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Working From Home? Here Are 5 Benefits Of Video Conferencing

September 29th, 2021 | Posted by ATS in Biometric FaceScan | Business Software Automation | Employee Productivity | FaceScan Time Clock | HR | Payroll | Time and Attendance Blog, Workforce Management Software | Time and Attendance Canada | Time and Attendance On-Demand | Time and Attendance Toronto | Wellness | Work-Life Balance - (Comments Off on Working From Home? Here Are 5 Benefits Of Video Conferencing)

While the pandemic restrictions have somewhat eased, business executives need to make decisions about how to achieve an optimal remote work strategy. And, unlike the reactive shift, that began in 2020, this new “back to normal” is one that should include some form of remote/hybrid return to work experience going forward.

Video conferencing, while nothing new, permeated every business, both small and large during the height of COVID-19 and continues to be the way the format many businesses, use today to connect with their employees and customers.

In a recent article, for HR Daily Advisor, titled “5 Benefits of Video Conferencing for HR” Luke Smith espouses the use of video conferencing:

“1. Personal Connection  The HR department is composed of many different positions, and they can all benefit from video, even when your team is only discussing topics among themselves. From assistants who respond directly to employee questions to managers who handle all the tiny details, everyone on the team can use video to communicate clearly and efficiently at the touch of a button.

The greatest benefit of video conferencing software is the ability to communicate and meet in person even if we’re far apart. By connecting over video, you can share all necessary details with your coworkers without having to go back and forth in e-mails or direct messages. Plus, the human connection is essential when we’re all isolated and working from home.

2. Easier Interviews: Video conferencing allows you to interview candidates with considerably less effort than it used to take. In the past, in-person interviews severely limited the number of candidates a company could consider. Now, with widely accepted remote options, employees can interview and work from almost anywhere. This helps you find the perfect fit for any position! Furthermore, HR can send recorded videos of interviews to other decision-makers within the company for review.

3. Reduce Costs: While interviewing is easier with video conferencing, it’s also less expensive. Not only do employees not need to pay for travel, but there are also fewer expenses when there is no physical office (lighting, utilities, rent, etc.).

In the past, when interviewing for high-ranking positions, many companies would fly in candidates, put them up in hotels, provide rental cars, and then pay to send them home. That, too, is a thing of the past, and the savings can be exponential.

4. Mental Health Considerations: While the interviewing aspect is great, video conferencing can also help with the needs of your current employees, especially when your department is working to improve employees’ mental health. The ability to speak to HR or anyone at the office without having to be physically present creates more opportunities to allow employees to work from home and work flexible schedules.

With COVID-19 still a factor, many working parents are dealing with extra responsibilities, including caring for their kids and homeschooling. If HR can provide the chance for employees to start later in the day so they can take care of their kids and still be face-to-face for an important meeting via video conferencing, it will make a big difference in your employees’ lives, and they will truly appreciate the gesture.

5. Easier Presentations: On the topic of presentations, HR can also use video conferencing software to schedule high-quality webinars for management or staff. In addition to showing your face during the meeting, you can also utilize the benefits of screen-sharing.

Just about every video conferencing tool has a screen-sharing option, and it allows you to show the content on your screen to your audience in real time. Slideshow presentations are particularly powerful in this medium, and you can also record your screen during the show so your webinar can be watched again at a later time by any employees who missed it”.

Bottomline: The pandemic has forced employers to re-think their approach to work. Video-based apps and connected device services have proven how important ease of use is for technology adoption. And, while many of us slowly make our way to offices the popularity of video conferencing has not become a business staple for now and the foreseeable future.

To learn more about ATS, register for a bi-monthly webinar or download a demo from our website. And, to reach us by phone, call 866.294.2467.

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3 Wellness Tips To Help You Become A Better Leader

September 1st, 2021 | Posted by ATS in Artificial Intelligence | Benefit Accruals | Cloud Computing | Employee Productivity | Employee Self Service | Fingerprint Time And Attendance Canada | Fingerprint Time And Attendance Toronto | HR | Leave Management | Time and Attendance Blog, Workforce Management Software | Time and Attendance Canada | Time and Attendance Toronto | Wellness - (Comments Off on 3 Wellness Tips To Help You Become A Better Leader)

The particular stressors brought on by COVID-19 can exacerbate the chronic stress many employees are already experiencing. And, most company executives recognize that addressing workplace stress, the direct and indirect cause of many health problems- must be part of any strategy to improve employee health and reduce health care cost.

Study after study has revealed that employees sometimes take on the character traits of their leaders, be they positive or negative.  In an article by Suzanne Lucas titled, How Wellness Enhances Your Emotional Intelligence: When you’re in a good place, you’re a better manager.

Here are some excerpts from this article which offers 3 tips for managers:

  1. “You’re a better leader when you’re not tired

More than a third of American employees aren’t getting enough sleep. Tiredness can cause a whole host of problems, including long-term physical health problems. But it also makes us less capable of thinking about what others need.

Some of the symptoms of tiredness are

  • Slowed reflexes and responses
  • Impaired decision-making and judgment
  • Moodiness, such as irritability
  • Reduced ability to pay attention to the situation at hand
  • Low motivation

You can see how tiredness makes it difficult to control your emotions, navigate relationships with others, and be a good example to your employees. Cabanero says make sleep a priority if you want to be a good leader.

2. If you’re unhappy with yourself, you’re unhappy with others

Wellness includes focusing on what you need–often called self-care. This is not selfishness, but rather recognizing that you have needs. That may be through exercise, meditation, or eating a healthy diet. Giving yourself what you need to feel centered helps you be happy with yourself.

People who are happy and content with themselves will be more open to the needs of their employees, according to Cabanero. This makes perfect sense. If you’re frustrated with your own life, can you take the time to think about others’ needs?

People make mistakes all the time. Responding to them with patience and understanding is a sign of emotional intelligence. Taking mistakes personally is a huge problem and undermines your leadership. 

3.Wellness programs only work when leaders set the example

As a health coach, Cabanero wants to see everyone healthy and on the right path, but companies have only limited influence on their employees. Having a leader demonstrate the need to take care of oneself can make a huge difference. HR expert Brenda Neckvatal, author of Best Practices in Human Resources: How to Claw Your Way From Want-to-Be to VP, agrees. “You can’t have a proper wellness program if the leadership doesn’t participate,” she says.

Having leadership actually demonstrate wellness in their own lives also demonstrates emotional intelligence. You can’t lead people if you’re unwilling to walk on the same path. That means focusing on your own health as well as theirs. If your goal in investing in a business wellness program is only to lower health insurance costs, your employees will see through it. If, on the other hand, you engage yourself, your employees will see the results as you become a better manager. That’s a winning wellness plan”.

Bottomline: Taking care of ourselves and each other—including our loved ones, friends, and coworkers—should be the first order of business right now. As leaders look to both near-term and long-term solutions to support their workforce during the COVID-19 outbreak, well-being should remain a focal point. leaders who are proactive, considerate, and flexible will be better positioned to weather this storm and to emerge post-pandemic with a resilient workforce.

About ATS
ATS offers a broad portfolio of time and attendance solutions that streamlines the collection, calculation, and reporting of employee hours for workforce management and eliminates the manual tasks of payroll preparation, increasing efficiency and reducing errors in corporate payroll departments.

Thousands of organizations across North, Central and South America and Europe- including more than half of the Fortune 500 – use ATS TimeWork OnDemand, Workforce Planning, Employee Scheduling HR and payroll solutions to manage their workforce.

Apex Time Solutions (ATS) is the global leader in delivering workforce management solutions in the cloud. Thousands of organizations that spans Canada, South America, US and Europe— including Fortune 500® — companies use ATS TimeWork OnDemand to control payroll costs, minimize compliance risk, and improve productivity.

To learn more, call 866.294.2467 or go to our website to download a demonstration or register for one of our webinars.

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