So we have reached the end of the working year and Christmas is well and truly upon us. This is a perfect time to reflect on the overall progress of your business and how you want your company to develop in the New Year. Aside from planning the Christmas party, you will start to ask yourself questions like, ‘what aspects of your business do you want to grow?’ and ‘do you want increased success in the upcoming year or do you want the chance to enjoy the success you’ve already achieved?’ Here are some resolutions for your company to help you accomplish company success in the New Year.

Be sure to delegate: It’s understandable that you always want your company to run smoothly and therefore you end up taking on the majority of the tasks yourself. However, this is not the answer, as you will end up becoming tired and frazzled, resulting in a lack of motivation which will affect your work. Delegating work to employees is the key to a healthy work-life balance.

Set achievable goals: It’s important that you set realistic goals for your company to be sure to bring success rather than distress. When setting aims in the New Year, it’s important that they are achievable, as thinking of far-fetched goals will lead to frustration and de-motivation, affecting your office in a negative way.

Bring in something new: Learning a new skill or hiring a new recruit could add a new dimension to your workplace. In particular, learning a new skill yourself will help you achieve a better work-life balance as well as increasing the opportunity of success.

Emphasise the importance of collaboration: Ensure that the use of the word ‘I’ is replaced with ‘we’ in the New Year. Make 2018 all about creating a culture that is focused on teamwork and that each project is all about collaboration. Emphasise this to workers so they are aware that teamwork will be rewarded and you will be keeping an eye on everyone to ensure they are supporting each other.

Be compassionate to your workers: Showing compassion to your employees will increase their loyalty to your company. This will in turn increase their motivation and improve the company goals and values. When speaking to staff members, always ensure to be the kind of boss that you would want to have yourself.

Create a healthy workplace: When the Christmas period is over and you have employees returning to work, it is likely they will have set themselves resolutions of their own, the main one being ‘be healthy.’ Offering lunchtime exercise classes, yoga courses or gym memberships will create a mentally and physically fit office and this will result in loyal and motivated employees.

Increase the use of social media: Try and increase the use of social media within your company, whether it is posting on different online platforms or using the platforms to discover new recruits. Social recruiting is no longer just a trend; it is becoming more normal in the workplace. Making the most of online platforms will increase publicity as well as help you keep up with competitors, who I can guarantee are using it themselves.

Research people who have achieved your resolutions: Connecting with people who have already achieved your goal on platforms such as LinkedIn will help you when trying to attain it yourself. Researching different stories or people that are similar will bring a familiarity to your aims and the sense of realism will help you stick to your resolution. It will give you the positive attitude of ‘if they can do it, then I can as well.’
Make sure to have some ‘me-time’: Take the time to relax and refresh yourself, this is important for maintaining a healthy work-life balance. All work and no play will make your company suffer, so don’t feel bad about taking some time out. It’s vital, because if you think about it, if you don’t invest in yourself then who will?       
You should look at maintaining a good work-life balance like maintaining a good relationship, something that you have to keep working on. However, if you apply these resolutions at the start of the new working year and continue them throughout, you will feel better while helping your company achieve the success it deserves.

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Every company is different; however one unfortunate common factor that many face is the issue of workplace politics. Quite often, members of staff disagree on ideas relating to particular projects or quite simply different personalities clash on a day to day basis. If you find yourself coming face-to-face with this, there are ways to find a solution:

Treat Others How You Want To Be Treated:
Many workplace issues are started with rumours and gossip, this type of chat means that things can be misunderstood and the wrong information passed from person to person. It’s important for all members of the company to always act professionally and be direct, which can hopefully be realized through employers portraying to employees that they don’t want to engage in this type of behaviour. This doesn’t mean that an employer can’t be understanding and help, however remember that there are always two sides to any story, so if employees come to you with a problem, listen and try to give helpful input without getting too involved.

Be Aware of the Bigger Picture:
If employees are constantly getting involved in workplace politics, this can be very frustrating. However, it is important to keep in mind that situations can change. Speaking to each employee individually or holding a meeting to resolve different issues can play a big part in toning down differences and bring a more positive dynamic to your company. Implementing some constructive habits or tone will make you as an employer feel better, as well as having a ripple effect on those around you. Positive workers will make the office a happier place and make the workforce more motivated, a total win-win for all.  

Work Hard At Your Job:
The most important thing is to consistently work hard and make sure your company is running smoothly. Troubles circulating the office can throw off concentration and it is vital you ensure that your workers are completing every job to a high standard. You know what is important to you, so stay true to this. Too often employees shy away or sacrifice things because they might not be going along with the corporate line. Make sure to let employees know that you will welcome their opinions and encourage them to share any ideas in meetings; your workers will find this motivating.

Be Self-Aware:
To be self aware is an important skill to have in everyday life, not just in work. If you have good self-awareness, then you will be highly attentive to many different situations and of your strengths and weaknesses. If you find yourself in a problematic situation in work, as well as in other aspects of your life, think about how you can change your attitudes to ensure it doesn’t happen again. Of course this doesn’t justify bad behaviour from your workers, but it does help when you can see the part that you played and have the power to change it.

Maintain A Positive Mindset:
Walk into work every morning with a smile and be intentional about doing something kind for someone else. This could be a variety of actions, varying from offering someone a coffee, complimenting someone or helping out a confused staff member with a project. Taking a moment out of your day to do something like this will prevent you from getting into a negative rut and will make the office a more optimistic place.

Work as a Team:
One main way of preventing office politics is to build and maintain good working relationships with your employees. In this day and age, more companies are becoming focused on ensuring a high level of collaboration between employees to increase motivation and performance. Make sure to share with workers and help whenever is needed; this will improve your relationship with them. Be genuine while working in your office, as proving yourself as reliable will make you feel better and encourages your staff to do the same.

There are some simple techniques such as taking deep breaths, doing a workout before starting work or going for a walk at lunchtime that help with staying optimistic and calm. It can be easy to get caught up in the day to day situations at work, but once you take a step back and look at the bigger picture, it will help you rise above any situation and come out on top.

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The social media phenomenon has swept in and changed just about every business in some form or another. One of the main platforms that has changed the HR industry as a whole is the ever growing LinkedIn. According to Antonio Juliano, a marketing and social media strategist, ‘up to 44% from the same period a year ago in the most recent quarter, has positioned it as the undisputed leader in its category.’  

There are many reasons why LinkedIn has taken HR by storm, read on to find out:

Offers the Ability to Expand Your Network
LinkedIn allows its users to connect and build upon current or potential working relationships. Many professionals need to use the platform to expand their connections beyond those they already know, which is where LinkedIn groups come in useful. Groups allow employers to meet anyone from any industry or country with the click of a button. One of the best parts of LinkedIn groups is that you can automatically send a message without being a connection, enabling you to save time, as you won’t have to wait for a connection acceptance.

It Has Given More Opportunities for Spotting Talent
With over 238 million members and counting, LinkedIn has given recruiters unlimited access to finding new potential clients. By posting job openings to checking out a profile, the hiring process has changed drastically. A study completed by the society for Human Resource Management discovered that 77% of employers are using social networks to recruit and among the recruiters using social tools, 94% said they are using LinkedIn.

Use LinkedIn’s Paid Options to Help Enhance Opportunities
Even though using LinkedIn at the basic level is still beneficial, many are opting for the paid solutions, such as the premium membership. This allows the user to search more in-depth, send messages directly without connecting and be offered access to different lists of employees in a certain industry. There are also further options such as LinkedIn talent solutions, which will help an employer to decide on a new recruit and use paid job advertisements among other elements.

With millions of users, LinkedIn gives you an access to an unlimited database of professionals from many different industries. You can research who current connections are connected with to enhance your own and discover exactly what role people have in their job, as well as what tasks their job position entails.

It Increases Personal Branding
LinkedIn allows people to show off their skills and qualities in the best way and to connect in a more personal way rather than e-mailing. In the words of Paul Dreschler, president of CBI, ‘it’s provided a fantastic platform for every age-group to connect with each other and build a community of people, who have just enough insight to enable them to have the first conversation, do the research or decide on what to do next.’

It Allows You to Attract Potential Employees
LinkedIn is full of ‘passive job seekers,’ someone who isn’t on the hunt for a job but could be tempted to. In order to attract these ‘passive job seekers’ it’s important to promote your company in a positive light. Start by ensuring your own personal profile shows aspects of good interaction, such as sharing status updates, articles etc. Then start working on your LinkedIn company page to make it attractive to potential recruits as well as customers.

It is predicted that LinkedIn will go from strength to strength in the world of work, according to a Global Recruiting Trends survey completed by LinkedIn, 56% of Talent Acquisition team says their hiring volume will increase. So start reaping the benefits of LinkedIn if you aren’t already, it’s the online professional network that opens up a new world of advantages and helps you keep up with the pace of competitors around the world.

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