Tag Archive for: employee development

How Much Are You Investing In Your Future?

When running a business, investing in the future is one of the best decisions you’ll ever make. Though it can be easy to only be looking five feet in front of you, especially if you’re a startup or are in the middle of a rebrand; industries evolve quickly. Therefore, if you want to continue to keep up with your competitors and have a consistently lucrative enterprise, staying ahead of the game will be a key contributor in doing so.

If you were to take an honest audit of all of the things you presently do to invest in your business, how much would you be able to come up with? For continued growth and success, it’s imperative that as you take your audit you consider all facets of your company. When most people hear the word invest, they automatically think of the financial aspects of a venture or establishment. While that is most definitely a major segment of your business, there are multiple ways to invest in the future of your organization. Here are some:

Research and Development

There are a few ways you can approach this…You can hire an internal employee to do research whether it’s their entire job or part of their job. Or, you can work with a consulting company that specializes in your industry to keep you updated on the latest industry trends. This well help you forecast how the market will be in the coming months or years, which will give you the opportunity to plan and make adjustments accordingly. You may just find yourself with information that surprises you or that you didn’t know was even a topic of conversation within your industry. Even though having a designated employee or company to do your research and suggest modifications will be an upfront investment, it is an expense that help your company reach its 5 and 10 year plans.

 Process Improvement

When things are working out well as they are, the easiest thing to do is keep everything the same. However, this “if it’s not broken, don’t fix it mentality” could be holding you back from making even more progress day-to-day than you already are. It may be a good idea to look into other businesses and companies within your industry to see what platforms and tools they may be using that help them keep pace. It is always intimidating to change your systems if they have been successful up until now, along with time consuming as you and your team will have to learn everything from scratch. This is why you must look at the bigger picture and be open to adapting. You will produce results quicker, therefore drive more business if you transform your processes and protocols.

Integrate New Technology

In a technology based world, this is inevitable. Yes technology is expensive, but it is also created to eliminate unnecessary work and streamline functions that need to be constantly addressed. Because it is a large investment, it’s in your best interest to be strategic about the type of technology and programs you use. Different industries use different makes and models of computers depending on if they are more creativity based or data based. In a warehouse setting, some machinery may need to be upgraded every few years, while other machines on the market haven’t changed nearly at all. Communication platforms are evolving almost daily and there are constantly new apps and programs that allow you to communicate virtually within a workspace. If you work in a fast paced environment or a place with dozens to hundreds of employees, investing in some of these platforms will take a lot of weight off of your shoulders.

Investing in Your Employees

Every year, turnover and employee mistakes cost companies thousands of dollars. This is why it is absolutely vital to ensure good employee morale, especially among your most valuable team members. There are so many factors in ensuring your employee morale stays high, including: training, appreciation, company culture, and promotion. The key to ensuring employee morale is that things have to happen on an ongoing basis. It is not enough to have a team pep talk every two months, or promote a few employees a year and call it good. You must make things like employee continuing education and appreciation a part of your model. This means setting aside funds specifically for that. As and owner or manager, ask yourself questions like:

*Is the office/site a welcoming space where people want to come to work every day?

*Do we have an employee incentive program or monthly events to show appreciation for our employees?

*What opportunities do we currently offer to make sure employees feel adequately trained and/or like they are regularly learning new skills?

*Are we promoting from within and offering room for growth and pay raises in our company?

Your answers to these questions will determine what areas you currently excel at and what areas could use some changes to make certain you are continuously investing in your people.

All of these investments are going to require both time and money, but if you are in your business for the long-haul, such improvements will catapult you forward so that your business meets the long term vision.

If you or someone you know is looking for a job, we at Award Staffing are here to help. Check out our latest job opportunities here.

 

How To Increase Employee Engagement

In any place of employment, keeping employees motivated and engaged must be a priority, because it’s what will lead to employee commitment and longevity. Studies have consistently shown that only about 15% of the workforce is entirely engaged in their position and company. When employees are engaged, they will put their best effort into doing anything they can to help the business thrive. It can mean the difference between someone who does just enough to get by and the person who goes the extra mile when they see the opportunity.

1. Give Recognition, Incentives and Rewards

Every employee will be more inclined to go above and beyond and more likely to remain with a company if they know that their efforts are appreciated by others. It can be as simple as a “thank you” or “nice work”, email. That being said, words can only go so far for so long. If you truly want your employees to show up their best every day, it is important that they get something in return other than a paycheck. If incentives and rewards become a known part of your business model, you as a company will also get the reputation of a good place to work. It can also add a little friendly competition into the mix. Some good incentives are: gift cards, cash, PTO, bonuses, etc. Also items like flowers and baked goods on birthdays can go a long way.

2. Offer Feedback in Real Time

Especially when an employee does something commendable, nothing feels more gratifying than getting recognized on the spot. Additionally, if an employee is doing something that could use a little tweaking or improvement; sharing how they can change it in real time is what will have the most impact. In both cases, they will know exactly what scenario you are referring to versus having to remember is because it was something that happened weeks ago.

3. Provide Mentoring

Every employee wants to feel like they have a personal relationship with their colleagues and management. There will also be times when employees have questions or concerns but are reluctant to bring them to your attention. Having scheduled meetings/mentoring sessions with your employees both formal and informal will give employees the opportunity to voice their concerns and share ideas. Ideally, it should be in both a group setting and a 1:1 setting for all employees and it can be both while working and a designated time set aside to offer feedback and listen to concerns. 

4. Give Individual Attention

Believe it or not, part of being an inclusive company is giving employees individualized attention. No one wants to be seen as just a number or a cog in the machine. Every employee is important to the business in some capacity, therefore must be treated as such. Employees will perform their best when they are able to bring a part of who they are into the organization. It is part of your job as an employer to make them feel welcome and comfortable enough to do so. Some ways you can do this are: schedule 1:1 meetings with each employee (even if they’re short), make sure every employee knows they are welcome to offer feedback and/or ask questions, check in with every employee to make sure they are updated on the latest company news, and acknowledge every employee when they come in and leave for the day.

5. Invest in Employee Development

There is nothing that can dull a job quicker than an employee doing the same remedial tasks every day.  Eventually they’ll start to feel like their job is insignificant and they are not a big enough contribution to the common goal. Feeling like they are growing and expanding on both a personal and professional level will keep them feeling emotionally connected. This can look like cross-department collaboration, paying for continuing education or courses employees are interested in, offering to increase their responsibilities and job description, and keeping them updated on advancement opportunities.

If your company is looking to bring on more employees, we at Award are here to help you. Contact us here with your staffing needs and questions.

7 Things Companies Can Do For Employee Wellbeing

One of the most important things a company can do in today’s times is to make employee wellbeing a priority. With the modern world being so busy, burn out can happen quickly if a person’s work-life balance is off.  While it’s the employee’s responsibility to take care of him or herself, knowing that their employer is looking out for them will boost employee morale and incentivize employees to want to do better. Employee wellbeing is how a job’s stress levels, environment, and expectations affect overall health and mental wellness. Here are 7 ways you can implement employee wellbeing into your business strategy.

1. Give Them the Ability to Disengage

One of the biggest causes of work-related stress for people is not having the chance to disengage when they are off the clock. When employees are expected to respond to respond to emails, take phone calls, and/or work on projects when they are supposed to be out of the office, (whether it’s for the evening or weekend) they don’t get the opportunity to rest and recharge. In order to regularly show up and do their best work, employees need time to stop thinking about their jobs and attend to their personal lives. Some of them will feel obligated to work off the clock even when they are not asked to, therefore it’s important to make it clear that they are not obligated to be working on their personal time.

2. Offer Employee Appreciation Incentives

An employee who feels appreciated will always do more than what’s asked of him or her. That is why it’s essential to show them tokens of your appreciation. Every month or so, provide refreshments that employees can enjoy on their breaks. If an employee is going through a difficult time, send him or her flowers or a card signed by the whole team. Honor accomplishments by custom ordering a plaque or framed certificate. If an employee is doing well with sales or recruiting, offer them the incentive of an extra vacation day or purchase them a gift card. Just be sure incentives are offered to all employees, not just those who can deliver tangible results. Offerings like this will make them much more excited about coming to work every day.

3. Provide Health Related Discounts/Opportunities

Getting active will benefit employees in both their personal and professional lives. It is an overall mental health booster and will give them more energy to help them through their days. Offer to pay for part of a membership to a local gym. Offer a reimbursement plan for active wear. If you have the funds and space, create a workout room for employees to use during their breaks or after work. You could even hire a virtual trainer once a week for the entire office to participate in a movement session. Some companies even organize friendly weight-loss or get healthy competitions. This can also contribute to employee camaraderie which leads to a positive company culture.

4. Be Sure Employees Take Vacation

Did you know that more than half of Americans don’t use all of their vacation days in a year? While some companies offer payout for employees that don’t use them by a certain date, taking time away from the office is actually very important. Employees who never get away are more prone to sleep deprivation, illness, and burnout; which in turn leads to call outs and lower job performance. There are a number of reasons employees forfeit their vacation days, one of the biggest ones being that company culture discourages it whether directly or indirectly. This can look like high-level executives never taking time off, strict vacation policies, lack of communication around vacation policies, and/or negative talk about time off. As an employer, it is your responsibility that your employees know that they are entitled to take their vacations. Also be sure that someone takes at least a portion of their responsibilities while they’re away. This way they aren’t returning to a mountain of work when they get back.

5. Be Conscious of Scheduling and Turnaround Time

Have you ever heard of the term “clopening”? This is a term mostly applicable in service positions such as restaurants or retail where business hours are nearly all day. From an employee perspective, it is incredibly exhausting when you work the closing shift, just to return a few hours later to open. Some companies are notorious for giving employees fewer than 8 hours in between shifts which doesn’t take into account their commute home and back nor their need to eat and freshen up. People get jobs to live, they do not live to work, so be sure that you are treating them like humans and not like machines.

6. Organize Company Outings

One thing that motivates employees to put their best foot forward is having events to look forward to. Doing things together as a company will ensure that employees disengage and enjoy themselves, at least for one day/night. If you have a team of mostly females, a spa day is always a popular idea. If you have a team of mostly males, a sporting event in the middle of the day or after work can be exciting. Just make sure that it’s an event that will truly be enjoyable for your employees- you can even ask for suggestions or vote on a few different options.

7.Allow Casual Dress Days

While this may not work in every industry, it can definitely work in most offices. The more formal the dress code is, the less comfortable the clothing tends to be. A shift in what employees are wearing can really change the vibe of the office for the day as people tend to\be less uptight the more casual their clothing is. Many offices have integrated casual Fridays into their business models and themed dress up days throughout the year. Even something small like this can have a massive impact on your employees’ mental health.

 

If your company is currently in need of employees, we at Award Staffing are here to help. Contact us here with any questions or inquiries.

TOP 4 WORKPLACE TRENDS OF 2021

It is no surprise that after a pandemic, there are many changes that will inevitably occur in the working world. Although it’s normal for protocols to shift in a work environment as time goes on; due to the unprecedented hurdles over the past year, employees have begun to have higher expectations for their employers. For that reason, it is crucial that your company keep up with market progressions in order to recruit and retain top talent. Here are the top workplace trends you can expect to see emerging over the upcoming year:

 

Employee Wellbeing Support

After the global health crisis, it is now more important than ever that employees feel like their wellness is being looked after. While it used to be that work and personal lives were kept separate, multiple studies have shown that supporting employees through personal matters has helped them perform at a higher level. With technology advancing at a rapid rate, employees have struggled to disengage from their work even when off duty. This has led to burnout, job resentment, and even resignation. It is up to the employer to communicate that employees have the right to disengage and recuperate during their off time. It would also be of benefit to both parties that the company offer resources and programs for mental, physical, and possibly even financial health and wellness.

Upskilling and Reskilling Employees

For a number of reasons, there are many more positions in the current job market than there are people open and willing to fill them. Upskilling and reskilling employees could be a great solution to this. Upskilling is when an organization teaches an employee new skills with the intention of advancing them. Reskilling is when an organization teaches an employee new skills so they have the knowledge and tools to do a different job. Although this may cost more money, as promotions and additional skillsets mean higher wages; expanding employee skillsets will help your company get through employee shortages, call outs, employee vacations, etc. Especially if you are a smaller organization, having employees that are equipped to fill any role will be of massive benefit. In the long term this will increase productivity and profitability for your company on top of more skills and higher pay for current employees.

Hybrid Workplace Model

While many employers were resistant to the idea of employees working from home prior to the pandemic, many of them were surprised to find that this model actually benefitted them. Several companies found that by allowing employees to work remotely, they saved on rent and utilities by ending the lease on some of their offices. Though your company may not have the ability to go entirely remote, giving qualified employees an option to work part-time in the office and part-time remotely will without question boost both productivity and employee morale. Also, if you choose to reskill and cross train employees, this will give workers who wouldn’t have previously qualified to work remotely the ability to do so once in a while. The pandemic has most definitely resulted in lifestyle changes and shifts in how employees view their jobs. Now that so many have experienced the feeling of working from home, they have a new standard for what their work life must look like.

Scheduling Flexibility

It used to be that the only people with flexible schedules were gig workers and freelancers. Now, more and more companies are letting go of the rigid 9-5 schedule and are giving their employees more autonomy. While it sounds like a perk that solely benefits the employee, companies are noticing that by allowing their people to work when they feel they are most productive, they: attract top talent, have longer employee retention rates, and have a better reputation as a place to work. As time goes on, it is projected that there will be much more emphasis on employee output and less focus on the number of hours worked.

The three key components of scheduling flexibility are:

  1. Letting employees choose where they work from
  2. Letting employees create their own schedule
  3. Letting employees build their own work day

If your company is in search of new talent, we would be happy to help you here.

 

 

 

 

How to Help Your Employees Meet Their Full Potential

If you’re managing employees on a regular basis, you are aware if they are, or are not, meeting their full potential. Encouraging your employees to meet their full potential not only ensures that they will be happier, but also enhances workplace productivity and success. Here’s how to help your employees meet their full potential.

Assess Their Strengths

The first way you can help your employees meet their full potential is to assess their strengths. You can do this by observing them while they’re working and seeing what comes naturally to them. You’ll find that some employees are better at quantitative tasks while others are better at qualitative tasks. Some employees are better at short-term execution, while others are better at long-term strategy. Once you have a baseline of their strengths, you can start to help them meet their full potential.

Ask What They Want to Do

It’s important to ask your employees what they want to do and what potential they want to achieve. While a particular employee may be great at administrative work, he or she might have a passion for customer service. You will need to find the balance between what they like doing and what they’re good at to make your efforts fully successful.

Have Monthly Check-Ins

Once you’ve established the goal or goals your employee should be striving for, make it a point to check in with him/her regularly. This will keep your employee accountable, and it will allow you to assign new goals or tasks for them to meet consistently.

Encourage Them to Strive For Greatness

Above all, you need to encourage your employees to strive for greatness if they’re going to meet their full potential. This can be done by letting your employees know you believe in them and that you are rooting for their success. You will be surprised at how much people can accomplish when they even have one person believing in them.

If you’re looking for new employees to help reach their full potential, contact Award Staffing. We will be able to match you up with employees who have high personal and career-oriented goals who would also be a good fit for your company.

 

FINDING YOUR TALENT

Want to learn more about how Award Staffing can help your organization with your staffing and employment needs? Start by providing our team with a few pieces of information about yourself, and we will take care of the rest.

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