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How to Maintain Professional Integrity in a Chaotic Office

Posted: 29 Mar 2019 02:00 PM PDT

Most of us know what it's like to work at an office that's in complete chaos. Your coworkers are constantly chatting and gossiping, everything's unorganized and your supplies are being taken without permission – there might even be some sabotage going on.

Working in a space that's filled with negativity is draining and it can be difficult to avoid becoming just like the people you're surrounded by. In fact, according to Psychology Today, our brains are naturally sensitive to negativity. Even if you're in a good mood, your brain will still turn a good amount of attention to that negative source – and your good mood will go right out the window. So, how can you stop yourself from becoming just like your not-so professional coworkers?  

Don't let anyone else bring you down, here's how to maintain professional integrity in a chaotic office.

Communicate effectively

What you say, how you say it and when you choose to say it, are important factors in maintaining your professional integrity. Communicating effectively not only has the ability to improve your relationships with coworkers, but it can also put a stop to bad behavior from others as well.

For instance, if one of your coworkers loves to gossip about certain people in the office, instead of participating or just smiling, nodding and hoping they go away, tell them that you're not comfortable talking about your coworkers in such a way. This will stop them from coming to you with the latest rumors and possibly even stop them from gossiping in the office altogether. Be honest with your coworkers about what is intolerable to you, but remember to be civil and neutral in order to make sure your conversations are successful.

Keep a positive attitude

It's hard to stay positive when you're surrounded by chaos and negativity, but you've got to keep a positive mental attitude if you want to maintain your professional integrity. Becoming negative will only add to the office chaos and it can impact the quality of your work as well. If there's no positivity in the office, how can you help grow your company? Plus, negativity even affects your health. According to Harvard Health, having a sense of optimism, enthusiasm and purpose is associated with a substantially reduced risk of heart attack and stroke.

Some tips for keeping a positive mental attitude include:

  • Look at the bright side of situations

  • Keep a gratitude journal

  • Get a good night's sleep

  • Exercise regularly

  • Practicing breathing exercises or meditation

Coworkers can feed off the negativity of each other, but keeping a positive mental attitude can neutralize the chaos in your office.

Lead by example  

Maintaining your own professional integrity is one thing, but if you really want to improve your work life, the integrity of your entire office needs to be improved. A great way to do that is leading by example. Leading by example will set the right tone for your office space. You can't force anyone to change, but you can subtly influence and encourage them to do better by practicing what you preach, so to speak.

For instance, if your coworkers are sending really unprofessional emails, don't follow the crowd, instead lead by example. Send and reply to emails in a professional manner so that your coworkers can see the difference and change their ways. You can also set the bar for how your coworkers interact with each other. Don't criticize or complain about people, be genuinely interested in others, listen to them and be respectful of other people's opinions. When your coworkers see how you interact with your peers, they'll become more aware of their own interactions.

Be sure to praise others for their improvements as well, even the smallest improvements. Studies show that when a desired behavior is followed by pleasant or desirable consequences (like praise) that behavior is likely to be repeated. So, be the change you want to see in your office and take notice when others follow suit.

Be honest

Maintaining professional integrity in sales can be especially difficult. If you're in sales, you've most likely been around coworkers who will take shortcuts to inflate their numbers and there are even those types of people who will blatantly lie to customers just to make a sale. Don't let yourself fall into this behavior just to keep up with the competition.

For example, if a coworker tells a potential client that your company can build them a website in one month just to make the sale when they know it will take two or three, that can do some serious damage to your company's reputation. So, stay true to yourself and be honest with clients – being honest can actually win you more sales.

Stay true to your values

If you love your job, but the office environment leaves little to be desired, you don't have to pack up and leave. You can maintain your professional integrity and learn how to stay true to your values amidst the chaos. With these tips, you can not only maintain your own professional integrity, but you can help improve the integrity of your entire office and grow your company. Start with yourself and the rest will follow.

5 Reasons Why Your Restaurant Needs Modern POS Software

Posted: 29 Mar 2019 07:00 AM PDT

According to a study by Cornell University on why restaurants fail, an estimated 26 percent of restaurants do not make it past the first year mark. The secret to making any restaurant operation successful is active management. Monitoring employee performance, offering top-notch customer service and keeping an accurate inventory are all vital steps toward ensuring that your restaurant runs smoothly and turns a profit. However, it's challenging to keep track of all this information on your own, in addition to establishing a protocol for ringing up customers', tracking sales and inventory, and so on – this is where the benefits of POS systems come into play.

As with most things you purchase in life, there are a variety of options to choose from: color, shape, model, features. A POS or point of sale system is no different. There is an extensive range of point of sale providers in the market all with different offerings aimed at different ends of the market from large restaurants to small cafes. There are various types of POS systems and restaurant POS software to consider from cloud-based to hybrid systems depending on the needs of your business.

Whatever system you desire, an excellent point of sale system will provide the ability to monitor and control most functions of your business, either in-house or remotely. Sales reporting allows you to access better data on your market, which will enable you to spend more time on other areas like growing your customers. Understanding your customers' buying trends and monitoring sales performance data is crucial to continuous business growth.

Even owners of small restaurants find the needs of their store quickly surpass what they can handle on their own. That's why it's so crucial to invest in a point of sale system that can provide you and your employees with the technical support needed to keep daily operations running smoothly. Trying to operate a busy restaurant with a manual cash register just isn't going to get the job done.

Here are five reasons why a modern restaurant POS system is a great idea.

Editor's note: Looking for the right POS system for your business? Fill out the below questionnaire to have our vendor partners contact you about your needs.

 

1. Cloud-based operations

Internet-based systems let you check in with your store (or stores) from virtually anywhere in the world; all you need is an Internet connection. Thus, a well-equipped POS system can give you the freedom to manage your store remotely, whether you're sick at home, on vacation or have multiple stores to operate. The back of house software that runs on the POS hardware is Equally as important as your POS solution. A powerful cloud-based back-of-house system makes it easy for you to update your product list, change prices, set up new staff clerks, set system security and more all within a few touches.

2. Reduction in errors and theft

Since everything is stored on the computer or in the cloud, with every sale, refund and an incoming piece of merchandise automatically recorded, your inventory is far more accurate. No more fixing human errors when it comes to counting and math.

The National Restaurant Association reports that 75 percent of all shrinkage in inventory happens as a result of stealing – with a majority of the theft by the restaurant's employees. A modern point of sale system helps you track the various transactions that occur on your POS – this helps to minimize theft in your business. It can also help eliminate fraud. You can monitor every time the no sale button is pressed to pop the cash drawer open, when discounts are given and how refunds processed.

3. Identify hot selling items

You can monitor the popularity (or lack thereof) of each piece of merchandise or menu item in your restaurant. This allows you to place orders far in advance to avoid running out of "hot items," as well as give you the opportunity to jettison any goods that are merely languishing on the shelves.

4. Better customer service

A well-designed point of sale system saves your staff time, which translates into better customer service and better profit margins. Importantly, POS software that is intuitive ensures your staff can quickly and accurately process orders, which helps with guest management. For instance, it is far quicker for a staff member to punch an order into an iPad than it is to write one down and peck it into a cash register. For a busy restaurant or bar as an example, you can print tickets directly to the kitchen or bar printer, which can speed up the order delivery.

5. Save more time

Since daily operations run like clockwork, you'll have more time for brainstorming or strategizing when you utilize a restaurant point of sale system. You'll be able to catapult your restaurant to the next level when you take advantage of the built-in features and functions. With everything from employee time management to real-time reporting data, you'll have more freedom in your business. These types of elements aren't available in a simple cash register.

Bottom line

Choosing the best POS solution for your restaurant is a tough decision. Be careful when selecting software and hardware, and make sure it's right for your business objectives. Also, be cautious of POS companies who try to upsell you features that you will never use. With the aid of a modern point of sale system, you can quickly get to know where your business stands as you understand all the information regarding your sales. You can get more control over your company while allowing your business to grow and thrive with modern restaurant management software.

 

4 Things Online Entrepreneurs Must Prepare Before Outsourcing

Posted: 29 Mar 2019 07:00 AM PDT

Online entrepreneurs love juggling acts. It feels good to have so much depending on you. When you start succeeding and turning a good profit, the satisfaction is unmatched. However, this model becomes unsustainable the further you go. Is it time to start outsourcing?

Realistically, we can only focus our attention on doing one thing well at a time. If you find yourself multitasking too much and dividing your attention all the time, you should start thinking about outsourcing.

It's easy to experience burnout when you try to carry too much on your shoulders. Share the load with capable individuals or agencies. Get ready to start outsourcing some of your working tasks so you can focus all your energy on what matters to most for growth and success.

Preparing to outsource as an online entrepreneur

Don't just jump into outsourcing unprepared. Plan it out, understand what you need to do and then take the first steps.

1. Study your operations for outsourcing opportunities

As a business owner, you can't realistically outsource everything you do. Your unique input into the business helps it grow and succeed. However, there are so many things that don't require your direct involvement.

Pay attention to what happens during a month of business. What takes up huge chunks of your time or draws you away from other important activities? What tasks do you hate doing, or do you feel bog down your schedule? Write down a list of everything you can think of that fits into these criteria.

Now, narrow down your list. Look for any tasks that require either specific expertise, specialized knowledge, or repetitive unskilled actions. Tasks with one of these requirements are the best candidates for outsourcing. This is especially true if you don't possess the expertise or specialized knowledge to do the task quickly or easily.

2. Find the right person for the job

Contract workers aren't always easy to find. There are a number of places to hire contractors online, but the process of selecting a good contractor can be tedious. This step is the one you should be willing to invest a lot of time into, because it'll save you time and energy later on.

Websites like Upwork and Freelancer give you access to an enormous number of freelancers of all types, which can be a benefit and a challenge. If you have a specific type of skilled work you need to outsource, it may be better to look for a site that caters directly to that type of freelance work. You can also look for a contract worker independent of large contract sites.

Recommendations and word-of-mouth are huge in finding the right person. Ask trusted colleagues and business connections for recommendations, if possible. Seek out freelancers that have recommendations from previous clients. If appropriate for the type of work, ask to see their portfolio or samples of previous work. Try to interview them personally if possible, whether over the phone or through a video chat application.

Put in the work upfront to avoid dealing with the fallout from an unreliable or unqualified contractor.

3. Outline all expectations

No matter how independent and skilled your contractors are, they cannot read your mind. From the beginning, you should be able to write a thorough job description that outlines exactly what you expect from the candidate. That means you need to know ahead of time what you want and what success looks like for that project.

Be very thorough, leaving no room for interpretation or doubt. Any time the contractor must make a judgement call, there's potential they'll accidentally make the wrong call and extra work will be required to correct it.

When you hand over an outline of what you expect, be sure to emphasize your priorities. The contractor should understand what's most important to you, so they can ensure they give it enough time and attention.

4. Focus on your own work

The final thing you need to prepare before you can outsource is your mind. As an entrepreneur, especially in the online space, you probably enjoy having full control over what's happening. But, if you insist on micromanaging your contractors, you'll be wasting everyone's time.

Most contractors do not operate well in a business relationship where the owner is questioning everything, constantly getting involved, and is demanding too much attention. You'll also be wasting your own time. The point of outsourcing is having certain tasks done without your involvement being necessary. When you involve yourself anyway, you're losing the benefits.

Be available for questions, do ask for progress reports when appropriate, and provide detailed feedback on the positives and negatives of any completed work. Since you put time into finding a trustworthy contractor, trust them to do the job. If they prove to be unreliable or untrustworthy, or your lose confidence in them at any point, that's when you need to look for a new contractor. Try not to waste your time micromanaging someone who is unable to perform as needed.

Case study in online outsourcing: What happened with HomeAdvisor?

HomeAdvisor is an online yellow pages site for home contractors. Users can find home contractors to do the work they need, read reviews on professionals, or submit their own business to accept work. As the company grew, it began outsourcing a large amount of tasks to individuals and agencies.

One of the notable areas of outsourcing is in finding businesses to join the site as working contractors. Outsourcing this task allowed the company to quickly expand their network of professionals on the site without investing too many man hours of their own into contacting contractors and following up on their progress in starting and maintaining accounts.

It hasn't always worked well for them, as is apparent from customer complaints left on third-party review sites. However, the overall success of their efforts has put HomeAdvisor in a place where they now rival large competitors like Angie's List and Houzz.

Outsourcing works. Put the effort in to do it the right way and watch as your online business grows.
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