/U/People;/U/Productivity; – Small bussiness accounting solutions

Five ways to build a happy team

August 28, 2017 0 By Xienan Shaw

We have spoken to hundreds of business owners and thousands of their employees over the last twelve years. In that time, we’ve learnt a thing or two about the importance of maintaining happy and engaged staff.

Here are our top five tips to help you keep your hospitality staff happy in the workplace.

1. Nurture a team environment

Organise team bonding events that bring your staff together outside of work. This could be a mid-winter Christmas dinner, an Amazing Race style scavenger hunt, or simply after work drinks. Ask your staff what they would enjoy doing and if possible take the event off site.

2. Communicate

Keep your staff informed about what’s going on with the business. This doesn’t need to be a comprehensive report, but might include what’s coming up on the calendar, any good or bad things that have happened over the last week, and any changes that are on the horizon.

This type of involvement will help your team to feel more motivated about their work and how they are contributing to the business.

3. Take an interest

Get to know your employees better on a personal level. Take an interest in their studies, ask about their family, their goals and how they are finding things at work. This helps to nurture a ‘work family’ environment –important considering most of us spend more time with our workmates than we do with our own family.

4. Listen

Communication is a two-way street, so take the time to listen to your staff. Give them an opportunity to air their opinions about how they think the business is going, what they think works well, and how things could be improved. Be engaged in the conversation and take notes. Well engaged staff will always be able to give great suggestions on improving your business.

5. Say thanks

Make sure you acknowledge your staff on a regular basis for the work they are doing. This doesn’t have to be attached to an award or gift – simply saying ‘thanks for your hard work’ is enough. It’s a good feeling for staff to know that they’re making a difference.

Let’s make it clear – Good mobile staff communication is vital

July 29, 2017 0 By Xienan Shaw

Messages can often be passed across a desk or delivered face-to-face on the other side of the office.

“Most offices don’t need a well thought out ‘communications strategy’,” says small business advisor Dr Greg Chapman. “Lazy communications are probably quite adequate for people who work in the office because you see them all day, every day.”

But businesses with mobile workers need to approach staff communication very differently, Chapman says. “You need to have a much better policy or process for keeping field workers informed.”

Businesses with mobile workers need to approach staff communication very differently, Chapman says. “You need to have a much better policy or process for keeping field workers informed.”

Mobile workforce management software, such as GeoOp, has been a game-changer for businesses that rely on communicating with subcontractors or employees who work remotely. Scheduling jobs is simple, as is providing all customer information while workers are on the road. Reassigning or rescheduling jobs is easy. Quoting and invoicing can be done at the job in real time, with no help from office-based staff.

Businesses using field service management tools often find there’s little need for field workers to travel back to base to speak to bosses or colleagues. During the working day, managers and workers can communicate accurately and immediately “in-app”, with all relevant information available at both ends. It’s possible for mobile workers to spend all day in their truck or service vehicle without needing to actually speak with anyone other than customers, suppliers and the person serving their lunch.

Regular meetings

Chapman, whose website is empowersolutions.com.au, suggests a good start for clear business communication is regular staff meetings in the office. “Maybe once a month or once a fortnight, for half a day or something,” he says.

“I think it’s good to make sure you bring in the field staff periodically so they catch up on the comings and goings in the office – the latest policy changes, updates, personnel changes.”

On the job

Once the work begins, clear two-way communication remains crucial. This is not so much a problem in an office, where supervisors have an easier task of spotting and discussing issues with staff or seeing if something hasn’t been understood. In the field, problems snowball easily.

“You need to let the field staff get on with their jobs,” Chapman says. “They’re the face of your business with your customers. But poor communication can produce unintended results which may not be corrected until some damage has been done.”

Regular catch-ups are important to head off potential issues. “You need to have regular communication,”

He says regular catch-ups are important to head off potential issues. “You need to have regular communication,” he says. “It needs to be at a predetermined time each week and possibly each day, depending on the type of business. Maybe at lunch time, the beginning of the day or the end of the day.” These daily meetings set job expectations and routines, and establish what is working well and what isn’t.

Customer focus

Because workers are at the business front line, they provide managers with valuable information about what customers are thinking, and may head off potential problems. “If there’s an issue, [customers] speak directly to the field employee,” Chapman says. “If they’re not happy with the field employee, they will go back to the office and complain. Of course, they may not just complain to the office – they might complain to colleagues and family about the service they received. That can cause reputation damage.”

Chapman says it’s vital that small businesses keep in close contact with their customers, even if jobs can be scheduled remotely. “It’s really important to get that feedback going. Customers know if they’re unhappy that someone will see their response. They can be proactive and call the office but it’s better if they automatically get a survey or even someone who calls up and says, ‘Well, Fred was at your house today. Was everything done to your satisfaction?’”

Team harmony

What can be just as important is establishing a good relationship between mobile workers, their colleagues on the road and the staff back in the office. Electronic communications may well deliver the facts accurately but not the more “human” reasons why things change or go wrong, and last-minute schedule variations can easily create friction. “If you don’t have that sort of rapport with someone, getting those messages can be difficult,” Chapman says. “It’s important that connections are made.”

Mobile workforce management software has done a great job making businesses and employees more efficient, but it can’t be used in isolation. “Workers need to have human conversations as well, otherwise it just becomes so impersonal,” Chapman says. “Field employees feel very detached, like they’re working for a machine rather than a person.”

HOW IMPROVING EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT CAN BOOST YOUR BOTTOM LINE

June 26, 2017 0 By Xienan Shaw

There’s a consistent, statistically significant relationship between higher levels of employee engagement and financial performance.

Yet, while employee engagement continues to be more important than ever, and certainly a top priority for business leaders, truly engaged employees are still the exception, not the rule in most modern workplaces. Indeed, the 2017 Trends in Global Employee Engagement Report from Aon Hewitt, shows global employee engagement has actually fallen in the last year.

Employee engagement rates are on the decline

Defined as the level of an employee’s psychological investment in their organisation, just 24% of all employees fall into the highly engaged category and another 39% can be categorised as moderately engaged. This puts the global engagement score at 63% compared to 65% the previous year.

Equally worrying is another report from technology giant Oracle. It shows just 37% of non-management employees are proud to work for their organisation, while approximately 70% of senior managers and directors are emphatically so.

This disconnect points to a high degree of disengagement among those in non-management positions. Only 21% feel they can advance their career with their current employer and just 39% see a long-term future with their company.

Could it be that your employees are not as enthralled with working at your company as you are?

The employee engagement disconnect

So, why should you care?

According to Gallup, employee engagement is directly linked to other factors that probably matter a great deal to you, such as significantly lower employee turnover and absenteeism rates, 17% higher productivity, and 21% greater profitability. Cha-ching! Let’s get those employees engaged!

What causes a disengaged workforce?

Employee disengagement can be a product of many things:

Poor management and leadership
Inadequate feedback
Poor alignment of individual goals with business goals
Lack of recognition

When your employees don’t see the point in the work they do, receive little recognition or inadequate feedback, it quickly impacts job satisfaction and of course performance.

It’s not just Millennials who famously need to feel they play a significant role in their company’s success. Innovative thinking happens across all generations of employees. Businesses risk losing out on valuable contributions by not giving staff the opportunity to showcase their talents. It’s no surprise that people tend to leave organisations where there’s little meaning or significance in their work.

What can you do to increase employee engagement?

1 – Align individual goals with broader company goals

As a business owner, it’s important that you take the time to ensure everyone in your company understands how their goals connect to and align with the broader company goals. And at the same time, ensure there are sufficient opportunities for all employees to fully utilise their abilities and develop skills.

When you better understand your employee’s goals, you can help them connect those expectations to the overall goals of the business. And don’t forget about recognition. Sometimes, a simple pat on the back, or a thoughtful note thanking employees for their contribution goes a long way.

2 – Get your people into the right roles

In an earlier post, we talked at length about ways you can keep your employees happy even when budgets are tight. But sometimes, the employee engagement disconnect comes down to the quality of your leaders and managers. The most common reason people give for leaving their jobs is their relationship with their boss.

It’s important to do all you can to develop the people skills of your managers. All too often managers get promoted because they excel at their job, and not necessarily because they make great managers.

In other research by Gallup, the research company says an alarmingly high percentage of managers around the world are not meeting the needs of their employees. Actively disengaged employees (24%) outnumber engaged employees (13%) by a radio of almost 2:1. According to these numbers, it seems that work is more commonly a source of frustration rather than fulfilment.

In short, managers who lack people skills and are entirely focused on bottom line results become a barrier to company performance.

And if you are the manager, could you be the problem?

3 – Learn how to be a better boss

No-one likes to work for a boss who isn’t personally involved or concerned about anything other than on-the-job performance. It’s the fastest way to disengagement. By contrast, high levels of employee engagement come from a manager who helps people feel like they are the future of the organisation and they are helping them do what they do best.

Traits of a good boss include:

Clearly communicating performance expectations
Publicly and privately recognising team members for their contributions
Empowering employees with responsibility
Trusting employees to complete tasks without micro-managing
Showing empathy and listening
Delegating effectively
Providing timely and meaningful feedback
Supporting employee growth and development.

Does this sound like you?

If you aren’t really sure how engaged your employees are, consider asking them. You can take the pulse on employee sentiment through an employee happiness survey. We’ve compiled 17 essential questions you need to ask in the survey.

And for more on retaining and engaging a millennial workforce, download our free eBook.

Employment Hero is Australia’s first all-in-one cloud HRIS offering a comprehensive HR software, payroll system, and employee benefits platform in one easy solution. Trusted by Australian businesses, Employment Hero is about making rostering, onboarding, performance management, time tracking, payroll, and award interpretation a snap. Employment Hero’s HRIS also integrates with Xero, MYOB, KeyPay, and Accountright Live. Stop wasting time with spreadsheets, and request a demo today.

THE HAPPINESS FACTOR: 6 TACTICS FOR IMPROVING WORKPLACE PRODUCTIVITY

June 26, 2017 0 By Xienan Shaw

There’s a strong correlation between happy employees and high employee productivity. In fact, according to Yves Morieux, director for the Boston Consulting Group’s Institute for Organization, happy employees actually create high-performing businesses.

He’s not alone in this thinking. A study by economists at the University of Warwick found the happiness factor at work equates to a 12% lift in productivity. Whereas, unhappy workers are 10% less productive and are more likely to make errors.

Happiness is key to employee productivity

With happy employees such an important part of a thriving, productive workplace, it’s crucial that you root out any major sources of unhappiness. While people leave organisations for any number of reasons, the most common sources of unhappiness at work, are:

Bad bosses
Lack of interesting work
No opportunities for career development
Zero recognition
No workplace flexibility

To help you tackle these problem areas, here are 6 simple ways you can support a culture of engagement, and, in doing so, increase employee productivity.

Extra tip: if you’re going to give these a crack, why not do a before and after employee happiness survey to gain a measure of employee happiness and track improvements along the way?

1. Good people management

Most people don’t like being micromanaged. That’s why good managers coach, provide meaningful feedback, and give their people autonomy, all of which makes a big difference to employee happiness and wellbeing. Employees who are given some control over their work, such as managing their own time and making decisions on what they do when tend to have greater job satisfaction.

For more reading on good people management skills, check out the 7 traits of a being a good manager in our white paper How to deal with bad bosses in your business.

2. Interesting work

Employees want to enjoy their job. After all, they probably spend close to half of every work day either working, getting ready for work, or travelling to and from work, so they want it to be interesting and diverse.

Of course, the nature of some jobs may not lend themselves to a great deal of variation or diversity, though you can always look for ways to increase challenges for workers. For example, by providing a range of responsibilities you can vary their daily routines.

3. Career development

For most employees, career development is the key to happiness, which makes perfect sense. Keep things interesting for strong employees, and they’re bound to remain engaged. Make sure you and your managers spend some time thinking consciously about how each employee should progress in their careers, and make plans to help them develop new capabilities.

It is also a good idea to educate employees on different types of career paths or job opportunities that are available to them. A little training and mentoring can easily steer ambitious, talented employees to the next level.

4. Recognition

In one recent study, 7 out of 10 employees who received appreciation for their good work said they’re happy with their jobs. Compare this to those employees who hadn’t received recognition, where only 39% (or less than 4 in 10) said they were satisfied.

Recognising the contributions employees make is hardly rocket science. But don’t forget, this is not just about a fair day’s pay. Praise and recognition are essential to creating a vibrant culture with happy, productive people.

5. Flexibility

Offering flexible working arrangements and allowing employees to work from home is on the rise. As a management tool, flexibility delivers a big win/win.

A win for your employees

Working remotely for many people makes for a happier, more enjoyable working life. Giving people more control of their working routines helps them achieve a better work-life balance, which makes them happier.

A win for your business

With happier workers, you’ll have lower absenteeism, lower turnover, and higher levels of employee productivity.

Of course, flexibility also has an important role to play in attraction. In fact, as CPA Australia found in its 2016 study of the work environment, businesses need to offer more than just competitive salaries if they are to attract the best talent. The survey of 680 respondents from Australia, Singapore, Hong Kong, Malaysia and New Zealand, found that more respondents nominated flexible work arrangements as the most important factor influencing why they would take one job over another.

6. Look at the big picture

As you focus more on employee engagement, it’s important to assess other productivity gaps you may have in your business. For example, if you’re still using paper-based systems and operating your business using manual processes, a shift to cloud technology will also deliver serious employee productivity improvements (think, for example, just about reporting time-saving, not to mention the fact that employee work can be done from anywhere with an Internet connection).

In the case of HR, think about the manual labour required for manual data entry tasks and reconciling timesheets with payroll? Why pay for staff to update spreadsheets for the fortnightly roster when all this work could have been done automatically?

Investing in HR software can save your company – and your employees – countless hours of unproductive time. By embracing cloud technology – including in HR, you’ll improve employee productivity, reduce duplication, and help your business grow.

Free white paper

Remember, as salaries stagnate, introducing alternative ways to reward employees are sure to be a big hit with employees – without it being a big hit to your bottom line. For more ideas, download our free white paper on how to retain and engage your millennial workforce!

Review of TSheets – Employee Time Tracking Software

April 6, 2017 0 By Xienan Shaw

TSheets is a flexible, easy-to-use app that allows employees to track their working hours anywhere. Employees can clock in and out from remote locations using their laptops, mobile phones or even Twitter to record their time at work that day. The software can integrate with a number of systems including Xero and Quickbooks (Online and desktop), making payroll easier. The system is compatible with both Android and iOS devices, so it is suitable for everyone. The app records employee location every 10 minutes – so managers get accurate details about where their employees are spending their time. It even works without WiFi.

TSheets’ users aren’t limited to tracking remote workers – time and attendance can be managed for those who work inside the office as well. Employees are able to clock in and out with any internet-connected computer.

Ease of planning and scheduling

The system simplifies your day-to-day life by managing paid time off for workers. It keeps track of vacation and holiday accruals for each employee. You can either give them the power to submit their own paid time off requests, or have managers do it for them.

And what if you are bored of sitting, for hours on end, trying to work out a schedule for your employees? Fear not! The app contains scheduling software, allowing you to build schedules with employees, assign shifts and jobs. Employees can keep up-to-date with any changes in the shift schedule and employees are less likely to mix up their working hours. This has been one of TSheets’ most successful features.

Another feature employees may particularly enjoy is Who’s Working. This allows managers and employees to see who’s working, what the person is working on and how long the individual has been working on it for.

Easy to use

The system is easy to use – it is a cloud-based service that doesn’t require any special hardware or software. The online portal is clearly labelled, easy to navigate, and free of any unnecessary buttons or tabs. Managers have access to additional tabs, allowing them to set rules and determine how much power employees have on the system. They can review the employees’ breaks and can deduct a predefined break period from their time sheets. This gives them the chance to review employees’ productivity from an overall perspective as well as from an individual point of view.

Great customer service

One of the best things about TSheets is the impressive customer service. Their friendly and helpful customer service staff are always available to answer questions. There is also a live chat support system in which representatives respond quickly with detailed advice and instructions. Additionally, a user guide is available to walk you through every step of the system.

Tsheets’ customer base

TSheets has over 40 000 customers in over 100 countries, making it one of the most popular time tracking systems out there. With a range of extra features and an easy-to-use, straightforward layout, this system has changed the lives of many business owners.

How TSheets and Float can help you forecast payroll

If you are worried about the impact of your payroll liabilities on your cash flow every month then you can use TSheets with Float to forecast your payments. By tracking the hours your employees work and multiplying that by their base rate you are left with your total payroll liability for that month. This will allow you to account for fluctuations in payroll if your business is seasonal and you anticipate having to hire more staff/allocate more hours for a period of time or conversely, you could keep this purely hypothetical and model the impact of these questions in a scenario view.

Float helps you easily see the impact of questions such as “Can I afford to hire a new staff member for the summer?”, “Can we allocate more hours to get this project finished this month?”, “Can we afford overtime this month?”, and “What is the impact of giving raises to staff members on cash flow?”