Category: Business Management

Team Building Motorcycle Trips: How to Plan Ahead

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There are multiple team building exercises that a small business staff can utilize to become a tighter unit, but going on a motorcycle trip is one of the most effective. After all, most people love going on an adventure, and the positive feelings that they develop while they are riding a bike will become associated with all of their co-workers. Additionally, this is a great way to get everyone out of the office so that they can get away from the stress and begin looking at each other as unique individuals.

What is the Best Way to Plan the Trip?

It is easy to plan a group outing by utilizing one of the many online motorcycle trip planners. These comprehensive websites enable you to select the state of your choice so that you can see all of the best options in your targeted area. For example, if you want to take a motorcycle trip in Florida, you will find 33 different routes throughout the state. However, before you begin looking through routes, you should determine how long you want the trip to be. Florida’s routes range from just a couple of miles to loops that will take several days, so it should be easy to find exactly what you are looking for.

How can We Keep Everyone Safe?

Business owners often worry about liability issues, and this might make the idea of going on a motorcycle trip seem intimidating. Instead of letting this get in the way, you should simply take steps to protect the company and each employee. The first step would be to get everyone to sign an agreement that they cannot sue the company if something happens to them during the trip. You can discuss your state’s local laws with a motorcycle accident attorney West Palm Beach to Fort Walton Beach based to ensure that everyone remains compliant. Aside from that, you should make it mandatory for everyone to wear a helmet.

What Should We do if an Accident Happens?

If one or more of the motorcycle riders are involved in an accident, it is important for the entire group to pull over in a safe location. However, if you are on the freeway, it is not a good idea for everyone to stop on the side of the road. Therefore, you should agree in advance that everyone will get off at the next exit and pull into a parking lot until the situation has been resolved. Meanwhile, the supervisor of the group should contact the police immediately, and it is important to write notes about the accident in case someone ends up in court.

Should We Call an Attorney?

If anyone is injured as a result of the accident, it is definitely a good idea to contact a motorcycle injury attorney. This is especially important if the responsible party is not a member of your group. After all, it can be very expensive to pay for the necessary medical assistance, and the injured person’s insurance may not cover everything.

Going on a motorcycle trip with your small business team is a good way to encourage teamwork because it will give everyone a chance to get to know each other outside of the office. As long as you take the proper precautions to keep everyone safe, your group should return from the outing refreshed and with a stronger bond.

As an event planner for a small non-profit business, Ann Bailey offers these tips for a unique road trip and business team building experience. Keeping riders safe, and defending their rights if injured, the Steinger, Iscoe & Green motorcycle accident attorney West Palm Beach based group represents all manner of injury claims for motorcycle enthusiasts in Florida.

5 Ways Employers Can Reduce Workers Comp Claims

It is not easy being an employer in today’s economic climate. One of the things compounding the difficulty is the excess of worker’s comp claims. Yet, having too many worker’s comp claims need not derail the company. The following are five ways that employers may reduce worker’s comp claims:

License: Creative Commons image source
License: Creative Commons image source

Employee Hotline

Many times, employees have previously noticed an unsafe situation at work, but have said nothing about it. With a confidential employee hotline in place, the employees will feel comfortable to state an unsafe condition that they have picked up on. This situation can then be quickly and quietly corrected before any accident or claim takes place.

Managerial Presence

When an accident occurs, it is often the case that the employee was engaging in some risk-taking action. If there is a strong managerial presence on the floor, this kind of dangerous activity is less likely to occur. This is due to the natural process of people not wanting to appear off-task in front of their boss.

Frequent Inspections

In any workplace where a high volume of worker’s comp claims have been filed, it is wise to greatly increase the amount of inspections. There should be frequent physical inspections of the premises, complete with checklists and times and dates. The inspector should also have an area on the form where they can write in notes and observations.

Reporting System

It may be fun and productive to have a monthly drawing and provide gift certificates or other incentives to employees. A reporting system can be established for any employee who has reported potential safety situations or innovative solutions. That employee may be entered in the drawing to get the gift certificate. It is far more cost-effective for an employer to provide an incentive for prevention of an accident than to fulfill a worker’s comp claim.

Mandatory Safety Attire

Depending upon the type of work establishment, it may be appropriate to have mandatory uniforms or safety attire. This may include non-skid shoes for slick surfaces, eyewear or other protective gear, as indicated by the industry. Naturally, each industry has individual safety standards. Protective garments, gear and shoe wear can prevent a variety of accidents.

There is hope in today’s economic climate for employers. Worker’s comp claims may be greatly reduced. For one thing, frequent inspections of the physical premises will help. Also, a strong managerial presence on the workroom floor may help to prevent accidents and claims. Finally, a clear reporting system, employee hotline and mandatory safety attire will all serve to decrease the volume of worker’s comp claims. The workplace will become a much safer place to be.

About the Author: The preceding article was contributed by Brian S. from Orlando, FL. If you have been injured because of a workplace safety issue, he recommends WorkFlow Orlando, a highly qualified workers’ compensation clinic who specializes in drug testing Orlando services.

Maintaining Company Culture Remotely

When you have employees working remotely from various different locations, it can be difficult to maintain a consistent company culture. Your company culture is comprised of how each person thinks, makes decisions, works, and communicates – and it can have important ramifications for how productive and satisfied your workers are.

You can maintain your company’s attitude and values remotely by recruiting the right people, communicating effectively, and promoting an inclusive atmosphere for both local and off-site workers.

culture management
photo credit: niels-mulder via photopin cc

Recruitment

Leading with your culture in your recruitment strategy can ensure that you hire remote workers who hold the same values, goals, work ethic, and attitude as the rest of your company. The more you can ensure that your new hires fit with your culture from the start, the more likely you’ll be able to continue promoting that culture in your relationship with both local and remote employees.

  • Your job listing have to convey not only the position and the requirements of the job, but also information about the company itself and its values. Use your job applicant recruiting software to post listings that sell your company and use language that is appropriate for your company culture.

Look for potential employees who have the right attitude for working from a distance. If you plan to give your remote workers free reign over their projects, look for candidates who excel at time management and self-motivation. Should you desire more day-to-day managerial control, find candidates who are excellent communicators and good at taking direction.

  • Open-ended interview questions that seek to determine what kind of work style and environment the candidate is most comfortable with. Whether the interview takes place in person, over the phone, or through your office’s video conferencing software, it is integral that you assess potential remote employees beyond a resume read-through.
  • Don’t neglect reference checks. Try to get a sense of what kind of values the candidate has and how well those fit with your company.

Communication

Communication is key in any business, but it is especially important in one that deals with a mobile or remote workforce. The more closely you communicate with your employees, the better you will be able to maintain the relationship according to your company’s culture and values.

  • Make sure your remote workers have the right communication skills. They should be comfortable using web conferencing, telephone, email, and social media to touch base with their managers.
  • Chat clients – whether cloud-based, located within the email client, or installed on the desktop – help employees communicate more efficiently. They can message their team members or managers instantly in order to ask a quick question or get into a lengthy discussion.

Inclusion

One of the dangers of hiring remote workers is their exclusion, due to location, from their coworkers and the rest of the company. You can increase the inclusiveness of your company by implementing an enterprise social network (known as “Facebook for business”).

  • Employees use the platform as a means of communication inside of and between different departments, helping them to align goals, increase productivity, and promote interdepartmental cooperation and collaboration. Since the discussion is all taking place on the web, it matters little whether the participants are located across the office or across the country.
  • Since all conversations are open, everyone can see what everyone else is working on. Coworkers can provide input and align their own work to fit better with company-wide efforts. Everyone –whether local or remote – feels more tied to the company, its goals, and its culture.

Although it may be difficult to promote your company culture with employees working remotely, the right strategy and tools can make it much easier. Work on hiring employees who have values that align with yours, communicate with them regularly in accordance with those values, and help them feel included with the rest of the company.

About the Author: Megan Webb-Morgan is a business blogger who focuses on startups and small businesses. She writes for lead-generation provider Resource Nation. You can find Resource Nation on Facebook and Twitter!

Women Entrepreneurs: Keeping Business Professional on Payday

Payment Processing

Making it in the business world can be very difficult for any small business owner. Unfortunately, many women who own a business experience the additional issue of being taken less seriously than their male counterparts. In order to rise above all of the unfair generalizations about female business owners, it is important to take every step necessary to present yourself in a professional light. Although it is not fair that you might find yourself in a situation where you have to work harder to prove your worth, it is still an unfortunate aspect of life in the business world for many women. Therefore, it is best to accept this disparity for what it is and make sure that you do not inadvertently do anything that exacerbates the issue.

Importance of Payday

Regardless of how small your company is, you need to make sure that you adhere to certain guidelines if you want to be taken seriously as a business owner. For example, it is never acceptable to give your employees cash in lieu of printing paper checks. Even though some people would probably prefer this approach, it will make you look very unprofessional. It is also vital to ensure that you never miss a payday. After all, if your employees are forced to wait for even just one day longer than usual to get paid, the word is going to spread, and it will make you look like you do not have the necessary skills to make it in the business world.

Proper Tax Practices

The most important aspect of payday, besides actually making sure that your employees are paid on time, is to make sure that everyone is taxed correctly. Unfortunately, many companies opt to use an employee who has no previous payroll training as a way to cut costs, and this can lead to huge issues down the line. For example, if your payroll coordinator has not been properly trained, they might make a simple mistake at the beginning of the year that causes every employee to be under-taxed. When tax time comes, your employees will be very upset if they discover that they owe money because their payroll was not properly handled.

External Payroll Companies

If you want to ensure that payroll always goes smoothly, you should strongly consider using an external payroll company. These services will make your company look more professional, and they will also ensure that each employee is taxed correctly. Additionally, payroll companies will have the ability to cut paper checks and offer direct deposit. Most employees prefer to have their money placed into their bank account for them, so the direct deposit option is definitely a nice benefit of working with an external payroll company.

Taking the necessary steps to make sure that each payday happens without any problems is a major component of building a professional image. Therefore, you should definitely place a large emphasis on the payroll process. Working with an external company is a great option to help you meet this goal, especially if you do not have enough room in your budget to hire an experienced payroll coordinator.

 
A small business owner, Ann Bailey urges hiring payroll companies for any businesses with employees. Deluxe Checks is an outsourced payroll company that takes complete oversight of the payroll process and offers full service for mistake-free paydays.

How to Keep Your Best Employee Focused When Their New Baby Arrives

Best Employee Focus

A major goal of any small business owner is to hire intelligent, hard-working people and keep them around for many years to come. If you run your own business, you already know that attempting to find good employees can be a tiring and frustrating process. People can sometimes seem amazing during the interview, only to begin demonstrating a poor work ethic a few weeks into the job. Other times, major life changes, such as health problems, having a baby or returning to school, can drive your good employees away. If you have a beloved employee that is pregnant, you may want to consider doing some things to help keep her around after the baby is born.

Throw an Excellent Baby Shower

Throwing an office baby shower is a good way to support your employee during her pregnancy. Not only will the effort warm her heart and provide her with numerous gifts that she will need for the baby, but it will also show her that she is a valued member of your team. Just as it can be difficult to find good employees, it can also be difficult to find a good place to work. A baby shower could remind your employee just how special your place of business really is.

Be Understanding and Generous With Time Off

It’s important to understand that your employee is going to need plenty of time off both during her pregnancy and after the baby is born. Allow a good amount of time for pregnancy leave as well as plenty of sick days in case anything unexpected should come up.

Provide a Reasonable Work Load

Being a new mom can be quite distracting. If your employee has just returned to work after having the baby, understand that she may be more tired and spaced out than usual. Therefore, you may want to provide her with a less-demanding workload than she is used to. Start slow and help her ease back into her regular routine by adding a bit more work each week and talking to her about what she’s comfortable with.

Make Room for the Baby at the Office

Finding a babysitter can be difficult, and many new moms don’t feel comfortable leaving their newborn right away. By allowing your employee to bring her baby to work, you’ll be helping her get back into the swing of things without having to suffer the distraction of wondering how her baby is doing while she’s away. Plus, you’ll be making your other employees happy, because who wouldn’t enjoy having an adorable baby around? To help make the new mom comfortable, consider purchasing a sanitary changing table and play yard for babies and placing it in her office. That way, she wont have to waste time taking the baby to a different place to change him or her.

Running a small business is like being the leader of a tribe. When the leader is kind, generous and understanding, the entire group does well. The more love and support you give your employee during this changing time in her life, the more she will appreciate you as a boss and want to continue doing a great job.

Having been a TV reporter with a new baby on the job, Ann Bailey encourages support for any employee coming back to work as a new mom. A clean, modern play yard for babies is a powerful statement of support that business owners can easily provide for seamless continuity for their employees with new family additions.