Tag: process improvement

It’s no secret that the summertime can be a hectic time for business owners. With temperatures rising and hours of daylight increasing, it can be easy to forget about taking some well-deserved time off for yourself.

As a business owner, your priority is to keep your company growing and profitable. But, in order to do this successfully, you need to ensure that you take time out for yourself every now and then – especially during the summertime. Achieving a work-life balance is essential for improving productivity and preventing burnout.

One of the best ways to enjoy the summertime while still growing your business is by taking some time out to enjoy nature. Taking a break from work and immersing yourself in nature can help reduce stress, clear your mind and renew your focus and energy for the tasks ahead. In Japan, shinrin-yoku, or forest bathing, is actually prescribed by medical professionals to combat work burn-out. 

There are many simple activities you can do outdoors that will help you relax while still keeping an eye on your business. For example, you could try going for a walk or a hike in the countryside. You could also try going for a swim at your local beach or lake. Even spending some time fishing or reading in a quiet spot can be incredibly calming and rewarding. Just get out there and embrace ecotherapy. 

Meditation is another great way to enjoy nature while still keeping an eye on work-related tasks. Sitting outside in a peaceful, natural environment can help you clear your mind and focus on the task at hand. It can also help you gain perspective and allow you to make decisions that are best for your business.

Another important way to stay productive during summer is adopting time management strategies. Time management is key for achieving a great work-life balance during the summer months. Summertime can be deceiving, with the longer daylight hours, we can oftentimes feel that we have plenty of time to get everything done that needs to be completed. 

We wake up energized as we head to work in daylight and we even return home and it’s still daylight. The entire evening is available to spend with friends, get caught up on household projects, take part in a favorite hobby or finish those last emails. But what happens in reality? Many people with the best intentions, end up finding that at the end of the week, you haven’t accomplished enough and are taking work home for the weekend. This happens to the best of us.

Time management is just that – the ability to manage time. It requires effort to be good at it and in most cases, must be learned. How good are your time management skills? 

Here are some time management strategies that can really help you stay on track during the glorious summer months:

• Schedule time for high-priority tasks.

Organizing a list of things that need to be done is a great way to keep track of your progress. But, there are only so many hours in a day and it is up to you to make sure you are using your time in the most efficient way possible. So instead of hammering out a to-do list, make a schedule for your most important priorities. 

Any task that’s important to your success should have a time assigned to it. Appointment books or software work if you follow them. Schedule appointments with yourself and create time blocks for high-priority thoughts, conversations, and actions. Using software such as Infinity, can help you prioritize tasks and stay on track. 

Keep in mind, as easy as it is to make a schedule, it takes a considerable amount of discipline to follow it. When you schedule something, follow through with it. You will find that this little trick reduces the amount of time you spend on less-productive activities.

• Prioritize your actions. 

As a business owner, you are in charge of your own business. That means income produced is directly correlated to your actions, or the actions of those you delegate to. That said, you should spend the majority of your time working on income producing tasks. Leave menial work to those you hire/outsourced and work on the things that are most important to your business. 

It really comes down to how you value your time. Sure, you could spend all morning filing paperwork, and it is probably something that really needs to be done, but why not outsource that? Your time is really better spent working on bigger tasks.

• Plan each day ahead of time.

Take the first 30 minutes of every day to plan your day. In fact, don’t even start your day until you have established a time plan. Know when you need to be somewhere, or when specific tasks need to be done. Knocking this out will eliminate down time and increase productivity. The more productive you are with your time, the more you can get done. You will be surprised at how much time a simple task like this can save you over the course of a week, month, or even a year.

• Cut back on your availability.

As counterproductive as this may sound, reducing the amount of time you are available to others can be conducive to a productive work environment. You would be surprised at how much work you can get done by eliminating communications, or at least limiting your availability to others. 

Disconnect from the world for an allotted period of time every day. This can mean not responding to emails or phone calls immediately. The idea is to block out all distractions, unless it is something that demands your immediate attention. Don’t instantly give people your attention unless it’s absolutely crucial in your business. Instead, schedule a time to answer email and return phone calls. Sensing a trend? Scheduling is absolutely imperative to managing your time during the summer months. 

By creating an effective schedule that incorporates both business tasks and recreational summer activities, you’ll be able to get the most out of your day without feeling overwhelmed or exhausted.

So, take a break from work and enjoy the great outdoors this summer. There’s no better way to increase your productivity than by taking some time out for yourself and immersing yourself in nature. You’ll be surprised at how much more focused and productive you’ll become when you can balance business with pleasure!

Don’t let yourself get caught up in the hustle and bustle of business. Take time out to enjoy nature this summer – your business will thank you for it!

Interested in learning more about which tasks you can delegate? Contact our highly skilled executive assistant team to discuss how outsourcing can help with your business productivity. 

https://lifebydesignvs.com/

 

What is the secret to having a better company and happier employees?

Conscious hiring. 

What this means is that you are aligning your recruiting and hiring practices to your business’s long-term goals. Instead of hiring someone solely based on their skillset, you consider the bigger picture. In this way, you not only select candidates who raise the bar skill-wise, but also the ones who are more engaged and will stick around.

It is essential for businesses to be conscious of their hiring practices in order to ensure success. Quality should always be the top priority when it comes to hiring and there are several steps that can be taken to ensure that quality is maintained.

First, it is important to measure quality when it comes to hiring. This means setting clear expectations for both candidates and hiring managers. It also means making sure that the recruitment process is efficient and effective, so that the best candidates are chosen for the job. Additionally, businesses should make sure they have a talent acquisition strategy in place that aligns with their business goals. This will help them identify the right people for the job and ensure they are able to meet their objectives.

Second, businesses should set realistic expectations for both candidates and hiring managers. Candidates should understand what is expected of them before applying for a job, and hiring managers should be aware of what skills and qualifications they need from potential employees. Additionally, businesses should hire for outcomes rather than qualifications; this means looking at how a candidate’s skills will help them achieve desired results rather than just focusing on their educational background or experience level.

Third, businesses should make sure they align values, motivation, and cultural fit when it comes to hiring practices. It’s important to find people who share similar values as your organization in order to create an environment where everyone feels comfortable working together towards common goals. Additionally, motivation is key; finding people who are passionate about their work will help keep morale high and productivity levels up throughout the organization. Finally, cultural fit is essential; making sure potential hires fit into your company culture will help create a cohesive team dynamic that leads to better results overall.

Fourth, businesses should pick technology that actually works when it comes to recruiting new employees. There are many tools available today that can streamline the hiring process and make it easier for employers to find qualified candidates quickly and efficiently. One tool we love is Trainual. Trainual is an AI-driven documentation, automated onboarding and training software that features one-click role charts, connected roles and responsibilities, and accessible SOPs all in one place. 

Additionally, outsourcing the recruiting process is a smart business move as well. You can save time and money by delegating this to an outside team of professionals like Life By Design Staffing Solutions. 

Overall, being conscious of your hiring practices is essential if you want your business to succeed in today’s competitive marketplace. By measuring quality, aligning your talent acquisition strategy with business goals, setting realistic expectations for both candidates and hiring managers, hiring for outcomes instead of qualifications, aligning values, motivation and cultural fit with potential hires as well as picking technology that actually works – you can ensure you get the best possible employees into your organization which will lead you towards success!

Previously, I have written about why you must have systems in place  in order to be an efficient and successful business. Systems of Procedures, or SOP’s, are the processes and protocols that guide employees in completing tasks consistently and effectively. Here are some of the key reasons why a business needs systems of procedures:

 

1. Consistency: Systems of procedures ensure that tasks are completed consistently, regardless of who is performing them. This helps to make sure that the business is delivering a high-quality product or service to customers.
   

2. Efficiency: By creating a clear roadmap for how tasks should be completed, systems of procedures help employees work more efficiently, which saves time and money. When employees repeat a task, in the same manner, every time, they will begin to complete it faster and with fewer errors each time.
   

3. Training: Systems of procedures can be used to train new employees, ensuring that they understand how to complete tasks correctly. This not only reduces training time, but it can also be used as a reference for existing employees, keeping everyone up-to-date on the best practices and protocols for completing tasks.
   

4. Scalability: As a business grows, it becomes more difficult to manage tasks without a clear system of procedures in place. Systems of procedures help ensure that tasks can be completed consistently and efficiently even as the business grows and becomes more complex.
   

5. Compliance: Some tasks require strict adherence to laws and regulations. Systems of procedures can help ensure that employees are completing tasks in compliance with these regulations, reducing the risk of legal issues for the business.

 

Overall, systems of procedures are essential for any business that wants to operate efficiently and effectively. By providing consistency, efficiency, training, scalability, and compliance, these systems help ensure that the business is delivering high-quality products or services to its customers while minimizing the risk of errors or legal issues.

Getting systems in place may seem like a daunting task at first, but believe me, it’s better to have them in place BEFORE something happens, that way your business can keep on functioning while you deal with real life situations. 

 

Where to start:

1. Write down what roles are required to get things done in your business.
2.  Write down the tasks that these roles need to perform.
3. Document the procedures, create checklists and/or videos that show how these tasks can be done.
4. Specify the tools and software that are required and how they are useful.
5. Identify the handover points between tasks done by different roles. Document these as part of the systems.
6. Test the systems and refine them as needed.
7. Explore opportunities for automation.
8. Invest in software to assist with the training and SOP processes.

 

At Life By Design, we invest in software to make our training and SOP processes streamlined and consistent. We use a software called Trainual. Trainual is a powerful app. You can standardize employee training, systemize operations and scale your team as your business grows by keeping your onboarding, training, process docs, and SOPs — all in one app.

Getting systems in place has valuable benefits. It allows you to confidently step away from your business from time to time and also primes your business for sale or to scale.

Life By Design Virtual Solutions has a team of experts ready to help you standardize your business to help you maximize your efficiency.

We are ready and waiting to help you to refine your business for success!

www.lifebydesignvs.com

 

Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO). It’s a mouthful for sure, but it simply means delegating your hiring process to an external agency/recruiter, like Life by Design Staffing Solutions – Hiring Made Easy.

Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO) is a type of business process outsourcing where an organization outsources some or all of its recruitment activities to a third-party service provider. RPO providers are typically specialized recruitment firms that offer end-to-end recruitment services, from sourcing and screening candidates to onboarding new hires.

The benefits of RPO are numerous. By outsourcing recruitment activities, companies can: 

• Reduce their recruitment costs. 
• Improve the efficiency of their hiring process. 
• Attract and screen high-quality candidates. 
• Fill their open positions faster and with more qualified candidates.

RPO can also help companies to manage fluctuations in their hiring needs. 

During times of high demand, such as during a growth phase or after a merger or acquisition, RPO providers can help to scale up recruitment activities quickly and efficiently. 

Conversely, during periods of low demand, RPO providers can scale down recruitment activities to help companies reduce their recruitment costs.

At Life By Design we act as a virtual HR department for your company. We can deliver the necessary staff, technology, and methodology to fulfill a client’s recruitment requirements.

Outsourcing the hiring process can happen in a variety of ways that suit your company’s needs. For example:

• We manage the entire hiring lifecycle – from the provision of workforce planning to sourcing, selection, assessment, offer management, and onboarding.
• We provide the individual RPO components you need most – from talent sourcing and recruitment administration to screening support and technology.
• We assist with a rapid response to your talent shortages. We have the ability to quickly hire a multitude of qualified candidates in a short period of time. 

RPO will save you time, money and of course, stress. It will reduce the time needed to hire, since we will focus on that part on your behalf. You can be as involved in the process as you wish. 

Win-Win. 

At Life by Design Staffing Solutions – Hiring Made Easy, we know that hiring and recruiting is an incredibly important part of growing your business. Let us help you build a strong talent pipeline and stay competitive in the talent market.

We bring your people on board, you take it from there.

 

Human Resources, they are more than just the “fun police!”

The role of HR has evolved over the years. A department that used to be known as the “fun police,”  focused on policies and rule following, has now grown into a department of managing employees’ experience within the company and strengthening workplace culture. In a sense, the HR department has growing demands.

Running a small company, business owners are finding it difficult to keep up with the evolving needs of the HR department. If you are a business owner and/or a manager and you are covering the duties of an HR department, it might be time to consider outsourcing HR to a virtual agency. 

Here are a few reasons you should consider outsourcing your HR department:

Here are our top reasons to outsource your HR:

1. It will save your company money.
   Outsourcing your entire HR function can often provide you with human resources experts at a much lower cost than would be required to hire an in-house team. 
2. You will save money on HR software.
   External providers will have their own software to manage employees, and to develop and implement the necessary tools and frameworks.
3. You and your team will learn HR expertise.
   Outsourced HR can work with your current team to build their HR knowledge and skills. While they are there to essentially take the grunt work off your hands, the best value will be found in developing a true understanding of why HR related know-how is so important to any business.
4. You will see improved employee satisfaction.
   Outsourced HR, when done right, can help minimize and correct inefficiencies (such as high turnover, low morale or lack of motivation) that cost your business every day.

At Life by Design Staffing Solutions – Hiring Made Easy, we know that HR truly is a leading factor to growing any successful company and ensuring it’s stable and protected. 

We are passionate about helping you grow your business. We work directly to get to know who you are and your company direction, helping you through every step of the hiring process. As a recruiting agency, getting to know you and your industry requires consistently staying on top of and understanding the labor market as it relates to the services you offer to your community.

We bring your people on board, you take it from there. https://lifebydesignvs.com/hiringmadeeasy/