Top Benefits to Offer Your Employees for Improved Productivity

/in /by

StrategyDriven Talent Management Article
Regardless of how much you may want your employees to work at their best all the time, this simply isn’t possible. Your employees are people, and they have good days, and bad days, and their productivity workflow will reflect this. Sometimes, however, an employee’s decreasing productivity and effectiveness is more substantial, and that is when you need to step in and help. Stress, and constant stress, can severely impact someone’s health. It can put them in pain, it can lower their immune system, and it could even put them on the edge of a breakdown. Offering your employees benefits can help them manage this stress, meaning that not only will they be happier working for you, they will also be better able to work for you. Here are the top benefits you should offer your employees:

1. A Break Room

Having a proper break room will allow your employees somewhere to get away from their desk and to refuel. Offer complimentary tea, coffee, and even snacks like protein bars, and consider adding massage chairs to help keep them refreshed and revitalized whenever they need it. Similarly, you should also aim to have a few kitchen appliances as well, like a fridge, microwave, and even a toaster oven. Encourage your employees to be healthier, and to bring their own food. To do this, you could have a reward program for the employee who brings their own lunch in the most often at the end of the month.

2. A Spa Visit

Stress and sitting at a desk all day causes physical pain. It can cause seriously painful and distracting back problems that lower productivity immensely, which is why a great benefit to offer is an annual or bi-annual massage. Contact heavenandearthmassage.co.uk and set up a program for your employees. They will not only be thrilled with this benefit, but it will help them manage pain and de-stress.

3. Rewards for Milestones

Pitting your employees against each other doesn’t do a lot of good. Instead, it means that those who would achieve the results in the first-place work harder to beat each other, and those that aren’t likely to win will try less. Instead, offer rewards for milestones. That way everyone is motivated to do better. These rewards don’t have to be big. They can be a few extra days of vacation, or they can be tickets to some event in town. Reward your employees so that they work for positive reinforcement, not because they are stressing about not making the deadline in time.

4. In-Office Gym

Depending on the size of your company, you can either offer discounted memberships to gyms, or even install a gym inside your office space itself. Encourage your employees to exercise, so that they have improved immune systems, lower blood pressure, increased mood, and overall a bigger boost in energy.

These benefits won’t cost the world, but they can give a lot back. You don’t want your employees to burn out working for you, you want them to be on top of their game, and these benefits can help them do that.

How To Get More Out Of Your Employees

/in /by

StrategyDriven Talent Management ArticleYou hired your employees because you saw special qualities in them. While you still appreciate their hard work, there are times you wish you could get more out of them. You understand their full potential, otherwise you wouldn’t bother with trying to make improvements on your team.

As the leader, you have an important job, and that’s to ignite the fire underneath your staff that’s going to allow them to show you better results. The key is to not give up on them and to put processes in place that help your team and company succeed. See how to get more out of your employees.

Offer Professional Development Opportunities

One way to change the behavior of your staff is to challenge them to go above and beyond. Do this by offering professional development opportunities that they can take advantage of. Observe which employees grab the bull by the horns and which sit back and choose not to participate. This will tell you a lot about who has ambition and drive and who is disengaged. In addition to attending courses outside of work, sit down individually and go over goals and performance reviews with your staff.

Reward Them

You can’t go wrong with incentivizing your employees with enticing rewards. Drum up excitement around your offerings and make them earn it. Go to www.ticketsales.com and purchase tickets to a popular concert in the area and make it known to your staff that you’ll be watching how they do on the next project. Make a competition out of it and tell them that the winner will receive tickets to a show. You’ll likely see a surge in effort and a lot of good work being produced. You’ll be able to easily observe where each person stands and gauge if there are changes that need to be made.

Encourage Them

You can’t simply wish to have your employees try harder and do a better job. It’s important to speak up and make your expectations be known. Encourage them to step up and make an impression on you and the other bosses. Acknowledge to the group when particular individuals standout and do an excellent job. Start showing your passion for the company and your team, and they’ll likely reciprocate by working harder.

Delegate Appropriately

Another way to get more out of your employees is to have a strategy in place for succeeding. Don’t wing it or randomly assign tasks to different employees. Play to individual strengths and know who’s better at what, so you can delegate the work accordingly. When your staff feels empowered and like they’re using their talents, they’ll begin to shine and have a desire to meet their goals. It’s your job to know who’s good at what and make sure each work assignment reaches the right person.

Conclusion

You shouldn’t have to beg your staff to work hard, but there are times when they’ll need a little boost. Use these techniques to keep everyone on track. This is how to get more out of your employees.

Photo by Climate KIC on Unsplash

What to Look for in Job Applicants

/in /by

StrategyDriven Talent Management Article
One of the most important of all the responsibilities that managers and business owners must take on is the hiring and firing of employees. There are often a number of applicants for any given position and it isn’t always immediately obvious which candidate should be the preferred choice. Needless to say, you always want to recruit the best person possible for the job. Sometimes, however the right person for the job may not be the most obvious choice.

In this guide we take a look at some of the most often overlooked facets of job applicants and how you can use these to gain a measure of how suitable an interviewee is for a role in your company.

Communication

Communication is a crucial skill in any work environment and there are very few people who can perform their job without having to interact and communicate with other people, both within and outside the organization that they work for. According to one study, conducted by the consultancy firm Millennial Branding, revealed that as many as 98% of all employers view effective communication skills as being ‘essential’ for the job.

Meeting an interviewee face to face is the perfect opportunity to find out about who they are and how well they can communicate. Be sure to keep an eye on how they respond in terms of both their verbal communication and their body language.

References

We all ask for references when we take applications for a newly opened position. In fact, most of us will automatically include our own references when we apply for another job, even if we aren’t prompted to. Despite both employers and employees understanding the importance of references, they too often go overlooked when considering candidates’ applications.

Some people have the, quite incorrect, view that checking references is something to be done when the interviewer doesn’t trust that the candidate is being truthful. In reality, checking references should be thought of more as an opportunity to ask a previous employer any questions that you might have about the candidate, but for whatever reason, didn’t want to ask them directly.

Consider the Whole Character

It is all too easy within the context of a job interview for the interviewer to reduce the candidate to the lines on their resume, a set of grades and statistics. This starts things off very impersonally, and also means that you are running the risk of overlooking characteristics and qualities which, while not relevant to their job, might still be desirable.

You should therefore consider anything that the interviewee reveals. For example, if the interviewee studied under a college soccer scholarship, then you can assume that they are already reasonably well versed in how to operate as part of a team. Soccer may have nothing to do with the job they are applying for, but it still reveals something about their character which is worth knowing.

Interviewing for a job opening isn’t easy, for the employer or the applicant. For too many managers and business owners, interviews are little more than a formality. However, they should instead be embraced as opportunities to get to know a potential colleague.

How to Establish Salary Ranges

/in /by


Every organization requires a salary range for each position. The salary range defines the minimum and maximum pay rate that employees can earn for a given position or function. Employers set the range based on several factors, including the organization’s needs and industry trends. The ideal salary range must give the employees opportunities and motivation for career development. For instance, attaining higher education, experience, or additional skills should lead to a higher salary. Here are additional tips that will help an organization set the right salary ranges.

1. Set a Salary Policy

You have two major alternatives when setting the salary range in your organization. You can have a fixed base salary or a variable pay. The variable pay can be based on an employee’s working hours or performance. Alternatively, you can set a base salary for each position based on the current performance of the organization. Employees can earn bonuses when the revenues are high but during the low seasons, they will earn the base salary only. You can increase the base salary as the organization grows.

2. Consider the Organization’s Goals

Do you have clear short-term and long-term goals for your business? If yes, you need all your employees working towards achieving those goals. The salary range should help the organization achieve those goals. You need a fair salary scale that will keep your employees motivated while checking the salary budget. Consider your human resource goals as well. Your employees will always discuss their salary and ask for more. Fairness and equality are important when setting salaries that will enhance employee satisfaction and motivation.

3. Check your Competitor’s Range and Industry Trend

One of the reasons why you need to keep your employees motivated is that you may lose them to your competitors. If your competitors offer better salaries to your best employees, they will resign and join your competitors. Hence, while considering the internal situation in your organization, check the average salaries in your industry. Websites like Salary Site compile salaries for different professions. If you are unsure about your competitors’ range, such websites will give you the average salaries in the industry.

4. Develop a Benefits and Bonus Policy

Keeping up with industry trends is sometimes difficult, especially for small businesses. Remember that your main goal is to offer fair salaries that will help you attract and retain the best talent. Bonuses and a benefits package will help you achieve this goal, even when your organization cannot afford high salaries. Most businesses do not have a clear philosophy on bonuses and benefits. Your employees need clarity on how they can qualify for bonuses and the benefit packages available for different positions. Be clear about the value of the benefits and bonuses.

Conclusion

The salary philosophy in your organization should not be a secret or mystery. Communicate the philosophy to all employees and explain the organizational goals they should help you achieve. Create a clear path on how to earn higher salaries or qualify for a promotion. Your best talents are likely to stay with you if they see clear opportunities for career development, even when the initial salary is low.

You Could Be The Key To Employee Motivation

/in , /by

Maybe you can see that your employees aren’t motivated, or you’re just wondering how you can add a little extra oomph to their working day to make them feel like they can conquer whatever is on their plate. Do you realize that you could be the key to employee motivation? That’s right – the things you say and do could either psyche your employees up or make them feel demotivated.

Here are some key points that should help you motivate your employees:

Build Relationships With Your Employees

When you build better relationships with your employees, they will automatically want to work harder for you. If they think that they are just another face or number in your business, they are going to become demotivated eventually. Talk to them, tell them stories about when you were making your way up the ladder –  help them see that you’re like them. Don’t sit in your big office chair having somebody else carry your bags for you.

Praise Your Employees Regularly

Make sure you make an effort to genuinely praise your employees both together and separately. Let them know that you notice the hard work they’re putting in. Put it in emails, say it to their faces, put it on a noticeboard…find all kinds of creative ways to make them feel appreciated. This will give them an incentive to continue.

Make Employees Lives Easier

Do what you can to make their lives easier. For example, investing in a new program to help them save time. It not only makes their lives easier, it shows you care. If you don’t care for your employees, don’t be surprised if you end up with some of the following.


Get help with employee scheduling