5 Recruitment Tips to Boost Your Small Business

Employees are the lifeblood of any business.

Indeed, recent figures from the Federation of Small Businesses found 15 per cent of small companies are looking to recruit new employees in the next few months.

recruitment tips

What’s more, with business confidence on the rise, around two thirds of firms expect growth in the course of this year, with one in four planning to increase investment.

But what does this mean for your small business?

Well, with signs pointing to continued expansion, it’s unavoidable that your firm will be hiring new staff in the coming weeks and months.

However, if you’re a little uncertain about what to expect and how to cope with this projected growth, our top five tips are here to ease the pain …

Use a Recruitment Agency

Running a business takes a lot of time and effort – which is why you can relieve some of the strain by using a recruitment agency to source your new staff.…

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7 Reasons to Outsource Employee Management

Running a business is complex, a situation only complicated by globalization. Since World War II international competition has been steadily increasing in nearly every sector. Digitization has simultaneously simplified and further complicated the situation. Even small and medium-sized business can have employees on multiple continents, interconnected by conference calls and serving customers in several languages.

Outsourcing employee management

This presents its own challenges; following employment regulations in only one of the fifty states can often be exhausting. The peace of mind provided by consulting a trained individual in the complexity of employee resource management far outweighs the costs. Here’s a list of subjects that can be handled by a professional to outsource the stress.…

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How to Interpret MBA Salary Data

It should come as no surprise to anyone that earning a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree opens the door to a new realm of opportunities. A 2010 study in the Journal of Education for Business found that the MBA graduates saw a 41 percent increase in their overall pay in the first year after graduation and an additional 56 percent increase within five years. Looking at those numbers, it’s easy for one to expect that putting in the time and effort to get an advanced business degree is the first step on the path to a six-figure salary.

MBA Salary Guide

In fact, it’s the promise of greater earning power that compels many prospective students to take the plunge and enroll in an MBA program.…

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Small Business. Big Passion.

As a small business, you can have many benefits. You just need to realize and take advantage of some of them. Passion is one of the most important qualities you attempt to seek in every single one of your employees. Especially in a small business, passion is what takes your business to the next level. With passion comes an array of positive effects. You are more motivated, more supportive, and more engaged.

Passionate staffs

One typical route to take is changing the workspace as we’ve seen in many start-ups nowadays. This is a great feature, but most small businesses frankly don’t have the opportunity and capital to construct the next Google workspace.…

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Welcome Spring with a Spectacular Office Party

As winter winds its way down, so does office morale. Cold weather, short daylight hours and frayed tempers can all take their toll on everyone in the office. However, as we begin to count the days until spring begins, there are some great ways to celebrate the season and brighten outlooks at the same time.

spring time

If your office has not already implemented an annual spring party, now is the time. We’ll look at several fresh and unique ways to celebrate the season, get your staff engaged, and replace glum moods with brighter ones. The best part is that many of these ideas need not be limited to springtime functions; you may find yourself using them for several different occasions.…

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Improving Front-Office Efficiency: Take a Long, Hard Look at Your Back Office

A bag of popcorn in one hand and your favorite person in the world in tow, when you sit in front of that giant screen, you know what you both will be seeing – the movie, the finished product. Depending on the film’s genre, you can end up screaming your head off in fear, laughing like you’ve never laughed before, or falling in love all over again.

There are four truths at play in the scenario above:

  1. You came to see the movie, and it was what you paid for – on the surface, at least.
  2. The time, effort, technology and talent it collectively took to bring what once was a figment of the imagination to the big screen are what makes or breaks the success of a film.
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8 Great Tips on How to Effectively Manage Generation Y and Z Employees in the Modern Business Landscape

Managing the modern employee pool is much different from what it was back in our parents and grandparent’s time. Gen Y (a.k.a., “Millenials” estimated 71,000,000 people) workers are now fully steeped in the work force, and Gen Z (a.k.a., “The New Breed” estimated 23,000,000 people and growing) workers are coming up through the ranks every day. This makes for a major changes in personalities and skills. And consequently, major changes in the way that an employer or manager has to deal with their employees in order to be successful.

young employees

Generation Y was a new breed when they entered the professional workforce in the late nineties and early two-thousands, with less tolerance for the traditionally aggressive, uncompromising “Devil may care” management style that most managers had utilized since the start of the Industrial revolution back in the nineteenth century.…

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Telecommuting – a Sure-fire Way to Reduce Productivity and Effectiveness

I read with interest the recent, excellent article on telecommuting.

It argues that telecommuting reduces a company’s costs, increases its productivity and furthers the green agenda. Well-argued as it is, I disagree. My belief is that it hinders teamwork, fosters resentment, reduces flexibility and makes it difficult to support your employees or identify true talent.

telecommuting

I should state, early on, that I don’t have any problem with occasional telecommuting. If my employees are flexible and are prepared to work late when needed, then as an employer, I’m more than happy to let them work from home to let the plumber in, or to see a school play.…

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Telecommuting: The New Green Business

Telecommuting is becoming increasingly popular, with currently more than 29 million U.S. workers telecommuting at least one day per month. This is a growing trend too, as more companies see the positive impact telecommuting can have on the environment, while helping reduce operating costs and increase productivity for their businesses. This green strategy can also help to improve a company’s brand, and if done properly, can be a great sell to shareholders.

telecommuting

Going Green with Telecommuting

An important benefit to telecommuting is in how it reduces gas usage and helps disseminate rush hour traffic. According to a recent whitepaper compiled by Kate Lister and Tom Harnish, the 29 million workers who are currently telecommuting have been able to save more than 390 million gallons of gas throughout the year.…

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5 Ways to Keep Your Employees Happy

5 Ways to Keep Your Employees Happy

True and successful team management involves more than just the time and effort you invest once you step into your office or workplace. Naturally, you need to keep your employees as happy and comfortable as possible. Most employees would rather choose a great work environment with high employee morale than a bigger paycheck. Let’s take a look at some ways you can do that.

Allow Them Free Will

Don’t give employees the illusion that their work and decisions are linear. Offer them a chance to influence a decision or two. A good example would be to provide an opportunity for them to choose their incentives and rewards for a job well done.…

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