Tag: employee happiness

Categories
employee retention

4 effective strategies for reducing employee turnover

In order to enhance employee retention and keep top performers within your organization, it is crucial to not only calculate your company’s turnover rate but also analyze the underlying causes behind employee departures. From there, it’ll be easier to implement ongoing measures to maintain a low turnover rate. Here are 4 effective strategies for reducing employee turnover:

  1. Regularly monitor turnover rate:

If your turnover rate is high, it signifies an underlying issue that needs to be addressed promptly. By tracking your organization’s departure rate regularly (such as on a monthly or quarterly basis), you can identify problems early on. Merely examining turnover metrics once a year may lead to a delayed awareness of issues that have already driven many employees away. To be proactive in resolving concerns, it is advisable to measure turnover more frequently, as suggested by Goldberg.

  1. Engage with your employees:

To prevent employee attrition, one of the most effective actions is to directly ask them what measures are needed to retain them and then take appropriate action. This can involve conducting exit interviews with departing employees, as well as engaging with your current workforce. To proactively address potential turnover, Goldberg recommends conducting “stay interviews” with high-performing and high-potential talent. Understand their priorities and concerns, and make an effort to address those issues whenever possible. It’s highly recommended to put in place employee recognition and celebration initiatives. Celebrating employee birthdays is a good start for instance.

  1. Foster a foundation for success:

Reducing turnover begins from the moment you onboard a new team member. To mitigate employee departures, it is crucial to ensure that they are set up for success right from day one. Jaffee suggests creating a comprehensive onboarding process that provides new hires with optimal opportunities to thrive in their roles. This way, you can improve their initial experience, increasing the likelihood of long-term engagement and retention.

  1. Encourage professional growth:

When employees feel stagnant and perceive limited opportunities for advancement within an organization, they tend to seek new prospects elsewhere. To maintain a low turnover rate, it is important to provide your employees with avenues for growth and professional development. Jaffee recommends offering clear pathways for career advancement and fostering a company culture that emphasizes employee growth. By doing so, you can enhance employee engagement, retention, and overall job performance.

Your company’s employee turnover rate serves as a vital metric for assessing the overall health of your organization. Now that you understand how to calculate employee departure rate and leverage that information to reduce turnover and improve retention, you can promptly implement these strategies to foster a healthier work environment. By employing these measures, you can ensure the longevity of your top employees’ tenure within your organization.

Categories
Employee engagement

Top 5 Benefits of Using Billy (The Birthday Bot) for Slack

Are you tired of missing your colleague’s birthdays at work? Well, Billy (The Birthday Bot) for Slack has got you covered. Billy is an intelligent bot that can remind you of upcoming birthdays and even help you plan a surprise birthday party for your colleague. In this article, we will discuss the top 5 benefits of using Billy for Slack.

Benefit #1: Never Forget a Birthday Again

With Billy, you can say goodbye to the days of forgetting your colleague’s birthday. Billy will remind you of upcoming birthdays, so you can plan ahead and surprise your colleague with a thoughtful gift or gesture. This will not only make your colleague feel appreciated but will also strengthen your working relationship.

Benefit #2: Increase Employee Engagement

Celebrating birthdays at work is a great way to boost employee engagement. By using Billy, you can encourage your colleagues to celebrate their birthdays and make them feel valued. This will create a positive work environment and foster a sense of community within your team.

Benefit #3: Build a Positive Company Culture

Celebrating birthdays is just one way to build a positive company culture. By using Billy, you can show your colleagues that you care about them and appreciate their contributions to the team. This will help to build a sense of loyalty and commitment to the company.

Benefit #4: Save Time and Effort

Planning birthday celebrations can be time-consuming and stressful. However, with Billy, you can save time and effort by automating the process. Billy will remind you of upcoming birthdays, help you plan the celebration, and even order the necessary supplies for the party.

Conclusion

In conclusion, using Billy (The Birthday Bot) for Slack has many benefits, including never forgetting a birthday again, planning surprise birthday parties with ease, increasing employee engagement, building a positive company culture, and saving time and effort. By using Billy, you can make your colleagues feel appreciated and valued, and create a positive work environment.

FAQs

Is Billy (The Birthday Bot) for Slack easy to set up?

Yes, Billy is very easy to set up. All you need to do is install the bot in Slack, and you’re good to go.

Can I customize the messages sent by Billy?

Yes, you can customize the messages sent by Billy to suit your company culture and style.

Does Billy work with other chat platforms besides Slack?

No, currently, Billy only works with Slack. That being said, Microsoft Teams integration is under development. Reach out to the team for early access.

Is Billy free to use?

Yes, Billy is free to use for workspaces having 30 users or less. For larger workspaces, Billy is a paid service, but the cost is minimal compared to the benefits it provides.

Categories
Remote work

How to use Giphy in Slack

Utilising Slack, Teams or any other messaging software is now common for everyone. It’s not just reserved to startups or technology companies. Today we’ll take Slack as our main example. In order to master communication via Slack, you need to master the use of certain apps or extensions. The one I use everyday is Giphy, a GIF extension for Slack that makes it easy to search and publish GIF in channels. Why ? Because it’s either really funny, or illustrates perfectly what I want to say (better than a small emoji) or even because an image is sometimes worth a thousand words. That’s why we’ll see how to use Giphy in Slack.

1. Setting Up Giphy in Slack

First let’s see how to set up Giphy in your Slack workspace if you don’t have it yet. It’s a quick process, you need to visit Giphy page on Slack app directory (link here). Then click “Add to Slack”. 2 clicks later, you’re good to go! Giphy is now installed successfully.

Talking about Slack app, if you want to celebrate birthdays in Slack we have something for you and we just wrote an article about it: How to use birthday bot?

2. Using Giphy in Slack

Now that you’ve set up the extension, we’ll see how to use Giphy in Slack.

Note that you can send GIFs in any conversation using Giphy, either in public channels, private channels but also in direct messages.

Now how to search for a GIF ? Enter in the text prompt:
/giphy my search message
Then press enter, don’t worry the message won’t be posted like this. You can notice the “Only visible to you” mention.

ou’ll see a proposal of GIF and you’ll be offered 3 options: Send, Shuffle (to find another one), Cancel.

It’s time to play with the shuffle button until you see a GIF that you like.
Click send when you’re ready and that’s it. Your GIF is now posted for everyone to see it.

3. Best Practices for Using Giphy in Slack in a professional environment

Even though Giphy is mostly safe for work, I’d recommend a few best practises to make sure you’re acting in an appropriate manner in a professional environment.

First avoir offensive GIFs or images that can shock other people. Avoid of course the ones that are crude or sexually suggestive.

Make sure you don’t post too many GIFs or it can get overwhelming.

Those rules can seem basic but we’d better read them once in a while to make sure we’re not missing one.

Conclusion

We’ve seen how to use Giphy in Slack, from installation to usage, you’re now a pro!

Mastering the use of GIFs in Slack is important to make a point and to ease everyday communications. Also, it’s just fun, right ?! If this article was helpful, please drop a comment I’d be glad to read your mention.

Categories
Employee experience

Using Slack to Celebrate Employee Birthdays in 2023

Birthdays are a special occasion and a great opportunity to show your employees that you care. In 2023, celebrating birthdays in the workplace will look quite different from how it did prior to the pandemic. With many companies still working remotely, there is an increased need for virtual communication tools like Slack to help bring everyone together and make birthdays extra special. Let’s take a look at some of the best ways to use Slack for birthday wishes this year.

Birthday Channels

Creating a birthday channel on your company’s Slack workspace is one of the most effective ways to celebrate employee birthdays. This gives everyone in the company a dedicated space to post happy birthday messages, funny memes, and other celebratory content. It also encourages camaraderie by bringing people together who might not otherwise interact regularly on Slack. Plus, it’s just plain fun!

Birthday Bot

Another great way to make sure no one misses an employee’s birthday is by using a Slack app to automate it like Billy Birthday. This bot can be set up so that it automatically sends out notifications when someone’s birthday is coming up. This ensures that all of your employees get their due recognition on their special day without any extra effort or manual tracking required from HR staff or managers.

Virtual Gatherings

Finally, what better way to celebrate someone’s birthday than with a virtual gathering? Use Slack to send out invites for an online video call where team members can chat and catch up while they share cake (or cupcakes!). Virtual gatherings can provide much-needed social interaction during these times of remote work, while still allowing people to maintain social distancing protocols as needed.

Celebrating birthdays in the age of digitalization has its challenges – but also plenty of opportunities! By utilizing tools like Slack channels and bots, HR teams can ensure that no employee goes unnoticed on their special day while also creating meaningful connections between colleagues who may not have interacted before now. Whether you opt for virtual gatherings or simple messages sent through Slack – there are limitless possibilities for making birthdays even more special in 2021!

Categories
Employee engagement

How to avoid quiet quitting in your company – the hard truth

Does it feel like an increasing number of your employees are less engaged or you’re wondering if they work at all? If so, you may be dealing with a phenomenon known as “quiet quitting.” This is when an employee chooses to leave their job without formally notifying their employer. It’s a serious problem that can be difficult to address and can have a negative impact on your business. So, let’s take a look at some of the ways you can prevent quiet quitting in your company.

Understand Why Employees Are Quietly Quitting


The first step in addressing any issue is understanding why it’s happening. Generally speaking, there are three main reasons why employees choose to quietly quit their jobs: feeling undervalued or unappreciated, lack of career growth opportunities, or dissatisfaction with management or the work environment. Of course, the root causes of these issues will vary from employee to employee and it’s important to try to get to the bottom of each individual case if possible.

Identify Problem Areas


Once you understand why people are quietly quitting, you’ll need to identify any problem areas that could be causing these issues and take steps to address them. For example, if employees feel like they’re not being appreciated enough for their contributions, it might be worth implementing a recognition program that rewards hard work and commitment (checkout our article about must-haves for a better employee engagement). Or if employees find the work environment too stressful or lacking in resources, consider making changes such as hiring additional staff or providing more training opportunities.

Improve Communication


Finally, one of the best things you can do is create an open dialogue between yourself and your current and prospective employees so that everyone feels comfortable expressing their concerns without fear of judgment or repercussions. This means having frequent check-ins with team members about how they’re feeling and what needs to be improved upon within the company culture. You should also make sure that all new hires are aware of all available resources such as employee assistance programs and other benefits when they start at your organization—this way they know where to turn if ever they experience any kind of difficulty during their time at your company.

No one likes dealing with quiet quitting in their workplace—it’s a sign that something isn’t quite right within your organization. That said, there are steps you can take to help prevent this kind of behavior from happening by understanding why people choose this route in the first place and then addressing any underlying issues that could be causing it. Additionally, improving communication between yourself and your staff is essential if you want to create an environment where everyone feels valued and respected while working together towards common goals. Taking these steps may not guarantee that quiet quitting won’t happen again but it will certainly reduce its likelihood in the future!

Categories
Remote work

Connecting with a Remote Team: A Practical Guide

Working with remote teams can present unique challenges, but it can also be a rewarding experience. With the right tools and strategies, connecting with remote teams is not only possible but highly beneficial. In this blog post, we’ll discuss how to foster strong connections and collaborations with your remote team.

Establish Clear Expectations


When working with a remote team, it’s important to set clear expectations from the start. Make sure that everyone on the team is aware of their individual roles and responsibilities and what is expected of them. Make sure that everyone is held accountable for their performance by setting deadlines and goals that are achievable and measurable. This will help create an environment of trust between all members of the team and make it easier to work together smoothly.

Communication Is Key


Communication is key when it comes to connecting with a remote team. It’s important to have regular check-ins to ensure that everyone is on track and up-to-date on any new developments or changes in plans. Use video conferencing or chat platforms so that your team has an opportunity to connect face-to-face at least once a week. Setting up virtual office hours where everyone can come together for an hour or two each week can also help build camaraderie among your remote staff members. Make sure that everyone feels comfortable speaking up during these meetings so that all ideas are heard, shared, and discussed in an open forum.

Incentivize Collaboration


Encouraging collaboration between your remote staff members will help foster stronger connections within the group. Offer incentives for collaboration such as rewards for completing projects together or recognizing individuals who excel when working as part of a team. You could also consider offering bonuses for completing tasks ahead of schedule or creating collaborative learning opportunities where your staff can learn from one another while working on projects together. These types of incentives will help encourage strong collaboration within the group which can lead to improved results overall!

Special tip from us

The best effort / impact to boost communication and team cohesion is to install Billy Birthday Slack app. Posting celebration messages regularly has a huge impact on the teams.

Connecting with a remote team may pose some unique challenges but it doesn’t have to be intimidating or overwhelming! By establishing clear expectations upfront, implementing effective communication strategies, and incentivizing collaboration you’ll be able to create stronger connections within your remote team quickly and easily! With the right tools in place you’ll be able to optimize productivity while fostering strong relationships among all members of your team! For more details about managing a remote team, checkout our article about 3 tips for managing a remote team.

Categories
Remote work

3 Tips for Managing a Remote Team

Managing a remote team can be a challenge. You have to find new ways to keep everyone on the same page, motivated, and productive. But don’t worry, we’re here to help. Here are three tips that the best remote companies are using to manage their teams.

  1. Create a clear vision and set of objectives.
    The first step to managing a remote team is to create a clear vision and set of objectives. What are you trying to achieve? What are your long-term goals? Once you have a direction, you can start putting together a plan. Then, share your vision and objectives with your team so everyone is on the same page.
  2. Keep communication open.
    One of the most important things you can do when managing a remote team is to keep communication open. Make sure everyone knows how to reach you and has your contact information. Set up regular check-ins, whether that’s daily, weekly, or monthly. And encourage your team to ask questions or bring up any concerns they have.
  3. Use the right tools.
    There are lots of great tools out there that can help you manage a remote team effectively. From project management tools like Asana or Trello to video conferencing tools like Zoom or Google Hangouts, there’s a tool for every need. Choose the ones that work best for you and your team and make sure everyone is using them consistently.
    You should also install tools to keep your team your team engaged such as Billy Birthday to wish birthdays and anniversaries on Slack. Or a tool to remind people to send Kudos to colleagues. You can checkout our article Top 5 slack apps for a remote workspace for more ideas.

Managing a remote team doesn’t have to be difficult. Creating a clear vision, keeping communication open, and using the right tools will help you manage your team effectively and achieve great things together!

Categories
Employee experience

Top 5 initiatives for a better employee experience

A recent study conducted by Microsoft revealed that only 1 in 2 employees feel engaged at work. The research goes on to state that disengaged employees cost businesses between $450-$550 billion annually in lost productivity. With such staggering numbers, it’s no wonder why so many organizations are looking for ways to improve their employee experience.
The following are the top 5 initiatives your company can implement today to improve your employee experience and create a happier, more engaged workforce.

  1. Onboarding Program: Implement an onboarding program that covers the basics of your company culture, values, and expectations. Then, go a step further and assign each new hire a mentor who can help them acclimate to their new role and answer any questions they may have along the way.
  2. Employee Recognition Program: Create an employee recognition program that celebrates employees for meeting (and exceeding) goals, exhibiting exemplary customer service skills, or going above and beyond their job duties. Publicly acknowledging and thanking employees for their hard work is a great way to show them that you appreciate their contributions and it motivates them to continue putting forth their best effort.
  3. wellness initiatives: Invest in your employees’ physical and mental wellbeing by implementing wellness initiatives such as standing desks, fitness reimbursement programs, or meditation classes. Showing employees that you care about their health and wellbeing will go a long way in building trust and fostering a positive relationship between employer and employee.
  4. paid time off (PTO): Give your employees the gift of time by offering generous paid time off policies. This not only shows employees that you value their work-life balance but also allows them the opportunity to recharge their batteries so they can come back to work feeling refreshed and ready to take on whatever challenges come their way.
  5. flexible work arrangements: Offer flexible work arrangements such as remote work options, flex hours, or compressed work weeks. This gives employees the freedom and flexibility to design a work schedule that works best for them which leads to improved focus, decreased stress levels, and increased productivity.

Employees who feel engaged and valued are more likely to be productive members of your team who add value to your company. Implementing even just one or two of the above initiatives can have a positive impact on employee morale and help turn your business into a thriving workplace!