Techniques to Improve Employee Efficiency

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StrategyDriven Talent Management Article |Employee Efficiency|Techniques to Improve Employee EfficiencyThe success of every business depends on the efficiency of employees. If you are facing some challenges due to inefficiency, it is possible to change the situation. Achieving maximum efficiency in employees is the greatest challenge for most business owners and managers. These are people with different temperaments and views; therefore, you expect clashes before finally convincing them on how to be better. However, the benefits of efficiency in business are greater than any challenges you may encounter.

How to Improve Employee Efficiency

Be bold enough to delegate

Delegating work in your business is not as easy as it sounds. You want to know how everything is running. Although handling everything by yourself is an excellent way to ensure quality, in the long run, it becomes a waste of time.
Give some of the responsibilities to someone who is qualified and consider training or guiding them on how to handle the job. You will not only create time for yourself but also allow employees to gain leadership skills.

Invest in team building activities

While most businesses focus on making their customers happy, it would also be a good idea to give employees a good treat. Keep in mind that your employees are the lifeblood of your business. Therefore, you can talk to professionals from camp staff training Dallas offer team building activities. These activities will bring your workers together, help them communicate better, build trust, resolve conflicts, and enhance cooperation in teamwork.

Ensure communication is effective

Communication is the key to the success of any business. Nowadays, it’s even easier, thanks to advanced technology. You can install several apps and reach everyone working for you with just a single tap on your smart gadget’s touch screen. Apart from easing communication, most of these apps are free and allow low-cost voice calls. What’s more, you can have meetings and conferences online.

Set goals and stay focused

Goals keep employees focused. If your business has no goals, there is nothing defined to achieve. This will make them less productive. To increase efficiency, have a list of things that must be accomplished in day or week and check to see if they accomplished what you expected them to.

Incentivize employees

According to a recent study by Harvard Business Review, employees are driven to increase efficiency when offered incentives and rewards. You should take time to recognize and appreciate employees who perform exceptionally.
Most business owners think of increased budgets when incentives are mentioned. However, appreciating employees is not just about money; you can do it in many other ways. This may include:

  • Additional holiday days and paid sick leaves
  • Allowing them to go home earlier or buying them lunch
  • Always mention someone who performs very well when addressing annual meetings
  • Honor efficient employees publicly
  • Get them good parking spots
  • Upgrade work equipment for them

Empower Your Employees

While you may have the authority to decide what needs to be done to increase efficiency in your business, it is always a good idea to consider what your employees want. Have meetings or discussions to iron out areas that may be raising concerns. It’s also important to boost employee morale to get the most out of them.

Employee Wellness: Tips To Make Employees More Productive At Work

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StrategyDriven Managing Your People ArticleAny company will reap many benefits when they have healthy and engaged employees. An employee wellness program curated and designed correctly will boost morale, increase productivity, and reduce stress. Wellness programs have always been thought of as something nice-to-have rather than a must-have. What employers don’t think about is the benefits in the long term. In the long run, the company will see the results. Wellness programs help employees to stay healthy and lessen absences. The cost of having this employee wellness program will just be minimal compared to the benefits in the long run. Listed below are some tips to make employees more productive at work.

1. What is a Wellness Program?

Before crafting and designing your employee wellness program, you first have to understand what it is. A wellness program is any program with the goal to improve the health and well-being of the company’s workforce. Wellness programs are supposed to help employees overcome general health issues and educate them about what they should do to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Usually, companies hire third-parties to conduct the program and seminar depending on the need and expertise. There are many great ways to increase productivity, and wellness programs are one of them.

2. What improvements to target?

The way to design your wellness program should address specific needs and target personal wellness. Programs structured can target physical fitness and stamina through regular exercise, Zumba, or yoga classes for employees. This doesn’t only increase welfare but also improves self-image and self-esteem, which you want in your employees. At the same time, this also reduces the stress that your employees feel. Targeting specific health-related issues will translate into a more reliable workforce and smoother workflow.

3. What are the kinds of wellness programs you can implement?

There are tons of programs that a company can implement for the well-being of their employees. Be sure to provide flexibility in the programs so many of your employees can join in. Here are just some suggestions and recommendations for great employee wellness ideas:

  • Zumba Classes
  • Diet Guidance Programs
  • Physical Fitness Programs
  • Quit-Smoking Programs
  • Physiological Testing Programs
  • Stress Management Programs
  • Nutrition Classes
  • Blood Pressure Screening
  • Cholesterol Tracking
  • Fitness Tracking
  • Gym Plans
  • Guided Meditation Classes
  • Cooking Classes
  • Team Building Activities
  • Anxiety Workshop
  • Annual Corporate Flu Shots
  • Healthy Lifestyle Education
  • Mental Health Days
  • Emotional and Mental Health Education and Resources
  • Book Clubs
  • Healthy Potlucks

4. Healthy Snacks

With working for at least 8 hours a day, employees will grow well into the snacking culture in no time. Unfortunately, most companies only have low-quality vending machines that offer junk food such as soda, candy, and chips loaded with fat and sugar. These snacks not only decrease productivity, but it also makes a serious dent in the health and well-being of an employee. An excellent way to improve the nutrition of your employees is to provide easy access to healthier snack choices throughout the day.

5. Launch Health Competitions

Nothing else gets people off their chairs than incentives. If economics taught anything, it’s that people respond well to incentives. Why not incentivize health? Gamify employee fitness by starting challenges and giving incentives. For instance, you can start giving out gift certificates for the employee with the most visits to the gym or went running. You can also provide employees with fitness trackers to keep them in shape and encourage them. Another competition you can start is a step competition or walking challenge. You can give out cash incentives to those who hit step targets. The goal is to keep your employees in good shape, keep them motivated, and up on their feet.

6. Pet-Friendly Office Initiative

Another way that has been proven to keep employees motivated and increase productivity is to bring in your furry, four-legged friends to the office. These are tested and proved to improve collaboration among employees. Some offices even encourage to bring pets and have pets running around the office.

Keeping your employees healthy and educating them about well-being does reduce not only absences but also boosts productivity and efficiency in employees. Even though it costs very low, this initiative from companies can go a long way in helping out employees while benefiting the company. The connection between employee wellness and productivity has already been proven and well-established. Hope this guide was able to give you some tips on how employee wellness programs can help in boosting productivity and effectivity.

6 Ways Entry-Level Engineers Can Get an Employer’s Attention

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StrategyDriven Practices for Professionals Article | 6 Ways Entry-Level Engineers Can Get an Employer's Attention | Talent Management | Resume | Cover LetterYou are about to graduate with that coveted engineering degree. It’s the ticket you were told would land you a high-paying position in that big (or rising) tech firm you’ve had your eye on. Yes, the economy appears to be humming along with many companies eager to hire. But before you prepare your resume and cover letter, there are several things you need to do to make yourself more attractive to today’s CEOs and the people that they trust to make the best hires for them.

Here are six helpful tips that will be a sure way to catch that employer’s attention:

Clean Up and Polish Your Social Media

A recent Harvard Business Review article noted that many recruitment subcontractors scour LinkedIn and other social media to find potential candidates. They’ll trace your “digital exhaust” from cookies and other user-tracking programs to learn who you are. So, ditch those college party photos you have on Instagram, Facebook, etc. Replace them with photos or videos of you working hard at that tech firm you interned with during the summer. Don’t have any intern photos? Plug in some pics of tech projects you worked on in your garage or senior lab. Use photos of you attending tech seminars and symposiums – preferably those attended by that tech firm you want to join.

It also doesn’t hurt to add a professional bio to your social media account(s). And replace college handles and URLs with those that make you look more professional. Create a brand that sets you apart – post, share, or re-tweet anything related to the industry you’re eager to enter. Follow blogs, news sources, and any other websites that represent thought leaders in the tech field you want to work in.

Network like Mad

Referrals and professional networks are 1st and 3rd in order of what CEOs consider sources of quality. People in the tech industry know that you’re young, hungry and need advice. And many are all too willing to share what they know. They remember what it was like when they tried to break in. So go to every trade show, conference seminar, and networking event you can get into. Talk to people in booths and after seminars. Ask what you can do to get into their apprenticeship, internship or mentor program.

Print out 500 “job seeker” business cards with your name, major and the job you’re looking for. Include your contact info and website if you have one. Hand these out to people you meet at trade shows, tech conferences, and seminars. They may not have an opening, but word gets around about your unique approach. And someone may just call you.

Another tactic is to attend any social/community outreach programs which the firm you’re interested in may be sponsoring. Talk to the people there and ask if you can help. People are more open at these events and the conversation tends to be more relaxed. It also builds your reputation as a caring individual; the kind that other employees like to be around. Who knows, you may end up serving food to the homeless next to the firm’s CEO. (if that happens, ditch the hard sell, but answer any questions—just make sure they remember your name. Write your last name out clearly on your “Hello, my name is” tag.)

Sell Yourself in the Cover Letter

The letter is a key element in any job search. It paints a picture that CEOs, recruiters, and hiring managers will create in their minds about the kind of person you are. Like your resume, your letter should dovetail with the firm’s needs and requirements. If you met an engineer or other tech staff member from that company at a seminar, conference or other event, namedrop that in your letter. ‘Beta test’ your letter with a career counselor or someone you know in the industry. And keep it short, no more than a page – single-spaced.

Fine Tune Your Resume

If you’re an astute tech grad, you should know how to write a resume. There are all sorts of resume writing tips and templates online. The important thing to remember is to fine-tune your resume to the needs of the tech company you’re eager to join. That means including any internships and mentor programs you’ve completed. Don’t forget to stress any senior-level projects that align with the company’s product or service.

And don’t ‘fudge’ your background—many university career counselors advise students not to be as forthcoming with their qualifications or remove entire degrees if the job posting doesn’t call for it. While this may get you the interview, it will bring up more questions that will put off hiring managers when they ask you for details during the interview.

As with your cover letter, beta test it with guidance counselors and any pros you know in the industry. You can also get a free resume evaluation at Monster’s Resume Writing Service. You’ll get detailed feedback, including a review of your resume’s appearance and content, as well as a prediction of a recruiter’s first impression.

Make Your Resume Bot Friendly

It’s a regrettable fact that many recruiters, HR managers, and other gatekeepers use applicant-tracking systems (ATS) to pre-filter resumes. These bots look for keywords and key phrases. So include verb phrases and skills written in the firm’s job description. Use both the acronym and the spelled-out form of any given title, certification, or organization. And dump the ‘career objective’ section. Bots ignore this and so do most gatekeepers. Replace it with a qualifications summary – a bullet-pointed section packed with ATS-friendly keywords that highlight your achievements, applicable skills, and internships. Use spell check and grammar-check programs to wipe your resume (and cover letter) of any mistakes.

Ace the Interview

You made the shortlist and got a face-to-face interview. At this point, the job is yours to lose. So learn all you can about the company. Scour the firm’s website. Commit to memory the company’s key current events found in the ‘news’ section. If you met any company employees at a seminar, trade show or other function, be prepared to talk about your conversation(s) you had with them.

If you don’t know the answer to a tough technical question, own up sooner rather than later. It’s much better to admit temporary ignorance than fake your way in front of a potential expert. And do ask questions. If you don’t ask anything at the end of an interview, it shows a lack of interest in the company and what your typical workday might be like.

Know your resume like the back of your hand. Be prepared to discuss how your skills and talents align with the needs of the company. By the way, you should already be familiar with the basics of interviewing – firm handshake, smile, good eye contact, and dressing a step up from the person you meet. Check out a few videos on body language as well. And do follow up promptly after the interview with a thank you email – that’s one more chance to stand out among the other in-person interviewees.

You will want to start working on these steps well before you graduate so that when that graduation ceremony comes up and you get your cap and gown, you are well on your way to landing your first dream job.

About the Author

Dr. Radu Reit is the Vice-Chair of the Marketing Committee at the Society for Information Display (SID). Display Week 2020 will be held June 7-12, 2020, in San Francisco. For more information, visit www.displayweek.org.

How To Get The Most Out Of Your Employees

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StrategyDriven Talent Management Article|Get the Best out of Your Employees|How To Get The Most Out Of Your EmployeesYour employees are an important asset to the company, and in order for your business to continue thriving, you want to utilize your employees to the maximum. However, there are certain things you need to do in order to make this happen. So here are some tips to get the most out of your employees.

Keep Them Happy

Your staff happiness levels should always be bursting at the seams, and that is the secret to keeping your work productivity levels high. If you’re not trying your utmost to make your employees happy, then you’re going to see a dip in your company’s success. See each and every employee as a valued member of staff, whether they’re maintaining the building in the operations department or striking deals for the company with new clients. Their worth is how hard they work at their job, and if you’re not valuing this for everyone, then you’re going to have some unhappy staff members. And the last thing that you want that will be taking up your precious time is recruitment. So aim to keep your staff turnover low by doing your best to keep everyone happy in their work environment and when it comes down to their role too.

Good Communication Is Key

Having good communication is important within the workplace, and so it’s good to ensure you’re talking to your staff and checking they’re ok. Not only that but you need to check that communication between departments is effective and if it isn’t, then you need to work out why. It could be a case of people being on the wrong page, and then you’ve got two or three people doing the same tasks and not realizing until it’s too late. A good task management platform might be needed or regular meetings between departments to catch up on where they’re at in their day to day runnings. The more communication that is happening between departments and colleagues, the better everyone will be in their efficiency to get work done.

Give Them Regular Training

Regular training is not only beneficial for you as a company, but it also gives your staff some variety during their time within your company. Yes, any employee would enjoy a day off from the usual grind of work in order to learn about things that would benefit their job and career. So try to consider some job training courses and other workshops that your staff and your company can benefit from. Ask your staff for recommendations on what they’d like to explore and do within the work company’s budget. You may have some great suggestions that you hadn’t really given much thought to.

Create A Conflict-Free Atmosphere

A peaceful and happy atmosphere is one that should be something you strive for when it comes to the workplace. Granted, sometimes work tensions can run high, but it’s important how you manage these that will make the difference. Colleagues may not always get on, but it’s worth putting in incentives to help them get along in a professional capacity. You could do this by getting them to collaborate together more and to do work events where your staff can socialize outside of the work confines. When there’s conflict in the workplace, it’s important to quash this as soon as possible. Don’t ignore it and let it continue to affect the two or three involved. That’s only going to spread and make it a more uncomfortable environment for everyone. Pull them aside and sort out the issues at hand, make the changes needed where necessary and find a resolution that works for everyone.

Offer Flexibility And Company Perks

And finally, when you’re a good boss, it’s because you’re putting the welfare and happiness of your staff first and above all else. When your company is doing well, it’s only nice to spread that wealth around to other staff members. Offer as many company perks as you can and look to improve and increase them when possible. You might also want to be able to offer a bit more flexibility if possible, to those who have families or would like the option to work from home on certain days in the week or over the course of the month and year.

When you start focusing on your employees, you will certainly find a distinct improvement in their work productivity and the attitude they have towards their jobs. Use these tips to make these changes where possible and to try to get the most out of your staff.

How to Reduce Employee Turnover Rate

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StrategyDriven Talent Management Article | How to Reduce Employee Turnover RateEmployee turnover rate refers to the number or percentage of employees who leave an organization and have to be replaced by new workers. Employee turnover is a common issue affecting both big and small firms. The problem with employee turnover is that it costs a lot of money and time to replace an employee.

According to a report by the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), the average cost of replacing a single employee can be as high as $4,425. The cost of replacing an employee may include the onboarding and training expenses, severance benefits, and fees for processing technical details and documents. The figure also includes any time lost during the recruitment and onboarding process. So, how can you reduce or prevent employee turnover and avoid losing valuable time and resources?

Hire the Right People

The very first step towards avoiding a high turnover rate is hiring the right people to begin with. Create thorough hiring, recruitment, and onboarding process that sieves through the job applicants to find the most suitable candidates to work in your company.

Although skills and qualifications are important, selecting the right staff goes beyond examining academic and professional achievements. Scrutinize candidates on soft skills that would come in handy for the job position. Also, ask about the candidates’ career paths and goals to see if they align with what your company has to offer. These are excellent criteria to measure whether a candidate will be happy and satisfied with their position in the business.

Create A Flexible Work Environment

The 9-to-5 workplace regimen seems like an outdated and traditional workplace arrangement nowadays. Many employees are now looking for more flexible workplaces where they can balance their work and personal life more easily and conveniently. In fact, most employees value workplace flexibility more than other job descriptions.

Flexibility defines things like working hours, collaborations, workload, deadlines, and rules about absenteeism and reporting to work.  With modern IT solutions, you can have employees working from home, on a contract or freelancing basis, or even during odd hours. In such a case, however, you have to implement work from home policy guidelines to ensure accountability. Remember, the goal is to create a relaxed atmosphere without compromising productivity.

Offer Competitive Salaries and Benefits

One of the main reasons why people go to work is to earn money. Offering competitive salaries and benefits can help your business attract exceptional talent and retain employees. Money is a great incentive that you can use to lure employees into dedicating their time and effort to meeting the company’s goals.

You don’ even have to raise your salaries and benefits by thousands of dollars. Just take a look at what other employers in the same industry are paying their staff and raise your offering by a noticeable margin – and that should be enough to discourage competitors from poaching your employees.

Praise and Reward Exceptional Employees

Besides compensations, benefits, and salaries, you should also look into recognizing and rewarding exceptional work and employees. Recognizing your workers’ efforts and rewarding their hard work accordingly makes them feel valuable and important to the company. This gradually develops into building trust and long-lasting relationships between the employees and the employer. Plus, a fair reward and recognition system helps motivate morale and determination among the workers, which leads to higher employee satisfaction and productivity.

Many employers fail to see the importance of their employees, probably because they think they’re dispensable. However, your employees are most certainly one of the essential assets that your business has. Employees are the lifeblood of any organization that needs human input or labor, which is why they must be valued and appreciated. And although employees can be replaced, it’s a costly process, and a high turnover rate can hurt your operational costs and productivity significantly. So, work on ways of retaining your employees to avoid expensive surprises along the way.