Month: October 2018

Love and Job Satisfaction, these are two things that you can’t find an app for.

Tinder doesn’t get you, love; it gets you dates. Even with our philosophy, there is no definite answer to these things.We are left to find these answers ourselves.

If you are having issues at your workplace, and you believe you are reaching the end of your rope, then you might want to consider the following!

Focus On Yourself

The only way to improve your satisfaction at work is to focus on what you want instead of what you don’t want. When you are not satisfied with your work, it’s easy to point out to what bothers you. For example, you don’t get along with some, the company demands too much of you, you don’t have enough time to complete work, or you don’t like the work culture. The list continues, and it is a common issue.

It is well said, you can replete with things you can’t tolerate. Instead of focusing your mind o what you don’t like, focus on what you want, what type of environment you would love to work in, what kind of behaviouryou would appreciate, etc.

You need to paint a picture in your mind and write it down. You need to give yourself a clear direction and turn your attention to it. Once down, you need to start implementing changes to accomplish it. Stat by writing these things on s sticky note near you. It will help you develop a mantra for a healthy future. This will improve your focus and help your productivity.

Make A List of Things You Enjoy

There are some positives and negatives about everything in your life. If you hate everything about your job, remember you are getting paid, and that’s good. The job provides you to live your life. You may learn something new, or you like a co-worker. The travel is easy. Moreover, the job gives you the freedom to do something you like.

So, consider the positives and write them down. Every time you lose your moral, you should take out that list and read it. This will help orient your mind.

Misery Loves Company

You should mind the fact that misery loves company. Don’t find miserable people in your office because they will only validate your dissatisfaction, if you want to do anything, ask them why they don’t like their workspace, their work, colleagues or senior?

Compare and contracts because hearing what they are going through can help you reconsider your situation. So, yes it will pay off to find people who are feeling worse than you. Don’t feel sorry about yourself because there are always people who are worse off. Seeing those who are less fortunate than you can help you, and it may make your job seem like more satisfying.

Stress Management

Nothing kills you worse than stress. What’s the problem? Can’t get your head over a difficult meeting, the boss is yelling at you again? Can’t you finish up your work?

It’s time you stop! You need to imagine a big red stop sign during it. Stop your negative thoughts and reactions.You need to have a positivity song, repeat that in your mind. Instead of thinking about thinks that upsets you, you should find a song to get upbeats. You better sing it as you deal with the hurdles.

Everything will be OK

If nothing works out, you should remember that this will pass as well because life is too short. Don’t need to waste your time and energy rejecting things you don’t want or are going to rebel. The person you hate at work will go away, or you will get a new job perhaps.

If you don’t know where to start, check out some weave reviews if you are considering a career there! The economy will have a turnaround,and your situation will change, mentally or physically. Something will happen that will change your experience differently.

The only way you can get more out of your time is if you start seeing it temporarily. The job is never your life. Life is much more than these things. Love, job, etc., these are just a part of your life.

A common concern we often hear from our employer partners and candidates is that flexibility is just not possible for those in leadership positions. It’s put in the too hard bucket with many just not sure how to achieve the balance they desire. We can confirm this is a myth!

Leaders can have flexibility too! Yes, it may need more planning but everyone can achieve different degrees of flexibility. Hear how Clare Sporle, Financial Services Partner at EY successfully navigated flexibility to achieve her balance.

When she decided to work four days a week, she didn’t have to look far to find the sceptics, warning she would end up working five days anyway, but for 80 per cent of her former wage.

Determined to make the arrangement a success and prove the sceptics wrong, she was on a mission to be an example for others who were unsure about how to manage flexibility at work.

“I knew that access to flexibility benefits employees and businesses. At EY people who regularly exercise their choice in how, when and where they work show a 12-point increase in employee engagement – which affects job satisfaction, discretionary effort and wellbeing.”

At EY, around 30 per cent of people work flexibly on an informal basis – with men and women taking it up in equal proportions.

At EY they embrace flexibility by running their Flextober campaign to challenge staff to improve their use of flexibility at work, to have more conversations about what works – and what doesn’t – and to try new things. It’s this focus on normalising flexibility, creating conversations and a safe space to trial new approaches that makes us so proud to be collaborate with flex leaders like EY.

There are a variety of flexible working options and not all types involve working fewer hours or days. However, if you do decide to work part-time, or compress your week into fewer days, there are a few key factors to keep in mind:

• Working part-time cannot be successful unless job scope is redesigned and there is a reassessment of the person’s expected output. Otherwise, they are being set up to fail.
• Boundaries must be set and sensibly maintained. For example, on Clare’s midweek day at home with her children, she lets phone calls go through to voicemail before checking to see if it is necessary to respond on the day, letting people know it’s her day off if the matter is not urgent.
• Consider where the friction points may be and make conscious plans to address them. Most people take the first step of identifying the barriers, but then stop there! It’s very easy to think why something won’t work but remember to think through how you can come up with solutions to mitigate these potential issues.

Clare’s top tips to avoid hurdles that may arise:

1. Actively consider your teams – was there someone I was confident could cover matters in my absence? If there are others working part time, do we still have sufficient common days for us to team effectively?
2. Clearly communicate your working boundaries so that there was no “letting the team down” if I wasn’t available, coupled with being very organised in terms of making time in my diary when it was needed around key dates;
3. Having a voice for meetings that clashed with out of office days – I am often suggesting recurring meetings happen on different days of the week to accommodate those working flexibly;
4. Make excellent use of your precious time.Examples include scheduling meetings for 45 minutes rather than the traditional 60, considering whether I’m needed or if I can I empower someone else to take my place, and having “walking meetings” to squeeze in some exercise and fresh air;
5. Be clear about your goals and responsibilities. I’ve learnt that it pays to know how and when to say “no” – being prepared to explain what you need to focus on, and why it’s a better use of your time, helps;
6. Understand the reality of your work patterns – I decided that Wednesdays would be the best day to have at home because in my work many projects are set up on a Monday and tended to be delivered on a Friday. It also meant I never had more than two days in a row at work and was more energised on those days (and I miss fewer public holidays!).
7. Discuss working flexibly with other team members – This is especially important if they are also working flexibly or would like to – there is no need for us to feel guilty about our flexibility preferences, if we are empowering others to live theirs.

Flexibility is important to Clare on many levels –

“as a mechanism to increase gender equity, as a tool to get the best out of the people I work with and as a way for me to get the most out of my life”.

While positive experiences like Clare’s may encourage people to work flexibly, discussions about failures offer valuable insights that can help make flexibility a viable option for everyone. Clare stresses the need to let go of any misplaced feelings of guilt. If the job is designed to be done flexibly, and you are being paid accordingly, the arrangement is fair to everyone. You should not have to justify your reason for working flexibly. It doesn’t matter if you are leaving early for cricket practice or picking up the children from school – realise it should be a win-win for you and your employer if you have balance and are more engaged.

So what will you do differently this Flextober? Join the conversation and share your thoughts with #EYflextober #EYflex #FlexCareers

Explore all current opportunities available at EY or if you have had a longer career break check out the EY Reconnect Program.

by Michael Cheary

What’s scarier than Halloween? A job that you can’t stand (obviously)…

OK, so grown adults dressed like killer clowns or their favourite cult TV characters is undoubtedly pretty terrifying. But whilst we can’t stop Tim from Accounts coming in as a White Walker on the 31^st, we can help you find a job you love this October. No costume necessary.

To help bring your career back from the dead, here are five of the top companies hiring this month on reed.co.uk:

 

Barclays

Looking for life skills? You should work for Barclays.

They have over 325 years’ worth of experience in investing in people – whether it’s empowering individuals to start their own businesses, or giving them the capital to find their first family home.

And when it comes to investment, their staff are certainly no exception.

They strongly believe in making sure they have the right people, in the right places, doing the right things. Which is why they’re looking for hardworking and empathetic employees to join their team all throughout October.

Roles on offer include everything from Analysts and Mortgage Advisors, right through to positions in product, and wealth management.

Aside from working for one of the world’s biggest names in banking, successful applicants will have the opportunity to work globally – as well as the chance to incorporate flexible hours as part of the package.

Still not sure? Barclays was the first bank to use a cash dispenser. Which, at the very least, is a nice thing to remember the next time you get stuck at a ‘cash only’ bar.

Location: Across the UK

View all jobs with Barclays here

 

Cancer Research

30,000 people in the UK will be diagnosed with cancer in October.

Just 50% of these people are likely to survive.

Cancer Research UK, the world’s largest independent cancer research charity, are completely committed to changing these facts. They see a world where 150,000 people don’t have to die of cancer in the UK every year. A world where all cancers can be diagnosed, treated and cured.

But they can’t do it alone.

Every step they make towards beating cancer relies on every pound, every hour and every person. And their 4,000 members of staff – and nearly 40,000 volunteers – work relentlessly every day towards this goal.

They’re looking to fill hundreds of different vacancies this month, with a range of great retail and marketing roles coming pretty near the top of their list.

Other jobs available include Pharmaceutical Scientist, HR Administrator, Delivery Driver, and much more. So whatever skills you have, you’ll always be in demand – you just need to want to make a difference.

Together we will beat cancer.

Location: Across the UK

View all jobs with Cancer Research UK here

 

Coca-Cola

Thirsty for a new challenge? There’s always Coca-Cola…

Coca-Cola European Partners (CCEP) is the world’s largest independent Coca-Cola bottler. Across 13 countries, their employees make, sell and distribute the world’s most loved drinks brands to more than 300 million people. And it’s not just for fans of keeping things Classic.

Aside from the headliners, other brands distributed by the company include Fanta, Powerade, Glaceau Vitaminwater, Monster, Capri-Sun, Oasis, Dr. Pepper, Schweppes, Appleitiser and even 5 Alive (yes, it’s still actually a thing).

And what does it take to own over 20 individual brand names and almost 80 products in the UK market alone? Well, about 4,600 members of staff, if you’re asking.

Their latest recruitment drive is focussed on filling a range of sales, marketing, engineering and tech roles, as well as a number of apprenticeships. Benefits of working for the company include everything from industry-leading salaries, through to free iPads and company cars (depending on the position).

See also: all the free Coke Zero one person could legitimately ever drink.

#Refreshing

Location: Across the UK

View all jobs with Coca-Cola here

 

Dixons Carphone

When it comes to cutting edge careers in tech, they don’t come much bigger than Dixons Carphone.

Not only does the company comprise three high-tech high street heavyweights (Dixons, Carphone Warehouse & Curry’s PC World) all under one brand, it’s also home to a whole host of other lesser-known subsidiaries – including Team Knowhow (the services brand for all their products).

So, whether you want to work with all the latest mobile handsets (and get paid for it), sell 4k technology to the masses, or just fix faulty fridges for a living, they have the right career for you.

There are literally thousands of retail roles on offer, including management positions, as well as jobs with the legendary Geek Squad. Marketing, CX and Consultancy professionals are also in demand.

All you need is the right attitude, an agile approach to your work, and excellent interpersonal skills. Not to mention actually being able to use the latest gadgets without resorting to the instruction manual.

Technophobes. Need. Not. Apply.

Location: Across the UK

View all jobs with Dixons Carphone here

 

Fullers

One of the biggest names in Great British beer, Fullers have been brewing award-winning beverages in the nation’s capital for well over two hundred years.

In that time, it’s fair to say they’ve learned a few things about running a successful business. One: you’re only as good as the people you employ. And, two: never underestimate the importance of London Pride.

It’s on those principles that they’ve gone on to build a portfolio of over 400 pubs, inns and hotels right across the country – ranging from Grade II listed buildings, to bussing modern bars, and everything in between.

They’re looking to add to their growing team throughout October, with bar staff, managers and supervisors high on their list of potential hires. They also have a variety of different catering roles available –from Junior Sous Chef, all the way up to Head Chef.

For a great career on tap (and/or 20% off food, drink and hotel stays) start your career with Fullers today.

Let’s face it, you’ll be in the bar anyway…

Location: Across the UK

View all jobs with Fullers here

 

 

Ready to love Mondays? View all of our current vacancies now.

 

by Michael Cheary

• Hull is the most affordable city to go to university
• Students in Scotland are working the most whilst studying
• The Bank of Mum and Dad the biggest source of income, after student loans
• One in three students have no budget at all whilst at university

 

Hull has been named the most cost-effective city to attend university in the UK, as part of the NatWest Student Living Index 2018.

However, only three percent of students choose where to attend based on affordability – with the majority calling subject choice their number one concern.

 

More money on Humberside 

If you’re attending university in Hull, you’re in luck – the Yorkshire city has been declared the most cost effective city for higher education in the whole of the UK, just beating last year’s winner, Cardiff.

Not only are students in Hull likely to spend well below the average amount on their accommodation, they also stand to earn much higher salaries than their counterparts, with only students in London and Canterbury earning more during term time.

And with the money spent on alcohol significantly below the UK student average of £30.50 per week, it seems as if all that extra income isn’t necessarily going to waste.

 

Term time income

Hull may be most affordable city when it comes to living and accommodation costs but, perhaps unsurprisingly, students in London came out on top for term time income.

Based on all sources of income, students in the capital stand to make £1,388 per month. Canterbury, Hull, Cardiff and Brighton rounded out the top five.

However, students in London also spend the most on rent, at £668.24 – a massive 43% more than the national average.

Students in Scotland work the most hours whilst at uni, with those in Dundee and Stirling spending around 25 hours every month concentrating on their part-time jobs.

 

The Bank vs The Bank of Mum and Dad

Perhaps unsurprisingly, loans provide the highest monthly monetary contribution across the board – making up a massive 38% of student savings.

Other forms of income included money from parents or family (17%), personal savings, part-time work and bursaries/scholarships (around 9% each).

According to the research, Oxbridge students receive the most from their parents every month, followed by those in London, Exeter and Durham.

Those based in Hull get the least from their families, and students in Manchester top the pile for bursaries and scholarships.

 

Big spenders

Aside from household bills, students have two main outgoings: supermarkets and socialising.

Food shopping, toiletries and household items were the clear priorities – with the average student spending £76.30 every month on the necessities.

Alcohol was the next expenditure (£41.07), followed by eating out (£36.10) and clothes shopping (£30.10).

However, it does seem like spending varies across the country. Students in Manchester easily spend the most on a night out, with 9% of those admitting they spent more than £50 the last time they went out.

Students in St. Andrews saved the most when it came to social spending.

 

Subject the biggest factor

Finally, although affordability is undoubtedly important, it has almost no impact on the decision of where to study.

Half of the students surveyed based their choice on what subjects were on offer, with university reputation (23%), close proximity to their home (8%), and social life (6%) all coming above cost of living (3%).

But with one in three admitting they don’t budget at all whilst at uni, it’s not surprising that cost of living isn’t a key deciding factor for picking the perfect place to study.

 

The NatWest Student Living Index is made up of answers from 3,419 students across 35 popular university cities. Affordability is calculated by taking monthly living and accommodation costs, and dividing them by the average monthly income for that city. For the full results, visit NatWest Life Moments. 

 

You may be surprised to learn that we spend one-third of our lives at work. Thus, it’s incredibly important to find a job that you love; life is too short to be dragging yourself out of bed to your job every day, waiting for the clock to tick 5pm again.

In the current education system, we’re encouraged to choose a career path early on in our lives. This has its benefits: it provides focus, goals and ambitions. Yet, what happens if you don’t know what you want? Or change your mind? Or decide once you’ve left school that the job you’re in isn’t truly the one for you? It is possible to find a job you love. Here’s how:

1. Consider what you love doing

As the old adage goes, if you find a job you love, you’ll never work a day in your life. So, your first consideration should be: what do I love doing? If you take great pleasure in meeting new people, socialising, throwing parties and having a full and busy social calendar, then perhaps a career in events could work for you. If you love animals, then searching for a job in the veterinarian world via a reputable job search site such as vetpetjobs.com.au may be a good route.

2. Look for overlap between what you love, and what you’re good at

Ultimately, you’ll be successful in a career if you have the hard skills to be good at it. That’s why you should look for overlap between what you love and what you’re good at. Fortunately, we often enjoy the tasks and activities we are naturally competent at. Reflect upon your day, to notice when you found yourself in ‘flow’: when time flew by because you were engrossed in the task at hand. Now, think how that task could apply itself to a job role. If you
lost track of time when you were making decorations for a birthday party, it may be that you’ve got some design skills you could be using professionally.

3. Ask for advice

Never be afraid to ask for help and advice when it comes to embarking on a new career. Find someone who’s currently employed in the role you’re coveting, and ask to take them out for a coffee. Think of it as asking for directions; quiz them on how they got to where they are now  did they have to do specific training or attain qualifications?), what they love about the job, what they wish could be different, etc. You’ll likely find they are more than happy to help.

4. Get yourself out there

The truth is, you won’t find a job you love by sitting on the sofa. You’ve got to throw yourself into the job search, go to interviews and look for networking opportunities. You may not be successful in your first attempt, but don’t let that deter you. Securing a job you love may be hard to come by, but will be well worth it in the long run.

by Amber Rolfe

Wish you could turn back time? You’re in luck… 

Unfortunately, we can’t help bring back the good weather, but we can give you some advice on how to spend your extra time. Because remember that hours’ sleep we lost back in March? When the clocks go back at 2am on Sunday morning, it will finally be time to reclaim it.

But how can you make best use of your gift of free time? Here are eight productive* ways we think you could spend your extra hour:

 

1. Stay in bed

Most of us don’t have the time to enjoy a regular lie-in in the mornings, meaning we’re often left feeling tired, lethargic, and suffering from a severe case of ‘bed deprivation’ on a day-to-day basis.

If this sounds like a struggle you face, then why not spend the extra hour in the comfort of your own bed?

You’ll get the satisfaction of prolonging the “snoozing” process with absolutely none of the guilt. And when you do get up, you’ll feel refreshed and well-rested.

It’s basically win-win.

 

2. Clean the house

If you’re more of a morning person, why not use the extra hour to do things around the house that you wouldn’t normally have time to do.

It might not seem like the most exciting way to spend your free bonus hour, but continuing to ignore the clutter will only ever end badly when it comes to your long term goals.

And this way, when you’re done, you won’t feel like you’ve lost any time. Not to mention the fact that you’ll get to enjoy life in a nice clean house for the rest of the day.

Much better.

Six things productive people do every day

 

3. Make a big breakfast

If you’re the type to dine-and-dash in the mornings because you don’t have time for a proper breakfast, put your new found time to good use and make the most of the day’s first meal.

Aside from the obvious great taste factor, you’ll be even more thankful for all of the food when you can survive the whole morning without snacking. Leaving you to spend the rest of the day on more important matters (and/or Twitter).

After all, everyone knows that all the best days begin with bacon.

How to become a morning person 

 

4. Actually exercise

Go to the gym. Ride your bike. Have a swim. Actually get dressed and leave the house at some point. All viable options.

Using this time to be active will make you feel much more energised, and set the day up in a positive light. And, you know, exercise is good for you. So that’s a bonus.

It also means that maybe you’ll be able to justify those 17 chocolate biscuits you’re planning to have at lunch.

Top 5 ways to keep fit at work

 

5. Learn Mandarin

OK, we’re not saying you’ll be completely fluent and ready for a trip to Taiwan in 60 minutes. But believe it or not, some things can be learned in under an hour.

Aside from linguistics, potential skills you could pick up include basic coding, changing a car tire, CPR, or the core principles of Pilates. And if that’s not a productive way to spend your time, we don’t know what is. At the very least you can set the wheels in motion to find the right course for you.

No. More. Excuses.

 

6. Finally do all of the things you haven’t had time for

Well, at least one of them. There could be that TV box set you’ve been meaning to watch but ended up falling asleep instead, or that book you never quite got round to reading because you didn’t have the time.

The point is that with your added hour, you can finally stop putting it off and start filling these voids.

And yes, it’s perfectly acceptable to feel like you’d benefit most from spending an hour with your two best friends. First friend = Netflix, second friend = snacks.

NB: Bubble baths are also an option.

Six ways to beat procrastination

 

7. Sort out your CV

Sick of that Sunday night feeling? Why not find a job worth waking up for?

Use your newfound free time to make sure your CV is up-to-date, and work on making it better. Then you can dedicate the rest of your weekend to finding a role you can really be passionate about.

And who knows, this extra hour could be the reason you find your dream job.

Thanks daylight savings.

Free CV template 

 

8. Prepare for Halloween

Although not everyone celebrates Halloween – those who do will understand how important having an array of novelty decorations and a range of trick or treat sweets (that you will mostly eat yourself) is to having a good October 31^st.

Sadly though, many of us don’t have the time to make things exactly how we want them (see also: literally become Jack Skellington).

The good news is, now you have an extra hour to shop, decorate, and dress up as you please.

But for the sake of workplace harmony, we’d steer clear of clown costumes. Just in case…

 

*May not be productive

 

Still searching for your perfect position? View all available jobs now

 

FlexCareers welcome new employer partner Xero to bring great opportunities to job seekers in Australia and New Zealand.

Who is Xero?

Xero was founded in New Zealand in 2006, and is one of the fastest-growing software as a service (SaaS) companies globally. Xero was created to change the game for small business, with their cloud-based accounting software connecting people with the right numbers anytime, anywhere, on any device.

We’re proud to be helping more than 1.4 million subscribers worldwide transform the way they do business. And we’re just getting started.

Why work at Xero?

Xero takes pride in their progressive flexibility and diversity policies, and all employees are eligible for great benefits.

Diversity and inclusion at Xero

Xero are members of Rainbow Tick New Zealand, a quality improvement cycle designed to make an organisation a safe, welcoming and inclusive place for people of diverse gender identity and sexual orientation.

In Australia, they are members of Pride in Diversity, which is Australia’s first and only national not-for-profit employer support program for LGBTI workplace inclusion specialising in HR, organisational change and workplace diversity.

Xero was also awarded a Highly Commended in the Work Life Balance category of the 2018 Diversity Works NZ Awards for their flexibility policies. You can read more on their great flexibility policies below.

High-tech HQs and offices

Xero’s new office in Auckland. Source: Idealog

Xero will be opening a new office in Auckland in November, which is being hailed as “one of the most innovative offices in Aotearoa”. Some of the on-site perks include barista coffee, gym, well-being spaces, and free fruit. Other office locations include an HQ in Wellington (recently opened) and Hawkes Bay.

It’s not just Kiwi Xeros that get slick offices. Xero have a head office in Melbourne, as well as offices in Sydney, Perth, Canberra, and Brisbane. On-site perks across their Australian offices include central CBD locations, yoga, food truck visits, and event spaces.

More of their employee benefits include:

• Enhanced leave, parental leave, and well-being leave
• Xero shares
• Health and wellbeing programs
• One paid day a year to volunteer for charity
• Training and development opportunities

Flexibility at Xero

Xero supports flexible working and will consider candidates looking to work both full-time and part-time. They encourage activities and projects outside of work, and offer a variety of flexible options for people to also thrive outside of Xero.

Some of the flexibility policies that Xero have introduced are:

• Children in the Workplace – this allows parents to bring their children to work if needed
• Activity Based Working (ABW) – this allows individual teams to organise areas within the office to fit in with how they want to work, instead of giving each employee a desk in a fixed layout
• Xero Snooze – this allows employees within the Customer Experience department to start 30 minutes either side of their start time, and finish either earlier or later at the end of the day.
• Xero Bounce – this lets employees in the same department who wake up feeling unwell take a few hours extra rest to see if that will fix the issue

Interested in working at Xero? Check out their open roles here (New Zealand) and here (Australia).

If the above title applies to you then don’t worry you’re not alone. Many of us have experienced problems with productivity in the past but fixing this problem is usually easy than you might think. It takes some self-reflection and can’t usually be done overnight but you can conquer your productivity woes!

First things first you have to identify the problem or problems that are affecting your productivity. So, how do you do this exactly? You need to reflect and be honest with yourself about why your work output is lacking. Could you just need a break or have you been trying to do too much lately?

Or does your workplace need to adopt a more innovative and helpful OKR framework? If you can’t work out exactly what the problem is then don’t panic because it could take you some time and as I mentioned earlier it could be more than one thing. To help let’s look at some of the common reasons people suffer productivity problems at work.

Multi-Tasking

Let’s get a controversial choice out of the way first shall we? Multi-tasking is a good skill to have many jobs will require you to be an active multi-tasker but trying to juggle too many tasks at once is going to cause productivity problems at some point.

You can’t really stay focused on one job and do it well if you’re juggling multiple different ones can you? Multi-tasking is a great skill to have but it shouldn’t become the norm if you spend your days at work switching between multiple jobs and never getting anything done or not completing it to a high standard you should reassess your workload and spend more time focused on one job.

You’re Working Too Much

If you’re spending too much time at work then expect your productivity to take a hit sooner or later and it will most likely be sooner. You have your annual leave so make sure you use it and don’t take on too much overtime.

If you’re the manager or owner of your business then it’s understandable that you might go beyond the standard 9 to 5 hours of work however you should still make sure you take adequate breaks throughout the day and enjoy time away from work.

An Uncomfortable Workplace

Now this one is more common than you might think because an uncomfortable workplace can take many different forms. Your office doesn’t have to be falling apart or full of dust and clutter to be an uncomfortable place to work it could be down to the climate or simply be because your place of work is a little dull.

Thankfully these problems can be corrected easily in most cases some good tips to remember are to add some plants or a splash of colour about the place. You should also have some heaters and fans at the ready for when it gets too cold or too hot to ensure your staff (and yourself) are cool and comfortable at all times.

However, it also important to remember a workplace isn’t all about the climate or how it looks there are other important areas to consider as well. Because even the most luxurious workplace can still be an uncomfortable place to work if your staff doesn’t get along, which leads me to my next point.

Noise and Distractions

This one incorporates a lot of different issues and some of them aren’t easy to solve or even identify especially when it comes to productivity. Noise, however, is usually one of the easy problems to notice and solve when it comes productivity problems a noisy office isn’t going to be a productive one.

But noise isn’t always caused by outside sources like traffic is it? If it’s being caused by noisy employees then that’s going to be a more difficult problem to stamp out. Light talk is good at work although not all the time and too much talk is going to be a distraction.

So, make sure your employees know the rules and do your best to deal with any problems quickly. It could turn out you yourself are the problem do you spend a lot of time at work talking and gossiping when you have work to do? If so then you need to be firm with yourself and ensure you don’t fall into old habits.

No Sense of Growth

This is a difficult problem to fix and it’s one that will likely crop up in your working career from time to time. Sooner or later you might simply not feel as passionate about your daily routine and this can be a tricky problem to solve and it will surely impact your productivity over time.

You could try talking to your manager and ask for more responsibility or look for advancement opportunities or it might simply be time to move on and try something new. Think very carefully when deciding what you want to do and make sure you speak to your manager as well. Once you’ve decided how to proceed your productivity should improve.

No Training or Guidance

This is one that new employees are more susceptible to but it can affect anyone and it’s another issue that will be sure to hamper anyone’s productivity. If you don’t have adequate training or guidance then you will find it very difficult to stay productive while you work.

Because you just won’t feel confident doing your job, to tackle this problem you should be open and honest with your manager. They’ll be able to help you and could possibly offer you further training to help put you at ease. With the right training and guidance, you’ll be able to get your productivity back to normal in no time.

So, that’s a look at 6 very different ways your productivity can be affected at work. There’s quite a variety of ways your productivity can be lowered but thankfully when you’ve identified the problem fixing it usually won’t be too difficult.

The power of community

We love sharing our community member’s stories. Storytelling and sharing remind us we are all human, and we all go through experiences through our lives. It is an opportunity to share and learn from each other by way of those lived experiences.    

This is Amna’s story:

‘I was in the Middle-East working in the Energy sector with an organisation that greatly valued me, I was treated like family.  A few years later, I had my first-born and soon after I started to feel restless, I wanted to go back to work but the opportunity was not easy to see. It felt as though my industry didn’t know how to reconcile work and family life’.

It’s true, many traditional male-dominated industries, like the energy sector, are only just beginning to see the benefits of flexible working. However, in Australia and New Zealand, we are starting to see a shift in the mindset with some big organisations, like AGL or Viva Energy, two FlexCareers progressive employer partners, leading the way.  

‘My son was a baby when we relocated to Australia as a family. We were excited, confused, happy and overwhelmed all at the same time. We saw it as a fresh start in every sense, particularly for me starting my career again and joining the workforce full-time.  In the beginning, I was fortunate to support my previous employer in the Middle East from Australia in a telecommunications role part-time. This allowed me to get our family settled and find quality child-care for my son.’ 

Whether a recent migrant to Australia or not, finding the right childcare is something we all think and talk about. Researching the childcare centres around your area and understanding the costs involved are paramount to setting you up for success as you return to work.   

While Amna could tick this first step off her list with confidence, she says this is where the real challenges for her started: ‘Some of the challenges I came up against were 1. Education and experience outside of Australia considered lacking, 2. A career gap with no full-time experience for several months, 3. No professional network in Australia (being new to the country), 4. No friends/family for support. The recruiters I presented to and the job applications I submitted were getting me nowhere. The process was exhausting, I wasn’t hearing back from employers, and I was losing hope and confidence’.  

The way Amna felt is not uncommon for many women looking to return to the workforce. Traditionally recruiters try to predict whether the candidate will be an asset to the company based on criteria such as skills, previous performance, and recommendations from other employers: ‘The recruiters categorized me as ‘High-risk candidate’ based on those four reasons. Naturally, it did hurt my confidence level when I repeatedly got a negative response from the recruitment industry’.  

Although this is true, where a job-seeking-support platform like ours can really help you and lead you, is to find your ideal career with a progressive organisation. Plus, it comes with support from coaches and an online community.  

‘Henry Ford once said, ‘If you always do what you’ve done, you’ll always get what you’ve always got’. I knew I had to change my strategy and shake things up. Although I was tailoring my cover letters and CV, I needed to find out why is wasn’t working and I needed support…This is when I came across FlexCareers, a business ahead of their time and redefining work’.  

When Amna joined our online community, she was instantly welcomed and accepted as a member of the community: ‘FlexCareers offers a great forum through their Facebook group. I was able to talk to so many wonderful people. And find support from some of the best career coaches. People who really understood the Australian market and who helped me align my strategy with the requirements.  With all the support and guidance offered, I was soon able to identify the gaps in my CV, cover letter and my overall approach.’ 

More than just helping her with her approach, her CV and cover letter, Amna was able to connect with individuals who could relate to her situation and experience and even offer her direct help: ‘The most important thing I learned after speaking with the Flexcoach was that I needed to be very specific in what I wanted to do including industry and my experience.  During my online exchanges within the group, a woman, who was also a member of the FlexCareers community, stepped forward.  She referred me to her hiring manager in her workplace. Soon after I was called in for an interview. Two weeks later I was an employee of one of the most progressive organisations in Australia.’ 

Shared experiences, like Amna’s, bolster our sense of belonging which in turn makes us feel worthwhile. Sharing personal stories with others, including an online community like our Facebook group, makes the experiences more intense and memorable.  You’re helping others learn from you:

‘What helped the most was connecting with others. Knowing who to talk to, who to get support from, and knowing that there are some amazing people out there who understand the challenges we go through and who have the knowledge to make our journey a little bit easier and us – a little bit wiser.’  

In a nutshell, Amna said her journey was not smooth, in fact, quite the opposite. Yet, through our platform and its community, she learnt the best way to showcase her talents and experience and has found a rewarding career.  

To find out more about our community, sign up to our blog and become a member of our Facebook Group. If you are looking for a career with progressive employers, register here and download your FREE copy of ‘Kick Start Your Career e-Guide’.  

Most university students begin their education in the hopes of moving on to having a great career in the years after. During your years in university, you will learn a lot about yourself, which can equip you with some valuable life lessons. However, it is not just general life university prepares you for. In fact, your years there will also give you some important skills to take into the working world. Such skills can help you land a dream job, impress your employer, and enable you to start your own business. In any case, it is important to be aware of the key ways in which university can prepare you for your career.

Communication

One of the first things you will do when you start university is tosocialize with people from all walks of life, who you have never met before. This can be tricky for some people, but it is an impressive skill that can be built over time until you are confident in speaking to people in a friendly and relaxed manner. Just as these communication skills are essential to maintaining friendships, they are also desired in any kind of graduate job.

 

Teamwork

When you leave university, your new job will throw you into some situations which require effective teamwork to complete a task successfully. While your newfound communication skills will help with this, you should also spend much of your time in university learning about the importance of teamwork. Arguably the best way to do this is by playing for a university sports team.

Leadership skills

Sports not only enables you to be a team player, but it can teach people how to be leaders. If you want to be successful in your career, you should develop leadership skills as much as possible. Many students find they can do this by seeking sports scholarships to see them through university, where they won’t be hindered in their future career by financial problems. Such scholarships are also ideal for those wishing to pursue a profession in the sports world.

Financial management

University can be a tough time financially for many students. However, the one silver lining here is that it teaches you how to manage your money to maximize its use. When you are going into the world of business, this becomes an ever-important attribute to have. For example, showing your prospective career providers that you have navigated your way through university on a shoestring budget may impress them. This isn’t just in respects to financial management but in terms of your dedication and perseverance.

Resilience

Some careers require you to have a certain level of resilience, such as those working on the front line or in high-pressure environments. It is a sad truth that many students will suffer through life-changing events or mental health problems throughoutuniversity. Although it may remind you of some hard times, the key here is that you lived through those times with undeniable strength. This strength can be taken into any career, as you can show your ability to take on feedback and push through it.