Category: Human Resource

Though there are some who have succeeded without the help of a college degree, there are still an overwhelming number of reasons why continuing education matters. When looking to advance further into your career, the need for further education is a must. Those who have found themselves unfulfilled by the common workplace often invest in themselves be considering a graduate degree. With increased higher education costs one might ask themselves, “Why go back to school?” However, as studies will have it, continuing your education can make a significant difference in your future.

1.  Great for Personal Growth – There are some of us who simply dedicate themselves to constantly growing and learning. They have an extreme desire to continue adding knowledge to their resumes as they challenge themselves in an academic sense. If you seek education as a means of further developing your mind, learning new concepts, and challenging your way of thinking, then obtaining a graduate degree is certainly worth looking into.

2.  Better Opportunities for Employment – There are many positions that require continued education as a means for moving up the ladder. With a bachelor’s degree being regarded as the minimum requirement for employment, many individuals have opted to go back to school as a method for excelling in the workplace. To move past the typical entry level positions, getting a degree can present opportunities in higher level management and directorial positions within any organization. Even if you don’t wish to stay where you are now, obtaining a degree of masters or doctorates opens the door to a plethora of positions.

3.  Increased Chances of Advancement – to piggyback off of what was stated previously, obtaining a graduate degree of any kind can place you in a whole new caliber of positions. The mere fact that you took the time to research a school, invested time into practice tests, obtained letters of recommendation, completed your application and successfully completed your course studies says a lot to hiring managers. It essentially says that you’re persistent, determined, and have the natural desire to improve upon yourself. As such, this opens the door for new leadership roles.

4.  Increased Income Earning Potential – While you might be worried about the costs of graduate school you’ll be pleased to know that there is a significant return on investment. According to the US Census, an individual with a master’s degree or higher could earn an average salary of about $55,000. Which is a $10,000 a year difference from those who earn a bachelors degree.

5.  Feeling of Accomplishment – As you attend graduate school you’ll find it to be a lot more challenging than any other form of education you’ve received thus far. The hours you study, the lessons you learn, and even the trials and tribulations along the way are all made worthwhile once you receive a degree. There is a feeling of self pride in knowing that you’ve taken on the task of improving yourself – your brand, for the better.

6.  Great Resume Builder – There’s nothing like being able to put PhD behind your name or list your educational career on a resume. There is a certain level of automatic respect that you receive from employers. This essentially says something about who you are and how dedicated and passionate you are about your career choices.

7.  Good For Your Health – This last one might surprise you but it’s true. Achieving a graduate degree has been proven to improve your health. It may all be subconscious, but the feeling of self accomplishment makes you feel good about yourself. A person who feels good about who they are and where they’re going in life are often less stressed and thus a lot happier.

So there you have it…seven good reasons to pursue a graduate degree…seven reasons why you might consider investing in the brand of you. These are just a few ways in which a graduate degree can benefit you professionally, financially, and emotionally. At the end of the day, the decision is yours to make, but it certainly helps knowing that you’ve got  to look forward to.

The typical laws against age discrimination revolve around older workers. 

 “The Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA) only forbids age discrimination against people who are age 40 or older. It does not protect workers under the age of 40, although some states do have laws that protect younger workers from age discrimination.”

We live in a day an age where we constantly hear about the millennial founders breaking the bank after jumping into the startup deep end, and we simultaneously hear about the newly appointed corporate CEOs with over 40 years of work experience at a large company.  And naturally there is a bias for anyone who doesn’t fit this mold.

I’ve witnessed both sides of this new era of ageism:

In a corporate role, I met a business partner in-person after one year of a virtual work environment. Although he treated me with respect on the phone for the whole year, when we finally met in person, he said “I had no idea you were so young; you sound much older and authoritative”.  Subsequent phone meetings were much more callous, until he was reminded I was in charge.

In the startup world, I have attended events where someone in their 30s or 40s could feel like an octogenarian. The unmarried, 20-somethings were participating in all night-hackathons, juggling multiple business ventures, saving on rent by living with their parents, all fueled by their Red Bull-infused lives.  Many of the older attendees naturally shied away from this chaotic bunch of youngsters, and vice versa.  And in a recent article, there seems to be evidence that even VCs prefer younger founders, and the reasons include flexibility and frugality.

Of course, the lesson from these stories is that age should not be the reason you don’t get a role that you really want.  By focusing on the skills and attitude required for a role, you can send clear signals that you match the profile.  Eventually, no one remembers your age, just your abilities and impact.  And don’t forget all the role models that have defied conventional wisdom about age.

Have you experienced this new “age” of discrimination? Let us know about it in the comments below. 

This comic and post were created by Kriti Vichare for #entrepreneurfail: Startup Success

Article Contributed by Conrad Ford

In May 2013, the Trades Union Congress revealed that 13% more people in the United Kingdom were working from home than was the case five years previously. In the United States, the Telework Research Network revealed in February 2013 that one in five American workers were based at home for at least one day per week, and forecast a 63% increase in home working over the next five years. But is it a good idea to let staff work from home? 

Reasons why home working may be good 

Increased productivity

Many people who have worked from home have reported that they get a lot more done than if they were at work. At home, there are no distractions from work-related phone calls and interruptions from colleagues. At home, people can also control the heating or ventilation to their satisfaction.

Technological advances

As technology advances, it is becoming ever easier to stay in contact with anyone who is working from home. Mobile phones, instant messages and video conferencing are all ways home workers can stay in contact with the office; or with others working from home. It is also usually possible to allow remote access to internal systems and computer files. “Remote working is easier and more effective than ever,” said Sir Richard Branson.

No commuting

Two time consuming, expensive commutes each day are a fact of life for many office workers, but of course this does not apply to home workers. Some analysts have suggested that lengthy commutes will become a thing of the past in many countries before too long, as fuel costs will be just too expensive. They predict that more and more people will need to work from home, or work in office hubs close to their home address.

People don’t have to work at home every day

Unless the issue is covered in the individual’s contract of employment, it is of course the company’s decision as to how often a particular employee is allowed to work from home. Companies may decide to allow home working on a certain number of days per week, but then insist that everyone comes in to the office on another day for a team meeting and a catch-up. Alternatively, the company might want to ask a regular home worker to come to the office each day for a period of time to complete a particular project or task.

Home workers can still be monitored

Just because you don’t see your employees all day every day doesn’t mean the quality of their work can’t be monitored. Employees can send in completed work by email, or can be asked to account for what they have done when they next attend the office. Any manager who allows staff to work from home for the first time may understandably feel uneasy, and might be thinking ‘Will they actually be working?’, However, if they really are shirking, then there are some simple ways of discovering this. Assuming their contract allows, companies can also withdraw the ‘privilege’ of working from home if it has doubts about how some staff are reacting to their new found freedoms.

Can save the company money

If the company does not need to accommodate as many people in the office, savings can be made on IT costs, utilities, cleaning costs and costs of renting office space.

Can reduce stress

Work-related stress costs companies a great deal of money. Allowing people to work from home can help in this respect.

May help recruitment

A company who offers the chance to work from home may receive more applications for roles, thus allowing them to select from a wider talent pool. Staff turnover may also be lower if home working is allowed. In a Stanford University study “job attrition rates fell by over 50%” amongst home workers.

Reasons why home working may be bad 

Less flexibility 

As a manager of staff who might work from home, you may need to do more advance planning than might otherwise be the case. Calling a team meeting, or allocating an urgent piece of work to a team member might be much more difficult if they are not in the office.

Does everyone know how to contact home workers?

Of course it is not the case that just because people are working from home that they cannot be contacted – as we saw above there are telephones, emails and video conferencing available. However, does everyone in the office who might want to contact a particular person know how to get hold of them? If people regularly approach one of your team members with technical queries, will they still be able to do so if they are not in the office?

Access to facilities in the home

Whilst most people now have a home computer and internet access, not everyone does. Also, just because they have these facilities in the home does not necessarily mean they have access to them all day. Who else lives with your employees, and will they need to share use of the home computer, or the video call facilities?

Confusion over the terms of home working

An employer may need to set the terms on which home working is done before it is allowed. For example, is an employee expected to be at home throughout normal office hours, or can they go out for a little while during the day and catch up with work tasks in the evening?

Personal contact remains valuable

In some business situations, there is still no substitute for face-to-face contact, especially when selling or when conducting important negotiations.

Less opportunity for group discussions

Technology still allows formal team meetings to take place if some or all of the team are at home. But what can be missed is the informal interaction. When Yahoo banned home working in February 2013, its memo to staff on the subject read: “Some of the best decisions and insights come from hallway and cafeteria discussions, meeting new people, and impromptu team meetings.”

May reduce the variety of tasks they can perform

Depending on the role in question, it may not actually be possible for an employee to carry out their full range of work tasks from home. Home workers may therefore end up doing just one or two repetitive tasks, whilst those who continue to work from the office may be able to get involved in projects and in a wider range of tasks. Home workers may find themselves at a disadvantage when it comes to salary increases and internal promotions, perhaps because they have a less varied curriculum vitae, or simply due to the ‘out of sight, out of mind’ principle. 

Distractions

We have already looked at the issue of distractions in the workplace. However, there can certainly be distractions at home. Cold calls on the telephone, callers at the door and the urge to perform domestic tasks can all play their part.

Social considerations

Especially in urban areas, people spend less and less time with their neighbours. For many, the workplace is the main place where friendships are formed, and of course home workers will not get this opportunity.

Conrad Ford is Managing Director of Funding Options, an award-winning team of business finance experts who specialise in helping businesses get the loans they need.

With Christmas rapidly approaching, staff morale tends to decrease as the workload gets harder and staff start to dream of that Christmas break. The build up to Christmas is a time that will really trust your managerial credentials as keeping staff morale high in such a key trading period is essential. Here are three simple ways that you can do just that and ensure that all of your staff are happy right up until their well earned break:

Make Sure they’re Properly Trained

Staff members are much happier when they know what they’re doing. If you’ve worked your way up from the bottom of a business, you’ll know how frustrating it is when a customer asks you a question that you don’t know the answer to and, from a managerial perspective; you’ll know how annoying it is to lose business because of it.

Christmas is all about the rush for businesses and time means money. For this reason, you should invest time into making sure that all of your staff members from the bottom to the top of the business are properly trained.

From quick refresher training for sales assistants to advanced training for selected management, training can be the key. Media training courses like the ones provided by Media Mentor can be pivotal if a problem arises and can save you thousands of pounds in lost custom, so remember that staff training should include everyone and not just those at the bottom.

Offer a Christmas Freebie

Sometimes, staff lose their focus in the approach to Christmas because they feel that they do not get the recognition that they deserve. In truth, some staff members will feel like this no matter what you do, but buying each staff member a small gift should bridge the gap significantly and show them that they are all valued.

The employee Christmas gift idea that you buy is dependent on how many staff you employ. A personal gift will always go down well if you know enough about the staff member but, if you employ too many, an individual generic gift such as a bottle of wine each or a chocolate selection will suffice. If in doubt, simply buy a tab behind the local bar one night after work.

Make Team Bonding a Priority

Sometimes when you’re feeling down, the workplace can feel like a lonely world. For this reason, you should encourage team bonding as much as possible. Whatever form you choose for this is will work, and it entirely depends on the scale. A weekend retreat will always bring staff closer but, if you don’t have the budget, a nice meal out together should be just as good.

Developing your employees is an integral part of keeping your business a successful one. How you choose to do this, however, is another question. It varies greatly from business to business, because more often than not, it depends on the organisation itself and the skills needed.

Training and coaching often go hand in hand, and can work well together as part of a complementary development programme.

Training

Training is, simply, sharing of knowledge. Those who are experienced or have knowledge and expertise in a particular field teach individuals who have less knowledge of that field. This can vary from an instruction on the best way to lift a heavy box, to language classes to a wine tasting session.

Training is direct. The trainer is the expert, and will tell the trainee(s) what to learn and how to do it.

Coaching

A coach is not necessarily more knowledgeable, or has more expertise or experience in a particular area than the ‘coachee’ or ‘mentee’. Instead, a coach facilitates development in an individual. They don’t impart knowledge; instead, through coaching methods, a coach will raise awareness of the individual’s skills, knowledge and expertise, and their own possibilities. The coach will then motivate the individual to utilise these skills to be who they want to be or do what they want to do.

Coaching or Training?

The best answer is both, but it depends on how you want to support your employees. A typical training and development programme within an organisation looks a little bit like this:

Introduction – for new starters, an introduction to the company is essential. The company’s goals and how they as an employee contribute towards those goals, is a good place to start.

Review the Job Description – Identify anything that they don’t know how to do, or things that they want to know about in more detail.

Training – group training or individual training; make sure that your employee is competent and able to do their job.

Ongoing Development – on site training should be confirmed and updated regularly. Offsite training at conferences or workshops help your employees feel that they are valued, and equally have something of value to contribute to the company

Coaching – Coaching will help employees develop their skills, not only as employees, but in other aspects of their life as they begin to identify ways that they can develop themselves. You can hire a company like Watt Works Consultancy who can mentor your employees for you, or you can develop your own coaching programme, using other employees as coaches.