Infographic: Emerging Challenges and Future of Freelance Work

In recent years, freelancing has become a desirable mode of work for skilled workers at an unprecedented level. There are a variety of reasons involved, some are working mothers, some are students struggling with debt and financial challenges. The future of freelance work will provide opportunities for different kinds of workers worldwide.

Not everybody could opt for part-time jobs due to various handicaps in their personal lives. Full-time jobs came with their own limitations and downsides. 

Many started to find their desktop jobs as boring and monotonous. Not only that long hours in commute added to the misery. Work/life balance was the primary sacrifice. Remote work gave an outlet out of this restrictive environment. Not only that absence of job security, workplace politics, or lack of appreciation were other factors involved.

Moreover, some skills were short in the market and freelancers with an advanced skill set took complete advantage of their potential and started earning more than full-time workers. Even though this income wasn’t stable and many risk factors were clearly ignored by remote workers.

With a rising trend of flex work. There are certain challenges, and risks associated with it. Here are some of the most pressing concerns occurring for future freelancers.

 

Infographics on the Emerging Challenges and Future of Freelance Work

 

It’s very natural that every beneficial trend brings in its own disadvantages as well. Best of both worlds isn’t possible to get. Sense of isolation took its toll on the mental health of many freelancers.

However, there are many possible solutions to it. Coworking spaces are on the rise in larger cities of the world. Even though for developing countries it can be difficult to find such spaces. But in any case, it depends upon individuals.

Some want the freedom of freelance work but the perks of a full-time job. And that is not feasible. One can develop a vibrant social life if they have the resources. 

Either one can be in control of their work lives or they must compromise with full-time job requirements. Some companies offer both modes of work but they are not in abundance.

Likewise, its a challenge for employers as well to maintain data security with flex workers. This too can be fixed with proper training, precautions taken and careful management. There is no lock that doesn’t have a key, every problem has a solution ultimately.

Best Time Management Techniques for Busy People

Time management is a real challenge. There is a lot of information available on the internet to teach us how to manage time. But most of the time the article itself is so much time consuming that it seems to negate the whole purpose of time management itself.

We would like to keep it brief so the attention span of the reader remains constant. Time is to work what oxygen is to the body. Squandering it into unnecessary diversions can act as a productivity killer. Let’s examine a few techniques that we can adopt to keep us on track.

Planning a day in advance keeps you organised

Use a proper planner or something like that to keep you on track to plan a day ahead in a coherent manner. Simple planning in the head won’t suffice. It has to be properly updated and maintained as a task manual for yourself. So you can check your progress.

Start from the most daunting task

There is a famous quote by Mark Twain:

If it’s your job to eat a frog, it’s best to do it first thing in the morning. And if it’s your job to eat two frogs, it’s best to eat the biggest one first.” 

Precisely what it means is to execute your most challenging work assignment as the first thing in the morning. You may find yourself short of energy later in the day to handle it more productively. It can be something that was the most time-consuming task. So having a feeling that you are done with some hefty portion of your day’s assignment can make you feel relieved. Thus, you feel more energetic and productive for the rest of the day.

Also eating the biggest frog of the two can mean that if you are facing the situation to deal with two assignments that will consume most of your time. Then first get done with the biggest or the lengthy one. But frog doesn’t imply that you ought to do the thing you abhor.

It simply alludes towards the fact that we usually don’t hate the task itself but the time and energy consumption associated with it. So devour it first so you can add some sweet delights to your taste buds in the form of lighter tasks for the rest of the day. Especially when you feel least productive. 

Time tracking tools: acting as the savior for disorganized people

Yes, you always felt confused about calculating the time mentally that you spent on various tasks. Knowing how much was consumed in each task?  Seem bothersome right. But it’s no longer the case with the advent of Staff time tracking software.

These time management tools help save a lot of time with automated time tracking rather than old redundant ways of writing manually or taking help of guesswork. You can always know which task consumed most of your time and which one is a light one.

Therefore you can always manage accordingly to deliver more in less time. You will feel deterred from wasting time knowing its being tracked. So subscribe to a good time tracking software and get rid of all the trouble of manual time tracking. 

Control your social media habits

It doesn’t mean you stop using social media for life. It merely means keeping it away from your work life. Whether you admit it or not its the biggest ever distraction if we want to do anything productive.

 

 

A constant urge to checking your messenger or social media accounts can divert your attention from your work even after you turn off the phone. Because the content of your interaction shall keep hovering inside your head. You may find your work boring or lacking vitality. So turn off the Wifi or better keep the phone at a place like a locker or something. Where you find it bothersome to go and access. 

Learn to say no

Warren Buffet once said,

“The difference between successful people and really successful people is that really successful people say no to almost everything.” 

Yes, it might happen at the workplace that you encounter colleagues trying to overload you. Know that your one straight no can save you from the hassle of wasting your productive time on uncalled for tasks.

Take breaks to refresh yourself

Use the Pomodoro technique to take a short 5-minute break after every half an hour. And take a longer one after two hours. It can make you fresh in a way you refresh your computer’s screen after every while. Humans inherently seek variety and start feeling bored from the monotony of routine. So a tiny break doesn’t hurt and helps you recollect energy to resume working. It’s better you spend few minutes in a break rather than procrastinating from the boredom of routine. 

Eisenhower Matrix serves as a beacon of light to keep the useless stuff away

Basically Eisenhower matrix is distributed into four quadrants. 

  1. The first one is about doing the thing on foremost priority which is both urgent and important. Obviously there are things that you need to execute on time to meet deadlines and they are important too. So keep them on the top. 
  2. The second quadrant is there for an important task which isn’t urgent than plan for it. Organize structure on how to deliver it and when. But you are in no hurry for doing it now. So timely planning shall help when you actually be doing it. But for now, just defer and focus on what’s urgent and important both.
  3. Third one asks to delegate the task. Well, it’s a kind of work which is urgent but not important. Therefore you can always ask a relevant person to do it if you are busy with something urgent/important. 
  4. The fourth and last quadrant is which is neither important nor urgent just delete it. Throw this task away. It serves no good. 

Conclusion

Being busy is a lot easier than being productive. And productivity demands smartly crafted time management techniques. Which if followed religiously, they can help one progress significantly in lesser time.

[Infographic] Qualities for becoming a Great Leader!

There is no one definition that can define ‘leadership’. Regardless of how you define a leader, a good leader always has a vision and knows how to turn his ideas into reality and success. There would be no exaggeration to say that everyone can be good, but only a few can become great leaders.  

The road to leadership is never easy!

One has to work day in and day out to step up that corporate ladder. You will have to face many challenges, encounter many emotions, and come across many stressful times. However, a great leader is always a role model and maintains the calm come hell or high water. They are always willing and able to lead their team to success, no matter the cost. 

In order to help you achieve success for your company and make you a better leader, here are some important leadership qualities that you should possess or learn from.

 

I follow therefore I lead: Good leaders are good followers?

Undoubtedly, being a leader is a huge responsibility. The success of businesses depends on them. Because they are the ones making big decisions, supervising work and motivating the team. Moreso, it’s a common phenomenon, to be a successful leader, one needs to learn how to be a follower too. 

Few traits of a good follower, that make a good leader!

  • They know their responsibilities
  • Loyal to their work & company
  • Good listener and communicator
  • Willing to go the extra mile
  • They are good team players
  • Always enthusiastic
  • Not afraid to take initiatives
  • Competent and compelled by challenges

The benefits of Leadership training

One of the many qualities for managers is to inspire and motivate their team towards success, and the great news is that leaders can be created through effective leadership training.
Here are some of the benefits that leadership training can offer your organization: 

  • Increases productivity
  • Helps with employee retention
  • Nurture future leaders 
  • Increases employee engagement
  • Helps in making better and informed decisions
  • Decreases employee turnover
  • Develops self-confidence
  • Effectively formulate and implement strategies
  • Improves your leadership style
  • Also, helps in building a strong and united team

Which type of leader are you? Please share with us in the comment section below.

[Infographic] A curious case of ‘Monday Blues’

Struck by Monday Blues? If you’ve never dreaded waking up and going to work on a Monday, there might be something wrong with you. It’s definitely not a personal opinion. A study shows that 11:17 a.m. on a  Monday morning is the time we feel most unhappy. While on the other side, according to a study of 2,000 people by British broadband and telephone provider Plusnet, 2:35 p.m. is the happiest time of the day.

In order to get a clear picture, we used a surprising power of asking our co-workers about how they feel about Mondays? The answer was surprising. We found that at least 25% of people still feel miserable on Monday morning and less productive for a variety of reasons: one being ‘Sunday night blues’. Even if they are using time tracking tools to enhance their day, a voice in their head keeps telling them to hate Mondays. 

Here we have mapped out a few reasons why Mondays are universally hated at work, and what can you do to boost your productivity. So, let’s jump in:

Some ways to make your Mondays more productive:

  • Get a solid 7-8 hours of sleep ‘every’ night
  • Avoid sleeping excess over the weekend, take  short naps instead
  • Get us much sun as possible in the morning. Go for a Monday morning jog, open-up your windows and eat well
  • Work can be extremely stressful. Don’t let intrusive thoughts bother you and your sleep patterns
  • Drink coffee
  • Take five-minute breaks after every two hours to clear your mind
  • Make a list of everything you want to get done on Monday and work on it, accordingly
  • Know your prime time during the day when you’re the most productive
  • Use a time tracker to boost your day
  • Dodge distractions and increase your productivity by turning off mobile devices and signing out of social media
  • Plan for a fun-tivity on Monday with your work buddies
  • Stay Positive

How Artificial Intelligence is increasing Employee Productivity?

With the rise of Artificial Intelligence, there is a lot of uncertainty revolving around the future of human employment. Regardless, this doubt about ‘robots taking our jobs’ isn’t completely baseless. There is little done to enhance awareness regarding AI technology and its implications. 

Evidently, the benefits outnumber the disadvantages but unfortunately, with lack of awareness comes fear towards the emergence of self-conscious AI. Automation and AI, will change everything about life and how we do things? In short, it is transforming the world. 

Make humans Aware of the importance of AI

Artificial Intelligence is an intriguing concept that has fascinated mankind for years. There have been amazing breakthroughs in AI, and machine learning altogether. Machines, using this technology can perform complicated problems, which once was impossible for the human mind. 

Yet, there has been significant debate regarding the risks and concerns about AI being too smart for laymen. Fear, that, AI will take over our lives one day, is prevailing.

A blessing in Disguise?

Although the implications of Artificial Intelligence might sound detrimental to mankind. This technology is not a curse, but rather a blessing in disguise. It’s a duty of organizations and governments to invest in raising awareness among the masses about how it can have positive effects on our day to day productivity. 

 

Will robotics actually replace humans one day?

One of the major concerns among people is: what will be the future of our jobs? And why should we invest in the development of such technology using our taxes that is going to work against us? They should know that proceeding with smart strategies lessens any trouble or harm. 

Even though robots might already be taking our jobs. But it’s unlikely that it can ever replace jobs involving intellectual, literary, or emotional attributes. The biggest effect will be a change in how humans work. It will change the skills, the tasks and the way of doing jobs. But, it might not strip you off of your jobs, entirely. 

As for STEM students

The government needs to invest more in producing AI specialists in the future. So basically educated ones are not going to face a setback. Now coming to the labor force, many manual tasks won’t be available anymore. True. 

But wait, hasn’t it been the case historically? Kings used to have slaves to fan them or real-time entertainers for leisure. Now electricity replaced fanning and broadcast media eroded a need for court or street comedians. So should we give up on these inventions and get back to the stone age? No. Then why reluctance now? 

Automated technology helping human manpower

As discussed above, there is a huge fear in this regard that robots are going to replace human jobs. A robot can’t be a writer, artist or a political theorist, just to name a few. 

Likewise, since robots are developed by the human mind, so more humans are needed to keep it functioning. Robots can not fix themselves if hit by some functional error. Manual tasks like data entry or similar repetitive functions can be taken over by robotics. 

 



With robotics, there is a higher chance of accuracy than humans. They can multitask and process thousands of entries in seconds. For instance, in the medical or legal sector, robots can help make a diagnosis or legal documentation in much lesser time than usually taken. So basically robots are there to increase human productivity as helping hands.  

Automated machines have helped to ease the process at factories, industries, and the agricultural sector. Keeping everything in mind, Human manpower is still in control. Tractors and trolleys put trouble of farmers at a halt and didn’t oust humans from their work.

Artificial Intelligence as a productivity booster

AI technology for sure has the potential to enhance productivity in the workplace but it’s not as widely used as it should have been. Let’s discuss some of the ways in which Artificial Intelligence seems to be increasing employee’s productivity.

Ever heard of the language of mind?

Neuro-linguistic programming also known as NLP is a process of involving mental processes that are converted into language thus formulating our behaviors. Which not only include our personal lives but more precisely professional one. On the personal side, you are familiar with the people you are dealing with. But in the professional realm, it’s your communication, body language or expressions that can make or break businesses. 

This AI-based program helps to identify strengths and weaknesses embedded in one’s subconscious. Not only that they can detect the negative signaling in their behaviors that might deter many clients and work-based relations. 

It’s like learning the language of the mind. How to eradicate barriers in better communication and be more productive at the workplace. And that can be done with the help of NLP designed by therapists and programmers to foster strong work relations.

Facial recognition

When a friend tags us on facebook, no matter how different we look across various photos. Facebook always recognizes us. How does it happen? Machine-based deep learning-enabled this software to act as flawless as possible.

Machine learning use algorithms to parse data. Which makes it efficient in facial recognition, biometrics, or data storage. It’s capable of even developing driverless cars, or recommend movies.

 

How facial recognition can enhance productivity in the workplace? 

In many countries, buddy punching practice exists. This means that one employee arriving on time could manually mark the attendance of a friend even if he was an hour late. AI-based or Biometric system of marking attendance relieved employers from this trouble now they always know who came when? Thanks to machine-based deep learning technologies. 

AI-based Softwares and Security

In the present age of cybercrime and terrorism. Security-based software has helped in identifying many trouble makers. For instance in USA SMMS( Social media monitoring software) is in action to identify potential criminals or a malicious individual. Likewise, China uses facial recognition software to maintain security.

The machine-based real-time monitoring system is used for security and surveillance in the corporate world. We are not living in the 90s where the only way for staff monitoring was micromanagement. It lets you record everything you work on using its magical memory. All data is secured using advanced algorithms and applications of machine learning.

Now you can monitor even your remote workforce while sitting in the comfort of your home using AI-based technologies. The system is so automated that it can easily detect how much time was consumed in productive work, and how much was wasted or procrastinated upon. It’s saving resources of companies worldwide. 

7 tips for managing Cultural Diversity in the Workplace

With rapid globalization, and immigration, both inter and intrastate, transfusions of cultures was a natural outcome. The economy is a primary affectee of this emerging trend, and companies are an integral part of it. Therefore cultural diversity has become a serious challenge for many employers. Not only in the developed world but also in a developing one. 

A community of global workforce

There are numerous companies in western countries that are filled with employees from across the globe. They are from every ethnic, racial and religious affiliation that exists in the world, ready to blend in a melting pot of developed economies. Besides many of these firms have transnational and regional offices.

A Newyork based setup might have an operational branch in Dubai. So maintaining tolerance and assimilating opportunities for various cultures sits at the crux of its future success. 

The developing world is no exception!

Maintaining and managing cultural diversity is not only limited to progressive countries alone. Many developing countries from the third world face the same issue, but why? Because there is an ever-growing internal migration going-on within these states. Poverty-stricken masses moving from rural and neglected areas towards large, urban centers have become a norm.

In every country, there is a variety of languages and culturally diverse communities. When they arrive to be a part of the workforce in larger cities, managing cultural diversity becomes a challenge.

How cultural diversity can impact the workplace?

In order to build a solid team network, all of its members need to understand each other. But social behaviors are always constructed by one’s culture. So at times, it becomes difficult to understand a variety of attitudes.

Modern companies often strive for and promote greater diversity among their employees. They are likely to hire workers of different races, castes, creeds, genders, and ages to bring more diversified experience in their job roles.

Having said that, we all know cultural sensitivity is crucial for businesses to succeed. And in order to do that, it is important to realize, recognize and acknowledge the difference other cultures hold.

 

1. Re-define work schedules!

People of different cultural, ethnic or religious origins often have a varied range of festivals, sacred days or holidays. No firm can afford to give these many holidays. But you still need to accommodate them. For that, you can provide paid leave for their individual national holidays while others come to work like usual.

This way they will feel valued and respected; delivering work more productively. You can even organize small scale events in break timings or after working hours for their cultural or religious festivities. This way co-workers can develop a better understanding of their colleagues from various cultural backgrounds. And that is essential to keep the work running successfully. 

2. Be informed, not judgemental.

You need to be aware of cultural differences in order to cultivate cultural diversity in your business setup. Develop workshops to raise awareness among your employees regarding respecting the beliefs of others.

Many of them might carry preconceived notions or prejudices regarding different cultures. They might not favorably view other racial or religious orientations. It’s an employer’s duty to develop a culture of tolerance. With a mixture of both imparting knowledge and strict penalties for racially, ethnically, or religiously offensive remarks. 

3. Every culture has its own language!

Don’t get confused, it doesn’t imply verbal language but behavioral one. Communication methods between cultures vary. In western cultures, people tend to be more straightforward and direct. Whereas in various Asian and Middle Eastern countries, being indirect is a norm.

It can be confusing but an adaptation of both employer and employee is necessary. An employer should be flexible enough to understand the different forms of communication. And employees should be able to make an effort to adapt themselves to their new environment. 

 

4. Respect the dress!

Even though most of the companies require formal or at least suitable dressing. There are some cultures that demand a particular dress code mostly in a religious context. Like some women from Muslim cultures wear hijab or men from Sikh tradition wear a turban. It’s highly unethical to restrict someone from practicing their religion.

In some countries, it’s argued that religion should remain out of the workplace, following the rule of separation between religion and state. But the argument is flawed. Employees aren’t converting the secular nature of an organization with their dress code. Rather they are making use of their right to practice their religion freely, even if it demands adherence at both personal and professional levels.

Secularism demands non-interference of religion into professional practices. But it doesn’t seek to eradicate the religion itself, in fact, upholds the individual’s right to practice it freely. As long as it doesn’t become a nuisance for others.

5. Don’t just say ‘we are equal EOE’, act on it.

It might be possible you are an open-minded employer, but somehow happened to have a biased HR team of professionals. You need to make sure, your hiring staff is there to judge skills and talents not color of skin or passports. Especially in the contemporary world, there is a pressing demand for skills that can’t be fulfilled by hiring local talent alone. 

6. Make your actions known.

If you have developed a healthy and culturally diverse work environment, try to make it known so others may take an inspiration. Create motivational videos; show your office environment as culturally friendly. Develop short presentations, and post on social media. 

In case an employee misleads against his co-worker, triggered by their covet cultural or racial biases. You can always verify the performance of your colleague in question through a good time tracking software to see whether the accused is really guilty or just a victim of workplace bullying and discrimination. Therefore, you can hold the instigator accountable. Thus, making your actions known in eliminating biases.

7. Stay connected!

You need to build a connection of trust with your workforce through some chain of connections. For that, not only HR is effective but also hire cultural supervisors who can offer on-site professional counseling for employees. They can assist them while they are adjusting to a new environment or cultural norms. 

Conclusion

Managing cultural diversity might be challenging, but eventually, it’s in greater benefit of any business setup. It will broaden the cultural horizons and awareness by bringing in experiences and perspectives of a diverse workforce. It’s especially true for companies with an international presence. As their foreign employees can help them understand the norms of different cultures, definitions, and values.

Women in Tech | Career challenges and opportunities

The technology sector is a male dominating industry, evidently. But things have come a long way especially for women since the 90s. Even though women were brains behind some serious tech operations during WWII yet, their contributions often go unnoticed.

Not only that there is an alarming level of disparity in tech-based jobs available to women. Generally, progressive societies are offering more equal opportunities for women in tech. Still, gender biases exist worldwide and it doesn’t matter which part of the world it is.

Some important stats show:

Women hold only 5 percent of leadership positions in the tech sector; they make up only 7 percent of partners at the top 100 venture capital firms. More than 30 percent of women over the age of 35 are still in junior positions.

What causes this gender bias?

According to a report, Only 25 % of computing jobs are held by women. The turnover rate is more than twice as high for women than it is for men in tech industry jobs i.e. 41 % versus 17 %. 56 %  of women in tech are leaving their employers mid-career.  12 % of engineers at Silicon Valley startups are women. Similarly, women hold only 11 % of executive positions at Silicon Valley companies.

We can clearly see, males have outnumbered women in the tech industry. There is a massive gap. Gender-based stereotypes are developed from infancy. From color distributions to gender-based toys. Both girls and boys are prepared for different roles. STEM subjects or Computer sciences are labeled as somehow male-oriented professions and not ‘lady-like’. 

As a result, Medical, Educational or Public administration fields are overflowing with women. It doesn’t indicate the incapability of women in the tech world. It just shows how an assignment of social roles based on gender can trap a huge talent from reaching technical fields. 

 

How can we reduce the power-gap?

Change can be slow but it’s worth making an effort.  There is a need for prolonged and systematic effort to bring them into the mainstream. Only one out of five Computer Science graduates are women.  Proper mentoring and coaching is necessary.

There are a number of companies losing women employed in tech roles. Why? Because of a lack of proper mentoring, training and development opportunities. It will not only help you to increase the number of women leading but will also help you retain and attract more women to the workplace working together for the greater good.

So many preconceived notions!

There are many assumptions made for female employees right from the hiring process. Just misconceptions! Not all females are facing similar challenges or commitments. Or not every one of them is seeking flexibility or planning family life at the early stages of career. Generally, people don’t leave their comfort zones, approach women employees or colleagues and personally seek insight into their plans ahead. 

Even a professionally ambitious woman might be planning to put her personal plans on halt for a few years, just because she wants to grow and build up her career.  Oftentimes, she is also seen as a potential runner eventually. These biases can put off many committed young women from joining the workforce.

Then there are ones seeking work-life balance!

A married woman with a family has all the right in the world to still seek professional growth and opportunities. All companies need is flexible working conditions that are necessary to attract skillful women into the tech world. They might resist joining any demanding workforce due to their domestic responsibilities. Remote work and flexible working hours should be offered for women to retain them into a workforce.

 

Fill the gender pay gaps!

Then there is another one, a pay gap between genders or limited opportunities of progress for women. Leading positions in startups globally are heavily occupied by men. Women are still paid less even in 2019.

Some facts:  A woman who is doing the same job as a man, with the exact same qualifications as a man is still paid two percent less. Unfortunately, this controlled wage gap has only shrunk by a minuscule amount of $0.008 since 2015.

There is a growing need for business leaders and HR  to ensure equal pay, equal employment opportunities for all people within their organization including women.

Lower wages or lack of power isn’t the only issue

These reasons are enough to keep women disoriented to join the tech world. Not only that derogatory comments from male colleagues and increasingly reported harassment by supervisors is enough to demoralize many women. Obviously when men are in power then few women paving their way to make a mark have to face subjugation. Since they don’t have many fellow women for seeking support. 

The positive thing: we can see many companies, introducing anti-sexual harassment policies to address this growing issue. 

Is there an immediate solution?

These disparities caused numerous women and minorities to leave, costing Silicon Valley more than 16 billion dollars. Just like the Business world managed to improve its discriminatory practices. The tech industry should review its policies too.

A startup like Muse was an initiative of the all-female teams and established its firm footing in the market. It proved women are equally capable as men only if given opportunity. 

There are many success stories of women starting from Ada Lovelace, a first female programmer to Jade Raymond, Sara Haider and many involved in game development, or holding key positions in tech giants like Google and Twitter. Its proven women can thrive in the tech world only if given a suitable environment. 

6 most common workplace challenges and how to cope with them!

We have to face challenges during every phase of our life, be it educational, personal or professional. Life is all about challenges. These hurdles and struggles to reach our goals define who we are. It’s not the complexity of an issue that matters but how people deal with it. It’s an agreed-upon fact that some people seem to cope with workplace challenges better than others.

Likewise, in the workplace, one gets to face many challenges. Especially for the newbies entering the workforce, it can be quite unsettling. Here, we will discuss some common workplace challenges faced by employees and solutions to deal with them.

Student life is over!

For many, entering a professional life after college is a bit overwhelming. No doubt, at some point in time, we all were addicted to our previous, self-created schedules, and laid back attitude. The same is the case with amateur professionals. Now, that companies are relying on your expertise to bring value and success to businesses,  it’s crucial for you to have discipline in your lives.

Take more responsibility for the work. After all, it was for the same professional development you had studied all these years. 
We do agree, that it takes a while to adjust but being lazy won’t get you anywhere. Fitting in can be a daunting task, but worth making an effort.

Stay away from trouble-making colleagues

Did you deal with troubling classmates or bullies back in school? Now its an extension of that. Throughout one’s life, you will face competitors, rivals, jealous freaks and leg pullers. Even among friends, such species aren’t an anomaly. So act normal when you encounter them. 

How to deal with them?

They can be either gossipmonger, backstabbers, or even work-place bullies. The real task is how are you going to deal with them? Your best response should be indifference. Don’t react! All they want to extract from you is a reaction. Once you give in to their manipulative agendas, you are trapped in a cycle of negativity. Ignoring them is the best possible route to escape. 

No need to involve your supervisor, or at worst an employer as it only shows how touchy-feely you are. And that you are incapable to cope with troubling coworkers. But do reach out to them if the situation is getting out of your hands. Involve your supervisor or employer only if it’s direct bullying or harassment, which is also an offense by law.  If the said person is damaging your reputation or spreading rumors, it’s better to discuss it with HR. 

Teamwork challenges in the Workplace

“Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.” – Helen Keller

 

Yes, teamwork is a backbone for the success of any project. If team members have a disagreement over the execution of a certain task, and they cant seek to resolve the issue. Then high chances; that your project is bound to suffer. Not only that, but a slacking member can also have a damaging effect. It’s not possible to bring forward work smoothly if half of the team is passive, another half active. 

Learn to handle your ‘difficult’ clients effectively

For jobs that require dealing with clients or customers, sometimes you get to deal with difficult ones

They may be running around frantically like chickens with its head cut-off. Bothering you on weekends or calling late at night to discuss project details. They may make your team cry but no matter how difficult your client is; stay calm, listen to their needs and concerns. Give a prompt reply and offer a solution.  In short, learn to handle your clients since client-employee relationships are of utmost importance for businesses. 

 

Anxious about your career goals?

One major factor in inducing workplace pressure is how to reach your career objectives? Sometimes it’s for promotion, salary increment, diversity in work or seeking acknowledgment alone. At times you are over-performing but nobody is noticing, you have two ways out. Either do the normally expected work alone or make your presence felt. Do make a progress report, and record your accomplishments to share with your seniors and co-workers. 

Always actively seeking new challenges and a variety of tasks? 

Even if you aren’t assigned one you can always volunteer. This way you can break yourself away from the clutches of monotony in work. 
Sometimes there are glass ceilings that act as obstacles in your career advancement. You need to identify them first and then address those issues. Develop strong work relations, discuss your plans with your supervisor and get yourself noticed. Nothing is beyond human capacity, you can always manage to rise. 

Time management is crucial

Suppose you are assigned with multiple tasks but you don’t know how to coordinate and work about them? The workload can be stressful but not difficult to manage if you organize your tasks tactfully. Assign time for each of them, and keep a check if you are executing them within the expected timeframe. 

But it can be daunting to keep track. And you might face disappointment if you couldn’t organize them as you wanted. This can trigger a feeling of not being able to deliver thus making you disheartened. It’s not about being an overworked or extra burden. Even organizing routine tasks in a disciplined manner can be a huge challenge. Time is of the essence of professional life. 

The best way…

… to tackle this problem is to choose a reliable time tracking app such as this. An employee monitoring software can help you track your time consumed, tasks executed in the assigned timeframe and follow your progress practically. Manually developing timesheets or just keeping their track mentally rarely work. You need an actual and accurate monitor to keep you aware and active. 
Have you ever encountered workplace challenges? Yes, we thought so. Share with us in the comment section below. 

5 proven ways to boost Productivity with Stafftimer App

It’s an age of real-time monitoring!

Gone are the days of manually developing timesheets. Now we have time monitoring tools –  another blissful innovation of modern technology. No business or organizational setup can succeed without tactful time management as it’s an essence of productivity. 

Stafftimer App stands out as a system offering real-time monitoring alone with no confusion. This software is developed from a blend of artificial intelligence, and machine learning that is not only easy to use but at the same time immaculately intelligent. There are many similar systems available in the tech world but none is parallel to efficiency and sophistication of this one. 

Tracking your time in an offline mode.

Weak internet connection? Stafftimer app provides you with a solution that works in an offline mode. If an employer has assigned an employee with a task that demands fieldwork, Stafftimer will remain active in outdoors even without little to no network access. That could be the real challenge for many time trackers as to how to carry out staff monitoring when there is no internet connection. 

For instance, a freelancer who is traveling could make an excuse for interrupting internet coverage in some remote areas. Stafftimer carved out a solution for that too, which makes it unique among its competitors. It will keep saving screenshots and upload it on the web once the connection is restored.

Quick estimates of productivity.

Never before you were able to remember or keep track of how much time you were spending in actual. Real-time tracking made it readily available to view how much time you are spending to complete a certain task.

Humans have a tendency to work more diligently under scrutiny. This way, employees would be aware that they can’t misuse their working hours for their own leisure activities like using facebook, or Netflix. 

Employee productivity through visual insights.

Stafftimer App also provides daily work video to give a quick review of how your work was coordinated. This video can be then reviewed by an employer or team leaders too so they have an exact picture of what’s happening. Not only that Stafftimer app captures screenshots every minute. 

Real-time monitoring helps you to understand which of your employees is actually putting hard labor, and need incentives. And who is lagging behind and needs further training and guidance? 

Now complete your projects in much lesser time as initially anticipated, along with the use of minimum resources. Towards the end of the day, it provides an intelligent report of everyday tasks and its downloadable as well. It saves money and enhances productivity, what else an investor can ask for? 

StaffTimerApp doesn’t violate privacy.

Even if you mistakenly opened your personal social media account or any other non-work-related window. You can always delete that screenshot from your Back-office. But wait, it doesn’t mean you can cheat on time, the stafftimer app will also deduct that one minute per screenshot from your time as well.

This software is built to protect an employee’s privacy without killing its objective of time reporting

No limits imposed and affordable rates!

Many apps limit the number of users, projects or companies. But this software doesn’t enact any such bars. The employers can track as many staff members as they like, and it won’t restrict the number of users you can invite. 

There is an unlimited number of projects that an employer can create through their dashboard, without any hindrance of confining it to just a few. We strongly believe that it is hard to assess the actual productivity levels correctly with such restrictions. 

It offers a 7-day full-featured trial followed by an affordable monthly subscription if you feel satisfied. Afterward, yearly subscription rates are much lower than many of its market competitors. With so many benefits and little price, it’s worth a try.

Managing the communication gap with voice notes.

Stafftimer app offers the feature of assigning tasks with voice clips and adding comments to it. It used to be challenging for employers to micromanage their workforce and communicate their desired goals via written instructions. It can be a real hassle if each and individual employee seeks further clarification on the task assigned. 

Employers or team lead would find it mind-boggling to extract time for such written communications from their busy schedule. The reason why voice clips can quickly deliver feedback and further comments if needed, thus providing clarity to employees.

With the communication barrier it’s highly likely that a staff member might not understand the task correctly, and mismanage it. It can cost the company time and resources. 

Time is money!

Financial productivity builds businesses, transform them into empires, bring in huge revenue for states and so on. So benefits associated with real-time monitoring apps are beyond the scope of any short write up.

Especially when it comes to a unique real-time monitor tool as Stafftimer, it can’t do justice with words but the experience.