New employee orientation: A critical part of management

Posted on May 22, 2017 by

Learning to bring new workers into your organization can have long-term benefits for all parties involved.

How do you welcome new employees to the team?

How do you welcome new employees to the team?

When it comes to bringing new employees onto a team, an abrupt or under-managed approach may end up leaving recent hires with plenty of questions and few answers. These fresh prospects are here to help your company succeed, but they can get off to a poor start synchronizing their goals with yours if they don’t take on the initiative with strong onboarding and orientation classes.

To make this important type of training go smoothly, the solution may be more training! If you take the time to learn the best practices associated with orientation and onboarding, you could improve interactions between new employees and the company in general. If you’re hoping to turn fresh recruits into long-term contributors, orientation is an important area to focus on. Starting out on the right foot, with enough information and a strong feeling of connection, could set a team member up for success. Continue reading →

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Customer service and sales are converging

Posted on May 15, 2017 by

When functions such as customer service and sales are out of sync, it’s hard to impress consumers or create lasting client relationships.

Employees across departments should be comfortable pooling their efforts.

Employees across departments should be comfortable pooling their efforts.

Companies that exist with every function in a distinct silo are at a disadvantage today. If the sales and customer service teams are out of sync, for example, an organization may end up delivering a disjointed experience leaving consumers dissatisfied. Forging better internal connections may be a company’s best hope of representing themselves effectively to their audience.

The problem with isolated departments is quite simple: Businesses seem monolithic from the outside. When customers speak to companies through any of the numerous channels available to them today, they expect to have an experience consistent with all of their other interactions. When organizations have poor communication or consistency internally, they could fail to live up to expectations. Maintaining client happiness is an ongoing process that is easier to handle when teamwork extends between departments, instead of just thriving within them. Continue reading →

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OSHA training: Stay current in the face of updates

Posted on May 11, 2017 by

Not only are OSHA regulations important to comply with, but also they’re always evolving. It’s up to you to keep up.

New OSHA rules are rolling out all the time - here are some examples.

New OSHA rules are rolling out all the time – here are some examples.

Keeping employees up on the latest safety procedures as defined by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is a clear priority at a workplace of any kind, but there are complications. The exact practices organizations have to follow must be defined by each company’s industry and role, however, policies change every few years, which calls for constant awareness.

Across industries, policies are always up for revisions to suit modern workplaces. When you’re preparing your OSHA training programs for employees at all levels, it’s essential to ensure the concepts you teach are based on the latest legal and regulatory changes. Continue reading →

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Cybersecurity has become essential for today’s companies

Posted on May 8, 2017 by

Cybersecurity is, understandably, one of the most critical skill areas within any contemporary workplace.

Data security is non-optional in today's workplace.

Data security is non-optional in today’s workplace.

If you’re in a position of leadership in today’s enterprise environment, looking after cybersecurity is part of your duties. The importance of good security practices is so great that it is being felt well beyond the IT department. Technology drives business operations across a wide variety of functions, and cracks in cyber defenses can occur anywhere within an organization. Being ready for IT problems is not optional – it may be what saves your company from the serious consequences of a breach. Continue reading →

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Creating an ethical workplace through leadership

Posted on May 1, 2017 by

Ethics in the workplace must be enforced. This is one of the building blocks of a functional company. 

Is your company's ethical framework set?

Is your company’s ethical framework set?

Strong ethics are one of the many signs of a desirable workplace, the kind of office where people want to work. A sense of integrity doesn’t occur within an office by accident – this positive atmosphere is created by the conduct and management style of leaders. If you directly oversee a workplace, or if you’re responsible for employees who do, it’s time to consider whether your style is helping good values and ethics take root.

Companies that have poor track records on integrity are always at risk. The legal and functional problems that arise from failures of ethics within organizations are pressing and numerous. This means enforcing good conduct and practices isn’t just the morally upright thing to do; it’s justified and even essential from a bottom-line perspective as well. It’s worth taking some extra time to ensure all bases are covered – and understand how a workplace can drift away from ethical activity in the first place. Continue reading →

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