As an HR manager, it’s important to know what really motivates workers to be their most productive. In fact, managing productivity is one of the more important roles you play within your organization. You know it’s important to keep them happy. You understand that employees are generally more productive when they are happy. But, do you know why the happiness of employees in your company makes such a huge difference to efficiency? Here are just a few of the reasons why it’s a good idea to keep your employees happy.

Happy People Tend to have a Positive Outlook

This is double good news for your organization. Do you know why? It’s because the old saying about attitudes being contagious is true. If you have people who are happy with their jobs, happy to come to work, and happy in general. It sparks an entire wave of happiness within work groups that will spread like wildfire to the rest of the company.

Optimism is definitely something you want spreading through your company. It makes it a better place for everyone to work and keeps negativity, complaints, and overall pessimism at bay.

Happy People are Problem Solvers

Your organization doesn’t have time for people to stir the pot or create problems. We all understand that time is money. That’s why it’s great to work with people who are content, or dare I say, happy, in their work environments. They are not only less likely to complain and join in the controversy but they are also the ones who are most likely to seek solutions to problems rather than allowing the problems to slow them down.

People Who are Happy at Work Want to be There

This means they are less likely to call in sick or stretch the limits of their paid time off each year. That doesn’t mean that they don’t need to take their vacations and use that time to rest, relax, and recharge. It does mean that they are much more inclined to plan the time they need off ahead of time and give you plenty of notice.

Happy People are Healthy People

In addition to not taking sick time because they are sick of work, people who are happy with their employment situation also tend to be healthier people. There is less stress over the work situation. There are fewer instances of employee burnout.

Happy employees are not only productive members of the company but they are also generally pleasant people to be around. It’s worth going out of your way as an HR manager to make every possible attempt to keep the people who work for your company as happy as possible and to constantly strive to find new ways that are not overly disruptive or cost-prohibitive to keep employees happy.

Considering a change of careers? Ready to do something new? Want take your life in a new direction? The job search is often more than a little tricky for people interested in a career change. But, that doesn’t mean it’s impossible to get the career change you want and a new job too. Here are a few tips that should put you in a good position to achieve good things ahead even when changing careers mid-stream.

Let Your Passion Show

Let people on the hiring side know about your passion for this new career and the next phase of your life. Exuberance and enthusiasm go a long way to help your resume stand out so you can make the short stack of candidates waiting to be interviewed. More importantly, this is your only opportunity to show the hiring managers how your passion and excitement benefits him or her. Find a way to make that passion relevant to the company you’re applying to work for. The results are quite effective when you employ this method to get a hiring manager’s attention.

Point Out Your Advantages

Your experiences in other fields give you a unique perspective on the new career you’re pursuing. Play them up on your resume and during the interview process. You’re going to have to make the link from the career of your past and your personal interests to the career you’re hoping to pursue now. In other words, you’re going to have to present the picture and connect the dots for potential employers. They’re not likely to see them on their own. Make sure you specifically address experience you have that does prepare you for the career you want – even if it seems abstract to you.

Consistently Look for Jobs in Your Chosen Career

Consistency is the key in almost any job search on the planet these days. It’s especially important when you’re changing careers or branching out into an area where you don’t have a great deal of experience. Organize your search. Send out resumes daily. Set aside time each day for follow-up conversations. Network with businesses and business owners in your community and utilize social media as part of your job search. Devote some time every day to your job search.

Consider Relocation for Broader Options

Some career changes will require relocation according to your local job market. But, it’s not always a bad idea to go for a total change of scenery when changing careers. Potential employers appreciate a willingness to relocate and it leads to a much wider pool of potential job openings.

Career changers may feel like you have few options available to you. But, if you’re dedicated to the process you may find more doors and windows opening for you rather than fewer. Find out how Davis Staffing can support your goals of starting a great new career!

Social media is on the rise in businesses today…for companies both large and small. In fact, if you want to compete, whether on a local or global scale, you almost have to embrace social media marketing in order to solidify your brand as a business and as an employer. Of course for most businesses, large and small, getting started with social media is the hardest part – especially when it comes to shape the perception of your business organization as one that is an attractive employer for 2012 and beyond.

Find Out What People are Saying about Your Business

Before you can get a conversation started with potential employees about the benefits of working for your organization, you need to know what others have to say about your business and how you conduct your business. Fortunately for you there are several social media tools in place that help you do that already. One of these resources, Glassdoor.com, deals specifically with what former employees are saying about your business. Google Alerts is another great way to gauge what people have to say.

Come up with a Solid Plan of Action

You have a plan for almost every aspect of how you operate your business. Your social media campaign should be no different. It’s important to have clearly defined objectives and a step by step plan of action to help you achieve those objectives.

When you’re trying to attract employees to your business that represent the cream of the crop, your mission needs to be to come up with a social media strategy that makes your company stand out as an employer. You want to play up the benefits of working for your organization. Do you have a relaxed corporate culture? Do you promote personal as well as professional development in your organization? What is it about your company that potential employees will find attractive?

Finally you need to have a plan for the specific social networks you intend to utilize as part of your strategy. There are many social networks out there at the moment and new networks are cropping up every day. Some of the most widely used for business purposes at the moment include: YouTube, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter. These are the bare minimum you’ll want to utilize as part of your overall social media marketing strategy to attract new employees to your company.

Using Social Media Wisely

There are right and wrong ways to use social media when you’re trying to project an image of a professional environment that will attract modern workers with modern attitudes about work and which work environments are most positive.

Some of the tools you might use to show the world what life is like as an employee in your organization include videos, photographs, and tweets about events, awards, etc. that are happening for your employees. Things like company picnics, family days at the office, bring your pet to work day, birthday parties, awards ceremonies, etc. are ideal photo and video opportunities to show just how well you treat the people who make your business the success it is.

Finding a job is difficult. That is something that has not changed. What has changed is the number of ways you can now find jobs. Consider the mobile app, for example. There are now numerous job apps available that you can access from your smartphone. That means that the next time you playing Angry Birds, you could be looking for a new job.

Top Mobile Job Apps – You Should Be Using These

Mobile job apps can help you to get your resume in faster. They can alert you to a new posting or help give you ideas of where to send your cover letter. If you are not using your phone to find jobs, consider using the following top rated mobile job apps.

• Monster.com’s Mobile Monster – This app is simple to use and highly effective for anyone with an account on Monster.com. You can use it to search for jobs or manage your resumes. You can also use it to fill out job applications no matter where you are with this app on your iPhone or iPad.

• LinkedIn’s Mobile App – LinkedIn is a popular professional network. It has an excellent app that works on most smartphones. With this application, you can create a profile that allows you to have a virtual resume online. This allows you to connect with others easily and from anywhere. You can do virtually anything on the mobile app you could do on the site directly.

• Bump – This application works on most smartphones. It is a unique product and worth checking out. What makes it fun to use is that it allows you to network anywhere. Simply bump your phone against another person’s with the same app to exchange phone numbers and contact information. It’s safe to use, too.

• TweetMyJobs – Use this on any phone with text messaging. You can use your current social network connections to help you to find jobs. It allows you to connect with others easily through the networks you already have in place. Hiring managers also benefit from using it since they can let others know they are hiring.

• ResumeBear – As its name implies, this tool is one of the most effective for managing your resume. You can track and send your resume using this app. It works on iPad, iPhone and Droid devices. A nice feature about this particular app is that once you send your resume to a potential employer, it will track it and alert you through a text message when the resume was read.

With these mobile apps, you can begin to market yourself just about anywhere. Applicants today are more social than ever, but doing it on the go is also getting easier. You still need to be aware and that means participating in social networks. Keep up with these apps and you may find you are applying to jobs more readily. For more support with your job search, be sure to sign up with Davis Staffing today!