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How Your Business Should Manage Resource Allocation

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Resource Allocation

A project containing multiple moving components can be difficult to organize. However, managers can lighten the burden through the use of resource allocation. Resource allocation helps team leaders ensure that a project has all of the proper resources to meet deadlines. Additionally, resource allocation gives managers an overview of what their teams are doing each day.

Resource Allocation 101

The base of resource allocation contains three parts: people, time, and tools. People encompasses individuals who have the skills to get the project done. Time is determined by the deadline of the project and ranges from only a few days to several years. Teams need to delegate the proper amount of time to each task in order to meet an overall project deadline. Meanwhile, tools include the technology or resources that people will use to get a project accomplished. Groups might have to share these tools with other people within a company.

Team managers and department heads need to rely on one another to effectively map out resource allocation. Managers need to work concurrently to determine which employees are suitable for specific tasks, as well as to plan a project’s timeline. How teammates are alerted or a project is tracked depends on the size of the company and the complexity of its projects.

What Affects Resource Allocation

As with other business practices, resource allocation can be affected by a variety of factors. These variables can be broken into two categories: project and team variables.

Project Variables

  • Changes to deadline: Some deadlines for a project can be pushed a few days. A team’s flexibility can help with ever-changing due dates. Project managers need to walk a fine line when choosing which projects to move around for a new deadline.
  • Changes in scope: Clients can change their minds or add on more components to a project. If the project is too large for the current team, managers will have to redelegate people to help with the workload.

Team Variables

  • Resource availability: The best person for a job is not always available at the drop of a hat. Vacations or another project can often pull the selected individual away from the work at hand. Project managers will need to determine if the job needs to be outsourced or if other individuals can step in to fill the gap.
  • Other projects in the works: The urgency of another project can pull people off of the selected project. A project’s ranking can be determined by the looming deadline or how quickly it can be completed among other factors that managers have to take into account.

Software to Help with Resource Allocation

Despite the hurdles that managers can face with resource allocation, there are software tools to help the process become simpler. Cloud-based technology tools can store talent profiles of employees to help managers with staffing projects. For example, the resource management aspects of a human capital management system can aid leaders in choosing the right team member for a job.

Smaller businesses can use smaller-scale solutions to help them. Something as easy as a group chat area allows managers to check in on available team members. Successful resource allocation or different methods to meet project deadlines lead to improvements in business practices. Resource allocation is a process that helps managers with meeting deadlines. People, time, and tools have an impact on how a manager is able to distribute work and maintain a project deadline. Additionally, all three factors have their own set of variables that can impact their availability. However, software tools can help managers properly allocate resources. Overall, resource allocation helps managers know what their team members are working on daily and what projects will need their attention next.

The Ultimate Guide To Background Checks

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A job search likely means you’ve spent a lot of time preparing. You’ve rehearsed interview answers. You’ve revised and polished your resume. You’ve notified all of your references and confirmed that glowing reviews are forthcoming.

But no matter how prepared you think you may be, you’re not truly ready unless you’ve thought about the potential effects of a background check. Most employers today rely on background checks for information about candidates they can’t get from interviews or resumes. Some job seekers fail to consider what impact these investigations could have on their employment searches.

To avoid surprises, job candidates need to know what these checks entail — or could reveal. For example, a critical step is to scour your social media posts for anything that could be considered unflattering or inflammatory. Companies almost certainly will take note if they find something that potentially reflects poorly on them if they hire you.

If a hiring company solicits third-party assistance, there is potential to gain information about your credentials, medical records, driving records, criminal records and more.

For more tips on how to prepare for a background check, see the accompanying guide. It details many crucial facts related to what prospective employers can find when digging through your past. Author bio: Christian Moore is COO at Global Verification Network. He has more than 20 years of investigative and business experience with competencies including surveillance, competitive intelligence, pre-employment and course-of-employment background screening. 

The Ultimate Guide To Background Checks from Global Verification Network

Guide to Social Media for Small Businesses

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Marketing your small business is no easy task. Particularly, with all the channels and platforms available. To stay top of mind with your target audience requires strategy, planning and consistency.

One of the best ways to keep your brand relevant with your customers is through social media. Research shows that companies will spend over $17 billion on social media this year alone. For a small business owner, however, it can be difficult to make time for social media among all the other requirements of running a business. With limited funds or employees, marketing your small business can be difficult.

To build a successful small business social media presence, first evaluate your goals. Set goal metrics by determining what makes your business unique, looking at your competitors, and considering what’s important to your company. A social media strategy that is consistent and contains quality content will help to engage your audience and attract new followers. To stay consistent, build a content calendar that helps you stay organized.

To help you get started, Valpak put together a guide to social media for small businesses. It covers everything from setting social media goals and metrics to crafting an omnichannel experience. Whether you’re looking to improve your small business social presence or you’re just starting out with a new business, walk through this step-by-step guide for helpful how-to’s and tips.

Download Guide: https://www.dropbox.com/s/uev9yvq323lvpz2/VAL_%20PDF_final.pdf?dl=0

UK Office Workers vs Telephobia

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With Stress Awareness Month upon us, it’s only natural that we explore the things that increase our stress levels. We believe it’s important make every effort to support those around us, check in with ourselves and become wary of how our daily lives induce stress.

A little bit of stress can sometimes be healthy. It can help you accomplish tasks and even boost memory, but when it’s brought into the workplace or our personal lives on a consistent basis this can have a serious impact on our wellbeing and overall health. Face for Business, a telephone answering service, decided to conduct a survey on anxiety levels experienced in UK office workers who need to answer the phone. Phone fear (or most commonly known as “Telephobia”) affects 62% of UK office workers and can have a serious impact on the way we carry out office duties.
The fear of answering the phone can be a catalyst for stress. Millennials are experiencing this the most compared to any other demographic, with 72% experiencing the most telephone-answering anxiety compared to just 40% of baby boomers. Crowned the “anxious generation” – we feel that businesses need to work harder to help millennials feel confident in tasks the older generations find second-nature.
But what can we do to help reduce these anxiety levels across all demographics, as well as millennials?
• Provide adequate telephone training so that employees can comfortably deal with a variety of scenarios
• Remind employees to recall successful conversations to enhance feelings of empowerment
• Anxiety thrives when fear starts winning you over and avoidance becomes a regular pattern.
o Educate employees on anxious behaviours and provide a support network to help them feel relaxed and confident when answering the telephone.
Below is a summary of our results in infographic form:

Author bio
Christina is a Copywriter for Face for Business – a call answering service that offers excellent customer service and call handling to ensure SMEs never miss an incoming call.

11 Things To Negotiate Besides Salary

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Negotiating salary and can be a nerve-racking conversation but the sooner you conquer the skill, the better. Keep in mind that the goal of a negotiation is to reach a solution that benefits both parties. Whether it’s your happiness or financial security, you have the right to advocate for what you deserve.  

While salary is one of the most common negotiations you’ll encounter, only 39% of people will ask for a higher salary. This could be due to a lack of confidence or a wish to avoid hearing “no.” If you believe you are being underpaid and undervalued, do some research on similar positions and the value you bring to the company.

In addition to salary, there are many other benefits on the table. From work from home flexibility to having a more accurate job title, these conversations could have a huge impact on your well being. There are many financial benefits to negotiating as well. Why pay the asking price on monthly rent if the market value and comparable houses are much lower? This infographic from Self Lender highlights 11 things you can negotiate to bring more savings and value to your life.

11 Things You Never Thought You Could Negotiate

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