StartupTalky

Tag: ✍️ Opinions

  • How Entrepreneurs Celebrated Diwali With Their Remote Teams?

    The ‘festival of lights’, Diwali is celebrated with great pomp and show in our country. Families, friends, and colleagues all come together on this auspicious occasion to share greetings and seek blessings. However, since 2020 there are some changes in the way we are celebrating festivals owing to the Covid-19 Pandemic. Remote Working system.

    Although entrepreneurs don’t like to waste their time and money on such celebrations, they should understand that a festival like Diwali is one of the biggest marketing opportunities for their company. Along with that, they can make the office culture more engaging with celebrations and get-togethers.

    There are several ways through which companies celebrated festivals along with their remote teams. We spoke to different entrepreneurs and they shared their unique and interesting ideas and plans by which they made Diwali 2020 interesting and engaging for everyone. So, let’s take a look at them.

    Zaggle
    The British School of Etiquette India
    Saba Group

    Zaggle

    Raj N, Founder, Zaggle

    Sparklers last only a few seconds, but the legend has lived for millennia. After the long war, when Lord Rama returned to Ayodhya, the city was dressed up with lamps and flowers. Diwali marks the return of the king and the Ramayana still remains India’s most enduring legend. Diwali or Deepavali means ‘row of lamps’ in Sanskrit. The festival marks the triumph of light over darkness.

    However, given the effect of the pandemic on life, this season is bound to be very different from all these years. A new contactless and touch-free world together with a not-so-rosy economic scenario has not only seen a subdued but also a very different gifting culture emerging on the corporate front. Virtual Cards are the new way of gifting gifts to your employees working remotely by strictly following the government norms.

    Digital Gift Cards were the trend this Diwali with so much of options available. Virtual Gift Cards are assortments of multiple clothing brands, Restaurants, Retail stores, Jewellery stores, Hotels, Entertainment options etc.  It’s all on a single virtual card providing corporates working remotely the liberty to choose where to spend their gift.

    Companies like Zaggle and others who service this segment have seen a natural uptrend in the demand for virtual and digital gifting cards. According to Technopak, India’s leading Management consultant, the total size of the Indian corporate & personal gifting market put together is about INR 250,000 crores today. Of this, the corporate gifting market in India is estimated to be INR 12,000 crores and is growing at over 200% per annum. This provides a peek into the size of business that digital gifting options have today.

    “Zaggle has seen a huge demand for its digital gifting cards having already seen a turnover of Rs 2000+ Crores through them. It has introduced many innovative options for meeting client needs on a customised basis. The company expects to close this festive season, including Christmas and New Year, with a total turnover of Rs 5000 Crores from this segment. Zaggle has planned the following few activities: Having Fun With Employees’ Talents: We hosted contests and gave prizes for creating festive-themed projects. Employees get creative and have fun with making photoshopped images, mad-lib RFPs, humorous gifs, and other playful versions of whatever it is they do best.” – Raj N, Founder, Zaggle

    The British School of Etiquette India

    Niralee Shah, CEO,The British School of Etiquette India

    Niralee Shah, the CEO of  The British School of Etiquette India shared few ideas to get you started on spreading the merriment and virtual celebration to employees both near and far.

    Share Videos and Photos of the Office Decoration for Diwali

    Don’t let remote employees miss out on seeing office decorations, homemade treats, diyas and lanterns. Host a video tour, create a shared photo drive on dropbox or post pictures in your company’s chat or social media channels. Make them feel they are a part of the company although they are working remotely.

    Send a Remote Care Gift

    Send your employees a small care box of treats and have them open the box virtually. It can also be fun to open these gifts during a video call! Instead of gift hampers and gift exchanges during Diwali, give gifts that can be easily shared with remote employees. Electronic gift cards, concert/event tickets, travel packages, charitable donations and time off are all easily given by email.

    Host Friendly Virtual Competitions

    Get everyone in the spirit by hosting competitions that remote employees can easily participate in through video calls and shared photos. There are many competitions that you can host virtually Challenge your team to come up with the Best Diwali Dressiqutte or the best festive desk decorations.

    Saba Group

    Malini Saba, Founder and Chairman, Saba Group

    “We planned to have a virtual Diwali celebration where our team members can dress their best in traditional dresses, create Rangoli’s & share pictures of them along with what they have created.  The best-dressed male & female and the most creative Rangoli design shall win exciting prizes that we have arranged for the activity. We also plan to have engagement activities such as singing, dancing, and virtual games like dumb charades, antakshari, Pictionary, trivia, and others.

    We also played ‘What’s On the Desk?’ where we will ask them to submit a picture of an item on their work desk or any other belonging or any image on their mobile wallpaper. This shall be uploaded to our organization’s cloud drive. Then employees can start guessing the owners of those photos. The winner is the one with the most correct guesses.  We believe that such games allow employees to know each other better and bond. We plan to give our employees the chance to choose from two or three options and identify a gift that would be useful and helpful to them. We have also encouraged our team members to prepare delicacies and sweets at their home and exchange it among a group of team members through delivery agents. The joy of preparing for one’s team and impressing them will bring out the best in each employee & strengthen the relationship.”- Malini Saba, Founder and Chairman, Saba Group

    FAQs

    What message does Diwali give out?

    Diwali is a festival that celebrates the triumph of good over evil.

    What online platforms can be used to celebrate Diwali virtually?

    Zoom or Google Meet is the best option for online platforms to celebrate Diwali with your colleagues.

    How can you decorate your office this Diwali?

    Paper lanterns, LED lights, Diyas, flower decorations, and Rangoli can be used to decorate the office.

  • Investment vs Trade: The Differences To Acknowledge For Better Profit

    A financial market is looked upon by both investors as well as traders to gain an advantage by the means of sharing and buying financial assets with utmost security. The financial market broadly classifies the terms that stand for a marketplace where bonds, currencies, and equity are traded off. The financial market serves as a connecting link between investors and collectors by joining them with capital. The two different aspects of taking part in the financial market are Investors and traders. Investors look out for the opportunity to invest in an eligible place, whereas traders lookout to trade their part with increased value. The basic definition and other useful details about both parts are shared below.

    Investment
    Things to consider before investing
    Points to remember for successful Investment
    Trade
    Things to consider before trading
    Points to remember for having a successful trading
    Investing vs Trading

    Investing vs Trading: Investing is done for a longer duration with minimal risk to gain average profit. Whereas, Trading is done within a limited period involving higher risk and profit.
    Investing vs Trading: Investing is done for a longer duration with minimal risk to gain average profit. Whereas, Trading is done within a limited period involving higher risk and profit.

    Investment

    Investment is defined as putting money into financial schemes, shares, and properties to achieve higher profit. It can also be considered as purchasing an item with the thought of selling it in the future to gain an extra from its increased value. In other language investing means allocating money with the expectations of some benefits or returns in the future. The return can either be counted as a benefit or can turn into a loss. Investors generally expect more return from riskier investments. If a low risk or low investment is made, the return is also generally low i.e. Low investment gives low profit.

    Things to consider before investing

    Risk

    Risk is an essential point to consider before investing. Every investment is prone to some level of risk. There can be a high chance of losing some of the whole investing amounts before its outcome.

    Every person gives a different response to ‘risk’, and the best reaction is noted from previous similar experiences encountered. Most investors or consultants suggest that you should exit a financial investment when the investment value is scrapped to 80%.

    Return

    There are two types of returns on financial investments, Assured Returns and Variable Returns.

    Assured and variable returns are now replaced by Least Volatile and Highly Volatile returns. The least volatile financial investment includes parts like debt instruments and small saving schemes. Whereas, Equity, Gold, and real estate are counted under Highly Volatile investments. The only ‘risk’ free return is a fixed deposit return. Investors should decide the percentage of exposure in the Least and Highly Volatile investment.

    Taxation

    Taxation is the most important point of financial investments. Taxation benefits can be reversed under specified conditions. The Short Term Capital Gains (STCG) for an investment period under three years are taxed at the individual slab rate, but the Long Term Capital Gains (LTCG) are taxed at 20% plus surcharge and cess with indexation.

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    Income source

    Income and source of income are also important in investment. Salary may be a more stable source of income than self-employed or businessmen persons. Families with more sources of income can be more secure compared to single-income source families. The double income family saves more and more saving means more investment.

    Knowledge of finance

    Investors should know financial aspects before starting with the basic process. As blind investment is suicidal. Hence, taking advice from knowledgeable persons and experienced people is the best way to start followed by a few searches on the web.

    Points to remember for successful Investment

    Make a financial plan

    Before making any investments, one needs to be fully aware of the financial background and the expectations from it. There is no guarantee of getting benefits from each investment. Few investments can turn into tremendous victory whereas some can prevail as a failure. It’s very essential to make a financial plan before starting with investment planning.

    Taking risks.

    Besides all investments, there is some sort of risks. Risks like losing all or some amount of money can also occur and some similar situations can also prevail. However, the higher the risk, the higher returning benefits.  Hence, it is essential to consider all risk factors before investing.

    Avoid fraud investments

    Some investments use high publicity news to give assurance of more profit. Before trusting such options, it is more recommended to get an additional inquiry done from related persons.

    Always maintain an emergency fund

    Always put some savings outside the investment to cover an emergency. Emergencies can be situations like loss of investing amount and its notable profit. At those moments, emergency funds can come in handy.

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    Be up-to-date

    Being up to date about financial assets plays an important role in investments. Keeping an eye on the current financial investment assets makes the investment better. As for those lagging in being up to date can cause them great misfortune of losing their investing amount due to inappropriate knowledge.

    Trade

    Trade involves the purchasing and selling of goods and services with compensation paid by a buyer to a seller. Trading refers to the exchange of securities through sale and purchase. On the other hand, we can say that trading is buying, selling, or exchanging assets. The financial market consists of the trading of securities such as shares, currencies, commodities, and derivatives. The trading market aims to make a profit by buying at a lower price and selling at a higher price within a short period. A trader can be anyone from an individual investor to a global institution. We can trade directly or with the help of a broker.

    Things to consider before trading

    Risk

    Trading is riskier than investing. Market risk is the major risk of trading and is out of anyone’s control. Market risk is bound to rise or fall, but knowing the risks and making a market plan could save you from losing your money.

    Profit

    Trading is more profitable than investment. Trading provides one with the option of earning extra credits without any set limits. Indian stock market is one of the highest liquidity markets where people can make any amount of money. Profit depends on the purchase and sale of desired stock. We can say the profit depends upon the stock market value.

    Points to remember for having a successful trading

    Keep an eye on the market

    Trading wholly depends on the basic propaganda of the market, i.e. demand and supply. Before trading, one must learn the basics of the stock market by keeping an eye on financial news, the price range of stocks, and taking up a course on the stock market are all excellent ways to become an efficient trader. Online stock trading simulators help to learn online trading efficiently and accurately.

    Make a plan

    To become successful in financial goals, it is better to make a strategic plan. Since the trading is riskier, advance decisions should be made on options like the last limit of investing, eligible loss amount, etc. The practice is the golden key to becoming a successful online trader.

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    Trust

    Trading is all about knowing the market and how the market is changing. As a trader, one needs to be fully confident in their strategies. Most of the profits can be earned through a personalized strategy applied at the perfect time instead of going ahead with the option of following others’ plans in trade.

    Holding the stocks

    One can buy stocks and hold them for better profit. The holding of socks may help them with more profit because of the long-term purchase of high-quality stock at a low price when their demands go up. However, it is always applicable to some amount of risk due to the involvement of uncertainty.

    Investing vs Trading

    Now the most important question is, which one is better? Investment or trading? It is very difficult to choose which one is better because investment and trading are two different aspects of finance. However, the guide shared above can help one determine a better option. If someone wants to take no risks or low risks and avoid volatility, investing is better for you. You will get an 8% to 10% return annually. Investment means short-term wins and can get fewer several losses. If someone is more of a  risk-taker and would like the chance to earn money in a short time, trading is considered the best option for them. Trading can be a thrilling way to earn quick money and may also lead to big losses.

    Conclusion

    Investing stands for buying any stock or product to create wealth. Trading means purchasing and selling products to make profits. Both the methods give a similar output of generating profit. However, they both vary in their processes ad risk factors. Investing is typically for those looking out to create wealth within some interval of time and trading is generally for those looking out to generate profit in less amount of time.

    FAQs

    what is meant by financial investment?

    Financial Investments stands for the fixed amount sided to gain some percentage from it at the speculated interval of time.

    Which are online platforms available for investing?

    Some of the online platforms for investing are eToroeToro, Fidelity Investments, E*Trade, etc.

  • How Startups Can Create Work Culture Where Women Can Thrive?

    The article is contributed by Jaya Jha, Chief Product Officer, MoEVing.

    During recent years, we have witnessed some of the most encouraging signs for women in entrepreneurship, with 2021 being the year when the most number of women-led startups turned unicorns (8 out of 46 unicorns in 2021 were led by women), but there’s a lot more progress to be made. For instance, female workforce participation in our country remains among the lowest in South Asia at about 20% (as against about 56% among men), as per the Periodic Labour Force Survey. Even at startups helmed by the younger generations, these numbers don’t get any better. While less than 15% of all entrepreneurs in the country are women, the number of women at the senior level or even as employees in startups, especially in technology companies, remains abysmal. With this reality, we witness companies actively looking to hire diverse talent, which is a positive first step. The biggest question to address here is, how can employers make their workplaces fit for their female employees to thrive? The answer to this includes a manifold effort at levelling the playing field.

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    De-glamourising ‘Hustle’ Culture

    The common association with startups around the world remains the ‘hustle’ culture propounded by many male founders, who set their own working hours, many times late into the midnight hours, and whose colleagues are mostly men who live similar lifestyles. This culture of youngsters extending their college life only signifies a lack of empathy for not just different gender workforce but also older employees with families.

    Instead, what startups need in order to allow all their employees of all genders to grow is promoting a good work ethic, responsibility and flexibility. Setting minimal processes and bureaucracy can help startups make each of their employees stronger and more confident in what they bring to the table. With minimal processes, it takes a responsible team member to get things done efficiently — which is one of the ways of supporting women and people with family responsibilities to thrive.

    Getting Women Employees in Early Stage

    Women cannot be just token representatives in a startup, which often happens when diversity is more of an afterthought for companies. In order to make a workplace truly inclusive, it is important to have female employees in senior positions right from an early stage of the company. This not only helps women have more role models but also shapes the company’s growth, decisions and policies in a manner that takes all employees into purview. While having more female representation in leadership roles is not a silver bullet, it definitely helps the cause of supporting women employees to grow in their career trajectories.

    It is also crucial for both men and women in senior management roles to be conscious of their biases while hiring – such as putting down a female candidate who’s had a career break over a male candidate. In fact, during my career spanning 15 years as a Product Manager, some of the best hires I have made were women with career breaks who had the potential and passion to give their best. Even at MoEVing, our first few tech hires were women and we are proud to have several women on our product team as well as in the company leadership.

    Supporting Both Men & Women in Achieving Work-Life Balance

    We have been witnessing the current work from home routines adding a lot more onto women’s plates around the world, with women shouldering more responsibilities when it comes to family and household work. So, unless men start stepping back from their workplaces in order to step up for their female partners to fulfil their familial responsibilities, supporting women will only be lip service. We need to normalise men availing their paternity leaves so that women going on maternity leaves are not seen as a hindrance to their careers.

    It is interconnected that when we support male employees of a startup in achieving their work-life balance, we also in turn support female employees at other startups achieve the same. Work policies should be aimed at supporting all employees to achieve this balance, instead of leaving women disadvantaged at growing in their roles at work because of household or familial responsibilities.

    Closing the Gender Pay Gap

    Women’s way of working is often infantilised in startups as women often do not negotiate as much for their salaries, compared to men who are aggressive at it. This aggressiveness at negotiating for salaries or a raise has been made a virtue out of, resulting in several women not being paid what they are worth. As of 2020, women globally earned just 81 cents of every dollar earned by men, with the pandemic worsening the situation as a Deloitte ‘Women at Work’ report found.

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    To bridge this gap requires managers and startups to identify and value women employees for their performance. It requires companies to think about getting women on board right from the moment they start to lay their foundations and pay them what they rightly deserve.

  • Smart Strategies for Growing Your Business

    The article is contributed by Gauri Bhatia – Founder and Director, The Unveiled Sagas.

    Everyone dreams of igniting inspiration through their career trajectory. I too, for that matter often boasted about having only ‘twenty-five rupees in my pocket’ when I started The Unveiled Sagas. My business partner was in a financial fix, and I being the (kind-of) only child in my family had lied to my parents to start my own business. Somewhere along the line, I feel we added all this masala to make our life seem only a little bit more dramatic.

    Eight years since, the dawning realization that life didn’t have to be that difficult has pushed me to take the simple(st) path, and I am here to tell you that no, the entrepreneurial journey is not filled with toil and heartbreak. It is simply a profession, just as easy as you make it.

    First and foremost – don’t do it because you hate working for someone else.

    Contrary to popular belief, you are not ‘boss-less’ or working on your own terms. You don’t make the rules, and you don’t have a ready team ready to drop everything for you. From working for one manager or one corporate, I have diversified my attention to working to meet my company’s revenue requirements, 110 clients’ needs, moral and political preferences, my team’s obdurate party needs and my friends’ social obligations. Not to mention, working for a start-up means that my parents can get me to run errands more often.

    Despite all of this, I cannot deny the eager anticipation that overflows when we close a big client, or when the client closes a big client because of our efforts.

    How do you optimize your journey then to ensure as smooth a ride as possible.

    Don’t be afraid to hire- or to build an office

    Optimizing cost convinced us to save on seats, and on people. For the first three years, we operated on on-call employees and garage-offices to ensure that in the time of adversity (case and point, the pandemic), our company should have clear and free-flow liquid funds.

    This was one of the worst decisions we’d ever made.

    I have nothing against freelancers and smaller offices, but operating with a team that barely saw your face deliberately questioned the strength of our company. There was a huge, visible difference between the first ‘manager material’ freelancer we hired, and the first ‘manager’ manager we brought on board. The first, was apprehensive about the opportunity- the second, aggressive and passionate about leading our team of barely three.

    Similarly, working from the garage or the extra room at home lead to an extinguished productivity, and burnouts that frequented us more often. Rather, purchasing even a flexi-seating arrangement at a co-working space boosted inter-employee morale and trust to a level that was immovable.

    Hire Young Blood

    An adamant advocate of freshers, I myself was an aggressive intern when I was in college, delving into 3 jobs besides my inter-college sports and academic career.

    Apart from that, a fresher is often moldable and flexible to learn. Experienced professionals often have a set mindset that launches them into a certain systemized career trajectory that can be inflexible. Ask a 20-year-old writer, however, to build a website and the only answer you’ll get is “I don’t know how to do it yet, but give me an hour and a Youtube connection”.

    Also, they love power, money, and authority. Their priorities are set right, and if not them, there is no hope to set the world right.

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    Diversify your corporate portfolio- and don’t be afraid of seeking ‘cool’

    Not only through your start-up and its internal clientele, but also through external portfolios. My business partner and I have had successful (and many failed) start-ups in travel, blockchain, manufacturing, skincare, marketing and AI.

    We’re blessed to have a diversified clientele that keeps us on our toes, enabling us to seek whatever seems ‘cool’- real-life experience begins where research ends, and there’s a different kind of flair in challenging your knowledge.

    Sampling through the clientele

    Our first ‘other’ start-up was through a client who wanted to diversify into manufacturing. We’d written a plethora of books and articles on the topic, but to live It first-hand was a different ballgame altogether. Convincing the client of our genius didn’t take much time- in a couple of months, we had attained a fund for marketing and hiring, and used our weekends to set up his factory and his ecommerce infrastructure.

    More often than not, founders love to stay within their comfort zones because of their mental block- “I can’t go international because I don’t have the funds”, “I cant expand my verticals because I don’t have the manpower”, or even “I cant get into manufacturing because I’m into marketing” (okay, the last one is me). Inhibiting experiences because of these small, mortal limitations is anticlimactic considering the profession that you’ve chosen. Entrepreneurs do what they want to, and then find a way to enable the journey.

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    Drop bad payers

    Mental health is above everything.

    Although I advocate the hustle culture, I firmly believe that incessantly torturing yourself is not the way to attain financial stability.

    Constructive criticism and hard to please clients often believe in your potential, and make you push yourself until you give them what they want. Compare them to people who suddenly turn into bad payers and over-critiquing audience as soon as the invoice hits their inbox, and you have a recipe for a migraine on your hands.

    I don’t often mind bargains, but after ten years in the industry and an optimized rate that I consider cheap, if I find someone who tries to cut corners, I prefer to drop them. Look for people who seek results, and not a deal, even if you are in an industry that essentially functions on discounts and quantity.

    Conclusion

    To end my argument, never forget that a start-up is the gateway to the limits of human potential, and containing childish whims like travelling the world, becoming a billionaire or even enabling world peace and hunger is nowhere near impossible. Be kind, seek innovation and test your limits.

  • Use of Technology Can Script the Roadmap for Availability and Accessibility of Safe Water

    The article is contributed by DR. PARAG AGARWAL, Founder & CEO, JanaJal.

    Access to safe water for all is a fundamental human right and the water sector in conjunction with local administrative bodies are striving to achieve this goal. However, the sector is encountering numerous challenges such as continued unregulated industrial discharge into water bodies besides contaminating ground water tables, lack of adequate sewage treatment plants, etc. In addition to these, there is considerable variation in the quality of raw water across different parts of the same District that does not permit use of any single uniform solution to treat water and make it available to people. In the endeavour to deliver safe water to all, use of cutting-edge technology-based solutions in an agnostic manner can be incredibly beneficial for the sector. Such an approach can transform the water sector through increased optimization and driving efficiency in their performance.

    India is currently witnessing the world’s largest initiative in the form of Jal Jeevan Mission that aims to make safe water available to 1.3 Billion people by 2024. Millions of people have already benefitted from this initiative through pipelines being built to deliver water to homes. Though the progress is slow, it has been most commendable. However, dependence on pipelines can never cater to 100% of the people and provide comprehensive coverage as desired by the administration whether in urban, semi-urban or rural areas.

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    The Government of India has already approved innovative water treatment and safe water distribution technologies that can help bridge this gap. The Jal Jeevan Mission is a two-pronged initiative; Nal se Jal and Har Ghar Jal. While Nal se Jal is piped water to households, Har Ghar Jal allows for the adoption of these innovative technologies that deliver water to the doorstep of households through IOT technology controlled last mile delivery solutions. Clean fuel-powered three-wheelers using CNG or Lithium-ion batteries that are completely IOT monitored and supervised for GPS location, quality of water, and quantity of water have the power to not only make safe water a reality in the lives of people but also help create jobs, social entrepreneurship opportunities, skill development, women empowerment and above all, better health and wellness for people. The uberisation of water is here to stay and perhaps the only way to deliver safe water to 1.3 Billion people in India.

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    Only suitable use of technology has the potential to mitigate the issue and facilitate the purpose of the sector to guarantee the availability and accessibility of clean water for all.

    The world has adequate water, but very little of it is portable and fit for consumption. After all, the availability of water can only be stretched through maximizing management and minimizing wastage. A better future can be ensured with the immediate use of such innovative technologies.

  • How to Boost Productivity at Work?

    Life has become super fast and each day passes away like it’s just a matter of a few minutes. Nowadays, even 24 hours, specifically 1440 minutes seems to be less, to complete all our work efficiently. We know that time cannot be changed nor it can be rewound but our dreams and expectations remain constant. We have always heard that life is short and uncertain and without any guarantee or warranty.

    Undoubtedly, you might have thought about what to do in order to achieve all your dreams and boost productivity. Nonetheless, you might be thinking that working 18 hours a day or even more will make you valuable & worthwhile. However, this misconception will shorten your already half-used life and you will definitely feel mentally tired and irritated.

    To be constructive and profitable giving up on your dreams is not the right solution. To accommodate all your dreams and boost your productivity you need to learn to position and prioritise. However, if you spent all your day working hard and the end result isn’t worthwhile, then your hard work goes in vain. The conclusion determined here is that it’s not about how hard you work or how many hours you give, what counts in the end is, how you excel in the task. It’s important to make every single minute of the day get counted, rather than just doing a task and completing it. This Mantra will boost your output towards work and that’s how you will become successful and will be able to make your dreams come true. In this article, we will talk about how you can boost your productivity and can make every minute count. So, let’s get started.

    What Are the Secrets of Productive Morning?
    How to Be Productive at Work?

    What Are the Secrets of Productive Morning?

    The best start of a day will help to succeed. The Productive Morning Routine help to become more efficient with the limited time and energy available. But is there anything to do first thing in the morning and before the workday to become more energetic more focused and more productive? There are some strategies that will help to start a good day and help in the Productive Morning Routine.

    Early to Bed and Early to Rise

    The people who are working in the daytime are more productive when compared to those who are working at night. Some study says that people who wake up on time and go early to bed develop mental strength. The people who woke up on time between weekdays and weekends were more proactive, that is those who got up at the same time every day are considered to be more proactive.

    Think First at Night

    Sometimes people who wake up in the morning are not able to think clearly about their plans. So, some extra bit of planning at night before going to bed will help in making your next day productive. It will minimize the morning stress and give relief from strains.

    Have Healthy Food

    Food is important for being energetic at work. So, take healthy food to eat and that will give you energy, which in return will help in making your life productive. The food taken for breakfast decides the energy level of the entire day. Remember, that the body has been fasting for the past seven or eight hours and jump-starting your system with a protein-rich breakfast is recommended. It can help you to go endlessly with your daily work. Some quick and easy protein-packed options include cottage cheese, almonds, eggs, protein shakes, and Greek yoghurt.

    Self-Control Helps Productivity

    The mind is like the central processing unit which can be set according to energy. People who have a strong internal control to set the mind to be proactive can reach their desired goals. Start the day with expectations and work towards achieving them, have control over yourself and focus on your own work.

    Do Exercise Daily

    Healthy food sets the mood but doing regular exercises in a day will help to improve the mood and increase the ability to deal with the demands of work and help in boosting productivity. The people who have a habit of doing exercise regularly have a peaceful and constant mind. They don’t worry about little hindrances and just kick it away and go with their work. Exercising before work can improve the mood and increase productivity levels throughout the rest of the day.

    Meditation brings perfection

    Meditation is also one of the greatest options to take so that you can boost your productivity. If your morning routine starts by meditation, prayer, yoga and quiet time, it not only keep your mind refresh but also your body healthy. These are all great practices that can get the day off to the right start. Structured and proper meditation helps in prosperity and happiness.

    Pre Plan Your Goals

    Start the day with a prioritized list of tasks, actions and goals to help make your day productive. Everyone must set goals and targets and make the mind ready to achieve them.  prior set of list of actions done in one day, week or month.

    Always Be on Time

    Reaching office at the correct time is the best disciplinary practice. So, setting a time to reach office and doing other jobs is a good optopn. Setting prior times will make the day productive and will help you in making your day productive.

    How to Be Productive at Work?

    The most important thing for a human in this modern world is and there’s no second opinion to it. Shortage of time can easily be included in the list of problems everyone across the world complains of—rich or poor, young or old; the problem is same for all. An important component that is associated with time is productivity. One can be productive only when they uses the limited span of time available to the maximum possible extent. One can be productive at work by following all these steps.

    Multitasking

    Not everyone has the dexterity of performing multiple actions in parallel. It is a skill that comes with experience. Many out there would be inclined to disagree with the concept of multitasking citing that only one task should be focused on at a time. Well, that’s not wrong but provided you know how to prioritize tasks one over the other, making time for doing two or three things at a time isn’t all that difficult. At this age, if you are a multi-tasker, then it’s an advantage for you.

    Priority

    A common mistake that people commit and end up doing less than they had expected is not knowing which tasks need to be completed immediately and those that can be ignored for the time being. Prioritising things which are more important over those which are less important helps you stay more productive at work. An effective way of deciding which action to place ahead of others is by analyzing the future outcomes.

    Avoid Procrastination

    To be honest, procrastination is a double-edged sword; you either get the work done by the deadline or ultimately end up not doing it. By staying away from procrastination, you can be more productive work in your life. Mind you, it’s going to be a difficult task, but look at the benefits—a procrastination free individual would never take things for granted. They see a job at hand and conquers it immediately.

    Introspect and Retrospect

    To improve efficiency at work, take time to look back at your past. Your past is your best teacher and prepares you for the present and the future. At times when nothing seems to go as planned, it’s best to take a break and introspect in isolation. Maybe the solution to all the problems has been clouded by the monotony of daily life or the regular grinding at the office. Take some time out and think about what went wrong. Going over the reasons for your past work being ineffective and inefficient would turn out to be a saviour for the ongoing tasks. It stops you from making the same mistakes again and again.

    Don’t Be Afraid to Ask for Advice

    This may give the other person a sense of superiority and maybe even evoke a condescending response from them but sometimes, other’s opinions turn out to be decisive. There’s no need to feel humiliated in asking others why you are lagging behind in terms of productivity. Don’t hesitate to take some work efficiency tips from someone who works with you or observes you at work. The answers can help you in improving yourself.

    Keep Yourself Motivated

    Keep yourself motivated to stay more productive at work. There will be times when you will feel lethargic and sometimes you will not feel like working. During these times, keep yourself motivated by reminding yourself about the benefits of doing your work on time. Reading motivational books by entrepreneurs, a note with an inspiring quote by some great person on your work desk or some inspiring video, find out a way to keep yourself motivated and work your way to success.

    Give Yourself Deadline

    Don’t wait for someone else to give you deadlines. Challenge yourself, define your deadline and try to do things faster. As the famous quote says, “The only person you should try to be better than is the person you were yesterday”.

    Try to work better and faster every day. Competing with yourself and doing a serious efforts for self-improvement is one of the best ways to improve efficiency in the workplace

    Take Cues From the Next Person

    Observe how people around you function. There’s a high chance that you may stumble upon some technique to be more productive. If there is someone around who is faster and better at work, observe in what way they works differently than you. Try to adopt those habits and techniques and you will surely become a more efficient worker.

    Plan Your Goals

    Having a plan to utilize any given day or week goes a long way in keeping things organized and at the same time allowing ample room for accomplishment. As mentioned before founders have a lot of things to do, and planning about getting it done could be overwhelming. Creating a list of things to be done in a short time span is an  essential step to attaining proper time management. A list will give an air of clarity even if it is long and overwhelming. At the beginning of the week, make a weekly plan that will list the key objectives to be accomplished in the week. This will act as a guideline for the daily plan. Any activity that is not directly related to this guideline in accomplishing the weekly objective has to be analyzed and removed. A successful entrepreneur is able to identify these actions, thus having a great impact on their business.

    Don’t Get Distracted

    The key to becoming a successful business leader is the ability to stay focused. Distraction will do nothing but create disturbance in your workflow, so it is important to keep your focus on the things that are important for your work. Being able to focus on commitments is an effective strategy for time management and proper utilization of time.

    Complete the Less Important Tasks

    Every now and then there are going to be some tasks that are that are not that important on the to-do list. However, they have to be completed so it is better to get them out of the way first. Putting them off will only make the work more tedious and reduce overall productivity.

    Learn to say “No”

    Do not become a people ‘pleaser’ just because of the fear of offending someone or missing out on an opportunity. Learn to say ‘NO’ when required and it will become easier to reach goals. Saying No does not mean that younare ignoring your responsibilities, it simply means we are focusing on something that actually deserves our attention.

    Share Your Responsibilities

    Responsibilities can be shared by empowering the employees and colleagues and assigning a different role for everyone. This will not only make the employees feel like are part of the team but also improve the company’s morale and productivity.

    Understand the Purpose of the Task

    One way of prioritizing tasks is by defining the clear purpose of the task. This helps in realising which task should be done urgently. This way, it becomes easier to complete all the goals that is needed to fulfilled.

    Take the Help of Technology

    Try out new apps or tools to see how it affects productivity. Often apps and tools help in completing the task more efficiently and staying organized. Keep checking for new apps and tools to find if some might help the company in staying organised.

    Conclusion

    It is going to take a good amount of efforts to actually bring these suggestions into practice. However, these techniques will surely make you more effective at work. In today’s world, where even 24 hours seems less, humans are constantly trying to look for ways to boost their productivity and the above steps can helps them making every minute counts.

  • Internal Networking: An Indispensable Skill to Climb The Corporate Ladder

    Attributed to Mr. Gautam Saraf, CHRO at Ferns N Petals

    The command over the domain, sense of unflinching responsibility, diligence and brilliance are among the prominent skills that every person aspires to acquire to succeed at the workplace. There is no denial of the fact that they play a crucial role in shaping one’s career and become the measure to know how swiftly the person would scale the corporate ladder. But over the course of the evolution of the work culture across the globe, some interpersonal abilities have emerged as dominant forces leading the path of progress of a person. Among these aptitudes, internal networking capability has become a major quality having the power to take the person to the zenith.

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    Internal networking, a process of reaching out to and building relationships with co-workers within the company, has emerged as an inevitable skill for employees to grab prominent positions in the organisation. It acts as a crucial factor behind perception developed among colleagues that goes a long way when it comes to promotion and team building. Managers are unlikely to develop a good team and get the required support as leaders if they don’t have a camaraderie with team members. On the other hand, communication with team members can do wonders. Employees who invest time in knowing and communicating with their colleagues understand what talent they possess and what their co-workers. This very understanding ultimately helps in distributing tasks and accomplishing personal and organizational goals.

    The work environment turns into an enjoyable one if employees are connected with one another. The networking among workers from different departments makes them understand the business better that ultimately results in enhanced satisfaction and performance. Such employees come into notice of the senior management that with further assessment tries to comprehend their potential to handle a role with higher responsibilities. Upon proving further eligibility and winning the trust of the management, they get easy promotions as companies perpetually look for personnel who can fill a more critical position. And most of the time, they become successful in the role.

    Networking in Team by Communicating
    Networking in Team by Communicating

    Communication skill that is closely connected to the growth of an individual within an organization can be improved significantly by giving attention to internal networking. This is an obvious fact. A better communication ability for an employee is inevitable to give a swift push to the career and successfully execute the responsibilities given by the management. Connected employees make the internal communication of the organisation more efficacious and productive. It facilitates in finding the solutions to the most complex and tiring issues related to business, assisting the realisation of the collective goals. Overall, frequent employee communication boosts the company culture and encourage employees to ensure optimum output.

    For companies, it’s a cumbersome task to keep the employees excited throughout the day, but it’s an absolute necessity in order to ensure quality products and services to the consumers. On the other hand, motivation helps the employees in finding the best and easiest way to attain the targets without compromising on the quality of work. A good rapport with co-workers helps employees in collaborating and drawing out the best while acting on a particular task. One can imagine the reduction in challenges after working together with experienced and talented team members. Here, the credit goes to internal networking skills. Internal networking promotes development of great ideas to gathering insights into other function, understand industry interface better and be more open to learning functional roles. Collaboration in between departments, mentoring and career development is what we seek out of this.

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    Owing to an ever-increasing competition in the market, companies today require to perpetually innovate with products and services being provided to the consumers. At the same time, it is extremely important for employees to remain innovative and try making difference throughout their careers to create ample opportunities in the organization. Regular communication with co-workers not only builds a tenacious bond among them but also promotes the exchange of ideas and knowledge that ultimately enhances the creative abilities of the personnel involved. Hence, having internal networks can work as a prominent factor of growth within the organization.

    With enhanced internal networks, the workplace becomes a home that eventually results in happiness, satisfaction, and prosperity. It subtly develops the abilities required to thrive in the organization. Employees utilize all their capabilities to ensure a steady expansion of the company as well as their personal progress. This very pursuit encourages employee advocacy that is harnessing the potentials of the external associations of the staffers. It is not only advantageous for the company but for the employees as well; it assists in making the existing bonds firm while checking the opportunities. It further stimulates the creation of an efficient network of people.

    At a time when hybrid work model, which is a mix of onsite and offsite working is flourishing, the networking skill has become even more important. In the work model, many employees work from remote stations, thus coordination with them is vital to get the work done. For coordination, it is important to have a good rapport among co-workers so that they can make concerted effort to accomplish a task. Apart from that, on the personal level, it proves one’s ability to take up leadership role in getting the task completed while developing confidence in colleagues who are not present in person.

    In developing a robust internal networking skill among employees, employers can play a key role. They can adopt a lot of encouraging practices to help employees develop the skill. Creating a supportive work environment, planning fun activities, planning for outings and fostering inter-departmental relations are some of the measures employers can adopt to enhance internal skills of the workforce. On the other hand, employees must take part in every activity or meeting of the company.

    A good internal connection increases the likelihood of an employee staying longer with the company that cultivates trust among senior leadership making them look for an elevated profile for the person. On the other hand, staying with a company for a longer period makes the employee understand every detail of the business, enabling him to contribute to the evolution of the organization efficiently while generating more opportunities for career advancement. This very sense of involvement makes them feel empowered; they aspire to grab a certain level of decision-making autonomy in the company to achieve massive objectives. Apart from that, it helps them to be free from worries associated with jobs such as insecurity. Instead of losing employees, HR leaders can use the power of cross company social connections to help employees develop passion and purpose in their workplace to maintain a stronger rapport with the colleagues.

    Conclusion

    In a nutshell, connections and relationships with co-workers within the organisation is the fundamental element of attainment and growth. To establish such connections that sustain for a long time, employees need to work with assiduousness on their communication and internal networking aptitudes. It’s a time tested fact that employees are good at communicating their opinion to others and listening to their feedback make strong relations with colleagues of all ranks. Everyone appreciates people who are mature, skillful and open to positive and negative responses. The human resources departments of companies today come up with ideas and team-building exercises that aid every employee significantly to establish a friendship with others. It is quintessential today, and every employee must involve in activities and office atmosphere to build alliances to reach the apex in the organisation.

  • How E-Commerce Brands use AR/VR to Enhance The Shopping Experience?

    This article is contributed by Anshul Agarwal, Co-founder of XR Central.

    Most people we know, when they need to buy supplies, will take a few hours or more in order to: a) go to the shops, b) search for the desired shop, c) go to the relevant section in the desired shop, and so on and so forth, you get the picture. The internet has made e-commerce faster and more convenient than ever before, but there are still things that we hesitate to buy online. We want to try on glasses, try on clothes, see how everything fits before we click that button. And for that, you have to take a few hours to go to the shops.

    The advent of the metaverse, and technology like 5G, will make e-commerce even more intuitive and convenient for customers. Now, you can scan your body or enter your measurements and try on all sorts of clothes and accessories on your virtual avatar. With the level of precise detail made possible in the metaverse, this will be as close to the real experience as possible and will take a fraction of the time. And if you think, well, this is an activity that I’d like to do with friends, then the social component – that gets missed from a lot of e-commerce experiences at the moment – will also be there for you. Your friends will have the opportunity to create their own avatars and accompany you on virtual shopping trips from the convenience of their own homes.

    Indeed, XR-powered platforms power the collaborative and social aspect of retail via omnichannel messaging and real-time avatar interaction. You and your friends will be able to stroll in a fully immersive experience through the shops in your local neighbourhood – or even thousands of miles away. And shop owners will have a chance to showcase their goods effectively while maintaining their customers’ level of trust. There is also a rise in AR apps you can use to project makeup and accessories onto your face. Snapchat, for example, is debuting a version of Shopping Lens that will enable users to swipe through different kinds of makeup and cosmetics and virtually try them on their faces. Attached to the AR overlay will be detailed on prices, colours, and sizes. Major brands have already signed on to this new way of shopping and there are predictions of more and more brands jumping on the bandwagon soon.

    Last year, Gucci made a big splash selling NFTs of digital clothes and accessories for millions of dollars. As we transition to a predominantly digital presence, we can expect to see a big uptick in our Direct-to-Avatar (D2A) purchases. For an appearance-conscious generation, digital avatars will need to exhibit personal flourishes via clothes and accessories. We know what makes us unique in real-life, but what will that be in the metaverse?

    Like we’ve seen with H&M’s new virtual store, it will be possible to have cross-platform flexibility and access to major brands in a virtual setting. Users will be able to access retail stores on their tablets, smartphones, laptops, or by using VR-enabled headsets or glasses. Having stores at a ‘virtual’ address will offer brands a chance to be hyper-local in a truly global setting, and to gain access to a wider audience and secure cutting-edge brand equity.

    For brands that don’t want to go all out on digital products, there is an opportunity to have hybrid showcases – where real-world creations are matched with virtual accessories to be sold as NFT collectibles. NFT collectibles are custom digitized tokens that, by definition, are truly exclusive. They cannot be exchanged with each other. And it’s low-cost, without raw materials, fittings, export duties, and comparable workers’ fees. Users can have their NFTs digitally rendered into Instagram or Snapchat filters, Zoom filters, QR codes, and seamlessly project an extension of their personality into the digital realm. In fact, the highly scalable and highly custom nature of virtual retail will make it so that retailers will create less waste and be able to recruit new customer bases with relative ease.

    A case in point for retail’s future in the metaverse is the participation of FMCG companies. You could think that FMCG doesn’t really fit in the metaverse, but we have innovative branding strategies being implemented by the likes of Hellmann’s mayo – who created a campaign on Animal Crossing regarding food waste – and Proctor and Gamble – who created lifelike skin for avatars to advertise their Venus razors. A unique, multi-faceted campaign can result in a hundred-fold increase in social media mentions and make creaky brands seem slick and savvy.

    And lastly, home shopping will become easier. We now have interior designers and decorators visualising furniture and all manner of home accessories in a rendering of your flat. And using AR shopping apps – like Amazon’s Room Decorator – you can see how that new bed you’re thinking of buying will look in your room, or how that painting or that rug, or that vase will look in your home. The tools powering the metaverse will provide an unprecedented ability to visualise 3D objects accurately, so you can be confident of your purchase.

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    Conclusion

    So, in summary, retail and e-commerce have a bright future in the metaverse on a number of different fronts. Some of them are already here and some will continue to evolve and mutate far into the future. It will be interesting to see where we land.

  • Encouraging Technology Adoption Into 4 E’s of Road Safety

    The article is Contributed by Akhilesh Srivastava.

    Road Safety of the biggest social-economic menaces in India, with over 150,000 people losing lives on the road every year, is denting the Indian economy by nearly 4.5 trillion INR i.e., roughly 3.14% of Indian GDP.

    Road Safety 2.0, aims to tackle this issue by introducing technology into all 4 Es of road safety i.e., Education, Engineering, Enforcement and Emergency Care. There are plenty of scopes for Startups to explore more innovative technologies for use in the Road Safety sector and develop scalable and financially viable models.

    4 E’s of Road Safety
    Education
    Enforcement
    Engineering
    Emergency Care of Road Accident Victims

    4 E’s of Road Safety

    The main thrust of accident prevention and control across the world has been on 4 E’s i.e.  (i) Education; (ii) Engineering; (iii) Enforcement; and (iv) Emergency care of road accident victims.

    Education

    Various Road Safety Campaigns involving audio-visual and other print media, as well as NGOs, are used to raise awareness. The government has been undertaking various publicity measures through TV spots/Radio spots, cinema slides, distribution of posters, books on road safety signage & signs, organizing Road Safety Week, Seminars, and Exhibitions to raise road safety awareness among the general public.

    But despite these measures, a noticeable reduction in accidents figures is not achieved. it is time to add technology for driver’s education or training right from the issuance of driving licenses to periodical upskilling. Intel recently designed one program of drivers training. There can be Mobile Apps, video games, and engaging audio videos for the training of drivers.

    Over 80 % of accidents are caused due by avoidable negligence or faults of drivers such as overspeeding, rash driving, poor driving skills, stress, and fatigue. A lot of accidents are mostly by single truck owners, who come from an unorganized ecosystem and drive continuously to maximize their trips. Low-cost technology solutions like HUMSAFER Mobile App can compensate for human limitations and reduce accidents.

    Nearly 10% of road accident-related deaths involves children (aged between 5 and 14). Only 17% of schools have roads that showed school zone signage and only 11.5% have speed limits displayed. Thus, there is an urgent need to create Safe School Zone, which not only saves children from accidents but also prepares them for future.

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    Enforcement

    Nearly 15 million reported traffic violations take place annually. These violations lead to collisions and accidents. It is practically impossible to detect such a large number of traffic violations and penalize them manually. As a result, a lot of violators are never caught and penalized, thus encouraging others.

    The Motor Vehicles Act of 2019 and the Central Motor Vehicles Rules include several rules that, if properly implemented, will reduce traffic offences by drivers. The state government is largely responsible for enforcing these regulations to enhance road safety.

    Thus, there is an urgent need to use the latest technologies, IoT, ANPR, CCTV and Speed cameras to detect traffic violations and penalize the violators by automated system transparently. Considering the size, population and federal structure of India, the bottom-up approach on the PPP model is the only viable solution.

    The duty of the enforcement authorities will include the campaigns among the people about drunk/drug driving and the consequences, consequences on no use of seat belts. Also, the points on license, disqualification of license and driving, imprisonment, training courses should be given a priority.

    Engineering

    Efficient engineering methods which is a combination of technology and skills will help to get a better safety measure. Creating road environment safe and suitable for all users and needs reliable data to identify where, when, how and why accidents occur Key approaches – Accident investigation, road safety management, road safety audit.

    Making the road network safer by engineering measures is the most effective strategy to reduce collisions in the short to medium term by directly addressing road environment problems and attempting to counter or reduce the scope for incorrect road user behaviour/performance. As a result, the majority of stakeholders have established comprehensive Road Safety Plans and programmes, with particular funding allocation for engineering measures that have proven to be effective in reducing collisions.

    Collision/Accident Investigation (AI) – A reactive approach that involves investigating hotspots and analysing collision and casualty information and trends to identify areas with higher-than-average collision rates.

    Collision / Accident Reduction (AR) – A Road Safety Engineer can use AI to determine whether any of the causation factors highlighted within an existing known pattern can be addressed through safety engineering remedial measures, thereby helping to reduce collision frequency/severity at that site, and if so, whether there are several potential solutions and which ones are best for each particular site.

    Collision / Accident Prevention (AP) – Following the AI and AR processes, a Road Safety Engineer develops an effective Road Safety Strategy/Plan and Danger Reduction Plans, as well as providing advice on Road Safety Education, Training, and Publicity Programs. The Road Safety Engineer also implements best practices in AP through the proactive process of Road Safety Auditing.

    Emergency Care of Road Accident Victims

    Post-accident emergency care is a serious concern in India as nearly 50% of people die on the spot or while transiting to the hospital/trauma centres. If the occurrence of accidents and location can be shared to provide emergency care within golden hours a lot of lives can be saved. Similarly, if travellers can be informed about rest areas & their occupancy status and repairs workshops on the fly, it can be very helpful to them and will reduce fatigue & stress while driving.

    National Highway Accident Relief Service Scheme (NHARSS): – The Scheme entails providing cranes and ambulances to States/UTs/NGOs for relief and rescue measures in the aftermath of accidents by way of evacuating road accident victims to the nearest medical aid centre and for clearing the accident site.

    The emergency care must include the Incident Response in the form of Emergency Medical Services which will also include fire and rescue and the removal of the hazardous materials from the roads. The other Technological solutions which will result in Emergency Care are the use of E Calls. Setting up connected Level-1 trauma centres and rescue services for immediate target response to incidents and golden hours survival rates tracking can be helpful.

  • How Indian Employers Can Help Provide Better Mental Health Care to Employees

    The article is contributed by Marut Bhardwaj – Country Head, Potential Project.

    Compassion is the willingness to improve the lives of others around you.

    Rather than merely providing the bare necessities to keep employees happy and productive so that the company can make more money, a compassionate leader wants to help them thrive. In addition to having a long-term vision, compassionate leadership requires wisdom in directing the organization towards a human way of working and taking necessary initiatives to guarantee employee well-being in the present moment.

    Traditional business KPIs are no longer enough in an era of increasing healthcare awareness. India’s working-age population is rapidly approaching 500 million people. Each of these workers will expect that their employer will cover the majority of the costs of their own and their families’ medical care. What was formerly considered a nice-to-have perk by certain companies is now considered a must-have.

    Since good healthcare is employees’ need, giving appropriate attention to employees’ physical and mental health, therefore, is a big part of compassionate leadership. Especially in this era, where yet another wave of the pandemic has clocked in, leaders have a critical role in helping their employees navigate the turbulence of COVID-19.

    The importance of employee healthcare for organizations
    What measures can leaders take to improve employee health
    Conclusion

    The importance of employee healthcare for organizations

    Your employees’ health and well-being is not just helpful to them; it generates an efficient and productive working environment that benefits your organisation at large.

    Health-related absenteeism and rising healthcare expenditures provide a persistent problem to companies. Employers in the United States, where health benefits are prevalent, pay $575 billion a year in health care expenditures due to poor employee health. Employee absenteeism, chronic ailments that limit production and workers’ compensation are all contributors to this expense.

    To be clear, these absences are not solely a result of disease. Poor physical and mental health can lead to a host of problems, including high levels of stress and burnout, as well as a lack of motivation and enthusiasm on the part of employees. In 2019, the World Health Organization predicted that between 2012 and 2030, mental health disorders in India will cost the country a whopping $1.03 trillion in economic losses.

    Thus, employee health and productivity are linked: Healthier minds and bodies lead to greater levels of optimism, originality, and drive. Care for your workers means:

    • Employees who feel cared for and valued
    • Increased motivation and fulfilment in the work place
    • Reduced absenteeism
    • Retention of employees
    • A positive working environment with constructive interactions between employees and managers

    What measures can leaders take to improve employee health

    After the outbreak of the pandemic, many leaders have started including additional advantages at the workplace, such as primary healthcare, regular testing and wellness programmes. Leaders have realised that small changes can go a long way toward making the workplace a healthy and uplifting place to work. Here are some more measures they can employ in pursuit of the same goal:

    Encouraging your staff to participate in health and wellness initiatives.

    All facets of an employee’s health are considered in an integrated wellness programme, which can include PTO, focus workshops, yoga sessions. These programmes encompass physical, mental, as well as emotional health of the employees. Providing annual employee health screening tests to make your employees aware of underlying health issues and help them avoid larger health problems in the future is also a part of these initiatives.

    Such initiatives can lead to an 80% enhancement in organisational performance if done correctly. Though these initiatives may appear more complex to integrate into the workplace, the expense of unhealthy personnel is ultimately a greater problem.

    Build a culture of health

    Encourage your employees to exercise on a regular basis. Motivate them to join jogging clubs, gain access to gyms and other facilities, or just make little daily decisions that benefit their health, such as taking the stairs instead of the elevator.

    Provide enough room for your employees to breathe and be present. Access to natural light, comfortable office seats, and ergonomic workstations all help to keep your staff engaged and healthy.

    Leaders must create a work environment that promotes mental health through compassionate leadership, frequent breaks, one-on-one conversations, and other such measures.

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    Incorporate mindfulness into your wellness programmes

    When it comes to a more comprehensive approach to your company’s employee health programme, mindfulness is a good place to begin.

    Despite the fact that mindfulness isn’t difficult to develop or practise, it might be tough for novices to know where to begin. An ideal starting point is a company-sponsored course in mindfulness, meditation, or yoga.

    It is possible to practise mindfulness in any setting, including a cubicle, a desk, or even a conference room. Leaders can also engage workers by including some mindfulness exercises into their next meeting or outing or directing them into some easy breathing exercises or yoga positions at the end or beginning of a meeting to help them focus.

    Conclusion

    It’s common for firms and organisations to be unsure of how to identify and cultivate a compassionate leadership style and workplace culture. By focusing on their employees’ most basic need – good health – they can kickstart the transformation to a compassionate workplace.