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4 Ways to Inspire Your Workers to be Healthier

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StrategyDriven Managing Your People Article | 4 Ways to Inspire Your Workers to be HealthierWhen you are in a leadership position at your place of work, one of your priorities is to keep your employees engaged and happy with their employment situation. One way in which you can accomplish this goal is to encourage your employees to be healthier in their everyday lives. By promoting a healthier environment for your workers, you can bring about a more positive workplace for everyone.

If you are looking for ways to encourage your workers to be healthier, here are four things that you can promote at your office.

1. The Cycle to Work Scheme

There are many benefits to getting routine exercise on a daily basis. That being said, most people don’t feel as though they have the time to get the recommended amount of exercise every day. One solution is to encourage your workers to take advantage of the ride a bike to work scheme. Cycle Solutions has all the information you need to get your workers started on the scheme.

Not only can anyone who takes part in the scheme get plenty of exercise on a regular basis, but those who choose to cycle to work can also enjoy some financial benefits as well. You can set up the scheme for your workers with ease so that they can get cycling right away.

2. Bring in Healthier Snack Options

One thing that many people find challenging about staying healthy while at the office is the temptation of unhealthy snacks. Most offices have standard snack options like snack cakes and chips in vending machines as well as sodas and sugary beverages. These items can make it difficult for your workers to stay under the recommended daily calorie intake.

Instead of keeping your snack options on the unhealthy side, make a switch to healthier, more wholesome choices for your workers. You can swap out your current vending machines for ones that dispense fruit as well as healthier drink options.

3. Get Everyone on Board

The key to successfully altering the atmosphere at your company to one that is healthier for all is to get everyone on board with the changes. Make sure to check in with your workers about the changes they think would make a positive difference. By encouraging everyone to get involved and voice the changes they think would be the most effective, you can set your workers up for the best chances of success. Moreover, creating an environment where everyone encourages one another will help to bring about a more positive work setting across the board.

4. Don’t Neglect Mental Health

While it is incredibly important to help your employees to be physically healthier, you should also ensure that your workers know that mental health is just as important. You might very well have individuals working for you who are struggling with mental health issues without you knowing it. Those workers need to know that they are in a safe environment and that there are resources available to them when things like anxiety or depression begin to set in.

6 Ways to Increase Your Team’s Productivity

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StrategyDriven Managing Your People Article | 6 Ways to Increase Your Team’s ProductivityLeading a team isn’t simple, no matter the size. Whether you’re in charge of a team of five or a team of 500, there are obstacles you must overcome. Your goal is efficient, hard-working staff that boost the business’ quality and increase profits. To do this, you must be a leader who promotes productivity, and here are six ways you can do that.

1. Communicate Effectively 

A crucial part of leadership is having excellent communication skills. Without them, you run the risk of miscommunication that will lead to errors, frustration, and loss of morale. Provide your staff with constructive feedback, a clearly defined task list, and have an open-door policy. This way, your team will know they can rely on you to be honest and give help where it is needed, which will boost productivity.

2. A Comfortable Environment

Assuming that you and your team work the standard 40-hour week, you are spending a third of your time in the workplace. By creating a bright, comfortable environment, you will cultivate a productive team that enjoys being at work. Add plants, install wide windows, and have an area where your team can hang out and discuss. You could even provide auto sliding doors that use sensors to open, providing your workplace with a brightened, automatic entrance.

3. Give Praise 

Acknowledging a job well done will boost a worker’s productivity. If your team is constantly hearing about where they’ve made errors, they will begin doubting themselves and it will show up in their work. By providing positive feedback, they will feel valued and have pride in their work, and they will carry on doing a great job.

4. Use Incentives 

People work best when they have a goal and a reward. Provide that reward by bringing incentives into the workplace, and you will see a definite uptick in hard work. In study findings written by Harold Stolovich, they found that incentive programs engaged participants, attracted quality employees, and that the employees valued the incentive programs. Some rewards you could employ include lunches out, coupons, and bonuses.

5. Understand Their Strengths

Each team member is an individual with their own strengths and weaknesses. You cannot expect one employee to work in the exact same way as another, so get to know your team and their strengths so that you can take advantage of them. It will benefit both you and the employees, as you get their best work while they are able to enjoy hitting their goals easily.

6. Leave Them to Their Work

Micro-managing results in a quick descent into unhappy employees. You hired them for a reason, so you should trust that they have the business’ best interest at heart and will do a fantastic job each day. Have confidence in your team by showing them freedom in their work and they will show you their appreciation through productivity. Their sense of responsibility will let them shine while allowing you to focus on other areas of the business.

Have You Strategised How Productive Your Business Is? Time To Focus

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StrategyDriven Managing Your People Article |Productive Business|Have You Strategised How Productive Your Business Is? Time To FocusWhen you start a business, no one can really prepare you for the steps that you may need to take. It can consume you in those early days, and you may put all of your efforts into it. But as your business progresses you find that you spin too many plates and are not able to focus on the priorities. This is when you need to strategize to ensure that your business is more productive. So here are some of the things to consider.

Placing a value on your time

One of the first things to think about would be placing a value on your time more effectively. The issue that so many business owners and entrepreneurs have is that they tend to want to do everything themselves, but as their business progresses and thrives, there simply isn’t enough hours in the day. This is when outsourcing certain aspects of your business can help you get more out of it. You might also want to think about things such as Information management services to help with IT things and such. Placing a value on your time enables you to focus on the areas of the business where you can make the most difference.

Is your business productive when it comes to marketing?

The next thing to think about would be whether or not you think that your business is productive when it comes to marketing opportunities. Often it is more to do with analyzing things like social media platforms and working out the times in which to post and also what platform gets the most engagement and reach for you. The mainstream platforms like Facebook, Instagram and Twitter would be beneficial if you came up with a strategy to remain consistent to beat the algorithm.

Happy employees means productive staff

As businesses progresses, you get to the point where you need to have staff and employees. The issue is that you then become responsibility for their productivity. This is when happy employees make productive staff. Think about the working environment and the atmosphere, make sure that you look at how you communicate with your staff members and keep things professional while ensuring that you do all you can to get the best out of the people that work for you.

Making use of technology and shortcuts

The next thing you might want to think about would be the use of technology and shortcuts that are available to you. Customer relationship management systems to stay in touch with clients and customers, scheduling tools so that you can always be present online.

Gap in the market and jumping on the opportunities

Finally it is always going to be worth keeping an eye on the business trends and ensuring that you spot the gaps in the market. Jumping at these opportunities makes you productive as a business owner, as you seek out the next step to take to make your business the success you dreamed it would become.

Let’s hope these tips help you when it comes to being productive in your business.

When Is The Right Time To Hire Your First Employee?

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StrategyDriven Managing Your People Article |Hiring Employees|When Is The Right Time To Hire Your First Employee?Although it’s entirely possible to run your business by yourself for as long as you want to – maybe even forever – that’s not what every business and every business owner needs. In fact, for some businesses, not taking on staff can be detrimental and reduce growth, or even cause the business to stagnate.

Knowing when it’s the right time to hire your first employee, however, can be difficult to determine, especially if you are nervous about doing so. Move too soon, and you won’t be able to afford it, wait too long, and you’ll have missed too many opportunities. Read on to get a better idea of when to start the hiring process.

You’ll Make More Money

It is an expensive time when you hire someone. Not only will you be taking time away from the business to read through resumes and interview candidates, but you’ll suddenly need to be paying someone a regular amount of money each week or month. If you are unable to do that, your employees won’t stay around, and they might even take the matter further and sue you for their money. Plus you’ll need to pay taxes, insurance, and maybe contribute to pensions schemes.

You will need to add this all up and determine whether or not you can afford to take someone on. You will also need to work out how much additional revenue you can bring in by hiring someone. It might be that they can pay for themselves and then some. You should wait until you are financially stable, however, as it is a gamble that might not pay off.

You Can Do It Right

When we say do it right, we don’t mean all the admin and other exercises that need to be done when you hire someone. You can outsource much of this and TriNet’s payroll services can take on what you cannot such as managing your payroll for you or simplifying your taxes.

What we mean is that you need to be able to find the right person for your business, and, when they are hired, you need to be able to ensure that they are looked after. Getting these aspects right will help you immensely. You’ll have someone you can trust who, because they feel happy and satisfied in their work, will be loyal. Loyal employees are wonderful as they will mean you don’t have to start all over again and spend more money looking for other workers.

You Need Something Specific

As noted above, outsourcing can be a wonderful way to ensure that work is done accurately and professionally. You can do this with many aspects of your business, and it will mean that anything specific that needs to be done and requires a certain skill set can be completed.

In time, however, you may find that it would be easier to hire someone to do the work in-house. Some business owners prefer to have someone working just for them, and if this is the case and you no longer want to outsource yet can’t do the work yourself, it could be time to hire your first employee.

Ways that Businesses can benefit from using Human Resource Software

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StrategyDriven Talent Management Article |Human Resource Software|Ways that Businesses can benefit from using Human Resource SoftwareAll kinds of businesses can benefit from using integrated human resource software. It helps in managing processes, information, and employees. With the advancement in technology, businesses can boost the efficiency of the workforce and improve productivity. The company can automate its processes and will inevitably realize more profits in the process.

Reasons that Businesses need HR Systems

Management needs systems that make it easy to run and operate a business. Small companies can use the primary forms of human resource management systems to handle employees’ attendance and payroll. Larger corporations will utilize a more complex system inclusive of all the aspects of human resource management. This read will discuss some of the most common software to use and how they are beneficial to the venture. Here are a few reasons to use HR software;

  • Data management: the software eliminates the clumsiness of documentation in business. Officers can store data virtually and retrieve it any time that they need it. Data is easily manageable and accessible to management.
  • Automation: it leads to a reduction in errors since the system automates some of the services. Automation helps to schedule meetings with employees, and the system ensures that you get a reminder before the event.
  • Better Planning: when using HR management software, it is simpler for the management to plan to execute tasks. The system can assist in operational tasks while the management engages in strategic planning.

Types of HR Systems

Developers of software for HR management in companies will consider the needs of the business first. Let us look at popular software in the market and how they differ from each other;

HR Information Systems

The software helps enter data into the system where individuals with rights can edit the information. An employer can see the personal information, remuneration, and performance of an employee. Employees also get a portal where they can apply for leaves and also access other human resource services. They can log into the self-help menu and download payslips. On the other hand, there is a wide array of data that HR managers can store in the system. It includes keeping track of attendance and the benefits that employees are entitled to.

In other forms of the system, HR officers can store files and attach documents to an employee’s profile. It helps to link documents to the relevant individuals for efficient storage. The tool helps to manage documents and provide security against unauthorized access.

HR Management Systems

The software is not different from the information systems that we have discussed above. However, the system allows human resource managers to conduct more data analysis and use the information for decision making. Due to recent technological advancements, management tools are becoming available in all other types of human resource systems.

HR Payroll

It assists the process of paying wages and salaries to employees. Before casual and full-time employees get their payslips, the system will automatically handle any statutory obligations. It helps to generate payments and storing of payment records for the future.

Applicant Systems

The human resource department is responsible for the recruiting and onboarding of new employees. Applicant systems are meant to assist the officers in the process. Since companies receive high numbers of applications for vacancies, it is essential for management to utilize the HR tools. Unlike the management embarking on a manual process, it is easy to filter and sort out applications through the applicant systems.

Benefits of using the HR System

When a company grows, it is difficult for them to operate without professional human resource software. Depending on the business’s size and needs, one can choose the system that works for their company. However, it is advisable to have a system that makes use of all the above HR tools. Let us look at some benefits of using the HR system;

Ensures compliance with the regulations

HR software help in the storage of data and information relating to the employees. Management can ensure that the workforce complies with all labor laws by including their identification documents in the system. Having the information at a centralized location makes it easy to pay out any statutory and personal deductions. The software helps to flag items for the HR officers to act upon.

Assists in the decision-making process

In any organization, reporting becomes difficult whenever there is no organization in data and information. HR software offers cloud options for their storage needs. With enough capacity to hold all kinds of employee data, it is easy to locate the information. HR software offers an authentic representation of the workforce, and it is wise for managers to use the information to improve workers’ productivity. As a result, the process of analyzing data and making a decision becomes simpler.

It is Cost-effective

Purchasing a system for human resource management is a one-time thing. There are no monthly subscriptions unless when organizations are outsourcing storage facilities. With the software, companies can employ a few human resource officers to handle a large workforce. The use of technology in human resource management operations significantly reduces the chances of errors. With an inefficient system, companies might lose money from unwarranted payments. In the long run, human resource systems will save the business a lot of money.

Improves service to employees

Employees can easily access human resource services when the company is using automated processes. They can log into the portal from any place as long as their mobile devices have an internet connection. The system allows personnel to apply and receive approval for their leave days.

Improves efficiency in the Human Resource department

Human resources software offers an immediate impact on the department. It helps to streamline departmental operations and reduce the number of employees making their way to the office. The automated tools offer self-services that improve efficiency and productivity.

Conclusion

Employees are the most critical resource in any business. On the other hand, HR software helps recruit, manage, and remunerate talents for any organization. Small and large companies will benefit from the technology.