Since the beginning of the pandemic, more companies have transitioned from an office environment to allowing their employees to work from home. Now, many companies and their employees are discovering unexpected benefits and some new challenges brought on by the transition.
What is Workforce Management? Workforce Management (WFM) is a set of processes and tools used to optimize workforce productivity through strategic human resource allocation and embedded processes. It includes software solutions that automate key human resource functions, time tracking, scheduling, training, data collection, analytics, and forecasting. Initially used in call centers to help automate staff […]
The office may be ready for employees to return, but are they ready for the office? Many miss in-person contact and are eager to get back, while others have adapted to working from home and enjoy skipping their previous commute. In the middle are those who prefer a hybrid schedule that includes both working from […]
Is Working from Home Here to Stay? Many companies that were previously doubtful about allowing team members to work from home were able to successfully establish remote work programs in 2020. A survey of 800 employers conducted by HR firm Mercer found that 94% reported equal or higher levels of productivity during the pandemic. According […]
What Does Email Task Management Entail? Email task management means you’re using your inbox to track and manage tasks, projects, and perhaps even larger programs. All the operations associated with task management, including setting deadlines and priorities and assigning tasks to other people, are managed via email software. Most basic email systems only support sending, […]
You’ve recruited, interviewed, and hired a potentially great employee who may be working on-site, hybrid, or remotely, but don’t congratulate yourself yet. Without an effective onboarding process, all that effort might be wasted when the new hire leaves after a few months on the job. First impressions can have an enormous impact on a new […]
Is Working from Home Here to Stay? Many companies that were previously doubtful about allowing team members to work from home were able to successfully establish remote work programs in 2020. A survey of 800 employers conducted by HR firm Mercer found that 94% reported equal or higher levels of productivity during the pandemic. According […]
The National Bureau of Economic Research reports that the average workday increased by about 50 minutes in areas with lockdowns. This wouldn’t be a problem if the additional work time resulted in increased productivity, but the risk of work-from-home burnout is cause for concern. What is Job Burnout? According to the Mayo Clinic, job burnout […]
Many behavior experts believe that greater transparency in the workplace environment can bring about unintended changes in behavior due to a well-known psychological phenomenon known as the Hawthorne effect. What is the Hawthorne Effect? The term Hawthorne effect refers to the results of studies of workplace behavior conducted by Harvard Business School professor Elton Mayo […]
Workplace transparency fosters openness between leaders and team members, creating a trust that leads to success. Transparency that brings real change doesn’t come with a one-time initiative — it requires an ongoing effort and a receptive company culture that allows team members to communicate honestly with management, and feel that their opinions and ideas are […]
What Does Email Task Management Entail? Email task management means you’re using your inbox to track and manage tasks, projects, and perhaps even larger programs. All the operations associated with task management, including setting deadlines and priorities and assigning tasks to other people, are managed via email software. Most basic email systems only support sending, […]
The National Bureau of Economic Research reports that the average workday increased by about 50 minutes in areas with lockdowns. This wouldn’t be a problem if the additional work time resulted in increased productivity, but the risk of work-from-home burnout is cause for concern. What is Job Burnout? According to the Mayo Clinic, job burnout […]
Wage & Hour litigation can threaten the health of any business, so it’s critically important for companies to comply with current wage & hour regulations. The U.S. has a long history of laws that protect employee rights, especially those related to wage and hour. Unfortunately, adhering to Federal, State, and local regulations adds complexity to […]
Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, a growing number of companies were allowing team members to work from home. That trend gained additional momentum in 2020. A recent Gartner survey reports that over 80% of companies plan to allow part-time remote work after the pandemic, and 47% intend to allow full-time working from home. According to […]
Your company may spend a lot of time defining, tracking, and evaluating strategic goals, but do you have a solid plan for achieving them? According to a survey reported in the Harvard Business Review, an estimated 67% of well-formulated business strategies fail. Many of these failures occur when management and team members lose sight of […]
Having a solid business plan is a crucial step when a company starts out, but many organizations fail to update their plan or develop a new one with each passing year. Lack of planning is one of the reasons 65 percent of businesses fail during their first 10 years, as reported by the U.S. Bureau […]
Companies lose money every year to employee theft of equipment and supplies. Even more prevalent is the theft that occurs when employees are paid for the time that they haven’t worked. This form of stealing can be just as harmful to a business as the loss of physical assets. A study conducted by the American […]
Many organizations spend a significant amount of time and money on annual raises and performance reviews without seeing a clear return on investment. Team members often feel they are unfairly evaluated rather than viewing a performance review as an opportunity for improvement. On the other hand, team leaders frequently complain that the review process consumes […]
The number of Americans working remotely grew from 20 percent in March of 2020 to more than 70 percent a year later. While studies have found that some companies experienced increases in productivity during this period, the sudden shift to a work-from-home (WFH) model was challenging for many others. Managers with little or no experience […]
The practice of project management can be incredibly complex, with dozens or hundreds of tasks and dependencies needing to be tracked. Project management software tools have become so popular because of the support they provide in scheduling, organizing, and reporting on project workflows. They can also improve team communication and collaboration. When searching through all […]
Whether held in person or online, face-to-face meetings offer the opportunity for like-minded people to come together for planning, brainstorming, and information sharing. When meetings are correctly planned, they can foster cooperation and lead to group solutions that meeting participants would not have arrived at on their own. Planning a meeting and making sure all […]
Managers often face a tricky balancing act when it comes to requests for time off. There’s denying that everyone deserves time off from work throughout the year for vacation, medical appointments, or illness. The problem is that approving time-off requests without careful consideration may keep team members happy, but the practice can seriously disrupt business […]
For businesses that use time tracking software to bill clients for hours worked, getting team members’ buy-in to the system is critical. Unless they use the system conscientiously, there’s no guarantee that billing hours are accurate. Even if hours aren’t billed, inaccurate tracking by team members can lead to missed deadlines, poor project management, and […]
Your teams are not made up of robots, but of living humans whose well-being depends on satisfying other needs besides work. These needs may include family responsibilities, health issues, or personal development. The difference in personal needs between team members means that work-life balance has many individual meanings. In general, work and personal lives are […]
Project management software helps streamline business operations by increasing team member efficiency and collaboration projects. It can also provide insights into project workflows and tasks. To realize all the benefits of a new project management system, it’s crucial to gain the support and opinions of team members. Transitioning to any new software is challenging, but […]
In the past, attempts at using HR data as a decision-making tool were limited by the lack of tools to help pull meaningful information from team member statistics. Using multiple spreadsheets to derive metrics on complex topics, such as team member turnover and engagement, is challenging at best. The development of more sophisticated analytic software […]
Prioritizing can be challenging when large, complicated projects that frequently change are involved. Project management software is excellent for tracking tasks for a deadline, but human input still needs prioritization. Being able to prioritize and manage tasks to hit a deadline in a dynamic work environment is a skill that takes time to master. The […]
Since mid-level managers and team leaders can have a significant impact on workplace culture, they need to recognize and avoid behaviors that can undermine morale, decrease team member engagement, and contribute to team member turnover. Most managers don’t do this on purpose. Lack of experience and inadequate leadership training can lead to bad habits that […]
Having a prioritized task list can improve time management by taking the guesswork out of deciding how to spend your time and where to direct your energy. If you sometimes feel overwhelmed by the number of things you need to do, check out these tips for prioritizing your tasks. Commit to Your List Even the […]
Major workplace shifts always come with some level of stress. Still, you can minimize losses in productivity by following a few essential steps based on the experience of companies with long records of using remote teams. These 12 Tips Will Help Managers and Remote Team Members Equally. Set Expectations From the Start. Remote team members […]
With more team members working remotely, individual, team, and departmental goal setting is more important than ever. Focusing on goals can make everyone more productive and successful, providing the goals are measurable and aligned with a company’s overall business objectives. One of the biggest challenges for managers is setting common goals for team members who […]
Staying connected with team members in remote locations has always been a challenge. With more remote team members than ever, many organizations are looking for new ways to increase communication. One of the most popular is the daily stand up meetings, long used by Agile software development teams for quick check-ins. When handled correctly, these […]
Performance reviews are an essential part of organizational and individual productivity, focussed on a review of team member performance. When properly given, they can boost communication, engagement, and productivity. When mistakes are made, the negative impact can lead to a team member becoming disconnected and looking for work elsewhere. Conducting team member reviews is one […]
