Business Management | BizSieve.com

How Conflict Resolution Keeps Employees and Keeps Them Happy

Workplace conflict is one of the most insidious things that can work its way into an organization. It doesn’t always manifest in obvious ways such as shouting; more often than not, it takes the form of passive-aggressive comments and political maneuvering that hinders productivity and jeopardizes the success of your business. It is vital to catch it before it gets out of control, and it is even more important that you don’t get involved in it personally. The only thing that actually works is getting to the root of the problem, and while it takes some time to learn how to do that, it is an essential skill for maintaining the health of your business and creating a friendly work environment.

Progressive Discipline

Before you can adopt an effective solution, you will need to know what does not work. The traditional model for employee behavioral correction is progressive discipline, which is essentially a ladder of ever-increasing punishments that culminate in termination for employees that don’t get their act together. The consequences can range from informal coaching sessions to multi-day retreats or suspension depending on the number of violations under someone’s belt and how they’ve responded to prior discipline.

To be fair, progressive discipline not a total failure. First, it gives employers the means to identify and respond to problems in the work place. Second, it enables employers to create clear boundaries that the employee will either adhere to or risk termination. Third, it inoculates employers against legal problems because the employee knows exactly what is expected from him and that everybody’s on the same page regardless of what happens.

Despite those advantages, it has a few glaring holes, the worst one being that it is purely negative reinforcement. Progressive discipline relies entirely on getting the offender to comply, without actually addressing their anti-social behavior or calming tensions between workers. There needs to be an aim besides, “stop acting badly” in order for this kind of thing to be successful over the long term. It also needs to engage employees in the process.

Pulling Up the Roots

The thing that makes conflict resolution a powerful tool in the manager’s tool chest is that it not only makes it easier to engage employees, it necessitates it. It requires talking to the people that are having problems and figuring out exactly what’s got everyone up in arms.

Conflict resolution let everyone say what’s on their minds; everyone’s words have equal weight. In nearly every case where there’s a conflict, something has been exaggerated and everyone has lost sight of the bigger picture because of minute things that have been blown out of proportion. Conflict resolution shines a light on those things and put them into their proper context. Companies that adopt conflict resolution strategies identify what’s preventing their workers from coming to an agreeable solution, and then bring a resolution to the table.

The Benefits

Businesses aren’t comprised of numbers and statistics, they’re made of people. Your success ultimately hinges on every single person within your organization. Whereas traditional methods create a divide between employer and employee, conflict resolution techniques that are properly utilized will let you act with authority while at the same time providing a much more robust support structure.

Conflict resolution ultimately translates to higher productivity, higher worker satisfaction, an increased sense of loyalty within your staff, and higher quality work. It also means that key employees who may have some issues that would otherwise require them to be let go can be brought back into the fold, while employees in general will be more likely to stay. Handling conflict is not just about dealing with the person causing the most problems; if it’s handled badly, it may leave a poor taste in other employees’ mouths, and sooner or later that will cause them to seek a job elsewhere. Proper conflict management eliminates this problem; good workers that got off track are more likely to respond favorably to a manager that cares, and the respect of your staff will translate to higher retention rates across the board.

A big part of creating a successful business involves creating a work environment that no one wants to leave. Conflict resolution is one of the most effective ways to do that in the modern age, and while it’s still not a perfect methodology, it can mean the difference between keeping invaluable employees and losing them to competing companies.

About the Author: Amy Diaz blogs about the benefits of using conflict resolution in the workplace. If conflict resolution interests you as a career, you might consider applying to Abilene Christian University or Creighton University.

How Utilising Security Labels Can Save Your Business Time and Money

Security labels can save your business time and money in a variety of ways. Barcodes and serial numbers on security labels provide the clearest form of identification for a company, and can be used to help restrict errors during moves. At the same time, having an excellent labelling system means that you can find stock items more quickly, ensuring that you are able to decrease man hours and focus on other parts of a business. Security labels, moreover, can help to reduce the risk of electrical damage through regularly updated information, and act as a strong deterrent to thieves. Some of the cost and time saving benefits of security labels are developed in more detail below:

1 – Identify and Protect Stock

The main strength of security labels is arguably their ability to clearly identify and protect stock. A consistently branded set of security labels allows for easy identification across an office, a shop floor or a warehouse, and can provide scannable information that locates items within particular departments. In doing so, the amount of confusion caused by misplaced items, or doubts over whether an asset in a business belongs to it or an individual, can be reduced. Lengthy stock checks are reduced here by being able to visually identify these items, while double checking them through a handheld scanner.

2 – Reduce Errors During Moves

Security labels’ ability to standardise the relationship between multiple assets within a business means that it is possible to save time and money on moves. Barcoded and serial numbered items can get lost, or placed in the wrong containers for long moves, or when being sent out to customers and clients. Security labels allow for barcodes to be tracked, and for items to be scanned and recorded at their delivery point. Inter-office loans of expensive equipment can also benefit from the same approach, with item numbers recorded on loan sheets.

3 – Deter Theft

A security labelled asset within a business is much less likely to be vulnerable to theft. Security labels can be designed to be almost impossible to remove, and will leave tamper and voided marks when they are scratched or peeled off. This marking means that any stolen items can be quickly identified, particularly in the case of the theft of small items by employees. Minor costs can be saved on these types of theft, as well as major costs on any attempted thefts of larger items.

4 – Reduce the Risk of Electrical Damage

Security labels can be attached to electrical appliances that require regular testing for safety. These labels can contain rewritable spaces, which can be used to monitor the maintenance schedule for an appliance. Doing so means that a business is likely to save more money in the case of a fire or damage due to an electrical fault, as there will be a log of when the appliance was last tested, both on the appliance and through paper records.

5 – Allow for Better Inventory Management

Security labels can be essential to managing a large inventory. Expiry dates can be attached to labels for food and perishable items, and can also be used to mark out any damaged items within a warehouse. Again, rapid information, and the storage of information through barcodes can make it easy to track items. This level of precision is important for any company audits.

About the Author: Lisa jane is a freelance copywriter promoting Tollgate Labels and increasing awareness of the printed labels service that they offer.

How to grow your Business with a clever use of Space

If you’re a small business, expansion isn’t always about getting bigger, it can also mean a more effective use of the resources you already have. Take storage for example. Whether you sell products and need space to keep merchandise, or run a business working out of a spare room at home, the right storage can not only remove hassle, but can streamline your business to help it move forward. Here are our top tips:

1. Re-evaluate your office space

For anyone whose business has grown overnight can testify, space comes at a premium. If you’re moving offices, expanding or (in this economic climate) downsizing, a short-term storage solution can be a life raft. But storage can also help your business make money too. Most SME’s have unused space in their office, or space that’s not being used well (often filled with filing cabinets or extra furniture). As shared office spaces are getting more popular, by putting the items you don’t need into storage, you could sublet the space to another company or a freelancer (sites like Office Genie can be a good place to start), helping keep your overheads as low as possible.

compact office space — *Image from apartment therapy*

2. Plan for overspill

Whether you’re an eBay seller or a traditional retailer, planning for the unplanned is vital. Most businesses don’t consider overspill until its too late, but by future-proofing your storage needs, you can make sure you have a cost effective solution. Consider access, security, and location and of course – cost. Making partnerships with other local businesses ahead of time can ensure you always have a next-door area if your stock room is full (and offering extra space for their overspill can mitigate extra costs).

3. Don’t get tied into long contracts

No one knows what the future holds, but making sure your business isn’t locked into long contracts will help you stay flexible. With warehouses you’ll need to consider the necessary evils of business rates, service charges, utilities and VAT (you will get VAT back eventually, but its an initial outlay) – plus upfront deposits. This outlay can make it unappealing, especially for start-ups wanting less overheads. One solution might be to look at space sharing with other smaller companies, finding partners that will contribute to hiring a room in a warehouse, a floor or the whole building. Consider how you would segment the warehouse space to make sure stock isn’t mixed up, and think of the security ramifications if you’re sharing an open space.

4. Go virtual but take precautions

Cloud based, or virtual storage for businesses, is very topical right now. Using online storage is a great way to save physical space – scanning documents and uploading them to a safe repository, for example – and many small businesses are making the shift. A vital thing to consider first however is support (is there someone available to answer questions if you have them?) and back up (is there any chance you can lose your online data?). Google offers limited support for its free suite (gmail, google docs) and so it might be worth upgrading to a more comprehensive service that can guarantee your stored information will be secure. Apple, Dropbox, Amazon, Microsoft all have online storage solutions.

About the Author: Drew Davies writes for Big Yellow Self Storage. Check out their business section for more information.

Anger Is Only One Letter Short Of Danger!

First and foremost, I want to state that it’s not in my nature to tell estate sales colleagues how to run their business. However, since I’m seeing so many new ones put between the proverbial rock and the hard place due to impossible clients, I thought they might find this guide on how to handle such clients useful.

Similar to any other business that implies working with people, in estate sales, it would be virtually impossible not to come across a difficult client. Perhaps due to a strong sense of possession or maybe because they don’t really trust people, some clients will bully you, hound you, accuse you of trying to steal from them, claim you are unprofessional and unable to conduct your business… you get the picture.

The worst case scenario

Now, I know that your first instinct is to start yelling back, walking out the door or worse. However, before you do anything rash, take a moment and analyze the consequences of those actions. Think of it this way: since the word that you failed a project will spread quickly in the community, what potential customer would believe you even when you are right?

In a small community, a hasty behavior may entail that you will experience a significantly harder time to get another job. Not to mention that there are some strange people out there who will try to intimidate and bully you and your loved ones. I admit, it’s a bit of a gross exaggeration, but bad publicity usually means fewer and fewer customers, lower sales and in the end insolvency. However, the good news is that there are ways to protect yourself against this type of clients.

Who is to blame?

Psychology teaches that at times people act angrily towards others simply because they make easy targets. Basically, they are angry at themselves, but because they cannot see that and need another target towards whom to express the way they are feeling, they will start yelling, bullying and blaming others instead. In short, sometimes it’s not about you, it’s about them. And, as if things were not difficult already, they will react even more angrily when you try to appease them: the more you give in, the more they will demand. In case you and the client cannot reach an agreement on this matter, then plan to walk away from the project in a calm and professional manner.

The tools are already in your arsenal!

It is very important that you get a signed contract before you start doing any work at all. Within the contract, you should make sure you have all the crucial details regarding the services you provide, obligations, clauses and anything else relevant to this business relationship. In the eventuality that you don’t have a good contract or no legal representative to looked it over, then I strongly advise you to get the professional opinion of a lawyer.

More often than not, clients will try to postpone signing the contract for various reasons, be it that they are too affected by the passing away of a loved one or because they are still unsure whether or not you are the right person to handle the auction. Regardless of the circumstances, it is in your best interest not to give in. Do not allow them to provide you with the signed contract “soon”. Besides the signed contract, there are other things you should be mindful of, such as:

Never make a promise that you cannot keep
Be organized and make sure your schedule allows you to allocate sufficient time to each client who hired you
Encourage your client to refrain from participating in the set-up or sale, especially if they appear too emotionally attached to the objects that are being sold

Don’t let one bad experience ruin it for you!

Once you ran into a client that constantly wines and complains about everything you do, it’s natural to expect trouble from every other customer as well. However, did you know clients pick up on negativity? Therefore, if you’re expecting to come across such a client this is exactly what you’ll get. My recommendation, irrespective of whether you had an unpleasant experience or not, is to view each case as unique and to approach every new project with a positive attitude.

About the Author: Hi, I’m Chad, an estate sales professional that has been in business for over 20 years and one of my recently discovered passions is to share my experience and write about the amazing world of estate sales.

Tips to Remember When You Conduct an Employment Background Check

Before you hire an employee, it is imperative that a background check is carried out. Although most HR professionals do conduct these checks, at times they may not be conducted properly. In such cases, your organization will end up hiring individuals who will adversely affect the growth and environment of the company.

Background checks may sound like a simple procedure, but it is not. There are several factors that should be paid attention it, else it can result in a lawsuit for negligent hiring. Hiring an employee without conducting appropriate background checks could place the lives and work of existing employees in harm’s way. The following are the top four tips that you should consider when you conduct a background check on a potential employee.

employment background check — Image by Andy Beatty / Flickr

Adhere to FCRA Regulations

One of the standard ways to conduct a background check is to investigate an employee candidate’s credit history. This will give you an adequate picture of whether the candidate is financially stable. But, this cannot be done on the whims and fancies of a recruiter. To protect employees, there is a regulation known as the Fair Credit Reporting Act that employers have to adhere to while conducting a background check.

Credit checks can be conducted only for valid reasons such as promoting, firing, hiring or reassigning an employee. This means that unless there is a business interest, it is illegal to conduct credit checks. Another stipulation regarding financial checks is that employers can go through with it only if they have a written consent from the candidate.

Contact and Confirm References

Every organization requires candidates to provide references which can be a previous employer or anyone who can confirm the ability of the candidate in regard to a particular job. As a recruiter, it is important to contact the individuals given as references as it will give you a clear idea of what they are like in a business setting.

More often than not, employers neglect checking all of the references. This is an important part of recruitment as you can never know whether the details given are accurate or not. Confirming and contacting the references provided in the resume will allow you to verify the employment details and working behavioural pattern of the candidate.

Maintain Consistency with Background Checks

Conduct the same type of background checks on all the candidates rather than providing preferential treatment to some. A failure to do so could result in a lawsuit of employment discrimination. For instance, if you carry out a credit check on one candidate and not another when both are vying for the same position, it could land you in a spot of trouble.

Establish a Rapport with a Potential Employee

Although you can conduct several background checks, make sure you establish a rapport with the candidate beforehand. At times, issues that can provide a potential reason for rejecting a candidate can be cleared with simple explanations. These can be documented for proof if the candidate has the ability and the qualifications required for the job.

About the Author: Penny is an expert associated with CV Insight, which provides guidelines on how to vet candidates. The site provides information on how to perform background checks and the regulations attributed to them.