Business : Testing, Certification & Business Tools News

Building A Personal Construction Safety Strategy

The construction industry remains safer than it has been before, yet serious problems remain. A report by Unite found that construction site deaths have jumped by 25% over the past year, coinciding with a reduction in proactive construction inspections. This shows that the average construction site is not as safe and secure as

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Taking An All-Round Approach To Construction Marketing

In the past, companies offering services like construction didn’t have to do very much to market themselves. People would choose a company local to them, relying on the builders and other construction professionals they could access to do the job. This has changed in the modern world, though. There is

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6 Topics of Conversations for Business Meetings

Are you out of ideas for your upcoming business meetings? Don’t worry; there is always something you can discuss with the rest of your team. Whether it’s securing your business, finding new sources of income, or increasing your customer base, there are many topics you can bring to the table.

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A Guide to Knowing if an Employee is Trustworthy

Employees play a very important role when it comes to the success of a business. Good employees can help your business build a good reputation, have loyal customers, and earn more money. Similarly, bad employees could lead to the downfall of a business. While there are many factors to consider

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Latest Issue
Issue 335 : Dec 2025

Business : Testing, Certification & Business Tools News

Top 5 Things That You Need to Take Care of When Starting a Home Business

If you are like most people out there, then you might feel like starting a home business is an excellent way to boost your income. However, it is not that easy. You will have to deal with a number of things, including paperwork, recruitment, budgeting, and marketing. In order to do that properly, you have to educate yourself on the basics of running a home business. Fortunately, this article should help you do just that quickly and effectively! Here, you will find a list of tips for starting a home business! Check it out! Keep Your Business Safe For starters, you will need to make sure that your business is safe. There are many things that you will have to do, such as installing locks on the doors that lead to your office, buying a reliable home security system, and keeping your blinds closed in the evenings. In addition to that, you should keep an eye out for potential thefts in your neighborhood. If a burglar robbed a nearby house, they might try to do the same thing to you. The fact that you are running your own business might make the burglar think that you are rich. Lastly, you should invest in insurance. Most insurance experts out there say that it is one of the most important things that a business owner needs to take care of. There are quite a few types of business insurance, which should make finding one that fits your needs easy. In order to get an insurance policy for your business, you will have to ask your bank or your insurance agent about it. They will help you determine what kind of coverage you need and how much it will cost you. Set Up a Comfortable Home Office It might be tempting to work from the comfort of your bed. However, it is not that great when it comes to work-life balance. It might encourage you to work late into the night, cause sleep problems, and stress you out, among other things. Because of that, you should have a separate room where you will set up a comfortable and cozy home office. It will help you concentrate on your work and keep your work and life very balanced, as well as aid with keeping your paperwork organized. You should pay a lot of attention to the interior design of your office. The walls should be painted in warm colors, such as orange and red. On top of that, you should invest in very warm lighting. This combination should make the office feel welcoming and cozy. Hire the Right People If you decide to hire people to help you with your business, you should make sure that they are reliable and a great fit with your company culture. That way, you will avoid ending up in awkward or stressful situations caused by their behavior or poor performance. You can do that in a variety of different ways. For instance, you can hire a recruiter to take care of hiring people for you. That way, you will not have to spend time on the recruitment process and will be able to take care of other things. Other than that, you can look for employees on your own. There are quite a few platforms that are meant to help you find qualified candidates, such as LinkedIn and Indeed. You just have to be able to write a professional-sounding advertisement! Document Transactions and Pay Your Taxes If you do not want to pay fines or end up in debt, you will need to keep track of transactions in your home business, and that includes both the sales and the purchases. You can do that by collecting relevant invoices and bank statements. Next, you will have to pay your taxes on time.  There are many ways in which you can do it. If you have a bank account and know how to use online banking platforms, you can pay via an electronic funds withdrawal or via a direct deposit. If the options mentioned above are not available to you, you can pay your taxes with your debit or credit card online, by phone, or with a mobile device. You can pay in cash, too! You just have to visit your local participating retail partner. Create a Marketing Campaign If you want your home business to succeed, you will need to advertise it. There are plenty of ways in which you can do that. In fact, quite a few of these options are completely free! You just have to create a website and a few social media accounts. Once you do that, you should start posting relevant content, such as photos of whatever it is that you are selling or blog posts that are relevant to your niche. For instance, if you want to start selling jewelry, you can create a blog post about caring for gold jewelry. Next, you can spend your hard-earned money on advertising. Many social media platforms out there allow for targeting the people that are most likely to buy your products with special advertisements, and it can cost as little as just a few hundred dollars! In Conclusion In conclusion, there are quite a few things that you will need to take care of when starting a home business, ranging from investing in insurance to creating a marketing campaign. If it appears to be a very overwhelming task, do not worry! First of all, there are many people out there that can help you with each of the tasks listed above. For instance, you can hire a professional recruiter, an accountant, and a marketing agency to take care of the recruitment, finances, and advertisements. Second of all, there are many other people who were in a similar situation, and yet they were able to make the most out of it and create very successful businesses! You just have to stay organized and ready to tackle challenges head-on!

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Building A Digital Marketing Plan That Will Attract Leads To Your Construction Firm

You have invested a lot of time, effort, and money into building a quality construction business. Even with a brilliant team of contractors working for you, it counts for very little if your company doesn’t attract clients. A strong digital marketing strategy isn’t the only key factor to consider, but it should be a priority. Building companies across the country are continually upgrading their marketing teams. So, if you do not invest in your strategies, it is very likely that the company will get left behind. Here are four cornerstones that will ensure you see the desired results. 1| Gain Visibility Awareness is the first step on the road to conversion. After all, you cannot achieve anything if nobody knows of your company’s existence. With nearly two billion websites online, it’s unlikely that people will find your site by luck. Therefore, investing in strong SEO services is crucial. Given the nature of the business, you will need to ensure that the experts use local campaigns. They should also target mobile searches and voice searches. As well as gaining traffic from search engines, social media platforms can be very useful. A large following doesn’t always translate to increased inquiries, but it gets your message out to more people. It can only help. 2| Use Images To Build Trust They say a picture paints a thousand words. Prospective clients will want to see what your company is capable of achieving before hiring your construction firm. Using your website and social media channels to showcase your portfolio is advised. These photography tips should serve you well. It will help your leads visualise the work you could achieve for them. Images verify your quality as a business. If you truly wish to build trust, though, you should additionally look to use client testimonials. The verified positive reviews will remove any concerns that prospective leads may have.  3| Sell Yourself Hiring a construction firm for B2B or B2C projects is a big deal. All clients need to know that they have the right people on the job. As such, learning to celebrate your USPs as a loyal and reliable service is key. Any awards or accolades should be highlighted while it’s also a good idea to have an ‘about’ page on your site. Let clients get to know you. This transparency should be underlined by a solid customer care game. Nobody likes the thought of spending hours trying to get hold of their contractor if something goes wrong. Show that you will be obtainable, and it’s another reason to choose your firm. 4| Tell Them The Next Steps Visibility and interest in the business will provide a solid foundation. However, the success of your campaigns are ultimately determined by the number of conversions and hot leads that you gain. The choice of Call-to-Action is a commonly overlooked issue. When you get it right, though, it tells clients the next moves that they should take. Removing any ambiguity. CTAs should be added to landing pages, service pages, email marketing streams, and social posts. If you don’t tell customers what to do next, they simply will not follow up their interest. For that reason, you must pay attention.

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Amazing Tips to Help Take Your Construction Business to the Next Level

Running a strong and successful construction business is difficult, and this is most definitely something that you need to plan for so that you can be successful. There are so many different areas of the construction business that you need to get right and work on in order to help you achieve this, and you have so much to keep in mind and think about when looking to make the best of this.  You are going to need to make sure you do as much as you can to improve this process and there are a lot of ideas that play a part in this. Running a construction company involves taking the perfect steps that will enhance and improve your construction firm, and these are some of the best ways you can use that will help you to take things to the next level and enjoy success as much as possible. Take Advantage of Investment Opportunities There are a lot of investment opportunities that can benefit a construction business, and this is something that you need to make the most of as much as possible. Make sure you focus on being able to improve your business, and this is one of the key ways of being able to make the best of this moving forward. You are going to have to think about the right ways of achieving this, and it seems that the investment in Glasgow construction projects has led to a positive spike in development across the city. This is the sort of investment that your company needs to be making the most of, and it is important to make the most of this right now.   Improve Your Company’s IT Security Try to do your best to make sure you improve your company’s IT security, and there are a lot of things you can do that will help you make the most of this moving forward. You need to be sure you understand the different factors that play a part in this, and it is important to factor this in as much as possible. One of the things you could do that would help you understand the way this works and to better protect your construction company’s IT security is understanding what is a managed service provider blog entry, and how it can help your company improve and attain longevity.  Plan Your Projects in Detail Planning your projects in detail is one of the best things you need to be working on when it comes to improving the way your construction firm carries out its role. There are a lot of things that you need to make sure you think about, and it is important to make the most of this moving forward, and there are so many factors that you are going to need to make the most of right now. Planning a project in detail is crucial for achieving success and being able to ensure you have planned things out as effectively as possible right now.  There are so many ideas that you need to make the most of right now, and this is something that plays a part in helping you to achieve this. Make sure you focus on the best ways of being able to improve and enhance your construction company this year. There are loads of amazing factors that you need to make sure you get right, and this is one of the key elements that plays a part in helping you to achieve this. 

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Kite Packaging unveils carbon neutral sugarcane packaging with new garment bags

Sugarcane fiber, a by-product of harvesting that has traditionally been thrown away, is now being repurposed as a reclaimed resource with the same reliable properties as polythene plastic. The prime difference is that sugarcane is not derived from fossil fuels and boasts carbon neutrality. The growing process of sugarcane naturally takes carbon out of the environment which offsets any emissions created by transport and production. After use, customers can easily recycle their garment bags in the same way that they would normally recycle, promoting a circular economy and the reuse of materials. Kite Packaging embraces this creative innovation in the form of their new garment bags, designed to provide professional hygienic protection against dust, dirt, bacteria and moisture. Tailormade for wholesalers or even shop floors, these clothing covers ensure that the contents remain immaculate while reliably supporting the weight of most garments. With ecommerce fashion consumption rocketing, it is more important than ever to put sustainable practices at the forefront of the industry. The sugarcane polymers are sometimes referred to as Bio-HDPE since they possess the exact same properties as the conventionally manufactured counterpart. Sustainable swaps are only effective if they provide the same level of functionality as the product they aim to replace; a quality check comfortably met by Kite’s eco-garment bags. This new product represents an innovative rethinking of an organic product. By incorporating it into packaging processes, a business establishes themselves as leaders of environmental advancements.  Visit www.kitepackaging.co.uk for more information.

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5 Professional Skills You Will Need to Get Hired 20 Years from Now

So, you’re one of the lucky individuals who have the skills necessary to keep you employed – for now. Great! But how long will these skills remain relevant? More than 70% of young people are not sure, research indicates. As a 2018 study by BAE Systems revealed, only 18% of young people aged 18-24 thought they possessed what it takes to future-proof their career. More than a half also believed they’d be doing jobs in the future that didn’t even exist at the time. And a great majority of them indicated they’d appreciate more guidance to identify the skills they might need later.  Fortunately, experts are not staying idle. There’s been a number of studies aimed at spotting some jobs and careers that will be in demand 20 years from now. There also are some predictions about the skills that future professionals will need to master to stay employed.  One of the most well-known of such studies was conducted by the Institute for the Future (IFTF), a California-based non-profit think tank, in 2018. It indicated 15 essential “super” skills that will be in demand in the job market in the future.  These skills were then divided into 5 major groups – “peak performance zones”. These are: Making yourself known; Befriending the machines; Building a tribe (i.e. a network); Making sense (understanding the processes going on in the world); Keeping it going (adapting to change and extreme environments).   Out of these, as well as data from multiple other sources, we’ve distinguished the five major skills that you will need to get hired 20 years from now.  1. Self-Promotion  On a planet with a population of almost 9 billion people, it’s crucial to know how to make yourself noticed. You can have the most brilliant training and all the relevant skills in the world, but that won’t be of any good if you don’t know how to sell them.  So, experts advise that every professional should learn to build their personal brand. Doing it involves multiple activities, from building a loyal following on social media to crafting a resume that will impress every recruiter.   If you’re unsure about what skills you should or shouldn’t include in your resume, take a look at the articles at LinkedIn here or check examples sorted by industry on the same website. Also, remember to complement your CV and add new skills, accomplishments, and credentials as you attain them.   2. Digital Literacy  Knowing your way around in a world increasingly dominated by machines is one of the key skills that will be in demand in the decades to come, all experts agree. Surely, we’re not living in a futurist dream where robots do most of the work, but we just might be facing it very soon – so it’s better to get prepared in advance.  Whether you see your dream job as something tech-related like here or not, there’s just no way you’re going to convince anyone to hire you if you lack basic (or not-so-basic) technical skills. Even writers, musicians, and artists of the future are going to have to deal with technology as complex as AI, scientists predict.  That doesn’t necessarily mean you need to learn to code, though it obviously might come in handy. What it does mean, according to IFTF, is that any professional working in practically any career field should “master human-machine collaboration” to be able to explore new exciting digital worlds where learning , working, and playing will all be mixed together more you can find at this page.       3. Networking  Though IFTF calls it “building a tribe”, what they basically mean is that networking will become even more important for future professionals striving to meet the requirements of the job market.  Not that it isn’t important today. But 20 years from now, when the competition will most likely be even more fierce, it will be essential to have a network of professional connections to rely upon. Even today, everyone knows it’s much easier to apply for a certain job and land an interview when you know someone from the company – preferably, one of the managers. And that’s not going to change.  However, the study map formulates the meaning of “tribe building” a bit more vaguely by stating that “you’ll need to master different kinds of trade” to be able to “build communities from the ground up”. Well, networking takes a lot – it’s hard to disagree.    4. Creativity  In order to thrive in the future world, one needs to “make sense of loopy complex systems”, according to IFTF. To put it simply, you’ll need the same skills that you used in school when solving geometry problems. In fact, they are basic – you wouldn’t even get your high school diploma without them at all! But people tend to forget about their importance once they leave school.  Here, we’re talking creativity, but in a broader sense. You needn’t be an artist or a writer or a musician to be creative – coders need creativity, too. Every time you think outside of the box, search for unobvious solutions, suggest innovative approaches, you use creativity. And this is exactly the skill that can ensure your future prosperity, experts agree.     5. Adaptability and Resilience  Last but not least, you need to master adaptability and resilience to keep it all going. In an ever-changing, increasingly challenging environment like in this article , it’s crucial to stay strong and focused no matter what. “Intelligence is the ability to adapt to change”, Stephen Hawking said, – and this ability is going to mean even more in 20 years’ time from now.  As for resilience, it’s closely linked to the ability to think positively and see growth opportunities where others only see obstacles, experts say. If you can do that, you’ll be an invaluable employee for any company, today, or any time in the future.  Conclusion 20 years may seem a long way, but time flies. So, now is the perfect moment to start honing the

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Building A Personal Construction Safety Strategy

The construction industry remains safer than it has been before, yet serious problems remain. A report by Unite found that construction site deaths have jumped by 25% over the past year, coinciding with a reduction in proactive construction inspections. This shows that the average construction site is not as safe and secure as perhaps it appears; for contractors, it has never been more important to build an understanding of their rights and create a personal safety strategy. Understanding your rights Union or non-union, construction workers have the same set of immutable rights when it comes to their workplace safety. Workers and employers have to meet the same rules and regulations set out by the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015, as the HSE asserts. These regulations have now seen prison sentences handed out for negligent employers. As an employee, being aware of these regulations and your rights are important. Knowing when to look for recourse to justice through legal means, such as a scaffold accident lawyer or solicitor assisting with personal injury from machinery, is key. Taking mitigation There are gaps in legislation, however. Lawyers at Dentons have found holes in legislative coverage on what could be very standard safety concerns; as such, the law cannot always be relied on to entirely and effectively protect health and safety on building sites. Having your own supply of PPE and other tools designed to assist your health and safety is a good idea in order to protect yourself and those around you, and should form a central part in your overall safety strategy. Challenging employers Perhaps the toughest part of understanding your personal responsibility as a contractor is your ability to challenge an employer. If you see manifestly unsafe practices at a building site or in the planning processes for a site, you have a right to challenge this. Indeed, as HM Government has noted, safety practices have evolved in a number of ways over the past year. It is the right and the role of workers to ensure that safety needs are being met. Health and safety is something that is protected by legislation and lawmaking. However, there are always unfortunate gaps in coverage that contractors must address for their own well-being. At a time of rapidly evolving health and safety considerations and an uncertain industry, this is a crucial part of any preparedness made for work.

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Taking An All-Round Approach To Construction Marketing

In the past, companies offering services like construction didn’t have to do very much to market themselves. People would choose a company local to them, relying on the builders and other construction professionals they could access to do the job. This has changed in the modern world, though. There is more competition in this sort of field than ever before, with companies taking to the web and using advanced marketing methods that enable them to have their voices heard. Thankfully, you have all of the tools you need at your disposal to take advantage of this for yourself. To help you out, this post will be exploring an all-round approach to construction marketing, giving you the chance to beat the competition. Physical Marketing Physical marketing is the method that most construction companies would rely on in the past, but this doesn’t mean that it can’t have value in today’s world. In fact, many people still choose their construction companies based on marketing like this, giving you the chance to reach a surprisingly wide audience. The is great for approaching demographics who usually don’t spend much time online. Leaflets/Flyers: Paper marketing tools have long been a popular choice for construction businesses. Whether you choose to pop these through people’s doors, leave them in retail businesses, or hand them out to customers, this can be a great tool for construction companies trying to get their name out. Signs & Vehicles: Signs on scaffolding and around your construction projects will be seen by a lot of people. You can also put signs on your vehicles, providing you with a practically free marketing option that will get the word out no matter where you go. Business Cards: Business cards are another option that has been popular for a long time, offering the chance to put your name into the pockets of potential clients. Once they decide to go with your services, they will be able to get the card out and call you, rather than having to find you online. As you can see, you have plenty of options to choose from with your physical marketing. You have a great opportunity to get your business into the world when you use methods like this, and you don’t need to spend loads of time and money on it in the process. Digital Marketing While physical marketing is important, few things will be as crucial as digital marketing for your construction company. This set of options allows you to reach as many people as possible, giving you the chance to work for those who wouldn’t usually see your physical marketing efforts. The vast majority of work like this will take place online. Your Website: It’s just about essential for construction companies to have a website in the modern world. No matter what you do, you need to have somewhere for customers to find you online, and this site needs to be well-built. SEO: Search engines can provide a lot of organic traffic once you build up your SEO. This can take a long time, though you can make this easier by using tools like Google My Business. Getting yourself into searches as soon as possible can limit the need for paid advertising. Social Media: Social media has long been a great place for businesses like those in the field of construction. Not only do you get the chance to post for free, but you can also use personal accounts to spread the word to friends, family, and other local people. Directories: Online directories like Yelp have been in place for a long time. These sites are often used by people looking for businesses, and construction is no different. You can add your business to many directories for free, though you should try to use different content for each of them. Email Campaigns: Email marketing campaigns are seldom used by construction companies, but this doesn’t mean that they don’t have a place. Your website offers a good place to get people to sign up for newsletters and other email options, and this can be a good way to gain more interactions. Influencers/UGC: User-generated content has exploded in popularity over the last few years, with many social media users using the businesses that are shown on profiles that they like. Digital marketing will usually take more work than physical marketing. This is thanks to the time that it takes to keep making new content and the monitoring that goes into it. A good digital marketing agency can help you with work like this, providing you with the means to push your marketing further than ever before. Options like this can be great for construction teams that don’t have the time to spend on their marketing efforts. Indirect Marketing Indirect marketing isn’t an area that you have to put any work into, as long as you treat your customers well and give them quality construction services. Word of mouth is a great example of this, with many construction companies being able to gain most of their customers through the words that their old ones use. Of course, though, you can’t rely on this alone in the modern age. Alongside word of mouth, reviews have also become a popular way for people to choose the companies that they work with. Google reviews are very good for this, and you can encourage the clients that have successful products to leave reviews so that you can build a good platform. You can even show off your reviews on the website that you use. As you can see, construction companies have a lot of marketing options available to them in the modern world. You can use all of these methods to find success, but it can also be worth exploring different ideas to make sure that you have every possible avenue covered. The more work you do on your marketing, the higher your chances of success will be down the line, which is well worth the work.

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6 Topics of Conversations for Business Meetings

Are you out of ideas for your upcoming business meetings? Don’t worry; there is always something you can discuss with the rest of your team. Whether it’s securing your business, finding new sources of income, or increasing your customer base, there are many topics you can bring to the table. By focusing on one topic at a time, you will give your employees a chance to speak up and comment on the current situation. More importantly, you will create an environment where every voice is heard and valued. Without further ado, here are some topics of conversations that you should use for your next couple of meetings: How to Reach the Company Goals Goals are set for a reason. They direct your company to where it needs to go in order to be successful. Whether you own a startup or a small business, goals should be created and followed no matter what. At the beginning of every quarter, discuss your goals with employees. For larger companies, it is recommended that you hold quarterly meetings to make sure everyone is on the same page. If you manage a company that has multiple branches or stations, you can hold a yearly meeting where the goal-setting process takes place. Remember to give your employees the possibility to ask questions and express their concerns, whether you talk about the benefits of a managed SIEM or hiring a new cleaning company. This way, you show them that you care about their opinions. Developing New Sources of Income If you want to reach all of your company goals, you need to find new sources of income. In the end, if there is no money to cover the costs, your business won’t be able to grow. Although most companies depend on regular customers, they don’t really care where those come from. But every customer is valuable since they help sustain your business. Instead of trying to replace those that are leaving, it would be better to find new customers. At a business meeting, discuss new ways of finding clients and keeping them loyal to the company.   Improving Current Products Your company is only as good as your products are. If the products aren’t up to par, then your business won’t last long. If you want to remain competitive in the market, you need to improve your products or create new ones altogether. Improving current products can take more than one form. For example, if you have a line of clothing items, you can add a few new designs or make the materials stronger so they last longer. If you have a food brand, you can change the recipe to make the product tastier or add more nutritious ingredients to give it more value. Your employees can help you brainstorm and create new ideas for development.   Determining Which Product Ideas Are Worth Pursuing You might have heard about several product ideas that were too good to be true – so much so that they never made it past the drawing board stage. Nowadays, there are so many products out there that it can be challenging to determine which ones should and shouldn’t be sold on the market. The solution? Holding meetings where you can decide which product ideas have real potential and which ones should be cast aside entirely. Have a brainstorming session or ask your employees or colleagues some questions about the products via Google forms. This can save you both time and money. Improving Productivity at Work One of the hardest things about managing a team is getting it motivated enough to work hard on a daily basis. However, improving productivity is not an easy task, as there can be many causes for your employees’ decreased enthusiasm. Too many or too few tasks, short-term objectives with no career vision, lack of flexibility, feeling undervalued – these are just a few. To learn how you can improve your workers’ productivity, ask them about that. Take an interest in what they do and do not like about the job, and figure out together how you can improve the overall experience.   Getting Feedback from Employees If you want to make sure that your employees are happy, you need to ask them for feedback. This is important regardless of the type of company you manage – whether it’s a large corporation or a small business. The truth is that if employees feel like they can voice their opinions, they will be more willing to give their all to the company. More importantly, you should show your employees that their opinions matter to you. Even if you disagree with what they have to say, you should still listen to them as long as it’s constructive criticism. However, you don’t have to bear the complaints if they lack any confirmation.   Conclusion Business meetings can seem senseless, especially if you don’t know what to discuss. In that case, not only will you lose precious time, but your employees will also lack respect for you. After all, both you and they could have done something productive, but instead, you have spent half an hour in one room trying not to fall asleep. However, there is always something to talk about when it comes to business meetings. Reaching company goals, getting feedback, improving productivity, brainstorming new product ideas – these are just a few things that you can discuss. To make the most of your time, choose one or two topics, invite your employees to a business meeting, and spend some quality time together.

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A Guide to Knowing if an Employee is Trustworthy

Employees play a very important role when it comes to the success of a business. Good employees can help your business build a good reputation, have loyal customers, and earn more money. Similarly, bad employees could lead to the downfall of a business. While there are many factors to consider when hiring an employee – qualifications, education, etc. – one of the most important factors is whether or not they are trustworthy. If there isn’t trust between an employer and employee, or amongst employees, the business will likely fail. However, if you’re just starting a business, you might not always know which signs to look out for when it comes to telling if an employee is trustworthy or not. Background checks People can change, there’s no denying that. Just because someone has a criminal record doesn’t mean you should automatically not hire them. But it’s still a good idea to know what an employee’s criminal history is, and whether they have any criminal convictions. You can then make an informed decision on whether you trust them to enter your company based on what you know. If you do end up hiring them, you can offer them the support they need to stay on the right track. DBS checks will help you a lot. If you’re asking, “What are DBS checks?”, you’re not alone. To sum it up, it’s a compilation of a person’s criminal convictions. Psychometric testing Psychometric tests are incredibly popular in industries where confidentiality and integrity are of the utmost importance – such as where people work in law enforcement, or with large sums of money. Psychometric tests are tests that test the psychology of possible employees. At the end of the test, you will receive a report detailing things like integrity, level of manipulation, and a whole host of other information, depending on the test itself. This will give you a better idea of how likely an employee is to betray your trust. Reference checks When people go for interviews, they are often on their best behavior. This means that you may not always get an accurate representation of what it would be like to have them work for you. The best way to gain a deeper understanding of this is to do a reference check. Call up their past employers and ask them a few questions. Trust us, this will teach you more about the prospective employee than any interview. Follow your instinct This may sound slightly out there, but if your instinct is telling you that something is wrong, it’s probably right. What we consider instinct is often our brains picking up on a bunch of small details in a very short time. This is why we often can’t pinpoint exactly why something feels wrong, we just know that it’s wrong. We’re not saying you should only follow your instincts and ignore everything else, but it can be a helpful guide if you’re at a crossroads. Still not convinced? You can learn more about why you should trust your gut here.

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Everything You Need To Know About Starting A Construction Company

For some people, working for someone else just doesn’t fit them, and it can make for a much nicer experience to run things yourself. You have multiple choices when it comes to this in the construction industry – being a freelancer, or starting your own company. While being a freelancer is great, it doesn’t open up for expansion later on, and you won’t be able to grow as much as you would if you started your own company. That said, if you’re planning on starting up your own construction company, you have a lot more to consider on a daily basis. Connections matter With any construction company, it’s the networking that matters the most. The more people who know who you are, the more business you’re going to get. You want people to know what services you offer, and the quality you offer them at. A lot of people working in the construction industry rely on recommendations and hearsay, so making sure to leave a good impression is key whenever you’re dealing with customers. Getting yourself heard Marketing is something that’s difficult to do as a construction company, as it’s not something that people are going to need every day. You need to find ways to get your name and number out there, and you can do that in a number of ways. Many people have their own business cards, which makes it much easier for your contact information to be passed around. Convenience is important when it comes to customers, and it can land you a job over your competitors. You should also consider putting your contact information online. If you can’t afford a website, there are sites like Yelp that can help you put your name on the map, and that way customers can find out more about you when they’re looking to have work done. Health and safety concerns Construction work is often considered much more dangerous than different industries, which is why it’s important to put a heavy focus on health and safety in the workplace. If you’re going to have people working under you, you’re responsible for making sure they’re safe while they’re working. This means making sure they know what they’re doing, and how to properly operate machinery, making sure they’re not acting reckless, and that the machinery itself is safe to use. If you don’t ensure that the health and safety are up to scratch, your business can face legal consequences. If there were to be any legal issues that arise, you should also be aware that there are solicitors that can help you, and are trained in that area. Proper training Due to the nature of the work, it’s very important that you make sure both you and the people that work for you receive the proper training before they’re allowed to work on the site. You can’t have people who are untrained putting them and others at risk while they’re working. If you need the training to work with certain machinery, then make sure that your employees receive that before they come into contact with it.  Without the proper training, they themselves are a health and safety risk, and they could become injured while working. It’s up to you to make sure that they’re properly trained and the rules are enforced. 

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