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Workplace Wellbeing

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Stepping Out of Your Shadow At Work

Workplace Wellbeing
Table of Contents
  • Top 4 Articles About Depression in the Workplace

    • Outline:

    Stop me if this has happened to you. You’re in a meeting at work, brainstorming about ways to improve business and sales for the next quarter. You make an input into the discussion about a way to enhance the company’s revenue stream only to be dismissed by your manager. Minutes later your colleague makes the same suggestion, and your manager thinks it’s a wonderful idea and tasks them with leading the project. You leave the meeting feeling disgruntled, disrespected, and promising yourself that you will apply for a new job the moment you get home.

    When it comes to our workplace wellbeing it’s important that we give it the priority it deserves. This disheartening situation from the example above is unfortunately a common occurrence amongst most workers and has happened to all of us at least once in our professional careers. Repeated instances can lead to workplace ostracism, and subsequent depression in the workplace. We all deserve to feel engaged at work and to be treated with the respect and recognition for our efforts by our employers and co-workers.

    We hope that by sharing this information it gives you the tools to address these issues, or the courage to speak to someone about making a change.

    Here are some excellent articles which discuss the topic of workplace ostracism in greater detail.

    Top 4 Articles About Workplace Ostracism

    1. HBR – What to Do When Your Boss Is Ignoring You.

    What to do when your boss is ignoring you

    2. The Irish Times – Enhance Your Visibility At Work

    Enhance your visibility at work

    3. Psychological Science – Workplace Ostracism More Distressing than Harassment.

    Workplace ostracism more distressing than harassment

    4. Frontiers in Psychology – Consequences of Workplace Ostracism: A Meta-Analytic Review

    Consequences of workplace ostracism

    Here are some excellent articles which discuss the topic of depression in the workplace and how to cope.

    Top 4 Articles About Depression in the Workplace

    1. HBR – How to Manage an Employee with Depression

    How to manage an employee with depression

    2. Forbes – Mental Health In The Workplace: The High Cost Of Depression

    Mental Health in the workplace The high cost of depression

    3. The New York Times – When Your Job Harms Your Mental Health

    When your Job Harms your Mental Health

    4. World Health Organization – Mental Health at Work

    World Health Organisation Mental Health at Work

    Career Guidance – What is an Office Manager?

    By

    Breakdown of what is an office manager explained

    Click Here to apply for our latest jobs

    Table of Contents

    What is an Office Manager?

    An office manager acts as the support and facilitation for an organization. That is, the office manager is essentially in charge of completing the administrative tasks necessary to keep a business running. Generally office managers’ skillsets are both highly interpersonal and organizational. The job is largely clerical and requires strong organizational skills and attention to detail, combined with strong leadership and communication skills. While the emphasis is on the administrative necessities of any business, by virtue of managing an office, this includes working with a number of different departments and individuals to ensure that everything runs smoothly. Office managers act as office support at the highest level, providing aid with the necessary administrative tasks that keep a business running.

    What are the daily duties for an Office Manager?

    In terms of daily duties for office managers, these can range from maintaining procedure regarding payroll, employee hours, and processing paperwork to hiring and training new employees, and planning meetings and work-related events. As office manager, one’s role ranges from highly clerical to highly interpersonal, and it is a great benefit to have both these skill sets. Similarly, they also handle protocol for that office, including formality in relation to human resources, and health and medical protocol. That is, the office manager is in charge of ensuring that the business as a whole runs smoothly from an organizational perspective. Rather than working in the field itself, they are focused on the running and functioning of the office.

    Job Description for an Office Manager

    To summarize this into a general office management job description: Office managers are in charge of ensuring that a business runs smoothly on a daily basis. This includes managing paper, schedules, and being the point of contact for many different departments. While highly organizational and clerical in nature, oftentimes handling specific reports, protocols, and technical necessities, the office manager is also extremely communicative, and works with nearly every aspect of the business closely. Through understanding of the role as high-level office support, the office manager job description emphasizes the clerical and administrative nature. This administrative side requires comfortable use of phones, databases, and familiarity with essentially all required protocol and rules of the office itself. That is, an individual who is extremely organized and detail oriented is required for the office support side of office management.

    What are the essential skills and qualifications necessary for an Office Manager?

    To be a good office manager, there are a number of different skill sets that are hugely beneficial. The office manager job description essentially breaks the main skills down into three main categories: organizational, managerial, and technical skills. Under the organizational umbrella are tasks like maintaining records, planning meetings and events, scheduling and facilities, and document preparation. These all require strong attention to detail and prioritizing skills. Managerial skills fall into the more interpersonal and leadership qualities. These kinds of skills, for an office manager, include problem solving, delegating tasks, and communication. All of which are vital to be able to maintain a functioning and productive office environment. Finally the technical skills of the office manager are competence with various tools oftentimes used in these tasks. These include Microsoft office, excel specifically, document preparation, and the knowledge of how formal paperwork is completed and executed. Generally technical knowledge is all of that which goes into organizing any office procedure whether it be tax documents, hiring forms, or the technology used to schedule meetings.

    In terms of professional qualifications,  office managers do not require a specific degree or training course, rather, the emphasis is on previous administrative or clerical experience. With that being said, however, a good way to gain this experience and demonstrate competence when applying for an office manager job is to have taken an office manager course. These office manager courses can be offered online or in person through any number of Dublin and Irish institutions. If you are interested in reaching a professional qualification in entering the office management field, simply google office management courses and choose the one most suited to your needs from those offered.

    With that being said, the purpose of these courses and more formal training is to be able to clearly demonstrate these necessary clerical abilities and the skills required to balance the many tasks asked of the office manager. These courses emphasize the technical and skilled nature of office support and administrative work, that requires a great deal of specified knowledge of procedure, software, and organizational systems. In entering an office manager field, it is highly beneficial to be familiar with some of the most used of these, including Excel, familiarity with tax and legal documents, as well as familiarity with scheduling software, phone skills, and managing large numbers of people and tasks at once. These courses are aimed at providing familiarity with the technical and administrative aspects of the position.

    What is the salary of an Office Manager and are there career expectations?

    According to ie.talent.com, the average office manager salary is €39,176 annually, with the entry level salary starting around €35,000 and highly experienced office manager making up to €50,000 per year. The discrepancy between the entry level and the highest average salary tends to be a result of skill and experience, rather than education level. Though there is an impact in starting salary of one’s education level in a specific field, in the cases of office manager salaries, one’s experience has more of an effect than one’s education, per se. The office manager courses discussed above, in this scenario, are not necessarily as an educational aspect, but rather, to demonstrate a level of skill and experience. In an office manager job, experience is arguably the most important. This generally is due to the complex nature of the career itself. In order to be an effective office manager, one has to be able to balance the clerical and vital tasks of the functioning of an entire business. Rather than just paperwork for HR, or payroll, or any individual department, they must be able to work cohesively with all of them, and generally report to a high- level official within the structure of the business, whether it be a CEO or an executive.

    Employment Trends 2023

    By

    Employment Trends 2023
    Table of Contents
  • Outside The Box Thinking!
  • Conclusion:

    • Tangible Hiring Goals For Your Business

    Overview: Where Both Parties Stand!

    In our recent survey it is clear the gap between job seekers and employers is heightened due to financial constraints for both parties. According to the CSO, “in September 2022, the volume of Retail Sales fell by 3.1% during the month and decreased by 7.0% in the year.” In addition to this drop in sales there has also been a fall in advertising spends as 66.667% of industries have decreased their media investment throughout 2022.

    According to October 2022 CSO statistics the unemployment rate in Ireland has risen to 4.4%. This is an increase of 0.1% from September figures as the percentage of unemployed males has increased by 0.1% as well as persons aged 25-74 years. This number is expected to increase this month following the latest layoffs by tech giants, Twitter, Meta, Stripe and Microsoft.

    Job seekers are demanding more flexibility from their employers. In order to accommodate the rise in cost of living, 60% of our surveyed working professionals moved out of the city during the pandemic. These individuals are looking for opportunities to reduce their commuting costs by seeking hybrid or remote working positions.

    Of the remaining 40% of our surveyed working professionals, those based in Dublin County have been affected by increased rent, increased mortgage rates, or forced relocation as landlords move to sell their rental properties. Those dealing with forced relocation are struggling because of the Dublin housing crisis and are being forced to either pay higher rent or move further from the city.

    These challenges faced by workers are being thrust upon employers. A recent survey by The Economist shows that the cost of living in Dublin is among the highest in Europe. The Independent.ie confirms that rising inflation and higher taxes hit consumers on the double. Businesses are being forced to pay higher wages for office workers and/or make concessions by offering hybrid or remote working positions.

    How Are Businesses Managing With This Situation 2

    How Businesses Are Managing With This Situation

    Role Merging

    Definition: As companies restructure to adapt to financial constraints, there has been an increase in role merging, where employers are combining multiple positions into the role and responsibility of one worker.

    Benefits:

    1. It can be an effective way to save costs.
    2. It is an effective way to increase productivity with individual workers

    Negatives:

    1. Creating new opportunities by merging roles requires highly skilled candidates, which limits your options of available workers.
    2. By make the role more complicated it can be more expensive to hire the right person
    3. It will also take longer to fill the position and may require you to hire a non-EU applicant. This will involve providing sponsorship, which is costly, time-consuming, and expensive.
    4. Typically existing staff are more likely to take on the responsibility of a merged role. In our survey 1 in 2 employees will leave their current employer within 1 year of working of being asked to take on the responsibility of a merged role.
    Graduate Programmes:

    Definition: Some employers are investing in graduate programmes to provide newly educated professionals with the opportunity to learn and further develop their key skills needed to work in their organisations.

    Benefits:

    1. A graduate training programme is a way to bridge the gap between university and work.
    2. Graduate programs can be an affordable hiring option.
    3. Gives you first access to talent identification.
    4. Fresh perspectives and innovation.
    5. A way to diversify your workforce.  

    Negatives:

    1. Typically, only larger companies can afford to offer graduate programmes.
    2. You need to invest time in training.
    3. If a graduate can’t see a career path, they may move on from the role quickly.
    4. A more experienced professional often has plenty of experience in working in your industry, that specific role and as part of a team, compared to recent graduates.
    Outside the Box Ideas

    Outside The Box Thinking!

    Renting Office Spaces Closer To Home

    According to Forbes 54% of employers believe that they will have a full return of their workforce to the office by January 2023. However, 87% of working professionals have listed hybrid work environments as their most desirable requirement for new career opportunities. The fiscal reasons, previously explained above, for workers to favour a blended work environment are understandable and reasonable.

    When we posed the following question in our survey to employed professionals who commuted from outside of Dublin County:

    “If your employer rented a workspace (e.g. WeWork) for you and your colleagues which was closer to your residence, as an alternative to working from home how would you feel?”

    • 81% would be happier to not have to travel into the Dublin City for work.
    • 90% agreed they would prefer to not be working alone.

    In a follow-up question, we asked:

    “How far would you be willing to travel for you to consider this as an alternative to working-from-home?”

    • 90% feel it should be less than 20% of their current commute
    • 10% feel it should be less than 50% of their current commute.
    Latest Hiring Opportunities:

    Tech giants like Twitter have recently laid off a number of their employees, from departments including ethical AI, marketing and communication, search, public policy, wellness and other departments. This is an incredible opportunity for your business to hire some exceptional candidates, who can add value to your business. As a number of these employees were initially hired through third party recruitment agencies, you may already have a lead.

    Conclusion:

    At Hall Recruitment we listen to our candidates concerns in order to advice our clients effectively regarding the latest employment trends, so you always attract the most qualified applicants.
    If you need help finding the right candidate let us help you below…

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    Career Guidance – Payroll Administrator

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    What is a Payroll Administrator?
    Table of Contents

    What is a Payroll Administrator?

    A payroll administrator is a finance professional with knowledge in administration and accounting. Generally, payroll administrators are in charge of the upkeep and maintenance of payroll within a company. That includes ensuring that timesheets are accurate and up to date, managing employee data, and that ensuring payments are made on time. Payroll administration is an incredibly important aspect to a functioning business, and the administrators themselves play a vital part.

    What Are Payroll Administrator Duties?

    On the daily, a payroll administrator has an array of duties from calculating payable hours, withholdings, bonuses, or deductions. Generally, payroll administrators need to be comfortable with detail oriented, complex tasks, and numbers. Familiarity with the financial intricacies is key to a quality payroll administrator, as well are organizational and administrative skills. Ultimately, as a finance professional, payroll administrators need specific knowledge and oftentimes qualifications in order to enter the field. These include payroll and VAT training, VAT referring to the value-added tax, is a tax on payable goods or services. Payroll administration courses specifically focus on the operation of the tax system, how its calculated, and relevant accounting processes. Though oftentimes there are computer programs that help in the daily arithmetic and tracking of regular payment, a payroll administrator must be aware of what these do, and how, as well as comfortable with using them. That is, these payroll courses and qualifications generally go into the minutia of tax and payment laws and regulations, how to work with and around them, and how they apply on a relevant basis.

    On top of the knowledge and skills of accounting, tax and payment regulation, and the computer skills necessary, payroll administrators oftentimes are also tasked with being the point of contact between employees and the business as a whole to answer questions and respond to concerns with payroll. This means that on top of the administrative and financial skills necessary, there is a level of personal touch, and ability to work well with people. Not only are payroll administrators finance professionals with a detailed knowledge of accounting processes and organizational skills, but also vital aspects to the running of a company in terms of employee relations. The fact of the matter is, employees need to get paid, and in that, the job of payroll is a simultaneously employee centred and numeric role.

    How is Payroll Tax Calculated?

    If you are familiar with receiving a payslip, than you are definitely familiar with the taxes on what you earn. These payroll taxes fall into three major categories: income tax, universal social charge, and pay related social insurance. It is vital to, as a payroll administrator, understand the payroll tax calculation and how they relate to the accounting within the business.

    The first step in calculating payroll tax is one’s income tax. This is based on the amount one earns after pension and permanent health insurance are deducted. The standard starting tax rate is 20%, and any income about this rate goes to 40%. From here, one’s gross Income Tax Is calculated by adding the amounts taxed at the standard, and higher rate of tax (20% and 40% respectively). Any tax credits you have are then used to lower the amount of tax that you pay.

    If you are an Irish Resident, you have a Personal Tax Credit given to you by Revenue. This is standard, and given to all residents earning money in the state. Given outside circumstances, you are able to apply for additional tax credits, but be sure to check revenue.ie to see what credits you are eligible for. Similarly, not all tax relief is necessary a credit, there are credit amounts listed in tax rates, bands, and relief charts. For more information on tax credits, visit revenue.ie.

    After your income tax is calculated, there is then the Universal Social Charge, which is also dependent on your income threshold. Visit https://www.revenue.ie/en/jobs-and-pensions/usc/calculating-usc.aspx to calculate the USC tax rates that apply to you.

    Finally, the third layer of calculating payroll tax is the PRSI (pay related social insurance), which, again, relates to the amount you earn.  To check the level of PRSI that applies to you, visit https://www.gov.ie/en/publication/80e5ab-prsi-pay-related-social-insurance/.

    To learn more about the Irish tax system, and what you are likely to be paying in tax, visit revenue.ie, where you can calculate the amount of each tax you are expected to pay. While at first it is confusing, it is incredibly important to understand, as an employee, how your taxes work.

    Which Are The Best Payroll Systems?

    Another vital thing to consider when looking at payroll administration is what software to use when calculating payroll. Using a good payroll software, and understanding how to use it, can save massive amounts time, especially considering the complexity of payroll administration as a whole. The top ranked payroll software, according to accountantonline.ie, is BrightPay, which emphasizes its easy-to-use interface, as well as focusing on maintaining and managing payment of current employees, while the administrator takes more of a hands on role when employees join or leave.

    Other top-ranked software for managing payroll include SimplePay and Sage, which have email support, strong data storage, and allow employees to view their payroll information on an app or online. Choosing the right payroll software for a business is extremely important, thankfully, many of the top, most popular software are hugely helpful to managing the ins and outs of payroll. Especially considering the complicated nature of accounting, between the tax that gets calculated as discussed above, and managing any changes in an employees including hours and any raises or salary changes.

    While choosing a payroll system or software, there are a number of things to keep in mind. Most importantly, are how well they work given the revenue structure, that they pay automatically and accurately, and that your data is safe and backed up. By using a software like the ones discussed above, especially at a larger company where there are more employees with various specific salaries, bonuses, or changes in payment, using a software like above can streamline the process as a whole.

    Career Guidance – Payroll Manager

    By

    Career Guidance Payroll Manager
    Table of Contents

    What is a Payroll Manager?

    Payroll management is vital to the functioning of any workplace. Payroll manager is a finance professional, meaning that they are comfortable and skilful with financial matters, including, but not limited to, payment. Arguably, payroll is one of the most important features to a functioning work environment, and for that reason, the payroll manager is a critical role. As payroll manager, you essentially bear the responsibility for all payment processes within the business. This includes payslips, liaising with accounting, revenue reporting, and delivering 3rd party files to ROI payroll. As payroll manager, you are also responsible for maintain accurate records of employment, including hiring, firing, and pay changes for employees. You also tend to be an extremely important HR contact, and often act as a HR representative.

    So what are the skills that are required to succeed as a payroll manager?

    Firstly, it is vital to have strong organizational and administrative skills. Payroll is hugely detail-oriented and number-focused. It is a good idea to have strong administrative and attention to detail skills, similar to those that are necessary for accounting.

    What is the difference between a Payroll Specialist versus a Payroll Administrator?

    Though, as payroll manager, there are necessary skills that lean towards accounting or administration, in working in payroll, there is a slight but important distinction between the job titles related to working in payroll. Essentially, a payroll administrator versus a payroll specialist helps to illuminate these distinctions. Payroll manager refers to a similar role as a payroll administrator in terms of overseeing the entirety of payroll as a department, rather than simply the payroll duties of an individual department. With this distinction in mind, a payroll manager or a payroll administrator has a lot of clerical duties, focused on the organizational skills necessary to be able to ensure the timely, regular payment of employees as a whole. Oftentimes, also responsible for organize the compensation required based on hours worked on a broad scale. A payroll specialist, on the other hand, is more centred on the individual payroll and ensuring that each employee is paid for their work and for their time. They often also use a lot of accounting skills and handle the accounts for the business and the individual.

    Responsibilities of the Payroll Manager

    While the responsibilities of the payroll manager is essentially ensuring that all individuals get paid for their work, this requires a lot of organizational, accounting, and administrative focus. As well, they require a good bit of knowledge on the accounting process and accounts administration to be able to perform the duties as required. On a day to day basis, a payroll manager is also a people- centred position, so friendly attitudes and ability to communicate key information are vital to the job description. Responsibilities that come with being an important point of contact in the HR department, including handling complaints, problems, and client requests is key, and its essential that a payroll manager is able to provide friendly support. On the other side of this, payroll managers are in charge of the entirety of processing the payroll each week, or each payment term, and at the end of the year payroll as a whole. As a finance professional, is it incredibly important to be able to use the vital payroll and financial systems, like the Resourcelink payment calendar. 

    Experience and Skills

    There are a number of super important skills to be a successful payroll manager, not solely limited to the organizational, administrative, accounting, and social skills we have already discussed. Oftentimes, payroll managers requires a knowledge of payment software and necessary qualifications. Payroll software like PAYE, PRSI, and USC are all necessary aspects to working as a payroll manager. These programs and software are vital to being able to perform all necessary duties in a timely and legal manner. On a CV when applying for a payroll manager position, its great to highlight working with these payroll software or any experience with them or similar ones.

    Similarly, like other finance professional careers, payroll management oftentimes requires specific coursework and qualifications. Specifically, usually one must have an IPASS qualification, which is the Irish Payroll Association’s course. There are a number of payroll courses, both online and in person, that can be hugely beneficial in creating a CV for a payroll job. Oftentimes, qualifications through online payroll courses with the Irish Payroll Association or with another similar organization are necessary. If you feel that perhaps payroll management is a good career fit for you, there are a number of online resources and payroll courses themselves that can help jumpstart your CV for a payroll management job.

    Job Expectations

    This is all to say that payroll management is a vital, but also difficult career, which requires knowledge of a number of specific payroll software, government regulation organization, interacting with clients and employees, and specific certification in order to get a payroll job. However, this career is also hugely rewarding. Essentially, the payroll manager is in charge of one of the most important aspects to any successful business. On top of that, payroll management is a comfortable career. According to Indeed.ie, the average income of a payroll manager in Ireland is €58,236.

    Conclusion:

    This is all to say, payroll management is a difficult career, that works at the intersection of Human Resources at accounting, and requires the technical skills of the latter, and the personal skills of the former. However, it is also a rewarding, and vital job that is necessary to the functioning of any business or work life.

    Career Guidance – Executive Assistant

    By

    Career Guidance Executive Assistant
    Table of Contents

    What is an Executive Assistant?

    Executive assistance is a great choice for jumping into the business world. On a daily basis, as executive assistant you are in charge of the tasks like scheduling, organizing documents and records, note-taking, and managing the phones. Executive assistants are vital aspects to the functioning of a business and require a great deal of skill in their positions. Basically, an executive assistant is an expert in their own right about the functioning of a business, in aspects like project management, administration, and office support.

    What is the difference between an Executive Assistant and a Personal Assistant?

    Though both positions are assistants in title, there is a notable difference between the tasks and the skillset required for each. Personal assistants generally work as a support for an individual in not only their business or work needs, but also in some aspects of their personal lives. Executive assistants are professionals in administration, and can manage the clerical and administrative needs of multiple executives, in some cases, as well as generally work with executives or high ranking company personnel. Personal assistants, alternative, generally manage the needs of one individual, and can be a lower-ranking professional than would be assigned to an executive assistant.

    While the basic difference between an executive assistant and a personal assistant is in performing tasks strictly for one’s business life versus one’s personal life as well, this difference tends to permeate other aspects of the careers. As mentioned, executive assistants are effectively administration experts, and while both positions require a similar set of skills, there are certain edges that makes executive assistants distinct.

    Qualifications for Executive Assistants.

    The best way to outline what an executive assistant is, and does, is to go over what one needs in order to fill the role. Executive assistants need strong organizational skills, and excellent communication skills, and competence with Office software. Generally, executive assistance aid in system administration, which relates to the technology used by the given office. Essentially, system administration is the upkeep or maintenance of the computer systems in relation to their role in the office, specifically. System administration is an important skill for executive assistance, in terms of being fluent in the software necessary for the functioning of the given business. Skills like excel, Microsoft word, and various specific data-bases are hugely beneficial, though the specific systems will vary by location.

    Similarly, executive assistants play an incredibly important office-support position. Office support refers to the daily functioning of the office as a whole, managing phones, answering inquiries, and so on. Executive assistants, as the people who manage the office-life and maintenance of high level personnel tend to play an incredibly important role in this matter. Office support skills are generally those of an assistant in terms of organization, scheduling, and communication skills.

    If you think that an executive assistant position might be right for you, there are a number of skills that are of prime importance to demonstrate on a CV, or in an interview. According to teambulding.com, the top three skills are organizational, multitasking, and time management, with communication skills being an important fourth. Essentially, these skills are all vital to keep up with the fast moving, changing, and organizational place of executive functioning. As an assistant, you are in charge of essentially managing the administrative and clerical tasks of the executive, whether that be meetings, taking calls, or managing other corporate maintenance. With that being said, these environments tend to be fast-paced and ever changing which means adaptability and organization are unbelievably crucial. The systems administration and office support aspects are necessary for working within the frameworks of that given system. Communication and people skills are the final piece to this puzzle. In managing someone’s scheduling inherently involves dealing with other people, as well as dealing with the executive you are working for, of course. With that involves important verbal and personable skills when meeting with people and communicating with not only your direct boss, but with all of the people that they, and you, will be interacting with on a regular basis. Moreover, written communication skills are also essentially for scheduling meetings, and handling administrative tasks in and outside of the office.

    Top tips when applying for an Executive Assistant job.

    This section will help you determine if the role of an executive assistant is the right fit for you. We have also shared a few tips on the best skills to highlight in your application as well as your potential salary expectation.

     As far as technical requirements go, most companies will not require a third-level degree to be an executive assistant. However, they will require either previous experience as an executive assistant or in a similar field as a professional assistant.

    While a bachelor’s degree is not required, they can be incredibly helpful to your application. Courses or certification in management, business, or systems administration can make you a more desirable candidate when you apply for the position of executive assistant.  

    Travelperk.com, recommends possessing a certification in one or more of the following:

    • Administration
    • Business Management
    • Computer skills e.g. Microsoft Office, G-Suite
    • CRM
    • Project Management- this involves the same skills and a similar job description as an executive assistant.

    When we consider the skillset required for an executive assistant more-often-than-not businesses hire for these roles through recruitment agencies like Hall Recruitment.

    Executive assistant jobs can be more competitive to get, so by ensuring you have the necessary certifications and relevant experience you are making yourself more employable. Utilising professional networking platforms such as LinkedIn, is incredibly important, especially considering the high-level individuals that you will be working with. So remember to be careful about what you post!

    Salary Guide:

    The average salary of an executive assistant has recently increased.
    According to jobs.ie, they have reported an average increase of 3.37% in 2022 compared to 2021. Glassdoor.ie states that the average salary is € 45,445 per year in Ireland. In Dublin, the range is usually with a minimum of €40,000 and maxes out around €47,000 per year.

    The average salary of an executive assistant has recently increased.

    -jobs.ie

    Conclusion:

    Executive assistance is a vital, fast-paced, exciting job, though it can be stressful, you will be a vital aspect to the functioning of big businesses at the highest level, and can be extremely rewarding.

    Business Leaders: Should Embrace Social Capital

    By

    Harness the power of Social Capital rather than fight against it.

    Social Capital
    Table of Contents
  • Companies that focus on improving employee happiness will in turn see their businesses thrive.
  • Conclusion

    • Introduction:

    You’ve probably heard about the loneliness epidemic. According to the World Health Organization, a third of people surveyed worldwide report that they don’t feel satisfied with their relationships. The effects of curtailing the spread of COVID-19 during the height of the pandemic have brought these issues of loneliness into the forefront of business culture.

    We’re all looking for community, create it at work.

    We’re all looking for community and that’s true at work, too. As a business leader and as an individual, you want to feel connected with others in your organization. You want to be understood, accepted and valued for who you are. Most importantly, you want to belong somewhere. Creating social capital is about creating these types of relationships within the workplace so that employees feel part of something bigger than themselves.

    The average person spends 81,396 hours at work.

    Avg Day Breakdown 1

    Imagine you work a 9-5 job. You’re at your desk, staring at a computer screen with only yourself for company. Suddenly, there is a knock on your office door. You look up and see one of your colleagues standing there smiling at you with a cup of coffee in hand.

    As they walk into the room they greet you warmly “Hey Joe! How’s it going?” They sit down across from you and ask how things are going on your end? Before long, the two of you are chatting about everything from work life balance to their favorite TV show. This could easily be considered an example of social capital within business relationships, because we see two people forming genuine friendships based on common interests outside the workplace environment itself – something which would not have happened if either party had been isolated throughout their workday without any social interaction whatsoever!

    The point here is: People spend more time at work than they do with their families – so why wouldn’t they develop friendships there? The workplace environment is arguably one of our most socially interactive settings; where else could we interact closely with other people for extended periods each week without feeling bored or lonely?

    Friendship at work isn’t an accident.

    Friendship at work is not an accident. People spend upwards of 40 hours a week at the office, so it’s natural that they would want to make friends there. It’s also important to note that friendships at work are very important to people; in fact, research has shown that employees who feel connected with their coworkers are more productive and satisfied than those who don’t.

    Data shows that having a best friend at work is strongly linked to business outcomes

    Let’s get one thing straight: having a best friend at work is not a shortcut to success. It’s not a magical potion or the key to unlocking some kind of secret chamber beneath the building where you’ll find all of your company’s secrets.

    But data shows that having a best friend at work is strongly linked to business outcomes, including improvements in profitability, safety, inventory control, and employee retention. So how can you harness this power for yourself?

    First and foremost, create an environment where friendship can grow. If you want people to be friends (or just friendly), give them space and time together — it will help them forge stronger bonds than if they’re always competing against each other for resources like money or clients or recognition from higher-ups. Make sure workers have opportunities for one-on-one conversations rather than group meetings whenever possible; encourage collaboration between people who might normally be rivals; offer rewards for employees who make time for others’ needs before their own—all these things will foster friendships between colleagues and make everyone more productive as well as happier in their roles at your company!

    Leaders must create the environment where friendship can grow.

    In order for your organization to harness the power of social capital, you must create an environment where friendship can grow. This means creating a culture of trust, respect, collaboration, inclusion and fun.

    • Trust: In order for people to feel comfortable around each other they need to know they will be treated fairly and with respect by others who have similar interests or goals as themselves. If this is not present in an organization then it can result in conflict and low productivity – especially when there are multiple departments involved within one company (such as IT vs Marketing). When there is no trust between groups then communication becomes more difficult because people don’t share information freely which makes it harder to work towards common goals together as part of a team rather than individually alone on their own tasks at hand instead.
    • Respect: In addition to fostering collaboration between teams within organizations we also need respect for one another outside those immediate relationships as well; even if someone doesn’t belong within our circle yet still deserves basic human dignity from us regardless what their job title might be or how much money they make per year (if any at all!).

    How do you encourage growth in the business when half your workforce is working remotely?

    The answer lies in the form of social capital.

    Social capital is the glue that binds people together, and friendship is its foundation. Social capital is a form of human capital—the intangible benefits gained from interacting with others—and it can have profound effects on an organization’s financial performance. According to Harvard Business School professor Sebastian Thrun, founder of Udacity and Google X: “The investment into these friendships and communities has been shown to be a very powerful tool for improving productivity by building networks, reducing stress levels (i.e., burnout), increasing job satisfaction and engagement.”

    In particular, he cites research from Stanford University showing that managers who are more socially connected are able to achieve higher sales targets than their less-connected peers because they can draw on the power of their social circles to get things done faster than those without such connections would be able to do independently or through traditional channels like emailing/calling other employees directly within their organization as well as outside it (e.g., reaching out through LinkedIn).

    The first step is creating a culture where friendship can grow. According to Dr. William H. White and Dr. James M. Houston, friendship is an essential component of effective teams; it also leads to increased motivation and productivity among employees who have formed close relationships with one another.

    If your company doesn’t already encourage friendships, you might consider implementing a hybrid or blended work environment that allows employees from different departments and levels to mingle more regularly (such as having lunch together every day). In addition, offer opportunities for people at all levels within your organization—from interns through senior management—to make friends at work by organizing events like karaoke nights or happy hours on Fridays after work!

    Finally, learn how to leverage a culture of friendship and collaboration within your organization: encourage collaboration between departments so everyone feels included in decision-making processes; promote open communication among staff members using email chains rather than memos alone; remind yourself daily why each person works so hard for this company because they want something good out there in return!

    Define Social Capital, Human Capital, and Financial Capital?

    Social Capital:

    Social capital is the glue that holds society together. It’s the trust, norms, and networks of relationships that help us to return favors, build community and resolve conflicts peacefully.

    Human Capital:

    Human capital refers to our unique set of skills and abilities that help us to achieve our goals in life. These can be learned through education or training programs (e.g., “customer service training”) but also through experiences outside of the classroom (e.g., “learning how people respond when I solve their problems on a personal level”).

    Financial Capital:

    Financial capital refers to all types of assets – from cash in your bank account to stocks in your portfolio – as well as debt liabilities owed by others (e.g., mortgages).

    In the battle between company policy and human nature, human nature always wins. The evidence suggests that people will fulfil their social need, regardless of what is mandated. Companies do far better to harness the power of this kind of social capital than to fight against it.

    -Harvard Business Review

    Companies that focus on improving employee happiness will in turn see their businesses thrive.

    We live in an age where our smartphones are constantly connected to the internet, and we have the ability to connect with people on a global scale. Yet, despite these advantages, loneliness is on the rise. We’re more connected than ever before but feeling more isolated than ever before too.

    Loneliness affects 8% of people in any given year and can increase your risk of heart disease by 26%. It also costs society €660 Million per year (according to RTE) in health care expenses, so there is a huge financial incentive for companies to invest in creating an environment that encourages their employees to build stronger relationships both at work and outside of it.

    The key here is taking advantage of social capital: how you build trust, share knowledge and work together towards common goals as part of your organization—all while having fun doing it!

    Conclusion

    The importance of social capital is something that we’re seeing more and more people talk about these days. Companies should be cultivating a culture that encourages friendship, collaboration, and camaraderie among their employees.

    For example, we recently spoke with a major technology company whose leadership recognized the importance of social capital in fostering an environment where people feel valued and connected. They created a program where new hires were paired with older employees who could guide them through the challenges of their first year on the job. This mentorship system not only helped new hires acclimate to the culture at this company but also gave them friends for life!

    There are many ways to encourage friendship in the workplace. The key is to create an environment where people can be themselves and build relationships, which will ultimately lead them to be more productive and fulfilled at work.