Importance of Diversity in the Workplace

Diversity in the workplace is of the utmost importance if you have the well-being of the company in mind. It creates an ecosystem in the workplace that accepts folks from different walks of life. If your company is valuing diversity in the office, they’re going to value it in the form of customers as well. However, if you really want your employees to see your customers irrespective of their color, race, or religion, it’s important that you start from your own office first. Here’s why diversity in the workplace will make or break your business.

Better Public Reputation

Your image in the eyes of the public can be crucial for the success of your company. A better reputation translates to increased sales, better fundings, and retention of customers. Becoming a diverse employer is sort of a trend now because of the consumers. Your clients are not going to like purchasing from a company that is racist against certain minorities. Moreover, if your company is visibly seen to be accepting of all races and culturally diverse, your consumers will pick up on that, and a good reputation with them goes a long way.

Improved Employee Retention

There’s a misconception in the world of business that all you need to do to become diverse is to hire people of color. That’s not the accurate meaning of the word ‘diverse.’ The word means that minorities shouldn’t just be allowed into your offices. They should be welcomed into it. The office should be a safe environment for them where they are treated as equals and, most importantly, treated with respect. If you can’t manage to do that, you’ll be bringing in colored individuals, but they’ll leave just as fast as they came in. By creating a safe workplace for them, you’re greatly increasing employee retention. This means that if a better job does pop up on their radar, they’ll consider staying just because of the way you treated them during their employment.

Increased Creativity

One of the most underrated benefits of a diverse workplace is the fact that there are tons of different people with significantly different lives that can provide different solutions to your problem. By hiring people from different backgrounds, you’re increasing the creativity in your office by bringing in the factor of some out-of-the-box solutions. These employees will look at the same problem in different ways and propose solutions that you might never have been able to come up with on your own.

Closing Thoughts

So, with that said, if you’re looking to find talented individuals from different walks of life, GoFar Recruitment is the perfect place to search for them. We bring together talent from all over the world to clients just like yourselves. Give us a call, and we’ll find some of the most experienced people out there for your company.

How to Thrive in a Virtual Workspace

During COVID-19, businesses around the world were forced to adapt to a virtual environment. It was a difficult transition, but at that time, the world was running entirely on the internet. With vaccines slowly being rolled out, that time is gone, and we’re now living in the time that will be called the post-COVID era. However, the truth is that they might have sounded unproductive at first, but virtual workspaces are far better when it comes to sheer productivity. Several fortune 500 companies are actually giving employees the option to work from home even after COVID. If your company is one of those and you want to continue down the virtual path, you’re in just the right place. Here are three ways to thrive in a virtual workspace.

Purchase the Correct Tools

A virtual requirement is only as good as the productivity tools you’re giving to your organization. Communication is one of the major issues in a virtual workspace. But, there are tools to make communication even better than it would be in a physical office space. Every company needs one of the following tools.

• An audio/video conferencing tool (Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, Skype)
• A messaging application (Slack, Asana, Discord)
• A work management app (Trello, Asana)

If you’re not sure which tool you should be purchasing for your company, almost all of them have free/trials available. Consider trying them out before you pay them the cash.

One-on-One Meetings and Check-Ins

No matter how good the planning is for the transition, the truth is that some people will not be able to adjust to the remote workspace as the others. It’s important to iron out the issues and make sure no team member is left behind. To keep tabs on your team’s capability to work online, conduct one-on-one meetings with employees and ask them what issues they’re facing in their workflow. Maybe they have hardware issues, maybe they don’t have decent internet, maybe they just can’t figure out the tech side of things. Virtual workspaces are new for everyone, and you should give everyone ample time to wrap their heads around them.

Allow Non-Work Related Conversations

One of the aspects of an office environment that take a serious blow is non-work-related conversations. In a remote workspace, there’s almost no way to talk about your favorite shows, the basketball game last night, Drake’s new album, etc. Most companies aren’t allowing room for those communication and taking all the socializing away from their business. If you’re looking to allow such conversations, create a dedicated text chat in your messaging application where people can chat about such stuff. Furthermore, allocate 10-15 minutes on daily meetings, so people have a chance to catch up. This would promote a healthy work culture that a virtual environment definitely needs.

Conclusion

Remote workspaces can be much more productive than an office. When you’re letting people stay in their comfort zone, they work faster and are capable of doing better quality work. If you’re looking to shift permanently to a remote workspace, you should definitely consider utilizing the three methods mentioned above.

15 in-demand jobs in 2021

LinkedIn data reveals the top 15 in-demand jobs in 2021 and the most important skills needed for each position.

A new report highlights the fastest-growing job areas over the past year, which are ranked based on a combination of demand and the number of jobs available.

What category do you fall into?

Six Things To Focus On Your CV

A strong CV is the first way to get noticed by potential employers and land job interviews.

Here are five essential things to focus on in your CV to maximise your chances of getting an interview.

1. Tailor your CV for each job

Recruiters screen through hundreds of applications, so you need to tailor your CV to the job requirements.

It helps your CV stand out and commands the recruiter’s attention.

Tip: Have a good understanding of the job’s requirements and use keywords.

2. Be Concise

Be as concise and straightforward as possible. Let your potential employer know what you are about in the first few sentences.

Put essential information in bullet points. Then, you can save detailed information for your interview session.

3. Explain career gaps

List any gap with a concise explanation.

Tip: If you are currently out of work, be proactive and take some online courses or volunteer roles. It shows you are ready to work and willing to learn.

4. Spelling Check

One of the main reasons CVs are rejected is spelling mistakes. So always check for spelling errors.

Also, pay attention to language. Use active words to increase the impact of your CV.

Read it once for content. Does what you’ve written make sense?

5. Avoid clichés.

Get a career professional to proofread it.

6. Don’t lie

Don’t invent skills you don’t have. Always tell the truth.

If you don’t have the required skill for the job, show that you are willing to learn. It increases your chances.

Five signs you are about to work for a difficult boss

Finding a job that ticks all the boxes (perfect job role, decent salary, and great benefits) is almost like finding a genie box.  But finding a suitable work environment is made all the more complicated by the fact that some workplaces are just purely toxic. Let’s face it: A toxic workplace is just about the worst situation anyone could end up in (we wouldn’t even wish it on anyone).

It can take a terrible toll on one’s physical and mental health. It brings down your self-esteem, productivity, creativity and causes you to overthink, lose sleep, and question everything you ever knew. And that’s why we have compiled an anti-difficult boss checklist to help you in your next job.

• Unequal work and life balance

Every job has its expected hours of work, whether you are an hourly worker or salary employee (It is usually included in the contract).

As an employee, you agree to work – whether part-time or full-time – an average number of hours. Anything beyond the agreed work hours is considered overtime and should be compensated – if you are an hourly worker while it does not mean an extra income for a salaried worker. You deserve fair pay for your time and skills.

Whatever your work contract details include, be mindful of the hours you put in. DO NOT work overtime – except in particular circumstances. Be WARY of bosses that request you do an extra hour or two to receive a late report or some other work-related issue. Remember to monitor your work and life balance. The fact that you are a professional doesn’t mean you should sacrifice the latter for the former.

• An ego-led boss       

If it looks like the boss or manager at the company is obsessed with him/herself, run! This type of boss thinks too highly of themselves, ignores the opinions of others, and their favorite words are “I”, “me”. In most cases, they sing their praises, fail to see their shortcomings, and their actions are fueled by their ego even during the interview session. It is either their way or no way.  This type of behavior tends to stunt creativity and wreak havoc on the employees’ mental health.

Except you enjoy second-guessing yourself, we’ll advise you to avoid a workplace with this kind of boss.

• Micromanagers 

Holding employees accountable is an essential part of any company or business. But it’s another thing entirely to micromanage. It is far from healthy if the boss monitors and hounds you at every turn and hour, even down to the simplest thing.

Micromanaging is an excellent example of a toxic boss and workplace. It’s a sign that the boss either doesn’t trust the employees to complete a task or that he/she is unable to delegate tasks and control. It usually leads one to second guess and death of creativity. Except you have complete control of your mental health, it’s usually best you walk away from such an environment.

• High turnover

Any company that lacks employee retention isn’t the ideal company you would want to work for. Lack of retention is a HUGE red flag. It’s a sure sign that the employees having brief careers due to internal issues. So, try to pinpoint why the company you are about to work for has a high turnover. Is it due to management issues? Unfit to lead bosses? Unfair wages? Poor treatment of employees?

Whatever the reason, pay attention to how often the turnover occurs. In the long run, it is a blazing red flag. Flee if you can.

• Lack of communication

Communication is vital in the workplace. A boss constantly changing his/her directives, policies and management is only taking you for a cartwheel ride. Lack of consistent communication is detrimental to not only the business and also the productivity of the employees.

It makes renders them inefficient and unproductive.  A good boss is transparent and clear in his communication. He informs his employees of any new change, message, and announcement.

In summary, he will keep his employees in the know.