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November 25, 2020

8 simple ways Millennials can keep their job in COVID times

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8 simple ways Millennials can keep their job in COVID times.

Pandemics have shaken the financial lives of millennials who are suffering immensely due to the unstable economic situation in the country.

According to the Pew Research Center around 43% of people between the ages of 24 and 38, and 30% of Americans between the ages of 30 and 49 years have suffered financially. The numbers in Canada are not dissimilar. Either they, or someone in their family has lost a job.

If you are a millennial who desperately wants to keep your job during COVID-19, then it is natural to be apprehensive and stressed out.

However, there are a few ways to keep your job during COVID-19.

1. Give three hundred percent at work

COVID-19 has created an adverse situation in the country and the workplace. However, you have to remember one thing. The greater the adversity, the more important it is to resolve that now is the time to achieve victory in your life.

You have to keep challenging yourself. You have to consider adversity as an opportunity to prove yourself in the workplace. Work as hard as three people so that you become an indispensable employee of the organization.

2. Do all assignments without a grudge

Your boss may give you a few projects that are beyond your comfort zone. You may not have done that kind of work before. But you should try to do these assignments without any hesitation.

You should accept all the assignments with a positive attitude and not push back on your boss regarding anything they ask you to do.

And try to avoid thinking about your specific job only; look for opportunities to tackle assignments that create benefits for the entire organization. This might be a more effective way to save your job.

3. Come up with innovative ideas to save money

More than anything, the company needs innovative ideas to reduce operating costs, so any ideas you can come up with would be greatly appreciated and would definitely help you keep your job.

Give fresh ideas on how to complete a project on a tight budget or how to manage generally with limited resources. Leadership may accept some suggestions and discard others. Take any feedback you get on a positive note and be sure to ask for feedback on your suggestions.

Also, remember that company leaders are noticing your efforts. That will go in your favor in the long run.

4. Maintain a good relationship with customers

Never forget that customers are the reason companies exist.

If you have a customer facing role in your organization, make sure you go the extra mile and maintain good relationships with your customers and make them feel valued and appreciated.

Think about various ways to lure new customers to boost the revenue of the company. When a company is financially stable, employee jobs are also more secure.

5. Show up regularly at work

Undue absenteeism is something that companies will not tolerate during these times. If you have a habit of taking a day off every week, then it is time to change your attitude.

Companies will not be interested in keeping employees who aren’t committed and who do not take their job seriously.

6. Be flexible and develop new skills

COVID-19 has changed the work ecosystem. You have to be flexible and adapt to the new environment.

Take the initiative to develop new competencies that the organization needs to survive.

Don’t be afraid to take the lead to maintain the momentum. Have confidence in your ability and give it your best shot.

Learn to use new technologies and artificial intelligence to boost productivity in the virtual work ecosystem.

7. Manage your job stress

Too much job stress can hamper your performance at work, and during a pandemic stress is at all time high levels.

Concerns about being exposed to COVID at work, managing family matters, working with inadequate equipment, and the constant fear of losing your job all create stress which, if not successfully managed, will impact your performance and could jeopardize your job.

Here are some steps you can take to cope with job stress during the pandemic.

— Discuss how to overcome job stress with your friends and colleagues;
— Maintain a proper sleep schedule at home;
— Take short breaks during work to relax;
— Exercise every day outdoors to release stress and stay fit;
— Practice meditation every day to relax;
— Do fun things in your free time;
— Remember that everyone is in the same situation;
— Avoid alcohol and drugs;
— Connect with friends every day through social media platforms and share hearty laughter;
— Know about employee rights and laws so that you can avoid any sort of discrimination;
— Ask employers how they can access mental health resources to combat stress in the workplace.

8. Stay on good terms with management

Now is not the time to get into any kind of argument with management of the company. The organization may have to make some tough decisions during the pandemic which could involve pay cuts, reduced hours, or suspension of employee benefits.

While it is not easy to accept these kinds of decisions where you have to endure a financial loss, you have to think about the overall scenario. A job with a pay cut is still better than having no job at all. You cannot plan your financial future based on unemployment benefits.

Be on good terms with management even if you feel outraged inside. Keep silent if you cannot say anything positive to the management. Silence is better than criticizing the company’s decisions.
Your outburst will only put your job in danger. Remember, organizations are less likely to retain employees with a negative attitude during COVID-19.

Discuss what’s going on in your company with your colleagues and try to avoid being extremely negative about your boss or the company. Try and keep conversations upbeat and solution oriented.
You cannot depend on others to be discreet during this tough time because everyone is under pressure to keep their job.

These are extraordinary times requiring extra measures to stay working; give my suggestions a try and I hope they work for you.

Be safe.

— Valentina Wilson loves to analyze personal financial matters and help others manage their finances in a better way. Traveling is also her passion. She follows more animals on Instagram than humans and her greatest achievement is her blog. She believes that transparency and conversations about money are essential in gaining control of finances. To connect with her, visit her blog.

• Posted 11.25.20 at 06:43 am by Roy Osing
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November 21, 2020

4 proven ways business chaos can be made into an exciting opportunity

4 proven ways business chaos can be made into an exciting opportunity.

Many people would probably think that the metaphor ‘thinking out of the box’ is a cliche. But it actually sums up why chaos breeds new ideas and opportunities. There is nothing more out of the box than being thrown out of whack.

For example, the chaos of the last World Wars we encountered brought about an industrial revolution, unlike any other. The example may be extreme, but it does make the point.

Currently, the world is experiencing an event that threw the word ‘normal’ out of the door. The Covid-19 pandemic has re-arranged our way of life in a matter of months, and only now are we starting to cope. While the epidemic has negatively affected traditional businesses, it did also open up new opportunities. This global health crisis has, in a way, became an equaliser in the business sense.

What is happening now is chaotic, and once again, opportunities abound at every turn. Tragic as it may seem, these current events are also hotbeds of new ideas to take advantage of.

You can see younger people, those who weren’t really concerned about the future before, are now opening up savings accounts for various purposes including retirement. People who usually don’t give a thought about saving or starting a business are now actively gearing up to handle the unknown future.

Using the chaos to your benefit

When you are comfortable, the tendency is to be complacent. Being relaxed is good and not a bad thing in itself, but comfort can lead to stagnation.

Upsetting the balance and veering away from the norm will usually lead to new and better things, depending on the person. When a person becomes uncomfortable, that is the only time that they will move. This is the same thing in the world of business.

Disruptions, particularly chaotic ones, are significant catalysts of reforms in the business world. One either gets overwhelmed by them or puts them to use.

Experiencing hardship is nothing new to entrepreneurs because they have been dealing with this from the moment they started their businesses.

Whether it is launching a new product, dealing with employee problems, generating more sales, and even budget problems, real business owners know that obstacles are normal and they help the company innovate.

Not everyone is ready to handle these obstacles, but there are ways on how we can deal with hardships. There are strategic frameworks that anyone can follow to flip the situation from a debilitating one in a vessel for improvement.

Here are some of the best ways to turn any crisis into opportunities:

1. Be calm and keep a cool head

Panic never did anyone any good, and keeping a cool head has never been more appropriate or applicable in a chaotic situation in any business.
Companies are living in turbulent times all the time to varying degrees, and CEOs who keep a calm head survive and even thrive.

Leaders are often already equipped with the basics of handling a crisis, but having a crisis management team can ensure that you can minimise the impact of chaos on your business.

Keep a list of employees or build a team who you can go to when the mess hits the fan. Your crisis management team should be able to help you assess how problems can be used as the stepping stone to success.

We have many examples, but just take a look at Microsoft. It is one of the biggest companies in the world and it was founded at a time of economic crisis. Take a look at its success now to measure how chaos has been turned into a great opportunity.

2. Shift your mindset

Not everyone will be able to do this in a pinch, but if one wants to survive chaos in their business or workplace, you have to shift your mindset.

This translates to making an effort and forcing your perception to see the good and see the opportunities in the developing scenario. When you can do this, you stop being rooted and immobile and instead, you begin to act.

As part of conquering the mindset, acceptance has a lot to do with making the right decisions. Along with approval comes the clarity to make the right choices and decisions. With acceptance, the tendency to be angry and clouded is minimal, and therefore the flow of decisions to better counteract the situation is more straightforward.

3. Think negatively

Seems counterproductive, right? It would seem so, but it is an advantageous trait when it comes to planning. By thinking about all the things that can go wrong, you and your team can better manage it when it happens.

By considering all the angles that can go wrong, there would be minimal to no surprises. This idea is not a new one but goes way back in history where all the evils are premeditated in battle.

This idea is often referred to as the premortem, and people in the business widely use it.

The idea is to practice hindsight in advance so as not to be caught by surprise. The chaotic event will not render you immobile by applying this, having anticipated it, and imagined it coming.

4. Get help from others

Most entrepreneurs fail to recognise that they can seek help from others. By others, we mean peers in the business, those who have been doing it, and those who have been in the business for far longer than you have.

Friends and relatives are no exception because they may provide a unique perspective to your business problem.

You can also reach out in a professional capacity, meaning hiring a coach or a mentor to help guide you along the way. Be open to being influenced by outside sources of your choosing.

The point is to acknowledge that you are never alone. Recognise the importance of inputs from people with more experience or those who have a different perspective to you.

Wrapping this up

Acceptance, the proper mindset, and preparation for the worst can be applied to all aspects of life, and not just in business. The ability to turn something negative into an opportunity is not an inherent one, but it can be learned by practicing and never giving up.

— Angeline Licerio is a content writer for Elevate Corporate Training, a team of corporate trainers committed to improving performance of individuals and teams within organisations.

• Posted 11.21.20 at 04:15 am by Roy Osing
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November 4, 2020

How story-driven content marketing gives you a powerful advantage

How story-driven content marketing gives you a powerful advantage.

As the world becomes more and more reliant on all things digital, the number of companies investing in digital marketing has increased. This reality means it’s imperative for businesses to find the right strategies that can help them stand out from the rest.

Fortunately, there is an abundance of approaches out there that can do just the job and more.

A great example is personalization. As mentioned in the post How to Use Personalized Marketing to Boost E-Commerce Sales, personalization can help bring brands closer to their clients through personalized pages, retargeted ads, personalized emails and the like.

While personalized marketing is beneficial on its own, you can still take things a step further by investing in story-driven content marketing.

What is story-driven content marketing?

Before discussing what story-driven content marketing is, let us first go back to the basics and define content marketing.

In its simplest sense, content marketing is a technique that focuses on creating and distributing valuable, relevant and consistent content in order to attract clients.

Of course, like any other marketing strategy, the end goal with content marketing is to drive profitable customer action.

On the other hand, story-driven content marketing goes beyond just putting relatable and informative content out there, on a regular basis.

Story-driven content marketing rests on the assumption that the story of your own business is of interest and matters to people.

Why is story-driven content marketing crucial?

We are now living in a world where data and information is seen as a new currency. It only makes sense for content to be seen as the main actors in a knowledge-based economy. This is the reason why content marketing is crucial for businesses, regardless of the industry.

However, Ayima Kickstart explains that one of the biggest hurdles for most small businesses is the lack of optimized content – or any content at all. Unfortunately, great content is crucial when it comes to successful organic campaigns; therefore, this is where most businesses fail.

But creating content isn’t enough – content needs to be engaging, targeted, and optimized. This is where story-driven content marketing can come in handy.

1. First, story-driven content marketing can make you unique

The products and services you offer may have unique features, but due to the market being so vast, there will always be a brand that will offer something similar.

So how do you set yourself apart?  By sharing your very own story. Stories can help you present your products in such a way that makes it relatable, memorable, interesting and unique.

2. Second, it adds a human element to your content

Aside from being particular about the content that pops into their feed, consumers are also learning how to value experiences more than they do the products they buy.
It is for this reason that it is vital for content to be infused with human elements, through stories.

Customers are more likely buy products that can improve their experiences or are introduced through stories that reflect the same struggles they encounter.

3. Third, it helps build greater connections

Communicating these days may be easier than ever before, but the reality is that finding a genuine connection is still hard, if not harder.

This is the reason why today’s consumers are very fond of campaigns that they can relate to. When consumers feel a connection with a product, their tendency is to become what is referred to as “repeat purchasers” and this is not the only thing that increases.

The likelihood of these consumers phoning a friend or two about your product or sharing it on their social media accounts also spikes.

4. Lastly, it doesn’t sound ‘salesy’

Gone are the days where consumers would tolerate in-your-face marketing strategies that blatantly showed what brands want from their audiences: their money.

By incorporating stories into your content marketing strategies, you will not only be able to avoid cringe worthy ‘sales’ talks, but also prove to your clients that you are more focused on sharing an experience.

Through this, you are emphasizing the power of choice that consumers have, thereby making them happier and more likely to buy from you.

How to apply story-driven content marketing into your own marketing efforts?

In order to reap the benefits of story-driven content marketing, there are certain things you have to consider.

Here are some of them:

Be audience-centered

Although story-driven content marketing values a brand’s story, they should never overshadow the stories of the audience and customer base. After all, the ones in control here are the customers, not the brand.

With so much content out there vying for their attention, they can easily use ad blockers or skip past blog posts. To ensure that clients do spend time reading your content, lead with their needs.

Focus on releasing content that can serve value to your audiences first. This approach may require loads of patience, but once you’ve established yourself as a reliable source, the payoff will come in dividends and improve your branding in more ways than one.

Focus on memory building

Stories have been in existence for a very, very long time, and it’s easy to see why. They are effective media that can carry life lessons and values.

At the same time, they are capable of evoking feelings and keeping us entertained. We may not remember everything about a story, but we do retain the important bits. To ensure that your content is able to do the same, focus on building memories.

Search Engine Journal explains that the only way this can be done is by creating strategic stories that will subtly highlight the messages you want to give to your audience. Your story doesn’t have to be Oscar-worthy. You just have to make your audience see the story and help them imagine themselves in it.

Conclusion

Similar to how you would arrive at any marketing technique, story-driven content marketing has to be backed up by research.

To enjoy the extensive benefits this approach offers, make sure to focus on your clients, be as relatable as you can, and always remember that your client’s stories and experiences are more important than your own.

— Corrine Porter is a long-time business consultant and part-time writer. Armed with a passion for writing, her main interest is evaluating how new innovations in marketing and technology will impact society. On her free time, she enjoys reading and film photography.

• Posted 11.4.20 at 04:05 am by Roy Osing
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October 24, 2020

Breakthrough customer satisfaction lessons from COVID-19 business leaders

Breakthrough customer satisfaction lessons from COVID-19 business leaders.

Recent studies from Glassdoor and the Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science found in 2019 that there is a strong relationship between reported employee satisfaction and customer happiness. These findings are especially important when taken in the context of the Coronavirus pandemic.

Many companies pivoted to better support their customers in innovative and empathetic ways during this time, and the best also placed an emphasis on employee and community support as well.
By prioritizing their employees and the community, these companies were able to also achieve higher levels of customer satisfaction during a crisis.

Take a look at the visual from Chattermill below to learn about 10 companies that showed their commitment to good during this time.

— Heidi Thiel is a writer and content creator based in New York City. When she isn’t covering customer experience, AI and tech, and leadership articles, you can usually find her with her nose in a book or taking a walk through Central Park.

• Posted 10.24.20 at 05:00 am by Roy Osing
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