Kategorie: Unternehmen

  • How to Create Employee Orientation Materials

    How to Create Employee Orientation Materials

    Employee orientation works as the first impression or first sight that the employees have of your company. Most of the time, employee satisfaction and engagement heavily depend on the employee orientation carried off by the business. For instance, a boring and formal orientation will only lead the recruits to believe that working in your company will be dull and monotonous. On the other hand, a fun-filled and communicative orientation session will leave the recruits focused on the upcoming tasks and challenges. As a result, it is quite important to let the employees know few essential subjects via the orientation materials. Not only do the orientation materials help the employees settle down, but it gives them an overall idea of how things work in your business. To know the ideal creation of employee orientation materials, keep reading!

    Welcome your Employees

    First and foremost- Welcome the employees. Their presence is something you should always appreciate, as it increases the level of belongingness they feel regarding the company. The individual is told they are a great asset to the team in a welcoming greeting from the president or director. Coming from the leader themself might be a great deal to most new recruits, which acts as a further step to making them feel important in the workplace. This is a nice spot to lay out the organization’s values and objectives in broad strokes; after the warm welcome breaks the ice, the employees shall be more open to any rules and policies that the company wants to discuss about.

    The Employee Contract

    Next, the contract letter must be enclosed in the bundle of orientation materials. For each employee being recruited, a separate folder should be created with his or her contract letter inside. A document of the signed work contract letter or employment agreements, as well as any related non-disclosure, confidentiality, non-compete, or any other contracts, should be included in the bundle. The bundle and letters must be checked prior to the orientation event, as you don’t want the materials to get mismatched withing employees.

    Company’s Background Information

    Provide background information about your organization to make sure that the new recruit realizes their position in the business, what it represents, and where it’s heading. Your company’s vision and mission statement along with a summary of your growth strategy can all be included in the document. Other background data, such as newsletters, company brochures, or annual reports, is also beneficial.

    Including your company’s information or background will enable the employees to feel a certain involvement in the business. It is quite similar to watching movies, your employees shall live through the company’s history. How is that helpful? Well, it gives your new recruit an idea of the goals and broader vision that the business wishes to achieve; it helps them align their personal goals to that of the organization.

    Policies and Rules

    Different companies operate in different ways and it’s natural that certain policies and rules shall apply. Whether your company is big or small, company policies and procedures must be provided to the employees on their orientation, to ensure that they abide by the procedures. Procedures regarding quality control, security, performance monitoring, emergency procedures, workplace health, leave policy, dress codes, workplace safety, reporting process, confidentiality, complaints, social network usage, employee conduct, absenteeism, energy saving protocols, waste disposal, efficiency protocols, employee assistance programs, workplace harassment or discrimination should be included and discussed in the rulebook elaborately. In addition to these, the rulebook should also cover important subjects like insurance, referral bonuses, or discounts that the employees may gain.

    Organizational Structure

    An organizational hierarchy is vital for your company to function, making it essential for your workforce to be on terms with the hierarchical chart. Providing the organizational directory and chart shall help the employees understand where they fit in the whole system. Aside from the hierarchical chart, a map of the entire facility should also be provided to the employees in case of any emergencies. For instance, you don’t want your employee to get lost within the company and not be able to find their way out.

    Required Documents

    Certain passwords and IDs are required for your new recruits to have access to places, which must be included in the orientation materials. This ensures that your employees are aware of the surroundings and have access to business cards and other essential devices. Furthermore, keys and documents relating to the company attire might also be a good addition to the orientation materials, since all the pathways might not have password systems.

    Gifts or Souvenirs

    Providing a gift or a token of appreciation in the orientation materials shows that you value their presence and appreciate their addition to the company. A small souvenir or even tickets to a local attraction for employees to enjoy with their families can be a thoughtful gesture. There’s no one who doesn’t like a gift!

    Keep it Updated!

    As time changes, so do the employee expectations. To keep the employee expectations and engagement in check, you need to regularly update this bundle of orientation materials. As per the time, few things might need to be added or eliminated- it’s wise to upgrade your facility along with the world, as your orientation shall work as a first impression on your employees.

    Bottom Line

    An orientation event for employees is a big deal, as new recruits tend to be awkward and unaware of most policies and procedures. As a result, including all required information in the orientation material and bundling it up with a few warm messages or an overview of the company can act as an ice breaker. Not only will it make the employees feel like they belong, but it will ensure they know all the essential things that are needed. Share this article with your colleagues at work and start arranging the orientation materials for your new recruits!

  • 6 Tips for Creating the Best Employee Handbook

    6 Tips for Creating the Best Employee Handbook

    In the regular swirl of developing a perfect business, dealing with multiple customers’ requirements, and working to retain and attract the right talents, the HR managers may easily forget the real value of creating and maintaining a perfect employee handbook. Every company’s HR management should understand that having a well-developed employee handbook can help them shield the company from possible litigation as well as business conflicts.

    Besides, for the employees, it can serve purposes like setting different expectations to offering the employees all the important information. But for maximum benefits, you need to create the best employee handbook by considering the data from your time off app and other HR software programs.

    What do you mean by an employee handbook?

    An employee handbook can be called by many names, for example, a bar setter, a welcome pack, or a managerial time saver. Sometimes, the employee handbook can be used as legal assistance. In simple words, an employee handbook is a structured collection of different pieces of information that every member should know about a company, starting from the health or safety policies, disciplinary procedures to promotions and leaves. You can easily circulate an employee handbook among the staff using a PTO tracker, for instance, Day off.

    Why should every business maintain a good employee handbook?

    With different types of general information, internal structures, and different types of policies for the employees to keep in mind, having a well-developed employee handbook is important.  Not only will it help in saving time during the process of onboarding, but it will also set the laws for the new employees. For example, by combing it with the company’s Vacation tracker, you can tell them about the leave policy quite easily. On the other hand, this will help you to make sure that every member is treated properly and there is no legal issue.

    But to make it has the desired effect, the employee handbook should be attention-grabbing, and it should be taken seriously by your staff. So, how to create the best employee handbook? Well, here are some tips that you can follow.

    How to create an effective Employees’ Handbook

    1.     Make sure that it can tell a story

    There is no doubt that every company has a story. So, don’t forget to tell your story. Instead of making your new employees go through that 100 pages of legal policy, you can use the first 10 to 15 pages to capture the readers. Try to drive them towards the things related to the company, like the story, the mission, and the vision. When they can feel more connected towards something, they will love to invest their best.

    2.     Don’t forget to leverage the branding

    It is a fact that you have gone through many ups and downs to develop the brand presence in offline and online markets. But why stop there? You can consider your employees’ handbook as an extension of the brand. That means you can add beautiful photos, brand colors, icons, illustrations, and more to make it look stunning. It is the era of technology, and most businesses are now using digital employee handbooks. You can also use it and can even add gifs and important links, integrate it with the PTO tracking software, or add videos. You can enjoy unlimited possibilities.

    3.     Keep your company’s policies a little flexible

    No one will prefer to work in an organization where the policy is very strict. Besides, it will be impossible for a business to maintain a policy considering a single scenario, especially in the tech industry, where the workplace culture may evolve rapidly. So, instead of following a single policy for all types of scenarios, you should have flexibility in changing the policies based on the conditions. It will be good for you to state your policies explicitly in the handbook to make sure that all the members are on the same page. Besides, offer some general guidelines for various situations in the handbook.

    4.     Don’t forget to make the employee handbook accessible

    It is a fact that creating a handbook can consume resources as well as time. But you should not waste your valuable time on something that will be there in a cabinet untouched. Instead of that, you need to makes something that will be easily accessible. Whether you are creating a digital employee handbook or a PDF, make sure that the handbook is easily accessible through a mobile phone, tablet, or computer. Remember that the best handbooks are those that can be easily accessed quite frequently and easily. One of the best solutions for this is integrating your digital employee handbook with the Employee leave tracker app.

    5.     Properly layout the development paths

    If you have ambitious or motivated employees in your company, then from day 1 of their joining, they will find their way up. On the other hand, organizations with properly described development pathways in their employee handbook can be greatly benefited here. What you need to do here is laying out the current promotional paths in your employee handbook. Well, these can be the company’s management routes or team-or skill-specific pathways to the staff promotion.

    Remember that you should back up all the data with required actions as well. The HR Managers should make sure that the right people are made aware of the new tasks, and the team managers inform the teams about what they want to achieve.

    6.     Review and update the handbook regularly

    Consider the employee handbook as a breathing or living document.  You should update it with the changes to the company or when you change the existing roadmap. Besides, when you make the necessary changes, all the employees should be notified. If you fail to update it, employees will not prefer the handbook.

    An employee handbook can help a company in enjoying perfect growth while keeping the employees satisfied. So, follow these useful tips now and create the best employee handbook. However, don’t forget to add it to your existing Employee time off tracker so that every people in your company can access it.

  • Pros and Cons of Using a Leave Tracking Software

    Pros and Cons of Using a Leave Tracking Software

    Managers are often struggling with processing employee leave, individual leave details, and ensuring compliance with company guidelines. Leave requests must be processed regularly, and that procession procedure comprises checking leave history of the employee as well as the leaves available to them. In this case leave tracking software is the solution.

    A solid leave management system helps both parties in the equation. By enabling proper planning of employee leaves well in advance, it maintains productivity of the company. Employees can plan their leaves keeping business’ personnel requirements in mind.

    A good company will never ignore the benefits of an effective leave policy. Not only does it contribute to employee satisfaction, but it also plays an important role in the success of any company. However, there’s no universal formula proven to be effective for everyone. Companies try to combine multiple initiatives in an attempt to find the one that strikes the chord with their employee base.

    Although leave management seems simple, there are tons of complicated factors in play here. Tracking employee leave manually is time consuming and cumbersome. It can also result in an increasing number of errors in the calculations. This is why many companies have started integrating leave tracking software into their operations to streamline and automate the process.

    By using leave tracking software, the HR can track the presence of employees spread across different locations, shifts, and even time zones. Benefits of leave tracking software are multifarious, but they also come with a handful of cons to be mindful of.

    Pros of Using a Leave Tracking Software

    Ease of use

    Leave tracking software greatly simplify the burden of the administration. A simple stable internet connection is all an HR manager needs to have an overview of who’s working and who’s not from any corner of the world. No more spreadsheets filled with numbers and data!

    Moreover, the best of the leave tracking software are intuitive, which means they will let the management know if there are chances of under-staffing, plausible errors, and deficiency in team management.

    Simple leave policies

    Based on the organization’s leave policies, absenteeism policies are configured. Everything is programmed step by step, making it much easier for HR managers to work.

    Clearance to leave

    A super important feature for both managers and employees, authorization to leave lets executives know how many employees are available at any given time. It helps them accept or deny new applications. Some services are cloud-based, so employees can send in leave requests from the site or at home. Managers possess access to the iPad, phone, and other devices through which they can get into the software any time.

    With everything consolidated into a single platform, managers get a clear picture of the various vacation types they have set as well as vacation pay, vacation days consumed, vacation credits each month, and more.

    Accuracy

    Automated leave tracking software eliminates errors and simplest complex vacation policies so companies can apply them easily and accurately. Additionally, a comprehensive log of staff progress helps HR managers make better plans. Ultimately, the top management is able to deliberate duties and projects better.

    Transparency

    Transparency is a key element of any workplace. All information regarding leave policies, payment plans, vacation and PTO guidelines, and more are mentioned on the company-wide software, making the holiday system pleasantly transparent. Every member of the company can check their vacation history and balance. Managers or supervisors share this information so employees are always in the knowing about the rejection/approval of their vacation requests.

    Precise information

    With a leave tracking software, employees can access accurate information about vacation days, both available and taken, and plan according to that. Most employees like to plan their vacation days well in advance or at the start of the year so having a calendar that shows PTO or company holidays can be of great help. The process is shortened into a single-step operation which doesn’t require manual browsing of vacation logs.

    Many companies also integrate their online leave tracking software with payroll software to create precise payrolls based on various vacation types. Teams can be formed on these software too.

    Cons of Using a Leave Tracking Software

    Security issues

    If a system is easy to breach, it jeopardizes the safety and productivity of the entire company. Systems have to be designed in such a way that they can ward off unauthorized access requests and inadvertent disclosure.

    Expensive

    Price is one major concern here. Many companies don’t wish to invest in leave tracking software whereas some just don’t have the budget for it. This is a big issue for entrepreneurs and small businesses. Every software comes with maintenance costs. Software as a Service or SaaS systems are easier to organize from a financial point of view as it’s simpler to manage a cloud-based platform.

    Costs become an important factor in picking the perfect leave tracking software. Companies can avoid this by simply getting a free leave tracking software. In some cases, however, free versions of applications are limited in feature. And once the trial period is over, you are left wanting for more. Good ones are generally pricier.

    Day Off is an exception. Our free version has enough features for a small to medium company to go by without spending. You can surely invest in a premium version to get the whole experience, but the free version is, well, free!

    Scalability

    As businesses grow, they usually expand and break the shell of their status quo. For instance, they start with a basic leave tracking software to handle a limited number of employees. The system should be able to accommodate them as they evolve.

    Conclusion

    Before making the decision, it’s always wise to analyze the pros and cons of leave tracking software. For the most part, the pros outweigh the cons by a huge margin. It saves time and lets managers focus on more crucial tasks.

  • 23 Statistics Every HR Manager Needs to Know

    23 Statistics Every HR Manager Needs to Know

    When a business is successful, it can be credited to the incredible staff working behind the scenes 24/7. Human resources statistics, no doubt, is the essence of any company – no matter how big or small.

    Understanding current challenges and opportunities in the HR sector can help a manager take better decisions. Keep reading for some of the important statistics every HR manager should know.

    Hiring and Recruitment Statistics      

    According to a research conducted by Glassdoor, a well-designed recruitment and hiring strategy can help a business find qualified workers quicker. These individuals are a better fit for the company and job(s).

    • 51% of individuals would prefer searching for job opportunities via online listings. Many job seekers would rather ask for recommendations from their network of family, friends, and colleagues, but more than half of job hunters prefer scouring online job boards in order to find openings in companies.
    • 53% of people search up company information and reviews on various job search websites such as Glassdoor, LinkedIn, and PayScale. These offer genuine insights on what’s like to work for a particular company. Similar to how you would check out reviews of a certain product before buying it, job seekers like to look into company reviews before trying out for it.
    • Benefits (63% and salary (67%) are two of the most crucial factors for job hunters. Naturally, a “what’s-in-it-for-me” attitude is what fuels people to search for jobs in the first place.
    • 55% of job hunters aged between 35 to 44 applied for a job with a mobile device. Many assume that only younger applications use phones to apply for a job but this proved that all ages have embraced the existence of technology in the job market.

    Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Statistics

    Businesses that have strong diversity policies have outperformed those that did not. Representation matters, especially in the job industry.

    • The global workforce comprises of 55.3% male and 44.7% female (reference: LinkedIn’s Workforce Diversity Report 2020). Although women have made remarkable strides in every sector they have joined, they still remain underrepresented in comparison to the opposite sex.
    • Men hold 58% of leadership positions. In America, the approximate 60/40 split shows there’s a clean chance for further progress.
    • Latino and Black workers only hold 5.8% of leadership roles in the LinkedIn survey.
    • More gender diversity holds the potential to add $12 trillion in GDP.
    • Companies with more gender diversity perform better than companies lacking gender diversity by 25%. If a company puts both women and men in leadership roles, the chances of them outperforming their peer group increases to 25%.
    • Companies with ethnic diversity show 36% better performance than less diverse organizations.

    Onboarding Statistics

    A company must prepare its employee to handle their responsibilities efficiently. However, cutting corners can put a dent of performance and increase employee turnover.

    BambooHR is a company that provides HR SaaS and it highlight that:

    • About 25% of onboarding programs in companies don’t have any kind of training. Don’t simply hand your employee their computer, tools, and keys and expect them to give great results in one day. The majority of new hires want some form of formal training so they learn the ropes of the job quickly and effectively.
    • 20% of staff turnover takes part within the first 45 days. If an employee leaves shortly after joining, perhaps it’s because the onboarding program missed out on a crucial detail for the employee’s success. Recruiting and training new employees can be costly, so it’s necessary to retain as well as hire talent.
    • 72% of employees said that one-on-one time with their supervisor is an essential part of the onboarding process.
    • 70% respondents feel that having a friend at work is key at keeping the work environment positive. Starting a new job can be overwhelming, not to mention lonely. A solid onboarding process could help employees form bonds. 50% of workers who had a best friend at their workplace reported experiencing a stronger connection with the company.

    Employee Engagement Statistics

    Strong employee engagement significantly improves productivity and loyalty. It might be challenging keeping the present employees engaged, but it’s well worth it.

    • While 14% of managers are actively disengaged, a whopping 51% of them are not engaged. Managers have the biggest influence on employee engagement. If a manager isn’t engaged, it will directly affect their employees.
    • Gallup’s Employee Engagement poll suggests that 30% of American workers are actively engaged in their organization.
    • Companies boasting higher employee engagement rake in 21% more profits. Engaged employees tend to work harder to make sure the company achieves it goals and objectives.
    • 33% of employees search for a new job as they’re bored with their current job or does not approve the day off policy. There’s an inherent need to explore new opportunities with talented individuals.
    • 89% of employees believe that networking builds the foundation for a brighter future with more opportunities.

    Employee Loyalty Statistics

    Work Institute’s 2019 Retention Report vouches for increased employee retention and lower turnover costs when workers are loyal. The report claims that:

    • About 50% of HR teams confess that employee turnover and retention is their biggest challenge. Corporate culture management and recruitment make up the top three.
    • An estimated one third of workers will leave their jobs annually.
    • 27% of employees leave their workplace voluntarily each year.
    • Voluntary turnover cost is on the rise. In 2018, the cost was expected to have surpassed the $600 billion mark and it’s only growing.
    • 80% of exit surveys follow a poor methodology.
    • Work environment and job characteristics lead the way for employee turnover by 53% and 81% respectively.

    Bottom Line

    Statistics are a great way to understand the market conditions. When it comes to HR, these numbers can help executive prepare better plans, implement important measure, identify opportunities as well as weaknesses to make their organization a better place.

  • How to Hire the Best HR Manager for Your Company

    How to Hire the Best HR Manager for Your Company

    Hiring the right people at a company is the main reason behind any business’s success. HR manager and management is a crucial department in all companies, especially those of a large business. They carry out many essential duties such as recruiting or training, performance management, and employee leave management.

    Hiring a professional HR manager will increase the effectiveness of your HR department and also greatly contribute to the overall success of your business therefore, you have to pay attention when recruiting your HR manager to ensure that you have employed the right person who’ll meet your company’s needs and goals.

    Here, we are going to give you some tips that will help you with the process of choosing the best and most suitable HR manager for your company.

    1. Determine the Skills That Your Company Needs the Most

    Before hiring someone in any position, you need to know what exactly do you need in the first place. Of course, there are certain characteristics that all companies look for when searching for an HR manager like being a proficient problem solver and having high leadership skills, but each company will face different HR challenges that will require different roles from your HR manager.

    Therefore, understanding the factors that are of most efficiency to your company’s growth processes is the first step for successfully choosing your HR manager. It will help you build a clear idea about what skills you are looking for in an HR manager and so makes the process of choosing the suitable one clearer and more organized.

    2. Detailed and Specific Job Description

    Your job description should be as clear as possible. Write down all of the responsibilities and duties expected from the HR manager in details. Mention if there is any previous experience needed to apply or if the candidate has to acquire certain skills or certificates. Make sure you also include an overview of your expectations from them and any long-term objectives.

    This will ensure that no one, after employment, will complain when asked to do certain tasks, saying that they haven’t been previously informed about them, since everything was already laid out and agreed upon in the job description.

    You should also mention in your job description the benefits of working for your company. A good salary and friendly working environment are what all people look for, but there are other things that companies can provide to satisfy their employees and helps make your job offer more attractive such as, flexible working hours, social and medical insurance and transportation.

    Providing a detailed job description will make you attract those candidates that have the requirements and skills which you are looking for and so, you will be choosing your HR manager from the best pool of people available instead of going through hundreds of irrelevant job applications.

    3. Choose Someone That is Familiar with Technology

    Many technological innovations were introduced to the HR industry and lead to great exponential advancements that helped HR manager work much more productively. These technologies include performance management systems and leave manager software.

    Hiring an HR manager with previous experience of working with HR tech is very crucial and will definitely make a difference with your business’s growth.

    These new technologies greatly impacted the workstyle of HR managers and even other employees in the company. Leave tracking apps, such as Day Off, helps the HR managers keep track of the employees’ absence and presence in a much more efficient and easy way. Therefore, hiring an HR manager who has tech proficiency has many benefits like making employee leave management processes more accurate and ensure they run smoothly.

    For example, a leave tracker software will offer many useful features to both the employees and managers. They improve the company’s decision making and greatly reduces the amount of paper work that employees do. They can also prevent pay errors, leaving employees satisfied.

    A good HR manager is one that knows how to efficiently use these great technologies (such as PTO manager software, vacation tracker software and performance management software) and motivates his team to use them as well for a more flexible and simple work environment.

    4.Pay Attention to Behavioral Traits During Interviews

    Skills can be easily gained by most people with time and experience, but it is very hard to change someone’s behavior and traits. Therefore, when carrying out your interview pay attention to the way they talk and try to get a clear idea about their personalities.

    Be honest with them during your discussion and tell them what you exactly need. Talk with them about your company’s strong points and weak points. See if they have any ideas or new approaches that may help your company.

    Sharing with them these thoughts will show you who is motivated and if they are able to offer creative solutions to your problems. It will also help you know if that person will easily get along with your current teams and if they can fit with them.  

    HR expertise is important, but soft skills can be as important too. Here are some qualities and characteristics that are important to look for in an HR manager:

    • Fast and efficient decision making to be able solve problems fast with minimal losses.
    • Good communication skills to build a strong relationship with his team and other employees.
    • Good technical skills to be able to use apps like Day Off easily and know how to benefit from them.
    • Has the intention to continuously learn new things that will help with your HR management system.
    • Has the ability to multitask and so, leads to higher productivity of the company.

    Conclusion

    Hiring a professional HR manager will always be of great benefit to your company. It helps boosts your business growth and makes employees satisfied. Both expertise and soft skills are essential factors to take into consideration when choosing your manager.

    Things like excellent work experience, ability to handle excessive workload, knowledge about HR management and being up to date with technology are all examples of traits you should look for to spot a great HR manager.

  • How to Get the Most Out of Your Remote Team

    How to Get the Most Out of Your Remote Team


    The pandemic has taken a great chunk of our lives- both work and personal life-related. With all the chaos going on worldwide, working from home might have been the best possible option. But is it? Employees working remotely have taken a toll on their mental health and productivity, not to mention their enthusiasm for any task has decreased drastically. While motivating and influencing your team while they work remotely may not be as easy as you wish it to be, there are a few basic methods through which you can get the most out of your remote team.

    Initiate Daily Check-ins

    Interacting with your remote team is the way to begin monitoring them. Through frequent video conferences or one-to-one sessions, you’ll be able to keep tabs on whatever the employees are doing and if they are in the proper setting to work. Even though this may sound like a buzzkill to some, the daily check-ins will ensure that all the employees are fulfilling their due tasks on time and clearing any confusion. Furthermore, these shall encourage the employees to open up to you.

    Communicate with the Team

    On the topic of ‘opening up’, communication is key. In the pandemic work situation, employees already suffer from a lack of communication and interaction. What could be resolved in the workplace easily is taking a lot of time to decipher online, in a remote working scenario. To ensure this factor doesn’t affect the team and its overall performance. As a leader, you must communicate all the responsibilities and duties that they are assigned with. Not only does this enable the remote team to understand all the tasks properly, but it makes them feel important to the company.

    Utilize Technology

    Technology is a great tool once you master the art of it. With applications like Zoom, Google Meet, Discord, Microsoft Teams, and multiple others, it’s relatively easier to deal with remote teams now. Utilizing these applications shall gradually make your remote team accustom to the online working situation and enable them to work more productively. Aside from work-related stuff, you can even use these platforms to engage and communicate with the team!

    Formulate Rules of Engagement

    Information sharing might be troublesome for a remote team. For this reason, general rules of engagement should be introduced to the workforce; the rules shall describe when and how the employees can connect to you or the other team members. Remember to approach any difficulties through proper team engagement.

    Handle Expectations

    Company goals and visions have changed due to the pandemic and the employees need to be made aware of that. The way of work that you expected them to do earlier might not align with the current scenario. Hence, regular communication regarding the expectations associated with the remote team will take you forward at a consistent pace.

    Outcomes over Activity!

    Monitoring every activity in a remote environment might not be the best decision, as it takes plenty of time and effort than in a normal scenario. Instead, focusing on the outcome of each task shall be a better choice to manage your remote team. This leaves a majority of the work responsibility to the team, enabling them to work as they please as long as they deliver the desired outcome. Furthermore, this method ensures that your remote team starts feeling important and that they matter to the company.

    Make it Purposeful

    For a remote team, having a consistent and defined purpose will drive the employees into being more productive. The work-from-home situation can make the employees lose their motivation and purpose quite easily, which is why a purpose is required to tie everything together. Ensure that your employees are going forward with a goal set in mind.

    Enable Resources

    Proper resources need to be made available to your remote team. Without a stable internet connection, laptop or PC, audible speakers, etc. a remote team cannot perform or operate to its full productivity. As a leader, it’s your responsibility that your team is fully resourced before getting on with the company’s visions and goals.

    Omit Obstacles

    Complexities regarding personal and work-life should be considered right now if it wasn’t already. Any difficulty that your employees might be facing should be taken seriously, considering the current pandemic. While everybody is prone to the same danger, not everyone is in the same boat. Keeping that in mind, any obstacles should be eliminated.

    Time to Socially Interact!

    Social interaction among the employees of your remote team should be encouraged. Any gathering via online platforms should be motivated; a games night, movie night, or any games that could be played online should be encouraged. The ray of hope from social interaction not only ignites a livelihood in your remote team but helps them refocus on their work as well.

    Be Flexible

    A pandemic isn’t an easy situation to get over, especially with people falling sick here and there. A flexible practice or day off can be introduced if your remote team is going through a hard time- it shows that you care for your team and their wellbeing.

    An Empathetic Leader

    The abovementioned points all tied up together comes to this- it’s time to be an empathetic leader. Empathy and compassion will get your forward at an increasing pace during this hard time. Reaction to sudden problems can be managed by handling the stress and tension through empathy and calmness.

    Mentor, not Manage

    It’s crucial to remember that you cannot manage or discipline the remote team during a pandemic. It’s harsh and insensitive to some extent. Furthermore, the usual managing techniques would not work for everything now. Approaching as a mentor and motivator will help bring out the best from your remote team.

    Conclusion

    Handling a remote team is essential and not conventional at all. For that, it’s wise to be flexible and empathetic while being open to discussions that would not have occurred under normal circumstances. A remote team can take your company to paces, only if you manage to bring the most out of it.

  • 6 Incredibly Useful Software Tools for Small Businesses

    6 Incredibly Useful Software Tools for Small Businesses

    Navigating a small business toward success requires teamwork, a solid sense of direction, tremendous patience, and a handful of software. The right tools can make a big difference to the job. However, choosing the right software is a challenging feat. The secret is recognizing the proper software in combination with other tools to serve your nature of work is important. Check out some useful software tools to help you run your small business.

    Wave: Best Accounting Software

    Kirk Simpson and James Lochrie founded Wave Accounting in 2010 to bring an easy-to-use, free financial software to the market. In 2021, Wave’s employee base has crossed the 250 mark and they’re working to serve small businesses across the world. It lets companies track expenses and income, scan receipts, send invoices, track sales taxes, and much more – for free!

    Wave builds a network between credit cards and multiple bank accounts and helps set up profiles to keep track of finances. This free software organized payments, invoices, and accounts to make tax calculation easier. Users can make and send professional invoices from the dashboard as well as the mobile app. Wave can set automatic credit card payments and recurring invoices for repeat customers so they can get their invoice and payment details immediately.

    Apart from their free services, Wave also offers premium, paid services, including bank payments, credit card payment, payroll setup for contractors and employers.

    Wix: Best Website Builder

    Frustrated with the high costs of making a website, three entrepreneurs joined forces to create Wix in 2006. Today, the company boasts a user base of 200 million spread across 190 countries. This is our pick because Wix lets users create professional websites without any required coding knowledge at a budget-friendly rate.

    On Wix, you will find many professional templates to personalize your website. Pair that with the convenient drag-and-drop editorial feature and anyone could make a functional website within a few hours. All websites are designed to look attractive on mobile devices and offer interesting effects like video backgrounds, animation, and scrolling.

    As Wix features an advanced e-commerce feature, users can sell online as well. You can set up an online store, figure out conversion rates and revenue, manage inventory and more. Wix is compatible with PayPal, Wix Payments, and Stripe and can integrate with Facebook and Instagram.

    MailChimp: Best Email Marketing Software

    MailChimp was founded in 2001 and since then has been an affordable email marketing service perfect for small businesses. Now a diverse marketing platform, MailChimp offers websites, landing pages, postcards, and many more amazing features. Both free and paid plans will be a great choice for small business, but you can go a long way without paying a dollar – the best part of this service. You can easily start using the free email software.

    On MailChimp, you can get pre-made email templates, basic customization, opt-in sign up forms and popups, and audience segmentation. A mobile app is included as well to let you check campaign performance, send emails, and create reports with just a few clicks.

    Using the drag-and-drop templates, you can create professional emails with little to no design skills on MailChimp. The software keeps track of clicks and open rates while segmenting data to let you know what’s working best for your small business.

    Trello: Best Project Management Software

    In 2011, Fog Creek Software introduced a project management tool prototype designed to provide high-level planning solutions. Within just a year, the platform had more than 500,000 users and was named Trello. Trello impresses with its flexible, visual, and free options to manage projects.

    Featuring a Kanban-style board for project and task tracking, Trello makes project management extremely easy. The intuitive and simple interface lets users make customer lists and boards with a plethora of inclusions such as images, checklists, links, due dates, regular files, and more.

    Trello can be integrated with Google Drive, Slack, Dropbox, as well as many other third-party software. Integrate it with mobile apps to streamline workflows and collaboration.

    Even with its free plan, the software has a lot to offer, including unlimited lists, cards, and boards. However, there is a 10MB per file attachment limit to be mindful of. It extends to 250MB with the paid plan.

    Slack: Best Team Communication Software

    With Slack, you can create channels revolving around a particular topic, project, team, or client. The channels can be public for all Slack account holders or it can be private and accessible via invitation only.

    Apart from real-time communication, Slack offers a slew of fantastic features like poll creation, meeting scheduling, file sharing between teams, cloud storage, and connection to third-party projects – all through integrations. You get free voice and video calls and also spin-off discussion threads in order to keep the larger conversation organized.

    Small businesses that only require a single workspace, a handful of integrations, and one-on-one video calls can benefit from a free Slack account. There is a 10,000-message search limitation on free accounts, though.

    Day Off: Absence and Vacation Tracker

    One of the most important tools for a business’ HR department is an employee tracker app. Productivity and efficiency depends largely on the availability of the employees, not to mention their satisfaction with their workplace. With Day Off, you save time and effort with employee absence. You can track individual and team absences from one place and it takes a few seconds to check up on leave applications and accept/deny them.

    The convenient HR dashboard brings everything on one platform for the HRM. Requests are directed to the right person. HR can also define teams while setting available vacation days left for each person. The mobile app makes it easy for both employees and manager.

    Conclusion

    A software doesn’t necessarily have to be “premium” to deliver quality services. Small businesses can cut down on costs by looking into the more budget-friendly options.

  • How to make your employees feel valued and engaged

    How to make your employees feel valued and engaged

    An average person is estimated to work about one third of their life span as listed in conducted research, so he/she must be provided a comfortable environment amid others in which they provide the best work results without any complications due to their ease of working together. The most common things that make employees feel valued are always addressing growth, helping them in the start of their jobs, challenging them in healthy ways to break their limits, always encouraging them to do their best and telling them that they are doing a great job.

    Getting to know the Working Team

    Organized corporations try their best to let each employee be known to the others by making an announcement for the new employee on his/her first day, help him fit easily by introducing him/her to the rest of the employees. Bullying is common for newcomers to face so it is the duty of their bosses to watch over them and never tolerate it.

    Another way of engaging employees with each other and their bosses is by often making a get together for the company outside of work boundary in order to create a friendly relationship between the employees, by doing this a tension free environment is provided and the employees know each other better making them work together smoothly. By doing this better work results are provided.

    Payrolls and Benefits

    The main forms of feeling valued by an employee are the payroll and the benefits received from the company. The payrolls must be equivalent to the amount of work given by the employee and equal to his degree as well.  In this modern-day world payrolls and benefits are monitored by    employee self-service software in which the employee can also monitor his/her schedule and change his/her benefits information.

    Sick Leaves and Absences

    It is expected at any moment that an employee gets sick and doesn’t attend his/her job for a day or more depending on his/her condition so an employee day off tracker must be present to keep track of the absent employees in order to have a good thought on the working power to maintain productivity.

    Different companies have different absence policies so employee absence management must be present to inform the employee on how and when to inform his/her boss of his/her absence, also informs the employee of the pay arrangements in the case of an absence, and how to continue his/her work after the absence. All this is made to maintain the productivity of the company as possible and to limit the damages to the employee as well. Sick leave is a form of partial absence that result in a decrease in the working power as well, so an employee leave management application is needed to count for the gap of employees to try and maintain the productivity as possible.

    Valuing Hard Work

    In some cases, an employee is stressed or burnt out so he/she becomes in need of some time off the job and in order to make the request as organized as possible an employee time off manager must be provided to make the operation as smooth as possible both for the employee and the bosses. The request of some time off the job most of the time is approved when viewing the hard work of the employee, and as a form of valuing the employee and encouraging him/her to keep up the good work while being comfortable mentally. On the other hand, for keeping track of the employees an employee time off tracker must be present to keep track of the present employees.

    Holidays and Vacations

    Each company when hiring sets a specific number of paid time off days so that if the number of days increase than the number agreed on the employee faces disciplinary measures. It is not common sense that the whole working team takes their paid time off at the same time and this is when an employee PTO tracker and employee PTO management systems do the work of tracking the present and absent employees and managing the number of present working power.

    Holidays and vacations are important in making the employee recharge his mental state in order to give the best results in a job. for tracking the holidays and their time in the year an employee holiday tracker application must be present for everyone to have information on the holidays such as when are the holidays and how long are they. Most of the time employees stacks their paid time off to go on long vacations. Long vacations mean fewer working staff for a long period of time so to make it organized as much as possible an employee vacation tracker and employee vacation manager must be present in order to make those vacations as organized as possible in order to maintain the productivity. All this makes the process of holidays and vacations as smooth as possible

    Work and Reward System

    When the employees reach the target given to them and surpass it by a noticeable amount, as a form of appreciation and valuing their work the company gives them a reward. These rewards are materialized in many forms one of them is the pay raise. Another form of reward is a percentage paid vacation or a full paid vacation for the employees and their families and travel at the expenses of the company. These vacations are in a place chosen by the company, or they let the employees choose from a variety of places chosen by the company as well which are tracked by the company by an employee vacation tracker. This is an image of the work and reward system

    The Employee’s Mentality

    After all the employee is most important gear in the success of a company. The employee must have a stable mentality to provide best results, because at the end of the day he is a human being who wants to be recognized and valued for his work. When the employee is given some special treatment, it makes him feel valued and an important person in the job, so the employee becomes loving of his/her job and gives it his/her all, because he/she spends a big portion of the day at the job. In a way the employee after all this becomes so loving of the job that he cares for the company as if it was his own home.

  • The Ultimate Guide to Employee Performance Reviews

    The Ultimate Guide to Employee Performance Reviews

    In this modern corporate era, employee performance reviews have become an important part of every business. As per the experts, it does not help in eliminating the efficiency or productivity issues but also helps the organizations in motivating their employees. Such valuations always provide HR managers with accurate and useful assessments of employee’s abilities, skills, job performance, knowledge, and more. Before carrying out the evaluation, you need to obtain all the relevant data, and for data related to employees’ attendance, you can use a good PTO tracking software program, for example, Day off. Now, let’s discuss this in detail.

    What do you mean by a performance review?

    A performance review which is also known as an employee evaluation, performance appraisal, or performance evaluation, is a process of documenting and evaluating the performance and the behavior of the employees in a particular period. The review is carried out in general for 6 or 12 months.

    As per the experts, discussing the performance in comprehensive review is a crucial factor for many companies’ employees’ feedbacks as well as the development process. On the other hand, keeping a proper record of performance review, considering the data from an employee leave tracker app, can also be a compliance requirement. It is the responsibility of the HR management to create and share constructive feedback.

    What is the major purpose of performance reviews?

    In most organizations, the line managers carry out a performance review as they know all the things about the employees. However, in some cases, HR managers can also do that. But why is it so important for every business? Well, keep reading to know more.

    As per the experts, a perfectly conducted performance review can offer an instant and the most required lift to the businesses as well as the employees. This will prove the weaknesses and strengths. Some other benefits are:

    A clear understanding of the current job roles

    Performance management will empower the person to think seriously about the job role within the organization. When both the supervisors and employees understand their specific job duties, then they can eliminate the possible ambiguities in the company.

    Aligning personal roles to the organizational goals

    A good quality performance review will give a chance to ensure everyone can understand the company’s vision, as well as goals and they, can come up with different strategies to fit their work in the bigger picture.

    Career development

    A performance review can create the opportunity to plan and set new objectives that can help in the further development of the employees’ careers. With better performance management, they can explore additional training.

    Getting regular feedback on the performance

    It has been proved that regular feedback can greatly contributes to perfect all-around communication in the organization. With this, the HR Management can detect the strength and weaknesses of the employees, and the employees will be able to understand what the company is expecting from them.

    How to prepare to create a good performance review?

    If you’re an HR manager and you have been tasked with carrying out appraisals for real, you need to create a solid performance review process that can guide your approach. So, prepare yourself for the performance review by following the tips.

    Clear the calendar

    If you are planning to meet the members of your team one on one, then you need to make sure that other important tasks during the meeting will not distract you. So, before starting the review process, try to lower your commitments in the day to lower the risk of missing out on the appointments or having to change the date for the review.

    Get accurate data about employees leaves

    An employee’s performance can be ascertained by analyzing the leave patterns of that particular employee. But how to do that? Well, this is where you can use an Employee time off tracker. Such software programs are designed and developed in such a way that they can create a comprehensive report about the employees’ leave management.

    Be ready to give as well as take feedback

    While conducting performance reviews, make sure that you are allowing enough time for the employees to comfortably share their feedback with the HR management. Use a notebook or a laptop to record it. As a result, it will be easier for you to follow up on the data later.

    Always stay prepared for the curveballs

    Well, as a general rule, the management should not tell the staff anything that they don’t know about the performance. However, sometimes, you may face conditions where they may come up with some matters that will be new to you. As they are like a private exchange, sometimes reviews can be seen as a perfect opportunity to share news or raise any new issues. So, you should keep this thing in your mind and always prefer to schedule it for a later meeting if required.

    A different way to collect feedback

    360 feedback

    In this, employees can receive feedback or suggestions not just only from managers but also from peers as well as junior members. Besides, they can also check their data, covering the leaves and more, through a Vacation tracker and review themselves. As a result, they can understand their opportunities and strength.

    Continual feedback

    Some organizations don’t like to go for a formal structure of a performance review. Instead of that, they share feedback with the employees on a continual ad hoc basis. For startups and small businesses, this can be a suitable option. But there can be a few risks of it. As there may not be any formal checkpoint, employees may lack clarity on how they should progress and what they need to do.

    Employee pulse reviews

    This can be considered as a happy medium for carrying out a performance review. This is a smaller-scale review that is conducted on a more frequent schedule. It is generally associated with the engagement surveys of the employees.

    If you want to make sure that your organization is all set to grow properly in the coming days, then don’t forget to carry out an employee’s performance review. And use advanced tools, like a Leave tracker and more to collect important data accurately.

  • 2022 Public Holidays in UK

    2022 Public Holidays in UK

    One of the favorite things for many of us is planning a vacation. Nothing is better than a well-planned calendar with flight info and dinner reservations. But first you need to know when exactly to do it. These holidays not only mark moments of historical importance but also provide an opportunity for communities across the UK to come together, celebrate, and cherish the nation’s heritage.
    Here is a list of the 2022 public holidays in the UK, where most of government offices, businesses, shops and banks will be closed:

    HolidayDate
    New Year’s DayMon, Jan 3, 2022
    Good FridayFri, Apr 15, 2022
    Easter MondayMon, Apr 18, 2022
    Early May Bank HolidayMon, May 2, 2022
    Spring Bank HolidayThu, Jun 2, 2022
    Platinum Jubilee bank holidayFri, Jun 3, 2022
    Summer Bank HolidayMon, Aug 29, 2022
    Boxing DayMon, Dec 26, 2022
    Christmas DayTue, Dec 27, 2022

    As the UK welcomes 2022, these public holidays or day off not only offer a break from the routine but also serve as a reminder of the country’s rich cultural tapestry and the spirit of unity that binds its diverse communities. Each holiday brings its unique traditions, making the UK’s public holiday calendar a colorful mosaic of celebrations, reflecting the nation’s identity and heritage.