flexible working – Growing Forward

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To succeed in business, you have to be able to move with the times and ensure the services you offer cater to evolving customer needs and preferences. If you run a company or an organization, it’s essential to embrace new ways of working and harness the power of modernization to boost efficiency and gain a competitive advantage. If you’re looking to push your business forward, here are some tips to take on board.

Invest in technology

Technology plays an increasingly influential role in the way modern-day businesses and organizations operate. The pandemic has highlighted the impact and importance of investing in cutting-edge tech. Technology streamlines operations, it saves businesses time and money and it provides invaluable opportunities to connect and engage with customers. If you’re not up to speed with innovation, it’s wise to carry out a tech audit, to analyze what your competitors are doing and identify investment opportunities that could boost efficiency, cut costs and drive your organization forward. Look for solutions that would be beneficial for your business in line with your objectives. Not every company will need to buy every new gadget, machine or device that comes onto the market. Tailor your purchases to suit your requirements and goals.

Use tailored software

Software plays a critical role in the day to day running of millions of organizations across the world. When buying new software or upgrading existing programs, it’s always beneficial to look for tailored solutions. Search for industry-specific programs and apps and software that is designed to offer targeted benefits and solutions. Local governments can benefit from using municipal software. Healthcare providers can take advantage of software that is designed to ensure compliance and simplify tasks such as accessing and updating patient records. Retailers can use programs to manage inventories, update sales figures in real-time and provide remote access for teams located across several stores or offices. If you have an in-house IT department, ask for advice. If you don’t have IT experts on your team, consider enlisting the services of IT consultants or outsourcing.

Embrace flexible working patterns

Flexible working had become more common before the pandemic, but the Covid-19 crisis has undoubtedly accelerated the shift towards remote working and alternatives to the traditional 9-5 working day. As a business owner or the manager of an organization, it’s wise to use the pandemic as a means of gathering information about remote working and identifying ways to capitalize on the benefits moving forward. Research suggests that employees want more flexibility. Ask your employees questions about their experiences of working from home, communicate openly, identify potential challenges and try to find solutions to any problems that have cropped up. Analyze performance, keep an eye on the data and consider strategies you could employ once restrictions are lifted. Some businesses will continue to operate remotely, some may introduce hybrid working patterns and others may encourage employees to return to offices full-time.

If you run an organization or a business, it’s crucial to understand the importance of modernization and evolution. Investing in technology, taking advantage of tailored software and IT solutions and embracing flexible working could all help you take your company to the next level.

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Being a manager is not an easy job. It’s not even a job that some people want; it’s just something that has happened organically over time. Yet just because it’s hard, or just because it’s not what you imagined yourself doing, that doesn’t mean you can’t be good at it. Being a good manager takes skill and confidence, and it also takes time so don’t expect to get there right away. Yet with the right attitude and the right planning, you can be an excellent manager that gets the best out of your employees. Read on to find out more.

Be Flexible

A lot has changed in the world of work and business. What was commonplace in the past is becoming much less so for a variety of different reasons. Working in an office is one of these things, and so too is working the traditional 9 to 5. Today, people need more flexibility in their lives, since the work-life balance, which has been missing for quite some time, is emerging as important once again.

This kind of flexible working means that employees are much happier in their roles, and even if they are working shorter hours, they can often get a lot more done as they are more content and therefore more productive.

To be a better manager, you also need to be flexible. You need to be able to adapt to the situations taking place around you and work with them to create a better workplace for everyone. This might mean allowing for home working, or staggered starts, or simply to be open to suggestions. It will depend on the kind of work that takes place and the employees you have to manage.

Give Rewards

Giving rewards to employees who have done well and who have boosted the business or done something for the company to be proud of is a good idea. It may seem as though you are playing one employee off against the others, but this is why you need to do it diplomatically. The employee will benefit because they will know you truly value their work. The other workers will benefit because they will see that they will be rewarded for working hard too. You will benefit because employees will want to please you. And the business as a whole will benefit because everyone is working much harder.

This kind of reward system doesn’t have to cost a lot of money, and you can offer all kinds of different treats and prizes from extra vacation days to restaurant coupons to custom branded awards.

Be Fun and Fair

There is a careful balance to be struck when you are a manager. Too strict and no one will want to work for you. Too lenient, and no one will do what they’re asked as they know there are no consequences. Somewhere in the middle is a crucial line to walk, and if you can get this right (which is where the experience will come in) then you will be able to garner respect and encourage your workers to do what you need them to do.

By being fun when you can and stricter when you need to be, the workers will see that there is a line and that you know how to strike a balance across it. Once they understand that you can do this fairly, everything else will fall into place.