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October 15, 2021November 30, 2021

KPI Stands For Key Performance Indicator – And This Is How It Measures Business Success!

The cornerstone of any business is to fulfill its mission and bring to fruition the vision they’ve set out to achieve. KPIs – which stands for Key Performance Indicators – help to evaluate progress and turn productivity into profitability.

KPI is the latest office buzzword gaining increased momentum within different industries as an efficient and quantifiable way to stay on track and promote positive workplace change. In this blog post, we’ll take a deeper dive into the different types of KPIs, why they’re effective, and how KPIs can help develop a stronger team with a higher output. But first, let’s define a KPI and what it stands for.

What Does KPI Stand For?

KPI stands for Key Performance Indicator. It’s a measurable value that helps reveal:

1. If a company is meeting their core objectives
2. The effectiveness of the organization over time
3. If team performance is on track or needs to be improved

KPIs are normally used at varying levels of an organization in order to determine success at achieving particular goals. At the leadership level, KPIs can be implemented to help give a performance overview of the business as a whole, while lower-level KPIs can be used to assess each department, shape future processes, and refine internal goals.

KPIs can even be used as the basis for each employee’s performance review, allowing the manager to easily identify key areas of significant progress or what’s in need of further development.

Why Are KPIs Important?

KPIs are essential in measuring success at each level of an organization. This allows leadership to be forward-thinking with their approach to future goals and helps inspire strategic decisions based on the results of the KPIs.

This method of quantifying performance also ensures that important milestones are being achieved, efforts within each department (or individual) are congruent to the company’s objectives, and patterns —whether positive or negative —are being identified.

In fact, KPIs have many impactful benefits:

KPIs can improve communication among the team. Since everyone has an understanding of the goal that is to be achieved, it’s easier to share knowledge and promote teamwork, which results in greater output.
KPIs make decisions easier. Because KPIs are quantifiable data points, it forces the team to focus on the facts and numbers. While you could argue that some information can be open to interpretation, it’s hard to dispute the data in front of you. This, in turn, allows the decision-making process to be faster and any adjustments can be made as necessary.
KPIs can simplify complex problems. For example, KPIs can take a complex issue, such as customer acquisition costs, and bring it down to a single number making this a much easier data point to digest. When choosing the right KPI for your needs, be careful that the most pertinent data is taken into account before moving forward with a specific type of KPI.
KPIs keep team members accountable. Whether at a departmental level or an individual level, key persons track their success and contributions. For example, a salesperson’s KPI might be how many sales they closed each month.
KPIs provide an objective view of your business’ performance. Assess how your organization is doing by tracking KPIs and watching how they are trending over time. When you know the data, adjustments can be made accordingly. Often that might mean offering additional guidance or trainings in areas where KPIs are not being met.

If a company is not meeting its quarterly or annual goals, the outcomes of KPIs are an essential way to create a plan that directly addresses the adjustments needed for continued improvement.

5 Examples of KPIs In Action

Let’s take a look at this in practice through the lens of five different industries:

Information Technology (IT) – An IT department should be able to effectively track and capture these scenarios to properly identify any actions that need to be taken to move toward success:

Total tickets
Total open tickets
Average resolution time
Server downtime

Social Media – In order to evaluate total engagement and conversions, those who work exclusively with social media platforms should be able to quantify the following data:

Number of followers/subscribers
Share/Retweet Rate
Interest/Like/Favorite Rate
Response Rate
Conversation Rate

Marketing – Marketing professionals should be able to track their customer journey and conversions to confirm if they’re meeting their intended bottom-line:

New Customers
ROI
Cost per lead
Conversion rates
Total revenue

Human Resources (HR) – In order to gauge metrics, leverage existing data, and measure success with efforts such as recruitment, compensation, and management, HR professionals need to be able to have certain performance indicators on hand:

Employee satisfaction rates
Number of new employees
Turnover rates
Labor cost per FTE
Number of promotions

Project Management – Project Managers need to be able to keep tasks moving so that deadlines are met and that the team stays on the specified budget without losing any of the quality in output. It’s important for professionals in this field to identify these key performance indicators:

Percentage of milestones achieved on-time
Number of customer complaints
Actual hours spent on a project
Resource capacity
Percentage of completion

Each and every field has a number of unique performance indicators that can help them solve problems and create opportunities. However, KPIs are more than just identifying a pattern and installing a proposed solution. In order to generate beneficial change within the workplace, it’s important to understand how we can implement KPIs in a way that will actually be effective.

What Is An Effective KPI?

Effective KPIs are specific, structured, and relevant. Much like the methods used to build a positive work environment, KPIs that inspire real transformation are a result of collaboration and valuable insights from individuals on a team, the managers, and leadership.

The more transparent we are in the creation of the KPI, the likelier a team will absorb the information, respond favorably to its implementation, and take purposeful steps to meet or exceed the objectives.

In order to begin the process of building the most effective KPI, we need to first take a step back and make sure that we’re clear on our goals. This means referring back to a framework specifically designed to assist with desired outcomes.

How Do SMART Goals Impact KPIs?

A company’s goals are related to KPIs, but they are not the same thing. A goal is an outcome we want to achieve. A KPI is used to measure if we’re on our way to completing that goal.

We must keep in mind that a KPI is a metric —a way for us to keep a pulse on the success of our business. Using the two concepts interchangeably can result in too much focus on our methods of measuring data versus actually achieving the end goal.

For example, a company is looking to grow by increasing its employee hiring rate while reducing turnover. They increase their ad spending, visibility, and marketing efforts, which in turn, results in more new hires. While they’ve increased their numbers (as measured by their KPI), they’re now experiencing issues with retention as the perceived, primary objective was to fill seats. In the end, they didn’t target the right talent who would ultimately align with the company’s mission.

In this particular case, we achieved the KPI of hiring more employees, but the goal of reducing turnover was not reached.

To position a KPI for success, we first need to define our goals as it relates to the vision we have for the business. Using SMART goals (originally created by George T. Duran) is a way to structure and develop goals or objectives effectively. When coming up with a goal, keep the SMART approach in mind:

Specific – Do you know the details about what you’re looking to accomplish?
Measurable – How will you measure your progress? What milestones need to be met in order for you to get closer to your objective or assess what processes are (or are not) working?
Attainable – Do you have the tools, skills, and resources needed to achieve this goal?
Relevant – Is the goal in line with larger objectives and an essential piece of what you need to accomplish right now?
Time-based – Did you set a reasonable and attainable end-date that motivates others to accomplish this goal within a particular time frame?

Having SMART goals and clear KPIs can fine-tune the strategies needed to move the business forward and in the right direction.

Types of KPIs

There are a variety of KPIs that you can implement, but this will mainly depend on the structure of your business and the data points you want to measure. It’s important to remember that while a large part of KPIs is about the numbers, there are insights that can be shown by obtaining qualitative information that defines specific experiences.

Understanding the different types of KPIs can help you make the best decisions in your business development.

1. Quantitative Indicators – This is the simplest form of a KPI and is typically presented as a number. A key example of this would be the number of people in an audience or service response time.

2. Qualitative Indicators – Instead of using numbers, you can deploy surveys, focus groups, or interviews to understand particular opinions, feelings, or perceptions of an experience that can shape the way you repurpose your processes.

3. Leading Indicators – This type of KPI looks ahead and predicts what may happen in the future based on certain trends.

4. Lagging Indicators – Conversely, a Lagging Indicator measures what has already happened to see what worked well and what needs to be improved. For example, analyzing labor costs for a business.

5. Input Indicators – This measures what resources are needed to achieve a goal. An example of this would be the necessary funding, staffing, or equipment needs.

6. Output Indicators – This indicator measures the success or failure of the business process. Basically, it’s the summary of the activity’s results.

7. Process Indicators – Put in place to measure the efficacy of a process, these types of indicators usually point to the areas that are in need of improvement within already existing procedures.

8. Directional Indicators – These specific types of indicators measure the internal trends within a company. Are metrics remaining the same, improving, or declining? This measurement can help you stand out in a competitive market.

9. Financial Indicators – Financial indicators reveal the stability of the business and its overall growth. Some examples of this would include ROI, debt, growth profit margin, or cash flow.

10. Actionable Indicators – This specific measurement uncovers how committed the business is to implement changes, how effective the changes have been overall, and if it was able to complete this within the specified time frame.

All these types of KPIs can be used to develop a robust strategy and improve existing processes within a company. In some cases, it may be wise to utilize a variety of KPIs in order to achieve maximum productivity and gain results in the most effective manner. Now let’s discuss how we can develop them within your own organization.

How to Develop KPIs

Developing KPIs for your team is a thorough process that needs buy-in from all the major stakeholders. But once you identify your objectives and how the appropriate KPI can help you achieve these outcomes, it eventually becomes a streamlined process that moves the company forward through positive and focused momentum.

1. Start with a strategy.

Leadership must be in tune with the company’s vision in order to develop a customized strategy for future success. Where do they see the company in three, five, or ten years? What milestones are they achieving both professionally and financially? Key members of the leadership team should be aligned with the vision and must be prepared to have high-level discussions about where the company has been, where it is currently, and where it needs to be.

2. Get clarity on the goals.

With the vision and the mission of the company at the forefront, it’s time to get crystal clear on the goals that need to be achieved. It isn’t just purely about financial objectives, however. You need to think about the organization as a whole and how every moving piece is an essential part of the big picture. According to Chron., here are some other examples of business objectives to consider as you put together your strategy:

Customer service
Employee retention
Operational efficacy
Business growth

Remember, your goals need to be specific, attainable, and realistic. Once you have the company’s goals in place, you can start devising ways to measure them.

3. Define your KPI.

For every goal that you and your team have identified, you will then want to define the KPI associated with that particular goal in order to monitor its prospective progress, success, or failures. To jump-start this creation process, address these questions:

What are you looking to achieve?
How does this outcome serve the mission of the company?
Do we have the resources to make this a reality?
Who will help monitor the progress and outcomes?
Who will help manage the goals if adjustments are needed?
Do we have the capacity to hold regular check-ins to ensure we commit to any necessary changes and hold us accountable?
Why is it important that we succeed with this goal? Is this aligned with our values?
Is this goal attainable?
Are we able to measure this in a way that gives us real results so we can inspire true transformation?
How will this set us apart from our competition?

These questions can act as your guide in creating an effective KPI. Another way to get valuable feedback is to make this a collaborative process. For example, let’s say the vision for the company is to create an expansive team of highly productive top talent. The goal is to increase the number of filled open positions with high performers from 30% to 50% by December 2022. The best supplemental insight you’ll receive is from the employees working directly in this space i.e., the recruitment team or Human Resources. They can reveal current practices, noticeable patterns, and propose ideas for improvement. But this is also an opportunity to make sure they’re aware of a potential metric they will be accountable for and remind them of the goals they’re working towards. With everyone on the same page, you can then arrive at the decision to create a quantitative KPI that measures your percentage of new hire retention.

4. Define success.

Now that you’re clear on your goals and the KPIs needed to measure them, you’ll also want to gain clarity on what success looks like for the company. Let’s go back to our previous example of growing an expansive team. What are the benefits of having a team of A-players? Why is having reduced turnover and higher retention rates so important to a company’s future? This is what success looks like: A team of A-players will consistently show up for the company by stepping into their abilities and becoming self-leaders and experts in their field. Retention saves time and money by not having to expend additional resources on recruitment efforts. A high retention rate means that your work culture is healthy, positive, and productive. You’re cultivating a reputation of being a company that invests in its people, which helps you produce consistently positive results. Every goal should have a version of success that sets them apart from the rest.

5. Develop a plan to check-in.

Along with your goals and KPIs, you’ll want to also establish targets and milestones so that you efficiently monitor progress. This review needs to happen on a regular basis to ensure the KPIs in place are effective and not just an additional check box that leadership or management needs to complete. According to the Hico Group, you can measure your KPI weekly, monthly, quarterly, or yearly based on the timeframe established for each goal. For example, recruitment-related KPIs will most likely need to be monitored on a quarterly basis. Or, if you want to see how employee satisfaction is at the company, you can use a yearly survey (qualitative KPI) to get a temperature check on the workforce. Evaluation check-ins are essential in keeping the goals at top of mind.

6. Continue to refine.

With targets in place making room for critical periods of review, you can continue to refine and adjust your goals and KPIs. As the company evolves, this will become an ongoing process that encourages a team to remain flexible and solution-focused. For example, if you had a KPI in place intended to measure future outcomes (a leading indicator) such as an increase in employee satisfaction, this will involve a certain number of adjustments over a specific time frame as you continue to gauge the team’s productivity, engagement, and loyalty. If any changes are needed, make sure that the key players are involved and aware of the decision so that everyone remains aligned. It’s also important to understand that any negative patterns that arise from these measurements should not be taken as a sign of company failure, but as an opportunity for continued growth, collective development, and creative problem-solving.

In Conclusion

On paper, KPI stands for Key Performance Indicator, which can be easily thrown around in the office as just another form of evaluation. But it’s so much more than that. An effective KPI can measure the success of your business and makes sure that you’re on track to fully realize the vision you have for your company.

Establishing KPIs can align your team, making it easier to work towards common goals. With everyone on the same page, you can maximize your productivity. Whether you have established KPIs but are looking for ways to use them to their full potential, they’re a great way to measure results in your business!

October 12, 2021January 4, 2022

How a Virtual Assistant From the Philippines Gives You the Lifestyle You Crave

Working for yourself has a lot of allure. Setting your own schedule means you can start the day at 10 am without worrying about a punitive boss, or, on a whim, shut down the computer and hit the fairway for the afternoon.

Right? Well, for many, unfortunately, this isn’t exactly the case.

The to-do list of a small business owner or solopreneur is overwhelming. All the crucial components to any successful business fall on the shoulders of one or two people, including things like marketing, administration, bookkeeping, and website maintenance.

“At some point, no matter how well you’re doing, you hit a ceiling–‘I just can’t fulfill my potential because there is only one of me.’ That is soul-crushing for an entrepreneur. You are in this trap. You know what needs to be done, you just don’t have time to do it,” says Jen Lehner, Professor of Digital Marketing at Cleveland State University

In order to attain lifestyle freedom and not sit in front of a computer screen for ten to twelve hours a day, any small business owner needs to delegate work.

Hiring a virtual assistant to perform all the ancillary tasks of a business is a game changer. It enables the owner to focus his or her energy on the central aspect of the business. Sales and productivity flourish.

Where do you find this goose that lays the golden egg?

Although they don’t promise to wave any magic wands, virtual assistants from the Philippines have demonstrated time and time again to be the heart and hand that businesses need, at a cost owners can manage.

Let’s get into why a business would seek a virtual assistant from the Philippines, how to go about finding one, what tasks they perform, the role of an agency, and how to make a virtual assistant an integral part of your team.

Why Hire a Virtual Assistant From the Philippines?

At first blush, it may seem odd to hire someone living thousands of miles away to do personal work in your business. How can you trust them to perform to your standards? Shouldn’t someone be physically present in the office to develop that kind of know-how?

Additionally, Filipino virtual assistants earn as little as $4 an hour. That sounds like exploitation!

Business Coach Taylor Victoria speaks to these uncertainties:

“I’ve been working with VAs from the Philippines for a very long time now…we absolutely love them. Their quality of English is amazing, the quality of work is outstanding, I can’t fault them really. And they are the kindest human beings. They have such big hearts and are beautiful people.”

Filipino culture values education, and the VAs come with a skill set they are eager to expand. They have been known, in fact, to exceed the expectations of their employers. English is widely understood in the Philippines. All of the universities are taught in English, meaning many Filipinos speak, write, listen and communicate fluently in English.

The economies between the Philippines and, say, the United States are completely different. A monthly rent of $1,500 in the US might cost only $300 in the Philippines.

An hourly rate, then, of four or five dollars goes much further in the Philippines. It really provides someone with a living wage.

For a small business owner, hiring a Filipino VA makes practical sense, as paying a comparable $25 an hour to a US employee would break the bank for many businesses.

How to Select an Effective Virtual Assistant

A VA offers the potential to provide real solutions to a business that’s chronically disorganized, has a flailing marketing plan, and whose books are always off.

However, it’s not as simple as hiring a VA, placing them into a hot mess, and expecting him or her to spin straw into gold.

Recruitment is a critical part of the process, and it’s hard work.

A systematic approach to hiring an effective VA entails developing the job role by looking closely at your business tasks, then vetting and selecting a suitable candidate.

1. Defining the Position

It’s necessary to spend careful time defining the VA’s responsibilities before looking for someone to hire.

Jaime Jay, founder of Bottleneck Distant Assistants explains how to generate the position duties:

“Write down every single thing you do in a given day. Spend some time on this. Write down every task and assign it two values: the first value is: ‘Does this particular task give me energy? Or does it not?’ The second is, ‘Ok, is this something I HAVE to do, or is this something I can delegate?’ Once you come up with this list, take all of the items that do not give you energy, and that you can delegate. Now, guess what? You have a job role.”

Additionally, include a “wish list” in your job description. Brainstorm anything you wish you were doing in your business if you had the time, such as FaceBook ads, Google Analytics, and a newsletter.

Systemize the Tasks

Once you have the duties of the VA clearly defined, it’s important to ensure these tasks are performed per your expectations.

Using video and text, carefully document every step of these tasks, including processes for things like “how to create spreadsheets” and “how to post a blog to WordPress.”

A detailed task list ensures that the process is replicated just as you like. Additionally, communicate all the characteristics of your brand, by writing out things like brand expectations, fonts, and colors.

2. Finding the Right Virtual Assistant

With a well-defined role and clear tasks and systems, you’re in a position to find the right person!

Here are some steps to narrow the pool efficiently and find someone to fit the bill.

Vetting for Quality Candidates

In the initial search stage, narrow the pool by finding virtual assistants who match the skill set your position requires, and who demonstrate proficiency in other significant areas as well.

An English test is critical, as a VA needs to read, write, speak and hear English fluently. It’s also a good idea to test for soft skills like teamwork, time management and creative thinking with a personality test.

Having candidates complete a simple task, such as generating an automatic gmail response or making a spreadsheet per a list of instructions, gives you an idea of their level of attention to detail.

And of course, it makes a lot of sense for candidates to create a sample of something in their job role, such as designing an image or writing a social media post.

Virtual Assistant Recruiter Fiona Kesby outlines the criteria she looks for in the vetting process:

“I’ve come up with a really simple formula to get the recruitment piece right. There’s three things to first of all look at: the resume–make sure that person is not a job hopper. The second is testing for English comprehension. You need someone who can read, understand, and be able to ask. That increases the speed of training. And the third is attention to detail. Test on attention to detail. Because they are doing work on your behalf, and you are expecting a high quality of work.”

Interviewing and Hiring

After you’ve vetted a few candidates who check all the boxes, it’s time to conduct interviews.

Candidates need not have all of the skills required in the job role. Training an employee and allowing them to develop their skill set gives them pride and ownership, which generates loyalty.

Maximizing the Probationary Period

It’s a good idea to hire a VA for a probationary period of about sixty days. Having several assignments already set up for this trial period is a way to assess how the candidate fits into the new role.

There are a lot of kinks to work out in the initial stages, and systems that need to be communicated to the VA. Having systems in place before the VA comes on board makes the training process smoother.

What Does an Agency Provide?

As you can see, finding the right virtual assistant is really a lot of work. An agency does some of this heavy lifting for you.

Some services an agency generally provides include the following:

They perform background checks on candidates.
They interview and vet candidates for specific skills.
The agency trains and supports the VA in tasks they are unsure about. This helps smooth out kinks during the probationary period.
They’ll pair you with a second VA if the first one isn’t working out, at no additional cost.

Here is what John Marzan, CEO of VA Flix says of VAs and agencies:

“I work hard with my clients and build a good relationship with them….we are not robots, we are real people working in the company. We are not just really professional here, we also are going to make you feel that you are part of our culture, our family, our friends…there is nothing to worry about.”

How to Pick an Agency?

With so many VA agencies out there, it’s important to research several to see what each offers and specializes in. Be sure to determine if you’re looking for a project-base or long-term hire.

Some popular agencies include Replace Myself, VA Flix, Online Jobs-ph, Bottleneck Distance Assistants and Outsource Monkey.

What a Virtual Assistant Should and Shouldn’t Do

Can you delegate any task to a virtual assistant? Well, the breadth of skills that virtual assistants cover is so broad, the answer is almost entirely “Yes.”

Here are some guidelines on what you shouldn’t and shouldn’t hire a virtual assistant to do in your business.

1. Tasks for a Virtual Assistant

A VA helps with marketing, including telemarketing, social media, FaceBook ads, and Google Analytics.

Additionally, VAs cover administrative tasks, including managing meetings, scheduling the calendar for a team, checking email, and personal assistance.

Bookkeeping tasks, including setting up spreadsheets and Quickbooks are also skills you can hire out.

Communication and technology tasks, including developing newsletters, managing Mail Chimp, editing podcasts, and WordPress management services, are all doable by a VA.

And this is by no means an exhaustive list. As you can see, there’s a whole lot a VA can take off of your to-do list!

2. Tasks to Keep In-House or Local

Social media expert Jennifer Allwood discourages hiring someone to write personal social media content.

If your brand, for example, includes sharing details about your family or personal life, be sure to do all of this yourself. As your voice is uniquely your own, it sticks out like a sore thumb when you hire out this kind of work, and you lose brand authenticity.

Unless your VA has spent a lot of time studying or living in the United States, copywriting is something you’re better off hiring local, as foreigners aren’t fluent in slang or local lingo.

And of course, any task that requires your unique expertise is something a VA could not easily replicate.

How to Keep Your Virtual Assistant for Life

A committed VA is a powerful part of your business and your team. How do you get them to stay on board ?

Here are a few ways to provide your VA with incentives and keep them loyal.

1. Hire Part or Full-Time

Hire a VA for a minimum of 20 hours a week. This is a good block of time, and allows the VA to earn substantial income. Guarantee this pay, even if you don’t have the work.

2. Pay a Living Wage

As with so many things in life, you get what you pay for. Jennifer Lehner recommends paying no less than $4 an hour initially, then increasing with small raises.

3. Give them a Slice

When you launch a new promotion, encourage the VA to get on board by providing them a bonus, say of $100 if 20 people sign on, or 5% of the proceeds.

4. Hand Out Perks

Send the VA treats and rewards such as flowers, cakes, and gifts for the new baby. Recognizing Filipino culture and holidays provides a way to connect to your VA as well.

As with any employee, VAs are real people with real lives. They just happen to live thousands of miles and several time zones away.

When Are You Going to Level Up?

Hiring a virtual assistant allows you to focus exclusively on the parts of your business you do well. –And get everything else done besides!

Although it takes some diligent work creating the job role of the VA, it’s well worth it. It’s freeing to have these tasks off your shoulders, and it enables you to pursue the lifestyle you really want.

So what are you waiting for? Hire a virtual assistant from the Philippines and bring your life and business closer to your dreams!

October 12, 2021September 20, 2023

6 Super Effective Team Goal Setting Activities That Actually Work

You may have tried team goal setting activities before…but not following through with them and seeing them to completion.

It’s like driving somewhere new while following your GPS, only to have a passenger telling you to go another way because it’s ‘faster’ and they’ve gone there before. When you take their lead and abandon your trusty GPS, it ends up taking longer to get to your destination – or worse, you get lost.

In these situations we can simply turn our navigation back on and find our way again, reaching our destination with only a minor hiccup. However, in business it can be more costly.

When it comes to company’s and the teams within, veering off the set path can become detrimental to the entire project, and there’s often no quick way to redirect when you realize the mistake. This not only sets you back but also affects your team’s progress as a whole.

Why Is Team Goal Setting Important?

Team goals are the road map that leads the project to success. The pathway is created intentionally, optimized for higher rates of success, and often aimed for the most efficient route. When you deviate from that plan or aren’t provided concrete directions, the end goal can fall out of sight pretty quickly.

In fact, in a Harvard survey, they found that 30% of managers labelled failure to coordinate as the single greatest challenge they face when executing the company’s strategy.

Team goal setting is also a great way to encourage members to develop new working habits. By working closely with other members, they will be exposed to alternative skillsets, creating an atmosphere that not only achieves the goal but also builds stronger employees for future projects.

Benefits Of Team Goal Setting

Stronger employees aren’t the only benefit of team goal setting. Building a cohesive set of team goals can have a range of benefits affecting the entire workplace as a whole.

Some of these benefits include:

A well-defined goal that supports the values of the company, providing the team with a collective understanding of the final product.
Clearly defined roles and responsibilities, allowing members to work to their strengths and focus on their individual expectations.
Natural occurrence of teamwork and team success while each member is driven by a common goal.
Higher levels of effort, especially as the project gets closer to its completion date.
The means to measure success throughout the project lifetime, allowing for teams to regroup and redesign their action plan as needed.
Higher rates of project completion supported by a solid foundation of expectations created by the team as a whole.

How To Begin Setting Team Goals

When you first begin working with your team to set specific goals, there are a few aspects to keep in mind.

Start Small

Many projects are made up of a series of smaller objectives that are aligned in a way to build upon one another to achieve the final goal. Work with your team to identify the smaller steps needed within your action plan, and incorporate them as milestones to both keep your team on track, and measure success over the lifetime of the project.

Write it down

The act of physically writing down goals has been proven to increase their rate of success, and can also help members align themselves with the objective, serving as a great motivator.

Make it measurable

When working towards any goal, it is essential to implement a way to measure the success of the team at various stages of the project. One of the best ways to do this is to assign specific milestones throughout the project at regular intervals. If you’re finding your team is not meeting the milestones assigned, evaluate why and readjust your plan accordingly.

6 Team Goal Setting Activities

There are a number of ways to achieve success through team goal setting. The one you choose to implement in your team will vary depending on the goal you are working towards and the approach your team will find the most success with.

1. Set SMART Goals

Start by having each individual in the group complete a SMART project goal and objective outline. Come together as a team to complete these outlines, allowing each one to be perfectly aligned with the rest of the team members, ensuring a well-rounded action plan.

Your outline should include:

The Project Name
The date of creation
The end goal
The number of milestones necessary for success, each broken down using the SMART process (see below)

The SMART process is as follows:

Specific: Be very clear on what the objective is. What is your role? Why is it important to the team? How does it help you achieve the objective?

Measurable: The metrics you and the team have decided to use to measure your success. This could include the percentage of work completed, number of projects completed, quality of final products, etc. This will change depending on the goal and must be understood by each member of the team.

Achievable: What skills and tools are needed to meet this objective? Do you have them or have access to them? Consider this while designing your team and ensure your team’s individual proficiencies align with the necessary expertise required to successfully achieve the goal.

Relevant: Does this objective fit with the overall end goal? How?

Time-Bound: What is the final deadline for this objective to be completed?

2. Plan For Project Barriers

For this activity, you’ll be looking at the goal from a broader perspective that focuses on planning your approach to potential barriers and planning success around them.

First, discuss and agree on the goal with your team.
Then, create an action plan that clearly labels each member’s roles and responsibilities in a way that is tailored to the unique talents they bring to the team.
Next, create a list of any tools and resources you may need, including which ones you currently have access to.
Then, list out each benefit of achieving the goal. Brainstorm why the goal is important to achieve, and how it supports the company values. This could be as simple as: “we want to raise our sales 15% this quarter to increase company profits and boost stakeholder value.”
Finally, plan for any barriers that may arise during the project life cycle. What makes this goal difficult to achieve? For each barrier, create a clear action plan for overcoming it. For example: “if our sales team is struggling to close sales with new customers, we will implement a sales seminar to support their growth.”

3. Make Goals Challenging But Achievable

Research completed by Edward Locke, a leader in goal setting, discovered specific goals that were not overly challenging, while still managing to push individuals, led to higher performance over 90% of the time.

When you create an action plan for your team to achieve the desired goal, it is beneficial to encourage growth within the team by forming objectives that will be challenging in ways that still allow them to still be achieved if the plan is followed.

Allowing for goals to naturally progress in the difficulty of their achievement will naturally strengthen the team while providing them with the reward of meeting the goal successfully each time.

4. Define Company Goals

For employees to achieve success within their company and align themselves and future projects with company values, these goals must be defined accurately and clearly.

This is more than a mission statement that has been developed over time. These goals are the foundation on which each employee will base their professional goals, and will serve as the guiding force for all company projects. For teams to thrive and find continued success, they must have a clear understanding of the goals of the company.

Implementing a space where these company-wide goals can be shared and accessed, is a great way to help your employees find success with each project they complete. For some companies, this can take the form of goals being shared through company handbooks and training, or company practices that insist on a clear explanation of how a new project relates to the company goals as a whole. For others (often smaller companies) it could be something like having a visual representation of these goals throughout the workplace.

5. Build Emotional Connections To Team Goals

Emotional connections have been shown to create higher productivity and success levels throughout the workplace. When an employee is emotionally aligned with the company, they begin viewing the success of the company as their own and will treat it with a higher level of respect and work harder to make an impact within it.

When you build a team that identifies with the end goal, you’re creating an atmosphere where each member is committed to the project on a level that goes deeper than a paycheck. They will aim higher and achieve greater rates of success than teams that lack an attachment to the project or company.

6. Consider Similar Goals When Establishing A Team

This pairs with the importance of emotional connection to team goals. Ensuring a team holds similar goals, will help members work more cohesively, while also developing a shared interest in professional development, benefitting both individual projects and group projects in the future.

When your team is made up of people who understand one another and are working towards similar goals, there is a natural connection that forms and can aid in all parties learning from one another and helping each other find higher rates of success.

Make These Goal Setting Activities Even More Powerful!

While these team goal-setting activities can have an impressive impact on your team on their own, there are a few ways you can enhance them to drive performance up even higher, and find greater success throughout the workplace as a whole.

Implement incentives for success

Everyone loves rewards, and when you add them into the workplace, you can add a secondary level of encouragement for your teams to work hard and meet their goals effectively and efficiently!

You can create a “team of the month” and pair it with a dinner on the company, or have a big reward at the end of the year for the highest performing team. These incentives are great for rewarding the hard work of your teams, while also giving them something extra to work for.

Praise

This concept may seem simple (and it is!) but it can be incredibly effective to simply recognize and praise your team’s hard work. When people feel valued, they have a higher level of pride in their work and will often aim to achieve harder goals.

Consider individuals apart from the team as a whole

By evaluating the team not only as one unit but also breaking it down into each individual that makes it up, you’ll be able to assess each member’s strengths and weaknesses, allowing for a more intuitive pairing of teams for future projects.

At some time or another, we’ve all experienced being in a team and having one or two members that don’t pull their weight, leaving extra work piling up on the other members. When you break a team down into individuals, you can catch this behavior and correct it. You can adjust accordingly and hold each member accountable for their share of the work, and offer greater recognition for those who deserve it, increasing employee morale and validating their hard work.

Assessing individuals of the team also allows you to redesign your plan for individuals that need support in other areas, allowing for natural learning opportunities and success to be had by all.

Conclusion

In conclusion, when both company and project goals are defined thoroughly and team members have been given the opportunity to go through the process of forming a clear direction of approach, higher rates of success will develop. By providing your team with the tools and resources needed to meet goals and working alongside them to create an individualized action plan, each member will feel involved, heard, and develop a closer connection with the project, prompting them to meet challenges and exceed expectations.

October 12, 2021November 29, 2021

The Ultimate Guide to Virtual Meetings

Online meetings have become a part of the way we live. And while all of the standard protocol for meetings (agenda, minutes, follow up) remains the same, this transition from in-person to virtual has introduced a whole new playbook.

What is the protocol of this new realm?

In both our personal and professional lives, most of us have attended more than a few virtual meetings at this point. Collectively, through the tried-and-true method of hands-on experience, some definite parameters to virtual meeting etiquette have emerged.

From preparing, to conducting yourself during the meeting, to hosting, to avoiding major gaffes, here is the definitive guide to virtual online meetings.

How to Prepare for an Online Meeting

From weak microphones, to muted audio, to major technological glitches, to your cat jumping across your desk, an online meeting poses a whole new set of challenges and distractions.

Even more than meetings in real life, it’s important to over-prepare for a virtual meeting. Because even when you think you’ve dotted all your i’s and crossed all your t’s, Fed-ex will ring the doorbell with a delivery, just as you’re unveiling a new project.

Here are some boxes to check before you even put on your headphones.

Master the Platform

Although there was an initial grace period where it was permissible to start a meeting ten minutes late because of technical glitches, at this point a virtual meeting is expected to be run like a real-life meeting: it starts on time, and sticks to the agenda.

In order to ensure you’re ready, become proficient on the communication platform your meeting is using. Watch an online tutorial for Zoom, Google Hangouts, Microsoft Teams, or whatever other platform you’re using. Pay attention to crucial details like muting and viewing options.

Test for Sound

Good audio is crucial for an online meeting. If there’s no sound, there’s no meeting.

Be sure to run through audio with a friend to identify if your speaker has an echo, and if you’re able to be heard.

A headset (connected to the computer with a wire or bluetooth) is a good accessory to invest in as it cuts out the external noises in your room.

Some computers aren’t equipped with the greatest microphones. In order for people to hear you, consider purchasing a separate microphone from the one on your computer. This allows you to be heard if you want to interject during a discussion.

Prepare All Documents

Digging through files or logging onto an account mid-meeting adds unnecessary confusion and delay, so have any documents you plan to share at the meeting open and ready on your desktop.

Eliminate the need to walk away from the computer mid-meeting by having everything you need ready at hand, including pens, paper, notes, and coffee or tea.

Prepare the Room

It’s distracting for everyone if your spouse or children interrupt your meeting. Let the people in your household know that a meeting is in process, perhaps by putting a sign on the door.

Once you have all systems ready, you’re set to tap “Start Meeting”. And off you go!

Making a Good Impression

The virtual meeting has brought greater scrutiny to certain parts of our appearance…and less to others. And who would have thought that the walls in your home reflect a lot about you? Well, in a virtual meeting they certainly do!

The following are important things to keep in mind when considering how we’re showing up to a virtual meeting.

Dress the Part

An online meeting creates an odd dynamic where we’re in our casual home setting and professional meeting environment at the same time.

Even though you may have just gotten out of the shower, or come in from playing with your kids, don’t look it. Treat the virtual meeting like you would a meeting in real life.

Know the dress code of the group you are working with. Wearing appropriate clothing gets us into work mode, and we bring the right mindset to the meeting.

In a virtual meeting, people mostly see your face—so put your best face forward! Take the time to style your hair, wash your face, and put on make-up.

Although we’re more inclined to lounge in our homes, be sure to find a study chair; an erect demeanor communicates you’re present and at attention.

Light Up Your Face

Make sure your face is well-lit for the meeting.

A dimly-lit room creates shadows. If attendees don’t have a clear impression of you, they won’t be able to read your non-verbal gestures and it makes it harder for you to engage.

A video conference light that attaches to your computer screen, is affordable and ensures that your face is well-lit and visible throughout the meeting.

Or, sitting near a window gives your face a natural glow. If the meeting takes place in the evening, you can recreate the same effect by placing a lamp just behind the computer screen. A second light behind you is helpful as well.

Minimize Multitasking

Even though we’re used to doing ten things at once when we’re in front of the computer, for most meetings this doesn’t fly. The other attendees can tell when our attention is diverted and it comes across like we’re uninterested.

The only multitasking that should take place at a formal meeting is note-taking.

However, gauge the tone of the meeting you’re in. At a super-casual business meeting, or a chat with friends, it might be ok to be on your phone and, say, cooking at the same time.

Curate Your Background

What you choose to show in your background says a lot about you. Things like funky posters, dirty dishes, or toys strewn across the floor distract other attendees.

Before the meeting, check your camera to see what’s showing up behind you. Is it what you’d like to reflect? Generally, a clean, neutral background is best.

If your house is a mess and cleanup just isn’t going to happen, go with one of the virtual backgrounds available on the communication platform.

As you can see, just like real life, we still need to give attention to our personal presentation at virtual meetings. There’s just a few nuances to the standard protocol.

Masterful Communication

Virtual meetings add a new dynamic to communication. Although many of the age-old guidelines of making eye contact and paying attention still apply, the virtual realm tweaks them just a little bit.

Look into the Camera!

This is so non-intuitive. We’re accustomed to looking into a person’s eyes when speaking to them. Looking into a person’s face in a virtual meeting, however, appears to them like we’re looking at their chest.

Look into the camera as you speak, as this feels far more natural and direct to the other attendees. To them, it appears you’re looking them in the eye.

Position the Camera

The angle of the camera, and its proximity to us, really affects how we look. Too close, we look like a talking head. Angled the wrong way, and we’re either talking up or down to everyone else.
In order to look directly at the meeting attendees, adjust the camera so it’s level to your eyes. Also, keep it distanced so that the camera captures your chest and shoulders, rather than just your head and neck. This gives you a more real, human appearance.

Use Non-Verbal Communication

Even in a virtual meeting, 93% of communication is still non-verbal. People look at our faces to see our reactions, emotions, and whether or not we’re interested or paying attention.

Using hand and body movement as we speak, and nodding or giving thumbs up to others allows us to communicate effectively without words.

Eliminate Background Noise

Everyone at the meeting hears the noises coming from our end of the microphone. Even typing on our computers, especially if we have long nails, sounds loud and clacking.

Generally, always mute your microphone if you are not speaking. This prevents the microphone from picking up any noise coming from your space.

If you’re in a lively back and forth with some other attendees, it’s ok to keep the microphone on, but be sure that it doesn’t create an echo.

Is Stepping Away ok?

We all probably want to step away from a meeting from time to time–to make coffee, for a bio break, or if our kids are speaking to us.

This is appropriate, but out of respect for the other people contributing to the meeting, do it seldomly and try to be brief. Before stepping away, turn off the camera and mute the microphone.

To keep the host in the loop, send him or her a private chat if you’ll be gone for more than a few minutes.

Using Chat Boxes

Chat boxes provide another way to communicate amongst meeting attendees. Through chat, you can communicate via written message to individual members, or the entire group.

Messaging the entire group is a good idea when you have a question but don’t want to interrupt the flow of the meeting. Messaging individuals is a great way to congratulate them on achievements.

Following these virtual meeting etiquette guidelines of engagement makes you present to others at the meeting, and allows you to communicate as though you were with them in the room.

Hosting Hospitably

As with any meeting, the host sets the tone for the meeting, presents the agenda, and directs the conversation throughout.

Follow these simple guidelines, and you’ll virtually be the host with most!

Assessing Time Zones

When scheduling your meeting, consider the time zones of everyone in attendance. You can use a time zone converter tool to make sure it’s scheduled at a reasonable time for everyone.

Platform Proficiency

Although this is discussed earlier, it bears repeating as it’s crucial for the host to be proficient on the platform.

To prevent a rocky start, the host needs to be sure everyone at the meeting has received the invite, and the proper link to the meeting, and that everyone knows how to log on.

Organizing emails in contacts before the meeting allows you to know you’re getting the right information to the right people.

Assign a Chat Room Host

If you’re hosting a meeting with twenty or more people, consider assigning one person to monitor the chat room. This way, questions and concerns are addressed and you’re still able to put full attention into conducting the meeting.

Make Introductions

Unlike in-person meetings, attendees don’t have the opportunity for hallway chat, or to sit down and introduce themselves before the meeting. As the host, a quick round-table introduction at the onset helps to break the ice and create warmth and familiarity amongst attendees.

Wrangling Sound Issues

Good audio is critical to running a meeting smoothly, so it’s important to identify and resolve sound issues quickly.

A microphone with a loud echo affects everyone’s ability to participate. Using the communication platform, identify which microphones are on in order to quickly identify potential culprits.

Ending the Meeting

As the host, being present throughout sets a cohesive tone. If possible, wait until everyone else has left before you exit the meeting. Assign someone else to host and provide direction if you’re leaving early.

In order that people have access to important information discussed, send a meeting recording to all attendees as soon as it is processed.

Virtual meetings require a few new things to learn and pay attention to. But the function is still the same, so once you master these skills, you’re golden!

Avoiding Gaffes

Although we may not realize it, certain behaviors in online meetings come across as somewhat embarrassing, or just downright rude.

Here are some faux pas in the rule book of virtual meeting etiquette.

Mute all Notifications

Our computer and phones ding at us all day long.

These, too, pose a distraction, so be sure to silence your cell phones, turn off computer notifications, and shut down chat windows before the meeting commences.

No Private Behavior

Since we’re sitting by ourselves at a virtual meeting, it’s easy to engage in behavior that we’d intuitively refrain from at an in-person meeting. However, we’re still very much in a public setting, so things like picking our eyes and scratching under our arms is inappropriate.

Private behaviors such as kissing a spouse is also something to avoid.

Avoid Lurking

Although it’s ok to turn off your microphone and video for a minute or so, doing this long-term creates the appearance of someone present but not participating.

This practice, known as lurking, creates stale energy at a meeting, and communicates lack of interest and involvement.

Dressing From the Waist Up

It’s tempting to put on a nice shirt over a pair of sweatpants and call ourselves dressed appropriately. Our cover is busted, however, if we have to quickly get up to check the thermostat, or attend to our dog during the meeting.

To avoid this embarrassing scenario, it’s best to just suit up from head to toe.

Conclusion

The virtual meeting is more commonplace than it ever has been. And it’s probably not going away anytime soon.

For this reason, it’s important to appreciate the nuances a virtual meeting brings to the way we communicate and present ourselves. Once we understand the virtual meeting etiquette, and how to interact in meetings, they’ll become second nature.

The good thing is, as much as things change, they also stay the same. A virtual meeting is no exception. As with in person meetings, it’s still a forum for constructive discussion in order to come to decisions and solutions about a topic or problem.

And thanks to technology, we’re able to have these discussions from the comfort of our own home!

October 11, 2021January 4, 2022

Welcome Aboard! How to Set Up New Employees For Success.

Picture this – you show up for your first day at a brand new job to find a locked door and no one waiting to meet you. You weren’t given any instructions and aren’t sure who to call. You can feel what was once excitement quickly turn to nerves.

Surely situations like these, which are surprisingly common, can be avoided?

Yes, they can – and should!

With a bit of preparation and information, you can give your new employee the great experience that they deserve. Still, there’s more to setting them up for success than simply greeting them at the door.

Success from Day 1: How to Onboard Like a Pro

Have you ever been chucked into the deep end in a new workplace? If so, you’d know how tough it is. It’s difficult to be a good performer when trying to learn the ropes as well.

Organizational socialization is the journey where new employees become accustomed to the culture of a new workplace. How the existing workforce guides them through the process has significant, long-term impacts on their performance and the business. So we want to make sure that we get it right, helping them become well-adjusted to be the best team member they can be.

Better newcomer adjustment correlates to employee satisfaction, commitment to work, turnover rates, and performance. To stay ahead of the game, organizations need to understand and manage the process of newcomer socialization. If an employee is promptly and thoroughly socialized, there is more likely to be higher retention, accelerated return on investment, and an overall more effective employee.

Successful onboarding doesn’t happen in one day. It’s a continuous process that usually occurs in four stages:

Phase 1: Pre-onboarding

Pre-onboarding begins once your candidate accepts your offer until their first day at work. This time presents an excellent opportunity to make your new hire feel good about what lies ahead. Help employees fill out the necessary paperwork and check in regularly to see if they need anything to make the transition smooth.

Social media giant Twitter is a fan of making the pre-onboarding phase memorable. Before they start, a new hire can look forward to their email address, a T-shirt, and a bottle of wine waiting for them.

Phase 2: Welcoming new hires

Here is where you begin to help your new hires acclimate to their new workplace. You’ll give them a clear picture of the organization, the culture, what they can expect from their role, and how things work.

Preparation is key

In an ideal world, new employees would come on board with plenty of time for handover and training. Unfortunately, this can’t always happen. And when there’s a gap, it tends to make the workload heavier for everyone else.

While you want your employee to work the magic you hired them for ASAP, you can’t just throw them in the deep end and hope for the best. Even in difficult circumstances, you’ve got to take the time to set them up for success. And it all starts with a little preparation that will be worth it in the long run!

Here are some things that you can do to help prepare:

1. Onboarding package

Onboarding packages help your new employee feel welcomed and valued. While you might have a generic onboarding package that you’ve used for years, it may be time to revisit this. An onboarding package should include information that a new hire needs and details about the company that help them connect to its story and mission.

Here are some things that an onboarding package should include:

Keys, fob, and a lanyard.
Information sheet. It can include logins, corporate memberships, an office map with team names, and a directory.
An agenda for their first day or week of work.
Information about the organization’s mission, vision, structure, culture, and story. If you have an employee rewards or perks system, here is a great place to include details about it.
A personal welcome message from the CEO or other directors of the company.
Recommendations and tips. For example, you could include different Chrome extensions or websites that they’ll find helpful in their role.

2. Schedule it in

Making an employee’s onboarding experience awesome will be critical to their long-term success at work. So make sure that you’ve thought about how you’re going to make it valuable and fun.

Every hour of the onboarding period doesn’t need to be filled with activities, but it’s nice to have them scattered throughout to help them adjust. At LinkedIn, new employees are given a hiring plan that outlines their onboarding over a 90 day period. It helps them transition into the company and achieve success in their new role.

Check out these 5 ways you can make your new team member feel welcome:

1. Give them some swag

Fill a bag with branded swag to help your employee feel even more excited about joining the team. It can include stickers, key chains, a tote bag, a clothing item, your product, or something related to your industry.

At Digital Ocean they provide new hires with a balloon on their desk so other employees can find them, a handwritten welcome note, a bottle of champagne, and some Digital Ocean branded items. Popping a bottle after your first day of work? Yes, please.

2. Schedule coffee dates

Booking coffee dates with different employees helps your new team member network. While it’s important they get to know the members of their department, it’s also helpful to know people from all over the organization.

You could also try setting up a mentorship program to foster more intimate relationships. At Buffer, the onboarding program is six weeks long. New hires are assigned three “Buddies” who each play a different role – a Leader Buddy, Role Buddy, and a Culture Buddy.

3. Have a photoshoot

If it’s custom for employees to have their photo taken in front of your company logo or sign, make sure you include your new hire in this tradition. It’s nice for them to have a matching LinkedIn photo to the rest of the team.

4. Send out a welcome email

Welcome them by sending out a company-wide email. An email gets everyone on the same page that there is a new hire and to get excited. You could even take a leaf from ticketing tech giant Eventbrite’s book and put up new hire profiles around the office so that everyone can quickly learn the names and faces of new hires.

5. Set up their workspace

Make sure that their computer, desk, and tools are all set up and ready to go. Go above and beyond by asking before their first day if there’s anything they special they need or want.

Phase 3: Role-specific training

The training phase is critical and impacts how well your employees will thrive. Make it detailed, meaningful, without being overwhelming. Quora is one example of a company that drives hires to make meaningful contributions by teaching them the principles for success. Each new hire is assigned a mentor, given detailed documents on the key concepts and tools they need, and steered towards organizational socialization.

Phase 4: Easing the transition to their new role

Here is where your new hire transitions into a well-versed employee. Keep checking in to ensure that your employee is happy, performing well, and set up for ongoing success. Ask for feedback on their onboarding experience to gain insight on what you can do better in future onboardings.

One of the main contributors to employee satisfaction, motivation, and success is knowing where they’re going and what steps they need to advance their careers. Set up a career guide that tells employees the competencies and training needed to move up in various departments.

At S.C Johnson & Son, this has proven successful. By making the promotion process clear, they’ve found that employees are more empowered and proactive in their career development.

Conclusion

Remember, people who are genuinely welcomed to their organization feel respected, both personally and professionally. The benefits of a positive and welcoming first day include trust in management, commitment to the organization, and a more motivated job performance.

There’s a reason why top organizations are investing in onboarding. Providing new hires with a great onboarding process is the first step in building a productive and thriving workforce.

October 11, 2021January 4, 2022

How to Plan a Productive One-on-One Meeting Agenda

Meetings that don’t have a proper agenda can be a big waste of time. People forget things and valuable company time is wasted when you’re trying to recall what you wanted to talk about.

A meeting agenda removes all the pressure of trying to think of something on the spot. What’s even better is that a 1:1 meeting agenda brings everyone up to speed.

If you called an employee into a 1:1 they didn’t know about they wouldn’t have anything prepared. Unprepared meetings tend to waffle on and provide little to no value for the people in them.

Increase the effectiveness of your meetings by reading this article. We take a deep dive into how to create a productive one-on-one meeting agenda. Effective agendas benefit managers, staff, and the company’s bottom line.

The Importance of 1:1 Meeting Agendas

Before we dive into what an excellent 1:1 meeting agenda looks like you need to know why they’re important. You probably have your own way of doing things but if you’re looking at this article you must be wondering if your meeting plan is as effective as it could be.

Good meetings should help to keep business and personal goals aligned. Remember, your staff isn’t here because they just want to make the business money. One-to-one meetings are a great way to make sure everyone is working towards common goals.

Employees who have regular 1:1 meetings with their manager are 3x more likely to be engaged with their work. The feedback and guidance that comes out of these meetings help employees to advanced their careers. They feel seen and good meetings can help create company loyalty.

There are reports of reduced turnover when businesses implement one-on-one meetings. It’s said that people leave managers. They don’t leave companies. And meetings can help to develop a deeper bond between a manager and their subordinates.

It’s an opportunity to continually train your people. This makes your team more productive and increases their knowledge base to support each other. Regular meetings mean ample opportunity to discuss roadblocks, new ideas, and anything bothering the staff. It can lead to a significant uptick in productivity.

A shared agenda plan

The best change you can make to your one-on-one meetings is to create a shared space to discuss the agenda. Create a space on the collaborative software your team use or have a paper copy that can be shared between the manager and their report. It should be something that’s easily accessed and editable.

If both parties can be fully prepared for the meeting they will be far more effective. Don’t withhold any topics from your staff to try to catch them off guard. Someone unaware of something is going to be unprepared.

You might think that your staff should be prepared for everything but this is highly impractical and completely unfair.

Meetings that have a clear agenda tend to be more productive. Without one, it can be easy to lose track or get distracted. A well-defined 1:1 meeting agenda will keep a meeting flowing and avoid running over the scheduled end time.

When setting the agenda ahead of time be upfront about difficult conversations. A one-to-one meeting is a great place to discuss employee performance and provide feedback. Encourage employees to add areas of concern to the agenda as well.

Allow your staff to prepare for difficult conversations because if they haven’t had time to prepare it can lead to missed information. If their recent performance has raised concerns there could be legitimate reasons behind it.

New agenda items should be added as and when they become relevant. A courtesy would be to nudge the other party to make sure they’ve seen the updated agenda in your shared workspace.

What should you discuss in your meeting?

The right structure is necessary to keep meetings productive and make sure staff can return to work at the agreed-upon time. Below is a list of great topics to help you create a one-on-one meeting agenda that benefits everyone.

Discuss the week: At the top of the meeting, discuss the events of the previous or current week, depending on when you have the meeting.

Hindrances: Ask your employee if there have been any roadblocks they’ve encountered with their duties. If yes, check what can be done to remove them.

Successes: Have there been any wins your report has been a part of? Take the time to praise them and discuss what has gone well.

Concerns: This is the best situation to raise any concerns you may have. Allow employees the opportunity to offer explanations and work together to grow from issues.

Goals: Talk about business goals and your employee’s personal goals. Try to show how these align and discuss growth opportunities.

Responsibilities: Leading on from growth opportunities, you can discuss their current responsibilities. Do they have enough bandwidth to carry them out? Are they ready to take on more?

Action plan: Work together to create an action plan of items they can work on for review in upcoming meetings. It could be undertaking new learning or completing a complex task.

Next meeting agenda: Wrap up the meeting by discussing the agenda of the next meeting. Were any items missed this week? Are there upcoming milestones your report should prepare for?

Tips for your one-on-one meeting agendas

1. Meeting schedule

Don’t let meetings overrun unless absolutely necessary. A good one-to-one meeting should last 30 or 60 minutes depending on how much there is to discuss. Avoid getting distracted and stick to the agenda.

Of course, there will occasionally be unforeseen circumstances beyond your control. Push things to the next meeting if possible, as that can avoid things dragging on.

2. Informal chat

Make time for an informal chat at the beginning of the meeting. This helps to nurture a more personal relationship with your staff. People have a life outside of the office and it’s human nature to appreciate when someone takes an interest.

3. Constructive criticism

Avoid making conversations personal, especially if you have to provide criticism. Make sure the conversation is rooted firmly in their work and not about them as a person. All criticism should be constructive and provide value. What lessons should be learned from the discussions?

4. Negative feedback and feedforward

Nobody likes to hear negative feedback as it can feel like they’re being attacked. Instead, consider framing things as negative feedforward. Feedforward focuses on future behaviors, on things that should be avoided or changed. It can be more effective than negative feedback because it’s less about their character and is less personal.

5. Take Notes

Throughout the meeting, you should be taking notes of what your report says. It’s useful to refer back to when preparing for the next meeting. Share your notes with your employee using your collaborative workspace or give them a hard copy. This will help to keep them accountable and they will be able to use it when preparing for the next meeting too.

Conclusion

How often you hold a meeting depends on the needs of the business and the workloads of your employees. Weekly or fortnightly meetings will have the biggest benefit on productivity without becoming cumbersome. Employees and managers who are in sync will have a more productive relationship that benefits the whole business.

1:1 meeting agendas should be collaborative. Create a space where your employee can look at and add to the agenda when necessary. This space should be kept confidential as it won’t be relevant to the wider team. Get the most out of your meetings with a clear and actionable one-to-one meeting agenda.

October 7, 2021April 10, 2022

Who Else Wants to Create an Effective Meeting Agenda?

@teamly

For additional information on this topic, feel free to check out this Youtube video from our channel.

Now, onto the main content...

We have all been to those unproductive, time-suck meetings where the most important thing isn’t even covered. Or meetings that are irrelevant for half the people in attendance.

Time spent at a meeting certainly isn’t free. Consider a thirty minute meeting with twenty people–that’s ten hours of work.

If the meeting is useless, it’s money down the drain.

An effective meeting agenda ensures you achieve the objective of the meeting and the company works closer toward its goals.

Whether you’re planning the quarterly team meeting with all hands on deck, a weekly status update, or something in-between, here are some pointers to bear in mind when creating an agenda and mapping out meetings.

State the Objective

“If you cannot succinctly state what the objective of the meeting is, you should not have it. The rest of the meeting is useless unless you have clarity around the objective,” says time management expert Helen Seguara.

Keep it Simple

The purpose can be written in one sentence, or even a phrase. Rather than simply naming the topic, a results-driven meeting includes metrics or solutions sought. A meeting about “Culture of Entitlement” won’t get at the heart of the issue. “3 Causes of Culture of Entitlement in the Workplace” gives the topic enough focus to generate constructive discussion.

In order to clarify the “why” for the meeting, it’s helpful to ask “what is the risk if I don’t have this meeting?” For example, if the purpose is to “Map out next year’s budget”, the risk is that the company is not authorized to spend if decisions are not reached at the meeting.

Is a Meeting Necessary?

Also ask if the “why” necessitates discussion. A meeting provides a forum for constructive discussion in order to come to decisions and solutions about a topic or problem.

If the “why” is simply the dissemination of information (e.g., letting everyone know about a new product or software) then it could possibly be accomplished another way. Sending an email and making sure everyone responds is one way to ensure the information is digested and understood.

Narrow the Focus

We have so much going on in our workplaces and issues to address. However, ideally, a meeting has one central objective. A laundry list of items to cover creates lethargy, and poses scenarios where some of those present aren’t relevant to the topics discussed.

First Things First

A meeting isn’t a time to save the best for last, or start with something small in order to warm people up. We’re most alert at the beginning of a meeting, so schedule the most important items first.

Ranking Priority

It can be tricky sometimes to determine which item is the most important. One way is to simply ask: what do I most want to get done at this meeting?

It’s easy to think that urgent topics are the most important. However, as meetings are primarily about discussion, they can sometimes slow an urgent issue down! Rather, focus on what adds value to the team and furthers company goals for prioritizing agenda items.

Rank all other items in order of decreasing importance.

If you have several items on the agenda, business advisor Kristin Arnold suggests labeling them by importance, as you may not get to everything. “A” means something that must be accomplished at the meeting, “B” are things that should be accomplished, and “C” are things that are important, but not critical at the moment.

Clarify Topic and Desired Result

Be specific about the agenda items, stating both the topic and the expected outcome. A meeting to discuss “Podcast” may create a meandering, unfocused discussion. However, “Podcast Schedule” or “Podcast Interview Topics” lets everyone know where to take the conversation.

Adjust if Necessary

An agenda is a roadmap that serves to achieve the objective of the meeting. If the agenda starts to hinder the objective, it’s ok to adjust and let the meeting take a slightly different course.

For example, if the discussion around the central topic takes more time than planned, let things flow. Resolving critical issues when everyone is present is more important than getting to every item on the agenda. For that reason, it’s critical to schedule the most important items first.

Cover the Basics

An effective meeting agenda makes everything crystal clear. Always include the when, the where, and the who.

When

“The longer the meeting, the less is accomplished.” Tim Cook

To value everyone’s time, keep meetings as short as possible. An efficient meeting moves right along and doesn’t allow for tangents or for people to drone on unnecessarily.

When planning, evaluate everything that needs to be discussed to determine the length of the meeting. If there is too much going on, it’s possibly a sign that the agenda needs to be divided into two meetings.

Indicate the amount of time allotted to each agenda item.

Consistently starting meetings on time gets employees into the habit of being punctual.

Where

An agenda always states where the meeting is held, even if that seems obvious. It eliminates confusion for new employees, or if the workplace has several meeting rooms. People showing up in the wrong place creates totally unnecessary delay.

Who

Indicate on the agenda who needs to be in attendance, and why. And indicate the role anyone will play at the meeting—who will present each agenda topic, for example.

For the sake of efficiency, it’s important to allow employees unrelated to the topic to skip out of the meeting and get to work. One way to do this is to have a short staff meeting, then right afterwards a manager’s meeting: this way, important topics are discussed, and with the right people.

Do Your Homework

If a meeting starts without critical metrics or someone arrives not knowing they will to present, it probably won’t be a powerful meeting.

For the meeting to be effective, everyone who is expected to attend needs to see the agenda ahead of time.

Employees expected to present or to bring data need time to prepare beforehand.

Before a meeting, ask yourself “What does success look like?” and think through each step of the meeting. This provides clarity around your objective and ensures you have dotted the i’s and crossed the t’s before entering the meeting room.

Call Out a Job Well Done

A meeting is a ripe opportunity to build cohesion and camaraderie within your base.

In the same way that musicians perform better to audiences than when alone, employees who feel their work is acknowledged by a supportive group of peers are more inclined to do their best work.

This is a widely-studied phenomenon called social facilitation.

Always take time at the beginning of a meeting to call out individuals and teams for work well done with applause or even prizes. Consistent recognition for excellence cultivates a positive environment where productivity flourishes.

Beep Beep! Parking Lots

If you’ve run an effective, well-planned meeting, that means you’ve stuck to the agenda topics. However, attendees may have a pressing issue they want to discuss that’s not on the agenda.

Scheduling “parking lots” into your meeting provides a window to air off-topic concerns or suggestions.

Conclusion

A focused, well-planned agenda creates effective meetings that are a constructive use of everyone’s time.

Even with careful attention to detail, a meeting never goes exactly as planned. Afterwards, it’s good to listen for feedback and reflect on what worked and what didn’t, in order to identify areas to improve.

Because chances are, you’ll be heading up another meeting before long!

October 7, 2021January 10, 2022

20 Desk Organization Ideas to Keep You Ahead of the Game

What would you most like to change about your desk? Does it take fifteen minutes to just clear it off before you can get down to work? Or do you have a “desk” that functions more like a pretty piece of furniture, and all your work gets done at the kitchen table? For many, the desk serves as a dumping ground for anything and everything–kids’ homework, junk mail, receipts.

A person who works only part-time spends 1,500 hours every year at a desk. That’s a lot of time!

As the desk plays such a central role in our lives, making sure it’s working for us, and not against us, is crucial.

From selecting the perfect desk, to controlling clutter, to creating a pleasant space that maximizes workflow, here are twenty desk organization ideas to keep you ahead of the pack.

Selecting the Perfect Desk

Even more than the computer you work on, the desk is the foundation of your career.

When choosing a desk, carefully consider your daily systems and all of the equipment you need. There isn’t a one-size-fits-all, but there is a solution that is best for you!

1. Close the Deal With an Executive Desk

Executive desks give your office a stately, professional air. From the comfort of your home, you’ll have the confidence you need to work with the best and the brightest.

At 6 feet long by 2.5 feet wide, the executive desk provides a spacious work area, easy to keep clutter-free. And ample storage means that files and papers are ready at hand.

2. Stay Versatile With a Sit-Stand Desk

Our bodies pay a price for sitting down all day: achy backs and low circulation.

The versatile sit-stand desk keeps you working through the day without paying the physical cost.

Additionally, having the option to stand allows you to bring a higher level of energy to Zoom meetings or podcast recordings.

3. Secure Your Work With a Secretary Desk

When closed for the day, the secretary desk is a statement piece that beautifies any room in the house.

If your desk is in a room where your family or company gathers on the weekend, the secretary desk works perfectly, as it conceals any work-in-process, or clutter left from the end of the day.

Plus, secretary desks have droves of cubbies and nooks, meaning all of the little items that tend to float around on top of a desk have a designated space.

4. Choosing a Location for Your Desk

Determining the location for your desk is as important as picking the right one.

Finding a quiet space is key to hours of productive, focused work. If you work in a house with kids, converting a garage or storage room into an office provides a space to work without frequent interruptions.

Similarly, if you work in an office setting, placing your desk away from the doorway reduces interruptions and allows you to work diligently.

For maximum peace of mind, situate your desk so that you have space on either side of you, rather than pushed against a wall.

Maximizing Wall Space

The walls surrounding your desk provide potential to inspire you and keep you organized. Here are a few ideas.

5. Stay on Task with Chalkboard Paper

Chalkboard paper is affordable and easy to apply. It provides a way to focus on the things that matter most to your business.

You can use chalkboard paper to write your goals, and key action items related to each goal. It’s also a great way to record daily to-do lists and weekly sales goals.

The best part about chalkboard paper is that it’s easy to erase and clean for the next day. To jazz things up, use liquid chalk markers in vibrant neon colors.

6. Visualize With a Whiteboard

A large whiteboard provides a space for brainstorming sessions when you’re embarking on a new project or goal-setting.

A calendar whiteboard provides a visual map of your month and keeps all of your must-dos right in front of you.

Consider placing the whiteboard in a spot that you see as you enter the room, to serve as a visual reminder during the day.

7. Keep Aligned With a Vision Board

It’s important to keep your actions throughout the day aligned with your goals and aspirations.

A vision board keeps you focused on your WHY. Placing a vision board in sight of your work area keeps you thinking big during all the mundane tasks of your day.

8. Stay on Top of Things With a Bulletin Board

It’s so easy to have a random stack of papers accrue on your desktop—including urgent to-dos and articles you’re meaning to read.

A bulletin board allows for everything to be spread out and seen at the same time.

For maximum organization, divide a bulletin board by topic: articles to read on one side, and to-dos on another.

Rather than the standard beige, a colored cork board adds a nice pop of color to an office environment.

Organizing Essentials

When organizing everything on your desk, carefully consider the flow of your day and all of your tasks. Placing items in strategic places allows your work routine to flow with minimal hangups and frustration.

For example, put things you rarely use in the back of drawers, and things you use all the time front at center.

Here are some ideas to maximize the organization of your desk.

9. Add Drawer Organizers

There is nothing worse than opening up a drawer and shuffling through a pile of clutter to find what you are looking for.

Desk inserts make everything neatly arranged and easy to find. No more struggling to look for pens, pencils, erasers, scissors or highlighters!

Drawer organizers come in all shapes and sizes, so once you’ve determined what you need in your drawers, you can find one that suits you.

10. Establish Zones

Establishing zones at your desk space clarifies the purpose and function of each area. A careful demarcation of each zone keeps your work day fluid.

Block out zones based on the function each area serves. Every desk needs a work zone and an office supply zone.

Depending on the kind of work you do, you may also have a papers-to-be-filed zone, a podcast recording zone, or a planning/brainstorming zone.

If something is exceeding its zone, such as too many office supplies, it may be time to purge. Establishing boundaries eliminates a tendency for unnecessary things to accrue.

11. Use a Paper Sorter

Even as things become more and more digital, we still come across plenty of paper in our daily lives. Everything on your desk poses the potential to distract you, and a stack of miscellaneous papers prevents focus.

A paper-sorting tray with open shelves provides a way to distribute papers by topic. Labeling each tray (“blank paper,” “urgent to-dos,” “papers to file”) makes it very clear which papers go where.

Additionally, if your desk functions as both a personal and professional space, be sure to separate personal papers, such as stationery, address books, and daily mail from everything related to your work.

12. Add Shelving in Dead Space

Certain desks, such as L-shaped or corner desks, have harder-to-reach areas that don’t get a lot of use.

Utilize this dead space by adding shelves to store things you need but don’t use a whole lot. Open shelving makes things easy to reach, while closed storage eliminates the look of clutter.

The space under a desk can also serve as a suitable spot for adding a cupboard or shelving.

Creating Your Happy Place

A desk space that is cramped, drab, and uninspiring probably won’t generate brilliant work.

Giving your desk some TLC will put you in the headspace to tackle whatever the day brings.

Here are some ideas to organize your desk in a way to facilitate a productive frame of mine.

13. Match Everything

Have you ever seen a pencil cup bulging with every brand of pen, pencils of various size and circumference, broken crayons, and several pairs of scissors? Not a calming, cohesive look.

Bringing harmony to everything in your space gives it an ordered and organized air.

When sprucing up your area, don’t worry about getting too matchy-matchy. Establish unity with the colors you use, and purchase containers and shelving from the same supplier. Even details like even staying with one brand of pen, whiteboard marker, and liquid chalk marker help establish a cohesive look.

A harmonized look lends itself to an ordered day.

14. Have a Snack Drawer & Tea Station
Speaking of making yourself happy, there’s nothing like warm tea and your favorite treat to keep you going during a long afternoon.

An electric hot water heater allows you to fix yourself a hot drink with the simple push of a button. Designate a drawer to snacks, and always keep a fresh stash on hand.

You’ll be satiated and refreshed without having to interrupt your work flow.

15. Personalize it
Incorporating mementos, tchotchkes, trinkets, kids artwork, inspiring quotes and other items that make you happy provide warmth and atmosphere.

Rather than the standard Ikea penholders, consider finding something handmade and one-of-a-kind from an artisan on Etsy.

To maximize the space, tape quotes and photos to the wall rather than using a frame.

Keep these things fresh by clearing them out quarterly; Christmas cards still displayed in May feels pretty stale.

16. Curate a “Less is Best” Look

Working at a desk full of stuff can be as distracting as listening to loud music. For this reason, some people find they do their best work at a hotel desk, as it has none of the “physical noise” their home office brings.

To eliminate overflow, organizational guru Marie Kondo advises evaluating each thing on your desk to determine if it “sparks joy.” If not, and it never gets used, time to say “sayonara.”

Creating a minimal look at a desk space not only reduces the “noise of clutter,” but it also puts into the spotlight those things you choose to keep.

Controlling Clutter

Albert Einstein said, “If a cluttered desk is a sign of a cluttered mind, of what then is an empty desk a sign?”

If only you could just sweep everything into a drawer and finish off the day with a fresh, clean desktop.

If only. Controlling clutter is probably the trickiest thing to achieve and maintain in a desk space.

Here are a few systems and methods to assist with clutter control.

17. Create a Catchall Zone

It’s very easy for a desk to function as a catchall for things that have nothing to do with the function of the desk at all: kids’ toys, keys, a purse, spouse’s books, files from a previous career, sunglasses.

To create focused energy, you want to feel great when you sit down at your desk. Miscellaneous items can really hamper this by depleting your energy.

Creating a “catchall zone”; perhaps at one end of the desk, or on a separate table entirely; eliminates these distractions and allows your desk to function solely as the place where you work.

Similarly, if you find the same thing showing up in your workspace (pens, papers, files), establish a place for it somewhere else on your desk.

18. Apply the Home Edit System

Clea and Joanna of The Home Edit on Netflix and Instagram use this simple three-step system for achieving amazing organizational results.

Edit: Go through everything in your desk and purge what doesn’t need to be there. For sentimentals, recall Marie Kondo’s principle and ask yourself if it “sparks joy.”
Categorize: Put things into categories. At a desk space these include paper (organized by category), office supplies, computer equipment, etc.
Contain: Find the right space and the right bin to put everything.

Following these three simple steps ensures that each item at your desk really needs to be there….and it has a designated space.

19. Do a Daily Desk Reset

The activity and business of the day yields a major build-up of clutter by five or six pm.

Performing a simple desk-reset at the end of the day (putting everything back in its place) ensures that it’s fresh and ready for use the next morning.

When everything already has a designated space, the desk reset only takes a few minutes.

20. Routinely Re-Evaluate

As your systems and work routines change, so does everything you need at your desk. Periodically (quarterly or bi-yearly) go through to re-evaluate desk inventory to ensure it’s still necessary.

Some things we never need on our desks include:

Things that are broken.
Anything you never use.
Things unrelated to the work you are currently doing.
Too much of any one thing.

In the spirit of simplicity, it’s important to curate the things at our desk, rather than acquire.

From Subpar to Sublime

Your desk is a deal-breaking aspect of your career. Having a great desk allows you to focus, use time efficiently, and do your best work. It’s certainly nothing to be taken for granted.

How long does it take to bring a desk from average to spectacular? Brendan Gailey of “0 to 7 Figures” podcast says it took him 36 hours to remodel his space. Not a huge setback when you consider the benefit.

Here’s to optimal desk organization and leveling up your career! Sláinte.

October 7, 2021October 3, 2023

The Essential Guide to Upwork Competitors: Find the Best Freelancers Online

Looking for a freelancer online can be a difficult task. Especially if you haven’t required remote workers before, you might not know where to start. Plenty of job boards can help businesses to find the right person and one of the most popular is Upwork. In fact, it’s one of the oldest boards around but does that mean it’s the best?

Although the company has been around longer, other competitors might be better for your business. Upwork serves as many fields as it can which means it attracts a lot of freelancers but this can cause problems.

Jobs posted may gain lots of applicants but not all of them are worthwhile. Sadly, many people spam low-quality copy and paste proposals, they don’t even look at your job description!

This article will share the best Upwork alternatives to help you find the right person. These are a mix of generic job boards and niche sites that have amazing freelancers ready to join your projects.

Pros and Cons of Upwork

The first site that comes to mind for hiring remote workers is likely to be Upwork and there’s a good reason for that. Upwork formed following the merger between ODesk and Elance. It’s been the top online destination to hire remotely ever since but its reputation is a bit of a mixed bag.

Yes, you can find good people on Upwork. But if it’s easier somewhere else, why bother staying?

Let’s take a look at some of the pros and cons of choosing Upwork as your hiring partner.

Pros

Millions of active freelancers to choose from
The selection of disciplines and skills is huge. If it can be done remotely, you can find it on Upwork.
Post a job and accept pitches or choose a freelancer from the catalog
Easy to use interface with lots of functionality. (send and receive files, messaging, video communication, available online and on mobile)
Accurate billing either project-based or per hour and tracked by the Work Diary.
Payment protection, funds are held in escrow for everyone’s protection

Together with excellent support staff, Upwork provides a complete solution to hiring freelancers. There are additional perks such as having Upwork connect you directly with top talent and handling payroll for your business.

Cons

Huge competition for freelancers. It can be hard to separate top talent from beginners and spam accounts.
Costs a lot, post-holders are charged a 3% flat fee and freelancers are charged 5-20% on their earnings. Other job boards are cheaper.
Escrow mediation can lead to paying out for poor work if mediators side with the freelancer.
Anyone can sign up and pitch for jobs. This can lead to unqualified freelancers sending proposals. On the other hand, it’s easy to overlook talented freelancers due to no feedback on their account.

With these cons in mind, you might be wondering if there are better alternatives. Niche sites iWriter, Behance, and Lemon.io can help you find specific skills like writing, design, and web development. Job boards like Freelancer and PeoplePerHour are more general and host a range of skills.

Upwork Competitors

Finding a freelancer online doesn’t need to be a stressful event if you know where to look. Upwork has a wide range of skills and plenty of talented individuals for hire. However, there are other platforms available you may not have heard of.

The cost of hiring a freelancer on Upwork can be offputting. You could save money by sourcing remote workers somewhere else.

A bad experience with a freelancer from Upwork could prompt a desire to find a new solution. Whatever the cause is, there are companies ready to help.

The gig economy is booming. More clients and contractors are looking for remote work than ever before. Newly created job boards capitalize on this emerging market. Each platform has its own quirks and specialties. Take a look at the sites on this list to figure out which one is right for your business.

Here are some of the best generic job boards that are available:

Freelancer
Guru
PeoplePerHour
Fiverr
Outsourcely
Workhoppers
Freeup

No matter what discipline you need to hire for, you will be able to find freelancers using these sites. These websites range in size and the pool of freelancers available varies. Depending on the size of your project, you could get the end results back within 24 hours.

If you’ve had a bad experience with Upwork or you’re concerned about the unvetted nature of their freelancers, one of these sites could be right for you. Details for each site are below including the pros and cons of using them over Upwork.

Freelancer.com

Freelancer.com is a popular online job board that operates similarly to Upwork. They have over 50 million freelancers on their platform with over 1800+ skills for hire. Freelancer is one of the top competitors for Upwork as it matches the size of freelancers available.

What separates Freelancer.com from Upwork is the ability to post contests instead of a job. When you host a contest you place the prize in escrow and freelancers can enter. For example, a logo design contest will receive dozens of entries and you can select the best one. Freelancer returns the money to you if there are no winners of the contest.

How much does it cost?

Signing up to Freelancer is completely free and posting a job does not incur any fees. The only time they levy a fee is when you award the project to a freelancer and they accept. Freelancer.com charges a 3% or $3 levy known as the introduction fee.

As well as the introduction fee, Freelancer.com offers plenty of upgrade options that could be of interest. If you want to feature your project or be tagged as urgent there is a $9 fee for this. For $9.50 you can hire an agent to help source the best freelancer for the job. They also charge for NDA’s and IP agreements at $9 and full-time job postings cost $199.

Pros of Freelancer.com

Over 50 million freelancers are available on the platform which means finding someone should be easy.
Hosting a contest lets you view multiple entries without having to pay upfront. You can select the best and award the freelancer the prize.
Upgrades are optional so job posts can be personalized depending on needs.
Free to post a job and connect with a freelancer before hiring.
Bids can be received as quickly as 60 seconds after posting.
Live support service that can resolve issues promptly.

Cons of Freelancer.com

They lock most of the features behind upgrade fees.
Many top-tier freelancers will avoid contests because there is no guarantee of pay.
High fees for freelancers mean small tasks may not receive bids.
Many low-skilled freelancers will bid on your job post which can make it hard to find appropriate workers.

Guru

Guru has been around since 1998 when it was called eMoonlighter.com. The company helps to match remote workers with businesses looking for professionals. The talent pool is smaller than UpWork and Freelancer. However, they have freelancers available in a wide range of professions. You can find people for programming, design, and legal services.

Over 800,000 companies trust Guru with their remote working needs. They also boast a job satisfaction score of 99%. Through Guru, you can post all your jobs for free and they allow you to request quotes from freelancers you’re interested in.

How much does it cost?

Guru claims to have the lowest industry handling costs. They charge a 2.9% handling fee for every invoice paid. Unlike its competitors, Guru offers 100% cashback when you pay by wire transfer or eCheck. They also provide more payment methods than any of their competitors.

Not only does Guru have lower fees, but freelancers need to buy a membership to be able to bid for work. The memberships start from $11.95 a month and go up to $49.95. Higher tiers reduce the job fees for freelancers and let them bid on more work.

The membership service is great for restricting the number of unqualified freelancers but unfortunately, it means Guru has fewer freelancers on its books. There is a free tier available but it has the highest fees and limits how many bids freelancers can send.

Pros of Guru.com

More payment methods than anyone else
Membership discourages amateurs from signing up, available talent is likely to be well qualified.
Guru likes long-term collaboration and has no extra fees attached to full-time opportunities.
Hiring on the platform is simple, quick, and hassle-free.

Cons of Guru.com

Costly for freelancers to use which discourages talented people from signing up.
A smaller amount of available freelancers when compared to Upwork.
May reject your job post if it doesn’t meet their guidelines.
Customer service is slow to respond.

PeoplePerHour

PeoplePerHour is an excellent alternative to Upwork that offers two ways to hire someone. Like Upwork, businesses can post a job and interested freelancers can bid on it. Alternatively, freelancers can post “hourlies” and businesses can pick a fixed price offer.

This platform is a popular choice in Europe but also offers services worldwide. PeoplePerHour has a lot of low-level freelancers making it a great place to find a bargain. Even so, there are plenty of talented freelancers available for work on this platform. There is a wide variety of skills available including writing, translation, design, music, and audio production.

How much does it cost?

There is no cost involved with posting a job to PeoplePerHour. You can hire a freelancer without incurring a cost as well. The only costs PeoplePerHour needs you to pay are the payment processing fees. There are upgrades available if you have an urgent job or need to include an N.D.A.

PeoplePerHour makes its money from the service fees paid by freelancers. They take a commission from every invoice starting from 3.5% and up to 20%. Freelancers use bid credits to apply for jobs and these cost money once the free limit is exceeded. PeoplePerHour fees are lower for freelancers than the fees charged by Upwork.

Pros of PeoplePerHour

Post a job or browse “Hourlies” to find the right freelancer for you.
No costs are incurred for posting a job or hiring a freelancer.
Lower fees for freelancers mean they can offer a more competitive price.
The hiring process is easy to navigate.
You’ll only be shown qualified candidates.
Mediation usually sides with the employer meaning you are better protected against poor work.

Cons of PeoplePerHour

Lots of low-level talent use PeoplePerHour which makes finding the right candidate a little harder.
You will receive a lot of applications for your job posts.
Customer service is not available 24/7.
Mainly European freelancers which can cause some timezone-related issues.
Single dashboard, called WorkStream, makes it easy to manage all job posts in one location.

Fiverr

Fiverr is one of the biggest marketplaces on the internet. It’s a great place to find freelancers for all manner of tasks. The website operates differently from Upwork as you need to browse gigs. Look through the available gigs and select someone whose skill set matches your job.

They do have the functionality for you to post a job request and receive pitches but it is rarely used.

Anyone can sign up for Fiverr which means there is a range of skill levels from basic to professional. For its most talented members look for the Pro Verified members. These are the most costly gigs but the quality of service is guaranteed.

How much does it cost?

Fiverr charges the buyer a small fee depending on the price of the service they are purchasing. Anything under $40 will incur a $2 fee regardless of the amount. Above $40, buyers will incur a 5% fee for anything they purchase. If you ordered a $100 gig, this will cost an additional $5 as a service fee.

Fiverr also charged 20% of the gig value to the freelancer as a service fee. Freelancers who earn $5 will pay a $1 service fee to the platform. The platform enables you to tip your freelancer for good work but this is also subject to the 20% service fee.

Pros of Fiverr

All gigs can be reviewed which you can view when selecting a freelancer.
Opportunity to discuss gigs with freelancers before you purchase
Low prices on a range of gigs which means it’s a great place to find a bargain.
Customer service is key to success on Fiverr so you can expect fast turnarounds and excellent communication.
As a buyer your money is protected in case the work does not meet your expectations.

Cons of Fiverr

Gigs can be misleading. You need to carefully read the gig contents and what extras you need to include.
Extras aren’t included in the price so it’s not immediately obvious how much a gig will cost.
Anyone can host a gig on Fiverr which means low-level freelancers can overpopulate search results.
The refund policy means they will credit your Fiverr account. To have the money returned to the card you need to contact their customer support, leading to delays.

Outsourcely

Outsourcely is a great alternative to Upwork if you’re aiming for long-term collaborations. Upwork is likely to be a better option for one-off projects. However, Outsourcely’s focus on real remote working opportunities benefits everyone.

They have freelancers from 180 countries with skills in areas such as design, multimedia, web development, and administrative support.

Although it may not be the best platform for smaller jobs, Outsourcely advertises itself as a place to make long-term hires. This means that the freelancers available are looking for full-time commitments. There are no payment processing fees, introduction fees, or job posting fees when you use Outsourcely.

How much does it cost?

Unlike all its competitors, there are no fees incurred when you pay an invoice or post a job. Outsourcely makes money by charging a monthly membership fee to businesses. The free tier is good for one remote job posting each month with limited support.

The price for the second tier is $79 per month. This allows businesses to connect with freelancers and post up to 5 jobs a month. As well as opening up functions like video & voice messaging, bookmarking, and hiring workers. There is a higher tier priced at $229 per month for large businesses.

Pros of Outsourcely

Perfect for finding long-term collaborators and creating a remote-working team.
Outsourcely can help you find remote workers based overseas to benefit from exchange rates.
Freelancers get 100% of their earnings. Outsourcely doesn’t scalp anything off the top.
No payment processing fees – you pay invoices directly to freelancers.
Free tier to test the product before signing up for a membership.
30-day money-back guarantee if you decide Outsourcely is not right for you.

Cons of Outsourcely

Not good for one-off projects, better off using an alternative.
Membership fees may make Outsourcely the wrong choice for certain businesses.
Slow response time from the customer support team.
Free trial restricts almost all the functionality of the website making it hard to test.

Workhoppers

Workhoppers is like Upwork but instead of connecting you with freelancers around the world, they’ll find someone in your city. Finding top talent within your city means you’ll be working with someone in the same timezone, speaks your language, and can collaborate face-to-face.

Although this may be beneficial it does mean hiring costs could be higher depending on where your business is based. Workhoppers allows you to build certain terms into your contract such as weekly/monthly face-to-face meetings. They have an AI that helps to connect you with the perfect person for your open positions.

How much does it cost?

You need to pay to access Workhoppers. They have a range of membership plans that start from $29 per month for the basic package. The essential tier is priced at $59 which has more features such as access to the talent database. Lastly, they offer an enterprise tier at $275 per month, this will let you post more jobs and higher out-of-city employees.

Workhoppers do not charge any additional fees on payment processing, job posting, or hiring staff. You pay invoices directly to employees which means they do not pay any commissions on their wage.

Pros of Workhoppers

Connect with freelancing talent in your own city.
No fees for posting a job or hiring staff.
Pay invoices directly to your freelancer, Workhoppers doesn’t take anything from them.
Different membership plans to suit your business needs.
The concierge plan takes the hassle of hiring out of your hands as Workhoppers will scout out potential recruits for you.
Not tied into a contract and you can cancel at any point.
Non-profits can use Workhoppers free of all charges.

Cons of Workhoppers

Limited pool of freelancers to access.
Unable to hire cheaper overseas talent.
No free tier or free trial is available, you must select one of the membership plans.
Membership fees may be too expensive for some types of businesses.

FreeUp

If you want access to already vetted freelancers then the best option for you could be FreeUp. You can hire a freelancer for as little as $5 an hour and you’re guaranteed to find a professional. FreeUp vets all its applicants and only the top 1% of applicants are admitted to the platform. If they don’t have an applicant that meets the skills required they will look outside of their platform to find someone suitable.

As well as pre-vetting the applicants, FreeUp will hand-select one to three freelancers for your job. They want to save you time in your hiring process and if your freelancer ends the contract they will find another to replace them. FreeUp puts businesses first and offers 24/7 customer support for all its clients.

How much does it cost?

There’s nothing but good news for businesses that want to use FreeUp. They don’t charge any fees for things like posting a job or payment processing. There are no monthly fees to pay for access to their talent pool either.

How they make their money is based on the hourly rate you set. FreeUp will take a percentage of the price offered to freelancers. This ensures that businesses will pay exactly what they expect to and freelancers will receive the exact amount shown to them.

Pros of FreeUp

Pre-vetted freelancers mean you will only deal with top-tier talent.
Save time on your hiring because FreeUp will recommend freelancers based on your job specification.
24/7 customer support.
No hidden fees or monthly membership plans.
No turnover guarantee. If a freelancer leaves your project, FreeUp will source a replacement and cover the costs.

Cons of FreeUp

Most freelancers are highly qualified and their fees reflect this.
Very limited pool of freelancers on their platform. 99% of freelancers refused.

Hiring Niche Freelancers

If you want something more niche-specific there are even more job boards you may want to consider. Platforms like Upwork, Freelancer, and Fiverr are so overpopulated that many talented freelancers won’t even bother with them. Instead, they make themselves available for hire through niche job boards.

Here are some industry-specific boards that can help you to connect with incredible freelancers:

Content Writing

iWriter: Content and article creation for businesses of all sizes. You put in a request with a headline and some details and you’ll receive a completed article back. Accept the article to acquire full ownership.
Writers Access: Hire writers, designers, translators, and editors to help improve your content marketing. Writers Access screens all its freelancers before letting them bid for jobs.
Textbroker: U.S-based content creators are available to take on all of your written content. Hire freelancers to write blog posts, ebooks, white papers, and much more.

Web Development

Codeable: The go-to online destination to find WordPress developers. Codeable vets all of its freelancers so you’re guaranteed to be matched with an expert. They offer free estimations for interested businesses.
Lemon: Get matched with the perfect developer for your business needs. They aim to match you with a talented dev within 24 hours. Lemon targets startups but is available to help any business find a developer.
Codementor: Source project-based freelancers to help with your development. Codementor offers one-to-one live mentoring if you need some help developing your own product.

Graphic Design

Codementor: Source project-based freelancers to help with your development. Codementor offers one-to-one live mentoring if you need some help developing your own product.
99designs: Browse through their selection of high-quality graphic designers to find the right person for your project. Prices vary and are set by the designer, edit requests can be made, and you only pay once the work is done.
Dribbble: Find creatives that specialize in branding, typography, animation, and much more. They offer three membership plans; access to the job board, access to the designer search, and a combined plan.

Conclusion

If it’s a one-off project or a full-time remote hire you’re after, the internet has you covered. Job boards have millions of freelancers ready to work on your projects and help bring your ideas to life. Whether you go for a generic job board or something more specific, finding the right person has never been easier.

Upwork remains very competitive and attracts more freelancers than anywhere else but that doesn’t mean they’re the best. If one of the other boards mentioned sounds like the right choice for you take a look at their website. With luck, you’ll find the perfect freelancer for your job in no time.

October 7, 2021January 4, 2022

How to Build an Inclusive Remote Working Community

The workplace watercooler was once the gathering point where people could take a breath and connect with another human being. Stories of children, pets, hobbies, and even love interests were shared loosely and with gusto.

Communities tend to happen naturally wherever people congregate, but what do we do when people are not physically gathering?

While people participated in the remote workforce long before the global pandemic, managing whole teams virtually has brought with it some challenges… but also some delightful perks. You don’t have to look far to see great examples of innovation and creativity bringing people together through a screen and microphone.

When it comes to building a truly inclusive remote working community, here are some of our best tips.

Set the Tone

Consider the fact that many people on your team are relatively new to remote work and may not understand the norms of virtual etiquette.

Simple things like changing your background to something silly, allowing your cat to sit on your lap, or starting off the meeting with a fun icebreaker is a great way to set the tone for what is acceptable, while also allowing people to feel comfortable in this virtual space.

Be clear on virtual expectations, write them down, and ensure that everyone understands them.

Do you start meetings with cameras on or off? Do you make use of the raise hand function? Do you encourage use of the platform’s chat function? Whatever your technical standards may be, ensure they are written down and communicated.

Aside from technical expectations, take a moment to acknowledge that people will be working in a number of physical spaces: a home office, the kitchen table, a local cafe, or a coworking space, just to name a few. Some people may even have tiny humans running around. Part of fostering an inclusive work environment is ensuring that people feel welcome and their contributions valued, however and wherever they contribute.

Hold Space for Vulnerability

We may all be in the same storm, but not everyone is in the same boat.

Understanding that people may be struggling with any number of things is the bare minimum. Follow up with this knowledge by creating a space where people feel comfortable being vulnerable and asking for help when they need it.

Leading by example is key, teams will be looking towards their higher ups for what is acceptable. When leadership authentically shares that they are struggling with something, it not only opens the doors for others to share, but also to offer help or guidance.

One creative way that companies are fostering these spaces is by designating certain chat channels to topics and support groups, like ones for parents or those who may be caring for elderly families. Informal water coolers or digital break rooms are also a helpful way to encourage less formal mingling.

It is difficult to be vulnerable with people you have yet to meet in person, but fostering a space where all are welcome and feel as though they are heard will go a long way.

Be Considerate of Others Time – Don’t Micromanage

Back in the day, you could walk by someone’s desk and note a pile of paperwork that needed to be dealt with or filed. You could see books open, full calendars on the wall, and meeting rooms occupied by busy bodies.

While there are still digital ways to see if someone is available like out of office automatic replies, blocked digital calendar slots, or even offline notifications, don’t make assumptions about other people’s time or how they are managing it. If work is being submitted on time, then you can trust that whatever system they have in place is sufficient. If the work isn’t being done on time, it may be appropriate to reevaluate expectations to ensure that they are reasonable.

Before the pandemic forced everyone online, it was a commonly held belief that people working from home worked less. Studies have found the very opposite to be true – people who work remotely tend to actually work more… it just may not be during traditional work hours or even in the same time zone.

If you want to be truly inclusive, you need to recognize that people have a variety of hours that they are most productive and mentally available. Whether someone works early in the morning or late at night, if a task is completed on time, there is no need to micromanage the details in between. Becoming outcome-oriented is beneficial to both leaders and their team and makes the best use of everyone’s time.

Offering a variety of ways that people can check in without having meetings is another considerate gesture. Even if your meetings are as short as 1 hour, if there are 10 people in attendance, you have pulled away 10 hours of potential productivity. Using collaborative technology, it is easy for your team to leave a note with the status of projects or pending to-dos.

You can offer a variety of ways to check in and submit reports without an hour long meeting.

Value Diversity and Inclusion

You don’t have to look very far to find piles of studies demonstrating the benefits of fostering a diverse work environment. A Boston Consulting Group (BCG) found that diversity was directly correlated to innovation which inturn resulted in an average of 19% more revenue for the companies that embraced it. The study also found that it wasn’t enough to simply have a diverse team, diversity needed to be present at all levels of the organization for the most benefit.

Different experiences shape a variety of perspectives. These perspectives then determine how we look at problems and the solutions that we find to solve them. In essence, everyone wins when inclusion is a priority.

It is important to understand that many people were forced into remote work based on situations beyond their control and they may be struggling. Taking extra care to check in with parents and minorities and other more vulnerable or underserved populations will go a long way to show that you see them and value their input.

With a little intentionality and consideration, you can foster an inclusive remote working community that your team is proud to be a part of.