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13 Cost-Effective Wellness Ideas to Keep Your Employees Healthy and Productive

13 Cost-effective Ideas for Employee Wellness Programs Employee well-being is a rising focus in the modern working environment. Wellness activities address physical, social, psychological, and economic health. Employee wellness programs are systems designed to target every aspect of employee health. It provides multiple options for employees so they can prioritize health in the office and at home. Here are 13 excellent initiatives for employee wellness programs. 1. Encourage Remote Working 🏠 Remote work is great for employees because it’s flexible and convenient. Remote employment also means your staff can rest and work from home rather than rely on sick days. If you implement it, employees will be less absent and engage more, meaning better results for your business. You can carry out a remote work program in various ways. Let employees work completely from home. Give employees a hybrid set-up where they work some days at home and some days in the office. Let your staff choose the days they’d like to work remotely based on their preferences. Employees who work from home can achieve a healthy work-life balance. It allows them to spend time with their families, complete personal tasks, and get more sleep. All of these help to alleviate stress and prevent burnout. 2. Introduce Flexible Working Hours Since the pandemic, companies are shifting away from the rigid 40-hour workweek in favor of a more flexible attitude. Flexible working hours create trust and eliminate your desire to micromanage. Micromanaging can cost you money over the long term. Source: Statista Flexible work schedules also mean workers from other time zones can join your team. Furthermore, some employees may need to care for children or elderly relatives at home or attend college classes. Because strict workday schedules no longer bind them, these personnel can now perform things on their own time. Employees can work when they’re most productive in a flexible work environment, which isn’t always the case when working standard hours. 3. Raise Awareness About Mental Health Many workplaces have a “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy regarding mental health. Employees who speak up about their problems may regret it because others may exclude and isolate them. Such exclusion can destroy the affected employee’s well-being, especially because one in four persons (25-34) has a 12-month mental disorder. You can use mental health education programs to refute these harmful beliefs and habits as an employer. These may include the following: Seminars or webinars on depression, anxiety, stress, burnout, and other mental health issues. Active listening, empathy, and conflict resolution workshops. By de-stigmatizing these issues, you may foster a more inclusive workplace atmosphere and encourage mental health talks. You can also collaborate with mental health professionals in the workplace to give counseling, bereavement counseling, or smoking cessation programs. You can also implement “mental health days,” where your staff can take a break whenever needed, no questions asked. Another alternative for you as a manager is opening up about your journey and experiences. Leading by example encourages your employees to seek mental health assistance. 4. Hold Financial Literacy Workshops 💰 Source: Australian National University (ANU) Employees who cannot make ends meet are likelier to show it at work. As a result, employees’ mental health may get worse, especially if they’re working parents attempting to keep up with escalating daycare expenditures. You can lower these concerns by providing excellent and timely financial education. Your team could range from young graduates to veteran personnel nearing retirement. As a result, tailor a financial wellness program to the demands of distinct age groups. You may, for example, hire an expert to assist employees with monthly budgeting and savings. They can also learn how and where to invest. You might also offer confidential one-on-one financial planning sessions with a third-party specialist. 5. Establish Employee Appreciation Programs Unappreciated hard work might lead to workplace discontent and the desire to leave. You should celebrate your employee’s accomplishments like you would your company’s milestones. Praising a job well done or recognizing staff accomplishments can boost employees’ sense of belonging. It only takes seconds to praise an employee, but it might mean the world to them. You may urge employees to keep up their excellent work and strive for more by delivering positive feedback. It also tells employees you are aware of and interested in their accomplishments. As a result, you will establish a positive culture. 6. Create Collaborative Working Environments 🤝 Collaborative workspaces often increase innovation and creativity. If you have an in-house staff, you can make these interactions easier by setting up open-plan offices. The following can occur in the company’s physical areas. Employees can feel more at ease by getting to know their coworkers. Employee well-being depends on good friendships. Having even one coworker friend also affects staff retention and productivity. Open workplaces, on the other hand, may be distracting to some people. As a result, we recommend setting aside a location where your staff can collaborate if they so desire. Innovative office spaces can also assist you in implementing fitness wellness challenges that benefit weight loss and blood pressure reduction. These can help boost workplace productivity, happiness, and well-being. 7. Create Community Outreach Programs Social and cultural shifts heavily influence today’s online culture. Employees, regulatory organizations, and customers scrutinize a corporation’s social and environmental practices closely. Getting involved in the community provides a lot of advantages. It can improve your company’s image and recruit fresh personnel. Also, existing employees will take pride in their employer’s participation in community programs. Volunteering also reduces stress, increases self-esteem, and improves communication about crucial health risks and issues. Also, formal volunteering numbers are decreasing, so now is the best time for employee engagement. A 2022 study shows that the formal volunteering rate in NSW went from 28.9% to 23.1% from 2019 to 2020. 8. Make Parenting Programs Available 👶 Because most employees work from home, the distinction between home and work can become hazy. For example, working parents must balance multiple obligations with little help. Job-related stress may follow individuals home,

13 Ways to Care for Your Employees’ Mental Health

A productive and positive working environment is often not possible if you do not consider your employees’ mental health. Also, there isn’t one solution to this. You need to make large-scale, proactive changes to the workplace to make a difference to your employees’ mental health. Read on to discover some methods you can put into practice to care for employee mental health issues. What are Some Methods for Caring for Employee Mental Health? You have to make changes to impact your employees’ mental health in the workplace positively. It is not good enough to expect them to improve on their own. If you can do something to help your employees, you should. Here are the things you need to consider to care for your employees’ mental health. 1. Openly Communicate with Your Employees If you don’t communicate with your employees, they will think you don’t value or care for them. Therefore, you must encourage employees to communicate with you and share your mental health. You need to take the first step on this. It is unlikely that employees will talk about their mental health problems unless you create an environment where they feel safe to do so. Remember that employees do not have to share their mental health conditions if they don’t want to. Source: NSW Government 2. Provide Multiple Resources for Mental Health If employees are willing to talk about their mental health, you should have resources for them to use. For example, you can use Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs). These can provide employees with assessments, counseling (short-term), referrals, and more. All of this remains entirely confidential for the employee. According to an IBISWorld report, the EAP market grew by 3.7% between 2017 and 2022. Additionally, you can help more personally by hosting workshops on relevant mental health subjects like stress management. 3. Create Flexible Working Arrangements for Employees A 35-hour working week can harm mental health. If employees are struggling with their current working hours, you can suggest flexible ones. For example, they could work two hours less a day or have an extra day off. You could also introduce the idea of remote working. Give employees the option to work entirely from home if they want or offer a hybrid arrangement; they work some days from home and some days in the office. Doing this for an employee can help reduce the potential for burnout, improving their mental health. 4. Encourage Your Employees to Take a Vacation 🌅 Another way you can help employees avoid burning out during work is by suggesting they take a vacation. A vacation is a surefire way to relax and destress before starting work; it’s like pressing a reset button. Here are some alternative suggestions to taking a vacation. 5. Encourage Employees to Have a Work-life Balance 🍻 Aside from encouraging employees to take breaks, you should also discuss their work-life balance with them. If they are too work-focused, they may not get enough sleep or have time to spend with friends or family. An OECD survey states that, on average, Australian employees devote 14.4 hours of their day to leisure and personal care (lower than the OECD average). Encourage your employees to separate their working life from their home life. Help them by balancing their workload or telling them to take an extra day off. 6. Set Realistic Timelines for Tasks⏰ If you place unfair expectations on employees, it will stress them out and likely worsen their mental health. Therefore, always ask employees how they find their current workload. If they suggest it may be too much, consider giving some of it to someone else. You must treat all employees fairly. If one employee works faster than others, that doesn’t mean you should double their workload. 7. Make the Work Environment More Supportive Making a more supportive work environment is a critical way to make the workplace more accepting of mental health. You should build a culture in your team that values: Collaborating. Empathizing with each other’s problems. Understanding and helping each other. Supporting employee mental health prevents them from feeling isolated or alone. 8. Train Other Managers on Mental Health Just because you begin to understand why mental health is important and what you can do to help doesn’t mean that other managers will do the same. Therefore, you should train them to notice if an employee struggles with their mental health and show support. Go into detail on the mental health resources you can offer to employees. 9. Remove Stress From the Working Environment Stress is a critical aspect that negatively affects employees’ mental health. Source: ADP Research Institute To reduce stress in the workplace, focus on making it more calming, a place where employees want to go. You can do this by adding a relaxation area to the office, where employees can go if they feel stressed. 10. Create Programs for Wellness and Mindfulness 🧘 Taking a hands-off approach to dealing with your employees’ mental health is not the answer. They will appreciate it if you show them that you care and want to do what you can to help. A few methods to help employees struggling with mental health include: Setting up meditation sessions to help them become more mindful. Hosting or organizing yoga sessions to destress employees and promote wellness. Creating wellness workshops for your employees. 11. Show Appreciation for Your Employees’ Effort Larger gestures like setting up wellness workshops are not the only way you can help employees. A smaller act that employees will love just as much is showing them appreciation. Showing employees tough love after completing a task is not good enough. Get across that you genuinely appreciate their efforts. Doing this will raise your employees’ sense of worth and morale. 12. Monitor Employee Engagement and Satisfaction It isn’t always easy to work out if employees are happy in the workplace; some will do well to hide it. Therefore, monitoring their engagement and satisfaction can be the determining factor to see if

8 Workplace Wellness Initiatives To Get You Motivated

Workplace wellness efforts are becoming a top priority in organizations around the world. STAT. Long-term success requires proactive attention to both emotional and physical employee wellness. As companies adjust to ongoing flexible working practices and The Great Resignation, it’s essential to prioritize employee wellbeing more than ever before. Several organizations are leading the charge in this field, and we want to share some of the true jewels 💎 we have discovered in the workplace wellness space. Continue reading for some amazing ideas on delivering workplace wellness programs. Why Implement Workplace Wellness Initiatives? Employee well-being refers to how a staff member’s job affects their overall health and happiness, and vice versa. When businesses prioritize wellbeing, their teams are less stressed and more productive. In other words, implementing workplace wellness initiatives can increase employee engagement. In fact, companies with workplace wellness programs report: A 66% increase in productivity 67% increase in employee satisfaction 63% increase in financial stability 50% decrease in absences These statistics show that employee wellness programs can be incredibly value. By boosting productivity and reducing absences, you can increase efficiency. It’s more profitable for your business. Not to mention, when employees feel valued and happy, they will stay in their job. Considering that hiring new employees can cost 3-4x the position’s salary, it pays to keep employees happy. Workplace Wellness Programs That Will Motivate You 👍🏻 There are endless ways to implement employee wellness initiatives. From smoking cessation programs to healthy eating, there are plenty of options to help you encourage a healthy lifestyle. Many employee wellness programs also focus on mental wellbeing. Here are eight amazing wellness programs to inspire you. 1. Wellness Days 📅 Wellness days can refer to two different things: Designated days off where employees can take time to rest. A dedicated event that celebrates employee wellbeing. The first type is useful for a variety of reasons. Sometimes, your employees need a break, or they will face burnout. Workplace stress is a slippery slope, where stressed employees struggle to meet deadlines. Before it gets to breaking point, allowing days off to focus on wellbeing can nip the issue in the bud. In the United States, 89% of adults have experienced burnout in the past year. The most commonly cited reasons are physical fatigue, cognitive weariness, and emotional exhaustion. Source: Zippia Employers can work to tackle these issues by allowing their staff to take a set number of ‘mental health days’ per year. Crucially, these should be separate from annual leave and sick days. They allow employees to recuperate so they can return to work as their best selves. The second kind of wellbeing day prioritizes team membership. Get everyone in the office together to participate in a themed wellness day (or wellness afternoon). This is very similar to team-building exercises, as it ensures that everyone is interacting socially. You can try dance classes, mindfulness days, cooking classes, stress management sessions, art therapy, or puppy play sessions. Case Study: CharterNet Advisers offered staff extra wellness days for every fortnight during the lockdowns in Sydney. 2. Prioritize Flexible Work 🏡 The pandemic has made us all much more flexible in the way we work. Now more than ever, it’s time to shift to a more flexible working schedule that allows employees to improve their work-life balance. You don’t need to implement remote work all of the time. However, giving your staff some wiggle room takes some pressure off their personal lives. Let’s say you have parents on your team. Flexible working schedules mean they don’t have to worry about collecting their children after school. allowing them to divert that energy into their work. Case Study: Despite being a huge company with over 25,000 employees, TELUS International has unique programs for remote recruitment, remote work, remote training, and more. The company prioritizes connection and wellbeing throughout the global team. If they can do it, so can you! 3. Give Wellness Allowances 💸 What is considered fitness to one person might not apply to another. It’s tricky to implement workplace wellness programs when different staff members have different needs. You can attempt to combat this by providing wellness allowances. It’s a great method for celebrating employee success, allowing staff to become healthy employees by prioritizing their own needs. Note that this method takes a little nudging, encouraging employees to use their allowances and think about what they need. Case Study: Expedia Group has introduced a wellness reimbursement program. Employees can submit reimbursement claims for personal health and wellness expeses, and Expedia reimburses them for a certain amount. Employees have used this system for fitness watches, boxing gloves, skiing equipment, and flying trapeze classes. 4. Encourage Movement 🚶‍♀️ Physical activity has a huge impact on overall health, including mental wellness. It’s important to encourage your staff to get up and about, particularly in an office setting. There are several ways you can do this. Some companies implement walking meetings, giving their employees fresh air and exercise while also maintaining productivity. Of course, this only works for small one-on-one meetings and places with good weather! ☀️ Other alternatives include on-site fitness programs, like yoga classes or boxercise. Yoga is a great option because anyone can participate no matter their fitness level, and it’s easy to do with minimal equipment. Either way, encouraging your staff to stay active is crucial. Case Study: Dealertrack’s headquarters in Long Island, NY features dedicated cardio and yoga rooms. These repurposed conference rooms are more than enough to encourage staff to work out. Plus, it ensures they don’t have to drive to a nearby gym after work and pay extra membership fees. 5. Encourage Practical Wellness via Transportation 🚴‍♀️ If you live in a walkable community or city center, you can encourage employees to cycle or walk to work. This is a great employee wellness program because it’s low cost and easy to implement. If you choose to use bikes, you can rent or buy in-house share bikes so that staff don’t have to shell out

3 Simple Ways to Make Staff Love Coming to Work

3 Simple Ways to Make Staff Love Coming to Work Staff are the first and sometimes the only direct experience our customers have with our business. Each staff member represents the face of the company. Dealing with happy staff makes for a much more enjoyable customer experience, so the best way to ensure satisfied customers is to have a happy team. The Huffington Post released an article on ‘The Psychological Benefits of Having Things to Look Forward To,’ which explored how looking forward can positively impact our actions. For example, the article found that if you’re looking forward to doing something (like going to work), you will be more motivated to accomplish tasks you would otherwise put off. It also makes you more optimistic about the future and happier in general. If your staff love coming to work, it will make them more motivated, productive, and happier overall. But how do you make someone want to go to work? It’s a common misconception that you must do your dream job to be happy, but you don’t actually need to be in your dream job to be satisfied. You just need to enjoy what you do, find value in it, and feel supported by your colleagues and managers. This article will cover a few ways to boost the workplace atmosphere to make people feel more included, happier, and more motivated to work productively. Check them out below now to find ways of enhancing employee satisfaction! 1) Promote a Culture of Appreciation Showing employees that you appreciate them and all the hard work they do for you is vital. If employees feel like you notice when they do good work, they will be more likely to come to work happy and ready to have a productive day. But how do you help employees feel appreciated? We’ve got a few ideas below. Offer perks for hard work, like spa gift certificates, discounts for their favorite shops, and more. Not all incentives need to be monetary, either. Ensure you’re checking in with remote workers and keep lines of communication open. Encourage a healthy work-life balance. Consider giving employees Friday afternoons off and ensuring everyone gets their birthday off each year. Use a platform for employee recognition. Let people nominate their peers and encourage the whole team to show appreciation. Promote genuine transparency in the workplace. Have regular catch-ups and be candid when speaking about business growth and more. If you treat employees with openness and respect, they’re more likely to reciprocate. An Idea to Show Your Appreciation: Themed Days Source: Cloverleaf Whether you do them monthly, seasonally, or annually, a simple but effective way to make your workplace more exciting is by having themed days. It is fun and gives your staff something to look forward to. Everyone can get involved, and it breaks up the monotony of the day-to-day business. These days can include everything from pajama days in the office (yes, we’re suggesting you let your employees come to work straight from their bed) to throwback days (think the 70s🕺, 80s, and come what you wanted to be when you were a kid). Having theme days could include having events throughout the day. For example, for Hawaiian shirt day 🌸, you could serve up a Hawaii-inspired lunch for your staff free of charge! Or you could conduct a team-building exercise, like a treasure hunt, on a pirate-themed day 🏴‍☠️. While some of these suggestions may seem silly, it encourages your staff to have a laugh with each other. Avoid implementing these days when everyone is very busy; use them as a reward after busy seasons. Shared experiences are extremely beneficial for teams. They can help people grow closer, communicate better, and build team identity. In addition, feeling like part of a team can positively impact motivation, leading to higher performance levels. Themed days are also an excellent way to break up the day-to-day. Boredom and monotony can significantly impact morale and may contribute to higher stress levels. Introduce some excitement into your employees’ day with fun events like this! 2) Make Wellness a Priority Source: Forbes Wellness is an incredibly topical issue, with many people prioritizing it in their lives and careers. Ensuring your company focuses on wellness can show your staff that you care and help them improve their mental well-being. Staff at companies that prioritize employee wellness are more likely to recommend the company as an excellent place to work to others. This means that if you treat your employees well, not only will they want to come to work, others will want to work for you too. So, how do you incorporate wellness into your company culture? Below, we’ve come up with a few ideas. Physical Health Wellness isn’t all about meditation classes 🧘 and company yoga retreats. In fact, wellness can actually begin with simple things like providing healthy snacks 🍎 for staff in the break room, making lunch breaks mandatory (and ensuring people leave their desks during their lunch hour), and reinforcing the importance of taking time off when sick or burned out. Physical health is just as important as mental health, so ensuring that your staff is physically healthy is the first step to improving morale at work. It can also reduce sick days! Social Socializing is critical to happiness. This has been researched and proven repeatedly, so allowing your employees to socialize with one another is an excellent way to make them feel happier at work. Good ways to give your employees a chance to socialize include: Walking meetings: This is where, instead of commandeering a meeting room, you take your appointment on the road. Grab a coffee ☕ and get out into nature while catching up with colleagues. Work drinks and events: Having a place to socialize informally can help employees relax and get to know one another better. Team lunches: Another way to socialize is to grab lunch together. Take your team out for a treat on a Friday to say well done

31 Recognition Ideas That Your Employees Will Treasure

31 Recognition Ideas That Your Employees Will Treasure Making your employees feel appreciated is key to keeping morale up in the office. If your employees don’t know that you think they’re doing a good job, they may become unmotivated and perform poorly. Employees who feel undervalued are more likely to be absent and leave their jobs, leading to a high staff turnover which reflects poorly on your company. Additionally, underappreciated employees are also more like to have negative attitudes, not communicate well, and lack initiative. All in all, it appears a good idea to ensure that your employees are recognized and feel valued. But how do you go about doing this? How can you make employees feel appreciated? This article will cover a number of ways you can recognize employees to ensure that they know how much you value them. Take a look now to find out more. 1. Make a Plan The first step in every solution is to construct a concrete plan. Hence, you must create a plan to reward your employees. Your strategy doesn’t have to be well structured, but it must possess solid ideas to make it more viable. Ask for input from other leadership team members to find out how they think you should improve recognition within your company. You could also speak with your employees to find out how they would feel more appreciated at work. The more feedback you get from those around you, the more likely you are to come up with a plan that actually makes your employees feel recognized and appreciated by you. 2. Don’t Forget Special Occasions First, to make your employees feel like you care, you’re going to need a calendar that lists people’s birthdays 🎂, job anniversaries, and more. You don’t necessarily need to have a party for each one, and this may be difficult for larger companies anyway, but you should at least email them. For smaller companies, you may be able to have a quick gathering, a slice of cake, and an hour off work to ensure your employee knows you’ve remembered their birthday and to boost company culture. Work anniversaries, like 5 years, 10 years, and other special milestones, could come with a gift card or a handwritten note that acknowledges the employee’s achievements and reminds them what an asset they are. They have, after all, spent a lot of time working for and making money for you! 3. Peer Support Peer-to-peer recognition can have a positive effect on the employee experience. In fact, peer recognition programs are “35.7% more likely to have a positive impact on financial results than manager-only recognition.” Being recognized by your colleagues feels good. You work every day with these people, so knowing that they think you’re doing a good job, too, is an excellent feeling. For those in an office, you could have a physical wall of fame where employees may recognize one another for their achievements. In the digital age, many more people are now working from home. For these people, peer-to-peer recognition could take place on a dedicated platform everyone can access. 4. Happiness Drive There are many ways to improve employee happiness, and you can test out a range of these in the workplace to show your employees you want them to be happy at work 😁. Great options for boosting employee happiness include: Focusing on mental well-being: Try in-house yoga and meditation, give employees access to mental health apps, and encourage people to take a full lunch break. Offering benefits and incentives: These don’t just have to be monetary incentives, but most people won’t say no to a raise! Encourage personal development: Helping employees to improve skills that boost their career mobility is a great way to upskill your workforce and show them that you care about their future. Additionally, continuous learning is excellent for good mental well-being. 5. Provide a Token Offering a token of your appreciation, whether a yogurt top medal 🏅 or a quick email to let someone know they’re doing great, can really help if you’re trying to build a culture of recognition. Not all recognition needs to come in the form of an employee appreciation day, after all. 6. Publicize Recognition We’re not saying every recognition needs to be public. You don’t need to hire a skywriter to tell your employees you appreciate them. But every now and again, it might be a good idea to formally recognize someone. It doesn’t need to be an employee of the month, but a quick note in the company newsletter about an employee or team who has done particularly outstanding work in recent weeks would go down well. Many employees may feel uncomfortable if you suddenly start sending emails with large pictures of their faces with glowing compliments beside them, but a quick note about someone’s fantastic work can make them feel good! 7. Monitor Small Team Successes If you’re a larger company, you may want to monitor the success of individual teams and announce a team of the month at the end of each month. This friendly competition could help motivate team members to go above and beyond. You could even incentivize the teams by offering a reward for the team with the highest output. This will vary depending on the kind of company you work within, but examples could be the highest number of clients gained or units sold. 8. Modify Rewards Uniqueness When trying to motivate employees, you need to be aware that not all employees will want the same things. So, if you’re offering incentives, ensure that they can be modified to a person’s interests. For example, one person may love going out for great food or seeing new films 📽️, but another may prefer to spend time with family or hiking mountains ⛰️. For monetary rewards, a great choice is to offer gift cards as part of your employee recognition program. Gift cards are easy to customize for each employee, who can choose whatever they want.

10 Fantastic Team Building Activities

Team-building activities for work are both informative and fun. They help teams get to know each other, helping them learn how their colleagues think, work, problem-solve, and relate to one another. Team-building activities are often announced to choruses of groans, but there are innovative ways to use them within your team 👯. They can be used during orientation and as icebreakers, and they can be used on team-building days to help bring your staff closer together. Below, we’ve gathered ten team-building activities that are fun and exciting. Take a look and make notes for your next team-building day! 1) Egg Drop 🥚 Source: Semantic Scholar Egg Drop is a traditional team-building game that brings groups together to solve creative problems. It can get messy! But this just raises the stakes, making it more exciting. Your aim is to create an egg package/carrier that can withstand a 2+ story drop while keeping the uncooked egg intact. Like we said, messy 🍳!! Group Size: 2+ small groups. Can work for small to large teams. Run Time: 30-40 minutes. How To Play: Split your team into even groups. Usually, 2-4 people in each team is a good amount. It allows people to work together and build relationships without too many people shouting over one another. Give each team a raw/uncooked egg and provide various office supplies, such as straws, tape, plastic, balloons, rubber bands, and newspapers in a pile. Give teams 15-30 minutes to use the supplies provided to build the best protection for the egg. After they have built protective packages for their eggs, it’s time for the drop. This part can get messy, especially if people’s carriers aren’t up to the task! The winning squad is the one where the most eggs survive the free fall. In the event of a tiebreaker, you can raise the egg-fall height. Or just declare joint team winners with a planned rematch at another time! This team-building activity is a great way to have people think on the spot and work under pressure. They have to think creatively, which can be translated into problem-solving in the workplace to improve company culture. The nature of this activity also means they will have a fun shared experience with their colleagues, which should help them to build deeper relationships with their colleagues. In fact, research actually suggests that shared experiences can be beneficial to colleagues and can help them to recognize each other’s shared strengths and unique abilities. 2) The Minefield / Watch Your Step 🧨 This game is played with a partner. One person is blindfolded and unable to speak; the other acts as the guide. The goal of the guide is to help the blindfolded person through an obstacle course without touching them. The guide is only allowed to speak directions and may not help the guide in any other way. The blindfolded person must not touch, bump into, or trip over any obstacles. Otherwise, the team is out of the game, and you must start over. The game encourages precise communication between teammates. The blindfolded person is reliant only on spoken instructions, and so the guide needs to be clear and give instructions that are easy to follow. It’s probably pretty easy to see how a game like this can be great for developing communication and team bonding, but we’ll reiterate all the same! The game can help people to understand how their colleagues communicate with each other. It allows teams to develop communication habits that work for everyone. This could be particularly useful for remote teams who follow a hybrid working style, as remote work requires clear communication. Equipment for setting up the game can vary. Blindfolds can easily be made from scarves or strips of fabric. Or you could cover safety goggles in masking tape so you cannot see through them. Obstacle options can be small, like paper, pencils, small toys, and more. Or you could build a maze with chairs and tables. Just ensure that the course isn’t too hazardous! Group Size: Groups of 2, small to medium team size. Run Time: 15-30 minutes. How To Play: For this activity, use an open space or activity room. Prepare a start and endpoint. Use the obstacles listed above or get creative with your own ideas. Divide the group into teams of two, each with one member blindfolded. Give verbal instructions to the blindfolded teammate on how to negotiate the course and avoid walking on the obstacles/mines. Time each team from start to finish. The winner will complete the course in the shortest time. With a draw, you could have the two winners face off in a completely new obstacle course to declare a winner. 3) The Perfect Square ⬛ This is a game in which team members must collaborate to build a perfect square with a rope while blindfolded. Communication skills, teamwork, and hilariously out-of-shape courts are all on the menu. This game encourages the group to work together, but they will find that having a team leader may make communication smoother. You can appoint team leaders, perhaps choosing employees who don’t usually speak up or those you think would make good leaders. Appointing a leader can get people out of their comfort zone and help them to open up to the group a bit more. Group Size: 4-20 people. Run Time: 15-30 minutes. How To Play: Gather the group together, have them sit in a circle, and place their blindfolds over their eyes. Take a rope with the ends tied together and give it to the group. Their goal is to form a perfect square out of the rope without taking off their blindfolds. Allow them as much time as they like – once they are happy they have formed a square, they can take off their blindfolds and observe their handy work… If you have time, you can repeat the activity and offer the team another chance to improve. You could also have them create different shapes while blindfolded… five-pointed

10 Secrets to Have a Happy Life

The question of how to live a happy life has plagued generations before us and is likely to trouble us for the foreseeable future. Many people want to be happy but are unsure of what to do (or, more importantly, stop doing). In an effort to not focus on the negatives, we’re not going to look at what can make you unhappy. Instead, we want to take a closer look at the things that can make your life much happier instead. Check them all out below to find out more about living a happier life. 1. Build and Nurture Meaningful Relationships 👩‍❤️‍👨 Source: National Library of Medicine No matter how strong we are, we all want someone to be there with us during the tough moments in our life. We also want someone to celebrate our victories with. And it doesn’t have to be a romantic partner. We just need a person/s who will be there for us, whoever they may be. No one really likes to be alone. So, one of the ways to truly be happy is to spend time with your family, friends, and other loved ones. Time with them is time well spent indeed🥰. In fact, research has shown that social relationships can have a positive benefit on your mental health and your mortality. Positive friendships are associated with a higher perceived level of life satisfaction, so if you want to live a happier life, spend more time with your loved ones ♥️! 2. Indulge in Nature 🌿 Source: Scientific Reports Spending time in nature has been proven to have a positive effect on your mental health. Indeed, in this research on the benefits of nature for those living in urban areas, time spent outdoors was shown to have a positive effect on anxiety, stress, and depression. While we all live busy lives, getting out into nature is essential. So, you’ll be pleased to know that one study found that spending just 120 minutes in nature per week could benefit your mental health and well-being. Fortunately, you can break this up over the week. Indeed, just 30 minutes spent in nature 🌳 is thought to reduce blood pressure by 10%. So by spending 30 minutes in nature four times per week, you’ll be able to hit your quota of outdoor time, feel happier, and even feel physically fitter. 3. Savor Your Victories 🏆 Little or big, a victory is something that should be celebrated. Doing so will remind you that life is not all hardships and suffering. Praising yourself for your achievements will increase your optimism and motivate you to do more for yourself and others. Hint: If you’re working on BIG things, break them down into smaller victories! That way, you won’t lose motivation and can celebrate each of the little wins along the way. Research suggests that there is positive psychology behind celebrating small wins. Celebrating victories along the way to a bigger goal is a trait of happy people. It improves motivation and ensures people feel they are making progress. As progress is part of human nature, if you have this sense of purpose in your life and work, you’re likely to feel greater happiness. 4. Practice Gratitude 🙏 Source: Harvard Health Publishing If you’re looking for an effortless way to reduce stress and improve your overall happiness, practicing gratitude is the best thing you can do. Studies have shown that people who practice gratitude have better mental health and cope with stress better. Practicing gratitude daily can be incredibly simple. You could spend a few moments each evening writing down a few things you’re grateful for each day, or you could incorporate gratitude into a meditation practice 🧘. However you do it, gratitude has been proven over and over to have a positive effect on happiness. So if you want to feel happy in life, start giving thanks. 5. Live in the Moment ⌚ We typically regret what we didn’t do in the past. Or sometimes, we tend to worry too much about our future. But that shouldn’t be the case as we live in the now. While it’s not wrong to reminisce sometimes or plan ahead 📅, remember the importance of being present. You can only live a specific moment once, so make the most out of it. When you do so, you’ll appreciate your life more, and you’ll be thankful that you did. If you frequently feel your mind wandering to the future, overthinking about past actions, or you simply don’t feel present, you could try grounding techniques throughout your day. A grounding technique brings your mind and body back to the present moment. Grounding techniques to try: 5-4-3-2-1: This technique uses all four senses. In your mind, think of five things you can see 👀, four things you can touch 👇, three things you can hear 👂, two things you can smell 👃, and one thing you can taste 👅. By becoming aware of what your senses pick up on, your mind will be forced back into the present moment. Body scan meditation: A body scan meditation helps you to focus on your body and how it is feeling. It pulls you away from everything going on around you and reminds you to stay present. It can improve focus and help to calm you. 6. Be Honest With Your Friends and Yourself 🗣️ Being honest is a simple way to lead a happier life. If you’re constantly lying to people or hiding things, you’ll run ragged, trying to keep up with all the lies you’ve told. Being fair and honest with everyone in your life will boost your connection and ensure your relationship thrives. Honesty is also something you should respect yourself enough for. Being honest with yourself and building self-awareness ensures you keep growing and keeps you moving forward. If you lie to yourself, like telling yourself you’re happy when you’re not, you may overexert yourself, feel more stress, and stay in situations you know harm your well-being

11 Tips to Increase Productivity and Reduce Overtime

Overtime increases labor costs but also contributes to burnout and lower well-being. Finding the right balance can improve your profit and the happiness of your employees. Reducing overtime is essential for a company as it can benefit your staff and the overall success of your business. 📈 To optimize workflows, create a more positive work environment and help your business thrive, follow our 11 tips to increase productivity and reduce overtime. ⏰ Let’s take a closer look into why it’s important: Why is increasing productivity and reducing overtime important? Increasing productivity and reducing overtime is vital due to its positive impact on your business. Employees working too much overtime can increase stress levels and burnout, which may have a negative effect on their job performance. Furthermore, employees will have a better work-life balance, feel more engaged and become more motivated at work if overtime is reduced.😊 Increasing productivity will benefit your business as your employees will be more focused and willing to help your business thrive. If employees are productive, they’ll work to a higher performance level and work hard to succeed.🤔 Here are 11 tips to increase productivity and reduce overtime: 1. Adopt a flexible schedule🗓 Having a flexible schedule will be beneficial for everyone. Employees can choose when they are most productive and happy to work in this setup. Flexible schedules can also reduce employee absences. If a flexible schedule doesn’t suit your business, try to find the most appropriate plan you can. At Mytommy, we offer an elite employee scheduling software to help you stay as organized and productive as possible. With visual features for a streamlined process, and the option of automatic reminders and calendar updates, our scheduling software is the way forward for flexibility and organization. 📆 Source: Zippia 2. Reduce meetings👩🏾‍🤝‍👨🏽 Meetings are often helpful, but sometimes they can be time-consuming and reduce productivity in the workplace. Meetings can hinder productivity due to a lack of preparation, increased distractions and multitasking and changes to schedules and plans. 🗣 According to a study, an estimated $37 billion is lost per year to unproductive meetings. The time spent in meetings can be used to finish other tasks, so aim to set a standard for shorter and fewer meetings or use efficient phone calls as a replacement to manage your time more effectively. Digital task management softwares can keep your time as productive as possible, as you’ll waste less time. Boost productivity by keeping the number of meetings to a minimum, limiting the number of people, and creating a solid call to action for employees to follow up with. Source: Zippia 3. Avoid unnecessary overtime Emphasize work-life balance in your workplace to reduce stress. Remove ‘overtime culture’ from your business by emphasizing the importance of sticking to regular hours. ⏳ Unnecessary overtime can lead to employee burnout and increased stress levels, hindering productivity and motivation. By avoiding unnecessary overtime, employees’ productivity at work will increase, as well as their well-being. ☺️Your employees will likely stick around for longer with an improved work-life balance and a more positive outlook. Extensive overtime may also fail to meet employment laws, so it’s worth keeping in mind. A healthy work-life balance is extremely important and according to a study, 72% of workers believe work-life balance is very important when choosing a job, and 57% of job-seekers say a poor work-life balance is a dealbreaker when they’re considering a new job. Source: Zippia 4. Provide appropriate equipment and resources👩‍💻 Allocate appropriate resources for tasks to increase productivity, decrease overtime and help employees work smarter. Using our software to plan and manage tasks, projects, and time will give you more flexibility and tools to manage and assign tasks. Mytommy’s extensive features can also assist in these tasks. From messaging platforms to team communication, you can keep everyone up to date with the resources on offer. Automation of reporting, communication, training and onboarding will streamline your business and save time and money. 5. Limit overtime hour⏰ Your Human Resources team is responsible for calculating and allocating appropriate overtime based on employment arrangements. Ensure policies are written and shared with employees and their managers to streamline and limit overtime hours. If employees endure too much overtime, it may be a health and safety issue, and they may fail to comply with laws. Mytommy’s time and attendance software effectively keeps track of time and attendance, ensuring all employees are fulfilling their designated hours and avoiding too much overtime.✅ 6. Observe your team’s performance ⭐️ Assessing performance begins with reviewing tasks, time management and communication. Checking the allocation of resources and time can assist in improving productivity. To keep productivity levels and the engagement rate of your staff high, make sure you look at patterns and performances so you can make changes if necessary and alter times to post specific tasks or assignments. If your team is taking a while to complete tasks, you’ll be able to alter the allocation process and find ways to increase workplace productivity. Furthermore, you may notice distractions hindering your team’s performance, like social media or Instagram engagements. 📱If so, you can implement measures to increase their productivity. According to a study, 47% of people use social media at work, creating distractions and a lack of productivity. Teach your employees about productivity techniques, like the Pomodoro technique, time blocking and the benefit of taking short breaks. Communicate with your team and offer them the chance to voice their opinions, and you can consider any comments they raise to ensure they remain as productive as possible.👍 7. Cross-train employees🤓 Cross-train your employees to do various tasks so the responsibilities are shared, reducing overtime and the likelihood of burnout. By cross-training employees, they’ll feel more motivated due to a more developed range of skills, leading to increased productivity as they feel more able to contribute at work. Cross-training employees will result in a more productive workforce, increasing efficiency, teamwork, employee versatility and a positive work environment for employees due to the extra roles

10 Social Media Trends That Businesses Should Know This 2023

Is your business a newbie in the social media landscape? Or are you just curious about the latest trends you can use? If so, you’re in the right place!📱 The influence of social media is taking the business world by storm, and keeping up with the top trends will keep you relevant. From content creation to social media marketing, the trends are constantly changing and knowing how to use social media to your advantage will benefit your business.📈 Whether you want to raise brand awareness, increase your visibility online, engage returning customers, or entice potential ones, using social media features can help your business thrive. 🤩 With various platforms and different types of content to create, knowing the social media trends will keep your business as successful as possible and help you get ahead of competitors. In this blog, we’ll tell you the trends you can use to maximize your exposure and increase conversions. Source SmartInsights Why Should Businesses Know About Social Media Trends? In today’s digital age, social media plays a prominent role in our communication, connections, and information, and it’s a vital platform for raising awareness of your business. From online shopping to video adverts, you can utilize social media features, increase brand awareness and stay relevant. You can use social media to your business’s advantage for a competitive edge, reputation building and brand recognition.🤳 By following social media trends, you can reach your target audience and create content to attract and engage them. Social media is constantly expanding, and the trends are constantly changing, so knowing the trends of 2023 will put you in an excellent position to create content your customers will want to see👍 Let’s take a look at the ten social media trends for 2023 that businesses should know: 1. TikTok Marketing Will Grow The TikTok app has been downloaded 3 billion times and is one of the most popular and used social media apps. As the most downloaded app of 2021, TikTok’s influence continues to grow, and social media users can’t get enough of the app’s short and witty videos. With many micro influences and ever-changing trends, keeping up with TikTok as it continues to expand is important. Source Social Shepherd TikTok’s popularity and features make it the sixth most popular social media platform worldwide, and the video content is taking the business world by storm.🌎 Businesses are creating user-generated content and raising brand awareness by creating videos, adverts and selling products for users to buy.💸 More and more brands are beginning to use the app, so it’s vital to follow the trend to stay relevant. By creating short and engaging videos about your products, company, or topics that relate to them, you will attract potential new customers and keep people returning. 2. Long Videos are Ineffective🎥 People have short attention spans, especially in the fast-paced digital world we’re used to. That’s why people will not likely spend their time watching long videos that are more than 2 minutes long. The rise of Tiktok and Instagram Reels cemented this as well. So, to get your audience’s attention, create short videos that are to the point, engaging and entertaining.🙌 Youtube shorts are another way to create short and snappy videos for users to engage and interact with. Avoid lengthy, wordy videos and stick to shorter videos for better results. Often, people spend their time scrolling through social media to find something that catches their eye. If you’ve created long videos with lots of content, a user may find it takes too much confrontation and move on to the next. 3. Instagram Reels Since many people love watching videos, they will be the focus of Instagram this 2023. You can still post images, but Instagram might prioritize IGTV, videos, and reels. “91% of active Instagram users said that they watch videos on the platform every week,” reflecting the importance of engaging video content for the platform. Instagram reels are engaging and enticing; people can easily scroll through and watch your content. The reels don’t necessarily have to promote your products but use relevant information that interests your target audience. So, if you want the algorithm to increase your brand exposure, prepare those short-form videos. Instagram Reels also has features you can utilize to improve the quality of your videos, such as the option to add music.🎶 You can also add hashtags to help the content start trending on social media and increase brand visibility. Source Forbes 4. The Boom of the Creator Economy👩🏾‍🤝‍👨🏽 Creators are influencers and anyone who writes, designs, edits, or films content published on social media. Since that’s a broad coverage, more than 50 million people worldwide consider themselves creators and influencers, and this number is constantly increasing. Brands are starting to see the importance of influencer marketing, and many companies are already paying them to make content to promote their products and use their platform to raise brand awareness. In this way, those organizations are saving money and gaining better results compared to traditional marketing. 5. Paid Advertisement is Crucial No matter how well-made your content is, it might not be seen by all your followers. This is because organic reach has declined, and brands must invest in paid advertisement. This was known for the past few years which might continue up to the future. You or some employees must learn how to create ads or boost content. You can also hire a professional or an agency to handle your ads or content. A team of experienced content writers have the skills and expertise to help your website rank higher in a search engine for more potential customers to interact with using content like blogs and articles. This way, when customers search for a question, query or keyword, your website will be there, ready to supply them with all the information they need. 6. Social Shopping 🛍 Because of the pandemic, more people decided to shop online and browse the wide range of products at their fingertips. This extended into

7 Tips for Business Owners’ Financial Health

7 Tips for Business Owners’ Financial Health If you own a business, it’s not just your own finances that you have to contend with. You also have to maintain the financial health of your company, too. It’s not easy to juggle both. We have curated seven tips to help you improve your financial health. Consider this your ultimate guide to financial success. Why Managing Financial Health Is Important 🤔 Money is the backbone of any business. As inflation rises, companies must navigate the potential impacts on their revenue. According to the Financial Health Network, the percentage of people considered financially healthy decreased in 2022 to just 31%. Now is the right time to get on top of your finances. Source: Financial Health Network Managing your money well has several benefits: Allows you to make effective use of resources Has a positive effect on your credit scores Helps you gain a competitive advantage Ensures you can prepare for long-term financial stability You might feel confused by your finances, but if you can get your numbers in order, you’re on the right track to financial success. Here are seven strategies to help you out. 1. Keep Track of Your Numbers 🔢 The first step to being financially healthy is to keep track of your numbers. You need to monitor expenses, revenue, payroll, and others. There are numerous ways to track your income and expenditure, ranging from simple spreadsheets to complex data analysis machines. Every so often, check your expenses and revenue to measure the return on investment (ROI). That way, you can make smarter money decisions and prioritize expenses. 2. Separate Personal and Business Finances 💰 As a business owner, it might feel like your organization is your whole life. However, it’s wise to separate your personal and business finances. It means you can protect your personal assets if something happens to your business. Have separate credit cards for your business and personal expenses. Managing everything separately is useful for keeping everything organized, including taxes and checks. 3. Fulfill Your Financial Obligations 🏦 It’s crucial to meet all your financial obligations. As a business owner, you need to pay IRS, utilities, and labor costs. Missing any of these payments has consequences, from fines to loss of staff. Giving salaries to your employees is one of the highest priorities, so makes sure you have a budget to do so. Automating your invoices is a great way to stay on top of things. 💡 Top Tip: Your payroll costs should be below 15-30% of your gross revenue. 4. Reduce Your Expenses 📉 There are many reasons why new businesses fail. But did you know that the most common reason (for 38% of businesses) is that they run out of cash? Source: Cbinsights Sometimes we all purchase things we don’t really need, and this also applies to business owners. Try to think first before you buy new equipment or software. Maybe your equipment is still working efficiently or there is a free software you can use. List down the things that you want to upgrade or buy and identify which ones you urgently need and which ones you can buy next time. Only buy things that you really need. Prioritizing in this way can help you with long-term financial planning. When in doubt, ask yourself if this is a meaningful investment that will make a big difference. 5. Optimize Your Company’s Workforce 🧑‍💻 Optimizing your workforce can help in many areas, not just financial health. By taking steps to increase productivity and employee engagement, you can achieve many benefits, including: Reduced overtime (and lower costs) Productive staff with a high output that benefits your revenue Happy staff with low churn rates, reducing the cost of hiring and training Alongside staff, consider the non-human elements of your business, too. Can you invest in any products and services that will streamline your workflows? Affordable software like Tommy can help you stay on top of tasks and time-tracking, increasing efficiency without breaking the bank. 6. Prepare Cash Reserves 💵 It’s best to have a small fall-back cushion in case of an emergency. Ideally, you should have about six months’ worth of living expenses stashed away. Aside from emergencies, you can use savings to improve your business, such as investing in hiring staff. Set yourself a long-term goal for saving, and you will thank yourself later. It will prevent you from having to take out loans when you need cash. 7. Set Goals and Measure Results 📈 Setting financial goals is crucial if you want to succeed. You should have a plan in place for 1-10 years, reviewing it annually. Set specific goals such as selling a certain number of units or acquiring a certain number of clients. You can only monitor your progress if your goals are actionable and measurable, so make sure you implement the SMART goals method. All goals should be: Specific Measurable Achievable Relevant Time-bound With this in mind, you can work toward a financially secure future. Regularly monitor your progress to determine what’s working and what’s not. Even if you don’t meet your targets, you can learn useful data points that will inspire you and help you refocus. Looking for Better Workplace Management? 🐕 It’s not just your physical and mental health that are important. Your financial health is important, too! There are many ways for business owners to strive for financial health. Hopefully, the steps in this guide have given you something to work towards. Why not start by streamlining your productivity and managing workflows? Tommy is on hand to help with exceptional time and attendance software to help you see what your workforce is up to. Check it out today! 7 Tips for Business Owners’ Financial Health Why Managing Financial Health Is Important 1. Keep Track Of Your Numbers 2. Separate Personal And Business Finances 3. Fulfill Your Financial Obligations 4. Reduce Your Expenses 5. Optimize Your Company’s Workforce 6. Prepare Cash Reserves 7. Set Goals And Measure Results Looking For

12 Essential Skills In The Workplace

12 Essential Workplace Skills There are certain skills that can transform the way you work, no matter what industry you operate in. Whether you’re a manager, CEO, or staff member, there are particular attributes that make you a better team player. For job seekers, these are skills that will make you more employable, too. Here are twelve soft skills you need to succeed in the workplace. 1. Time Management 🕑 In most jobs, there are many things you need to do in a day. When you know how to properly manage your time, you’ll prioritize important tasks and delegate to others when needed. When you have time management skills, team members will value your ability to work to a deadline. Plus, you’ll be less stressed because you won’t be trying to tackle twenty jobs at once. Moreover, good time management is great for your personal life. It helps you manage your work-life balance and switch off after work. Master This Skill: There are plenty of time management tools to help you manage your tasks. For instance, try Tommy! 🐕 2. Critical Thinking 🧐 Critical thinking is an essential skill set. Even if you think it’s not important for your job, chances are you will need these skills at some point. It will help you solve and prevent issues in the organization by analyzing trends and information. If you can learn how to view and analyze data, you’ll become a highly valued team member. Master This Skill: Whenever faced with a difficult decision, try to think of it from a different point of view. Analyze any data with a close eye, vetting it cautiously. Plus, look at where information has come from and consider alternative views. All in all, this is a skill that takes practice. 3. Confidence 😄 Confidence is one of the most vital soft skills you can possess. It will help you make better decisions and defend yourself when needed. Employers will also have more trust in confident employees, providing them with growth opportunities. Plus, confidence can help you with project management and other tasks. When you’re confident in your decisions, you can better delegate and manage other employees. Master This Skill: Dress for success in the morning, and fake it ’til you make it! Project confidence even when you don’t feel it, and try to emulate your confident peers. Finally, you can improve your confidence by investing time and effort in professional development to cement your skills. 4. Flexibility 🤸🏼‍♀️ Changes always happen, sometimes when you least expect them. You should be willing to embrace new developments and adjust to various situations. Furthermore, make sure you’re able to work in a team but also comfortable working alone. In the long-term, learning to be flexible not only benefits the organization, but also yourself. It means you can comfortably tackle wherever comes your way, saving you unnecessary stress and anxiety. Master This Skill: Adjust your expectations and learn to stay positive. Furthermore, set non-negotiables so you know which limitations you can’t compromise on, even in case of an emergency. 5. Emotional Intelligence 🧠 Although emotional intelligence is not an obvious attribute for employees, it’s a key skill in the workplace. It will help you empathize with your workmates, superiors, and even clients. When you know how others are feeling, you can better understand them. Then, you will know how to move forward. Master This Skill: Read books and articles on management skills. Also, improve your emotional intelligence towards yourself by paying attention to how you feel and behave. Bring those critical thinking skills into play by questioning your own opinions. 6. Innovation 👩‍🎨 Sometimes, you need to think outside the box. Whether you use creativity in your day-to-day job or you make the big decisions for the company, innovation can be a fantastic weapon in your arsenal. Your workmates and superiors will both appreciate your innovation skills. Don’t be afraid to make suggestions and put yourself out there–people will remember you for your confidence and creativity. Master This Skill: Attend workshops and push yourself out of your comfort zone. If you prioritize your mental wellbeing and examine diverse perspectives, you will create room for creativity to flourish. 7. Communication Skills 🗣 Every workplace requires communication skills. If you can’t communicate properly, you will have a hard time finishing tasks! In some ways, this is more important than technical skills. You should know how to express yourself through both writing and speaking. Don’t worry if communication doesn’t come naturally to you. Master This Skill: Attend classes and workshops centered around communication. These will give you some ideal practice with real-life examples of tough workplace situations. 8. Leadership 🧑‍💼 If you see a promotion in your future, having strong leadership skills will help you get there. Knowing how to lead a team will help you progress along the career path. But please note that managing people is not easy! Being a leader requires a combination of multiple skills, such as communication, innovation, reliability, and more. Master This Skill: Find someone you look up to in your career and ask them for advice on mastering leadership skills. Be passionate about learning and development, showcasing your commitment to leading a team. 9. Problem-Solving 🧩 Organizations encounter various problems. In fact, 36% of organizations across all industries require complex problem-solving. Source: gpscorporate It’s really helpful if their employees can help them to address these issues. Companies can save money every time they solve problems quickly and efficiently. Problem-solving skills are therefore highly valuable. You should know how to: Identify the problem’s source Solve the problem Prevent it from happening again Innovation is important here, too, because it helps you think outside the box. Master This Skill: Exercise your brain with logic puzzles or games. 10. Organizational Skills 🗂 Having organizational skills doesn’t only apply to your desk. You can use these skills to handle other staff and clients efficiently, alongside juggling multiple projects. If you work in an industry like social media, you

9 Interview Techniques to Recruit the Best Employees

9 Interview Techniques to Recruit the Best Employees Interviewing candidates for a role is challenging and requires specific techniques to understand potential employees, their skills, interests and capabilities. During an interview, it’s essential to put the person at ease and allow them to present themselves effectively. 🤩 For any business, hard-working, dedicated and motivated staff are essential, and the interview process can help you employ the best employees for the job. Hiring the right employees is vital for the growth and success of any business.📈 Interviewing can be challenging, and it can be hard to know what to look for, especially in the busy, fast-paced world of work. To find the best, most successful employees for your business, follow our top nine effective interviewing techniques and tips. Why are Interviewing Techniques Important?🧑‍💻 Effective interviewing techniques are important as they’ll help you decide on the best candidate for the job. Whether it’s a single-person interview or a group setting, it’s important to put the candidates at ease to get the best results.👩🏾‍🤝‍👨🏽 During an interview process, copies of your resume aren’t enough. A candidate may seem experienced and suitable on paper, but an interview will allow you to get to know the person further. See how they react under pressure, whether they show up on time, how they present themselves and if they seem like a suitable candidate for the job with effective interviewing techniques.⏰ Let’s take a look at our nine interview techniques to recruit the best employees: 1. Pre Screening Candidates via Phone📱 This essential first step in interviewing candidates can illustrate the strength of their communication skills, which will help your hiring decision. From a shortlist, a phone interview can assist with further refining potential candidates for a face-to-face interview. In this prescreening step, you can ask critical questions, including essential skills, experience and aptitude for the available role. This step allows your business to quickly assess the candidate’s confidence, communication skills, skills for the job and experience. These interviews are important as they’ll keep the process streamlined and productive. Source: Forbes 2. Ask What They Know About Your Business and the Role💭 Assessing a candidate’s knowledge about your business, the critical skills needed for the role and their experience in similar positions can assist in refining the shortlist. A candidate passionate about succeeding in the interview and getting the job should know about your business and the role they may be doing. Asking interviewees this will highlight their motivation and dedication to getting the job, as you can tell if they’ve spent their time preparing for the interview beforehand. 47% of employers said they’d be more likely to reject a candidate with limited knowledge about the company they’re applying to, demonstrating the importance of asking the questions. You’ll want to hire someone who shows interest and passion towards your business, and this is an effective way to find out. 3. Start With Introductions🤝 Good communication skills are essential to almost every role and can be assessed through informal and formal conversation. Introductions are an excellent way to begin an interview and show how candidates present themselves. A candidate should be professional but friendly and avoid treating you like a family member or close friend. Take note of their body language and see if they struggle to maintain eye contact. 67% of employers feel that eye contact can make a difference to a person’s interview performance as it makes candidates look more prepared and confident. It’s important to remember that interviews are nerve-wracking😬, so keep this in mind, as the candidates will most likely be tense. However, if they arrive a few minutes early, demonstrate a confident and polite manner and seem like they want to make a good impression, you can begin to make a judgment about whether they’re suitable for the job. 4. Panel Interviews May Offer Greater Benefits Panel interviews can offer significant benefits as different interviewers have different styles, illustrating how a candidate responds. Furthermore, if questions arise during the interview, other interviewers may have the time to consider follow-up questions while the others listen and respond to the candidate’s answer.👥 A panel offers more objectivity on the candidate’s suitability, and once the interview is complete, you can discuss your opinions together. You may have a different interviewing style from another person on the panel, and you’ll be able to consider the candidate’s skills and answers by their responses. 5. Ask Situational Questions❓ Situational questions mirror common workplace issues and can help demonstrate the candidate’s capacity. By asking situational questions, you’ll be able to see how well the candidate can think on their feet and how they’d approach specific situations that may arise. 🤔 Examples may include: What would you do if you made a mistake? How do you manage conflict? How would you go about learning a new task? Allow the candidate some time to think about how they’d approach the situation. Take note of their confidence and their approach to the questions. 6. Consider Role-Playing Role-playing situations with a potential candidate can present opportunities to see how they react to conflict, difficult situations or fast-paced environments. How the candidate responds to the situation may offer insight into their suitability. Role-playing is a good interviewing technique as it gives insight into how a person may react in a particular situation. This behavioral interviewing technique will show how a person might handle a challenging situation, which is vital when finding the best employees for your business.👍 7. Ask Open-Ended Questions Open-ended questions allow candidates to expand on their answers and illustrate their skills and experience. Asking ‘why’ or ‘how’ questions are generally more open-ended. Using the candidate’s resume to ask for further details about their skills, experience, and specific achievements can assist in refining the shortlist. 8. Confirm the Candidate’s Expected Salary💸 Asking the candidate to confirm their expected salary may show their confidence in their professional skills. Their answers may demonstrate their interview preparation and dedication to working in a particular job.

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