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Creating a Work-Life Balance in an “Always On” Workplace

Employee Wellness, Flexible Work | Nov 16
work life balance - illustration of person skiing

Working from home can give many benefits to employees, including flexibility and time for their personal life. However, it also brings some drawbacks that you should seek to avoid. You need to think of remote work as a skill. One thing to avoid is the “always on” culture. In this culture, the staff can’t separate work from their personal lives, which can cause stress and, eventually, burnout. That’s why we devised the best ways to improve your work-life balance for an “always-on” workplace. Read on to discover the challenges of working remotely and how to combat them. What Challenges Can Working Remotely Present? 💻 In this blog, we will mainly focus on how remote working makes it hard to “switch off”. However, you should be aware of the multiple challenges you may face working from home. In a survey by Gartner, only 30% of companies said that maintaining their culture was their biggest concern regarding remote workers. Instead, they have other concerns. For example, when working from home, it’s easy to fall into the trap of reduced productivity. This can result from a number of factors. Source: Gartner Here are some other challenges you may face if you work from home: Feeling lonelier because you’re in a more isolated environment. Misunderstandings with colleagues due to communicating digitally rather than in-person. Higher cybersecurity risk at home. Lack of access to the same equipment you use in the office. If you work in a different time zone to the company, it can be challenging to schedule meetings and meet deadlines. Your manager may over communicate with you or micro-manage while you work from home. This may make you feel like you aren’t trusted. How to Create a Work-Life Balance While Working from Home Although there are many problems you can face while working from home, switching off is one of the hardest. When your home becomes your work environment, every part of your house can remind you of work if you let it. To help you combat this, here are some of the best ways to establish a work-life balance when you work from home. Managing Work Stress By Setting Up A Schedule 🥵 You should establish a regular schedule, just like you would if working from an office. A defined timetable can help you maintain a consistent pattern of work and designate non-work hours. It can also help you manage your workload. An alternative to a timetable is a task list with completion times given to each task. If you discover that you frequently work past your scheduled hours, change your schedule to suit your working day better. You won’t have to put in a lot of overtime this way. Keep in Touch with Your Team 📳 Regularly inform your team members of your working hours now that you have a daily routine. Remember to set your status during working hours if you converse using a messaging app. You may also make an online calendar to keep track of the team’s working hours. Doing this is extremely useful when your team members are across many time zones. Another option is to create a balance by having a hybrid working schedule; you work from home some days and at work on others. You can communicate with your team this way if you all work in the same area.  According to a study by Statista, over 68% of employees prefer a hybrid setup. This statistic applies to every age demographic, from Gen Z to Baby Boomers. Establish a Work-Only Area at Home 💺 Working from anywhere you like is tempting when you have free reign of the house. You might work from the couch on some days and the kitchen counter on others. Although it could seem like the ideal situation, it can lead to distractions and a poor work-life balance. Adjust the workspace to your needs instead. Set limitations and only allow yourself to work there. Setting boundaries on where and when you conduct business can prevent work from encroaching on your free time. You must also make many considerations when establishing a work-only area at home. Discover Hobbies to Do After Work 🚴 Working remotely occasionally can make it difficult to leave the home office. Therefore, find interests you love to make it simpler. Your days can become monotonous if you don’t have personal time to break up the work week. Consider painting, joining a gym, or simply going outside for fresh air. You could even arrange a weekly game night with family and friends for some social time. A pastime not only helps you maintain a healthy work-life balance, but can also teach you new things about yourself. Also, making time for your hobbies by adding them to your schedule is essential. Don’t just hope that you’ll have enough time for them. Time Your Breaks In an Airtasker survey, the highest percentage of remote employees (37%) said that taking breaks often is the best way to stay productive while working at home. When things at work become difficult, it’s simple to become overburdened and worn out. With this in mind, take breaks throughout the day to safeguard your physical and mental health and work-life balance. Source: Airtasker Although they need not be long, breaks should involve getting up from your desk and moving about. Take a break from your job to grab a new cup of coffee from the kitchen, or stand up and stretch. In either case, taking breaks should help you maintain a healthy work-life balance. Practice Mindfulness Techniques at Home 🧘 Sometimes, taking breaks might not be enough to destress you completely, so trying mindfulness techniques is an excellent alternative.  The most popular choice is to meditate, which, in its simplest form, is sitting quietly and clearing your thoughts.  There is no guide to excellent meditation; you just need to clear your mind and avoid distractions. Meditation and mindfulness aren’t for everyone, but they are worth trying because they can help with stress management. Even if

10 Things You Can Do To Be Happy At Work

10 Things You Can Do to Be Happy at Work

Do you feel drained and worn out when you go to work? Most office workers spend more time at work than at home. According to the September 2023 Transport Opinion Survey from the University of Sydney’s Institute of Transport and Logistics Studies, Australian staff spent 21% of the working week at home. This means they spent less than two days at home weekly. Source: University of Sydney’s Institute of Transport and Logistics Studies Therefore, you must make the best of your work and improve your happiness. Our guide will detail ten things that can improve your happiness at work. 1. Pursue your Passion at Work Some of us are lucky enough to work in an area we are passionate about, but not all of us.  If this is not you, you must find a way to do something you enjoy. Even if small, it can make a massive difference to make a happier workforce. You can take on extra responsibilities or volunteer for a project outside your usual role.  Another option is to research and pursue a new career. If this is the road you want to go down, do plenty of research until you are confident that the new job excites you. 2. Prioritize Work-life Balance to Avoid Overworking and Stress ⚖️ Finding time for relaxation is essential for a happy workforce, even if you love your job. Taking time for family, friends, hobbies, and your mental health links with better well-being and less overworking or illness. Many employees in Australia already recognize this. According to a study by the OECD Better Life Index, full-time Australian worker set aside 60% of their total day for leisure and personal care. Flexible working can also give you more time at home if that’s what you need. 3. Have a Positive Mindset at Work Start your day positively by writing what you are grateful for, enjoying a warm drink, exercising, or meditating. By starting the day with the right mindset, you set yourself up for the day ahead. When you have a calm mindset, it is easier to deal with stress and problems at work. Also, you can spread this type of positivity to your colleagues, making your workplace happier.  4. Ensure That You Maintain Focus Many studies show that multi-tasking decreases productivity and quality of work. For example, a study by Forbes shows that multitasking can decrease employee productivity by up to a significant 40%. Source: Forbes Our brains can only focus on one thing at a time. Focus helps reduce stress and your well-being. 5. Help Others Who Are Struggling at Work If employees feel they are struggling at work, helping them will improve their mood.  Perhaps a colleague has too many projects to manage or is having personal difficulties. Reach out and offer them a hand. You can do this by taking some of their workload or offering them personal advice. 6. Grow Your Skillset and Try New Tasks Learning new skills, trying new tasks, and extending yourself are critical drivers of a growth mindset.  Perhaps you feel unhappy after missing out on a promotion. However, there are always opportunities to learn new things, even in your personal time.  Look for opportunities for personal development at work and outside of it. Here are some ways you can put a growth mindset into practice. 7. Protect Your Personal Life and Avoid Too Many Hours in the Office Overloading your schedule with too many projects, commitments, and meetings can lead to burnout. Be protective of your job description, and when you are busy, don’t take on additional tasks or projects. Ask for help from your manager and colleagues if you fear burnout, and discuss ways to reduce the pressure.  8. Prioritize Social Connections at Work ☕ Making time to share a coffee and a laugh at work makes long days and busy hours less stressful.  While we are at work to be productive, it is also a social space in which connection is essential.  For example, in a study by the American Psychological Association, 89% of workers are happy with their work relationships. Additionally, 82% of people in the survey said that their healthy work environment actively encourages friendships between workers. Being in a social space at work helps reduce stress. Also, connections also aid in building positive relationships and improving performance and output. 9. Be Strong in Your Beliefs Stand up for your beliefs, whether having the courage to express opinions or call out bad behavior. If you stay true to yourself, your well-being at work will improve. 10. Finish Your Day on the Right Note How we start the day is just as important as how we finish it. Note your achievements and write a to-do list for the next day. Here is what you should include on a to-do list for the following day. You should also prioritize rest and sleep as they contribute to happiness and well-being. Final Thoughts on 10 Ways to Achieve Workplace Happiness Work-life can be draining, but our happiness is within our control. If you are lucky enough to pursue your passion, you are more likely to be happy. But if not, you can improve your well-being by having a positive mindset, helping others, learning, and being social. Check out our blog on Tommy for more tips on how to improve your happiness and job satisfaction. 10 Things You Can Do to Be Happy at Work 1. Pursue your Passion at Work 2. Prioritize Work-life Balance to Avoid Overworking and Stress 3. Have a Positive Mindset at Work 4. Ensure That You Maintain Focus 5. Help Others Who Are Struggling at Work 6. Grow Your Skillset and Try New Tasks 7. Protect Your Personal Life and Avoid Too Many Hours in the Office 8. Prioritize Social Connections at Work 9. Be Strong in Your Beliefs 10. Finish Your Day on the Right Note Final Thoughts on 10 Ways to Achieve Workplace Happiness

Simple Tricks to Level Up Your Employees Work Ethics

Simple Tricks to Level up Your Employees’ Work Ethic

Simple Tricks to Level up Your Employees’ Work Ethic Have you ever wondered what makes a thriving business so successful?📈 There is one key aspect: high employee work ethic. With a motivated, productive, and dedicated workforce, your company can reach new heights. When employees have a high work ethic, they collaborate effectively with the rest of the team to ensure the business succeeds.🤝 Leveling up your employee’s work ethic requires a few tips and tricks. In this blog, we’ll uncover some simple tricks to improve the productivity of your workforce. Are you ready to supercharge your employee’s work ethic? Let’s get into it.  Source: Indeed The importance of work ethics in the workplace According to Indeed, “workplace ethics refers to a specific set of moral and legal guidelines that organizations may abide by.”  A company with a workforce of people with solid work ethics is essential for success. Employee work efficiency is significant as motivated staff who want the business to thrive will use their passion and dedication to make it happen. Employee performance will increase if they feel their workplace promotes healthy work ethics.👬 A strong work ethic amongst a team not only impacts the success of the business but the well-being of employees, too.🤩 Here are some key reasons why work ethic is important: Quality of work📝 Motivated, passionate, and productive employees with a strong work ethic will often produce high-quality work. Their dedication to the job will ensure they put time and effort into their work, working hard to achieve a positive outcome. Heightened efficiency⏰ Efficient employees are an asset to any team. If they remain productive and use valuable time to help the business succeed, you’ll create an effective environment with a strong work ethic. If employees are efficient, motivated, and productive, they’ll save time for the company and ensure all their work is performed to a high standard. Team spirit👬👩🏾‍🤝‍👨🏽 Positive work ethic amongst a group of employees contributes effectively to team morale. If the team is motivated, it’ll boost morale, create mutual respect, and build a strong shared vision. As a result, team members will contribute a group effort to help the company thrive.  Enhanced workplace culture👍 Motivated and passionate workers tend to inspire others. This leads to a positive workforce and enhanced culture. A company that values hard work, passion, and a proactive approach is highly inspiring for everyone involved. Customer satisfaction🤗 If your workers are dealing with customers positively, enthusiastically, and effectively, their satisfaction will increase. Customers will be able to sense when employees take pride in their work, and they’ll appreciate feeling valued. This will lead to increased trust, satisfaction, and customer loyalty.  According to Indeed, “customers will be more willing to engage with explicitly ethical companies than those with fewer ethical initiatives.”  A strong work ethic among employees sets the tone for a successful, thriving business. If you recognize and prioritize a positive work ethic, you’ll create solid foundations for success.⭐️ How to level up employee work ethic Enhancing employee work ethic and creating a positive work environment requires incorporating strategies, communication, and support. If you want to create a thriving work environment, here are our simple tricks: 1. Lead by example👩‍🏫 It’s essential to demonstrate productivity in the workplace and a strong work ethic yourself in order for your employees to follow your example. If you show dedication to your work, put in time and effort, and present yourself as motivated and productive, you’ll set the tone for everyone else.  2. Set expectations👨‍💼 In different businesses, there are various ethical standards and expectations. For example, some industries or organizations consider promptness as their valued work ethic, but some don’t require employees to come early as long as they finish the task for that day. By defining your business’s standards and work culture, employees will get a better idea of where they stand.  3. Provide feedback and effective communication💬 If you want to keep morale high, providing positive feedback, constructive criticism, and open communication is essential.👍 Acknowledge any achievements or elements that have gone well and ensure employees feel like their work is valued. With praise, they’ll be more likely to improve their work efficiency in order to continue to succeed.🏆 Make time for regular performance reviews and offer feedback. If constructive criticism is required, it’ll help employees stay on track with what the business expects.  4. Set realistic goals🎯 By setting realistic goals, your employees will feel more motivated to reach them. This will incentivize employees and help them stay on track. If the objectives are realistic, they’ll feel more able to succeed, increasing their motivation and job satisfaction. 5. Promote a healthy work-life balance😁 Encouraging a healthy work-life balance will increase employee satisfaction. Avoid overloading your team with work and promote regular breaks to help with productivity and prevent them from becoming overwhelmed.⏲ Employee efficiency refers to the level of productivity and input a worker puts into their efforts in the workplace in a specific time frame. With a better work-life balance, efficiency in the workplace will likely increase. According to the BBC, “in the US: of 4,000 respondents to the FlexJobs 2022 Career Pulse Survey, 63% said they’d choose work-life balance over better pay.”💵 You could also introduce the chance for employees to work from home🏡 or introduce a time-tracking system. That way, you can ensure your employees aren’t working unpaid overtime and working extra long work hours, as this could lead to burnout and dissatisfaction.🥱 Tommy has an effective time-tracking software that helps to save time, enhance efficiency, and secure certainty within hours.⏰✨ 6. Allow Inclusivity👥 Motivation can go a long way to promote strong work ethics among your team. Make sure to incorporate them in the creative planning of organizational goals.  The more involved your employees are, the stronger their feelings of inclusiveness and motivation. Involving your employees in an essential aspect of your work cycle could increase their leadership aspirations.🤩 7. Teach Your Employees to Be Persistent👍 Encourage your team to be persistent

8 Workplace Wellness Initiatives To Get You Motivated

8 Workplace Wellness Initiatives To Get You Motivated

In the fast-paced and demanding world of work, wellness is essential. Maintaining employee wellness is a crucial part of running a business, as without satisfied employees, your business will fail to thrive.📈 By creating an environment that puts health at the top of priorities, your employees will feel more motivated, productive, and happy at work.😁  To foster employee wellness, companies are constantly looking for new initiatives and steps to take. In this blog, we’ll look at wellness initiatives in more detail and how you can bring them into your company. Source: Zippia Why is wellness essential? Wellness is crucial for several reasons. Whether it’s in your personal life or professional life, ensuring your well-being and taking wellness initiatives is vital. According to Statistica, “A survey from 2021 found that 79 percent of employees believed their company’s wellbeing programs helped them be as productive as possible, and similarly 79 percent also believed such programs had helped them avoid getting sick.” Here are some reasons why workplace wellness is important: Employee productivity. If employees are happy and satisfied, they’re more likely to increase their productivity. A company with high levels of productivity is essential for success. When employees are physically and mentally well, they’ll complete tasks quicker and to a higher level. 🤩 Increased job satisfaction. If you’re a company that puts wellness first, your employees will be more satisfied with their jobs. Morale will also increase, as well as loyalty towards the company. 👨‍💼 Improved mental health. Prioritizing mental health in the workplace will help to limit the amount of anxiety, depression, and stress among employees. As a result of this, your employees will feel happier at work, leading to an increased, more optimistic, supportive environment.🧠 Increased workplace culture. A positive workplace culture is essential for businesses, as it’s a large attraction for potential employees. Creating an environment where wellness is valued, it’ll foster a culture of trust, respect, and collaboration.👍 Reduced health care costs. By prioritizing wellness in the workplace, you’re more likely to have lower healthcare costs. Studies show that “72% of employers saw a reduction in healthcare costs after implementing a wellness program.” Employees are less likely to require health or medical care, limiting the amount the company spends on health insurance claims.👩‍⚕️ Higher employee engagement. If your employees are engaged in your business, they’ll feel more committed to their input of work. By valuing the well-being of your employees, they’ll feel respected and feel more engaged as a result. This will help your business in the long term, as staff turnover will decrease. 🤝 Wellness is an essential part of any business. By putting your employees’ health and well-being first, you’ll see an increase in their productivity and motivation and create a positive working environment.😊 By putting workplace health first, you can demonstrate your commitment and respect towards your employees. So, add some wellness initiatives to increase the well-being of your employees.  Source: Statistica 8 workplace wellness initiatives Motivated, healthy, and happy employees are critical to a successful business. If you put your employee’s well-being first, you can help to create a positive work environment. ✅ Here are some wellness initiatives to motivate your employees: 1. Flexible work arrangements🤸‍♀️ Offering flexible work arrangements, like the option of remote work or more flexible hours, will improve employee’s work-life balance. This will reduce their stress levels and improve their job satisfaction. Your employees will appreciate your commitment to their well-being and your understanding of their life outside of work. A flexible approach will show your employees that you trust them and recognize the importance of their personal lives. By implementing effective scheduling software and time and attendance programs, you can ensure that your employees aren’t working overtime and ensure their working hours are monitored.⏰ No employee will want to work over their paid time, so ensure you keep on top of schedules to reduce stress and job dissatisfaction. 2. Fitness classes on-site‍⛹️‍♂️ Fitness is an effective way to improve well-being due to the endorphins it releases. Not only does it get your heart beating and your blood pumping, but it creates a sense of community in the workplace. If the classes are on-site, they’ll be more accessible for employees.  Furthermore, it’ll help to develop a sense of belonging as employees can go together. A recent survey found that “Employees who don’t exercise regularly are 50% more likely to have high presenteeism than regular exercisers.” Presenteeism is when workers show up for work but fail to be productive.  Whether it’s yoga🧘 to promote relaxation and meditation or a spinning🚴‍♀️ class to increase physical activity, several fitness classes will improve your employee’s wellness.  3. Nutritional wellness programs🍎 Nutrition is essential to well-being, and promoting healthy habits in work environments will encourage employees to make positive choices.  Nutritional wellness programs include: Healthy eating workshops. Providing healthy snacks in the office. Bringing in professionals to offer one-to-one programs. By encouraging a healthy lifestyle, your employees will feel the benefits, adding to their well-being and overall happiness. This will also increase attraction to your company for new potential employees. According to a survey, “87% of employees consider health and wellness offerings when choosing an employer.” Source: Zippia 4. Team building exercises 👷‍♂️ Team building is an excellent way for your employees to get to know each other. Organize team-building activities or retreats to offer your team a break from their daily routine. These opportunities allow your team to get to know each other on a more personal level, aiding better communication and teamwork in the office. 👩🏾‍🤝‍👨🏽 Boosting camaraderie is incredibly important in places of work. It helps to reduce feelings of loneliness and isolation while increasing collaborative problem-solving. This will help to improve employee motivation, too, as teams will feel more comfortable collaborating and voicing their ideas. 5. Wellness workshops💆 Host regular wellness workshops where professionals come in and discuss stress management, mindfulness, self-care, and nutrition. This will enlighten your employees about how they can prioritize their well-being with useful tips and

Psychological-Safety-In-The-Office

Creating Psychological Safety at Work - MyTommy.com

Psychological Safety In The Workplace Do your employees participate freely in group discussions? Do they speak up without the fear of being knocked or dismissed? If not, you may have low psychological safety in the office. 🏢   Workplace psychological safety is critical to employee happiness and well-being. If employees feel free to stand up for themselves, raise issues, and communicate comfortably with their peers and management, their overall motivation and happiness at work will improve. 😁 Do you want to know more? 🤷‍♀️In this blog, we’ll look at psychological safety in more detail and how to enhance it in the workplace.  Let’s get into it. What is Psychological Safety? Psychological safety is the feeling of being able to express your concerns, doubts, or issues without the fear of negative consequences. 👎 Psychological safety at work means creating an environment where employees feel free to voice their opinions freely and communicate their ideas. 🤝 Harvard Business Review defined psychological safety as “the belief that you won’t be punished when you make a mistake”. The importance of psychological safety in the workplace is high, as creating a judgment-free zone for employees is essential. Source Niagara Institute. With psychological safety, employee engagement will soar, and team performance will increase. This could also lead to an increase in employee attendance due to heightened productivity.📈 Generally speaking, people who are in a state of psychological safety are most likely to: Achieve Excellent Work Outputs. Employees who feel psychologically safe allow themselves to be the best that they can be. 🤩 Collaborate In Teams. Psychologically safe people work well in teams since they are not afraid to share new ideas that they think would help. 🤝‍ Enhance Learning And Creativity Skills. People are more likely to enjoy learning and absorb everything taught to them when they feel relaxed. If no threats are lingering around, creativity blooms among those with imaginative minds. 🤯 The Four Stages Of Psychological Safety🧠 It’s not easy to establish a psychologically safe environment for all employees. According to Dr. Timothy Clark, an Oxford-trained social scientist, organizational consultant, and author of The 4 Stages of Psychological Safety, there are four steps.  These steps are what people have to undergo before they can become confident expressing their opinions or suggestions:  Inclusion Safety According to Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, one of the essential needs of people is acceptance. This is the stage where an individual establishes themselves alongside co-workers. 👬 The main challenge in this stage is to equalize all opportunities, even to those newly acquired employees, so that they won’t be feeling any prejudice. Learner’s Safety When we learn something, we tend to leave our comfort zones and exert constant effort to understand new things. Employees need to feel safe in the workplace as a learning environment where questions will need to be asked, and mistakes or misunderstandings will be likely. 📝 Contributor Safety This stage is when an individual feels the importance of contributing to the organization by using the skills they learn and gain from the second stage. Often, this is where employees get frustrated if they fail or are not given the opportunity to contribute. 🗣 Challenger Safety This is the last stage and the most difficult to overpower because it entails considerable trust and confidence. In this stage, people should be confident in challenging the existing rules and solutions by proposing the alternatives they think would benefit the company most. Constantly remind employees that constructive criticisms are the backbone of their job integrity, and this will help create a psychologically safe workplace. 🤝 Importance of Psychological Safety Psychological safety is essential for a productive and motivated workplace. If employees feel comfortable and able to contribute, your business will thrive. Source: Gallup By creating psychological safety in the workplace, you’ll open up the possibilities of uncovering new ideas, opinions, or thoughts that encourage the business to succeed.  Psychological safety has many positive impacts in the workplace, such as: Higher productivity rate More creativity / innovative thinking Lower employee churn Improved camaraderie Integrate trust among employees at all levels Motivates employees When a workplace is psychologically safe, people are the most creative and confident version of themselves.💭  Tips To Enhance Psychological Safety In The Workplace How do you enhance psychological safety in the workplace? With intentional effort and commitment, you can transform your business into a safe environment where employees feel supported.  Interpersonal risk in the workplace refers to the potential for negative backlash from raising an opinion. To remove this and create a positive environment, psychological safety in the workplace is essential. Here are some ways to increase psychological safety in the workplace: 1. Pay Attention🤔 Paying attention is vital for improving the psychological safety of your employees. Being an active listener is essential.👂Ask your employees questions, give them eye contact, and show engagement as they express themselves. Nowadays, a lot of meetings and interactions are held online. During or after an online meeting, you can pay attention and show interest by sending them private emails to discuss their ideas. 2. Show Understanding and Recognize Efforts🤗 If you belittle an idea or shut it down before acknowledging it or understanding it, you’ll fail to build psychological safety.  Recognizing efforts is essential for employee well-being. If an employee feels valued at work, they’re more likely to participate and suggest ideas.  According to LinkedIn, “69% of employees say they would work harder if they felt their efforts were better recognized.” By showing understanding and recognizing employee efforts, you’ll increase motivation as well as psychological safety.  You could ask your employees more about their opinions by asking them to explain their thoughts further. Showing them your willingness to commit to their idea could make them feel that their suggestion is bringing value to the company.👥 In a virtual environment, you could also show your understanding to your employees by giving them time to elaborate their ideas further. 👨‍💻 Source: LinkedIn  3. Avoid Pointing Fingers👆 Psychological safety involves creating a safe space free of

Take-Ideal-Photos-for-Your-Business

How to Capture Ideal Photos for Your Australian Business - MyTommy.com

How to Take Ideal Photos for Your Business Are you planning to take photos for your website’s blog post or social media posts? It may be daunting to do this if you don’t have experience in this craft. But don’t worry! We listed the different things you can do to take great photos for your company. Read about them below! 1. Invest in a High-Quality Camera for Business Photography 📸 Even though some phones may take great photos, they cannot defeat a camera’s shots. In a survey by Shotkit, they asked 1000 professional photographers what they use for photography. Mirrorless cameras were the most popular option at 63%, while DSLR cameras took second place at 36%. No one in the survey said they use a phone for professional photography. Source: Shotkit That’s why investing in an excellent camera is essential. But it doesn’t stop there; you should know how to use your camera correctly. Read its manual, watch tutorial videos, or take a photography class to improve your skills. 2. Lighting Is Crucial for Professional Business Photos 💡 Use natural light as much as possible. It is better than using a flash, so shoot outdoors if you can.  However, you should face away from the lamp, sun, or window when capturing the image. Ensure that your shot has no shadow because it destroys the quality. 3. Use Styling and Props if Necessary 💇 Although this will depend on your type of business, consider using styling and props in your shots. Here are some ideas for props and styling you can use for professional photos. Whatever props you choose for your photos, you must ensure they are relevant to your business. When used correctly, props and styling can add a sense of uniqueness to your photos. 4. Plan Your Timing for the Shots ⏱️ Choosing the right time to take photos is essential, but this isn’t easy. For example, in an article by Fstoppers, professional photographer Michael Breitung stated that over a 284-day travel period, he had around 300 photoshoots. However, only 25 photos he took had great weather and lighting conditions. If your photoshoot is outside, the best hours to capture shots are morning and afternoon.  Midday is not a good time for a photo shoot outside because it causes shadows in images. However, if the photoshoot is inside, midday is the best time because light will come from the outside. 5. Take Candid Photos It’s not great to only have pictures of your products. You should also take photos with people in them. However, ensure that your human shots are candid rather than staged. This is especially important for professional headshots. You should do this to improve the photo’s authenticity and add a human touch to your brand. You can share your company’s story through images and demonstrate how people can use your products and services. You may also display photos of your employees to establish a personal connection with your audience. Doing this also shows them that they interact with people rather than a company. 6. Ensure That the Shots Are Consistent with the Brand Through every part of the photo-taking process, you must ensure that you make them consistent with your company brand. Brand consistency is essential in every aspect of your business marketing. A brand consistency report by Marq found that 68% of businesses stated that staying consistent with their brand contributed to a 10% (or more) growth in revenue. For example, if most of your branding uses blue as its primary color, incorporate that into the photos. Additionally, ensure that every element of the background, including the location, styling, props, and people in the photo links to your brand. Also, ensure that your product is the primary focus of the photo because it is the direct representation of your brand. Source: Marq 7. Capture Many Shots Don’t settle with a shot or two; take multiple, even if some aren’t high-quality. You should take at least ten photos every time to find one that works. Also, move around a little while taking images; try different angles and locations. Remember that the first lot of photos you take may not be your best. If you have many photos, you can pick the best ones for your business and use them for many purposes. For example, square photos are typically great for social media formats like Instagram. Meanwhile, landscape shots are better for a website, especially as a banner across the homepage. 8. Edit Professional Photos Properly You can use many photo editing software products to improve your shots. Some are free, but some aren’t, so research and choose the best software for you. You should consider the following before choosing a software tool: Choose one that matches your skill level for editing photos. Research options with all your desired features, like cropping, color adjustment, resizing, and more. Check that the software you want works with the operating system you use. Choose software where you can edit in batches if you’ll often need to do this for your business. Check the prices of plans for photo editing software to see if they are fair. See if the photo editing software integrates with other tools you often use in your business—for example, integrations with cloud storage and project management platforms. Check the performance speed to see if it meets your standards. Check with the photo editing software provider to see if they regularly update the software to improve it. Prioritize photo editing software with free trials so you can try them before purchasing. You can use the software to crop photos, add effects, and adjust the color and brightness. However, remember not to over-edit your images; editing should improve your images instead of overpowering them. Final Thoughts on How to Take Business Photos Like a Professional Photographer Business photos must have high quality and human touch to attract customers. Our tips can help you gain the perfect images for your company. With the right skill, effort, and strategy, you’ll

The-Ultimate-Guide-to-Proper-Restaurant-Management

The Ultimate Guide to Restaurant Management in Australia - MyTommy.com

The Ultimate Guide to Proper Restaurant Management Are you a new manager or restaurant owner? Or do you want to improve your restaurant management skills? Then you’re on the right track! There is no other feeling like running a high-quality restaurant and pleasing customers. Our blog will share valuable tips and tricks for properly managing your restaurant. Read below to learn more! 1. Follow Restaurant Laws and Regulations A manager must be aware of many laws to follow regarding restaurant management. Most laws are about the welfare of employees, and even without those laws, you must care for their mental and physical well-being. You must treat your staff well, pay them correctly, and give them proper rest when needed. Additionally, you must read and understand the health and safety regulations for restaurants. If you do not adhere to these and put customers and staff at risk, you could lose your restaurant and potentially serve prison time. 2. Increase Employee Retention in Your Restaurant A high attrition rate can increase the expenses in your restaurant because you always need to hire new employees and train them again. You’re not only losing time and money, but you’re also losing talent and skills. That’s why you need to improve employee retention in your restaurant. You can do this by treating and paying them well. You should also show your appreciation to them and give them room for growth. If you engage your staff by giving them the skills and believing in them, they will deliver results. However, that doesn’t mean you should keep employees who aren’t performing well. If you keep employees who exploit your support, other staff members who perform well will want to leave. 3. Show Your Appreciation to Your Staff 🧑‍🍳 Source: Reward Gateway Employees don’t quit the job, they quit the management; this is true most of the time. That’s why showing your employees that they matter is crucial so they’ll be glad to stay in your restaurant. More companies need to give more recognition to their employees’ hard work, as evidenced by a survey we found. A survey by Reward Gateway found that only 24% of management-level staff said that the company thanks and rewards their employees for doing a great job. In the same survey, almost 33% of managers said they can’t find enough time to reward and praise their staff for good work. You can show employees your appreciation by giving credit and rewards. A few examples of credit and rewards include: Give a reward to the “Best Employee of the Month.” Offer cash, gift cards, or other rewards that they will appreciate. Provide free meals to your staff that worked overtime or celebrated special occasions. Another great idea is to provide incentives for staff who stayed longer in your restaurant. For example, those that stayed for six months, one year, two years, and longer. For example, you can give them an incremental raise or more paid days off after each period. 4. Train Your Staff to Be Proactive in the Restaurant Since customers believe they are always right, you and your staff should know how to deal with them during stressful situations.  There would be rude and demanding customers, people with dietary restrictions, and others who might be hard to deal with. That’s why you need to train your employees to prepare for various situations that may arise. All your employees should be able to get on the right foot with customers immediately, gaining confidence in their customer service level. 5. Properly Arrange Staff Scheduling to Avoid Understaffing Staff scheduling is an essential factor. You should use sales data to predict how many employees you need per shift accurately. You should also consider the availability of your staff to avoid understaffing during crucial times. Don’t overwork your employees because it will degrade their overall health and can cause a higher attrition rate. You can use a scheduling tool like Tommy to make it easier. Also, many employees will do shift work rather than work at specific set times each week, so rely on these staff members if you need more employees. A 2020 study by The National Library of Medicine determined that 16% of Australian workers do shift work instead of set hours. Furthermore, they found that 24% of Australian employees work on-call, meaning they can be available last-minute. 6. Allow Room for Restaurant Employees to Develop 🧠 Some employees leave the business when they don’t see any room for growth. That’s why showing and guiding them on a path to growing their career is vital.  You should provide them with training, discuss career growth requirements and goals, and promote them internally instead of hiring someone else for higher positions. Your staff may stick around for a long time when you do those things. Here are some specific things you can do to allow your restaurant employees to develop. 7. Set Clear Expectations for New Restaurant Staff When onboarding new staff, inform them of the required duties and responsibilities.  You shouldn’t expect your employees to do everything in your restaurant. So, you should assign tasks depending on their position. In this way, you will avoid confusion, making it easier for them to do their job better. 8. Maintain an Excellent Quality Menu 🍲 The two pillars of an excellent restaurant are the experience and the food. While there are many ways to impact the experience, mainly involving staff management, you must also ensure the food is fantastic. One thing you must do is ensure that you can consistently source the freshest and highest quality ingredients. If you have an excellent chef, but the ingredient quality is poor, there’s not much the chef can do to turn it into a brilliant plate of food. Sourcing the freshest ingredients involves allowing chefs to go to the markets as early as possible to get first pick. For anything you need to order online, research it heavily to find high-quality products. You must also check in with the

Principles of Effective Communication for Better Implementation

Principles of Effective Communication for Better Implementation

What Are the Principles of Effective Communication? What makes a message effective? How can you ensure that your employees receive your information well? To increase communication effectiveness, you should apply certain principles. Here in this article, we elaborate on the various communication principles to enhance the process in your organization.  1. Keep Your Communications Simple When communicating with your employees, make it short and direct to the point because communication can take up too much time in the workplace. According to the 2023 Grammarly State of Business Communication report, communicating with your colleagues takes up 72% of your working week. Use simple and common words so your team can respond quickly. Avoid vague and technical words because they may be hard to understand. If your employees don’t know what you’re trying to convey, the attempt at communication will be useless. Source: STATHEAP 2. Be Clear When You Provide the Message 👄 Clarity is crucial because there will be a communication barrier without it. You can only have effective communication with clarity. Ensure that your message doesn’t have ambiguity, noise, and distortion. If it helps, write it down and edit it until it’s in its most transparent form. Word your message in a way that your employees will understand clearly. So, when making a message, consider the one who will receive it. You can even adapt the message for different employees if one will receive it differently. 3. Ask Your Employees to Provide Feedback You must ensure the employee understands what you’re trying to say. However, you won’t know this unless you ask them. The best way to find this out is by asking them to provide feedback. However, there is more than one way to ask employees for feedback. You can try using all of these feedback methods, but you must monitor them to determine the ones employees respond to the most. We recommend employee engagement platforms because employees can quickly provide feedback on them. 4. Be a Good Listener and Practice Active Listening 👂 Once you receive employee feedback, you need to be a great listener. If you aren’t receptive to employee feedback, sending out feedback methods is pointless. You must not only listen to what your team members are telling you but properly take it on board. Doing this means valuing your employees beyond the work they do for you. You must appreciate that your employees are intelligent people with good ideas that you should consider. 5. Deliver Your Message on Time ⌚ Deliver the message at a proper time to serve its purpose. If you deliver it late, it may not be helpful anymore. A key statistic states that 28% of employees say they can’t deliver work on time because of poor communication. Therefore, you must ensure you send communications to employees when they need them. 6. Provide Complete Information Your information should be complete and adequate.  It may cause confusion, delay, and inefficiency when it’s not. Therefore, you must ensure you have all the necessary information to send to employees. If you don’t have all the information, you shouldn’t send out an incomplete communication because it will do more harm than good. An adequate message is also necessary to make plans and decisions. You must compile all the information in a way that makes sense to employees. 7. Gain Your Employees’ Attention To increase communication effectiveness, the employee should give their full attention to the message. When the staff doesn’t focus on the information, it might cause issues with accuracy and understanding. Therefore, you must engage your employees in a way that immediately grabs their attention and engages them. For example, stress the importance of the communication in an email header.  The aim is to engage employees in the communication to the extent they want to engage with it. If they will contribute to the business due to the communication, your communication is a success. 8. Keep Your Messages Brief Source: Grammarly Employees can be busy with work, so ensure your message is short and meaningful.  Refrain from repeating or over-explaining words because it is time-consuming, disturbing, and reduces the significance and effectiveness of the information.  As a result, it can cause negative results for employees and employers. According to the Grammarly State of Communication report of 2023, 43% of employees state that bad communication makes them less productive. Additionally, 38% of business owners say that poor communication has an adverse financial impact on the business. The key to communicating with your employees is editing the communications. If you think the communication is too long, cut it until it is concise enough. 9. Be Consistent in the Way You Communicate Your messages should align with the company’s objectives, plans, policies, and programs. If they are conflicting, it will likely confuse. Additionally, you need to make the quality of your communications consistent. For example, if you edit your communication emails, continue to do this to make them as good as possible. 10. Be Intelligent Emotionally 🧠 When you engage in verbal communication with employees, engage with them emotionally for them to engage with you genuinely. Show emotional intelligence by managing your emotions during communication because. Negative emotions may distract from the serious message you are trying to convey to employees. You also need to be fully aware of the emotions of your employees as well. Find a way to talk to them that will emotionally invest them in the company. Also, look at non-verbal cues like their facial expressions and body language to determine how they receive the information. 11. Be Sensitive About Cultural Factors Diversity and culture are crucial elements to include in your business for multiple reasons. For example, a study found that diversity can improve a company’s market share growth by 45%. However, you must keep culture and diversity in mind when communicating with employees, or you could risk offending them. For example, if a specific communication will affect a particular culture in your business, approach it as sensitively as you can. 12.

Keep Your Employees From Being Overworked (Tips + Tools) How You Can Stop Overworking Employees

How You Can Stop Overworking Employees

How You Can Stop Overworking Employees To get efficiency in the workplace, the answer isn’t asking too much of your staff; they will often accept. Overworked employees eventually show exhaustion and burnout, decreasing productivity or employee turnover.  Recognizing the warning signs of overwork and taking preventative measures will keep your staff content and productive. Read on to learn what overworking is, how to recognize it, and how to deal with employee burnout in your company. What Does Overworking Mean? ⏱️ To overwork is to work for too long. Doing too much for too long leads to physical and mental exhaustion. When employees overwork, they take on more than they can accomplish.  A study from The Australia Institute Centre for Future Work found that the average Australian employee works over 6 hours of unpaid overtime weekly. The amount of overtime is equal to $460 per 2 weeks. Source: The Australia Institute Centre for Future Work Your standards may be too high, or the worker may have something in their life that makes it hard to complete the work. 5 Symptoms of Overworked Employees How can you tell who’s overworking? The following ways are some of the most prevalent burnout warning signs. 1. More Emotional Displays 😡 You may believe that feelings have no place in the workplace, but your staff are still people. Maintaining professionalism and sensitivity when dealing with a coworker crying or under stress is critical. Acknowledge how your employees feel, listen attentively, and keep your attention on them. Learn what’s happening, but don’t force them to discuss it. Let them cry to release their feelings to become more calm. 2. Consistent Lateness Lateness is very common; in a Deputy report, they found that of 400,000 shifts in 2015, 40% started late. You must select your battles carefully here.  You may need to intervene if an employee’s chronic tardiness is slowing production, stressing coworkers, or upsetting customers. Learn from the workers what is keeping them late. Get them to commit to the agreed-upon start time or devise another mutually agreeable plan. 3. Pointing Fingers 👉 It’s common for people to assign blame when times are tough. Just because something is possible doesn’t imply it’s good for your team. There are ways you can help discourage this behavior in your team, from admitting your own mistakes to encouraging direct communication among other team members. A better approach is to focus on finding long-term solutions to the problem rather than assigning blame for the present. 4. Compromised Personal Life Your workers may value their work more than their personal lives, which is a massive problem. Aid them by simplifying things in ways that don’t compromise their ability to complete the task. Working from home is growing in popularity. It can involve working at least once a week through telecommuting, flex work hours, or a shorter workweek. It may be time to create a work-life balance policy for your company. Leaders should set an example by enforcing the right example on their subordinates. 5. Low Customer Satisfaction Staff members unable to provide adequate service to consumers may suffer because of workload overload. Also, they may gain dissatisfaction with the job. According to a CiteSeerX study, almost 24% of Australian workers under 25 and over 44 experience job dissatisfaction. However, it could be a passive defiance of the company’s terms. Maintain open communication channels to determine what’s wrong and why it’s happening. To ensure you provide excellent customer service, review your mission statement and post reminders around the office. Also, make sure your customers know what to expect. If you make too many promises, you risk adding pressure on your staff. Source: CiteSeerX What Are the Consequences of Overworking in an Organization? Having a “culture of overworking” in your workplace can lead to several issues. 1. Lower Productivity and More Errors Loss of productivity is a significant issue that arises when employees. Their productivity may decline as time passes, even though they put in so many hours. Overworked workers will make mistakes and cut corners. Also, personnel anxiety and stress can lead to confusion and forgetfulness at work. Significant problems and delays in the project may result from this. While working long hours to meet deadlines may be necessary, workers must take frequent breaks to avoid burnout. 2. Low Employee Morale 😢 If your employees face larger workloads for an extended period, their morale will suffer. Remember that low employee morale is contagious! Furthermore, unhealthy behaviors like micromanagement, which stem from reduced output, might worsen the situation. 3. Lack of Commitment Employees who work too many hours may lose interest in their jobs and, as a result, are less productive. Workers may not like coming to work or dread resolving any issues. They could also have a short temper at work and become rude to customers and coworkers.  In addition, overworking can stop people from taking pride in their accomplishments. Even if they meet a crucial deadline, they may not care. That disinterest adversely impacts their productivity in the office. When workers lack the drive to succeed, they stop trying to do so. You must show commitment so your employees will follow you. 4. Challenges To Mental and Physical Health 🤸 There can be long-term repercussions on productivity thanks to an employee’s mental and physical health if they overwork or burnout. Harvard Business Review links overworking to sleep, mood, and memory issues. As a result, some employees may seek solace in alcohol or narcotics.  These problems can lead to turnover and overall employee loss. When workers experience burnout and quit their jobs for health reasons, businesses may incur considerable expenditures in recruiting, training, and integrating new staff. 5 Proven Techniques for Avoiding Overwork You now know how to identify overworked employees in your firm. But what are your options for dealing with them? Here are five tried-and-true methods that reduces stress and overworking. 1. Take a Proactive Leadership Approach As an employer, take steps to stop overworking your staff. Remember that if

How to Work Smarter Streamline Success and Protect Your Reputation Through A Code of Ethics

Protect Your Work Balance & Reputation With a Code of Ethics

When you separate work and life, some roles require greater involvement.  Some jobs are simply clock-in and clock-out shift work or casual jobs. However, others are demanding roles that could require you to be available when you are off the clock. It is crucial to understand how to create boundaries between work and personal life and manage your workload on the clock to protect your happiness off the clock. Our code of ethics guide will explore different value systems and how to choose one that suits you. Value Systems or Code of Ethics to Govern Your Work Source: The Institute of Business Ethics A code of ethics can support a standard in how people work and operate. Backed by a macro-company vision or manifesto for the workplace, this secret sauce drives massive performance results for companies such as Apple, Tesla, Google, Deloitte, and many others. In a company like Apple, the code of ethics runs through more than just the employers and employees. One Apple progress report stated that their teams conducted over 1100 supplier assessments to determine if they would comply with their code. These suppliers were from 53 different countries. If you are an employer, design a value system with your team that they support. However, if you are a staff member, you can design systems and map your processes for approaching your own work.  A powerful way to protect your happiness at home is having a system to support how you complete your work when on the clock. Codes of professional conduct govern many jobs; they are value systems or ethics that govern how someone should conduct their work. Examples of code of ethics include:  The Aust/NZ Group of Chartered Accountants. PMBOK for project managers. ITIL for Information Technology Governance. COBIT for Information and Related Technologies. You can use the industry codes of ethics as a baseline for your work. But you should also have a personal code of ethics for how you approach your life and work.  Doing this ensures you have greater guidance and purpose to navigate the ups and downs of life.  What the most successful people around the world have in common is they have a personal value system or code of ethics that governs them and helps them deliver world-class work and live a fantastic life. The Samurai & Bushido🎌 Taking this a step further, the traditional warriors of Japan, the Samurai, had a code of ethical conduct called ‘the Bushido.’ Bushido is a moral code concerning samurai attitudes, behavior, and lifestyle loosely analogous to the European concept of chivalry. It was less of a work-life balance system and more of a code of conduct and standard for living. They followed Bushido to guide how they live their lives with honor and respect. It included caring for captured enemies, handling disgrace, or betraying their masters.  The Eight Virtues of the Bushido Code governed not just the Samurai but also how society interacted and treated the Samurai.  For this reason, disgrace was a massive element of Bushido’s portrayal in films. Samurai viewed it as how to leave this world with honor, even after losing or disgracing their family. They call this honorable death seppuku (self-disembowelment); another name for it is hara-kiri. The Vikings Code of Ethics Viking warriors used a system to instill courage, bravery, and the pursuit of greatness.  Dying in battle and being one of the Valkyries’ chosen warriors meant you would go to Valhalla to be in Odin or to Freya’s Hall following your death.  There, you would do the following. Roman Stoicism Code of Ethics The final example is Stoicism. The Stoics are making a significant comeback in modern times. Yet, we can trace its origins back to the Roman Empire, specifically Athens, to the great Greek philosopher Zeno of Citium and the great Roman emperor philosopher Marcus Aurelius.  Stoicism is a time-tested methodology proven to maximize your positive emotions, reduce your negative emotions, and help you hone your virtues. Creating A Code of Ethics or Value System that Supports You On & Off the Clock 🧑‍💼 Although extreme or archaic when viewed in modern times, the three cultures listed in our previous section had the most fierce and mighty warriors. They navigated perilous seas to unknown lands and achieved substantial military victories and societal changes. Many people still celebrate all three cultures today for their achievements and wisdom. Many businesses use elements of their code of ethics today for approaching life or how they work. Defining your value system for on and off the clock can be simple and short, as in the fast and powerful book “The 4 Agreements” by Don Miguel Ruiz. Make your value system non-negotiable, protect your honor, and live respectfully so others respect you. Just as did the Samurai with The Eight Virtues of the Bushido Code.  Also, mindset training helps you navigate your emotions so the outer world cannot rule you, as the Greeks did with Stoicism. When creating or choosing your code of ethics, always remember that success leaves clues. Often, borrowing a proven blueprint is wise to develop a foundation for the best start. Also, if you put some ideas from your code of ethics into your company’s code of conduct, you must ensure that your staff takes it seriously. A survey by The Institute of Business Ethics found that of the 24% of employees aware of workplace misconduct, 35% said nothing about it. Final Thoughts on Why Having a Code of Ethics Can Make Your Work and Personal Life Better 👪 By having a manifesto or code of ethics, you can ensure consistently delivering high-quality work faster. You value a greater purpose in how you approach life and work. So, no matter the job or employer, your work is a matter of pride and instills purpose in your life. You will maximize your output and manage expectations by approaching your work with a value system or code of ethics. You will stand out as a leader as someone

work life balance - illustration of person skiing

Creating a Work-Life Balance in an “Always On” Workplace

Working from home can give many benefits to employees, including flexibility and time for their personal life. However, it also brings some drawbacks that you should seek to avoid. You need to think of remote work as a skill. One thing to avoid is the “always on” culture. In this culture, the staff can’t separate work from their personal lives, which can cause stress and, eventually, burnout. That’s why we devised the best ways to improve your work-life balance for an “always-on” workplace. Read on to discover the challenges of working remotely and how to combat them. What Challenges Can Working Remotely Present? 💻 In this blog, we will mainly focus on how remote working makes it hard to “switch off”. However, you should be aware of the multiple challenges you may face working from home. In a survey by Gartner, only 30% of companies said that maintaining their culture was their biggest concern regarding remote workers. Instead, they have other concerns. For example, when working from home, it’s easy to fall into the trap of reduced productivity. This can result from a number of factors. Source: Gartner Here are some other challenges you may face if you work from home: Feeling lonelier because you’re in a more isolated environment. Misunderstandings with colleagues due to communicating digitally rather than in-person. Higher cybersecurity risk at home. Lack of access to the same equipment you use in the office. If you work in a different time zone to the company, it can be challenging to schedule meetings and meet deadlines. Your manager may over communicate with you or micro-manage while you work from home. This may make you feel like you aren’t trusted. How to Create a Work-Life Balance While Working from Home Although there are many problems you can face while working from home, switching off is one of the hardest. When your home becomes your work environment, every part of your house can remind you of work if you let it. To help you combat this, here are some of the best ways to establish a work-life balance when you work from home. Managing Work Stress By Setting Up A Schedule 🥵 You should establish a regular schedule, just like you would if working from an office. A defined timetable can help you maintain a consistent pattern of work and designate non-work hours. It can also help you manage your workload. An alternative to a timetable is a task list with completion times given to each task. If you discover that you frequently work past your scheduled hours, change your schedule to suit your working day better. You won’t have to put in a lot of overtime this way. Keep in Touch with Your Team 📳 Regularly inform your team members of your working hours now that you have a daily routine. Remember to set your status during working hours if you converse using a messaging app. You may also make an online calendar to keep track of the team’s working hours. Doing this is extremely useful when your team members are across many time zones. Another option is to create a balance by having a hybrid working schedule; you work from home some days and at work on others. You can communicate with your team this way if you all work in the same area.  According to a study by Statista, over 68% of employees prefer a hybrid setup. This statistic applies to every age demographic, from Gen Z to Baby Boomers. Establish a Work-Only Area at Home 💺 Working from anywhere you like is tempting when you have free reign of the house. You might work from the couch on some days and the kitchen counter on others. Although it could seem like the ideal situation, it can lead to distractions and a poor work-life balance. Adjust the workspace to your needs instead. Set limitations and only allow yourself to work there. Setting boundaries on where and when you conduct business can prevent work from encroaching on your free time. You must also make many considerations when establishing a work-only area at home. Discover Hobbies to Do After Work 🚴 Working remotely occasionally can make it difficult to leave the home office. Therefore, find interests you love to make it simpler. Your days can become monotonous if you don’t have personal time to break up the work week. Consider painting, joining a gym, or simply going outside for fresh air. You could even arrange a weekly game night with family and friends for some social time. A pastime not only helps you maintain a healthy work-life balance, but can also teach you new things about yourself. Also, making time for your hobbies by adding them to your schedule is essential. Don’t just hope that you’ll have enough time for them. Time Your Breaks In an Airtasker survey, the highest percentage of remote employees (37%) said that taking breaks often is the best way to stay productive while working at home. When things at work become difficult, it’s simple to become overburdened and worn out. With this in mind, take breaks throughout the day to safeguard your physical and mental health and work-life balance. Source: Airtasker Although they need not be long, breaks should involve getting up from your desk and moving about. Take a break from your job to grab a new cup of coffee from the kitchen, or stand up and stretch. In either case, taking breaks should help you maintain a healthy work-life balance. Practice Mindfulness Techniques at Home 🧘 Sometimes, taking breaks might not be enough to destress you completely, so trying mindfulness techniques is an excellent alternative.  The most popular choice is to meditate, which, in its simplest form, is sitting quietly and clearing your thoughts.  There is no guide to excellent meditation; you just need to clear your mind and avoid distractions. Meditation and mindfulness aren’t for everyone, but they are worth trying because they can help with stress management. Even if

How to Improve Employee Engagement in Your Company

A Guide to Improving Employee Engagement in Your Company

Employee engagement is critical to creating successful and profitable companies. Employees who engage at work will do their jobs better, be happier, and be more productive in the long run. However, improving employee engagement isn’t as simple as talking to them more often. There are lots of things you can do to engage employees. If you’re unsure how to improve employee engagement levels, here are some employee engagement ideas. Strategies for Boosting Employee Engagement in the Workplace 1. Provide a Great Onboarding Experience You might not be aware of it, but employee onboarding is a crucial experience for all new hires. It significantly affects their engagement and retention in the company, so you need to provide an excellent experience to them. Most team members who quit (employee turnover) will most likely leave a company early. A Harvard Business Review study found that 20% of employees leave a workplace within 45 days of starting there. You can try to avoid this with a great onboarding experience. Source: Harvard Business Review Use the onboarding process to inform them about your company culture, mission, and vision. Let them know about their role in the company and how they can contribute to its growth. Make them feel that they are welcome and they belong there. Also, set some short-term goals for new employees so they immediately have something to achieve. 2. Use an Employee Engagement Platform 📱 Just from the name itself, employee engagement platforms help boost engagement by improving communication and alignment in the company. These platforms also cause better productivity, company culture, and business success. Here are some features you can expect to find on an employee engagement platform. 3. Enhance Communication in the Workplace 🤝 Communication is crucial to an organization. When the company has excellent internal communication, employees feel happy, informed, valued, inspired, and heard. It can also enhance productivity and teamwork. You need a safe channel for sharing employee feedback between employees and superiors. Use communication tools to update, inform, and communicate with employees. Also, don’t talk down to employees when you communicate with them. You need to speak to them like peers and make them want to engage and complete goals for your business. You should also use communication to improve your business. You can do this with questionnaires and surveys. The easiest way to disperse these is with an employee engagement platform. 4. Give Recognition to Employees When They Perform Well 🏆 Most employees prefer recognition for their hard work instead of ignoring them. That’s why giving awards or rewards for their accomplishments would be a good idea. Congratulate them on their work anniversaries, promotions, perfect attendance, and other special events. Also, consider their personal preferences to give them the recognition they want and deserve. For example, people will have different preferences based on their age. A report by TeamStage found that younger employees want more life-oriented rewards, like credit cards and life insurance. In contrast, older employees want leisure-based rewards, like meals and holidays.  5. Address Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) All organizations must have DEI because it affects everyone and adds to high engagement. Without DEI, there will be disunity, lack of cooperation, and decreased productivity. That’s why each organization should implement measures to address issues related to DEI. Employee engagement platforms are brilliant for addressing DEI because they have guidelines to inform your employees about acceptable behavior. Also, you must set an example yourself. If your company needs to change and be more inclusive, that change must start with you. 6. Improve Efficiency in the Workplace By using outdated equipment and inefficient processes, employees’ productivity and quality of work will decrease. So, you should invest in the right technology and refine or alter your processes. In a survey by Gartner, they determined that 65% of Australian employees are comfortable using digital technology at work. Also, although there will likely be a range of employee ages at your business, most of them will be comfortable using digital technology to improve their efficiency. Source: Gartner 7. Build a Good Company Culture When your company has a good culture, the employees understand its expectations of them and what they need to work towards. They also feel more confident to contribute new ideas. It also makes for a good employee experience at work. The organization should be “employee-centric” to make their staff feel more belonging, empowered, and proud. It also improves productivity, employee retention, and customer satisfaction. 8. Create Team Activities for Employees 👫 People want to feel like they belong. Having team activities is an excellent way to make them think that. The activities can build and improve relationships so employees feel more engaged. If the employees work from home, you can host virtual events. Meanwhile, if they are working in the office, you can have a team lunch, volunteer activities, or other types of team-building activities that they will learn from and enjoy. Here are some examples of team-building activities to give you some starter ideas. 9. Take Care of Employee Well-being 🍎 The staff will feel motivated and engaged to work for a company if they know they are important and cared for. That’s why it’s essential to implement wellness initiatives to enhance employees’ well-being. Additionally, Australian employees’ financial and physical health levels are lower than ever before, according to a Gartner survey. For financial health, 22.5% of employees are happy. It’s 25.3% for physical wellness. Examples of wellness initiatives that you can have are: Health screenings Health education Health Interventions Sporting teams Fitness classes 10. Offer Flexibility Options to Employees Many employees prefer working from home and on flexible work hours. So, if possible, provide that opportunity to them. Flexibility increases employee engagement and helps enhance their productivity, motivation, and work-life balance.Use tools such as Tommy to make scheduling more manageable for your employees. 11. Provide Professional Development Opportunities to Employees Employees will never experience genuine engagement and job satisfaction at work if they stay in the same place. They need to learn

How to Efficiently Use Your Local Community to Grow Your Business

How to Connect with Your Local Community to Grow Your Business

Besides spending money on marketing, do you know there are many other ways to spread the word about your business? One thing to consider is reaching out to your local community. Community engagement is important because it can help your business by drastically increasing your local presence and sales. If you haven’t done it yet, we listed some tips on engaging the local community to grow your business. Read below for all the tips to make your business stand out in your local community. 1. Conduct Research on Your Local Community Before engaging with your local community, you should know who is in it. Learn more about the people and the businesses in the community so you’ll know how to interact with them. You can do this with surveys, which will inform you about what people in the community want from your business. Surveys will also tell you about customers’ buying preferences and how much they like your products and services. When you know their pain points and what you have in common, you may figure out what you can offer to produce a win-win situation for everyone. 2. Network with People and Organizations Networking goes a long way. Here are some advantages small business owners can get from it: It allows you to meet and socialize with other people and organizations. It helps you to exchange ideas with other organizations. It uplifts your professional confidence. Word of mouth will help your business grow when you do networking correctly. Additionally, networking benefits both sides, making it more enticing to all companies. 3. Support Non-profit Organizations The support charities receive is rapidly increasing; support comes from both individuals and organizations. The revenue from charities in the 2020 reporting period was 176 billion, a 10 billion increase from the last reporting period, which shows a desire for people to donate and get involved with their favorite causes. Source: Australian Charities and Not-For-Profits Commission When you donate, volunteer, or support non-profit organizations, you’re not only contributing to the community, but you also get to meet leaders and potential customers. It increases your business’s visibility and lets people know what you and your company can offer. 4. Host an Event for the Local Community You can attend or host an event where you’ll increase brand awareness and network with other people and businesses. A great idea is to make it a family-friendly event so parents can bring their children along. In this way, they are more likely to enjoy the occasion. Here are some tips for hosting an excellent event. 5. Sponsor a Local Team 🏏 Sponsoring a local team is another way to give back to the community. People love and heavily emotionally invest in sports, so seeing you sponsoring their favorite team will put you in their good graces. Additionally, sponsoring a local sports team can help your business in multiple ways, including: Increasing the number of people who see your brand daily. Making people more aware of what your business does and where it is. Helping you reach your intended target audience and attract new customers. Giving you more media exposure. All of the above can expand the relationship with the team you sponsor. 6. Partner With Other Businesses in the Community 🤝 Although partnerships are in the minority of business types, at only 9% in Australia, they are still beneficial if you find the right business to partner with. Reach out to local businesses, and you can partner with them, which will benefit all parties. By doing this, you can tap into their customers, and they can tap into yours. 7. Offer Discounts to Customers 💵 Provide discounts and free shipping to encourage people in your local area to buy from you. Doing this will help increase loyalty to your business, and their word of mouth is an effective marketing technique. If a customer really needs a product, offering it to them for a discount is something they won’t regret. 8. Have a Strong Online Presence 📱 Although you would think more businesses lean toward digital marketing strategies, that isn’t the case. A recent netStripes study found that only 11% of small and medium businesses embrace digital strategies. Although the number of businesses using digital strategies is low, engaging the local community, especially a younger customer base, is still an excellent idea. Source: netStripes If you want to introduce your customers to a new product, consider using social media like Facebook and Instagram and adverts on the TV and radio to ensure that most people know about it. Final Thoughts on Using the Local Community for Business Growth Your business can grow and succeed in the long run when you efficiently leverage your local community members. The advice we mentioned will benefit you and help you grow your small business. To get more advice on marketing your business to your customers, check out our blog on Tommy. How to Efficiently Engage Your Local Community to Grow Your Business 1. Conduct Research on Your Local Community 2. Network with People and Organizations 3. Support Non-profit Organizations 4. Host an Event for the Local Community 5. Sponsor a Local Team 6. Partner With Other Businesses in the Community 7. Offer Discounts to Customers 8. Have a Strong Online Presence Final Thoughts on Using the Local Community for Business Growth

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