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Five Tried and True Time Management Tips

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One thing everyone seems to not have enough of is time. Since you cannot get more time each day, the thing to do is better utilize the time you have. Following are five time management tips that have been utilized for years and continue to work well for those who do them.

  1. Always prioritize what you should get done each day. Be sure to plan for getting key items done that move your most important project to completion or high priorities that help to accomplish your goals. Then do other activities that would be consider your normal job tasks by organizing them with similar a like activities together organize things first
  2. Touch paper or emails only once. In other words do not procrastinate by deciding to “decide later.” If it is something a subordinate can do or another team member enjoys doing, put their name on it and pass it along with minimal instructions. If it is reference material, skim it for what you need then either toss it or file it. If it requires you to reply, then write a note on paper or respond to an email right away with comments, questions, or suggestions.
  3. Schedule high priority or key items into your day during the time you know you have the most energy and do your best work. This goes back to planning your day because you should always give you best efforts towards things that matter in the long run rather than just getting things done. So be sure to use your peak time for important tasks.
  4. Whenever possible, delegate! You do not need to do everything yourself. Allow others to take on projects or tasks that may allow them to grow and learn. You may need to review their work or provide some guidance yourself at first or suggest someone on your team who can guide them through the necessary process. Eventually the subordinate or team member will be able to handle similar work on their own, which frees you for more important tasks.
  5. Make an appointment with yourself for some uninterrupted time each day. Again we go back to planning your day so you accomplish more important things with the time you have. Use this uninterrupted time for strategic planning, project updates, or creative thinking. Even if this is only half an hour, it might help in moving key items forward in a new way, reducing stress, and preventing crisis.

The preceding time management tips have been tested by many people and have proven to work time after time. So if you want more time in your day, try these tips to see if they allow you to get more done by better managing how you work with the time you have.

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Source by Shirley Lee

Paramedic, 45, becomes 8th Brit killed in Ukraine as family say he ‘made ultimate sacrifice’ standing up to Putin

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A BRITISH man killed in Ukraine has been described as a “hero” by his family.

Paramedic Jonathan Shenkin, from Glasgow, is the eighth person from the UK known to have died in the war-torn country since Russia invaded.

Jonathan Shenkin, from Glasgow, was killed in Ukraine

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Jonathan Shenkin, from Glasgow, was killed in UkraineCredit: Facebook
The 45-year-old's family described him as a 'hero'

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The 45-year-old’s family described him as a ‘hero’Credit: Facebook

In a social media post, the 45-year-old’s family said he “made the ultimate sacrifice” by standing up to Vladimir Putin‘s troops in Ukraine.

They said the dad “died as a hero in an act of bravery as a paramedic” in December.

A tribute shared by his brother Daniel Shenkin said: “On enlisting in the Armed Forces of Ukraine, he made the ultimate sacrifice to defend values we all believe in.

“He is survived by his son and daughter, to whom he was devoted.”

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Mr Skenkin’s brother told how he had spent “much of his life helping others” after growing up in Glasgow.

He briefly lived in London and Malta before signing up for the Israeli Army.

Mr Shenkin later ran his own security business, which included missions in Iraq, Afghanistan, Oman and Somalia.

His brother added: “Throughout his life he took reward in helping others, whether it be through volunteer work, training authorities, close protection or rescue.

“As well as volunteering his skills during natural disasters in the Philippines, he devoted much of his time to good causes.”

A Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office spokesman said: “We are supporting the family of a British national who died in Ukraine, and are in contact with the local authorities.”

It comes after the bodies of another two Brits killed while trying to help people evacuate from fierce fighting in Ukraine were recovered last month in a prisoner swap.

Ukraine exchanged 63 jailed Russians captured during Putin’s invasion as part of the swap.

Chris Parry, 28, and Andrew Bagshaw, 47, were undertaking voluntary work in Soledar, in the Donetsk region of Ukraine, when their vehicle was reportedly hit by a shell.

Meanwhile, Special Forces Support Group and Afghan War veteran Simon Lingard was killed in action when his trench was hit by a Russian shell.

In April, Brit dad Scott Silbey was named as the first UK casualty in Ukraine.

The British Army veteran, 36, was praised by former comrades as “the bravest person” they knew.

In June, British ex-soldier Jordan Gatley was killed in the city of Severodonetsk.

Jordan, who left the British Army in March, has been hailed as “truly a hero” after he was killed.

Volunteer medic Craig Stanley Mackintosh was killed while out on patrol near Ukraine’s second-biggest city Kharkiv.

The 48-year-old landscape gardener and dad-of-four served in the Territorial Army for seven years.

Aid worker Paul Urey, who was captured by Russian-backed separatists in Ukraine died in detention last July.

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Urey, 45, was captured by pro-Russian forces in the so-called Donetsk People’s Republic in eastern Ukraine in April.

The Foreign Office advises against all travel to Ukraine, amid the ongoing invasion, saying there is a “real risk to life”.

Mr Shenkin worked as a paramedic

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Mr Shenkin worked as a paramedicCredit: Facebook
Christopher Parry, 28, was trying to help people evacuate when he was killed

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Christopher Parry, 28, was trying to help people evacuate when he was killed
He vanished along with Andrew Bagshaw

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He vanished along with Andrew Bagshaw



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The Benefits of Acrylic Awards

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An employee’s productivity can be affected by their satisfaction or dissatisfaction in the workplace. It is very important to remember that an employee is not just someone who is working for you; they are also contributing their time and effort into their job in order for the prosperity of the business or company. This is why it is very important to acknowledge their efforts.

When you install an employee recognition program, it serves to boost the morale amongst employees. If employees receive a recognition award, they may feel that their efforts are recognized and appreciated. Employee recognition awards can also prompt employees to continue working hard.

There are many ways for employers to recognize and reward their employees’ contributions. There are some popular programs that are observed in many different organizations and companies. One of these popular methods of recognition is the employee of the month program. Some businesses also celebrate special events for their workers, such as an employee’s birthday.

Acrylic awards can be used for employee recognition awards. Acrylic awards look great in the office, and at an employee’s home.

1. Tangible awards work as a powerful reminder to the employee. With a tangible award, employees create positive associations in conjunction with their jobs and the company they work for. Additionally, long after an employee leaves the company, they will look at the award and remember the company with a warm glow.

2. Many people will be able to see the award, especially if the employee keeps it in the workplace. Then, other employees will see the award and will be prompted to work hard to achieve an award, as well. Additionally, a recognition award will also quietly demonstrate that the employee is a hard worker.

3. An acrylic award can also serve as a reminder to the employee that they are encouraged to keep up their efforts. This reminder can energize the employee’s vitality. An employee may even show up to work more enthusiastic and ready than before.

What is it that makes acrylic so much more desirable than any of the other materials that are used to make employee recognition awards? After all, glass and crystal are also valid candidates for the creation of awards.

There are a number of factors that promote the superiority of acrylic awards. Some of these factors include:

1. Acrylic is much more durable than glass and crystal. Additionally, acrylic can withstand many types of damage. Impacts and collisions can wind up breaking glass and crystal awards.

2. In terms of aesthetics, acrylic wins; it has the transparent beauty of both glass and crystal. However, with this transparent beauty, acrylic is still more durable than glass and crystal. With acrylic awards, you are getting two advantages; durability and beauty.

3. One big advantage is the flexibility of acrylic. Crystal and glass lack the flexibility that acrylic has. This flexibility factor allows for a number of creative designs. Therefore, an acrylic award can be constructed to allow for the display of the company’s logo, colors, etc. You can also have an award made with the name of the employee!

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Source by Daniel Ashworth

Why Use an Online Training and Development Course?

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Training and development is the most common and highly debated topic in the corporate world. Most organizations see it as a predominant tool to increase the overall productivity and performance of their competitive workforce. Since employees are the real asset of any company, investing in them for improving their skills, knowledge, and abilities seem like a fair trade. From a strategic angle, training and development activities help organizations grow and prosper amid fierce competition. Business managers or top-executives have to implement right management development training courses if they expect to increase the overall output of the organization in terms of both financial gains and productivity.

Strategic Corporate Shift

In a culture, where learning is valued and often seen as a way to improve employee working conditions, there are more chances that the organization will achieve its strategic objects within a stipulated period of time by employing effective strategies and approaches. In an era, where companies are finding it extremely tough to create, support, implement training and development programs, online industry has come to their rescue-probably at the right time. Companies who used to adapt manual ways or hire the expertise of expensive in-house trainers have found an ideal alternative. Now, they have an easy access to numerous professional training experts from across the globe, who have the vision to devise effective strategies to drag the company out of potential dangers and impending threats.

Envisaging Growth and Prosperity via eLearning

An effective online training and development course would create favorable conditions for you to put your company on the right track. Gone are the days when organizations felt safe in traditional ways of learning as they were tested against time. Obviously, integrating, incorporating or infusing safe and healthy training plans produced consistent results. Well, that’s what most business managers used to say, but looking at the dramatic shift, things have changed and businesses are embracing new and advanced training and development methods to improve the overall efficiency and effectiveness of their employees and foster a culture of learning and adaptability in ever-evolving corporate dynamics.

Online training has literally changed the entire dynamics of the corporate industry. The good news is that they are time and cost-effective, which means that organizations don’t have to spend or devote a significant amount of resources on acquiring competitive training packages or plans. Moreover, online training platforms would ultimately reap maximum results with minimal investment, which is ideal in each and every sense, especially when you do a cost-benefit analysis.

Benefits of Online Training and Development

There is a myriad of benefits associated with online training and development for both organizations and employees. Executives from across the globe are feeling the heat to boost the performance, efficiency and working conditions of their employees with a nominal budget. Obviously, resources are scarce and opportunities are unlimited, so you have to look for optimal choices and options for making things work for you. Besides increasing the productivity in an efficient way, it also increases employee retention and provides greater accessibility to employees through smart and efficient technology or devices, such as iPads, tablets or smartphones.

Moreover, an online training and development course comes as a complete package that is more engaging and interactive than traditional manual training. Here, you have the liberty to access the training course-pack at your own comfort, which makes it even more informative and fun. It actually encourages and motivates you to embrace learning outcomes and implement them smartly in your daily chores or office-life. Plus, organizations often have to initiate different training and development programs for meeting different standards at different scales or levels, an online training and development course caters to a wide variety of learning objectives and comes in different learning styles. This flexibility allows companies to empower their employees in a way they feel right about-in the best interests of the company.

Typical Reasons for Employee Training and Development

There are a number of reasons, which encourage companies to initiate or launch effective training programs into their organizations for enhancing the productivity and growth potentials for their employees. Some of the reasons can be:

• When company charts or performance curves show a significant fall in growth patterns and indicate that improvement is needed.

• To meet the standards of the industry and competitors.

• To train employees or staff on a specific topic.

• To meet ever-evolving market trends and corporate dynamics.

• To set new benchmarks or standards in processes and working procedures.

Online Training Done Right

To sum up, attainment of a best online training and development course is not a strange job. With so many competitive options over the internet, you can easily find a suitable management development training agency that fits your pocket. It wouldn’t be wrong to say that online training is a thing of today and businesses are shifting to online options for improving or enhancing the overall performance and productivity of their staff as it is a solid and well-thought investment, which yields amazing results.

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Source by Mark Alan

🏈 Funniest Job Search Super Bowl Commercials [2023]

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Take a job search break with these funny Super Bowl commercials.

man lying on 30 years on football field
Photo by Martin Reisch

Quick tip: if a video doesn’t work in your country, replace “youtube” with “youpak” in the url.

Which is your favorite? Tell us in the comments.

Enjoy!

🏈 Funniest Job Search Super Bowl Commercials [2021]

Most viewed Super Bowl commercials related to job search

To give you an idea of the history of Super Bowl commercials, the videos are ordered from newest to oldest.

Super Bowl LVII Workday: Rock Star

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ID-1mzRAew

Super Bowl LVI Coca-Cola Southwest Beverages

🏈 Funniest Job Search Super Bowl Commercials [2022]

Super Bowl LV Indeed.com The Rising

🏈 Funniest Job Search Super Bowl Commercials [2021]

Super Bowl LIV CareerTech Keep Striving

🏈 Funniest Job Search Super Bowl Commercials [2022]

Super Bowl LIII Job Search for Veterans with Google

Super Bowl LII Amazon.com 2018 “Did Alexa lose her voice?”

Super Bowl LII This Is Getting Old | ETRADE 2018

Super Bowl LI TurboTax 2017 “David Ortiz New Job”

2012 Super Bowl Commercial – CareerBuilder Super Bowl Monkeys

2012 Super Bowl Commercial – CareerBuilder Super Bowl Monkey Business

🏈 Funniest Job Search Super Bowl Commercials [2021]

Super Bowl XLV CareerBuilder 2011 “Parking Lot”

Super Bowl XLIV CareerBuilder 2010 “Job Fairy”

Super Bowl XLIV CareerBuilder 2010 “Office Fart”

Super Bowl XLIV CareerBuilder 2010 “Casual Fridays”

Super Bowl XLIV Monster 2010 “Fiddling Beaver” (Extended)

Super Bowl XLIII CareerBuilder 2009 “Tips”

Super Bowl XLIII Monster 2009 “Doubletake”

Super Bowl XLIII Pepsi Max 2009 “Job Interview”

Super Bowl 2009 Commercial CareerBuilder.com, Time for a New Job

Super Bowl XLII CareerBuilder 2008 “Wish”

Super Bowl XLII CareerBuilder 2008 “Heart Quits”

Super Bowl XLII CareerBuilder 2008 “By Four”

🏈 Funniest Job Search Super Bowl Commercials [2022]

Super Bowl XLI CareerBuilder 2007 “Wild Jungle”

Super Bowl XLI CareerBuilder 2007 “Wild Jungle” (2)

Super Bowl XXXVIII Monster 2006

HotJobs – Rainbow Connection 2003 Super Bowl ad

HotJobs.com “The Bargain” 2000 Super Bowl Commercial

Monster.com When I Grow Up 1999 Super Bowl commercial

This is considered to be one of the most unforgettable Super Bowl commercials of all time and one of the 25 Most Influential Super Bowl Ads of All Time.

Long version:

CareerBuilder Commercial: Performance Evaluation

What others are saying

Question of the article

My favorites are “Job Interview”, “Tips” and “Time for a new job.” What are yours? Tell us in the comments.

More funny and creative job ads

Subscribe to JobMob via or email and follow me on Twitter for more funny job search commercials.



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How to Measure Employee Engagement – Gallup’s 12 Questions (Q12)

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Measuring Employee Engagement

How happy and productive are you at work? Some people love where they work and their boss. Unfortunately, that is not the case for the majority of workers.

A major reason that clients seek my help with executive coaching is better work/life balance. A great number of the lawyers I coach struggle with having a life and a legal career. My accountant coaching clients are now gearing up for tax season and you can feel the stress begin to build.

It’s hard to be fully engaged and perform at a high level unless the work environment supports your success. Are you fully engaged and supported at work?

Since 1997 the Gallup Organization has surveyed approximately 3 million employees in three hundred thousand work units within corporations. This survey consists of 12 questions which are called the Q12 that measures employee engagement on a five-point scale indicating weak to strong agreement. The analyses of survey results show that those companies with high Q12 scores experience lower turnover, higher sales growth, better productivity, better customer loyalty and other manifestations of superior performance.

12 Questions (Q12) of the Gallup Organization:

1. Do you know what is expected of you at work?

2. Do you have the materials and equipment you need to do your work right?

3. At work, do you have the opportunity to do what you do best every day?

4. In the last seven days, have you received recognition or praise for doing good work?

5. Does your supervisor, or someone at work, seem to care about you as a person?

6. Is there someone at work who encourages your development?

7. At work, do your opinions seem to count?

8. Does the mission/purpose of your company make you feel your job is important?

9. Are your associates (fellow employees) committed to doing quality work?

10. Do you have a best friend at work?

11. In the last six months, has someone at work talked to you about your progress?

12. In the last year, have you had opportunities at work to learn and grow?

The Q12 items are protected by copyright of The Gallup Organization, 1992-2004.

How would you answer these questions? Are people at your workplace fully engaged and aligned with the company strategy and vision.

Working with a seasoned executive coach trained in emotional intelligence and incorporating leadership assessments such as the BarOn EQi and CPI 260 can help leaders at your workplace develop emotional intelligence and social intelligence competency and become more fully engaged.

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Source by Maynard Brusman

5 Reasons To Start Your Own Work At Home Internet Business

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We have all heard of people who have started their own successful work at home internet business, whether online or through family, friends and acquaintances. It cannot be denied that there is a revolution taking place – less people are looking for jobs and more people are starting their own work at home internet business. The neighbor that you see lazing around at home all day may just be another one of these people who are silently raking it in! If you are looking for more reasons to start working at home, either part-time or full-time, then here are 5 solid reasons to begin your journey today:

1. It Is Another Source Of Income For You

The idea of having just one source of income is an antiquated idea. You need multiple sources of income to be financially stable in today’s climate. With rising inflation, job insecurity and competition all around us, having another source of income can only be a good idea.

2. It Gives You A Sense Of Security

When you have your own business, you are more in control than you ever will be working for someone else. In your own business, you are in control of what you do with your time, money and resources. You cannot fire yourself because you are the boss. However, in a job, your boss can give you the pink slip at anytime, and more often than not, you are not in control of how much pay you receive or what you can do with your time.

3. It Can Give You More Free Time In The Long Run

Being in control of your own time in the beginning stages of your business can mean you are working longer at the start as you strive to get your business off the ground. However, tell yourself that you are building something that will bear fruit for you in the near future. You are making use of your mind, imagination and natural ability to create something new, something which can reap massive dividends for you. And when your business reaches a stage of stability, you can take as much free time off as you want, because you call the shots.

4. It Gives You A Sense Of Accomplishment

Creating your own successful business venture gives you a sense of achievement. It shows that you can create a successful product or service that people want and are willing to pay for it. It also shows that you have tested your physical and mental limits to achieve your full potential as a person.

5. It Gives You More Financial Freedom In Your Life

As mentioned earlier, having more income sources gives you a greater chance of achieving financial freedom. By being prudent in the beginning of your business, you can build up your nest egg with your own business. Because a work at home internet business requires very little upfront investment to start and has very low overheads, you can be making a solid profit every month, which can go to building up your retirement funds at a faster rate.

As you can probably tell by now, starting your own work at home internet business can only be a good thing. The journey can be exciting and rewarding at the same time. What are you waiting for? Start making plans to start your own business from home today!

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Source by Fabian Tan

Talent And Skill Assessment In The Workplace

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Your customers and clients may be your business’s lifeblood, but your employees are at the heart of your company–working every day to bring in more sales and help your business thrive. 

As such, it’s safe to say that your business is only as strong as your employees. So, if those employees lack the necessary talents and skills, it’s easy for your company to fall behind. In fact, statistics show that around 58% of today’s workforce needs new skills to improve their job and productivity. 

That said, how can you measure and assess team members’ talents and skills? This article shares insights into talent and skill assessments and six methods to try.

talent and skill assessment
Image by photoroyalty on Freepik

Understanding Talent And Skill Assessment In The Workplace

Employee talent and skill assessment refer to various strategies that help measure your workforce’s readiness and capabilities to excel at their jobs. Generally, talent and skill assessments come in multiple forms and ranges and may be conducted within the context of a larger HR strategy. 

With a robust talent and skill assessment program, your company can assess the strengths and weaknesses of existing employees while also identifying a potential candidate’s suitability for a role. 

 

6 Ways To Assess Talents And Skills In The Workplace

 

1. Take Advantage of Technology

Technology has helped advance and streamline a lot of business operations. Regarding talents and skills assessments, talent analytics software allows you to utilize employee data to provide valuable insights into current skill situations and promote intelligent workforce planning. 

HR managers can also use it to help screen candidates for new hires with the best talent and skill fit and generate employee surveys and skill tests to gauge team member engagement and current job proficiency and competence.

2. Look At The Information You Already Have

Your business’s existing data on your employees can provide a starting point for understanding the basic skill sets you already have. Everything from their LinkedIn profile and resumes when they first applied to feedback and regular performance reviews from the managers can provide valuable insights you can use to assess your current workforce’s talents.

The same goes for assessing potential candidates. You can ask the applicant more about the skills and credentials they indicated in their resume.

3. Use Self-Assessments

Once you’ve scoured the information you already have, the next thing you can do to assess your employees’ competence is to ask them. Such activity allows team members to self-reflect on their skill sets, giving you an idea of which roles they feel confident in and areas in which they would need support. 

That said, self-assessments may provide imperfect information as some employees may not give you honest self-evaluations. Some employees may exaggerate, while others may underestimate themselves. 

Some team members may also consider it a way to identify their weaknesses, which may be seen as liabilities to the company. So, explain clearly to your staff that these evaluations can help you identify potential investment opportunities to improve their skills. 

Self-assessments can be done with one-on-one meetings, providing questionnaires, or both to obtain a more objective assessment. In particular, a one-on-one meeting is beneficial to keeping employees engaged. A study shows that employees who regularly meet with their managers are likely to be three times to be engaged.

4. Do A 360-Degree Review

Once you’re done collecting self-assessments, you should also get feedback from the people around each employee. The 360 reviews allow you to assess employees by asking their peers, managers, and subordinates. This can help you get a detailed, in-depth picture you can use when evaluating an employee’s skills and proficiency in the future. 

Managers can help identify strengths and weaknesses related to specific skills, while co-workers are better positioned to assess a team member’s everyday work and engagement levels. Although, keep in mind that co-worker reviews may come with subjective opinions, so look at general trends and compare individual assessments. 

5. Ask Customers

Customer feedback is another great way to assess employees’ skills, primarily if they work closely with customers and clients. A simple customer satisfaction survey can provide additional insights into an employee’s skills and competence while also helping you measure customer satisfaction levels. 

6. Conduct Assessment Tests

Conducting an assessment test is one of the most effective ways to collect data on employees’ skills. Regular tests can objectively overview your employees’ expertise and proficiency. 

For highly technical jobs, a written test can help determine an employee’s knowledge and proficiency in their current position. That said, it also makes sense to use business simulations to help you understand how they would act and work in specific situations. Doing so can give you valuable insights into how your team members will handle the task and adapt. This can help you measure their soft skills, including critical thinking, negotiation, communication, and problem-solving skills. 

Takeaway

As the skill gaps widen and the excellent talent shortage continues to plague the business world, businesses need to prepare for jobs in the future. As such, mapping out existing talents and skill sets will become invaluable. With the right employee talent and skills assessment strategies, you can gain critical data on your workforce’s weaknesses and strengths and help you make sound decisions for a more competitive company moving forward. 

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Life in the Workplace, Post-Covid

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Following the COVID pandemic, as many states navigate from red zone to yellow zone, many will re-assimilate to their previous office space, warehouse, restaurant, etc. While some will return (thankfully) with a new attitude and positive outlook on life, there will be others who will bring their same-old negative traits. What to do?

NOW is a great time to ‘nip those issues in the bud,’ as the saying goes. Face them head-on, without hesitation. To be sure, it would be kind to give folks an opportunity to, once again, become members of your team. But keep in mind that it’s also a disservice (to those who are the opposite of negativity) when you don’t exercise your right to properly discipline those who cause friction in the workplace. In fact, it’s an affront to all who bide by the rules.

This puts the responsibility squarely on those in leadership positions. It is management’s duty to make certain that the workplace is both safe and tolerable; otherwise, the workplace suffers, good employees leave – and you’ll be stuck with what’s left. Ask yourself: is that the workplace I want to be a part of?

So let’s say (for argument’s sake) that you’re ready to speak up, take charge and assure the workplace IS a safe and tolerable space for you and your staff members. Where should you start, and how? Below are four recommendations that The Cohesive Workplace suggest you implement immediately. These will serve as reminders to your staff as to why they decided to work with you in the first place:

1. Welcome back your staff members OFFICIALLY. Use your ‘welcome’ to acknowledge that we’ve all gone through a challenging time and you’re looking forward to overcoming those challenges together… as a team. To not address ‘the pink elephant in the room’ would be insensitive, particularly if any of your staff members were affected in any way during the pandemic.

2. Begin on a positive note. Let’s not rehash any negative incidences of the workplace prior to COVID. Make it official: we’re starting with a clean slate! While major infractions cannot (and should not) be ignored, let your staff know you’re ‘not sweating the small stuff.’ Life’s too short to be undone by minor irritants. Your business, as well as your employees, are worth more.

3. Keep an open door policy (to a degree). Trust us: your staff members are still afraid… of COVID, their future with the company, and other issues they might be facing at home. Remind them that you’re in their corner. While you may not be able to solve all their problems, you’re a trustworthy advocate and a listening ear who can offer, perhaps, a positive word (or two) of advice. Your door is open, should they need to vent.

4. Create opportunities for advancement. To be sure, next to salary, the opportunity for advancement within your company is top priority! It sends a clear signal where one stands within the company when that company looks outside of its own ranks for a candidate – especially when its own employees are qualified! That ‘signal’ is a negative one. It screams, “We do not value you as an employee!” Once that message permeates the air, it’s difficult to reel it back in. Often protests follow (however silent) and eventually everyone in the workplace is miserable. If you haven’t already implemented a program for in-house promotions, NOW is a great time to start.

These are just FOUR benchmarks to consider – if you haven’t already done so – which, in turn, will create a positive and lasting effect on your employees while also increasing productivity. (Can you say “win-win”?)

There are more topics to follow, such as: the need for autonomy in the workplace; revisiting your pay scale; offering a healthy dietary lifestyle in the workplace; and many others. And we’re looking forward to covering each and more.

Be sure to subscribe to our website at thecohesiveworkplace.com so you don’t miss a thing.

Here’s to your success!

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Source by J Blair Brown

Telecommuting Policy Development – Top Ten Tips

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Telecommuting offers a lot of benefits to both the employer and employees. For the company, the set up means a more cost-effective way of operating business functions because less energy is consumed for the performance of daily tasks. There is also little need to manage a huge workspace when most of the workers are accomplishing their assigned tasks from outside the office. For employees, working from home allows them to save from the expenses incurred commuting to and from the office. It also gives them an opportunity to spend more time with their families, as in the case of WAHM (work at home mom), and reduce work-related stress.

Developing a work-at-home policy: A guide for HR managers

Managing telecommuting programs is different from supervising actual workers in person. To maximize the benefit of telecommuting, it’s important for supervisors to learn how to work with remote teams from a virtual office.

Before anything else, however, you need to devise a policy that covers flexible work options and managing virtual workers. Such concepts as maintaining workplace flexibility and wage and hour laws must be taken into consideration.

Here are top ten tips in developing a telecommuting policy.

  1. Identify your business needs.
    It’s important to list how having people work from outside the office would benefit your business, and assess if the benefits outweigh the consequences. Your policy needs to sufficiently address the expectations of your company as far as work output and human resources are concerned.
  2. Identify who can telecommute.
    Understand that not everyone in your company can and should be allowed to work from home. Managing telecommuting arrangements means overseeing to the productivity of people who are not within shouting distance so you wouldn’t be able check on the quality of their output until the work is actually submitted to you. As such, developing a telecommuting policy needs to include creating requirements for those who want to telecommute. For instance, you need teleworkers who are organized, exhibit strong problem solving abilities, and have excellent communication skills, among other skill sets. Your policy should constitute a clear criterion for determining who can work from home so you can easily defend your decisions later on.

    Beyond the individual’s skill sets, you must also look into which positions in your organization lend themselves to telecommuting. Some positions will not be affected at all if the worker becomes a teleworker; others may be impossible to fill with a remote worker.

  3. Implement guidelines for dependent care.
    While working from home does have the added benefit of being able to spend more time with one’s family, it should not be taken as an alternative to making arrangements for dependent care. Work productivity will be compromised if the teleworker has to attend to the children while drafting documents for the virtual office.
  4. Formalize agreements on equipment
    Your policies should also consider the types of equipment that a telecommuter would need to be able to work efficiently out of the office. The agreement has to stipulate who will provide the equipment for the worker. Some companies provide computers and allowances for internet services to their remote teams while there are those who don’t. In the latter case, flexible work options are usually provided as alternatives to working in the office. Employees still have the choice to show up and finish their work in the conventional workspace provided for them.
  5. Ensure employee safety.
    It’s also important to make sure that your agreement clarifies who is responsible for employee safety when the worker is accomplishing his tasks from home. You can hold your workers accountable for maintaining the safety of their home workplace. In addition, you can provide a clause that allows you, the employer, to inspect the home workspace to make sure that it follows the guidelines stipulated in the agreement.
  6. Ensure confidentiality.
    Company information is another consideration when managing virtual workers. Business data may be compromised since workers are accessing them from outside the office. As such, it’s important to stipulate in the agreement ownership of information and company documents in case the employee leaves your company. This should be clearly spelled out and confidentiality of work information should also be underlined.
  7. Make sure that technology is available.
    If you’re going to hire virtual employees, you need to also include a technology checklist of what you require the applicant to have to qualify as a telecommuter. Technology is important when maintaining a virtual workspace, so new hires should have devices such as a dedicated phone line for business, three-way calling systems, high-speed internet access and fax machine among others.
  8. Wage and hour laws
    If unprepared, a human resource manager may be forced to face a minefield of issues on wage and hour laws. You need to navigate this carefully in order to avoid liability.
    Record and track all hours worked by employees who telecommute. You may consider installing timekeeping software for the equipment / computers given to employees, as punching the usual timeclock is not possible.
    Determine a system of properly compensating telecommuting workers for all hours worked, plus overtime (if they are not exempt). The biggest problem here is how to compensate telecommuting employees who sit idly, waiting for instructions. Keep in mind that telecommuters may be considered “on call” 24/7. Make sure that it is clear to the employees whether they “engaged to be waiting” (as in firemen, for whom the waiting time is working time) or “waiting to be engaged” (which means they can do what they like as long as they are available by email, cell, etc.)
  9. Quality metrics
    To gauge the effectiveness of a telecommuting program, you need to devise certain metrics for quality of service. It’s important for you to make sure that your employees are still performing according to your expectations. Just like in any work situation, quality, quantity, cost-effectiveness, and timeliness ate the four main measures to review. Once you have established performance measures, you need to establish a feedback system, which helps maintain good performance. Additionally, telecommuting employees need a channel with which to keep their managers informed about their work progress.
  10. Communication
    Finally, one important detail that you need to consider when developing a telecommuting policy is communication. The policies should include information on how often you expect your workers to check their e-mails, for instance, so they’re kept updated. Communication should never be one-way; thus, you also need to establish and follow guidelines on how employees can reach their supervisors – who may also be telecommuting.

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Source by Tina Nacrelli

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