Category: Company

Creating an internship program is a great way to fish new young talents. Creating an internship to give undergraduates experience in their field and also give fresh graduates experience. An internship program can even help in attracting those students after graduating so that they become full time employees at your business. Here are a few tips on how to plan a successful internship program

1-Find your internship coordinator

The coordinator is the most important factor of the internship, the coordinator is the person who will make the internship a success or a failure. You must hire a coordinator to organize the internship and teach your interns, the coordinator can be hired externally from outside of your company or they can be hired from your company. It is preferred that you hire the coordinators from your company, because they will have knowledge and experience about your company so they will make the students understand easily how the company works.

2-Learn about internships’ law

Each state has specific laws about internships, so you must respect those laws. The intern must have clear realization that at the end of the internship a job isn’t guaranteed. If an intern does real work the same as an employee does in the company, the company is entitled to pay the intern. Making the internship paid can be a great motivation to attract more talents and increase the contribution of the intern. Many more legal bases must be covered when designing an internship program.

3-Plan the internship’s schedule

Putting a detailed timetable is very important, you have to know each activity that will be done and what are the main benefits that the students will get out of it. The schedule will make the internship more organized. When planning the schedule, it must be in logical order, you have to make the starting assignments easy at first then gradually make them harder, this will benefit your interns to a very high extent.

4-Create your internship’s application form

Who are you looking for to apply to your internship? What are their qualifications? Too many questions come to your mind when creating the internship’s application form. Firstly, have to think thoroughly which talented students you are looking for and what are their qualifications. Secondly, will your internship be paid or will it be just for educational purposes then filter the best of them to be potential recruits. Finally, you have written what are the required papers to apply to your internship. All this information must be written in your internship’s application form.

5-Set a date

You have to set a date for interns to start applying for the internship and it is preferred to make that date before the internship by a few months. You have to set a specific date for when the internship will start and when to end, most of the time internships are set to be in the summer so that students have lots of free time on their hand so that they will be dedicated to the internship

6-Assign a mentor to each intern or group

Assigning a mentor to each intern or group is essential, these mentors can keep an eye on the interns. The mentors will watch the interns’ progress and will understand their way of thinking. You always have to remember that your interns can be potential recruits in the future, so watching them in the internship is very important. It is preferred that the mentors you assign are from you own company so that they can of great help when being asked any questions about your company.

7-Keep an eye on your interns’ growth

Your interns will definitely grow during the internship, you have to keep detailed information about each intern and the growth they achieve. Each intern should have a profile that records their achievements and how they complete the tasks assigned to them.

8-Make your interns comfortable

Interns most of the time are students or fresh graduates, they are shy at first to speak up or even ask about something they don’t understand. You have to provide your interns with a tension free environment where they can ask about anything whenever they like. Don’t tolerate interns to be sarcastic of their peers, sometimes an intern is shy to ask a question due to being afraid from their peer to make jokes about them.

9-Listen to your interns’ feedback

Interns at the end of the internship may have some comments about their experience, listen to their comments and put them in mind for the next internship program. Create a feedback form and ask your interns what they gained from this internship, was it useful for them or not, did the enjoy it. you should also ask them in the feedback to tell you what the downsides of the internships are and what do they think needs to be changed. Your interns’ opinions are of grave importance, their opinions give you a view of the intern’s mind and will help you in the future to provide them with the best internship programs possible.

 10-Keep in touch

After your internship program comes to an end you can keep in touch with the best talents and fits that you found in the internship program so that when they graduate, they apply for a job at your company. Keep in mind that interns are potential recruits, so keep them close.it is a good idea to keep profiles on each intern that came to your internship program. One of the main advantages of keeping in touch with your previous interns is that when the apply for a job at your company, they already know their way around your company and will get the hang of the work pretty easily.

In summation

The main goal of your internship program is to attract talents and provide learning experience to the interns whether they will be potential recruits or not. The primary beneficent in the internship program is the intern.

Remote employees are those who work at a location other than a central office maintained by the employer. The location is mostly selected by the choice of the employees. It could be an employee’s home, a co-working or other shared space, a private office, or any other place outside of the traditional corporate office building or campus. so to manage and engage remote employees will need some steps to be taken.

It becomes a challenge for the employers to manage and engage the employees as they have to struggle while they find the right leadership style, choose the best tools or technology, and seek a reasonable return on investment.

The employees who are properly managed and engaged with the team and organization, are the most productive ones. The managing team has to make sure that the remote employees feel connected to the organization and their team. It helps them stay longer in the organization and inspires them to achieve the business goals.

Ways to manage and engage remote employees

These are the creative ways to manage and engage remote employees:

Trench Micromanagement

As a manager, it becomes difficult for you to manage and engage the employees with whom you are not able to make face-to-face interactions on the regular basis. So they try to catch on to the virtual meetings to stay connected and get the report of work progress. But, it wastes the time of the employees and makes them less productive. So, schedule fewer meetings, use the technology for regular updates of work performance, and establish work etiquettes. 

Connect through Technology

Technology plays a very significant role in managing and engaging remote employees. The manager of the team has to choose the best tool for the team to stay connected with the help of video calls, texts, emails, daily check-ins, and project management. For example, Zoom, Asana, GoToMeeting, Slack, etc.

Build Trust

When the employees trust their organization and management, they feel more connected to the workplace and inspired to reach the business goals. Always make sure that the employees are connected with each other, and the top management, so they can easily come up with their issues and suggestions regarding the work. It also helps the employees to stick to their jobs for the long run.

Organized and Flexible Structure

The workplace structure should be appositely organized and flexible for remote employees. The key is to allow remote employees to opt for the flexible working hours. It helps to maintain consistency. The main focus should not be the number of hours worked, it should be the quality of work. The organization needs to organize the concrete plans and strategies of the business but should also be open to adjusting the same if needed. If you have a remote employee based in the UK, for example, understanding local employment expectations is vital. Services like Employer of Record in the United Kingdom help businesses navigate legal compliance and build a more structured yet flexible remote work environment.  

Feedbacks

The feedback is important for the employees as well as the manager of the team. Employees need to know how the work is going, what adjustments can be made, is it satisfying the team or not? etc. Feedback should be given often. Don’t hesitate to give constructive feedback. Because the employees also learn from the feedback. It makes them feel acknowledged and valued at work.

Rewards and Recognitions

Giving rewards and recognition to the employees is a simple yet effective way to manage and engage remote employees. It encourages them to work more efficiently. Small achievements of the employees should also be celebrated. Recognition of good work makes the employees feel more connected, appreciated, and valued.

Be Available

The remote employees are not connected via face-to-face interactions with the manager. They should not feel isolated and disoriented in the remote workplace. That’s why it is important to build connections and be available for the employees. Listen to their issues and suggestions to make them feel an important part of the organization.

Keep the Employees Updated

The remote employees should be updated on projects, goals, team progress, and company news. They can be easily left out of the information that is circulated at the office place, so they should be connected through the tools which make them updated about the company goals, new projects, and progress updates. Check-in regularly with the employees for one on one or meetings to make them reach the important information.  When the remote employees feel part of the play, they are more empowered in their work

 Celebrate Success

Managers should celebrate the work milestones with the remote employees. The success comes when all of the team members work with honesty and motivation. So while celebrating the success, all team members should be a part of it. It could be through a video call or group chat with the team.

Keep your team feel valued and connected by implementing the above tips. Remote employees are an important part of the organization. Leadership plays a vital role in managing and engagement of remote employees. Studies show that 70% of employee engagement is the direct result of great leadership. So, the leaders should put their best efforts to manage and engage the remote employees.  

Authenticity is the secret to collaborative innovation and performance. To create an environment that fosters authenticity, you need to create an environment that allows each person to be themselves. When people do their best work, they are free to be themselves. This is the first step in creating a productive company culture and growing your business.

Authenticity in the workplace allows you to be more comfortable showing your true self when interacting with other people. It may show up as a few different things, including:

• Showing your personality and being yourself
• Having a sense of psychological safety
• Being valued for the qualities and characteristics you possess

To build an authentic workplace, show up as your true self and empower your team to do the same. Authentic workplaces outperform the competition by retaining their top talent and creating the conditions for great work.

7 effective ways to promote authenticity at work

Authentic leaders are the key to authentic employees. When you’re authentic, you set an example for your team. This not only builds trust but also gives them permission to be more authentic as well. So if you want your team to be more authentic, start with being more authentic yourself. The five effective ways to promote authenticity at work are as follows:

1. Access to Information:  A company-wide transparency strategy is a useful tool to promote unity. In today’s transparent business world, it’s crucial to keep all employees informed about the status of your projects. Whether it’s through a meeting or a simple email, you should share your company’s overall metrics and results. This will help everyone feel like a part of something bigger than themselves, which promotes unity and team spirit. It’s important if everyone has the same goal in mind. Employees require access to the information that shows their progress towards the overall goal.

2. Open Communication:   A quick look at the company’s internal communication will tell you a lot about its growth and structure. For example, if an employee has many questions, that means he/she is not comfortable with the company’s leadership. Also, it is important to note how often the employees communicate with each other. This can be an important factor that helps explain a company’s success. Good communication is important among employees at all levels of the company. Monthly AMAs(Ask Me Anything) is essential, as well as team check-ins and one-on-ones. It’s also important for employees to have access to their leadership teams. This will create an environment of trust, which will lead to more open communication.

3. Admit Mistakes and Errors:  When you make a mistake, take responsibility. Don’t be afraid to tell your customers that you messed up. Acknowledge your faults, and they will reward you with their trust. It seems hard to believe, but admitting mistakes will actually gain you trust from customers. Being a leader is about keeping self-doubt in check and helping others. If you’ve made a mistake, apologize — you’ll win people’s trust. The same applies to the employees also, if they make a mistake, guide them where they did wrong and how they can rectify those mistakes.

4. Don’t fake listening:  An authentic manager should always listen to his employees. Because sometimes you fake that you are listening but actually you are not present there or thinking about something else. this can create a barrier between you and your team. You will not get to know what your team has to convey to you and the team may get disappointed in you. There is a challenge with many managers because they were trained in active listening, which is where you lean in, look at the speaker and say, “yes” and “uh-huh.” But are you really listening? Or is your mind doing something else?

5. Give Honest Feedback:  Communication is a two-way street in a transparent workplace, and leaders must ask for feedback both ways. When receiving challenging feedback, ensure comments are acknowledged and addressed. If we want a transparent workplace, we need to do more than just relay information top-down; instead, leaders should ask for feedback both ways. When you receive challenging feedback, make sure you acknowledge your comments and address them.

6. Keep Boundaries:  You shouldn’t be careless or overshare. Before you decide to share something with others, ask yourself, “Why am I sharing this?” Your employees are not your family, and they are not your closest friends. Don’t confuse authenticity with saying whatever you want without regard for other people. But most of all, don’t dump your personal stuff on other people at work. If you’re dealing with a serious issue in your life, I suggest that you talk to a counselor.

7. Practice what you Preach:  Nowadays, employees are more aware of whether their leaders deliver on their promises. They are searching for competence and ethical behavior, so make sure you deliver and keep your word when committing to an improvement or change.

Employee recognition is a meaningful component of every business, but it often goes unnoticed or unrealized as an essential part of the culture. It can boost employee engagement, reduce turnover, increase productivity, and build purpose within teams when an employee recognition program is executed correctly.

Employee recognition can be diverse into two ways – structured and unstructured.

Structured recognitions are more formal and often involve programs that are run by senior leaders, who offer praise and awards to their employees. It is also known as top-down recognition.

Unstructured recognition is the new approach to recognition. Managers create environments in which employees are free to spontaneously recognize each other for work well done. It is also known as peer recognition.

Steps to Create an Employee Recognition Program

There are many different ways a company can organize its employee recognition program based on the size of the company and the structure within it, but we’ve outlined 6 steps below to help you create an employee recognition program. These are as follows:

1. Determine and Clarify your vision:  Before you begin developing an employee recognition program, you have to determine your reasons for doing so.

• Goals and Benefits: You have to determine the goals, expectations, and target outcomes from employee rewards and recognition. Identify the purpose of using the program. Is it to increase the level of employee involvement? Increase sales? Or establishing a better corporate culture? Once you have set your main goal, it will be much easier to build a plan that will work to achieve your goals.

• Carve out a Budget: It is important to provide a cost estimate to avoid overspending or a negative ROI (including hidden costs). What works best for a smart budget. For smaller companies, balancing prize costs with a recognition system is more likely. However, when it comes to medium and large companies, things can get a lot more complicated.

2. Select a committee:  When you put together an employee rewards and recognition program, it’s important to form a committee. Even if you have a small company, set up a team dedicated to implementing, managing, and establishing the program. A well-chosen committee will help you keep track of everything by communicating and reinforcing the rewards. While you build your committee, the team should keep these tips in mind:

• Good knowledge of the program
• Shows interest in the program,
• Leadership initiative,
• Belief in company values.
• Once you have formed the committee, keep track of employee success such as work anniversaries, employee birthdays, and promotions. All are excellent occasions to reward and appreciate.

3. Clearly define Characteristics:  There are important characteristics that should be considered while creating employee recognition program. These are:

• On time: Recognition is important. It can inspire people to do better. When you delay recognition, you deny your employees the impact of the recognition. In order to reap the benefits of employee recognition, you must give it as soon as an employee achieves their goal. It’s a good practice to acknowledge small accomplishments along with big ones.

• Specific: Recognition is more meaningful when distinct accomplishments get celebrated. It is a good idea to be specific with your employees because it lets them know what kind and amount of performance will bring in praise as well as rewards. It makes people feel that good performance is tied to great incentives.

• Value based: When it comes to rewards and recognition, the most important thing is that they align with your company values. If you have a set of deeply held values, make sure that the rewards you give out to employees reflect them.

4. Define a Criteria:  Rewards and appreciation in the workplace should be clear and attainable. The best way to show your employees that you care is to set up a program where they can be rewarded and appreciated for their good work. To make rewards meaningful, you need to decide what form of good work is rewarded. The concept is to encourage behaviors that you want to see flourish in your company. Consider the following in your mind:

• What type of behaviours should be rewarded?
• How should the said behaviours be rewarded?
• How often should you recognize your employees?

5. Successful implementation of the program:  Before you create a company culture program, send out a survey to your employees. Let them share areas of improvement. Consider the feedback and use it to make any needed changes. After you’ve launched your program, review its effectiveness with a follow-up survey after three months. Did employees notice a change? If so, great! If not, use the data you gathered from the survey to make any needed changes to the program.

6. Measure program effectiveness and make adjustments:  Recognition programs are great, but the only way to be sure they’re working is to measure their results. Employees tend to respond best to rewards that are tied directly to their performance. In this new era, you must reward your employees for their accomplishments. You can’t just leave your rewards and recognition as they are. Instead, you have to regularly review them and adjust them to meet the constantly evolving needs of your workforce.

Hiring is a challenging task which takes a lot of money and consumes much effort. Is this candidate the best fit for the workplace? Will this candidate help in prospering my company? Does this candidate have the talents and skills required for this position? You ask many questions when hiring a new recruit and it confuses you to find the right fit so here are a few tips on how to hire the best talents.

1-Find them when they are young

Hiring the best talents is a crucial step you are not the only business hiring in the market. Many of the best talents are already working in a job that makes them comfortable already. One of the best ways is to be in touch with some of the best universities in order to search for new talents. Organize internships for students who are still in universities and search for the best of them and try to keep in touch with them so that when they graduate, they come to your business immediately and apply for a job.

2-Keep references in mind

Many employees leave their jobs, but they have a very good reputation at their previous jobs that they were good at it and productive in so many ways. Connecting with your friends through various social media platforms in order to take notes of good employees who are looking for jobs. References are very important when hiring an employee because they will tell you if the employee at question is skilled or not and was they good at their previous job, you can also press them, so they mention the employee’s talents.

3-Think out of the box when interviewing

When applying for a certain job candidates keep in mind the conventional questions, so be creative and find new ways to know the candidate’s talents and understand them more. Challenge the candidates in order to find out how would they think and act under the circumstances. Another way to think out of the box when interviewing candidates is letting your employees help, you are not only searching for the best talent you must consider the fitting of the newly recruited to the whole workplace.

4-Ask them about their talent directly

Its not always a bad thing to ask them about their talents. What is your natural talent that feels like breathing? This is a good question to be asked, it is a simple yet an important one. This question will help you to understand your candidates more and know more about them and their talents.

5-Your current employees can be of great help

Your current employees can help you in finding new talents, you can ask them to refer a friend or a family member to you. You can ask your current employees about the candidates, and this will make the HR management do less work by doing less background check. When doing this idea, you have to offer a bonus to your current employees if the new recruit stays at your business for more than six months so that your employees refer you to the best of their friends and family.

6-Focus on prior experiences

When searching for new recruits HR management should focus on the prior experiences and the activities done by this individual. Prior experience may give you a partial image about this individual’s talents and how would they act under work stress.

7-Give your candidates an assignment

Try giving your candidates an assignment to see how they do in action and understand their way of thinking. How the candidates solve this assignment will sow you their talents and their commitment to get accepted at your job. Give them a real assignment that needs a solution at your business and listen to their opinions it may be a unique one that will make you find the best talents out there in your candidates.

8- Take a look at your current employees

Your focus should not be solely aimed at hiring only, you should take a look at your current employees and give them challenging assignments to learn more about them and their talents.You could use an Employees management software to take a look at your current employees and know their stats and skills.

9-Consider hiring part-timers

Put in mind that some of the best talents are already in jobs, but some of them search for a part-time job or search for gigs. considering hiring those will help increase your business productivity and makes you use their talents. By using this method, you can rest at ease from the fear of employee turnover because part-timers and gig workers won’t be staying for long at your business.

10-Work from home employees

Due to covid-19 pandemic many of the best talents are looking for work from home jobs, so they can be safe and have a flexible schedule. Offering remote working can increase your hiring criteria and you will surely land on some of the best talents out there. These talents must come to the work place every now and then to know the targets and aims of your business

11-Attracting the attention of the talented on social media

Social media has shown to attract attention of its users considerably in this era. Developing your own brand on social media will surely attract amazing talents to your business when there are vacant positions. Make your own Facebook page with your business accomplishments and what you do, so that when users see it, they are attracted and want to apply for a job at it. Developing your own website can also be very useful in attracting the best talents attention.

12-Treat the candidates like you treat your current employees

When interviewing your potential recruits treating them nicely will make them more comfortable and show you their true self. This method will make you know their talents and understand them more and then you can decide if they fit perfectly at your workplace or not.

Summary

HR management should focus on hiring the best talents out there and find ways to keep them at bay, because turnover rates are increasing. Hiring should also be focused on hiring the best fit and best talent for your business to make your workplace run smoothly. The better the fit and talent the, the more it pushes your business to greater lengths and achievements.

Trust in the workplace is the bedrock for building strong teams, creating a positive work environment, and producing the best results. The ability to motivate your employees is built entirely on trust. Employees who trust their colleagues and their leader are more likely to be open, honest, compassionate, collaborative, and encouraging. All of which improve innovation and productivity. When there is trust in the workplace, it becomes more enjoyable and motivated to work with them. The employees must believe in you and have confidence in your decisions, so they can perform their best. The employees are more likely to be committed to reaching their peak potential while having trust in the workplace.

There are simple ways of building trust you make the team comfortable with you, they can rely on you, feel confident in your abilities and intentions, and feel motivated to work with you. When the team trusts each other, they are more likely to work together on projects for the benefit of the organization and enjoy doing so. Trustful workplace culture is developed through values, hard work, and strong teamwork. Teamwork increases productivity too, so having trust in the workplace can also make the organization successful.

9 most effective ways to build trust in the workplace

1. Be honest and supportive

The team members should know that you will be honest with them all the time. Even when the times get tough, they need to know that you will give them the facts and help them get through it. At the same time, you also need to be sensitive to their feelings and be constructive in your criticism.

2. Don’t be a micromanager

When the team leader should not micromanage the decisions and workflow of the team members. Because if team leaders do so, the team members don’t feel inspired to take initiative and they may start believing that their leader doesn’t trust them to do the right thing on their own.

To avoid the negative effects of micromanaging, you need to let your employees take ownership of their responsibilities. You can set some boundaries for them without making them feel controlled by you.  

3. Address the problems

An employee’s loyalty is based on how much they trust their boss. When work problems arise, the most important factor in establishing trust and reducing turnover is for a supervisor to respond positively. Most bosses don’t do this, though—three-quarters of employees state their leader does not consistently respond to work issues in a constructive way.

4. Live your values

People learn about an organization’s culture by watching the behavior of its management. Therefore, you should work hard to be a good role model. Give credit where due and be appreciative of what your team members do for you, this will help build trust and loyalty in your team. By setting a good example, you can help employees learn what it means to work well as a team.

5. One Step Ahead

Building trust in the workplace is about more than following a checklist—it’s about being yourself and acting as a team player. Trust is built by acting like an honest, trustworthy person and by supporting your colleagues when they are present and when they are not. If you talk about other employees behind their backs, other employees will naturally be afraid that you could do the same thing to them. One way to build trust within a team is by being respectful of each of its members and by ensuring that every action you take supports your image as a dedicated, hardworking team leader.

6. Competency is crucial

As a team leader, your team members are not only looking to you for support and encouragement but also as a source of guidance. Your leadership position often means you are perceived as the person with the most experience and knowledge, which makes it vital that you demonstrate those skills and abilities in the workplace.

7. Sharing information is essential

Sharing information is important for many reasons, not the least of which is that it encourages a sense of teamwork. It also gives your employees an opportunity to get to know you better as their manager. Sharing data helps you establish credibility with your team members.

8. Pay Attention to Body Language

You can know whether someone is genuinely listening to you by observing their body language. Avoiding eye contact and crossing your arms may make you seem shifty, uncomfortable, or dishonest. Staying engaged in the conversation by leaning towards the speaker and making eye contact may make it easier for employees to approach you with issues or concerns.

9. Be reliable

Keeping your word is one of the most effective ways to build trust. If you tell someone that you will do something—finish a report, read a memo—then you should follow through on that promise. People respect your honesty and integrity if you can admit when you can’t keep a promise. People will view you as a person that is dependable and trustworthy when you follow through with your promises.

Mindset is the foundation of the success and failure of any organization. The most successive organizations are known to be oriented on growth. A manager has to build a learning-oriented culture at the workplace and help the employees switch from a fixed mindset to a growth mindset.

A growth mindset provides motivation and support to employees to progress in their careers. It is beneficial for the employees as well as the business. An employee who has a growth mindset believes that success comes from the right effort and time.

The psychologist ‘Carol Dweck’ says that success comes from the right mindset rather than intelligence, talent, or education. She categorized mindset into two types:

Fixed mindset

People with a fixed mindset believe that they are inborn with certain intelligence, skills, and abilities that cannot be changed. They fear that they might not succeed the challenges often stops them from progressing.

Growth mindset

People with a growth mindset believe that they can learn from experiences, develop their skills and improve with practice. They embrace challenges and lead to greater achievement.

Developing the growth mindset in employees

Help the employees learn the growth mindset in the following ways:

Establish the workplace environment:

The growth mindset requires establishing an environment where openness, transparency, and risk take place. As these will help to make it easier for the employees to adopt the growth mindset.

• Openness: The ideas and suggestions for the growth of the organization should be given openly to the employees. In the same way, employees should be open to sharing the issues and feedback with the managers.
• Transparency: There should be transparency in the organization. The vision, strategies, goals of the organization should be transparent. It helps to build the growth mindset of the employees in the organization.
• Risk-taking: Growth comes from new experiments and the implementation of new ideas. So, the risk factor automatically gets involved while we experiment with new things. The employees should be ready to take risks.

Learning from success and failures:

Nobody likes to fail in their lives. But, when projects don’t succeed, the managers should not demotivate the employees. It will bring their confidence levels low and they might not share any ideas in the future. Instead, managers should encourage the growth mindset of the employees by making them learn from their failures. Also, celebrate the success of the employees and make it a part of their learning. The learning doesn’t end while you achieve success, you can learn from your success also. Learning from success is as important as from failure. They both provide a practical approach to learning to the employees.  

Individual Development:

The individual developments include encouraging the employees to stretch themselves into the new area of development. The employees attend training and development programs to adopt the new changes and get fit into them. The employees who take part in these programs indicate that their organization believes in themselves as potential employees. It promotes a growth mindset at the individual levels. It ultimately benefits the organization and retains valuable employees. The organization achieves its growth and development when the employees have reached their own growth and development.

Evaluate Performance, not Output:

The performance should be evaluated based on learning, not based on output given by the employees. The employees always learn from their work, they may fail or succeed in their job, but ultimately they learn. So, learning plays a very significant role in employee performance evaluation.

While developing the growth mindset in the employees of the organization, this approach changes the evaluation method of the performance. It helps in the growth of the employees and the organization gets the best from the employees.

Recognize Individual Accomplishments:

The employees need recognition of their achievements to stay motivated. Always recognize every small achievement of the employees and celebrate them. The recognition gives them the motivation to make more efforts to reach their goals. When a team gets successful, it should be considered as the achievement of the whole team, not just the manager. Individual accomplishments within the group should also be recognized and rewarded.

This helps in building the growth mindset in which the employees are willing to step out of their comfort zone to take initiatives and reasonable risks as well.

Feedback:

The employees assume that they are working their best unless they get feedback from the managers or given a day off as an award, which gives the idea of how their performance is. Feedback help to know where their performance stands and how to make it better.

In a growth mindset, the employee often shares and requests feedback. By actively listening to the feedback of the manager, the employee develops a tactical plan to improve his performance. It is also recommended to document the feedback and goals so that both managers and employees have access to them. Meaningful feedback can actually help to develop the employees. 

Accountability in workplace means accomplishing the goals and responsibilities that you said you will do. Furthermore, commitment and employee morale rise as a result of it, which in turn leads to greater productivity.

Accountability fosters job satisfaction, and better work relationships, and helps the team work more effectively together. When your team holds each other accountable in a supportive way, it can help you have better performance discussions.

When the team has a lack of accountability, they have to face poor performance, low team morale, increased employee turnover, and decreased output.

Accountability is not just something to think about during quarterly reviews or when something goes wrong. High-performance teams practice accountability every single day through open communication, sharing commitments, and reporting on their progress.

10 Ways to build accountability in the Workplace

Building accountability at the workplace requires following the following steps:

1. Hold yourself accountable first

As a manager, you are the one who sets the culture for the team. So, you have to first perform in a certain way to make the team follow you and do the same. If you’re self-motivated and can hold yourself accountable, you might be in a good position to improve accountability in your workplace. If you are continuously showing up to meetings late, pushing deadlines, and not owning up to your mistakes, the team will follow the suit.

2. Define goals

The team manager should define the goals properly to the team members. The team can work effectively only when they know the goals of the organization. There are a few tasks and responsibilities that each team member has to perform within the prescribed time. These are assigned by the manager of the team.

3. Hold each other accountable

It’s the responsibility of the manager to hold the team accountable. The manager as well as the team members are accountable for their duties and responsibilities. When it comes to company accountability, communication is key. So, communicate clearly to convey the best you have for the team.

4. Give feedback- often

The manager has to evaluate the progress of the team and give feedback from time to time. Your team’s performance is entirely influenced and transformed by your positive or negative expectations. So keep expecting from your employees and give them feedback regularly to get the best output from them.

5. Consider the thoughts of the team

Most people are not trying to be difficult or make mistakes but it somehow happens. They may not even know that it affects the team negatively. The manager should approach such employees and explain this to them is the best way of improving their personal issues and accountability in the workplace.

6. Be tough with the team often

When the team does something wrong, the manager needs to hold them accountable for that and behave in a tough manner. Some managers ignore this because they don’t want to be in a negative position. But at that particular time, they should only think about the situation that has gone wrong. Ask questions and gaining insight into the employee’s perspective on why a certain result occurred is a good way to do this.

7. Provide opportunities for improvement

The manager should always provide opportunities for improvement to the employees. It is important that you make it clear to your employees that you have a genuine interest in supporting their professional and personal development. Knowing that you are investing time in your employee’s success is going to motivate them to continue learning and growing. They become a valuable part of the company. 

8. The whole system matters

The whole system here means that every single person in the workplace matters for accountability. The manager should focus on every individual player, such as:

• The poor performer
• Someone who often fails to follow through
• The one who just isn’t pulling their weight

So, they all are equally important to the team, and they all should be considered while managing the team.

9. Recognize and celebrate progress

The manager should always take time to recognize the achievements of the team. These achievements should be celebrated in the workplace. It keeps the team motivated and they keep performing their best toward their goals, which benefits the business. It is just a way of appreciating the efforts of the team and keeping their spirits high.

10. Emotional Intelligence is required

Emotional intelligence helps you deal with people effectively. Some people don’t realize how their behavior impacts others. As a manager, it is your job to be kind, find the root cause of the problem, and establish a mutual way forward. Through your conversation, concentrate on maintaining employees’ self-esteem by showing concern for the individual as well as for the company’s needs. Always seek to understand the intentions behind certain actions, and why those actions were taken or tasks were performed.  

Companies today are judged by their capability to retain talent. The hiring market is saturated but tight – everyone wants to have the best minds in the field. Similarly, the best minds in the field want to invest their time and efforts into an organization where they feel valued – both psychologically and financially. After all, employee turnover brings unwanted disruptions. An employer must know how to retain top talents, and this retention plan guide will help them on that quest.

Recognize a Job Well Done

Appreciation and gratitude for a stellar product and valiant effort and extremely important to the staff’s willingness to dedicate their efforts. When an employee receives the same feedback for a superior product vs a run-of-the-mill one, chances are, they are not going to put in more time and effort each time and therefore, feel unimportant and under-utilized. Show them that you are thankful for their incredible performance at work.

Upgrade Poor Performance and Reward Best Performers

While rewarding a job well done is vital, it’s just as important to talk about subpar performance. All your employees shouldn’t be treated the exact same way, as it might lead to the best employees feeling undervalued. Acknowledge your top performers, and help the low performers improve their condition.

Promote from the Core

You most likely have a number of employees that are competent for various jobs within your firm and have been a part of the company for years in hopes of getting a promotion. Provide your personnel with a crystal clear direction and growth goals. Work with your staff to learn how they are achieving their goals and objectives (such as a promotion, a raise, a management position, and more.).

Don’t Ruin the Fun

Incorporate entertaining activities in the office if you want to make sure the employees are motivated and willing to do their best at work. Fostering a joyful work atmosphere helps to retain your finest employees and makes the office a place where your staff wants to come in every day.

Promote a Sense of Ownership within Your Employees

It’s critical to provide your staff with the tools they need to do their jobs well and to demonstrate that you believe in them and their abilities. Involve your staff in the decision-making process. Make your employees understand why they are being approached to do the task and how it makes a significant contribution to the organization’s success.

Be Flexible with Time Off Work

Vacation days are crucial to the well-being, morale, productivity, and performance of your workforce. Making employees feel uneasy about using their allocated paid days off not only deprives them of much-needed resting time but also acts as a driver for them to look into employment elsewhere.

Create an Employee Retention Strategy

You put the company in danger of losing staff to rivals if you don’t have a retention plan in place. Make an effort to speak with each of your employees personally; devise tactics to guarantee that your best performers are satisfied and not in the mood to “jump ship.”

Be Competitive

Try to keep an eye on what your rivals are up to when it comes to keeping their employees happy. If possible, surpass their efforts. You want your people to feel that their company is better than others in the business. It will motivate them to stick along and be thankful for their place rather than seek other employers who will offer more.

Disadvantages of High Employee Turnover Rate

Whenever an employee resigns, it is not as simple as hiring a new replacement to do the job for you.

Instead, you need to examine and investigate the root cause that causes them to leave your company. It is easy to say that employee turnover rate is inevitable, but you cannot deny that you have to pay a huge price for it.

Here are the two negative side effects of a high turnover rate:

High Cost

You will be shocked when you know the exorbitant cost of a high employee turnover rate. According to Employee Benefits News, a single turnover can cost businesses up to 33% of a staff’s yearly compensation. Furthermore, millennial churn bleeds the US economy dry of $30.5 billion every year.

You may be asking why it is so pricey. Where do all of the expenses come from?

When an employee resigns, a company must begin the recruitment process all over again.

It often includes recruitment costs, interview costs, post-interview costs, employment costs, training costs, and opportunity costs. When all of the expenditures are tallied, it’s a large quantity of money!

As a result, maintaining your top staff is preferable to acquire a new replacement. Otherwise, you’ll be throwing money away.

Decreased Workplace Morale

Security is a basic human need. When people move in and out of a firm, it creates a destructive ripple effect. When someone quits, another person has to step in and take control of the ex-employees work tasks and responsibilities.

Your present employees will thus have a longer list of unending tasks, and this will evidently put a strain on them – both mental and physical. If you fail to hire a good new replacement as soon as possible, the cycle becomes endless. Eventually, your present employees will feel disengaged, demotivated, burnt out, and uninspired. They will surely face a negative spiral and once they are tired of tolerating it, they will resign.

Remember that low morale in the workplace is a silent killer. So, it’s best to recognize this problem and fix it quickly. Else, as negativity is contagious, your other employees will feel the blues very soon.

Final Thoughts

With the ongoing talent gap in many sectors, companies are striving to find new talent and hold onto them. In this condition, understanding your employees’ needs and tending to them works wonders in retaining them.

Every company operates an internal communication system. Communication is very important whether it’s a big multinational or a small start-up. Management always stresses maintaining communication with the employees to ensure a better workflow. Companies distribute important announcements, bonuses, holidays, etc., via their mode of communication. Many companies have intricately designed newsletters as well. These newsletters and employee emails are distributed among employees on different regularities- weekly, bi-weekly, monthly, etc.

It is not enough to just design emails and newsletters for the employees. What is the use of all the effort if they never open it? Our mailboxes are often flooded with advertisements, junk mail, and such. People don’t check their emails every day unless they are required to. Companies should find out the best time to send emails to their employees if they want them to actually read the emails.

The Best Day to Send Emails

Monday

Monday is probably top of the list for being the worst day to send emails. People just start to get back to work after the weekend. They are in no rush to scan through their emails on the first day of the working days. People often like to laze around on the weekends. So, they are not so happy when Monday rolls around, and they have to jump back into a hectic routine.

Many newsletters and weekly emails are scheduled to be sent out on Mondays. If you decide to crowd the mailbox further with work emails, there is a high chance of the emails not being opened.

Tuesday to Thursday

After Monday, employees are in a groove with their tasks. Their productivity is at its most during this time. Employees are likely to check their mailbox for new emails between their work. From Tuesday to Thursday, you can send out emails on any day with the expectation of having them opened.

Friday

Friday is a hit-or-miss when it comes to sending employee emails. The chances of employees actually checking their mailbox on this day is 50-50. There are two sets of employees- one who likes to get everything wrapped up before the weekend so they can start fresh next week. They are the ones who will check their emails on Friday and sort through them before their leisure weekends.

The other category of employees is those who just need the weekend to start. They do not care about what comes next week. These employees will just wrap up the tasks at hand and call it a day. They will not check their emails on a Friday for fear of having their weekend ruined.

If you miss out on sending an email on the peak days (Tuesday to Thursday), you can consider Friday since you have a 50% chance of the emails being opened.

Weekends

You might think weekends are a good time to send emails since people relax and have plenty of time on their hands. Maybe they will pop open the mailbox and dig through the mail in hopes of finding something worthwhile. The number of people who associate themselves with checking emails on the weekend is dangerously low.

Your employees will avoid anything work-related on weekends or on their days off if they can help with it. They will definitely not open a working mail on their day off. So avoid the weekends to send out emails if you wish for them to be opened.

The Best Time to Send Mails

Many people consider early mornings to be the best time for sending mail since employees might check their mailboxes before starting the day. But, how do you know your employee even has the time to check their emails in the morning? What if their alarm did not go off, and they were just rushing to get ready for work? They will not have the time to check their emails when looking for a fresh pair of socks.

A good time to send emails is from 10 AM to 12 PM. By this time, employees are at their workstations, and they are in full productivity mode. They will go through their emails between work and add any important announcements to their calendar.

Another decent time to send emails is in the afternoon, somewhere between 1 and 3 PM. Many employees have lunch breaks during this time. They will probably check their emails during lunch or after getting back from lunch.

Avoid sending emails during after-hours. Like with weekends, most employees will not even bother checking their emails after they call it a day.

Worth the Click

You can pick the best time to send out employee emails and still have them unopened if your emails are not worth reading. Your emails should catch your employees’ attention, so they are compelled to click on them. If they find your email uninteresting or think it will just waste their time, they will probably ignore it or just put it in the trash.

If it is an important announcement, make sure you mention it clearly in the subject. As for regular work emails or scheduled company emails, make them interesting. No one will open your emails unless they are intrigued enough.

Bottom Line

In this digital age, everyone is bombarded with emails, no matter their age or profession. You can find newsletters flooding a teenager’s mailbox because they browsed through some websites at one point. People are often lazy or unbothered to actually unsubscribe from unwanted emails. You need to ensure your emails will not be lost in the sea of unwanted junk. The key is to stay relevant to reach your target audience.

If you are confident about your email content and are still not being opened, you pick the wrong time to send them. You need the best time to send emails to employees if you want the emails to be received and opened.