world: software. Nothing runs without software. As such, if you own or run a business of any kind, you are inevitably going to have to hire and eventually onboard a remote developer.
The good news is that — as you’ll find out in this article — it’s much easier to hire and onboard a remote developer than it is to control the spice. You don’t need to get high with the natives of a desert planet and lead a revolution against evil space nobility. Doing that would be rad, though.
How To Hire a Remote Developer
Whether it’s your first time hiring and onboarding a remote developer, or you already have several hires under your belt and are looking to sharpen the process, there are some points worth covering.
For the uninitiated, know that hiring a remote developer doesn’t have to be an arcane pursuit. More often than not, the biggest issue is to know where to start.
For the experienced, know that my business is all about remote recruitment, so while you can and should expect some bias, you can also bet that I’ve explored every hiring avenue and possibility.
So, here’s what hiring a remote developer looks like:
1. Choose Where You Will Do Your Remote Hiring
Because more people are hiring than ever and more people are looking for remote jobs than ever, there are dozens of alternatives all around the web. I will characterize the three primary ways you can look for a developer but realistically, know that there are many solutions in-between.
First off, we have talent marketplaces. We usually associate these with freelancers, but nowadays, many of them focus on showcasing people looking for job opportunities. Talent Marketplaces essentially curate jobseeker profiles and surface the selection that better fits your criteria. The level of curation, compulsory paid services, and the how-and-what-you-actually-pay-for differs significantly from platform to platform. The thing these services have going for them is the sheer breadth of candidates on offer. Thousands of people submit their profiles every day.
Talent Marketplaces are an excellent option if you have the time and energy for a grind. Their curation will only get you so far, and you are likely to have to evaluate dozens — if not hundreds — of profiles before deciding on a shortlist. You’ll also have to vet that shortlist yourself for cultural fit and soft skills. Most marketplaces do a decent job with skill vetting, but I would still do it anyway, and I’ll give you a few pointers about how to later in this article.
Next up, recruitment agencies. This is the business I’m in, so I’m not going to dally here, as I would rather you read the article without being put off by the stench of blatant self-promotion. Tim Ferriss often says: “If you have the money to solve a problem, you don’t have a problem.” That’s the recruitment agency game. You pay them a nice chunk of money, and they’ll do the hard lifting for you, often with better results. Not because they are so awesome, but because that’s what they do every day.
A good recruitment agency should give you a shortlist of 3-5 candidates vetted for your particular needs and culture within a couple of weeks. You should also get their commitment that if the person you select doesn’t stick to the job, they’ll try to fill your requirement again for a certain number of times, at no extra cost. Go with a recruitment agency if you are OK with trading money for time and focus.
Finally, there’s your network. The “I know a guy” route can be surprisingly effective, especially if you or your company has a solid social presence. Just posting your job offer publicly won’t cut it, though. It’s much more worthwhile to reach out directly to people you know and respect in the programming field and ask if they know someone. It’s relatively easy for someone to forward your tweet or LI post to someone they only have a passing acquaintance with. That will generate a lot of unfit candidates. On the other hand, when you ask someone if they know somebody, they will think hard about it. No one wants to be the person who sent a dud your way.
Of course, this method is random and very slow. It shines because it is very low-effort and comes with some social vetting built-in. I would use it in addition to one of the previous two, but not by itself.
2. Vet Candidates for Technical Skill
In a perfect world, people wouldn’t lie in their CVs or applications. Hardly any people outright lie, but most people exaggerate their skill. The amount of technical vetting you’ll need to do depends on your hiring platform strategy (see above), but it’s always healthy to do some.
I’ve always felt daunted by this because I’m not a technical person, so I don’t feel I’m in the position to evaluate developer skills properly. What would I look for?
The answer is: look for the story. Read a candidate’s CV as you would read the synopsis for a novel, and see if it makes sense. What did their education look like? How long did they stay at each previous job? What projects do they take credit for? Can you take a look at those projects?
In addition to that, do the unexpected — call their reference checks! Yes, talk to people. Most people find it very hard to embellish or lie on behalf of others in a call. I know you don’t feel like doing it, but set those feelings aside and go for it.
Finally, get a technical buddy to interview you. If you already have some developers in your team, perfect. If not, grab someone you know and trust. Promise them a dinner. If you have no developer friends (really?), you have no choice but to prep. Any recruitment agency or talent marketplace worth their salt will have an extensive collection of articles about “How To Interview X Developer” where you can look up the main technical questions and what kind of answers to expect. I know, it sounds like a huge pain — and it is! But not as painful as all the wasted time and money from hiring someone unfit for the job.
3. Vet Candidates for Remote Work Skill
Let me blow your mind: a great professional might still be a terrible remote worker. It’s sad but true. Working remotely demands a specific set of skills that stand apart from those required for an individual to excel at their profession. The good news is that there are a few markers that you can follow to understand if someone has the R-Factor.
The first marker of an exemplary remote developer is the clarity of their written communication. In emails and messages, do they use concise sentences that nonetheless follow proper grammatical form? Does each sentence have a clear antecedent? In casual conversation at the office, “I need that thing we discussed done by ten.” is acceptable. In remote work, it is not. Lack of specificity in writing kills remote work. Hire people who write sentences that stand on their own and don’t require further clarification. Be unforgiving to anyone who can’t express themselves like that.
Actively judge people based on their internet connection, microphone, and camera setup. If you work remotely, these are the tools of the trade. You wouldn’t want to work with a surgeon who doesn't wear gloves and a mask, so why would you hire someone who looks like they are part of a witness protection program?
Ask them why they are interested in the position. If the main draw of the job is to pursue their digital nomad lifestyle or move back to the town where they met their childhood sweetheart, they are OUT!
Sorry, but you have a business to run, and remote work requires engagement. It demands discipline to get things done. For someone whose primary reason for wanting the job is to fuel their lifestyle choices, that person won’t be engaged. To be clear, it’s fair that that is ONE of their reasons — I’d even consider that healthy. But it can’t be the first reason that pops up. Working from home, a dozen things compete for your attention, and they are often things that you love — your wife, your dog, your PlayStation 5, etc. Your job doesn’t need to beat these things — I’d argue it shouldn’t — but it needs to be competitive, at least.
Finally, check whether they have a plan. A pro remote worker should have a plan for how they are going to manage their work daily. They should have a schedule, a setup, and a strategy. If they stare blankly at you when you ask them about it, or even worse, if they flat out admit they’ll just fit it around their day — run for the hi
