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As an aspiring entrepreneur, finding inspiration and gaining valuable insights are crucial for your journey toward success. While books and mentors play a significant role, the world of movies can also provide a unique perspective and motivation. In this article, we discuss 5 Netflix movies every aspiring entrepreneur should watch. Netflix, the popular streaming platform, offers a selection of films that can offer invaluable lessons and ignite the entrepreneurial spirit within you. In this article, we recommend five must-watch Netflix movies that will inspire and empower you as you embark on your entrepreneurial path. Netflix offers a diverse range of movies that can captivate and inspire aspiring entrepreneurs. By watching these five recommended films, you will gain valuable insights into the world of entrepreneurship, learn from the successes and failures of others, and fuel your own journey toward achieving your entrepreneurial dreams. Remember, the path to success is not always smooth, but with determination, resilience, and an open mind, you can overcome obstacles and make a meaningful impact in the business world. So, grab some popcorn, sit back, and prepare to be motivated and inspired by these incredible stories of entrepreneurship on Netflix. Give us a call at (+233) 554 081 727 or send us an email at info@kusiconsulting.com. Written by Clement Osei-Tawiah Digital Content Creator (Marketing)

In the fast-paced world of business, establishing a strong brand presence is crucial for success. However, many businesses often fall victim to common branding mistakes that hinder their growth and reputation. In this article, we will explore five branding mistakes that businesses frequently make and provide effective solutions to rectify them. By avoiding these pitfalls, you can elevate your branding game and cultivate a loyal customer base. In this article, we highlight 5 common branding mistakes that businesses must avoid. Mistake number three: Poor customer engagement. Ignoring or neglecting customer feedback can have detrimental effects on your brand reputation. Businesses must actively engage with their customers, listening to their feedback and addressing their concerns promptly. By demonstrating genuine care and attentiveness, you can build strong relationships with your customers, boosting brand loyalty and positive word-of-mouth. Conclusion: By avoiding these five common branding mistakes, businesses can position themselves for success in the competitive marketplace. Consistency in visual identity, compelling brand storytelling, active customer engagement, consistent brand voice, and a seamless brand experience are all essential components of a robust brand strategy. Take the necessary steps to rectify these mistakes and watch your brand flourish, attracting a loyal customer base and achieving long-term growth. Remember, a strong brand is a powerful asset that can propel your business to new heights. Give us a call at (+233) 554 081 727 or send us an email at info@kusiconsulting.com. Written by Clement Osei-Tawiah Digital Content Creator (Marketing)

Dear Employer, Do you know your employee's love language? Several years ago, I read “The Five Love Languages” by Gary Chapman. In the book, the author highlights words of affirmation (compliments), quality time, receiving gifts, acts of service, and physical touch as simple and effective ways to strengthen your connections so that you can experience greater joy and harmony in ALL of your relationships whether at home or at work. I decided to apply this to my business and relationships with team members. At the end of every year, I share a survey with the team, and one of the pertinent questions I always ask is, “What are your suggestions for improvement?” In my opinion, it's a more professional way to seek the feedback I want rather than asking them what their love language is. Responses I’ve received include active listening, autonomy, CSR, rewards, and appreciation, just to name a few. Hey like every small business owner, I have my drawbacks and the intent of the end-of-year survey is to foster continuous improvement and staff retention. Besides, I am certain I am not the only employer to hear this from my team. The employee experience has become a topic of discussion among HR professionals and the workplace. I would therefore assume that knowing your employee's love language is a critical component to creating a fulfilling work environment where they are most likely to stay. Based on the feedback from my team, I would assume their love language to be: Words of affirmation as a means of encouragement and motivation Gifts/rewards and incentives for a job well done or wellness Acts of service for the employee looking to give back to the community When giving compliments or praise be mindful of your choice of words and intentions. Notice, I left out quality time and physical touch. Those are two very dicey languages you may want to steer away from at the workplace unless by physical touch you mean a handshake where you are not invading the employee's personal space or by quality time you are referring to a getaway or vacation to a remote location for your employee ALONE to enjoy him or herself, which will also be considered a reward. inappropriate touching at the workplace can make one feel uncomfortable The love language as you would interpret it with a loved one is significantly different from that with your staff. There are boundaries not to be crossed when dealing with employees. Know what those boundaries are. This year and beyond, let’s be intentional about learning our team’s love language to boost productivity and enhance our employee’s experience. So I ask again, do you know your employee's love language? If you are looking for ideas and ways to enhance employee experience get in touch with our consultants at KUSI Consulting. Give us a call at (+233) 554 081 727 or send us an email info@kusiconsulting.com. Written by Rita Kusi CEO and Snr. Consultant (Human Resources & Marketing)

Posted on 14th February 2023 Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) are integral to any organization’s success. They include policies or practices designed to make people of various backgrounds, including people of different ages, races and ethnicities, abilities and disabilities, genders, religions, cultures and sexual orientations feel welcome and ensure they have support to perform to the best of their ability in the workplace. It’s only by recognizing the value of different perspectives, cultures, and ideas that businesses can create an environment where everyone feels safe, heard and respected. The biggest human capital challenge that firms face right now, according to Deloitte's 2020 Human Capital Trends report, is belonging. And according to a research by BetterUp, businesses profit significantly on the bottom line when staff members feel like they belong: 75% fewer employee sick days, a 56% increase in job performance, and a 50% reduction in turnover risk. With a commitment to DEI, organizations can improve their decision-making process, foster innovation, and develop a better understanding of the communities in which they operate. DEI does not end once you hire people from different backgrounds, though this is important. At its core, DEI is about recognizing and valuing the unique experiences, contributions, and perspectives that each person brings to an organization. The world of work has changed significantly and organizations with the ability to put DEI at the core will be among the thriving organizations. In order to create a workplace culture of DEI, organizations must be proactive about implementing policies, procedures, and practices that foster diversity and inclusion. This includes creating a workplace environment that encourages open dialogue, inclusivity, and respect for all individuals. It also means providing training and education opportunities to ensure that employees understand the importance of DEI and how it can contribute to company and professional success. The Importance of Creating a Diverse and Inclusive Workplace Creating a diverse and inclusive workplace is essential for any organization. This involves recognizing and celebrating the contributions of all races and backgrounds, not just African Americans. In addition, creating a diverse and inclusive workplace involves having HR policies that do not discriminate against any employee or group. This means having policies that provide equal benefits to all employees and policies that are designed to promote diversity and inclusion. By recognizing and celebrating Black History Month, employers can create a workplace environment that is welcoming and inclusive to all employees. Not only will this create a more positive work environment, but it can also foster a sense of belonging and community amongst employees. Ultimately, this can lead to improved performance and productivity, as well as increased engagement and job satisfaction. What Role Does Fairness and Engagement Play in the DEI Mission? In addition to creating a workplace culture of DEI, organizations must also ensure that their workplace practices are equitable and fair. This includes providing fair compensation and benefits, offering equal opportunities for career advancement, and protecting the rights of all employees regardless of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, and disability. Finally, organizations must be willing to actively engage in the communities in which they operate. By listening to and responding to the needs of the community, organizations can create meaningful partnerships and foster a sense of belonging. This can include creating programs and initiatives to address systemic racism and inequality, as well as providing resources and support to underrepresented and underserved communities. With a commitment to DEI, organizations can create an environment in which everyone feels welcomed, respected, and empowered to contribute to the success of the organization. By investing in DEI, organizations can foster the innovation, creativity, and collaboration that are necessary for lasting success. 5 Key Practices For A Diverse and Inclusive Company Diversity and inclusion are important not only from a legal standpoint, but also from a moral and ethical standpoint. As such, it is important for employers to be proactive in creating an environment where everyone is respected and valued. Here are five key practices that can help to create a workplace that is truly diverse and inclusive: 1. Have a plan: Start by having a plan and setting diversity and inclusion SMART goals. Clearly identify your mission, create policies, and action steps that need to be taken to achieve it. 2. Hold diversity training: Having diversity and inclusion training can help to sensitize employees to different perspectives, promote acceptance, and teach people how to create a more inclusive and respectful workplace. 3. Promote from within: When possible, it is important to promote from within. Promoting from within not only helps to create a diverse and inclusive workplace, it can also be a great way to retain talent and reward employees who have been with the company for a long time. 4. Create support systems: Create support systems for employees who are part of minority or marginalized populations. This could include mentorship programs, employee resource groups, or even flexible work policies and leave policies. This could help to create a sense of community and make employees feel like they have a safe space to go to if they ever have any issues or concerns. 5. Listen and provide feedback: It is important to listen to employees’ feedback and take it into account when making decisions. Additionally, providing constructive feedback to employees can help to create an environment where everyone feels respected and valued. By following some of these key practices, employers can create a workplace that is truly diverse and inclusive. And as a result, it is productive and enjoyable for employees of all backgrounds. Written by Daniel Arthur Digital Marketing Consultant, KUSI Consulting Happy Valentine to you and yours. Celebrate love and all the things that make the day special ❤️🎉 If you are looking for ideas and ways to instill a culture of diversity and inclusion get in touch with our consultants at KUSI Consulting. Give us a call at (+233) 554 081 727 or send us an email info@kusiconsulting.com.

In our experience as human resource professionals leading and managing teams within organizations, we have found that job personalization — that is, fitting jobs to employees as opposed to fitting employees to jobs— is an ideal approach to maximize employee engagement. Employees disengage the more time they spend in predefined roles lacking growth opportunities. Although concerned leaders try to address this problem in many ways through teamwork, mentorship, and incentive programs, their concerns miss a simple but pivotal point, which is employees are engaged through engaging jobs. Thus, job crafting can be a useful tool to improve one’s job. Although different interventions have been developed to support employees in their job crafting process, there are limitations regarding their suitability for continuous and autonomous job crafting in the home environment particularly considering the Covid-19 era in which we all find ourselves. A few months back, our team did a retrospect on the present industry and workplace changes we are all experiencing and the effects it has had on our role, not to mention the business overall. Also, its effect on our work culture which has now become mainly remote. We are all undergoing a societal change due to the ongoing pandemic that has permanently accelerated the work-from-home trend in observance of Covid-19 protocol. Job crafting becomes the activity by which an employee designs the activities within one’s job. This has been recognized as a way for employees to optimize their job to fit their personal profiles, which is an effective way to increase work engagement. At KUSI Consulting, we often speak about the employee experience which is similar to job crafting in that they both allow room for personalization and ownership. Positioning HR and your organization through the job crafting phase Some selective roles require physical presence while others can be performed remotely. The human resource role has a distinct advantage in that the majority of operations can be carried out remotely when one has access to stable internet connectivity and resources. It is not easy adapting to remote work, especially if you are used to working from a bustling sociable office and are a people person. Remote work, although challenging, especially for introverts, can create a level of comfort for employees and provide them the confidence it takes to become independent decision-makers, as well as more focused. Overall, working remotely has a positive effect on productivity, leadership, creativity, and performance. At KUSI Consulting, we have found that when creating new jobs around individuals, it is necessary to approach each situation based on the personality of the person we are engaging with. Each persona requires a different approach. Employee proactivity is a critical component to enable organizational and personal competitive advantage in a continuously changing economy. Therefore, employee empowerment may enable the creation of personalized working environments through self-motivation, determination, and innovation thereby optimizing employee work tasks and resources. Bruning and Campion (2018) found through their qualitative study involving 246 interviews and evaluation of 433 job descriptions that value additive models of employee proactivity within organizational working components can increase performance, engagement, and role satisfaction however, limitations exist due to occupational differences. Job Crafting: the way to employee’s satisfaction and productivity in 2021 2020 was no doubt a game-changer for HR and organizations. It not only propelled us to the future of work but also forced businesses to make the employee experience a reality. Employees today don't want to be just another number; they want to feel listened to, understood, and cared for by their organization thus delivering a personalized benefits scheme, which is able to accommodate the individual's interests and life goals, is instrumental in ensuring employees remain with the organization and have the support they need to work at their optimal best. Consequently, here are a few factors to consider in job crafting leading to job satisfaction and productivity. Self-reflection & motivation Employees should play an active role in job-crafting and goal setting. This will motivate them even more and help them to reflect. Reflection is a significant part of job crafting. When employees are committed to executing their job-crafting plan, they should be aware of their personal goals and how the execution of these goals affects their job satisfaction. Because the home environment limits the amount of personal support, there ought to be appropriate direction and frameworks set up to upgrade self-motivation. Here, the employee must define a goal, after which (s) he develops an action plan. After the execution of the plan, it is then monitored through self-reflection. In light of this, the outcomes are evaluated based on whether it affects the future or how it can be improved to be more effective in the future. Afterward, the plan can be re-executed, new objectives set, and adjusted. Personalizing with Choice In addition to making personalization more meaningful, choices and decisions must be tied closely to the needs of various segments of the workforce and should be diverse enough to satisfy those needs. Employers need to find a balance between providing meaningful choices and overwhelming employees with too many options. At the same time, organizations ought to consider the cost of potential benefits to staying within budget since it’s the time to weigh the trade-offs between the value an employee brings and its associated cost. In conclusion, this creates teams that are more effective and allows HR Professionals to place a premium on hiring for talent and insight regardless of some possible gaps inexperience. This we believe will change the direction of employee engagement and lead to satisfaction and productivity in 2021 and beyond. Get in touch with KUSI Consulting for more on job crafting and job personalization via phone or via irene@kusiconsulting.com. You can also read this article and more on www.hrfocusuniverse.com.

Hi folks and welcome to the month of November, a month nearer to Christmas. Our topic for the month of November is Strategic Workforce Planning. I hope you had an exciting time last month with the topic of Talent Acquisition and Management. Many times, organizations have to know how many people and what sort of people they need to meet present and future business requirements. This is what workforce planning is all about. The purpose of this chapter is to describe how workforce planning functions, bearing in mind that it is not as straightforward as it was presented when the notion of ‘manpower planning’ became popular in the 1960s and 70s. Workforce planning, or human resource planning as it used to be called, maybe well established in the HRM vocabulary but it does not seem to be embedded as a key HR activity. This chapter starts with a definition of workforce planning and continues with a discussion of its aims and the issues involved, including its link with business planning. In our current talent-based economy, the labour force is arguably the most important tangible asset of most organizations. Despite its relevance, this forte is often not strategically planned, measured, or heightened. This presupposes that many organizations are not sufficiently aware of the current or future workforce gaps that will limit the implementation of business strategy. While it is difficult to appreciate this apparent gap between intent and implementation, the most noticeable cause is a lack of consistent objectives vis-à-vis the outputs of workforce planning and a lack of steady process by which organizations conduct workforce planning and predictive modelling. Thus, organizations need an approach that changes workforce planning to a domain of working efficiently, where management is conversant with spending their time and energy. Workforce planning is a core process of human resource management that is shaped by the organizational strategy and ensures the right number of people with the right skills, in the right place at the right time to deliver short and long-term organizational objectives.’ It is the process of assessing current and future staffing needs and allows management to be proactive and plan for any changes in the future size or nature of the workforce. What might the plan tell you? From the above diagram, we noticed that Strategic workforce planning could tell the organization that: - There is an immediate need. - There is a need to reduce the workforce in a specific unit - Redeployment to needed areas in the future - Training to acquire or enhance the quality of skill - A sharper collective eye is needed toward identifying future staffing requirements and possible risks of staffing shortages. - A streamlined recruitment strategy that accounts for realistic timeframes and costs. In addition, today, workforce planning covers a wider range of activities such as succession planning, smart working, flexible working, and talent planning, and is not such a numbers game.

Talent acquisition transformation is a strictly aspirational concept, with most firms too busy even to consider revamping any existing strategies and solutions. In light of the massive disruption caused by covid-19, this however has now become a reality. The current slowdown gives organizations the time needed to assess and adjust practices in a way that will better position their teams for the future when hiring ramps up again. The success of any organization is closely tied to the quality of its employees, which, in turn, relates to its talent acquisition process. Thus, finding and hiring the right people is a crucial element of an organization's business plan, which directly affects the company's future success. Without the right employees, a business is likely to struggle with poor productivity, bad decision- making, and unmotivated staff. These factors make it difficult for a business to remain stable in a competitive market. Talent acquisition is forward-thinking. Instead of simply hiring a candidate to fill a current opening, the talent acquisition team considers what the potential employee's career path could be within the organization. That means talent acquisition ensures the organization hires people who could eventually become managers and senior managers within the business hence it becomes more about creating a long-term strategic plan for the future. An effective talent acquisition strategy also decreases risk throughout the business because it reduces the chances of an unsuccessful hire. This, in turn, saves time and money that could otherwise be wasted on training bad hires while also improving productivity. Organizations should note that it makes sense to devote energies to retaining key staff. Nevertheless, beyond that, the starting point in practice for an extended talent management program is a process of identifying people with talent through a performance management system. It would then be possible to concentrate on leadership and management development programs to maintain staff. After this, a sophisticated approach to career planning and, possibly, succession planning could be introduced. Finally, to emerge stronger from the COVID-19 crisis, companies should start reskilling their workforces considering the tremendous impact the pandemic has had on employee’s life and businesses which has compelled them to adjust rapidly to talent management initiative.

Hi folks and welcome to the month of October. Our topic for this month is '' TALENT ACQUISITION AND MANAGEMENT ''. Many times, after recruiting talent in an organization, they are left without being managed. The process of talent management is based on the proposition that ‘those with the best people win’. This fundamental concept of talent management is necessary to enhance talent planning in order to build a talent pool for the organization, which is a key concern for human resource practitioners. Talent management contains strategies for the systematic attraction, identification, development, retention, and deployment of individuals with high potential who are of particular value to an organization. Thus, it ensures that the organization has the talented people it needs to attain its business goals. For any company to succeed, it’s imperative to not only be able to spot the right candidate to hire, but it is also essential to implement training and development practices that will ensure the new employee(s) realize their full potential, remain engaged, and ultimately opts to stay with the company long-term. If you are committed to seeing improved company performance, then hiring and retaining the best talent should be one of the ultimate goals hence the need to adopt a talent acquisition (TA) strategy. In today's business environment prior to Covid-19, talent management is not a nice-to-have; it is a requirement. According to Bersin & Associates, companies with highly effective talent management strategies, on average achieve 26 percent higher revenue per employee and 41 percent lower turnover among high-performing employees. Therefore, it is important to communicate both the financial implication and the urgency of investing in the talent program. Highlighting the financial impact of not investing in your talent initiative means that the organization is actually losing money. Talent acquisition refers to the process of identifying and acquiring skilled workers to meet your organizational needs. The talent acquisition team is responsible for identifying, acquiring, assessing, and hiring candidates to fill open positions within a company. Employer branding, future resource planning, diversifying a company’s labor force, and developing a robust candidate pipeline are the cornerstones of talent acquisition. Within some organizations, the talent acquisition team is part of the Human Resources department. In others, Talent Acquisition is its own department that works in coordination with HR. The skillsets for effective talent acquisition professionals include sourcing strategies, candidate assessment, compliance and hiring standards, and corporate hiring initiatives. As far as talent acquisition is concerned, an HR Consulting Firm maintains a highly effective research team, which keeps a detailed track of the requirements of both the organization as well as the candidate. This helps the HR Firm in maintaining high standards of success in meeting the talent demands of a particular industry by employing in-depth knowledge and research. For instance, a company conducts behavioral interviews with a prospective candidate to obtain a comprehensive analysis of the leadership, team-building, decision-making, and problem-solving skills of the candidate. In addition, the candidate is thoroughly assessed for his attitude towards working in a team, response to change management, and reaction towards the cultural climate of the prospective organization. Such analysis helps the organization in not only recruiting a candidate with the right educational and professional experience but also one with the required attitude and flexibility to be a part of the organization. The talent acquisition team undertakes the following steps in executing the talent acquisition process in an organization: Understanding the business strategy of the organization Assess the talent available within the organization Discuss the talent requirements of the organization with management Analyze the gap areas between availability and requirement Build strategies and plans to meet these gap areas Measure the success of the implemented plans Engaging with some HR professionals from the adverting and Distribution Company, one thing was made clear, “that was every organization makes decisions and take actions that result in the success or failure of that organization however they argued that it the quality of talent throughout the organization that ultimately leads to the creation and effective execution of successful strategy. Thus, they concluded that it is imperative to have the right people before having the right strategies which are exactly what they did amidst the crises. In addition, they added that they retained the right talent by providing them with online training to boost employee’s skills on the job in order to work effectively from respective homes”. In summary, talent management works in creating a pool of talent within the organization, which helps in achieving the strategic objectives of the organization in the end. This requires the talent acquisition team to work on the present set of employees of the organization and polish them to align their talent with the strategic objectives of the organization.

Without a doubt, the Covid-19 pandemic has become the greatest accelerator of workplace transformations of our lifetime. How we work, communicate and of course, where we work have changed forever! Whether we like it or not and whether we are ready for it or not. Just last year, our team and HR colleagues were focused on discussing the “future of work”. I guess it is safe to say that the future of work is here and it is now. As an employer, you may want to consider adopting new policies or revamping old policies to help your organization adapt and stay on top of issues affecting staff as they gear up to return to the workplace or as they continue working remotely. Some of these policies should include digital recruitment, remote work, and outplacement just to mention a few. In this write-up, much emphasis will be laid on digital recruitment, taking into account the following: How we define the digital recruitment process Why it is essential to adopt this mode of recruitment as opposed to traditional recruitment. How to build and implement a robust digital recruitment strategy. The tools used to facilitate an effective digital recruiting process What exactly is a digital recruitment, you may be asking if you know very little about the interview process? Well, it is the ability to leverage technology to hire suitable applicants for available employment using very little face-to-face interaction. The digital age is changing the way all fields work, across the globe, and HR is no exception. As a result, tools and platforms now exist to help organizations work more efficiently. Digital recruitment goes beyond posting job vacancies online and advertising on social media, rather it highlights a host of digital tools and strategies that covers the entire recruitment process — from beginning to finish. These tactics include: • Digital job board advertising • Posting on career websites • Mobile recruiting • Utilizing online assessments • Social recruiting As already discussed, digital recruitment refers to the process of using technology to find, attract, analyze, select, and hire candidates to fill an open job role. There is a high probability you may be using one or two of the approaches listed above. However, unless you are using most of them, you are probably not implementing a genuine digital recruitment strategy. The Essence of Organizations Conducting Virtual Interviews to Hire Candidates amidst the Coronavirus Pandemic The current coronavirus crisis has pushed businesses to incorporate new virtual technology to interview candidates. HR should partner with recruiting leaders to ensure they can successfully utilize recruiting technology to create a positive candidate experience. Gartner poll found that 85% of organizations are utilizing new technology to onboard employees. Virtual interviewing has become the new standard for recruiting leaders and candidates. Ms. Smith added, “The most successful organizations provide candidates with the same level of information and feeling of connection with the organization as they would have with an in-person interview or onboarding experience.” Thus the new norm comes with a lot of exciting benefits and adventure for businesses that are open to change, which includes: • High efficiency: Sourcing, selecting, and hiring candidates takes limited time. This is because communicating with prospects is far more manageable and concise. • The returns on recruiting digitally far more exceeds the traditional recruitment methods because organizations can hire top-performing candidates within a shorter period to minimize costs. • A widespread reach: You are able to reach far more remote applicants including global talent, as well as candidates that are more passive. We do not know about you but the ability to avoid sitting in traffic to conduct an interview alone is a win-win for us. In our next article, we will discuss the steps and tools used to implement an effective digital recruiting process. We are excited to share more of our digital recruitment process at our upcoming Digital HR Training and Learning Workshop on September 30, 2020. Give us a call to book your spot.

Today’s technology allows companies to build remote teams for many types of roles. The future of work is increasingly going to be dominated by remote working, which is quickly taking hold around the globe. Thanks to the productive results it delivers to the business. Remote training for staff is a hot topic right now and that is mainly because it has been thrust into the spotlight in response to the COVID-19 crisis. A huge number of organizations, both public and private, have been forced to adopt a remote training model, but with almost no preparation or lead time. So if you are new to online teaching, or are looking to improve the engagement of your virtual training sessions with staff, then get intact with us now. In addition, remote coaching is fundamentally a statement of “I believe in you and know you can do this” hence remote coaching provides an outcome of assessing the team and its environment. It focuses on supporting the team's strategic execution, its purpose, size and structure, the capabilities of the individual staff, and the team as a whole. It’s hugely about the team’s leader and his/her team’s behavior. The goal is to build trust as people recognize their interdependencies on each other. Coaching, however, is about growth. It’s proactive and most effective with its implementation when an employee is meeting or even exceeding expectations, and demonstrating the potential for growth beyond his or her current role. While you can use coaching for employees who need support performing their current responsibilities, employers should implement coaching as soon as they see an employee’s potential for growth — ideally, upon hiring him or her. Again, coaching is about laying the foundation for an employee to learn, grow, and develop in his role to enhance organizational productivity. At KUSI Consulting, we understand the challenges you or your staff are facing with remote work. If you are new to online teaching or are looking to improve the engagement of your virtual training sessions with staff, then get in contact with us to learn more about how our remote training and coaching service. Irene Osae - HR Manager at KUSI Consulting.

So you’ve convinced your boss to let you work remotely, or you’ve landed a new remote job due to the recent Covid-19 outbreak - now what? Whether you are excited or nervous about working remotely, there are some unique challenges to face as you start figuring out your new remote work life. After experimenting with remote work for a while now, I’ve learned a great deal along the way and have funneled those experiences into 10 most effective remote work hacks. I’m pretty sure if you build these simple tricks into your routine, you will have a smooth transition, maintain productivity, and enjoy this new way of work to the fullest. 1. Designate a workspace It is easier to stay mentally focused if you designate a specific area to get work done. That could be a home office or some other dedicated area that offers privacy. If you can find a spot that provides a lot of natural light, even better. Also, if you will be making video calls while working remotely, make sure you have a background that you won’t mind having others see. 2. Don’t lose your sense of style (get dressed) Working remotely, especially from home, does not mean you give up on those stylish work outfits. Get out of your pajamas and throw on that Ankara pencil skirt you’ve been dying to wear. Hey, I’m not judging. It doesn’t need to be a pantsuit, just put on something that isn’t what you wore to bed. I learned that comfy bedclothes have a tendency of making you feel too relaxed almost to the point where you would fall asleep behind the PC. Work attire will do wonders for your mind and will get your brain out of relaxing mode and into work mode. 3. Create a comfortable environment Make sure you have the right equipment so you can be efficient and productive with the work output. This includes a reliable computer and high-speed Internet connection. Make your workspace is as comfortable as possible. After all, you will be spending quite a bit of time there. 4. Set boundaries It's essential to set boundaries when working remotely, especially if you have a spouse, children, and pets all in close quarters. Give your family signals as to when to leave you alone. For example, when the door is closed, that means that you do not want to be disturbed. You can also post a schedule outside of your work area for all to follow. It is quite okay to take frequent short breaks to play with your little ones. 5. Maintain a consistent routine Set a work schedule for yourself and stick to it. Try to wake up at the same time every day and treat weekdays just as you did before when you were reporting to work from Monday to Friday. For many of us, the morning is when we have the most energy and get the most out of our day so try to complete many difficult tasks as early in the day as you can. 6. Sufficient Communication Because you are not in an office where people can see you, communication is more critical when working remotely. Communicate frequently with your boss and know what's expected of you. Make sure you are easily accessible when they need to reach you. 7. Stay connected with colleagues It’s better to actually speak to another human being, so make some phone calls to check in with people. Video conferencing with colleagues while working remotely helps fight isolation while enhancing team unity and productivity. 8. Take breaks Working remotely is challenging because it's easy to lose track of time and taking breaks is even more critical. So, pull yourself away from the computer from time to time, even if it’s for a few minutes. Your eyes and bum will also thank you. 9. Make time for physical and creative activities Go outside for some fresh air or to take a walk when you can. Anything that gets you out of the house and around other people on a regular basis is a good idea when you’re working remotely. If you’re not an introvert, isolating yourself all week long is a way to burn out quickly. And even introverts benefit from getting out and seeing other people on a regular basis. Remember to observe social distancing protocol. 10. Find your “productivity playlist” Working in a completely silent space can make you feel super isolated sometimes. With that said, some music (or other background noise) may not be as conducive to working as others. For me, music keeps me in a good mood while working. Overplayed pop music from the 90s can get my brain going. You might prefer movie soundtracks without any lyrics or nature sounds. I’d probably stay away from horror music sounds, though. Be sure to check out my article on “My Experience Working Remotely as a Digital Marketer.” You’ll find out some important points I shared to help you get ready for the remote job market and increase your productivity, and more. At KUSI Consulting, we understand the challenges you or your staff are facing with remote work. We have created a flexible remote work policy along with a training and coaching service to guide you on your remote work journey.

Truth is, working remotely does not come naturally for many of us and that is okay. It is an art that can be learned if practiced and trusted to do so. If you want to work successfully remotely there are a few things you must know, which are necessary to achieve productivity. I will like to share a few of these things with you based on my experience working remotely as a digital marketer. Find a remote location that suits you Most people mix remote work with only staying in the comfort of their home to work, but remote work can be done in many other locations. To prepare effectively for remote work, you need to make sure that your work environment is at least as good as, if not better than, your on-site work environment. The idea is to get a place that will help you stay focused and get more work done. I chose to work alone in an office different from my workplace office because I knew I would get more distracted and be less productive at home. Make sure this is also a safe space where social distancing is practiced and enforced. Ensure there is Reliable Internet Connection One of the most important things to get right when working remotely is your internet connection. Should you be in the middle of trying to focus on work when your internet connection suddenly dies, you’ll be left to rely on your internet service provider to fix your problem. Make Sure You Have a Decent Computer Next on the list of things that can make or break your remote working efforts is your computer. If you are lucky, you may have a sufficiently powerful computer provided by your job. However, it’s also quite likely that you won’t. If the latter is the case, then you need to make sure that your personal computer is up to the task. It would be terrible to get to the point where you can work remotely, only to have a severely underpowered computer that makes it impossible to be productive. Without proper and adequate resources you will become frustrated. Time-Tracking Tools I highly recommend using a tool to track your time. It’s really easy when working remotely to get into the habit of working too little or too much. Not to mention those additional distractions that come every now and then. For the first few weeks of remote work, it can often help a lot if you track all of your time, including your time off the clock, to make sure that you are keeping a reasonable balance between home and the office. File and Note Sync If you are working remotely, you also need to have a good mechanism for moving files between one location and the other. Additionally, you need a good way to synchronize your notes. The best way to accomplish these goals varies considerably depending on what kind of tool your company uses, and how you communicate with your team. The main goal of all this is to make sure that the inputs to your work process (things like specifications, notes, and documentation) are available in a location-agnostic manner. Being reachable by phone Keep your phone close when working remotely, especially if you are on the clock. Your boss or colleague may need to reach you. You don’t want them thinking you are off doing something else when you should be working, do you? While you may not want to be distracted with unnecessary calls make it a point to at least check your phone periodically for missed calls especially if your phone is in silent mode. Additionally, you should make sure that you are easily reachable by whichever chat programs are in use at your company ex: WhatsApp. If you are easy to reach in chat, most tech-savvy people won’t call you anyway. I personally really dislike the interruptions caused by phone calls, and I try to minimize those by being easy to reach in other ways. These tips will not only keep your employer happy and make you a trustworthy employee, but they will also help to manage performance and productivity. Remote work is a great option for most workers and this is just a friendly reminder that if you have a proper and efficient set up before you embark on working remotely it will be a positive and rewarding experience. I hope this helps you as much as it has helped me.