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The Rostering Revolution: How to Effectively Track a Remote Workforce

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As the world sees a huge shift towards remote working in the last few months, businesses and offices all around the globe have had to find effective ways to manage and track their workforce. Managing staff in an office setting can be difficult enough, let alone managing a workforce that is situated all around the country. Whilst tracking a remote workforce can take a little time and effort on the part of a business owner, it is not an impossible feat. In today’s article, we have a look at how business owners can effectively track a remote workforce by using various tools and strategies that help streamline the tracking process. Read on to find out more!

  1. Software is Essential

When it comes to tracking schedules and work hours, software is an absolute essential. Relying on word of mouth or manual ways of tracking hours is almost always a recipe for disaster. This is why it is so important that business owners make use of tools such as an app for rostering your staff when engaging with a remote workforce. With the help of a timesheet and scheduling app, you will be able to effectively and closely monitor employee hours, shifts and schedules. Software essentially does the work for you, thus greatly reducing the burden on your shoulders whilst at the same time tracking your workforce with utmost precision and accuracy.

  1. Face-To-Face Interaction

Face-to-face interaction when it comes to managing a remote workforce is actually more important than you may think. It can be all too easy for both employers and employees to feel disconnected when working from home, which can ultimately prove to reduce motivation and efficiency levels. In order to prevent this, it is incredibly important that business owners engage in face-to-face interaction with employees at least once a week. This could be in the form of a team meeting, a one-on-one meeting with staff or even just an online socialising session that allows everyone to come together and let their hair down. Never underestimate the power of face-to-face interaction when it comes to tracking a remote workforce.

  1. A Culture of Accountability

Once a business has implemented its time tracking and scheduling software, it is important for those who are higher in the hierarchy to lead by example. This can come in the form of sharing your own timesheet with your employees and encouraging everyone to do the same. Openly sharing timesheets can greatly improve employee motivation and can easily set a benchmark for performance, efficiency and productivity amongst the workforce. Sharing this information also helps to foster a culture of accountability amongst your workers which will inevitably make your job of tracking them much easier in the long run.

  1. Focus On Deadlines

One of the best ways to encourage productivity and efficiency with remote workers is to set strict deadlines that workers have to meet. Ensuring that your team fully understands the scope of their work and being firm with deadlines is a fantastic way to ensure that every monitoring activity will be focused on one singular outcome instead of getting your team to collaborate together towards a shared goal. Individual deadlines can keep employees on their toes, thus ensuring that everyone is giving their 110% and reducing the need for business owners to constantly be checking up on activity and efficiency levels.

  1. End Of Day Report Summaries

With the number of tasks that your team has to deal with, it can be easy for them to lose track of what they have accomplished during the day. This is why introducing end of day report summaries is such a great idea. These summaries can be used as a tool to help both employer and employee identify opportunities for improvement, iron out any potential issues and keep track of their activity on a daily basis. Summaries should be paired with regular team meetings in order to make sure everyone is on the right track and no one is left lagging behind.

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Tracking and managing a remote workforce can be a challenging job, but it certainly isn’t one that is impossible. By utilising a wide variety of tools and ensuring clear and effective communication channels with your workforce, you’ll find that managing your team is a lot easier than you had ever imagined.

Isolation Innovation – 5 Tips for Small Business Owners Working from Home

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Across the world, business owners and employees are being urged to work from home. For some, it’s an effortless process, and one they may have already been doing to some degree. For others, it’s foreign territory that can take a while to navigate and explore. Here are a few different things that can help make that adjustment period a bit more comfortable:

Keep Your Professional Support Contacts

Working from home may mean you’re working in a different setting, but it doesn’t mean you aren’t going to face the same challenges as you would in your office. Don’t cut contact with those other businesses that keep yours going. Stay in touch with your small business IT support guru and remember to keep your accountant informed with business operations.

Everyone you needed to run your business at the office will still be required while you work from home.

Don’t Change Your Routine

Working from an office has always promoted a sense of routine. You rise at the same time every day, get in the car or jump on public transport, then spend the working week doing the same things. While your morning commute is now from the bedroom to the dining room, that doesn’t mean your work routine must change.

Wake up at the same time, have a shower, get dressed in tidy attire, and start the working day at the same time. The sameness of your routine can ensure you achieve the same level of work as you would if you were in your office.

Educate Your Family

Your spouses and kids know that when you’re at the office, you’re not available to make them lunch, help with chores, and answer the door when there’s a knock. After all, how can you do those things when you’re not home?

Once you’re working from home, though, it can be easy to forget that you’re in work mode. When the working week kicks off, offer a gentle reminder that interruptions can be disruptive to how much work you achieve. Of course, spend time with your family, but set aside a few hours of your day just for you and your regular work routine.

Be Comfortable

Most people have their work station set up ergonomically at their place of business. Once you get home, though, you’re more likely to learn over a laptop in bed or stare down your phone with your neck at a crooked angle. Working at home should mean the same ergonomic principles apply.

Use a comfortable chair and desk, keep your monitor an arm’s length away, and adjust your chair height, so your hips and knees are level with each other. The more comfortable you are, the more you can achieve.

Use Apps

Working from home can mean you go without some of the creature comforts of the office. You may not have the same conferencing software, dedicated room for meetings, or microphones and camera equipment. Things are different, but there are some apps online that can make your working-from-home experience better.

Try apps like Skype, Slack, Trello, and Calmly. Whether you need fewer distractions or a working platform for you and your team, you’ll find plenty of options online.

Working from home may not be something you are familiar with, but that doesn’t mean it has to impact how much work you get done. Stick with your routine, talk to your family, and keep your same professional contacts so that your business operates like a well-oiled machine. You’d be surprised at how convenient and effortless working from home can be.

How to Have a Better Ergonomics in the Workplace

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It has become increasingly clear that workers in many industries are at ergonomic risk. This can lead to them doing painful and irreparable damage to their bodies. While this has long been true, it’s now a major concern for companies because workers are taking legal action against their employers for routinely making them work in inherently ergonomically risky workstations and courts and judges are awarding them large judgements. Further, wise and caring employers and concerned employees want to make sure workspaces and working conditions are not ergonomically risky and prevent work-related physical ailments from developing.

Assessing Ergonomic Risk

There are several things employers and employees can look at in the workplace to determine if spending 8 hours a day there puts the employee at great ergonomic risk. This ergonomic risk assessment can be accurately made by answering the following questions.

1. What is ergonomics?

Ergonomics is an applied science that is concerned with the design and arrangement of workspaces to ensure workers can do their jobs safely, effectively and efficiently. This area of applied science is sometimes referred to as biotechnology, human engineering or the focus on human factors in the design and arrangement of furniture and equipment.

2. What is ergonomics in the workplace?

Ergonomics in the workplace is making sure the design of the workstations doesn’t lead to unavoidable injuries to the workers and limit their productivity. Thoughtful arrangement of the tools and equipment in the workstation improves workplace ergonomics. Proper workplace ergonomics requires ensuring when the worker is seated, their feet can be flat on the floor and their hips held at an angle of between 90 and 120 degrees. For workers using computers, the height and angle of their chair, keyboard and monitor must be able to be adjusted to optimal positions for comfort and productivity.

3. What characteristics in the workstation improve employee well-being?

Ideally, it should be practical for employees to periodically stand while continuing to work. For employees using computers, the top of the monitor or screen should be level with their eyes. Plus, it’s best for the worker if the screen is at least 50 cm from their eyes and their wrists can remain flat when they’re typing. Further, the worker’s upper arms should be parallel to their torso and their shoulders should be relaxed. Items they use most should all be within easy reach. Those factors all help to improve the ergonomics of an employee’s workspace.

4. What are the dangers of poor ergonomics in the workplace?

Poorly designed workstations can cause worker fatigue and frustration. This leads to painful musculoskeletal injuries, lower productivity, as well as poor product quality. The most common workplace ergonomic risk factors are high task repetition done using forceful exertions in sustained awkward postures. That combination overloads muscles and tendons, puts excessive strain on joints and increases the likelihood of musculoskeletal fatigue and serious injury. The risk of injury is increased if workers don’t take adequate rest breaks.

To ensure employee workspaces are ergonomic, regular, ongoing, objective, scientific risk identification and reduction tests should be performed. Trained inspectors should see if workers regularly take awkward posture, use excessive force and put unsafe amounts of stress on their joints while performing their assigned tasks. Failure to do so can cause an ergonomic nightmare that endangers the health of the worker, lower the quality and quantity of their work and damage the company’s reputation.

5. What is an ergonomically-friendly workplace?

An ergonomically friendly workplace is one that uses proper workspace design and production techniques to protect worker health and enhance the quality of their work. But healthy, productive, workplaces don’t happen by accident. They require collaboration between the employers and employees to do what’s best for the long-term health of the workers and the success of the company.

An ergonomically-friendly workplace is one where regular, objective, scientific workplace analysis using ergonomic risk measuring tools are used to conduct ergonomic assessments that are accurate. Plus, engineering and administrative controls should be implemented. Engineering controls use ergonomic modifications to reduce or eliminate awkward postures. Administrative controls set procedures and processes like counteractive stretch breaks, proper body mechanics, job rotation and work practice controls to reduce the risk of MSD injury.

6. How many hours of working in a standing position is safe?

Creating an ergonomically positive workplace is also essential for workers who spend long periods of time on their feet. According to the organization Occupational Health & Safety, standing for long periods while working leaves people susceptible to hospitalization with varicose veins. Frequently changing positions from standing to sitting to walking, works best. It’s not recommended workers remain static standing or sitting if they want the most ergonomic position.

Standing for prolonged periods

Workers whose jobs call for standing for prolonged periods often have to endure heel pain and foot arch pain that may require visits to a podiatrist. Those workers who work standing and have pre-existing heart disease are more susceptible to being hospitalized with carotid atherosclerosis. Sufficient breaks, proper posture and good ergonomic practices can protect the health and reduce the incidence of musculoskeletal disorders in workers that stand or sit for long periods at work.

Final Thoughts

Poor ergonomics in the workplace negatively impacts workers’ health and their employers’ bottom line. With a clear understanding of the importance of proper ergonomics in the workplace, diligence and regular inspections, concerned employers and employees can dramatically reduce ergonomic risk and create better workplace ergonomics.

Why Do We Need More Young Leaders in the Workplace

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It is an excellent time to be an aspiring young leader. Young leaders are needed and in large quantities. Here are the reasons why.

To inspire a generation of future leaders

Part of leadership development includes mentorship. Young leaders are more likely to encourage more young leaders, as they give them the role model that they require to pursue this treacherous path.

Research shows that young-headed organizations are attractive to young and upcoming leaders. They see the young figurehead as an outstanding anchor in life that they can lean on for hope. As more young take up positions, the more it unlocks the potential of humanity.

They are qualified to take up leadership positions

The glass ceiling has yet to be shattered, as it takes almost twice the level of qualification for a young person to be promoted. With the right amount of leadership coaching, there are millions of potential leaders out there. Some fear taking responsibility, as they are unsure of their capability.

Young leaders are proven regarding inclusive and consultative working environments

A 21st-century leader must possess certain traits for him or her to be successful. One such trait is the ability to lead a friendly working environment. Research shows that young people are more likely to consult, learn, improve, listen to feedback, and extend empathy to their teams. When an organization has such a leader, there is less burnout, high job satisfaction rate, community-conscious workplaces, and meaningful work. Such organizations don’t just chase profits; they look at the bigger picture.

Young people are known to be resilient

In the modern era, new and diverse problems require an assortment of skills. Everyone is invited to the table to help navigate the new challenges in marketing, branding, customer relationship, product development, and other business processes. In the public sphere, issues of policy and implementation also call for everyone to participate.

In future, these traits will make the young become more inspiring leaders as the world moves towards experiential (customer experience-centric) economy.

They make the bulk of the consumers

Young people consume most of the products that come out of it. While they are doing a good job, they are shaping up to take the same by storm. They are bringing something that was not there in the past. Young people and leadership roles are becoming more compatible as more of them join the elusive class of executives and succeeding.

To promote an equitable workplace

More young people emerge to populate the emerging leadership roles in the public sphere and the corporate world. The overall outcome is a balanced workplace. Such an environment, though rare, it provides complimentary qualities that both men and women possess. The outcome is a successful organization.

Conclusion

For us to get more young leaders, we need more and more of them today to inspire others. That’s why we need more support and organisation who provide confidential counselling for young people. We also need to realize that the place for youngs in the global economy is enormous, the earlier we let them take the lead, the better it will be for the world.

The Rewards Of Regular And Concise Performance Reviews

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There are 2 reasons why business owners never sit through the performance reviews of their employees. The first is when they want to discipline someone, and the second is when they think someone deserves a pay increase. However, what they don’t know is that they have so much to gain when it comes to scheduling employee performance reviews on more than just these two instances.

Communicate Goals

When you sit down with your employees more than once every year, you are technically reminding employees what you expect of them in a way that motivates them to achieve this. It is possible that you may have begun to notice changes in the employee that you would like to discourage. This is the perfect time to do that before it escalates into something serious, resulting in you having to call in crisis control.

For Feedback

Regular performance reviews give employees the perfect opportunity to give you feedback on what your employees need. It helps you in correcting bad behaviour before it ultimately affects the bottom line of your company. You cannot just send in an email that says the employee is not meeting the set standards. You must review performance and set a training period for them and encourage them to attend it as part of their professional development which will help them throughout their career.

When Firing an Employee

In case you are faced with the task of terminating an employee, you can always offer them proof that they had an idea that this was coming. Your case is made strong by the regular performance reviews that you conduct so that the employee does not challenge your termination.

Set New Goals for Over Achievers

Certain employees perform above and beyond the set standards. The regular performance reviews give you a chance to set higher goals for them, and you must encourage them to advance in their career at your company if you really believe that they have the potential to do great things. If a person thinks he/she is wasted in a place where their talent is not recognized, he/she is likely going to move elsewhere.

Appreciate the Hard Work

It is important that you praise employees who consistently do a great job. By offering positive feedback on a regular basis, you will also make your employees feel like they are being truly appreciated. Your win is that now the employee is going to be encouraged to work harder and shall remain loyal towards you as they are made to feel good about their hard work.

Their Feedback Counts just as Much

Mostly, employee performance reviews are created to give feedback to the employees, and employees are also encouraged to share their thoughts about the company as well. It is important that you listen to the concerns and comments of these people. You must also consider using the valuable information you now have to improve operations.