Blog Posts – Hive https://hive.com The Productivity Platform Wed, 07 Jun 2023 16:35:41 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.2.2 The 9 Best KPI Software To Create Dashboards & Monitor Metrics in 2023 https://hive.com/blog/kpi-dashboard-software/ Sat, 03 Jun 2023 04:04:44 +0000 https://hive.com/?post_type=blog&p=14085 Creating and using a Key Performance Indicator (KPI) dashboard is invaluable for any business manager. These dashboards allow managers to keep track of a company’s performance in real-time and provide precise information to make informed business decisions, reach goals, and hit KPIs.

If you want to make smart decisions for your business, using the data that these dashboards provide is an excellent way to get a comprehensive overview of your organization. However, with so many of these dashboard monitoring tools today, it can be hard to know which is right for your business. 

While you have a ton of options in 2023, we will help you narrow down some of the best tools out there. Some are clunky but customizable, while others are cookie-cutter but easy to set up and visualize. No matter how small of a business you are, or how large your enterprise is–looking into and implementing KPI dashboard software to monitor metrics should be a part of your current business planning process and strategy.

The Importance of Dashboards & Metrics Monitoring

You should never operate your business without a plan or go into any situation blindly. Your business will never reach its fullest potential if you don’t plan ahead and follow a path of accurate data to get to the end goal. Without a plan or direction, you are more likely to be efficient in your work.

That’s why KPI dashboards and metric monitoring software should be essential to your strategic planning process. These digital tools can quickly overview your organization’s performance, well-being, and expected growth. Broken down, dashboards and metric monitoring are actually two separate tools that work together to provide you with the data you need to visualize and make informed decisions. 

Dashboards

Dashboards effectively provide a comprehensive and concise overview of the performance and well-being of your organization. They display data visually appealingly, allowing you to understand your specific key metrics and performance indicators quickly. Typically, you can manipulate these dashboards how you want to see the data, providing a customized option suited to your business goals

Metric Monitoring

Metric monitoring software is designed to collect data through manual inputs or by extracting it from other sources and transform that data into meaningful insights. This type of monitoring enables you to track your KPIs and monitor their progress over time. Monitoring metrics allows you to identify trends and opportunities for improvement and measure the success of your strategies.

However, you still need to input your KPIs and set up your specific dashboards and monitoring software to be as efficient as possible. But, when both the dashboard and the monitoring metrics work together, they are a well-oiled machine that offers your business all the data you need to know if you hit/exceeded goals or KPIs and the fodder you need to adjust your strategy as needed.

Understanding how KPIs and dashboards work together

Key performance indicators (KPIs) are quantifiable metrics that allow businesses to track their progress toward specific goals. Examples of KPIs that can be set up include:

  • Customer satisfaction
  • Revenue growth.
  • Website bounce rate.
  • Revenue per client.
  • Profit margin.
  • Conversion rate.

KPIs can be set up for your business as a whole and at the individual employee level. For example, your business could have a KPI metric of “increasing website traffic to 2k in April,” while a single employee could have a KPI metric of “checking in with five customers every week.” Each KPI depends on the business and should be customized to your needs.

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Using a dashboard to track both business and individual KPIs is a smart way to quickly see how well your business is meeting its strategic goals and objectives and instantly identify areas of improvement. A KPI dashboard will typically include visuals such as graphs, diagrams, tables, and charts that help make it easier for stakeholders and peers to understand the data at a glance. In addition, a good KPI dashboard provides a comprehensive overview of a company’s performance (the metric part of this tool), allowing managers to identify areas of strength and weakness and adjust as needed.

Choosing the right KPI dashboard tool for your business needs

With so many KPI dashboard tools available, choosing the right one for your business can be challenging. Before you pick any tool, you need to consider your business’s size, specific KPIs, budget and ability. It is also essential to choose a user-friendly and easy-to-understand tool, as this will help ensure that your team can use it effectively and not get bogged down with any complicated setups or maintenance.

To help you understand the market, here are our favorite KPI dashboard software to add to your tech stack:

1. Hive

Hive Goals

Hive is a popular project management platform that can also be used as a KPI dashboard software. It offers a comprehensive solution for businesses of all sizes, allowing you to manage projects, track performance, and visualize meaningful data. Hive’s Goals dashboard uses various metrics to paint a picture for your organization. From automation reporting to pulling data from other systems into the Hive Goals dashboard, your business has the tools it needs to input, capture and track it’s most important data points.

Also, with Hive, you can create custom dashboards and set up automated workflows to ensure that your team is always on track. You can also track your KPIs cross-departmentally in real-time, providing a quick and easy way to understand your projects’ performance. In addition, Hive integrates with various other tools, such as Google Drive, Slack, and Trello, making it an all-in-one solution for your team.

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2. Google Analytics

Google Analytics is one of the most popular and widely used KPI monitoring tools. It provides a wealth of data and insights into website traffic and user behavior, making it an excellent choice for businesses of all sizes. While Google Analytics has its own dashboard, it can often be challenging to set up and understand how to slice and dice the information you need. While it is extremely data-driven and useful, this tool requires additional training and setup than some of the others on this list. However, it is free, easy to set up for basic KPIs and is the place every business needs to start as they work to set up their business goal tracking

3. Klipfolio

Klipfolio

This dashboard tool offers a range of features and integrations that make it an ideal choice for businesses of all sizes. With Klipfolio, you can create custom dashboards and reports, making tracking and measuring your KPIs easy. This cloud-based software platform gives its users a real-time business dashboard with visibility on who is using their data on the web, mobile devices and more. It offers visibility for your most important data and metrics. This program is user-friendly and easy to set up and offers a ton of prebuilt templates for dashboards and examples of successful ways to track metrics and KPIs. 

4. Tableau

tableau_Desktop_dashboard

A powerful KPI monitoring tool, Tableau provides detailed insights and real-time data. Said to offer “limitless data exploration without interrupting your flow of analysis,” Tableau definitely delivers. Built with a mindboggling amount of ways to slice and dice data for your team, this analytics dashboard is a powerhouse for enterprise clients who want to dig into their metrics. Perfect for sales, marketing or accounting teams, Tableau’s platform is laser-focused on pulling data out in a way for its stakeholders to understand robust data in the simplest terms. 

5. Scoro

scoro kpi-dashboard

Scoro’s KPI dashboard offers a holistic view of each aspect of the business, allowing users to track projects, workflow, and financial KPIs in real time. 

Pricing for Scoro begins with the Essential subscription at $26/user/month and requires a minimum of 5 users. The plan includes projects, calendars, task list & task board, contacts & customers, quotes, invoices & receipts, bills, dashboards and summary of financial reports. One  downside is Scoro doesn’t have a free version, only a free trial, while Asana has a free forever version with limited features.

Choosing the right KPI monitoring tool for your business needs is essential, so research and find one that meets your specific requirements. With the right KPI dashboard, you can quickly identify areas of improvement and adjust accordingly, helping to ensure long-term success.

6. Airtable

Airtable KPI dashboard

Airtable is a project and task management software with the capability to create KPI dashboards. Its completely customizable Interface Designer’s dashboard layout lets you aggregate information, highlight trends, or visualize distribution in charts and graphs. You can sync the data you need to display on your KPI report directly from your Airtable base into a reporting dashboard. Airtable also offers different views for your data, such as Kanban boards, Gantt charts, and calendar views. Airtable has a free plan with limited functionalities and a paid plan starting at $10/month. 

Unsure if Airtable can create the type of KPI dashboard for your team needs? See how Airtable compares to others in the same category.

7. DashThis

DashThis dashboard

DashThis simplifies the process of tracking and monitoring KPIs for marketing campaigns by providing a centralized dashboard that allows users to view all KPIs related to their campaigns in one place. With native integrations to popular marketing tools across all major channels, such as Ahrefs, Semrush, Google Ads, Facebook Ads, and Mailchimp, users have access to all the data they need. DashThis also offers a range of ready-made templates and a drag-and-drop interface to customize the dashboard, making it a powerful tool for analyzing marketing campaign KPIs.

8. Polymer

Polymer

Polymer is an exceptionally user-friendly business intelligence tool. It enables the creation of tailored dashboards and perceptive visualizations, allowing you to showcase your data professionally without any technical configuration. The platform is compatible with various data sources, such as Google Analytics 4, Facebook, Google Ads, Google Sheets, Airtable, Shopify, Jira and more. Additionally, data sets can be easily uploaded using CSV or XSL files.

Something else that makes Polymer stand out is its adaptability for use by all departments within an organization — from marketing and sales to RevOps. For example, marketing teams can utilize Polymer to pinpoint top-performing channels and marketing resources. Meanwhile, Revenue Operations can perform detailed analyses on the fly.

9. Microsoft Power BI

microsoft bi kpi

Microsoft Power BI is an interactive data visualization software that allows you to easily connect to various data sources, transform raw data into meaningful insights, and create visually compelling dashboards that highlight your organization’s KPIs. What makes Power BI stand out is its ability to handle large and complex datasets, allowing you to analyze vast amounts of data and uncover actionable insights. The software offers a wide range of visualization options, including interactive charts, graphs, and maps, enabling you to present your KPIs in a visually engaging manner. Additionally, Power BI provides real-time data updates, so you can monitor your KPIs and make informed decisions in a timely manner. Its user-friendly interface and drag-and-drop functionality make it accessible to users with varying levels of technical expertise. The software can be accessed on desktop and mobile devices, and pricing starts at $10/user/month.

Do you have a KPI dashboard you love that tracks your metrics? Let us know in the comments below!

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Project Managers: What They Do and Why They Are Vital to Success https://hive.com/blog/project-manager-responsibilities/ Sat, 03 Jun 2023 03:17:25 +0000 https://hive.com/?post_type=blog&p=15821

Project managers are one of the most important roles in a given project team. So much of the success and potential for growth of a given business depends largely on how well a project manager is able to juggle tasks, timelines and resources. But what exactly does a project manager do? In this listicle, we’ll explore some of the key responsibilities of a project manager and why they are so integral to project success.

What is a Project Manager?

Project managers play a vital role in project teams, overseeing and coordinating the various aspects of a project to ensure its completion and success. They are responsible for juggling tasks, timelines, and resources, and their ability to effectively manage projects can significantly impact a business’s growth and outcomes. If you’re wondering how to become a project manager, it typically involves gaining relevant experience, obtaining relevant certifications such as the Project Management Professional (PMP) certification, and developing strong leadership and communication skills.

Here we will delve into the key responsibilities of a project manager and shed light on why their role is integral to project success. From developing project plans and monitoring progress to managing resources, solving problems, and negotiating agreements, project managers wear many hats. Their expertise in aligning project objectives with organizational goals, ensuring efficient resource allocation, and navigating challenges helps drive project success and overall business growth.

5 project manager responsibilities not to overlook

1. Develop Project Plans

One of the biggest responsibilities of a project manager is to develop project plans and oversee the full life cycle of the project, right from inception to closure. This involves ticking off key milestones, developing strategies to ensure the desired outcomes are met, and developing detailed project plans.

2. Monitor Progress

Project managers need to continuously monitor the progress of the project, and make sure that it is proceeding according to plan. This entails tracking timelines, resources, deliverables and budgets, and adjusting plans according to real-world complications.

3. Manage Resources

A project manager will be responsible for managing, allocating, and optimizing resources for the project. This includes managing both internal and external resources, such as personnel, service providers and key stakeholders. They must ensure resources are being used in the most cost-effective manner to achieve the desired outcomes.

4. Identify and Solve Problems

Problems are inevitable in any project, and a project manager needs to be able to identify, assess and solve any potential problems as they arise. This can involve troubleshooting technical issues, mediating between personnel and stakeholders, or finding alternate solutions to a given problem.

5. Negotiate Agreements

Project managers often need to negotiate agreements with stakeholders, partners, vendors and other outside entities to ensure the project can proceed without issue. This requires strong negotiation skills, knowledge of the industry, and the ability to ensure mutually beneficial agreements.

Use Hive for your project management needs

Project managers bring together all the pieces of a project to ensure success. When it comes to project management, Hive offers a comprehensive and user-friendly tool that elevates project managers and their teams. With advanced features like unlimited storage and workspace members, flexible add-ons, shareable forms, time tracking, in-app calendar, cloud storage integrations, as well as Zoom and Slack integrations, you can streamline project workflows, collaborate seamlessly, and stay on top of tasks, deadlines, and deliverables. Hive can supercharge your project management efforts and propel your team towards success. Their ability to juggle resources, plan ahead, and identify and solve problems helps drive project success and overall business growth. There’s no doubt that a talented and experienced project manager is a crucial component of any successful team.

If you’re looking to become a project management or want to improve your project management skills, try Hive today for free. Hive is a project management tool meant to help you (and your team) work faster, smarter and more efficiently.

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7 Examples of SMART Performance Goals To Set Yourself Up For Success https://hive.com/blog/performance-goals-examples/ Sat, 03 Jun 2023 03:11:01 +0000 https://hive.com/?post_type=blog&p=14966 Setting goals is an essential part of personal and professional development. However, setting arbitrary goals with vague deadlines is just not enough; you need to set realizable goals. For those new to SMART goals, this helpful acronym stands for goals that are: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound.

And if you’re having trouble setting some SMART performance goals for employees on your team — or even just for yourself — here are a few examples that are sure to set you up for success.

1. Increase productivity by 20% in six months

Specific: This goal names a percentage rather than just generally referencing increasing productivity.

Measurable: Rather than just using the word productivity without a definition, you have to ensure that you can measure what that word means to your team, especially when it comes to productivity vs efficiency. Try conceptualizing productivity as the number of tasks completed in a given time frame rather than the number of hours an employee works.

Achievable: The goal is possible because it’s a slight stretch that can be reached with hard work, focus, and dedication. Goals like “doubling productivity” are much harder to reach and will ultimately wear down team morale.

Relevant: Productivity is always a goal teams can invest in as it influences one’s personal and professional work ethic. But be sure to gather some data to make sure that productivity can be increased; if your team is already highly productive, choosing another goal would probably be beneficial.

Time-bound: The six-month timeline gives plenty of space to measure, analyze, and pivot the goal if needed.

2. Attend one professional development event every quarter

Specific: This goal isn’t generally telling your team to go to networking events every so often – it’s all about professional development events, which you can define amongst yourselves in any way you see fit.

Measurable: One event is good enough, and it’s an easy goal to hit because you know exactly when, where, and how the event starts and ends.

Achievable: Even if you and your team are busy, attending only one event every quarter is a reasonable commitment that gives you time to prepare.

Relevant: Find the professional development events that are the best skill-building or networking resources for your team – don’t just pick any event, as some may be less of a good fit than others.

Time-bound: By stating that the goal will be hit every quarter, you don’t just set the goal and forget about it months later.

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3. Increase sales by 10% in the next quarter

Specific: With this SMART performance goal, you’re not trying to reach for the stars. You just want to increase your general sales by a certain percentage, and if you want to make it even more specific (for instance, the sale of a particular product), that’s a good move as well.

Measurable: If you have a system for tracking sales, then you have a simple way to measure the progress of this goal.

Achievable: The goal is achievable because 10% isn’t an unbelievably hard percentage to hit in the grand scheme of things.

Before you chart out this course, make sure that you know exactly what the market is like and how difficult it will be to increase sales by looking at past data. Then, if you need to, pivot the goal to make sure it makes sense in the context of your team.

Time-bound: With one quarter to prepare and one quarter to execute, you’ll have six months to make this goal a reality.

4. Finish a course or certificate for one new skill in the next two months

Specific: This specific goal isn’t just about learning a new skill, as “learning” can be defined in a number of ways. Whether you’re completing Foundations 1 of Duolingo or earning a certificate from Alison in coding, you’ll know when the goal starts and ends.

Measurable: Learning a new skill isn’t just about a vague sense of achievement. It’s about executing and completing one particular course.

Achievable: With only one course to complete, no matter how hard the skill might be, you have parameters for how you’ll be studying it.

Relevant: A new skill is always pertinent to your career, your personal life, and your current job – as you’ll never know when you’ll need it.

Time-bound: Rather than making this goal with a six-month timeline, you’ll have two months to complete your course because longer timelines for self-driven activities sometimes lead to procrastination.

5. In two weeks, find five knowledge gaps your competitors have filled

Specific: Rather than just researching a competitor, make sure that your time is spent wisely by learning precise knowledge gaps in your company that various competitors have solutions for.

Measurable: You can alter how many knowledge gaps you find, but make sure you have a specific number to keep the goal grounded.

Achievable: This goal, being research-based and predominantly head-down work, is very feasible.

Relevant: Current competitors solving contemporary problems is as relevant as it gets. The knowledge gaps you’re looking for will likely be topics covered by your team or your department (for instance, IT teams will look for gaps in IT knowledge), making the goal even more relatable.

Time-bound: If you’re having a hectic period and can’t meet the two-week deadline, extending this goal to a month is absolutely fine. You can also choose to start the goal when you don’t have much other work and keep the two-week deadline.

Ultimately, SMART performance goals go nowhere if you don’t have the right format to track, manage, and assess them. Whether you’re increasing sales, learning a new skill, or attending development courses, you should have the best tools behind you. Using Hive Goals to create goal trees with sub-goals, your goal achievement will be centralized and automated. You’ll even learn which goals are at risk with data pulled from other systems integrated into your Hive workspace.

6. Conduct monthly cross-training

Specific: This goal is all about sharing knowledge with your team members to improve cross-functional skills. The sessions can be scheduled monthly and can cover topics such as marketing, product management, or customer service.

Measurable: Tracking the number of team members who attend the session and the feedback they provide afterward can be used as key points to measure the success of the goal. The effectiveness of these sessions can also be assessed by measuring any improvements in cross-functional skills.

Achievable: The objective of this goal is to have everyone on the team trained to fill-in for a colleague, in case of absence due to sick days, PTOs or vacation. Encourage your team to take turns in leading the sessions and to share their expertise until you have the entire team fully cross-trained.

Relevant: Professional growth is essential for teams to stay ahead in their field. By enhancing cross-functional skills, team members can better understand the overall business and improve their problem-solving abilities.

Time-bound: Conducting monthly knowledge sharing sessions provides a specific timeframe and frequency for achieving the goal. It also helps team members to understand others’ workflows, routines and potential road-blockers.

7. Implement a new feedback and recognition system within the next three months

Specific: Establish a new system within a specific timeframe. The aim is to improve communication, motivation, and employee engagement within the organization.

Measurable: Track progress and gather feedback from employees about the new system while monitoring the frequency and effectiveness of how feedback and recognition influences work practices.

Achievable: With a three-month timeline, the goal allows for adequate planning, development, and implementation of the new system. You can break this process into smaller tasks, such as conducting a survey in the first month, hosting one-on-one conversations with employees in the second month, and launching a recognition badge or ceremony to celebrate your team’s accomplishment. It is achievable by allocating resources, involving key stakeholders, and ensuring effective communication throughout the process.

Relevant: Establishing a feedback and recognition system is crucial for fostering a positive work culture, enhancing employee morale, and strengthening performance management practices. It aligns with the goal of improving employee engagement and creating a supportive work environment.

Time-bound: The three-month time frame provides a clear deadline for the implementation of the new system, allowing sufficient time for training, testing, and fine-tuning before its full rollout. Regular progress check-ins can help ensure timely completion and address any challenges that may arise.

Using Hive To Set Your Goals

Are you ready to start setting some goals with your team? You’re in luck — Hive’s newest (and most exciting) feature is Goals. Everyone wants to know how they’re moving their organization forward, and your team is more than just a project. With Goals, you can set various goals, visualize progress, and keep everyone aligned in one centralized dashboard. You can also:

  • Create one, ten, twenty, or more goals for your team, so everyone understands what they’re contributing to.
  • Centralize and automate your goal tracking and reporting.
  • Pull data from other systems into Hive to streamline operations and reporting.
  • Share your goal or goals, assign the goal to relevant teammates, track activity, and give yourselves a deadline.
  • Understand how your team and organization are pacing towards an individual goal or a set of goals.
  • Color-coded designations allow an easy understanding of “on-track” items.
  • When it’s time to review progress, accomplishments, and achievements, easily export all relevant information.

Get started, today!

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9 Impactful HR Goals To Set For Your Human Resources Team https://hive.com/blog/hr-goals/ Sat, 03 Jun 2023 03:06:30 +0000 https://hive.com/?post_type=blog&p=15598 Human resources (HR) departments are a critical function within any organization. It is responsible for managing the organization’s workforce, including hiring, training, and retaining employees. To ensure that their HR departments are helping employees have their best work experiences, it is essential for teams to set impactful HR goals that are aligned with the organization’s overall objectives. Take a look at these nine ideas for HR goals to set for your team.

1. Improve Employee Retention

Employee retention is an essential goal for HR departments as it can have a significant impact on the organization’s success. High employee turnover can lead to increased recruitment costs, reduced productivity, and a negative effect on employee morale. Additionally, studies show that employee turnover currently is 50 to 75 percent higher than in previous years. And if employers want to reduce costs, improve productivity, and build a solid and dynamic workforce, employee retention is vital.

Some goals and strategies that HR teams can implement include examining and facilitating what it means to have a positive work environment, looking at current salary and benefits offerings, and researching and providing training and development opportunities. Teams can also create programs that recognize and reward employee performance.

2. Streamline HR processes

HR processes are meant to increase efficiency and reduce the administrative burden on employees and HR staff. However, many systems are stuck in the past, and employees have trouble finding benefits or getting paid on time. With these goals, HR teams can identify areas of the HR function that could benefit from automation or standardization. For example, implementing an applicant tracking system to streamline recruitment or creating a standardized onboarding process could make HR utilities easier to navigate.

3. Develop leadership and management skills

Leadership and management skills are critical for any organization that wants to cultivate a culture of alacrity. As such, it’s up to HR teams to focus on developing their employees’ leadership and management skills by providing training and development opportunities. A study from Gartner notes that human-centric leadership, empathy, and adaptability are the future of management. To create a future-proof HR department, teams should be on board with empowering those ideas.

HR teams can set personal development goals that revolve around leadership training programs, offering coaching and mentoring programs, or creating opportunities for employees to take on leadership roles.

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4. Improve employee engagement

While employee retention is necessary, employee engagement is just as vital for a company to stay on track. Engaged employees are more productive, have higher job satisfaction, and are likelier to stay with the organization. Some strategies for creating goals around employee engagement include conducting employee engagement surveys, providing employee feedback and input opportunities, and recognizing and rewarding employee performance. With goals like these, organizations can improve their productivity, reduce absenteeism and turnover, and build a motivated, collaborative workforce.

5. Implement effective performance management

Performance management is the backbone of any team’s development, as managers with the framework to direct and advise employees create productive teams. HR departments should focus on implementing effective performance management systems to ensure that employees meet performance expectations and contribute to the organization’s success. Goals around performance management include creating and distributing clear performance expectations, creating regular feedback and coaching techniques, conducting or reworking performance evaluations, and making programs that reward high performers.

6. Enhance recruitment and selection processes

Recruitment and selection are critical functions within any HR department, as a company cannot expand without new employees. Attracting and retaining top talent should be a focus of your HR team, especially in a job climate where employee retention is at an all-time low. When the job landscape indicates that new employees are your company’s future, you’ve got to invest in them accordingly.

These goals involve systematically clarifying job descriptions, finding ways to establish a positive employer brand, strategically utilizing effective recruitment channels, and ensuring that candidate assessments are thorough.

7. Cross-departmental collaboration

In an attempt to improve communication and collaboration between employees and departments, HR teams can craft goals that enhance productivity and teamwork. First, they can make a point to identify any communication barriers or gaps between teams or departments. Then, they can take steps to improve collaboration. This could include implementing tools like project management software such as Hive (including Hive Goals, which can help the goal itself come to life) or improving internal communication channels. The ultimate aim here is to create better problem-solving capabilities and a more cohesive company culture, and there are numerous ways to achieve it.

8. Enhance employee wellness initiatives

One last impactful HR goal you can set for your team is to enhance employee wellness initiatives. This goal involves promoting healthy behaviors and offering resources to support employees’ physical and mental well-being. When employees feel supported and valued, they are more likely to be active and constructive, leading to a positive impact on the company on the whole. Additionally, wellness initiatives can help reduce healthcare costs and improve employee retention rates, making it a win-win for both the company and its employees.

Some initiatives your team could consider include offering on-site fitness classes, implementing a mental health program, or providing healthy meals options in the workplace.

9. Foster Diversity and Inclusion

Embracing diversity brings unique perspectives and ideas to the table while enhancing employee engagement and innovation. HR teams should focus on implementing strategies that promote diversity in recruitment practices, such as expanding the talent pool by partnering with diverse organizations and creating inclusive job descriptions. Additionally, they can develop training programs to raise awareness about unconscious biases and foster a culture that values and respects differences. Create a work environment where every employee feels valued, heard, and empowered to contribute their best!

Use Hive to reach your HR goals

Are you ready to start setting some human resources goals with your team? You’re in luck — Hive’s newest (and most exciting) feature is Goals. Everyone wants to know how they’re moving their organization forward, and your team is more than just a project. With Goals, you can set various goals, visualize progress, and keep everyone aligned in one centralized dashboard. You can also:

  • Create one, ten, twenty, or more goals for your team, so everyone understands what they’re contributing to.
  • Centralize and automate your goal tracking and reporting.
  • Pull data from other systems into Hive to streamline operations and reporting.
  • Share your goal or goals, assign the goal to relevant teammates, track activity, and give yourselves a deadline.
  • Understand how your team and organization are pacing towards an individual goal or a set of goals.
  • Color-coded designations allow an easy understanding of “on-track” items.
  • When it’s time to review progress, accomplishments, and achievements, easily export all relevant information.

Want to get started? Start your free trial of Hive Goals today!

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Goals vs. Objectives: Your Guide to Navigating Them in the Workplace https://hive.com/blog/goals-vs-objectives/ Sat, 03 Jun 2023 03:00:50 +0000 https://hive.com/?post_type=blog&p=15491 Goals and objectives are two terms that are often used interchangeably in the workplace. While both terms refer to things that an organization wants to achieve, sometimes it can be helpful to think about them as distinct concepts that serve different purposes. In their own unique ways, goals and objectives in the workplace can be used to drive organizational success – read on to learn how.

How to compare goals vs. objectives

A goal is a general statement that describes what an organization wants to achieve in the long term. It is a high-level target that provides direction and purpose for the company. Goals are typically qualitative and are not specific to a particular timeframe. They can frequently be used to increase morale, help employees feel inspired to achieve something beyond just their team’s daily tasks, and create company culture.

An objective, on the other hand, is a specific and measurable target that an organization wants to achieve within a particular time frame. It is a concrete target that serves as a stepping stone toward achieving the broader goal. Objectives are typically quantitative and are designed to be achievable within a particular amount of time. They are also typically assigned by managers, while executives are more likely to assign goals.

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What do goals and objectives look like in the workplace?

Saying that goals are simplified and objectives are specific is only half the story. They’re each useful in their own ways if leveraged correctly – and a good goal leads to a solid objective. To better understand the difference between goals and objectives, here are a couple of detailed examples of how they differ.

Sustainability goals vs. objectives

Goal: To become the industry leader in sustainable manufacturing practices.

Objective: To reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 25% within the next five years.

In this sustainability example, the company aims to become the industry leader in sustainable manufacturing. The objective, though, is a much more specific way to get there: reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 25% within the next five years. This objective is specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART), making it different from a goal, which is more of a value-based target.

Customer satisfaction goals vs. objectives

Goal: To increase customer satisfaction.

Objective: To reduce the average wait time for customer service calls to under two minutes.

In terms of customer satisfaction, a relevant objective is to reduce the average wait time for customer service calls to under two minutes. The goal works two-fold – for a customer care team, customer service is a relevant and engrossing idea. However, it is also universal enough to be transformed into a value that a company can be driven by so that it can influence more objectives in the future.

Profit-based goals vs. objectives

Goal: To increase revenue.

Objective: To launch three new products within the next year.

Lastly, if profit is a company’s goal, then launching three new products within the next year is the perfect objective. The time frame and specificity in the number of products are what make this objective different from the goal. There is also more than one way to increase revenue, and this objective is just one of many ideas crafted by a team to feed back into this overarching aim.

Strategic planning goals vs. objectives

Goal: To expand market share.

Objective: To enter two new international markets within the next three years.

You can attempt to enter new international markets within a set timeframe by outlining an action plan that aligns with your broader mission. Provide a clear direction for your team, allowing for targeted efforts and resource allocation to penetrate new markets. With strategic planning, your organization can ensure that goals are supported by well-defined and actionable objectives. Create steps towards the larger goal, enabling your team to measure their progress, make informed decisions, and allocate resources strategically. These differentiations help ensure that your company remains focused and proactive in achieving its desired outcomes.

Tips for setting goals and objectives

Both goals and objectives are essential for organizational achievement. Goals provide direction and purpose, while objectives provide specific targets to work toward. Largely when setting goals and objectives, it is vital to ensure that they are aligned with the overall vision and mission of the organization. They should be designed to support the organization’s long-term strategy and should be prioritized based on their importance and impact on the company.

Use Hive Goals to make yours a reality

Clarity is also important to consider when setting goals and objectives. Goals provide clarity about direction, and objectives provide clarity for daily tasks. Measurement is another necessary part of clarity, as by setting specific targets, organizations can track their progress and adjust their approach if necessary. Having the right tools can make transparency and milestone-tracking easy (like Hive Goals), as teams can check in on how their objectives lead to their primary goals.

Having motivation in goals and objectives also gives employees a sense of purpose and enthusiasm. When employees know what they are working towards, they are more likely to be engaged in achieving their targets. Additionally, accountability should be in mind when setting goals and objectives, as accountability fosters motivation. When targets are clearly defined, it is easier to assess whether employees are meeting expectations and taking responsibility for their work. Finally, setting the right goals and objectives makes everyone ultimately aligned with their coworkers, departments, and a higher level of management.

When everyone is working towards the same targets, the organization has greater cohesion and alignment. And by making an effort to continuously improve in a mutually agreed-upon direction, companies can identify areas for improvement and implement changes to enhance performance and meet their objectives.

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5 Phases of Project Management You Should Never Miss https://hive.com/blog/phases-of-project-management/ Sat, 03 Jun 2023 02:45:55 +0000 https://hive.com/?post_type=blog&p=14972

Whether you’re just joining a role and trying to accomplish a new project, or your existing team needs help with tracking their progress, using project management is key. But it’s not as simple as just jumping in: without the proper phases of project management, you won’t be successful.

Unveiling the Key Phases of Project Management: A Roadmap to Success

Effective project management is essential for achieving success and making sure you deliver results. To ensure smooth workflow and maximized efficiency, the following five steps are key to achieving these goals. These phases provide a structured approach that allows teams to define project scope, plan tasks, execute strategies, monitor progress, and ultimately achieve closure. By incorporating these phases into your team’s workflow, you can enhance collaboration, facilitate processes, and increase the likelihood of project success. In this article, we explore each phase and provide insights on how to integrate them into your project management practices.

The phases of project management you need for every team

1. Initiation

Initiation is the first stage in project management. This stage aims to define the project scope, objectives, and identify key stakeholders. The team must identify what resources are available and the constraints of the project. During this stage, the project manager will create a project scope statement and a project charter that outlines the project budget, timeline, goals and more.

2. Planning

The planning stage is the second phase of project management. This stage involves outlining the tasks, activities, and timelines necessary to complete the project. The project goals and requirements are mapped out in the project plan that outlines the steps and tasks of the project. During this phase, the project team members are assigned roles and the necessary resources are acquired. Risk management and quality control plans are also put in place during this stage.

3. Execution

The execution phase is the third stage of project management. This phase involves the actual implementation of the project plan. The project team will work together to ensure that all tasks are completed on time and properly, while the project manager will provide guidance and direction. The project manager must also ensure that the team is sticking to the budget and timeline outlined in the project plan.

4. Monitoring

The fourth stage of project management is the monitoring stage. During this stage, the project manager will review the progress and make necessary adjustments to ensure success. The team must also continue to document their work, monitor the risks associated with the project, and keep the project stakeholders informed.

5. Closure

The closure phase is the final stage of project management. This stage involves the evaluation and review of the project. The project manager will assess any remaining tasks, review the timeline and budget, and determine if they were successful in achieving the goals of the project. Documentation of the project’s activities and outcomes will also be collected and archived during this stage.

Master the Phases of Project Management with Hive

Successfully navigating these rules requires the right tools and resources and that’s where Hive comes in. Hive offers a comprehensive project management platform that caters to the unique needs of every phase. With Hive’s intuitive interface and powerful features, you can seamlessly transition from initiation to closure while optimizing collaboration, task management, and progress tracking. Whether you are a project manager looking to streamline operations or a team member seeking a user-friendly solution, Hive has you covered. Start your project management journey with Hive today, and experience the efficiency, ease, and fun it brings to every phase of your projects. Try Hive for free, today!

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9 Free AI Text Generator Tools To Use At Work In 2023 https://hive.com/blog/free-ai-text-generator-tools/ Wed, 31 May 2023 15:55:00 +0000 https://hive.com/?post_type=blog&p=13284

Writing is a critical part of collaboration in the workplace – whether that’s project briefs, emails, meeting notes, product launches, or other content pieces. Getting these items checked off your to-do list can be very time consuming tasks and can build up quite a backlog next to some of the more pressing items. With the advent of AI and ChatGPT, we’re entering a new world of having AI writing tools to help you at work, regardless of the content you’re working on.

With the rise of artificial intelligence being used in content creation, customer support and more, AI writing generator tools are a welcome addition to tech stacks across the globe, helping teams stay competitive, efficient and strategic in their work. 

Whether you’re looking to create a prompt for a project, write a business plan or simply answer an email, we’ve gathered the best (and free!) AI text generator tools to use at work in 2023.

1. HiveMind

HiveMind

Not only can HiveMind create articles and respond to emails for you, it can also help plan strategic initiatives and manage projects.

HiveMind, the latest launch within Hive’s workplace productivity platform, allows teams to take full advantage of AI technology to make your workday run more efficiently, streamline your workflow and write content.

A few of our favorite ways to use HiveMind are to:

  • Respond to emails automatically
  • Outline steps for new product launches
  • Generate keyword dense SEO blog posts
  • Create original graphics to use on social media, your website, etc.

Anywhere you see the purple HiveMind icon in the Hive app, you can leverage HiveMind’s powerful predictive technology – mainly in Hive Notes, Hive Mail, and in action cards. So if you’re looking for a new project management solution with AI functionality, Hive is a great place to start. Check out this video tutorial of HiveMind to see it in action.

2. WordAi

wordai

WordAi is an AI writing generator that helps you create:

  • Quick and easy blog posts
  • White papers
  • Web content.

It uses natural language technologies to create human-quality content, ensuring that content appears more unique and professional. WordAi is also available in a range of languages, making it a perfect tool for companies looking to do business in international markets. 

3. Quillbot

Quillbot

Quillbot is an AI writing tool that allows users to produce high-quality content in just minutes. It uses a powerful algorithm to automatically generate personalized content. It can:

  • Provide accurate and interesting reading experiences
  • Offer potential customers an improved level of engagement with your brand

4. GPT-3

GPT-3

GPT-3 is an AI writing tool developed by OpenAI, a leading AI research lab. It provides a powerful writing assistant that can:

  • Craft content from scratch based on prompts from the user
  • Allows users to create more natural-sounding articles and blog posts with fewer grammatical mistakes

5. Automated Insights

Automated Insights dashboard

Automated Insights is an AI writing tool that leverages natural language processing technology to generate insights from data. It can:

  • Generate reports, summaries, and insights quickly and accurately
  • Has the ability to take raw data and turn it into written insights that can prove to be very useful for a marketing or sales team

6. Lumar

Lumar former Deepcrawl

Lumar(former Deepcrawl) is an AI writing tool that helps users create content that is optimized for search engines. It can:

  • Use natural language processing techniques to scrape content from the web and create content that is more relevant and visible in search engine results

7. Magic Write

Magic Write AI Text Generator & AI Writer Canva

Magic Write is a copywriting assistant available in Canva Docs that can help you write blog outlines, lists, bio captions, content ideas, brainstorms, product launches and more. Simply input keywords or a description of what you want the AI to generate, and Magic Write will create a draft of text in seconds which can then be used in content creation. It can:

  • Helps overcome writer’s block, generate ideas, and streamline content creation. 
  • Offers a limited number of free queries, but you can get additional queries with a Canva Pro subscription.

8. Byword

Byword is a tool that helps you generate high-quality, AI-written articles at scale. You can upload thousands of keywords or titles and create SEO-optimized articles in a few clicks. Simply enter a topic and click ‘generate’. No payment is required and you can get set up in just one minute.

Byword is set apart from other article writers because it’s packed full of advanced features such as:

  • Image Generation
  • Multi-Language
  • Social Post Generation
  • Custom Writing Styles
  • Specific Article Lengths
  • CMS integrations, and more

9. Hubspot

Hubspot AI writing

HubSpot’s AI writing tools is a new AI writing tool optimized to help you generate, edit, and even repurpose content to create fresh and high-value content to capture new customers and engage your readers. You can jumpstart your content strategy for social media, blogs, email marketing, and more by using HubSpot to turn rough ideas into polished content. With Hubspot you can: 

  • Check grammar and proofread copy
  • Create content that includes research and search engine optimization
  • Sync to existing HubSpot tools

As AI writing technologies become more accessible and affordable, they are likely to become indispensable tools in business operations in 2023. Are you ready to try it out an AI text generator for yourself? 

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The 9 Best AI Writing Tools For Essays, Blogs & Content In 2023 https://hive.com/blog/ai-writing-tools/ Wed, 31 May 2023 15:51:09 +0000 https://hive.com/?post_type=blog&p=13102 If you have recently spent time on popular social media channels such as Twitter or LinkedIn, chances are you have read all about the amazing benefits of artificial intelligence for writing — but also the OMG-artificial-intelligence-will-take-over-the-world-and-steal-all-our-writing-jobs rhetoric. All of the pros and cons of AI writing tools can be hard to keep track of. 

However, as a writer whose livelihood depends on the written word and content creation, I believe that AI writing is here to stay — and here to help. As much as I can see the other side of the argument (not the machines taking over, but the stealing our jobs argument), in my opinion, AI still has a long way to go before it starts stealing the pen from in between my ink-coated fingers.

So, until that day, I am firmly in the camp that using AI for content creation can be highly beneficial. If you are also interested in how AI tools can maximize your content output, follow along to learn about the best AI writing tools and how you can implement them into your workflow today.

How to pick the best AI writing tool for your content

HiveMind and RyterAI and JasperAI, Oh my!

While it doesn’t have the same ring as lions, tigers, and bears, it still brings forth the same apprehension that Dorothy Gale from the Wizard of Oz felt: the fear of the unknown and so many to choose from. So where do you start?

If you are overwhelmed by all the AI writing tools on the market today, and their use cases are all blurring together, here are my top AI tools that are definite content contenders.

1. HiveMind

HiveMind is an AI-powered tool built into Hive’s project management product that automates tasks ranging from content writing to data extraction and translation. This tool leverages NLP algorithms to generate summaries of long articles or documents quickly and accurately. HiveMind was built to work seamlessly within the Hive project management platform, and can also help generate project outlines, next steps, and respond to emails.

HiveMind’s AI was constructed not to just write blogs and essays for you but to increase user productivity and efficiency across the board. More than just a content builder, it is an assistant, project manager, and editor all in one.

HiveMind Pros:

  • Free with Hive plans
  • Access OpenAI’s full suite of AI services
  • Integrates with Hive’s enhanced suite of project management capabilities
  • Creates project tasks based on simple inputs
  • Responds to emails automatically

2. JasperAI

jasper ai dashboard

JasperAI, formally known as Jarvis, is an AI assistant that helps you brainstorm, edit, and publish excellent content. Powered by natural language processing (NLP), this tool can understand the context of your copy and suggest alternatives accordingly. It can also provide insights on trending topics and keywords, giving you a better understanding of how to craft content that resonates with your audience.

Jasper AI is a popular tool among many writer demographics globally. For more information, check out this Jasper AI review article which includes a real example use case for applying this tool in today’s digital landscape.

JasperAI Pros:

  • Easy-to-use interface
  • Integrates well with other writing platforms like SurferSEO and Grammarly
  • Excellent at writing long-form content like stories or essays

JasperAI Cons:

  • Can be pricy
  • Can significantly miss the mark, and the content output goes off the rails

3. RyterAI

ryterAI tool

RyterAI is a natural language processing tool that helps you create content faster, more efficiently, and more accurately than ever before. RyterAI’s usage of NLP algorithms will read through your text and offers personalized suggestions on how to improve it through grammar, word choices or by increasing clarity. It also identifies popular keywords so you can find the best ones to use for SEO purposes and rankings.

RyterAI Pros:

  • Excellent at grammar and spelling checks
  • Great at finding keywords to help you rank higher in search engine results pages (SERPs)
  • User-friendly interface

RyterAI Cons:

  • It can be expensive if you plan on using it for all your content needs
  • The final content still needs some tweaking/editing
  • Does not offer additional SEO features or 3rd-party integrations

4. Paraphrasingtool.ai

Paraphrasingtool.ai

Paraphrasingtool.ai is a one-stop solution for all your writing needs, issues, and queries. From creating fresh content like articles, blogs, or essays to checking for plagiarism, and grammar mistakes, this website has you covered. Most tools are free to use and accessible from any device. Paraphrasingtool.ai offer applications for mobile users. Premium users get access to complex writing needs. 

Paraphrasingtool.ai Pros:

  • Sleek UI, easy to use, and offers free modes and features.
  • Users can create, check and finalize their content in one place
  • Offers top-notch writing results that compare with other free essay writing tools

Paraphasingtool.ai Cons:

  • People with limited knowledge of AI tools might face issues using it
  • Monthly or yearly paid subscription is required for complex writing needs

5. ChatGPT

ChatGPT dashboard

You can’t search the web these days without someone mentioning ChatGPT and how it is revolutionizing AI content. But, it is just the new AI kid on the block, with more “fancy” features and a deeper code algorithm that “understands language.” Essentially, ChatCPT is a conversation AI engine that enables developers to create chatbots and other conversational interface applications.

Unlike other AI writing tools, ChatGPT is an open-source tool with several useful features like text prediction, dialogue flow control, and natural language understanding.

ChatGPT Pros:

  • Open source platform
  • It can be used to build complex conversational applications
  • Easy-to-use API’s

ChatGPT Cons:

  • Lacks the advanced features of other popular AI tools on the market
  • Limited support for languages other than English

6. Quillbot

quillbot AI paraphrase tool

Quillbot is an AI writing tool that takes text input and assists you with paraphrasing, checking grammar, identifying plagiarism and more. The AI-powered assistant can make your thoughts and ideas more coherent and fluent by rephrasing them with changes to vocabulary, tone and style. Easily customize your text using a slider feature along with a mode selection to adjust the output to your writing needs. You can save time using Quillbot’s summarizer and citation generator features and present your writing with confidence.

Quillbot Pros:

  • Can help improve vocabulary and language skills
  • Offers additional writing tools and features
  • Integrates with multiple platforms

Quillbot Cons:

  • May struggle with complex sentences
  • Limited customization options in the free version
  • Only available in English

Now that you have seen some of the top AI tools available today, let’s look and see which of the tools is best suited for your content needs. Of course, each tool has its pros and cons, and you might be more comfortable with one interface but like the output of another. For a more in-depth look, check out my winners below, as they might help you pick the right tool for your AI-generated content. 

7.Paraphraser 

paraphraser.io dashboard

Paraphraser AI is an excellent paraphrasing tool that can improve all written works. Paraphraser can find the most suitable synonyms and phrases to craft a compelling and captivating message. The software can also modify sentence structure, expand your word choice pool, change your message voice from passive to active and improve the readability of your copy. Paraphraser offers a monthly and yearly plan and a student package with a special discount rate. 

Paraphraser pros: 

  • It’s easy to use, straightforward, and free up to 500 words. 
  • Offers plagiarism and grammar checks 
  • Students only pay $9 per week for the premium package. 

Paraphaser cons: 

  • Limited free package. The premium package costs $23 a month. 
  • Website is not user friendly 
  • Pop-us and many adds might make navigation confusing 

8. Rapide.ly

Rapedi.ly

Rapide.ly is an AI-powered content generator for social media, allowing entrepreneurs and businesses alike to create captivating posts tailored specifically to their audiences. With Rapide.ly GPT-3 AI-designed brainstorming engine you can craft effective messages that engage your followers across multiple platforms such as Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn.

Rapide.ly pros:

  • Calendar prompts help your content planning to stay on top of celebration dates
  • Weekly trends for Reels (audio and ideas)
  • Monthly content creation challenges to improve your content performance on social platforms

Rapide.ly cons:

  • Pay version only after free trial
  • Limited languages (currently, only English and French)

9. Hubspot

Hubspot AI

HubSpot’s AI Content Writer is an AI-powered copywriter to help you and your business scale content output for your email, landing page, or blog post. By inputting a simple prompt or topic, the content assistant tools generate a first draft of engaging, researched, and tailored content for your use.

The AI content writer is designed to be user-friendly and work alongside any of your other HubSpot or external tools. You can provide additional details regarding your brand voice, customer persona, and additional entails to make your content exceptionally unique. Each content produced includes research, proofreading, and even SEO optimizations.

HubSpot Pros:

  • Excellent for grammar and proofreading
  • Content includes research and search engine optimization
  • User-friendly interface and sync with existing HubSpot tools

HubSpot Cons:

  • Still in the public beta phase
  • Content produced is a first draft which may require some additional tweaks and edits

What AI Writing Tool is best for you?

1. Best AI tool for Generating content automatically

Winner: HiveMind

HiveMind beats out the competition in this category thanks to its free plan, seamless integration with the Hive project management platform, and ability to create project tasks based on simple inputs. This AI tool is perfect as a content assistant that works off of previous successes, and it can be integrated into your current Hive work process.

2. The Best AI tool for writing long-form content

Winner: JasperAI

JasperAI wins this contest, hands down. With its long-form content writing capabilities and integration with other writing platforms like SurferSEO and Grammarly, it gets the long-form blog content job done. It offers excellent prompts to input tone of voice and keywords, and you can also use protective text and suggestions to help write the entire blog for you. Long-form couldn’t be easier with the help of JasperAI.

3. Best AI tool for writing social media posts

Winner: ChatGPT

Will ChatGPT take over the job of a social media manager on the web? Probably not. But helping us create social media tags, posts, and captions is a great way to utilize ChatGPT for content creation in your everyday marking activities. Furthermore, its open-source platform and conversation AI ability add to the reasons why it’s great for social media posts. And because it can ultimately help you quickly generate engaging content that resonates with your audience, this tool is an excellent addition to any content creator’s arsenal.

Key Takeaways 

From some of my top picks for AI tools to their best use case scenario – you definitely have a lot to consider when picking an AI writing tool for your content. While each one of the tools mentioned will get the job done, some are better than others, and only you can decide what tool will work within your content workflow.

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How To Set Confident Communication Goals for Your Team https://hive.com/blog/communication-goals/ Tue, 30 May 2023 20:23:11 +0000 https://hive.com/?post_type=blog&p=15051 Communication ­– the backbone of any team – is how goals get accomplished. But communication is only half the story. Teams often communicate, but their words can be unimpactful or even insecure. Mild suggestions and passive reflections can slow progress to a crawl, especially if hard decisions need to be made.

Thankfully, there’s a solution: crafting communication goals that emphasize and condition confidence into a team dynamic. Selena Rezvani, a consultant, speaker, and author of the book Quick Confidence: Be Authentic, Create Connections and Make Bold Bets on Yourself, due out in May, has some tips for fostering confident communication through effective and strategic goals.

What are confident communication goals?

“Many workplaces today use project management or messaging tools to streamline project and task-related communication, but so many don’t have communication goals when it comes to how teams come together,” Rezvani says.

Unfortunately, ignoring the importance of communication can create unhealthy patterns. Being nervous or apprehensive about potential conflict or blockers when trying to get goals accomplished is totally normal. This renders communication goals ineffective, as teams are too busy beating around the bush to get to the root of relevant topics.

“Unconfident communication happens all the time, often without people meaning to do it,” Rezvani says. “The issue is when a speaker shares an idea without confidence; people can’t read how “bought-in” the speaker is on what they’re sharing. So when in doubt, the audience might assume the speaker is either highly nervous – or not “sold” on what they’re sharing.”

To Rezvani, the solution for this problem is simple: creating confident communication goals that teams can execute.“Communicating confidently has the effect of perking up people’s ears,” Rezvani adds. “We may not realize it at the moment, but when someone speaks with conviction and self-assurance, we pay closer attention and listen like it matters.” 

Try Hive - Goals

The importance of confident communication

Building confident communication isn’t just about intentionally making your team more connected. It can create a ripple effect that facilitates a positive organizational culture boost. 

“One example is from Microsoft,” Rezvani says. “After the pandemic, they discovered their virtual meetings had multiplied in number and weren’t always focused. They developed a virtual meeting framework called CHARMS, which stands for Chat, Hand-raising, Agenda, Recording, Moderator, and Support. This shorthand became an internal communication mechanism allowing employees to facilitate and communicate with purpose and intention. It also encouraged everyone to participate in meetings, even if their contribution wasn’t verbal.”

Examples of confident communication goals

For those having trouble setting communication goals, try these confidence boosters out for size – because for Rezvani, all you need to do is try. 

“Being a confident communicator does not mean every idea you recommend or statement you make needs to be totally perfect or bulletproof. Not at all. Part of being a confident communicator is knowing that not every idea will be embraced or accepted, and that’s okay.”

1. Every meeting, strip the filler

Getting into the habit of confident communication means getting rid of filler words like “like,” “um,” or “uh.” Also, make a habit of getting rid of filler conversation, the kind you’d use to avoid talking about a difficult topic.

“It also requires getting in the practice of using more surefooted, decisive language – the kind that tells people where you stand,” says Rezvani. “Using tentative language when in fact you have a strong position: “We could interview another job candidate” versus “I think we should interview another job candidate”.”

2. Start making assumptions 

Next, rather than using conjectural language, Rezvani recommends throwing out expectations. This paints a picture of what the future could look like in very specific terms so that your team can begin to believe that results can occur.

“Don’t use hypothetical language rather than assumptive language: “If we get approval from executive sponsor…” versus “When we get approval from our executive sponsor…”.”

3. Test out five recommendations in one week

There’s an old saying: “ask for forgiveness, not permission.” And in the workplace, you can begin to cultivate a sense of leadership by requesting rather than asking, as it’ll make your desires known in a more convincing way.

“Stop using permission-seeking language when we actually have the recommendation to make: “Can we accelerate the launch timeline?” to “I’d like us to reconsider the launch timing and accelerate the timeline.”

4. Hold regular round robins

Lastly, Rezvani recommends that teams lead with the human element to make their relationships stronger. Before every meeting, she says, hold a round-robin to start things off right. 

“Building round robins into your meetings can make a huge difference,” she says. “You can ask people to share balanced feedback on a project or direction – for example, one thing they’re excited about and one thing they see as a concern. That makes it safe to air an issue. Another thing teams should strive for is shared airtime. As the meeting facilitator, it should be your goal to curb over-talkers and to build spaces and moments for those who are more reserved or quieter to contribute.”

5. Share wins every time

Lastly, rather than passively letting accomplishments go by, make a concerted effort to celebrate, share, and appreciate team wins. Hive Goals makes sharing wins easy, as the platform will let you know when milestones have been accomplished.

“People can share one win that’s happened in the last week and one thing they’re doing for their self-care, as examples. Not only do you end up getting to know each other better, you develop a mutual cheering section among teammates.”

Use Hive to reach your communication goals

Are you ready to start setting some goals with your team? You’re in luck — Hive’s newest (and most exciting) feature is Goals. Everyone wants to know how they’re moving their organization forward, and your team is more than just a project. With Goals, you can set various goals, visualize progress, and keep everyone aligned in one centralized dashboard. You can also:

  • Create one, ten, twenty, or more goals for your team, so everyone understands what they’re contributing to.
  • Centralize and automate your goal tracking and reporting.
  • Pull data from other systems into Hive to streamline operations and reporting.
  • Share your goal or goals, assign the goal to relevant teammates, track activity, and give yourselves a deadline.
  • Understand how your team and organization are pacing towards an individual goal or a set of goals.
  • Color-coded designations allow an easy understanding of “on-track” items.
  • When it’s time to review progress, accomplishments, and achievements, easily export all relevant information.

Get started, today!

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The Art of Managing Productivity in a Hybrid Work Environment: A Guide for Employers and Managers https://hive.com/blog/hybrid-work-productivity-guide/ Fri, 26 May 2023 20:55:07 +0000 https://hive.com/?post_type=blog&p=18088 Adapting to the new normal of remote work, organizations face unprecedented challenges in managing productivity in a hybrid workforce. 

In fact, a report declares that only 20 to 25% of the workforce can work from home between 3-5 days a week without a loss of productivity. The infinitesimal pace at which the rate progresses prompts employers and managers to implement measures to sustain an optimal level of productivity.

This guide is packed with insights, strategies, and practical solutions to help you manage your team’s productivity and achieve your goals in a hybrid workforce. Read on to get the answers to all your productivity woes!

Understanding Productivity in a Hybrid Workforce

It’s important to understand how employees perform when working remotely and hybrid. Employers and managers need to assess the team’s productivity to ensure it remains optimal — even with half of the staff working from home or another location.

Identifying Factors That Affect Productivity in a Hybrid Workforce

Identifying factors that affect productivity in a hybrid workforce can be tricky; it’s difficult to determine the cause of any drop in performance. 

The best strategy, in that case, is to look at the bigger picture before making assumptions—there are several factors that can impact productivity.

Employers and managers should consider if the shift to remote or hybrid work has caused changes in influencing performance variables. Motivation, communication, technology, workloads, and working hours are all key factors to consider here.

These shifts in the way we work can be supported when companies take on digital adoption software platforms. These platforms are becoming increasingly important as enablers of digital transformations in organizations. 

If motivation is an issue, employers and managers should look into providing additional support with rewards for completing tasks or even introducing employee swag during onboarding. Similarly, implementing team-building activities or virtual meetings can encourage collaboration and communication. 

Understanding Employee Needs And Preferences

Understanding employee needs and preferences is critical to managing productivity in a hybrid workforce. As an employer, you need to take the time to learn about remote and hybrid employees’ professional goals, expectations, challenges, and communication styles. Hence, they can create an environment where everyone can thrive. 

This means providing the subordinates with the necessary resources to do their job well, such as the right technology and access to virtual team-building activities.

Managers should also be mindful of potential disparities in experience or access between remote and hybrid employees and find ways to bridge these gaps. 

Moreover, employers must encourage open communication and feedback loops from all staff members. This could take the form of regular check-ins with each employee to discuss their progress, challenges, and goals. 

Neal Taparia, founder of Play Minesweeper, adds, “You should also understand the personal needs and schedules of your employees. For example, some may need to pick up their kids in the afternoon. By accommodating workflows around their personal needs, you can set them up to be even more productive.” 

Establishing Clear Expectations and Goals

Employers and managers need to maximize productivity and ensure their hybrid workforce reaches its full potential.

As a team manager, you must create specific, measurable goals for each team member. Establishing clear expectations and goals will help employees focus their efforts and energy in the right direction. 

With clear goals, employees will better understand their roles, duties, timelines, and performance standards. And with the help of an online goal-setting software, managers can also monitor individual performance more effectively, as well as provide team members with a benchmark against which they can measure their success. They can create a culture of accountability, where everyone feels responsible for the team’s success.

Try Hive - Goals

Additionally, it’s important to provide employees with regular feedback. Hence, they know what they are doing right and where to improve.

Tools And Strategies For Managing Productivity

Effectively managing productivity requires the necessary tools, strategies, and resources at hand. This includes leveraging productivity-boosting technology and fostering effective communication. 

Employers need to invest in technologies such as secure remote access solutions, productivity tracking tools, messaging platforms, and cloud-based collaboration tools. These are the must-have tools to run operational tasks and create a work environment conducive to productivity.

Providing Employees With Necessary Technology and Resources

Employers need to recognize the importance of providing their hybrid workforce with the necessary technology and resources. Access to web conferencing tools, project management systems and collaboration applications can help keep communication clear and consistent — particularly when employees are working remotely.

Team managers need to coordinate with the HR systems and arrange useful training sessions to bring everyone on the same page. This will help employees learn to use remote access solutions, productivity tracking tools, and messaging platforms. 

However, the job is not done yet! Providing workers with tech support is also a crucial aspect. It ensures that the employee’s technology issues are quickly resolved. 

If budget is a constraint in the business, a free VPN platform can be utilized to support safe browsing, secure transactions, and workflow management for the team. 

Implementing Effective Communication Strategies

Effective communication is the fundamental key to the success of a team. Employees should be encouraged to communicate regularly with their peers, managers, and other stakeholders. 

Employers can foster this culture of communication by providing employees with online forums, chatrooms, and other digital spaces where they can interact and share ideas. 

Additionally, employers should cultivate an open and transparent environment where employees can share their thoughts and opinions. The communication protocols should also be well-defined and understood by all employees. This can help prevent misunderstanding, confusion, and frustration. 

Offering Flexibility in Scheduling and Work Arrangements

Flexibility in scheduling and work arrangements can effectively build a healthy work environment conducive to productivity. This includes offering flexible hours or part-time schedules, allowing employees to work remotely on an as-needed basis, and setting up remote collaboration hubs.

By providing these sorts of options, employers can ensure that their hybrid workforce is engaged and productive while respecting their employees’ needs and preferences. Hence, employees can come together to share ideas and collaborate. 

However, it is critical not to overdo this aspect and facilitate employees with unnecessary leniency, or it may backfire as a declining productivity graph. 

Encouraging Teamwork and Collaboration

Effective teamwork and collaboration are foundational to uplifting the productivity graph. Encouraging teamwork and collaboration creates a healthy work environment, promotes a positive attitude, and inspires creativity and innovation.

When individuals come together and work towards a common goal, they can achieve far more than they could have done individually. Working together helps achieve the desired outcome, fosters a sense of community, and enhances relationships between team members. 

This can be done through activities like remote team building or virtual happy hours. Additionally, providing resources such as video conferencing platforms or shared file storage solutions can bridge the gap between remote employees. It creates an environment where collaboration is encouraged. 

Monitoring and Measuring Productivity

Inspection and monitoring are pivotal to keeping the momentum going in the workspace.

Employers need to monitor and measure the productivity of their hybrid workforce in order to ensure that they are staying on track. This can be done through employee performance management systems, allowing employers to track progress and compare employee performance across time periods. 

Metrics such as hourly or daily productivity goals can help employers determine how their team is performing and make adjustments if necessary. By monitoring and measuring these metrics and KPIs, employers can ensure that their hybrid workforce meets expectations and stays productive. 

Building a Productive Culture in a Hybrid Workforce

With a mix of on-site and remote work, managing a hybrid workforce brings unique challenges for leaders. One critical aspect of managing a hybrid workforce is building a productive culture that promotes employee engagement, collaboration, and accountability. 

This requires a thoughtful approach to communication, collaboration tools, and leadership strategies that promote inclusivity and trust. Here are a few strategies that managers can adopt to create a workplace that embraces innovation, productivity, and engagement in a hybrid workforce:

Creating a Positive and Supportive Work Environment

One of the essential elements in building a productive culture in a hybrid workforce is creating a positive and supportive work environment. It strikes a sense of belonging and fosters a positive attitude among employees. 

A positive and supportive workplace instills a sense of camaraderie and unity among employees. This atmosphere cultivates a positive attitude, which enhances productivity and improves employee well-being. 

Employers must set clear expectations and provide feedback to create a positive work environment. This helps to establish trust and accountability between management and employees. 

Recognizing and celebrating employee achievements also encourages a positive workplace culture, increasing job satisfaction and loyalty. Ultimately, a positive and supportive work environment is a worthy investment in the success and sustainability of an organization.

Fostering Employee Engagement and Motivation

Engagement and motivation are key drivers of productivity — especially in the context of hybrid workforces. Organizations can establish a positive work culture that boosts productivity and employee satisfaction by prioritizing employee engagement and motivation.

Engaged and motivated employees are more inclined to be productive and committed to their work. Employers can increase employee engagement by providing opportunities for growth and development and recognizing employees’ efforts. It creates a sense of purpose that aligns with the company’s mission and values. 

Recognition is also an essential tool for promoting employee motivation. Employers can recognize employees’ achievements through rewards, public acknowledgments, or simple thank-you notes. Recognizing employees’ efforts can help build a sense of community and create a positive work culture.

Promoting Work-Life Balance and Mental Health

Maintaining a healthy work-life balance and mental well-being is crucial in a hybrid workforce. With the rise of remote work, it’s easy for work and personal life to blend, resulting in burnout and mental health concerns. 

To address these challenges, employers should prioritize promoting work-life balance by setting achievable goals and expectations for their staff, providing flexibility, and encouraging regular breaks and self-care practices. 

These measures can help employees feel more empowered and productive. This empowerment leads to a better work-life balance, improved mental health, and higher job satisfaction. These measures can help employees feel more empowered and productive. 

This empowerment leads to a better work-life balance, improved mental health, and higher job satisfaction. Ultimately promoting a positive culture that values employees’ well-being and performance.

Recognizing and Rewarding High Performance

Recognizing and rewarding high performance is an effective way to motivate employees and improve productivity. When workers are recognized for their hard work and dedication, they feel empowered and ready to go the extra mile. Appreciation not only boosts their motivation and morale but also encourages them to continue performing at a high level. 

Employers can offer financial incentives such as bonuses, stock options, or pay raises as a way of acknowledging their employees’ contributions. Additionally, offering opportunities for promotions and advancement within the company can also serve as a motivating factor. 

Acknowledging employees’ achievements through public recognition or a sweet and simple thank you note can go a long way. It creates a positive work environment and boosts overall productivity.

Overcoming Challenges in Managing Productivity

Managing productivity in a hybrid workforce comes with its own set of challenges. Employers must address issues related to remote work, communication barriers, distractions, and time management to ensure their employees remain productive and engaged.

Employers are advised to adopt new strategies and tools to ensure employees remain productive and engaged, regardless of location. Here are some effective tips for overcoming the challenges of managing productivity in a hybrid workforce:

Addressing Issues Related To Remote Work

The rise of remote work has brought a myriad of challenges for both employees and managers. However, managers can overcome these obstacles and maintain high productivity levels with the right strategies in place.

One of the most powerful ways to tackle issues related to remote work is to establish clear expectations and goals. Managers should communicate regularly with their remote teams to ensure every team member stands on the same ground and works towards the same objectives. This helps minimize confusion and ensures everyone is focused on the most important tasks.

Additionally, it is important to establish a culture of accountability and trust within remote teams. Managers should encourage employees to take ownership of their work and hold themselves accountable for meeting deadlines and achieving their goals. At the same time, managers should trust their employees to work independently and provide support and guidance when needed.

Handling Communication Barriers and Misunderstandings

In a hybrid workforce, effective communication is essential for ensuring everyone is on the same page and working towards common goals. However, communication barriers and misunderstandings can arise, leading to confusion and decreased productivity. 

To mitigate these issues, employers should address communication barriers and encourage open communication among employees. This might include providing clear instructions and using collaboration tools such as video conferencing, telecommunication, and instant messaging. This use of technology creates a culture of transparency and collaboration in the workspace.

By prioritizing communication and taking proactive steps to address misunderstandings, employers can help their teams work more effectively and achieve better results.

Dealing With Distractions and Time Management

In today’s hybrid work environment, distractions and time management issues can hinder an employee’s productivity. To navigate this issue, employers can take steps to assist their employees in managing their time effectively. 

One approach is to set realistic deadlines that provide enough time to complete tasks without causing undue stress. Another strategy is prioritizing work assignments so that the most critical projects receive the most attention. 

Providing support, resources, and time management training can also benefit employees. Ultimately, by helping employees manage their time better and reduce distractions, employers can enhance productivity and promote a healthier work-life balance.

Managing Workload and Avoiding Burnout

Managing workload and avoiding burnout is becoming increasingly important in today’s hybrid workforce, where employees often juggle multiple responsibilities simultaneously. 

Employers need to be vigilant in monitoring their employees’ workload to ensure that it is manageable and doesn’t lead to burnout. This can involve reassigning tasks, providing additional support and training, and prioritizing workloads effectively. 

Additionally, supporting employees’ mental health and providing resources for stress management can be crucial in helping them to manage their workload and avoid burnout. By prioritizing these efforts, employers can create a healthy and sustainable work environment that benefits both the employees and the company as a whole.

Final Word

Managing productivity in a hybrid workforce demands a proactive and strategic approach from employers. The key to success lies in creating a conducive work environment that fosters employee engagement, supports work-life balance, and recognizes high performance. 

While the challenges of remote work, communication barriers, and distractions can seem daunting, HR managers can leverage the strategies outlined in this article to build a productive culture that benefits both the organization and its employees. 

With the right mindset and tools, employers can successfully navigate the complexities of managing a hybrid workforce and achieve their productivity goals.

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