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How To Support Your Employees And Improve Company Culture

 

Company Culture

From changing an office’s layout according to cutting edge architectural principles to ensuring that all staff members get to know each other in team-building sessions, modern companies have shown a willingness to explore the many ways in which company culture can be improved.

It has been proven time and time again that a higher level of employee satisfaction leads to an increase in productivity, not to mention a more pleasant atmosphere in the workplace as well.

In order to achieve these higher levels of productivity however, a company has to put a significant effort into building a corporate culture that supports employees and their talents.

Companies can use different methods to motivate individuals and encourage them to reach their potential. Here are some alternative methods being used in modern workplaces.

Look after their physical and mental well-being

By and large, the contemporary work setting is defined by its lack of dynamism. Most people today sit and work on their computers for hours on end, progressively atrophying their bodies over time. Studies have shown, however, that even light exercise is instrumental for fostering engagement and creativity, which is why companies stand to gain a lot from installing the likes of standing desks and workout rooms. In addition, the mental part of the well-being equation can be addressed by introducing various games in the workplace that encourage creativity and problem-solving.

Consider providing quality meals

You are what you eat. The importance of a healthy diet is undeniable, which explains why so many people seek to improve their eating habits. In the workplace, smart companies have already taken to providing their employees with quality meals, either free or at a discount, in order to encourage proper nutrition at a company-wide level. What’s more, eating together is also a boon for team-building purposes as people bond with each other during their lunch hours.

Foster their entrepreneurial spirit

A company is only as successful as its employees allow it to be. And fewer things are more integral to success than possessing an authentic entrepreneurial spirit. This kind of attitude and approach should be welcomed at all levels of an enterprise. Show that you genuinely strive to nurture the entrepreneurial spirit of your employees by encouraging personal projects and seeking their opinion on matters related to the company’s activity.

Encourage them to take time off

Finally, maintaining a high level of productivity has everything to do with knowing when to step back in order to replenish energy. With the ultimate goal of empowering their employees in mind, some companies have started offering them unlimited vacation days, considering that people should judge their own needs for rest and relaxation. However, this approach has also led to the promotion of unhealthy workaholism, as some employees ended up taking less time off than before. Since such attitudes are actually counter-productive over the long run, take steps to teach your employees about the importance of maintaining a healthy work-life balance.

As you can see, there are certain things that any company can do in order to support its staff. Ideally, they could all be implemented. However, in the real world, where companies are limited with time and budgetary constraints, it is rare that a company is able to follow each and every of the steps mentioned above. To show your will and commitment to your staff, enacting just one or two can still go a long way towards improving the overall well-being of your employees.

Employee Turnover – Practical Tips To Keep It Low

In our earlier post (Employee Turnover – Time To Take It More Seriously?), we looked at some crucial reasons on why you should make retention a priority even in the time of economic downturn and hopefully, you are convinced by now. Employee Turnover - Practical Tips

In today’s post, HRwisdom goes a step further and shares with you a few employee turnover practical tips we found offered by Laura Kerekes to help with your employee retention.

Things You Can Do To Help Keep Your Best Employees

The following are two management practices that Laura suggests you follow to help retain key staff.

1. Be clear about your expectations and policies – then follow them. Inconsistency is a killer for employee satisfaction. Poor management practices like unclear rules and expectations and inconsistent application of established rules and policies have huge negative impact on employee satisfaction.

Check out the free HRwisdom Employee Attraction and Retention Guide.

These inconsistencies and mistakes leave employees with a sense of insecurity and make them wonder if the organisation they work at has a solid foundation. Also, on a side note, inconsistency is one of the various reasons why employees join or actively petition to form a union.

 

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2. Communicate and show respect. Clear and open communication between management and staff is always the key strategy to retain your staff. Keep your employees informed about what is going on with business. You also need to actively seek their input and provide channels where they can voice their opinions.

There are new web survey sites and apps appearing all the time that can make it easy for you to get staff input and involvement into decision making. For instance, check out Vetter.

Showing respect to your staff is another key strategy. Avoid gossiping at all times (it’s ok – having discussions with other managers to improve a subordinate’s performance is not gossip). Nothing erodes trust and respect more than talking about someone behind their back. Your credibility as a leader vanishes when you talk about an employee’s faults openly with another person – your listener may wonder what you’re busy saying about them behind their back when they’re out of the room.

In contrast, a great way to show your respect to your staff is to follow up on their complaints, questions and concerns with genuine care. Don’t ignore them or treat their concerns as irrelevant.

Making an effort will definitely be noticed and appreciated.

The tips offer here make good business sense. By applying them in your business, you will surely begin making your organisation a great place to work where your best team members won’t want to leave.

To find out other retention tips, Laura’s full article here.

Free Employee Attraction and Retention Guide

While you’re here, feel free to check out the free HRwisdom Employee Attraction and Retention Guide – it is an excellent resource for any business.

In the comprehensive free guide, top management practitioners offer you their best employee attraction & retention advice.

Click here to download the Employee Attraction and Retention Guide.

Employee Turnover – Time To Take It More Seriously?

With an unstable global economy, people become more cautious when considering the option of changing jobs. So, you may think that keeping your staff is a relatively easy task. Even if they leave, it should be fairly easy to replace them. Employee Turnover

However, when the economy eventually recovers to full health, you may have inadvertently put your organisation in a bad position if you only deal with turnover at that time – ie. you could be shutting the gate once the horse has bolted.

Check out the free HRwisdom Employee Attraction and Retention Guide.

If you are still not sure about the importance of keeping the turnover rate low, then these excellent prompts we found by Suzanne Lucas may give you some further food for thought.

Reasons To Keep Staff Turnover Rate Low

The following suggestions were prompted by Suzanne’s insights about the issue of turnover and why every business should continue to take it seriously.

If you don’t have time to train and develop now, do you think you will have the time in the future? You may think that people with the good academic qualification and qualified skills are the best employees for the job. However, it is usually those who fit in the culture of the organisation and has good learning skills that are most valuable for your organisation. But it takes time and money to train these people up for the job.

If you’re not focused on developing and growing your staff now, you won’t have time to do it when they have the chance to work somewhere else once the economy is running at full speed.

 

Employee Turnover - Time To Take It More Seriously?

 

A bad economy means only the best can afford to leave. A bad economy doesn’t mean that organisations aren’t hiring, what it means is that they will only hire the best. Hence, if you’re not working hard to keep your employees, your best ones will find new jobs and leave.

The best way to find good candidates is through networking. When you hire, you’ll start by asking your current employees for referrals. You’ll only get good referrals if they feel it’s a great place to work. Think about the ‘BBQ effect’ – who would stand around at a BBQ at suggest to their friends that they should join their workplace if it’s a place that they don’t like?

If you want to make sure you have some good future candidates in your recruitment pipeline, you’ll need to keeping working on keeping your staff engaged and motivated.

If you are not putting in the effort to keep your best employees, you may find yourself in quite a predicament when the day comes that they start to walk out the door.

To find out more of Suzanne’s HR ideas, visit her website here.

Free Employee Attraction and Retention Guide

While you’re here, feel free to check out the free HRwisdom Employee Attraction and Retention Guide – it is an excellent resource for any business.

In the comprehensive free guide, top management practitioners offer you their best employee attraction & retention advice.

Click here to download the Employee Attraction and Retention Guide.

Employee Termination: Drawing The Line

No one likes terminating staff. It is an outcome that employees hate to face and it’s an action that many employers hesitate to take.

Would you move to employee termination on the basis of abusing social media, taking frequent breaks, or missing too many days of work? They are probably not serious issues if they only happen once or twice but they deserve your attention if they occur on a regular basis.

employee termination

The big question is then how do you draw the line between giving your staff member a well deserved second chance verse getting them out of your organisation?

There is no easy answer but today HRwisdom shares with you some insights from Toddi Gutner, an award-winning journalist, writer and editor, about what actions you may take to keep the performance of your staff on track as well as help you to make a more informed decision of whether you should terminate a specific staff.

Click to get access to employment termination documents.

Drawing the line

Set expectations up front: You need to have clear policies and procedures about what employees can and cannot do. Specificity is the key. Argument occurs when you provide ways for ambiguity and questioning. Also, employees should be informed about exactly what is expected of them. This means that you want to focus on performance with quantifiable goals. With clear expectation, your employees perform better and you also have a better sense of where your staff are up to.

Hold employees accountable: once an employee knows the rules and is given fair warning, he or she must be held accountable. For example, if you have a policy that allows a maximum of four unexplained absences. You need to discuss with them about the issue the first time instead of the fourth time. This sends a clear message that you know they’re not at work — you care about them but that you need them to get the job done.

These actions can help you manage your employees’ performance as well as giving you a better idea of when termination should be considered.

To read the full article, go here.

Click to get access to employment termination documents.

Managing Work Stress Through Innovation – Part 1

The issue of managing work stress is an important one for employers.

Work StressApart from the financial costs to the business, there are obvious impacts on individuals and work teams.

Regular HRwisdom contributor Weng Chio Fan is taking a look at this issue.

Over to Weng . . .

Work Stress: Can You Afford To Overload Your Employees?

A recent news report showed that, job stress accounts for at least 10% of the compensation claim across the public service, with an average $251,000 payout.

Besides, demanding work can also lead to absenteeism, performance decline, increased turnover and burn-out. All of these cost organisations millions of dollars in poor productivity performance. In fact, research shows that even an average level of work demands negatively impact on organisations’ performance.

However, with increasing globalization, rapidly shifting technologies and the ever-changing economic environment, organisations are trapped in the dilemma where their employees have to cope with numerous job demands to keep them stay in the business, yet, they have to find ways to alleviate job demands so that their workers can performance at their peak.  

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The Way Out: Innovation

Recent research by leading organisational psychologists found that supporting innovation among employees is an effective strategy to alleviate the stress of  job demands.

Innovation can mean introducing new or improved products, services or business processes into the business.

It can be a single major breakthrough or it can be a series of small, incremental changes.

In a nut shell, it involves two components: creation of new ideas and their implementation.

The study found that organisations that encourage and support the production and implementation of creative ideas perform better than those that don’t.

To find out how innovation can help your employees to cope better with their job demands, click here to see the next article in this short review of managing work stress.

HRwisdom

 

Best Employment Law Advice Australia

Best Employment Law Advice Australia

At HRwisdom, as an HR resources website that helps Australian organisations with staff and human resources issues, we have high standards when it comes to the best providers of employment law advice in Australia.

Best Employment Law Advice AustraliaThis is especially important when we continue to face ongoing changes to legislation that affects employment across the country.

This includes pay and conditions, unfair dismissal, OHS, anti-discrimination and other such areas.

[box type=”note”]Click here to see your: Best Employment Law Advice Australia [/box]

Being well-organised and having good advice before things go wrong is the best way to manage any business.

There are many types of employment-related problems that employers in Australia regularly face.

These types of challenges that can seriously affect the performance, profitability, and standing of any business.

HRwisdom have been fortunate to find a selection of friendly and professional workplace law advice firms that really know their stuff.

One of the big things we prefer about these legal firms is their focus on being proactive so that you can prevent dramas before they arise.

This is important because unfair dismissal claims, hiring contract disputes and other such hassles tend to appear right when your all-important report is due or just as you’re about to give a major briefing.

[box type=”note”]Click here to see your: Local Employment Law Experts [/box]

Having your workplace systems and processes assessed and quickly in place is definitely the best way to prevent the majority of employment claims and disputes.

Best Employment Law Advice in Australia

Whilst it is up to you which lawyer you use, HRwisdom trusts and enjoys working with these smart, friendly and forward-thinking employment legislation firms.

You can find their background information right here:

Click here to see your: Local Employment Law Experts

HRwisdom

Best Employment Law Advice in Australia Related Video

 



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Tasmania Useful Labour Market Information

The Australian Labour Market Report provides Labour Market Information for Tasmania businesses and introduces you to a wide range of information about the labour market, employment and training.

Tasmania Useful Labour Market InformationThe area to download the report is below.

The report includes detailed workforce information about specific industries and all labour markets around Australia, including Tasmania.

[box type=”note”]Click here to get: More HR Advice [/box]

In national terms, there are 19 broad industries in Australia. In employment terms, the largest are Health Care and Social Assistance, Retail Trade and Construction which each employ more than 1 million workers. Manufacturing is also a large employer, with almost 950 000. These four industries combined, employ two in every five Australian workers.

It is interesting that, although the Mining industry experienced the largest percentage rise in employment (75.5%), it had only the fourth largest number of new jobs and accounts for 2% of national employment.

Over a five year period, employment fell in Manufacturing, but there are still more people employed in Manufacturing than there are in the Arts and Recreation Services; Information Media and Telecommunications; Rental, Hiring and Real Estate Services; and Electricity, Gas, Water and Waste Services industries combined. The decline in Manufacturing is part of a long-term trend reflecting structural adjustment in the Australian economy.

Useful Labour Market Information of Tasmania

Many industries, such as Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing; Mining; and Manufacturing create thousands of jobs in other industries, such as Transport, Postal and Warehousing; Professional, Scientific and Technical Services; and Construction.

Where are the new jobs?

Over the five year period, around 1.1 million jobs were created.
The largest growth was in:

  • Health Care and Social Assistance (up by 276,000)
  • Professional, Scientific and Technical Services (122,300)
  • Education and Training (114,700)
  • Mining (102,900)
  • Construction (100,700)

Which industries had declining employment?

Employment declined in four industries over the five year period:

  • Manufacturing (down by 72,100)
  • Information Media and Telecommunications (46,800)
  • Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing (25,400)
  • Rental, Hiring and Real Estate Services (2600).

Which industries have the most jobs in regional locations?

Although Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing has the highest proportion of its employment in regional areas (87%), followed by Mining (61%), the largest numbers of jobs in regional Australia are in:

  • Health Care and Social Assistance (almost half a million)
  • Retail Trade (more than 470 000)
  • Construction (around 407 000).

Download The Australian Labour Market Report

Useful Labour Market Information in Tasmania

Here is the link to download the Labour Market Report produced by the Australian Government, all you need to do is:

  1. Click on the link below.
  2. Come back to this page and use the orange form on the right to download over 40 free quality HR templates and reports.

[sociallocker id=”4427″] Labour Market Report [/sociallocker]

Useful Labour Market Information in Tasmania Related Video

 

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Good Workplace Law Advice Victoria

At HRwisdom, as an advisory website that helps Victoria organisations with staff management and human resources issues, we have high standards when it comes to providers of good workplace law advice Victoria.

Good Workplace Law Advice VictoriaThis is especially important when we continue to face ongoing changes to legislation that affects employment in Victoria.

This includes pay and conditions, unfair dismissal, occupational health & safety, discrimination and other such areas.

[box type=”note”]Click here to get: Victorian Employment Law Advice [/box]

Being proactive and having well-considered advice before things go wrong is the best thing to manage any business.

 

Good Workplace Law Advice of Victoria

The types of {problems|topics|issues} that {businesses|organisations|employers} in Victoria regularly seek {trusted|expert|well-considered} advice on include:

  • {Handling|Managing|Dealing with} unfair and adverse action claims
  • Restraint of trade clauses
  • {Handling|Managing|Dealing with} under-performing employees
  • {Handling|Managing|Dealing with} workplace redundancies
  • Drafting of employment contracts
  • {Correctly following|Working with|Dealing with|Interpreting} awards
  • {Occupational|Workplace} health & safety incidents
  • Discrimination and {bullying|harassment} {claims|allegations}
  • Fair Work Ombudsman {issues|claims|investigations}
  • {Bargaining for|Negotiating|Establishing} enterprise agreements
  • Buying and selling {enterprises|businesses}
  • {Union official|Union representative|Union} right of entry
  • {Managing|Dealing with|Responding to} government inspectors
  • And other such legal issues

These are the types of {problems|issues|challenges|hurdles} that can seriously {impact on|affect|drag down} the performance, profitability, and {standing|reputation|well-being} of any {organisaation|business|employer}.

{HRwisdom|We} have been {fortunate|lucky} to find a selection|handful|number} of friendly and professional Workplace Law Advice firms that really know their {topics|stuff|area}.

One of the {big|main|key} things we {prefer|like} about these {law firms|firms|legal firms} is their focus on being {fast-moving|proactive} so that you can prevent {dramas|problems} before they arise.

This is important because unfair {termination|dismissal} claims, {hiring|employment} {documentation|contract} {disputes|arguments} and other such {problems|hassles} tend to {arise|appear} {just|right} when your {important|major|all-important} report is due or just as you’re about to give a {significant|major} {talk|briefing|presentation}.

[box type=”note”]Click here to get: Local Employment Law Advice [/box]

Having your {workplace|employment} systems and processes {assessed|audited} and {correctly|quickly|properly} in place is definitely the best way to prevent the majority of {employment|workplace} claims and disputes.

Good Workplace Law Advice in Victoria

Whilst it is up to you which lawyer you use, HRwisdom respects and enjoys working with these smart, friendly and proactive workplace law teams.

You can find their contact information here:

Click here to see your: Workplace Law Advice” href=”https://hrwisdom.com.au/employment-lawyers/” target=”_blank”>Local Employment Law Experts

HRwisdom

Good Workplace Law Advice in Victoria Related Video

 

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NkVveW5-lSQ]



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Victoria – Good Workplace Law Advice

At HRwisdom, as an HR resources website that helps Victoria employers with staff management and human resources issues, we have high expectations when it comes to providers of good workplace law advice Victoria.

Victoria Good Workplace Law AdviceThis is particularly important when we continue to face ongoing changes to legislation that affects management of staff in Victoria.

This includes pay and conditions, unfair employment termination, workplace health & safety, discrimination and other such areas.

[box type=”note”]Click here to get: Victorian Employment Law Advice [/box]

Being well-organised and having the right advice before things go wrong is the best way to manage any business.

 

Good Workplace Law Advice of Victoria

The types of issues that employers in Victoria regularly seek well-considered advice on include:

  • Dealing with unfair and adverse action claims
  • Restraint of trade clauses
  • Handling under-performing employees
  • Dealing with workplace redundancies
  • Drafting of employment contracts
  • Correctly following awards
  • Workplace health & safety incidents
  • Discrimination and harassment allegations
  • Fair Work Ombudsman issues
  • Establishing new enterprise agreements
  • Buying and selling enterprises
  • Union right of entry
  • Dealing with government inspectors
  • And other such legal issues

These are the types of challenges that can seriously affect the performance, profitability, and standing of any organisaation.

HRwisdom have been fortunate to find a selection of friendly and professional Workplace Law Advice firms that really know their area.

One of the big things we prefer about these firms is their focus on being fast-moving so that you can prevent dramas before they arise.

This is important because unfair dismissal claims, hiring contract arguments and other such problems tend to appear right when your all-important report is due or just as you’re about to give a major talk.

[box type=”note”]Click here to get: Local Employment Law Advice [/box]

Having your employment systems and processes assessed and quickly in place is definitely the best way to prevent the majority of workplace claims and disputes.

Good Workplace Law Advice in Victoria

Whilst it is up to you which lawyers you use, HRwisdom trusts and enjoys dealing with these smart, friendly and on the ball employment law teams.

You can find their contact details right here:

Click here to see your: Workplace Law Advice” href=”https://hrwisdom.com.au/employment-lawyers/” target=”_blank”>Local Employment Law Experts

HRwisdom

Good Workplace Law Advice in Victoria Related Video

 

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NkVveW5-lSQ]



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Regional Northern Territory – Useful Labour Market Information For Employers

The Australian Labour Market Report provides Labour Market Information for Regional Northern Territory businesses and introduces readers to a good range of facts about the labour market, employment and training.

Regional Northern Territory Useful Labour Market InformationThe area to download the report is below.

The report includes detailed workforce information about specific industries and all labour markets around Australia, including Regional Northern Territory.

[box type=”note”]Click here to get: More HR Advice [/box]

In national terms, there are 19 broad industries in Australia. In employment terms, the largest are Health Care and Social Assistance, Retail Trade and Construction which each employ more than 1 million workers. Manufacturing is also a large employer, with almost 950 000. These four industries combined, employ two in every five Australian workers.

It is interesting that, although the Mining industry experienced the largest percentage rise in employment (75.5%), it had only the fourth largest number of new jobs and accounts for 2% of national employment.

Over a five year period, employment fell in Manufacturing, but there are still more people employed in Manufacturing than there are in the Arts and Recreation Services; Information Media and Telecommunications; Rental, Hiring and Real Estate Services; and Electricity, Gas, Water and Waste Services industries combined. The decline in Manufacturing is part of a long-term trend reflecting structural adjustment in the Australian economy.

 

Useful Labour Market Information of Regional Northern Territory

Many industries, such as Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing; Mining; and Manufacturing create thousands of jobs in other industries, such as Transport, Postal and Warehousing; Professional, Scientific and Technical Services; and Construction.

Where are the new jobs?

Over the five year period, around 1.1 million jobs were created.
The largest growth was in:

  • Health Care and Social Assistance (up by 276,000)
  • Professional, Scientific and Technical Services (122,300)
  • Education and Training (114,700)
  • Mining (102,900)
  • Construction (100,700)

Which industries had declining employment?

Employment declined in four industries over the five year period:

  • Manufacturing (down by 72,100)
  • Information Media and Telecommunications (46,800)
  • Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing (25,400)
  • Rental, Hiring and Real Estate Services (2600).

Which industries have the most jobs in regional locations?

Although Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing has the highest proportion of its employment in regional areas (87%), followed by Mining (61%), the largest numbers of jobs in regional Australia are in:

  • Health Care and Social Assistance (almost half a million)
  • Retail Trade (more than 470 000)
  • Construction (around 407 000).

Download The Australian Labour Market Report

Useful Labour Market Information in Regional Northern Territory

Here is the link to download the Labour Market Report produced by the Australian Government, all you need to do is:

  1. Click on the link below.
  2. Come back to this page and use the orange form on the right to download over 40 free quality HR templates and reports.

[sociallocker id=”4427″] Labour Market Report [/sociallocker]

Useful Labour Market Information in Regional Northern Territory Related Video

 

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=krBDfTyVu5c]



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