Working from Home

Shopping locally is so important, especially in the current climate. Not only would you be boosting your local economies, but you would also be creating a more sustainable lifestyle for yourself and your community. It goes without saying that shopping locally supports the shopowner who could be your neighbor, friend from school, or a relative of yours. Instead of buying from a huge corporate brand, you could be investing in an entrepreneur. 

What Goes Around Comes Around

When spending money on a local business, it can affect the surrounding area of the shop. Buying a book from the independent book shop on your village high street means that the owner will then be able to spend money at the local pub or beautician, for example. The money will stay within your community. When one business thrives, the rest will follow suit. 

Honest Returns

Shopping online has its perks; it is easy, you can sit on your sofa with a cup of tea, and it will arrive within in days of pressing the button. However, shopping online has a huge disadvantage: the returns process. The returns process can cause a disruption in the cash flow of your bank account. If you bought an expensive piece of art from an online store, it might take weeks after you realize it was not aesthetically right for the space you picked. Choosing a piece of art from the independent, local interior design shop means it is a quick and easy return, and the money is back in your account or credited to you at the exact time. 

Furthermore, there are elements in which you nor the online retailer can control when ordering online. For example, if the item was lost or damaged in transit, it means the length of time you would be waiting for the item is extended by weeks or even months. Having a direct and physical contact with a team member of the store can help with any concerns or specific requirements you or they need in order to make purchasing or even delivery as seamless as possible. 

The You In Unique

When purchasing an item online, you can be sure that it has been mass-produced. By choosing an independent business, it means they are selecting items that the people in the area will take notice of and specifically tailoring their stock to their target audience, the surrounding community. Take this knitting shop, for example. You can find high-quality products, such as fabric and yarn, but you can also find unique products in their store and even take advantage of online classes to improve your skills. Putting the effort in to really help their customers by providing little perks like this can make a difference in your experience. 

Tying together the attention to detail when choosing items to sell and the friendly customer service creates an element of warmth and appreciation, and, in return, the independent shop can rely on brand loyalty from its customers. 

Giving To Give Back

Many local businesses tend to support other businesses or charities. If there is a local charity close to the community’s hearts, a community hall, or the town’s football club, it would be more than likely they would choose to support locally too in order to give back to their loyal customer base. 

Shopping locally is hugely important in order to help your community run smoothly. Choosing to invest your money into an independent shop means they will give back to those around them, such as other independent shops, restaurants, or community charities. It is important to remember that huge corporate chains can survive without five customers, but for an independent, it could be the busiest day of the year for them.

Are you happy with your current job role? Or do you have a longing to do something different? If it’s the latter, then now is the time to improve your employment prospects. Be it for a promotion or an entirely new career path, you should do what you can to change your life, as you don’t want to be stuck in the same job forever. 

With a new job role, you might gain more fulfillment in your life. You might be able to boost your finances too, which is something you probably want to do if you’re living on a minimum wage. You might also have more money to set aside for your saving goals, such as a family vacation, a college education for your kids, or a move into a new property. 

So, don’t procrastinate. If you don’t like your job, here’s how to improve your employment prospects. 

Be a hardworking employee

It can be very easy to lose a good ethic when you’re unhappy at work. However, if you want to move on, you owe it to yourself to work hard. Your boss might consider you for a promotion if you do, and he/she will give you a better reference if you’re looking to work elsewhere. So, no matter how you’re feeling about your job, make every effort to work harder as you will impress your boss if you do.

Learn new skills

The bigger your skillset, the more chances you will have when trying to improve your employment prospects. So, find ways to learn new skills. You can do this in your current place of employment if you agree to take on extra duties. You could also take an offline or online course, focussing on those subjects that will give you the skills you need for your dream position. Many can be taken in your free time too, so you should still be able to balance the needs of your job with your skill-building. 

Take on voluntary work

Voluntary work is great for gaining new skills and gaining experiences in career fields you might want to go into. You might even be able to find voluntary work with a firm you are interested in working for. Head online and look for volunteer opportunities in your area. If you see nothing that suits you, consider creating opportunities of your own. You could run free online tutorials in subjects you are interested in, for example. You would then be helping others while honing your skills, and both these aspects would stand you in good stead for future employment opportunities. 

Work on your resume

You probably have a resume already, but is it up to date? Go back to it, update your employment section, and add more skills to it too. The trick with a resume is to make a master version first with general details that will suit most job applications. You should then tweak it when applying for specific jobs, adding or removing anything that will improve your chances of being shortlisted. For more on your resume, check out these tips for advice on making it better. 

These are just some of the things you can do to improve your employment prospects, so consider each step today. There is always more you can do, of course, so look online for more advice, and do what you can to boost your chances of a promotion or a role within a new career. While you will need to work hard to improve your prospects, this is better than staying in a job that gives you little satisfaction.

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It looks as though society is slowly regaining control over the coronavirus, at least in terms of saving lives. However, the impacts of the pandemic will continue to affect several aspects of our world for a long time to come. This is especially noticeable in the business arena, which is why all company owners and execs must adapt to the changing landscape.

In truth, you’ve probably become acclimatized to making changes over the past year or so. Nonetheless, it is now clear that permanent updates may be required. Here are some of the most likely issues you could encounter and what to do about them.

Financial Hardships

Perhaps the most obvious problem that you are likely to face as a direct upshot of the pandemic relates to your finances. Unless you happen to own Amazon, it’s likely that your revenue figures have been a lot smaller than what you initially forecast. Therefore, it’s imperative that you take the right steps to counteract this.

The harsh reality is that a lot of companies will go under or find themselves. If the business has encountered major problems, it’s worth knowing the difference between chapter 7 and chapter 11 bankruptcy. Likewise, you may be able to seek grants or forms of financial support via government schemes.

When income levels have nosedived, the quickest way to counteract this is to reduce your spending. The key is to do it without compromising on productivity or output. Changing energy suppliers and using virtual meetings instead of traveling are good examples. If nothing else, it will allow you to price your products more competitively.

Team Management Issues

Effective recruitment and good communication sit at the heart of any business. Both aspects have been greatly impacted by the coronavirus. For starters, social distancing requirements in your location may limit your on-site numbers. Learning to embrace outsourcing and remote working can transform the venture. It’ll give you a strong platform to build upon.

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Assembling the right team is one thing, but managing them to unlock the company’s full potential is another altogether. Utilizing project management software is a particularly useful step. Meanwhile, removing time-wasting activities like unnecessary team meetings can generate even greater rewards.

Whether your employees are located on-site or around the world, team collaboration is vital. Therefore, you must also pay extra attention to the human element to build a team atmosphere. This can be done through training, away days, and other protocols. Aside from encouraging better productivity, it may enhance customer relations. Right now, this is vital.

Marketing Challenges

Consumer habits have naturally changed as a direct result of the pandemic. For starters, they are far less likely to window shop than they did in a pre-coronavirus era. Therefore, you will probably be faced with the prospect of having to completely alter your approach to branding and marketing. On a brighter note, this does create some amazing opportunities.

People now spend more time on their phones than ever before. Brands that successfully interact with their target audiences are set to thrive. You must familiarize yourself with the different stages on the path to conversion. After all, interest counts for very little if it is not followed by conversions. Social media likes alone don’t pay the bills.

SEO is naturally a great way to get traffic from hot leads. Meanwhile, partnering with social media influencers can help the brand reach new but similar audiences. Consumers may also put obstacles in the way of their proposed purchases. As such, you may want to use timed promotions and other ‘fear of missing out’ tactics to achieve more sales.

Selling Obstacles

Everything you do in business will ultimately link back to the goal of selling products and services to the clients. In these difficult times, you may find that the actual transactions are significantly different. Even if your shop layout has evolved, you may find that mobile POS terminals are an ideal way to maintain distancing. It lets sales teams offer a personal UX too.

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Now more than ever, the customer experience counts for a lot. In addition to actively seeking it, many consumers are prepared to pay more for it. Whether making a customer-centric home-business or adding multichannel client support doesn’t matter. When you show that the customers are valued, you will see positive results.

Personalization should play a central role at all times. Therefore, further updates may include translating your website or accepting more payment types. This can include repayment models, but only if you conduct the necessary credit checks on consumers. Losing a sale at the transaction stage due to not having the right systems in place would be a disaster.

Legal Obligations

Maintaining a safe work setting has always been a priority in business. The pandemic has posed a few new challenges. As such, you will be required to make adjustments in order to comply with legal regulations. The concept of capped on-site staff and customer numbers is only the start. 

Any workspace where customers or guests will enter the property will require sanitizing stations. They should be placed at the entry points and in key areas. Other safety protocols may include improved ventilation and the use of PPE. Risk assessments will ensure that your workspaces are ready to keep everybody safe throughout the next phase of the journey.

In addition to safety features, you’ll want to protect the assets. This is the perfect time to upgrade your automated security systems such as alarms and surveillance. It is also a good time to think about off-site data storage for increased security and improved financial efficiency. It won’t just help you through the pandemic but will serve you for years to come.

The Final Word

Whether you like it or not, the pandemic has changed your business forever. As such, you can no longer survive with temporary modifications and must invest in permanent improvements. The ideas above should set you on your way.

The road ahead might be a little bumpy. Still, with the right attitude, you’ve got this.

If you work in an office, you’ll understand the discomfort sitting in the same chair all day can cause. Many of us underestimated the importance of being comfortable, especially the importance of being comfortable in our office chairs. 

It’s doubtful that any of us think about our office chairs, other than them being somewhere to sit. But so much time is spent in them; a chair that doesn’t support you can cause more damage than you’d think. 

Without a good office chair, you can experience back problems that plague you well into the later years of life. That’s not all, did you know that a lousy office chair can actually make you feel more tired? If your spines not aligned, then the rest of your muscles have to work harder to keep you upright, resulting in a tired body. An uncomfortable office chair can even make you less productive simply because being uncomfortable is distracting.

So you don’t just want somewhere to sit, you need to feel comfortable and supported too. This is where ergonomic office chairs with a headrest come in. We’re all about being cash savvy here, and an excellent ergonomic office chair is a great way to do that. It might feel like a bit of a payout initially. Still, the problems it can alleviate and even help you avoid down the line is priceless. Plus, it’ll help us be more productive, which is a great way to ensure we’re making the most out of everything we do.

If you’re interested in an ergonomic office chair with headrest and the long list of benefits it can bring you, check out the infographic underneath. It shows how something as simple as a quality office chair can change your work life and health for the better. Check it out below. 

Infographic Designed By: Autonomous