People
Enabling A Happy Workforce
By Helen Shone, Sage HR Advice
What does happiness look like?
There’s a business mantra that states a happy worker is a productive worker. But happiness is hard to quantify and even more difficult to create.
As an employer, you can’t just tell everyone to be happier and watch your profits grow. Unfortunately, it just doesn’t work that way. So what can you do? The first step is to find out what makes your employees happy at work, and build on that.
Getting along famously
A recent study by Samaritans and Simplyhealth concluded that forming positive relationships with colleagues is the most fulfilling part of a job.
The survey of over 1,400 workers revealed that 42% said that getting on well with their co-workers helped them to feel good at work.
The next most common reason for feeling good at work was having a positive work/life balance (40%), followed by receiving praise for a job well done (26%).
In comparison, only 14% said that hitting their targets was their top factor for feeling good at work.
Posted under: Female Entrepreneurship In Ireland: An Interview With Olwen Dawe
By Beatrice Whelan, Social Media & Content Specialist at Sage
When Olwen Dawe became a Sage Business Expert one of the first things I wanted to talk to her about was her work as an advocate of female entrepreneurship. Olwen is currently Secretary and Vice President Designate of Network Ireland. She was an ambassador for female entrepreneurship on the Ulster Bank “Business Women Can” initiative in 2012. Olwen regularly speaks at and chairs events / seminars focused on enterprise development – such as the European Commission’s programme for female entrepreneurship. Here is my recent interview with Olwen about all things related to female entrepreneurs.
You are an advocate of female entrepreneurship and you’re involved in various programmes to promote female entrepreneurship can you talk about one which you think has been the most effective?
Every programme has its own merits based on their specific objectives… as the orchestrators, managers and advisors involved in them, we need to be conscious of varying needs and changing times. Programmes often need to be less prescriptive and more lean, responsive – and this is really driven by the specific group you’re serving.
The Citywest Commuter – What Happened Next?
Six Months Later
A little over Six months ago I embarked on a journey. Well, a series of journeys if one were to take me literally. I ditched the car, and clambered aboard the bus and LUAS (Tram system) for work for the month.
Six months on, how is it going? Am I still taking public transport, or was it all just a publicity stunt (as I was challenged at the Christmas party but that’s a different story!)?
Short Answer – Yes, I am.
Let’s go back to the Beginning
Well, let’s go back to my original motivation for giving up the Volvo and reverting to public transport. I had three reasons for doing this:
- Environmental protection.
- Save a bucket load of money.
- (The ulterior motive) – as Exec accountable for Facilities, do as I would have others do and ditch that free parking space and let the train (ok, tram and bus) take the strain.
How did I ‘fare’ (geddit?)
Environmental protection: Tick! – In fact, thanks to the LUAS Eco Calculator I calculate that I save 1.79kg of CO2 each time I make my journey from Four Courts to Citywest – over six months, and on average maybe 15 working days (when I take out holidays, business travel etc) that makes an emissions reduction of over 320kg – and that’s not including the bus!
Save a bucket load of money: Tick!
The chart says it all. I’ve saved a lot of fuel money, not to mention the other savings such as on tyres and servicing.
In fact when I took my car to Koping before Christmas, the service engineer said my Volvo would need new rear brake pads fitted soon.
He mentioned that they had 10,000 km left in them; now, if my calculations are correct, that €130 a month I’ve saved equates to about 7,500km over 6 months to December – and because my annual mileage (kilometerage?) has reduced so much I decided not to replace the pads until next year.
How much did that save? I don’t know but I am sure I wouldn’t have got much change from €100.
When I subtract the monthly taxsaver ticket cost of €60-odd (after tax) I’ve made a saving at least of five hundred euro, and a grand over a year – not bad. And that excludes tyres, tolls, city centre parking when I’ve taken the bus as well.
The ulterior motive? – well, I can’t say much to that but I have noticed there are now a few more people taking public transport although I wouldn’t take credit for that.
But isn’t that just, well, you know… just marketing – surely it’s not all rosy in the garden?
No it’s not. The journey usually takes an hour, is 50 mins at very best and has been up to 2 hours at worst . This is when I had to walk a few km as I was in the LUAS behind the one that crashed with a bin truck last September.
Then there were the times when it was raining and I forgot my brolly, or it was cold, or I had an early meeting and had to leave home at 6.30, or had to work late and had to change at Belgard, and the time I just missed the bus / LUAS and the next one wasn’t for 20 minutes… all things one would expect. I guess I’m quite a philosophical person so these things don’t really upset me.
The worst thing though is when I am in a rush and have to get to an early meeting on time – then I have had to drive which is worse because I feel I’m wasting money as I already bought the ticket. Heigh ho.
Side Benefits
There have been many side benefits – really.
- My 13-year old daughter goes to school in the city centre so we often take the bus into town together in the morning – usually she is playing Angry Birds © on her iPhone and does her best to ignore me, especially when she sees her friends… but it’s good for me anyway (I am told that’s not my fault by the way it’s normal teen behaviour!)
- I get to read the news, check email, catch a snooze or just watch the world go by
- I miss out on all the lovely traffic jams
- I don’t worry about traffic lights or being cut up at junctions or roadworks (usually)
- I mix with real people instead of cocooning myself
- I save the company money (yes I do – I often take the bus to Dublin airport when travelling and save taxi and parking charges!), or take the bus to City Centre engagements
- I can have a drink at a function and not worry about driving home
- Forces me to get out of the office at a reasonable hour
- Great exercise – I won’t tell you how many calories I burn a week in walking between stops and home/work but it’s in the thousands. I weigh 3 kilos less today than this time last year..
So in conclusion
It’s not for everyone, but I don’t feel so odd – in fact it’s quite the norm in my home country of England to commute by train / bus / tube. I appreciate it’s not practical really if one lives further out rather than in Dublin. But for me, I’m delighted to have tried it and I guess the proof of the pudding has been in the eating.
See you on the LUAS!
The Journey Of An Entrepreneur: Mark Breen Of Cuckoo Events Shares His Story
By Beatrice Whelan, Social Media & Content Specialist at Sage
Mark Breen is MD of event management company Cuckoo Events. Mark has recently joined the team of Sage Business Experts so you will be seeing more of Mark on our blog over the next few weeks and months. As an introductory post I asked Mark to answer some questions and share his story so far. It is well worth the read and is a really interesting story about entrepreneurship in Ireland at the moment.
When Opportunity Knocks…
Cuckoo Events is an events business I started in September of 2012. Before making the leap I was working with a marketing agency in Dublin as CEO of the youth branding element of it. I had only been in that role around four months when I was asked to go work at The Olympics in London in the Summer. I turned it down at the time as I figured it’d be cheeky to ask for that much time off from a job I hadn’t been in very long.
Sage’s Business Experts Programme Gets Underway
By Beatrice Whelan, Social Media & Content Specialist at Sage
In our continued efforts to support the business community in Ireland, we’ve launched our Sage Business Experts Programme to recognise and reward experts across the business landscape.
Our Sage Business Experts come from businesses of all shapes and sizes, but they share one thing in common – a commitment to promoting business and helping other business owners.
Business Experts have been selected due to their:
- Contribution to the business community – sharing knowledge and helping others improve and develop their businesses
- Knowledge and influence – from first-hand experience, Sage Business Experts have a wealth of understanding about business challenges and solutions
- Online presence – from forums and Twitter, to LinkedIn and blogs, Sage Business Experts are extensively connected
In return for their support, Sage offers its Business Experts a range of benefits from access to Sage mentors and software to invitation to exclusive events and promotion of their business on the Sage blog and website.
We are proud to support these members of the business community; however their views do not represent that of Sage. We want Business Experts to be completely independent, and so members of the programme aren’t obliged to promote Sage in any way.
Meet our first three Sage Business Experts and watch this space for more in the next few weeks and months:
We’re Looking For Entries For January’s Business Person Of The Month!
In 2012, Newstalk launched a monthly initiative in association with Sage, designed to support and promote Irish businesses, business success and entrepreneurs. The ‘Newstalk Business Person of the Month’ and the ‘Newstalk Business Person of the Year, proudly supported by Sage, will be led by Newstalk ‘Down to Business’ presenter, entrepreneur and Dragon’s Den star, Bobby Kerr, and Newstalk Business Editor, Ian Guider.
If you would like to enter Newstalk’s Business Person of the Month email why you think you are worthy to awards@newstalk.ie. You can also choose to nominate someone else.
Bobby Kerr and Ian Guider of Newstalk with Avril McArdle, Digital and Marketing Manager of Sage
Businesses will be selected each month based on unique achievements in their field, from this list, three businesses people will be chosen for the final shortlist which will then be judged and voted on by an independent panel of successful business people and entrepreneurs.
We’re now looking for entries for January’s Business Person of the Month
Each monthly winner will be announced on Newstalk Breakfast on the last Friday of the month and will feature on ‘Down to Business’ on the last Sunday of the month – exposing the successful businessperson to the station’s national daily audience of over 308,000. As well as being profiled on Newstalk the winner will receive a specially commissioned Newbridge Silverware pen and €1000 worth of Sage software and services.
What Type Of Business Owner Are You?
By Beatrice Whelan, Social Media & Content Specialist at Sage
Are you a Hands On Soloist that that loves the skill and craft of what your business provides or are you The Manager/CEO type, a great mentor and leader that delegates important tasks to employees, or perhaps you are The Classic Entrepreneur that thrives on the adrenaline of a start-up environment. Take our two minute quiz and find out.
If you like this Infographic download as a PDF here or copy and paste the HTML below into your website or blog.
The Right Way To Do A Reference Check
By Alexandra from Sage HR Advice
Finding The Right Fit
Hiring new employees can be an exciting time, but also a challenging one. There are so many things to think about when you’re looking for the perfect candidates;
- Are you advertising in the right places to get the best people applying?
- Are you asking the right questions during interviews?
- Should you be asking candidates to complete tasks or psychometric tests?
- Do they have the right qualifications, and can you confirm them?
- Will they have the right cultural fit for your company?
- Are they allowed to work in Ireland?
- What about criminal records?
- And of course, do you want to work with this person every day?
Checking The Facts
Once you have selected the perfect candidate, you need to ask yourself if they are really as good as they appear. One of the best ways of finding out is to check with their previous employer(s), using a reference check.
Surprisingly, many businesses, particularly small ones, feel that they don’t have the time or energy to make these checks, but they really are worthwhile. If you employ someone without the skills or experience that they’ve claimed, it will be a waste of time, money and resource. Plus, you’ll have to get rid of them, re-advertise the position and go through the whole process again.
So here’s our no-nonsense guide to getting those checks done, so you can employ the best and get on with growing your company:
Just The Facts
The first thing to remember is that a candidate’s previous employers don’t have to provide a reference if they don’t want to. But if they do, then the reference has to be true, fair, accurate and not give a misleading impression. It doesn’t matter if the reference is verbal or written, long or short.
Giving false or misleading information can actually make them liable, if the candidate ends up costing your business money.
Some businesses don’t want to fall foul of this, and so give just the basic facts, such as:
- Start date
- End date
- Days off sick
- Holidays taken
While all this can be quite useful, ideally, you’ll want to know more.
Don’t Ask, Don’t Get
One idea is to ask the candidate’s previous employers specific questions, rather than hope they send the data you’re after. Write a template up, and send it to anyone who’s prepared to offer a reference. It’s often easier for them to fill this template out, and you’ll get a more detailed reference.
To confirm their claims, and to build an idea of how they were perceived, you could ask:
- What the candidate did
- How long they worked there
- What their salary was
- If they had any attendance issues
- If they had any warnings or discipline/capability plans in place
- If you would recommend them as an employee
It’s important that you wait for all references to come back to you before you offer the job. If you don’t, and you then find out that the employee is untrustworthy, you would find it extremely difficult to legitimately dismiss them at this stage.
You often find that you know whether a candidate will make a good employee in your business straight away. It’s comforting to have this impression backed up with strong references, allowing you to go ahead and offer the job.
Did you know that Sage provide Human Resource Advice? As well as translating the law into plain English, we will notify you of forthcoming legislative changes and give you all the tools you need to remain compliant.
For more information or to take a product tour visit the Sage HR Advice page.
Get Involved In Our Twitter Charity Giveaway
By Beatrice Whelan, Social Media & Content Specialist at Sage
Update 15.51pm: We are delighted with the fantastic response we received on Twitter today. We have reached well in excess of 1,000 people tweeting using the hashtag #SageXmasGiving and we also had a few people tweeting using the hashtag #donateVdeP which was a great idea for another hashtag suggested by the twitter community. To thank everyone for their tweets we are increasing our donation to St. Vincent de Paul to €1,500. As we have reached our limit, we are not requesting any further tweets but feel free to pledge your own donation to St. Vincent de Paul using #donateVdeP.
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Today, Friday 7th December, Sage will be asking all of our social media followers, customers, and employees to help us raise money and awareness for our chosen charity, St. Vincent de Paul, by sending the below tweet from their own twitter account;
For everyone that tweets using the hashtag #SageXmasGiving Sage will donate €1 to St. Vincent de Paul @SVP_Ireland.
For those that would like to create their own tweet, it will still count as long as they use the hashtag #SageXmasGiving.
At the end of the day Sage will count up all of the tweets that were sent and for every person that tweets using #SageXmasGiving we will donate €1 to St. Vincent de Paul up to a limit of €1,000.
This year we are also supporting the St Vincent de Paul Toy Appeal by asking our employees to donate a gift under a Christmas tree in the staff canteen.
Kevin Mc Dermott, Finance Manager with the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, Dublin Region praised the initiative saying; “We are delighted to support the innovative idea that Sage has come up with to generate support for us this Christmas, so please support us and tweet #SageXmasGiving.”
What Does 2013 Mean For You Professionally? For Me It Is The Celebration Of Ten Years In Sage
By Audrey Févry, Commercial Services Manager at Sage
Who would have thought when I started my employment here as a shy 22 year old that over the next ten years Sage would see me through the purchase of a house, two babies and three positions!
As a typical 22 year old, not really focusing on what the future held I certainly would not have envisaged sitting here today writing this blog post.
So what does being a Sage employee for 10 years look like?
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