How to keep your talent

by on Jan.27, 2012, under Advice for Employers

There’s no denying that one of the biggest expenses for any business is finding and training new talent.  Often a business doesn’t fully understand the financial impact (as it’s not a debtor invoice with a clear amount that we have to pay), so we forget to account for the time and drain involved in replacing staff members.  However, most businesses do innately understand the negative impact – so what is the solution?!  Do what you can to keep your talent!!

We’ve got some tips to help you build a ‘talent firewall’, so you can keep your staff happy and they will stay and give you their best.  This week we’ll look what you offer – at specific steps you can take to build programs and solutions for your staff members.  Next week, we’ll look at what you can do as Executives and Managers to improve the workplace environment:

  1. Development programs: there are simple and effective ways to reward your staff and believe it or not, those that are gems will actually appreciate the opportunity to add some extra knowledge, study or accreditation to their skills.  You can perhaps help staff to obtain a certificate or diploma (don’t forget that RPL might be an option if they already demonstrate the necessary skills), or arrange for in-house training that offers specific benefits for your industry.
  2. Reviews: you know that you should give your staff regular performance reviews, but few companies actually do this.  It is time to actually take control and ensure that your staff have up to date job descriptions and measurements so that they know where they are headed and you can also measure their progress.  It is also a good idea to set developmental goals such as strategic thinking, coaching and team development and for managers – delegation skills.
  3. Offer a formalised coaching program: Executive coaches can help set goals and ensure accountability is a positive way.  This is a good way to keep up momentum and supplement internal HR resources. Remember that it helps to have a pre and post measure up of what the staff member achieves at the end of what you are offering so that there is a goal focus!
  4. Mentoring: mentoring is an important way for staff to increase the knowledge and abilities – a mentor should be the level above the said staff member’s boss – this will allow all parties to be able to see things from a removed and clearer perspective.  Mentors help us to see the broader perspective and the added bonus is that it often helps staff to strive for promotion!
  5. Long-term career goals: sometimes it is possible to get lost in the day to day.  It is important to help staff see the future potentials for growth and understand that their input and desires are taken into account!

All of the above steps are solutions that you should be implementing in conjuction with your staff members, the best way to do this is to ask for their input and help them to feel part of the process!  Next week we’ll discuss what you as management can action to make your work environment a more positive one to ensure you don’t lose your top talent!

Please feel free to drop us a comment below if you have any questions or suggestions that have worked for you!

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What candidates need to know about recruiters

by on Jan.20, 2012, under Advice for Job Seekers

If you have ever looked for a new job, you know just how daunting it can be!  One of the BEST ways you can help yourself to secure your dream job is to enlist the help of a recruiter, but the problem is most candidates have NO IDEA just how a recruiter can help them.  So instead of it becoming a useful and viable tool to help you get a job, candidates get frustrated and disillusioned with recruiters.

To help you take advantage of the enormous support and assistance a recruiter can provide we’ve put together a little handy guide for you!  These top 10 tips will help you to understand where the recruiter is coming from and thereby help you to capitalise on their knowledge and assistance!

  1. How recruiters are paid: Recruiters are paid to FILL THE JOB.  They are not paid to FIND you a job.  This means that a recruiter is ALWAYS going to put forward the best person for the position.  How does this help you?  Keep in communication with your recruiter!  Make sure you ask WHY when you are not suitable for a role!  This is the simplest way to find out what you need to do to be the best candidate!  You may need to improve your skills, experience, training, attitude – your recruiter will be honest with you, if you demonstrate that you are genuine about wanting to improve!
  2. Recruiters are BUSY: I know that sounds like a cliché, but it is absolutely the truth.  You think about it, for every position that a recruiter needs to fill, on average there are 100 applicants!  A recruiter needs to vet those applicants on a whole host of levels (as mentioned above, skills, experience, training, attitude, etc).  If you are the quiet reserved type, or if you never put yourself forward, you could be potentially lost amongst the dozens if not hundreds of other candidates.  So again, keep in touch with your recruiter!  I would recommend a call AND an email once a week.  Ask the recruiter what roles they have on their books and what is coming up. Make sure you ask what THEY think you are suitable for (it does help your recruiter draw the links between your skills and abilities and any vacancies they may have!).  PS: don’t waste their time – make sure when you are communicating with them that you capitalise on your time and theirs – it will be truly respected!
  3. Are you a good candidate: Again recruiters are busy and usually have far more candidates than roles to fill, so you have to make sure you stand out from the crowd.  The easiest way is to make sure that you’re in the forefront of your recruiters mind is to make things simple for them.  Is your resume up to date and effective?  Do you have polished interview skills?  Are you up to date with industry standards and requirements and news?  Ask your recruiter what you need to do to make yourself a stand out candidate! And remember to ALWAYS be professional!
  4. Knowledge base: a recruiter is actually an absolute wealth of knowledge!  Not only will they know about the standard information about the positions and the companies that are hiring, they will know a host of information about specific hurdles and opportunities.  They will have personal information and tips that can help you get your foot in the door!  The best way for me to demonstrate this is to tell you about a job I once got because I played netball!  It was a senior sales role and I was by far the youngest candidate, but the recruiter said that the employer was big into team environments and that because I played a team sport it would be viewed well!  I made sure that I discussed that I was the captain and what my responsibilities were to ensure a strong sporting team AND got the job!  Make sure you take advantage of your recruiters breadth of knowledge
  5. Referrals: lastly, like any job that deals with people there is a very large element of networking and referrals that impact the success of a recruiter.  So if you want to take advantage of what a recruiter can offer you, remember to pay it forward!  Recruiters really appreciate referrals and recommendations!  If you go out of your way to help them, it is only natural that they will extend the same courtesy!

Recruiters really are an excellent way for you to give yourself the advantages you need to secure your dream job and now that you understand them better, you can make sure that you know how to work with one successfully!

Let us know your stories of dealing with recruiters – good or bad, we love to hear and would love to help you!!

 

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Time for a career change

by on Jan.13, 2012, under Advice for Job Seekers

It is often the case that we dread going back to work after the silly season.  Having a break, enjoying ourselves, spending time with family and loved ones all serve to remind us that perhaps we have lost the love for our job.

The problem usually sets in then, that we start to think about our options, we think about what we would like, why we have lost the passion for what we are currently doing.  Or as may be the case, New Year means big changes and perhaps the staff/role changes just don’t suit you.  For a small percentage of people their desire to change roles or find a new job is enough to push them along.  But for most of us, the fear grips us, we tell ourselves:

  • Well at least we are secure,
  • well at least we know what to expect, or
  • I’ve spent most of my life building this career, I don’t want to throw it away.

What if you could actually find a job where the above still remains true, where you can tap into your passion BUT find new challenges?!

There is never a better time to consider recruitment!  To be successful as a recruiter, you need certain base skills that building a successful career in a particular role or position, makes you especially suited!  The best recruiters are ones that have successfully worked in their field of choice – it makes them most suited to understanding the intricacies of a role and the key factors that make a candidate successful at it!  If you know the job well, you are able to help your employer understand exactly what they need to successfully fill the role – with skills, experience, aptitude and ability, you are able to truly understand what candidates would be most suited to an employers needs!

If you would like to know more about a career in recruitment have a read below and pop along here: Become a Wise Recruiter to apply!  Or simply drop us a comment below and we’ll get back to you!

Control your own work / Life
Earn very well
leverage your network contacts

The Wise Recruitment model
Wise Recruitment is a network of virtual, independently trading recruiters working under the one brand, sharing pooled resources and knowledge that will allow you a fast track into an unbelievably profitable & interesting industry.

The Wise umbrella provides you the trading structure, resources, formal training & follow up mentor-ing and a credible instant brand. In short everything you need to start a viable, virtual recruitment business today !

The person At about 50 you are having those thoughts about taking the monkey off your back, about being able to exercise a control over your work / life balance, still keen to earn, wanting to continue to use and grow your industry knowledge and stay in touch with your professional colleagues. You have hired staff before, you enjoy networking, need to and / or enjoy going to work and want to stay in a white collar endeavour.

The Role Launching a Wise Recruitment business is like launching most other businesses in that, at first, it is a significant B2B sales / networking agenda. A network of even a couple of hirers who are prepared to give you your first roles is key. An ability to then make contact with and sell your services into an industry then the ongoing opportunity.

You will perform the entire end to end process which process is taught to you by experienced mentors.

The Rewards The best Wise recruiter billed off $350K in his first year. The role is a virtual based business so no more daily office / home travel time, work when and on what you want, build an equity you can sell on, stay in touch with your network, enjoy the rush of assisting others find rewarding work.

Apply
Click the Apply now button below to send your resume / cv to rob@wiserecruitment.com.au

 

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Why the job description matters so much

by on Jan.06, 2012, under Advice for Employers

Most employers understand the value in a well-prepared job description but often, when we are called in as the recruiting experts, the employer hasn’t given clear thought to the foundation a well-designed job description gives.

For example, if we know our advertiser wants an Accounts person, it pays to actually understand what level of knowledge and expertise is required.  It is not enough to state that they want ‘an accounts person’ – they might need someone who has both Debtors and Creditors experience to General Ledger.  The same is true for any position – there are sub levels that are critically important to placing the correct person in a role!

As a recruiting company, we understand this foundation is paramount to building a successful role with a successful candidate.  This being the case, the sorts of questions we are going to want to know include:

  • What are the day to day duties?
  • What are the weekly duties?
  • What are the quarterly duties?
  • What are the yearend duties (if any)?
  • What special projects are expected to be completed?
  • What strategic projects need to be completed?
  • What planning needs to occur?
  • What are the 3 month, 6 month, 9 month, and 12 month goals for this position?

Once you have the answers to the above questions, it becomes very easy for an experienced recruiter to then successfully match a job seeker that has the skills and experience to fill the position effectively!  Another advantage is that when the foundation is clear, it is also far more likely that you will find the right person to fill the role!

From this foundation, it is then worthwhile to check similar positions on Seek or JobEzy, to make sure that you aren’t missing any critical elements of the role.

The job description now leads into the employer being able to identify the goals for the employee and to also create a review process to keep the role and the employee on track!

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Update your resume over Christmas

by on Dec.26, 2011, under Advice for Job Seekers

It’s coming the time for New Years resolutions – and I am sure that just about all of us can relate to this being a catalyst for assessing our careers!  So many people take some time over the holidays to have a bit of a look at job vacancies and current pay rates and update their resume.

In fact – updating your resume at least once a year is an extremely good idea!  You never know when you might want to use it and if it’s been a long time, you don’t want the overwhelm of trying to recall everything when you actually need it (believe me – there are an awful lot of people who forgo excellent opportunities, because an out of date resume makes them succumb to the fear that precedes inaction)!

So – we recommend that you take an hour or two over the festive quiet time and update your resume and here are some tips to get it right – so your resume will get NOTICED!

  1. Set out your dates roles in order with the current or latest job being first,
  2. Be sure to address any gaps – hiring managers look at the gaps and discard you if there is no tangible reason (ie: maternity leave, study leave, carers leave)
  3. Achievements mean more than responsibilities!  This is a big one – and if it has been some time since you have updated your resume, you may not know that this is the new expected standard.  If you’ve ever applied for a government job, you will be familiar with ‘demonstrating’ achievements through actual examples – hiring managers don’t want to know what your responsibilities were/are anymore – they want to know what you do and how you achieve your work responsibilities with specific examples!
  4.  WATCH your spelling – please, all Australians: understand that if you use American spelling you may just be cutting yourself out of the game before you’ve even had a chance to prove yourself!  Spell check is American, buy a dictionary!
  5. Watch your grammar and typo’s – spell check won’t pick up typos (some of my resume ‘favourites’ include: Manger for manager; from for form and there/their for they’re
  6. Make sure your font is easy to read and the layout is appealing to the eye – if it’s too condensed without enough white space it will likely be ignored
  7. Around 3 pages is a good size to aim for, but again – it is better to have more white space to make it appealing to read, so don’t squash things up, an extra page well laid out is more appealing for the reader
  8. Review the WHOLE resume – make sure past roles are in past tense, check for spelling and grammar etc, ask a trusted friend to read it over if you can!

We hope the above tips help you to get started – once you start you will find it easier than you thought (especially if it has been a while since you’ve reviewed you resume).  If you are really stuck, you can engage a professional who will assist you, but with the above tips, you will be ahead of many people who are applying for new jobs!

Let us know in the comments below if you have any questions about how to lay out your resume, or what you should be including!

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The best advice EVER for EVERY employer

by on Dec.19, 2011, under Advice for Employers

Ever noticed how some companies seem to flourish – they are the companies that do well, they grow from strength to strength.  There are particular companies that Venture Capitalists are jumping to support!  There are companies out there setting the bar, leading the way for other companies.  Even within companies, we can see evidence of strong teams, with strong results – made more obvious when compared with teams that don’t seem to have cohesiveness or demonstrate strong results.

What is the secret of successful companies

What makes some companies better than others?  What makes some teams perform better than others?

If you answered people, you would be correct!  If you know anything about me from my business writing, you will know that I think staff are THE most important part of any company.  But that is not just the end of it – why do some companies seem to attract great staff, have great morale and produce exceptional results?

So the big question is – how does a company find these extraordinary staff?

The Golden Rule for employers

The golden rule is very simple – hire good people!  Seems simple doesn’t it, but there is a trick to ‘hiring good people’.  This is where the shame lies – any good business book will tell you that Venture Capitalists will only deal with good managers – the product, the service, the idea, the action plan: none of them matter if the management is not top shelf.

Make sure you are always hiring someone who is better than you!  In fact – Venture Capitalist Glenn Fuhrman stated it perfectly:

“I only ever hire ‘A’ players for me and my companies. If I hire ‘A’ players, they will hire ‘A+’ people below them. If I hire ‘B’ players, they will hire ‘C’ players below them. ‘A’ players don’t get threatened by better people below them; ‘B’ players do.”??- Glenn Fuhrman (http://www.forbes.com/sites/ericjackson/2011/12/14/the-best-advice-ive-ever-received-about-hiring-talent/)

This trick is the one thing that many bad managers fail to grasp, in fact many managers are so insecure or full of fear that they completely fail to build strong foundations through surrounding themselves with weak staff.  A bad hire today can lead to a legacy of bad hires for that particular company, function or group. Something not easy to undo down the line.

What is your management structure like?  Are you managers confident in their own unique abilities?  Are they able to work with brilliant people without feeling threatened?  If not, you have some work to do!  Next time you are hiring staff, ensure that you are seeking the person who will raise the game!

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Tips to avoid crossing the line in Social Recruiting

by on Dec.12, 2011, under Recruitment

When it comes to using social media websites for recruiting – what we call social recruiting – how far is too far? Beyond learning the hard way what works and what doesn’t, there are some best practices emerging to help recruiters know when they’ve pushed the proverbial envelope too far. And hiring professionals are discovering a new line of recruiting applications and tools built into applicant tracking software to help them rise above the same old hashtag to better identify, connect with and place viable candidates.

For all their good intentions, many folks using social media in their recruiting efforts are running into the same issues. Here are the top three:

  • Spamming job posts. Want to render your social recruiting efforts ineffective? Spamming people with your job opportunities is a surefire way to do just that. The key to social recruiting is to be social and engaging. Share industry news and articles of interest, exchange personal messages, etc.
  • Prying rather than researching. Some positions require a flawless social media presence. For the rest, you shouldn’t be digging too deeply into their profiles. Screening should be focused on general impressions of candidates to see if they would fit within your company culture.
  • Penalizing candidates for level of access. It’s not unusual for candidates to deny recruiters access to their Facebook profile, inviting them to connect via LinkedIn instead. Many people use Facebook for personal, rather than professional networking – especially in Generation Y. Don’t write off candidates for showing a bit of backbone and managing their public image – it’s hardly something to penalize.

Lessons Learned from the Trenches

Some people are experiencing more success in social recruiting than others, and have picked up a few tricks worth sharing. Carolyn Betts, CEO of Betts Recruiting, is one such person, and was recently featured in a New York Times article, for leveraging social media to grow her recruiting success. She and I chatted last week, and she shared some lessons she’s learned from the trenches.

  • Focus on strategy. You won’t be able to make the most of social media if you’re going into it blindly. You need to have a plan for how you want to accomplish your goals. Betts suggests starting with one social media site, familiarizing yourself with it, then growing your presence gradually.
  • Have realistic expectations. When you consider the industry you’re in and the position you’re hiring for, are your deal-breakers realistic? You need to determine upfront how much weight you are giving a candidate’s social media presence.
  • Leverage the right apps and tools. Many successful social recruiters know that in order to make the most of your social recruiting efforts, you need to leverage the right tools. Why go it alone when there are applications with built-in best practices for recruiting more effectively?

Software Expanding Recruiters’ Reach

Human resources software is growing to help recruiters make use of social media in their hiring strategy. But before recruiters can fully harness these helpful tools, they must determine whether or not they are in the right social media playground.

According to a recent study, approximately 85 percent of U.S. companies used LinkedIn for recruiting last year, though only 30 percent of active job seekers are on LinkedIn. As such, many recruiters are finding LinkedIn a bit overcrowded. Where are the candidates? The large majority of them are on Facebook.

Because the data recruiters are looking for is a little harder to find on Facebook, however, many miss the sourcing opportunity this vast network provides. Fortunately, there are third-party software developers devising methods to put actionable candidate information into the hands of recruiters quickly and efficiently. Some of these recruiting solutions are standalone applications that leverage recruiters’ networks. Others – like Bullhorn Reach – are applications designed specifically for automating social recruiting.

For further reading, check out this original article at: http://blog.softwareadvice.com/articles/hr/social-recruiting-how-far-is-too-far-010271/

 

About the Author: Kyle is the HR Analyst at Software Advice – a company that reviews human resources and applicant tracking software.

 

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Top 5 ways to lose your best employees

by on Dec.02, 2011, under Advice for Employers

There’s no denying that staff costs are one of the highest expenses for a business and indeed finding new staff members can cost a company 50% to 200%  of the cost of the annual wage.  So it’s no surprise then that it is a great idea to keep good staff.  In fact it is something that businesses should be actively paying attention to!

Last Christmas I had just the same idea on my mind (Christmas is a fantastic time to show our staff how much we appreciate them!), see our post about How to show your staff you value them.  But it is not just about ideas to reward staff – companies need to be aware of the mistakes they are making that cost them their good staff!

Here are my top 5 ways to lose your best employees:

  1. Lack of personalisation: Probably the worst mistake a company can make is to create rigid bureaucracy.  There’s no argument that systems and processes are paramount for a company.  Measurement, growth and improvement is all made possible through implementing systems and processes, BUT the big problem is that systems and processes should be for function and therefore can’t always be applied to people.  Remember that people need to be treated as individuals.  Respect processes, but don’t expect people to be treated like a number.
  2. Lack of challenge: the one thing I notice again and again with top talent, they thrive on being part of something huge!  One thing many companies lack is the ability to find out what drives their top talent and then ensure they are offering these challenges!  Find out what your best employees are passionate about and find a way to include those passions in their job functions/roles.
  3. Lack of communication: it does surprise me how poorly some companies perform at communicating with staff, meetings become long and boring and lose touch with their meaning, annual reviews are considered to time consuming to interfere with the running of the business.  Managers actually need to schedule time with their people, not to just fill in an HR form – but spend time discussing work, output/results and personal satisfaction, remember employees are people who need to be treated as individuals (see point 1 above!)
  4. Lack of vision: there are 2 elements to lack of vision, employees need to have a global vision for the company and it’s goals and they also need a local vision for their own progression and contribution to the overall scheme.  Make sure that you are firm in your company vision and are able to communicate this and also make sure that your staff members know how you see them contributing towards this (and see point 3 above – don’t forget to ask HOW they want to contribute!)
  5. Poor management: In my honest opinion, this is one of the BIGGEST mistakes companies make.  Many managers may be fantastic sales people, or top accountants, or fantastic operationally – but that doesn’t mean they should be managing people!  Great managers inspire, they provide focus and goals and should assist their staff to achieve.  Poor managers tell people HOW to do their jobs, they show lack of trust in an individuals innate talents, lack of vision and communication and indeed allow poison to flow in a team.  Fear is not a motivator for great talent.  Trust and respect are required to build a good team and a manager who encourages individuals to shine, to be responsible and to excel is the perfect manager for top talent!

If you want to attract and retain great employees, you need to make sure that you don’t fall into making the above mistakes.  If your staff turnover is less than satisfactory, time to check the above list and make improvements, so that you can keep the top talent you have!  The snowball effect is that you are then considered a top employer and great talent will come looking for you!

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The top 7 workplace issues – Christmas/New Year period

by on Nov.25, 2011, under Advice for Employers

It’s nearly that time of year!!!  The silly season is nearly upon us – the time of year that all employees love and all employers dread!  On the opposite end of the scale that this time of year produces an awful lot of happiness and frenzied productivity there are the issues that everyone employer faces (eg: absences & managing skeleton staff).

What are the common issues for employers and what can you do?

  1. Absence before/after a public holiday: many employment contracts state that attendance before/after a public holiday is a condition of being paid for that day, but be careful of the changes made under WorkChoices, which states entitlement of pay if the holiday falls on a ‘normal’ work day.
  2. Increased Annual Leave requests: employers should expect that many employees would like to take advantage of the Christmas and New Years public holidays at take the time in-between  – leading to a longer break.  In advance employers should decide how many staff they require to keep essential operations running.  Some employers also ask staff to nominate preferences so they can plan for this in advance – be careful though that you are not showing bias when choosing whose requests will be granted and whose won’t.
  3. Closing down: many businesses choose to close in the quiet period and direct an employee to take forced annual leave.  Again this requires some management in advance to ensure staff are aware of the need to accrue sufficient leave.  Employers may also choose to allow their staff to use some of their upcoming holiday leave in advance, NB: the arrears may not be collected back from staff should they leave before their accruals have built up again.
  4. Additional award holiday: employers and staff may agree to transfer the ‘holiday’ to another date – PLEASE GAIN THE CORRECT ADVICE before implementing this idea (usually most suited to retail environments).
  5. Rostered days off (RDOs): RDO’s may be transferred to best suit the employer and employee!
  6. Time off in lieu of overtime: this method is a preferred one of many employers allowing an employee to accrue overtime and then redeem that overtime at a time suitable to all parties.  Employers should be aware that overtime can attract higher rates and some employees would prefer the rate of pay than the time in lieu – it is recommended that this should be discussed before decisions are dictated to employees as overtime taken as time off in lieu during ordinary hours is usually at the employee’s ordinary rate of pay, ie. an hour for each hour worked, although the employer should check this by referring to the applicable industrial instrument.?
  7. Refusal to work on a public holiday An employer may require their staff to work on a public holiday, due to the nature of the business.  However if the employees refusal is reasonable (eg: it is not a normal work day for them, they have family commitments and/or additional remuneration or benefits is entitled, the amount of notice given AND many other factors) the employer may have to recognise this right.

In all elements of these issues, keeping the lines of communication open is usually the best way to ensure that things don’t escalate out of control.  Please be aware that it is the employers obligation to ensure compliance with the correct legislation in all of these matters.  Obtain advice from an HR specialist or your local chamber of commerce or compliance expert!

Christmas is a time of year that everyone should be able to enjoy – with a bit of pre-planning and thought, it can be for employers too!

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Are your staff goofing off?

by on Nov.18, 2011, under Advice for Employers

Do you monitor your staff social media use??  I read with interest the results of a joint study conducted by Melbourne’s Swinburne University of Technology and online security company MailGuard, which measured the internet usage of 50,000 people over a six-month period.  According to the study, workers spend an average of between 30 to 60 minutes online for personal reasons every day, while the heaviest users spend up to two hours online.  Social Media sites and online shopping sites rated highly as well as news, sports, weather, transport and personal banking (not necessarily in this order btw).

The good news for employers is that only 20% of those surveyed were classified as ‘heavy explorers’, ie: exceeding a baseline of ‘normal’ activity set at 200 wesbites/month.  Interestingly it is at this level that staff productivity is considered to deteriorate, NOT BEFORE!

What is ‘normal’ online behaviour

A Swinburne lecturer (Rajesh Vasa) said that users typically glance at social media sites for only a few seconds at a time, furthermore – the behaviour in general being engaged in, are normal workplace socializing as has always occurred, but has simply migrated to a new medium (on-line instead of the water cooler!).

What does the study reveal?

MailGuard chief executive Craig McDonald says employers can rest assured that most people are doing the right thing, labelling heavy explorers as the exception rather than the rule.

Vasa says a lot of workers identified as heavy explorers held less important positions, such as temps, who don’t always have a large workload anyway.

McDonald says rather than introduce a “blanket policy”, whereby the use of social media sites is completely banned, employers should discuss excessive use with their staff. (reference here)

What can employers learn?

Firstly the study (as well as several others) points to the fact that complete blocking of staff access to social media and websites tends to have a reverse impact on productivity – instead of increasing efficiency it tends to incite rebellion that reduces productivity.  The other thing the study points to is that it is better to measure productivity, heavy users may also be those who achieve high productivity and manage multiple tasks!  The last important issue I wanted to address is that fact that a blanket no Social Media policy because of a few ‘squeeky wheels’ is not fair to the vast majority of staff who don’t take advantage.

What can employers do?

Software solutions are a fantastic idea – companies such as MailGuard or NetBoxBlue offer software that allow for usage that is restricted in some ways, eg: particular words can be banned or monitoring software that notifies staff when their internet usage changes.  This equates to showing staff that you have a level of trust and respect their ability to manage their own time.

One workplace I know has a couple of dedicated PC’s in the lunch are so that staff can access them on their break.

Which ever options you decide upon, it is best to speak with your staff – explain to them that you accept there will be some usage and you will allow this as long as it is not taken advantage of – a workplace with a friendly, co-operative and social atmosphere is much more effective at gaining great productivity – social media is one of the ways to increase your staff feelings of wellbeing!

We’d love to hear from you – do you allow social media usage? Have you got some good or bad case studies you’d like to share with us?!

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