Posts

4 Screening Tests for Employees That Management Should Consider

/in /by

StrategyDriven Talent Management Article | 4 Screening Tests for Employees That Management Should ConsiderA company’s strategy towards employees typically requires managers to be vigilant about potential employee issues that happen unexpectedly but demand an immediate response. However, not leaving things to chance means being proactive and not just reactive to avoid potential issues becoming all too real.

To avoid management getting bogged down with interpersonal conflicts, security issues, or concerns over questionable conduct, here are four screening tests for employees that are worth considering.

Criminal Background Checks

While checking if someone has a criminal record that they’ve failed to disclose on a job application form avoids employing an ex-con, that shouldn’t be where the checks start and finish.

It’s necessary to run periodic employee background checks to verify that the information is still correct, and the situation hasn’t changed. For instance, an employee could have had a domestic violence complaint against them, or been charged with shoplifting, and the company would not necessarily know if they weren’t diligent enough to run a check on it.

Verifying that an employee doesn’t have a criminal conviction since the last time it was reviewed avoids continuing to employ someone who may be a danger to themselves or others. Also, issues with theft represent a significant new risk to assets and intellectual property rights too.

Financial Credit Check

A financial credit check is something that every employer should do for each employee or job applicant on a second or third interview for a position. For someone who’ll work in the finance department or handle confidential business information that the company wouldn’t want to be available to the highest bidder, a worrying credit score is a concern.

At a certain level of indebtedness, the employee could become a financial risk where money troubles could cause them to become compromised. At which point, they could do something seemingly out of character due to either being persuaded to by a third party or for pure financial motivation.

A Decline in Work Performance or Attendance

If an employee who has previously been an exemplary worker suddenly has a significant and sustained drop in performance, this should raise some eyebrows. It’s good to understand the reason(s) for this happening to ensure there’s nothing that the company should be overly concerned about.

Poor attendance is a cause for concern from a generate tardiness with a timekeeping standpoint. Also, additional sick days without a forthcoming sick note from a doctor is another area that raises some red flags. It’s beneficial to put some time into getting to the bottom of why this is happening. Check-in with the staff member to discuss the matter, determine the cause, and confirm what they’re doing to resolve it.

DMV Checks on Driving License Status

If you have employees who drive for the company, either with a company car or operating a van or long-haul truck, it’s necessary to check their driving license record each year. Doing so will clarify whether they’ve received any penalties on their license relating to new infractions. It will also confirm that they still have a driving license and are not driving a company vehicle without one.

By performing check-ins with the employee and screening tests, you’ll be able to confirm if there’s been a change in status that’s a potential conflict or cause for concern. These come in a variety of forms with the management having some degree of latitude on how they may respond to them. Not running certain screening tests both prior to hiring, and during employment periods, leaves the company in the dark.

5 Ways Small Business Can Cut their Shipping Expenses

/in /by

StrategyDriven Managing Your Business Article | 5 Ways Small Business Can Cut their Shipping ExpensesShipping is a major expense for many small businesses. Yet, you can’t keep on expecting your customers to pay, and there’s a point when you’ll have to reduce costs in order to stay competitive. Thankfully, there are lots of things that you can do to keep these costs under control. Sometimes, all you have to do is make some minor adjustments, or look at ways that you can streamline your processes. Let’s take a look at a few ways small businesses can cut their shipping expenses.

Look at Shipping Insurance Software

One thing you should do is automate your shipments, insurance process, and tracking. Find a shipping insurance software company that offers third party insurance, and will allow you to save money in the process. Not only will you be able to find insurance for less, but you will also be able to get insurance on items that other carriers usually won’t offer. Find a tool that will allow you to manage all of your packages in one place, file claims, and get automated notifications about things like risk zones among other things.

Have Things Shipped through Your Shipping Account Number

A lot of businesses will have a tendency to have inventory shipped directly to them and get billed, but a better option would be to ask them to ship through your account number. Not only will it increase your volume, which translates to lower costs, but you also won’t have to deal with suppliers padding their shipping fees.

Use Your Carrier’s Packaging

Another thing you should do is use any packaging your carrier is providing instead of your own. If your packaging does not meet the size regulations of carriers like FedEx or UPS, you might have to deal with “dimensional fees”. Doing something as simple as putting small boxes in a FedEx envelope could save you tons of money.

Look at Regional Carriers

You should also consider working with regional carriers as well. Many of these carriers do as great of a job as national carriers like UPS but at a fraction of the cost. Some examples of great local companies include Lone Star in the state of Texas, Spee Dee in the Midwest, and OnTrac on the west coast.

Look for Association Discount

If you aren’t a member of a professional association in your industry, we suggest you start looking immediately. If you are already, then you should check to see if you can get a discount. You’d be surprised at how much you could end up saving. As a matter of fact, you could save up to 50% on shipping fees if you join the right organization. Not only will joining an association allow you to save on costs, but you’ll be able to get tons of visibility through directories and discounts on all sorts of things.

Conclusion

These are just some of the ways your business could make significant savings on shipping costs. This could have a big difference on your margins and allow you to offer better shipping terms to your clientele.

Pultrusions Explained – Their Benefits And More

/in /by

Pultrusion products are used for a huge number of different applications. This includes everything from sports goods and rail transport to motor vehicles and wind turbine blades. The pultrusion process leads to materials that are of exceptional quality. From incredible strength to low weight, the benefits are truly extensive. Keeping that in mind, in this post you will discover everything you need to know about pultrusions, including the pultrusion process and the many advantages associated with them. So, continue reading to discover more…

Let’s begin by explaining the pultrusion process in basic details. It all starts with the insertion of glass fibre reinforcements. After this, glass fibre strands and mats are coated with polyester resin. The mats and glass fibre strands are then guided through feeder plates. This is to ensure they are positioned correctly within the mould; otherwise, it would be difficult to guarantee a proper glass coating. After this, the resin, mats and fibers will be pulled through a mould that is heated. Two pulling devices are used, pulling and grabbing the profile alternatively. The process is then finished with a saw cutting the profile at the length that is required. Of course, there will be slight divergences in the production process, yet this is a general outline of what occurs.

So now you know the process that occurs in order to create pultrusion products, such as pultruded carbon fiber tubes and boxes, but where does all the hype come from? Well, the pultrusion process results in a material that has exceptional characteristics. One of the main reasons why this material is used in so many applications is because it is low in weight but boasts incredible strength at the same time. In terms of weight, pultrusions weigh up to 30 per cent less than aluminium and up to 80 per cent less than steel. This presents obvious benefits, as it is easier to use and transport. Nonetheless, the lower weight does not lead to any compromises in terms of quality. Exceptional strength is guaranteed. Pultrusion products are much stronger than steel when compared on a weight for weight basis.

The beneficial characteristics do not end there for businesses. Pultrusions boast a low thermal conductivity, which makes them highly effective as a thermal break. They also have a high level of corrosion resistance when they are subject to various corrosive environments and chemicals. Pultrusion products can also be perfect for electrical insulating applications, as they are electrically non-conductive. If that wasn’t enough, pultrusions are virtually maintenance-free because of their exceptional corrosive properties. You will really struggle to find another material that boasts the level of quality that pultrusion products do.

To conclude, hopefully, you now have a much better understanding regarding pultrusion products – you know how they are created and the many different benefits that are associated with them. When you consider the type of applications that pultrusions are used for, you recognise why such an exceptional material is needed, and now it really is not difficult to see how pultrusion products tick all of the boxes.

Energy Saving Tips | How to Reduce Bills

/in /by

StrategyDriven Managing Your Finances Article | Energy Saving Tips | How to Reduce Bills

A recent study shows that energy usage in the United States is doubling every 20 years. If you are like most homeowners, reducing the amount of energy your home consumes is something you are passionate about. Luckily, there are a number of things you can do to conserve energy and save money.

However, implementing the changes needed to reduce home energy use can be difficult. In this article, we will discuss some methods you can use to conserve energy and save money.

Make Sure You Are Getting the Best Energy Rates

One of the main things you need to focus on when trying to reduce monthly energy costs is getting the best rate. In states like Texas, the energy sector has been deregulated. This means that the energy providers in this state are competing with each other for business. This level of competition can help you get cheaper electricity rates.

By taking the time to compare the various rates being offered by providers in your area, you can get a much better deal. Ignoring the need for this type of research may result in you paying too much for your home energy needs.

Check Your HVAC Air Ducts

Finding sources of home energy waste will usually require you to perform an audit. Inspecting the various parts of your home can help you see where problems exist. During this audit, you need to pay close attention to the condition of your HVAC air ducts. If these ducts are filled with dust and dirt, it will be hard for air to pass through them.

The longer this problem is left in place, the harder your HVAC unit will have to work. Not only will this result in higher than normal energy bills, it can also lead to the unit being damaged. Hiring professionals to clean your ducts is a great way to keep your HVAC system efficient and reliable.

Control the Amount of Natural Light Entering Your Home

During the summer months, temperatures inside of your home can get pretty hot. As a homeowner, it is your job to find ways to reduce the amount of heat that enters your residence. If you leave your blinds open or have curtains made from sheer material on your windows, a lot of natural light can enter your residence.

The more natural light you have entering your home, the higher the temperature will get. Rather than putting your HVAC unit in a bind, you need to work on controlling the amount of light entering your home. The best way to do this is by investing in blackout curtains. The money paid for these new curtains will be worth it considering the energy they can help you conserve. Just be sure to find blinds suited to your windows, such as blinds for large windows for instance.

Invest in Solar Energy Solutions

If you are trying to make your home more environmentally friendly, investing in solar energy solutions is a great option. With the addition of things like solar panels and solar-powered water heaters, you can save money and reduce your dependence on fossil fuel-based energy. Most homeowners fail to realize just how much energy their electric water heater wastes. With the addition of a solar-powered water heater, you can get the consistent supply of hot water you need without relying on fossil fuels.

Solar panels are also a great addition to your home. Allowing professionals to install these panels will allow you to avoid mistakes.

It’s Time to Take Action

Using any of the suggestions in this article can help you save a lot of money and energy. With the help of professionals, making these energy-efficient changes will be easy.

The Dark Art Of Local SEO

/in /by

StrategyDriven Online Marketing and Website Development Article, The Dark Art Of Local SEO

In 2019, local SEO was important, but in 2020, it is essential!

With people locked down in their homes and unable to go anywhere much outside of their immediate community, companies need to focus on targeting customers who live close by. They have a captive market – quite literally.

Local SEO is something of a dark art, but also a skill you can master, so long as you practice the following techniques.

Encourage Customer Reviews

Local businesses live and die by their Google and TrustPilot review scores. Therefore, you must encourage your best and happiest customers to leave reviews online about your business.

A few years ago, Google changed its algorithm to prioritize reviews in its search rankings, promoting companies with excellent performance. The more positive feedback you can generate, the better.

Create Listings For All Your Locations

YEAH! Local recently did some extensive research on the importance of using services like Google My Business to create online listings. Companies that sign up get preferential treatment because Google is able to confirm that they are, indeed, genuine enterprises looking for customers.

The smartest companies list ALL their locations so that users can see their nearest option.

The more listings you have, the more visible your site becomes.

Reference Keywords In Your Page Titles

Search engines are smart, but they still rely on keywords to inform them of the content of a page. Smart firms, therefore, include relevant local keywords in their page titles.

Here are some examples of how you might do this:

  • Honda Dealership in Swansea
  • Car Mechanic In Boston
  • Logistics Company based in New York
  • Atlanta Hairdresser
  • Music teacher in Cincinnati

You get the picture. It doesn’t have to be complicated. In fact, the simpler you can make it, the better.

Optimize Your Page Copy To Reflect Your Target Geography

It is not accidental that most businesses include the name of the local area in their page titles. They do this because they know that SERPs will pay attention. The same, however, is true of page copy too. You want the text also to mention the local search terms you wish to target.

Keep Your Address Format Consistent Across The Web

How you write your address online matters more than you might think. Search engines want to have confidence that they’re presenting their users with the correct information about your company. Thus, they scour the web for data relating to your email address, telephone number, and physical location. If the algorithms are confident enough that the information is correct (because it is consistent across the web), they will present it to customers and boost your ranking. If it isn’t, then Google can punish you.

It is vital, therefore, to check all your social media accounts, directories and websites to ensure that the data is consistent.

The coronavirus pandemic is making local SEO more important than ever before. If you can provide services to local people, your business will be in a much better position to thrive once the dreaded lockdown comes to an end.