Engaging New Employees

Culture

Collaborating Remotely and Building Effective Teams Virtually

Many people easily picture traditional in-person team building exercises, but what do virtual team building activities look like? Are they effective in encouraging remote collaboration and building effective virtual teams over time? In short, yes. At length, also yes, and with the science and fun to back it up. What is virtual team building? Virtual team building is the development of strong remote teams in a digital space. Employees still come together to get to know one another and grow their skills interdependently. The only difference is that it’s conducted online, typically for remote employees who sometimes, rarely, or never meet in person. The end goal, whether onsite or online is the same: together everyone achieves more. What are the benefits of virtual team building? An Owl Labs study found that full-time virtual workers are happier in their roles 22% more than workers who work in an office. Remote workers have reported having less stress, more focus, and a better work-life balance over time for companies that provide true flexibility to their virtual employees. It may surprise you to find out that flexible work arrangements sometimes are not as flexible for the mind and body. Remote team members also work over 40 hours each week 43% more than those who work in on-site. Burnout still happens to remote workers. The peace and independence that remote work brings can also feel isolating. However, bringing the staff together through virtual team building activities can do the following: Boost team morale and collaboration Establish a palpable work culture built on community Encourage creativity, innovation, and versatility Increase positive reinforcement and improve communication skills overall Foster a communal work ethic built on trust and interdependence, while highlighting individual talents Virtual team building exercises Need inspiration? Try these virtual team building exercises to encourage collaboration, creativity, and more: 1. Use icebreakers to start conversations What is your Myers-Briggs Type Indicator? Are you an INFJ? Wow! They have an uncanny sense of perception. What’s next on your bucket list? Rock climbers are really brave. So many people are scared of heights. Speaking of heights, how many of you have had that reoccurring dream where you have to fly a plane but don’t know how? Anyone? Oh! You have your pilot’s license! Well, that means you can help out with the whole plane thing IRL, right? Phew. Thanks. While that’s a pretty random example, you see how a few icebreakers start conversations and allow virtual team members to get to know each other. A few side conversations are fine, as it sparks enthusiasm and innovation, but keep a list of icebreakers to keep your virtual team members on track. 2. Host a virtual games day/night Games and activities have brought people together for ages, and just because you share a virtual workspace, doesn’t mean anyone has to miss out! Host a virtual games day or night. Challenge the virtual team to scour the company policies and resources to complete a scavenger hunt. If you want to remove the company from the theme, make a list of interesting things to find both on the internet and around the remote team members’ homes. 3. Pin the map Create an interactive map that allow each virtual team member to pin their hometown. If you have a diverse team located around the world, see just how big the virtual team is while feeling closer to each other while working from home. Challenge each team member to share one fact about themselves. Alternatively, try creating a global Foodie Map. Each virtual team member pins their most memorable restaurant and shares their favourite dish. 4. Start a book club If you are using your Slack channel to discuss books about inspirational entrepreneurs, why not start a book club? The topics and genres can change each month. Schedule a once a month meeting with discussion prompts. Talk about the book during a virtual happy hour over video chat. Take it a step farther. Why not encourage employees to take 30 minutes each Wednesday to read the selected Book of the Month on company time? Approved activities based on remote employee input makes the culture richer and gives everyone a much-needed break that doesn’t “waste” company funds. Meanwhile, remote team members are both rewarded and motivated. Useful tools for virtual team building How do you host virtual team building activities? The good news is that you use most of the necessary equipment regularly, such as video chat, conference calls, Slack channels, screen sharing, and more. Think of the tools virtual teams use every day. This may be a great way to covertly encourage virtual team members to feel more confident about these tools: Virtual team members may take turns telling two truths and one lie on the Slack channel. Remote team members can use screen sharing to do show and tell. Make the most of video chat or conference calling as team members share their best actor/actress impersonations. There are no limits to your imagination as you get everyone to explore how to make the most of your team’s tools through your team building exercises. Measuring the effectiveness of virtual team building So, how do you know if these team building activities actually brought remote employees together or not? What if the virtual team members completed the exercises out of a sense of obligation rather than enjoyment and bonding? How do you measure the effectiveness of virtual team building on various departments, such as their morale, productivity, sales, or service? If you don’t ask, then you will never know. Surveys are a tried and true format as well as directly asking team members one-on-one. What did remote team members find most interesting or valuable? What did they learn? What would team members change? Did certain activities have a positive impact on their role? It is also smart to have baseline metrics regarding absenteeism, productivity, and the data of different profit margins and rates over different times (days/weeks/months) ready. Use this baseline to note any changes, both before and after, as well as over time for your remote team. You can also adjust how often you conduct team building exercises accordingly as you observe the metrics shift. Remember, together everyone achieves more—TEAM. Virtual team building activities boost morale and trust among remote employees. This sense of well-being, trust, integrity, and trust among employees, whether online or onsite, is vital, especially when some employees may face sexual harassment or discrimination. Please contact us if you would like information on how your company can combat sexual discrimination in the workplace. Build better businesses today Peninsula has worked with thousands of businesses in Australia, empowering them with policies and systems. Our services are tailiored for your industry, providing you with customised documents and processes. Speak to Peninsula today to get access to employment relations and workplace health and safety support.

Culture

New paid family and domestic violence leave comes into effect

Australian business owners and employers will need to provide employees with paid family and domestic violence leave. The change was announced by the Federal Government in 2022 and came into effect to support individuals impacted by family and domestic violence. What do business owners need to know? All employees in the Fair Work system (including part-time and casual employees) will be entitled to 10 days of paid family and domestic violence leave in 12 months. The full 10-day leave entitlement will be available upfront and won’t accumulate from year to year if it’s not used. For employers with 15 or more employees, the new entitlement commenced on 1 February 2023. For employers with less than 15 employees, the new entitlement commenced on 1 August 2023. Employees will continue to be entitled to 5 days of unpaid family and domestic violence leave until they can access the new entitlement. What constitutes family and domestic violence? According to the new provisions, family and domestic violence means violent, threatening, or other abusive behaviour by an employee’s close relative, a current or former intimate partner, or a member of their household that both: seeks to coerce or control the employee causes them harm or fear. A close relative is an employee’s: spouse or former spouse de facto partner or former de facto partner child parent grandparent grandchild sibling a child, parent, grandparent, grandchild, or sibling of an employee’s current or former spouse or de facto partner, or a person related to the employee according to Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander kinship rules What should business owners and employers do? From 1 February 2023, there are rules about information that must not be included on an employee’s pay slip relating to paid family and domestic violence leave, including leave balances and leave taken. This is a safety provision to reduce any risks to employees who need to use their family and domestic violence leave. The Fair Work Ombudsman and the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations have been given additional funds to help small businesses implement the new leave entitlement. When can employees access this leave? This leave is available to employees if they need to do something to deal with the impact of family and domestic violence. This could mean accessing support, and services, ensuring the safety of a relative or family, and attending hearings, counselling, or other medical and legal appointments. Employees must notify their employer as soon as possible if they need to take leave. What should employers do next? Peninsula has worked with thousands of business owners across Australia and New Zealand in matters of employment relations and workplace health and safety. We are currently updating our resources with all relevant information. Contact Peninsula today for free initial advice. **This document is intended to act as general information. Please consult a professional for legal advice.*

Culture

The Value of Upskilling for Small Businesses

Beyond maximising on a workforce’s capabilities, upskilling offers other valuable benefits. With a job market that’s more competitive than ever, offering upskilling and professional development opportunities is an effective way for businesses to stand out from the crowd. In this blog, we’ll explain what upskilling is, why it’s important, and how can you use upskilling programs to optimise your current workforce and attract top level talent. What is upskilling? Upskilling is a workplace initiative that provides employees with training programs and development opportunities. Upskilling focuses on expanding an employee’s capabilities, with the aim of closing skill gaps in a business. Companies upskilling employees tend to focus on two core categories of skills: Technical skills- Also referred to as hard skills, technical skills involve the specialised capabilities needed to perform job-specific tasks. Examples of hard skills include software engineering, graphic design and project management. Soft skills- Soft skills complement technical skills and often revolve around an employee’s personal attributes. These include communication skills, listening skills, critical thinking, presenting their ideas and their ability to collaborate. How can businesses upskill their employees? There are many initiatives businesses can implement to help employees develop the new skills they need to thrive in their role. Upskilling opportunities can take the form of: Internal training programs- Most companies will offer some kind of formal internal training. This can be completed in person or online via a learning platform. At the very least, the induction process for new staff should involve basic training addressing the company and role. Ideally, your upskilling strategy should focus on long-term professional growth and responding to your industry’s changing skills needs. Funding for external training – When your company is not able to upskill an employee internally, you have the option to approve funding for them to attend relevant courses at external educational institutions. If time and travel is an issue, online courses are better than ever and offer industry-approved qualifications. Mentorship programs – This is one of the most effective ways to capitalise on the existing skills within your business. By having inexperienced staff learn from employees with advanced skills, you can build your business’s capabilities and the bond between your employees. The importance of developing new skills Beyond individual businesses striving to nurture talent and remain competitive, there is a much broader reason why upskilling has become so important in the modern workforce. The global economy is now facing an urgent challenge – how can we equip employees with the skills needed to drive the industries of the digital economy forward? If businesses don’t act immediately, the skills gap will widen considerably. Small businesses and professional development As a small business owner, you may have limited resources and finances for upskilling efforts. You can’t compete with multinational companies with large budgets for upskilling and reskilling. How can you ensure you don’t lose out on talented employees? Know your strengths – What can you offer employees? If you work in retail, consider letting your employees shadow other team members from different departments. As a small business owner, you can host workshops and training sessions for employees on different topics without too much expense. Support your employees – If your employees want to upskill at their own expense, be supportive. Offer them flexible working arrangements to help them balance completing the course with their work commitments. Be prepared – You need to be prepared for the potential hurdles you may face. How can you handle excess workloads if an employee chooses to enrol in a course or studies alongside completing their job? Is upskilling a necessity or luxury? Stay ahead of skills trends – Figure out what existing skills you have in your business and what you need. This will help you to plan your upskilling strategy and allocate your budget for maximum impact. The need for digital upskilling The shift to online living throughout the pandemic led to surging demand for workers with a digital skill set. This trend is unlikely to change, with new technology constantly creating an additional need for up-to-date skills. With the digital talent gap, the current demand among employers for digital skills heavily outweighs supply.This means employees are keen to sharpen up their digital competencies and plug the skills gap. In fact, most will consider leaving a company if they don’t receive the professional development needed to thrive in the digital age. Upskilling programs and improving employee engagement Modern employees no longer want to upskill only on a basis of need. Instead, many workers are motivated by the concept of constant development and lifelong learning. Learning new skills not only enables employees to excel in their current role, but also allows them to remain competitive long-term. Constantly adding to their existing skill set is the most effective way for them to future-proof their career against changes in the industry. Employees who aren’t offered enough opportunities to develop new competencies may begin to feel stagnant in their role and could eventually seek out a different job that offers more scope for career development. Offering your staff plenty of upskilling and training opportunities shows your dedication to their career progression, which in turn can improve employee engagement and employee retention rates. Takeaway Ultimately, if you want to attract, develop and retain the best talent, you’ll have to offer upskilling and professional development opportunities. If your business doesn’t give employees the chance to develop new skills, they are likely to seek out other job opportunities that offer better prospects for long-term growth. If you’re unsure about the opportunities you offer, it might be time to talk to your employees and establish if their ambitions are being matched by your professional development programs. Depending on the feedback, you can review your upskilling strategy and help staff develop the skills they need to grow your business. For you and your employees, it will be a win-win scenario. Upskill your HR and WHS with Peninsula Stop relying on internet templates and Google to help sort out your HR and WHS. Peninsula offers customised solutions and advice for your business at an optimum price. Call our advice line on 1300941893 today to get all your questions answered.

Culture

The Importance of Soft Skills in the Workplace

The modern workplace is more demanding, complex, competitive, collaborative and diverse than ever. For an employee to thrive under today’s conditions, they need the right balance of hard and soft skills. Hard skills are learned abilities that are acquired and enhanced through experience, practice, repetition and education. While they have always been essential, currently the demand for soft skills is on the rise. What are Soft Skills in the Workplace? Soft skills are difficult to visualise, given that they cover those intangible skills such as leadership, collaboration and communication. Many define soft skills as those innate human behavioural skills that combine interpersonal, situational and emotional abilities that help employees cope with the complexity and unpredictability of the modern workplace. In the past soft skills may not have been explicitly mentioned in the job ads but the importance of soft skills was always acknowledged, especially among those earmarked for promotion or management. Soft skills encompass emotional intelligence, which is critical when dealing with colleagues in stressful situations. The reasons soft skills are important in specific workplaces are many, such as demonstrating: How well an employee can fit into a group dynamic An indication of relationship building, be it with colleagues or clients The ability to grow a professional network The ability to accept and implement feedback, as well as look for ways to improve Attention to detail, time management and the ability to delegate prove employees are a reliable resource Initiative and motivation Leadership capabilities Why is it Important to Have Soft Skills? The importance of soft skills grows every year. Despite the rise in automation and artificial intelligence meaning more and more tasks are becoming automated, people are still required to problem solve, innovate, manage conflict, and interpret and make decisions based on information. Without the ability to work together in a cohesive team, utilising soft skills like creativity and innovation along with technical skills, your organisation is either not going to be competitive or effective. In a rapidly changing work environment, being able to cope with change is paramount, and that’s when soft skills come to the fore. Being able to adapt and demonstrate agility are the hallmarks of successful organisations. Top 10 Soft Skills to Look Out For There are as many soft skills as there are innate human behavioural skills, but the top ten soft skills that employers should look for are: 1. Communication Skills Either oral or written, being able to communicate with clarity is vital to ensure effective interactions with customers and colleagues alike. Some examples of the benefits of an able communicator include: Clarity of messaging Confidence Demonstrating empathy Being able to actively listen to others Providing constructive feedback in a tactful way Being perceived as friendly and approachable is also an important skill to have in the workplace. 2. Teamwork Teamwork skills allow employees to operate in a group setting, quickly and effectively accomplishing tasks. Some examples of teamwork-related skills include: Conflict management Delegation Active listening Collaboration Idea exchange Negotiating 3. Adaptability Adaptability demonstrates an employee’s ability to embrace change – particularly important in fast-paced or constantly changing work environments. Some examples of adaptability include: Curiosity Decision-making Calmness Open-mindedness Critical thinking and analysis 4. Problem Solving Problem solving abilities use analytical and creative thinking to find solutions. Types of problem solving skills include: Lateral thinking Logical reasoning Initiative Conflict resolution Negotiation Decision making 5. Creativity Even though a broad type of soft skill, creativity is vital in developing innovative solutions to problems. Types of creative skills include: Problem solving Inspiration Imagination Insight Innovation 6. Work Ethic Work ethic is a soft skill that proves dedication, both to your organisation and to employee’s own career. This, in turn, can indicate an employee’s seriousness to the longevity and viability of their own career. Soft skills examples related to work ethic include: Integrity Responsibility Discipline Dependability Commitment *7. Interpersonal Skills * Interpersonal skills are vital, as they’re used every time employees interact and communicate, either with co-workers or with management. Examples include: Empathy Humour Mentoring Patience Tolerance 8. Time Management Time management skills are vital to a business working efficiently and productively. Employers know time management skills are important to ay well run business. Some time management skills are: Goal setting Prioritising Self-starter Focus Stress management 9. Leadership Leadership enables employees to guide others while achieving your business goals. It is critical for business success. Leadership skills include: Project management Empathy Conflict resolution Selflessness Agility Cultural intelligence 10. Attention to Detail Attention to detail means employees will be both thorough and accurate in their work. Some skills related to attention to detail are: Critical observation Organisation Scheduling Memory Acuity This blog has been compiled on the basis of general information current at the time of publication and reflects an opinion only and is not intended to provide anything other than an opinion at any time. Your specific circumstances as well as any changes in circumstances after publication may affect the relevance, completeness or accuracy of this information. To the maximum extent permitted by law, we disclaim all liability for any errors or omissions contained in this information or any failure to update or correct this information. It is your responsibility to assess and verify the accuracy, completeness, currency and reliability of the information on this website, and to seek professional advice where necessary. Nothing contained on this website is to be interpreted as a recommendation to use any product, process or formulation or any information on this website. For clarity, Peninsula does not recommend any material, products or services of any third parties.

Culture

Five Strong Reasons to Consider an Office Christmas Party

It has been a challenging year for many businesses and employers. You may wonder if it’s even worth hosting an office Christmas party. The answer is a resounding yes. The idea is to use this opportunity to reflect on the year that has been and encourage your team to end the year on a high note. If planned efficiently and safely, it can be an excellent team-bonding tool. There are several benefits of hosting a Christmas work event. Improves employee retention Studies have shown that employees who felt their Christmas Party was a success were more likely to stay with the company for longer. Making the time and effort to celebrate your team and their hard work goes a long way toward making them feel appreciated. They feel included and respected. Data has revealed that employees who had a great time at the Christmas party were 96% less likely to resign the following year. These parties and events allowed them to engage with the team informally, build interpersonal relationships, and network with their managers. Builds team culture We spend 40 hours or more in the office every week. If your working relationships are toxic or the team culture is unpalatable, then you will not be able to succeed or focus on work. Gallup conducted a study about employee engagement and team culture that discovered that highly engaged business units achieve a 20% increase in sales. Simply put, a team culture that engages employees produces better results and improves productivity. Employees with strong social ties with their co-workers are also likely to stay with the company longer. Use the end-of-year party to build and improve your team culture. Christmas parties provide your employees with a chance to collaborate and connect on a personal level. If you have different departments, foster inter-departmental relationships or collaboration. Some opportunities to build team culture: Decorate your desk/area competition A potluck lunch where employees bring different Christmas foods and snacks Team activities and games Performance recognition Employers that recognise and value high-performing employees see better business outcomes. It’s the end of the year, the team has completed several projects, ticked off milestones, and worked hard to be in their roles. If you recognize this during office Christmas parties, it will motivate them. Public awards and recognition inspire employees to achieve more in the year ahead. These awards don’t need to be monetary. They can recognize values, commitment, and attitudes. Social networking Christmas parties are a perfect way for employees to have fun. Having a good time at the office Christmas party can impact employee moods profoundly. It makes them happy, and happy employees are productive employees. They can also network socially with other employees, supervisors, and managers. Nice way to end the year Public holidays can be a tough time for businesses. It can get really busy leading to overworked and burnt-out employees. If you have an end-of-the-year- party or office Christmas party, this will be a positive note to end the year on. It will give your employees time off and reduce their stress. Be merry and safe While Christmas parties lead to employee engagement, you should remember that you have a duty of care toward your employees. SafeWork NSW says that the potential for injury is increased during Christmas. When it comes to Christmas parties, even if an event is held outside of working hours and the workplace, you can still be liable. You should specifically communicate all expected standards of behaviour to employees including responsible consumption of alcohol. Avoid holiday headaches with Peninsula Peninsula has worked with 30,000 business owners across Australia and New Zealand. We have helped employers like you manage employees and understand their duty of care. Call our team on 1300209579 today to get all your tricky questions answered.

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Related Blog Posts

Collaborating Remotely and Building Effective Teams Virtually

New paid family and domestic violence leave comes into effect

The Value of Upskilling for Small Businesses

The Importance of Soft Skills in the Workplace

Five Strong Reasons to Consider an Office Christmas Party

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