Layoffs are hard for all involved. It is especially tough on the people about to receive the pink slip, as it may not be a true reflection of their actual performance. It is not easy for the employer, too, especially in a startup or small-medium business environment which usually has a close-knit team. But sometimes, layoffs are inevitable. The global pandemic, steeply rising inflation, the conflict in Ukraine, volatile markets, and VCs tightening their funding purses are just some of the prominent storms that businesses are finding difficult to withstand. Reports suggest that in YTD 2022 alon ..read more

With the corporate sector changing rapidly, a strategy for improving the employer brand is critical. The main goal is to gain the competitive advantage your brand requires in the marketplace. Furthermore, as work-from-home and hybrid working are becoming more common, brands must align their objectives accordingly and provide an employee-centric work environment. Employees, particularly millennials, require more than a paycheck to bring out their best. They need a great place to work that cares about their mental and physical health. Furthermore, with millennials rapidly taking over the workfor ..read more

Effective human resource (HR) management plays a major role in organizational performance. It allows HR managers to find the right talent and handle human resources as effectively as possible. Moreover, it can be instrumental in ensuring smooth business processes and change management.  The above-mentioned aside, recent research in the field of HR has established that human resource, when managed in line with big-picture business goals, leads to increased productivity. This, in turn, enhances the overall performance and profitability of organizations. However, before you can achieve this ..read more

When it comes to startups, building the right company culture takes on a whole new dimension that can set the tone for things to come. In the focus on the top line and bottom-line growth, this is an aspect that often gets ignored. The advantage in startups or other early-stage enterprises is that the slate is clean, so to speak. It is easier to build and maintain the right workplace culture vis-a-vis established conglomerates where the culture has already been established and is difficult to bring changes in. What is workplace culture? While workplace culture can be a subjective discussion, it ..read more

The Great Resignation of 2021 indicates that employees have reevaluated their priorities. Work-life balance is no more a mere preference but a must-have. In the grand scheme of things, there has also been an increase in sabbaticals, largely during COVID-19. Let’s look at how these two are connected and if Sabbaticals can solve the increasing employee burnout. What is Sabbatical leave? Sabbaticals are extended breaks from work that employees can take from a few months to a year to fulfill their personal goals and recover from exhaustion, and return to work refreshed. It is derived from the bibl ..read more

Unlimited PTO is slowly becoming the norm, with many companies offering it, mainly to attract and retain top talent. Before you jump on the bandwagon, consider these six pros and cons that companies have experienced while implementing unlimited PTO and see if unlimited PTO is the right choice for your organization. Pros and Cons of unlimited PTO to keep in mind: 1. Pro: Improve employee morale and happiness According to the State of the American Workplace Report 2017, 53 percent of employees think it is essential to have a job that helps them maintain a good work-life balance. It is not just a ..read more

Standard procedure doesn’t apply when it comes to early-stage startup hiring. There’s no HR team—there’s probably one HR person who coordinates with the hiring managers on a case-to-case basis.  Early-stage startups have tiny teams that are collating information about open positions, reaching out to potential candidates, spending loads of money on job boards with very little insights about their ROI, setting up interviews and assignments, and finally onboarding the selected candidates.  For most startups, this is a stressful and complicated process. While we agree that it’s a complic ..read more

Sending an acknowledgment email after every interview is a great way to maintain communication continuity and offer a great candidate experience. Here is more on why this is important and what exactly to send.  In today’s candidate-driven hiring market, most candidates in your pipeline would be simultaneously applying for multiple companies. As you evaluate the candidates, the candidates are also evaluating your company, in terms of the hiring experience they receive. Hence, as a hiring manager, it becomes extremely important for you to keep a constant communication channel with the candi ..read more

How does PTO Accrual work? To understand accrual PTO policy better, let’s break down the word ‘Accrual PTO’, where Accrual, in this context, is the accumulation of PTO over time.  In an accrual-based PTO policy, employees receive a set amount of time off after completing a certain time in their tenure as an employee. It can be hourly, daily, weekly, biweekly, monthly, or yearly, depending upon its PTO policy.  In short, it determines the frequency in which employees earn their PTO during their tenure. This policy does not encourage unplanned holidays and does not let them take as muc ..read more

Setting up and running a business is no easy game. Once you achieve product-market fit and start gaining some traction for your business, you are likely to think about scaling your business and hiring more people. Whether or not you have external funding, recruiting on a budget is one of the most common and pressing challenges at this juncture. 10 ways to attract and hire great employees with little or no money:   1. Create a recruitment plan Assess your business needs and growth. Based on that and after discussions with all the department heads/managers, determine the number of hires you ..read more