Organizing the Perfect Company Retreat

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StrategyDriven Managing Your People Article |Company Retreat|Organizing the Perfect Company RetreatA company retreat is an excellent way for your employees to bond, learn some new skills and get out of the office. They can range from a simple day out or a more extended weekend-style retreat but are worth considering to strengthen the bonds between your employees. A company activity outside the office can also be an opportunity for you and the rest of your company to take a break and come back to work rejuvenated.

What are Company Retreats?

A company retreat is an opportunity for you and your employees to spend some together outside of the office. This is a great way to get to know your colleagues in a more social setting and take a break from work. A company retreat could also involve different activities designed to increase productivity and trust within your team.

What are the Benefits of a Company Retreat?

There are many benefits to organizing a company retreat. It can be an excellent way for your employees to learn new skills and adopt new attitudes that may increase their productivity inside the office. By encouraging bonding and trust between your employees, you may also see an increased level of efficient teamwork.

A company retreat is a great way to improve your company culture, like flexible working schedules, benefits, and opportunities to give positive feedback. A company retreat could be a way to demonstrate to your employees how much you value them and reward their hard work with some fun activities. Even a small out-of-office activity, like a day out or an organized dinner, can help you and your colleagues approach your work with renewed vigor.

Choosing the Right Retreat for your Business?

Firstly you’ll need to consider the external factors like when everyone is free, the budget for the retreat, and time constraints. If you don’t have the money or time for a multiple-day retreat, something more simple may suit you and your team better.

A classic retreat is to take your team outdoors and learn survival and camping skills, as well as spending some quality time in nature. If that sounds like the perfect idea, you’ll need to ensure that everyone is safe at all times. You may want to consider a wilderness first aid course in case of any unexpected danger. The first aid course could be a chance for your employees to bond and learn in of itself.

If you’re feeling overwhelmed, you can even hire an external company to organize the retreat for you to make sure that whatever skills you think your company can benefit from are being taught by professionals.

A simple company outing to go out for dinner, bowling, or a group trip to see a film can be a good way for your employees to get to know each other outside of work. However, a more intense company retreat could be even better to do workshops together, to build or learn certain assets. Either way, you’ll find that your team has become closer and can come back to work refreshed and energetic.

Strategies To Increase Employee Productivity

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StrategyDriven Managing Your People Article |Increase employee productivity|Strategies To Increase Employee ProductivityAre you looking to increase employee productivity? This is something that every manager wants to achieve, but it is not easy, and you will also notice that productivity levels rise and fall constantly. When you are able to increase productivity and know-how to get employees out of a productivity rut, you will be able to improve individual, team, and business performances. In addition to this, keeping productivity levels high will create a positive, hardworking culture that every company will benefit from. There are a number of effective strategies to try to increase employee productivity levels – this article will outline a few of the best strategies.

Determine Problem Areas

The best place to start is with the problem areas and the reasons why productivity levels fall. Sometimes, these reasons might be obvious, such as a workload that is too high, but you will also need to communicate with staff and encourage them to come forward with the problems that they are having in their roles. Addressing these issues can unlock productivity, make work easier for your team and take the entire business forward.

Involve Staff In Decision Making

Leading on from this, it is also worthwhile involving staff in the decision-making process. This is because employees bring different viewpoints to the table and often have the best ideas for improving processes because they are the ones carrying out the tasks each day. Not only this but involving staff in decision-making is smart because it will help them to feel valued and lift morale – this is key for maintaining high levels of productivity.

Give Positive Feedback

As a manager, you should be giving regular and genuine positive feedback to your staff and not waiting for performance reviews to do this. Even a “good job” or “thanks for your hard work” can make a huge difference to morale while also helping to create a stronger bond between staff and management. Positive feedback will make staff feel seen and valued and help them to know that they are on the right track. Giving construction criticism is also important and helpful for addressing small issues before they become big problems – just be sure to give construction criticism with tact and always do it in private.

Get To Know Your Staff

Managers should also take the time to get to know their staff on an individual level. This allows you to build positive relationships, which are key for morale and performance, but also so that you can determine the best ways to get the most out of them. Everyone is different, and a good manager will know how to motivate each individual team member as well as know what their strengths and weaknesses are so that you can match the task to skill.

Use Staff Training

Following on from this, you should also use staff training as a way to improve the capabilities of each individual staff member. You should learn the career goals for each team member and then help them achieve this within your business, which you can do through staff training and role variation. Additionally, if staff have areas that are holding them back, then you should offer staff training so that they can turn these areas into strengths.

Offer Career Development

You should also offer the chance for people to progress with their careers within your business. Most people are ambitious and have plans to climb the ladder and earn more money, so it is important that they are able to do this within your business. This will encourage them to knuckle down, work hard and develop so that they will be able to rise through the ranks. This is a win-win situation because employees get to advance their careers, it will help to boost productivity, and you are able to promote from within.

Outsource HR

Many businesses find that outsourcing HR is an effective way to increase employee productivity. When you use HR services for small businesses, it will free up time and energy to focus their energy on key aspects of their role. In addition to this, it also means that they will be working for a business that is well-run and they will be well looked after. A business that has an HR department being handled by experts will have a workforce that feels supported, and issues that could impact productivity will be handled swiftly.

Use Goals & Incentives

Using goals and incentives is one of the oldest tricks in the book when it comes to productivity and motivation. You should set individual team members and departments short, medium, and long-term goals. These should be goals that are challenging yet achievable so that you can celebrate when these goals are achieved and to create positive momentum, which is so important when it comes to maintaining high levels of productivity.

Create A Positive Workplace Atmosphere

Finally, it is important to create a positive workplace atmosphere, and this all comes from the top. Management can create a positive workplace atmosphere with a comfortable, practical, and open-plan office space, encouraging conversations amongst staff and with collaborative projects. Additionally, team building and social events can help to create the right kind of atmosphere. When you are able to cultivate a positive workplace atmosphere, it means that people will come into work feeling positive each day and enjoy working alongside their colleagues. This will always be helpful in terms of boosting productivity as well as making work more enjoyable for everyone at the organization.

These are a few of the best and most effective strategies to try if you want to improve employee productivity in your business. In order for a business to succeed over the long term, you need to keep your staff productivity levels high, but this is not always easy. Productivity levels tend to rise and fall, so as a manager, you want to know how to keep levels high for as long as possible and how to manage any dips that occur.

Running An Awards Ceremony For Your Promising Business

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StrategyDriven Managing Your People Article |Awards Ceremony for Business|Running An Awards Ceremony For Your Promising BusinessThere are many ways to define and design a healthy and blossoming company culture. Of course, to start with, we must make sure that everyone is afforded the respect they deserve. This often means curating policies with absolutely zero tolerance for workplace bullying, harassment or mistreatment of any kind. Our HR department should also be there to prevent that from happening, and help those who may have been victimized.

After all, no company culture can thrive without getting the essentials right, and as unfortunate as it is that this needs to be addressed, every company can benefit from laying those principles as its fundamental grounding point.

But while it’s important to tackle the difficulties and misfortunes of running a team, it’s also a good idea to invest in the positive aspects of working at your firm. This can help a healthy company culture thrive. While this is worth doing for its own sake, being defined as a great employer and gaining many healthy employee reviews can only help you attract better talent to your firm, and market your positions with renewed confidence.

One of the best annual efforts geared towards this outcome is of running an awards show. This can be humble or offer great production value.

In this guide, we’ll discuss a few means for setting up and maintaining such an event:

Select A Venue

An awards ceremony with its own sense of place is more than worthwhile. Renting space in a venue, such as this best place for a corporate retreat, can make all the difference. This adds a sense of fun to your award ceremony, as well as giving staff the means to let their hair down and attend with a drink in hand, enjoying a celebration of the year just gone.

With a speaking podium, arranged tables to sit at, and a bar or food to enjoy, you can make sure that everyone together can socialize and feel like they’re a welcome part of your family. They are, after all.

On top of this, selecting the venue based on its table arrangement, safety precautions such as fire exits, and the means by which you can enjoy a private affair without being bothered by other hotel or venue guests is worthwhile. You may also be able to get something of a discount if you book a good number of rooms for such a retreat, so it’s always worth asking.

Allocating Awards

It’s good to think of a number of different categories you can use to define these awards. There are many services out there that will engrave and print names or titles on small awards, be that a nice little trophy, a badge, or a certificate.

Perhaps categories could involve a ‘best employee per department,’ or ‘shining customer support’ or an employee that has ‘gone above and beyond.’ It might be that ‘best new hire’ could be allocated to someone who joined in the last twelve months, or ‘best traveling agent’ could be applied to someone who has gone abroad to help your business connections.

You may also decide to throw a few fun ones in there to help the team laugh. If a staff member has been bringing in their oatmeal, fruit and stretching at their desk during lunchtimes, you may allocate a ‘most health-conscious employee’ award just for them. Of course, the benefit of an awards ceremony is that not everyone gets them, so don’t go overboard.

You can put the award categories up to an anonymous vote in your business, and then use actual metrics of performance and potential to decide on the winner. Larger businesses will potentially offer more awards, while small businesses may offer two or three.

Attach Awards To Prizes

Of course, an award does meaning something without a given prize, but it can be nice to offer rewards that actually mean something along with the gesture of winning something. For instance, the employee of the year award might be linked to a paid vacation at the expense of your company, including flights and lodgings for a week.

For others, it might be that you offer gift vouchers. For joke prizes that are tongue-in-cheek, such as the associated health prize mentioned above, you might offer a gift card for a yoga studio. This kind of approach can help the awards ceremony actually mean something more than a team-building event, incentivizing staff year-round to give their all and work on potentially being in with a shot.

Use The Event For An Annual Debrief

Of course, awards are fun, and the ceremony can be a real event that takes place, but it can also be worthwhile to tie an important message to that. For instance, this might be a good place to announce a new product or service you plan to launch, or the opening of a new office, or to perhaps just give your thanks for working so hard during the pandemic.

In some cases, it might be that running an awards ceremony after the end of a training retreat can help you cap off this hardworking effort with real potential. The more you can do this, often, the better off you’ll be.

Get Staff Feedback

Of course, running an event like this can be a complex affair, no matter how simple the actual process of awarding prizes and trophies may be. Getting staff feedback can help you make the next year’s affair that much better. It might be that this time, the awards ceremony lasted too long, or perhaps it would have been better to get a more skilled speaker on stage despite the best efforts of one of your managers.

This way, the yearly awards event can be a fun part of your corporate culture, not just a one-off that you do once and forget about for five years afterwards.

With this approach, we believe your awards ceremony is sure to be an utter success. Perhaps you could give yourself a little award for pulling it off so well.

Top Tips to Make Your HR Department More Efficient

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StrategyDriven Managing Your People Article |HR Department|Top Tips to Make Your HR Department More EfficientHuman resources are one of the most influential departments in the build-up of an organisation; due to this, HR professionals must be able to work efficiently in a fast-paced and rapidly changing environment. To achieve optimised productivity levels, it is paramount for those working within a human resource department to implement various techniques to keep individuals working at maximum efficiency.

From looking out for the welfare of employees to organising company events, HR professionals have a long list of tasks and responsibilities to juggle on a daily which can be challenging. So how do HR professionals do it? We’ve looked at some of the best ways for HR professionals to remain efficient even when balancing a heavy workload; read on for our top tips for an effective HR department.

Switch To Cloud-Based Systems

Overflowing file cabinets. Folders of documents everywhere. Pieces of paper spilling out all over desks. If this sounds like your HR department, then it might be worth considering switching to cloud-based systems to store all your essential files and documents. Making the switch from traditional storage methods to cloud-based solutions can boast many benefits from increased security, the ability to access documents anywhere and at any time, being able to store hundreds of documents in one place and better organisation.

Nowadays, there is a cloud server for everything, making everything from file storage to payroll easier for HR members and improving the department’s efficiency overall. For instance, you can make mundane, routine tasks like payroll easier by using cloud-based payroll software through providers such as PayCaptain. Consider looking at their product offering for more ideas on making your HR department more efficient.

Make The Most Of Technology

In our new era of hybrid working, making the most of technology and practising effective communication can help HR professionals be more efficient in their jobs. For instance, instead of solely relying on emails and direct messages to convey long, detailed messages, you could try using software such as Skype or Zoom to video-call colleagues.

Doing so will save you the time and effort of typing out your message and avoid typing out responses to any queries that it may spark. Making the most of social media platforms can benefit HR members whose workforce is compiled of remote, hybrid and in-office staff as it enables you to communicate with everyone in various time-effective ways.

Use Social Media Platforms For Recruitment

Another mundane, routine task that HR professionals are tasked with is staffing, whether that is dealing with hiring, onboarding and many more. The recruitment process can be a long-winded and challenging process for HR professionals; however, it can be made easier by social media platforms. As well as being a well-loved place for people to socialise and reconnect with people all over the globe, social media is also an excellent place for businesses to advertise their vacancies instead of using job boards or recruitment companies.

As well as significantly reducing the amount of time HR professionals spend sourcing and recruiting new talent, advertising jobs via social media can also save the company money and help their adverts reach a wider network of people. Utilising social media can make HR more efficient as they can use the time not wasted to focus on other business areas.

Give Employees Regular Feedback

Although it may seem counterproductive to be giving employees regular feedback, ensuring that employees are praised or criticised when necessary can help their ongoing development and save HR professionals time in the long run. Waiting for monthly annual appraisals can be counterproductive as, by the time the scheduled meeting arrives, it may be too late for the feedback or no longer relevant.

Ensuring that you praise and criticise employees accordingly can help employees with their ongoing development, so they’re aware of their talents and the areas that need improvement and can work towards growing or mastering their skills. Giving employees regular feedback will help to strengthen the bond between management and their workforce, as it clarifies work expectations. It also helps employees learn from their mistakes and makes them feel good about themselves as they know that management has their best interests at heart.

Work On Your Relationships

One of the critical elements in human resources is communication and negotiating, both of which are improved if you actively try to maintain or improve workplace relationships. One of the tasks that HR are shouldered with is creating a workplace environment that is friendly and where their employees are valued and listened to.

Ensuring that you maintain a good working relationship with everyone is crucial for creating this environment; otherwise, employees won’t feel obligated to share their thoughts with you, making HR’s job difficult. In the business world, it’s essential to make connections; otherwise, you run the risk of missing out on opportunities and helpful resources, which is why it is equally as necessary to maintain your workplace relationships so that you don’t limit yourself.

From the Top Down: Tips for Getting the Best Out of Your Employees

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StrategyDriven Managing Your People Article |Getting the best out of your employees|From the Top Down: Tips for Getting the Best Out of Your EmployeesEmployees are the lifeblood of any company. Without them, nothing would get done. Employee productivity is key to the success of any business. When employees are productive, the company benefits in several ways: lowered costs, increased output, and higher profits. But how can you ensure that your employees are productive? There is no one-size-fits-all answer when it comes to getting the best out of your employees. Every business is different, and every employee has their own unique set of strengths and weaknesses. However, there are a few general tips that can help you get the most out of your team. This blog post will discuss four ways to motivate and inspire your employees from the top down!

Set Clear Expectations

One of the best ways to get the most out of your employees is to set clear expectations for them. This means making sure that they know what you expect from them and what their specific job duties are. It also means establishing standards for performance and behavior and communicating these standards clearly to your team. By setting clear expectations, you can help ensure that your employees know what they need to do to meet your expectations and succeed in their roles.

Encourage Employee Engagement

Encouraging employee engagement is another excellent way to get the best out of your team. This involves creating a workplace where employees feel engaged and motivated and can contribute ideas and suggestions that can help make your business more successful. In addition, an engaged workforce is more likely to stay loyal and productive for years to come, which ultimately translates into more robust profitability for your company.

Communicate with Your Employees

Another essential tip for getting the most out of your employees is communicating with them regularly. This means keeping an open line of communication so that you can discuss any issues or concerns they may have about their job duties or responsibilities. It also involves taking time each day to check in with employees individually (or as a group) so that everyone feels heard and valued at work! When workers feel like they are being listened to, they will be much more likely to put forth their best effort.

Create a Sense of Ownership Among Employees

When employees feel like they own their work, they’re more likely to take pride in their work and do their best. So encourage employees to take ownership of their work, and give them the freedom to make decisions and develop new ideas.

Reward and Recognize Achievements

Last but not least, one of the best ways to get the most out of your employees is to reward and recognize their achievements. This can involve anything from a simple “thank you” for a job well done to awarding them with bonuses or promotions for exceptional work. By recognizing and rewarding employee achievements, you are helping to motivate them to do their best work possible.

These are just a few tips for getting the best out of your employees from the top down. However, it’s also vital that you give the best team possible from the get-go. Apart from making sure your employees meet the requirements for the job and having a pre employment medical done, you can also add a virtual experience to the interview so that your possible employees know what they are being expected to do before signing the contract. Follow these tips, and you’ll be on your way to creating a successful and productive team.