4Cs Blog: Happy Employees = Happy Customers

 Perfecting the hiring process is about more than merely finding the right candidate — it should also be about saving valuable time and money for your company. According to research from Bersin by Deloitte, the cost to fill an open position has ballooned to $4,000 per employee — and nearly three-times that amount to train them. Talk about hiring right the first time!

Additionally, recruiters are bemoaning the fact that the time to find the right hire is increasing, too. While there may be no way around getting company decision-makers on board at the same time, there are steps you can take to enhance your hiring process and find the right candidates. Here’s how:

When we focus on methods by which to improve employee engagement levels, and how to boost productivity, we tend to think about performance management processes such as regular performance discussions and clear personal development objectives. We might also consider benefits such as flexibility and casual dress codes.

All of these elements are critical considerations, but what you might not know is that the physical office environment is just as important when it comes to improving employee performance.

Below are just a few ways in which the space around you — from lighting to temperature — can seriously influence the way you work.

Good lighting can make all the difference

A study conducted by the American Society of Interior Design found that 68% of employees complain about the lighting in their offices. This is something we should be paying far more attention to, considering our sensitivity towards light and the impact it can have on our moods and behaviors.

When you take an employee survey the expectation is that something is going to change and it will be for the better. But what if the changes don’t stick or just fail to make any real difference for employees? If senior management did not respond the first time, the survey won’t have much credibility if it runs a second time. But a second chance still matters because it is one more valuable chance to get employee voices heard so it is critical employees don’t blow it off.

Reasons employees will blow off a survey are varied. In our experience the most common reason is employees are worried they will rock the boat or there will be consequences if a manager finds out what their employee said about them. Fear exists in some workplaces so it is important that employee surveys - at least the data collection part - be managed by an independent third party. We know that there are plenty of "free" or low cost survey tools available that you can use to collect employee data internally. However, protecting employee anonymity - both in reality and in the eyes of your employees - is absolutely essential if you want to achieve the highest possible participation and if you're determined to get honest and reliable answers. Read how we guarantee anonymity here and why we believe it is a vital part of employee research.

Employee satisfaction has been declining steadily over the past few decades. In 1987, 61.1 percent of employees reported job satisfaction. By 2016, this had dropped to 45 percent. Compensation is the top or second-rated driver of employee satisfaction for employees of all age groups, Society for Human Resource Management research shows. Giving your employees a raise is obviously going to make them happier with their job, but it’s not always feasible for budgetary reasons. Fortunately, there are also non-financial incentives you can give employees that will help improve their satisfaction and engagement. Here are four ways you can boost your workers’ job satisfaction besides giving them a raise.

 For many people, being at work can often be a tiresome, frustrating and mundane experience. Being stuck in an office all day and the health risks associated with this, along with having bad relationships with co workers and feeling unmotivated to complete tasks, are just some of leading causes of unsatisfied workers. In fact, according to The Conference Board, a New York based non profit organization, fewer than half of American workers are satisfied with their jobs. As a leader, what if there was something you could do to fix this?

 
Outdoor activities for the workforce is a great way to re-energize your team. Whether it's some simple activities in the park near your office, or an overnight camping trip, getting people outside and engaging in team exercises has a number of benefits. Check out just a few ways it can help your team and the success of your business overall. 

1. Improves Communication

Until 2016, evidence supporting the benefits of telecommuting was mostly anecdotal. But a recent MIT study has provided real data to prove what many of us already know: telecommuting improves our relationships with managers, allows more time with our family and friends, decreases burnout, and increases job satisfaction. And thanks to the proliferation of software and technology, telecommuting is not only easier, it's also more productive.

 We get it. Working from home has its stigma, because it's just hard to believe that anything could be more effective than face-to-face collaboration. But that stigma is now proven false, and if your business doesn't offer more flexible employee work options, another company will. Luckily, all it takes is a few software options to make it all possible and easy. Here are five helpful tools to help you provide a beneficial and productive telecommuting workplace policy.

 Numerous studies show that our jobs are the major source of stress in our lives and the trend is progressively getting worse.

Job stress is reported by the American Institute of Stress to be causing increased rates of heart attack, hypertension and other disorders. The American Institute of Stress reports that the main causes of job stress are:

1. Workload 46%
2. People Issues 28%
3. Juggling work and personal lives 20%
4. Lack of job security 6%

The Institutes findings on job stress reveal that, ‘The severity of job stress depends on the magnitude of the demands that are being made and the individual’s sense of control or decision-making latitude he or she has in dealing with them. Scientific studies based on this model confirm that workers who perceive they are subjected to high demands but have little control are at increased risk for cardiovascular disease.

 The demand for shared offices and coworking space is on the rise with the total coworking market currently standing at around $20.5 billion. More businesses than ever are looking towards a flexible way of working in order to reduce costs, increase agility and offer more options to their teams.

Coworking is said to improve productivity, with 71% of workers saying they feel more creative in a coworking space and 68% saying they are able to focus more. Instant Offices have taken a look into the benefits of coworking and how to choose a space that will meet your needs.

What is a Coworking Space?

Also known as shared office space, coworking gives SMEs, entrepreneurs and freelancers access to all the facilities and perks of conventional office space without the cost of a lease and all the hidden extras that go with it. Coworking enables people to work independently in a space with shared values and a defined culture, and is increasingly being adopted by larger organisations too.

Rising Popularity of Coworking

According to research conducted by Instant Offices and CoreNet Global in a report titled ‘Coworking, A Corporate Real Estate Perspective’ , the number of coworking centres is projected to total more than 26, 000 by 2020.

 According to a ConnectSolutions Survey, 77 percent of workers reported greater productivity working off-site in a 2015 study. And it's not just workers who report feeling more productive while working outside of the office. A study from Stanford Business found working remotely actually increased productivity by 16 percent. 

The days of grappling over whether or not employees would just lounge in their pajamas and do nothing while working from home are gone, and we’re ushering in an era of high productivity and efficiency with remote work. But that doesn’t mean all companies have created a cohesive virtual workplace culture to meet the growing demand. Fortunately, the marketplace is full of robust tools that can transform your workplace culture from office bound to a team of highly productive virtual workers. Here’s how to get started:

 When it comes to living space and work culture, people often think bigger is better and less is more, but just how big do our homes need to be and how much should our working hours shrink to make us happy?

By analysing the happiest countries in the World Happiness Report by the United Nations, AnyJunk looks at whether the size of someone’s home has a direct correlation with their happiness, and how work-life balance and other daily norms can have a major impact on well-being.

Meet Some of the Happiest Countries in the World

1. Norway
2. Denmark
3. Iceland
4. Switzerland
5. Finland
6. Netherlands
7. Canada
8. New Zealand
9. Australia
10. Sweden

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