Why Your Office Needs Employee Manuals and Guidelines

When businesses hire their first employees, they often start without having thought through fully all of the implications of what they are doing. This new person is going to be representing you and your company to your customers and clients, will be in your office and will gain access to all of your knowledge and resources. Many people find that what starts out with great promise ends up in disaster when they haven't considered all of the implications or possibilities.

As soon as you hire your first employee you seriously need to consider having an employee manual. The contents only need to be basic to start off with, but the benefits of having one will add value to your business.

Here's a few reasons why you need a manual:

To start with there are the legal reasons. If you have an employee you have instantly inherited legal obligations that you must fulfill. With most of these legal obligations if something goes wrong the first thing the courts will ask you is "what was your written policy on this issue". You can never have enough documentation!

The sort of legal areas you need to have coverage include workplace health and safety, anti-discrimination, workplace harassment, sexual harassment, bullying, privacy as well as the financial side of things such as pays, personnel records, sick time, vacation time, and benefits.

Then there are the time management reasons - if you have to tell more than one person the same information you will save time by having the information written down and then just sharing the information.

Next there are the making life simpler reasons - if an employee has a question about an issue it is easier for them to quickly look at the manual rather than try and catch you to ask you the question. It makes life simpler and easier for all!

Finally there is the no surprises reason. Both you and the employee are totally clear on what will happen and when on an issue, and what process will be followed. This is particularly important for issues such as probation, performance and grievance processes. An employee policy manual leaves nothing to question.

What should an employee manual contain?

Your employee manual needs to cover off all of the common questions employees want to know about.

It needs to say "this is how we do things around here" and set a firm line in the sand that shows boundaries.

Here are a few sections that traditionally goes in employee manuals or employee handbooks include your:

• Position descriptions and job descriptions - what each role does.


• Hiring process - how you hire and reference check someone and the timeline in which this is completed.


• New employee orientation process - what process you will use to make sure new employees know what they are doing and the rules around their employment.


• Probation Periods- Rules around any probationary period and how you will assess whether someone is permanently appointed.


• Employee Hours - any rules you have about punctuality, public holidays, overtime, timesheets, friends and family visiting the workplace.

• Of course there are many more topics that need covered but you get the idea.
  

HOW TO GET THE WORD OUT

Having a great manual is only part of the issue - you need your team to know and understand where it is stored, how they can find it, what is in it and how they will learn of any changes.

This can be as simple as:

• Being a standard part of all new employees orientation process


• Include a briefing as part of all promotion to management role


• Having team meetings about the full manual at least once a year and specific bits such as workplace health and safety and harassment at least twice a year (with signed documentation from each employee in attendance)
  


• Having a form of communication to your team such as memos, daily communication books, newsletters where you let them know of updates/changes


• Getting different team members to talk about certain topics with you in your regular catch-ups with them

You also need to keep a note of what you do to keep people informed and updated - this again becomes an issue if you end up before the courts at any stage.

One way is to get people to sign an acknowledgment that they have seen and been trained in the manual for their personnel file. Remember, signed and dated documentation is a must!

If you have any questions, please feel free to visit my website at www.SuperiorAssisting.com to contact me.

We can work together to build the ideal Employee Manual to ensure the highest level of protection to you and your business.

Here's to a great day!

The Benefits of Hiring a Virtual Assistant

A Virtual Assistant is an "off-site" employee who provides administrative and office support services through the Internet, phone, fax and snail mail.

There are many benefits of hiring a Virtual Assistant and below are just a few:

SAVE YOU MONEY - Hiring a VA saves you money because we have our own office, use our own equipment and pay our own taxes. We don’t require vacation or sick pay, medical insurance or even a 401K. We don't require guaranteed weekly hours. We only get paid for the work we do, and can be retained for a specific job, for a specific number of hours or held on retainer as more work comes in. We do take a sincere interest in helping you grow your business.

SAVE YOU TIME - We save you time because you will spend less of your valuable time doing administrative work and more time growing your business, nurturing your family or just plain enjoying life.

FREEDOM – Not having on-site employees means no liability, no worker’s compensation insurance and no payroll taxes. A Virtual Assistant is an "off-site" employee who provides administrative and office support services through the Internet, phone, fax and snail mail.

Here are just a few benefits of hiring a virtual assistant:

Hiring a VA is ensuring the job will get done in a timely, efficient and accurate way.

Your VA’s duties can be tailor fit to your specific needs – a creation of your own individual working partnership.

No matter where you are, your VA is always there. Contact is maintained with your VA through phone, email, fax or even phone texting.

VA’s bill their hours for the work they accomplish so you are not paying for late arrivals, childcare crisis, sick time or coffee breaks.

Your VA will support your needs, not the other way around. Your VA is a self-employed contractor just like you. They work at home, market their service to obtain new clients, provide services to existing clients just like you. Often, VA’s have solutions to problems that you have never even thought of. They also usually have their own network of professional resources to use for printing, processing or promotional work –which can all be an additional cost saving to you!

A VA allows you to concentrate solely on your business - growing your business – not the tedious administrative tasks that can consume your valuable time.

Virtual Assisting can offer:

* Pay per project or hour – no sick leave payments, no vacation pay, no insurance contributions etc.
* Tax-deductible as a business expense as VA’s are self-employed contractors.
* No payroll taxes, no worker’s compensation insurance payments, no returns to file.
* No extra office space, equipment or overhead needed.
* VA’s are usually available 24/7 – we can work on your requests any time of the day!
* VA’s take pride in their work and forming a positive professional relationship with their clients.
* They view what they do for your business as if it were their own.
* VA’s can give you back the time you need to focus on what you do best – grow your business!

Virtual services often include information processing, spreadsheets, email handling, newsletters, flyers, business cards, presentations, advertising specialty items, Internet research, web services, direct mail marketing, database management, bill paying, Quick Books, sales support and so much more!

Although my services are virtual in nature, I make it a point to meet with all of my local clients. Being in close proximity to your business, I gladly offer free pickup and delivery service in my local area.

Are you wasting time on tasks that aren’t growing your business or increasing your productivity?

Enjoy life (and business) again by hiring a VA. You’ll be glad you did!

Please feel free to visit my website at www.SuperiorAssisting.com to learn more about how hiring a virtual assistant can save you time and money!

Talk with you soon! Have a wonderful day!

"If you like getting what you are getting, keep doing what you are doing!" Zig Ziglar

Why Your Business Needs A Website

In today's world, most consumers turn to the Internet to research business, check out new products, and compare business practices and prices. If your business does not have a website you are missing out on a lot of exposure to potential clients. No matter if you are a retail store, a construction company, a dentist, a lawn care provider, or even have your own home based business, you will lose out if you don't have a website.

Almost 70% of the U.S. population is using the Internet. As more and more people start using the Internet, your business must have some kind of web presence - to stay competitive your website must be effective, efficient and user friendly. Millions of users are referring to the Internet and are using company's websites to make major decisions on products or specialized services. Research has shown people are turning to the Internet first when looking for product or service information. (High gasoline prices are directing consumer researches more and more to the Internet as well)

Here are a list of reasons why your business really does need a website:

* In today's market, if you are not on the web, you don't exist!

* Your website acts as a 24 hour business calling card - your business is open to be viewed 24/7, 365 days a year! It works for you even when you aren't there. You can't put a price on that.

* Increases your credibility and visibility - your website can actually instill a confidence that your business is up to date in technology and an expert in your field.

* Chances are your competitor already has one - and you cannot ignore what your competitors are doing.

* Improve your client service by supplying crucial information on your products and services immediately, not only when you are in the office.

* Your website can potentially expand your current market. You can include photos of your work, testimonials, and pricing information for potential clients. We live in a world where we all want answers now.

Consumers give websites a maximum of 30 seconds viewing time to decide whether or not they should stay on the site or move on. Your home page is your business's introduction to the world; you need to make an outstanding impression! You need to make a statement to your potential clients that they need to stay on your site to solicit your services, not go to your competition's site.

An effective website does not need to be long or complicated. A simple, but well laid out 3-7 page site can get your message across. Not only should your website provide contact information and business details, but you should make it interactive as well. You can even set your website to gather visitor information and in turn you can utilize this information to send out newsletters, answer questions about your products or services or even return quotes.

The most important thing is to provide clear information and to make your site user-friendly. You want your visitors leaving with a sense that your business offers the highest level of information, products and service. It shouldn't be long before these visitors become paying clients.

If you would like more information please feel free to visit my website at www.SuperiorAssisting.com.

Company Newsletters

Designing and printing newsletters for your company is a fantastic low-investment business marketing tool that can generate a great income. Monthly newsletters are a terrific way for business owners to stay in contact with clients, promote monthly specials and help secure new business. Most business people realize that creating a monthly newsletter and distributing it to valued clients is a very inexpensive and powerful marketing tool for their business. However, very few companies use newsletters, and those who do often struggle to get the newsletter out on time, if at all. Many business owners simply don't have the skills, equipment or time to create an effective newsletter.

Newsletter design and distribution is one of the services I offer to my clients. I specifically design custom created newsletters geared towards your individual business. By keeping your name (and number) at your client's and potential client's fingertips it acts as a very useful, yet inexpensive marketing tool. From construction companies advertising pictures of their work along with any specials they may have to dentists who want to educate their patients about oral health and the services that they offer, I will work with you directly to have the exact presentation that you desire.

Newsletters prove to be a very successful marketing tool, not only for keeping existing clients but for increasing your client base. We can target your current client base, or specific demographic locations of your request.

Newsletters should be focused on one or two informative items, along with being colorful; depicting your business the way you want people to view it. It should be short, sweet, and informative. The goal is the create the desire for your clients or potential clients to pick up the phone and solicit your services!

If you are interested in learning more about company newsletters, please feel free to contact me! Go to my website at www.SuperiorAssisting.com.

Have a great day!

Welcome to Superior Assisting and Solutions

Hello Everyone! Welcome! I will have weekly blog updates for tips on streamlining your business, marketing ideas and the benefits of Virtual Assisting for your specific business! I will also be using this to recommend contacts, use as a referral base, and invite everyone's input and ideas! Please feel free to visit my website at www.SuperiorAssisting.com.