The 9 Most Sought After Work Perks

The 9 Most Sought After Work Perks A recognition of your hard work can make all the difference to productivity and the atmosphere within a working environment. However, when those perks seem more like a gimmick, they can have a negative effect and can make staff wonder if they’re an invaluable member of the team. SmallBusinessPrices.co.uk conducted a survey with UK employees to see if they are satisfied with their job benefits. The study has revealed huge differences in what people want compared to what they get, such as 6% of employees currently receiving travel and company car benefit, although 16% of staff surveyed would rather have transport benefits over a pay rise. What You Get vs What You Want Respondents revealed what they currently receive but also what they would value over a pay rise, key findings included: 20% of employees receive an employee discount, however, only 11% of the surveyed workers wanted one of their benefits to be employee discounts. Additional holidays/sabbaticals and flexible working hours are considered a high priority work benefit, as 26% of respondents said they would prefer the benefit over a pay rise. Although training is critical to career growth, only 3% of staff would prefer the perk over a pay rise, compared to the 12% that actually receive the benefit. Gender Gap Happiness Men and women in terms of happiness with company benefits are relatively similar both rise and decrease in the same areas, however, they do fluctuate in terms of percentage. 18% of men consider themselves very happy with the company benefits they receive, whereas women are less happy with the work benefits only 14% of women consider themselves very happy. More women appear to sit on the fence in terms of job benefit satisfaction: 45% described themselves as somewhat happy, compared to the 42% of men. This trend continues into neutral feelings for company benefits, as well as somewhat unhappy. Overall, both men and women ranked very similarly. Men ranked higher at both ends of the spectrum, with 4% of men considering themselves very unhappy with the benefits they receive compared to only 2% of women. Generational Differences Each generation has concerns and priorities unique to their demographic, so employers have to mindfully determine which company benefits suit their workforce. As a result of property prices, 29% of Generation Z and 22% of Millennials (24-38 year olds) would be tempted to apply for a job with £4000 housing contribution, while only 16% of Generation X (39-52 years old) and 15% of Baby Boomers (53-60 years old) would have the same consideration. 3% of Generation X and 2% of Baby Boomers looked at one years parental leave as an important company benefit. Interestingly, 11% of Generation Z said they’d tempted to apply for a job if a years parental leave was a work perk, as did Millennials. Health insurance and death in service is a major concern with Generation X and Baby Boomers 49% of them consider it as a work perk compared to the 20% of Generation X and Millennials. Ian Wright, from SmallBusinessPrices said: “A company that goes the extra mile for their employees is always more likely to see a boost in productivity and morale. Whether it’s the people already working for you or prospective employees, work perks are slowly becoming an integral part of the working world.” Check out the full infographic by SmallBusinessPrices.co.uk. The infographic breaks down the work perk satisfaction by gender and generations. Also, it explains what people receive from their companies and what employees actually want. It was never this easy to keep your team happy and raise its productivity! About the author:  Ian Wright is the CEO of  SmallBusinessPrices.co.uk, which aims  to give UK small businesses owners more accurate pricing information on a wide range of business products and services, helping them to find the right supplier and get the best deal.

Get Out of (The Good Girl) Jail Free

Get Out of (The Good Girl) Jail Free So often times it happens that we live our lives in chains, and we never even know we have the key. The Eagles, Already Gone I played that song often as my toxic relationship ended.  It gave me strength to finally end what had been a three year nightmare.  Im what they call a people pleaser.   My life focus was trying to live by the rules.  The expectations, judgments, and needs of others usually held more importance than mine.  Sound familiar? Psychology is a funny thing.  Unlike a physical condition, there is no doctor to do an -ectomy.  And while some people cope by using various drugs or alcohol, my experience is that those are merely temporary escapes that only temporarily cover up the issues.  When you wake up sober or straight, nothing has changed.  You still hurt.  Youre still empty in ways that cannot be described. Most of us learn to cope, or just numb our way through life.  We forget who we really are.  Because there is no magic pill and no permanent fix, we never quite get to a place called normal.  But that doesnt mean life cannot get better.  Like waking from an unpleasant dream, its possible to re-connect to that pure and wonderful part of ourselves that longs to be free. Ive been to counseling.  Ive been to seminars, read countless books.  And of course, Ive done meditation and yoga.  But you have to realize that these are all tools, not cures.  You learn what you can, and go forward.  Hopefully, you move a little closer to your true self. As editor of Ms Career Girl, I receive many requests to do book reviews.  I choose those that, according to the PR pitch, sound interesting and relevant to the Ms Career Girl audience. Sometimes, I get a pleasant surprise. Beyond the Good Girl Jail When Beyond the Good Girl Jail arrived, I read  the other resources before starting the book.  And, I took an online assessment that is an additional resource developed by the author, Sandra Felt.  As I went through the questions, I cried.  I dont think Ive ever failed a test so badly! Yes, Im still on the journey to my true self.  As I read each page of the book, the stories resonated, the emotions, and tears, flowed.  But it wasnt because Im hopeless.  It was because it was like reading about my own life. The author gives useful . . . no, powerful tools to use in our quest to get out, or stay out, of the good girl jail.  Below are a couple of my favorite quotes and one of the pieces of poetry also written the author.  I highly recommend this heart-touching read.  I cannot imagine a better book crossing my desk any time soon.  There will be a follow-up to this post, an interview with the author.  Watch for it. The Good-Girl Jail is not punishment for doing something wrong.  In fact, it is the result of trying hard to do everything right according to the expectations of others. . Many of us set aside our true self somewhere along the way and no longer fully live our own life or listen to our innate inner guidance. Some of us have even forgotten that our true self exists and dont realize this has happened. It seems to sneak up on us. . When we listen to that other voice inside, our true self, however, our response is different.  Something inside seems to click into place.  What we are hearing fits us and feels right.  We can breathe more easily.  Our body relaxes.  Sometimes we sigh.  We often feel relief and just know what we need to do. Images Woman on Beach Bill Kuffrey   Key  tszchungwing

The Single Most Important Consideration for your Resume

The Single Most Important Consideration for your Resume The Job Search Bible asked a variety of career coaches and authors to give their single best piece of advice to job seekers about their resume.  My contribution and many others are included in this post. I believe that many job seekers don’t think of their resume as a marketing document. They forget to put themselves in the mindset of their buyers (potential employers.) Instead of an objective at the top of their resume, which outlines what the candidate is looking for, their opening statement should tell the reader: Here’s what you get when you hire me. Candace Moody Find the whole post here.   Enjoy it as I enjoy a long holiday weekend.

Why Speculating the Story makes you a Dummy

Why Speculating the Story makes you a Dummy One of the things I love about little kids is that they have no filter. They ask you what they want  to know and they tell you whatever you ask them. It’s only when we grow up that this changes. Now instead of asking “what’s the deal?”, we the adults instead choose speculating. Yeah, we sit there and create a storyline that has absolutely no basis in reality and has nothing to do with the person whom we feel has wronged us. Nope, just us and our pea brains going to work. In a vacuum. And when we’re done creating, we deal out consequences based upon that imaginative masterpiece. When did we become so dumb? Our speculations are based upon two things: 1. The messed up way that we view the world based upon our experiences, and 2. Our insecurities. Yes, the problem lies with you boo, so stop. This became clear to me recently when I endured 48 hours of hell-bent rage. Here’s what happened… So my friend had a birthday. We’ve been friends for 5 years and for the past 4 she has invited me to her party. So imagine my surprise when her birthday passed this year and yours truly did not get an invite. Whaaat?! Me?! Who does she think she is? I was livid! It’s one thing to not invite me over on the weekend, but to exclude ME from your birthday party, well this was war. I called her every name in the book, to myself of course. I speculated as to why why why she would not invite me. I was sure I knew the only possibilities: She needed some space from me. She didn’t want to be friends anymore and this was the perfect way to make that clear. She got some new friends and was  feeling like the It girl of the week She’s a bitch When you speculate you are usually wrong It was definitely one of those four possibilities. Duh. Well, forget her, I will NEVER speak to her again. She has some balls. I was mad. For two days. Then I calmed down and accepted it. I thought hey, people have the right to not invite someone they don’t feel like inviting. I was hurt. Then two more days passed, and guess what I got? An invitation to her birthday party. Huh? I was happy! I went, partied like a rock star and made resolutions to be a better friend. But wait, I still didn’t have the story. All of a sudden she busted it out. Whats the deal?… The night before her birthday, her brother was celebrating his 30th in rock star fashion. They all knew in advance that they would need a week to recover, so she put off her party for a week. Wow. I was stupid. You’ve done the same thing countless times in both your personal and professional life. Created a story and convinced your stupid self that the only possibility was  what you thought  it was. Tried and executed people in your life when the fact is you just didn’t know. Stop. When you speculate, you are usually WRONG. If it’s that important to you, just ask. Don’t be a dummy.

The Big Sleep How a good nights rest improves your productivity

The Big Sleep How a good nights rest improves your productivity On average humans are thought to spend one third of their lives sleeping. Now, that’s a fair chunk of time. However, this figure is starting to decrease at an alarming rate, even though we all cherish our sleep. According to the experts, it should take around ten to fifteen minutes to fall asleep at night. If it takes less than 5 minutes, its thought to be a sign of sleep deprivation. How long does it take you to drop off after your head hits the pillow? On average, six in ten Brits are sleep deprived. And lack of sleep can lead to a myriad of health problems such as weight gain and headaches, all of which are really disruptive to our health and are completely avoidable.  Sleep is incredibly important for a healthy lifestyle. So why is it that we constantly put sleep on a backburner? Our standby mode how does it work? Sleeping is very complicated process. It involves two cycles and consists of non-REM and REM (rapid eye movement) sleep. Non-REM sleep consists of four stages. The first two stages include falling asleep and the body regulating heart rate, temperature and breathing. The second two stages consists of deep sleep, which is thought to be important for the processes of learning and memory. The body then shifts into the REM sleep cycle, kind of like second gear, where the brain is activated in similar ways to when we are awake. The body becomes paralysed (so we don’t wander around and accidentally end up in some awkward situations!) and our breathing rate increases as we dream. Dreaming is seen as a vital component of sleep, but its purpose and function are disputed by many. Whether youre having sweet dreams of happy times, or nightmares about approaching deadlines (as Debuts research has revealed many students do), theyre a necessary part of the sleep cycle. Some even argue they play an important role in our memory of events, and others say they help to declutter the brain of unimportant information. These cycles repeat approximately four to five times in one night. But the question is, why is sleep so important for us and why do we avoid it? Sleep is more important than you think Sleeping can have a major impact on the way our brains functions. Getting enough sleep is important for the brains ability to process and remember information that we receive during the day. So in order to remember what your boss yelled at you for and to remember those last minute notes you made, you absolutely need your beauty sleep. Research has also shown that sleeping helps in the process of removing waste products from the brain. It sounds a bit yuck but trust the science, it’s crucial. In addition to this, sleep is important for our physical health too. Risks related to depression, diabetes, migraines and blood pressure can rise massively due to insufficient sleep. Along with a weakening of the immune system and negative impacts on our metabolism. Its vital that we allow our body to rest and recuperate, so it seems there’s an advantage to being in bed by 10pm after all. Unfortunately, many of us sacrifice our sleep for other seemingly more important activities like Instagram scrolling and Netflix binging. So why don’t we all go to bed early? A culture of all-nighters has increased in recent years, especially amongst students and young people. When were under so much pressure to be academically successful, maintain a busy social life and also earn money to pay the bills, sleep often comes low down on our list of priorities and at the expense of our health. We often delay going to sleep so we can finish our last-minute assignments and meet our work deadlines. But sometimes we just need to go to bed. Such a sleepless culture is glorified on social media, and in work and university environments, where people often brag about staying up late to finish a project. In some workplaces late-night working is even encouraged, with little regard for individuals mental and physical health. But its important to reject this pressure and to know  whats best for yourself. Most adults need seven to eight hours of sleep every night to maintain a healthy mind and body, and this is just as important as meeting those deadlines. It really is. Getting a good amount of sleep means we are mentally and physically healthier, which in return can help us to work more efficiently and become the best versions of ourselves (yay!). How do you do it? So you really need to prioritise getting a good amount of sleep. By managing your time more effectively through appropriate planning, you can meet deadlines for work. This will ensure you don’t fall into the trap of sacrificing your sleep to finish work. Use the technology available to you, such as calendar apps and reminders, to stay on top of your workload. Remember that aside from working hard to achieve your goals, you also need to work hard at taking care of yourself. Its important to show some self-love in order to fully enjoy your successes. In other words, work hard, sleep hard. Connect with Debut on  Facebook,  Twitter,  and  LinkedIn  for more careers insights.

Why you need to eliminate the HR black hole of busyness

Why you need to eliminate the HR black hole of busyness Why you need to eliminate the HR black hole of busyness Its Thursday afternoon and you just finished interviewing three great job candidates for a position youre anxious to fill. Time to get Human Resources on the phone to discuss making an offer to one candidate in particular. You hope to pull the offer together by tomorrow morning, because you got the distinct impression that your top pick had another offer on the table. Why isnt your HR person answering the phone? Or lets say youre seeing the situation from the vantage point of a star candidate. You just finished what you believe was a great interview with the owner of a company you would love to join, but you already have another job offer. Youve stalled, but must give an answer by the end of the week. Your dream companys HR rep told you to contact her about anything, so you drop her an email, but you have not heard back. Why arent they responding? If your company is like many small or mid-sized companies, theres a clear explanation when your HR professionals may not be as responsive as you need them to be. Quite simply, they are overwhelmed. This isnt a criticism of their talent, capabilities, or commitment. It is a testament to their capacity. Their plates are not just full. They are overflowing. Never-ending job duties A typical HR professional-to-employee ratio is 1:100, so for the sake of this example, assume that one HR person is entirely responsible for all of the employment needs of 100 workers. Consider what tasks this job would include: Recruiting, hiring, onboarding and training every new employee. Tracking time and attendance for those 100 employees, overseeing vacation and sick days, managing benefits and administering payroll. Implementing a performance review process, researching applicable industry compensation rates to be sure employees are being paid at comparable market rates, and overseeing their professional development so they not only feel fulfilled, but also see their careers advancing accordingly Managing employee safety and risk management programs, and, if those are breached, managing workers compensation claims Researching and implementing proven HR practices and the most advanced HR systems to ensure efficiency and top productivity Managing inter-office disputes, investigating claims of discrimination or harassment, addressing disciplinary issues, and, when necessary, accepting resignations and handling terminations Keeping meticulous records and routinely auditing employment-related activities to comply with applicable employment laws And, if time permits, carving out time to work on proactive hiring strategies, strengthening company culture, enhancing workforce productivity and building a sound succession plan Is this a realistic description? Depending on how an in-house HR department is structured, various tasks may be shared among several HR generalists and specialists. Some companies choose to outsource administrative tasks like benefits, payroll, and workers comp and unemployment claims. For growing companies, though, this example is closer to reality than you might think. Many HR professionals are stretched too thin to respond effectively to their companys day-to-day demands. Unfortunately, everybody suffers: employees, managers, job candidates and more. Closing the black hole Consider partnering with a trusted outsourcing organization for more than just the most mundane HR tasks. A reputable professional employer organization (PEO) can offer certified HR experts, proven processes, and advanced technologies to support companies with recruiting initiatives, performance review processes, and specialized training programs. The result: increased HR productivity, reduced risk, and possibly reduced cost. When organizations partner with a PEO, not only are their HR departments relieved of many of the tedious administrative burdens associated with their day-to-day roles, says John W. Allen, president and COO at GA Partners, a leading nationwide PEO firm, but HR representatives are allotted more time and greater opportunities to focus on things that are impactful to their organizations, such as better employee training and management to help develop and grow their businesses. To hiring managers and candidates, your HR professionals arent unproductive, ineffective or intentionally unresponsive. Theyre just busy. From understanding the burdens and challenges of todays human resources professionals comes patience, empathy, and understanding. And it means you will work more effectively with your HR team.

Bank Teller Job Description For Resume

Bank Teller Job Description For ResumeA bank teller job description for resume will help any layman to understand how to go about the process of getting the job. People interested in this career should consider the bank jobs that require you to watch for oddities in the customers and activities in the teller's office. If you have been through this process in the past, you may be able to spot the differences now.Banks in most states are known to provide some of the best personal service for all their customers. The bank teller job description for resume will tell you if you have the ability to do so in your own way. Do not expect it to be done in a matter of days or weeks. It can take weeks or even months before you can get this kind of service from a bank.A bank teller job description for resume will show you the range of clients that are in the bank. You may even have to be paid just to watch for a customer in the bank. You may even be given a chance to take note of other unusual ac tions that a bank teller has taken. There is nothing wrong with showing people these kinds of things in your resume.When applying for a bank teller job description for resume, you should know how to find out if you qualify for the job. In order to get it, you will have to get yourself ready with what you want from the bank. This could include your CV, resume, cover letter, and work experience. The bank teller job description for resume will also help you in showing your ability to work with customers and observe them.When applying for a bank teller job description for resume, you need to be prepared for this kind of position. It is vital that you know everything about this job before you actually sign up for it. Once you have everything, then you may even have the authority to carry out certain tasks for the bank. This is a big advantage of applying for a bank teller job description for resume.The bank teller job description for resume will show you what it takes to become a bank te ller. You can determine whether or not you really want to be one. You will be allowed to follow the same rules for its employees as well. You will need to be allowed to do as the employees do.For those who are applying for a bank teller job description for resume, there are a few things that will help you stand out from the crowd. You will need to be able to maintain the usual activity that you carry out at the bank. If you do not have anything to offer, then you should not bother applying for the job. In fact, you may be asked to stop doing this job to give way to someone who does.Since the bank teller job description for resume will help you to know everything about the bank, you may want to be very cautious with your application. If you have doubts on applying for the job, then do not hesitate to ask the bank manager what he thinks about it. He may have already done some research about you. This can help you decide whether or not you want to apply for the job.