6 Benefits of an Employee Engagement Programme

6 Benefits of an Employee Engagement Programme Employees are a business’ most valuable asset. This is something that rings true for companies in every sector, and for SMEs in particular it is especially important. It’s essential to create the right conditions for your employees to thrive within your organisation. Engaging with employees at all levels is a vital part of success but something that is often overlooked. So what is employee engagement? Well the definition is: Employee engagement is a workplace approach resulting in the right conditions for all members of an organisation to give of their best each day, committed to their organisation’s goals and values, motivated to contribute to organisational success, with an enhanced sense of their own well-being. Employee engagement is based on trust, integrity, two-way commitment and communication between an organisation and its members. It is an approach that increases the chances of business success, contributing to organisational and individual performance, productivity and well-being. It can be measured. It varies from poor to great. It can be nurtured and dramatically increased; it can lost and thrown away. Mike Edwards Head of Learning and Development at business electricity comparison site Love Energy Savings discusses how an employee engagement programme not only shows your staff you care and develops individual goals but offers much more, contributing to wider success and growth. 1. Retain the very best Workforce retention is an issue for many businesses. Having a suitable employee engagement programme in place will ensure you retain the employees that are key to your business. Engaged employees have greater job satisfaction and loyalty, which significantly lowers the risk of them jumping ship and taking up a position elsewhere. 2. Attract qualified employees Your happy workforce won’t just be admired from within. Prospective employees will take note of how appreciated and engaged your existing workforce is. Businesses that put employee engagement high on their list of priorities tend to find it easier to attract new employees that are qualified, passionate and enthusiastic, making recruitment a breeze. 3. Provide a better service for all The quality of service offered to customers is a primary focus in everyday business activities for all companies. The motivation, enthusiasm and commitment shown by your engaged employees will make all the difference to your customer service success. 4. Create a harmonious work environment The negative atmosphere created by those who are disengaged can have a detrimental effect on your work environment. As the saying goes, one bad apple is likely to spoil the whole bunch, but with better engagement you can keep team morale high. 5. Develop your workforce Employee engagement doesn’t just work wonders for company success. Individual successes will also become apparent. Your employees will have the rewarding opportunity to develop new skills and enhance their existing ones, a prospect that will only add to their self-confidence and enthusiasm. 6. Outperform your competitors The employee engagement experts at Best Companies revealed that  firms with highly engaged employees financially perform as much as 3.5 times better than FTSE 100 businesses. Success for you, your business and your employees is an all-encompassing benefit of introducing an employee engagement programme. And if thats not enough then another way to boost employee engagement is by showing appreciation. As this article shows it can be as easy as praising your employees publicly, have frequent recognition programs or recognising all staff when they have done well instead of singling out just one person. About the author: Mike Edwards is the Head of Learning and Development at business electricity comparison site Love Energy Savings. He has  dedicated his career to it and is very lucky that he loves what he does. He has a strong passion for the full learning and development cycle and he enjoys bringing learning to life.

One in Three Employees Are a Mistake

One in Three Employees Are a Mistake Sponsored by Hiring Hub, an award-winning UK-based tech company that helps businesses find and hire the best talent, faster. Recent research by online recruitment marketplace, Hiring Hub, has found that  nine out of ten UK businesses are making compromises when hiring, with one in  three candidates described as “less than ideal” for the role. For business owners, this is clearly a costly mistake, but Hiring Hub’s research  shows it’s happening almost as a matter of routine, which is having a dramatic  impact on business growth, productivity, and the UK economy as a whole. There are approximately 700,000 jobs waiting to be filled in the UK at present.  With an average of six candidates interviewed for a role, each for an hour, this  equates to 4.2 million hours spent interviewing candidates. But that’s just half  the story. The study also found that only 48% of the whole recruitment process is spent  actually getting to know the candidate in interviews. The other 52% is spent  managing recruitment agencies and vetting CVs. That’s a total of 8.7 million  hours. Or 362,500 days, each year. If one in three aren’t ideal, you are looking at 2.6 million wasted hours. With that in mind, it’s no surprise Britain is lagging well behind other advanced  economies when it comes to productivity and growth. But that doesn’t need to be  the case. Hiring Hub have identified 5 ways you can improve the outcome of your  recruitment process today, so you can avoid making a compromise and hiring  unsuitable candidates. Author: Simon launched Hiring Hub in 2011 with co-founder, Sara Jones, intent on making it easier for companies to find and recruit talent, faster.  It has raised £1m of growth capital, which has helped Hiring Hub develop into one of the most exciting and talked about technology companies in Britain; it was ranked #34 in the UK’s Top 100 Startups and was included in both the Future 50 and Accelerate 250.  In addition to Hiring Hub, Simon Chairs the Conservative Party’s Northwest Business Council and is an ambassador for the National Apprenticeship Scheme.

7 Habits of Highly Effective Personal Branders - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

7 Habits of Highly Effective Personal Branders - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career Personal branding is a critical component of any career. No matter what your occupation, it’s important to create a “stamp” of who you are professionally so others can identify you as a prominent thought leader or trusted expert in your industry. Your skills, personality, and values all tie into your personal brand and help othersâ€"particularly, employersâ€"know what’s important to you, what you’re good at, and what you’re able to give back. Many professionals and job seekers have crafted excellent personal brands that have helped them to land a job or simply become successful in their chosen field. Although everyone’s personal brand is different, there are a few things that all successful “branders” do to maintain their identities. The most effective personal branders… 1. Express genuine interest in their profession or industry. Great personal branders know passion is one of the most important aspects to creating a convincing and compelling professional identity. Before you even begin to brand yourself, make sure you’re focusing on something you truly love to do, or risk coming across as insincere. 2. Know the importance of clarity and consistency. Communicating your personal brand clearly and consistently across all outlets ensures your audience knows exactly how you mark yourself. Great personal branders make this a habit so they can clearly demonstrate what they are and aren’t about. 3. Know their values. Another key component of an effective personal brand is identifying and communicating your values. Great personal branders have already asked themselves, “What is it that’s truly important to me?” Maybe you value environmentalism, empathy, honesty, innovation, individuality, boldness, or volunteering. Those with great brands know their personal values provide the foundation upon which their entire brand can be built. 4. Identify their audience. Knowing what your audience wants from you is important to maintaining a relevant professional presence. For instance, a professional who’s branded themselves as an expert on the economy might confuse their audience if they suddenly start sending out tweets about pop culture. The best branders identify what their audience wants from them and delivers consistent, timely, and relevant information to meet those expectations. 5. Position themselves as experts.  You can’t create a great personal brand without being dedicated to learning all there is to know about your industry, and then demonstrating that knowledge. You can do this in a number of ways, like keeping a blog or creating and sharing email newsletters. No matter which outlet they choose, the best branders always work to deliver reliable and compelling information to keep their audience engaged. 6. Keep their online presence up-to-date. Great branders know anyone can be Googling them at any time, and they know the Internet is usually the best resource for anyone who wants to know more about them and their career. Keeping social media profiles, blogs, and websites clean and updated with the latest information is a key way to ensure others can access and understand what you’re all about. 7. Keep learning. Continuing to learn and grow is crucial to ensure your brand never falls short of expectations. The best personal branders stay on top of learning and developing their skillsâ€"and that doesn’t necessarily mean going back to school. Great branders simply seize every opportunity to try new things and advance themselves professionally and personally. Following these seven habits of effective personal branders can mean the difference between showcasing yourself as a competent and valuable employee versus someone who places no importance on their personal values and professional goals. Take these tips with you as you craft your personal brand, and others will pick up on your commitment to professional success. Author: Heather R. Huhman  is a career expert, experienced hiring manager, and founder president of  Come Recommended, a content marketing and digital PR consultancy for organizations with products that target job seekers and/or employers. She is also the author of  Lies, Damned Lies Internships  (2011),  #ENTRYLEVELtweet: Taking Your Career from Classroom to Cubicle  (2010), and writes career and recruiting advice for  numerous outlets.

5 Ways New Tech is Transforming Employees into Influencers

5 Ways New Tech is Transforming Employees into Influencers CMOs must adapt to a modern marketing environment that has changed dramatically through new technologies and channels. Part of this transformation includes acknowledging marketing expertise, competencies, and capabilities around the workforce. For CMOs, the new influencers are their own people in teams across their company. And that potentially is a huge group of influencers. Employee advocacy is a growing trend and comes at a time when trust and transparency are a big concern. When we talk about who has real influence â€" that is the ability to change or affect behavior as opposed to popularity â€" a new tribe has emerged. Employees have the power to speak authentically about a brand, its products, and services with genuine influence over their network of friends, family and peers. New software platforms enable senior leadership teams to empower their employees en masse, at scale, to talk about the company. From our work with leading brands, launching their tech-driven advocacy programmes, here are five ways we’ve seen new technology radically transform employees into influencers. Communicate with a disparate workforce Employees predominantly use their smartphones to communicate on social media, checking updates at times that are convenient to them wherever they are during the day or night. Companies can build on this user behavior, and adopt a mobile app that allows employees to share company insight and news straight from their phone to their social channels. It’s about tooling up your staff with the best tech to communicate in a way that suits them. What’s the alternative? Companies that don’t adapt will fail to equip staff with the communication they need to be the best they can be. With research showing intranets are used sporadically and by the minority, antiquated systems of communication have a limited shelf life now. Scale up quickly The average employee has a high degree of trust in their personal networks but individually they don’t have the reach of a micro or top tier influencer on YouTube or Instagram for example. However, if you scale up the number of employee advocates into hundreds and thousands, you achieve huge reach. This is where the tech comes in â€" you need it to increase those kinds of numbers considerably. Advocacy tech software means brands can adopt an employee advocacy platform to quickly scale measurable employee word-of-mouth and achieve sustainable results. Switching on your colleagues at scale helps supercharge your marketing strategy. Manage and measure all activity New employee advocacy platforms now mean you can manage all advocates effectively and measure all engagement and activity accurately to help understand the wider marketing and sales impact. Reporting success to key stakeholders and CEO is critical, and using new tech ensures ROI through your new programme can be accurately reported. You can also continually optimize top performing content through your programme to help it go from strength to strength. Empower employees Tech-enabled advocacy programmes empower employees and develop employee engagement to help retain staff. Employees can share thought leadership content that helps them develop their own careers and drives reach for your brand. New technology also allows employee advocacy to be adopted by different departments, regions, and countries, helping to bring disparate groups of colleagues closer together. Influence 2.0: Time to turn it on According to MSL Group, on average, brand messages are shared 24x more frequently when distributed by employees, rather than the brand itself. That’s why leading brands as different as ASOS, Sky, L’Oreal, Hotels.com and General Electric have embraced employee advocacy. While Influencer Marketing has its challenges with transparency, disclosure and high profile gaffes that risk damaging consumer trust, employee advocacy with new tech is low risk, inexpensive and high value. CMOs that want to achieve sustainable results can now use new tech to put marketing in the hands of their staff. Author: Andrew Seel is CEO of the UK’s leading advocacy marketing platform. Qubist is an enterprise level employee communications tool offering both employee advocacy and internal communications, trusted by major brands and companies.

7 Uncommon Freelance Jobs for Millennials and Gen Z - CareerMetis.com

7 Uncommon Freelance Jobs for Millennials and Gen Z Modern technologies keep advancing all the time. Therefore, career opportunities are immense nowadays. It is worth mentioning that freelance work is becoming increasingly popular.Currently, the number of self-employed workers among Millennials has extremely raised and by 2020 around 40 percent of workers in the United Statesare expected to be independent contractors.If you want to have a steady income, there are plenty of freelance jobs for you right now. Here is a list of the best freelance jobs that potentially pay a high salary.1. Social Media CelebrityevalevalWith the help of social media, you can easily make money. If you have a life full of adventures, or you have a perfect fit body, then you should definitely consider the opportunity to get paid for Instagram photos.Your income depends on the number of your followers, but starting with 10-25K, you can get at least $200 per sponsored post. Instagram celebs with 100K followers can command $5 thousand per one partnership photo. A great example is Jen Selter.She started making posts of her fit body, and now with more than 11M followers, she can get as much as $50,000 per post. A YouTuber with 1M subscribers can make at least $300,000.Felix Kjellberg from Sweden has 60+ millions of subscribers on his YouTube channel “PewDiePie”, and he is on Forbes’ top paid YouTubers list with a net worth of $15 million.2. Animation and DesignJobs in animation and design have the best earning potential. A freelance animator is supposed to have knowledge and understanding of some basic principles, methods of animation and much more.Graphic design is all about the creation of graphic content for special needs, e.g., logos, movie/CD covers, flyers, invitation cards, posters, banners, etc. Most in-demand skills required for graphic design jobs include experience with Adobe Photoshop, CorelDraw, and Illustrator.evalThe importance of personal websites has also grown; respectively, web design has a lot of potential as well. T he main responsibilities include creating graphic design elements for a website. Freelance professionals get at least $30 per hour, and this figure will grow by up to 5% over the next decade.3. Writing and BloggingWriting and blogging are among the hottest lucrative freelance jobs. In fact, these are the best paying jobs which you can do from any spot of the world. Dreaming of sunny beaches and palms over your head instead of sitting in the office? Then this work is just for you.Achieving work-life balancenever was so easy. There are plenty of freelance writing jobs that you can find online. Freelance writing is the most common job type that includes content writing or editing for web pages, blogs and creating high-quality descriptions for services or products.The salary depends on the qualifications of copywriters and can vary between $25 and $50 per hour. Writers are paid according to the number of words, pages or articles finished. But the most productive ones earn six figures pe r year.evalYou have to be prepared that your texts will be checked for plagiarism, so it’s better even not to try to copy some information from other articles. In order to be a successful writer, you have to polish your writing skills and improve grammar.Starting a fashion, travel, entertainment or business and marketing blog is one of the ways to earn money for passionate writers. Being a blogger won’t bring you tons of dollars on the spot, but if you manage to attract many readers, you’ll be able to make a fortune.4. Social Media ManagerSocial media manager is the right choice if you want to have a steady income as a freelancer. It’s a high-paying job with an annual income between $65,000 and $95,000.If you are a talented person familiar with all modern social media platforms Our nowadays economy relies more on short-term freelance relationships rather than on full-time employment. As the latest studies found, 160 million US workers already earn their income by working fre elance. So if you want to make money online, then you should definitely consider a career in Search Engine Optimization.In fact, career consultants state that this job will ensure you a decent freelance salary that is $50,000 on average. Freelance SEO experts are responsible for helping diverse websites become more popular and visible on search engines like Google or Bing. SEO professionals review and analyze different web pages in order to improve their ranking.They know how to create engaging keyword-optimized content. If writers are strategic about the use of keywords that people input while searching, it will increase the chances for a website to be visible on the net.6. PhotographyLately, the demand for photographers has increased by 22% and for video editing by 19%. Nowadays companies realize the importance of high-quality pictures and videos. A freelance product photographer can make on average $25 per hour.evalYou are supposed to have some experience in photography and show excellent knowledge of photo/video editing software such as Photoshop.7. Voiceover ArtistIf you have a smooth or unusual voice that can grab people’s attention, it is a great opportunity to make money. Voiceover artists can get $72 (or more) per hour. The job is not only well paid, but also quite fascinating.You can record radio advertisements, corporate videos, audiobooks, e-learning instructions, video game voices, animation dialogues and so much more from virtually anywhere.

How To Increase Your Influence

How To Increase Your Influence Wouldn’t it be great to be able to just tell people what you want and then have them magically do it for you, just the way you want it done? Unfortunately, life doesn’t usually happen that way. That’s why being able to use influence is so important for getting things done. And don’t think that when you’re in charge that you can simply wave your wand and command people unilaterally. That may work if you’re Madonna, Nikki Minaj, or Don Corleone, but it doesn’t work too well in most organizations that revolve around something other than a single “diva”. Using Soft Power vs Hard Power Whether we lack the formal authority to mandate outcomes or simply don’t want to resort to using it, this capacity to have an effect on people and results is about using your “soft power” or influence to achieve those outcomes. It’s about finding a way for others to embrace your ideas and choose to put them into action. Some would say it’s about “selling” your ideas, but I disagree. No one likes to be “sold” something. They prefer to feel like they’ve come to that conclusion themselves. And that’s when they are most likely to act. The kind of influence we are talking about is the ability to get others to see things in a different way so that they agree to a course of action. Why is it important? Influence is a key aspect of leadership and is particularly useful in two settings: When you have the authority, but want to use it sparingly When you are seeking to effect change but don’t have direct authority When you have formal authority, you can use your “hard power” and order people to do something. Sometimes you just need to flex your muscles and make the command. However, what you get may be compliance, where people do the minimum to satisfy the command. But you won’t have won their hearts and minds. Compliance may be expedient in the near term, but it won’t get you to widespread and sustainable adoption. For example, do you like it when your boss orders you to do something versus having it be a request or choice? When you lack formal authority, you need to use your “soft power”, or influence, to get things done. This is often the case with cross-divisional projects, committees and just plain getting your job done when you are part of a bigger organization. If you want to be maximally successful in your career, it helps to know how and when to wield both types of power. And that means learning to use your assets â€" whether it’s money, connections, fame, family name, or passion about a particular topic. Who does this well? Most children: Most of us had some adult wrapped around our finger. Kids seem to know just how to get treats from their favorite aunt or uncle, or to bargain with parents for extra privileges like staying up late on a “special occasion”. Diplomats: Ambassadors and other diplomats have little or no formal authority over the nations with which they are the link. Yet, they do find ways to achieve results through influence. Bono: He’s “just” a musician. But he has parlayed that into much more and mixes in lofty circles. He’s punching above his weight. The same goes for others with a following, such as Angelina Jolie, who are leveraging that to influence change in the world. Malala Yousafzai: She stood up for her beliefs and is making huge waves across the world through her passion and story. So, how do you develop the capacity to influence outcomes for yourself, your family, your team, your organization, your sector, and the world? Bring something to the table To have influence, you need to bring something to the table. You need to have some combination of assets that combine to give you clout. It also helps if you come from a mindset that’s “pure” and not just self-interested because it’s hard to get people on board if they think you’re only in it for yourself and there’s nothing in it for them. With that in mind, here are four steps to increasing your influence. 1. Identify your sources of influence These are the sources of your “soft power”, the assets you have and can draw on. Be conscious of and nurture these as they will serve you well. Relationship assets Your connections â€" people you know, people who know you Your tribe/followers â€" when you represent a larger constituency, then people will pay more attention Your knowledge and expertise â€" what do you know that others would find valuable and make them want to know you? Personal assets Your force of personality/charisma/ personal appeal Your character Your passion/beliefs/willingness to go the extra mile/enthusiasm â€" never underestimate the power of even one highly committed person Your thought leadership Your wealth Your energy Professional assets Your ability to get things done Your reputation/track record Your platform â€" do you have a stage that gives you the right or excuse to engage in that line of dialogue? Can you invite others to present on your stage and create an opportunity for collaboration? Your earning power 2. Decide which outcomes you want to influence In your career: Your promotion, recognition, compensation, assignments With your team: Productivity, motivation, teamwork, assignments, recruiting, retention, development Across your organization: Policies, products, services, client base, culture, future direction Within your sector: Future direction, collaborations and partnerships 3. Determine where you can best apply your influence Read the lay of the land to see where you can truly move the needle â€" what’s the most receptive entry point for making your difference? And in some cases, you will be the beachhead, laying the ground for others who follow â€" like Rosa Parks who sparked the equal rights movement in the U.S. 4. Continue to invest in your influence Join forces with other influencers â€" especially those who are complementary to you. Forming connections will help you become even more influential. Build an external “fan base” of people who know and respect you Get involved in areas outside of your direct role and make connections, build relationships, and become a connector or bridge between your group and adjacent groups and beyond Help others who are in need Give wise and thoughtful counsel Get to know other areas of your Company and/or sector. This knowledge will help you be more able to connect the dots, synthesize, spot opportunities, and add value. Offer other people opportunities to shine â€" for example, if you’re putting on a client conference, invite people to speak they'll love the chance for greater visibility and be more inclined to repay the favor Don’t sabotage yourself â€" it's the figurative version of “stop making people “eat their spinach’ ”. If you’ve ever tried “making” a 5-year old eat spinach, you’ll know it’s virtually impossible without their cooperation. The more often you attempt the impossible, the higher their defenses will rise when you come around and the less respect they will have for you. What factors help you gain influence? When I took on the role of leading a cross-divisional business initiative, I had no formal authority or power but needed to gain the cooperation of groups who were competing with each other. It was about using influence and persuasion rather than command and control. Here’s what gave me the influence to make it work: Not taking credit for the success of the divisional collaborators that would mean competing with the very people we were trying to co-opt Making it easy for people to participate Adding value to them personally Identifying a common goal and having them see and embrace the broader mission Never making anyone do anything they didn’t want to do by positioning everything in the context of the agreed-upon common goal Utilizing my relationships and connections, including the ability to make people look good (or not!) with senior management Knowing that if it came to it, I would have the backing of senior management So, do you know your sources of influence, and how are you applying them?

Profile Resume - Is This It?

Profile Resume - Is This It?A profile resume is a great way to get the right person for the job you're applying for. However, if you're still wondering whether or not you should be using this tactic then I think that you need to read this article. Because, let's face it; everyone wants a profile resume, but everyone has their own opinion about what a good profile resume is and how they should look.You have to remember that it's not easy to find the right person. With so many applicants who are in the same industry, location, and level of experience, it can be difficult to find someone who is good enough to hire. So, if you're worried about looking too 'cute' or lacking an important qualification, you shouldn't.When it comes to the profile resume, you can be pretty safe. Everyone you meet will probably be looking for the same thing; the perfect candidate, someone that can match with their company culture. So, if you're not yet confident that you have that one great person for the job, don't worry.Career agencies are very helpful. They can give you a profile job, a profile interview, or a job description. Then, you simply refer to this guidebook, and then your recruiter can give you some great career advice. So, not only will you get some helpful career advice, but you'll also have the chance to talk to a hiring manager who is a certified career coach.The key to using a profile resume is to meet the hiring manager at the interview and talk to them about your skills. As a recruiter, you are already familiar with what each person is looking for in a candidate. After you discuss some of your strengths and interests, the hiring manager will feel comfortable moving forward. Once you've worked through their questions and chosen something appropriate, you can send a resume.Now, depending on your recruiter, the employer side of things will be a little more difficult. The main difference between them and the job market side is that most employers are very particular about hiring people who will be compatible with their company culture. They have very rigid standards, and if you don't fit into their ideas of what a candidate should look like, they won't hire you.So, when you are looking at a profile resume, ask yourself what you're looking for. If you're not sure, just ask a recruiter. They can help you decide if you need a profile resume, or some other kind of resume.So, what do you think? Are you concerned about what kind of profile resume you should use? Will your recruiter be able to help you figure out the right one?