Running a company is not a very easy task, and there are number of situations where company owners needs to try different ways which are not so common. These situations are so adverse than the normal that it can make or break the situation. But they say “you need to try things for growth, risk is what one should take”.
Here are some ways which can help in creating a cool working environment at office and you will never lose your best and quality employees. Have a look at it.
If you think that allowing employees to take off as much time as they’d like would only encourage them to waste most their time, then you are wrong because the fact is that in most cases, it actually increases productivity. Vacations will fill them with happiness and joy. This policy allows employees to relax as much as they want, provided they get their work done, and ensures that they do just that: get their work done.
Telecommuting:
Telecommuting or teleworking are terms often used interchangeably to refer to a work arrangement in which employees enjoy flexibility in work location and hours. For companies, telecommuting expands the talent pool, reduces the spread of illness, reduces costs, increases productivity, reduces their carbon footprint and energy usage, offers an inexpensive method of complying with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA), reduces turnover and absenteeism, improves employee morale, offers a continuity of operations strategy, improves their ability to handle business across multiple time zones, and hastens their cultural adaptability. Full-time teleworking can save companies approximately $20,000 per employee. For individuals, telecommuting, or more specifically, work from home arrangements, improves work-life balance, reduces their carbon footprint and fuel usage, frees up the equivalent of 15 to 25 workdays a year.
Open source collaboration:
Open-source software (OSS) is computer software that is available in source code form: the source code and certain other rights normally reserved for copyright holders are provided under an open-source license that permits users to study, change, improve and at times also to distribute the software. Open source software gives you the power to control your software’s code. Open source gives you the freedom to choose your preferred vendor giving you the flexibility. Open source software is available publicly. There is no license fees for open source software, reducing annual license fees cost to zero.
Planning as you go:
There must be a planning for the work out and strategy for future and so much work is often focused on planning ahead, but this effort might be better spent on understanding demands as they develop. It is right that working proactively is better rather than working creatively, But it is also right that many plans are full of assumptions that may or may not be correct, leading to disaster. So planning are not always good.
Paid community service:
You might be thinking that why would you pay your employees to go do free work for someone else? What will be the profit of your company in that? For that reason you must know that community service done by your employees is a very good thing. It not only helps your employees building character but also in learning new skills. It will also help them in making new connections, and develop further appreciation for what they do. You can also call it a great opportunity to develop bragging points for the company in pointing out an active commitment to support your community.
Giving decision-making authority to everyone:
If you’re hiring the right people, chances are that they’ll step up to the challenge and make smart, informed decisions that benefit from their unique, on-the-ground expertise. It is seen that most companies do not put a lot of faith in new hires employees, but some management experts believe this is a big mistake. This can create a difference in their heart or can De-motivate them. So in order to make this problem companies would do well to adopt a policy that everyone, right down to the lowly shipping clerk, should be given some measure of decision making authority.
Working spouse bonuses:
Most companies have adopted a policy to require that any employee whose spouse can take employer-sponsored health insurance must do so, but others go the extra mile, awarding those same couples with a bonus check for the savings. Company does it in order to make its employee happy. It’s not hard to figure out why most companies would prefer for their employees to have a stay-at-home spouse. Some companies actually have a policy of rewarding employees with a bonus if their spouse has a job that provides insurance. As it results in fewer absences, outside commitments, and surprise sick days.
Paying new employees to quit:
Will you ever offer new employees a handsome amount of money to walk right out the door? Yes, it sounds very strange. But it’s a great way to test commitment and find employees that are willing to stick around and do a great job. You will be happy to spend this money to throw out employees with a bad fit sooner rather than later.
Horizontal hierarchy:
In a company employees are categorized according to their posts like Managers, middle-managers, and executive managers etc. But we must know that all are equally important for a company and are a staple of corporate life. Although some might think this leads to anarchy in the workplace, but some companies enjoy an incredibly effective corporate culture as they find it suitable for the working environment for their company. Everyone is considered as employee, and we all know that a natural leader emerges based on the respect of his peers and his behavior to them.
Zero emails:
Some say that this policy works but some do not have faith on this. It is also right that a tech company with a zero email policy certainly sounds strange. But some companies have banned employees from sending emails. According to them out of 200 mails only 10% mails are of use of company and rest are just waste. They’re working to cut out internal emails in a matter of 18 months, instead asking employees to use IM and other methods of communication.
No layoffs:
In past five years we have seen plenty of layoffs. But some companies are strictly against it. They are committed to never letting go of anyone. As a result, the company has found that employees with this type of job security are willing to work harder, trust management, show flexibility, and delve into innovation. For example Lincoln Electric has applies the same policy and has done so well that they’ve been able to reward their employees not only with stable employment, but also with generous bonus checks each year for the past 75 years.
Benefits for part-timers:
Benefits are the best way for companies to motivate their employee to work efficiently. A company can offer, with each employee representing thousands of dollars of investment in health care, retirement, and more. Most companies spend these dollars on part-time employees that do not generate as much revenue for the organization as full-time employees do. So company must provide the benefits of attracting and retaining better-qualified, harder-working, and more committed part-time workers to increase their revenue.
Saying no to customer requests:
It is the duty of company to fulfill the needs of a customer but it is not necessary that a customer is always right. One can say that adopting a policy of saying no to customer requests can actually be a smart business strategy. Always thinking of your customers can create a problem to your employees. Instead, keeping things simple, manageable, and within a scope that satisfies most of your clients can work to your advantage. So a small no can avoid this problem.
Sabbatical leave:
Missing an employee for a long certainly hurts, but when they return, the benefits of a refreshed, well-rounded, and inspired employee that is highly grateful for the opportunity. We all know that for some employees, taking on a corporate job means giving up on your dreams. Some employees think or plan of volunteering in a community, going on a tour somewhere, or they just want to explore happiness in their own life at their home but they find it really difficult to do them while they’re maintaining a 9-5 lifestyle. But at some companies they provide you chance to have fun of both of these happiness These firms allow employees to enjoy sabbatical leave with three to six months of partially paid leave for volunteering or career enhancement opportunities.
Newborns in the office:
It sounds odd as babies and offices traditionally don’t mix. But at some companies, babies are welcomed at work. These babies are not at all distraction for the company and are not affecting working ability of their parents even though parents are working more effectively. In fact, allowing babies to come to work with their employee parents is a great plan to avoid the decrease in productivity that is generally experienced when workers stay home with a new baby. This is also great for attracting highly qualified employees who are, or plan to become, parents.
Closed on Sunday:
Everyone needs a day off after working for one whole week. But Sundays are one of the biggest days in fast food and retail sales, so one can’t think of making it an off day. But some companies have tried to maintain a Closed-on-Sunday policy for years. It is not necessary that closing on Sunday will hamper your business or sales it can also have opposite effects. Closing on Sunday reflects the values of these companies as they allow employees to spend the day with their families and/or practice their faith.
Unlimited sick days:
If you have limited sick days for your employees than definitely they are going to suffer it for more days and you are too going to suffer with them. This is policy makes a lot of sense for overall productivity. This is really very silly to decide when your employees can fall sick and even if they are not in condition of working they have to come to office and have to work for unlimited hours. This will not only make your employee more sick and irritated but also create a problem for others because other employees will find themselves virus affected and their working ability will also decrease. Companies with an unlimited sick days policy enjoy the potential for a healthier, more productive workplace.
Half day Fridays:
Some companies believe in giving a half day to their employees so that they can take rest and can re-energies themselves. Every Friday at 1 p.m., Mattel closes down its offices and encourages employees to “find their inner child.” You will also find this policy a smart one. It is considered that after working continuously for 4-5 days productivity typically takes a break on Friday afternoons, and one can make sure by giving employees this afternoon off to enjoy themselves that it all gets taken care of one way or another.
Maternity buddies:
Now it has become an old problem to think that it’s difficult to transition new moms back to work, as they find it hard to leave their children at home or day care. In old days mom used to find it difficult that how to pump breast milk at work, and deal with new commitments that can be distracting to the workplace. But now companies encourage new moms to spend company time hanging out with other moms that work for the firm. This is really helpful. This a move that sounds like it wastes productive hours, but actually encourages moms to do a better job in the workplace.
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We all know that earning a certain grade, limiting benefits and curriculum restrictions can make going back to school a irritating process. Any employee who has experience of going back to school is familiar with the HR problems they have to face to get reimbursement for their educational expenses. But some companies have a solution for this problem of these restrictions, adopting a policy of unlimited free learning for their employees. Some companies allow their workers to explore and learn without fear, and bring their new knowledge and experience back to the workplace.
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