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Why Employee Recognition is Crucial for Business Success

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Everyone loves to get applause… or public recognition of any kind. This is especially true for employees who dedicate almost a third of their life to a company. If you’re running a business, employee recognition is crucial to your success and profits.

But why is this the case? Here, we’re going to talk about some reasons why employee appreciation matters. Read on to make your business more productive and make bank with happy employees.

There Are Tons of Options

Positive reinforcement comes in many forms. When you choose to start rewarding your employees, there are tons of ways that you can begin recognising them. Giveaways, cash bonuses, and social events like parties are all good options. You also could give out recognition pins that people can pin onto their clothes or uniforms.

There’s also no reason to limit yourself to one type of recognition. You could give out awards publicly one day and do a raffle the next. Experiment with different things and see what works out best for your business.

It Motivates People

Recognition programs that give employees cash bonuses are awesome. Everyone likes them and they motivate people to work quickly and efficiently.

But they can also backfire sometimes. Over 50 studies found that they can make employees naturally less interested in work. They could stop people from being happy that they completed tasks and made accomplishments. It’ll all be about the money.

Luckily, you can also recognise employees in the form of appreciation. These systems don’t reward specific tasks or milestones. They just show the person you care because they’re a human being that you like and have a good professional relationship with.

This’ll get people to feel more loyal to you and your business. They’ll be happy to work for you because they feel valued for who they are.

Productivity

Companies with good employee recognition programs make way more money than those that don’t. Research shows that they’re 31% faster and more productive than other businesses that have similar sizes and audiences. Engagement and productivity also go up by around 14% on an individual level.

Time is money, and faster work and higher productivity can save you a lot of it. In the end you won’t need to pay to have things done slowly. You also will probably have lower levels of human error and won’t need to pay to fix things.

Happier Clients

When your employees are happier, they’re going to be in a better mood than ever before. This is going to reflect in their work and productivity, but it’s also going to come through when they talk to customers.

About 9 in 10 Americans think customer service is the most important thing when looking to work with a business. If you can’t provide them with fast, easy, and comprehensive service, they’re going to go somewhere else. Having employees that are faster and more willing to help will keep clients coming back to your business.

It’s way more expensive to find and nurture new leads than it is to keep someone loyal and interested. Don’t let the good ones get away.

It Brings Employees Together

When you consistently recognise employees in front of each other, they’re going to feel a sense of camaraderie. After all, they see each other every day. They’re bound to be happy for each other’s accomplishments and grow closer.

They’re also going to work harder so that they can be the next employee to get publicly recognised. They’ll want to get some appreciation, too.

This combination of happiness and motivation can really bring people together over time. Make sure that you’re public about the recognition. Give some kind of speech and hang a certificate on the wall for a week or two. This will interest all your employees so that they work smarter and harder.

It Encourages Contributions

People who go above and beyond will always get more recognition. Since people like being appreciated, they’re more likely to go the extra mile for you. If you’re timely and give them the right amount of attention, they’ll feel some instant payoff for their effort.

Immediate gratification releases good chemicals in the brain. They’ll associate those positive feelings with hard work. They’re more likely to put their all into future tasks.

Make a Great Employee Recognition Program ASAP

Employee recognition can bring your business to new heights. When people feel valued, they’ll be more productive and feel greater loyalty to your organisation. Do your research and figure out some ways to make your workers feel important. It’ll be well worth it!

Get Rid Of Bad Apples Before They Rot Your Business

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Whatever path you have followed in your career to date, you have almost likely come into contact with a “bad apple” at your workplace at some point. You have probably worked with one, and you may have even hired one. Although bad apples can take many forms, there are a few ways to identify them:

They Don’t Put in Their Fair Share of Effort

If complainers put in as much effort as they put into whining, they would be very productive! Having said that, underachievers are not always rotten apples. They become a little trickier to manage when they are performing their duties properly, as I shall explore in more detail below.

They Frequently Have an Unhappy Disposition and Are Erratic by Nature

This bad apple is the person who is constantly going through some sort of crisis and who is never happy unless they are unhappy. Is anyone you know coming to mind? They take up a disproportionate amount of their managers’ time with their ongoing dramas.

They Assault or Bully Other People

Bullying can take many different forms. Bullying behaviours that are absolutely ineffective in the workplace include passive aggressive behaviour, incessant nit-picking, putting down other people, disparaging co-workers or managers behind their backs, or just being aloof and un-cooperative.

They Are Skilled Manipulators

When confronted, bad apples will resort to any means necessary to divert your attention to their more admirable qualities or to the flaws of their co-workers. They hardly ever accept responsibility for anything!

They Alter The Environment

Negative people don’t just affect themselves; they also affect their co-workers negatively. They drain the life and energy out of you, your business, and whatever it is you’re attempting to accomplish. You might not notice the environment is so much better and the office has suddenly become a much more pleasant place to work until your rotten apple is away from the office.

How to Handle Bad Apples

What can we do about them now that we are aware of how to detect a bad apple and the potential harm they may cause?

Bad Apples That Do Well but Have Abilities That are Hard to Replace

You can find yourself in a situation where a bad apple affects your workforce negatively while working well. You might want to think about isolating them from the rest of the team by placing them in their own office or away from their co-workers before completely removing them from your company. By doing this, you may limit their bad affects while retaining their skill set and their good contribution to your business.

Underperforming Bad Apples

If your bad apple is underperforming despite your use of performance management strategies and the establishment of clear KPIs, the solution is simpler: you must fire them. You owe it to your business and your staff to find someone who will contribute positively in their place because they aren’t doing so now.

It’s vital to hire people first and foremost for their talent, values, and character. In contrast to abilities, attitude is innate and more difficult to teach.

There is a remote chance that an internal terrorist will infiltrate your company, even if you have been meticulous in your hiring practises. The secret is to deal with them immediately and effectively before they start to spread throughout your company, drive away your best employees, clients, and sanity!

Easy to Add Things That’ll Improve Your Home Office Setup

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Working from home is becoming more and more popular, as people are realising the many benefits it has to offer. If you’re one of the many people who have made the switch to working from home, congratulations! There are a few things you can do to improve your home office setup and make it feel more like an actual office.

In this blog post, we will discuss six easy ways to make your home office feel more professional.

Black shutters

Black shutters are a great way to make your home office feel more like an actual office. They help to block out light and noise, so you can focus on your work. If you don’t want to invest in actual shutters, you can use black-out curtains. However, black shutters are an eye-catching and stylish addition to any home office.

If you can swing it, we say go for the shutters. They’ll make you feel like you’re working in a chic, high-end office space.

Headphones

If you live in a noisy household or have nosy neighbours, headphones are a must-have for working from home. They’ll help you to block out distractions and stay focused on your work. We recommend investing in a good pair of noise-cancelling headphones. They’re definitely worth the extra money. If you don’t want to spend too much, there are some great options under $100.

Also, make sure to get a pair that’s comfortable to wear for long periods. No one wants to be stuck with a headache after a long day of work.

Air scent

An easy way to make your home office feel more inviting is to add a pleasant scent. This can be done with an essential oil diffuser or a scented candle. We recommend choosing a calming scent like lavender or eucalyptus. These scents have been shown to reduce stress and promote relaxation. If you’re not a fan of lavender, there are plenty of other options to choose from.

Find one that you like and that makes your home office feel more pleasant. For example, if you have a window in your office, you might want to choose a citrus scent to freshen up the space. On the other hand, if you’re looking for a cosy ambiance, vanilla might be a better choice.

Plants

Adding a few plants to your home office is an easy way to make the space feel more inviting. Plants help to purify the air and can boost your mood. They also add a touch of nature to your office, which can help you feel more relaxed. If you’re not sure which plants to choose from, we recommend starting with some easy-to-care-for options like succulents or air plants. These plants can thrive with minimal care, so you don’t have to worry about them too much. You can also get creative with your plant choices and choose ones that match your décor or personal style.

If you want to add a pop of colour to your office, you can choose brightly coloured plants. Or, if you’re going for a more minimalist look, you can stick with green plants.

Cloth

If you have a lot of electronics in your home office, you’ll want to make sure they’re properly protected. A great way to do this is to use cloth covers for your devices. This will help to keep them dust-free and looking new. You can find cloth covers for almost any type of device, from laptops to tablets. If you can’t find a cover that fits your device, you can always make your own. Cloth covers are an easy and affordable way to keep your electronics in good condition.

They’re also much better for the environment than plastic covers. You can find cloth covers online or at your local craft store.

Charger storage

Chargers are one of those things that always seem to be in the way. They’re always tangling up and getting lost. A great way to keep them organised is to get a charger storage box. This will help to keep your chargers in one place and prevent them from getting tangled. You can find charger storage boxes online or at your local home goods store. They’re usually pretty affordable and worth the investment.

There are many easy ways to improve your home office setup. By adding some simple things like black shutters, headphones, air scent, plants, cloth, and charger storage, you can make your office more inviting and efficient. These small changes can make a big difference in your work-from-home experience. So don’t wait any longer, make some changes to your home office today.

Identity and Access Management Challenges

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Challenges are demanding tasks or situations. The modern workplace is more complex than ever before. Employees are no longer limited to working from their desks in the office.

They can now work from anywhere in the world, thanks to laptops, smartphones, and other mobile devices. This increased flexibility has its benefits, but it also comes with new security challenges.

Organisations face several identity and access management (IAM) challenges when it comes to managing employee access to data and systems. These challenges can include managing a large number of users, devices, and applications, as well as ensuring the security of sensitive data.

Managing Users

Organisations need to provide employees with access to the systems and data they need to do their jobs, but they also need to ensure that this access is secure. This can be difficult to achieve, especially if an organisation has a large number of users.

One way to manage users is to segment them into groups and give each group access to only the systems and data they need. This approach can help to reduce the risk of data breaches and other security incidents. However, with user access management tools, permissions and roles can be assigned to individual users, making it easier to grant and revoke access as needed. These tools also make it easier to track and audit user activity.

Another way to manage users is to give them access to only the specific devices and applications they need. For example, an organisation may allow employees to use their devices for work purposes, but only if they have a secure VPN connection. This approach can help to improve security by limiting the number of devices that have access to company data.

On the other hand, organisations need to carefully consider which applications they allow employees to use and how to secure them. For example, an organisation may allow employees to use cloud-based productivity tools, but only if the data is encrypted.

Device Management

Another challenge that organisations face is managing the increasing number of devices that employees use to access corporate data and systems. Employees may use their laptops, smartphones, and tablets for work, as well as company-issued devices. This can make it difficult to manage and secure corporate data.

To address this challenge, organisations need to implement a mobile device management (MDM) solution. MDM solutions can help organisations to manage and secure mobile devices, as well as the data on those devices. However, MDM solutions can be complex and expensive to deploy and manage.

Application Management

Organisations also need to manage the increasing number of applications that employees use. These applications may be used for work purposes, such as email and productivity tools, or for personal use, such as social media and gaming apps.

To manage the proliferation of apps, organisations need to develop a comprehensive app management strategy. This strategy should include a way to manage and secure both work-related and personal apps. App management solutions can help organisations do this by providing a way to control which apps are installed on devices and ensuring that only approved apps can be used.

On the other hand, some organisations choose to ban personal apps from work devices altogether. This approach can be effective, but it may not be realistic for all organisations.

Data Management

Finally, organisations need to consider how to best protect the sensitive data that is stored on employees’ devices and in the cloud. This data may include customer information, financial data, and trade secrets. And to protect this data, organisations need to implement security measures such as data encryption and access control.

Data encryption can help to protect data at rest, while access control can help to restrict who has access to sensitive data. To further protect data, organisations can also consider implementing a data loss prevention (DLP) solution. DLP solutions can help to detect and prevent the unauthorised disclosure of sensitive data.

Additionally, the cloud provides several security benefits, such as data redundancy and disaster recovery. However, organisations still need to consider how to protect their data in the cloud.

One way to do this is to encrypt data before it is uploaded to the cloud. Another way to protect data in the cloud is to use a secure web gateway (SWG) solution. SWG solutions can help to secure data in transit and protect against malware and other threats.

The challenges that organisations face when implementing an identity and access management (IAM) solution can be daunting. However, by addressing each of these factors, organisations can improve security and ensure the success of their IAM deployment.

This article has looked at some of the most common IAM challenges and how to overcome them. It also discussed the importance of data security and how to protect sensitive data in the cloud. By taking these steps, organisations can deploy an IAM solution that meets their needs and provides the level of security that their business requires.

COVID-19 Pandemic Has Accelerated Digital Upskilling

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Upskilling is a workplace trend that facilitates continuous learning by providing training programs and development opportunities that expand an employee’s abilities and minimise skill gaps. A new survey of 32500 workers in 19 countries paints a picture of a global workforce that sees the shift to remote working as just the tip of the iceberg.

Reflecting the fact the pandemic has accelerated a number of workforce trends, 60% are worried that automation is putting many jobs at risk; 48% believe “traditional employment won’t be around in the future” and 39% think it is likely that their job will be obsolete within 5 years.

However, this is not a counsel of despair, as 40% of workers say their digital skills have been improved through the prolonged period of lockdown, and claim they’ll continue to embrace training and skill development. 77% are “ready to learn new skills or completely re-train” and 74% see training as a matter of personal responsibility.

In addition, 49% of respondents are focused on building entrepreneurial skills with an interest in setting up their own business.

Half of workforce report missing opportunities due to prejudice

The survey also found that 50% of workers say they’ve faced discrimination at work which led to them missing out on career advancement or training. 13% report missing out on opportunities as a result of ethnicity and 14% of workers have experienced discrimination on the grounds of gender, with women twice as likely to report gender discrimination as men.

13% report discrimination on the basis of class, with post-graduates and others with higher qualifications more likely to report prejudice. Younger people are as likely as older people to report discrimination based on age.

On top of that, the survey found there are disparities in access to upskilling opportunities. While 46% of people with postgraduate degrees say their employer gives them many opportunities to improve their digital skills, just 28% of people with school-leaver qualifications say the same.

Industries like retail or transport, which are most at risk of disruption, score just 25% and 20% respectively; while banking scores 42%.

Younger people more focused on maximising income

Three-quarters of workers globally say they want to work for an organisation that will make a “positive contribution to society.” This feeling was especially acute in China, India, and South Africa.

However, economic insecurity is limiting people’s ability to pursue purpose driven careers, with younger people particularly affected. Overall, 54% of those polled said, if forced to choose, they would prefer a job that enabled them to “take every opportunity to maximise their income’ over a job that ‘makes a difference”.

Interestingly, those between 18 and 34 are more likely than other generations to prioritise income over purpose in their job with 57% prioritising “maximising their income” over “making a difference”, a margin of 14 points.

Those over 55 prioritise making a difference by a margin of 8 points, which rises to 22 points amongst workers over 65.

Employees want the option to work remotely moving forward

The survey concludes that remote working will persist post-lockdown. Of those who can work remotely, 72% of say they prefer a mixture of in-person and remote working, with only 9% stating they’d like to go back to their traditional work environment full-time.

This is particularly true of professionals, office workers, business owners and the self-employed, all of whom are able to perform their jobs remotely using technology. Home working need not be limited to professional jobs. 43% of manual workers and 45% of semi-skilled workers say there are many elements of their job that they are able to do remotely.

People’s attitudes to working from home also change by location, providing further evidence of how the pandemic has increased the global digital divide.

Workers in metropolitan areas are more likely to work in roles that could allow remote working than those who live in rural areas.

Workers torn on privacy and technology

44% of workers globally would agree to let their employer use technology to monitor their performance at work including sensors and wearable devices, with 31% against. However, many would not go as far as allowing their employers access to their personal data.

41% of respondents said that they were unwilling to give their employer access to their personal data including social media profiles, with only 35% willing.