Author: Igor

  • How To Take Better Care Of Your Employees

    When trying to grow your company and create a business with impact, it’s important that you are aware of the different factors that can contribute to your success. This could include: 

    • A thorough, flexible business plan.
    • Budgeting and expenses. 
    • Customer satisfaction. 
    • A strong marketing campaign. 
    • Employee satisfaction/retention. 

    Image via Unsplash

    From the above list, employee satisfaction can have a much higher impact on your company’s growth and development than you would initially expect. This is due to the fact that when your employees feel respected and valued in the workplace, they are likely to work harder and more effectively.

    With that in mind, here are some tips that you can use to take better care of your employees. 

    • Retain current staff members, and draw in new employees by providing them with plenty of opportunities for professional growth and development.For example, this could include training programs, assessments like cognitive assessment tests, or even a shadowing/mentorship scheme.
    • Improve employee loyalty by ensuring that you view each employee as an individual, as opposed to a tool through which you can earn money. One way in which you can do this is by ensuring that you get to know them and provide them with the appropriate, tailored support as and when they need it.
    • Focus on creating a warm and welcoming work environment that boosts creativity and productivity. One way in which you can achieve this goal is by creating a non-judgmental environment, where everybody feels confident to voice their opinions. Embrace the concept that no idea is a bad idea, and you’ll soon notice an improvement in employee performance and productivity.
    • Ensure that each employee is fully aware of all of the health and safety guidelines and regulations that exist within your workplace, and provide them with the appropriate support and training where applicable. For example, if your employees are HGV drivers who spend a lot of time on the road, ensure that they are aware of the HGV parking and truck stops along their route where they can rest. Following all guidelines is the easiest way to take care of your employees and avoid accidents or injuries.
    • Have an ‘open door’ policy in your workplace, and encourage your employees to reach out should they encounter any problems or have any questions. This is a great way of forging a quality relationship with your employees, which will often help them become better at their job as a result.
    • Reward good work. Where possible, provide employees who go above and beyond with the recognition they deserve. This could be in the form of a raise, promotion, or even a simple acknowledgment of their efforts and your appreciation.
    • Provide your employees with regular feedback regarding their performance – ensuring that your criticism is constructive as opposed to harsh. This provides them with the insight they need to improve without knocking their confidence – which is a win-win for everyone involved. You can also use this time to set them regular goals and targets – which have also been known to increase productivity.

  • If You Leave Photography Showcase

    Curated by London-based Laurence Von Thomas, online photography gallery If You Leave started as a personal blog in 2009. With more than 500 contemporary photographers featured and 4 books published over these years, If You Leave has become a cult online project with a following of 430,000 on Tumblr.

    If you Leave are now putting together an international photography showcase in the form of a competition/exhibition featuring the work of up and coming photographers from all around the world.

    The exhibition will coincide with the release of the first of If you Leave bi-annual magazine. The first issue will double as a show catalogue and will include 10 prints from the artists showing their work at the exhibition.

    To make this possible, If You Leave have launched a Kickstarter campaign to raise some money to fund the the exhibition and magazine. If you want to help or submit your work, you can find more information on the video below.

    www.if-you-leave.tumblr.com

  • 13 Tips on How to Save Money While Travelling Solo

    Travelling solo is an exciting way to explore the world and broaden your horizons. It also provides an excellent opportunity to save money. Whether you are looking for ways to stretch your budget on accommodation, transportation, or food, here, you’ll find some tips that will help make solo travel more affordable. It will also be more enjoyable and time to discover yourself. Check out travooo.com for additional tips when traveling solo.

    Photo Credit 

    Buy Your Flight Tickets in Advance

    If you are travelling solo, one way to save money is to buy your tickets in advance. You can often find cheaper fares when purchasing earlier because you have the time to look for more affordable options, discounts, and special offers. In addition, most airlines offer incentives to encourage early bookings, so take advantage of this. 

    Book Your Accommodation in Advance

    Booking your accommodation in advance is another great way to save money. You can find better rates and deals when you book early, giving you more options for accommodation in your destination. Plus, some hotels offer discounts for solo travellers. 

    You can also share accommodation with other solo travellers to save on costs. Check other solo travellers heading in the same direction and check whether your interests match. You might end up saving half the amount you could have used on accommodation.

    Another option is to book a room intended to be shared. The hotel spreads the cost between two people, making it cheaper. Although you end up sharing a room with a stranger, you cut the expenses, and it’s a great way to make friends when on vacation. 

    Check The Government Incentives to Tourists

    Some governments offer tourist-friendly options such as reduced rates to check in some hotels, places of interest, and easier document processing. For instance, you can take advantage of the visa waiver program (VWP) if your country is eligible. Such incentives add up to considerable savings. 

    Get Creative with your Transportation

    As you will realise, sharing a ride and taking public transport such as trains or buses is way cheaper than hiring a vehicle or using a taxi. Check the ride-sharing apps in the region or ask your host the type of transport you can use for various places of interest. You’ll probably find a standard mode of transport tourists use to some of the famous places within. 

    Book Your Activities in Advance

    Booking attractions and activities in advance is a great way for solo travelers to save money. Many attractions offer discounts or special deals when tickets are purchased online or early. For instance, if you’re in Scotland and want to visit museums, castles, and dungeons, look for early bird tickets to avoid splurging unnecessarily. Alternatively, you can consider opting for Small Group Tours of Scotland, which often include visits to your desired destinations at a fraction of the cost you would spend traveling alone.

    Prepare Your Meals

    Buying groceries and cooking your meals at the accommodation is another excellent way to save money on vacation. You can get fresher produce by shopping in the local markets instead of larger grocery stores, saving you time. Plus, it will be cheaper than eating out every mealtime, and you keep to healthier food options. 

    Pack Lightly

    One easy thing that will help you save is packing only what you’ll need while travelling solo because you won’t have to hire someone to carry your luggage. You’ll also pay less for transport and accommodation because you don’t use a lot of space.

    Choose Budget Friendly Accommodation

    As a solo traveller, you can stay in budget-friendly accommodation such as hostels, where you can meet other travellers and locals. This is a great way to make friends and experience local cultures without breaking the bank.

    If you have the choice of hotel and rental accommodation, go for rentals because it is generally cheaper, accommodates more belongings, and saves you more money when you are on an extended vacation. However, a hotel stay can be more affordable when booking accommodation for a day or two. 

    Hostel rooms can be tiny and cheaper, but there is usually room for one or two suitcases per bed that doubles as storage.

    Choose Less Expensive Activities

    You can still find activities to do that you don’t need to pay for or some that cost very little. For instance, understanding your places of interest and travelling with a map means that you don’t need a guard, which is an added expense.

    If you do your research well, you’ll discover a lot the region offers that doesn’t cost anything. For example, you could visit museums and galleries, which are often free or have an entry fee for locals only rather than tourists. Take time out from your solo adventure to explore nature and wildlife, too – it’s usually not as expensive for solo travellers.

    Bring Along Snacks for Long Journeys

    When you carry your water, it means that you won’t rely on the vendors who might charge more, especially when you are a tourist. The same goes for snacks and other essentials you might need on the journey. 

    Buy Buffets Not Single Meals

    As you will realise, single dishes are more expensive than buffets. The buffet will give you more value for your money, and the bigger plates can fill you up quickly. You might only need to eat once a day. 

    Beware of Hidden Charges

    Some things might not be included in the price quoted, such as airport taxes or even luggage fees. Understand your entire cost before committing. Remember to ask the hotel whether the fees charged include meals and, if they do, whether it’s breakfast or a whole day’s meals. You can opt to pay for accommodation alone then choose to eat from cheaper restaurants within. 

    Make Some Money On the Go

    You can do many things to earn money as you tour your new location, which means you don’t spend as much from your savings. However, this works best when you are on an extended vacation, and you meet all the set guidelines. 

    Other than this, you can sell your talent online, document your travel experiences, then earn from the generated traffic, work remotely or become an English tutor. When making money when on holiday it means that you have more freedom with your money spending choices.

    Advice for Solo Travelers 

    When booking your accommodation, it pays to book as early as possible. This is because hotels can often charge more for the same room if you book on a day when demand is high. Also, prioritise your safety over savings. It’s riskier when travelling alone, which means you have to be extra careful.

  • What Makes a House Design Contemporary?

    Contemporary homes have changed drastically over the past couple of years. While minimalism and clean lines have mostly dominated the past decade when it comes to high-end homes, these days, we’re starting to see a common theme of “fun” house styles that are much looser in definition and more difficult to pinpoint. Contemporary houses don’t seem to follow a trend anymore, making it hard to describe the aspects that make a house seem progressive and explorative in terms of design.

    So in this post, we’re going to take a look at some of the aspects of contemporary house design and how you could potentially transform your home into something completely different.

    Source: https://unsplash.com/photos/xx0oSB1YxRE (CC0)

    Exploring different surfaces, textures and materials

    Most modern and older homes focus on a handful of established surfaces, textures and materials. In a contemporary home, a heavy emphasis is placed on the textures and patterns that a surface has, in addition to the style and type of materials and even the surfaces they are used on. It’s not uncommon to mix different grains of wood, types of concrete or even irregular tile patterns that aren’t commonly seen.

    Minimalism is still a factor, but it’s far from sterile

    Minimalism seems to be a constant when it comes to high-end home design, but there are different styles to keep in mind. In the past, sterile design with neutral colors and a focus on removing items from rooms was the most popular choice. These days, contemporary house design focuses on a more playful style of minimalism where mismatched furniture and interesting textures and patterns are more commonly used. You can be more experimentative with minimalism on contemporary house design, breaking norms that you might be used to and being more expressive with your furniture and color choices.

    Mixing form and function

    Another common aspect of contemporary house design is the equalization of form and function. Good architecture and design no longer sacrifice practical features that make our homes more comfortable to live in. Designs today will incorporate all kinds of house-wide features, such as a central vacuum system, HVAC features, ventilation and even focus on lowering energy consumption to make the home cheaper to run. These features aim to increase the quality of life in the home while also being friendly to the environment and saving you money.

    Playful staircases

    Staircases are difficult to design because they need to be functional and architecturally stable. This is a great example of form and function being equally as important, but also a great example of how simple features and structures in the home can be overhauled and styled in unique ways to give the home a completely new and interesting look that hasn’t been imagined before. You can have a lot of fun when it comes to unique and creative staircase designs, provided that they are stable and make sense in the context of your home instead of having a statement piece for the sake of being different.

  • Four reasons why businesses should learn German

    Learning a language can be a fantastic addition to any business owner’s toolkit. Expanding your ability to communicate with others is always going to stand you in good stead for the future. If you’re wondering what language you or your staff should learn next, why not consider German?

    The number of German speakers is relatively small in comparison to the numbers of English, Chinese or Arabic speakers. So, why is it so important for businesses to learn?

    Image via Unsplash

    Germany is Europe’s strongest economy

    Germany is Europe’s economic leader. By GDP, it outranks the UK – its nearest competitor – by about $1.2 trillion.

    Because of this, there are a wealth of business opportunities to be had in the German market. That kind of economic strength lends itself to widespread spending. And savvy UK business owners – with the resources or knowhow to do so – should be looking to exploit the available commercial opportunities.

    Having staff members that can confidently converse in German will allow you to take advantage of the sizeable German market. Expanding overseas isn’t the kind of thing you can just dive into. Having a member of staff who knows the language – and the culture – exhaustively will give you the best possible chance of succeeding in Berlin or anywhere else in Germany.

    The UK’s relationship with Germany

    Outside of the US, Germany imports the highest value of products from the UK at almost £24 billion. In the first half of 2020, the UK also imported more goods from Germany than any other country.

    Germany is the UK’s leading trade partner in Europe – making it fertile soil for aspiring entrepreneurs hoping to expand their business operations overseas.

    There is obviously a market for products manufactured in the UK in Germany and command of the German language puts those business owners in position to take advantage of it.

    So, whether you’re hoping to export products to Germany or set up a manufacturing base there, Germany represents a robust market for UK business owners.

    Tourists from Germany are a global leader in spending

    Being able to cater to German clients can prove more profitable than any other community. Outside of the US and China, Germany spends the most money on travel. In 2018, German tourists spent $94 billion in other countries.

    Having the language skills to converse fluently in German will allow you to capitalise on German tourists’ unique spending power.

    Additionally, a grasp of the German language will allow you to market your product or service capably. You’ll know what audience to target, what tone to take and how to build relationships with key personnel.

    Positive cognitive effects of speaking another language

    Speaking a different language also has a host of positive cognitive effects. Multilingual people have stronger memories, a better ability to concentrate and superior multitasking skills relative to monolingual people. These are all traits you want people in your business to possess.

    Language skills also bolster long-term health. There’s evidence that knowing another language can delay the onset of diseases like Alzheimer’s.