Category Archives: Employee engagement

4 Reasons To Support Employee Continuing Education

Why Is Employee Continuing Education Important?

Learning is a vital factor for human development in general. With new and improved information coming in regularly, education has become an ongoing activity. Employees need to stay up to date with the latest development, enhanced skills, and well versed with the latest technology to match the constant change in industries.

In many professions, employee continuing education is mandatory. For example, a doctor has to learn new treatments introduced to better support their patients, just like a lawyer needs to be updated on a country’s laws as the country progresses.

A false belief that trained employees change their jobs for better opportunities has held back many employers from offering this continuous education option. Contrary to this belief, when employees feel more appreciated and taken care of by their investment, they tend to be more loyal to employers. Progress and growth in job profiles tend to be among the top five motivational factors for employee retention.

Let’s take a look at the top four reasons employers should consider Employee Continuing Education:

1. Employees feel appreciated and are happier

With today’s competitive market, an employee enhanced with more skills and knowledge provides them with security. Security of jobs motivates them to stay on their current job and work productively. Online education, like at Degree Planet can help employees learn at their own pace and perform better at work. It is always better to train and invest in a current employee rather than finding new ones.

2. Better Performance Boosts Overall Morale

Every employee aims at pleasing their management with their excellent performance. With continuous education, they can learn to perform tasks in a much more productive way. This boosts the morale of the employee as he can perform more efficiently and the performance of the business. A competitive advantage to better problem-solving skills and technical skills creates a win-win situation for both the employee and the company.

3. Increases Company’s Profits

Every business aims at making more profits. It is a no-brainer that efficient employees are better able to help a company make more profits. Therefore, training and educating employees will show a higher margin of profit for businesses than those who don’t train them. Though investing in employees may come across as a cost, it is a good investment that pays off in the future.

4. Creates A Learning Culture

Adopting a learning culture at the workplace where everyone understands the value of training and development through continuous education creates the right pulse for all employees. A team that is continually improving its performance creates a positive environment too. Being stuck with old and traditional methods with no motivation to improve can make employees feel frustrated and unhappy at their jobs. Easing their job difficulties by providing education programs will help them realize that a learning culture is good.

Employee Continuing Education For A Better Future

With so many improved and enhanced forms of education available now, the earning process has become more flexible and can accommodate all work schedules. Learning can now take place online or even in the workplace. Continuously education can boost confidence in your employees and help them also to have advanced career options.

Happy and satisfied employees have set many examples of a sound and flourishing business. Isn’t it time for you to start considering your business’s growth by enhancing your best asset, your employees?

Certified OfficeFinder Specialist And if you are looking for office space, we can help with our network of local tenant reps. Contact us today for mor information on how we can help. No cost or obligation.

Protective Measures Offices Can Implement to Prevent COVID-19 Transmission

Wear Masks

Masks have been proven to be one of the best ways to avoid transmission of COVID-19. Make sure that when your employees are moving around the office that they are wearing masks. It is a very simple and effective way to keep them safe.

Encourage Hand Washing

One of the main things you should really focus on in your office to protect everyone against COVID-19 is encouraging your employees to wash their hands regularly. All the global health organizations are swearing by the effects of regular hand washing for at least 20 seconds each time to remove all kinds of harmful viruses and bacteria effectively. Regular hand washing will greatly minimize the risk of infection and help keep everyone safe in case someone is infected with the virus but is not showing any symptoms. Make sure you raise awareness of the importance of handwashing and personal hygiene in the office and hang signs everywhere to remind your employees to wash their hands so that everyone stays safe in their work environment.

Clean All Surfaces

Offices often have numerous employees going back and forth from one desk to another and touching different surfaces as they go. Keeping your surfaces regularly cleaned and disinfected is essential when it comes to protecting everyone working in the office. Make sure you use proper cleaning products to clean all the surfaces in the office, from desks to floors, and even walls and mirrors. As seen on HealthySole, you can even invest in new gadgets that are made to facilitate the process of cleaning surfaces automatically, or even cleaning shoes when people are on their way in or out of any room so that the risk of virus spreading is greatly reduced. Anything that can be touched by any of the employees in your office is something that should be disinfected on a regular basis to reduce the risk of COVID spreading.

Install Disinfection Booths

Many of those who get infected by the COVID-19 virus do not show symptoms until after a few days or may not show any symptoms at all, yet they can still be spreading the virus everywhere they go. To reduce the risk of your employees infecting one another when they walk into the office, it can be a good idea to invest in a disinfection booth on the door of your office to remove any lodging bacteria or viruses on people’s clothes and faces before they enter the workplace. It can also be a good idea to have someone measure people’s temperatures with a digital thermometer before they walk into the office to ensure nobody is infected without realizing they actually are.

Keep Employees Distant From One Another

When it comes to protecting your employees from COVID-19 transmission in the workplace, one of the most effective measures to implement is social distancing. You need to make sure all your employees are standing or sitting at a safe distance from one another to reduce the risk of the virus spreading, and ensure everyone is safe while working. You can start by making some space between each desk in the office and reducing the number of employees you have by giving them alternate shifts so that they can all keep their jobs but stay safe at the same time. It can also be a good idea to have some of your employees work from home whenever possible and start a virtual office environment rather than risk everyone’s safety. This way, you will be saving your employees from all the hassle of having to come to the office every day and reducing the risk of transmitting the virus. If your employees have to go to the office, then make sure they are distant from one another and wearing face masks at all times.

Implement an Agile Workplace

An Agile Workplace concept is an activity-based work space that makes the work space flexible. It is an office hoteling reservation technique or set up in a workplace. It is a way of utilizing a work area more efficiently, utilizing non-assigned seating arrangement and desk-sharing to maximize and creating collaborative spaces. Employees who don’t need to be in the office daily can make reservations to come in when they or you need them to do so. This way will limit the number of employees in the office at any one time and therefor reduce the risk to those employees wh are in the office.

A Scary Time for Employees

Living and working through a pandemic can be pretty scary. In order to keep yourself and all your employees safe in the workplace, you need to make sure you are following all the basic protective measures to prevent COVID-19 transmission by reducing the risk of infection and ensure the work keeps running smoothly. Make sure you raise the awareness of your employees about all the safety procedures they need to take to stay safe against the virus. It can also be a good idea to put some effort into creating a virtual office space where your employees can work from home and nobody has to risk their health in the first place.

If you are looking for a professional to discuss your office space options, we’d be happy to talk with you. Use our contact form to have one of our local pros get in touch with you, even if it is just to discuss options. We know office space and can help you identify what would work best for your company.

Why Interior Design Matters When Looking For A New Office Space

As your business grows to scale, you may need a new office space to accommodate your staff and employees or to hold meetings with your increasing clients. In searching for new office space, however, you need to ensure that you carefully consider the design of its interiors. This article lists down some of the reasons why interior design matters when looking for a new office space.

Brand Identity

One of the primary reasons why interior design matters when looking for new office space is that it signifies your brand identity. In this case, a great helping hands in providing creative solutions for the office space are those companies that offer custom office signs. With these creative signs, you will be able to establish your brand in the space that you are interested in. In doing so, your clients, as well as the market that you are targeting will immediately recognize your brand as soon as they enter your office space.

Reflection of Values

The interiors of your office space also reflect the values that your brand is supporting. For instance, if you are a company that advocates caring for the environment or conserving energy, then your office space should be designed to reflect this value. In this case, you can consider an office space with large windows that allow natural light to enter. You can also view office space with a provision for creating a deck that you can decorate with plants and a calming landscape where your staff can lounge when they take a break.

Cohesive Branding

When it comes to the interior design of your office space, you need to keep your branding in mind. As much as possible, you need to be cohesive when designing it. For example, if your clients already recognize your brand because of the green color, which also represents nature, then make sure that your office space also features hues of green, accentuated by other colors that best complement it. This means that you need to choose an office space that is quite effortless to design for cohesive branding, already bearing the hues that you need.

Impact on Employees

Another reason why interior design matters when looking for new office space is that it can have a significant impact on your employees. Remember that your staff and employees are considered as one of the key factors essential in running a successful business venture. Without them, you may not be able to deliver quality products or services that your clients expect from your brand. Thus, they need to be comfortable and safe in the office space that you provide for them to carry out their tasks.

Boost Productivity

How the interiors of your office space are designed can either boost the productivity of your employees or lower their morale. For sure, as a business owner, you will prefer the former. Statistics show that when employees are comfortable in their office or when their office space supports light and positive environment, they are more likely to be productive and deliver the tasks expected of them. For this reason, check whether the office space you are interested in has provision for proper lighting.

Foster Health

Apart from boosting the productivity of your staff or employees, the office space that you choose can also either foster their health or be a risk. For instance, without proper ventilation, viruses can easily spread in the office, which means that as soon as one of your staff gets under the weather, expect that another one will follow suit. Thus, you need to ensure that the interiors of the office space you are considering has provisions for proper ventilation that you need to implement accordingly.

Increase in Revenue

When looking for new office space, interior design matters because it can increase your revenue significantly. This proves to be beneficial for any business venture because an increase in earnings doesn’t only mean more profit, but stability and growth as well. In this case, consider whether the office space you are interested in can be designed in a manner that will pique the interest of your clients or foster more efficient processes.

Attract Clients

How your office space is designed can either attract new clients or push them away. More often than not, before you can close a deal, you need to present to a prospect why they should go for your products or services. Since these presentations are usually done in the office, you need to invite your target clients accordingly. As soon as they set foot in your office, they should already have a good feeling because of how your office space is designed. They should not feel cramped or restrained in any way. In this manner, you are increasing your chances of closing a deal with every prospective client or whenever you conduct presentations.

Efficient Processes

Aside from being able to attract the attention of potential clients and keeping them engaged, how your office space is designed can also foster more efficient processes. For instance, it can be a waste of time if your employees need to travel to a different floor to conduct a meeting. Conversely, if the desks of your employees are arranged in a manner that will allow them to easily collaborate, then ideas can be transformed into fruitful actions in no time. In this case, you get to enjoy a more efficient process in conducting meetings leading to great ideas that can eventually turn into a profitable outcome.

You should significantly consider the interior design of an office area when you are looking for a new space for your business or company. The reason behind this is that your office space will reflect your values, as well as your brand identity. It also has an immense impact on your staff and employees when it comes to their productivity and health. The design of your office space can also contribute to the revenue of your business. For all these reasons, you should heavily consider interior design when looking for a new office space.

Certified OfficeFinder Specialist We can help you find the office with just the right design for you,whether conventional or flexible space, we can help. Contact us today for a no-obligation discussion on how one of our local tenant representatives can help.

7 Tips to Managing HR in Off-site Locations

Technology alongside the pandemic has combined to encourage the number of off-site or teleworking employees and contractors. Most mobile aspects of businesses operate from off-site locations, and with the same productivity objective.

Working off-site encourages contactless management. In the same manner, HR managing becomes even challenging as HR managers do not meet the workforce. Since they can’t meet the workforce, it is tough to tell the difference between a satisfied and dissatisfied workforce.

Fortunately, HR software brings the reality of stringent man-management despite operating from off-site locations. A typical reliable HR software features 24/7 support, more comprehensive employee-manager communication, advanced assessment tools, and trendiness.

Upon implementing preferred HRIS, the next thought in line is effective off-site management. So, what are the tips for managing HR in off-site locations?

1. Schedule Employees

Managing and balancing schedules when dealing with multiple off-site teams in various locations can be challenging. However, implementing staff scheduling and management systems can be organized to enhance management.

To make scheduling seamless, HR software must be user-friendly and accessible by everyone. Of course, it must be app-based online systems that support instant adjustments sending notifications and reminders to the workforce regardless of their location.

When the workforce is scheduled in this manner, it also enhances regulatory compliance in your jurisdiction. Moreover, neither work overtime nor under-time, which creates balance.

2. Bring Technology to the Workforce

HR managers must bring technology to the workforce to enhance off-site management. In this regard, employees and contractors must be open to self-service and partake in the digital culture of the company for collective progression. A characteristic of off-site management is contactless working. It means that managers and employees will find it difficult to rapport effectively.

So, why not give your workforce technology? It is simple; configure a portal and provide the employees with self-service access. The HR tool must be such that employees can lodge complaints, make suggestions, enter updates, etc. Most importantly, employee HR software must support HR administration before changes and suggestions are deployed.

3. Delegate Tasks

Managing HR in multiple off-site locations should not be a one-person task. Your HR team may be the best, but you can configure the HR system to delegate responsibilities manageable from one system.

Suppose the company is under pressure to deliver, what becomes of the lone-working HR? In a bid to satisfy the company or clients while managing off-site location HR, you may burn out. Seize the capability of human resources management software to delegate tasks, even onto the workforce. HR assistants should not be exceptions either.

Meanwhile, depending on the nature of certain HR functions, HR can delegate activities to employees. The idea is to task employee supervisors with simple objectives. They become responsible for managing sections of the workforce that may be tedious to reach out.

4. Ensure Collaborations

Modern HRM software allows shared docs that ensure tracking of company activities. It will enable HR managers to remain apprised of the team’s activities. The most intelligible aspect is that it helps managers refine responsibilities and employee expectations while operating from off-site locations.

Moreover, you must agree on the acceptable behaviour for virtual collaboration. Professionals, note, for instance, that sending quick messages such as “Busy. I will return the call soon” and “Busy, please” are a decent virtual collaboration behaviour. It is imperative while focusing on a task when another employee reaches out.

Reliable collaborations are also dependent on the quality of the HRMS. Getting in touch with colleagues virtually would be best if the HR tool offers extended features, which necessitates selecting HR software carefully.

5. Implement Similar Management Options

Every working site is unique, regardless of whether the functions may be similar. First, you ought to understand how each location is structured by contacting supervisors to report what you know. Secondly, you need access to the database, except for the organisation that integrates all-employees-in-one databases.

Understand that implementing consistent and uniform operating standards across various locations can enhance convenience. Of course, the HR would have no need reinventing the wheel for each site.

Regarding employee management, endeavour to maintain a similar employee handbook across the various locations. Each employee must experience the same shift structure, training, assessment, and reward system. Moreover, this practice simplifies moving the workforce to other branches at short notice to replace shifts.

6. Welcome Feedback

It is vital to be open to critical feedback from your team irrespective of their opinion. You can encourage sincere feedback by configuring the HR software to maintain staff anonymity. It means you provide the room for the team to commend or rule out the management’s effectiveness. Make sure to encourage feedback that suggests changes instead of critique only.

To encourage your team to feel comfortable, have an open-door policy and explain to your team the need for their contributions.

Regardless of their views, your reaction must not be retributive. If you have reasons for implementing particular policies that feedback lash, give detailed explanations to your team. It is also advisable to adjust to demands rather than impose relentlessly.

7. Engage Virtually and Commend

The biggest secret for managing HR in off-site locations is to engage your team virtually and commend deserving individuals. First, ensure that your HR virtual tool is reliable, whether for an all-employee team-building event or custom leadership development.

Get the team to connect from the various off-site locations and seize the time to commend top-performing staff or branches for challenging the workforce. You must, however, commend everyone while singling out top-performing talents or groups.

If you are looking for office space, coworking space or traditional, for your company or employees, we can help. Contact us today to find out about our no cost service.

Even Though Much of The World is Working Remotely, Here’s Why You Should Still Consider An Office

Remote Work Place It is estimated that approximately 56% of the jobs in the US are compatible with remote work. Global Workplace Analytics project that 25-30% of the workforce will be working remotely, most of the week, by the end of 2021. The pandemic has created some new norms for working that are expected to last. The question is, will working remotely work for you and your company even after the panedmic subsides? There are a number of considerations that need to be taken into account in making the decsion on whether or not to maintain an office. What things should you consider?

Is your home environment suitable for working remotely?

While it’s great to save that extra travel time to and from work, is your home working environment conducive to productivity? Who is at home during the day? Where in your home do you work? We all love spending time with our family (well, maybe not all the time) but how much are you going to be interrupted at home? As we know, it’s impossible to plan for all interruptions from Wi-Fi to plumbing issues to your elderly neighbor needing to borrow an egg for the cake they are baking. What you need to consider is, are you going to be more productive in an office, even if it is more convenient working from home. The pandemic has put an extra burden on working parents, especially those with more than one child. Many schools have reopened and yet most children have continued their learning online or virtually. This means that many parents have now had to balance their workload with playing teacher (creating a renewed respect for teachers that they rightfully deserve). Being physically in an office means that there are fewer opportunities for you to be interrupted, and, if you can increase your productivity, then you may be able to clock off early and better manage your responsibilities at home.

Are you starting a business?

The majority of businesses have been adversely affected by Covid-19, many closing down, but some new businesses have been innovative and thrived. If you are hoping to be one of those, then working from home may not be the best option. Are you going to be happy with people coming into your home, is it even going to be possible? Renting a new space is going to be less expensive than usual, given the oversupply of space. Most new businesses involve a lot of meetings, hiring staff, receiving goods from suppliers, and pitching to investors or clients. Consider a co-working space or renting office space monthly to cater to some of the dynamics that may come with starting a new business.

It can be quick and painless to register your new gig with many companies now providing this service. The pros at Fatstacksblog have screened the best companies for this, check out their review. Most new businesses involve a lot of meetings, hiring staff, receiving goods from suppliers, and pitching to investors or clients. Consider a co-working space or renting office space monthly to cater to some of the dynamics that may come with starting a new business.

Being social is important for physical and mental health

Much higher rates of anxiety and depression have been reported this year and many clinical psychologists have attributed this to isolation and the lack of human-to-human interaction not just in working remotely, but in our lives in general. Other negative effects of isolation have been lethargy and the so-called “zoom- fatigue” from too many online meetings. When you are considering working from home, it’s important to think about how much less you are going to socialize with others because of this. It is amazing what comes from water cooler conversations. Then think about all the meetings, coffee breaks, and small talk you have when you are in the office. All of these tiny interactions and adverse health effects add up. Taking this into consideration, healthier and happier workers are going to be more effective, confident, and creative in their job. It may be worth working in an office and being a better working version of yourself.

How Much Office Space?

If you decide to return to the office, working remotely is still an option. There is nothing that says this is an all or nothing decision. The big question is how much office space will you need and where do you need it? There are a number of options. Understanting the Agile Workplace concept is important. The concept is activity-based working space and making the work space flexible. It is an office hoteling reservation technique or set up in a workplace. It is a way of utilizing a work area more efficiently, utilizing non-assigned seating arrangement and desk-sharing to maximize and creating collaborative spaces. There are many companies that have taken this to heart even before the pandemic.

Many companies are now choosing to take advantage of using executive suites or coworking space as a means of providing flexible workspace for their employees. They do not all have to be located in the same place, but can be spread around for the conveniece of employees.

The whole world has had to embrace working remotely. It was a no-brainer, no-choice decision. Technology allows us to work from wherever we are. Once the pandemic subsides, it may not always the best option for everyone. For many, it may be their personal circumstances, such as being a parent, the number of children they may have, and if they are starting a new business. there are many considerations in deciding the level of working remotely that you choose. As we mentioned, there can be some negative mental health consequences from working remotely, too, For people considering working from home or thinking about going back to the office, assess your home environment to conclude if it is condusive to productivity and if it is going to allow you to be the healthiest and most productive version of yourself.

If you need help finding office space,, whether conventional or flexible space, we can help. Contact us today for a no-obligation discussion on how we can help.

When and How to use Drug Test Kits for Your Office Employees

Drug test

For employers, drug testing is an important way to determine if an applicant has a substance problem or not. When a drug is detected during a background test, it usually results in an immediate denial of the application.

The main purpose of drug test kits available today is to test drug use in the workplace. An individual’s ability to get a job is often affected by their past drug use, which makes it crucial to have an accurate drug test kit on hand.

When To Use Drug Testing For Employees

A drug kit is often an ideal solution for pre-employment measures against drug use in the office. Drug test kits, such as urine drug test kits, include a sample kit and instructions, are affordable, user-friendly, and offer quick results.

Most drug test kits usually test for the presence of certain illegal drugs in an individual’s blood by utilizing a saliva sample. This sample can then be analyzed by a trained laboratory technician who can determine the drug’s concentration within minutes. An employee may also receive a notice that their application has been denied, as an employee failing to produce a reliable test result could put their job in jeopardy.

Here are some basic facts about when and if employees should be tested.

Each state has different legal requirements. Some states require employees to be tested for a drug at the start of employment, while other states only allow testing after a notice has been given to the employee.
For employers, drug testing kits come in handy when hiring new employees. Employers need to ensure that drug abusers don’t have access to sensitive information within the company, such as sensitive documents, computers, and other devices that could potentially expose company secrets. Drug test kits can help catch employees who are using drugs, giving the employer peace of mind.
Most states don’t require employees to submit to random drug testing.
When a person first starts to take the drug tests, they’re usually asked whether they had used illegal drugs in the last year. However, many employers don’t require drug tests for employees who have not used drugs in the previous year. This is especially true if the employee has taken a drug-prevention class or has shown a willingness to follow an anti-drug program.

How To Use Drug Testing For Employees

As a general rule, employers who want to drug test their employees should consider taking a sample of urine or blood. Since urine contains more concentrated substances than blood, an employer may receive more reliable results.

However, there are a few factors that determine whether an employee will be positive for a drug.

First of all, the test may be able to detect recreational drugs. In addition, certain types of drugs can have a delayed effect on an employee’s response. Therefore, if an employee has a problem with drug use, the test can often give false negatives because the employee has no prior problems or is using the drug for the first time.
Once an employer decides to test employees, there are a few questions that should be asked before administering a drug test. These questions can include: Are there any physical signs of abuse that cannot be ignored? Is the employee willing to let their doctor know about drug use? Are there any signs of withdrawal? Does the drug make the individual feel nervous or anxious? Are there any negative changes in the way that the person acts?
Many of these test kits will also include instructions on how to prepare the employee’s urine samples. Therefore, the employee will know when and how to use a test kit for their own urine and will know what to do when they’re ready to test their urine.

In some cases, the employee will be able to send a urine sample home with the employee kit, but they’ll only be able to do this if they have had a chance to get a hold of the kit before it’s time for the test.

There are many different drug test kits available on the market today, some of which are very accurate. However, it’s essential to know how these kits work before you actually decide to purchase one for accurate drug test results.

Conclusion

Regardless of the reason that an employer decides to test for drugs, it’s important to know when employees need to take their tests. By understanding when and if they should be tested, employers can avoid having an employee suffer the consequences of drug addiction as well as keeping the office running smoothly.

Employee Rights Every Employer Should Know About

Can you imagine finishing four years of university, getting a dream job, and realizing that working is not what you imagined? Well, a lot of people feel this way, but luckily, there are employers who are aware of how it was when they were at their first job. Many first-time employees are told never to settle for a bad workplace that don’t treat them well and and grant them their basic employee rights. Here are some of the most important employee rights all employers should be familiar with if they want to keep them for many years to come.

Wage and Hour Law

For many inexperienced employees getting their first job can be exciting, but also terrifying because they don’t know their basic rights – they might even settle on the horrible treatment – like working overtime ALL the time and not getting paid, or not having paid leave days. Experts at ECLaw state that employees can file a claim if your company is unable to provide them with their basic rights. But you as an employer have a duty to provide them with a strict schedule of set working hours and a minimum wage. This is both for full-time workers, and part-timers such as interns.

Discrimination Law

A workplace shouldn’t be like going to high school, with the only difference being that the adults are bullying you. If your employees are faced with any form of discrimination due to their race, sexuality, age, religion, or disability at the workplace, this is breaking the basic human rights law. In no circumstance can a colleague or an employer make remarks or treat one employee differently than the rest simply because they are different. If this happens, they have the full right to take this matter to court, so try to always be aware when such issues occur and listen to your employees when they reach out to you with such sensitive matters.

Workplace Safety Law

Regardless if you are working in an office or if you are working with hazardous chemicals – you as an employer have to provide your employees with a safe environment! It’s too common for workplace injuries to happen, but some are more preventable than others. This is especially for those who work in a dangerous field, having faulty or old gear can double the level of danger you can face. So it’s up to the company to provide the employees with the best possible equipment to do their jobs properly, and on top of that to be safe. Nobody would like to work in an environment where they are terrified for their safety all the time! If you can, gather your colleagues and discuss this with them, see if they suffered any workplace injuries, and try to figure a way to prevent these problems from reoccurring.

Privacy Law

Your employees are human beings above all, and if there’s something they deserve – it’s privacy over their personal information. Just because your employees had to disclose details about their personal lives to get a job, that doesn’t mean that you as an employer can spill that information around. Their personal information should stay between you, them, and your company. Private information is not required for a job in every state, it also all depends on the type of job you are applying for, but regardless of that, any confidential information like someone’s physical or mental health should not be disclosed to anyone.

The Freedom to Make a Claim

Working in a giant corporation, employees might feel like an ant compared to the company itself. But you shouldn’t let that scare them away from voicing their opinions and asking for better treatment at your workplace. You, as an employer, have an obligation to protect your employees, while they have full right to sue the company if they don’t follow the basic employee rights and regulations have been respected. Many such huge cases have been happening over the years, regardless of a business being small or a giant company. Employees can make a personal claim, or even go one step further and gather all their colleagues to file a class action case against your company. At the end of the day, you want to be the one on their side, not the one they wish to sue.

When candidates apply for a job, they are devoting their time and energy to it, and with that, they expect the bare minimum when it comes to their rights. These include a safe environment to work in, but many companies seem not to care when it comes to these types of things. That’s why it’s up to the employee to speak up and know their rights, and why your job as an employer should be to protect them. No job is worth the discrimination and suffering, jobs are hard on their own and you want to experience a safe space around you. So speak up for your employees and never let yourself be associated with bad treatment!

And if you want to find a great office space for your great emloyees, that is what we can help you with. It is what we do with our network of over 450 local tenant reps. All at no cost to you. Contact us today for your no obligation consultation.

6 Surprising Things You Need to Know About Office Jobs

It’s always exciting when your first job interview goes as expected. The first few months can be filled with both realistic and unrealistic goals, ambitions that might seem far-fetched, or anxiety. It’s only afterwards that you’ll start missing your old job or sleeping in every morning. These are universal truths no matter the work environment you might be exposed to and office jobs are no exception. But at some point, especially when the paycheck comes in, you’ll come to agree that it was worth the grinding. But aside from the orientation part and learning new skills, below are six surprising things you need to know about office jobs.

1. It Can Be Stressful

Working 9-5 hours of office work is no easy thing. The long sitting hours can take a toll on your once healthy back. The sedentary nature of office jobs could slowly be destroying your body. Apart from the poor food habits, the everyday rush to meet tight deadlines, and not to mention the demands that come with it all, you could be subjected to repetitive strain injuries, also known as cumulative trauma. These are injuries that will happen as a result of repeated motions.

The thing is, such injuries will only be realized way down the line and when it might be too late to reverse the damages caused. This means that you might be in need of medication, treatment, or therapy. These are costs that could eat into your finances. It’s at this point that you might consider talking to an experienced attorney to help with your cumulative trauma claim. The reason to work with an experienced personal injury attorney is that they’ll help towards proving that your injuries resulted from your work. Let’s take a look at the various causes of repetitive strain injuries and how to prevent them:

Causes

Too much strain on the nerves and blood vessels due to poor posture and long sitting hours
Repetitive movements that cause fatigue to the muscles, ligaments, and tendons
Exposure to poor air quality

Preventive Measures

Consider using ergonomic chairs
Exercise regularly to boost blood circulation
Frequent stretches will help to keep your tendons, muscles, and ligaments healthy
Taking breaks can help break the monotony
Get plenty of sleep
Keep your body hydrated at all times
Invest in comfortable outfits and shoes

2. Time is money!

This is a labor aphorism that has been used since time immemorial. While it might contain some truth in it, it doesn’t mean that you’ll have to work non-stop. Today, working smart is the new labor slang. Rather than working nonstop, find time to maximize your efficiency by using efficient equipment, taking short breaks, and improving your work skills. The key takeaway is to use your time wisely, resisting gossip at the office, and prioritizing your deadlines.

3. Get Used To Passive Office Aggression

If you thought that you’ll have an easy pass in the office, then you’re mistaken. But then again, it all depends on how well you handle and deal with co-workers who demonstrate aggressive behaviors. While it can be frustrating, avoid the urge to overreact or lash out as this could exacerbate the situation. You might consider reporting such co-workers to your supervisor or your employer.

It’s during such moments that your emotional intelligence is tested. It might drain you emotionally but keeping your cool can help to manage the situation as well as help you to maintain your sanity. Remember, your productivity is highly dependent on managing your rationality.

4. Professional Allies Will Get You Far

Working in an office requires that you form healthy workplace relationships. You might be familiar with this African proverb that says, “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” Now, these are the same principles that will apply if you want to succeed in an office job. It will help to boost your efficiency, reinforce your commitment to excel, boost your morale, and to top it off, you need your co-workers to climb the career ladder.

5. Don’t Hate The Office Clown

Don’t get it twisted, there are limits to the amount of fun you can have in the office. Office clowns help to lighten the mood and in a way, they come in handy to humanize the workplace, putting other co-workers at ease, and healing rifts between co-workers.

Nevertheless, Being on the receiving end of an office clown’s bad jokes can at times be hurtful and damaging. This is why setting boundaries will spare you the trouble of having to deal with such characters. But don’t hate them, they are the same class clowns you had to deal with in junior high; only that they’ve grown to be the office clowns!

6. You Have No Option But Stick To The Rules

Unless you are the boss, stick to the rules. You have no place in suggesting or amending the rules you found others abide by. The least that you can do is write a suggestion and dump it in the suggestion box like everyone else. You don’t want to start a revolution at the office as this could damage your good reputation and ruin your chances of getting a second job.

The above are unvarnished truths about office jobs. While it might seem like a daunting task to work in an office, one thing to note is that you are not expected to know it all. Just stick to your lane, be kind and respectful to your co-workers, and you’ll do just fine.

If you would like some help finding the right office space with a great working enviroment for your employees, contact us. It is what we do with our network of over 450 local tenant reps. All at no cost to you.

3 Ways You Can Improve Customer Experience

Good customer experience is a vital ingredient in the success of any business. However, attaining this goal is not as easy as it sounds. There are many aspects to excellent customer experience that a business owner should look into it.

So how do you improve customer experience? Here are some ways you can try out for your business.

1. Invest in Effective and Innovative Contact Center Solutions

Are you used to relying on Net Promoter Score (NPS) surveys to gauge customer experience? Do you even know what it is? Well, with the advanced technology in data analytics and AI, you can determine how your customers are doing in every step of the sales funnel through real-time data analytics and omnichannel reporting through effective contact center solutions.

Aceyus explains that a business owner can gain insight into customer experience by utilizing a call center metrics dashboard, which compiles real-time data in a single, centralized dashboard. Here are the important benefits of implementing more effective contact center solutions:

Improve data organization and call center agility: Negative customer experiences can be avoided by uniting all data sources, external and internal, to get a whole picture of the customer journey. It enables you to determine the critical key performance indicators (KPIs) or business metrics, including customer experience scores.
Optimize business operations: Data analytics provide real-time data to help optimize your business operations. It prevents wasting your efforts by optimizing call routing with queue metrics recorded in real-time calls.
Boost agent productivity: A flexible dashboard tracks the performance of your call center agents across multiple platforms. Managers can easily filter data and review team insights by viewing the performance of individual agents and the entire team in a centralized dashboard.

2. Increase Employee Engagement:

Your employees are your front-line workers who directly interact with your customers. Happy employees often give rise to happy customers. Increasing employee engagement would also increase customer engagement.

Improving office space efficiency can help increase employee productivity and engagement. Providing your employees with a healthy and safe workplace would boost their morale and work productivity. For instance, increase natural light by opening curtains or blinds inside the office to enhance overall mood and increase motivation.

With the Covid-19 pandemic in full steam, agile workplaces have become more popular. These workplaces are designed as activity-based working space and make the work space flexible. It is an office hoteling reservation technique or set up in a workplace. It is a way of utilizing a work area more efficiently, utilizing non-assigned seating arrangement and desk-sharing to maximize and creating collaborative spaces where employees can go on occasion, not always being in the office.

3. Use Behavioral Science

Behavioral science studies how different factors affect a person’s behavior, which is crucial in improving customer experience. However, the use of behavioral science in service operations is rarely done.

The principles of behavioral science have only been implemented by a few companies, like telecommunications companies. Telecommunications businesses give customers control over service interactions such as scheduling field service visits at their most convenient times, to boost satisfaction, instead of customer service reps setting the appointment for them depending on their availability.

Many companies seem to ignore what makes consumers tick. For instance, customer experience is usually disturbed by the interactive-voice-response or IVR systems in call centers or menu alterations on automated teller machine or ATMs by banks. A lot of businesses fail to recognize the great psychological discomfort that customers experience when they’re faced with these unexpected changes.

Check the following tips to improve customer experience based on behavioral science principles:

Resolve bad customer experience early: Don’t make customers wait too long to get their problems fixed. Make sure to address any concerns as soon as possible. For instance, customers feel no assurance when they receive generic statements, such as ‘This problem is now being addressed. Allow 24 hours for a response.’

Instead, you should try to resolve the problem while the customer is still with you on the line (phone call), or if some waiting time is needed, be proactive in scheduling a follow-up call, instead of the making the customer call you back.

Give your customers more options: Instead of saying ‘no’ or ‘can’t’, give your customers more options to resolve their concerns. It’ll show them that you’re doing something to resolve their concerns and keep them satisfied.
Let consumers stick with their habits: Drastic changes can ruin customer satisfaction. If you need to make changes, do it gradually and make sure they still align with your customers’ habits. Think about substitution or alternatives.

Conclusion

By fully understanding your customers through investing in effective contact center solutions, you can help improve their experience without directly asking too much information from them.

Applying the principles of behavioral science can also help you better understand your customers to reduce churn rate.

Improving your employee engagement by providing your employees with a safe and healthy workplace can also help increase their morale and productivity, which also affects the quality of service they provide to your customers.

At OfficeFinder we do our best to make sure your customer experience with us is beyond expections. We are always looking for the WOW factor to keep our customers happy. If you need office space and are looking for a good customer experience for yourself, contact us and let us show you how it is done!

Does Outdoor Space Matter at an Office?

outdoor space for office An increasing number of office buildings are beginning to incorporate outdoor spaces into their design, and are seeing some fantastic benefits as a result. Incorporating nature into office buildings has meant that both business owners and employees are able to benefit from being able to go outside and get fresh air whenever the need arises.

The concept of creating a stimulating work environment that also incorporates an area of outdoor space has become one of the new models for creating the perfect office space. Having an outdoor area for team members to enjoy doesn’t mean transferring the entirety of your operation outside; it simply means creating a useable outdoor space that can be enjoyed by yourself and your team members.

Wondering what the benefits are of adding an outdoor space to your office? There are various benefits of incorporating a useable outside space for yourself and your team members to use and enjoy—it’s just a case of creating the right space. For everything that you need to know about creating the ideal outdoor office space, have a read of this!

Nature helps to reduce feelings of stress

The fact is that work-related stress can actually impact a team member’s ability to perform while at work, and can even cause a number of health problems. Workplace stress can have a seriously detrimental impact on productivity and efficiency at work, which is why it’s so important to find ways to help alleviate stress. Creating an outdoor space that you and your team members can use and enjoy is a positive step towards helping to better manage stress at work. Studies show that by encouraging team members to spend more time outside, you can help to reduce feelings of stress and therefore improve levels of productivity.

Having access to outdoor space helps to increase employee happiness

When it comes to employee retention, ensuring that your team members are satisfied with their working situation and setup is vital. That’s where creating an outdoor space that your team members enjoy spending time in can help—studies have shown that a lot of people find outdoor spaces to be extremely soothing, and having access to outside space can help improve happiness. Creating an inspiring outdoor area for your team members can be a great way to boost team members’ happiness and contentment. When creating the ideal outdoor area, think about incorporating some greenery, perhaps a pond, which you can learn more about pond management at Water-garden.co.uk, and potentially some flowers. You could also opt to add a seating area, so that there’s a comfortable place for your team members to sit and relax.

An outdoor space can be therapeutic

Having access to an outdoor area can be extremely therapeutic, especially if the outdoor space incorporates the right scents, for instance. Jasmine, rose, and lavender are all extremely soothing and relaxing scents, so you could consider planting some of these in your outdoor office space to make it easier for your team members to relax.

Keep these ideas in mind if you are considering adding an outdoor space to your office.

And if are looking for office space that allows for outdoor space for your employees, contact us to find the right office space at the best price.