How to End Awkward Employee Encounters

How to End Awkward Employee Encounters Ever felt like your workplace is full of Toms, Dicks and Harries who  dont know each other  from bars of soap? Is the summer party a disaster waiting to happen? A  company full of mutual strangers can be damaging to its working culture, often inhibiting overall productivity as well as personal  performances.  While you cant force friendships in the office, you  can encourage employees to get to know each other by  creating opportunities to mingle. If your companys culture  needs a makeover, heres where  to begin: Start with the new starters Set good habits  from day dot. When newcomers join the business,  have their manager  walk them around the office and introduce them to everyone in the organisation. If you work in a  massive company with thousands of employees,  draw the line at the rest of the department or the same floor. While the new starter wont remember everyones name, this exercise will turn  a bunch of strangers into a network of familiar faces.  Its also a good heads up on who the newbie is for everyone else. (Yes, they will be wondering). Give the kitchen a makeover If I had a pound  for every hot drink Ive made  at work, Id  probably be  able to afford a personalised coffee van to park by my desk all day long. The office kitchen should be a hub for social interaction a place to prepare breakfast and lunch or brew a tea while having a casual conversation with the people you dont work directly with. Heres some food for thought: why not go one step further and add some chairs and tables, so people can enjoy more than just a brief moment away from their desk in a common area with other colleagues? Adding a TV or scattering some newspapers and magazines on the benches  can also  add  to the relaxed vibe and keep people coming back  to mingle. Sign up to support  a charity Nothing brings people together better than a good, deserving cause. Pick an organisation and encourage employees to help raise money. Holding different fundraising activities that cater to different personalities will help  employees network with colleagues who share  common interests.    Another option is  using  Everydayhero, which  allows individuals get behind a cause that matters to them, and enlist support from peers. Sponsor a company  sports team Think mixed netball, dodgeball, five-a-side football  The key here is to downplay the competitiveness and promote teamwork. The  mutual respect and  sportsmanship this creates among colleagues will no doubt carry across to the office and rub off on other employees.  Find a  corporate sporting league that offers local after-hours games, put together a team and go get em, Tiger! Tip: Perhaps go for a non-contact  sport if youre worried about having an office full of broken arms and legs! Also, remember to change the sport  up each season so as many people can get involved as possible. Schedule  inter-team meetings If only for 15 minutes, facilitate catch up sessions  that include people from different areas of the business. This will encourage collaboration among colleagues outside of their immediate teams, and create a professional forum  for raising issues. Take a holistic approach to supporting a positive corporate culture, by encouraging teams to work cohesively with other teams as well. Here, ignorance is NOT bliss. Understanding what other teams are working on can minimise a blaming culture when things go wrong. Try hot-desking If  the  office layout is as old as the dinosaurs, then the approach to corporate culture is likely dated too. While not everyone will be a fan of moving to a new spot each week,  hot desking  is  a technique that  fosters freshness and encourages employees to get to know other people in the same building.  Its important to shake up the workspace from time to time  try  rearranging tables, chairs and seating arrangements. Publish regular  internal newsletters Send around frequent  communications emails to staff members, showcasing  company  statistics, achievements, employee profiles and other employee-related news. Be sure to include plenty of photos (and name labels!) so workers  can learn  the faces of distant colleagues, without even having to talk to them! A newsletter format can be effective treat it like a weekly or monthly highlight reel that promotes positivity and celebration of success. It can also be a great vehicle for informing employees of upcoming events, major workplace changes and company initiatives. What are your top tips for axing awkwardness in the office? Image: Shutterstock

Cash or card What payment option should you offer your clients

Cash or card What payment option should you offer your clients Payment is an uncomfortable topic for most companies. Whether you’re a large company not sure where to store large sums of cash, or if you have doubts about how to go about small business credit card processing, payment always presents a plethora of options, each with its own benefits and its own headaches. Luckily, point of sales systems are here to save the day. Bringing structure and synergy to any company, POS systems allow businesses to conduct sales transactions, as well as to handle a number of other activities, including inventory management, returns and exchanges and tracking customer behaviour- they really are an integral part of every company. So just what is a POS system? Back in the day, cashiers used to manually punch every item into the till, in what was a tedious process prone to mistakes. In comes the POS terminal, a computerised replacement for a cash register. This normally comprises of a personal computer as its core, along with specific integrated programmes for your particular environment. Nowadays, POS systems can be found in most industries, like lodging, retailing and restaurants. How does it help my businesses? At this point you might be thinking: “It sounds good, but do I really need it?” And you’re right to ponder, especially since you’ll probably have to fork out a grand for such a system. However, the benefits you’ll get it return will be worth every penny. The biggest advantage of a POS system is the instantaneous and accurate assessment of your inventory. Every good that gets rung up is automatically subcontracted from your inventory list, each time an employee cashes out a customer. With upkeep of inventory being the most laborious and time-consuming activity for any business, just think about the time you’ll save and the mistakes you’ll avoid from having to do it all by hand! Not only that, but the POS system also lets you know when that good has reached its reorder point. In addition to this, by tracking customer behaviour, the POS system helps you lead your business in the right direction, by signalling your most loyal customers and pinpointing emerging trends. With the customers purchase history available at the push of a button, any attentive cashier would be able to inform a tea lover that a new stock of herbal tea has just come in, surprising the client with top-notch customer service and pulling in an extra buck for the company. The Future Above all, it is the way of the future- it is 2017 and we should be embracing every available bit of technology that we can in order to help us be as successful, efficient, and forward thinking as possible. When it comes to the competitive world of business- those businesses that do not move with the times are the ones that get left behind that is just the way it is! For those that want to be at the forefront of their industry, giving competitors a run for their money- a POS is the way forward! With an array of systems available, there is the ideal system tailor-made to your own company needs.

The Real Cost of Crappy Clothes

The Real Cost of Crappy Clothes As featured on womenco.com! Girls: Tell me the truth. What do you do Friday after work when you know you have a jam packed weekend ahead? What do you do after a recent breakup or terrible week? I hope you have a better answer than I do, because I go shopping (and occasionally dye my hair too, but thats another story). Anyways, yes-I go shopping. The girl who writes about putting money into your 401(k), building an emergency fund, buying a home and paying off your credit card debt. Theres just something about a quick $20 fix that holds me over and distracts me from reality. I dont feel guilty at the moment because of course I justify that a $20 top is way cheaper than buying one from a nicer store which could cost almost $100. For $100 bucks I could buy 5 new things AND new earrings from a store like Forever 21! Right? Well, last night I started cleaning out my clothes in preparation for my upcoming move. As I went through my stuff, I realized that I hate half of my clothes and could care less if I ever see them again. Where are all these clothes I hate from?   Cheap stores that  shall remain nameless. They have not held up to my washing machine, the colors fade, the stitching comes out, and after a few months they look dated and cheap. Dare I use the term disposable clothing in a time of economic despair? Then I think about the skirt suit I am wearing today. It is from White House Black Market and Ive had it for well over a year and I wear it all the time. It has great thick woven fabric that makes it look like a Chanel suit, a skinny white belt and a great fitting jacket. Every time I wear it, it feels like a new suit and I feel great. I wouldnt even THINK about throwing it away or replacing it. So now my brain is curious. What is cheaper: buying a $300 outfit and wearing it for 2 years, or buying a $60 outfit and wearing it 3 times? Lets say I wear my WHBM suit an average of 3 times per month over the period of 2 years. That is 72 wears. The cost per use of this fabulous suit is $300/72= $4.17. Now lets look at the cheap outfit. Lets say you wear a $20 top, with a $30 cropped jacket over it and $10 worth of cheap jewelry (which will undoubtedly break or change colors immediately). Lets say I wear the outfit a total of 3 times before it breaks/fades/goes out of style. $60/3=$20 per use. Fine, maybe Im being a snob. Even if you wear it 4 times, the cost is still $15 per use, which is still more than triple that of my $300 outfit. Plus we should add the cost of feeling like the outfit is lame by the 3rd time you wear it. So, I guess the financially savvy conclusion is to choose quality over quantity when buying clothes. Which means next time Im having a bad week or want to look fabulous for a night out I will need to find a new quick fix other than shopping to satisfy my need for something different.

How to Survive When Challenging People Knock You Off Your Game Marla Gottschalk

How to Survive When Challenging People Knock You Off Your Game Marla Gottschalk No one relishes the thought of meeting the client, colleague or manager whose mere mention will become synonymous with pain. However, challenging people (and the situations they create) are a work life fact. Chances are high that you will encounter one of these individuals along the way. When youve landed in a tight spot with someone who just isnt playing fair, it can feel like a tidal wave of emotions. Unfortunately the experience can leave us feeling off balance and not quite like ourselves. This can be overwhelming. Feeling undermined or attacked is traumatic â€" and emotions run high. (Completely normal.) Most of us will immediately formulate an internal counter-attack or argument. However the opportunity for this play out in real life, is often dependent on the existing power dynamic. In many cases, we simply have to process the situation to move through it. If you are not in the position to openly respond   â€" or directly defend yourself â€" you can be left with disturbing after-effects. We might feel a little hung-over, exhausted or dazed. Ultimately, encountering toxic people can affect our ability to thrive in the workplace. This is a real and present danger. So we must address the situation quickly. Here is a bit of advice to wade through the fall-out: Psychologically separate. The first thing to protect is your work life well-being. This may require applying mindfulness techniques to observe the situation from a safer psychological distance. Most human beings have a powerful response to extreme negative feedback â€" so ensure that your emotions (and feelings of worth) are not hijacked or destroyed. Think of things this way: What if the situation happened to a friend or co-worker? What advice would you offer them? Seek support. Touch base with a trusted colleague or supervisor to share your experience and gain some perspective. Knowing that you have support, will help your resolve and deter doubts from taking a foothold. Learn from the experience. A post-mortem review might be challenging â€" especially when you feel you are not at fault. However, reviewing the entire story to identify where things may have gone off the rails (and to revise future strategy) is warranted. Subtle cues can provoke someone who is already difficult to work with. Protect yourself going forward. Face reality exit the battlefield. If you feel your reputation may be at stake, attempt to exit the dynamic entirely. Request another colleague to cover the client or complete unfinished project work. Sometimes, more exposure only breeds more trouble. Give things time. The surprise of the initial shock will fade. However, how you process the experience will matter longer-term. You will change as a contributor â€" but hopefully you will also emerge wiser, stronger and better prepared. Focus on resilience-building. Learning strategies that help us bounce back are critical. Protecting our psychological resources is important, as situations where we feel misunderstood or attacked can have long-standing effects. How have you dealt with unreasonable individuals in your work life? Share your strategies here. Dr. Marla Gottschalk is an Industrial Organizational Psychologist, diagnostician and coach. A charter member of the LinkedIn Influencer Program, her posts on workplace topics have appeared at the Harvard Business review, The Huffington Post, US News World Report and The World Economic Forum

The gender pay gap is a whopping 11.5% for university graduates - Debut

The gender pay gap is a whopping 11.5% for university graduates - Debut Most of the time, were pretty even, calm and centred people at Debut HQ. But if we had to choose one thing that gets us riled up like nothing else, its a flippin pay gap. And oh boy, this one is a real doozy. New research done by American jobs website Glassdoor has revealed that women are earning an astonishing 11.5% less than men right after they graduate from university. The study revealed that America men earn a median base salary of $56,957 ( £44,409) in the first five years after graduation compared to $50,426 ( £39,363) earned by women. That statistic absolutely puts paid to the idea that the gender pay gap only becomes a problem when women reach management positions. Seriously? Why does this keep happening? Well, the study suggests that at least half of the gap is down to whats known as occupational sorting. This describes the phenomenon where men tend to cluster into degree subjects that guarantee higher paying graduate jobs more than women. Whether because they are economically essential or just male-orientated, the skills from these courses tend to reap higher rewards. The fact that women arent getting to learn these skills as much feeds into the inequality. Why is it that women arent on these courses? Oftentimes, because they have lost interest in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) subjects after being discouraged from taking them from a young age. As a result, men outnumber women on almost every STEM course. Furthermore, nine of the ten highest paying university subjects are dominated by males, whereas six of the ten lowest paying are majority female. If nothing else, that shows that we have to start addressing the issue at an even earlier stage. What can we do to address the gender pay gap? Get women into the game earlier It starts with encouraging more young women to pursue STEM subjects from a school age. Girls need to get tailored information about getting into these industries and be mentored by women who are already there. Introduce these for girls as early as Year 9 and itll lead to parity on university courses soon enough. Increased transparancy This is very important. Recently, a law came in which obliged big businesses to disclose how bad the pay gap is within their company. However, this is already being slated for not going far enough. But theres plenty we can do while waiting for the government to tighten up. Meredith Bennett-Smith argued that the best way to fight income inequality is to be open about what you make. The culture of salary secrecy allows unscrupulous bosses to get away with paying people less for the same work. So dont be afraid to have this conversation with your male and female co-workers. The responsibility isnt just down to women to fix this ever-present issue. Nor is it down to huge bodies like the government or corporations. We can all do something at an individual level to encourage a culture where everyone can thrive. It may take us a generation, but we can make the gender pay gap a thing of the past. Connect with Debut on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn for more careers insights.

Job search advice from a recruiter - Sterling Career Concepts

Job search advice from a recruiter Job search advice from a recruiter A colleague and friend of mine, Erin Kennedy, shared an insightful interview with an executiverecruiter on her blog afew days ago. (Thanks, Erin!) The recruiter, Peggy McKee of PHC Consulting, validated a couple of points Ive always touched upon with my own clients. I feltit was worth reiterating twomain themes here: If youre ina professional job search, you need to be on LinkedIn. Its true. Recruiters these daysARE researching and sourcing candidates off of social and professional networking sites. They search on things like keywords, titles, names, and groups. Ms. McKee specifically mentionedLinkedIn and Twitter.I wouldadd thatbuilding, maintaining, and protecting your online identity and brand is more important than ever. Executive recruiters and hiring managers alike are googling your name for insights good or bad. Yourtakeaways: If youre not already on LinkedIn or youre not satisfied with your LinkedIn profile, do something about it. Talk tous. We can help setyou up on LinkedIn orrefinethe content ofyour profile, and. Twitter ishere to stay. I recently readablog post that described Twitter as todays speed networking. Itsalso been said thatjob seekers can help establish themselves asexperts in their field with a blog. Microblogging on Twitter canhelpachieve this as well. If youre new to the world oftweeting, Id suggest you dip your toe in the water. At the very least, reserve your name by signing up for an account.It doesnt need to consume your time, but a couple minutes a day might improveyour job search in terms of knowledge, connections, or new ideas and possibly get your name in front of the right recruiter. A related post:How LinkedIn can help your job search Your resume needs to have compelling content that tells the reader 3 things. Oh, I was so excited when I read Ms. McKees comments about what her clients like to see on resumes, because I discuss this with every one of my clients. Your resume shouldshow a potential employer the following: Howcanyou make money? How can you save money? How can you save time? Ms. McKee shared howshe likes to see accomplishmentsbacked upby numbers, rankings, and percentages. The numbers show potential employers what youre capable of achieving. Your takeaway: Substantiate, substantiate, substantiate! Dont just tell with words, sell with numbers. It sets you apart and showsyour value. Two related posts:3 steps to an effective resume3 things to do before hiring a resume writer

Hollywood Actors Needed an Effective Resume

Hollywood Actors Needed an Effective ResumeResume writing service Los Angeles will help you prepare a resume that you can present in front of your prospective employer. The importance of a good resume cannot be overemphasized. That is the reason why you need to hire an experienced and reliable resume writing service that is specialized in helping other companies create appropriate resumes for their job candidates.When you hire a resume writing service in Los Angeles, you get professional assistance to put together a professional looking resume for you. Most of the resume writing services will guide you step by step on how to create your very own resume that you can present to your future employer.Formal education is not the only requirement in order to be a great candidate. An effective resume also needs to have some quality content. It should contain relevant information regarding your educational background, work experience, and work interests in order to help the employer to asses s your skills and abilities. Furthermore, having a job in the entertainment industry requires having a certain level of formal education.The Hollywood industry is one of the most prestigious industries in the United States and thus, requires a certain degree of education to even qualify for a first job in the entertainment industry. A great resume will help you showcase your knowledge and skills and will give you an edge over other applicants.If you are a high school student or you are in the middle of your course and you are struggling to make up for your lack of academic achievement, hiring a resume writing service in Los Angeles can help you succeed. It will help you create a resume that is attractive, professional, and that is backed by proven results. You will be able to impress your future employer with a resume that was prepared by a professional resume writing service.Hollywood is one of the largest and busiest cities in the world, so it is a good idea to be prepared before you visit Los Angeles. The resume that you will present should be professional and must be well written. It is your chance to impress your future employer. Remember that your future employer might be a movie producer or a film director and he needs to be convinced that you have the skills and abilities that he is looking for.In order to be qualified for a position as a film or TV actor, a well-written resume will be a must. You will want to have a resume that shows your talent and your potential.As mentioned earlier, the more information that you have on your resume, the better. You will want to have all of your relevant information and factual data included in your resume.