Culture

Enticing Potential Employees: 4 Strategies for Making Your Company an Attractive Workplace

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Attracting new and qualified employees can often be a challenging and complex process. There are many factors to consider when recruiting new employees, such as the background, qualifications, and educational history you are looking for. Many qualified applicants are searching for specific qualities in companies when job hunting. Therefore, not only will you need to be aware of the type of employees you are searching for, but you will also need to ensure that you have created a company culture that is conducive to their needs. The following information provides four helpful strategies you may want to consider in order to make your company an attractive workplace for job seekers.

Create a Desirable Company Culture

You should strive to create a desirable company culture by developing an environment that promotes innovation, inclusion, and diversity. This will allow employees to think freely and creatively to come up with new solutions to business problems. It will also show that the company is ethical in its hiring and promotion strategies. Everyone should feel like a valuable asset to the company, and employees should be encouraged to be respectful to each other despite their differences. All of these factors combined should help to create a company culture that attracts the top talent and discourages high employee turnover rates.

Offer Competitive Wages and Benefits

You will also need to make sure that you are offering competitive wages and benefits to your employees. The top talent wants to work for a company that values them and invests in their potential and professional success. Therefore, you should encourage their growth and always strive to reward hard work.

Make Ethical Decisions

Your company should strive to create a positive and ethical reputation for itself. This can be achieved through manufacturing products in an ethical manner that doesn’t damage the environment or communities. It can also be helpful to give back to your local communities through charitable endeavors and to listen to the feedback and concerns of your customers in order to provide them with the best products and services.

Become More Eco-friendly

Many companies are making a shift towards becoming more eco-friendly. This is something all businesses should consider because the health of our ecosystems is vital to our future. Ways you can reduce your carbon footprint and make more environmentally friendly decisions include reducing your energy and water usage, manufacturing products in a way that causes less harm to the environment, and disposing of waste in the proper manner through research and by hiring professionals, such as aerosol disposal services.

Overall, there are many ways you can make your company a more attractive option for talented and qualified applicants. You just need to strive to be ethical and compliant and to invest in the future of your employees. The aforementioned tips make excellent starting points and there are always ways to improve and grow in order to become a better company for your employees.

Guest author, Lizzie Weakley is a freelance writer from Columbus, Ohio. She went to college at The Ohio State University where she studied communications. In her free time, she enjoys the outdoors and long walks in the park with her 3-year-old husky Snowball.  @LizzieWeakley

Planning for the Future: 4 Ways to be Prepared for Estimated Business Growth

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The future for any business is an opportunity to grow operations, expand into new markets, increase revenues, and be able to move from one growth level to another. However, this future needs to be planned for. In order to have a good chance at striking it big, it is good to be flexible and adapt with the changing times.

Having Clear Objectives

In order to excel in business, you need to be aware of what you want to achieve. Key among the things you need to be sure of is your target clients. This list of target clients should be well chosen. By being able to close deals with the target clients, you can move up the ranks and improve your standing of the sector that you are in. Another possible objective can be to be a corporate wealth management provider and help other firms in your sector grow.

Managing your Pipeline

You need to set up a pipeline management process that is well thought out. This enables you to be able to continue with your operations without the possibility of you been able to fail to meet your expectations and that of those that believe in you.

Having a Collective Ambition

In order to achieve something as a group, you must all be in agreement to engage all your efforts towards it. By being able to have all the people in your business own up to the vision, you are halfway through the process of achieving it. Having a vision that is people-focused is something that your firm should have in order to progress together as a team. You need to have people sign up for it and work to achieve it as a collective.

Your Company Culture

Your company should be able to be associated with something unique to it. A company culture that is able to attract people that are well aligned to it works wonders. This is because everyone that enters the company does not strive to fit in as they are already in familiar company.

Be prepared to implement the above points in your company if you want it to grow exponentially without any problems. Finally, the key to a successful future plan is to make sure that all stakeholders are well aware of your vision, mission, and how you intend to get there.

Emma is a business strategist-turned blogger. She lives in Auckland, New Zealand. Emma is a  passionate traveler and yoga aficionado. She is in love with coffee, interior design, books, and good vibes. 🙂 

4 Strategies to Improve the Culture of Your Construction Company

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Construction companies are vital to society. People live, work, and play in buildings that are almost as varied as the human race. Because of the pivotal role buildings play in everyday life, it is paramount that those who erect these structures share the same foundational agendas. The culture of any construction company is instrumental in determining how well a project is perceived and executed. Here are four strategies to improve the culture of almost any construction company.

Invest in the Workforce

Employees are the best asset when it comes to construction. The more one invests in them, the more productive one’s company will become. A well-trained, highly-skilled workforce can increase efficiency. Investments in training and education allow for people to focus on tasks required of them and reduce time spent correcting mistakes on the job. Lastly, a smart, disciplined workforce can be trusted to complete the toughest of tasks, while ensuring quality results and a safe working environment.

Be Transparent and Honest

Corporate culture originates at the highest levels. Being open and honest with employees is one of the best ways to gain trust; allowing them to reciprocate the same fosters a relationship that can lead to heightened worker satisfaction and higher productivity. Workers tend to have in-depth, experience-based knowledge in specific areas that, when called upon, can help shed light on issues and processes that may need improvement.

Compensate and Reward

Recognizing hard work and dedication may be the most immediate way to upgrade the culture of a construction company. This can come in the form or pay raises, bonuses, vacation days, or paid time off. Insurance packages that charge reasonable rates are also a great way to honor an employee’s contributions. An attendance policy that promotes a healthy work-life balance will help to reduce the dreaded production killers of tardiness and absenteeism.

Prioritize Safety Over Success

Construction workers perform some of the most dangerous work in our society, sometimes putting their lives on the line at the highest altitudes, the lowest depths, and the harshest environments our world has to offer. Promoting worker safety demonstrates to your employees that they are cared for. Secure harnessing, scaffolding, protective equipment, and signage in work zones are visual indicators that safety comes first. Empowering workers to call out safety concerns also serves to increase vigilance throughout the construction project. 

Implementing these four strategies to improve a construction company’s culture will help advance the civil engineering industry. Employees will trust the business’s mission, embody its values, and promote its accomplishments. Company culture should be taken seriously, as a positive one will help attract talented, hard-working people, and extend business as far as the I-beams can stretch.

Guest author, Lizzie Weakley is a freelance writer from Columbus, Ohio. She went to college at The Ohio State University where she studied communications. In her free time, she enjoys the outdoors and long walks in the park with her 3-year-old husky Snowball.  @LizzieWeakley

7 Things That Can Kill Your Company Culture

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Every company develops a unique culture that defines how people feel and behave as they work. For the most part, business owners and managers take the lead in creating a culture that reflects their values.

A study published by the Gallup organization revealed that having highly engaged employees resulted in 10% increase in customer satisfaction. Research also shows that the productivity of workers can jump by 12 percent when they feel satisfied. Such efficiency gains reduce the cost of human resources and directly impact your bottom line.

Build a healthy, satisfying work environment for your business by avoiding the following killers of your company culture.

1. Not Hiring Team Players

Some people just don’t work well with others. You might even use labels, such as “jerks” to describe them. They constantly criticize their boss and try to spread discontent. If you have this type of person on your staff, now is the time to weed them out.

Meanwhile, do everything possible to ensure that you only hire team players. Try to screen your applicants by their demeanor during interviews as well as feedback from their personal references.

2. Bureaucracy

A multitiered hierarchy can kill your company culture. Seemingly endless meetings, PowerPoints, emails, and “edicts” from upper-level management can waste time and leave your team members feeling powerless.

Help people do their job by only involving them in meetings that directly impact their work. Also, ensure that each worker directly reports to only one supervisor or manager. Empower your employees to innovate to improve quality and efficiency.

3. Stress

Deadlines are only one of the many sources of stress that can kill your company culture. You need to counter the pressure to promptly complete projects with sensible work-related practices. For instance, encourage your staff to take breaks, drink water and eat healthy food.

Fantastic managers periodically check on their direct reports to answer questions and ensure that work proceeds smoothly. If you leave your employees without the answers they need, they will feel stressed, especially as due dates approach.

4. The Boss’s Way or the Highway

As a leader, you should welcome diverse perspectives and opinions, even when they contradict your own. Furthermore, by emphasizing results rather than tasks, you can help your team develop independence and confidence.

When you let everyone participate in decision-making, you help them have a sense of value and belonging. Your employees will begin to identify themselves with the firm and always look for ways to improve the way they work.

5. Lack of “Beyond the Paycheck” Motivation

Some employees only show up to work because they want a paycheck. These workers show little intrinsic motivation and will rarely do anything outside of their job description. Such workers can kill your culture and negatively impact everything your firm does.

Engage your workforce by providing perks and incentives that transcend payday. Motivate your employees by providing each of them with a clear path to advancement. Also, consider offering non-traditional work arrangements such as remote work and flexible scheduling.

6. “Keep Your Head Down and Get it Done” Attitude

Employees who focus on doing their work without providing feedback can cripple your business. You need people on your team who will share their ideas and ask questions in ways that stimulate innovation.

To create engaged employees, never ridicule a suggestion and insist on practicing an open communications policy. By creating a safe, trusting business culture, you harness the thoughts, experiences and ingenuity of your employees for the common good.

7. Micromanagement and Lack of Trust

Healthy relationships among your team members require you to trust them. However, in many companies, business owners and managers communicate distrust by micromanaging everything their workers do.

Avoid closed-door meetings and suspicious whispers in hallways that make employees feel as though you are deciding their futures without them. Instead, treat everyone with respect and assume the role of a mentor or coach rather than an overlord.

In the end, pay attention to all the feedback you receive, including from employees who leave your business. Take your employees seriously and treat them right. By building a healthy company culture, you build a strong reputation for your firm and a solid foundation for success.

Jen McKenzie is a freelance writer from New York, NY. She is fascinated by all things having to do with words,business, education and cutting-edge. When Jennifer is not busy writing, she enjoys taking long walks and spending time with her two pets Brando & Marlon. You can reach Jennifer @jenmcknzie

An Ethical Business: Why Your Moral Compass Should Be Facing North, Not South!

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In any modern business, many problems will, inevitably, come up. You will find problems with your tech, your employees, and your finances, but one really hot topic now is the problems with your business ethics. The idea of having an ethical business now is as important as the comprehensive marketing processes or the right employees. Having a business that is unethical is career suicide now. But why is it so important to have an ethical business now, and what can you do to implement this further in your company?

Nurture It Through The Culture

Your employees will dictate the office culture in general, but it has to come from you first. A positive workplace culture is as important as the product you sell. To make a workplace environment a positive one, your employees need to be free to raise concerns, and feel free within the company structure. This is easier said than done, but by having employees that don’t feel trapped by the antiquated notions of work, this will translate better to the outside.

Choose Your Suppliers Carefully

It’s all about who you do business with. If you are seen to have contacts with an organization that has shady dealings, this is going to automatically reflect badly on you. Nowadays, you can’t be too careful, because this will lose you custom from every angle. In the food industry, the importance of consumers knowing where their food comes from has such a major impact on who they buy from. This is why finding a global food trade supplier who is ethical and transparent in their dealings is an essential part of the process if you are dealing with the supply of food. If you have various suppliers in the chain (such as if you were running a department store), the potential for dealing with clients who have questionable ethics is more likely. This is why it’s important for you to undertake a comprehensive vetting of every client you deal with.

Shout It From The Rooftops

Are you ethical? Then say so! By making it public and having it as part of your statements, or on your products, this will give your product and your business a leg up. You’ll be viewed as a leading light in your industry. This is something that so many businesses do now, but because there are opportunities to cut corners and to be unethical your processes, now, with the modern consumer having their finger firmly on the pulse in this respect, you can’t not state your intentions if you are ethical.

Keep Your Promises

And the idea of transparency isn’t just something that will bode well when it comes to your client relationships. If you are ethical and you intend to be professional in every aspect of your company, from your marketing, to your product placement, to your efforts, it’s important to keep all parties happy by being clear and to the point. It’s not just for the benefit of consumers; your employees will feel happier working in a business that has a moral compass, and it will naturally transform into a better business.

3 Million Americans Quit Their Job Every Month: Top Tips for Employee Retention

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Employees deserve to feel satisfied about their work, but it appears that a record-setting number aren’t. According to a survey of employment trends, approximately 3 million Americans quit their jobs each month. For many companies, this is a huge loss–both in talent and in money. After all, it can be expensive to replace your employees. In order to prevent your employees from walking out your door for good, you need to strategize carefully to encourage employees to stay. Yet, it may not be as hard as it may seem. Here are some pointers to help you retain your workforce.

Invest in Your Office Environment

Look over your budget and see if there is room for you to invest in sprucing up the office. It’s been proven that employee performance is significantly impacted by what their workplace looks like. You can start out small: consider redecorating to create an open floor plan, which in turn fosters greater collaboration. A support network like that makes everyone look forward to going to work.

Foster Positive Workplace Culture

The mental atmosphere in the office is just as important as the physical one. Organize regular team building events that go beyond building marshmallow towers or egg racing. Get creative with activities such as a volunteer outing or cooking classes. This helps employees feel a greater personal connection to each other and the organization, and will make them want to stay as a result.

Survey Your Employees

Your own initiative goes a long way, but you should also take employee input into consideration. Send out regular surveys to monitor office morale—but not too often, otherwise employees may feel annoyed. Checking in to see how everyone’s feeling shows you care. It lets them know that your staff are valued and are a critical part of the organization so they’re less inclined to take off. Surveys don’t have to be direct, either: you’ll also learn a lot from just taking part in the classic water cooler conversation.

Encourage Professional Development

Employee retention also has a lot to do with creating opportunities for growth. Give them something to work towards as much as you give them to work on. Hiring an executive coach can help with this. Bring one in for a workshop or similar event. Your employees will then recognize their own potential within your organization and be motivated to work harder as a result. It’s also been said that a rising tide lifts all boats, so if even one employee gets inspired, that extends to everyone else, too.

When you’re a business owner, you’re especially concerned about keeping employees on board. Making sure that your organization’s goals align well with their personal interests will keep them from jumping ship.

Nurses are Lifeline for Patients

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As any nurse can tell you, their days can vary from relatively stressful to downright stressful.

Through all of the stress, however, most nurses would not change their jobs for anything in the world.

The idea of helping other people is why many women and some men got into the field in the first place.

That said it is always important that nurses deliver the best care, even if that means keeping some of their opinions to themselves.

Whether it is a medical opinion or even a personal one involving the patient they are treating, sticking to doing what is asked of them should always be the top priority.

Nurses are Lifeline for Patients

While doctors oftentimes get all the credit for helping fix what is wrong with patients, it is typically the nurses who prove to be the unsung heroes.

Through the time and effort that nurses put into their jobs, they deal with the patient on a much broader scale than doctors do. That being the case; nurses will oftentimes engage in more dialogue with patients than the practicing physician will.

So, how can nurses effectively do their jobs and avoid injecting too much opinion into each and every case?

Among the ways:

  • Avoid judging – In order to maintain cultural competency in a nursing practice, nurses should make sure they do not judge any patient who comes through the doors of a medical clinic or hospital. Yes, some patients will be downright difficult to deal with the moment they set foot inside a facility. Whether it is biases of their own or just the fact they do not want to be there, they will not prove to be the most cooperative of patients. For the nurse, she or he must put aside any prejudgments they might have of any particular stereotype; instead working to do what is best for the individual in need of medical assistance. While it is probably a safe bet that most nurses can do this, those who find this to be a challenge must work on improving how they interact with patients, yes, even the difficult ones;
  • Understand cultures – What is viewed as commonsense medicine here in the West may be viewed totally different halfway around the globe. As a result, nurses here must be able to understand the mindset of someone coming to an American facility for treatment that is of a totally different culture. He or she is only acting out in the way that they know from their upbringing, so avoid treating them like any less of an individual. Language barriers can oftentimes get in the way of a patient being able to communicate with his or her medical team, so avoid becoming frustrated with the individual if you can’t fully understand their needs;
  • Second-guessing doctors – One other area for nurses to steer clear of is second-guessing doctor recommendations. Yes, it has been shown all too often that some doctors made the wrong calls when it came to treatment recommendations for their patients. That said nurses must avoid questioning the doctor, especially in front of a patient. Keep in mind that the patient is already likely anxious given being in a medical clinic or hospital, so he or she doesn’t want to see various medical personnel having a heated exchange over the best procedural advice to make this patient get better sooner rather than later. While items like this should be discussed during one’s nursing education, it does not hurt to cover such subjects on occasion on a regular basis.

With all the responsibilities that are given to nurses on a daily basis nationwide, anything less than respect for these hard-working individuals is wrong.

Without the services nurses provide, hospitals and medical clinics would have a hard time existing.

It is because of the devoted nurses all across America that millions of patients come to a medical facility, only to go home better than when they first came in.

For nurses, the goal is to continue not only the physical side of their jobs, but all the mental aspects that go with it.

One of those mental aspects is making sure one leaves any biases or judgments at home 

About the Author: Dave Thomas covers business topics on the web.