Tag: Work

Staying Relevant in the Workplace: The Tips To Help

The first principle of my blog is Creating Ecosystems of Success, and two of its focuses are Career Discussions and General Education. Even after completing school and entering the workforce, it’s important to think about where your career and your field are going. This involves several steps and points to consider. The following contributed post is thus entitled, Staying Relevant in the Workplace: The Tips To Help.

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In a job market that is as competitive as ever, employers are likely to have higher standards than ever for their employees. So in order to stay competitive and stay marketable, you need to make sure that you are relevant and up to date. By checking that you are doing things to improve yourself and your career, as well as seeing how you are doing with things, it can help you to ensure that you are not coming up short. If you’re not too sure about how you can stay relevant in the workforce, then here are some steps to help you get there. Keep going on and on, and you’ll be able to stay relevant in your career. Then you can keep your career going and achieving the things that you want to.

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Check Your Training

No doubt you will have the main qualifications to be doing the job that you do. But there are can be plenty of new technology to learn and understand, as well as software or certain operating systems. But if you don’t get up to speed, then you are going to struggle in your everyday job, as well as struggle to stay relevant. If it is kind of implied that you should know how to do something, then now is the time to learn what you need to learn, so that you can execute your work well and show your employer that you know what you are doing.

Trade Shows

It will depend on what industry you are in. But if your industry is related to an industry that works with (or in) trade shows, then it is a good idea to get yourself there. It can be something to suggest to your employer if you are not already doing it, as well as going and arranging to go of your own accord. It gives you a good chance to network, as well as a good chance to see the latest in your industry, or how other industries could be impacting the one that you work in.

If you work in quite a niche industry, or plan to in the future, then it can be a good idea to attend trade shows to get ideas, as well as seeing what is happening in similar industries.

Get Social

Social media is a great way to get in touch with others in the industry, or it can be used as a great way to read up on latest news or blog posts about what is going on in your world of work. Being online on social channels in a professional way can be a good idea to help you to stay on top of all that is going on. Not to mention that there are plenty of HR influencers online, especially social sites like Twitter. They can be sharing useful updates and relevant content, to help you to stay up to date and stay relevant in your career.

Perfect Your Skills or Specialize

If you look at people in the medical profession, for example, the ones that are earning the most are the ones that are a doctor with a specialism, rather than just a general practice doctor. Being a ‘jack of all trades’ isn’t always the best thing for your career. It can be a really good thing to specialize and to choose one route to go down. You will be staying relevant as you will be much more marketable to that specific career area than if you just kept things quite general. So if you can, look for ways to train in something more specific, but still relevant and in-demand.

Follow Competitors

Whatever walk of life we are in, there will always be competitors. Have a look at them to see what they are doing and what they do so well. If they are having more success, then follow them to see what it is that they are doing differently to you. If people in the same niche are having more success than you, then it shows that there is market for what you are doing. You just need to be the one that people want to come to. So mimicking a strategy or style can help to boost your success, and it adds value to what you are doing, and keeps your role relevant.

As you can see, these are all pretty straightforward things to be doing. But it just takes some time to plan so that you can really focus on your career goals and staying competitive and relevant within that.

Is Your Company Ready To Take On Employees?

Some of the key focuses of my blog are Financial Literacy/Money, Business/Entrepreneurship and Organizational and Management Discussions. A major key to running a company is knowing when additional help is needed in your workforce. If you need help, what’s the best way to approach finding it?  This contributed post is thus entitled, Is Your Company Ready To Take On Employees?

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Thinking of hiring employees to work for your company? Preparation is essential when taking on staff members. Here are a few questions to ask yourself before you take steps to hire employees that will tell you whether you are ready or not.

Can you afford to take on employees?

First of all, you need to be certain that your company can earn enough to pay your employees wages. On top of this, you need to be able to afford recruitment costs, insurance, equipment and work incentives. It’s worth getting a financial advisor to help draw up a budget so that you can decide whether you’re ready – you can always take out a loan at first to pay for recruitment costs and initial equipment.

Have you got the time?

You need to be able to dedicate time to the recruitment process such as reading resumes, conducting interviews and providing training. Make sure that you’ve made this time for yourself, otherwise you could end up rushing the process and hiring the wrong employees. You also need to be there for your employees when they’re actually working for you – nobody likes a distant boss.

Have you got the tools and equipment?

Hiring employees could mean having to hire extra equipment. Some of this could be required for admin purposes such as payroll software. Other equipment could be for your individual employees needs such as uniforms, extra tools and safety equipment. You may want to stock up on some of this beforehand, whilst uniforms may be something you want to order when you know your individual employees sizes (although you may still want to come up with a design prior to this).

Do you understand the legal requirements?

There are a lot of legal requirements to consider when hiring staff. You’ll need to first take out employer liability insurance to protect you from injury claims – this is compulsory in many countries. You’ll also want to do a risk assessment of your workplace to ensure that aspects such as fire safety and basic health and safety are met. On top of this, you’ll need a clear understanding of all the benefits you should be providing such as a pension and holiday pay. PEO companies can help when it comes to putting benefits in place. Make sure to keep up to date with your local employment laws. If you are looking for a German PEO visit globalization pedia.

Do you have the personal skills to become an employer?

You may also want to consider taking a couple courses in leadership and management. These could help you to get a firm grip of the admin required whilst also helping to develop leadership skills such as delegation, communication and motivation. You can also try reading books on leadership or simply taking advice from blogs and vlogs. You don’t need experience or qualifications to be a good leader, however educating yourself could go a long way.

Helping Hands That Could Make Your Business Workflow More Efficient

Two of the focuses of my blog are Financial Literacy and Money, and Business and Entrepreneurship. In the Rich Dad Poor Dad series, Robert T. Kiyosaki often refers businesses as a ‘team sports’. Likewise a key to growing your business is recruiting the right professional talent to help you with the important tasks. The following contributed post is thus entitled; Helping Hands That Could Make Your Business Workflow More Efficient.

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You try your best to keep your business running smoothly on a day to day basis, but recently you have noticed a strange spike in you workload and it’s becoming more and more difficult to keep up. Your business needs that extra push to keep it going above and beyond your expectations, but how are you going to achieve this? Accepting help when you’re an entrepreneur can be a tough pill to swallow, but it’s actually a great sign of growth. Widening your horizons and getting more people on board with your business will not only set your business up for greater success, but it will also give you the opportunity to relax a little more. It’s time to lighten your load and finally make your business workflow more efficient.

Bookkeeping Assistance

When it comes to calculating your taxes, you are certainly no expert. You spend days and weeks of your life every year trying to decipher various receipts and payments. You will never enjoy doing your taxes, so why continue to suffer? You can visit gudorftaxgroup.com and they will help you by producing detailed reports about your business. Understand where your money is being spent and how you could be small changes here and there. If financial data is baffling to you, then you won’t have to worry any longer if you seek assistance from reputable bookkeepers.

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Marketing Help

You spend a lot of time working on the advertising and marketing methods for your company. Although you do have a creative eye and you enjoy getting stuck into the process of building campaigns, you need to spend more time on the actual business itself. This is why you should definitely consider hiring a professional marketing manager, who can take charge of your businesses advertisements. You will always be able to have the final say, but you will have more free time to finish the jobs that are urgently waiting on your to-do list.

More Employees

When you run a small business is can seem pretty odd to be thinking about hiring employees; you have always worked by yourself and you have always liked it that way. Putting your trust into other people to help you run your business is a little daunting, but this might just be the next step that your business need. Imagine having an office assistant who can answer calls or reply to emails. This would allow your workload to lighten so that you can actually enjoy the job you are doing. Consider the roles you might require in the company right now and start thinking about hiring a workforce soon.

You have always been a proud business owner who is able to handle anything that is thrown your way. As your company gets bigger and bigger you have realised that you can’t do everything by yourself, so it is definitely time to start thinking about hiring some extra helping hands. Take all of these ideas on board and consider where your business needs that extra lift. You will soon notice an improvement to your workflow as soon as you have made these changes.

How You Can Start Allowing Your Staff More Flexibility Today

Some of the key focuses of my blog are Financial Literacy and Money, and both Business and Entrepreneurship. A major key to running any business or organization is recruitment and retention of talent. A major part of talent retention is creating an optimal work environment. This contributed post is thus entitled; How You Can Start Allowing Your Staff More Flexibility Today.

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Allowing your staff more flexibility can be a fantastic way to build a better company reputation, make it more enjoyable for your staff to come to work, get a higher quality of work, and much more. It’s far more modern to allow your staff to work flexibly these days, as we all lead busy lives and may have appointments to keep up with, or may want to work from home for whatever reason.

Flexible working doesn’t just mean working from home. It can mean making the most of the commute and working from there, coming in a little later and making the time up later on in the day, doing some work in a cafe, and much more. Working flexibly can mean different things for different people. It won’t suit all businesses, but it can definitely help a huge number of businesses to move forward and get better results. Below is a quick rundown of what flexibility can mean for different businesses:

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• Flexible arrival and departure times
• Full-time work from home or location independence
• Choice and control in work shifts
• Part-time work from home
• Compressed shifts or workweek
• Opportunity for sabbaticals or career breaks (e.g., extended time off)
• Unlimited paid time off
• Caregiving leave

Staff who can work flexibly tend to take less sick days, feel happier and more productive at work, and become advocates for your business. They also feel more loyal to you and you should find you improve employee retention. Below are some ideas to help you implement more flexibility today:

Speak To Your Employees
Speak to your employees and see what they think about working flexibly. How do they think it could help and how would they like to do it? Getting their opinion will give you an insight into what they really want.

Start Using The Cloud
Using the cloud means your employees will be able to access data any time, anywhere. If you’re not currently using it, you’re already behind! What would you do if you lost important data, or there was a natural disaster? Cloud Migration Services can help with this, whether your employees want to start work on the commute or whether they’d like to do it from home.

Make Everybody Play By The Same Rules
Having flexibility in the workplace is great, but it can’t be one rule for one person and one rule for another. For example, you’ll find in many workplaces parents are allowed to leave early to pick up their kids, go to a school play, or take time off and have benefits for other family related things. Single people and those without kids should not be treated any differently! Have the same rules in place for everybody.

Allow More Flexibility Within The Workplace
Don’t have the mindset of ‘employees must be at their desks from the hours of 9-5’. Let them take breaks. Let them play games. Let them talk. Heck, even let them take naps. Make the workplace fun and flexible and you’ll seriously benefit.

Make A Gradual Transition
Do these things gradually so it’s not a shock to the system. What can you implement today to make the workplace more flexible?

What’s Stopping You From Seeing The Big Picture?

Some of the key focuses of my blog are Financial Literacy and Money, and both Business and Entrepreneurship. Depending on what kind of business you’re starting, a major key is eventually working on the business as opposed to working in it as described in “The E-Myth” by Michael E. Gerber. This contributed post is thus entitled; What’s Stopping You From Seeing The Big Picture?

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The devil is in the details when it comes to your work but getting stuck in those details while trying to run a business can make you oblivious to the big picture. Without a little distance and perspective, it can be much harder to notice the biggest obstacles, the best potential strategies, and the solutions your team needs. How do you get the perspective you need when you’re constantly in the trenches with the rest of the team?

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No time at all
You have to make the time to work on your business, not just in it. Everyone has multiple responsibilities and a need to be able to juggle them. Being able to prioritize both your workload and your time can be crucial. Learn how to structure your workday, breaking it down into blocks of time that you can assign to multiple tasks. This way, you can find the time every day to take on the most crucial and urgent managerial or admin tasks while still leaving time free to strategize.

All the admin
If you’re taking care of all that administrative work yourself, you might never be able to find that time in the first place, however. There are a few steps to cut back on how much you have to deal with yourself. You can automate, using accounting, payroll, and HR software to take out the man hours necessary to keep all your systems up to date. For elements that need a human touch, like answering the phone, you might want to consider a virtual assistant, too.

Tech troubles
More and more businesses are relying more heavily on tech. They can help us unlock magnitudes more productivity, but the more we rely on them, the more our success becomes tied to them. If you’re spending a significant part of your working day solving tech issues, then managed IT services might be what you need. Not only can you use them to identify and solve problems much more quickly, but they could improve or build a network that makes you tech even more versatile and valuable.

Unempowered employees
If your team isn’t empowered to make their own decisions or work proactively, then a lot of your time is going to be spent babysitting them. This isn’t always necessarily their fault, but a result of a company culture that doesn’t encourage employees to be more engaged. You can change that by getting them more informed and involved in the overall objectives.

Not enough insight
Taking a bird’s eye view of the business can help you identify workflow issues and potential improvements to communication and cooperation. If you want to implement any strategy, however, you need to know how it looks on the ground, as well as the challenges your team faces. For that reason, you need to put an effective employee feedback loop in place.

Getting that perspective is crucial for a business owner but you should never forget what it’s like to work with the rest of the team, too. Their perspective can be just as helpful as yours.

Old School And New Approaches: Essentials For Running A Store In The Modern World

Some of the key focuses of my blog are: Financial Literacy, Wealth Building, Business and Entrepreneurship. Doing business has changed significantly in today’s digital/information age. Many ‘brick and mortar’ retail stores have folded altogether, while others have had to rethink their business models in order to survive. What are the keys to running store in the modern world? The following contributed post is entitled; Old School And New Approaches: Essentials For Running A Store In The Modern World.

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There are two schools of thought when it comes to setting up a retail store in the modern world. Firstly, you may find that your target audience doesn’t physically go shopping, but prefer to go online. But, conversely, the demand for a physical store in recent years has seen a rise. And if you are selling products of various types, the temptation could be to go via an online marketplace, but you could find that you are neglecting certain parts of your target market. But, are there things we can do to harness the online capabilities with the offline capabilities in a physical setting?

Implementing The Quick Checkout Service
The best way to marry the fast checkout service of an online store with the personal approach to the modern retail store is to have online payment services inside the store. The vast majority of stores have self-service methods to pay now, as well as various ways in which to provide payment, such as through your cell phone. But in addition to this, you need to still implement a personal approach to your customers, and this can be quite tricky to get right because it depends on each individual customer. At the end of the day, the customers come into a physical store because they want ease of access to a product, and they want to see it themselves. So, as soon as they find that the product suits their needs, they want to be able to pay for it without lengthy queues. On the other hand, others still prefer that old school approach. Implementing both covers all bases.

Taking Responsibility For Your Customers
And as the physical setting requires a lot more consideration in relation to health and safety, this means that you have a few more things to consider in comparison to an online store. Whether this is employers liability insurance just in case of accidents in your store, or ensuring there’s enough space for your customers to walk around, this is a deft combination of legal compliance with common sense. Taking responsibility for your customers isn’t just relating to the safety side of things, but also ensuring they have a good experience in your store, and this boils down to how your employees interact with the customers.

Looking After Your Workers
A very easy thing to overlook nowadays is the impact that your workers can have on the customers. Because personal interaction is at an all-time low, with the reliance of the internet to do the vast majority of our work for us, the personal touch is a very difficult thing to achieve. This is why you have to work with your employees to ensure that they are not just representing your store properly, but they have the common courtesy that we demand as customers. But in addition to this, the retail industry is notoriously underpaid and overworked, which this is something else you have to think about when it comes to making your employees work effectively for you, but that they’re also happy in the position.

The best retail store is a component of the old school personal methods, with the modern technological approaches. It’s a tricky balance, but they are both essential in the modern retail store.