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As you take on new construction projects, you are probably thinking of growing your business by expanding into new markets and territories. After all, growth is crucial to the stable survival of every business. And so you’re already on your first step to stepping up, which is having the initial thought. Where do you go from there? What are the next important steps? To grow a business, whether you’re just starting or have been in the industry for a long time, you need heedful and plenty of planning. Apart from that, you also need to ensure that you will have enough resources to do the extra work.  There are a lot of tips to help you grow your business successfully. Luckily, we listed it down for you. 1. Improve your customer service Keep in mind that how you treat your clients will leave a positive impact on your business. Clients will always remember the output and even how they were treated during the project. That’s why you need to assemble a team that can give your clients the help they need while being patient and respectful. If you’re lucky, you may get repeat customers — and even valuable referrals! 2. Be an effective leader Employees don’t want to be micro-managed — they want to be led. Be a great leader by delegating tasks to your team and acknowledging their job well done. Don’t try and manage every aspect of your employees’ work as it would seem like you’re not confident in their abilities and skills. 3. Get the word out there Though it’s great that you can gather clients through word of mouth, your business needs a clever marketing strategy too. The bottom line of every business is to make money, and marketing is an essential channel to do just that.  Make sure to encourage a flow of new customers by marketing your business — be it through social media, blogging, or partnership. 4. Be proactive Don’t expect that work will just magically fall into your lap. Instead, you need to proactively seek out opportunities to grow your business. Just from proactively reaching out to owners and general contractors, you will be able to discover projects they have on the horizon. 5. Never cut corners Yes, it might be tempting to go with cheap materials, but keep in mind that quality is king. Your customers will always value quality over price. They prefer equipment and materials that can withstand the test of time. If you want your clients to trust you, never compromise your high-quality standard for cheap materials and subpar labor. 6. Keep track of the changes The construction industry is one hell of a volatile industry. To grow your business, you need to adapt to changing trends and technology. You can do that by continuously learning from related literature and seminars. 7. Stay involved  No matter what happens, keep in touch with your clients. Since construction is a confusing process, you need to make yourself available for questions from your clients. The more you alleviate their concerns, the higher the chance they will hire you again in the future. Staying involved also means showing up on site. Make sure that you pop by regularly so you get to see the output of your employees as well as keep track of possible problems that might arise. 8. Make decisions smartly Making decisions, be it big or small, impacts the success of your business for years to come. That’s why you need not make choices impetuously. As much as possible, be sure you take enough time to consider all options with due diligence from all angles. Don’t be pressured into making decisions; be sure to do it slowly and surely. 9. Don’t forget to be organized Finally, staying organized is a vital aspect of running a successful business. Don’t forget to bookkeep your cash flow, and keep track of your employee’s attendance. This also means that you have to track how much time and energy you dedicate to each project. In this way, you will be able to prevent yourself from spreading too thin. Growing a construction business is not a speedy process, nor is it an easy one. But by doing these tips, I can assure you that you are a step or two closer to achieving that goal. 

Nowadays, giving rewards for employees is not just a good thing to have. With the competitive nature of businesses in this day and age, rewarding of employees has become a strategy to increase the productivity of the human side of the business.  According to a survey, 63% of employees who receive incentives are very unlikely to look for a new job. While employees who were promoted after three years have a 70% possibility of staying with their company.  Recognizing employees sure does motivate people to keep up their good work. After all, who doesn’t love incentives?  So how do you show employee appreciation? Here are 20 unique and simple ideas for employee recognition you can start using today. 20 Ideas for Employee Recognition 1. Plan on how to recognize your employees. I know that this article should give you ideas for the recognition of employees, but nothing will happen until you make plans and figure out how to implement them. The best way to start appreciating your employees is to create a feasible plan, so you can implement these ideas for employee recognition the way you want it to be — smooth and perfect. 2. Grant them the CEO for the day award. This is a unique and fun way to recognize an employee. Let an employee be “CEO for the day” where they can proclaim new rules like a jeans day or a small potluck gathering. 3. Nothing beats this classic idea for employee recognition: hand-written notes. A personal note is a simple yet heartwarming way to recognize an employee. It’s not an employee reward per se, but it makes the employee feel rewarded and treasured. Money or knickknacks may never be as rewarding. Read: 7 Workplace Conflict Areas and How to Deal With Them 4. Celebrate the birthdays. If your employee doesn’t mind, make sure to celebrate their birthdays. It doesn’t have to be grand, a simple birthday cake and message will do. And if you are feeling extra, you can give them a simple gift. Birthdays are for gifts, after all! 5. VIP parking spot — a quirky idea for employee recognition! Every driver’s to-die-for is a good parking spot. So why not give an exemplary employee a special parking space for a week or month? Read: The Importance of Good Communication in the Workplace and How to Improve It 6. Breakfast treat, an idea for employee recognition. Treat your model employee like a king with his favorite breakfast. Ask around their closest friends at work and show up with it. It can be a cup of espresso or a big-sized burrito — anything he drools over! 7. Who can’t say no to the wall of fame? Wall of fame may seem a bit old school, but it sure was popular for a reason. Dedicate a wall space for your exemplary employee, so other employees can recognize and congratulate them as well. Truly, it’s one of the best ways to recognize employees. 8. Create a points system for you to follow. Develop a points system to reward an employee. It’s the perfect platform to keep your employees competitive and inspired. After collecting enough points, your employees can redeem them for gifts. Don’t forget to offer a variety of rewards, so your employees have a lot to choose from. Read: 6 Things to Consider Before Embarking on a Construction Project 9. Why not…. cover a major expense?  If your employee has shown an exemplary and remarkable performance over the past few years, why not go to the extent of paying for a major expense for that employee? It could be a mortgage payment or a home appliance. You can do this for an employee who has helped in achieving something that resulted in huge savings for the company. 10. Another beneficial idea for employee recognition: offer professional development opportunities. As a leader, one of the best things you can do for your employee is to understand their strength and support their development. Identify your employee’s strengths and let them pick out a project to work on. Doing this shows that you trust them enough to hold them accountable for special projects. 11. But first, coffee. Next time you have a meeting, try to hold it on a local coffee shop to make it feel casual and relaxed. You can also pay for your employees’ drinks as a little treat. Read: 4 Proven Ways on How to Be Productive 12. Don’t forget the anniversaries. Studies show that employees were likely to leave after a year of employment. Because of this, you should not let an employee’s anniversary go unnoticed. Reward and recognize them for staying. 13. Create a special day to reward employees. You don’t have to stay locked into the holidays on the calendar. This time around, create your own dedicated holiday to celebrate your honorable employee. While giving them a day off is an option, a better approach is to spend the day doing something fun together. It could be a joke awards ceremony or an unlimited barbecue night. Whatever it is, this idea for employee recognition will surely make them feel loved and valued.  14.Cookies, just because. Everybody loves cookies. Next time, why not show your appreciation by giving them a box of specially shaped cookies? You can also put a thank you card with it. 15. A Secret Santa-style idea for employee recognition Have all employees draw the name of another employee and let them identify the achievement of that particular person. Then, they can send that person an anonymous note to show appreciation. 16. Pay it forward. Use the pay-it-forward concept where employees will pass awards for each other as an act of recognition. It’s a good way to build a good relationship in the workplace. Read: 5 Work-From-Home Tips to Boost Your Team’s Productivity 17. Another quirky employee award: recognition tees! If someone has gone the extra mile at work, try to create a T-shirt design for that specific award and let

Over the past few months, worksites, including construction sites, resumed their operation despite the pandemic. While reducing the spread of the virus becomes our top concern, it can be pretty challenging for construction workers. For one, construction workers can’t work from home — if anything, they have to work closely together. Indeed, construction projects will continue to confront challenges as far as COVID-19 is concerned. Of course, no business owner wants their business to close doors. But while the operation and your clients’ needs are your prime concern, your workers’ health should still be at the very core of everything you do. Here are our tips for how you can still best manage a site amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. 1. Build a culture of trust From the very beginning, it was clear that not only would this pandemic impact the health of the clients and employees, but also the health of the construction business. Of course, our main goal is to make sure that everyone is staying safe, even outside the workplace.  To do this, the first step is to build trust within your company. When you trust each other, you will be able to speak up when needed to avoid major headaches — and even save lives. And when concern for each other naturally grows, they will be able to make health-related decisions. Such decisions include staying home if they’re unwell or if they were exposed to the virus. They will even start observing safety measures because they do not want to risk spreading the virus to anyone else. 2. Allow work-from-home set-up if possible Companies must consider reducing the number of workers in a site due to the contagious nature of the virus. As much as possible, team leaders should determine which tasks they can complete off-site. By doing this, all on-site workers can practice social distancing while sticking to the gathering limits. 3. Establish clear communication In case you missed it: communication is the key to every successful business. But it is needed more than ever in this time of the pandemic.  Make sure that you keep lines of communication open between everyone involved with the project. Assign a communication representative who will deliver all messages to the team and the client. Then, implement a clear channel where you can share updated policies and procedures as required by the government. Also, don’t forget to utilize the power of communication by raising safety awareness. You can do this by putting up COVID-19 posters and mandating everyone to report their health conditions and whereabouts. 4. Maintain a clean site We all have ideas on how to maintain personal hygiene to combat the spread of the virus by now. Nonetheless, you need to provide further knowledge to your employees, partners, and clients.  First, provide handwashing stations on the site. Make sure that the employees understand that they must wash their hands regularly, especially when arriving or leaving the site. It is also worth knowing that the virus can survive longer on surfaces. Instruct the team to wipe down site areas, tools, and trailers after every shift. 5. Expect the worse: symptomatic employees, or worst: positive cases A worker who shows any symptoms of an illness should be advised to stay at home for 3-14 days. Consider excluding an employee from the project until he is symptom-free without the help of any medicine.  And if worse comes to worst, and an employee tested positive for COVID-19, put an action in place immediately. Have the infected worker leave the site, and make sure to notify the supervisor and the site management. The management must take action by suspending on-site work and accomplishing the contact tracing form. They must clean all areas and sterilize the whole site. Furthermore, the management must inform the clients and partners regarding the situation while protecting the identity of the impacted employee.  It may seem like we are living in a baffling time, but we must not attempt to open doors without preparation. There are concrete steps you can take to keep your people and company safe. Make sure that you follow these steps to do just that. Most importantly, always follow the basic protocols, such as proper hygiene, wearing masks, and social distancing. 

Whenever there’s a conflict between two people, at the third person’s view, it’s so easy to tell the other to be the bigger person and apologize. And when they do apologize, the conflict doesn’t entirely go away; they just bottle it up until their next argument. I hope this isn’t the case for workplace conflict.  Every workplace should be a cradle of professionalism. Everything must be dealt with professionally — from morning meetings to business dinners. But how do you remain calm and rational when it comes to workplace conflicts? Professionalism aside, employees are still people. No matter how rational their argument can be, their feelings may tend to interfere and hurt the other employee’s feelings.  Being an HR employee, you are always the go-between — the peacemaker. Even for a workplace conflict as light as creative idea differences, your job is to weigh both sides and deal with the issue adequately. If you fail to do so, it can lead to more serious legal problems.  With that being said, you need to familiarize yourself with the typical areas of workplace conflict — and how you can go about solving them before they get out of hand.  Common workplace conflicts and how to resolve them 1. Leadership Conflicts Leadership style varies for every leader. Some are strict on rules, while some are so hands-off that you hardly even see them. And just like how leadership style can be different for every leader, not all employees will appreciate his leader’s approach.  To solve potential conflicts, the HR department should emphasize the importance of mutual respect of differences throughout the company. We are all different, and the best thing we can do is to adapt to that difference. The HR department should also talk to the leader about how they should interact with the work styles and personalities of people under their team. They should make an effort to adjust and connect with their team no matter what their leadership style is. 2. Departmental Conflicts Inter-departmental conflicts are common, considering how each department’s tasks are inter-related. If the sales department fails to do its job, the marketing department will suffer. If the IT department fails to resolve network problems, the whole business will hurt its productivity. To resolve this conflict, the HR department should make sure that each person from different teams understands their roles and responsibilities and is aware of what’s expected of them. If the employee fails to cooperate numerous times, the next best conflict resolution tip is to replace the employee. 3.  Personality differences conflicts Again, people are different. No two people are the same — from perceptions to belief systems — that’s why it can lead to conflicts between those who don’t see eye to eye. There are many ways to handle this — the HR way. For the first one, you need to have strong mediation skills to resolve such conflicts. Have your independent stance about the argument while understanding the needs of both employees. Empathize with them and help them put their emotions aside. The second one circles back to my first point: people are different. It is unlikely to meet someone whose personality matches ours. The best thing to do is cope up with different personalities so long as it does not affect you emotionally and physically. Make sure to emphasize that throughout the company. 4. Workstyle conflicts When I say that people are different, their work styles are included too. Some people prefer working in groups, while some prefer working individually. Some are fast-learners, while some need to work overtime to understand a topic. Because of that, the HR should continue highlighting the importance of mutual respect and understanding. You have to learn about each other’s differences. If you prefer working alone, know that there’s no way to escape collaborative tasks, so you have no choice but to deal with it willfully. And if you prefer working in groups, make sure that you also learn to work alone, especially when it comes to individual tasks. 5. Task-based workplace conflicts This workplace conflict arises when an individual employe fails to coordinate his tasks successfully. If an employee submits low-quality reports, it affects the output of the whole team. The best conflict resolution for that is to communicate with the leader and make sure that he delegates all tasks effectively. The leader must communicate with the team to establish the importance of responsibility and accountability. Additionally, he must constantly ask for updates from the team to clarify if they’re on the same page come the day of the deadline. 6. Creative idea conflicts Creative idea conflicts can either go right or wrong. When such conflict arises, it can lead to creativity and innovation, which can help produce new products and services. There are not many solutions needed for this type of conflict. Just make sure that while they’re exchanging creative ideas, they must maintain their respect for others. As much as possible, this type of conflict should be encouraged to promote a healthy environment of respect and trust. 7. Discrimination Dealing with discrimination is a twofold step. First, you need to be informed about the anti-discrimination laws. Second, make sure that you pay close attention to what’s happening in your company. The company should have no room for prejudice and discrimination — let everyone know that. Make sure that they are aware of how you will handle the situation. If discrimination has taken place, it’s best to respond quickly. Will you start with a warning, provide counseling programs, or formally terminate the accused? The answer depends on the severity of the conflict. Dealing with workplace conflict: the HR way As an HR employee, you must keep an eye on what’s happening around the company. If conflicts occur, you need to ensure accountability for conflict resolution. All employees should be held accountable. Meaning, you should not be the first resort when resolving conflicts. But if worse comes to worst, you need to handle the conflicts professionally

In the workplace, it’s not enough to be skillful and talented. Communication in the workplace is also just as important to create and maintain a positive work environment. Think about this, each department serves a unique purpose, and these purposes need to be integrated to serve a common goal. But how will you be able to integrate these purposes or tasks if your departments don’t communicate well? Miscommunication is pretty much common in the workplace. In fact, statistics show that 69% of managers are uncomfortable communicating with employees in general. It goes to show that there’s a need to improve workplace communication based on the statistics alone. And even if we disregard those statistics and studies, the importance of good communication runs within the workplace. Here are some of the main importance of strong communication in the workplace. Importance of Good Communication in the Workplace 1. Workplace communication helps introduce new ideas. When employees do not fear rejection from their colleagues, they are more likely to present their thoughts and ideas. And from these thoughts and ideas, innovation stems. Keep in mind that innovation is highly dependent on simples ideas, and an organization that promotes good communication promotes innovation as well. 2.  Good relationship among team members An effective team is all about how team members communicate and collaborate. When all the team members are on the same page, it is more likely that they will build a healthy relationship even outside the workplace. A healthy relationship will go a long way toward employee satisfaction. 3. Communication in the workplace promotes growth Communication goes two ways — internally and externally. You need to ensure strong lines of communication within the workplace, and at the same time, you must also establish solid communication with your clients. By doing this, your company will have a bigger room for growth and advancement. Read: 12 Workplace Construction Tips for Construction Businesses 4. Better management What makes a good and effective workplace? Great leaders.  One characteristic of a great leader is being a strong communicator. And when a leader knows how to communicate well with his team, it is easier to delegate activities, manage conflicts, and build relationships. Always remember that a successful company starts with how well a leader manages his team.  Read: 3 Types of Employee Benefits in the Philippines 2020 5. Employees feel more secure We’ve all been there —  waiting for feedback from our boss so that we know if we are on the right track. It’s hard to work when we don’t receive feedback from our superiors. That’s why with good workplace communication, employees feel more secure because they receive feedback and updates from superiors. Tips on How to Improve Good Communication in the Workplace 1. Offer your full attention It doesn’t matter whether you’re in a group meeting or with just one employee, you must give your undivided support to improve how you’re received. When talking to someone, it is only right that you look at them straight in the eye instead of looking at your phone or elsewhere. Additionally, people tend to tune out due to a lack of focus. Make sure to maintain eye contact during conversations and put all other thoughts aside to convey your focus. 2. Be mindful of how you communicate Be frugal with your words. As much as possible, try to avoid fluff and fillers. Emphasize important points and pause to take questions. Aside from that, you should know that words are only a fraction of your message. You must also make sure that you are maintaining a relaxed stance and facial expression while speaking to your employees. After all, body language and tonality greatly contribute to the effectiveness of your message.  Read: 6 Best Payroll Software for Construction Industry in 2020 3. Define your goals and expectations A manager needs to make sure that he defines his objectives and expectations clearly and precisely. By doing this, the whole team will be aware of what has to be done, and it will save them from possible problems in the future. Read: A Guide on How to Compute 13th Month Pay in 2020 4. Choose the best medium Communication can be done through face-to-face or email. While face-to-face communication is the best way to talk to your employees, it is not always an option. For example, simple project updates can be done through your office chatbox. 5.  Inspire your team to communicate Communication is the act of exchanging information. As a leader, it is your role to inspire your team to participate in communicating just as much as you communicate with them. Let them know that you encourage ideas and that your team is open to opinions without any form of judgment. Make sure that you plan ahead for meetings so that your team can prepare for their proposal and suggestions. Read: 4 Proven Ways on How to Be Productive Improved workplace communication may not happen overnight, but you need to stick with these tips to reap the reward. You can always check in with a mentor whenever possible so that you can talk about how to improve communication between you and your team.

We all know how important workplace safety is. Each and every employee who leaves his family in the morning to make ends meet should come back to their family in the evening safe and sound. And I know how distressing it is to wait for your loved one to come home every day hoping that they come back in one piece — the fast heartbeat and the goosebumps on your skin when it’s late in the evening and they’re not home yet. Every day, you wish that you won’t receive a call saying that your father is in the hospital due to a workplace accident. Last 2019, an incident took place in a construction site in Manila when a tower crane’s cable holding a cement-filled bucket crushed a construction worker to death. If this news made you gasp, think about the other 150,000 construction site accidents that occur every year. As a human resource employee, your job is to ensure that workplace safety is being followed by each employee. This is especially important for construction businesses. However, no matter how many safety guidelines you’ve set in place, they won’t work if your employees are not invested in following them. So here are 12 workplace safety tips for HR employees to ensure that all employees are obeying your safety guidelines and procedures. Effective Workplace Tips for Construction Businesses 1. Train employees well to ensure workplace safety They say that prevention is better than cure. To do this, you must prepare a comprehensive training to establish safety in the workplace. Make sure that all your employees completed all safety training before their first day at work. 2. Make sure that every corner is clean and organized Slipping and tripping are common accidents in construction sites. You must strictly require all the workers to organize tools and equipment at the end of their shift. Let them know that there is a corresponding penalty if they fail to follow this rule. Read: 7 Important Functions of Office Management 3. Store combustible materials safely Combustible materials are serious fire hazards, especially when they’re not stored safely. Make sure that any spills with these sorts of materials are wipe cleaned right away. After use, store it in places with proper ventilation. Read: 7 Techniques When Recruiting Top Construction Talent 4. Always wear personal protective equipment for workplace safety It doesn’t hurt to be extra cautious. Whether it’s something as small as earplugs, make sure that your workers are wearing PPE to keep them safe from injury. 5. Clearly label hazardous zones Dangerous areas and equipment should be clearly labeled at all times. Also, you must assign workers to highlight walkways with the necessary signage. It also helps to mark hazardous zones with black and white stripes. Doing so will keep employees aware of dangerous surroundings. 6. Avoid assigning the same tasks to the same employees Studies show that repetitive tasks can be strenuous to one’s body and mind and may cause occupational overuse syndrome (OOS). Symptoms include weak muscles, uncomfortable aches, swelling, and numbness.  Talk to the construction manager about the risk of repetitive tasks to construction employees. Explain to them the need to vary employee activities to keep them from doing the same task for a long time. Read: 6 Things to Consider Before Embarking on a Construction Project 7. Encourage stretch breaks One thing you can do to avoid occupational overuse syndrome is to take a five-minute break to do simple stretch exercises. Encourage all employees to stretch for five minutes to loosen their joints and ease their muscle tension. It’s also a fun way to lighten up the mood in the workplace. 8. Workplace safety tip: keep safety procedures updated! Another way to establish safety in the workplace is to update your safety procedures. This is relevant especially when your company purchases a new machine. Make sure that your employees are informed about the new safety procedures that go along with the new changes. Read: 7 Tips to Improve Client Communication for Construction Firms 9. Stay hydrated Living in a tropical country like the Philippines, you are aware of how strenuous working at a construction site can be due to heat. To combat dehydration, you must provide water stations at every site and enforce your workers to drink lots of water every day. Additionally, tell them to avoid coffee, alcohol, and other salty and sweet foods as they make chances of dehydration more severe. 10. Inspect your machinery and tools regularly Servicing your tools and machinery should not only happen when they are close to breaking down. Take note that not only will machinery break down cost you money, but somebody could also get hurt in the process.  Make sure to hire someone to thoroughly inspect, test, and measure the equipment. Also, remember that not just anybody can maintain the equipment; you need to subcontract people who can deal with specific pieces of tools and machinery. 11.   Provide first aid kits and training Providing your construction employees with first aid kits and training goes a long way towards safety in the workplace and dealing with emergencies. The first step toward a safe workplace is to assess the risks lurking in your workplace. Once it’s done, you can go on and take needed precautions, like regularly stocking first aid kits and equipping your staff with relevant first aid skills. As a rule of thumb, keep in mind that you need one first aid provider for every 25 employees in high-risk businesses like construction. 12. Have regular meetings about workplace safety Last but not the least, your department must have regular meetings to review safety procedures and discuss preventive measures. After all, it never hurts to be overprepared. As an HR staff, part of your role is to enforce safety guidelines and make sure that your employees are abiding them. By being prepared and following these workplace safety tips, you are saving people from accidents and even deaths. And little did you know,

We all know that the employees are a company’s greatest asset, no matter how big or small the company is. The company should make efforts to cost-effectively meet their employee’s needs resulting in inspired and productive employees. As an employer, it is your job to do that by giving them the proper employee benefits as mandated by the government. Here are the important employee benefits in the Philippines that you need to know so that you can ensure satisfaction for your employees. Types of Employee Benefits in the Philippines To keep it basic, there are three types of employee benefits in the Philippines– wage and compensation benefits, leave benefits, and mandatory government contributions. We will elaborate on each one below.  Wage and Compensation Benefits 1. Minimum Wage According to Republic Act No. 6727 (also known as the “Wage Rationalization Act”), there are fixed minimum wages applicable to different industrial sectors. It also varies from region to region. Here is the summary of current regional daily minimum wage rates as of February 2020: Make sure to learn how to compute your employee’s payroll the easiest way! 2. Separation pay The employer must give this to employees who are terminated from the company. However, terminated employees who are involved in misconduct and crime will not be given any separation pay. 3. Nigh Shift Pay Night shift pay or night shift differential applies to those employees who work between 10:00 PM and 6:00 AM. Take note: employers must give an additional 10% premium to the employee for every hour at work. 4. 13th Month Pay The company must grant a 13th-month pay equivalent to one month pay to all eligible employees. They must make sure to work at least one month during a calendar year. 5. Separation pay Separation pay is for the employees who are terminated from the company. However, terminated employees who are involved in misconduct and crime will not be given any separation pay. 6. Retirement pay If an employee decides to retire at the age of 60 or more, the employer must grant him a retirement pay equivalent to at least half of his month’s salary for every year of service. To apply for this benefit, he must work under the company for at least 5 years. Leave employee benefits 1. Service Incentive Leave According to Article 95 of the Labor Code, an employee who has worked for a year is granted five service incentive leave with full pay. 2. Parental leave There are three types of parental leaves, including maternal, paternal, and solo parent leave. Maternal leave is for any pregnant employee who worked with the company for at least six months. The employer must grant this at least two weeks before her due date and four weeks after normal delivery or miscarriage.  All married male employees have the right to paternal leave. They are eligible for 7 working days up to four childbirth. Additionally, this employee benefit is only available within sixty days from the day of delivery or miscarriage. Lastly, single mothers and fathers can use their solo parent leave. The good thing about this leave is they are provided with seven days of leave with pay for every year of service. 3. Leave benefits for women employees There are two types of special leave benefits for women. The first one, Magna Carta is a type of special leave for female employees who underwent surgery caused by gynecological disorders. Another special benefit is also provided to the victims of violence against women and their children. Employers must provide them with ten days of leave which covers the days where they have to attend to medical and legal concerns. 4. Bereavement Leave Although this is not a paid leave, it is given to employees to mourn for the death of their immediate family members 5. De Minimis Benefits These may be optional for employers to grant. De minimis benefits include calamity leave, rice subsidy, and daily meal allowance. Required Government Contributions These are the government contributions that will be automatically deducted from regular employees. There are three main types of government contributions, including: 1. SSS The SSS or Social Security System is a type of insurance program for all wage earners from the private institutions in the Philippines. The contribution varies depending on the employee’s salary. Mostly, the SSS contribution is a shared payment between the employee and its employer. 2. PhilHealth PhilHealth is a health insurance program for private employees that provides health care privileges and financial aid to its employees. Just like SSS insurance, both the employer and employee share payment for PhilHealth. 3. Pag-IBIG Pag-IBIG is a national savings program that aids financing office for affordable homes. Again, both the employee and his employer share payment for this benefit. The good thing about Pag-IBIG is it gives you benefits, including housing loans, multi-purpose loans, calamity loans, and secured savings. As an employer, it is important to be aware of the employee benefits in the Philippines. If you have any concerns, feel free to contact the Department of Labor and Employment through the following contact details: DOLE Hotline: 1349 Website: https://query.dole.gov.ph/queries/submit

As easy as it might seem, payroll computation errors are often the cause of failure in businesses. From misclassifying employees to miscalculating pay, such mistakes can cause companies to pay 70 times more than the money they owe to an employee.  Payroll computation is a highly regimented process. You need to determine the gross pay and subtract the deductions and taxes to arrive at net pay. That’s why computation must be done meticulously. After all, a smooth payroll process is like oxygen to your business. And just by devoting time to learning the process beforehand, you will be able to avoid long-term problems and lawsuits in the future.  Fortunately, we’ve come up with a short guide and tips on how to calculate payroll. Read on to learn about these tips and guidelines to save your business from payroll troubles. Factors to consider before calculating payroll 1. Trainee, apprentice, or eligible for a supporting wage? Before payroll computation, you must first identify whether your employee is a trainee, apprentice, or eligible for a supported wage. A trainee is an employee that receives education and formal training contract for the specific job. An apprentice is the same, but the only difference is instead of completing an educational program, he starts working from the beginning while earning money and building skills. Lastly, employees eligible for a supported wage are those with disabilities that affect their productivity. Take note that not all your employees apply to any of the three.  If they do not belong to any type, they will receive normal pay without any changes to their salary. 2. Classification in the job ladder Classification may differ from every industry. But for construction companies, there are about nine levels in the job ladder. The highest level is reserved for the construction manager whose role is to oversee the entirety of the project. On the other hand, construction foreman is placed at the lowest level. He is the one who oversees the project on-site and tracks the worker’s timecard.  3. Part-time, full time, or casual? The type of employment affects an employee’s salary. You can simply distinguish them by identifying their ordinary hours of work in a week. Full-time – 38 or more hours Part-time – less than 38 hours Casual – no guaranteed hours 4. Employee’s age The final step before payroll computation is knowing the age of your employee. This step only applies to an employee whose age is below 21.  Easy steps to payroll computation  1. Prepare the timesheets. First, notify the employees to complete their timesheets by the payment cutoff. Remind them that not completing their timesheets will delay the payroll. Also, make sure to review all the timesheets once you obtain them. Review the completeness and forward them to their supervisors for approval. 2. Enter data and compute payroll. If you do not have a payroll system, make sure to enter hours worked manually. Otherwise, it is already stored in the system. Make sure to enter all authorized wage rate changes for rage alterations, deductions, and withholdings. You must also enter all deductions for adjustments to gross wages. Next, to calculate gross pay, you must multiply wage rates by the number of hours worked. To make it simpler: Gross pay = Wage rate x  Number of hours worked Lastly,  you need to deduct all authorized withholdings and pay deductions from gross pay to come up with the net pay. Net pay = Gross pay – (Authorized Witholdings + Pay Deductions) 3. Don’t forget to review it. Make sure that you don’t miss any errors by reviewing the gross pay, deductions, and net pay for each employee. But if there are errors, revise the prior entries and review it again. Make your computation easier There is a higher chance of error when payroll computation is done manually. To avoid that, your construction business must invest in payroll software. From calculating to withholding taxes, the best construction payroll software will help you avoid the most common payroll mistakes — like miscalculation and misclassifying employees. You can also save ample time and money by automating your computation. Just remember that by choosing the right payroll software for your business, you are one step closer to a stress-free and error-free payroll computation!

What is office management? Office management is the art of handling the process of planning, organizing, staffing, communicating, controlling, coordinating, and motivating a group, especially in a workplace setup. The function of office management is provided to efficiently and reasonably achieve business goals while improving the productivity of the team.  When we are talking about office management, it’s all about the aspects of efficient work performance. To keep it short and simple, just think about these two keywords: efficiency and advantage. When an office is properly managed, success, control, and employee satisfaction comes naturally. The human resource department should be the first and foremost to know what office management means and how to apply it. In this way, they will be able to dispense the knowledge among all the teams. And so to stifle any confusion, here are the seven major office management functions that every HR personnel should know. The 7 Key Functions of Office Management 1. Planning Planning is the act of creating a concrete course for future actions. As the first step in the process, it is more about laying out plans and ideas and delegating them to the employees. This process of office management is created to provide stages or methods for the team to follow to secure consistency and productivity.  2. Staffing The HR department plays an important part in this context. Staffing is a function of management that handles the selection, hiring, and training of staff. For this purpose, they determine the number of employees required and their qualifications and experience. They will also conduct the interviews and tests to decide which candidates to hire. Staffing also includes areas such as the promotion and retirement of the employees. 3. Directing Of course, having well-thought-out plans is one thing — but implementing them is just as important and more crucial. Directing is part of office management and administration, which involves implementation and continued guidance. Continued guidance is necessary to ensure that the processes are consistent and employees are following them. Additionally, it includes systems and procedures in place to handle those who do not follow the processes. 4. Communication  Clear communication is a staple of every high-functioning operation. It is the key to building good relations within and outside the team. Through effective communication, the staff will understand the tasks and plans, and will therefore allow them to follow the office management plan. If the office manager is unable to communicate the needs of the company, sadly, it will be hard to obtain prime efficiency. 5. Controlling Controlling refers to the function of office management that ensures that the high-level plans are followed. Keep in mind that controlling is not about micro-managing but leading. The leader must create performance standards where they can compare the actual performance to. This will make detecting anomalies much easier. 6. Coordinating This can be a tricky part of office management since there’s always the need to coordinate within the team and even other areas of the business. Coordinating is done to ensure that every department is on the same page and are working harmoniously.  7. Motivating Motivating may be often overlooked, but it is an integral part of a successful team. Motivation comes in two forms: self-motivation and external motivation. Of course, it is important to ensure that your employees stay motivated. But if they are not self-motivated, the job of the office manager is to externally motivate the employee. By doing so, the office employees will most likely maintain discipline and improve their performance. How can the HR department implement it? Office management starts in the HR department. To fulfill it, it’s always a good idea to get to know the people whom you work with. This will allow you to know who to turn to when there is an HR issue or when you need help with a difficult task. Make sure to always update your business records and invest in software that can help with your HR and payroll tasks.  Keep in mind that the success of your daily operations depends upon efficient office management. From the workplace environment to employee performance, it’s always ideal to work under these functions, so that harmony and productivity won’t be far behind.

When looking for payroll software for construction industry, it should be robust and flexible in a nutshell. At the same time, it’s important to look for a payroll provider whom you can trust with confidential information and has dedicated customer support. But with its upsurge in the market, it’s hard to identify which payroll software for the construction industry will work the best. Of course, you need to consider construction payroll software that fits your needs and company culture. That’s why to make it easier for you, we looked at more than a dozen construction payroll software and narrowed it down to the top six. Of course, we used criteria to evaluate the best ones, including price, efficiency, time tracking, and integration. 1. SprintHR: the best overall payroll software for construction industry We chose SprintHR for our top pick for its transparent and affordable pricing, integration, and automated tax filing and payments. What makes it the best is its simple UI, which makes maneuvering around the construction payroll software so much easier. SprintHR also provides a simple way to track employees’ hours in one go. In this way, employees can clock in and out from their account, while the system calculates overtime and documents the rates used. Aside from the usuals, SprintHR comes with an auto-sync biometric feature. You don’t have to prepare attendance in excel manually, because it already syncs to the SprintHR app in real-time. Additionally, it comes with multiple payment options. It can handle multiple pay rates and schedules — which, if you don’t know, is one of the most important features in construction payroll software. Construction workers are sometimes paid different rates when working on various projects. Overall, we’d say that SprintHR is the best payroll software for construction industry due to its complete features, great interface, and flexible options. 2. Payroll4Construction: the preferred construction payroll software for certified payroll Payroll4Construction is the second pick if you are currently working or planning on federally funded projects. It’s so simple to use too; all you have to do is place a checkmark beside “Certified Payroll.” It also has basic features, including contractor payroll and automated tax filing.  What Payroll4Construction is missing, however, is it does not generate 1099s, and it only has limited integration features. Integration, like providing custom files, may require more effort. 3. QuickBooks Desktop Payroll: for companies that use QuickBooks accounting If you own a smaller construction company and are already using QuickBooks desktop, then this is one of the best options for you. It only has limited features, like average payroll complexity, which means there’s no multistate. It has everything a small business needs, from contractor and employee payroll to construction reporting. But don’t expect too much — since this is a less complex payroll software for construction industry without any advanced features. But if you are looking for a cloud-based option, QuickBooks may not be what you need. Sure, there’s a QuickBooks Online system, but it does not integrate with the payroll solution. Sadly, you have to pay a monthly fee if you are one of those businesses that handle everything in the cloud. 4. Viventium: for your customize HR solutions The best part about Viventium is it builds its software in-house, so rest assured that your software solution will be highly customized.  If you want a feature that you don’t typically find in a construction payroll software, Viventium can do the job for you. It may get expensive, though, so this one is only ideal for midsized to large construction companies. Just like SprintHR, it also has a time and attention feature that automatically syncs with its system. Aside from its price, another downside of this construction payroll software is its slow runtime. It also lacks transparency with pricing, so make sure that you are prepared with whatever price they offer. 5. Paychex: for complete HR management The reason why we put Paychex on this list is its special HR features, like the labor law poster kit and reporting option. Apart from the HR management features, Paychex also includes basic services, including certified payroll and time and attendance. It can be pricey, though, so it is only suitable for mid to large size businesses. However, Paychex allows you to pay as you go based on the payroll only if you purchased worker’s comp from them. Also, it only allows for automatic prevailing rate calculation for California. Meaning, it doesn’t work for other states. Sure, you can use the LCPcertified add-on to create certified reports, but the data must be within their detail file. So the downside is that it can be more of a manual process instead of an automated one. 6. Paylocity: for companies with expansion plans Paylocity provides many of the same features as Payroll4Construction and SprintHR. However, you may want to use add-ons for some features, including certified payroll. Of course, it will likely cost a little more for the add-ons you opt to purchase. It also includes a construction reporting feature, but note that it’s not all free. For example, the labor cost allocation and reporting are only available for those who add on the time and attendance system. But this can be one of the best payroll software for construction industry who are planning to expand in the future. While the system can only cater to 15 employees for the first $300.75 fee, they also accept additional employees. Take note, though: there’s an additional fee of $7.75 for every additional employee.