How Would You Cope With Losing Your Job?

The first principle of my blog is Creating Ecosystems of Success and a key focus is Career Discussions. In some instances losing our jobs is in our control and in other instances, it is beyond our control. In either case, it’s important to think about what you would do should such a circumstance arise. The following contributed post discusses this and is entitled, How Would You Cope With Losing Your Job?

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The world of work has changed dramatically. In our grandparents and parents eras, you’d often get a job after leaving school or university and work that job until you retired. Industry and businesses tended to be long lasting, and job roles in general were much more secure. These days, things change quickly. The speed that technology advances means that companies have to adapt, and the roles that exist within them change to match. Companies have higher rates of failure for this reason, and so none of our jobs are quite as safe as we’d like to think. No one likes to think about being made unemployed, but if your company goes under, you get made redundant or you get sick or injured then it’s something you’ll have to face. ‘Hope for the best but plan for the worst’ is a good mindset to have here, here’s what you can do to get yourself in the best position if this were to happen.

Save and stockpile
Having money saved in general is no bad thing. Often in life, big expenses will crop up from time to time, and if you have a ‘buffer’ it can prevent a situation from becoming a lot more stressful. Aim to have at least three months of rent/ mortgage, bills and other costs set aside in the bank. That way, if you do lose your job you have everything covered for a few months while you find something else. A new job won’t always come right away, so by having this money set aside you don’t risk falling into debt or arrears or even losing your home. Another thing you could do is stockpile long lasting food items, toiletries, cleaning products and other home essentials. Fill up your pantry with staple items- tins, jars, dried grains, herbs and spices and you have a number of meals you can make if you’re short on cash for a while. Fill a cupboard upstairs with kitchen and toilet paper, toothpaste, shampoo, soap and cleaning essentials for the home. At least that way you don’t have to struggle during leaner times, particularly if you end up losing your job. You don’t need to go mad and stock up as if the zombie apocalypse is imminent. But grab a few essentials when they’re on sale and store them away, you might be glad of it one day.

Get insured
Having health, dental, home, pet and other kinds of insurances means you’re not left out of pocket if the worst were to happen. Insurance costs might seem like something you can cut out of your budget if you’ve recently lost your job, but it’s now you need them more than ever. If you do need to make a claim you’ll be so glad you had them in place.

Have an alternate source of income
Having a side hustle, a way to earn some extra cash (even better if it’s from home!) can make your situation a little easier if you lose your main source of income. Whether it’s from freelancing, blogging, a Youtube channel or a home business, you at least have some cash flow coming in and can cover your basic costs. It can take some time to get a side hustle established to the point that it’s earning regular money, so don’t wait until you’re at the point that you really need it. Start today, work it in your spare time and use it as a way to boost your monthly income. That way, it’s there if you need to rely on it later down the line.

Improve your CV
Improving your CV means that if you do lose your job, you’ll find it easier to get something else. Don’t just rely on the experience from your current role, there’s plenty more you can do. Why not do an online course in a subject that’s linked to your career path. You can study online, from home in your spare time so it doesn’t have to be a huge commitment. You could take up some voluntary work, or even start a hobby that would look good to employers. For example, if your chosen career requires patience and logic you could start at a chess club. If if requires teamwork, a team sport would look impressive.

Ensure you’re claiming the money you’re entitled to
There are various benefit and welfare schemes out there, make sure that you’re claiming everything you’re entitled to. There are certain benefits that you don’t need to be out of work to claim, for example military spouse benefits and child benefit that you get regardless if you’re entitled. But sickness, disability and job seeking benefits could all apply to you depending on the reason you’re out of work. Be sure to check and claim the money that’s owed to you.

How would you cope if you lost your job tomorrow? Do you have any systems in place that would make the process easier?

Simple Ways To Narrow Down Your Job Search

The first principle of my blog is Creating Ecosystems of success and a key area of focuse is Career Discussions. At some point or another, most of us have to look for jobs. In addition to having the appropriate qualifications, its also important to make your searches as simple as possible. The following contributed post discusses this and is entitled, Simple Ways To Narrow Down Your Job Search.

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When you’re looking for a new job, there is no point in applying for roles that you are unlikely to get. There is no point in trawling job sites that don’t contain the positions you are looking for. There’s no point filling out endless application forms for a job that, considering who you are as a person, are never going to fulfil you.

Instead, you need to narrow down your job search, so you don’t a) waste time with applications and interviews for jobs you aren’t suited to, and b) don’t end up in a position that you are likely to quit in several months time.

To narrow down your job search…

Think about the kind of jobs that would motivate you. What kind of job will get you out of bed in the morning? What kind of job would you enjoy doing? It might be a job that allows you to follow your passions. Or it might be a role in a career where you can help others. Whatever it is, think about the jobs that will excite you, look at the appropriate job sites or do a Google search for companies near you, get the qualifications needed, and then start applying.

Think about the skills you possess. When you know what your skills are, you will then be able to target those vocations and industries that you know you are suited for. So, if you have a head for numbers, you may be eligible for accounting jobs. Should you have a flair for cooking, you might want to consider a career in catering. You may have picked up skills in both your personal life and work life, so list them, and consider the types of jobs you could apply to. You might need to get extra qualifications, but as many jobs offer these as part of in-job training, you might still apply if you know you have skills particular employers will be interested in.

Think about your current position. If you are currently happy in your career but looking for advancement, you might want to focus your job search on those roles that will advance rather than downgrade your career. There might be roles within other companies in your chosen industry that are more senior than your current position, so rather than trawling the job pages, why not directly approach these other businesses? Or network with others at industry meetings and conferences, as after all, sometimes it’s not what you know but who you know! You might also reach out on social media, using LinkedIn to network with other professionals within your industry.

Think about your lifestyle. Do you have a family to consider? Do you want a better work-life balance? If either of these things is true, you might want to look for jobs that are closer to home. You might want to target part-time rather than full-time positions. And you might want to look for those jobs that will give you greater flexibility for your lifestyle. Narrow down your job search, and look for those roles that will help you meet both your personal and work goals.

Don’t waste time trawling job sites that don’t contain what you’re looking for. Don’t waste your time applying for jobs that are above or below your pay grade. And don’t waste your time sitting in interviews for jobs you don’t want or are not really eligible for. Using the tips in this article, save time by narrowing down your job search, and move into those positions that are better suited to you.

The Fine Line Between Project Success And Failure

The first principle of my blog is Creating Ecosystems of Success. No matter what kind of project you’re working on, it’s important to understand how to push it through to completion successfully. Many individuals’ projects end in failure. The following contributed post discusses how to successfully finish a project and is entitled, The Fine Line Between Project Success And Failure.

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Knowing what determines project success or failure is important. It provides you with direction; you know what you will be judged on and, therefore, what you will be aiming for. With that in mind, in this post, we are going to assess the factors that are relevant to project success or failure in further detail.

The success of the business project manager tends to be based on how they achieve three key goals. These are as follows:

  1. The project being completed on time
  2. The project being completed within the cost budget that was approved
  3. Good performance – This means that the project delivers the intended benefits and satisfies the specification that was provided

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In order to achieve these objectives, there are a number of factors that are required:

• Quick and fair conflict resolution
• Effective project management training
• Well-motivated team members
• Good project communications
• Appropriate regard for the health and safety of all people that are connected with the project, this is especially the case for the likes of new healthcare projects, for example, saliva drug test advancements or testing for various diseases
• A suitable organisation structure
• A sound quality culture throughout the business
• Technical competence
• Firm control of changes to the project
• Availability of resources, including sufficient funds
• Strong support for the project
• The correct project strategy
• Clear project definition

In some cases, one of the three primary objectives mentioned above may have special importance over the others. For example, it could be critical that the project is completed on time – this could be even more important than performance or budget.

It is important to recognise that this will result in a trade-off decision. If there is more emphasis placed on one or two of the main objectives, then it is going to come at the expense of the other objective(s).

You also need to understand the relationship between quality and cost, as well as the relationship between time and cost. Let’s deal with the former first. Most would agree that quality cannot be attained without added cost. However, there is an even greater reason why you cannot compromise or downgrade quality in order to save money. This is evident when you accept that a product must be fit for the purpose for which it was intended – this is the definition of quality. Downgrading quality simply isn’t an option, as no project manager should ever think about a result that is not fit for purpose.

There is also a vital and direct relationship between time and money. Cost estimates are almost guaranteed to be overspent if a project runs late. Every day that a project exists, be it a non-working or working day, it costs money.

All in all, if your project is to be a success, you need to achieve the three primary objectives mentioned above – deliver it on time, deliver it on budget, and deliver it to the specification provided by the client. You also need to understand how these objectives impact one and other if you are to succeed.

Are You Trying To Balance Being A Parent And Studying? Here’s 3 Tips To Make It Easier

Two key focuses of my blog are Creating Ecosystems of Success and General Education. Many parents balance going back to school and parenting which can be a lot of work. The following contributed post gives tips to parents for simultaneously balancing both tasks and is entitled, Are You Trying To Balance Being A Parent And Studying? Here’s 3 Tips To Make It Easier.

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There are many reasons why parents decide to continue or even start, studying at the same time as raising a young family. They may have become parents at a young age and missed out on the chance to finish their education, or perhaps they took time out to go on a gap year or went straight into the workplace instead. Whatever the reason, it is possible to make a return to education and raise a family at the same time. It will be more difficult – after all, you have little people depending on you, but bare in mind that you are doing your best to be a good role model and improving your future job prospects. Here, we look at a few ways to make studying and parenting a lot more simple.

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1) Think about online or distance learning

Sometimes, actually getting out to a college or university campus can be the most difficult thing about studying for a parent. If your children are not of school age, you need to look for reliable daycare, which can be extremely expensive. You also have to think about getting everyone ready and out of the door on time in the mornings, and let’s face it, with young kids, that is never the easiest thing to do. Lessons and deadlines are usually set in stone and have no leeway for flexibility. Online and distance courses, are not as rigid, and can often be done at your own speed, from the comfort of your own home – in your pyjamas if you like and sitting at your affordable reclaimed wood table. It also allows you to attend events at your children’s school and be at home for them when they need you without the worry of it affecting your grades or attendance.

2) Be prepared to study anywhere

When you’re studying and raising a family, the one thing you are most likely to struggle with is time. As parents, we seem to waste a lot of time, sitting around in our car while they are in ballet recitals or soccer coaching. When you are studying, those little pockets of time can be precious. Have a bag ready to take anywhere and everywhere with course books, printouts, flashcards and anything else that you need to do some spontaneous studying. You will be surprised at just how much you can get done!

3) Lose the guilt

Guilt is one thing that parents feel a lot of the time, and when you are trying to divide your precious time between your children and your education, it is easy to feel guilty. To do both effectively, you need to let that guilt go. Sometimes, you might have to put the TV on and leave the kids to amuse themselves. Sometimes, you might need to miss that show or that baseball game to meet a deadline. There will be times when you feel exhausted and have little patience left, but remember, you are doing this not only to benefit you but to benefit your children as well.

Promoting Better Mental Health in the Workplace

The first principle of my blog is Creating Ecosystems of Success and a key focus is Health and Wellness. Creating a healthy workplace for our employees is critical. Mental health is particularly important. The greater the better the mental health of your employees, the more productive they’ll be. The following contributed post is therefore entitled, Promoting Better Mental Health in the Workplace.

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The way your employees feel when they are at work con Impact on your business. It can affect productivity, communications and safety issues. Promoting a good atmosphere for them to work in will help with a good mental attitude in the workplace, and as an employer, you should be taking steps to make sure this is the case for your staff.

If you fail to do so, depression and anxiety could mean a lot of extra sick days, which will make your business less successful and harder to run. Your employees can be your most valuable assets and investing in them is vitally important for the future of your business.

Create A Healthy Workplace

This is easy to do by sometimes making just a few simple adjustments to your workplace and the way you treat your employees. Make sure that the environment they are in is a healthy temperature and that the air is fresh, Just these two things are a great start to making them feel better about themselves.

Do not expect them to work all day in your workplace and then go home and do even more work. Most people spend about one-third of their life in work and that is long enough. Expecting them to work a 60-hour week or to deal with emails and queries from home is not only unfair, but it will also make them feel discontented and that their efforts while at work are not appreciated.

Make sure they take their breaks and have somewhere that they can socialize for them. Some social interaction is a great way of relieving stress and they will return to their workstations more alert and ready to work.

Some experts, including Cynthia Telles of Kaiser Permanente, have spent years researching and dealing with these matters, and their opinions are very highly respected. She has been involved in several programs that aimed to improve the mental health of employees in all walks of life.

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Help Employees Identify Mental Health Problems

It is thought that in the US, one in four employees suffers from mental health problems to some degree and that most of them suffer in silence. This is in part because many of them do not recognize the cause of their problem and think it because of aging, the menopause or any one of a number of other things. Some workers think it is normal to feel this way and you need to help them identify when the way they are felling is not part of normal stress.

Helping them to recognize the symptoms and the triggers is one of the most effective things an employer can do for their workforce. You could invite a mental health expert to your business to give them a talk on what to look for and how to deal with it. There are confidential mental health screenings available and sometimes a questionnaire about their habits and symptoms can be very enlightening for someone that has been trained in these matters. There are also free online screening tools that you could encourage them to use.

The whole point is that a happy workforce will be more productive and produce a better quality of work. The time taken to ensure that none of your employees are suffering from mental health problems because of their job, or that none happen in the future, could save you a lot of time, effort and money ion the long run.

Assist Them With Their Treatments

Most mental health issues are very treatable, but they may need some time to seek the help they need. Letting them leave work for weekly therapy sessions that are during business hours for example, could prevent that employ from being off work long-term while they are treated.

Most employers would not have a qualm in calling for help if an employee becomes physically ill while they are at work, but those same bosses will totally ignore mental health issues. There is still something of a stigma attached to mental health problems, but many of them could have been prevented to start with. To the sufferer, they are just as bad and sometimes worse, than a physical illness and they deserve the same care and attention as someone who is having a heart attack while sitting at their desk.

If you any idea that a member of your staff may be becoming depressed or anxious while they are at work, speak with them or get someone else trusted to, and suggest that they seek treatment before it gets even worse.

Unlocking Confidence In Your Daily Life

The first principle of my blog is Creating Ecosystems of Success. Often times, success in our lives is greatly dictated and influenced by our mindsets and personal beliefs. Likewise, a lack of success is caused by mental programming. The following contributed post discusses this and is entitled, Unlocking Confidence In Your Daily Life.

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Everyone would say that they would like to be more confident, as it is clear that it leads to a more productive and fulfilling life. But it is one thing to want this, and quite another to actually know how to go about making it a reality, and that is a distinction which can really make all the difference in the world. Nonetheless, everyone is capable is learning to be more confident, and it begins by focusing on what it is that you tend to do with your mind. The secret to being confident is understanding how to think about it, as well as how to approach hurdles and problems in your daily life, in a manner which breeds more and more confidence within yourself. In this post, we’ll look at a few of the mindset qualities which can help you to feel and become genuinely much more confident in no time at all.

Anything Is Possible

First of all, you will want to try and develop a sense and feeling of anything being truly possible. Although at first it might seem as though this is not true, or that it must be hard to think this way, actually it is not quite as difficult as you might think, and the truth is that most things are much more possible than people tend to think. The problem is that by assuming that things are not possible, you make it truer, and the same is true of the opposite. You can start with very small things for this, everyday annoyances which you would usually feel have no real solution. For instance, it is always possible to get out of a parking ticket – check out GetDismissed, for instance – or to get away with being given your coffee for free. Try it out, and see what you can manage, and then you can start to build it up.

Growth Is What Matters

Of course, you are going to face setbacks, so it is the way in which you approach those problems that determines how confident you are likely to feel and come across, and therefore what kind of a life you are likely to live. And you will find it considerably easier to deal with whatever problems you might have if you can focus more on growth than anything else. If you can say that a problem at least caused you to grow, then you will find that this leads to a much more positive way of looking at things, which in turn allows you to feel much more confident in yourself in the future, for you won’t be fearing failure quite so much. This is powerful, and it’s well worth looking into as best as you can.

Help Others, Help Yourself

Finally, there is much to be said for the process of helping others in your life. Apart from just being a nice thing to do, when you go out of your way frequently to help others, it tends to have an effect of making you feel better about yourself, and this will lead to an increased confidence in no time. This is hugely important, and it can’t be overlooked.

Unhappy at Work? Here’s What to Do

The first principle of my blog is Creating Ecosystems of Success and a key area is Career Discussions. In some instances individuals can become unhappy in their careers and at work. Is the only option to quit? Not necessarily. The following contributed post is entitled, Unhappy at Work? Here’s What to Do.

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Work takes up a significant amount of your time and if you are unhappy, you must make a change. There is no point in going through life feeling like things could be better and doing nothing about it!

Being unhappy at work can have a massive knock-on effect on the rest of your life. If you are anxious and stressed at work, you will almost certainly be anxious and stressed at home. If you are feeling bored and uninspired at work, you can guarantee that your home life will be boring too.

The good news is that there is a simple formula to find your way to happiness once again. In just 3 steps, you should be able to see a much brighter future ahead.

Isolate the Problem

There are all kinds of reasons that you might be unhappy at work. Perhaps you feel that you don’t have enough of a challenge or maybe you are feeling overworked. It may be that you don’t get on very well with your manager or colleagues or even that you are being overwhelmed by the social commitments expected of you. No matter what it is, you should try to isolate the specific problem before you do anything else.

Often, people who are unhappy at work begin to internalise their worries and feel that they are to blame. Employees who are stressed out and overworked often feel that they are bad at their jobs and don’t realise that they could do an excellent job elsewhere. Similarly, if you aren’t getting on with your colleagues, you may feel socially inept. By isolating the problems you are having at work, you will be able to see that the problem lies with the job and not you. When you come to go for a new job, you will be able to see the warning signs and make a better choice.

Isolating the problem or problems is the best way to start working on a plan to make things better. If you are just focusing on the feeling of being unhappy and not the cause, you aren’t going to make any progress. The best action plan is based on facts not feelings.

Decide on an Action Plan

Stress and anxiety quite often stand in the way of working out an action plan but this is no problem in the long run. You just need to shift your priorities. Instead of focusing on what you need to do to make your job better, you should start by thinking about what will make your mental health better. Happily, the two things often coincide.

Breathe deeply and close your eyes. Let your mind drift for a moment but try to prevent them going into a spiral – follow the thoughts that interest you. Letting your thoughts wander is a great way to give your brain space to come up with more creative ideas and solutions. As problems at work pop up at the forefront of your mind, think about the possible solutions. You might even like to make a list you can look at later.

Some problems are easier to work through than others. For example, if you aren’t getting on with your colleagues, you might be able to talk to them about the problems you are having and clear the air. Similarly, if you want a greater challenge, you could ask to go on courses, move departments and take on more responsibilities as part of your role.

But other issues are more difficult to resolve and you may need to ask for professional help. If you are unhappy because you believe your company is acting illegally and you are planning to become a whistleblower, you will certainly need some help and should ask a lawyer for more information.

When you have a few solutions to try, you should put your plan into action. So, let’s say you are unhappy because you don’t get on with your colleagues and you don’t have enough to do. Start by asking your manager for more responsibility and suggest areas that you are particularly interested in developing. This is a good idea for several reasons but most important are that you can build up your CV and you will have less time to worry about your social issues.

Next, you should go through the process again, what is it specifically that is impeding your relationship with your colleagues? Would it help if you were to speak more clearly? Do you need to tread more carefully when you talk? Perhaps you are misunderstanding each other and there actually isn’t really a problem! Social issues at work take time to resolve but a candid chat is always a good starting point. Whatever you do – don’t gossip!

Make Positive Changes

Making just a few positive changes at work can have a real impact on how you feel. Positive changes can be as small as having a picture on your desk or as big as quitting and starting up your own business. The most important thing is that you are making the decision for the positive rather than simply escaping the negative. One of the most important rules in finding a new job that will make you happy is that you should always run to a job not away from a job.

Getting a new job is often the end goal for most people who are unhappy at work. Though it might feel like climbing a mountain every day, this is the main reason that you shouldn’t completely give up on the job you currently have. Continue to do your best and find ways to develop yourself so that when it comes to the interview, you will have plenty to talk about and impress the new company with.

As difficult as it is, try to keep looking at the positives. You might feel stuck in a rut but writing and sending off your CV will help to show you that you have plenty of skills and experience to work with. You won’t be trapped in this job forever.

Encourage Healthy Employees With These Wellness Strategies

The first principal of my blog is Creating Ecosystems of Success and a key focus is Health/Wellness. No matter which kind of organization you’re running, a key component will be the wellness of your employees and staff. Helping them stay in top shape will all but assure that you will get maximum productivity out of them. The following contributed post is thus entitled, Encourage Healthy Employees With These Wellness Strategies.

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Did you know that healthy employees are one of the best assets that any business can have? It makes a lot of sense when you think about it – healthier employees won’t get as sick quite as often and so won’t have to take as many days off to recover from illnesses. That means that you won’t waste any money paying for employees to take days off. But that isn’t the only reason why you need to encourage good health amongst your employees. You will find that fit and healthy workers are a lot more productive, as they have plenty of energy and drive.

There are lots of employers who already know just how beneficial healthy staff are, and so have stepped up measures to encourage healthy choices both in the office and at home. Here are a few popular wellness strategies that work well with employees. Perhaps you will want to try some out with your own staff.

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Get Them To Ditch Their Cars

I’m sure that a lot of your employees will drive to the office. This may be the most time-efficient option for people, but it won’t be doing their health any good. It’s worth trying to motivate the employees who live close enough to the office to walk or cycle to work. There are a few ways you can incentivize these choices. For instance, you might want to install some bike racks outside your office so that cyclists have somewhere to keep their bikes safe and secure while they are working. To try to get their workers walking to work, some companies offer their employees wearable devices, like Fitbits to track their daily steps. Running weekly or monthly step competitions within your office will certainly encourage your workers to walk more!

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Help Them Fight Personal Injury Battles

No matter how fit we may be, it can still be possible to end up in accidents and injured. If an employee does end up injured, they may be forced to take a considerable length of time off work. There are ways you can help them speed up their recovery, thankfully. One thing some companies do is build a relationship with a personal injury attorney who they can then get to represent their employee in court. You can contact Sachs Waldman for more information about these kinds of attorneys. Getting a good lawyer on board will greatly improve their chances of winning compensation which they can then use to invest in their rehabilitation and healthcare. Before you know it, the employee will have returned to a full bill of health and will be back in the office.

Encourage Healthy Snack Choices In The Office

Healthy eating goes a long way to helping us maintain good physical and mental health, so you should try to encourage your employees to opt for healthy snacks whenever they feel a pang of hunger. The best way to make sure that everyone reaches for a piece of fruit instead of a chocolate bar is to offer some free healthy snacks and drinks in the office kitchen. A large bowl of fresh fruit will go down really well, especially with those workers who want to satisfy their sweet tooth. It’s also a good idea to offer some cereal bars and other healthy snacks that aren’t too calorific, sugary, or fatty. As well as offering the usual teas and coffee, make sure there is some bottled water and fruit juice for your employees as well.

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Promote Social Connections Between Coworkers

Lots of research has suggested that employees who make friends with their colleagues and coworkers often enjoy being at work than those who don’t. It makes working together a lot easier, and employees who are friends will often support and help their friends a lot as well. So, it will be really beneficial for you if you promote the creation of social connections between your workforce. There are many ways you can do this, but one of the easiest is organizing office drinks on a Friday evening every so often. Most companies host these drinks every two weeks or on a monthly basis.

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Offer Support To Staff With Mental Health Troubles

These days, we all know how difficult it can be to maintain good mental health. Some studies have shown that employees who are emotionally supported in the workplace often find it a lot easier to maintain better mental health than those that aren’t. So, it’s really worth rolling out some top support strategies to all of your employees, especially those who really struggle with serious issues like depression. For instance, some companies like to welcome a councillor into their office once a month, and offer their employees the chance to book a session with them. You should also prevent the development of any workplace bullying and make sure that no one is ever overstretched with their workload.

Offer Gym Memberships As A Perk Of The Job

You will already be offering your employees plenty of perks of the job, but do you already offer them a free monthly gym membership? More and more businesses are now offering this to employees, as most gym memberships are too expensive for individuals to buy on their own. Once you do offer a membership, you will find that your workers are a lot more likely to go to the gym on a regular basis. As a result, they will quickly get fitter and their overall health should also improve.

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Install Office Showers

If you have the space in your office, you should think about installing some showers. This should encourage more employees to run or cycle to work. Lots of people are put off from getting to work in these ways because they will have to spend the day sweaty at their desk. But once showers have been installed, they will be able to take a quick wash so they are fresh for the day ahead.

Once you use these wellness strategies, you should notice a difference in your staff!

Your Most Valuable Resource: People & How To Take Care Of Them

The first principle of my blog is Creating Ecosystems of Success and two key focuses are Financial Literacy/Money. Whether you’re running a business or another class of organization, taking care of your employees is critical. Creating an environment where they feel as though their best interests are being considered will assure their loyalty to management. The following contribute post is therefore entitled, Your Most Valuable Resource: People & How To Take Care Of Them.

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The idea that you can have a successful company with happy customers and not treat your employees well is ridiculous. In fact, the whole systems works on a trickle-down effect, with happy employees supplying the best productivity and service, and so pleasing customers. Something that then leads to better profits. Happily, even if you haven’t thought of your business in these terms before you can significantly improve how you treat your employees with the advice elbow. Read on to find out more.

Leadership

Great leadership can make all the difference in how your employees feel about their work. Such leadership may not always be what you think it is either. In fact, it’s not about striding around the place barking orders or even having the ability to do all the tasks from top to bottom yourself. Instead, it’s about having a strong vision for your company both inside and out.

What this means so that you need to have an accurate idea of how you want your company to run internally and balance this with the successes and profit you make. You need to draw a line in the sand and decide that you will treat your employee with respect no matter what their role, and insist that they treat each other this way as well.

In fact, bullying, intimidation, and unpleasantness is often something that can degrade an employee’s work experience and job satisfaction. To that end, you need to have up to date policies that deal fairly with any instances of this as well. If you want our employees to feel happy and safe at work that is.

Safety

Of course, your employee’s safety is also crucial in terms of the task you are asking them to do. In fact, businesses have a responsibility to those that work for them. What that means is it’s crucial to be aware of any laws and guidelines concerning the type of tasks you need them to do.

In fact, even in an office environment, there is plenty to be aware of such as desk height and ergonomics as well as manual handling training. Where employees are shows how to move boxes correctly, so they don’t end up injuring themselves.

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However, in more specific environments there are even more safety issues to be aware of. For example, when working with machinery the risk of employee harm is much higher, but it can be reduced by using items like cable housing and protective carriers. Something that you can visit Dynatect Manufacturing for more information on. A place where you can also find help with others ways that you can improve your machine process to increase its safe use and productivity.

The same is true when your workers are using construction equipment and heavy machinery too because these things have a partially high risk of causing harm or damage if they are not operated properly.

To that end, proper induction training courses for each piece of specialized equipment are needed, as well as regular refreshers at appropriate intervals as well. Clear signage to remind those that are working around such machines of the danger they pose, as well as the safety gear they need to wear are also vital aspects of looking after your employee’s safety in such environments.

Physical Wellbeing

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Another way that you can show your employees that you care about their well being is by encouraging them to be as healthy and fit at work as possible. In fact, this is something of a new idea that is taking off, with many business offering exercise classes within work time. Some companies are even choosing to offer meditation or power nap breaks that allow people to rest and recuperate, as well, something that is also good for reducing stress levels.

Another way that many businesses can show concern for the physical well being of their employees is to install office furniture that encourages movement while working. This may include a standing desk, treadmills, and even balance ball chairs which are known to be excellent for posture and core strength.

Of course, all of these items do cost money, but what most smart employers realize is that if their workforce is physically more healthy, they are likely to be more productive as well. In fact, integrating such programs in a work environment can significantly reduce sick days and so boost company productivity, and save on cover over the long term as well.

Salary and Wages

People don’t tend to work for free, not unless they are lottery winners or secret millionaires that is, and that is why to show your care about your employees you need to offer them a decent salary and benefits package.

What that means is that the salary you pay needs to be comparable, if not better to your closest competitors in the market. Although, if you can’t match them in terms of cold hard cash, you may wish to consider introducing an excellent employee benefits scheme that includes discounted or free gym membership and other perks. Something that you will be able to purchase as a compare documented price and so will work economically for your business as well as for boosting morale.

Social

Lastly, if you want your employees to enjoy work and feel valued and so stay with you for as long as possible, creating a community atmosphere in the workplace is essential.

Of course, that doesn’t mean that you ignore sensible guidelines about appropriate behavior at work, but instead it’s about introducing opportunities for workmates to spend quality time together outside of the office.

Some firms do this with regular social evenings, while others prefer team building activities like adventure weekends away. The idea being that not only does this strengthen bonds between individual employees and help them to communicate and get on better at work, but also allows people to feel more integrated and valued as well.

Something that can contribute to a feeling of belonging, and so help to boost your employees’ overall job satisfaction. It can even reduce your worker attrition rate, and so work out better for your budget as well.

After all, if people are your most essential resource, it’s crucial that you look after them in the best way that you can.

4 Reasons Why You Should Take Focus and Specificity Seriously in Your Life

The first principle of my blog is Creating Ecosystems of Success. One of the keys to being successful is focusing in your goal and not becoming distracted. Approaching your life with focus and specificity can all but ensure you success. The following contributed post is thus entitled, 4 Reasons Why You Should Take Focus and Specificity Seriously in Your Life.

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It’s generally pretty common for all of us — at least at certain times in our lives — to be somewhat chaotic, disorganised, and to lack specificity and focus as we go about fulfilling our day-to-day obligations and moving towards what we hope will be prosperous and meaningful futures.

While it’s understandable, however, to fall into this kind of pattern every once in a while for a limited amount of time, allowing yourself to go through life in a permanent haze of unfocused vagueness, can be absolutely devastating to your ability to live a fruitful, uplifting, and successful life.

If you listen to many of the more influential coaches, advisers, and commentators on personal and professional growth and success out there, you’ll find that there’s a commonly recurring theme that focus and specificity are essential to success and happiness alike.

Here are just a few reasons why you should take focus and specificity seriously in your life.

Often, being precise in how you handle matters can forestall later troubles and complications

It likely won’t take you too much time spent reflecting, to notice that there are just certain things in life which require a high degree of attention, specificity, focus, and care, in order to turn out right.

If, for example, you are installing a new complex network infrastructure at your workplace, failing to have a data cabling installation expert on hand to perform — or at least, oversee — the procedure, is likely to result in some pretty serious trouble if not immediately, then certainly a short way down the line.

When all is said and done, many of the problems that we encounter in our lives — including many of the most pressing and difficult to come to terms with — happen as the result of the fact that we failed to perform our due diligence at the onset of a given project.

In fact, the same is often even true of our interpersonal relationships. When marriages break down, for example, it very often happens as the final straw in a long and drawn out process, during which one or both parties failed to attentively and specifically address the issues that they saw arising in the relationship, when it would have been possible to handle them without them devolving into major crises.

Whenever you’re dealing with something that really matters — you should be as focused and specific as you can in handling it. That focus and precision can often forestall serious problems and complications down the line.

Time is limited, and to achieve meaningful things, it has to be leveraged effectively — therefore, failure to focus can have catastrophic consequences

It can be pretty disconcerting, to say the least, to reflect on your own mortality. And yet the hard reality of life is that life itself is finite, and we each only get a certain amount of time with which to do everything we want, forge meaningful relationships with other people, and leave something behind that we’re proud of.

Of course, it should go without saying that achieving meaningful things, and doing meaningful work, is difficult and requires a high degree of focus, specificity, and attention.

When you see people who are very successful in a given area of life, it is typically the case that they have been extremely focused and disciplined with their time, and have dedicated a major chunk of their waking hours to that particular field.

Allowing yourself to exist in a chronically chaotic and unfocused state, on the other hand, only means that your time, and your opportunities, disperse as a result, and that you end up with nothing meaningful to show for things as a result.

Of course, this is a nightmare scenario for most of us. So, for the sake of achieving something meaningful and uplifting with your life, it’s by far in your best interest that you leverage your time and energy effectively, and spend them on the things that matter most.

Being specific and precise in your words and in the formulation of your goals and intentions, can keep your actions in line with your true values

It would be difficult to convincingly argue that living with integrity isn’t one of the most — perhaps the very most — important thanks in life.

No matter what hardships you’re facing, or whatever other goals you may have, if you always abide by your own moral code and stay true to your values and principles, it’s possible to live life in a way that makes you proud of the person you are, and justifies and counterbalances the struggles in life, too.

On the other hand, people who betray their morals and principles for anything else, such as in order to make more money, are always figures of scorn and contempt for the rest of the world — and usually for themselves, too.

Of course, people often go against, or at least fail to live up to, their own values, not due to conscious choice so much as the fact that they just weren’t thinking very clearly about things.

If you always put an emphasis on being specific and precise in your words and in the formulation of your goals and intentions, you can exercise a much greater degree of consciousness over the way you’re conducting yourself through life, and can live with significantly more integrity as a result.

Specificity may force you into a more action-oriented mode of living, which in turn has various benefits

A lot of people are, so to speak, essentially addicted to abstract hypothesising on any number of different topics.

Sometimes this is conscious and intentional, but very often it’s just the consequence of failing to make coherent plans and to construct effective strategies for implementing those plans.

By always holding yourself to the principle of specificity, you are more likely to work through the details of your plans and goals in a systematic manner, and to turn them into things that can realistically be actioned.

The result of this — a more action-oriented mode of living — can, in turn, have various benefits, not least of all greater productivity.