How Work Friendships Benefit Your Business

Our world is changing, so are human relationships particularly in the workplace. These days, nearly everyone wants to get along with other people to build beneficial relationships. If you run a business and you employ people, you too may want your employees to get along well with one another. Here is some good news for you. The Gallup Organization has found out that friendship among employees is highly beneficial to any business. In times past, it was thought that friendships between employees generally led to goofing off and petty gossiping at work thereby wasting precious time. Thanks to research, we now know that having close friends at work confers a variety of benefits not only on employees, but also on the companies they work for.

Since the benefits are both ways, smart employers now actively encourage work friendships among their employees. Below are some of the very glaring benefits companies and their employees derive from work friendships:

01. Employees who have best friends at work are more productive than others.

02. They enjoy more work satisfaction.

03. More women benefit greatly from the social interaction they get from work friendships.

04. Employees who feel a deep connection with their team members are more likely to take positive actions that benefit the business.

05. Employees who have a best friend at work are less likely to leave their jobs.

06. When employees have good friends at work, it positively affects company profitability, safety, inventory control and customer loyalty.

Can you see why smart business owners now actively encourage their employees to be good friends and to make good friends at work?

Tips on How to Work at Home to Get Results

Are you working at home? Do you intend to work at home? If yes, just read this very carefully. Experts say, millions of people are now working at home to earn a living. They also say the main attraction is really the flexibility and informality involved in working at home. Working at home no doubt has many challenges but these here 5 tips can help you to overcome these challenges.

01. Deliberately prepare for work. Part of this preparation is to plan your work for each day well in advance and to determine how long you will be working for that day. When the day arrives, take deliberate steps, including dressing up to get ready for work as you will normally do in a formal work environment.  When you dress up for work, it is easier to take yourself more seriously and to maintain a workplace attitude while at work. You must work only in your designated work space within the house by going there each day with a mindset to work.

 

02. Be organized. Even if you work at home, experts advise that you must have a work plan and you must make efforts to work this plan. The informality involved in working at home should not be an excuse for you not to plan your work for each day. The number of hours must be known and all the work you will do to fit into those hours must be in your work plan before you commence work for the day. A to-do list can help you to be more organized and less tempted to slack off or multi-task. That way, you can guarantee efficiency and effectiveness even though you are working informally.

03. Avoid distractions. Yes, no doubt, working at home can have a lot of distractions. These distractions could emanate from your TV set, visitors, spouses, kids and even pets. Doing some pressing household chores also constitute a major distraction. You must be professional enough to know how to keep all these distractions away when you settle down to work.

04. Take short breaks at intervals. Taking short breaks at regular intervals to stroll around or to grab a cup of tea/coffee is one great way to fight fatigue. Short breaks also help you to take in some fresh air, relax your eyes, stretch aching muscles and gather your thoughts. On getting back to work after each short break, you are usually more focused, more efficient and more productive.

05. Be focused. When the day’s work begins, you must do everything possible to remain focused totally on the work to be done while taking all necessary actions to get the work done as scheduled. You must avoid doing personal and unproductive things during your work period. You should endeavor to follow your to-do list one item at a time until you fully tick off everything you have scheduled to be done in each period.