Best Tips & Tricks for Employee Scheduling Blog

6 Ways Small Businesses Can Master Employer Wellbeing

6 Ways Small Businesses Can Master Employer Wellbeing Following the COVID-19 pandemic, workplace wellness programs have become increasingly common. Small business owners are under more stress, so they need wellness programs to help them cope and keep their businesses running. The pandemic aside, it’s essential to take care of mental well-being. More than 1 in 5 people will experience mental health issues at some point in their lives, so we need to try and help each other through the difficult moments. In a recent Xero study, small business owners had a lower than average life satisfaction, likely due to the stresses that come alongside managing a business. As an employer, it’s important to take care of your well-being so that your emotional well-being can trickle down to the rest of your company. However, keeping these within budget as a small business can be challenging. Here are six ways you can improve your employer well-being. 1. Mental Health 🧠 True well-being includes both physical and mental health. Prioritizing your mental health through daily activities can make a huge difference. For example, daily meditation offers many mental health benefits. Consider using an app like Calm or Headspace to help you learn meditation techniques. Another technique is to set aside your lunch break properly. Ensuring you get proper breaks throughout the day can work wonders for your mental health. You could even go for a walk on your break, benefitting your physical, emotional, and social well-being (if you go with someone). According to Gallup, poor mental health among employees loses business $340 per day for full-time workers and $170 per day for part-time workers. Now imagine these numbers when it’s the CEO who’s struggling! It’s essential to prioritize your emotional well-being so that you can remain productive and look after your staff. Supporting employee well-being is essential, but it can only happen when you look after yourself, too. 2. Time Management 🕐 Running your own business has many advantages, and one of them is the privilege of time. While having control of your own time is a major benefit, the responsibilities of being a business owner can create uncertainty and stress. It’s essential to prioritize time management. There are apps you can use, including Tommy, to help you see how you’re spending your time at work. Getting organized can significantly improve your productivity, reducing stress by helping you tackle the to-do list. When you allocate time for rest and breaks, too, it encourages mental well-being at work. When you don’t allow time for flexibility and breaks, you’re bound to encounter employee burnout. This applies to business owners, too. Make sure you’re clear on rules for breaks and vacations, encouraging your employees to take them. Lead by example by taking your own breaks every now and then. 3. Healthy Lifestyle 🏃‍♂️ Physical well-being should be another priority, as working out can have long-term benefits lasting into old age. It’s important to get moving, especially if you find yourself spending long hours at your desk! Have you experienced back pain or headaches recently? That could be to do with sitting down at work. Not only can you get rid of aches and pains, but working out can also get those endorphins flowing, increasing worker productivity. 4. Work-Life Balance ⚖️ Work-life balance is crucial, but for some small business owners, it’s difficult to force yourself to switch off. However, maintaining a healthy work-life balance is essential for both yourself and your employees’ health. If you want to improve employee well-being, work-life balance is a great place to start. Consider implementing optional remote working programs if possible, but still providing a way for employees to connect and socialize. Furthermore, make sure you’re paying fair wages to alleviate financial stress. Source: Zippia Employee wellness programs are, therefore, invaluable. As an employer, you can also take part in these programs. 5. Connecting with Colleagues ❤️ A strong support system is valuable for any small business owner. The need for support is higher when you’re struggling. Asking for help might seem hard, but it’s essential if you want to make improvements. Your support system can include family and friends, but it also includes connecting with employees and colleagues. After all, if you know what’s going on with others in your business, you can eliminate the stress of the unknown. Colleagues can also help you tackle feelings of isolation, which are especially important if you work from home. By building connections with those at work, you can boost employee engagement and ensure everyone is happy. Plus, it fosters a fun work environment. As mentioned above, an employee well-being program is a great way to foster a positive working environment. With team-building exercises and other social events, you can also 6. Journalling 📔 Journalling is an invaluable way to alleviate stress and anxiety. By identifying and recording your emotions, you can get it all out and leave it on the page. Have you heard of the Morning Pages technique? It began as a way for artists and writers to boost their creativity but is now commonly used as a well-being technique. How to do morning pages: Get a small notebook or legal pad. Set aside half an hour each day. Write three continuous pages of stream of consciousness. It can include to-do lists, dreams, things you’re worried about, or things you’re grateful for. Leave everything on the page. Write everything, confident that nobody will see it. Don’t read it back, but feel free to note down anything you want to use for work. Recognize there is no right way to do this technique; it’s all about what works best for you. Journalling in this way is a fantastic way to reduce your stress levels by getting everything out. It can be very freeing. Final Thoughts: How to Improve Your Employer Wellbeing Employee mental health is a hot topic in the post-pandemic world. But small business owners also have to take care of their own well-being. It’s essential to take care of

11 Game-Changing Tips to Keep Employee Burnout at Bay

11 Game-Changing Tips to Keep Employee Burnout at Bay Ever found yourself feeling exhausted, overwhelmed, and that you just can’t catch up, no matter how hard you try? Then, you’ve experienced burnout, along with 89% of American workers this past year, according to Zippia. It’s a nasty mix of mental, emotional, and physical fatigue – a direct result of extended periods of stress. When our workload feels like a monstrous, relentless wave that keeps coming, burnout can happen. And sadly, if you’ve got burned-out employees at your workplace, that relentless work-wave can be enough to make workers jump ship and leave the company. 🌊⚠️ High levels of workplace stress among your team members are bad for their engagement and productivity and generally leads to an all-round negative workplace culture. But don’t fret! We’ve put together 11 handy tips to share to reduce stress, keep levels of burnout down, and help employees feel relaxed and valued in their work. 1. Prioritize Mental Health 🧠 Just like in physical health, the mental health of all employees is crucial. It will affect their work and their well-being, their personal and professional lives, so everyone should take it more seriously and speak transparently about mental health in the workplace. Yet, we know there is still a stigma attached to discussions around mental health for many people, so it could be better to talk to them as a group rather than individually. Let them know that if our minds aren’t in the right place, our work and personal lives can really take a hit. Consider introducing an anonymous rating system to gauge your team’s emotional state and mental well-being. You could also bring in an expert to chat about mental health if you feel underqualified to speak to these issues. Even though it may be hard to know if a person has a mental health problem, try to observe your teammates and figure out if they need help or encouragement. If someone opens up to you, listen to them and be supportive and empathetic. And remember to keep it confidential because if it ever leaks, the employees may lose trust in you. Employees engaging with their own mental health is often the first step to preventing burnout. 2. Embrace the Art (and the Right!) of Taking Breaks We’re not machines, and even machines need a cool-down period from time to time! 🤖 You could organize a morning meditation or breathing exercise for employees and encourage coffee breaks or brisk walks to split up the day. ☕ If you feel like an employee is too burnt out and needing a breather, recommend that they take a day off to recover. Source: Gitnux 3. Encourage Work-Life Balance Work-life integration is crucial to prevent employees from burning out, and it’s so much more than just a trendy catchphrase. Commitment to work should not intrude on an employee’s personal life too much. Time to relax outside work to do whatever they please and spend time with loved ones keeps their mental health in check. It improves their emotional state and personal relationships. And here’s the thing – the keyword is balance. 🧘 This is not just about giving people time off. It’s achieving a balance to let people work their best without sacrificing their sanity for it! Happy, emotionally balanced workers make better colleagues! And guess what? Work-life balance is incredibly important to workers, too! Source: Gitnux 4. Adopt a Flexible Schedule One size doesn’t fit all when it comes to work schedules. Allow some wiggle room for your employees to work during their peak productivity hours. If that’s not feasible, at least find a schedule that doesn’t lead your team toward the burnout cliff. And, just like work-life balance, flexibility is something modern workers embrace: Source: Quickbooks 5. Avoid Overtime ⏰ Having overtime and long work hours is not only physically exhausting; it’s also the likeliest road to burnout. Try to avoid stressful situations where extra hours are needed with effective project management and planning ahead to avoid these periods of high activity. Stretching out that time will be much better in the long run than forcing your team to work long hours. Only allow overtime if it’s essential. Consequential shifts may also cause burnout too, so avoid them if possible. You can track your employee scheduling effectively with Tommy’s smart tools. These offer an immediate intuitive overview of all worker schedules, giving you quick insights into who may be overworked at any given time. 6. Communicate With Them 📢📢📢 How to help a burned-out employee? Talk to them! Ask them how they are feeling, how they’re handling their workload and schedule, and what you can do to help. This transparency is immensely valuable in the modern workplace. Therefore, by opening a discussion about burnout in a transparent manner, you’re empowering employees to take action. Be a safe space for your employees so they can share their comments, opinions, struggles, and grievances. Try to provide valuable actionable advice and tangible solutions that may help them. This could mean time off, a shift in their responsibilities, or new techniques to help with time or stress management. Source: HBR 7. Promote Fun Activities Teambuilding can be fun, honest! 🍕⚽🎨🧩👊 Building a collaborative team relies upon forging close relationships with colleagues. Allow opportunities for employees to relax and socialize together. This will help them destress, boost positivity, improve teamwork, and reduce burnout. 📈 There’s also a business case to teambuilding, since it’s generally accepted that effective teambuilding exercises correlate to successful teams. For extra buy-in, don’t impose these activities on them, but ask for suggestions on what they would like to do as a team. If your employees work from home, maybe you can make virtual events and contests so that they can still bond with their workmates in the comfort of their homes. 8. Give Rewards 🏆🥇 People like to be rewarded for the things that they do. Receiving meaningful praise tells your employees that they are valued

9 Easy Tips to Set Your Career Goals

9 Easy Tips to Set Your Career Goals Are you feeling lost in your career? Perhaps you need to engage in some career goal setting to get yourself on track toward fulfillment. It’s never too late to get to grips with your career path and personal development plan. So, if you feel like you’re stagnating, don’t worry! Setting even small short-term goals can set you on a transformational journey. Take small steps toward new skill sets, a leadership position, or even simply a better work-life balance. In this article, we’ll break down nine easy tips to help you set your professional goals to help boost your career and life journey! Why Do You Need To Set Goals? 🗓️🎯 Setting career goals is a great way to keep yourself on track. When you frame your career in terms of goals, it can help you make better decisions day-to-day. Your goals determine how you will spend your time and how you will act in the workplace. This can help bring about a level of driven productivity that would be otherwise very hard to achieve. Your goals act like signposts helping you with short-term career goals toward a broader purpose. 🪧 Let’s get straight into our tips for setting goals. 1. Visualize Your Success Though perhaps a tad poetic, Shaw’s quote presses home the power of imagination and visualization in the achievement process. 🔮 Before you set goals, analyze what it is that you truly want to achieve in your life. What is your endgame? Your raison d’etre? What does success look like to you? This is an introspective process and can relate to different elements of your work life. A common career goal is to consider salary. Yet, careers aren’t just about money. 💰🤑 Is it about retiring at 50? Do you want to become a thought leader and a go-to expert in your field? Or is your priority about being happy at work and avoiding stress? This will look different to each individual. Here are a few career goal-setting examples for inspiration: I want to be a Department Head in the next five years. I want to be able to drop to a four-day week before I’m 40. I want to earn a promotion in the next two years. I want to own my own company with X employees by 2030. 2. Make SMART Goals 🎯 As you set your specific goals, remember to make them SMART goals. SMART stands for: S-pecific – Concrete steps or goals will motivate you because they are not wishy-washy. They should also relate particularly to your situation. M-easurable – Ensure your goal is measurable, otherwise you won’t be able to determine whether you are successful. A-ttainable – Unachievable goals won’t help you – they’ll only serve to bum you out when you fail to meet them. Instead, choose goals that you can realistically achieve. R-elevant – Your goals must be important to you and your professional life. T-ime-based – Set a time period for your goal to provide clarity and urgency. By setting yourself SMART goals, you’re creating realistic and achievable milestones that will provide the stepping stones toward fulfilling your dreams. One study suggests that of those of us who make new year’s resolutions, a mere 19% keep them over the following two years! The explanation for this is of course complex, but often it can come down to the fact people don’t make their goals SMART. 3. Break Goals Into Steps In goal-setting, small can translate to big success. To avoid feeling overwhelmed, break down your ultimate goal into smaller tasks. This will give you time to organize your thoughts. It will also motivate you to push through and decrease your procrastination in the face of goals that are too big. It’s critical to find the right balance here. Your overarching goal may be long in the distance, but breaking it into small SMART goals is extremely helpful. Those mini SMART steps are a lot less intimidating. Completing those will see you progressing toward the finish line in no time at all. 4. Find A Goal Partner🧑‍🤝‍🧑 Did you know that 84% of Fortune 500 companies have mentorship programs? The top players in the business world understand the value of sharing experience and advice in helping employees to achieve goals. Find a mentor or a goal partner to join you on your journey. Having a goal partner will help you push through with your plans with the added accountability. A mentor can offer experienced advice and encouragement if you are having a tough time. That support network can be vital if you feel overwhelmed or under pressure in your work life. Sharing your goals with them can motivate you when you’re losing hope, and they can return you to the proper path if you’re feeling lost. Having that person to talk things through is always helpful. They will also be your cheerleader whenever you achieve something, celebrating your successes and pushing you forward to the next step. 📣 5. Ask For Feedback 🗣️ You may be biased toward your own skills, so it’s essential to ask for feedback about your work performance. 📈 Take a performance review seriously and use it to reflect on your strengths and weaknesses. Ask your project manager or other superior for feedback regularly on your latest work so you can know what’s going well and where to improve. This will help you set goals that will challenge you to excel and refine your work performance. Always frame this as a healthy reflection and something to use going forward as you press for success. With this in mind, take criticism as constructive and don’t allow praise to go to your head. 👑 6. Read Books 📚 Another way to improve is by reading professional development books. Ask your peers or superiors for book suggestions. There are plenty of inspirational books that many people cite as transformative in helping them think about their careers differently. A great career advice

8 Simple Tips To Manage Your Teams Schedule

8 Powerful Team Schedule Management Tips

Do you find it simple to manage your team’s schedule? Do you know your way around a Gantt chart? Do you never miss due dates? The truth is even the best project managers need to monitor and reflect on their team schedule process to maximize efficiency. A key element of project management involves simply ensuring the right employees are in the right place at the right time. Why do project managers need to optimize team schedules? 📈 Project managers must be expert plate spinners to oversee rostering and schedules effectively to complete the projects at hand. The problem with plate spinning is that even the best-laid project plans can go wrong and bring everything crashing down. That’s why you need specialist employee scheduling software alongside your project management software to get a real-time overview of your employee’s commitments. Effective time-tracking software lets you know who is scheduled to work where and when. This accuracy saves time as you can quickly determine the best-placed employees to complete project tasks. Here’s a comprehensive list showcasing the benefits of effective scheduling for a project: Better work-life balance – Effective scheduling allows employees to plan their lives better and in advance. It enables them to manage their personal and professional spheres. Better workload management – Scheduling tasks allows us to break down projects into more manageable chunks. Meeting deadlines – Scheduled tasks can improve efficiency and avoid missing deadlines or losing leads. Progress towards broader goals – Schedule days, weeks, hours, and even months for short-term and long-term goals. Accountability – transparent work schedules ensure everyone understands who is working on what and when. Happier teams – Flexible and open work schedules should foster collaboration among team members. It also saves time just avoiding the manual creation of your schedules! Take a look at this stat from Shiftboard’s 2023 Hourly Workers Survey: Organizations report employee scheduling software drives 30% faster schedule creation and reduces scheduling errors by 55%. Source: Shiftboard With talk of all these benefits, you’re probably keen to know about our tips for successful team schedule and project management! So, without further ado, let’s dive in! 🏊 1. Identify which work schedules you need to use ⏲️ There are many types of work schedules used by organizations. These depend on the circumstances and needs of your business and the structure of your workforce. The most common examples are: When creating a project schedule, you’ll need to determine which work schedules your employees are on and if you need to make changes to these. Full time The most common arrangement, where employees are required to work for at least 40 hours per week. The total number of hours is usually divided across multiple days. This arrangement is stable, but recording overtime can be difficult. Part-time Part-time employees work fewer hours than full-time employees. However, the hours can vary from 1 hour to 39 hours per week. The hours may also be inconsistent, which offers flexibility to employers and employees. Scheduling in this arrangement is dependent on the importance of the employee’s position. Part-time work is common within the hospitality industry. Flexible Many employees express a preference for a flexible work arrangement. Source: Quickbooks Flexible work policies enable employees to meet work expectations on a schedule that matches their personal commitments. An employer might specify a minimum number of set hours but leave remaining hours as flexible. This empowers employees to fulfill hours as they wish. This setup can work for shift work, where employees can swap shifts with others as needed. Fixed This arrangement is a regular, defined, and predictable number of hours per week following a set start and finish time. Since you clearly define the hours, it is a stable situation for both employer and employee. Rotating This arrangement sets shifts on a schedule where employees may work a day or night shift on a rotating basis. The rotation can occur on a daily, weekly, monthly, or quarterly basis. Rotating shift work is common in retail or manufacturing companies that operate more than 10 hours daily and utilize part-time or flexible employees. Rotating shifts allow flexibility but can be physically and mentally tiring transitioning from day to night work and vice versa. 2. Planning is key 🔑 Once you’ve selected the most appropriate work schedule, you need to consider three other elements to help in your planning phase. Demand Customer demand for your products or services may determine the number of employees required for the required output. Demand may change on a daily, weekly, or seasonal basis, impacting your scheduling arrangement. Skills and experience required Consider the skills and experience required to meet the demand and output. Your employees each have particular skill sets, and you need to choose the right combination to fulfill the specific project requirements. Consider the project activities and know your employees well to effectively allocate the best combination of team members for the task. Legislation Legislative requirements for employer and employee relationships exist at local, state, and federal level. These may include break times, time clocks, and hour limits. Scheduling and planning employee hours must adhere to legislation. When considering your planned schedule for your upcoming project, you’ll need to ensure your allocated time to each team member complies with the law. 3. Know your team Each team member plays a crucial role in your business’ success. Knowing your team allows the most effective use of their skills and experience. Further, personality, strengths, weaknesses, and background may assist in planning for specific demands or new products and services. Maintaining a spreadsheet of employee information may help your future planning. Information to include: This information helps with flexible work arrangements, changing demand, launching new products or services, and industry changes. Further, the balance of skills, experience, and relationships on shifts may influence the output and quality of work. Knowing as much information as possible about your team and their work together will significantly impact your decision-making. 4. Write a scheduling policy Create a policy that details

4 Tips to Power Up Your Instagram Business Strategy

4 Tips to Power Up Your Instagram Business Strategy Every month, more than two billion people use Instagram, with nearly 90% of the users following at least one brand. Therefore, your audience is almost certainly on Instagram. This means your business should have a presence on the platform, too. Instagram has changed from a photo-sharing app to a hotbed of corporate activity in just over ten years. Insider Intelligence states that the platform generated over $43 billion in ad revenue in 2022. 🤑 Business owners have been given access to utilize Instagram live broadcasts and IG stories and allow users to incorporate program events into their profiles. The software has been updated regularly with new business tools, features, and suggestions. However, many business owners aren’t sure where to start with Instagram. Here’s where we step in as your hero: 🦸 Here are 4 Awesome Ways to bring your business A-game on autopilot using Instagram. Step 1: Create An Instagram Account Before you can even think about our marketing tips, you need an Instagram business account. Follow these procedures to create a new account or switch from a personal to a business account. Then, congrats! You’ve set up your own Instagram account. To move to a business account, follow the steps below. Go to your profile>tap Menu in the upper right corner>Tap Settings>Tap Switch to Professional Account>Select a business category and tap Done. Having a business account gives you access to a 360-overview of people engaging with your business on their Instagram feed. Step 2: Develop A Successful Instagram Strategy The best Instagram marketing tip is to take time to develop a strategy. This is true whether you’re a small business owner just starting out or an established enterprise looking to revitalize your social media game. You don’t want to go into this blind. So, here’s your necessary prep: 🏋️ Determine who you want to reach Whose attention are you trying to grab? 🧐 Your Instagram marketing strategies will only be effective if you clearly understand your target audience. We’ve produced a step-by-step guide that explains all the details. This is important because selecting your target market is one of the most crucial components of your marketing plan. Here’s the gist of it: Find out who your current customers are. See who’s following you on your other social media accounts. Find out how your target audience differs from that of your competitors. If you know your audience, you can develop content or Instagram ads that are more likely to resonate with them. Analyze the content your customers share and interact with, and utilize this data to shape your creative approach. For example, you can invite your target audience to create user-generated content (UGC) and use that within your strategy. Hootsuite puts the popularity of UGC perfectly: UGC on Instagram is a perfect example of how, once you have determined your audience, you can build brand affinity with them. People love to be a part of a brand community, part of something greater than themselves. Set goals and objectives for yourself 🎯 Your Instagram strategy should define what you hope to accomplish on the platform. First and foremost, understand what your IG goal is all about. The SMART Technique can help you build your goals. Your goals need to be: Each business should have goals that follow the SMART principles for your context. 🧠 It’s essential to understand that this isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach. Identify goals that fit your circumstances. Each business should have goals that follow the SMART principles for your context. 🧠 It’s essential to understand that this isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach. Identify goals that fit your circumstances. Keep track of the right performance indicators 📈 Once you’ve outlined your goals, it’s easy to determine relevant social media metrics to track. You can usually fit your objectives into three general categories: brand awareness, engagement, and conversion. Each goal category has its own metrics to track if that is your priority. You’ll just need to identify the metrics you want to pay particular attention to. Brand Awareness 👀 – Metrics like follower growth rate, post impressions, and accounts reached. Engagement 🤝– Metrics such as engagement rate (based on likes and comments) and amplification rate are included in this category (based on shares). Conversion 💸– Indicators such as click-through rate and conversion rate, as well as the bounce rate. Depending on whether your ads are sponsored, you may also need to consider cost per click and cost per thousand impressions. Make a content schedule It’s possible to plan your Instagram posts with a specific purpose if you know your audience and goals. A well-planned social media content calendar ensures that you don’t miss critical occasions and that you have enough time to produce original material. 📅⌛ It’s a good idea to plan your times to post and your various types of content within your content calendar, whether posts, stories, Live, or otherwise. A well-planned schedule should you mean you regularly supply your audience with various content types. Yet, don’t post every day! And these are the most active brands. The lesson here is to not put pressure on yourself to generate content. Ensure it’s valuable and meaningful first and foremost, and aim for two or three times a week. Step 3: Make Your Instagram Profile MORE Business-friendly You can achieve a lot in a small amount of space with an Instagram business profile. Instagram users may learn more about your business, look around your website, and even make an appointment with this feature. Make A Fantastic Bio Those that took the time to read your bio also took the time to check up on your Instagram page. So, show them why they should follow you by enticing them. Try to concisely showcase your brand voice and values to build a snapshot view of your brand in 150 characters or less. It’s also an opportunity to post an organic clickable link if you have less than 10,000 followers. Choose one of

The Importance of Work-Life Balance

The Importance of Work-Life Balance Employee wellbeing is dependent on a healthy work-life balance. If you’re an employer, it’s on you to communicate that work-life balance is important and something you value. You must set up systems and procedures that empower employees to embrace flexibility at work. The bottom line is happy workers are more productive. So, promoting increased employee awareness of a healthy work-life balance makes business sense. (It’s also just generally a nice thing to do to discourage unhealthy relationships with work!) 👍 But, let’s unpack this a bit further. How do we explain the importance of work-life balance? What is the evidence to back this up? How has the rise of remote work affected work-life balance? Let’s dive in! The Importance of Work-Life Balance: What Do the Stats Say? Finding work-life balance means reaching a happy medium between work and your life outside it. The crux of the issue is managing your time. Employees want to work well without compromising family time, hobbies, relaxation, sleep, and everything else that makes up life outside work. 💤🎾👪📺🧘 Yet, it seems Australia has an issue with work-life balance. According to an OECD survey, Australia has a poorer work-life balance than the US, the UK, and many other leading economies. The result of long hours is often counterintuitive. Those who work long hours often feel their workplace performance plummets. They report reduced productivity and reduced engagement levels. Furthermore, once we get past the consequences for the business, we need to consider the adverse effects of busy work schedules on employee mental health. In a recent survey of Australian workers, some 50% of prime-aged workers feel exhausted. The same survey found about 40% reported feeling less motivated about their work than pre-pandemic. 33% found it more difficult to concentrate at work because of responsibilities outside of work. The Fair Work Act recommends a 38-hour work week for exactly this reason. Anything more than 38 hours, and you start to see detrimental effects on employee mental health. Employees who are confident in their capacity to combine work and life, on the other hand, are less stressed, more relaxed, more productive, and perform at a high level more consistently. These stats set out the importance of work-life balance effectively, both for the health of your business and your employees. But, it’s not always easy for business leaders to monitor how their workers balance their job commitments with their personal life. The rise of remote work has made this more challenging as managers often have less control over their working environments. What Was the Impact of the Pandemic? The pandemic transformed how we think about work-life balance. It blurred the lines between the worlds of work and home life. Spending time with family or relaxing can now take place in the same environment as your working hours. You can shower, make meals, read a book, make reports, and attend meetings, all in the same place. 🚿📚🧑‍🍳📑💬 While not a new concept, most employees were unfamiliar with these circumstances, having to adapt to the new normal abruptly. Some loved the freedom of more flexible working arrangements. Source: officernd Others, however, hated it, feeling they couldn’t strike the right balance at home. These are the cases of people struggling to get out of their pajamas, missing the social aspects of work, or simply being unable to switch off, depending on various employee personalities. What Are the Effects of Remote Work on Work-life Balance? One thing you can say about the pandemic; it made a pretty great case study to test the viability of remote work on a broad scale. The research shows that remote-based businesses can be highly profitable. As a result, many companies decided that the benefits of working remotely are sufficient to keep them working remotely indefinitely. Source: officernd Yet, not all managers feel that way. Some are experimenting with flexibility in the workplace to keep some of the benefits of remote work while offering office space for face-to-face collaboration. This hybrid working model based on flexible scheduling allows employers and employees to negotiate when to work. Many employers look to offer flexibility in the hope this will improve employee engagement. Whichever work model you choose in your workplace, it seems that remote work does not hinder productivity, and it can even increase productivity. But what about its effects on work-life balance? The Fight to Unplug Many managers worried remote work would result in employees working less. It was thought there would be too many distractions and too many temptations to skip work. There was a prevailing belief that, without the keen eye of a manager overseeing things, many employees might practice work avoidance while at home. Instead, it turned out that many remote workers are more likely to wind up working longer hours. This is down to the inability to unplug, switch off, or log out. Working from home has the advantage of reducing travel hours, but many employees end up occupying that time with extra work. Further, many workers settle into a routine of working in spurts, working for a few hours, then taking a break before returning to work. This means workers often work into their evenings and catch up over weekends, too. Work bleeds into leisure as there aren’t clear boundaries. A study suggested Australians worked more when working from home during the pandemic, clocking up 319 hours of unpaid overtime on average over 2021. Each worker racked up 6.13 extra hours each week on top of contracted hours. Source: smartcompany If “out of sight, out of mind” was true while heading home after a day at the office, some stay-at-home workers experience the opposite. When work is always within reach, it might be tough to resist the temptation to put in “just a few more minutes” or to work through the weekend. Furthermore, because their work is always with them, certain organizational cultures have come to require employees to be “on” at all times, especially those that work to

8 Advisor-Friendly Steps in Managing Boundaries

Managing boundaries at work is essential for your well-being, stress levels, and job satisfaction 🤗. In the dynamic world of work, lines can often become blurred. That’s why managing boundaries is vital for clients, colleagues, and advisors, as it creates a balance between a professional and personal relationship.🤝 Client expectations can be challenging to deal with. However, by putting boundaries in place, you can set the tone for all your interactions with clients and colleagues. In doing this, advisors can foster a positive client relationship and remain satisfied with the structure in place👍. Managing boundaries for advisors is sometimes a struggle, but that’s where we come in. Our list of 8 advisor-friendly steps in managing boundaries will help you establish clear ground. Let’s get into it. Why is managing boundaries necessary?🤔 According to a new study by LendingTree, 57% of quiet quitters said their work-life balance improved after setting professional boundaries. In the world of work, there are many reasons why managing boundaries is essential. Source: Fair Play Talks By putting limits in place, you can create well-defined expectations and a safe space where everyone knows where they stand. Whether you do remote work or you work in an office, setting physical and emotional boundaries is essential.🤩 Here are some reasons why managing boundaries is crucial: Maintaining professionalism- With clear boundaries in place, you can maintain a professional client-advisor relationship. If the expectations are laid out, there should be clear roles with mutual respect and communication.💬 Avoiding conflict- If your expectations are clear from the start, it’ll help to prevent any confusion or conflict down the line.🗣 Building trust- By setting clearly defined boundaries, clients are more likely to trust you as an advisor. They’ll appreciate your consistency, and as a result, a better relationship should form.🤝 Preventing burnout- Without proper boundaries, advisors may face stress and emotional strain. This can lead to burnout as advisors may feel unable to cope with the amount of extra work or communication triggered by a lack of boundaries.🔥 Promoting effective communication- Boundaries help to establish effective communication because the expectations are clear. This should help avoid anyone stepping over the mark or having unrealistic expectations of response times, the nature of updates, and platforms of communication.👩🏾‍🤝‍👨🏽 Personal space- If you’re working with people face-to-face, setting physical boundaries can make you feel safer, more comfortable, and more at ease to do your job effectively.🧍 Setting and managing boundaries is essential to an advisor’s well-being, job satisfaction, and customer relationships. Limitations affect both parties involved, helping to smooth out expectations and foster positive, clear communication. Are you ready for some helpful tips? Let’s dive in. 8 Advisor-Friendly Steps in Managing Boundaries Navigating the balance between a trusted advisor and maintaining professional boundaries requires a strategic approach. However, by taking these eight steps, you can set clear boundaries and establish expectations from the get-go.👍 If you’re an advisor and you want to determine and maintain boundaries, we’ve got you covered. Here are our eight advisor-friendly steps in managing boundaries: 1. Create Your Boundaries😁 The best place to start when setting advisor-friendly boundaries is to decide and establish your personal boundaries. Dive into a world of self-discovery and work out what makes you feel comfortable. If you work remotely, setting boundaries is just as important. The authors of Working from Home with Flexible and Permeable Boundaries state, “When employees have difficulties separating work from home, they often carry the stress they experience at work into their private life.” Once you know your expectations and the types of limitations you want in place, you can lay the groundwork for healthy foundations👷‍♂️. Knowing what makes you feel comfortable on a personal level and identifying any sensitive areas will help you create, manage, and maintain boundaries. Source: LinkedIn 2. Establish Your Role🤔 By using effective communication, you can establish your role for yourself and your clients to ensure everyone knows where they stand. Clearly define what your part is as an advisor and set realistic expectations for both parties. Get rid of any misconceptions about your role and pave the way for the rest of your professional relationships. Make sure your client and colleagues know your position, and this will set the tone for the rest of your communication and dynamic. 💬 3. Establish Communication Guidelines🗣 In the digital world we live in, it’s no secret just how much communication happens on a variety of different platforms. It’s crucial to establish appropriate communication times, channels, and topics. When working from home🏡 , it’s often more difficult to set boundaries and it’s common for communication with colleagues and clients to occur after your working hours. If you do this, you may create a pattern where this is expected. Create set hours and make sure all communication occurs within them. This will help you maintain healthy boundaries and a work-life balance.⏰ Source: Psychology Today Furthermore, you may decide to keep your personal social media account private. By establishing this boundary, you shouldn’t need to worry about clients potentially overstepping the line. Allocate your chosen communication channel and guidelines, and stick to these to maintain the boundaries. 4. Have Open and Honest Discussions with Clients💬 As an advisor, you can be proactive about educating your clients on your boundaries. Enlighten your client about your boundaries and the intricacies of your professional relationship.🤝 You could even explain the limits to them, ensuring they’re fully aware of where you stand. In doing this, your professionalism will shine through, and your clients will appreciate your commitment to boundaries and keeping them informed.😇 Furthermore, some clients may expect tasks to be completed right away. Mutual respect should develop by putting a boundary in place and letting them know the realistic expectations of your responses. Source: The Hive 5. Regularly Review Your Boundaries🔎 Over time, your comfort levels may shift. This is normal, as boundaries aren’t necessarily static. If you feel a boundary starting to slip, or you notice something new is beginning to make you feel uncomfortable,

work life balance - illustration of person skiing

Can Music Increase Productivity? And Other Benefits That You Should Know

Can Music Increase Productivity? And Other Benefits That You Should Know Here at Tommy we are focused on the BIG questions in life and solving all of the world’s problems over coffee… or at least how we can make it a slightly better place. In this article we look at research related to music’s impact in the workplace. Does listening to music distract you from your work? Or does it help you be more productive during your workday? We also look at the different types of music and their effect on the listener. Does Music Help With Productivity? The simple and generic answer to this question is yes… with a “but” afterwards. It actually depends on the person. There are those that don’t really like listening to music while working, and those that do. However, studies have shown this actually relates to the kind of music vs a discussion of if music is effective or not. Many that report not enjoying music while working do also report they enjoying and being more productive with ambient noise such as coffee shop bustle, running water, and waves crashing at the beach. Benefits Of Listening To Music • Enhanced Concentration This is probably the most common example of how music can help. Soothing sounds of nature (such as rainfall or flowing water) improve concentration and cognitive function. It can also enhance mood and focus. However, avoid listening to jarring noises, such as animal noises and bird calls. They can be a great distraction while you work. • Music Can Adjust Your Mood We all have bad days. And one way to take control is through listening to music. The first thing that you need to do is listen to music that matches your mood. Once the first song is done, listen to a new song that is slightly more positive. Repeat this process until you reach peak positivity… however you might define that. This technique is called the “Iso-principle.” Another way to improve your mood is to listen to your favorite music. If it’s not too distracting, it could enhance your productivity too but it is more “hit and miss”. • Increased Creativity Has someone ever told you that listening to classical music makes you smarter? There’s actually a scientific basis for that. Researchers have a theory called the Generalized Mozart Effect (GME). It suggests that classical music can improve a person’s ability to manipulate objects and solve spatial puzzles, which are useful in designing. Classical music can also calm people down and reduce stress. • Music Can Inspire You Do you lack inspiration at work? Music can help change that! Researchers have tested the effect of happy classical music on creativity. Music had a neutral effect in terms of convergent creativity (e.g., critical thinking and linear problem solving).Meanwhile, in terms of divergent creativity (e.g., brainstorming, hypothesizing, and experimenting), it has a positive effect. Another example is cinematic music. It can empower you, lift your spirits, brighten your mood, heighten your concentration, and maximize productivity. • Fast Music Can Speed Up Work Do you have an urgent task? You should listen to fast music to help you out! According to research , when people listen to fast music that they enjoy, their performance and satisfaction increase. Listening to slow music can decrease those factors in return • Video Game Music Keeps You Focused This may be unexpected, but this is true. Video game music is carefully chosen to enhance your experience without causing distractions. It helps you focus on your task, and its fast pace can push you forward. • Music Can Help You Enjoy Repetitive Tasks When your task is repetitive, you might not be motivated to do it. To help you out with that, you should listen to music you like. It will elevate your happiness, efficiency, and productivity. According to modern studies, people who listened to background music in the major mode had better results. So choose your songs wisely! People have different preferences in music, and each type has its own effects. Looking at the topic generally, music can help increase productivity, boost your mood, and inspire you to do your best but don’t use that ‘random’ button, pick your playlist carefully. Enhanced Concentration Music Can Adjust Your Mood Increased Creativity Music Can Inspire You Fast Music Can Speed Up Work Video Game Music Keeps You Focused Music Can Help You Enjoy Repetitive Tasks

13 Cost-Effective EmployeeWellness Ideas

Businesses are starting to see the significance of having a healthy and productive workforce. In order to attract and retain top talent, it is important to offer wellness initiatives that are both affordable and effective. In this blog, we will share some cost-effective ways to keep your employees healthy and productive this 2022! 1. Meditation Monday is disliked by everyone because it’s boring, and your employees are no exception. This is the day they despise the most. Allowing your staff to begin the week in despair may have a negative impact on their productivity. Prepare and schedule little meditation sessions to avoid this. These meditation sessions will assist your employees in overcoming their periodic work slumps. As a result, they will be more concentrated for the remainder of the day, which will have a favorable impact on their mental health. Similarly, for the rest of the week, you might promote different ways to include wellness at work. 2. Distribute Health Articles or Newsletters The most powerful agent for change is awareness. Creating awareness is the first step in every endeavor. Starting health initiatives in the organization requires a significant amount of effort at first. The biggest challenge here is persuading employees to pay more attention to their health. As part of your workplace health promotion efforts, you can achieve this by running health awareness campaigns and delivering health articles and newsletters to their emails on a daily basis. 3. Flexible Working Hours The majority of workplace wellness difficulties develop as a result of an employee’s excessive workload during the day. This problem is exacerbated by the absence of flexible work schedules, which leave employees with little time to relax. Allowing your workers to work from home can be a significant step in implementing optimal workplace wellness as an organization. Employees with flexible work hours can spend their time on anything they like, such as getting some rest or going to the gym. This also improves the employee’s satisfaction with their work and aids in achieving the ideal work-life balance. 4. Promote Work Breaks The office can become a stress breeding ground. Even your most dedicated and effective staff may be affected. Request that your employees take small breaks in between long shifts. 5. Tell Employees To Have A Walk Standing while working allows them to maintain regular blood flow and helps their posture. On the other hand, sitting for lengthy periods of time without much physical movement can lead to a variety of health problems. To combat this, set up a few standing workstations in your company, which have been shown in studies to improve employee health. Furthermore, the risk of weariness caused by sitting for lengthy periods of time with little or no activity diminishes. 6. Campaigns to Help People Quit Smoking Nowadays, smoking is a common practice among professionals. The reason for this, as many others have pointed out, is the ever-increasing workload. It is wide knowledge that nicotine is not a medicine. Rather, it exacerbates heart and lung diseases. Smoke cessation campaigns in the workplace, on the other hand, can assist your staff to kick the habit. 7. Keep Up With the Boss’s Pace The desire to maintain a healthy workplace should always originate at the top of the firm. Employees look on their bosses for motivation in all aspects of the workplace. Similarly, posing a challenge to them can motivate them to adopt a healthier lifestyle. Organizing walks or runs with the elderly at work is a fairly subtle method to accomplish this. This will provide the employees with two benefits: . A chance to keep up with their elders and compete with them in a healthy way. . Improve professional relationships, which is critical for an organization’s growth. If their senior peers live a healthy lifestyle, their subordinates will be inspired to do the same. 8. Take a Stroll and Talk Walking is an excellent workout that keeps a person’s mind and body in good shape in every way. Walking is an activity that can be done at any time, any place, and regardless of the weather. In the form of “Walk and Talk,” you can incorporate it into your health and fitness routine. Instead of sitting in a locked space, crucial meetings or talks might be held while taking a walk. Walking a reasonable distance every day helps to keep calorie levels in check and boosts stamina. 9. The Path to Good Health Climbing and descending the stairs can help you burn calories. It also enhances the heart, lungs, limbs, and joints, which are all critical body parts. Encourage employees to avoid taking the elevator and instead take the stairs to improve their health. It is the most cost-effective method for guaranteeing workplace wellbeing. You can also hold challenges like “Stairs to Health,” in which you track and reward employees who take the most steps to motivate them and encourage them to live a healthy lifestyle. 10. Gym Memberships on the Go Despite the fact that workplace wellness entails more than gym memberships and healthy snacks, they do make the list. Building an in-house health center can be expensive, especially when considering the cost of maintenance and hiring a professional to conduct sessions. You could, however, form a partnership with a nearby gym to offer subsidized memberships to your employees. This, once again, can be a great way to attract top talent to work for the company. 11. Workplace Plantation The surrounding environment in which employees sit and work has a lot to do with workplace wellness. It is also a well-known fact that living in a clean and green environment benefits one’s health and well-being. You can achieve this by placing plants throughout the office space, which will help to alleviate the work environment, which is critical for improving employee health. Plants also aid in the removal of toxic gases from the environment. As a result, the employees will feel rejuvenated with the constant presence of fresh air. 12. An On-Site Library

Can Music Increase Productivity?

Does listening to music distract you from your work? Or does it help you be more productive during your workday? Here in this article, we’ll talk about the different types of music and their effect on the listener. Read below to know more about it! Does Music Help With Productivity? It actually depends on the person. Some people don’t really like listening to music while working, and others like it. The type of sound that works best for the latter ones are the natural sounds or ambient noise, such as beach waves. Benefits of Listening to Music Nature Music Enhances Concentration This is probably the most common example of how music can help you out. Soothing sounds of nature (such as rainfall or flowing water) improve concentration and cognitive function. It can also enhance mood and focus. However, avoid listening to jarring noises, such as animal noises and bird calls. They can be a great distraction while you work. Music Can Adjust Your Mood We all have bad days. And one way to cope with it is through listening to music. The first thing that you need to do is listen to music that matches your mood. When the first song is done, listen to a new song that is more positive. Continue doing this until you reach the peak positivism. This technique is called the “ISO principle.” Another way to improve your mood is to listen to your favorite music. If it’s not too distracting, it can enhance your productivity too! Get to Know Your Team Has someone ever told you that listening to classical music makes you smarter? There’s actually a basis for that. Researchers have a theory called the Generalized Mozart Effect (GME). It suggests that classical music can improve a person’s ability to manipulate objects and solve spatial puzzles, which are useful in designing. Classical music can also calm people down and reduce stress. Music Can Inspire You Do you lack the inspiration to work? Music can help change that! One research tested the effect of happy classical music on creativity. Music had a neutral effect in terms of convergent creativity (e.g., critical thinking and linear problem solving). Meanwhile, in terms of divergent creativity (e.g., brainstorming, hypothesizing, and experimenting), it has a positive effect. Another example is cinematic music. It can empower you, lift your spirits, brighten your mood, heighten your concentration, and maximize productivity. Fast Music Can Speed Up Work Do you have an urgent task? You should listen to fast music to help you out! According to research, when people listen to fast music that they enjoy, their performance and satisfaction increase. Listening to slow music can decrease those factors in return. Another research mentioned that music with 50 to 80 beats per minute can help people be more open, receptive, and less critical. It can also stimulate learning and creativity Video Game Music Keeps You Focused This may be unexpected, but this is true. Video game music is carefully chosen to enhance your experience without causing distractions. It helps you focus on your task, and its fast pace can push you forward. Music Can Help You Enjoy Repetitive Tasks When your task is repetitive, you might not be motivated to do it. To help you out with that, you should listen to music you like. It will elevate your happiness, efficiency, and productivity. According to modern studies, people who listened to background music in the major mode had better results. So choose your songs wisely! Conclusion People have different preferences in music, and each type has its own effects. But generally, music can help increase productivity, boost your mood, and inspire you to do your best. Did you like this article? Comment your thoughts! Does Music Help With Productivity? Benefits of Listening to Music Nature Music Enhances Concentration Music Can Adjust Your Mood Get to Know Your Team Music Can Inspire You Fast Music Can Speed Up Work Video Game Music Keeps You Focused Music Can Help You Enjoy Repetitive Tasks

6 Apps to Multiply Your Happiness On or Off the Clock

If 2020-2022 has taught us anything other than the value of stocking up on toilet paper, it has been the power of technology transcending international lockdowns to help bring us all together. But beyond fake news or conspiracy theories, there are millions of people around the world using apps and technology to share and bring happiness into their lives. It’s no secret the ushering in of the digital revolution is now making way for the global internet of things. Gartner Research found: IoT devices such as apple watches and other wearable technology had been forecasted to reach $81.5 billion in 2021. Spending on worn devices grew by 124% in 2020. The IoT market is projected to be worth $1.5 trillion by 2030. So what are people using on their devices that is helping them live better lives? Perhaps helping them build new businesses or maybe deepen their inner-kingdom? Here are 6 apps people are using in 2022 to: Spread happiness or get peace of mind. Bring greater work/life balance into their lives. Use tools to help bullet proof your productivity or digital diet. Help spread your message or connect with clients or fans around the world. Explore meditation in an easier way. Deepen your religious studies or share the journey with your loved ones. Work/Life Balance, Peace & Productivity It’s no secret the key to longevity and happiness is having a good work/life balance and routines to support positive habits. Habits can be hard to break, especially ones we aren’t aware how distracting they are from our work or life. Researchers at the University College of London found that it takes the average person 66 days for a new habit to stick, which can vary from 18 up to 254 days! But whether you are trying to cut out a bad habit or pick up a new hobby, digital distraction will be a major roadblock in enabling you to keep focused as part of a healthy digital diet. Freedom https://freedom.to The Freedom app blocks certain apps and websites that can be distracting during the day, such as social media, shopping or news. Slogan: “Experience the freedom to do what matters most. Block distracting websites and apps to stay focused on what matters most.” Used by over 1,000,000 people to reclaim focus and their productivity. You can block them anytime or set a schedule in advance. App and website blocker for Mac, Windows, Android, iOS, and Chrome. Tommy https://mytommy.com Tommy is an Australian born mobile platform for Team Communications and Management. Whether your team washes cars or performs surgery there is a Tommy powered Solution capable of saving you time and improving your team happiness! Slogan: “The simple way to chat, schedule, and track things together.” Schedule can be set to trigger actions when certain conditions are met. Example: Last-minute shift cancel. All available staff immediately messaged, replacement sent to manager for approval. Communication with notification preferences based on Time Clock status. Marketplace of mini-programs and integrations. Sharing, Connecting, & Spreading Your Message Influencers and entrepreneurs alike have demonstrated how platforms can be used as a tool to stay connected or get attention. The digital age is being ushered in by platforms picking up with apps such as Skype and Vine started.Tik Tok’s huge gain in global popularity with the youth due to its many features and insane reach makes it a hot platform… but being the only China owned company, and facing data mining issues, has put the app in hot water with legislators and governments. Whereas on the other side of the app coin, Zoom listed #6 on Fortune Magazine list of apps helping change the world for the better in 2020. Zoom https://zoom.us Zoom provides video telephony and online chat services through a cloud-based peer-to-peer software platform and is used for teleconferencing, telecommuting, distance education, and social relations. Slogan: “In this together. Keeping you securely connected wherever you are.” 100k+ schools use Zoom and top educators and coaches host seminars and break through sessions using the app. Champion for global connectivity and togetherness during quarantines and lockdowns separating us. Statistics: $623M revenue; market value $116,880M (in 2020). Ranked #6 in Fortunes “Changing the World –2020″. Tik Tok https://www.tiktok.com Tik Tok is a video-sharing social networking platform used to make a variety of short-form videos. From genres like dance, comedy, and education, videos have a duration from three seconds to one minute. Slogan: “make your day.” People are getting social media fatigue because of all the negativity on platforms such as Twitter and are now gravitating to TikTok, which is a “happier place”. You don’t have to give input in terms of searching or click on a category. AI can figure that out based on your behaviour. Statistics: In 2018, TikTok rocketed to the top of Apple’s App Store and racked up a record 3.8 million first-time downloads in October. #1 most downloaded app on the Apple App store Q1 of 2019. In 2020 it’s reach 800 million active users world with around 40% being between the ages of 14-24. Controversy: Unlike other social media platforms that are all silicon valley or USA based (facebook, twitter, google, snapchat), ByteDance is a Chinese owned company based in China. The United States government threatened to ban the app over data security threats and national security concerns, including a number of other dangers with Tik Tok. It has been banned in India with its parent company looking to relocate to Singapore. Mind & Spirit – Apps for Religion & Spirituality Today’s busy world doesn’t have to feel so busy or fast. Whether you are wanting to become more mindful in your life and explore meditation or perhaps you are mindful of your religious studies and want to continue your studies with your community (or find one), here are two apps that are multiplying happiness to expand your journey and share it with those you love. Mindfulness.com https://mindfulness.com Discover your inner strength and become a more relaxed and healthier you with Mindfulness.com.

How to Handle Negative Business Reviews Online for A Café, Bar, Shop or Restaurant

As they say in the entertainment industry – there is no such thing as bad publicity. Similar to when it comes to negative reviews, the only way it will negatively affect our business is if we ignore it or don’t address it professionally. Bad reviews can many times come when we least expect them. If it’s your first time getting a negative review for your business then it can be heartbreaking or leave you spinning your wheels about what to do next. Reviews matter for businesses as customer research shows: 94% of consumers say a bad review has convinced them to avoid a business (ReviewTrackers) 38% of consumers require at least a 4-star average rating with the average being 3.4 stars for them to consider engaging with a business (Podium) 63% of consumers say they use Google, 54% use Facebook and 32% use Yelp to track down reviews about a company (Brightlocal) High performing businesses focus heavily on customer service. Managers view customer complaints and negative reviews as opportunities to demonstrate their high-quality service, turning problems into opportunities and angry customers into raving, loyal fans. By reading this article we will cover: Should we respond to negative reviews (and how). How to turn a negative review into a golden opportunity for our business. Way to level-out negative reviews with positive ones. What causes bad reviews and how to review it as an opportunity versus issue. So if we are a new manager or owner wanting to turn the business around, or perhaps recently got a bad review and want to know what to do, this article will help to navigate how to keep our sanity and turn this challenge into a win. Should We Respond to Bad Customer Reviews? When deciding whether or not to respond to customer reviews the answer is always yes! This is how we build relationships that lead to loyal customers and can resolve issues on the head, rather than push them aside where the issue festers and gets worse as customers don’t feel valued. Research shows that responding to negative reviews is crucial for inspiring trust with customers for our business. 53% of customers expect businesses to respond to negative reviews within a week. 1 in 3 have a shorter time frame of 3 days or less (ReviewTrackers). 56% of customers say a company’s response to a review changed their perspective on the business (Podium). We risk increasing customer churn by 15% when we don’t respond to review (Chatmeter). When it comes to negative reviews, it is even more important to address and respond to them. Positive reviews are also good to respond to as it shows we appreciate customers taking the time to support our business and inspires others to also. How Should We Respond To Bad Reviews? Crossing paths with a keyboard warrior ready to do battle with our public image, we might feel attacked. Perhaps for a moment we want to put our head in the sand and ignore it? Unsure how to exactly respond to the review? Let’s dive into how to respond to bad reviews. When responding to a bad review, always remember: Getting into an online battle with someone we don’t know in a public space is far from a good idea – especially if we are representing a business. Battling to prove our point and we are right, may end up costing us/our business more customers than if we said nothing at all. Even if we want to back our staff (or the review was about us), ensure we always hold a level of professionalism that acknowledges what happened without pointing fingers or blame. Providing a whole-hearted apology with a resolution, as well as addressing we have or are resolving the issue is a sign of strength and honesty. How To Turn A Negative Review Into A Positive Customer Experience Handled wisely, even bad customers or reviews can be a springboard toward new customers. How? By executing exceptional customer service and conflict resolution Forbes shared their top tips on how to handle negative customer reviews into positive customers experiences: Make sure to act and respond promptly – it’s public for the world to see. Post-it (even if it’s negative) to help build trust with our customers. Use them as a learning experience. Show we are listening – we can learn much more from negative feedback than positive. Hug the haters. Let’s prove them wrong through our actions – not words. Offer something tangible or specific. Use a bad review as a reason to ask customers and staff to flood our business with positive reviews. In addition, we can offer rewards such as gift cards or other prizes to customers through our social media networks to leave positive reviews if they need some inspiration. What Causes Bad Reviews? In the digital age, customers have high expectations for businesses and their customer service due to increases in quality options, competition, and franchised stores setting a high bar for local businesses to try and match. Bad reviews can be targeted at: The staff and service. The food, cooks and menu. The manager and their customer service – perhaps they took something personal about their personality or how they handled a situation and didn’t like it. Bad reviews can happen when: Someone is having an off day and accidentally crossing paths with someone having a bad day. A staff member is already thinking of quitting, so lowers their duty of care & quality of work. Our staff make an honest mistake, made their drink incorrectly, or simply forgot something. Our staff took longer than the customer expected for them to deliver their food. Our shop was busier than usual yet they expected the same quality customer service. The customer’s personal preference differs from what the cook created, switching up a traditional meal and the ingredients. The customer might be the cause of the problem, be unwilling to address it, and wants to blame someone else (perhaps they were even intoxicated when

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