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ripuels · 4 years

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For @outreotter <3

(Another one that got way out of hand, also I haven’t managed to read over it mine soul is on Jupiter locked in a fridge sorry. Posting it as text under the cut because tumblr remains awful about my ask box~)

“If you're in some kind of trouble, you can tell me.” Christopher doesn't steer far from her hip as he welcomes her into the lounge room and she falls into the couch.

“What makes you think I'm in trouble?”

The responding look is one of disbelief, he hardly has to be reminded who he's talking to.

“Okay, okay sure. I'm avoiding someone, and your- the door wasn't locked, and I thought-” Amanda sees the incredulous synthetic stand opposite, arms folding across his chest, “oh my God, this was such a bad idea. I'm just- yeah, I'm gonna go.”

“Wait!” Samuels catches her with urgency, she freezes at the edge of the couch. “Stay, for a tea? I haven't seen you in a year, it's been odd to say the least, and concerning- the radio silence after all we've been through, and suddenly you're in my hallway, I- it would be nice, to catch up.”

She sits back down, nodding slowly. “Tea never hurt anyone. But just tea, then I gotta get back to work.”

“Amy- Ripley,” he corrects himself as she flinches to a microscopic degree, “it's Sunday.”

She knows what he's getting at, calling her out on any reason to leave in a hurry. “Is it?” Her voice drags with a heavy sarcasm even Christopher couldn't miss. “I had no idea. Mostly because I've been working non-stop for about five weeks. Fucking staff cuts left us with half the crew and double the work, and I can't even complain because I'm one of the fortunate ones who still has a job. And-”

Samuels watches as she sinks comfortably into the couch pillows, ankle crossed over the other knee. It's funny that such a simple movement reminds him how flexible she is, especially her hips.

“Sorry,” she groans and scrubs at her eyes, “that's exactly what I'm doing right now isn't it?”

“It’s quite alright. I'm interested and happy to listen.”

“It’s just, my whole crew was made up of contractors, once their time was up, they didn't want to bother renewing and The Company saw the opportunity to save some dollars.” Amanda huffs, “fuck all the rest of us I guess.”

Samuels nods compassionately, pacing over to the kitchen to put the kettle on, leaning over his elbows on the bench. It's amazing how unique this synthetic has developed compared to all the others, since the breakup she had never struggled to speak to other Samuels units, though identical, she never saw his face in them. But him, Christopher, he could be standing amongst a hundred others and he'd be the sole blip on her radar.

“You're obviously not easily replaced,” he means it in more ways than one, “maybe take it higher to HR, they could always steer you in the right direction. I’d be happy to help, if you needed anything from Legal-?”

Ripley smiles, pulling her hair over her shoulder and sliding her forearm behind her head. “Any excuse, you haven't changed a bit,” she laughs, definitely joking though not far wrong, “but I don't want to bug you for help. You've done enough for me after everything, and I already owe more than I could pay you back in years.”

“We had years,” Christopher says simply, fondly, an ease in his voice that Amanda can't tell is reminiscing or final. Or which one she would prefer it to be. “And they were good years. Consider your debt paid. However nonexistent it is.”

She gently scratches her fingertips in the hair behind her ear, letting out a resigned sigh as he prepares a few mugs.

“How long have you been back?”

“Two months.” She says with a hard stare. He doesn’t look upset or surprised by the fact that she hadn’t called around to visit, but curious. “I moved in with- with someone, in the hab units, y’know the permanent accommodation ones? By the bay. Nice view, but really quiet.” By that, she means lonely. “Figure I may as well set myself up if I’m going to be around for a while.”

“Oh, I see. Have you…” He starts, taking a moment to compose himself a little better, stripping the desperation out of his voice. “Have you found someone? Human?” He adds a little unnecessarily.

After him? Hell no, she thinks. She had her shot at love, at life, at everything, and she blew it. What the fuck would she even do with a new lover but silently wish they were someone else? Someone in particular.

“No, God no. I've just, been around.” She says nonchalantly, which isn't a total lie. A few dates, made a few more friends, he always said she needed more of them.

“Anyone right now?”

Amanda doesn't mean to laugh, a little sadly, looking directly at him. “Always.”

“Oh.”

The synthetic doesn't seem surprised by the revelation, in fact, he doesn't look anything.

“Dammit, Chris. Have you turned your emotional programming off again?” Amanda knows him, and knows he is smarter than to lie to her, so he stays quiet. “You're getting worryingly good at faking it. Even convinced me for a while there. Why the hell?”

Samuels tugs his tie loose with a finger, a movement usually telling of his synthetic measure of anxiety. This time however, it looks more habitual. His face is icy, unbothered, his eyes relaxed under a numb brow. “I found it easier to function.” To cope. “How did you know?”

Ripley gets up and wanders to the other side of the bench, hands wringing at the edge of it. “Because this isn't you, Samuels. Even before you met me you were emotional, sentimental, and now you're just- just like all the others. But worse actually, because you're choosing to be.”

As if she hadn't spoken at all, he finds another subject. One he would experience an immeasurable amount of panic over had he been able to feel anything at all. ��Did you ever find any more answers?” His controlled hand pours boiling water into two mugs. “To the whereabouts of Ellen?”

“No, and turns out I didn't want them anyway.” Amanda doesn't need to try to sound convincing. “It's a huge universe out there and I could look for my entire life, waste- my entire life, and not even get a net to the bottom. I'm finished. It's what she would have wanted, I think.”

“I believe you're right. It's what we all wanted for you. To find some peace.”

“Closure.” She smiles weakly and he nods. “I’m getting there. One step at a time. First things first, I still gotta settle into my new joint. Make it, I don’t know, comfortable. Like this place.”

“You're always welcome to stay here. It is half your house too.” Christopher stops himself from saying home, something it hasn't been in over twelve months. “There is a spare room or two.”

“I couldn't intrude like that. You probably have a whole social group, a girlfriend, boyfriend, both, who knows. Feels wrong to kick your door down so suddenly,” she says, a little downhearted. The synthetic opens his mouth to assure her he absolutely doesn't, but she trudges onward. “Thanks though, Chris. I’ll keep it in mind.”

He resigns to nod, knowing first hand that corralling this woman never ended well in the past. “Offer isn't retractable, not that you won't let yourself in anyway. Clearly.”

Amanda takes her tea with a thankful smile, leaning on her elbows. The man across mirroring her. “Hey, yeah.” She rests the rim of the mug to her chin. “Why was the door unlocked?”

“It’s silly, really.” He finally looks away, perhaps considering dishonesty. “I haven't locked it since you left, since I didn't know if you still had a key or not. I'm not sure what possesses me to do it, but I thought of this place as a safe haven of sorts, for if you ever need.” He finds himself looking into the face of a woman who knows her soul is being x-rayed. “Good thing too, came in as a handy sanctuary, from mysterious pursuers.”

At this she rolls her eyes. “Okay, you got me. There wasn't actually anyone, I just wanted to drop in but something came over me. It was as if-” she takes a sip and shrugs, “it was just dumb.”

“As if what?”

“As if- I was coming home I guess. I was just going to knock but before I knew it, I was standing in the hallway, and then you were there and, yeah, I panicked.” She finds herself smiling along with him. “You should turn it back on, by the way. Your feelings. It's not fair that I'm here all shaky knees and racing heart and you're just a slab of limestone.”

His face falls. “I don't think that's a very good idea.”

“Why? What's wrong?”

Samuels straightens off the bench. “It just isn't.”

Amanda doesn't push. “Y'know, if you need someone to talk to, support, I'm here. I might not have always been but, I am now.”

He thinks for a moment, remembering the times when his ex-lover would break down between his legs in the bath, against the wall of the hallway, when he came home to her tiny frame hunkered behind the couch, terrified, knife in her defensive hand and sweat beading on her forehead. She'd always let him be there, let him in, and he never allowed her the slightest room for guilt.

It had been months since Samuels felt anything, since he became lost in processing grief, regret, anxiety. Why would she leave? How could she? Would she ever come back? But above all, could she ever come back? He knew Amanda would follow the trail until the end, whether it be of the line, or her life.

If he were to tune into all of that now, should the dam crumble, he doesn't think she should be around to see it. But if she leaves, it may be for good, truly, this chance as fleeting as her.

“Amanda, I- I would, but I haven't- not in a long time. I have reason to err on the side of caution, that it may not be something you want to witness.” Samuels' report is composed, even as he fidgets with the mug handle. “I have no clue what to expect, but suspect it will not be pleasant.”

“Keeping shit bottled up is only going to break you. I’m not going to push, but let me help you, if you need. Anything. No expiry date.”

Samuels rubs his hair back, disturbing the perfect form that somehow always defied not only the weather, but her playful tussling. He seems defeated by the fact that he has nothing to lose. “Could I-” he starts, placing his drink down, “Could I just trouble you for a hug?”

Amanda recoils, she doesn't know why her reaction is of surprise, not until she remembers where they stand. Square one. Or perhaps more accurately, not even on the same tile at all. “Yeah, course you can.”

She takes the initiative to wander over and feed her hands under his arms, dragging them together tightly around his chest. Without hesitation he takes her around the shoulders.

He hasn't changed a bit, still warmer than he should be, still wearing the same deliciously oaky cologne she brought a few Christmases ago. The one he wore because he was convinced he smelled of chemicals. Like new silicone baking trays. Amongst other things. And he still holds her as if she is vanishing before his very eyes.

Now more than ever, she thinks. Even at her scariest, most dire moments, when his hand was the only thing holding her to the face of the Earth, he never squeezed so desperately.

“Samuels,” she whispers, turning her face from his shoulder to nestle into the crook of his neck. His grip eases as if foreseeing the 'you're hurting me' or 'that's enough now' coming. “When was the last time you had a rest cycle?”

“Since the morning.”

“You sleeping every day now?” Amanda steps back hesitantly, her thumbs rubbing his forearms.

“No,” he clarifies. “The morning I woke up and you were gone.”

Her heart gives a punishing ache, but presented with the opportunity to make things right, she wasn’t going to screw it up again. “’Kaye. C’mon. Bed with you. Now.”

“I'd rather be here. You're due to go to work soon and I haven’t seen you in-”

“Fuck work. You need me. You need somebody.” She wriggles up behind him shoves his waist forward. “Rest cycle for you, then if you want, I'll duck out and pick up some dinner. Maybe Italian and a bottle of wine, and if you're really lucky, or the wine is good, I'll stay the night. But only if you’re prepared to turn everything back on over dinner and we talk about this. Properly.”

“Wait, you'll truly stay?”

She nods her head as he peers over his shoulder. “Couch or spare room. Or would you prefer I went home? Just figured, you might want the company.”

“No! No, of course I do. Please.” He's not even able to change out of his work suit before he's pushed roughly on the bed, the throw rug at the base is dragged up to his chin. Amanda at least unfastens a few buttons of his shirt and unhooks his tie. “What will you be doing while I rest? It'll take-” he seems to calculate, discomfort and disappointment falling over him, “four hours, twenty-five minutes.”

Ripley flops down the the bedside chair, pulling out her phone. “I'll just be here, for when you come to.”

“Alright.” Christopher hums, rolling onto his side, his eyes fluttering closed. Looking as close to a dead battery as she had ever seen him, though physically at full charge. “Before I- I am out, I want you to know, I’m so happy to see you, Amanda.”

“Happy.” She teases gently. “And how can you tell without-?”

“They’re already back online.”

#i may or may not have fallen asleep on my keybort during this #pls tell me if there is just a huge patch in the middle of ggggggggggggg forrever #thank you

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chiamakapatience-blog · 4 years

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MANAGING WORKPLACE CONFLICT

Workplace conflict is inevitable when employees of various backgrounds and different work styles are brought together for a shared business purpose. Conflict can—and should—be managed and resolved. This toolkit examines the causes and effects of workplace conflict and the reasons why employers should act to address conflict.

The first steps in handling workplace conflict belong, in most cases, to the employees who are at odds with one another. The employer's role—exercised by managers and HR professionals—is significant, however, and is grounded in the development of a workplace culture designed to prevent conflict among employees to the extent possible. The basis for such a culture is strong employee relations, namely, fairness, trust and mutual respect at all levels. This toolkit offers suggestions to create such an organizational climate and includes methods to deal with employee grievances and conflicts.

This toolkit also explores the various roles HR professionals play in managing workplace conflict, ways to communicate an organization's conflict-resolution procedures and how to measure the effectiveness of those procedures. The toolkit does not examine the details of procedures for settling conflicts.

Background

Conflict can occur in any organization when employees with different backgrounds and priorities work together. Conflict can be expressed in numerous ways such as insults, noncooperation, bullying and anger. Its causes can range from personality clashes and misunderstood communication to organizational mismanagement. The negative effects of workplace conflict can include work disruptions, decreased productivity, project failure, absenteeism, turnover and termination. Emotional stress can be both a cause and an effect of workplace conflict.

While 25 percent of employees surveyed in 1998 reported being treated rudely at work at least once a week, that figure rose to 55 percent in 2011 and 62 percent in 2016, according to Christine Porath, an associate professor at Georgetown University's McDonough School of Business. Heightened tension over conflicting political views may be one cause of this increase.

A survey by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development found that four in 10 UK employees reported having experienced some form of interpersonal conflict at work in the last year. Most of that conflict is between an employee and his or her line manager. The survey also found that employees are more likely to report that they have experienced conflict with a staff member who is more senior to them.1

Experts offer several causes of workplace conflict, including:

Personality differences.

Workplace behaviors regarded by some co-workers as irritating.

Unmet needs in the workplace.

Perceived inequities of resources.

Unclarified roles in the workplace.

Competing job duties or poor implementation of a job description—for example, placing a nonsupervisory employee in an unofficial position of "supervising" another employee.

A systemic circumstance such as a workforce slowdown, a merger or acquisition, or a reduction in force.

Mismanagement of organizational change and transition.

Poor communication, including misunderstood remarks and comments taken out of context.

Differences over work methods or goals or differences in perspectives attributable to age, sex or upbringing.

Employers can manage workplace conflict by creating an organizational culture designed to preclude conflict as much as possible and by dealing promptly and equitably with conflict that employees cannot resolve among themselves. To manage conflict, employers should consider the following:

Make certain that policies and communication are clear and consistent, and make the rationale for decisions transparent.

Ensure that all employees—not just managers—are accountable for resolving conflict.

Do not ignore conflict, and do not avoid taking steps to prevent it.

Seek to understand the underlying emotions of the employees in conflict.

Keep in mind that approaches to resolving conflict may depend on the circumstances of the conflict.

See How to Resolve Workplace Conflicts.

Many experts maintain that although conflict is generally regarded as having a negative effect in the workplace, a degree of properly managed conflict can be beneficial for an organization. See Why Workplace Conflict Can Be Healthy.

Business Case

A well-functioning work environment is one in which employees communicate with respectful, inoffensive language; show tolerance and acceptance of differences among each other; and demonstrate respect for all individuals in the organization regardless of position, status or tenure.

If an employer has mechanisms in place to resolve conflict at its early stages, employees will generally see their employer as fair in their dealings with them and will likely be more satisfied with their jobs. Reductions in employee conflict can lead to increased employee productivity, greater motivation and loyalty, lower medical costs, fewer workers' compensation claims, and reduced litigation costs.

Unresolved issues of interpersonal tension and conflict can create emotional stress for employees, politicize the workplace and divert attention from the organization's mission. If employers do not act, conflicts will escalate into larger problems, discrimination and harassment complaints may increase, and the employer's reputation could be damaged. Other possible consequences of failing to manage workplace conflict include:

Absenteeism. Unscheduled absences drive up employers' costs through benefits outlays, the use of replacement workers, higher stress levels among employees and a decrease in overall employee performance.

Turnover. When employees mistrust management or perceive the organization as acting unfairly, turnover may increase. This can lead to recruiting and training expenses for new hires and the costs attributable to a slippage of performance until new employees become fully proficient in their jobs.

Unionization. When employees perceive their employers as unfair, they are more inclined to seek outside resources such as a union to help protect them and to negotiate on their behalf on matters such as employment, compensation and benefits.

Litigation. An employee who cannot achieve a resolution of a workplace conflict may seek outside legal help, which can cause an organization to mount a costly defense or agree to an expensive settlement. Lawsuits resolved in an employee's favor can result in significant financial penalties for the employer and can even produce criminal or civil sanctions.

Employers should also take steps to manage the growing trends of incivility and bullying in the workplace. Employers are well-advised to treat such types of power conflicts seriously and to seek to address them proactively. See How to Create a Culture of Civility.

The Role of Human Resources

The human resource team has a leadership responsibility to develop and implement workplace conflict policies and procedures and to create and manage conflict-resolution programs. HR also initiates employee communication on conflict and tracks the metrics and costs of conflict-resolution efforts. Many HR professionals receive conflict-resolution training, often as part of their professional development, and many are accustomed to conducting such training or enlisting outside training resources for supervisors and managers.

HR professionals often become involved in settling workplace conflicts, particularly if the employees and their supervisors cannot achieve a resolution. If HR cannot resolve a conflict, an outside specialist may be needed to work out a settlement. See Viewpoint: The Art and Science of Conflict Management.

In many instances, however, HR does not learn of workplace conflict until differences have escalated. HR professionals must be made aware of workplace tensions before they grow into larger problems, and managers should act as HR's "warning system." HR must always be informed about certain types of workplace conflicts, such as those that may involve harassment, discrimination, illegal activities, or other matters that could lead to lawsuits or involvement of law enforcement.

The Role of Employees

Although supervisors and managers have a major responsibility to ensure that workplace conflicts are resolved, several experts say that the first steps to settling differences should be taken by employees themselves.

Employees who have complaints about co-workers should be advised to try to work out their differences directly with those co-workers before asking a supervisor or a manager to step in, says Kelly Mollica, a consultant for the Centre Group, a human asset management firm in Memphis, Tenn. That approach, she says, may not only reduce interruptions for managers but may also help employees develop their own conflict-resolution skills.

Resolving workplace conflicts does not require top-down interventions, Mollica says. A manager who approaches one employee with another's complaints may be seen as taking sides. If that happens often, it can be interpreted as bias in favor of certain employees, thereby undermining the manager's authority. Moreover, employees should not be overly dependent on their managers. Organizations need people who can handle day-to-day issues on their own, think independently, analyze problems, come up with solutions and take steps to implement them. This includes both task-related and people-related problems.

It may be time-consuming for managers to coach employees on how to resolve conflicts, but in the long term it will create a work environment where conflict management is seen as everyone's obligation, not just the managers'. Below are Mollica's suggestions for supervisors and managers:

Set specific guidelines regarding what employees should do if they experience conflict.

Let employees know that they are expected to attempt to resolve conflicts before approaching a manager for help.

Do not put employees' "urgent" issues at the top of your priority list. Listen to and support employees with conflicts, but do not automatically take ownership of those problems.

Provide ongoing employee training in conflict resolution. Such training often starts with self-assessments so employees can understand their own conflict-management styles and the pros and cons of using a particular style. (See the section "Training to Handle Conflict," below.)

Employers should create a workplace culture in which managing conflict is viewed as a core job competency regardless of the employee's role in the organization. HR professionals can ask behavioral questions during job interviews to assess an applicant's previous experience in dealing with conflict. For example, the HR professional can ask a job candidate to describe a time that he or she had a conflict with a co-worker and to discuss what happened to cause the conflict and what the job candidate did to resolve it. Observable and measurable criteria based on guidelines or protocols for resolving conflict can be incorporated into job descriptions and performance reviews. Employees who successfully resolve conflicts on their own should be recognized and praised.

Employees should be continually reminded that when addressing conflicts, they should focus on behaviors and the consequences of the behavior, not on personalities.

Employers should bear in mind that if employees are not using an open-door policy to inform them of conflicts, conflicts may still be present. It may mean that employees think they are no longer supposed to discuss conflicts with their managers or supervisors. HR professionals should make sure employees know HR is available to coach them on how to work through specific situations.

Know where to draw the line. Do not expect employees to handle every problem on their own; it could send a message that management is willing to ignore inappropriate or potentially illegal behavior. Make sure employees know that managers must be notified of and involved in certain types of conflicts, particularly if there are indications of physical violence, harassment, theft, or possession or use of illegal substances. Nonmanagement employees should never be expected to confront violations of the law or to enforce company policy without management's knowledge.

See Viewpoint: Caught in the Middle.

Conflict Management Training

To curb or prevent the effects of conflict, some managers and HR specialists are turning to conflict management training. This kind of training takes many forms and covers many topics. It can be provided through one-day workshops, small-group facilitations and one-on-one sessions. HR professionals should select an approach based on the type of workplace conflict that needs to be addressed.

Conflict management training can be helpful for employees exhibiting passive-aggressive behavior, experts say, and for intensely angry employees—those continually in conflict, often facing disciplinary action and causing complaints by co-workers. Angry employees may use inappropriate language in meetings and issue scathing remarks in e-mails. If they are managers, their employees may have unusually high rates of absenteeism and turnover.

If employees' behavior involves harm or the threat of harm to anyone, however, they may require more help than training can provide. In cases in which an employee shows signs of passionate anger, such as throwing chairs or banging fists, employers should refer to their workplace violence prevention program for security prevention and intervention strategies. Procedures for detecting, investigating, managing, and addressing threatening behavior or violent episodes that occur in a workplace should be in place.

See Conflict Resolution Training

Developing Strong Employee Relations

When it occurs, conflict must be resolved equitably and quickly. It is also important, though, to try to prevent it—that is, to create an environment in which corrosive conflict is less likely to occur in the first place. The foundation of such a culture is employee relations, the process of building strong relationships between managers and employees based on fairness, trust and mutual respect. It takes time, effort and money to create such a work environment, but a good employee relations climate supports motivation, loyalty and high performance among employees, and it encourages them to try to achieve the best results possible for their organization. See Developing and Sustaining Employee Engagement.

HR and other organizational leaders can use the following ingredients to create a strong employee relations strategy:

Interactive communication. Communication that is clear and two-way can help build trust between employees and their managers.

Trust. The absence of trust among employees and managers can compromise communication in either or both directions.

Ethics. If employees do not perceive their manager as having good business ethics, they will indirectly question the manager's motives, which may cause stress and reduce performance.

Fairness. All employees should be treated in a consistent manner under the same circumstances. Superior performance, however, should still be recognized and rewarded.

Empathy. Managers need to be alert and sensitive to their employees' feelings, and showing empathy and awareness is central to establishing a trusting relationship with employees.

Perceptions and beliefs. Perceptions can be essential in employee relations. Employees respond positively when they believe the organization's policies and practices are fair and its communication is truthful. Frequent, honest communication helps ensure that employees' beliefs and perceptions are consistent with reality in the workplace.

Clear expectations. Employees need to know what to expect from their managers. No one likes to be surprised with new or conflicting requirements, which can cause stress and distract employees from the job at hand.

Conflict resolution. Although conflicts arise in every organization, the methods to handle them vary. Employers must deal with issues head-on and resolve disputes fairly and quickly.

If an organization is large enough to support an employee relations position, this can send a positive message to the workforce about the value the employer places on maintaining positive employee relationships. HR professionals are often trained to handle workplace conflict and to resolve problems among employees; however, a specialist in employee relations or an ombudsman dedicated to working with employees experiencing conflict or other dissatisfaction in the workplace can eliminate many issues before they escalate.

A Framework to Minimize Conflict

There is no single strategy to create a positive workplace climate. A number of tools are used in various combinations to stimulate employee engagement and to minimize conflict. There are, however, several essential tools HR professionals can use to create a positive workplace climate.

Written rules, policies and agreements

Employees should understand how workplace conflicts will be resolved. An organization communicates its expectations typically via an employee handbook, HR policies, and written contracts and agreements with certain high-level individuals.

Written HR policies are essential to provide guidance to managers and employees on how conflicts and other issues should be handled. Such policies include any formal mechanisms in place to help employees resolve differences and provisions to prohibit retaliation against employees who raise concerns.

Agreements and contracts with key executives are designed to ensure a common understanding about the employment relationship. Such contracts may include a requirement that binding arbitration—rather than potentially costlier litigation—be used for resolving employment-related disputes.

Effective management

Conflicts have a better chance of being managed quickly and successfully when an organization has a strong leadership team in place. Leaders that allow poor behavior from employees or ignore workplace bullies will certainly experience damaged employee relations. An effective management team is imperative in preventing slippage in employee morale and increases in turnover.

Careful hiring

A key strategy to avoid employee relations problems is to make sure the organization's hiring process embodies good interviewing skills and selection procedures and pre-employment screening, including a background investigation.

Just as the requisite experience and education are key in hiring, so are demeanor and communication style, which can suggest whether a job candidate would be a "good fit" for the organization. A company's culture can have a significant impact on whether a candidate is likely to succeed within the organization. See Want to Really Get to Know Your Candidates? Interview for Emotional Intelligence.

Fair grievance processes

Organizations should have written policies and definitions pertaining to dispute mechanisms available in the organization that provide clear guidance for the employer and the employees. The policy should state the scope and limitations of each mechanism and spell out each method's terms, such as eligibility, frequency, decision process, and required sign-off and approvals for settling a matter.

Employers that implement a system through which parties can resolve conflict within the company create incentives for employees to avoid engaging in costly and time-consuming external litigation. Organizations typically have multiple ways for employees to work out interpersonal or organizational differences. The existence of a grievance system may also improve employee morale because employees feel they have options for pursuing conflict resolution. See Don't Just Quash Conflict -- Resolve It.

Here are common steps to resolve workplace disputes:

Open-door policy. This is a first step. It encourages employees to meet with their immediate supervisor to discuss and resolve work-related issues. Employees should know that there will be no negative repercussions for voicing a complaint.

Management review. If the open-door approach does not resolve the conflict, the next step is to have the issue reviewed by the next-higher level of management.

Peer review. The aggrieved employee presents his or her side of a dispute to a small panel of employees and supervisors selected from a pool of employees trained in dispute resolution. This method often succeeds because employees participate in decisions that affect them. Depending on the organization, a peer review may be binding on both parties. If it is not binding and the resolution is not satisfactory to the employee, the dispute may be submitted to mediation or arbitration.

The following are types of conflict resolution techniques available to organizations:

Facilitation. A neutral employee in the organization—often an employee relations manager—acts as a facilitator, not to judge the merits of the dispute or to render a final decision, but to help both sides decide the best way to settle the dispute.

Mediation. A mediator is a neutral third party who helps the conflicting parties explore innovative solutions to their dispute. Mediators can be internal employees trained in conflict management and mediation, or they can be trained external professionals who have no perceived conflict of interest with the employer. Resolving a dispute through mediation should be voluntary.

Arbitration. This is typically the most formal, costly and time-consuming method of resolving disputes. Witnesses may be presented and cross-examined, and an arbitrator issues a binding decision.

See Q&A with Daniel Shapiro on Negotiating the Nonnegotiable

Training for managers

HR must ensure that effective management training is provided regularly in the organization. Managers should also know how to spot issues and seek counsel from specialists before responding to a problem. This can ensure fair treatment of subordinates and can also protect the employer from being inadvertently exposed to legal issues. See Conflict Resolution Training for Supervisors.

HR must ensure that managers have skills and training in several additional areas, including:

Conflict resolution. Managers should be trained to recognize problems, ask questions and devise solutions before the issues become time-wasters and legal risks.

Organization rules and expectations. Managers should understand what is expected of them, and they should know the organization's rules and policies. If a manager does not know how to enforce the rules, the result can be confusion and conflict.

Laws and regulations. Managers must understand the basic laws and regulations of the employment relationship so they have at least a general knowledge of their employees' rights.

Professionalism. Managers who commit themselves to high standards of professionalism and who follow stringent business ethics gain employees' respect, whereas managers who bend the rules are viewed with skepticism. Employees respect and do their best work for managers who are committed to doing what is right regardless of possible repercussions.

Communication. A manager's ability to communicate effectively with staff is critical for building good relationships. Managers should be trained in how to give complete, specific assignments; listen carefully; provide constructive feedback; respond to employee suggestions; and deal with conflict. They should also know how to share information with employees—and how much to share—based on the organization's philosophy and preferences for sharing.

Work assignments. Managers should be trained in how to assess their employees' abilities and to understand their employees' strengths and weaknesses to determine what assignments are reasonable for each employee. Employees are most productive when they feel that their work is significant and valued by management.

Performance management and feedback

Performance reviews typically occur at least once a year; some are more frequent. During such reviews, goals and objectives are determined and agreed on, and managers can give candid feedback to employees. Managers who constructively and frankly communicate such information to employees tend to establish stronger workgroups and foster better individual performers. Without feedback, employees are left to wonder how they are doing and what their manager really thinks about them, which in turn can lead to dissatisfaction, misunderstandings and conflict. See Managing Employee Performance.

Fair termination processes

Most workplace litigation arises because individuals feel they were not taken seriously or did not receive a fair hearing. HR should review disciplinary policies and procedures to ensure there is a fair process that protects employees from impulsive or ill-considered reactions by management. Employees are more likely to view a dispute-resolution system as fair and equitable if it allows them to correct problematic behavior before termination is considered. This perception of fairness can also help minimize emotions and disruptions by other employees when a co-worker must be terminated.

Communication

Supervisors and managers should be well-informed about all the organization's dispute resolution systems. They should know the rationale for each system and be able to explain how each works in practice. An HR professional's decision about how to communicate a dispute-resolution system's details to employees will depend on the culture of the organization and the various types of media that are available and that are most effective within the workforce. Such media may include training, staff meetings, policy and procedure manuals, organization intranet, e-mail, newsletters, flyers, new-employee orientation training materials, and individual letters to employees. HR should regularly remind managers and supervisors about the importance of dealing with conflict early and about the options available to them to resolve such matters.

#1 Chartered Institute for Personnel and Development. (2015). Getting under the skin of workplace conflict: Tracing the experiences of employ

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star-trekkin-across-theuniverse · 6 years

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Resource Management, pt29

Word Count: 2318 Tags: @supermoonpanda @rayleyanns @sistasarah-sallysaidso @feelmyroarrrr @anyakinamidala @dirajunara @little-study-bug @rampant-salamander @goodnightwife @samaxraph99 @anotherotter @outside-the-government @kingarthurscat @coyote-in-space @originalpottervengerlock @dolamrothianlady @curiositywillbethedeathofme @superheroesofbothuniverses @mtriestowrite @wanderingkat77

Warning: There’s some potentially triggery stuff in this chapter re: suggestion of sexual assault.

Tony had asked me to avoid town, but a city that sits on the confluence of two rivers is not bound to have much in the way of bypasses. I opted to cut across the old highway near the airport and come into town from the south instead of the east. It allowed me to come across the river and take the shortest route through the city, trailing through the neighbourhood I grew up in and then back to the highway leading west. I completely bypassed the downtown core of the city that way, and was headed back up the hill out of town in no time.

That was when I realized the motorcycle was still behind me, and while I’d initially assumed the rider was trying to stay safe, there was no reason for him to have taken such an esoteric path through town himself, unless he was following me. I checked my fuel and guessed I had just enough to get to Tony’s cabin. I had planned on stopping in the last town before the cabin to gas up, but I realized that was no longer an option.

“J.A.R.V.I.S., please notify Tony that I’m being followed.” I fully expected my phone to ring within the minute, and Stark did not disappoint.

“Tell me everything,” he demanded.

“It’s a motorcycle. Has been following me since McBride? No, Mt. Robson. I took a roundabout way through Prince George, and he followed me. It was deliberate and probably longer than the straight route, but it kept me to the edge of town as much as possible. There was no reason for him to follow me.”

“Why didn’t you mention this hours ago?” Tony snapped. I glared at the Bluetooth speaker, as though it could convey my disgust.

“The road east of Prince George is crazy with wildlife. I assumed he was following me because he was hoping to avoid hitting anything,” I explained.

“I’m at least four hours away, even at my top speed. Can you neutralize the threat if you need to?”

“What exactly are you asking me, Tony?”

“If this guy is following you, and you make it to the cabin before I can get there, are you capable of defending yourself until I arrive?” He clarified. I sighed and rubbed the bridge of my nose.

“Yes, I can defend myself,” I determined.

“Is the gun loaded? Is it where you can reach it right now?” He grilled me.

“Yes.”

“Do whatever you need to, Annie. I’m going to suit up.” I could hear him walking and assumed he was on his way to the lab.

“Thanks, Tony.”

“Honestly, kid, I don’t know about you. You’re almost more trouble than you’re worth.” I could hear the teasing tone in his voice, so didn’t take offense. I glanced up at the rearview mirror and saw the motorcycle was still behind me.

“Tony, if this guy is HYDRA, won’t he be reporting my location back? Should I be confronting him before I get to the ca-“

“Don’t do anything stupid, Annie. You are an HR manager, not an Agent!” He cut me off, his voice hard. I fought the urge to roll my eyes and run through the list of my martial arts accomplishments. Because really, he was right. If the guy was HYDRA I was probably out of my league. At the same time, I really didn’t want my location discovered, if HYDRA was still after me.

“I promise not to do anything stupid.” I crossed my fingers.

“Good girl. I’ve gotta suit up now.” The line beeped dead. The motorcycle was still behind me, and I really didn’t want HYDRA knowing where I was. I felt it was equal parts stupid to head straight to the cabin, when I could easily knock him out and leave him in a clearing somewhere with no transportation. It was time for me to admit I had enough training to neutralize a threat, and to pull up my big girl pants and do it. I couldn’t have Tony Stark swooping in to save the day for the rest of my life.

I figured that if I could get him on a forestry road down to a recreational clearing, I could knock him out, and dump his motorcycle in a lake. He’d be stranded and unable to follow me, and HYDRA’s search grid would be massive. I would have more time to plan and make myself safe at the cabin that way.

I knew a bunch of forestry roads that led to relatively large clearings on an upcoming turn off. I slowed and turned onto the familiar road. Just as I’d suspected, the motorcycle followed. I reached for the handgun, silently thanking Tony for forcing me to load it before I left Toronto. I felt like a real badass, to be honest, even though the thought of using the weapon on another person scared the shit out of me. I pulled the e-brake and skidded around in the clearing, so that I stopped facing the motorcycle. I opened the door and put my left foot on the ground, bracing my arms in the space between the door and the frame of the Jeep, and aiming toward the motorcyclist.

He skidded to a stop about thirty feet ahead of me, and put his hands up as he stepped off the bike. He made to take his helmet off, and I flicked the safety on my gun. I chambered a round. I wasn’t about to just shoot him in cold blood, but I wasn’t going to take any risks.

“You really want to do this here, darling?” It was Will Barrett. Of course it was. He’d set off my creep detector, I should have realized.

“Why are you following me?” I demanded.

“I think you’re very pretty?” He offered. I was tempted to shoot.

“Four hours is a long time to follow a girl just for a chance at a booty call, Will. If that’s actually your name.” I yelled.

“Can we talk about ridiculous fake names, Barbie? Please tell me you’re smarter than to have chosen that yourself.” He held his arms out wide. “I’m not armed, Anna. You’ll be killing a defenseless man.”

“You and I both know that unarmed and defenseless are two separate things,” I laughed. He took a step toward me. I shot at the ground in front of him, the boom echoing in the clearance. He jumped back.

“Jesus Christ, you crazy bitch!” He was surprised that I’d shot. That gave me an advantage.

“Who’s crazy? You’re following me! Wait, I know this game. If I say the magic words, you’ll leave me alone, right?” I knew if I switched sides, they’d back off. It wasn’t an option, but I knew he’d accept my surrender without question.

“Oh, give me the words, Anna, I’d love to hear them from your lips.” He smiled. It was half-feral. “Then we can get back to making friends.”

I felt a chill run across my shoulders. Even if surrender had been an option, I didn’t think that Will was going to let me get back to HYDRA brass unharmed. I shuddered at the thought. He was not my type.

“Heil HYDRA? Is that them?” I asked, “No, no, that’s not it. Fuck HYDRA. Yeah, that’s what I meant. FUCK HYDRA! You want to do your job, Will? Come and fucking get me. I’ll even put my gun down.”

I was so tired, and so completely fed up with everything that had happened over the past months. I remembered what I’d laughingly called my ‘lady-rage’ over having to go to the operations academy, and what I was feeling as I stared down William Barrett went so far beyond that. It made my ‘lady-rage’ seem like a child’s foot stomping snit. Every employee I’d deactivated because they had been killed, Kate, Cecelia. Erin being shot. Fury dead. The rage I felt surpassed anything I had ever felt before, and I welcomed Will’s attack. I could feel my control ebbing away and reeled it back, focusing my anger inward. Something clicked on in my head, and I immediately started sizing him up as an opponent. He wasn’t the biggest guy I’d beaten. He wouldn’t be the best either. But the stakes were infinitely higher. I was playing for my freedom, not some gold-plated medal.

Will came at me as soon as I stepped away from the Jeep unarmed. I had to expect he would he as good as me, so I assumed a low stance right away. He threw a series of punches at me, and I dodged and spun, lifting my leg to land a kick to his ribs. He grabbed my leg and tried to toss me to the ground. I used the momentum to lift my other leg and kick him in the face. He reeled back, and then came back at me, a cocky smirk spreading across his face.

“Oh delicious. You know how to fight. Now it’s sporting,” he threw another series of punches, and I wasn’t quite fast enough to dodge the last one. It hit me square in the nose. My head snapped back and I staggered a little. He came at me again, but I caught his fist and dropped my shoulder, vaulting him over my back. He grabbed my throat and brought me down with him, quickly rolling on top of me and applying pressure to my windpipe. I could feel the air rushing from my lungs. He pulled my neck up and slammed my head against the gravel of the clearing, once, twice. I’m not sure why I hadn’t realized that his intention would be to kill me, but suddenly it was clear to me that he wasn’t planning on letting me leave the clearing alive. I regretted dropping my gun in the Jeep. With the last of my strength, I bucked him over my shoulders, and rolled to pin him. I kneeled on his arms, and threw a hard punch into his face before rolling off him and pushing to my feet.

He grabbed my ankle and pulled me back down, driving his elbow into the centre of my back. I screamed out from the pain of it and brought my own elbow to the side of his head. He rolled back off me and I scrambled to my feet while he held his head. I took the opportunity to place my boot to his kidney repeatedly. He got to his knees and held his hand up. Foolishly, I stopped.

“Anna, when I am finished here with you, no man will ever want you again. You will be marred, your pretty face ruined. I will have my way with you before I take you in and then I’ll let my men have their way with you as well. Because we are at war, you and I. And that is the consequence of war for women. Destruction and rape. I look forward to your destruction, darling,” he monologued. I rolled my eyes and kicked him as hard as I could in the face. His head snapped back and he rocked back down to the ground.

“The problem with villains is that you all talk way too fucking much.” I brought down my boot on his head. Something dark inside me took great satisfaction at the sound of his skull crushing under my foot. The rest of me was horrified and took great pleasure in forcing me to empty my stomach in response.

I have a vague recollection of checking Barrett’s body for a pulse. When I was sure he was dead, I pushed his motorcycle into the lake and went to lie down in the Jeep. I thought I should call Tony but I didn’t trust myself to speak. Instead, I allowed myself to succumb to the horror of what I’d done. I closed my eyes but I couldn’t stop seeing the wreckage of his face on the back of my eyelids. J.A.R.V.I.S. connected Stark at some point.

“Annie, J.A.R.V.I.S. is reporting you at some recreation site west of Prince George. Why have you stopped?” Tony’s voice filled the Jeep. I opened my mouth to answer, but couldn’t say anything.

“J.A.R.V.I.S., is there something wrong? Is she alive?”

“I am detecting vital signs that are compatible with those of someone in shock, Mr. Stark,” J.A.R.V.I.S. responded.

“Is it Annie?” Tony’s voice had an edge.

“I can’t determine that. The pulse and blood pressure are far off of Ms. Ellis’s baseline, Mr. Stark.”

“Goddamnit! Annie, for Christ’s sake, say anything. J.A.R.V.I.S. has voice recognition software!” Tony yelled at me.

“I can’t.” It came out as a sob.

“I can confirm that is Ms. Ellis, Mr. Stark.”

“Annie, I’m still hours away. If you are uninjured, you have to keep moving,” Tony’s voice was immediately calmer.

“I killed him, Tony.” I felt bile in the back of my throat as I spoke the words and leaned out of the Jeep to throw up again.

“Did you shoot him?”

“No.”

“Oh Christ, Anna. I can’t get there any faster. Honey, you have to get back on the road. Can you do that?” People weren’t kidding when they called Tony Stark a genius. He knew exactly what had happened with a single word answer.

“Yes. I’ll be fine.” I grabbed my bottle of water and rinsed my mouth. I could hear Tony talking to J.A.R.V.I.S. about body disposal and wondered what the AI could possible do to help, but I couldn’t focus on the conversation. I started the Jeep and put it in drive, leaving William Barrett’s body to the wolves and bears.

#avengers fanfic #avengers fanfic with OFC #Phil Coulson x OFC

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lawyers627 · 4 years

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14 Cartoons About lawyer That'll Brighten Your Day

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lancecarr · 5 years

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How to Solve 10 Common Training Problems With Video

Most trainers, both formal and informal, have the same goal: to make learning that sticks.

The problem with that is, well, problems. There are tons of roadblocks that come up when you’re trying to get other people to absorb information, especially if you’re not the subject matter expert.

In this post, we examine ten pain points that video training addresses – the first of which is the time and money spent on face-to-face learning for repetitive tasks.

Problem #1: Face-to-face training is time-consuming and expensive

Thorough training for employees is entirely necessary for facilitating productivity and safety, but it can quickly become time-consuming and expensive. U.S. companies spent an estimated $70.65 billion on training in 2016 and, on average, lost 53.8 productivity hours per employee while getting them acclimated, according to Training Magazine’s 2016 “Training Industry Report.”

In most cases, scaling back training is not viable, especially for health care, finance, government, and other strictly regulated industries. But high-quality training in less time is a real possibility and is necessary for businesses that want to curb costs and inconveniences tied to face-to-face job preparation.

Step one is to replace certain face-to-face orientations and training with video-based learning content. In-person training occupies the schedule of at least two people at any given time – the trainee and the employee administering that training.

Recommended Reading: The Ultimate Guide to Easily Make Instructional Videos

While nuanced functions inevitably require physical demonstrations, more universal tasks such as filling out time cards or basic, repetitive knowledge work can be proficiently communicated with a well-produced series of on-screen demonstrations and lectures.

Moving appropriate face-to-face training to video-based training can reduce time, and therefore money. Record it once, share it as many times as you need.

Problem #2: Schedules can be a nightmare to coordinate

Time spent in face-to-face training sessions is often preceded by an uphill battle to coordinate schedules. Additionally, training coordinators are often under pressure to complete training within tight timeframes.

This is a struggle given how many people’s schedules need to be considered:

HR reps responsible for administering and/or coordinating training sessions.

IT team members needed to help with demonstration setups.

Subject matter experts brought in from other departments or locations.

New learners, who are all too easily double-booked as they ramp up.

Higher-level managers requesting to sit in on certain sessions.

The beauty of video-based training is that it can be easily recorded at a time that is convenient for those administering the session, and slotted into trainees’ schedules without excessive coordination between multiple parties. Sessions can also be saved and shared through web-based platforms to be used later as teams grow.

This way, nothing, and no one, falls through the cracks.

Problem #3: Training across the globe is difficult

Training is often a national or multinational endeavor that requires extensive resources and coordination. The costs of traveling to and from different office locations, and, in some cases, renting space to hold a training session, really add up. Meanwhile, coordinating schedules around multiple time zones can quickly become a hairsplitting exercise.

Language barriers can also present problems during training seminars, requiring translators to make sure everyone gets value from the experience.

All of this begs the question: Is the cost and complexity of global training justified?

In some cases, yes. But often, video can be used as a substitute. For instance, when onboarding new personnel, you can use screen recording or video editing software to record webinars and training demonstrations. These videos can then be edited to include captions or subtitles, translations or even quiz questions to gauge how well viewers are learning the content. More importantly, these training assets also work as scalable and repeatable resources.

In other words, with video, organizations can create concise, compelling reference material that employees can view asynchronously and worldwide, and captioned in their language, as needed.

Problem #4: I’ve only got one shot to capture everything I need from my subject matter expert

Video-conferencing between two or more people is a great way to share information and ideas. It is also ideal for communicating complex and technical information that may be specific to certain specialists, for instance, in medical fields.

This is because:

The brain processes imagery 60,000 times faster than words, according to Fast Company.

Humans retain content with imagery better than audio content alone.

But anyone who has participated in a meeting knows the feeling of trying to pay attention while also taking detailed notes. When the person on the other side of the screen is a busy subject matter expert who is not readily available, you need to ensure you get the right information the first time around. Or do you?

Screen recording and video editing tools let users record interviews so they can be 100-percent engaged during interviews and conversations.

Alternatively, a trainee could send a list of questions to a busy Subject Matter Expert (or SME), who can answer those questions in video-format. Either way, using video for SME interviews enables the creation of a permanent multimedia resource that can be played back on-demand at variable speeds, and even annotated with markers and notes if necessary. You can even get the video transcribed to turn the audio into text if needed.

Capture, consume, annotate, repeat.

Problem #5: The brain drain is real

In his book Informal Learning: Rediscovering the Natural Pathways that Inspire Innovation and Performance, Jay Cross compared formal training to riding a bus, where the driver takes you where you need to be, and informal training to riding a bike, where you make your own route, according to Brainshark.

Just as you might need a bus one day and a bike another, formal and informal video-based learning both have their place in the modern business.

Formal training is effective for establishing a knowledge base for new employees. It’s also crucial for inflexible processes such as medical protocols and compliance management. Processes like this need to be exact, and therefore conveyed in a procedural manner rather than as ad hoc lessons learned. Formal training is typically given in a deliberate order, by a specific and sometimes certified trainer, within a required time frame – for example, an engineering safety procedure video series.

Informal training happens more on a learn-as-you-go basis. For example, imagine your company has a data management system that was built in house, but the employees who built it are leaving or retiring. All of their expertise and knowledge will also leave with them, causing a void in knowledge that will be difficult to fill. Informal training can solve this through employees creating training videos around their own areas of expertise. As business processes evolve and become more efficient, employees might create video content that shares self-learned best practices.

The great thing is, you can create both formal and informal training programs with video and screencasts easily and affordably across your entire organization.

Problem #6: I work with smart people. How do I learn from them?

There is a lot of value in a well-produced series of onboarding videos that help employees acclimate to their roles quickly and inexpensively. But there’s also value in the organic development of a training community that employees can contribute to, and learn from, ad hoc.

This process, called social learning, doesn’t happen formally, or at management’s request. Rather, it’s the natural outcome of democratizing visual communication tools. Case in point, if someone who is asked to explain pivot tables enough times has access to easy to use video creation tools, they might just go ahead and record a quick “How To” video.

The second part of that is having a hub where these videos can be uploaded and shared with a relevant audience.

With intuitive screen capture tools and a collaborative sharing platform, workplace knowledge and training can be crowdsourced.

Problem #7: Slide decks get boring…fast

Slide decks fulfill a useful function: to organize and present content-heavy training sessions with short, bullet-point summations and visual media.

The problem is that too many slide decks fail at the “ visual media” element by not using images or media at all. The goal of any good slide deck should be to tell a story, not to read facts and information from a screen verbatim. Part of telling that story is showing the audience something that visually communicates the message.

One of the best ways to avoid creating a mundane or overwhelming slide deck is to include screenshots, GIFs and video clips. Presenters can visually annotate screenshots to more effectively illustrate their points. No more excessively long, bulleted lists.

Video and animated GIFs also liven up the presentation.

Whoever said slide decks have to be boring?

Problem #8: Remember that training from three months ago? Me neither…

The biggest drawback of traditional, in-person training sessions and written training manuals is that it’s easy to forget the content, and hard to find it when you need it later. Instead of digging back through past notes from training sessions, what if the initial training had been recorded, and then broken into several short videos?

The videos would serve as short, digestible content that can be absorbed quickly, but also passively. In other words, it can be watched over and over again as needed, and with very little work on the part of the employee. Just record the original training, and break it up into microvideos for anyone to watch when they need to.

Another option is to include a table of contents for training videos, which let viewers jump to the most relevant topics in the video, depending on their needs at the time.

Present it once, watch it once and reference it as many times as you need.

Problem #9: So much training, so little time

Companies are taking twice as long to hire than they were just a few years ago, The Wall Street Journal noted. Understandably, managers are therefore eager to get new employees trained quickly. This means businesses are under pressure to teach employees faster in a shorter time period.

However, managers also don’t want to leave new hires feeling unprepared to handle tasks being thrown at them – which is too often the case. According to HR Morning, approximately one-third of hires quit within the first six months of employment, and the fourth most commonly cited reason for leaving is “inadequate training.”

One way companies have sought to change this is by using video to more effectively convey information in an engaging, memorable format. According to Forrester, employees are 75 percent more likely to watch training videos than to read training documentation.

As an added bonus for employers, many video editors let you add quiz questions to check if your viewer is learning the content correctly, so trainers can keep tabs on user progress.

With more friendly video creation tools on the market, it’s easier than ever to create engaging videos that include motion graphics, effects, and captions, rather than just a trainer talking through the content. Give the people what they want–engaging video-based training content that presents a message concisely and memorably–and they’ll be more likely to give you what you want: a shorter learning curve and a longer tenure.

Problem #10: Scaling training is complicated

Last but not least, as businesses grow and change, training must change with it to stay fresh.

A notable benefit of using video and other eLearning media is that you can create and share more training content in less time. Rather than developing a series of slide decks, coordinating schedules and delivering multiple sessions to users, training coordinators can focus on the production of multimedia training resources that can be delivered to trainees without any of the physical presentations or scheduling challenges.

Another big benefit of video-based training content is that you can always edit it if the content needs to be changed or updated, and then simply redistribute the updated content instead of calling everyone back together for face-to-face training.

Additionally, video enables the sharing of knowledge, presentations, and demonstrations among employees and ensures that there’s a community for both formal and informal learning.

Lights, camera, training.

Ready to start solving your training problems with video? Camtasia is the best all-in-one screen recorder and video editor that’s helped millions of video-beginners quickly create great instructional videos. Try it now!

The post How to Solve 10 Common Training Problems With Video appeared first on Welcome to the TechSmith Blog.

https://www.techsmith.com/blog/solve-training-problems-video/

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madam-lit-nerd · 7 years

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High Odds

Balthazar heard the lock click into place on his office door as he let out a long sigh; another end to another day. He wouldn’t have to be back to this wretched building for another sixteen hours, thank god. He stuffed his keys into his pocket as he spun about and headed for the elevator.

As he approached, he saw the ever familiar figure standing, waiting. A small smile touched his lips as he stepped up next to the dark-haired man. This was, without a doubt, the best part of his day.

“Hey, Cassie!” He greeted warmly. Castiel jolted out of whatever reverie he was following. He glanced guiltily at his coworker.

“Hello, Balthazar.”

Always Balthazar; always the full name. Never Balth or Zar like the others in their office were prone to call him. Balth wasn’t sure if he liked it or not.

Their elevator dinged as it arrived, and they stepped on in unison. As they began their descent, Balthazar was reminded yet again that his time with Cas, this daily thirty-eight second window, was limited; if he was going to ask him, it needed to be now.

“So listen, a few of us are going down to that new bar on State. Wanna join?” He wiggled his eyebrows, trying to go for a teasing tone, trying to act like it didn’t matter to him one way or another if Cas turned him down. He’d turned him down before; but then again, he’d also said yes before. Balth was hoping for the latter.

Castiel sighed. “I’d like to, but I’m afraid I have another appointment.” Balth tried not to let his disappointment show. Castiel smiled encouragingly. “Maybe later this week?”

Balth perked up. “Yeah, of course! I’ll, uh, let you know how it is. If it sucks, we can hit up another spot or something…”

Castiel nodded. “Of course.”

The elevator stopped with a ding, and the doors slid open. Cas hurried away with little more than a farewell, and Balth tried not to look too lovesick as he stared after him.

Months upon months, this had been their routine, and no matter how many feelers he had put out, it was always the same. The few times Castiel had said yes to his invitations (and Balth hated to admit this) there’d been nothing but friendship in his tone and air.

But there wasn’t anybody; Balth had checked! And he had checked. Maybe Castiel just wasn’t ready to be in a relationship…

With another sigh, Balthazar turned toward the garage, in the opposite way Cas had gone, and trudged toward his too-expensive car to go to his too-big house to get ready for his too-single night on the town.

Balth arrived a good ten minutes after the others, late but not too late. He smiled flirtatiously at the cute bartender as he served up the drinks, winked at the waitress as she took their food order, flirted outrageously with Kyle from HR, but none of it actually mattered.

Nothing mattered, until…

“Oh my god!” Hael squeaked. “Is that…Castiel?”

Balth spun around to where she was pointing, not even caring if he appeared too eager. He didn’t need to worry; everyone else spun around just as quickly.

Sure enough, right across the street at the pricey street cafe, Castiel was being seated at a table for two with a tall, admittedly gorgeous man. What the hell?

“Is that…” Hester breathed.

“I think it is!” Hanna exclaimed.

“What?” Balth asked irritably.

“Dean Smith…” they all sighed in unison. The second they said it, Balth knew who it was. Wealthy, handsome…single. Was he with Cassie? Like, with with him?

He needed to watch this, just to be sure…but he needed a better seat for that. In an effort to not look so obvious, Balth went up to the bar to grab another drink, then claimed the seat that had a clear view of the couple across the street when he returned.

Within five minutes, Balth knew he had nothing to be worried about. In fact, he was actually feeling pretty damn good about himself. From the frigid way Cas was acting toward this Dean Smith character, he may as well have been blowing kissy faces and winking at Balth during their elevator chats.

He barely looked at the guy, completely avoiding his gaze when he did manage to glance in his direction. He didn’t actually speak all that often. He kept their contact as minimal as possible, answering with a few terse words here or there.

Damn, what had this guy done to piss Castiel off? Whatever it was, Balth needed to know so he could avoid it.

But suddenly, something shifted. The Dean guy said something that definitely caught Cassie’s attention. He suddenly went from frigidity and silence to anger within a heartbeat. He started shaking his head and glaring straight at the guy.

Seconds later he was standing and throwing his napkin on the table, obviously ready to make an escape. Perfect! Balth would catch him on the way out, offer him a sympathetic ear, maybe buy him a drink. He’d get boyfriend material points on top of figuring out exactly how Castiel knew this Dean Smith.

He hurried outside to the dark street, making it to the sidewalk at the same time as Cassie. He tried to wave him down, but Castiel was already hurrying away. He was about to chase after him, when he realized that Dean had already beaten him to the punch. He was running after Castiel, calling his name.

“Cas! Cas, please!” Dean finally caught up to the dark-haired man at the entrance of a secluded set of stairs. He grabbed onto his arm. “Cas, let me exp…”

“No!” Cas cried, spinning around on him, shoving a finger in his face. “No! You don’t get to do this! Not after…after… you know!”

He was more animated than Balthazar had ever seen him. He was passionate, fiery, gorgeous.

Holy shit, he was totally in love with Dean Smith.

Dean must have come to the same realization at that moment, because he used the arm he still held to yank Cas into a heated kiss.

From what Balth could see, if looked like Cas actually responded at first. His hands slid up Dean’s chest to tangle with his tie, his body leaned in ever so slightly, his head angled just right…but suddenly he yanked back and slapped Dean across the cheek hard enough that Dean’s head snapped to the side.

Balth crept closer and hid behind a nearby pillar. He knew his hiding place was dark enough that they wouldn’t see him, and even if they could, they were too caught up with their argument to bother looking around for eavesdroppers.

“What the hell?” Castiel was yelling, tears pouring down his cheeks. “What are you thinking?” He shoved at Dean’s chest angrily, but Dean didn’t budge. “You think you can come waltzing back in here, years after you broke my heart, and just pick up again? I’m not going to do it, Dean! I’m not going to just be your little secret plaything.” He shoved Dean again. “I moved across the country to forget you! And now…Now?” He shoved his finger in Dean’s face. “I won’t fall in love with you again!”

He broke down into sobs then, his entire body shuddering as he brought his hands up to hide his face. Dean wrapped his long arms around Cas and pulled him in, pressing his lips to his temple.

“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry!” He repeated, again and again. He began to whisper to Cas then, soft words Balth couldn’t hear from his hidden spot. Cas pulled back, his eyes damp and unbelieving.

“What?”

“I needed to know…” Dean explained haltingly.

“Needed to know what?” Cas murmured warily.

“If you were still in love with me.”

“I’m not!” Castiel assured him immediately, but all three of them could see straight through that flimsy excuse for a lie.

But Dean didn’t call him on it. Instead, he nodded and drew a deep breath. “Okay…so it looks like I have my work cut out for me.”

“What work?”

“Well, I recently was offered a job in town, so…” he let the thought trail off as Castiel’s eyes widened.

“Where?”

“Sandover,” he replied a little too nonchalantly.

Castiel shook his head. “That’s right near where I work!”

Dean nodded. “I know. Which was why I needed to know if I had any chance in hell of winning you back,” he admitted. “And I think I just got my answer.”

Cas shook his head. “I won’t be fooled again, Dean.”

“I know,” Dean murmured. “And if it means anything, I never meant to fool you last time. I just…didn’t realize what I had til it was too late.”

“It doesn’t mean anything,” Cas insisted, yet another flimsy lie that was so transparent any child could have seen through it.

“That’s okay. Just means I’ll have to work twice as hard,” Dean teased with an affectionate smile.

“Yeah, might as well not put in the work at all…” Cas hedged.

Dean shook his head. “You’re worth it…we’re worth it. I’ll do whatever it takes to win you back, Cas. I promise, I won’t let what we have slip away again.”

Cas stared at him for several long moments, then shook his head. “Well, good luck with that.”

“Good luck?” Dean arched a brow.

“You’re going to have to win my trust back and beat out Balthazar. So really, you’re doing triple the amount of work.”

“Balthazar?” Dean questioned as Cas slipped away. The dark-haired man began walking in the opposite direction of where Balth was hiding, away from the bar and restaurant.

Cas’s voice held a challenge. “Cute guy who works on my floor. He’s been after me for a while now. I’ve been thinking that I should give him a shot.”

Balthazar silently punched the air in a tiny victory dance. He was so in! He was so busy celebrating, he almost missed the final exchange between the former lovers.

“Goodnight, Cas,” Dean called out, amusement lacing his tone.

“Goodnight, Mr. Smith,” Cas called back.

Balth waited until Dean had walked away before he finally stepped out of his hiding spot and headed back toward the bar. As he walked, he thought about potential spots for his first date with Cas.

He’d have to make it fantastic to compete with the likes of this Dean Smith. And yeah, he knew it was a long shot, but at least it was a shot, right?

Higher odds had been beaten before.

Hello! So this was a quick little something that I wrote a while back but didn’t post bc I wasn’t even sure if I completely liked it. But I reread it today, and I enjoyed it. So here you go, a quick little drabble. I don’t know if I’ll continue it; I can see some definite hilarity ensuing from the Dean/Balth competition… guess it depends on the feedback. Anyways, hope you like it!!

#yeah i wrote something #destiel #destiel ficlet #office au #outsider POV #dean smith #pining!balth #jilted!cas #second chances #dean x castiel #Dean smith x Castiel #Castiel x Balthazar

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lajollaveincare2020 · 4 years

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Conservative Management and Self-Care for Varicose Veins

Conservative management and lifestyle changes can ease the symptoms of varicose veins and help reduce problems this kind of as thrombophlebitis (blood clots within veins) and vein rupture, but do not cause the veins to vanish. These procedures are usually useful if an individual is not really a applicant for vein methods or wishes to delay interventional therapy. Conservative choices include:

Compression stockings: These elastic tights squeeze or even shrink the veins to assist circulate bloodstream. The data compression tights prevent bloodstream from flowing backward and pooling in the hip and legs. Compression tights must become managed to graduate, medical grade Compression to end up being advantageous. TED hose are usually not really adequate to decrease symptoms in venous illness for active individuals. Compression stockings arrive in various strengths and the most common power for the therapy of varicose veins is 20-30mmhg. Your physician should recommend you which strength of data compression stockings you should wear. In individuals with peripheral arterial disease (PAD), diabetics, and neuropathies, compression may become contraindicated or lesser strengths of data compression may end up being advised.

Leg elevation: Use leg elevation three or four situations a day for about 15 minutes at a time. Even increasing your hip and legs on a step feces or ottoman will be advantageous. If you require to sit down or remain for a lengthy time period of period, flexing (bending) your hip and legs sometimes can help maintain bloodstream circulating. If you possess mild to reasonable varicose veins, elevating your hip and legs can assist decrease lower-leg swelling and relieve other symptoms.

Exercise: Exercising is great for your veins because it boosts bloodstream flow. Strolling, cycling, or going swimming are usually excellent workouts for vein wellness. But be certain to verify with your physician before beginning any workout system.

Avoid inactivity: Standing or sitting for lengthy periods of period can aggravate your vein condition. To maintain blood moving when you have to sit down or stand for lengthy duration, try these tips: at function, take strolling breaks and try strolling during your lunch hour. While seated, try flexing your ft up and down 10

times an hr. When standing, increase yourself up and down on your toes or rock back and forth on your heels. Dietary Supplements: Supplements this kind of as horse chestnut and grape seed extract may help reduce symptoms of venous disease. Vasculera is a prescription medicine that may become useful for some. Always check with your PCP before starting supplements or new medicines as there may be side results.

Dietary Changes and High Fiber Diet: A flavinoid rich diet including berries, green teas may reduce inflammation and pain. A high fiber diet plan can enhance stomach stress and may end up being useful for varicose veins. Make sure to consume lots of water with your higher fiber diet.

Anti-inflammatory Medications are useful to reduce pain and inflammation but examine with your physician first to be sure you don’t’ have contraindications to using them. Ibupfren and Advil are common oral anti-inflammatory medicines. There are usually furthermore anti-inflammatory lotion or gels that can become used topically to the unpleasant veins, this kind of as Voltaren solution.

Ice Packs and heating pads may be applied to tender veins. Ice packs and heating pads may be used in an switching way.

Weight loss or maintaining a healthful weight: Being overweight puts additional pressure on your veins.

At La Jolla Vein Care, we believe exceptional medical care begins with compassion and respect. As one of the only dedicated vein centers to have earned accreditation by the Accreditation Commission, our highly skilled team is committed to providing excellence in vascular patient care, treatment, and education. Contact us to know more about San Diego Varicose Vein Treatment Center

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ronaldsmcrae86 · 4 years

Text

How to Use LinkedIn to Find a Job as a Freelancer (11 Pro Tips)

Want to use LinkedIn to find a job?

You’re not alone.

With over 300 million monthly LinkedIn users and over 20 million job postings open at any given time, LinkedIn is a virtual gold mine for freelancers (or anyone, really) looking to find their dream job.

Of course, where there’s gold, there’s competition. To stand out from the crowd and land any of those great jobs on LinkedIn, you need a plan.

That’s why we’ve put together this handy guide. It will give you a step-by-step walkthrough of the most effective tips to leverage LinkedIn’s massive job platform — tips that’ll help you find, and land, a new job.

And we’ll start with arguably the most important one…

1. Create a Standout LinkedIn Profile

Optimizing your LinkedIn profile should be your number one priority if you want to land a freelance gig.

First impressions are integral in your job search. It’s essential to ensure that your LinkedIn profile offers a testament to your writing career, expertise, and experience level.

Try these top tips to enhance your LinkedIn profile to attract more freelance clients:

Create a succinct LinkedIn headline that captures your expertise in three key phrases

Fill your bio with relevant words and phrases so it’ll rank higher in LinkedIn job searches

Specify details of past freelance work experience

Offer an industry-specific writing sample

Link to examples of published content writing

Include a digital portfolio of your best freelance work

Use a professional, approachable headshot for your profile photo

Post an up-to-date, well-presented resume

Demonstrate your expertise and technical ability using Skills & Endorsements

Offer social proof with recommendations from your past freelance client base

Remember to make sure your profile is visible to everyone — especially your profile picture as professionals are less trusting of candidates without professional photos. You can do this by going to LinkedIn’s homepage (or any page, really), clicking “Me” in the top-navigation menu, and going to “Settings and Privacy”.

In addition to pictures, I highly recommend creating a video resume or animated explainer video that details your writing process, your style, your quality, social proof, and more.

Editor’s Note: If creating a video resume sounds daunting, check out this great guide from Madeline Mann. It’ll show you how to create a video CV even if you don’t have any editing skills (or enjoy speaking on camera):

youtube

Finally, make sure your profile is grammatically correct before applying for any jobs. According to Talent Inc., 79% of employers will ignore LinkedIn profiles, resumes, and job applications that have spelling or grammar mistakes in them.

If you’re prone to mishaps, use spelling and grammar tools like Grammarly and Hemingway to ensure your LinkedIn profile is free of errors and easy to read.

2. Fill Out the “Open to Work” Section

If you want to land freelance clients, you need your LinkedIn profile to be visible to potential recruiters, writing clients and LinkedIn connections.

Just under your profile picture, you’ll find a small box that invites you to show that you’re job hunting. By switching on this feature, your next potential employer can see you’re ready to take on a new job.

If you haven’t changed the settings, simply:

Click on the box that says “Show recruiters you’re open to work”

Fill out the pop-up with your relevant writing skills and geographical availability

Save the changes

To make sure it’s changed, check back to the box under your profile picture.

If you’ve done this correctly, this box should state that you’re #OpenToWork.

3. Personalize Your Job Applications

Gone are the days when you could print a hundred resumes for your services and send them to “Dear Sir/Madam.” No, you need to personalize each job application.

By customizing your resume and cover letter for each specific job posting, prospective employer, and related industry; you’ll find potential employers to be more responsive.

A whopping 1/3 of employers say that a non-customized resume is a deal-breaker. If a job seeker turns in a generalized resume with no connection to the job posting, employers will simply ignore them.

With this in mind, you should be tailoring your resume and cover letter to speak to each individual job.

My advice?

Craft templates using a document collaboration tool such as Google Docs or Microsoft 365 that you can then customize for each prospective employer or client.

Try these tactics:

Find out the name of the hiring manager and address your job application to this person directly

Document relevant industry-related work experience

Research the prospective employers business and figure out a problem that you specialize in solving

Offer previous client testimonials as social proof of your best work

Include points about why you like the job posting and how it suits your skill set

If applicable, link to a portfolio of your work or to published works from previous jobs

Only present up-to-date work

Avoid rambling on about irrelevant achievements

4. Research the Companies You’d Like to Work With

The first step to finding companies you’d like to work with is figuring out which niches or industries most appeal to you.

For example, if you were a writer, ask yourself questions like these to find your ideal niche/industry:

What style of writing do you excel most at?

In which industry-areas do you enjoy writing?

What values would I like the companies I work for to uphold?

What types of projects are a no-go for you?

Next, take your top industries, and find companies within those sectors that implement your values and excite your passions.

Follow these accounts to add them to your LinkedIn connections so you can stay up-to-date with their progress.

Now, search within those organizations for job roles that suit your expertise.

So, if you’re a writer, you might search for roles like:

Content Writer

Content Marketer

Social Media Manager

Content Marketing Manager

Content Strategist

Digital Marketing Manager

Content Manager

You can search for such openings in the “Jobs” section on the left-hand side of the target company’s LinkedIn page:

Source: Contentsquare

The “Jobs” page will showcase the company’s top available job postings right now. These are usually ordered by how recently they’ve been posted.

Hopefully, a job posting will jump off the page.

But if not, use the advanced search function to search for relevant job titles.

When you search for a job posting, LinkedIn will lead you to a list view of each job opportunity.

Click on each job opening to see a full job description of the job opportunity. You can save jobs that catch your eye or apply directly from this page.

LinkedIn also shows you how many applicants have applied for your dream job, as well as any mutual connections you have that work for the prospective employer.

Not finding any good job openings with a company you really like? No worries. You can “Follow” the company and create a job alert:

LinkedIn will then notify you whenever a new position opens within the company.

5. Build Your Network and First-Degree Connections

Start building your first-degree LinkedIn connections by adding people you know from real life — even if their own job roles are irrelevant to your career.

Begin with your professional circles. Add:

Previous clients

Past employers

Other colleagues and ex-colleagues

Connections you know from your general career

Professionals outside your industry that you know through business

Next, add professional connections you know from your social circles. Find LinkedIn connections for:

Friends with professional careers

Associates with similar job interests

Alumni and school friends succeeding as professionals

Friends of friends who thrive in the professional world

People you’ve hired for their services

To exhaust everyone you know, run through your Facebook contacts, email connections, phonebook, address book, old wedding invitations, and more.

Remember, it only takes one excellent lead to land a career-changing job.

You may find that your real-world contacts have LinkedIn connections with a job opportunity available that neither of you had considered, making way for an introduction.

Remember to include everyone from your aging rolodex. You never know which alumni or school friends may be the connection to your ideal job.

But don’t stop there.

You can have up to 30,000 LinkedIn connections, so take full advantage. Try searching for connections who would hire someone with your very particular set of skills.

Let’s go back to our writer example. If you were a freelance writer looking for paid job opportunities, you’d want to ask yourself who the key decision makers are when it comes to hiring content writers.

As a content writer looking to build a LinkedIn network, you’d want to connect with content managers of companies with job openings you’re interested in. You could also try connecting to:

Content marketing managers

Content managers

HR managers of content agencies and writing firms

Marketing managers in small business in your industry

When asking to connect, take advantage of the “connection request” message box with a succinct call-to-action. How you word this could make or break your connection.

Include a link to an appointment setting page, your writer website, or use a landing page builder to get more leads.

You only have 140 characters, so try something like:

Thanks for connecting, Jamie. I think I can help you with X. Let’s book a call! [link]

When it comes to outlining ‘X’, refer to:

A LinkedIn job posting you have seen

A common interest

An post written by the connection

An issue your connection is having

Something you’ve noticed on their website, social networks, etc.

6. Ask Your Connections for an Introduction

When searching for job opportunities, you may notice that LinkedIn alerts you of mutual connections.

Each of these mutual connections is a potential gold mine.

If you see that one of your connections has a link to a job or professional you’re interested in, ask them for an introduction.

But don’t stop there. Sift through your first-degree connections’ connections. You may find second- and third-degree connections that could be useful to you.

Additionally, when searching for prospective employer connections, prioritize those that identify mutual connections.

These second- and third-degree connections are warm leads. They could be your ideal client, but without an introduction, it can be tough to get your foot in the door.

When connecting to these prospective employers, ask your first-degree connections to warm these prospects up for you with a referral.

Asking for a referral is easy — just craft a personalized message. If you’re a writer, it might look something like this:

Hi X,

I hope you’re well and everything with life and business is prospering. I saw that you have been doing X,Y, Z.

Currently, I’m in the process of pivoting my career/accepting new freelance clients. During my search, I found LinkedIn job postings that have mutual connections with you.

If it wouldn’t be too much trouble, I’d love you to introduce me to [name the connection]. I’m interested in connecting as they have a [job/role/network] that I’d be interested to explore.

Would it be possible to connect the dots for us?

I recognize that you’re busy, and hope you’re thriving.

Thanks

[Your Name]

If you’re confident in your relationship with this connection, contact them directly or send them an InMail.

If you’re not all that familiar with them, don’t be shy. They may have seen your work posted on your LinkedIn profile or know your work from mutual connections.

You can use the official LinkedIn referral system to ask for a referral for a job directly.

If you see a job posting in the “In my Network” search, click the “Ask for a Referral” button if you have mutual connections.

7. Share an Update of Your Availability (and Tag for Searchability)

Use LinkedIn as a place to regularly let potential clients and employers know about your availability.

Release weekly posts that let people know your schedule.

By demonstrating that you’re available for work, your connections may be able to direct you to positions they know about.

Plus, if you’re a freelancer, showing your schedule sends a virtual signal about the demand for your work. Try posting a weekly updated schedule that blanks out unavailable times.

This is especially effective if your freelance diary fills up fast, as it creates urgency and implies that your work is high quality.

To optimize your job updates for the best visibility on LinkedIn, try these tactics:

Tag companies and professionals within your niche

Tag companies with open job postings

Use relevant industry and topic-specific hashtags

Tag your current clients

Tag past clients in case they need new work

8. Engage with Industry-Specific LinkedIn Groups

Depending on your profession, you may straddle a few different industries. Luckily, you can find a LinkedIn Group for everything.

Find the LinkedIn groups where the industry professionals relevant to you are congregating. This is where key decision makers will be asking for tips and referrals for hiring and managing remote workers.

You need to establish a reputation in each relevant LinkedIn group. Do this by:

Sharing content from other members of the LinkedIn group

Liking and commenting on posts by other members

Ask questions to learn from other LinkedIn members

Share content from industry thought leaders that you think the Linkedin group members might enjoy

Make a website and share your own content to show expertise

By contributing to the group, you show any onlooking potential clients that you’re established in the industry.

You also broaden your LinkedIn network, boosting the number of connections on your LinkedIn accounts.

This creates a snowball effect where you see more and more relevant job openings in your feed. As you build an industry-specific LinkedIn network, you’ll find you can automate the process for sourcing each new client.

9. Share Valuable Content as an Industry Thought Leader

You need to establish your credibility, authority, and expertise to build trust with potential freelance clients. This demonstrates you as a thought leader; a freelance professional worth high rates for high-quality work and forward-thinking ideas.

Since your own work requires you to create outstanding content, demonstrate these skills by implementing your own personal evergreen content strategy for LinkedIn.

If you’re put off by the time commitment to develop such a strategy, don’t be. You can easily set up a content marketing workflow to streamline your efforts and become visible across multiple mediums.

Build a LinkedIn content strategy where you release regular self-authored content that shows your passion and interest in the industry, alongside your exceptional content-creation prowess.

Source: Katie Wager

In addition, be sure to leverage things like infographics that are easily shared on LinkedIn. These can go viral far faster than just text-based articles alone.

For example, pick a subject matter that is of interest to your target market (like how CEOs sleep) and create a great infographic for your article:

Source: Sleep Junkie

Use these articles as a way to:

Share valuable insights from your industry

Demonstrate how you would solve problems in your sector

Given personal opinions on current affairs related to your industry

Share content and insights from other industry thought leaders

Teach potential customers the value you have as a freelance content specialist

Show prospective clients how your finished work looks

If you don’t have time to create content, you can always consider creating your LinkedIn content strategy and outsourcing it to another content writer.

Since content needs to be thorough (around 1,890 words minimum, according to experts), don’t settle for the first or cheapest writer you find.

By paying someone to create a regular, high-quality LinkedIn campaign, you’ll show consistency to your prospective clients and you’ll appear in job searches more often.

If you’re really struggling to get your own ideas down, at least try to share engaging industry-specific content.

10. Interact With Other Thought Leaders’ Content to Increase Visibility

Increase profile views and set the way for partnerships and referrals by interacting with other experts in your industry.

Marketing guru, Gary Vaynerchuk, explains this idea well with his $1.80 strategy.

Here’s the idea:

Find 10 top hashtags for your niche. Comment on, share, or like the top nine posts of each of those hashtags. Tailor your interactions to establish the importance of your particular freelance services within this niche.

Repeat this process and you’ll start to form LinkedIn connections with others in your industry, priming you for referrals.

Why is it called the $1.80 strategy? Because you give your “two cents” over nine posts across 10 hashtags. $0.02 x 9 x 10 = $1.80.

Try using sales tools, like LinkedIn Sales Navigator, to pinpoint important industry professionals.

11. Reach Out to the Hiring Manager (Bonus Strategy)

While you can apply for a job offer through the normal LinkedIn channels, why not show some initiative?

Find a new opportunity you like where the hiring manager is considering hiring someone full-time. Instead of applying for the job, try to connect with the decision maker by sending a direct InMail or cold email offering your freelance services.

Try to include a stellar portfolio, including links to your work, an introductory video, and a landing page to book an appointment.

Ready to Get a Job Using LinkedIn?

For many freelancers, LinkedIn is the go-to resource for making new connections and landing their next job.

How about you?

Ready to expand your professional network? Ready to end your job hunt and land your dream client?

Follow the strategies outlined in this post, roll up your sleeves, and make it happen.

The post How to Use LinkedIn to Find a Job as a Freelancer (11 Pro Tips) appeared first on Smart Blogger.

from SEO and SM Tips https://smartblogger.com/how-to-use-linkedin-to-find-a-job/

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williamlwolf89 · 4 years

Text

How to Use LinkedIn to Find a Job as a Freelancer (11 Pro Tips)

Want to use LinkedIn to find a job?

You’re not alone.

Of course, where there’s gold, there’s competition. To stand out from the crowd and land any of those great jobs on LinkedIn, you need a plan.

And we’ll start with arguably the most important one…

1. Create a Standout LinkedIn Profile

Optimizing your LinkedIn profile should be your number one priority if you want to land a freelance gig.

First impressions are integral in your job search. It’s essential to ensure that your LinkedIn profile offers a testament to your writing career, expertise, and experience level.

Try these top tips to enhance your LinkedIn profile to attract more freelance clients:

Create a succinct LinkedIn headline that captures your expertise in three key phrases

Fill your bio with relevant words and phrases so it’ll rank higher in LinkedIn job searches

Specify details of past freelance work experience

Offer an industry-specific writing sample

Link to examples of published content writing

Include a digital portfolio of your best freelance work

Use a professional, approachable headshot for your profile photo

Post an up-to-date, well-presented resume

Demonstrate your expertise and technical ability using Skills & Endorsements

Offer social proof with recommendations from your past freelance client base

In addition to pictures, I highly recommend creating a video resume or animated explainer video that details your writing process, your style, your quality, social proof, and more.

youtube

If you’re prone to mishaps, use spelling and grammar tools like Grammarly and Hemingway to ensure your LinkedIn profile is free of errors and easy to read.

2. Fill Out the “Open to Work” Section

If you want to land freelance clients, you need your LinkedIn profile to be visible to potential recruiters, writing clients and LinkedIn connections.

If you haven’t changed the settings, simply:

Click on the box that says “Show recruiters you’re open to work”

Fill out the pop-up with your relevant writing skills and geographical availability

Save the changes

To make sure it’s changed, check back to the box under your profile picture.

If you’ve done this correctly, this box should state that you’re #OpenToWork.

3. Personalize Your Job Applications

Gone are the days when you could print a hundred resumes for your services and send them to “Dear Sir/Madam.” No, you need to personalize each job application.

By customizing your resume and cover letter for each specific job posting, prospective employer, and related industry; you’ll find potential employers to be more responsive.

A whopping 1/3 of employers say that a non-customized resume is a deal-breaker. If a job seeker turns in a generalized resume with no connection to the job posting, employers will simply ignore them.

With this in mind, you should be tailoring your resume and cover letter to speak to each individual job.

My advice?

Craft templates using a document collaboration tool such as Google Docs or Microsoft 365 that you can then customize for each prospective employer or client.

Try these tactics:

Find out the name of the hiring manager and address your job application to this person directly

Document relevant industry-related work experience

Research the prospective employers business and figure out a problem that you specialize in solving

Offer previous client testimonials as social proof of your best work

Include points about why you like the job posting and how it suits your skill set

If applicable, link to a portfolio of your work or to published works from previous jobs

Only present up-to-date work

Avoid rambling on about irrelevant achievements

4. Research the Companies You’d Like to Work With

The first step to finding companies you’d like to work with is figuring out which niches or industries most appeal to you.

For example, if you were a writer, ask yourself questions like these to find your ideal niche/industry:

What style of writing do you excel most at?

In which industry-areas do you enjoy writing?

What values would I like the companies I work for to uphold?

What types of projects are a no-go for you?

Next, take your top industries, and find companies within those sectors that implement your values and excite your passions.

Follow these accounts to add them to your LinkedIn connections so you can stay up-to-date with their progress.

Now, search within those organizations for job roles that suit your expertise.

So, if you’re a writer, you might search for roles like:

Content Writer

Content Marketer

Social Media Manager

Content Marketing Manager

Content Strategist

Digital Marketing Manager

Content Manager

You can search for such openings in the “Jobs” section on the left-hand side of the target company’s LinkedIn page:

Source: Contentsquare

The “Jobs” page will showcase the company’s top available job postings right now. These are usually ordered by how recently they’ve been posted.

Hopefully, a job posting will jump off the page.

But if not, use the advanced search function to search for relevant job titles.

When you search for a job posting, LinkedIn will lead you to a list view of each job opportunity.

Click on each job opening to see a full job description of the job opportunity. You can save jobs that catch your eye or apply directly from this page.

LinkedIn also shows you how many applicants have applied for your dream job, as well as any mutual connections you have that work for the prospective employer.

Not finding any good job openings with a company you really like? No worries. You can “Follow” the company and create a job alert:

LinkedIn will then notify you whenever a new position opens within the company.

5. Build Your Network and First-Degree Connections

Start building your first-degree LinkedIn connections by adding people you know from real life — even if their own job roles are irrelevant to your career.

Begin with your professional circles. Add:

Previous clients

Past employers

Other colleagues and ex-colleagues

Connections you know from your general career

Professionals outside your industry that you know through business

Next, add professional connections you know from your social circles. Find LinkedIn connections for:

Friends with professional careers

Associates with similar job interests

Alumni and school friends succeeding as professionals

Friends of friends who thrive in the professional world

People you’ve hired for their services

To exhaust everyone you know, run through your Facebook contacts, email connections, phonebook, address book, old wedding invitations, and more.

Remember, it only takes one excellent lead to land a career-changing job.

You may find that your real-world contacts have LinkedIn connections with a job opportunity available that neither of you had considered, making way for an introduction.

Remember to include everyone from your aging rolodex. You never know which alumni or school friends may be the connection to your ideal job.

But don’t stop there.

You can have up to 30,000 LinkedIn connections, so take full advantage. Try searching for connections who would hire someone with your very particular set of skills.

As a content writer looking to build a LinkedIn network, you’d want to connect with content managers of companies with job openings you’re interested in. You could also try connecting to:

Content marketing managers

Content managers

HR managers of content agencies and writing firms

Marketing managers in small business in your industry

When asking to connect, take advantage of the “connection request” message box with a succinct call-to-action. How you word this could make or break your connection.

Include a link to an appointment setting page, your writer website, or use a landing page builder to get more leads.

You only have 140 characters, so try something like:

Thanks for connecting, Jamie. I think I can help you with X. Let’s book a call! [link]

When it comes to outlining ‘X’, refer to:

A LinkedIn job posting you have seen

A common interest

An post written by the connection

An issue your connection is having

Something you’ve noticed on their website, social networks, etc.

6. Ask Your Connections for an Introduction

When searching for job opportunities, you may notice that LinkedIn alerts you of mutual connections.

Each of these mutual connections is a potential gold mine.

If you see that one of your connections has a link to a job or professional you’re interested in, ask them for an introduction.

But don’t stop there. Sift through your first-degree connections’ connections. You may find second- and third-degree connections that could be useful to you.

Additionally, when searching for prospective employer connections, prioritize those that identify mutual connections.

These second- and third-degree connections are warm leads. They could be your ideal client, but without an introduction, it can be tough to get your foot in the door.

When connecting to these prospective employers, ask your first-degree connections to warm these prospects up for you with a referral.

Asking for a referral is easy — just craft a personalized message. If you’re a writer, it might look something like this:

Hi X,

I hope you’re well and everything with life and business is prospering. I saw that you have been doing X,Y, Z.

Currently, I’m in the process of pivoting my career/accepting new freelance clients. During my search, I found LinkedIn job postings that have mutual connections with you.

If it wouldn’t be too much trouble, I’d love you to introduce me to [name the connection]. I’m interested in connecting as they have a [job/role/network] that I’d be interested to explore.

Would it be possible to connect the dots for us?

I recognize that you’re busy, and hope you’re thriving.

Thanks

[Your Name]

If you’re confident in your relationship with this connection, contact them directly or send them an InMail.

If you’re not all that familiar with them, don’t be shy. They may have seen your work posted on your LinkedIn profile or know your work from mutual connections.

You can use the official LinkedIn referral system to ask for a referral for a job directly.

If you see a job posting in the “In my Network” search, click the “Ask for a Referral” button if you have mutual connections.

7. Share an Update of Your Availability (and Tag for Searchability)

Use LinkedIn as a place to regularly let potential clients and employers know about your availability.

Release weekly posts that let people know your schedule.

By demonstrating that you’re available for work, your connections may be able to direct you to positions they know about.

Plus, if you’re a freelancer, showing your schedule sends a virtual signal about the demand for your work. Try posting a weekly updated schedule that blanks out unavailable times.

This is especially effective if your freelance diary fills up fast, as it creates urgency and implies that your work is high quality.

To optimize your job updates for the best visibility on LinkedIn, try these tactics:

Tag companies and professionals within your niche

Tag companies with open job postings

Use relevant industry and topic-specific hashtags

Tag your current clients

Tag past clients in case they need new work

8. Engage with Industry-Specific LinkedIn Groups

Depending on your profession, you may straddle a few different industries. Luckily, you can find a LinkedIn Group for everything.

You need to establish a reputation in each relevant LinkedIn group. Do this by:

Sharing content from other members of the LinkedIn group

Liking and commenting on posts by other members

Ask questions to learn from other LinkedIn members

Share content from industry thought leaders that you think the Linkedin group members might enjoy

Make a website and share your own content to show expertise

By contributing to the group, you show any onlooking potential clients that you’re established in the industry.

You also broaden your LinkedIn network, boosting the number of connections on your LinkedIn accounts.

9. Share Valuable Content as an Industry Thought Leader

Since your own work requires you to create outstanding content, demonstrate these skills by implementing your own personal evergreen content strategy for LinkedIn.

Build a LinkedIn content strategy where you release regular self-authored content that shows your passion and interest in the industry, alongside your exceptional content-creation prowess.

Source: Katie Wager

In addition, be sure to leverage things like infographics that are easily shared on LinkedIn. These can go viral far faster than just text-based articles alone.

For example, pick a subject matter that is of interest to your target market (like how CEOs sleep) and create a great infographic for your article:

Source: Sleep Junkie

Use these articles as a way to:

Share valuable insights from your industry

Demonstrate how you would solve problems in your sector

Given personal opinions on current affairs related to your industry

Share content and insights from other industry thought leaders

Teach potential customers the value you have as a freelance content specialist

Show prospective clients how your finished work looks

If you don’t have time to create content, you can always consider creating your LinkedIn content strategy and outsourcing it to another content writer.

Since content needs to be thorough (around 1,890 words minimum, according to experts), don’t settle for the first or cheapest writer you find.

By paying someone to create a regular, high-quality LinkedIn campaign, you’ll show consistency to your prospective clients and you’ll appear in job searches more often.

If you’re really struggling to get your own ideas down, at least try to share engaging industry-specific content.

10. Interact With Other Thought Leaders’ Content to Increase Visibility

Increase profile views and set the way for partnerships and referrals by interacting with other experts in your industry.

Marketing guru, Gary Vaynerchuk, explains this idea well with his $1.80 strategy.

Here’s the idea:

Repeat this process and you’ll start to form LinkedIn connections with others in your industry, priming you for referrals.

Why is it called the $1.80 strategy? Because you give your “two cents” over nine posts across 10 hashtags. $0.02 x 9 x 10 = $1.80.

Try using sales tools, like LinkedIn Sales Navigator, to pinpoint important industry professionals.

11. Reach Out to the Hiring Manager (Bonus Strategy)

While you can apply for a job offer through the normal LinkedIn channels, why not show some initiative?

Try to include a stellar portfolio, including links to your work, an introductory video, and a landing page to book an appointment.

Ready to Get a Job Using LinkedIn?

For many freelancers, LinkedIn is the go-to resource for making new connections and landing their next job.

How about you?

Ready to expand your professional network? Ready to end your job hunt and land your dream client?

Follow the strategies outlined in this post, roll up your sleeves, and make it happen.

The post How to Use LinkedIn to Find a Job as a Freelancer (11 Pro Tips) appeared first on Smart Blogger.

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marymosley · 4 years

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How to Guard Yourself against Harassment Allegations in the Workplace!

The term ‘harassment’ covers a wide range of inappropriate and offensive nature conducts. Within the organizations, this behavior attempts to demean, humiliate, or embarrass an employee. There are state laws and company policies to safeguard the employees against hostile remarks or actions. However, if you are someone who has been deceptively accused of harassment in the workplace, then it is crucial to consider your next moves carefully. The harassment is a subtle issue and you may end up losing your job. Therefore, your initial reply must be to defend yourself against inappropriate claims. Try to stay calm, cool, positive, and strong. Choose practical approach to professionally handle the matter like hiring the services of an experienced lawyer. Here I have discussed in detail that how you can protect yourself against harassment allegations:

Write Down Your Perspective

In contemporary organizational settings, employees sometimes need to face the unfortunate circumstances either to defend themselves against workplace harassment or defend themselves against false accusations of harassment placed by the co-workers. So, whatever the case is, you need to write it down. It is essential to provide a written account of what you experienced in the organization, how that happened, what is your point of view on that, and how you are intended to deal with the false allegations on you. The answers may differ from the end of the person who is claiming to be harassed. However, it is important to write down your side of the story to clear out everything from your end. Write a report or prepare a formal written statement and submit it to the concerned department, human resource team, or managing body of your organization. It will allow them to better investigate the matter before terminating any blameless employee.

Don’t Be Afraid of Telling the Truth

Despite the consequences, be honest and don’t fear to tell your side of the story. If you are sure that you didn’t attempt to do what the accuser claimed about you, then stand firm in your faith. But, if you think you actually committed what the accuser say you did, then there is no shame to accept that and feel sorry about your previous acts. If you are brave enough to admit that you were wrong, then there are high chances that you will have to face less harsh penalties. Talk to the employer or human resource department to clear out what happened in the past. Ensure your victim that you won’t attempt to repeat that mistake in the future. Write down the confession letter and send it to HRM team; they will be likely to forgive you on your hostile conducts and give you a chance to prove your worth. You can also suggest them with reliable solutions to prevent future harassment incidents in your organization. In the end, put an end to your harassing behavior, whether it was actual harassment case or not.

Consult a Lawyer

If you are facing false harassment charges in your organization, then it is sensible to call an attorney and book your appointment with him immediately. Talk to him in a detailed way because he is the expert of his field. He have well-researched content and experience to protect you in this bad time. In modern times, the worst and complicated cases of harassment are rising in every organization. You need to realize that the harassment matters cannot be resolved by employing simple negotiation procedures within the organization. You need to make sure that you have the right financial support by your side. It is suggested to hire a lawyer who holds a solid history of winning cases. An inexperienced attorney can decrease your chances to win the case in court. You have to be sure who you are hiring to represent your harassment case. If you are looking for well-suited options, then contact Orange County Criminal Lawyer to get legal assistance. The professionals know the system and know the people so they can predict what is on the other side of the aisle. Discuss with your defense law attorney to advise you on your legal rights. The defense attorney is diligently committed to their clients and offer standard resolutions to save you against legal charges. He will help you best proceed with the false assertions and protect you in the court of law.

Get Allies Who Can Support You

If you are being accused of false harassment charges, the chances are there that others in your organization might have experienced the same incident in the recent times. So, it is wise to contact those individuals and urge them to support you in this scenario. Ask them to document their experiences and formally file to the higher authorities within the organization. Sometimes in work settings, a person or a group of individuals exists who put false charges on others to compete with them or intentionally get them terminated from the workplace. This immoral tactic allows them to get promotion or straight-line career path for themselves. Therefore, it is best-suited to raise a collective voice against such unethical individuals. Prepare a shared report and submit it to the rightful authorities to present a solid, stronger, powerful, or united case against to defend against dishonest accusers. If the employees who experienced the same instance are afraid to record their statements officially, then don’t lose your hope and have faith in yourself. The first step is always the hardest, but after you take this everyone will come out of their comfort zones to support your right cause for the betterment of overall environment at workplace.

Avoid Retaliating and Stay Stronger

When you have to experience uninvited happenings at workplace, you need to stay calm and avoid instant reactions. It is advised to steer clear from probable retaliation in any way, especially when you have been falsely charged for actions that you didn’t even attempt. At that time, you may be feeling emotionally or physically unstable. You are most likely to sense emotions like anger, annoyance, frustration, fear, stress, hopelessness, and pessimism. Therefore, to deal with offensive behavior, you need to have a better control of your emotions. Only then you can think of ideals solutions to get you out of this problem in no time. Do not effort to take unfavorable or adverse reactions against what is going with you. It is wise to maintain the healthy distance from the person who have made harassment allegations against you. Instead of taking reactive approach, take a proactive approach to formally file your concerns in the court of law or to the HR department. Most importantly, fully accept the reality so you can stay strong when everything starts to go wrong. Remind yourself that it is the temporary phase in your work life and you will get over with. Push yourself to stay strong, take positive steps, and focus on fixing the current problem.

Consult With Your Employer

If you are facing difficulties in building great work relationships with the coworkers, or if someone intentionally bothers you on daily basis with false allegations, then you must consult with the HR body in your organization. The HR department works well to secure the honor and rights of its workforce. The HR body will attentively listen to the complications and try to resolve them for you without gaining help from an external support system. The HR representatives will ensure the secrecy of your case. They hold the best possible procedures to deal with false harassment claims according to the specified company’s policies. Honestly, explain your perspective and offer your suggestions to resolve the matter quickly so you can regain your focus on the job. The HR department can be a bridge to facilitate the interests of both the parties. The HR professionals attentively listen to both sides of the story before they pass their final judgments on the matter. Hence, the HR consultation is a great way to resolve disputes between employees without taking any strict actions. They take one step further approach to explain that there is nothing solid you can do on your end to regain your image in the company, and only they can better compensate you.

Request Higher Authorities to Conduct Evidentiary Interview

If you believe that HR is not able to handle the false allegations that have been placed against you, then you can certainly contact the supreme authorities in your workplace. Request them to support you and conduct evidentiary interview. Evidentiary interviews are typically conducted to formally handle the complaints filed by the employees who are dealing with hostile situations within the organization. They can be due to misconduct, indiscretion, wrongdoing, discrimination, or harassment conducts and even due to false allegations/charges. The interview is usually conducted after the thorough analysis of accused parties, person who filed the harassment allegations, and the witnesses. The interview is independently conducted with all the parties to record their point of views. The evidentiary interview attempts to gather appropriate evidences to determine the validity of the case and accordingly takes actions.

The post How to Guard Yourself against Harassment Allegations in the Workplace! appeared first on Legal Desire.

How to Guard Yourself against Harassment Allegations in the Workplace! published first on https://immigrationlawyerto.tumblr.com/

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holton-buggs · 4 years

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HOLTON BUGGS | Direct Sales and also Solutions Advertising And Marketing Online

Have you typically questioned just how hard it is to launch a brand-new company in Direct Sales and Services on the net? Is there a much easier method and faster means to get there? The adhering to are some basic regulations which are essential to keep your business growing to plan. For every hr spent looking into and learning about these basic guidelines, it will certainly save several thousands of hrs later obtaining business back on training course. It will certainly be an action in the best instructions to be among the 5% who will certainly flourish in their organisation after five years. The stats reveal that within 5 years of start up, 95% of all local business will certainly fall short. The regulations to adhere to which will aid your business be just one of the 5% are:

What are the rules of launching a brand-new organisation in Straight Sales online?

Step 1. Locate a coach or mentor who can provide strong support and also avoidance of the risks.

Step 2. Locate a network of peers in similar markets which you can seek advice from.

Step 3. Find a Market. In other words, find what people agree to spend for, and also discover a lucrative particular niche in providing these product and services.

Tip 4. Ensure that the consumer is made to really feel that they are appreciated and welcomed.

Tip 5. Always gain from the customers, just how your product or services can be altered to suit the consumers' requirements.

Step 6. Be extremely consistent.

HOLTON BUGGS

Allow us increase on these steps with a brief summary of each.

Step 1. Exactly how does one recognize where to start in this company? Allow's take a step back and also check out an allegory to starting a service.

You look for something that you actually take pleasure in doing. Allow us say for this instance it is flying. If you wish to fly like a bird, what do you do initially? Develop an oversize kite as well as try to take off? If that does not work, then discover a higher structure to jump from?

An easier and much safer solution would be to discover somebody that is already flying like a bird, utilizing a pretested and expertly built kite or hang glider. Inquire just how they learnt to fly and what the most significant difficulties they faced were. Utilize their suggestion to discover an excellent trainer, buy a high quality hang glider and delight in the sporting activity.

That are the most effective individuals to inquire about the Straight Selling on the internet? There are many exclusive Marketing professionals that have picked up from the school of hard knocks. A few of these have utilized their experience to develop on line courses to help brand-new beginners and existing Marketing professionals to enhance their abilities.

Where can a person discover the on line training courses? The quickest means would certainly be to do a Google look for Online Internet marketing programs. There are numerous to pick from as well as additional searches can assist determine the history of the program designer and also locate one that is suited to your demands.

Seek a person that has been in Internet Marketing for over five years and also has run their company on the net full time. Over 95% of all new small businesses stop working within 5 years. Individuals who will have one of the most to use are those who have actually done the hard lawns (in the trenches) and also supervised as well as invested their money wisely in their business.

Why do we need to go to this all of this problem? Yes it would certainly be easier to take the initial recommendations given by the first "professional" we satisfy or simply go and do it and find out as you accompany. However after all it is your time and money being invested, so why not aim to maintain your money and time spent to a minimum. Look for guidance from a person that has the results to prove his guidance is audio. Be cautious of the professional that has actually obtained their understanding from books and also have not the useful experience. There is a claiming that it takes five years to get 5 years of sensible experience.

A good coach or mentor is somebody who recognizes when things are going wrong as well as informs you to the correct course of action promptly.

Action 2. Develop a group of positive and also "like minded" people to trade concepts with. This group can be described as the Master Mind or Think Tank. The significance of developing a harmonious support group can be compared to a flock of geese in flying formation. The goose at the lead position works the hardest and also creates lift for the following geese on either side. By flying in a V formation, the group can take a trip 72% further, than if they were flying alone. There are many other lessons from the geese that can be used for business. Please describe Google for more fascinating facts on "geese flying development"

Geese honk to encourage the others flying in formation. When the leader tires, it turns back into the formation as well as one more goose flies in the point position. Likewise in the support system, they will sustain as well as encourage each other, and also share the more difficult tasks.

A vital effect that is progressively boosted by being with the "like minded" team is that a person's self-confidence, ideas, mindset, language, attitude and also management abilities are enhanced. As these abilities amplify, his capacity to attain goals and also arrange teams to fulfill a common purpose will certainly likewise raise. This is what is called expanding a person's circle of impact.

The circle of influence is likewise impacted by just being with people that declare and modern. Take a close check out the 5 individuals you spend the majority of your time with. Is your earnings and perspective the like their average revenue and also perspective? (In many cases it is). One action to raising your income and also mindset is to select your good friends sensibly.

Action 3. Locate a Market. To put it simply, discover what individuals want to spend for and discover a profitable specific niche in supplying this solution.

There are numerous terrific inventions around with extremely enthusiastic entrepreneur trying to promote them. Without doing market research and locating a clients, these excellent developments will certainly stay in their boxes.

Find a market you such as maintenance as well as also supply an angle for your niche, so as to attract attention from your competitors.

Step 4. Ensure that the consumer is made to really feel that they are appreciated and also welcomed. Despite something as impersonal as the internet, it is now more vital that an individual touch is added to any type of organisation purchase or query. It is a well known fact that it is much easier to market more items to an existing customer, than find new consumers. One more important effect which comes from customer fulfillment is the extremely inexpensive, yet effective "word of mouth" advertising and marketing media. For instance, if your close friend informed you that the food at a highly marketed dining establishment was not like the delicious meal at the unadvertised dining establishment next door, which dining establishment would certainly you go to?

Tip 5. Constantly learn from the consumer just how your service can be customized to be fit their altering needs. Some services may start as high leaflets with a niche markets and also clients coming in to check out the new craze. When a trend or style changes, those who can pre-empt the change and also stock up accordingly will have the ability to finest service their customers. Constant improvements based on client comments can keep the business growing, with a fresh appearance as well as delivering an ever improving solution.

Step 6. Be persistent. Be really relentless. Picture the persistence showed when a child is finding out to walk. The child will certainly make lots of blunders as well as stumble. These blunders can be deemed finding out experiences. The kid's support group expected the kid to stroll and constantly motivated the kid to offer it an additional shot as well as do better. Having this positive support system of "like minded" individuals in service is also a terrific increase every time we have a finding out experience. They are the ones that encourage us with tips to provide it an additional try and do better.

The most essential of these factors is to locate a great instructor or mentor. When this step is done with due diligence, we save even more time by not having to reinvent the wheel. The Master Mind team is what supplies the power, and also great adjusting to maintain you going even more. Marketing research is also important; to make certain that business you wish to get in will have a customer base that need your services or products. Without this client base, the business is not lasting. Consumer satisfaction is extremely important. Consumers will certainly pay a higher rate to be acknowledged and spoken to kindly by the cashier. Continuous renovation will certainly guarantee that business expands and also thrives. A fresh looking company helps to breed fresh suggestions. Perseverance is always is a particular that can not be under estimated. There are several instances day-to-day where people have consistent versus what seemed in impossible problems. Their determination saw them with as well as most of the times gained them acknowledgment as a specialist in this field of their life!

#Holton Buggs

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marianogoren · 5 years

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In the case of Darren Kall, managing director of Specific Clairity, a UX design consulting company, his business relies entirely on freelance UX designers, engineers and experts. The company builds and runs customized teams of UX workers for clients and using freelancers lets them cherry-pick specific skills to suit each project.

"If we had a staff of full-time employees, we would be limited by their skills, disciplines and experience. We would have to only take client work that they were expertly capable of doing, because we refuse to put people on a project that they are not qualified to deliver. Instead, with a pool of expert freelancers, we're able to put together just the right team of the specifically skilled people to get an exact project done for our clients," he says.

Freelancers not only help businesses fill these types of skill gaps, but they can also help alleviate workloads for smaller or understaffed teams. But retaining a stable of reliable freelancers takes work, time and energy -- you have to create an environment that keeps the best talent coming back.

[ Related story: How to manage workers in the gig economy ]

Get to know your freelancers

One of the first things you want to do when hiring freelancers is to determine what skills and experience you need on a regular basis that can't be found in-house. And the best way to do that, according to Kall, is to get to know your freelancers.

"To be efficient we must really know our talent pool's skills, disciplines and areas of expertise, relevant experience, and what type of work they are interested in doing. We think we're pretty good at it, but even after working with people for years they [still] surprise us. So, we don't count on our memory," he says.

Instead, they keep track of every freelancer and their relevant skills on a spreadsheet, making it easy to quickly search for a specific match. As they get to know freelancers better, they update the spreadsheet with new information, creating a rich database to pull from.

"Once we meet a potential person to add to our talent pool we have a multi-step evaluation process. This takes repeated contact to get to know their work and assess their fit, but finding the right people is worth taking it slow," he says.

[ Related story: 6 tips to help tech freelancers build a client base ]

Offer stability

This might seem obvious, but despite their non-traditional work style, freelancers want a regular paycheck just like any full-time worker. Since freelancers lack a centralized HR to handle their payments, they often have to juggle multiple payment systems and processes for each client they work with. The easier you can make the process, the better.

Focus first and foremost on keeping work and pay consistent, says Brandy Benefield, a senior content developer at Postali, a PR marketing firm for attorneys that relies heavily on freelance workers. "We provide steady work so that our freelancers aren't worried about where their next check is coming from. Some of our freelance writers are able to take enough assignments from us to be more or less a full-time equivalent job. That stability can result in better quality and productivity," she says.

Consider it an investment in your freelancers, she says -- offer competitive pay and interesting, consistent work, and you'll get better results.

Set expectations

One way to keep your freelancers around is to set clear expectations about what you want. This not only helps reduce the amount of back and forth between you and the freelancer, but it makes their job easier too. It's likely they work for multiple clients who all want different things, so knowing what you want, and being able to communicate that clearly can go a long way, says Benefield.

But avoid creating too much structure around your expectations of freelancers -- most of them are freelancing in order to avoid that traditional corporate structure in the first place. "For us it is providing freelancers interesting things to work on, unblocking obstacles to them doing great work, ensuring that reasonable time is scheduled for the project work, and making sure they know what they are doing will make a difference. All practical things we'd all like from our jobs," says Kall.

Provide feedback

You might be hesitant to provide feedback to a freelancer, since they aren't a traditional employee, but Benefield recommends opening the lines of communication. She always provides constructive feedback to freelancers -- it not only it helps establish expectations but it helps freelancers hone their skills for future projects and other clients.

"We treat our freelancers with respect and professionalism. If we have an issue with work, we communicate that clearly along with our expectations. Our freelancers appreciate the guidance and want to improve," she says.

She also recommends remaining available to the freelancers just as you would an in-house employee, whether it's over a messenger platform, email or by phone. Whether they have questions or concerns, Benefield says you should remain responsive and treat it as you would any request from a full-time worker.

Stay flexible

Although freelancers appreciate steady, regular work, their schedules can be unpredictable -- and unlike your full-time employees, the chance is higher that they will have to turn down a project. Therefore, Kall says that anytime you have a project, especially if it's last minute, you need to consider a freelancer's changing workload.

"Freelancers are always busy filling their pipeline with project work, so their availability is constantly shifting. Freelancers often switch back to full time employment and stop freelance work altogether. Those shifting resources make it difficult to know the moment to moment availability of our talent pool. Adding someone with the right talent and interest to the pool isn't enough, we've got to maintain awareness of their shifting availability," says Kall.

They often request three-month availability updates from freelancers and also allow freelancers to update their own availability as needed. It's not perfect, but he says it gives a better picture of who is likely to take on a project at that moment. And as backup, Kall ensures that they have more than one freelancer on tap with similar skills, so that if someone is unavailable, someone else with the right skills can jump in.

Don't get comfortable

Once you've established a solid base of freelancers, try not to get too comfortable. "Since people's circumstances change, we must continually evaluate people to add them to our talent pool," says Kall. It's not uncommon for freelancers' work status to change, or there's a chance they signed on for a short-term contract with another client, preventing them from working with you.

Whatever the case, unlike filling an open position for a full-time employee, you shouldn't stop your search for more freelance talent -- you want to overstaff your freelance base. And you might have to get creative in your search -- for example, Kall's company continually attracts new talent by hosting meet ups for local UX designers to get together. It's a great way to provide networking opportunities for freelancers, while also getting a chance to meet future talent.

"In the corporate world, we would hire employees after a tiered but quick process of resume and portfolio review, phone interview, then an all-day interview with a lot of team members. But when building freelancers into the pool it is doing some of those same things, and but also getting to know the freelancer better over time, testing them on small jobs, and then knowing much deeper the value they can deliver before adding them to the pool," he says.

#freelance-ux #freelance-ux-designer #freelance-ux-researcher

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collectorofgiversblog-blog · 7 years

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Spicy Thai Beef Soup.

I created it one of my targets for the month from December to adhere to the Simply Packing strategy coming from Body weight Watchers for a week. Inning accordance with Jonny Bowden, popular writer and also United States's top nourishment, anti-aging, as well as effective weight loss expert, the response is a big, fat deposits NO. Bowden feels there is actually a certain place for eggs in a healthy diet, as well as he informed me all about it. This is the first diet plan that operates effectively around my late evening cheese yearnings, I only needed to ditch the crackers. An increasing number of, oncologists are recognizing that a well-balanced diet plan may be among the greatest safety solutions you could take to avoid cancer, featuring bosom cancer. If you intend to get off of the weight loss curler rollercoaster, one of the primary steps is to leave fad diets responsible for and decide on a fat loss planning that will generate long-term results. If you're a dieter, and also perhaps even exclusively a Body weight Watchers alum, you will certainly recognize just what ABC means. Junk food and various other generally consumed American meals possess a much greater volume of omega-6 (everything created with grease is actually loaded along with omega-6 fats). She ended up being obsessed with exercise and calorie checking, which really did not aid her drop the body weight. When you aim to control your food items intake through sticking to outlandish guidelines, you are actually headed for the exact same kind of failure"-- and that is actually unfair to you. Those planning to drop a substantial quantity from body weight are the best perfect prospects for sleeve gastrectomy, gastric coronary bypass, as well as the laparoscopic band (or lap band). Regardless of just how http://alegesanatatea-blog.ro/varikosette-pret-comentarii-efect-aplicarea-in-cazul-in-care-pentru-a-cumpara-amazon-farmacie-sau-site-ul-web-al-producatorului/ found it the wonderful outcomes made that worth it as well as I have considering that discovered it simpler to keep my intended body weight and also muscular tissue sculpt making that the excellent kick-start to a brand-new physical body. Customers have not disclosed side effects, as well as instead have actually gained only coming from terrific fat burning end results. The book possesses a bibliography that details references backing up several of the insurance claims pointed out earlier on (this is rare in a diet plan manual). Individuals which commented on this short article offered some great ideas for assisting to sustain fat burning which is just what is vital right here, not exactly what you and also I deal with calories. I have actually presently begun the amateurs work out, and also trying to cut out as much carbohydrates and sugar out my diet. Steer clear of lying down right away after a food and also aim to stay in an ethical posture for at least one-half hr after meals. I have actually had to undergo emotional screening and also commendation coming from my psychologist to the doctor affirming I am actually 'all set' for this surgical treatment. Tim Crowe: Well if you think just what you read through in a lot of the diet plan expert books, carbs are the origin from all misery. However if you hang out at the register just health food stores across The U.S.A., including Entire Foods, you'll see something interesting. If you're individual, you experience stress periodically, and also if you are actually diet savvy, you know you have to find means of taking care of that tension. By then lowering intake and much higher proportion of body fat to healthy protein ratio I have actually maintained the body weight coming off and also right now complete over 56lbs fat burning in only 4 months. After six months in the PACE diet plan trial, the response to reducing weight for Jenny and Andrea relies on eliminating their natural drive to maintain consuming. Raw Meals Creeds: Everything cooked is actually toxic as well as damages enzymes as well as will result in health condition and lessened life. One like consuming food without enjoying it will definitely certainly not bring about any favorable change rather can possess unfavorable affect. From these, 67% told analysts they had actually proceeded their actually given diet. Lunch time is the main meal of the day in Israel, and also they all ate lunch time at the facility's self-service lunch counter, which urged all of them to choose the proper meals products. Research study writers checked out 210 homes in Syracuse, New York, as well as discovered that junk food left on the cooking area counter may correlate with weight gain. Given that our Carb30 menu adheres to an Atkins-style diet regimen that centers on how many internet carbohydrates a person should consume each day, the foods come in one calorie degree only. They need to possess viewed a psychologist as well as fatigued all other options in an attempt to reduce weight. Some of the models from his diet is actually 1100 fats on day 1, after that 760 of days 2-5 there have actually been actually a number of various variations he has evaluated over times, and the one above is exactly what they have actually commercialized into the Prolon system. I mosted likely to my physician each month for a weigh in. I have maintained my weight off as I only modified portion size. That is actually actually what's driving the being overweight wide-ranging and also I do not believe our experts have had a crystal clear sense of just what the major determinants from quite sluggish, quite gradual body weight increase are. Throughout non-fasting times, stay with a healthy diet regimen reduced in glucoses and honed carbohydrates. For those would like to eliminate breadstuff for their diet regimen as a New Year's resolution, Alison Shanks stated it might still be actually done safely if wholegrains were maintained or even introduced. It is actually indicated to be blended alongside a healthy diet and also exercise planning, with 2 pills needed two times a time. That amount of money was at risk if they failed to burn fat, if they did burn fat they would win their cash back plus our experts would match it one to one and give them a $3 a time repayment. Or possibly you'll must drop yet another 5 grams to 25 grams, which will certainly probably reboot weight management. This not just indicates that you will definitely handle to drop more fatty tissue when acquiring the encouraged 8 hrs of sleeping; it likewise means that sleeping deprival leads to a reduction of healthy body mass, which may be harmful to your health and wellness. Westman, Eric, et al. The result of a low-carbohydrate, ketogenic diet regimen versus a low-glycemic mark diet regimen on glycemic control in type 2 diabetic issues mellitus.

Then I point out that diet plan may be substantial however I carry out certainly not believe individuals on a S.A.D can create a change to this, if they can easily that are going to be actually difficult. However, those who stuck to their diet plans, despite the kind, shed substantially additional body weight. Our team presently possess 25 convenient pick-up areas where you could receive clean (never ever frozen) diet regimen foods two times per week and we are incorporating a lot more weekly!. However this was people which obtained therapy 'in person' that lost the best weight. And straight after that ended (after a week of binging all my favorite unhealthful things) I all of a sudden desired to drop weight. I've attempted several diets since my grow older has triggered my metabolic process to reduce and also I have actually gained weight. This plan isn't specifically quick and easy to comply with due to the fact that this is actually about appropriate hormone balance as well as keeping your blood glucose level secure, suggesting you eat specific volumes of food items at certain times. Some people still assert that weight-loss research studies carry out not show any conveniences for reduced carb diets. In addition to consuming apples, dieters adhere to a food items strategy that is very just like the South Seaside Diet plan with a relatively low intake from carbohydrates as well as decline from hydrogenated fats. Just in case you are actually thinking about, eco-friendly herbal tea has a 3rd from the high levels of caffeine web content of coffee. She analyzes the effect our diet regimens have on mind function, and also why are our team crave fat deposits and also glucose. Get enough that you feel confident you will not run out and then provide yourself authorization to eat as much of that food items whenever you yearn for. My option to fix my upward-bobbing weight was actually to lose more body weight, obviously..

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genforwardlegacy-blog · 7 years

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Ever done something, well, stupid that’s changed your life??

http://genforward.org/blog/what-if-how-one-decision-can-change-a-life/

Ok, let’s start today's GenForward blog here by saying that I’m pretty happy in my life right now. Yes it would be great to have a bunch more money, and to maybe have to do a bit less work, and maybe have a bit more in the way of actual family time, but hey the big things outweigh the little things.

I sometimes sit back and think about the madness that has been my life. Of how I went from being a small boy growing up in a small town in the county, to where I am now, sitting here in the USA, married to someone from another different country in Europe, doing what I’m doing and being happy. The odds are ridiculous.

My past has been filled with good times and bad, smart decisions and even more poor ones (but usually made with reasons of good intent). I have earned money in the hundreds of thousands per year, and I have been practically homeless. I have travelled all over the world and lived like a rock star, and more often I’ve barely scratched my way though to the next week.

All of it is what’s made the “me” that I actually like today. Much as some of the bad stuff I may fleetingly wish to change, I understand that it cannot happen and still give me the same end result. So instead of trying to change my past (when my son finally finishes inventing the time machine he’s been working on, with Lego and bits of cardboard box, then I may actually have a choice in changing the past, but for now...), I embrace it. I try to see what lessons can be learned and maybe passed on.

All of that being said, there are certain moments that I look back on and can see how they would have potentially changed EVERYTHING. Moments when my life would have gone on a track that was 180 degrees from where I ended up heading. Who can say where the journey might have ended in that case, maybe better, maybe worse. I think ultimately I would probably have been happier in my work for many years, however that’s by the by.

The incident in question was when I was 17 years old, shortly before I moved out of home (which is another story altogether). I had been born into the home computer revolution. All of my life I had been involved with computers, video games and electronics.

I got my first system in about 1976 or 77. It was a Binatone game system that you plugged straight into the TV. Using this wonder of modern technology, me and my brother were able to battle it out in various “sports” involving a court with various bits filled in or missing. There were 3 sides for squash, 2 sides with open ends for tennis, 4 sides with a hole at each end for football (soccer), and the game involved bouncing a square dot of a “ball” around with a stick of varying lengths (long for normal setting, short for pro).

Over the years I had exposure to everything from the Spectrum ZX81 with it’s amazing 1k of inbuilt RAM (you could upgrade by plugging in a small suitcase sized brick that gave you 16K), through my BBC B with which I started to learn BASIC programming, then to a series of Commodore machines (which were practically impossible to programme but had the best games).

I had always loved these things and could regularly be found down the local computer/CB radio store, acting as a pretend employee, technology expert and general gaming guru. When I hit 16 and left High School, I then picked up Computer Science as one of my Advanced Level subjects. I found it easy but didn’t do particularly well at the exam, primarily due to the mark being about 50% based on a programming exercise.

I had proclaimed that I would write a programme to catalogue my ever growing record collection. It was supposed to be carried out over several terms of homework assignments. Due to my usual fascination with beer rather than schoolwork, I ended up sitting in a corridor finishing off my project (18 months work condensed into 4 days) just as the envelopes were being sealed to send them off for marking. Needless to say, “Not his best work”, would have been a fair tagline.

So, next step was either university or work. Given that I had just spent 2 years avoiding education, my parents didn’t want to back me in going to university, to just bum about and throw away another two years or more. Besides, I wanted to go and earn some money. I had had a taste of proper money (well, over 100 pounds a week) working in a local bacon factory over the summer holidays, and I liked the feel of cash to burn.

My Stepfather was and IT Director for a big multinational firm at the time, and he was good enough to pull a few strings to get me an interview as a trainee computer programmer/systems designer, at a small IT firm about 15 miles away. This was right up my street, so I was well chuffed with the whole idea.

I went along for the interview which really consisted of a bunch of people being sat in a room and given an IQ test, followed by a 5 minute chat where I could impress them with my 3 week A level project, which had barely qualified for a grade, written in a coding language that they didn’t use.

Next thing I hear is that they want another talk. I am told when I turn up that although I had no experience, they were talking to me because I had scored higher in the IQ test than the guy who was running the company (had no idea what that meant then but it sounded good). I am also sure that my Stepfather probably had a finger in greasing the wheels. I was to join them and start the following Monday morning at 9am, sharp.

Well, I was there by 9am, but I wasn’t exactly “sharp”. You see I had been out to celebrate my new job on the Friday......and the Saturday.....and the Sunday night. As if that wasn’t bad enough, the Sunday night had involved crossing paths with a young lady, with whom I became quite smitten (not sure if alcohol was at play here but I had been smitten by her sister 2 nights earlier as well). Being naïve teenagers, living in the country and with no place to go, we left the pub (well after closing time as we were both regulars and the landlord was a believer in after hours “lock-ins”).

She was a little older than me and actually had a car (of sorts), so she drove me home and we parked outside my house. Then, how shall I put it, time kind of got away from me. By the time I could drag myself away, I had about 20 minutes to go and get showered and dressed, and to catch the bus that would take me to my new job. At this point, sleep was simply not an option. But hey, I was 17 and could officially handle anything.

I arrive at the new job and a complete doomsday scenario unfolds.

Instead of the engaging induction into the world of the company, and computers in general, that I had been expecting, I was greeted with a book. They explained that as I knew nothing, I should start by reading bit about the basics of programming in “C”, and that till I had an understanding of that they really couldn’t do anything with me.

I was led to a room where a couple of what looked like 20 somethings, clicking away at chunky computer keyboards. Apart from the click of the keys, there was silence. The room had no windows. Air conditioning in the UK is still few and far between; in 1987....well, just no, so it was hot. The book they gave me might as well have been titled “1001 ways to be certain not to stimulate any interest at all in your reader”. It had to happen.

I probably managed about 30 minutes before my eyes started to sting and get heavy. I made a trip to the toilet to splash water on my face. Good for maybe another 15 minutes, by now the room was spinning. More water. HELP!

Next thing I knew, I was prodded awake by the HR person who kindly informed me that, due to the fact that I had fallen asleep twice, and that my snoring was interfering with the other coders, my services were no longer required. They took back their book, and I was thrown out unceremoniously into the street, to wait for the next bus home.

My Stepfather got on the phone to the firm, and tried to explain a bit and fight my corner. It got to the point where it was conceded that the boss may have overreacted a bit, but now that he had, he wasn’t backing down. That couple of hours signaled the end of my career in computing.

Although I did have a genuine passion for computers and computing, as was generally the case back then, the education we had received bore no relation to what was wanted in the work place. Although I applied for other jobs, the next thing I got offered was a job in a local supermarket. To be fair, not exactly the toughest job to land. However it was money, and given that I had just decided to move out of home (and in with the girl whose attractions had so distracted me, so maybe it wasn’t just the drink), money mattered in a big way now as I had bills.

From there, I got promoted within a week, and that was the beginning of a long and varied path to where I am today. Although I do look back on that moment as pivotal in my life, and it’s one of those where the “If you could do one thing differently” question raises its head, as I have mentioned before, I don’t regret it. It would have changed a great many things in my life I’m sure, but that’s not my story now. It’s done. I’m happy now.

Despite this, the reason I relate this story, and I have told this to my son as well, is to illustrate how one stupid decision (and lets face it, sitting up all night before you’re about to start a new job is pretty stupid, whatever the “excuse”), can change the course of a person’s life. Fortunately for me, it worked out ok in the end and it only really affected me.

The kind of bad decisions I really worry about my son making, are the ones like taking a drink and getting behind the wheel of a car, or not having the ability to say “No” to his friends, when every sane bone in his body should be screaming at him that what he’s getting involved with is wrong.

The kind of things that really have to take-backs, no do-over’s, it’s done. The problem is, you can tell your children all day long, but at the end of the day, there’s no reason they are likely to be any smarter than you or I were at that age. It’s kinda tough to explain to them how little they really know, especially as they progress though the dangerous teenage years with temptations of alcohol, drugs and sex lying there in front of them. That's a big part of why we came up with GenForward, to have the answers there for them without having to ask directly. You might not be lucky enough to get the question from them till after it's too late so some advice beats none.

They are already struggling to create their own personality and be their own person. Old enough to think they know everything, yet young enough to know next to nothing. Well, that was me at least and, though the world has changed a great deal since those times; people haven’t so much I think.

#kermit #genforward #funny #life #learning #job #fired #alcohol #stupid #history #genealogy

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itviconsultants · 7 years

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6 tips to find and retain freelance tech workers

It's easier than ever to take on freelance work thanks to apps and sites dedicated to connecting temp workers with hiring companies. On the employer side, hiring freelancers can help fill gaps in skills and expertise without hiring a full-time employee. However, while finding qualified freelance talent is one step, retaining your best workers and establishing a reliable base of gig-workers takes time and effort. In the case of Darren Kall, managing director of Specific Clairity, a UX design consulting company, his business relies entirely on freelance UX designers, engineers and experts. The company builds and runs customized teams of UX workers for clients and using freelancers lets them cherry-pick specific skills to suit each project. "If we had a staff of full-time employees, we would be limited by their skills, disciplines and experience. We would have to only take client work that they were expertly capable of doing, because we refuse to put people on a project that they are not qualified to deliver. Instead, with a pool of expert freelancers, we're able to put together just the right team of the specifically skilled people to get an exact project done for our clients," he says. Freelancers not only help businesses fill these types of skill gaps, but they can also help alleviate workloads for smaller or understaffed teams. But retaining a stable of reliable freelancers takes work, time and energy -- you have to create an environment that keeps the best talent coming back. [ Related story: How to manage workers in the gig economy ] Get to know your freelancers One of the first things you want to do when hiring freelancers is to determine what skills and experience you need on a regular basis that can't be found in-house. And the best way to do that, according to Kall, is to get to know your freelancers. "To be efficient we must really know our talent pool's skills, disciplines and areas of expertise, relevant experience, and what type of work they are interested in doing. We think we're pretty good at it, but even after working with people for years they [still] surprise us. So, we don't count on our memory," he says. Instead, they keep track of every freelancer and their relevant skills on a spreadsheet, making it easy to quickly search for a specific match. As they get to know freelancers better, they update the spreadsheet with new information, creating a rich database to pull from. "Once we meet a potential person to add to our talent pool we have a multi-step evaluation process. This takes repeated contact to get to know their work and assess their fit, but finding the right people is worth taking it slow," he says. [ Related story: 6 tips to help tech freelancers build a client base ] Offer stability This might seem obvious, but despite their non-traditional work style, freelancers want a regular paycheck just like any full-time worker. Since freelancers lack a centralized HR to handle their payments, they often have to juggle multiple payment systems and processes for each client they work with. The easier you can make the process, the better. Focus first and foremost on keeping work and pay consistent, says Brandy Benefield, a senior content developer at Postali, a PR marketing firm for attorneys that relies heavily on freelance workers. "We provide steady work so that our freelancers aren't worried about where their next check is coming from. Some of our freelance writers are able to take enough assignments from us to be more or less a full-time equivalent job. That stability can result in better quality and productivity," she says. Consider it an investment in your freelancers, she says -- offer competitive pay and interesting, consistent work, and you'll get better results. Set expectations One way to keep your freelancers around is to set clear expectations about what you want. This not only helps reduce the amount of back and forth between you and the freelancer, but it makes their job easier too. It's likely they work for multiple clients who all want different things, so knowing what you want, and being able to communicate that clearly can go a long way, says Benefield. But avoid creating too much structure around your expectations of freelancers -- most of them are freelancing in order to avoid that traditional corporate structure in the first place. "For us it is providing freelancers interesting things to work on, unblocking obstacles to them doing great work, ensuring that reasonable time is scheduled for the project work, and making sure they know what they are doing will make a difference. All practical things we'd all like from our jobs," says Kall. Provide feedback You might be hesitant to provide feedback to a freelancer, since they aren't a traditional employee, but Benefield recommends opening the lines of communication. She always provides constructive feedback to freelancers -- it not only it helps establish expectations but it helps freelancers hone their skills for future projects and other clients. "We treat our freelancers with respect and professionalism. If we have an issue with work, we communicate that clearly along with our expectations. Our freelancers appreciate the guidance and want to improve," she says. She also recommends remaining available to the freelancers just as you would an in-house employee, whether it's over a messenger platform, email or by phone. Whether they have questions or concerns, Benefield says you should remain responsive and treat it as you would any request from a full-time worker. Stay flexible Although freelancers appreciate steady, regular work, their schedules can be unpredictable -- and unlike your full-time employees, the chance is higher that they will have to turn down a project. Therefore, Kall says that anytime you have a project, especially if it's last minute, you need to consider a freelancer's changing workload. "Freelancers are always busy filling their pipeline with project work, so their availability is constantly shifting. Freelancers often switch back to full time employment and stop freelance work altogether. Those shifting resources make it difficult to know the moment to moment availability of our talent pool. Adding someone with the right talent and interest to the pool isn't enough, we've got to maintain awareness of their shifting availability," says Kall. They often request three-month availability updates from freelancers and also allow freelancers to update their own availability as needed. It's not perfect, but he says it gives a better picture of who is likely to take on a project at that moment. And as backup, Kall ensures that they have more than one freelancer on tap with similar skills, so that if someone is unavailable, someone else with the right skills can jump in. Don't get comfortable Once you've established a solid base of freelancers, try not to get too comfortable. "Since people's circumstances change, we must continually evaluate people to add them to our talent pool," says Kall. It's not uncommon for freelancers' work status to change, or there's a chance they signed on for a short-term contract with another client, preventing them from working with you. Whatever the case, unlike filling an open position for a full-time employee, you shouldn't stop your search for more freelance talent -- you want to overstaff your freelance base. And you might have to get creative in your search -- for example, Kall's company continually attracts new talent by hosting meet ups for local UX designers to get together. It's a great way to provide networking opportunities for freelancers, while also getting a chance to meet future talent. "In the corporate world, we would hire employees after a tiered but quick process of resume and portfolio review, phone interview, then an all-day interview with a lot of team members. But when building freelancers into the pool it is doing some of those same things, and but also getting to know the freelancer better over time, testing them on small jobs, and then knowing much deeper the value they can deliver before adding them to the pool," he says. Related Video To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here http://dlvr.it/N8Q54J #CIO #ITStrategy

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