We all know HR managers form an indispensable part of any firm. They are the ones primarily responsible for the smooth management of all the work, forming the bridge between the senior management and the lower-level employees, looking into the grievances of people at every level in an organization. Fights between employees, need to take an urgent leave, issues related to hiring and firing of people, you know that HR is your go-to person! In short, they act as the oil which is applied to the friction causing parts of the machine, to ensure that they work smoothly.

An HR blog is an online platform, where numerous articles about the kind of HR practices are posted. These may include posts from HR themselves, sharing their personal life experiences, or someone sharing various tips regarding a specific HR topic. Some blogs are even open for discussions, to provide a better idea for any specific concern raised. So, many HR companies use blogs, to generate more visibility for their firms, keep people updated about their recent activities and thus, in turn, hope to get more followers and thereby increase their business.

List of Best HR Blogs in India

Many HR blogs in India provide reliable and good-quality information regarding various HR questions that you might have in your mind. Take a look at the top HR blogs in India:

Zigsaw Consultancy

This Udaipur based consultancy firm has one motto, to get everyone in India a job, staffing and recruiting is their main agenda. A great blog with articles on a varied range of topics from best HR colleges in India to providing tips to HRs and managers on how to maintain a motivating environment at workplace, this blog has it all! Creative content on numerous aspects of HR makes this blog as one of the best and it should be on the top of your list!

People Matters

A pretty frequent blog, in updating articles on the current happenings in the HR world. People Matters also releases interviews with various leading HR heads to help aspire budding HR managers get an overview regarding the HR domain. It also organises various webinars, to keep people engaged, thus making this blog one of the front runners today!

People Strong Blog

A firm with a strong network base and great HR expertise, People Strong are one of the best in their field. Continuous update on the HR technology, with a variety of article on recruitment, work-life, payroll and many more, makes it a great read. Various articles on the effects of Covid-19 in the current situation, a huge archive dating back to the year 2008, this blog has too many great articles to satisfy your reading thirst.

ADP India HR Blog

Numerous blogs, case studies, an overview of various HR acts, this blog has it all. Articles relating to workplace trends, the maternity benefit act, talent management, talent retention, Salaries and wages are some of the many exciting articles that you can get your hands upon in this blog. Providing various HR solutions through their aim of personal touch helps them in maintaining their key position in the firm and makes their blog a valuable read.

Cute HR

A firm that provides HR software & management solution, team management, employee monitoring facilities and many more, also provides a great blog section, providing numerous articles on the HR policies. Along with the regular stuff, articles on various HR software makes it a tad bit different from the other HR blogs thereby earning a position in the top HR blogs of India.

Keka

An active blog, with a huge article list touching onto all the key aspects of the HR world. Pledged to simplify complex workflows and the provider of the employee-centric payroll software, this blog has a huge, never-ending list of HR-related topics, that you won’t be running out of any time soon! Any HR related query, this blog might have a solution to all of your problems!

Wise Step

Huge number of articles on different domains like HR, management, workplace, workforce, talent acquisition and talent retention, this blog hoards it all. Articles on HR analytics, HR policies, CV tip for HR and many more, this blog is filled with all this. This firm provides the solution for accelerated recruitment compiled with real-time analytics and intelligence thus being a veteran in the field of HR.

HR KATHA

As the slogan of the firm goes, “Human Resources Simplified!”, it lives up to its mission. Along with the articles, this also provides real-time updates about the current happenings in all the firms in their HR departments, thereby keeping the followers updated, thus making it a must to check out.

Sights in Plus

Sections like interviews, milestones, HR practices, hot topics, news and many more thus providing the users, different kinds of articles and videos that they can go through. Keeping everyone updated with the news section, popularising different kinds of HR practices, this blog caters to all different kinds of reading materials.

HUSYS

This firm aims to regularly update and thereby keep people updated with the interesting and insightful topics of HR segment, business and the world. HR consulting and HR operations are the fields they specialise in, thereby using their expertise to make people all over, keep updated.

QAspire

This award-winning blog from India by Tanmay Vora, has great insights not only in HR but also leadership, learning and changes. A blog running since 2006, Mr Vora has been ranked amongst the top Indian HR influencers on social media for 5 consecutive years, thereby sharing personal experiences, current trends, making his blog worth reading.

HR Success Talk Blog

Hundreds of articles on the blog relating to HR discussions, performance management, recruitment any more. This also offers an HR forum, for open discussions on various HR topics, which is a huge hit among the followers. It also provides the download option for various HR policies, letters and formats and many more thus providing different resources at one place.

The HR Blog

A unique way of providing information related to the various HR topics through interview questions, so that the readers can better connect it to the real-life experiences, gives this blog the edge that most of the other blog lags. Negotiation skills are also provided through articles written and thus it becomes one of the must-read blogs in everyone’s list.

These are some of the best HR blogs in India. The huge number of articles on various topics are provided here. Go through them, to pursue your interest in the field of HR. Keeping yourself updated with the happenings in all the sectors in the business is a great way to be ahead in the game. Amazing articles to binge upon, go through these to have an enriching experience.

The multi-rater feedback or 360 degree feedback is a kind of system where anonymous feedback will be gathered from different people about the member of staff they have working relationships. It is generally their peers, managers, subordinates, direct reports – so it is called “360 degrees”. It is designed so people will be able to share their views to offer a well-rounded view of an individual.

It is used mainly as the development tool as it offers information about the subject’s work competencies, working relationships, and behavior. It is mainly used for people higher up in an organization hierarchy.

What Does 360 Feedback Measure

• A 360 assessment offers feedback over how others perceive the employee
• A 360 feedback measures competencies and behaviors
• A 360 evaluation mainly focuses on subjective areas like character, teamwork, and leadership effectiveness
• 360 feedback checks skills like planning, listening, and goal-setting

What Does 360 Feedback Don’t Measure

• A 360 feedback isn’t the way to determine if an employee meets basic job needs
• A 360 feedback isn’t a way to measure the employee performance objectives
• A 360 feedback must not be used for measuring strictly objective things like sales quotas, attendance, and more.
• A 360 feedback isn’t focused on the basic technical and job-specific skills

A 360-degree feedback survey has several weaknesses but is mainly avoidable. It is because the majority of the weaknesses are mistakes that are linked over how this system is executed and explained.

Suppose effective training is offered and there’s a clear plan on how 360-degree feedback can be used then the problems disappear, and providing the organization with the anonymous, valid and reliable way of offering feedback for personal development.

Structured 360 Degree Survey

The 360 degree feedback works just by gathering the opinion of many people using the structured competency-based on questionnaires. It includes a combination of the scored questions designed over the set of administrative competencies (for example communication, leadership, analytical skills) as well as open-ended questions (”What does <person name> do that you want to see them do more?”) that are planned to give people a little freedom to give proper feedback outside their constraints of scored questions.

So, the management competencies that underpin these questionnaires will either be from the general-purpose set that we offer or made over the bespoke framework that will suit the customer and specific application.

Ongoing Learning

When the respondents and appraisee have completed the questionnaires then the results will be compiled in the 360 degree feedback survey report. So, respondents’ individual answers will not be identified in a report.

The personal feedback report will highlight the major differences between appraisee’s self-perception & feedback from others. Some of the critical areas for self-development are highlighted. The report becomes an important piece of evidence for supporting professional development planning and management.

It’s very important that the 360-degree feedback will be done fairly and sensitively and that an individual must stay in proper control of this process if possible. There must be enough planning and support for a participant. Those offering feedback must be encouraged to do so in a positive and objective way. Confidentiality of all the participants must be respected and feedback must be delivered and summarized to a recipient by a person trained in the feedback techniques. The appraisees must be offered support for feedback.

Image Source

Why do you Think 360 Degree Feedback Survey Works?

After years of studying outstanding individuals & identified the behaviors that make them very successful. The dictionaries of competencies are refined by the use in the blue-chip companies, and by the top-class psychologists and HR professionals, and trainers used to help to develop the top performers in the class.

How to Use the 360 degree Feedback?

A 360 degree feedback can be used best as the personal development tool and where the respondents can give anonymous feedback to a recipient that they might not have felt very comfortable giving in other formats. An outcome is feedback recipients will be made aware of how others perceive it, allowing them to adjust the behaviors and develop the skills accordingly.

It must form a part of an overall appraisal process however must not be used for measuring the performance since its main focus will be on the behavioral competencies when opposed to the job performance and requirements objectives.

Benefits of the 360 Degree Feedback

There’re many benefits of using a 360 degree feedback technique both for business and for an employee.

Benefits for Organizations

• It reinforces a strong link between behaviors, values, and competencies needed for a job role.
• It offers quantitative and qualitative data that will be properly analyzed on the departmental & company-wide basis.
• It promotes the company’s commitment to employee development that is the best recruitment & retention tool.
• It offers a transparent and fair process that encourages the open culture that truly values feedback.
• Employees are offered a sound understanding of their strengths or weaknesses that in turn offers them the basis for growth.

Benefits for Employees

• Providers them an opportunity to find the opinions of the people that they are working with & knowing how it compares to their thoughts
• Gets feedback from many different sources.
• Will improve teamwork through an increased understanding of how others perceive it.
• Puts more focus on personal development or what they do well and what has to be improved.
• Improves self-awareness

Disadvantages of 360 Degree Feedback

• Questions need to be rightly thought out and executed which means spending a little time putting this process together.
• People providing feedback may not feel very comfortable doing it and feel a bit stressed or pressured by its process.
• If feedback isn’t clear & well-communicated to an employee you may risk causing more tension amongst the employees.

The Final Takeaway 

Look, when 360 done properly, isn’t any silver bullet. Your development and training initiatives aren’t operating in the vacuum. If right practices are catered and timely expert advice is taken you will increase your chances of success. Many organizations may attest to how much power the well-executed 360 feedback will be.

Looking for highly skilled employees for your company? Register here on our platform to find.

When hiring any new employee, the company will send several correspondences before a particular role is filled. There are two crucial letters that a business will send, and they are an offer letter and appointment letter. An offer letter provides a position to the selected candidate, sets the compensation, or what the company requires from a new employee. And the appointment letter goes into additional details about a job and company itself that will ease an employee in a new position. Let us check out the major differences between offer letter and appointment letter:

What’s an Offer Letter?

If a company hires the job candidate, they will send the offer letter to make them know that they have got the job position. Every company formats offer letters differently, but this letter normally includes detailed information about their promised position & compensation. It might include several details about several other benefits that an employee can expect and joining date. The time period must give an employee a little time to leave from the current position. Suppose a company requires further information from an employee before its start date, like the birth certificate, professional licenses, or Social Security number; this letter will detail this.

This letter can normally state if an employee has to submit any background checks and drug tests before it gets official. An offer letter will state the deadline for an employee to react to an offer, and suppose there is not any response before the given date; the company can hire another applicant.

Also Read: How to Accept an Offer Letter via Email with Sample

What’s an Appointment Letter?

All companies do not issue any appointment letters, but companies who do won’t send any letter until an offer letter is accepted because the letters point specifics about a job that somebody needs to know after they accept the job appointment. An appointment letter generally includes complete details about where an employee must show up for the work, the start date of a position, expected work schedule as well as employee’s agreed salary that can be very different than stated in an offer letter if both the parties negotiated on the salary after an offer letter was handed over.

In many cases, the business will be reiterating information discussed with the job applicant during the interviews and offer letter. An appointment letter will be considered formal than an offer letter and will be often used as the contract or employment proof for the loan applications or other purposes.

The offer letter and the appointment letter are an important part of the recruitment cycle. The company hires new employees, and the process includes several tasks for a recruitment cycle. These letters are important letters in context to the final recruitment stages.

If an applicant clears all the interview rounds successfully and completes the criteria decided for a candidate, then he’s regarded as an appropriate candidate for a company. As he cleared all necessary rounds and has proved his suitability, the company offers him the letter, and the letter is called the offer letter.

Offer Letter includes:

• Salary package
• Position offered
• Date of joining

It might include complete details like medical plans and benefits that a company will provide. Besides this, the offer letter generally asks an applicant to submit the essential documents & certified copies. It is on an applicant to accept their offer or ask for any kind of negotiations. In some situations, the candidate will have a choice to reject an offer if it doesn’t meet their expectations.

Alternatively, an appointment letter is the next step after an offer letter. If a candidate is pleased with the company offers, and the documents offered by an application are verified successfully, then a company issues the appointment letter. The letter will be described as the guarantee from a company that the company is hiring an applicant. In the letter, the same information as the offer letter will be furnished, and in case any negotiations and changes are taken place, then agreed new terms are mentioned in the letter.

Difference between Offer Letter and Appointment Letter

1. The offer letter means that you’re negotiating with a candidate and finalized on the salary part. It is not the final document as a candidate will join or will not. The candidate has to accept this same by signing.
2. When an employee joins an organization, on the basis of their offer letter candidate will be liable to get an appointment letter. It gives details of the general terms of a company organization.

What should be included in an employment letter?

Employment letters come in various sizes and shapes, but will universally have some basic provisions:

• Title & duties
• Term of employment
• Compensation & benefits
• Exclusivity
• Termination
• Confidentiality
• Arbitration
• Severance pay

What should be included in an offer letter?

An offer letter must have the following provisions:

• Start date
• Position
• At-will employment statement
• Compensation

Besides the offer letter, certain jurisdictions need that employers offer non-exempt employees with notices at a time of hire in writing.

• Rate of pay, whether paid by an hour, day, week, shift, piece, salary, commission, or, including rates for overtime, when applicable
• Allowances took as a part of the minimum wage (tips, meal & lodging deductions)
• Regular payday decided by an employer
• Name of an employer, which includes DBA names that are used by an employer
• The physical address of an employment office or place of business, mailing address, in case different
• Telephone number of an employer
• Name, address and phone number of an employer workers’ insurance carrier

Wrapping Up 

So these are some important roles in the offer letter and appointment during the hiring stage of a company. People misunderstand it as interchangeably, but that is not a case. Both have got their use and importance. The above table will give you a clear differentiation between the offer letter and appointment letter.

We are living in an extremely fast-paced world, where no one seems to have the time to relax or take a breather. Everyone seems to have one or the other deadline hanging on their heads. It seems as if everyone is a part of this never-ending race, where one deadline leads to another and then another. In this kind of a demanding and challenging atmosphere, many employees feel the burden of it too much and seem to be physically, mentally and emotionally drained. This refers to as “employee burnout” and is a very common happening in today’s world thus re-emphasizing on the saying once again “All work and no play, makes Jack a dull boy!”.

Not being able to concentrate on the work at hand, being detached from what is going on, uncertainty relating to the work are some of the common symptoms that an employee suffering from burnout experiences. The disruption of the entire work-life balance affects the person so badly, that it is visible in his/her behaviour, attitude towards life. The person becomes more and more irritable, negative and may be inclined to take some dire actions. The person can suffer from various physical issues, mental issues, professional and even personal consequences.

Mental issues faced:

• Anger
• Anxiety
• Depression – Most common in today’s time
• Constant irritation
• Need for medical help

Physical issues faced:

• Headaches
• Stress
• Stomach aches
• Tiredness
• Type 2 diabetes
• High chances of developing high blood pressure
• High chances of heat-related illness
• High chances of death at an early age sue to excessive stress

Professional Consequences:

• Job dissatisfaction
• Uncertainty regarding the work submitted
• Staying away from large groups of colleagues/ friends
• Inability to do a satisfactory job

Personal Consequences:

• Withdrawl from family
• Becoming extremely irresponsible
• Alcohol/drug abuse
• Being careless with finances

Employee Burnout Causes

Employee burnout is becoming an extremely serious concern in the current-day workplace. There are many causes which leads to this kind of burnout, some of which are mentioned below:

• JOB SCOPE CREEP: When the duties listed on paper vary significantly from the duties assigned, this kind of mismatch is referred to as job creep. This happens mostly after the employee has spent a significant amount of time in the organization and thus the need of the job changes as the time passes. But still, a deviation from what the employee was brought on board seems to take a toll on many employees.
• LIMITED/ NO CHANCE OF CAREER PROGRESSION: Imagine, clocking in hours of work, day in and day out for nothing! It is irritating even listening to this right? There are many people who today are stuck in this endless loop and thus either try to figure out something else or at last, they have to bear the brunt of it.
• POOR COMMUNICATION BETWEEN ALL THE STAKEHOLDERS OF THE ORGANISATION: When the communication channel falters, then most of the decisions are taken by the higher-level management, without considering its impact on the overall organizational structure and thus the lower level employees suffer.
• HIGH-STRESS ENVIRONMENT WITH LONG HOURS OF SLOGGING: Employers need to understand that quantity does not equate quality. Not every individual who keeps on slogging for 14 hours will work much more than a sane-minded, distressed individual clocking the regular 9-5 job. Each employee needs to work on their pace within a relaxed environment to deliver their best and give back most to the company.
• POOR WORK CULTURE: Many times, the people in your vicinity, your colleagues, your manager, may not be the most positive force, but the constant ridicule, the constant dissatisfaction with the kind of work submitted, all these may lead to employee burnout.
• IMPROPER WORK-LIFE BALANCE: Giving all the attention to your work and nothing to time for relaxing and calming your brain, will eventually lead to burnout. Each machine needs fuelling, or it is bound to go haywire, similarly with the body and the brain, if it continuously works without giving it a break for relaxing, they too will suffer damages.
• FAVOURITISM IN THE COMPANY: Beating down the employee’s morale, by preferring someone over the other, leads to some serious issues. This creates an impression in the mind of the employees that whatever they do, they won’t ever be able to take the place of their boss’s favourite and this is enough to make their minds go in a spiral.
• NO TEAM-BUILDING ACTIVITIES: When there is no kind of communication between team members, obviously the team will fall apart. And everyone knows corporate life is a summation of various team projects, not “individual” ones! So, the team has to have a great camaraderie to perform nice, otherwise, it will lead to misunderstandings and eventually burnout of employees.
• NO EMPLOYEE RECOGNITION: Everyone deserves recognition for all the hard work one puts in. But nowadays, many companies just show their appreciation with some standard, same gifts for all the employees and thus, kill the motivation of the employees who genuinely worked hard.

Employee Burnout Cures

Well, this is a recurring issue in today’s time, but something needs to be done in to reduce it, to help in the retainment of top-performing employees so that they do not leave the organization to go search for something better. There are various ways that do serve as the cure for the employee burnout problem.

There are somethings that the employee can do themselves, to cure burnout. They are:

• BE MORE SOCIAL WITH COLLEAGUES: Engaging with people in groups, reducing the time spent alone, will help in the long run as it stops the brain from overthinking about the current ongoing issues. Being more interactive will also help build the bonding between the team and will also aid in the projects.
• STAY AWAY FROM NEGATIVE PEOPLE: Negative people have the power to drain out any kind of positivity left in you, so it is advisable to stay away from them, till you nurse yourself back to perfection.
• RESTORE THE WORK-LIFE BALANCE: Find some time for yourself apart from the work, give more time to pamper yourself, spend time with family will help phase out from burnout.
• FIND VALUE IN YOUR WORK: Always try to find something good in your work, your mundane life, find positivity, which might be a great booster.
• CORRECT YOUR SLEEP SCHEDULE: A body with adequate hours of sleep works properly and thus help reduce various illness. Thus, fixing up your sleep schedule must be of great help.
• EXERCISE/ MEDITATE REGULARLY: Who does not know about the powers of meditation and exercise? Regular physical activities have the power to improve the mood significantly!

Somethings that the employer can do to help cure the burnout of their employees are:

• PRAISE AND PROVIDE RECOGNITION: Every employee craves for the appreciation of the work done by him/her. Praising and providing necessary feedback helps boost the morale of the employees and keep their motivation intact!.
• ALWAYS BE APPROACHABLE: A boss who is always there for his/her employees, whether for professional problems or personal issues, is valued dearly. Empathy is the greatest emotion that one can show and thus it also bridges the gap and thus solve the problem of lack of communication.
• NO BIASEDNESS: Treating all your employees equally, showing no favouritism is the only ethical way, how any of the corporates should work.
• ENCOURAGE STRESS RELIEVERS: Sometimes workloads can be huge, but there is always a stress-free way of getting work done. Encourage these kinds of practices in the workplace.
• REDUCE OVERTIME: Encourage the employees to enjoy their “me-time” and not get bogged down by the continuous work-load, will help prevent as well as treat employee burnout.
• CLEAR JOB REQUIREMENTS AND EXPECTATIONS: Making it clear from the beginning what all re expected from the employee will help clear the air of misunderstanding between the employee and the employer and thus will lead to a much calmer work-environment.

Thus, employee burnout is a serious issue in today’s world but with some above-mentioned ways, it can be cured. Just letting things go and focusing on your mental health, is of top priority here and it will surely work wonders.

There are various job models available in the market today. One of those job models is called ‘telecommuting’ or ‘telework’. Within this arrangement, employees don’t have to travel to a central institution of work like an office. They can work from wherever they have taken up residence. Work from home is a form of telecommuting and in recent days, is becoming a very popular work arrangement!

The coronavirus pandemic has shut down many offices globally and employees have been forced indoors in their houses. Since organizations cannot shut down or stop functioning, the work from the home model has been adopted. Official workspaces have been created online and conferences are undertaken through video calls, thanks to today’s technology. All you need is a fresh mind and a good internet connection!

Given today’s scenario, working from home is the safest option. While frontline professions such as healthcare, security, and essential services don’t get work from the home pass, almost every other industry has converted to the digital mode. Many companies across the globe are even considering changing the permanent work arrangement to work from home, considering the ease of functioning and the employee’s comfort by working from his residence!

Like everything in this world, work from home has its pros as well as cons. While it is extremely easy and comfortable, it comes attached to its own set of risks. But it is a great profession arrangement to earn some money at the comfort of your house! So here’s a detailed study into the ‘work from home’ model, its challenges, and solutions.

Work from Home Challenges and Solutions

Despite having the freedom to not dress up and get ready for office, to work at our own pace and timeline, studies have shown that employee productivity and satisfaction has hit an all-time low due to this work model. As explicitly mentioned above, working from home comes with its challenges and some of them have been listed below.

1. Managing Projects

Any big corporation or company has multiple ongoing projects at the same time, and big projects require many people to run it.

One of the biggest challenges of remote working is project management. There are too many working parts of the project scattered across different places. To track the work of every project member becomes a gargantuan task for the management.

Managers are responsible to make every employee meet the deadline be it work from the office or work from home. Without having a physical presence, communication is more difficult, and keeping track of individual tasks is problematic, especially for complex projects and large teams.

Solution:

Multiple online tools could act as a manager for a remote project. These tools are inbuilt with functions that set specific goals for the employees and keep a track of the progress made by every individual on the team.

Some of these online tools are:

1. monday.com
2. Asana
3. Trello

Each of these online tools has paved a way for complete transparency and efficiency in managing a project remotely!

2. Team Collaborations

A project often requires multiple minds working on it simultaneously. This involves brainstorming and ideations on a common piece of document. In physical presence, it is easy to share documents, presentations, and memos without any holdbacks. But it becomes multiple times difficult to do the same through online modes.

Remote working highly limits a group of people interacting on the same piece of document for different places. There are a lot of technical difficulties and a lack of coordination faced by the team members.

Solution:

The basic go-to tool for online collaborations will always be google drive. Google drive provides all the basic requirements and creates an online hub where multiple people can edit or work on a document at the same time. Other features include a chatbox on the document page, where a document can be ideated by sharing views and opinions without any hassle. You can view the document being formed in real-time and make changes on the go!

Other tools like Slack, InVision, and Spark can also be used based on company requirements.

3. Productivity and Task Progress

Working at home has shown a stark decrease in employee productivity according to recent statistics. Home is the one place where you can be at absolute ease and sometimes become too comfortable! It also leads to problems like procrastination or deprioritizing which can in turn lead to a huge pile-up of work.

When different team members are scattered across different places, tracking their work activities becomes difficult. One snag in the process and the entire team suffers for it.

Solution:

The only way to solve this problem is to track the employees’ work in real-time. Online management tool such as Toggl or Status Hero shows the entire team as well as the manager about an employee’s work status. This pushes the worker to complete the given task on time and also enables the team to adjust their work as per their teammates. This leads to harmony and coordination within the team. Individuals can set up personal goals that enable them to finish the work within a set time frame.

4. Internet Connectivity and Time Zones

Multinational Corporations work across the globe from different countries. Employees could be working on the same project from two opposite ends of the world. This is where the problem of timezones will be factored in. A difference in time zones leads to miscommunication about deadlines and a mistiming in general. It could be a good night’s sleep for one employee while the other might be in peak working condition.

Another major factor for remote working is a good internet network.  The majority of any company’s work has been converted to an online database that cannot be accessed without a good internet connection. Slow speed internet or a lack of network coverage in the area might make it extremely difficult for an employee to work with the team.

Solution:

A good internet connection with a high-speed data flow router can be installed in the house for uninterrupted internet access. There is no other solution to that.

For dealing with timezones, companies can deploy online tools such as Calendar, in which employees can mark up slots of their free time and the work can be allocated in those slots.

5. Cyber Security

This is a problem faced by tech companies primarily. An online transfer of data can be highly dangerous as third parties have the access to hack such data. Also, downloading secure company information on a personal device can also make it accessible to unwanted entities. Data destruction by viruses is another con of remote working.

Solutions:

Request for a company-issued device at your residence if your management allows it. This will keep secure data off of the local servers. Companies mandate an encrypted line of communication for security. If your work has to be done on a personal computer, then install quality antiviruses and a private network for complete security.

Conclusion

Work from home is an extremely easy-going mode of working. It is comfortable and flexible, unlike rigid office regulations. However, a residential setting has a lot of distractions and can drop productivity to very low levels.

It’s like two sides of the same coin, one good, and the other bad! But we live in a techno-pro world where every problem has a solution!

So stay home, stay safe, and give your best!

A body is not a machine and thus it may rest from time to time to maintain the level of efficiency. Every employee of every company has the right to take some days off from their busy, hectic schedule and to just cool off. Leaves are extremely important to help maintain the work-life balance of an individual that helps them boost their productivity. All the companies whether governmental or non-governmental gives different types of leaves for all their employees and it’s the decision of the employees to use them either for sports, recreation, travelling or whatever helps them keep going!

Also Read: How to Write Leave Application for Office with Samples

Types of Leaves in a Company

Every employee has the right to various kinds of leave during his/her employment period.  Leaves can be classified into 2 broad categories:

• PAID LEAVES: The kind of leaves where the employee still receives the salary even if he/she takes a day off. There are certain amount of days already assigned as paid leave for the entire term of employment. So, these are the kind of leaves with pay. Generally taken during the time of accidents on duty, funeral, jury duty etc.
• UNPAID LEAVES: These are the leaves without pay. An urgent request of leave from the employee will result in an unpaid leave for the reasons not maintained under paid leaves. Like a medical check-up, urgent checking up on a relative and many more.

All the leaves can further be divided into 3 types:

• MANDATORY LEAVES: These are just like the holidays everyone used to get in schools and colleges without having the pay deducted. Holidays for certain religious festivals, off on weekends (which varies depending on the number of working days of an organization) and holidays on days of national importance.
• LEAVES: There are various kinds of leaves assigned by the companies, a curated list of which is given below:
  • MEDICAL LEAVE/ SICK LEAVE: The only kind of leave, that does not require prior intimation. A sick leave is generally taken when the employee is suffering form some kind of illness and leaves are required to get better. The range of sick leaves varies from 12-15 days available for the employee to use, which can be extended further in case of serious illness and if not redeemed can be carried forward to the next year. After two days of sick leave, a report from a trusted medical practitioner must be produced.
  • CASUAL LEAVE: Running in the range of 5-15 days, casual leaves can be used by prior informing the employer. This is generally taken by the employees when they want to give their personal life an upper hand compared to the professional life like in case of attending marriages, taking vacations. These kinds of leaves cannot be taken forward and holidays are not counted while counting casual leaves if they occur in the period between casual leaves.
  • MATERNITY LEAVES: These kinds of leaves are only for the women employees who plan on having a baby during their period of engagement. Expecting/ New mothers can take up to 3 months of paid leave to take care of the new-born baby, which can be extended up to 26 weeks with half pay and till 16 months of unpaid leaves. Maternity leaves can also be taken at the time of abortion or miscarriage, but then the duration of the leaves is curtailed.
  • PATERNITY LEAVES: Fathers of new born child or men who have adopted a child, are entitled to take 10 days to 2 weeks of paternity leave. Though not mandated by law, so it may or may not be provided by all the companies, but it depends on the HR of the companies. Paternity leaves can generally be taken within 1 month of the birth of the baby, to help take care of the child as well as the recovering wife.
  • PRIVILEGE LEAVE/ EARNED LEAVE: As the name suggests, these kinds of leaves are earned as a part of working for the organization, for a fixed period of time. These leaves are paid leaves and can be used after prior information. These leaves can be encashed or can be carried forward for a time period of 3 years. This type of leave, cannot be claimed for more than 3 times a year.
  • STUDY LEAVES/ SABBATICAL LEAVES: A leave which is of much longer duration than most of the other leaves. These leaves, mostly unpaid, are generally provided to the employees to upskill their knowledge base, like if the employee wants to study further, so that the person can be of more value to the company after he/she rejoins. Sabbatical leaves are generally granted after the employee has loyally worked for the organization for a stretch of more than 3 years and the leave stretches for a period of 6 months to the entire duration of the course.
  • QUARANTINE LEAVES: A rare kind of leave, mostly given when the employee is suffering from an infectious disease than can also be very harmful for other people of the organization.
  • BEREAVEMENT LEAVES: May not be a mandatory leave, but a sudden death of some loved one, leaves a hole in the heart than can’t be filled. Compassionate enough HRs may provide hassle free policies to use this leave for a period of 3-7 days, so that the employee can deal with the pain of sudden loss.
  • HALF PAY LEAVES: Not all organizations provide these kinds of leaves, generally government organizations do, where the employees can take leaves up to 20 days and will get half day salary for each day of leave taken. The employees are entitled to have these leaves only after they have worked for the company for a stipulated period of time.
  • UNPAID LEAVES: When all the leaves in the leave basket of the employee gets over, and the employee needs to take a leave, then those leaves will entail a pay cut.
• NON LEAVES: 3 kinds of non leaves are there that are offered by the company. They are:
  • COMPENSATORY LEAVES: This can be considered as bonus for the employees, who put in extra hours of hard-work. Also, employees who work on an off day, are eligible for this leave. The employees are generally automatically informed if they have a compensatory leave remaining.
  • WORK FROM HOME: In this, the employee still has to work, but the employee can choose to do so from the comforts of his/ her own house, which also helps the employee to maintain the work-life balance and thus work with much less pressure.
  • FIELD WORK: For research purposes, many companies allow the employees to go out in the field and thus analyse according to their requirements. This is not considered a leave but a working day as the employee is working, but just not in the four walls of the office.

These are almost all the kinds of leaves that all the offices in India provides. Having a proper knowledge regarding the various kind of leaves can come handy and is good to have a knowledge about. Leaves are the rights of the employees and thus must be enjoyed to the fullest after days of hard work.

Image Source: https://www.hcamag.com/au/news/opinion-and-best-practice/why-personal-leave-is-a-hot-topic/180201

Gifts in any form are always valued. Be it from a loved one, a friend, a family member or any known acquaintance. Gifts are generally given to show appreciation to the person being gifted to. Appreciating someone’s presence always helps in fostering positive long-term relations with people. So, in today’s time, more than ever, employees need to be made aware regularly, by their superiors about the important role they play in company’s functioning and to prove that they are extremely valuable to the company. So, what better way than to appreciate their efforts than through gifts?

Corporate gifting, though going on for years, has gained popularity in recent years. More and more companies are putting their best foot forward to maintain the best company employee relations in the hope of making the employees feel valued and thus keeping the best of the lot retained. Amidst the ongoing pandemic, these small acts of appreciation must be on the top of the employer’s list, to help boost the employee’s dedication and motivate his/her team in these tough times.

Never do These

Some of the things to be kept in mind before deciding on what to gift your employees are:

• Do not be promotional: Avoid gifting your employees something that screams of promotion of your company. This generally does not go well with the employees and can work opposite to the way you intended for your gifts to work.
• Be appropriate: Gifting a personalized memento is great for you to motivate your employee, but there is a fine line between gifting something personalized and being too personal. So, be careful!
• Do not compromise on quality: Not gifting something is way better than gifting something of cheap quality to your favourite employee. It creates an impression of being a meagre boss, which you don’t want to be called!
• Do not be biased: A big NO for any employer when running a business is to show favouritism. Not only is this practice unethical but it will portray you in a bad light and will instil this notion in the minds of your employees that whatever they do, they are never going to match to the level of your “favourite person” and they start to slack off.

Best Corporate Gift Ideas for Employees

Below are some of the various corporate gifting ideas, for your employees to make them feel special:

Personalized Gifts

Any gift item with a personalized message for the employee, will tug at their heartstrings and will make you one special boss. This kind of gift gives the impression that the employee is valuable enough for you to take some time out from your busy schedule and appreciate them to make them feel special.

Electronics

Fitness bands, watches, portable speakers, earphones, power banks, wireless charging pads and many more are very popular as gift ideas for the new-age employees. These kinds of gifts are appreciated and in trend nowadays.

Gift Cards

One of the most widely used gifting options, gift coupons from various e-commerce websites like Amazon, Flipkart, Snapdeal works best when you are not sure what to gift and at the same time want your employee to have something that they like!

Personal Care Products:

Who does not love various products that help take great care of their bodies? Gifting something in this domain is also a good idea. A gift hamper of personal care products like wipes, sanitizers, shaving accessories, lip balms, essential oils and many more serves as a great gifting option.

Desk Accessories

Something that serves as a constant reminder to your employee that they are valued, what better than a gift that they keep on their desk and see it regularly? Journals, photo frames, a huge amount of stationaries, notebooks, folders, desk clocks and many more come under these criteria.

Flowers, Chocolates and Cakes

Who can break the age-old charm of a chocolate box and a bouquet to go with it? Though old, but it still works it’s magic even today. Gifting this on a special occasion of your employee’s birthday or his/her special day will help bring a smile on their faces.

Books

Gifting knowledge to anyone is one of the best gifts anyone can gift. Books have their charm, but not everyone is an avid reader. So, make sure to do some background research before gifting a great set of books to your employee!

Small Plants

Who does not like some greenery? A potted plant, a small bonsai, bamboo, oak, some small indoor plant serves as a great gifting option. A little bit green on the desk, indoor garden, someplace at home is bound to get the mood refreshed and serves as a great motivator.

Planned Trips/Paid Holidays

Sending off your employee to a great holiday is probably one of the best ways to express your gratitude for their outstanding performance. Even giving days off to help them enjoy some peaceful moments with their near and dear ones is a great way to make them feel valued.

Spa Bookings

Who does not like to relax after a hard-working day? Booking a spa appointment for your employee will communicate your message very clearly and your employee will remember it for many days to come.

A Wine Basket

A basket filled with imported wine to help celebrate their contribution to the company is a classy way to show your employees of their importance in the organization, which is highly appreciated by them.

Drink Wares

Drink wares serve as one of the most popular gifting items for the employees. There is a huge range of options from which you can choose, like the stainless steel one, to flask bottles, to strainer bottles with some cute quotes written on them or personalized, which serve as a great gifting option.

Accessories

Sunglasses, office bags, watches, pen drives, bottles, perfumes, keychains, cardholders are some of the accessories that can be gifted to your employees.

These are some of the gift items that would be loved by your employees if you gift them. Everyone loves to be appreciated for all the hard work that they put in. This is the time to show a bit more love to all those working, make them feel special, motivate them, tell them that they are valued. Spreading happiness will eventually reflect in their work too, and a happy employee will take a company to great heights. So, keep on appreciating employees so that they continue with their good work.

“ … There’s a spark in you, you just gotta ignite the light..”

-Singer Katy Perry in her song ‘Firework’

Motivation. It is a very powerful word. It has the power to change the tide of wars! It is implied that with a strong push in the right direction, any organization can achieve targets that it has set its eyes upon.

In the corporate world, employees are the building blocks of a company. One block crumbles and it triggers a reaction that affects the whole organization. This is where employee motivation gets factored in.

There are several reasons why employee motivation is vital. The primary aspect is meeting the goals set up by the management. It increases employee productivity and efficiency. With the correct motivation and incentive, an employee will be pushed to produce quality work to the best of his abilities.

The right motivation involves the usage of just the right words. The right words can do wonders in igniting the fire of perseverance in a person. Here are some of the most influential employee motivational quotes that any employer can deploy as his motivational arsenal.

Best Motivational Quotes for Employees and Workplace

1. “Whether you think you can, or you think you can’t – you’re right.” —Henry Ford

2. “Becoming is better than being.” —Carol Dweck, Mindset

3. “I know not all that may be coming, but be it what it will, I’ll go to it laughing.” —Herman Melville, Moby Dick

4. “The sun himself is weak when he first rises, and gathers strength and courage as the day gets on.” —Charles Dickens, The Old Curiosity Shop

5. “How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world.” —Anne Frank, The Diary of a Young Girl

6. “Oh yes, the past can hurt. But you can either run from it, or learn from it.” —Rafiki, The Lion King

7. “If I had nine hours to chop down a tree, I’d spend the first six sharpening my axe.” —Abraham Lincoln

8. “It’s life. You don’t figure it out. You just climb up on the beast and ride.” ―Rebecca Wells, Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood

9. “There’s zero correlation between being the best talker and having the best ideas.” —Susan Cain, Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking

10. “Unless someone like you care a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better, it’s not.” —Dr. Suess, the Lorax

11. “A proud heart can survive general failure because such a failure does not prick its pride. It is more difficult and more bitter when a man fails alone”. —Chinua Achebe, Things Fall Apart

12. “You will never plough a field if you only turn it over in your mind.” —Irish Proverb

13. “If you hire people just because they can do a job, they’ll work for your money. But if you hire people who believe what you believe, they’ll work for you with blood and sweat and tears.” —Simon Sinek

14. “Genius is born—not paid.” —Oscar Wilde

15. “The power of imagination makes us infinite.” —John Muir

16. “Luck is a matter of preparation meeting opportunity.” —Seneca

17. “Don’t persuade, defend or interrupt. Be curious, be conversational, be real. And listen.” — Elizabeth Lesser

18. “Failure is the condiment that gives success its flavor.” —Truman Capote

19. “An innovator is one who does not know it cannot be done.” —R.A. Mashelkar

20. “I am not a product of my circumstances. I am a product of my decisions.” —Stephen Covey

21. “We can’t solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them.” – Einstein

22. “The secret of change is to focus all of your energy, not on fighting the old, but on building the new.” – Socrates

23. “If the only tool you have is a hammer, you tend to see every problem as a nail.” – Abraham Maslow

24. “It takes courage to step off of the familiar to embrace the new and unknown future. But when you do, the possibilities are endless.” – Successories

25. “In the confrontation between the river and the rock, the river always wins…not through strength but by perseverance.” – Successories

26. “Take the initiative and lead the way. You can make the difference.” – Successories

27. “A leader’s job is to look into the future, and to see the organization not as it is…but as it can become.” – Successories

28. “The secret of getting ahead, is getting started.” – Mark Twain

29. “When your work speaks for itself, don’t interrupt.” – Henry J. Kaiser

30. “Well done, is better than well said.” – Benjamin Franklin

31. “Success means doing the best we can with what we have. Success is the doing, not the getting; in the trying, not the triumph. Success is a personal standard, reaching for the highest that is in us, becoming all that we can be.” – Zig Ziglar

32. “Do not be embarrassed by your failures, learn from them and start again.” – Richard Branson”

33. “Success is going from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm.” – Winston Churchill

34. “Some people want it to happen, some wish it would happen, others make it happen.” – Michael Jordan

35. “Approach every challenge with a level head, unwavering focus and a determination to light the way for others to succeed.” – Successories

36. “Courage is rightly esteemed the first of human qualities because it is the quality which guarantees all others.” – Winston Churchill

37. “Discipline is the bridge between goals and accomplishments.” – Successories

38. “It is attitude, not circumstance, that makes success possible in even the most unlikely conditions.” – Successories

39. “The road to success is sometimes long and arduous. It takes unwavering commitment and a will to succeed in order to complete the journey.” – Successories

40. “Success is not by chance, it takes someone willing to climb a mountain full of obstacles and challenges. It may seem insurmountable from a distance, but if you imagine with all your mind and believe with all your heart, you will reach the top.” – Successories

41. “Successful is the person who has lived well, laughed often and loved much, who has gained the respect of children, who leaves the world better than they found it, who has never lacked appreciation for the earth’s beauty, who never fails to look for the best in others or give the best of themselves.” – Successories

42. “Greatness is not in where we stand, but in what direction we are moving. We must sail sometimes with the wind and sometimes against it – but sail we must and not drift, nor lie at anchor.” – Oliver Wendell Holmes

43. “Every morning in Africa, a gazelle wakes up. It knows it must run faster than the fastest lion or it will be killed…every morning a lion wakes up. It knows it must outrun the slowest gazelle or it will starve to death. It doesn’t matter whether you are a lion or a gazelle…when the sun comes up, you’d better be running.” – Proverb

44. “Change is life giving. It helps us grow into someone greater than we already are.” – Successories

45. “Amateurs sit and wait for inspiration, the rest of us just get up and go to work.” – Stephen King

46. “Things may come to those who wait, but only the things left by those who hustle.” – Abraham Lincoln

47. “Take the first step in faith. You don’t have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step.” – Martink Luther King Jr.

48. “The day is what you make it! So why not make it a great one?” – Steve Schulte

49. “It’s not the load that breaks you down, it’s the way you carry it.” – Lou Holtz

50. “Believe you can and you are halfway there.” – Theodore Roosevelt

As an employer, you are put in a position with the power to make or break your employees. You have the power to shape their lives as an individual. With the right motivation, employees can achieve new heights of corporate excellence!