Author: dayoff

  • Pros and Cons of Using a Leave Tracking Software

    Pros and Cons of Using a Leave Tracking Software

    Managers are often struggling with processing employee leave, individual leave details, and ensuring compliance with company guidelines. Leave requests must be processed regularly, and that procession procedure comprises checking leave history of the employee as well as the leaves available to them. In this case leave tracking software is the solution.

    A solid leave management system helps both parties in the equation. By enabling proper planning of employee leaves well in advance, it maintains productivity of the company. Employees can plan their leaves keeping business’ personnel requirements in mind.

    A good company will never ignore the benefits of an effective leave policy. Not only does it contribute to employee satisfaction, but it also plays an important role in the success of any company. However, there’s no universal formula proven to be effective for everyone. Companies try to combine multiple initiatives in an attempt to find the one that strikes the chord with their employee base.

    Although leave management seems simple, there are tons of complicated factors in play here. Tracking employee leave manually is time consuming and cumbersome. It can also result in an increasing number of errors in the calculations. This is why many companies have started integrating leave tracking software into their operations to streamline and automate the process.

    By using leave tracking software, the HR can track the presence of employees spread across different locations, shifts, and even time zones. Benefits of leave tracking software are multifarious, but they also come with a handful of cons to be mindful of.

    Pros of Using a Leave Tracking Software

    Ease of use

    Leave tracking software greatly simplify the burden of the administration. A simple stable internet connection is all an HR manager needs to have an overview of who’s working and who’s not from any corner of the world. No more spreadsheets filled with numbers and data!

    Moreover, the best of the leave tracking software are intuitive, which means they will let the management know if there are chances of under-staffing, plausible errors, and deficiency in team management.

    Simple leave policies

    Based on the organization’s leave policies, absenteeism policies are configured. Everything is programmed step by step, making it much easier for HR managers to work.

    Clearance to leave

    A super important feature for both managers and employees, authorization to leave lets executives know how many employees are available at any given time. It helps them accept or deny new applications. Some services are cloud-based, so employees can send in leave requests from the site or at home. Managers possess access to the iPad, phone, and other devices through which they can get into the software any time.

    With everything consolidated into a single platform, managers get a clear picture of the various vacation types they have set as well as vacation pay, vacation days consumed, vacation credits each month, and more.

    Accuracy

    Automated leave tracking software eliminates errors and simplest complex vacation policies so companies can apply them easily and accurately. Additionally, a comprehensive log of staff progress helps HR managers make better plans. Ultimately, the top management is able to deliberate duties and projects better.

    Transparency

    Transparency is a key element of any workplace. All information regarding leave policies, payment plans, vacation and PTO guidelines, and more are mentioned on the company-wide software, making the holiday system pleasantly transparent. Every member of the company can check their vacation history and balance. Managers or supervisors share this information so employees are always in the knowing about the rejection/approval of their vacation requests.

    Precise information

    With a leave tracking software, employees can access accurate information about vacation days, both available and taken, and plan according to that. Most employees like to plan their vacation days well in advance or at the start of the year so having a calendar that shows PTO or company holidays can be of great help. The process is shortened into a single-step operation which doesn’t require manual browsing of vacation logs.

    Many companies also integrate their online leave tracking software with payroll software to create precise payrolls based on various vacation types. Teams can be formed on these software too.

    Cons of Using a Leave Tracking Software

    Security issues

    If a system is easy to breach, it jeopardizes the safety and productivity of the entire company. Systems have to be designed in such a way that they can ward off unauthorized access requests and inadvertent disclosure.

    Expensive

    Price is one major concern here. Many companies don’t wish to invest in leave tracking software whereas some just don’t have the budget for it. This is a big issue for entrepreneurs and small businesses. Every software comes with maintenance costs. Software as a Service or SaaS systems are easier to organize from a financial point of view as it’s simpler to manage a cloud-based platform.

    Costs become an important factor in picking the perfect leave tracking software. Companies can avoid this by simply getting a free leave tracking software. In some cases, however, free versions of applications are limited in feature. And once the trial period is over, you are left wanting for more. Good ones are generally pricier.

    Day Off is an exception. Our free version has enough features for a small to medium company to go by without spending. You can surely invest in a premium version to get the whole experience, but the free version is, well, free!

    Scalability

    As businesses grow, they usually expand and break the shell of their status quo. For instance, they start with a basic leave tracking software to handle a limited number of employees. The system should be able to accommodate them as they evolve.

    Conclusion

    Before making the decision, it’s always wise to analyze the pros and cons of leave tracking software. For the most part, the pros outweigh the cons by a huge margin. It saves time and lets managers focus on more crucial tasks.

  • 23 Statistics Every HR Manager Needs to Know

    23 Statistics Every HR Manager Needs to Know

    When a business is successful, it can be credited to the incredible staff working behind the scenes 24/7. Human resources statistics, no doubt, is the essence of any company – no matter how big or small.

    Understanding current challenges and opportunities in the HR sector can help a manager take better decisions. Keep reading for some of the important statistics every HR manager should know.

    Hiring and Recruitment Statistics      

    According to a research conducted by Glassdoor, a well-designed recruitment and hiring strategy can help a business find qualified workers quicker. These individuals are a better fit for the company and job(s).

    • 51% of individuals would prefer searching for job opportunities via online listings. Many job seekers would rather ask for recommendations from their network of family, friends, and colleagues, but more than half of job hunters prefer scouring online job boards in order to find openings in companies.
    • 53% of people search up company information and reviews on various job search websites such as Glassdoor, LinkedIn, and PayScale. These offer genuine insights on what’s like to work for a particular company. Similar to how you would check out reviews of a certain product before buying it, job seekers like to look into company reviews before trying out for it.
    • Benefits (63% and salary (67%) are two of the most crucial factors for job hunters. Naturally, a “what’s-in-it-for-me” attitude is what fuels people to search for jobs in the first place.
    • 55% of job hunters aged between 35 to 44 applied for a job with a mobile device. Many assume that only younger applications use phones to apply for a job but this proved that all ages have embraced the existence of technology in the job market.

    Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Statistics

    Businesses that have strong diversity policies have outperformed those that did not. Representation matters, especially in the job industry.

    • The global workforce comprises of 55.3% male and 44.7% female (reference: LinkedIn’s Workforce Diversity Report 2020). Although women have made remarkable strides in every sector they have joined, they still remain underrepresented in comparison to the opposite sex.
    • Men hold 58% of leadership positions. In America, the approximate 60/40 split shows there’s a clean chance for further progress.
    • Latino and Black workers only hold 5.8% of leadership roles in the LinkedIn survey.
    • More gender diversity holds the potential to add $12 trillion in GDP.
    • Companies with more gender diversity perform better than companies lacking gender diversity by 25%. If a company puts both women and men in leadership roles, the chances of them outperforming their peer group increases to 25%.
    • Companies with ethnic diversity show 36% better performance than less diverse organizations.

    Onboarding Statistics

    A company must prepare its employee to handle their responsibilities efficiently. However, cutting corners can put a dent of performance and increase employee turnover.

    BambooHR is a company that provides HR SaaS and it highlight that:

    • About 25% of onboarding programs in companies don’t have any kind of training. Don’t simply hand your employee their computer, tools, and keys and expect them to give great results in one day. The majority of new hires want some form of formal training so they learn the ropes of the job quickly and effectively.
    • 20% of staff turnover takes part within the first 45 days. If an employee leaves shortly after joining, perhaps it’s because the onboarding program missed out on a crucial detail for the employee’s success. Recruiting and training new employees can be costly, so it’s necessary to retain as well as hire talent.
    • 72% of employees said that one-on-one time with their supervisor is an essential part of the onboarding process.
    • 70% respondents feel that having a friend at work is key at keeping the work environment positive. Starting a new job can be overwhelming, not to mention lonely. A solid onboarding process could help employees form bonds. 50% of workers who had a best friend at their workplace reported experiencing a stronger connection with the company.

    Employee Engagement Statistics

    Strong employee engagement significantly improves productivity and loyalty. It might be challenging keeping the present employees engaged, but it’s well worth it.

    • While 14% of managers are actively disengaged, a whopping 51% of them are not engaged. Managers have the biggest influence on employee engagement. If a manager isn’t engaged, it will directly affect their employees.
    • Gallup’s Employee Engagement poll suggests that 30% of American workers are actively engaged in their organization.
    • Companies boasting higher employee engagement rake in 21% more profits. Engaged employees tend to work harder to make sure the company achieves it goals and objectives.
    • 33% of employees search for a new job as they’re bored with their current job or does not approve the day off policy. There’s an inherent need to explore new opportunities with talented individuals.
    • 89% of employees believe that networking builds the foundation for a brighter future with more opportunities.

    Employee Loyalty Statistics

    Work Institute’s 2019 Retention Report vouches for increased employee retention and lower turnover costs when workers are loyal. The report claims that:

    • About 50% of HR teams confess that employee turnover and retention is their biggest challenge. Corporate culture management and recruitment make up the top three.
    • An estimated one third of workers will leave their jobs annually.
    • 27% of employees leave their workplace voluntarily each year.
    • Voluntary turnover cost is on the rise. In 2018, the cost was expected to have surpassed the $600 billion mark and it’s only growing.
    • 80% of exit surveys follow a poor methodology.
    • Work environment and job characteristics lead the way for employee turnover by 53% and 81% respectively.

    Bottom Line

    Statistics are a great way to understand the market conditions. When it comes to HR, these numbers can help executive prepare better plans, implement important measure, identify opportunities as well as weaknesses to make their organization a better place.

  • How to Hire the Best HR Manager for Your Company

    How to Hire the Best HR Manager for Your Company

    Hiring the right people at a company is the main reason behind any business’s success. HR manager and management is a crucial department in all companies, especially those of a large business. They carry out many essential duties such as recruiting or training, performance management, and employee leave management.

    Hiring a professional HR manager will increase the effectiveness of your HR department and also greatly contribute to the overall success of your business therefore, you have to pay attention when recruiting your HR manager to ensure that you have employed the right person who’ll meet your company’s needs and goals.

    Here, we are going to give you some tips that will help you with the process of choosing the best and most suitable HR manager for your company.

    1. Determine the Skills That Your Company Needs the Most

    Before hiring someone in any position, you need to know what exactly do you need in the first place. Of course, there are certain characteristics that all companies look for when searching for an HR manager like being a proficient problem solver and having high leadership skills, but each company will face different HR challenges that will require different roles from your HR manager.

    Therefore, understanding the factors that are of most efficiency to your company’s growth processes is the first step for successfully choosing your HR manager. It will help you build a clear idea about what skills you are looking for in an HR manager and so makes the process of choosing the suitable one clearer and more organized.

    2. Detailed and Specific Job Description

    Your job description should be as clear as possible. Write down all of the responsibilities and duties expected from the HR manager in details. Mention if there is any previous experience needed to apply or if the candidate has to acquire certain skills or certificates. Make sure you also include an overview of your expectations from them and any long-term objectives.

    This will ensure that no one, after employment, will complain when asked to do certain tasks, saying that they haven’t been previously informed about them, since everything was already laid out and agreed upon in the job description.

    You should also mention in your job description the benefits of working for your company. A good salary and friendly working environment are what all people look for, but there are other things that companies can provide to satisfy their employees and helps make your job offer more attractive such as, flexible working hours, social and medical insurance and transportation.

    Providing a detailed job description will make you attract those candidates that have the requirements and skills which you are looking for and so, you will be choosing your HR manager from the best pool of people available instead of going through hundreds of irrelevant job applications.

    3. Choose Someone That is Familiar with Technology

    Many technological innovations were introduced to the HR industry and lead to great exponential advancements that helped HR manager work much more productively. These technologies include performance management systems and leave manager software.

    Hiring an HR manager with previous experience of working with HR tech is very crucial and will definitely make a difference with your business’s growth.

    These new technologies greatly impacted the workstyle of HR managers and even other employees in the company. Leave tracking apps, such as Day Off, helps the HR managers keep track of the employees’ absence and presence in a much more efficient and easy way. Therefore, hiring an HR manager who has tech proficiency has many benefits like making employee leave management processes more accurate and ensure they run smoothly.

    For example, a leave tracker software will offer many useful features to both the employees and managers. They improve the company’s decision making and greatly reduces the amount of paper work that employees do. They can also prevent pay errors, leaving employees satisfied.

    A good HR manager is one that knows how to efficiently use these great technologies (such as PTO manager software, vacation tracker software and performance management software) and motivates his team to use them as well for a more flexible and simple work environment.

    4.Pay Attention to Behavioral Traits During Interviews

    Skills can be easily gained by most people with time and experience, but it is very hard to change someone’s behavior and traits. Therefore, when carrying out your interview pay attention to the way they talk and try to get a clear idea about their personalities.

    Be honest with them during your discussion and tell them what you exactly need. Talk with them about your company’s strong points and weak points. See if they have any ideas or new approaches that may help your company.

    Sharing with them these thoughts will show you who is motivated and if they are able to offer creative solutions to your problems. It will also help you know if that person will easily get along with your current teams and if they can fit with them.  

    HR expertise is important, but soft skills can be as important too. Here are some qualities and characteristics that are important to look for in an HR manager:

    • Fast and efficient decision making to be able solve problems fast with minimal losses.
    • Good communication skills to build a strong relationship with his team and other employees.
    • Good technical skills to be able to use apps like Day Off easily and know how to benefit from them.
    • Has the intention to continuously learn new things that will help with your HR management system.
    • Has the ability to multitask and so, leads to higher productivity of the company.

    Conclusion

    Hiring a professional HR manager will always be of great benefit to your company. It helps boosts your business growth and makes employees satisfied. Both expertise and soft skills are essential factors to take into consideration when choosing your manager.

    Things like excellent work experience, ability to handle excessive workload, knowledge about HR management and being up to date with technology are all examples of traits you should look for to spot a great HR manager.

  • How to Get the Most Out of Your Remote Team

    How to Get the Most Out of Your Remote Team


    The pandemic has taken a great chunk of our lives- both work and personal life-related. With all the chaos going on worldwide, working from home might have been the best possible option. But is it? Employees working remotely have taken a toll on their mental health and productivity, not to mention their enthusiasm for any task has decreased drastically. While motivating and influencing your team while they work remotely may not be as easy as you wish it to be, there are a few basic methods through which you can get the most out of your remote team.

    Initiate Daily Check-ins

    Interacting with your remote team is the way to begin monitoring them. Through frequent video conferences or one-to-one sessions, you’ll be able to keep tabs on whatever the employees are doing and if they are in the proper setting to work. Even though this may sound like a buzzkill to some, the daily check-ins will ensure that all the employees are fulfilling their due tasks on time and clearing any confusion. Furthermore, these shall encourage the employees to open up to you.

    Communicate with the Team

    On the topic of ‘opening up’, communication is key. In the pandemic work situation, employees already suffer from a lack of communication and interaction. What could be resolved in the workplace easily is taking a lot of time to decipher online, in a remote working scenario. To ensure this factor doesn’t affect the team and its overall performance. As a leader, you must communicate all the responsibilities and duties that they are assigned with. Not only does this enable the remote team to understand all the tasks properly, but it makes them feel important to the company.

    Utilize Technology

    Technology is a great tool once you master the art of it. With applications like Zoom, Google Meet, Discord, Microsoft Teams, and multiple others, it’s relatively easier to deal with remote teams now. Utilizing these applications shall gradually make your remote team accustom to the online working situation and enable them to work more productively. Aside from work-related stuff, you can even use these platforms to engage and communicate with the team!

    Formulate Rules of Engagement

    Information sharing might be troublesome for a remote team. For this reason, general rules of engagement should be introduced to the workforce; the rules shall describe when and how the employees can connect to you or the other team members. Remember to approach any difficulties through proper team engagement.

    Handle Expectations

    Company goals and visions have changed due to the pandemic and the employees need to be made aware of that. The way of work that you expected them to do earlier might not align with the current scenario. Hence, regular communication regarding the expectations associated with the remote team will take you forward at a consistent pace.

    Outcomes over Activity!

    Monitoring every activity in a remote environment might not be the best decision, as it takes plenty of time and effort than in a normal scenario. Instead, focusing on the outcome of each task shall be a better choice to manage your remote team. This leaves a majority of the work responsibility to the team, enabling them to work as they please as long as they deliver the desired outcome. Furthermore, this method ensures that your remote team starts feeling important and that they matter to the company.

    Make it Purposeful

    For a remote team, having a consistent and defined purpose will drive the employees into being more productive. The work-from-home situation can make the employees lose their motivation and purpose quite easily, which is why a purpose is required to tie everything together. Ensure that your employees are going forward with a goal set in mind.

    Enable Resources

    Proper resources need to be made available to your remote team. Without a stable internet connection, laptop or PC, audible speakers, etc. a remote team cannot perform or operate to its full productivity. As a leader, it’s your responsibility that your team is fully resourced before getting on with the company’s visions and goals.

    Omit Obstacles

    Complexities regarding personal and work-life should be considered right now if it wasn’t already. Any difficulty that your employees might be facing should be taken seriously, considering the current pandemic. While everybody is prone to the same danger, not everyone is in the same boat. Keeping that in mind, any obstacles should be eliminated.

    Time to Socially Interact!

    Social interaction among the employees of your remote team should be encouraged. Any gathering via online platforms should be motivated; a games night, movie night, or any games that could be played online should be encouraged. The ray of hope from social interaction not only ignites a livelihood in your remote team but helps them refocus on their work as well.

    Be Flexible

    A pandemic isn’t an easy situation to get over, especially with people falling sick here and there. A flexible practice or day off can be introduced if your remote team is going through a hard time- it shows that you care for your team and their wellbeing.

    An Empathetic Leader

    The abovementioned points all tied up together comes to this- it’s time to be an empathetic leader. Empathy and compassion will get your forward at an increasing pace during this hard time. Reaction to sudden problems can be managed by handling the stress and tension through empathy and calmness.

    Mentor, not Manage

    It’s crucial to remember that you cannot manage or discipline the remote team during a pandemic. It’s harsh and insensitive to some extent. Furthermore, the usual managing techniques would not work for everything now. Approaching as a mentor and motivator will help bring out the best from your remote team.

    Conclusion

    Handling a remote team is essential and not conventional at all. For that, it’s wise to be flexible and empathetic while being open to discussions that would not have occurred under normal circumstances. A remote team can take your company to paces, only if you manage to bring the most out of it.

  • 6 Incredibly Useful Software Tools for Small Businesses

    6 Incredibly Useful Software Tools for Small Businesses

    Navigating a small business toward success requires teamwork, a solid sense of direction, tremendous patience, and a handful of software. The right tools can make a big difference to the job. However, choosing the right software is a challenging feat. The secret is recognizing the proper software in combination with other tools to serve your nature of work is important. Check out some useful software tools to help you run your small business.

    Wave: Best Accounting Software

    Kirk Simpson and James Lochrie founded Wave Accounting in 2010 to bring an easy-to-use, free financial software to the market. In 2021, Wave’s employee base has crossed the 250 mark and they’re working to serve small businesses across the world. It lets companies track expenses and income, scan receipts, send invoices, track sales taxes, and much more – for free!

    Wave builds a network between credit cards and multiple bank accounts and helps set up profiles to keep track of finances. This free software organized payments, invoices, and accounts to make tax calculation easier. Users can make and send professional invoices from the dashboard as well as the mobile app. Wave can set automatic credit card payments and recurring invoices for repeat customers so they can get their invoice and payment details immediately.

    Apart from their free services, Wave also offers premium, paid services, including bank payments, credit card payment, payroll setup for contractors and employers.

    Wix: Best Website Builder

    Frustrated with the high costs of making a website, three entrepreneurs joined forces to create Wix in 2006. Today, the company boasts a user base of 200 million spread across 190 countries. This is our pick because Wix lets users create professional websites without any required coding knowledge at a budget-friendly rate.

    On Wix, you will find many professional templates to personalize your website. Pair that with the convenient drag-and-drop editorial feature and anyone could make a functional website within a few hours. All websites are designed to look attractive on mobile devices and offer interesting effects like video backgrounds, animation, and scrolling.

    As Wix features an advanced e-commerce feature, users can sell online as well. You can set up an online store, figure out conversion rates and revenue, manage inventory and more. Wix is compatible with PayPal, Wix Payments, and Stripe and can integrate with Facebook and Instagram.

    MailChimp: Best Email Marketing Software

    MailChimp was founded in 2001 and since then has been an affordable email marketing service perfect for small businesses. Now a diverse marketing platform, MailChimp offers websites, landing pages, postcards, and many more amazing features. Both free and paid plans will be a great choice for small business, but you can go a long way without paying a dollar – the best part of this service. You can easily start using the free email software.

    On MailChimp, you can get pre-made email templates, basic customization, opt-in sign up forms and popups, and audience segmentation. A mobile app is included as well to let you check campaign performance, send emails, and create reports with just a few clicks.

    Using the drag-and-drop templates, you can create professional emails with little to no design skills on MailChimp. The software keeps track of clicks and open rates while segmenting data to let you know what’s working best for your small business.

    Trello: Best Project Management Software

    In 2011, Fog Creek Software introduced a project management tool prototype designed to provide high-level planning solutions. Within just a year, the platform had more than 500,000 users and was named Trello. Trello impresses with its flexible, visual, and free options to manage projects.

    Featuring a Kanban-style board for project and task tracking, Trello makes project management extremely easy. The intuitive and simple interface lets users make customer lists and boards with a plethora of inclusions such as images, checklists, links, due dates, regular files, and more.

    Trello can be integrated with Google Drive, Slack, Dropbox, as well as many other third-party software. Integrate it with mobile apps to streamline workflows and collaboration.

    Even with its free plan, the software has a lot to offer, including unlimited lists, cards, and boards. However, there is a 10MB per file attachment limit to be mindful of. It extends to 250MB with the paid plan.

    Slack: Best Team Communication Software

    With Slack, you can create channels revolving around a particular topic, project, team, or client. The channels can be public for all Slack account holders or it can be private and accessible via invitation only.

    Apart from real-time communication, Slack offers a slew of fantastic features like poll creation, meeting scheduling, file sharing between teams, cloud storage, and connection to third-party projects – all through integrations. You get free voice and video calls and also spin-off discussion threads in order to keep the larger conversation organized.

    Small businesses that only require a single workspace, a handful of integrations, and one-on-one video calls can benefit from a free Slack account. There is a 10,000-message search limitation on free accounts, though.

    Day Off: Absence and Vacation Tracker

    One of the most important tools for a business’ HR department is an employee tracker app. Productivity and efficiency depends largely on the availability of the employees, not to mention their satisfaction with their workplace. With Day Off, you save time and effort with employee absence. You can track individual and team absences from one place and it takes a few seconds to check up on leave applications and accept/deny them.

    The convenient HR dashboard brings everything on one platform for the HRM. Requests are directed to the right person. HR can also define teams while setting available vacation days left for each person. The mobile app makes it easy for both employees and manager.

    Conclusion

    A software doesn’t necessarily have to be “premium” to deliver quality services. Small businesses can cut down on costs by looking into the more budget-friendly options.

  • How to make your employees feel valued and engaged

    How to make your employees feel valued and engaged

    An average person is estimated to work about one third of their life span as listed in conducted research, so he/she must be provided a comfortable environment amid others in which they provide the best work results without any complications due to their ease of working together. The most common things that make employees feel valued are always addressing growth, helping them in the start of their jobs, challenging them in healthy ways to break their limits, always encouraging them to do their best and telling them that they are doing a great job.

    Getting to know the Working Team

    Organized corporations try their best to let each employee be known to the others by making an announcement for the new employee on his/her first day, help him fit easily by introducing him/her to the rest of the employees. Bullying is common for newcomers to face so it is the duty of their bosses to watch over them and never tolerate it.

    Another way of engaging employees with each other and their bosses is by often making a get together for the company outside of work boundary in order to create a friendly relationship between the employees, by doing this a tension free environment is provided and the employees know each other better making them work together smoothly. By doing this better work results are provided.

    Payrolls and Benefits

    The main forms of feeling valued by an employee are the payroll and the benefits received from the company. The payrolls must be equivalent to the amount of work given by the employee and equal to his degree as well.  In this modern-day world payrolls and benefits are monitored by    employee self-service software in which the employee can also monitor his/her schedule and change his/her benefits information.

    Sick Leaves and Absences

    It is expected at any moment that an employee gets sick and doesn’t attend his/her job for a day or more depending on his/her condition so an employee day off tracker must be present to keep track of the absent employees in order to have a good thought on the working power to maintain productivity.

    Different companies have different absence policies so employee absence management must be present to inform the employee on how and when to inform his/her boss of his/her absence, also informs the employee of the pay arrangements in the case of an absence, and how to continue his/her work after the absence. All this is made to maintain the productivity of the company as possible and to limit the damages to the employee as well. Sick leave is a form of partial absence that result in a decrease in the working power as well, so an employee leave management application is needed to count for the gap of employees to try and maintain the productivity as possible.

    Valuing Hard Work

    In some cases, an employee is stressed or burnt out so he/she becomes in need of some time off the job and in order to make the request as organized as possible an employee time off manager must be provided to make the operation as smooth as possible both for the employee and the bosses. The request of some time off the job most of the time is approved when viewing the hard work of the employee, and as a form of valuing the employee and encouraging him/her to keep up the good work while being comfortable mentally. On the other hand, for keeping track of the employees an employee time off tracker must be present to keep track of the present employees.

    Holidays and Vacations

    Each company when hiring sets a specific number of paid time off days so that if the number of days increase than the number agreed on the employee faces disciplinary measures. It is not common sense that the whole working team takes their paid time off at the same time and this is when an employee PTO tracker and employee PTO management systems do the work of tracking the present and absent employees and managing the number of present working power.

    Holidays and vacations are important in making the employee recharge his mental state in order to give the best results in a job. for tracking the holidays and their time in the year an employee holiday tracker application must be present for everyone to have information on the holidays such as when are the holidays and how long are they. Most of the time employees stacks their paid time off to go on long vacations. Long vacations mean fewer working staff for a long period of time so to make it organized as much as possible an employee vacation tracker and employee vacation manager must be present in order to make those vacations as organized as possible in order to maintain the productivity. All this makes the process of holidays and vacations as smooth as possible

    Work and Reward System

    When the employees reach the target given to them and surpass it by a noticeable amount, as a form of appreciation and valuing their work the company gives them a reward. These rewards are materialized in many forms one of them is the pay raise. Another form of reward is a percentage paid vacation or a full paid vacation for the employees and their families and travel at the expenses of the company. These vacations are in a place chosen by the company, or they let the employees choose from a variety of places chosen by the company as well which are tracked by the company by an employee vacation tracker. This is an image of the work and reward system

    The Employee’s Mentality

    After all the employee is most important gear in the success of a company. The employee must have a stable mentality to provide best results, because at the end of the day he is a human being who wants to be recognized and valued for his work. When the employee is given some special treatment, it makes him feel valued and an important person in the job, so the employee becomes loving of his/her job and gives it his/her all, because he/she spends a big portion of the day at the job. In a way the employee after all this becomes so loving of the job that he cares for the company as if it was his own home.

  • The Ultimate Guide to Employee Performance Reviews

    The Ultimate Guide to Employee Performance Reviews

    In this modern corporate era, employee performance reviews have become an important part of every business. As per the experts, it does not help in eliminating the efficiency or productivity issues but also helps the organizations in motivating their employees. Such valuations always provide HR managers with accurate and useful assessments of employee’s abilities, skills, job performance, knowledge, and more. Before carrying out the evaluation, you need to obtain all the relevant data, and for data related to employees’ attendance, you can use a good PTO tracking software program, for example, Day off. Now, let’s discuss this in detail.

    What do you mean by a performance review?

    A performance review which is also known as an employee evaluation, performance appraisal, or performance evaluation, is a process of documenting and evaluating the performance and the behavior of the employees in a particular period. The review is carried out in general for 6 or 12 months.

    As per the experts, discussing the performance in comprehensive review is a crucial factor for many companies’ employees’ feedbacks as well as the development process. On the other hand, keeping a proper record of performance review, considering the data from an employee leave tracker app, can also be a compliance requirement. It is the responsibility of the HR management to create and share constructive feedback.

    What is the major purpose of performance reviews?

    In most organizations, the line managers carry out a performance review as they know all the things about the employees. However, in some cases, HR managers can also do that. But why is it so important for every business? Well, keep reading to know more.

    As per the experts, a perfectly conducted performance review can offer an instant and the most required lift to the businesses as well as the employees. This will prove the weaknesses and strengths. Some other benefits are:

    A clear understanding of the current job roles

    Performance management will empower the person to think seriously about the job role within the organization. When both the supervisors and employees understand their specific job duties, then they can eliminate the possible ambiguities in the company.

    Aligning personal roles to the organizational goals

    A good quality performance review will give a chance to ensure everyone can understand the company’s vision, as well as goals and they, can come up with different strategies to fit their work in the bigger picture.

    Career development

    A performance review can create the opportunity to plan and set new objectives that can help in the further development of the employees’ careers. With better performance management, they can explore additional training.

    Getting regular feedback on the performance

    It has been proved that regular feedback can greatly contributes to perfect all-around communication in the organization. With this, the HR Management can detect the strength and weaknesses of the employees, and the employees will be able to understand what the company is expecting from them.

    How to prepare to create a good performance review?

    If you’re an HR manager and you have been tasked with carrying out appraisals for real, you need to create a solid performance review process that can guide your approach. So, prepare yourself for the performance review by following the tips.

    Clear the calendar

    If you are planning to meet the members of your team one on one, then you need to make sure that other important tasks during the meeting will not distract you. So, before starting the review process, try to lower your commitments in the day to lower the risk of missing out on the appointments or having to change the date for the review.

    Get accurate data about employees leaves

    An employee’s performance can be ascertained by analyzing the leave patterns of that particular employee. But how to do that? Well, this is where you can use an Employee time off tracker. Such software programs are designed and developed in such a way that they can create a comprehensive report about the employees’ leave management.

    Be ready to give as well as take feedback

    While conducting performance reviews, make sure that you are allowing enough time for the employees to comfortably share their feedback with the HR management. Use a notebook or a laptop to record it. As a result, it will be easier for you to follow up on the data later.

    Always stay prepared for the curveballs

    Well, as a general rule, the management should not tell the staff anything that they don’t know about the performance. However, sometimes, you may face conditions where they may come up with some matters that will be new to you. As they are like a private exchange, sometimes reviews can be seen as a perfect opportunity to share news or raise any new issues. So, you should keep this thing in your mind and always prefer to schedule it for a later meeting if required.

    A different way to collect feedback

    360 feedback

    In this, employees can receive feedback or suggestions not just only from managers but also from peers as well as junior members. Besides, they can also check their data, covering the leaves and more, through a Vacation tracker and review themselves. As a result, they can understand their opportunities and strength.

    Continual feedback

    Some organizations don’t like to go for a formal structure of a performance review. Instead of that, they share feedback with the employees on a continual ad hoc basis. For startups and small businesses, this can be a suitable option. But there can be a few risks of it. As there may not be any formal checkpoint, employees may lack clarity on how they should progress and what they need to do.

    Employee pulse reviews

    This can be considered as a happy medium for carrying out a performance review. This is a smaller-scale review that is conducted on a more frequent schedule. It is generally associated with the engagement surveys of the employees.

    If you want to make sure that your organization is all set to grow properly in the coming days, then don’t forget to carry out an employee’s performance review. And use advanced tools, like a Leave tracker and more to collect important data accurately.

  • 2022 Public Holidays in UK

    2022 Public Holidays in UK

    One of the favorite things for many of us is planning a vacation. Nothing is better than a well-planned calendar with flight info and dinner reservations. But first you need to know when exactly to do it. These holidays not only mark moments of historical importance but also provide an opportunity for communities across the UK to come together, celebrate, and cherish the nation’s heritage.
    Here is a list of the 2022 public holidays in the UK, where most of government offices, businesses, shops and banks will be closed:

    

    HolidayDate
    New Year’s DayMon, Jan 3, 2022
    Good FridayFri, Apr 15, 2022
    Easter MondayMon, Apr 18, 2022
    Early May Bank HolidayMon, May 2, 2022
    Spring Bank HolidayThu, Jun 2, 2022
    Platinum Jubilee bank holidayFri, Jun 3, 2022
    Summer Bank HolidayMon, Aug 29, 2022
    Boxing DayMon, Dec 26, 2022
    Christmas DayTue, Dec 27, 2022

    As the UK welcomes 2022, these public holidays or day off not only offer a break from the routine but also serve as a reminder of the country’s rich cultural tapestry and the spirit of unity that binds its diverse communities. Each holiday brings its unique traditions, making the UK’s public holiday calendar a colorful mosaic of celebrations, reflecting the nation’s identity and heritage.

  • 2022 Public Holidays in USA

    2022 Public Holidays in USA

    One of the favorite things for many of us is planning a vacation. Nothing is better than a well-planned calendar with flight info and dinner reservations. But first you need to know when exactly to do it. These holidays reflect the spirit of unity and pride shared by Americans across the nation. Let’s explore the USA’s public holiday calendar for the year.
    Here is a list of the 2022 public holidays in USA, where most of government offices, businesses, shops and banks will be closed on:

    Public Holiday Date
    Martin Luther King Jr. DayMon, Jan 17, 2022
    Memorial DayMon, May 30, 2022
    Independence DayMon, Jul 4, 2022
    Labor DayMon, Sep 5, 2022
    Veterans DayFri, Nov 11, 2022
    ThanksgivingThu, Nov 24, 2022
    Christmas DayMon, Dec 26, 2022

    These public holidays in USA are more than just day off; they represent the nation’s history, diversity, and shared values. Each holiday fosters a sense of community, reminding Americans of the strength found in unity and the rich tapestry of their collective heritage. As 2022 unfolds, these celebrations will continue to bind communities together, embodying the spirit of the land of the free and the home of the brave.

  • The best way to utilize your company leave management

    The best way to utilize your company leave management

    There is no doubt that employees or staff leave management may look like evil to the overworked or stressed HR managers. However, a combination of a professional leave tracker and proper leave management policy will make sure that the company is running smoothly while offering the employees many opportunities to recover from stress, recharge the energy level and attend to their families. But maintaining a perfect balance between a happy team and business can be a little tricky. So, is there any option for this? Well, keep reading to know the answer and explore some best ways to use the leave management of your company.

    What do you mean by leave management?

    When it comes to an understanding of less productivity in your employees, the reason for this can be more. For example, it can be related to personal life or some official issues. As an employer or manager, you need to develop a positive environment for the employees to work together. As a result, they can complete the projects effectively and efficiently, and you will enjoy better as well as consistent results.

    Speaking about employee leave management, it consists of the process as well as policies of managing time-off requests of your employees, for example, parental leave, sick leave, holiday, and vacation. By using a perfect leave management system and Vacation tracker, you can easily develop a safe as well as a healthy workplace environment. In simple words, the primary objective of leave management is to deal with leave requests accurately and fairly so your business can run smoothly without affecting the employees.

    The scheduling system lets the employers effectively distribute the employee’s workload who is taking leave to keep the process easier and less messy for the team. Different tools like Day Off and more help avoid possible accident leave requests, and you can have better control.

    Leave management is a major component or responsibility of the company’s HR management. As this is an important thing, there should be a clear leave management process in a company.

    Understanding the importance of leave management

    Perfect leave management can create a better employer experience. How? Well, the employers or HR managers can ask or encourage the staff to use the paid leaves properly. Besides, they can make sure that their employees are not feeling overwhelmed with the workload when they are planning for a leave. Here are some major benefits of leave management that can result in a better experience.

    Employee satisfaction and better management of employees

    Good leave management will make sure that your employees or staff are 100 percent satisfied with the workplace. Besides, it will ensure a stress-free as well as a comfortable environment in the office. What’s more? As per the experts, proper leave management will bring a maximum level of transparency between the employees and management. As a result, there will be fewer unexplained or unscheduled leaves.

    Lowers the expenses

    The absence and leave of the employees can contribute to around 40 percent of a company’s payroll. With the help of a leave management system, the organization can easily implement the paid leaves based on the policies. This will greatly lower the accidental allotment of paid leaves. As a result, you can witness a great impact on the organization’s finances.

    Better employee wellbeing and confidence

    If the employees know that they are enjoying a proper and fair leave policy, they will become more confident. Besides, they will always trust your company’s HR management. Good leave management always shows that the company is properly organized.

    As a result, this will trigger the trust factors, and that will result in more engaged and happier employees who will always stay productive as well motivated to help your business succeed. On the other hand, if you have poor leave management, it can easily create resentments in the employees who have to deal with the workload as some employees are absent. So, come up with better leave management to deal with such issues.

    Proper planning for leaves

    Most of the modern leave management systems let the employees see the remaining leaves in real-time. It creates a great level of transparency. In the end, it triggers the sense of proper holiday or leaves planning among the employees. The employees can now plan their leave in advance, and the managers will have all the data to plan for the leave accordingly to ensure the company has a sufficient workforce to handle the project.

    As per different studies, proper planning of leaves can help an organization in lowering the disruption at work, and you will not see any downtrends in productivity. As a manager, you can easily plan ahead. Furthermore, proper leave or holiday planning can enhance the employees’ morale. No employees will prefer to work for more hours just because there are some unplanned leaves.

    You are obeying the law

    As per the rules in the UK, a full-time employee can get 28 days’ holiday. Well, this may change based on the country and federal laws. The yearly leave entitlement for the part-time or remote workers can be proportionate to the time they work.

    For example, if he/she works for three days a week, he/she can take 16 day’s leave per year. By ensuring that the employees are getting proper leaves based on the law will develop the trust factor, and they will respect their workplace. By using a Vacation tracker, you can easily manage the leaves of different teams. 

    Different ways to use the leave management

    Identify with the required law

    Within any business, employee leave management holds a significant place. Why? Well, the growth of the business will depend on this. So, one of the best ways to use leave management is to get familiar with the state or local labor and federal laws. The administration, as well as the policies of the enterprise, should conform to the law of the country.

    It has been seen that some companies face various legal challenges quite frequently following poor leave management systems. Such conditions generally take place when an employer tries to consider the personal as well as private circumstances of the employee. This may sound good, but this can create a feeling of partiality in some employees, and others may not receive the same benefits.

    However, you can avoid such circumstances. First of all, you will have to create clear policies. On the other hand, the HR managers should go through the training so that they can deal with the employee leave requests consistently and appropriately. Besides, they can use an advanced Employee time off tracker to track the leaves.

    Using a leave management software or tool

    It is a fact that the process of leave management can take a lot of effort, time and it is also very complex. Furthermore, there will always be the scope for errors as you will be managing all the things manually. So, what is the best solution for effective leave management? The most effective solution is to invest in a well-developed PTO tracker. By using such a leave management system, you can effectively automate the process, eliminates possible errors, and boost the employee’s efficiency.

    What’s more? This will make sure that there are no issues in the company’s payroll as you can integrate the attendance management in the existing payroll system. So, use leave management in this way, and you can create a better work environment.

    Dealing with the extended leaves

    In many cases, national or state laws and the policies of your company could make extended leaves compulsory. So, training all your line or HR managers in how to deal with such requests and demonstrate compassion becomes very important. Remember that approving a leave in case of an emergency is a decision that the manager will have to take.

    On the other hand, the negative response can dissatisfy the employees, and such dissatisfaction can create a disconnection between the management and employee. So, make sure that your leave management has the required rules to deal with such leaves.

    Create a clear and easy-to-understand leave policy

    For effective leave management, you need to outline the company leave policies for the employees. Every employee may want to get guidance on different types of leaves and circumstances. While developing the policy guidelines, it is important to clear the following things:

    • How to ensure the time?
    • Which holidays are there in the policy, and how many holidays will you offer?
    • Whether can one use the unused leaves or time?
    • How to apply for a time-off request?
    • What types of leaves does the company offer? And more

    All these things should be clearly mentioned in the policy.  Irrespective of what the company offer, an unrestricted leave policy, and benefits package will be beneficial. This will motivate all the employees to participate in the leave management system. To circulate the rules or policies among the employees, you can use the PTO tracking software programs, such as Day Off.

    Corresponding the time-off policies clearly

    No matter whether it is a big or small business, they should jot down the important policies in the employee manual. However, as a manager, if you are unfamiliar with the meaning of the policies or where to discover them, then it will not bring benefits to the business as well as employees. You will have to come up with a way to communicate the policies effectively.

    It is crucial for every business to make sure that all the employees understand the rights as well as benefits. And this can be easily done using a proper leave management system. On the other hand, to manage and ensure all these things, using the best Employee leave tracker app within a company is a must.

    The tools or software programs come equipped with employee self-service features that one can use to apply for a leave. On the other hand, using the manager portals, the HR manager can grant or reject the leave. The time tracking and attendance management features of the program are also quite beneficial. Investing your money in a next-generation Time off app can help you automate the process.

    To keep an eye on the unscheduled absences

    Remember that unscheduled absences can negatively affect productivity. No matter what is the reasons, managing the unscheduled absence during the pick time can be very tedious and challenging. Well, the most effective way to manage this is by identifying such absences earlier and understand the real issue. This way, you can lower the occurrence of unplanned leaves.

    For that, having a perfect leave management system integrated with the company’s attendance management system, such as web-based attendance, access card, or a biometric device, is very important. Notifying the company’s HR management about the absence can help you in mitigating the cost by assigning another employee to the task.

    To lower the errors related to the payroll

    Just imagine tracking all the leaves of the employees and then calculating the payouts manually. This will be very exhausting. Now just imagine if you have access to a leave management system that has been integrated into the payroll management system, and the payroll calculation happens automatically. Sounds great, isn’t it?

    A cloud-based Free vacation tracker can empower you with such facilities. Such a system can be easily integrated into the existing software, and you can make sure that all the data is validated without any error. On the other hand, it will ensure that the inputs are accurate and seamless.

    Some companies may think that setting a good policy and using a Day off app is the best thing. Well, the fact is it is not the end of the line. After setting the policies, you need to measure the effectiveness of the policy by setting KPIs, goals, ensuring maximum compliance, and measuring the employees’ ROW- Return to Work rate. So, carefully monitor the effectiveness, use the best leave app and update the requirements accordingly to have better leave management in your company.