POST CATEGORY : Human Resources

Increase Productivity with Flexible Working

Businesses can often be reluctant to engage a flexible working policy through fear that the system will become more of problem than a benefit. The correct structure has to be in place to support the system and maximise the benefits but can it increase job satisfaction? Should it and can it be made available to all employees or just a few? Certainly, some jobs would not fit the ‘work from home’ criteria but with planning, flexible working could be available for most roles providing the needs of the business are being met.

Office worker working at home

Attract and retain a skilled workforce

Essential for any business, attracting and retaining an appropriately skilled workforce will always be a priority.…

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Knowing your Rights as a Contract Worker

Although the law is fairly clear on the standards that employees should expect in the workplace, the situation for contract workers can be a lot more confusing, with some assuming that they have no rights at all. In fact, there are a number of laws in place aimed at providing you with safe working conditions, and if something goes wrong because one of them is breached, you could well be entitled to take action.

Busy contract worker

Knowing where you stand is the first step to protecting yourself and those around you and making sure you’re treated with the respect you deserve.

Risk awareness

At first glance, some workplaces seem so much safer than others that it’s hard to imagine accidents happening there.…

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What are The Benefits of Happy Employees? (Infographic)

All businesses are constantly seeking ways to improve their levels of productivity. After all, with higher levels of productivity come higher profit margins. Fortunately, one of the best ways to improve productivity is by making sure your employees are happy. In fact, with unhappy employees, you can take it to the bank that the entire success of your operation will be greatly hindered.

Happy employees

What unhappy employees can cost companies

Did you know that about 33 percent of business bankruptcies take place due to employee theft? If an employee were to get upset and steal from you, your business could face an unpleasant outcome.…

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Tips to Ensure you are Getting the Most Out of your Employees

Most successful companies recognize two basic facts. Firstly, employees are the company’s most valuable resource, and secondly, for the company to be efficient, it needs to get the most out of all its employees. By and large, even the most successful companies struggle with achieving a balance. Lean one way and you have high turnover; lean the other way and you start down the road to inefficiency. The highly successful companies, though, have taken this balance to a whole new level by focusing on employee wellbeing.

Employee wellness

Case studies done on highly successful companies such as Apple, Berkshire Hathaway, and Google point to certain similarities.…

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Simple Investments That Can Keep Employees Happy

It’s inevitable: someday, your employee is going to feel like her job is too stressful, and she’s going to wonder if it’s worth holding onto. As a business owner or manager, you don’t want to lose good workers to stress, which is why it’s necessary to make your employees working environment comfortable.

Happy and motivated business team

There are many techniques for making an employee comfortable, and the strategy begins in the very first interview…

Keep it Simple

Before they’re ever hired, potential employees are scheduled for an interview. Some businesses participate in group interviews, others prefer one-on-one meetings. Group interviews can be intimidating to interviewees, but they may be necessary to employers.…

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6 Ways to Select the Best Employees

An article appearing in Harvard Business Review showed that of 2,700 employers surveyed in a recent study, 41 percent reported a poor hiring choice cost the company as much as $25,000. The costs of an unsuitable hire come as the result of problems like poor productivity, the individual’s negative impact on morale and expenses of training a new hire.

Hiring the best employee

Here are six ways employers can boost their chances of finding the right person for the job and avoid incurring the expense that comes with a less-than-stellar hire:

Move away from traditional methods

The key to finding the best possible employees may exist within the company.…

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The Differences Between Contractor and Permanent Recruitment

The staff make-up of any company is one of the deciding factors of success or failure of the company. It is crucial that the staff profile and expenses are spot on. To achieve this, companies often blend recruiting permanent staff and recruiting contract staff. To properly reap the benefits of both classes of recruitment however, it is important to understand what each one entails.

Contractor vs. permanent recruitment

What is contract recruitment?

Contract recruitment focuses on bringing in workers strictly for a short term assignment. This sort of hiring generally reduces the liability of an organisation as the organisation doesn’t have to offer the contract staff all the full benefits due to a full time employee.…

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Suit or Jacket: How to Play it Right for Your Game Company Job Interview

Businesses in the tech industry in general, and in the gaming industry in particular, tend not to go by the same ideas as businesses in other industries. It’s well known, for instance, that casualwear rules at companies like Apple and Facebook.

Game developer startup

At companies that develop hit games, the complete absence of dress codes is the only code there is. Coders are known to arrive at work in the same unwashed pair of shorts and T-shirt for days. Some arrive in elaborate masquerade party-style costumes, and others favor tailored, three-piece suits. These people, though, are already employed. If you were interviewing for a position as game developer, what kind of clothing would get you in the front door?…

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7 Ways an Apprentice Can Help Your Business Grow

Apprenticeship jobs are usually work-based training and education programmes for individuals of all age groups.

Apprenticeship trends

You can find over two hundred and fifty types of apprenticeship programmes readily available, across a selection of market sectors and companies. If you would like enthusiastic talent that you could train and develop for your organisation, then the solution is to hire an apprentice. An increasing number of businesses are using apprenticeship jobs, with 96% of businesses reporting great performance from their apprentices.

There is £1500 age grant to assist companies to expand their businesses by hiring apprentices, depending on eligibility. All organisations providing apprenticeships for 16 to 18 year old should retain them for a year.…

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5 Ways a Virtual Assistant is Better than a Regular Employee

With everything we do moving in to the virtual sphere the need for adding the “virtual” edge to our office and administration becomes more pronounced. In times when companies are accepting telecommuting employees and work from home as alternatives, virtual assistants come to the rescue of many a professional who is hard pressed for time.

Virtual assistant

Companies, particularly those engaged in the provision of information technology and related services have introduced the concept of work from home for full time employees. This has helped IT majors like IBM to cut down on real estate costs and keep women (who otherwise would have to take a sabbatical due to pregnancy and child care) to stay in the workforce.…

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