Why a More Relaxed Work Culture May Help You Get the Most out of Your Staff

Why a More Relaxed Work Culture May Help You Get the Most out of Your Staff The traditional idea among many employers is that, to keep a team of employees properly efficient and on-task, there needs to be a strict, no-nonsense office culture, where everyone knows exactly who’s in charge and where orders and regulations will not be questioned. As business culture has developed, however, many employers have come to see the benefits of a more relaxed office culture, whether the task being worked on is a cutting-edge identity verification service, or something far less technical. After all, with the notoriously relaxed office culture’s of some cutting-edge tech giants like Google, there’s got to be something to the idea of loosening up a bit. Here are some reasons why a more relaxed work culture may help you get the most out of your staff. Creativity is higher when people feel safe in communicating off-the-wall ideas David Allen, author of the best-selling book and productivity system, “Getting Things Done,” has noted that offices which put pressure on their employees to come up with “good ideas” usually have a severe shortage of such ideas, and often have to bring in outside consultants as a result. The whole issue here is in failing to understand how people think, and emphasizing the wrong parts of the process. In a creative setting, people don’t have “good ideas,” or “bad ideas,” they just have ideas. When they feel discouraged from sharing any ideas that aren’t going to be applauded as revolutionary, they clam up. When, on the other hand, people are encouraged to share any and all ideas in meetings, and know they can benefit from a broadly non-judgemental office culture, the discussion is much more likely to move on productively, and those golden creative insights can be gathered or worked towards. Remote working and flexible hours allow staff to work according to their energy levels Remote working arrangements have become vastly more popular in recent times, due in no small part to the ever-growing sophistication of the internet and computer technology. Allowing your staff the option to work remotely, or with flexible hours, may significantly boost their productivity for a number of reasons. First and foremost, because they can work according to the natural ebb and flow of their energy levels, and capitalize on their most productive hours, rather than having to grind during set office hours. Secondly, people are likely to work more intensely during the hours they do work, if they know they’ll be allowed to clock off early. As long as your staff keep meeting their deadlines and targets, what’s the harm in trying it? Staff are more likely to be loyal to the company when they feel well-treated Holding onto trained staff is a serious concern for most businesses, and various incentives exist to try and increase staff retention. Needless to say, the more well-treated your staff feel, the more likely they’ll be to work diligently, and to exhibit loyalty towards the company, rather than looking for greener pastures at every turn.

Intern Cities to Avoid without Hefty Financial Back-up - CareerAlley

Intern Cities to Avoid without Hefty Financial Back-up - CareerAlley We may receive compensation when you click on links to products from our partners. You may be one of the thousands of students and graduates every year considering moving overseas to enhance the CV and gain the sorts of work experience many employers apparently look for nowadays. China, the Middle East, Australia and South America are all popular internship destinations. But unless youve hefty financial back-up in the form of a wallet or purse bulging with credit cards and other such useful items, there are some cities you might perhaps want to avoid. So what cities might be worth giving the proverbial body swerve? Fortunately for you, the Xpatulator.com website has taken away all the guesswork. Theyve done the leg work for you. So if youre considering an overseas assignment you can access detailed cost of living ranking information on any one of 780 different locations across the world. Their online calculators also help you estimate the salary and benefits you will need to maintain the same purchasing power and standard of living you currently enjoy. Dalian, Chinas back door Chinas two largest cities, says Xpatulator.com, have been steadily climbing up the global cost of living rankings, with Shanghai breaking into the top twenty in 17th position. Beijing is not far behind, in 28th spot. Rising housing costs have made the biggest jump while everything from transportation to groceries has also been climbing. Dalian is another city that has a long history of foreign workers, but in terms of cost of living, ranks 227th. Compared to Shanghai, a luxury 3-bedroom suburban apartment will cost roughly half, at $1,271 USD per month. Getting around the city is cheaper too with taxi fares around 20% less. In 2006, China Daily News ranked Dalian as Chinas most liveable city. For western workers, companies like Dell and Intel both have manufacturing and administrative offices there. Bargain Budapest While many European capital cities like Stockholm, Paris and Oslo are near the top of the rankings, Budapest, the capital of Hungary, is a downright bargain. Well known as a cheap travel destination for many Europeans, Budapest is placed 536th out of the over 700 cities ranked by Xpatulator.com. Cape Town skills gap The South African city is actively promoting itself as a destination for foreign workers in key professions where it sees a skills gap. While unemployment in rural areas of South Africa is as high as 70%, due to a large number of unskilled workers, teachers, engineers, medical and IT workers are in high demand and are eligible for special work permits through the SA Department of Home Affairs. Despite its position as a global city, Cape Town ranks 550th on the Xpatulator.com global cost of living index. Comparing costs to another former colonial outpost, Sydney, Australia, its not hard to see why Cape Town is attracting attention among foreign workers. A Big Mac, costing the equivalent of $4.18 USD in Cape Town, will set you back $8.46 in Sydney. If paying double for a hamburger makes you think twice, compare the cost of private schooling. Yearly tuition at an international school in Cape Town averages $8,320 while you can expect to pay more than $20,000 in Sydney. Doha is doable It is. Doha, the capital of Qatar, may be listed as the Middle Easts most expensive city, but ranking 127th in the world makes its cost of living comparable with cities like Glasgow and Edmonton. Although many young Qatar nationals are entering the workforce, the country continues to rely heavily on expat workers. With generous compensation packages and relatively low cost of living, Qatar and its Middle East neighbours continue to attract top international talent. So the most expensive cities are? According to Xpatulator.com, the top 10 costliest cities are: 1) Luanda, Angola; 2) Caracas, Venezuela; 3) Oslo, Norway; 4) Singapore, Singapore; 5) Hong Kong, China; 6) Zurich, Switzerland; 7) Geneva, Switzerland; 8) Monaco, Monaco; 9) Tokyo, Japan; 10) Sydney, Australia. The full Xpatulator.com listing is available here. This is a Guest post. If you would like to submit a guest post to CareerAlley, please follow these guest post guidelines. Good luck in your search. Joey Trebif