Top 5 qualities your employees should have

Finding hard-working, retainable employees can be one of the most difficult tasks any company owner/HR person faces. Some companies look for the more experienced workers, while some look for inexperienced workers to train in the way that the company prefers. But past that, what qualities should a potential employee possess? Qualities such as dependability and reliability are the traditional characteristics that come to mind, but there are some that are just as important to consider but often overlooked.

(1)    Look for someone who will give others their due credit. That’s a valuable trait and signifies a team member. It may not be easy to find in all employees. It can be easy to take credit for others’ work to build up one’s own career and résumé. It is the person who acknowledges team members’ work and the group effort in completing a task or project that shows good character. This trait helps others feel appreciated and in turn can help retain them longer.

(2)    Seek employees who can perform duties cheerfully and with a positive attitude. Negativity can spread like a wildfire within a company. Having positive employees is a huge asset that can’t be ignored. Employees who complain about doing tasks outside or even within their job description can change the mood of other employees and lower productivity substantially.

(3)    Employees should have a strong work ethic. These are the people you can count on to do the job right. In business today, finding honest workers who hold themselves to a higher standard can be one in a million. Avoiding short cuts and doing the task right the first time tend to be characteristics of someone with a strong work ethic. Also, following department, company and government rules is an important factor in determining whether someone has this trait.

(4)    Every job ad these days requires, “good communication skills.” However what you should be looking for is above average communication skills. Employees who can communicate well via e-mail, phone and face-to-face are a hot commodity. Think about the e-mails you get on a daily basis. Are they professionally written and represent their respective companies well? It’s important that the employee can express ideas, thoughts and information in a way that the recipient can immediately understand..

(5)    Look for people who exceed expectations. We’ve all known people who do only what they are asked and nothing more. Look for people who are willing to go above and beyond to not only improve their department but also the company. These people will bring in fresh ideas and will work until the job gets done right.

This list of attributes a quality employee should have goes far beyond this list. It is important that you determine the most important factors for your company and stick to them. Don’t sell yourself short and settle for people who don’t meet your standards. Remember, the people you hire represent you and your company. What do your employees’ characteristics say about you?

8 Ways to Avoid Costly IT Mistakes

We all make mistakes. Some are minor, such as misspelling a word. However IT mistakes number among the worst. They are costly and can be truly damaging to your business. Here are some suggestions to help avoid common mistakes, or stop them before they cost your business thousands of dollars.

Avoid making the same mistake twice.  Create a binder with your company/IT team procedures. Add solutions to past issues and new procedures, as they are created. Include an index for ease in locating solutions. Keeping this binder up-to-date is very important. Include all members of the company/IT team to ensure you cover all of your bases. Finally, make sure everybody has a current copy to ensure mistakes are never repeated!

Learn from other’s mistakes. Why make an IT mistake that someone else has already made? Communicate with other companies similar to yours. Join related LinkedIn groups or simply stay current in your IT news by reading articles.

Back-up your data. An estimated 60% of companies who have lost their data will close within 6 months of the disaster. Whether this is a natural disaster, hardware failure or virus, a company’s data shouldn’t be stored just locally. Having a back-up of your system could save you thousands of dollars.

Choose a reliable IT provider. Often, the most cost-effective way to get the quality service you need is to reach out to an IT provider like DPOE. Such providers can give you packaged or customized services to fit your needs. For example, DPOE provides three packages that will fit a range of needs from basic to all-inclusive.

Keep your data secure. Not only should your data be backed-up, it needs to be secure. Ensuring that your network is set up to protect against viruses, spam, malware and more should be a top priority for you and your IT provider.

Don’t fall behind; keep up with technology. Technology is constantly improving. How many times does a new computer or phone seem out of date in six months’ time? Don’t fall behind the times. Read recent articles and stay informed of updates. New technology makes work easier and data safer.

Train your personnel. Invest in training for employees, and avoid costly mistakes down the road. Following initial training, plan periodic refresher courses and continuing education options. Keep open lines of communication between employees and their supervisors. Answer questions before they become thousand dollar mistakes.

Communicate well, listen better. The phrase, “communication is the key,” is absolutely true.  Plan weekly or monthly meetings where open communication is encouraged. Projects and current work can be shared with others, along with struggles and obstacles that may impede completion of a project. It’s important to allow employees the chance to communicate their concerns and also ensure everyone is involved and working together to find a solution.

If you can follow these key steps, you can and will avoid costly mistakes that could put your business under. As Syrus once said, “From the errors of others, a wise man corrects his own.” We should always strive to learn from our mistakes, but we should continually try to avoid the mistake whenever possible.