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Supporting The Working Parents Amongst Your Employees

StrategyDriven Practices for Professionals Article |Working Parents|Supporting The Working Parents Amongst Your EmployeesIn the modern era, many of your employees are going to be parents. Nearly half of the current workforce have children under the age of 18, and juggling both work and family responsibilities can be incredibly difficult.

And this problem has only gotten harder to control during the pandemic; people have had to work at home, and while that means they get more time with their kids, it also has the knock on effect of making their work harder to keep up with.

However, instead of rallying against this, it’s a good idea to work with it. Your employees are never going to stop being parents, and supporting this is a great way to boost your employee morale as well as your business growth as a whole. Here are some good ways to do so.

Be Flexible with Working Structure

A flexible working structure is one of the main things you need here. Flexibility is something business owners already promote, and stretching it a little further to accommodate the parents in your workforce is a great way to show your support for the working market at large.

For example, if someone needs to attend to childcare between the hours of 8 and 10 am, let them join onto work calls or get started on projects after these hours. Alternatively, if someone needs to be available to pick up their children in the afternoon, schedule their shifts earlier.

Create a Culture of Honesty

Working parents have a lot to deal with. As such, working from home can get complicated and messy, and knowing they’re expected to be on the clock the entire time their children are also awake can mount a lot more stress on their shoulders.

Knowing this, it’s a good idea to allow your employees to be honest about their days, and what they need to do during it, to help alleviate this sense of anxiety. Let them be upfront about childcare needs and how this might interrupt their work responsibilities without fear of being reprimanded.

Allow Employees to Bring Their Kids to Work

If you’re able to return to the office for a few days per week, why not allow your employees to bring their kids with them if need be? If they cannot afford outside childcare, or have no relatives available, turning a corner of your business into a small daycare could work wonders for the flexible element of your company.

What can you do to accommodate these on-site needs? Invest in some preschool furniture and set it up in a spare room somewhere in your company. Allow parents to bring in a few toys or books of their own, and then if need be, parents will be able to keep their kids nearby if no other arrangements are available.

Supporting the working parents on your staff body doesn’t have to be hard to do. Be flexible, allow for outside needs inside of this, and even allow employees to bring children with them.

More Tips For Happier Employees

StrategyDriven Managing Your People Article |Happy Employees|More Tips For Happier EmployeesTaking care of your employees is the quickest way to future-proof your business. Satisfied employees are more productive. They are motivated to achieve great results and not afraid to work hard to get there. Additionally, they are more likely to stay with the company. We’ve reviewed the essential leadership tips to create a happy place for your employees in a previous article.

Indeed, one of the biggest problems that employees recount is workload. Many employees find themselves overworked or underworked as a result of poor work management processes. This can happen when businesses don’t make the most of existing services. Often when employees complain about the workload, the complaint goes unnoticed. It is the manager’s role to welcome feedback and encourage employees to talk openly about their problems.

But improving the management function and relationship is only one of the possible areas of work to increase employees’ satisfaction. As a business, maximizing mental health benefits and engagement can also significantly help the team’s happiness.

Improve the workplace environment

Most companies fail to realize the importance of the work environment. Stressful and hectic are words frequently used to describe an unhealthy workplace. But what about small or dark workplaces? Indeed, the mind naturally registers light factors, square footage, and even temperature as factors linked to the overall wellbeing of the individual. A small and cramped office, for instance, can feel uncomfortable and unwelcoming. When relocating isn’t an option, the business could consider an extension project to improve the workplace. It’s worth mentioning that there might be foundation removal costs to expect with extension improvements. Another space-related complaint addresses natural light access. Businesses with a high number of windows and/or skylights tend to record higher levels of satisfaction.

Consider perks they want

Do perks make your employees’ lives better? The answer is yes. Valuable and desirable perks can not only attract but also retain employees. Indeed, perks highlight the business culture and understanding the company has of its team. In other words, the right perks tell the employees that the business has got their backs. Therefore, the top priority of any company is to open the discussion with the team. While it can be tempting to ask people what they want, you are unlikely to get a satisfying answer. Instead, focus on their pain points.

A shorter workweek, for example, could help reduce stress levels, fatigue and free up more time for friends and family.
Mentoring and coaching services can help employees build their careers and achieve their goals.

Introduce a mood-lifting “employee”

Office pets are an excellent boost for employee morale. Countless studies show that petting a dog or a cat can significantly lower your blood pressure and help reduce anxiety. Therefore, in offices where there is no severe pet allergy, the addition of a cute pet could have many mental health benefits. Pets bring a form of companionship, even if employees only see the pet during the workday. As workplaces suffer more and more with loneliness, spending time with a pet could help bring people together and reduce isolation. Additionally, pets can also encourage the team to take more regular breaks and look after their health.

Hopefully, these few tips can encourage companies to prioritize mental health in different ways in the office. Contrary to common belief, offering access to therapy services is not the most important thing a company can do for mental health.

5 Tips Guaranteed to Improve Employee Performance

StrategyDriven Managing Your People Article |Improve Employee Performance|5 Tips Guaranteed to Improve Employee PerformanceLet’s face the truth – your company’s success depends on your employees’ performance. Even when you are recording peak levels of turnover and maximum motivation, you may not be sure how to harness your employees’ potential. You will need various solutions to flip these dynamics.

Before you act on a particular solution, make sure you understand why your employees are not performing as expected.
Read on to learn some tips you can adopt to improve employee performance in your organization.

1. Set Clear Expectations

Do your employees understand their job descriptions? Communicating the expectations to the employees ensures that they have a clear picture of their assignment. After they are aware of their work, make frequent and clear communication to manage these expectations.

Your employees should describe their objectives freely. Moreover, they should understand their functions and responsibilities at the workplace.

2. Use the Right Tools and Technology

Embracing technology in the workplace is one way to drive engagement and improve performance. However, you should have the right technology and tools to match all the employees’ expectations.

Ensure that the hardware you have in the organization is compatible with your software. For instance, if underperformance in your company is due to the manual processes of making cuts and shapes, you may consider introducing a CNC cutting machine.

A CNC cutting machine can translate computerized information into instructions that a machine can follow easily. Browse this site to learn more about CNC cutting machines.

3. Empower Your Employees

Employee empowerment is a vital aspect of any organization’s performance. There is no one-size-fits-all approach to employee empowerment. The goal of any empowerment practice is to give your employees the power to make high-impact decisions in the organization.

While there are diverse ways you can empower your employees, focus on the one with a higher chance of success. For instance, you can start by providing input on their goals and objectives. Ensure that they have all the resources they would require to improve their performance. Besides, train your employees such that they can do their work without requiring any form of micromanagement.

4. Carry Out Performance Appraisals

Performance appraisals should not scare or pressure the employees to work; instead, they are a necessary tool that influences employees’ performance. Such an exercise gives the employees a complete overview of where they stand on their performance radar.

Regular performance appraisals will help the employees stay focused on the set individual and organization goals. Also, it is necessary to let them know of the significance of such reviews.

5. Improve the Employee Morale

Delighted employees have a high chance of performing well in their work. So, it would help if you took the necessary measures to improve the morale of your employees.

Review the working environment, benefits, salary level, and the knowledge of its mission and vision to ensure that the employees feel satisfied with their job. Employees with a clear understanding that their role is necessary for their employer’s success will always give their best.

To achieve success in your organization, you need to have the right systems, rules, and strategies in place. If you want to improve the performance of your employees, you must include their considerations. Learn why your employees are underperforming and focus on creating conducive environments for success.