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Every workplace will experience conflicts between fellow workers or between team members and their leaders. This is normal due to the variety of personalities and roles. No conflict should be taken lightly, because if not addressed properly, it will lead to reduced teamwork, decreased morale, and lower productivity. Conflict in the workplace must be resolved immediately so as not to hinder work and change the office atmosphere. This time we will provide some tips to handle employee conflicts and create a healthier work environment. What are the most common causes of employee conflicts in the workplace? Common causes of employee conflicts are poor communication and personality clashes. Every employee has different work habits, skills, values, and temperaments. Clashing egos between employees or competitive sides create conflict at work and create tension. Or if an organization lacks transparency and unclear instructions, it will lead to misunderstandings and employees will make their own conclusions. Unresolved conflicts will cause stress and frustration. This is bad for the environment, and managers or employers must immediately resolve any conflicts effectively. How can managers identify early signs of employee conflicts? Managers can identify early signs of conflicts by any changes in workplace behaviors and communication patterns. The most obvious way is to see visible frustration toward colleagues by looking for dismissive body language such as sighing or frequent eye-rolling. The next step is to see how employees communicate or collaborate.  If conflict exists, employees avoid communicating with each other. If managers do not immediately handle employee conflicts, team discussions will not run smoothly, increasing the possibility of mistakes in tasks, lower work quality, missed deadlines, and other bad things. If employees don't show any difference in their behavior, watch for their avoidance or absenteeism. Sometimes employees take longer breaks or are absent for sick days to avoid confrontation. Or someone will avoid meetings and not participate much in group projects. Do organization need conflict management skills? Yes, every organization needs conflict management skills, especially leaders. Handle employee conflicts effectively to ensure that every employee remains productive and has a healthy work environment. Conflict management skills are abilities to identify, address, and resolve problems in a constructive manner. These skills will help organizations prevent conflicts and turn disagreements into positive communication and opportunities for growth. 6 Simple Strategies to Turn Conflict into Team Advantage If team leaders show that they have good conflict management skills, each team member will feel at ease with the condition of their organization, ensuring that any conflicts will not continue to occur, finding the best way to reach agreements. We have prepared several ways to resolve conflict at workplace below. Tips to handle employee conflicts Every conflict has its own difficulties, depending on how complex the problem is. But if you have a surefire way to handle conflict, then no matter what the problem is, you will be ready to solve it. Are you ready for some conflict resolution strategies? Let's read it out. Learn to listen The most important key to communication is learning to listen. Sometimes people just want their opinions to be heard by others, without giving others the opportunity to speak or express their opinions. Teach each of your employees to have active listening skills, not interrupting others when they are talking, absorbing all information from the other person. If each employee learns to listen to people closely, they will learn to respond in a more understanding way. This will bring a positive work culture by not prioritizing emotions when communicating, because it is necessary to listen to the opinions of each employee. Do not underestimate small conflicts Sometimes leaders will ignore small conflicts because they think they don't have much impact on the work. This will continue to escalate if left unresolved. Starting from small things, employees who are at odds will start to show dislike for coworkers and can change their thinking from being objective to subjective because of small unresolved problems.  Encourage employees to speak up any problems before they become serious. The most common thing that happens is that some people think a joke doesn't need to be taken seriously, but there are some people who take jokes seriously or take it personally. If this is not straightened out, it will lead to many things in the future. Open communication Create a work culture where employees can freely express their concerns. Sometimes employees feel stressed at work because they feel their voices are not heard. Once each employee has active listening skills, open communication will ensure that each team member feels heard and understood.  Create a special meeting time to discuss whether or not there is conflict within the team. At that time, each employee can provide suggestions or criticisms to coworkers, and do not forget to provide solutions to become constructive critics. This will lead to respecting each other's opinions, improving individual values ​​according to coworkers' assessments, and finding problem points more easily. Neutral third party Sometimes a problem requires direct resolution or needs to be resolved respectfully with each other. But if employees do not resolve the issues themselves and there is a heated discussion, a neutral third party such as HR or a manager needs to step into the conversation. The third party will facilitate constructive discussions, note down any problems conveyed by both parties, and help both sides reach an agreement.  After the discussion is over, the third party gives employees time to shake hands and apologize to each other to avoid any hurt feelings and foster respect. By handling conflicts effectively, organizations can strengthen teamwork, improve employee satisfaction, and create a positive work environment. Hopefully, you can use all of the tips from SMEBrother, whether you do them one by one according to your needs, or combine some of these tips to be implemented directly to your team.  Do you still need other information about SME? Immediately check the SMEBrother website and get all the information about business licensing, tips for leveling up your business, opening a new business, etc.

Having a team with high productivity is the desire of every business owner. A blend of talents who can collaborate will produce good cooperation for the same goal. Everyone understands that team productivity makes a significant difference between each individual's work. That's why a productive team is a must, especially if you are in the digital era where everything feels fast and you must always adapt to survive. SMEBrother has prepared best practices to boost team productivity in the midst of this fast-paced digital era. What does team productivity mean? Team productivity is the effectiveness of a group of people to complete assigned tasks and achieve a common goal within a specified time. A productive team or not can be measured by how much the team produces and how well they work together. Team performance is not only seen from the performance of each individual, but involves everyone's skill, coordination, and motivation to complete tasks, challenges, and opportunities. Even though you have top talent, but if they can't collaborate and have one goal, then easy tasks can't be completed. But, even though you don't have top talent, but your team is solid, you can get the desired output with the right time or even faster than expected. How do you measure productivity in your team? Measuring team productivity is good business sense. Ensuring that every employee can work well will increase employee engagement, higher financial performance, and customer satisfaction. There are several ways you can do this, such as measuring team focus time, calculating team tasks, and using surveys. First, check each employee whether they are using their working time optimally and staying away from distractions. Although collaboration is key, team performances can be maximized if everyone's is in the same focus. To achieve shared success, employees must devote individual time to get a deep work and use their critical thinking. For example, using effective meetings with no time to waste, using a productivity management software, reminding employees not to use their phones except for work matters, etc. Second, you can see from how many goals the team has completed in their timelines. If the marketing team sets a goal with 10 sales in 1 month, see what percentage of sales are when entering the final week. If it has reached more than 6 sales, then your team is on a good track. Plus, you can ask for feedback from each team member to rate each other in areas related to team productivity. When employees can rate and respect each other, they will start to motivate, understand, and help others to solve problems and avoid conflicts in the long run. Top ideas to manage a productive team in the digital era Having a productive team is not a dream, because you can always fight for it. We have collected best practices to boost team productivity and maximize your business outcomes. Set clear goals Without goals, your team can't aim something together or have no clear purpose. Clarity in purpose is needed to get significant achievements together. How to create team goals? By regularly reviewing and communicating goals. Once you have set goals for your team, you can create monthly meetings to review goal progress, plus ensure that your team members understand and always align with them. You can visualize the goals by creating visual representations of it to keep your team focused and motivated. Using the right tools and technology One of the advantages of entering the digital era is that it makes it easier for us to align the team with the goals to be achieved. You can provide your sales team with a Customer Relationship Management system or CRM system to support the team with a customer service platform. These management systems can track prospect interactions and what prospects need.  Once you have the tools, you need to conduct surveys and meetings to identify areas that use tools whether they can enhance business efficiency or not. For example, if your team feels that the new tool does not provide a significant effect, they can suggest new tools with better task visualization features, easy to use, or more efficient project management software. Basic Guide About Team Building Objectives and Goals Not all good software with lots of reviews can work in alignment with team needs. You need to adjust to the team's capabilities, invest in training sessions to ensure team members can utilize the tools and other resources well. Flexible working conditions Pay attention to your team members by determining what time they can reach peak productivity time. Not all jobs have the same maximum working hours, because each job has its own advantages and disadvantages in each field. You can create flexible working conditions or offer employees to work remotely to increase productivity, significant increase in output, and get employee job satisfaction.  If possible, you can offer flexible hours or remote work, suiting the employee's working style and personal commitments. But remember, each team member and leader needs to agree on each schedule to be able to align the completion of the task as a whole. Task prioritization By prioritizing tasks, your team can focus on high-impact activities and team's efforts can produce more results. Prioritizing tasks can be seen from urgency and alignment with strategic goals. You need to ensure that each task can allocate resources effectively and avoid burnout to achieve better results. You can find a software development team to review ongoing projects, what percentage of progress the task is in progress, and ensure the team is still on focus on urgency. Train every team member to identify and prioritize individual tasks to foster a sense of responsibility and ownership. Team productivity is something that business owners need to always monitor, because good collaboration and being on the same goal will ensure business progress. By implementing these best practices, you can create a positive company culture that not only values ​​efficiency, but also fosters mutual respect, adaptability, and a sense of belonging. The goal is to create a team that not only has great individual skills, but also employees who thrive on innovation, collaboration, and shared success.  SMEBrother has many other tips and tricks to improve your business level from small business sized, medium business sized, and above. Stay tuned for other interesting information from us, and hope this article can help you stand out in the digital era with your precious team.

Job fairs are valuable events for business owners and HR leaders to get top talent and showcase their brand's culture and career opportunities. The digital era has made the development of the career world increasingly rapid, and HR leaders must continue to adapt to stand out in the market. One way is to know the job fair trends and apply them. The trends not only enhance the candidate experience but also streamline the hiring process and increase the effectiveness of the job fair you will attend. SMEBrother will cover it up in this article, let's check it up. Do job fairs adapts? Yes, job fairs adapt to the job market and technology. For example, job fairs offer virtual options for those who cannot come in person. Plus, employers can provide virtual resources like industry insights, resume reviews, and interview preparation tips. You can save time and money, applicable to both employers and job seekers. Traditional job fairs are still widely used, but continue to adapt to technological developments such as providing QR codes for complete information from the company, sharing website and social media links, using web links to inform application requirements, etc. That’s why learning about job fair trends is a must for employers. Do employers need to prepare for a job fair? Yes, because before you connect and interact with potential candidates, you need forethought and planning. Seeing results in a job fair is not something instant. You need to have a pre-job checklist to set up your success. Some of the most important things to prepare are recruitment goals, how to attract target audience, plan the booth, test the technology, and create backup plans. Top Ways to Attract Top Talent at a Job Fair Defining a recruitment goal will make it easier for you to choose what position you are looking for, what skills and qualifications you need, what job description is suitable for new candidates, etc. Once the recruitment goals have been made, you can sort the demographics of job fair attendees and the number of expected job seekers that suit your needs. Tell the recruiter to promote your company by aligning attendees with the skills you need. Make the booth as attractive as possible, plus test the technology such as laptops, projectors, QR codes, printers, and everything for your booth needs. Don't forget to have backup plans such as spare laptops, data on flash drives, folding tables if the event doesn't provide tables, etc. Job fair trends and innovations to get maximum potential We have prepared the best job fair trends that you can consider before you attend the next event. Speed interviewing candidates With the possibility of many attendees coming to your booth, you need to prepare a speed interviewing method to ensure all candidates can be handled and you get their resumes for follow up. Speed ​​interviewing allows employers to get an overview of skills and experience and build a rapport even in fast conversations. The speed and accuracy of potential candidates in answering is a plus, showing that they are eager to get the spot, critical in processing something, and have high focus. Invite staff at all levels to participate in a job fair Potential candidates can meet with different types of roles in your organization, and employees can have direct conversations with candidates who fit their fields. Plus, employees can show what they can get while working in your organization, how the company maintains their talents, how is the company culture, etc. This will bring a lot of positive results from existing employees and potential candidates. Implementing VR and AR to engage candidates You can implement virtual reality (VR) or augmented reality (AR) for your next hiring event. Create a unique experience for potential candidates by simulating real-world scenarios by providing virtual tours of the workspace, taking a look inside your organization and candidates can engage with interactive content. Interesting things will attract candidates because they can judge that your organization intends to show the best for candidates in the most unique way possible. This value can be an important consideration for job seekers, to assess the value of your company. Hosting invite-only events Job fair events are the first step to find as many candidates as possible and align them with your needs. After the day is over and you have a meeting with your team, you can start creating new events, invitation-only as a follow up to potential candidates. Don't give too much time from the job fair day and your invite-only events, so that top talents don't immediately look for other organizations. This way can bring you many opportunities to get top talents, because your follow up will have a high retention rate. Plan a gift One way to attract new talents is to prepare gifts. For example, you can make corporate gifts in the form of notebooks and pens, umbrellas, water bottles, or T-shirts with your company logo. Useful and quality items can ensure that they will be used by the recipient according to their needs. This will bring joy to students or job seekers at the job fair. Not only how you give simple gifts, but also how you please the audience and spread your brand widely. Portfolio review When job seekers come to your booth, ask them to make their LinkedIn profile as attractive as possible, even if they bring a resume. This session can be an opportunity for job seekers to present themselves in the best possible light, and you can provide a personal counseling session about it. By providing value to potential candidates for their portfolio, candidates will feel helped to find other jobs even if they cannot join you. Having some innovations and job fair trends will make you always stand out in every event and can attract more talents. The goal is to maximize your resources and need new ideas so that your company value is more unique and diverse, does not seem monotonous and can attract top talents. Hope SMEBrother can help you in implementing a job fair, and we have prepared various other articles for business preparation for business owners, tips and tricks for employers to get the best team, and many more. Check our website for valuable information, and take your business to the next level with us.