Why Office Design Should Matter to HR Professionals

Why Office Design Should Matter to HR Professionals You would think that office design would only be something that facilities management would be concerned with. But as it turns out, office design is hugely important to HR professionals as well. This is because the space in which employees work has an impact on both the recruitment process and how well people perform in their respective roles. Office designs are evolving. Businesses are starting to see how detrimental the open-plan office is to productivity, team morale, and employee well-being. For HR professionals to truly excel in their careers, they should work to find effective solutions to these sorts of issues. And this means making office design a top priority. Let’s take a look at some of the key reasons why office design matters for HR. Recruitment Office design affects recruitment. The office design company K2 Space published a survey showing that nearly half (48%) of respondents agree that the room in which they’re interviewed in would have an impact on whether or not they would accept a job offer. This figure also changes depending on the industry. It increases for medical and health services (69%), sales and marketing (57%), and finance and accounting (53%). The research also highlighted that nearly a third (30%) of respondents thought their current office was out-dated, drab, and in need of change. Again, this figure changes for specific sectors. It rises for hospitality and leisure (45%), media and sales (40%), and legal (37%). Respondents identified particular issues relating to office design, including: A lack of natural light A lack of access to quiet areas for lunch, reading, and downtime Blandness Not enough privacy for calls, virtual meetings, and working without distractions It would be a shame for HR to find the perfect candidate for a role, only for that candidate to be put off when they are shown around the office. A noisy, crowded, smelly open-plan office could be reason enough for anyone to turn down a job offer. Attracting and retaining the best talent is crucial for any company’s success. So HR should ensure that candidates get a good impression of the office they could potentially be working in for years to come. Employee Engagement HR professionals are constantly trying to figure out how to boost employee engagement. This is because employee engagement is inextricably tied to productivity levels and staff retention rates. Office design is highly relevant in any discussion about levels of engagement in the workplace. But for HR professionals to offer employees an office space that will keep them engaged, they need to ask workers what they want out of their work environment. For example, employees may want good coffee, space, and resources that help them do their job, quiet zones, a café, and an abundance of breakout areas. HR professionals should pay attention to the needs of employees and find an office design that works for everyone. Having clearly defined areas for privacy deeply focused work, and collaboration is vital. This will ensure that employees can be as engaged as possible in the day. Employee Performance One of the main tasks of an HR professional is to implement a strategy that will enable employees to perform at their best. This means improving behaviors that are linked to performance, including communication, productivity, efficiency, collaboration, and creativity. Of course, training and development initiatives play an important role in employee performance. But office design matters too. As a case in point, the placement of each department can have a substantial effect on employees’ ability to collaborate effectively. HR professionals, therefore, need to think about which departments need to be close to each other and which ones don’t. Creating space for spontaneous collaboration can also be beneficial. HR professionals could benefit by looking at some of the research on how certain office design features influence productivity. For instance, a study from the University of Exeter showed that introducing office plants boosted workers’ creativity levels by 45% and productivity by 38%. Having plants in the office can also reduce stress and improve employees’ mood and ability to concentrate. Employee Wellbeing The ability of plants to improve our mood is something HR professionals should think about. After all, there is an undeniable link between mental health in the workplace and productivity levels. We also know that a major factor in employee well-being is the environment in which they work. A noisy and hectic work environment with a lack of privacy may be a major cause of stress for employees, leading to worsened mental health over time. In contrast, certain aspects of office design can help enhance employees’ mental health, such as: Privacy Access to natural light Air quality Quiet Workplace density Having a standing desk Well-being in the workplace should be one of the top priorities in any HR strategy. If the work environment is harming employees’ mental health, then this will lead to reduced productivity, focus, morale, and satisfaction, along with more days lost to ill health and higher turnover rates. If HR professionals pay closer attention to workplace design, they can ensure that employees view the company office as a place conducive for work, rather than somewhere they dread going to each day. Let’s not forget, employees are the backbone of every business. And the long-term success and growth of a company depend on how well HR can look after the needs and preferences of employees. This is why HR professionals should find out what employees want in an office and then work that research into their HR strategy. About the author:    Sam Woolfe writes for Inspiring Interns, which specializes in sourcing candidates for  internships  and  graduate jobs. He is particularly interested in self-development, psychology, mental health, and the future of work. Most of all, though, Sam is passionate about helping people find work that is meaningful and fulfilling. You can follow him on Twitter.

5 Social Media #JobSearch Articles You May Have Missed

5 Social Media #JobSearch Articles You May Have Missed We dont often do this, and I definitely dont promote others articles over mine ?? but these 5 social media articles are some of the best ones Career Geek Blog has had over the last few months. 7 Steps to Get Started on LinkedIn Faizan Patankar Do you know how to use LinkedIn? It gives you a quick update and a thorough explanation of how to go about getting set up on LinkedIn.  I always recommend that students and graduates should join the professional network  LinkedIn  as soon as possible. It is not just about uploading a CV or filling in some details. There are recruitment companies constantly searching for people to interview and bring to their organisations. Unfortunately, graduates think  LinkedIn is only for employed people, which is not true! So, have a read  and let me prove how useful LinkedIn could be for you Social Networks Can Help Your Job Search Landover Associates No, I am not  saying this. This post is actually written by a recruiting agent from Landover Associates, a technology recruiting company in New York.  For soon-to-be college grads and job seekers alike, it is important to stay on the lookout for opportunities that may present themselvesâ€"sometimes in the most unlikely of circumstances. Whether you are in line at the grocery store, an intern, or at an event, remember to market yourself. It is important to network throughout college and well after you have landed a position in your desired field. Read this article  and find out why 5 Steps to Get Started on Twitter as a Graduate Faizan Patankar Twitter for jobsearch. Twitter is no longer a newbie in social networking. The user numbers  are growing and there is a big increase in industry presence on Twitter. As a graduate, or someone looking for a job, Twitter is now a must-have job search tool. Here I present 5 steps to get started on Twitter  so read on and sign up if you havent already Learn to Love LinkedIn to Land a Job Emily Hankinson  If you are a college student and you don’t have a LinkedIn account, please don’t read any further until you do! Seriously, though. Did you go register? Good. Moving on then… How Graduates Can Use Pinterest for Employability Guest Post  If the job market is proving difficult to crack, then you’re going to need all the help you can get. Here are a few ways Pinterest can aid you in your quest to land that career and increase your employability photo credit: pasukaru76 via photopin cc 0

Top 5 Tips for Finding Success During Your Job Hunt

Top 5 Tips for Finding Success During Your Job Hunt Are you struggling with your job search? Looking for a new career can be a job in itself and unless you dedicate yourself to the task it will only become harder. Especially now that the job market will be flooded with graduates and leavers. Here is some key points to keep in mind: 1) Organise: The first things you should be doing to help keep you focused is to detail what your goals are and what you wish to achieve in the future. This could be as simple as setting a goal of how many applications you wish to submit a week to detailing where you expect to see yourself in 2, 5 or 10 years’ time. 2) Proactive: By: mdennes You need to be actively and constantly searching. Keep an eye out for jobs when you’re out, ask friends and family if they know of any job prospects. Now with the increase of online recruitment new jobs are becoming available all the time, so don’t forget to sign up to live job feeds. This means you won’t miss out on any opportunities. Also networking is a great way to find vacancies that may not be something you would have naturally found and with professional websites like LinkedIn that’s become even easier to do. Of course finding a job vacancy is only the first step on the road to getting a new career. Next comes the task of applying. It’s the process where you first get to showcase yourself to the prospective employer and is a “make or break” point. So what can you do to give yourself the best chance? 3) Research: Companies are not just looking for people with great qualifications but are also looking at how people with fit into their business values and goals. Make sure to research the company you apply to and find out what makes them tick and what they want to achieve. Also HR managers and departments can receive hundreds of job applications, so go the extra mile and try to find out who will be dealing with the vacancy you’re applying for. Ring the company directly and enquire politely or try finding out online and address your CV and Cover Letter to them personally. This will show that you are determined and are truly interested in the role. 4) Prepare: In this modern era many people have an online presence. Make sure when you are job hunting that you don’t sabotage yourself by having a controversial social profile. Many companies now view online networks like Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn and if they see that the majority of your activity isn’t in line with their company image then it could be a red mark next to your name. Also too many times people forget about the smaller things like their mobile phone voicemail. Take the time to create a professional voicemail message in case you miss that important call. 5) Personalise: So you have done all your research and prepared yourself, now comes the time to craft the CV and cover letter. It’s mentioned all the time but make sure to personalise each application to the role you’re applying. Your CV should be easy to read and show your previous employment which is standard but make sure to take your research and highlight your skills that are specific to the role. The cover letter (which hopefully is now addressed to the decision maker) should showcase your understanding of the advertised role, the employers’ goals and your desire and what you can offer to achieve them, mentioning any specific events that correlate to the vacancy and what positive solution you provided. Now with these steps you should be garnering more interest and hopefully fighting off the offers with a stick. Seriously though, these tips should help you not only help progress your job search, but as you research it will help you decide whether you truly want to work somewhere, as many times people with start working somewhere only to find that they don’t like the company or the role and will either leave or will become unhappy as they feel they need to stick with it. So happy job hunting and good luck. Author:  Jason Young is a Marketing Assistant at Blue Octopus. Blue Octopus specialise in online recruitment.

Show what you know the key to interview success

Show what you know the key to interview success The why questions are an integral part of any interview process. John Edwards, Graduate Recruitment Manager at the  BT Group, explains why they matter and how to answer them. Yes, its competitive Graduate recruitment selection processes are becoming more and more competitive as the leading universities globally deliver more and more highly qualified and talented students into the world of work. Do treat this as a competition, make yourself stand out from the crowd!  A key differentiator for most employers will be how passionate you are about the career choice you have made and why you have chosen to apply for a role in their company. Other candidates will have similar levels of experience and knowledge in your chosen subject as yourself, but can they demonstrate as much commitment and passion as you? Why this organisation? Do your homework on the organisation. Make sure you can answer the following: What is their customer base? Is it diverse or niche? What challenges do they face in the market? How are they tackling those challenges? How are they structured? Do they have different divisions? What do those divisions deliver? Does a particular aspect in the company really appeal to you? You need to get your facts straight. What do you know about share price (moving up or down?), revenue, turnover, employees, profit figures, recent announcements (good news or bad news). Be prepared to put your own personal spin on this â€" what does all this mean to you? Finally, you need to be absolutely convincing when asked, What attracts you to this company?. If you are going to spend 2-3 hours filling in an application form or you are going to travel to an interview or give up a day to attend an assessment centre, 30-60mins thinking about these things is time very well spent! Why this role? So, why have you chosen to apply for a certain role? Why have you made this career choice? It is likely that this will be your first real job outside of an internship. How have you reached the decision to be a software developer, an accountant, a consultant? Why do you want to work in marketing, HR, law? If you can’t answer these questions there will be other candidates who can! You need to make your reason compelling. Remember the person who will be interviewing you is likely to be passionate and committed to this area as they have a career in it already. If you come across as driven it is likely you will work hard to develop the skills and knowledge necessary to succeed and make a difference. This will make you stand out from your competition. And finally Be proud to talk about any research you have done. Do you follow any career specific press i.e. Personnel Today, People Management? What do you know about the CiPD. For marketing, do you follow certain marketing campaigns? Are there technology blogs that you follow? What have you done in your spare time to prepare yourself for your first step into this career choice? Work experience, job shadowing, conferences, events? Be creative and share what you have done on your application and in interviews. Perhaps all that seems like hard work and it is! But view at as an investment, do it in a committed way and you will reap the rewards on applications, in interviews and at assessment centres.

Career Opportunities in Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP)

Career Opportunities in Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) Enterprise resource planning evalERP building requires someone with a keen eye for details and a strong capability to say no. This person oversees development of new ERP systems, or the advancement of the previous version to accommodate new features.Big organizations need the director of ERP development since they rely on this system for their operations. He or she requires having a bachelor’s degree in computer science related course.Their specific duties include:Oversee all operations related to ERP in any organizationApprove recommendations for a new ERP or upgrade of the previous versionAssess the future needs of a company regarding ERP2. ERP Training ManagerAgain a training manager is only applicable in big companies which heavily rely on ERP, and their environment is prone to change any time â€" like the banking industry.The manager accepts what the developers come up with and passes it on to the employees who interact with the system through training. They need to be ahead o f any changes and understand their effect on the company goals.Their specific duties include the following:Organizing for training for staff whenever there is a change in ERP softwareInvite outside ERP experts to train the staff on the best ERP practicesAssess the training needs and plan for them3. ERP Application AnalystThis is the person who assesses the power of an ERP to meet the business’ needs. They will usually help to implement the ERP into a business, as well as provide maintenance services for it. They can recommend upgrades and oversee the same.They have the following job roles:evalDeveloping the ERP solutionsImplementing the ERP in the businessDeveloping the user manuals4. ERP TechnicalDeveloperThis is the person responsible for assessing all the possible technical challenges that the ERP is facing in the workplace. They need to have a background of deep interaction with ERP in different environments to understand It well.Once they know the challenges, they must come u p with strategic solutions to the challenges. They are crucial to the company as they help to oversee a smooth flow of the ERP in the ever-changing business environment.Their specific duties include the following:Frequent testing of the ERP systemPlans and schedules the ERP enhancement processesCheck each department and whether the ERP meets the intended goalsevalThe above career opportunities are available in the current business world, and more will keep coming up as the world is advancing in technology.