How Time and Attendance Software Can Help Business Owners and Their Employees

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StrategyDriven Talent Management ArticleWhat Is Time and Attendance Software?

At the lowest resolution time and attendance software is a system that requires employees to manually clock in and out of shifts.

Businesses use solutions, such as those from Northampton Time Recorders, so they can optimize the hours their employees work and pay them more accurately.

Is It Micromanaging?

It is reasonable to assume requiring workers to manually clock in and out of shifts and breaks can send the message their manager doesn’t trust them enough to report the hours they work accurately.

Some managers are hesitant to use time and attendance software because they fear their employees will resent them.

In industries like hospitality and retail where turnover is especially high managers don’t want to give their employees another reason to leave.

Ironically, it’s in industries where workers are paid hourly like hospitality and retail where time and attendance software would prove most useful.

The fact is time and attendance software is so much more than just a system for employees to clock in and out of shifts and the successful implementation of it lies in managers making this clear to employees.

Benefits to Managers

Time and attendance software ensures staff only get paid for the time they actually work, by recording when they clock in and out of shifts, thereby eliminating the guesswork and grey areas associated with using manual time sheets.

Additionally managers get real time alerts when staff are late or have not taken required breaks.

The reporting capabilities of time and attendance allow managers to see which of their employees work the most overtime and which of them are routinely late to start their shifts.

Managers also have visibility of early clock-ins and late clock-outs, instances of over & under scheduling, and which employees have taken more than their allocated breaks.

Time and attendance software provides managers with insight they can use to iron out inefficiencies in their business.

Compliance

Given managers know when their staff clock in and out, time and attendance software like OpenSimSim allows employers to set up compliance rulesets to protect their businesses and themselves from workplace legislation.

Compliance rulesets can be set up to ensure staff don’t work too much overtime, take their legally required breaks and get paid accordingly for working overtime, weekends, and public holidays.

Managers have visibility over their compliance warnings so they can stop them before they happen and stay out of legal trouble.

How Employees Can Get in on the Action

The benefits of time and attendance software are certainly not lost on employees.

As the reporting aspect of time and attendance software gives managers full visibility of their labor force in real time, employees that are punctual are more likely to be recognized and rewarded for it.

In this same way time and attendance software also guards against employees being over and under scheduled as employers will be able to see if this is the case and work to fix it.

Another foreseeable benefit to employees is the potential for data collected by time and attendance software to be used to create a resume, especially useful for people moving between jobs which require similar skills.

Time and attendance software offers detailed reports of employee punctuality and experience in a given role down to the minute.

These reports can be used by job seekers to prove their and experience and value to future employers in a concrete, verifiable way instead of relying on the vagueness and inherent unreliability of a resume like others.

Final Words

There are a lot of time and attendance solutions out there and picking the right one can be tough but the benefits for employers and employees are clear.

It is however important that employees see it as welcome addition, and this can be achieved by managers taking a little time to explain to them what it is and how it will benefit the business before introducing it.

The Importance of Having a Cohesive Marketing Strategy for Promoting Your Business

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StrategyDriven Marketing and Sales ArticleAs a business owner, your marketing strategy needs to be cohesive if you want to market your business successfully. Here’s why you need to have cohesion as an Internet marketer and some ways you can go about it.

What is Cohesive Marketing?

When we talk about cohesive marketing we are referencing the need to bring all your platforms that promote your business together under one main strategy. This gives you a better return on your investment or ROI and helps to keeps things consistent. In the marketing world, you can’t just fling out ideas and hope they stick, you need a strategy. You may hop on a new trend but find that it doesn’t do much for your business. You need to find a strategy that works for the needs of your business and then bring everything together in a cohesive way so you’re not all over the place.

How Your Business Can Stay Cohesive

When your marketing strategy is cohesive and consistent this helps to showcase your brand a positive light to your clients and customers. There are many ways to approach your strategies such as having a robust email marketing campaign or a consistent social media presence. Whenever you make your next marketing decisions, you should take time to figure out how this is going to fit into your overall marketing strategy. You want to make sure that your customers will receive it well and that it’s showcasing your brand or service in the best possible light.

Social Media

One way to bring cohesion to your brand and your marketing is to maintain the same social media presence across all platforms. You want people to recognize your brand no matter what platform that you’re using. Try to use the same logos, fonts and include the same information about what you’re all about on every platform. You want customers and clients to instantly recognize your brand. When you’re cohesive with your social media presence, you won’t create confusion or send mixed messages.

Email Marketing

You need to learn how to do email marketing if you want to stay in touch with your customers as email can be critical to your marketing strategy. You also want to have a cohesive email marketing campaign and your email marketing messages need to be consistent. You should send them around the same time each month or week to engage with your customers. Make sure you plan out the email before you send it and always give the end user something of value when you send the email so they have the incentive to click the email and read it.

Content Marketing

When designing your content marketing strategy, you should have a good idea of what you want to create and to ensure that that content is always consistent. You want the content to provide some sort of value for the reader and not just random articles. If you stay consistent then the reader is going to know that you’ll have something that they can use each time they visit the site or read an email from you. Have a clear idea of how you plan to share that content, the call to action you want, and what the content is going to be about before you create it. You should have some clear goal in mind with the content you create.

Summary

Your marketing strategy should sync everything up and stay consistent as this is going to give you more value for your dollar and help your business grow. This helps to establish your brand and bring you more customers or clients as your giving them a clear message about your business and what you have to offer.

Is It Time To Start Purchasing Your Own Business Assets In Abundance?

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Most businesses rely on the use of outsourcing, hiring other businesses, and using connections for niche supplies. This is quite obviously worthwhile. Not every business can be Google, a corporation with seemingly endless reach and a finger in every pie. However, as your business begins to really gain in profitability, and you decide to invest that back into your operation each year, it’s not hard to see how purchasing your own business assets might become a great long-term cost-saving scenario.

Is it time that you did this? There are many reasons for doing so, and if you have the funding to play with, you could potentially benefit in the following ways:

Transport & Delivery

Could it be that it’s time to branch out into your own logistics solutions? Purchasing your own vans and hiring your own drivers could help you not only ship your goods in a more competent timeframe but save you money in the long term, as the cost of upkeep often beats the cost of renting a service. This is only worthwhile if you ship many, many products nationally. However, if you do, your vans may serve as free marketing as they drive on public highways to get to the destination, and can often pass tens of thousands of cars in the process, effectively serving as a mobile billboard.

Construction

It might be that you own large plots of land, and purchasing your own equipment to help you retrofit this area for your own purposes can help you save plenty of money in the long terms. Simply looking online in the direction of cranes for sale, generators and hired construction services to come to a B2B relationship with could slash the cost of your construction, allowing you to extend offices, generate new lots or custom fit current property to your requirements.

Merchandising

Merchandising is, of course, one of the best methods of natural marketing. Having many pens made, or perhaps a set of mugs for distribution throughout your office can help your name and contact information travel. Merchandising can also become a larger investment opportunity. It might be that you print clothing designs, or decide to have more significant, long-term items made featuring your company names, such as mousemats or even skins for phones. These assets not only help you outfit your office with a personal touch, but often travel wide and far, and can be used as free and mass produced marketing. You’d be surprised how far these merchandising efforts can travel, sometimes around the world.

Property

Purchasing property can serve as a long form use of tying up cash in tangible assets. You may decide to profit from these properties, or generally utilize them to help your business expansion. Property is perhaps one of the most reliable assets you can purchase owner. It’s certainly good to keep in your business inventory.

With these simple investments, purchasing your own business assets in abundance is sure to reward you in the long term.

How To Attract Top Talent To Your Business

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StrategyDriven Talent Management ArticleIf you want to be successful in the long-term, then you’re going to have to hire a team of people who are skilled and committed to helping you grow your business. You’re not going to get far if you’re closed-minded and behind the curve when it comes to technology and treating your employees fairly.

Be glad to know there are specific ways for how you can attract top talent to your business and help guarantee a bright future for your operation. You’ll thank yourself down the road when you have a strong team of people behind you who know what they’re doing and are loyal to your company.

Show that You’re Innovative & Cutting Edge

Employees want to work for a company that’s ahead of the game when it comes to technology and innovation. They’re looking to join businesses that are willing to take calculated risks and try new approaches. Attract top talent to your business by showing that you’re on the cutting edge of some interesting and intriguing projects. Prove to potential candidates that you’re problem solvers and aren’t people who take no for an answer.

Be Accepting of Everyone

You’ll be able to build a more stable and diverse workforce when you’re accepting of everyone, no matter their race, disability or gender. Investing in Custom Braille Stickers is a great example for how you can show that you’re a business that doesn’t discriminate. Your goal should always be to keep an open mind and hire the right person for the particular position you’re trying to fill.

Offer an Attractive Compensation & Benefits Package

You’ll attract top talent to your business when you prove that you’re willing to go the extra mile and invest in your employees. You can do this by offering attractive compensation and benefits packages to anyone who you bring onboard at your company. Cutting corners will get you into hot water, and eventually, you’ll start to lose your most skilled workers, and people won’t be interested in even interviewing with your business.

Promote Work-Life Balance

These days’ people seeking an available position are not only interested in learning more about the specific job duties, but also the company culture. Promoting an environment of work-life balance will help you catch the attention of talented workers who are looking to have a family life in addition to giving it their all in their career. Be prepared to provide examples of how you offer flexibility at your workplace during interviews and let it be a selling point for why someone would want to work for you.

Conclusion

You’ll find you’re able to grow a stable and thriving business when you have the right staff on your side. Use these tips to help you attract top talent to your business so you can continue to move forward and achieve your goals. Start the process by taking a look around and seeing where the gaps exist and then work hard to find people who are a good fit for each specific job opening.

Finding The Profit In The Food Market

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The food market is a tricky one. People are always in need of food, after all, but it can be hard to find your space amongst the huge producers with enough volume to make your home-grown business look like a lemonade stand. That doesn’t mean it’s impossible to find your place, however. Here are a few tips on how to do it.

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Increase production, lower costs

Profit in the food industry requires that you’re able to produce a certain amount of goods. Finding ways to lower costs while increasing volume is crucial. Investing in industry-level equipment from manufacturers like Fertilizer Dealer allow you to more efficiently store and distribute fertilizer, for instance, cutting down on the costs of that particular process. If you can’t produce enough of a volume to make up for the costs of producing the food in the first place, you should look into other options.

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Focus on a niche

Being able to produce enough to make a profit is and will always be important. However, there are certain products that have a lot more value per kilo. No matter the industry, finding your niche can be immensely profitable, if it’s large enough to sustain the business. Right now, in food production, hops for homebrewing and ginger are two of the biggest niches. Keep an eye out on agricultural and food business reports to see what the next hot-ticket items are. Keep the space you have aside for the next niche you’re able to capitalize on. For a smaller farm or food production business, one niche can be enough to keep the business profitable enough to grow.

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Find new markets

Who are you selling to? Farmer’s markets have their audience, but it might not be enough to do much more than keep the business sustainable. If you want to make it profitable instead, then you might need to look at finding different markets. As Local Food Marketplace suggests, you can start selling ingredients to restaurants who would benefit from being able to brand their food as being organically grown and locally sourced. The same goes for grocers and retailers in your area, too.

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Lease what you don’t use

If you don’t have the capital or equipment to make use of all the land at your disposal, you don’t necessarily have to use it. Instead, you can make money off it by leasing it to other farmers or producers as shown at Farmland Info. Similarly, if you bought equipment in the past but haven’t had as much use to it, you can lease that as well. Not only are you making money off assets that you’re not using, but you’re also sustaining the business ecosystem by providing resources that other business owners do need.

Small farm owners and homesteaders do not have the space nor the capital to compete head-to-head with the massive food production corporations out there. They simply don’t. They can, however, still find a profit by being smarter in how and what they produce, as well as how they use the assets at their disposal.