HR Advisory for Startups: Building Strong Foundations for Success

September 13, 2024 in Business, HR, Professionalism

In the fast-paced world of startups, having the right foundation including the right HR Advisory for success is crucial. While startup organization often focus on product development, marketing, and scaling their operations, many overlook one critical aspect—building a strong and effective HR structure. At Emerald Zone, we understand the unique challenges that startups face and offer tailored HR advisory services to help new businesses build a solid foundation for growth and sustainability.

Why HR Advisory is Essential for Startups

Startups typically operate in dynamic, high-growth environments where things change quickly. In this context, establishing robust HR practices can help founders navigate early-stage challenges, manage talent effectively, and foster a healthy workplace culture. Here’s why HR advisory is a must for any startup:

  1. Talent Acquisition and Retention: Hiring the right people is essential for a startup’s success. An HR advisor can help you develop effective recruitment strategies, ensuring you attract top talent who align with your company’s vision and values. Additionally, creating a strong retention plan can minimize turnover and help your startup build a team that is dedicated and engaged.

  1. Creating an Organizational Structure: As a startup grows, so does the complexity of its operations. Establishing a clear organizational structure from the beginning helps define roles, responsibilities, and reporting lines. This structure ensures efficiency, reduces confusion, and helps set the tone for professional management as the company scales.
  2. Compliance with Labor Laws and Regulations: Compliance is often a blind spot for startups, which can lead to costly legal issues later on. With the help of HR advisory services, startups can ensure compliance with labor laws, employee rights, and tax regulations. This includes everything from creating compliant employment contracts to understanding wage laws and managing employee data.
  3. Developing a Company Culture: The early stages of a startup are pivotal in shaping its culture. A positive and inclusive workplace culture leads to better performance, stronger employee engagement, and a more cohesive team. HR advisory services can help founders establish values, promote open communication, and foster an environment that supports growth and innovation.
  4. Compensation and Benefits Planning: Startups often face challenges when it comes to designing attractive yet sustainable compensation packages. HR advisors can help you create competitive salary structures, benefits plans, and performance incentives that attract and motivate top talent, even with limited budgets.
  5. Performance Management Systems: In the early days of a startup, clear performance expectations and feedback are critical to keeping employees aligned with the company’s goals. An HR advisor can help design performance management systems that include goal setting, feedback mechanisms, and development plans to ensure employees remain productive and driven.
  6. Scalability of HR Systems: One of the biggest challenges startups faces is scalability. As your company grows, your HR systems and policies need to grow with it. HR advisors can guide startups in building flexible, scalable HR processes that will support their evolving needs as they expand.

Recommended Read: How to Align HR Strategy with Business Goals

How HR Advisory Services Benefit Startups

  1. Expert Guidance: Working with an HR advisor gives you access to expertise that may not be available in-house. This expertise helps avoid pitfalls and ensures that your HR practices align with both your short- and long-term business goals.
  2. Time-Saving: Founders and early-stage employees often wear many hats. By outsourcing HR advisory services, you free up time to focus on core business activities, leaving HR management to professionals who can handle everything from recruitment to compliance.
  3. Cost Efficiency: Hiring a full-time HR team can be costly for a startup. By leveraging HR advisory services, you get the benefit of expert advice without the financial burden of a full-time hire. This allows startups to allocate resources more efficiently while ensuring critical HR functions are managed professionally.
  4. Avoiding Early Mistakes: Many startups make HR-related mistakes that can hinder growth or lead to costly issues. From poor hiring decisions to non-compliance with labor laws, these errors can have long-term effects. HR advisory helps you avoid these common missteps by establishing best practices from the start.

How can you Build a Strong Foundation with HR Advisory for Future Growth

The early decisions you make about HR can have a lasting impact on the success of your startup. By working with HR advisors, you can ensure that your company is built on a foundation that promotes scalability, efficiency, and compliance. A strong HR framework will help your business grow smoothly, attract top talent, and build a workplace culture that supports innovation and collaboration.

At Emerald Zone, we partner with startups to provide customized HR advisory services that meets their unique needs. Our goal is to help you create the HR infrastructure necessary for long-term success, empowering your team to focus on what they do best—Building a great company. In the world of startups, having the right HR strategy in place from the beginning is crucial. With the help of expert HR advisory services, startups can build strong foundations that support growth, ensure compliance, and foster a culture of innovation.

If you’re ready to take your startup to the next level, let Emerald Zone guide you on the path to success or contact us today to learn more about how our HR advisory services can help your business thrive. Follow is on our social media platforms Instagram, LinkedInFacebookYouTube, TikTok

Recruitment Mistakes Companies Make and How to Avoid Them

September 13, 2024 in Business, HR, Professionalism

Recruiting the right talent is crucial to an organization’s success, however, recruitment mistakes occur in the process that lead to poor hires, increased turnover, and wasted resources. At Emerald Zone, we understand the importance of refining recruitment strategies to ensure companies attract, select, and retain top talent. In this blog, we’ll explore some of the most common recruitment mistakes and how to avoid them to build a stronger, more successful team.

  • Failing to Define the Job Role Clearly
    One of the biggest mistakes companies make is not providing a clear and accurate job description. When roles and responsibilities are poorly defined, it can lead to confusion during the hiring process and result in hiring the wrong candidate.

How to Avoid This:
• Create Detailed Job Descriptions: Clearly outline the responsibilities, expectations, and skills required for the position. Ensure that the job description reflects the actual duties of the role, and avoid vague terms like “other duties as assigned.”
• Collaborate with Team Members: Involve the team members who will work closely with the new hire to ensure the job description aligns with the day-to-day responsibilities.
A well-defined job description will attract candidates who are genuinely qualified and reduce the risk of hiring mismatches.

  • Overlooking Cultural Fit
Culture Fit

Culture Fit

While technical skills are important, many companies make the mistake of focusing solely on qualifications and experience while overlooking whether a candidate is a good cultural fit. Hiring someone with the right skills but who clashes with the company’s values or team dynamics can lead to poor performance and high turnover.

How to Avoid This:
• Assess Cultural Alignment: During the interview process, assess candidates’ values, work ethic, and communication style to ensure they align with your company’s culture.
• Ask Behavioral Questions: Use behavioral interview questions to gauge how candidates handle situations that align with your company’s values, such as teamwork, leadership, and problem-solving.
Hiring for both skills and cultural fit ensures that the new hire will be able to thrive in the company environment.

  • Rushing the Hiring Process
    Another one of the recruitment mistakes is rushing the recruitment process due to pressure to fill a position quickly. A hurried process can lead to overlooking red flags, not thoroughly vetting candidates, and making hasty decisions that result in poor hires.

How to Avoid This:
• Plan Ahead: Rather than waiting until a position becomes vacant, start building a talent pipeline early. This way, you’ll have qualified candidates lined up when a position opens, reducing the urgency to fill the role immediately.
• Take Time for Thorough Interviews: Even if you’re on a tight timeline, don’t cut corners in the interview process. Ensure you take the time to interview candidates thoroughly, check references, and assess their fit for the role and company.
Taking a strategic approach to hiring will help you avoid costly mistakes and ensure the right candidate is chosen.

  • Relying Too Heavily on One Source for Candidates

Mono Recruitment Source

 

Many companies make the mistake of limiting their talent search to one or two platforms, such as LinkedIn or job boards. This can significantly reduce the diversity and quality of candidates, as you may be missing out on highly qualified individuals who are active elsewhere.

How to Avoid This:
• Diversify Your Sourcing Channels: Use a variety of recruitment channels, including social media, employee referrals, networking events, and niche job boards. Leveraging multiple platforms can increase your reach and attract a more diverse pool of candidates.
• Build an Employee Referral Program: Employee referrals are often one of the best ways to find high-quality candidates. Encourage your employees to refer qualified individuals, and offer incentives for successful hires through this method.
By diversifying your sourcing strategy, you open your company to a wider range of talent, improving your chances of finding the right fit.

  • Neglecting the Candidate Experience
    A poor candidate experience can damage your employer brand and cause qualified candidates to withdraw from the hiring process. Common mistakes include unclear communication, long response times, and lack of feedback, all of which frustrate job seekers.

How to Avoid This:
• Communicate Clearly and Frequently: Keep candidates informed at every stage of the recruitment process. Whether it’s acknowledging their application or providing updates after interviews, clear communication helps maintain candidate engagement.
• Streamline the Process: Avoid dragging out the hiring process with multiple rounds of interviews and lengthy decision-making periods. Keep it concise, efficient, and respectful of candidates’ time.
• Provide Constructive Feedback: If a candidate isn’t selected for the position, provide constructive feedback when possible. This helps them feel respected and maintains a positive relationship in case of future opportunities.
Focusing on candidate experience not only helps you secure top talent but also builds your reputation as an employer of choice.

  • Skipping Background and Reference Checks
Reference Check

Reference Check

 

In the rush to hire, some companies may overlook important steps like background and reference checks. This can lead to hiring individuals who may not have the qualifications or work ethic they claimed during the interview process, which can result in future problems for the organization.

How to Avoid This:
• Conduct Thorough Background Checks: Always verify a candidate’s credentials, including education, employment history, and criminal record (where applicable). Ensure that the information they’ve provided matches up with what’s on their resume.
• Request and Follow Up on References: Ask candidates to provide professional references and make sure to follow up with those references. This gives you valuable insight into the candidate’s past performance, work ethic, and suitability for the role.

Recommended Read: Best Practices for Hiring Managers on Effective Recruitment

  • Focusing Only on Active Candidates
    Many companies focus solely on candidates who are actively applying for jobs, overlooking passive candidates who may not be actively seeking new opportunities but could be a perfect fit. Passive candidates often make up a significant portion of the talent pool and can bring valuable skills to your organization, this is another on of the recruitment mistakes.

How to Avoid This:
• Engage Passive Candidates: Use platforms like LinkedIn to identify and engage passive candidates. Regularly network, attend industry events, and nurture relationships with professionals in your field. Offering attractive opportunities and demonstrating your company’s strengths can encourage passive candidates to consider joining your team.
• Promote Employer Branding: Maintain a strong employer brand that positions your company as a great place to work. Passive candidates are more likely to consider an opportunity from a company they admire or have heard positive things about.
Tapping into the passive candidate market allows you to access high-quality talent that may not be available through traditional job postings.

Recruitment mistakes can cost companies time, money, and talent. However, by avoiding these common pitfalls and implementing thoughtful, strategic recruitment processes, you can significantly improve your chances of hiring the right candidates who will contribute to your organization’s success.

At Emerald Zone, we specialize in helping businesses avoid these recruitment missteps. Whether you need help refining your job descriptions, streamlining your hiring process, or sourcing top talent, our team of recruitment experts is here to support you. Contact us today to learn how we can help you build a successful recruitment strategy that attracts the right talent for your business. Follow is on our social media platforms Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, YouTube, TikTok

 

 

Twitter vs Threads: Differences as of now

July 12, 2023 in Business, Professionalism, technology, Upskilling
The Competition between Twitter vs Threads has dominated the digital space in the last one week so much so that many are forced to learn more about it. Twitter the 16 year old micro blogging site got recently launched Thread as a threat to it. Created by Meta, the text-based conversation app lets people compose and share those messages in real-time. While it’s obvious that Threads is still a work in progress, there are several ways in which it adapts Twitter features for Instagram users. Here are some of its differences between Twitter vs Threads

Character Limit

Threads character limit is 500, while the Twitter character limit is just 280. This means you can share longer Threads than you can Tweets.

Account Opening

To open Twitter  account you sign up independently however for Threads you either scan the QR Code or Download the app and log in with your Instagram account details.

Account Deleting

You can delete your Twitter account any time without impacting any of your other social media account, however, you can only deactivate your Threads account  independently, to delete your Threads account means deleting your Instagram Account.

Availability 

Twitter has both mobile app and web versions while Threads as of now has only Mobile app version.

Verification (Colored checkmark by account ID)

Threads already have verified accounts (blue Checkmark), yes! that is because it is a carry over from Instagram all verified accounts on Instagram are verified on Threads. For Twitter Blue verification badge is paid for, while Government accounts and established organizations get grey and gold checks respectively, note these are unpaid.

Viewing & Engaging

Twitter’s homepage allows users to view what’s trending and other topics they may be interested in. For now, the only way to explore what’s on Threads is by scrolling through the home feed. Also on Threads, for now a user has to hit enter three times to start a thread however on Twitter it’s just a click of the plus button. 

The Activity tab of the Threads app lets you see who followed you, liked your posts, your replies and your tags. You can also view your replies directly on your profile page, though you can’t see a running log of posts you liked. Twitter has a similar notifications tab, plus you can see all your past likes through the dedicated Likes tab on your profile page. This is useful for, say, saving an article you want to read at a later time.

Messaging 

The difference in messaging features  Twitter vs Threads is simple: Twitter has in-app messaging, while Threads does not. Twitter’s messaging platform lets you communicate with mutual (or any user, depending on their privacy settings) in a few ways. You can send texts, images and GIFs, and even voice messages. Messages is a simple way to share a tweet with another user, too. While you can share a Thread with someone via text, there’s currently no in-app option besides tagging them in the comment section of the post. If you want to reach out a Threads user, your best bet is to try their Instagram DMs.

We are keenly watching the space for more updates as the rivalry of Twitter vs Threads is clearly delivering more value for users, meanwhile you can read other articles here 

Effective strategies for HR Marketing

May 17, 2023 in Business, HR, Marketing, Professionalism, Upskilling
What is Human Resources (HR)  Marketing?

HR Marketing is an important aspect of Human Resource Management, that entails marketing the company as a desirable place to work, attracting the best candidates, and increasing employee engagement.

HR Marketing may be used to acquire new customers, increase customer loyalty, and create the ideal mental picture of the firm in the minds of customers. At the same time, it may be used to recruit new human resources, increase employee loyalty, retain top talent, and create the necessary mental image of the organization in the minds of the talents.

HR Marketing is based on seeing human resources as a target market that requires attention to understanding their demands in order to serve them. and put tactics in place to increase their loyalty. HR Marketing is concerned with economic considerations as well as a person’s psychological state therefore it is correct to also define HR marketing as the use of marketing to manage human resources inside a business.

Here are some of the HR marketing strategies and approaches that businesses can employ:

  • Creating a strong employer brand: Businesses can highlight their company culture, values, and mission to create a positive image that attracts top talent. Participating in career fairs, promoting employee testimonials, and displaying workplace awards and recognition are all ways to build strong employer brand.
  • Using social media platforms: Social media platforms such as LinkedIn, Instagram, and Twitter provide companies with access to a large pool of talent. Companies can use these platforms to promote employee testimonials, post job openings, and showcase their work culture. Social media also enables direct interaction with potential candidates and can help to build a positive brand image.
  • Employee referrals: Employee referrals are a powerful tool for attracting top talent. Employees are frequently the best advocates for their companies, and referrals from them are more likely to result in successful hires. Companies can encourage employees to refer others by rewarding or recognizing successful hires.
  • Providing an exceptional candidate experience: Throughout the recruitment process, companies must provide a positive candidate experience. This includes providing timely feedback, communicating clearly, and providing a positive candidate experience. A positive candidate experience can aid in the development of a positive employer brand and the attraction of more talent.
  • Increasing employee engagement: Employees who are engaged are more productive, motivated, and committed to their jobs. Companies can encourage employee engagement by creating a positive work environment, providing opportunities for professional development, and recognizing employee accomplishments. Employee engagement makes them more likely to be brand ambassadors for the company, which aids in attracting new talent.
  • Offering competitive compensation and benefits: Companies can attract and retain the best talent by offering competitive compensation and benefits. This consists of not only salary and bonuses, but also perks like time off flexibility, wellness programs, and opportunities for career advancement.

Finally, HR marketing is an important aspect of Human Resource Management. To attract and retain the best talent, businesses must develop a strong employer brand, use social media platforms, incentivize employee referrals, provide a positive candidate experience, foster employee engagement, and offer competitive compensation and benefits. Companies can create a positive brand image, attract the best talent, and retain their employees by implementing effective HR marketing strategies.

Most commonly used HR assessment methods

May 11, 2023 in Business, HR, Professionalism, Upskilling

Human Resources has a great deal of responsibility in a company; hence HR assessment needs deliberate and thoughtful protocols. For a business to grow, it needs to analyze what is working well in the company, and which areas require improvement, HR as a major part of the organization is no exemption.

Here are top 5 HR assessment methods.

#1: 360-degree feedback

This method requires the HR manager and assessor to collect feedback on an employee’s performance from everyone affiliated with them. The employee’s peers, reports, direct managers, and managers from other departments that the employee conferred with on a project, are all asked for their feedback on the employee’s performance, their work ethic, their deliverables, general competence, and their behavior.

The 360-degree feedback method ensures that the assessment system takes into account multiple points of view for a holistic report from in-house and remote working staff. And it is an important way to understand how an employee works within a company with the virtue of excellence. By speaking to everyone involved with a single individual, You can get insights into how they handle goals, stress, project management, and whether the person deserves to be moved into a leadership position.

✅❌ Pros and cons

The 360-degree feedback method gives the assessor a wholesome view of an employee’s abilities, not only in the professional arena but also as a yardstick for understanding interpersonal interactions. However, it can take a great deal of time and money to conduct the method, particularly if the company has a very large staff. The feedback one receives for each team will also have to be personalized to some level – the amount of physical labor produced in one department may not be comparable to another. One also needs to prioritize the areas of focus in the assessment – is it more important for employees to strive to achieve company goals or to create a collaborative environment? Weighing the analytics achieved from this method can take some trial and error but one can reach a standardized system with careful planning.

#2: Assessment center

The Assessment Centre Method takes HR assessment outside the confines of the office, often to a central location where managers, assessors, and employees can gather. In the Assessment Centre Method, individuals are asked to perform a series of tasks or are grouped together to perform tasks. Interestingly, this method was first created in the 1930s by the German army and has since been adapted for modern employment. In this method, assessors can examine very particular work-related skills that employees and applicants will need in a company by giving them exercises, conducting workshops, role-playing games, and simulations.

While this method can give HR managers a wealth of knowledge about the social and interaction skills of individuals, it does not give you any specific role-related data. Additionally, because of the competitive nature of the exercises, one may end up breeding an overly competitive environment that will overlap into company culture after the tests are complete. As a system for checking on interpersonal skills, the Assessment Centre Method has its benefits, but it should be paired with another assessment for more comprehensive results.

 ✅❌ Pros and cons 

 The Assessment Centre Method has its advantages – by taking employees out of the confinement of the workplace, one can see how they organically react to situations. However, as noted above, the competitive nature of this method can bring to the fore unhealthy behaviors – while that may be telling in and of itself, the employees then need to return to the workplace where the actions performed during this assessment may lead to resentment. This method should be carefully monitored and administered only alongside another method for the best results

#3: HR Cost accounting

Employees are a resource for businesses, just as capital and machinery are. In that sense, there needs to be an account of how much cost is going into maintaining human resources, and what kind of labor output is being gained in return. In the Human-Resource Cost Accounting Method, the HR managers are asked to look into how much is being spent on individual employees’ training, compensation, and development. HR managers then have to balance those costs against the productivity of the employees and whether the training and development programs have resulted in higher yield for the company. 

Not everything can be decided according to a money in-productivity out system, however- some employees bring more value to the company than just their labor. For example, a few employees may boost morale, others may have invaluable external contacts, and another group may show their teams how to work smart. This is a very cold and calculated way of looking at human capital, and should not be the sole assessment criteria used to determine the future of employees in companies.

 ✅❌ Pros and cons 

There is value to using the Human-Resource (Cost) Accounting Method – it does show you the kinds of gains and losses your human capital is bringing in. However, this is another method that takes time and energy – one needs to collate costs from across the company and compare it to what is being earned or lost per employee. A single error could mean the end of someone’s employment so this is not a foolproof method to rely on.

 #4: Management by Objectives (MBO)

Management by Objectives (MBO) was coined by Peter Drucker, author of several management books and well-known guru, and is one of the most popular assessment types used by HR managers. In this method, employees and managers sit together at the start of every year, or quarter, and outline goals and the processes needed to reach those goals for the next financial period. This assessment type is ideal for a collaborative environment and makes the interpersonal relationships between managers and subordinates much stronger. Setting achievable goals will motivate employees and make their work more easily measurable – such as a 10% increase in social media followers, or 15% more unique website views – and help to create more manageable monthly reports.

However, it is important to ensure that there are enough goals for an employee to be engaged and motivated, but not too many, as that will put undue pressure on the employee. This method yields strong results but fails to take in interpersonal and communication skills, so it should be paired with another method like the 360-Degree Feedback assessment.

 ✅❌ Pros and cons 

Almost all companies use the Management by Objectives (MBO) assessment method – the results are measurable and it gives employees dedicated targets to strive towards. It takes up the least amount of time for managers and HR teams and has had great results over the years. The MBO method has its advantages but it has been used by managers to give employees unreasonably high goals – almost punishing them for high achievements in the past. This should be noted and avoided as much as possible – employees shouldn’t feel afraid of achievement because they will be overburdened, as a result, in the following year.

#5: Field review

One of the more traditional assessment types is the Field Review Method. In this method, a person from the HR department shadows and assesses an employee to evaluate their working styles, effectiveness, and output. This method can be labor-intensive, especially for HR as they will need to take a significant amount of time out of their schedules to study the employee. Additionally, the HR team may not have a thorough understanding of another department’s methods or their work – this will make assessment tricky.

However, if the HR team is concerned that employees would otherwise not be getting an unbiased review from their managers or peers, the Field Review Method can be effective. This method needs to be seriously considered before implementation so that the results are as accurate as necessary.

✅❌ Pros and cons 

The Field Review Assessment method is rarely used in the modern workplace setting- with larger corporations becoming the norm, it isn’t possible for HR teams to perform this process. However, this system could have merits in smaller, controlled environments – as long as it is paired with a more thorough and efficient, as outlined above.

Employee Engagement as a strategy in Organizational success

March 27, 2023 in Business, Professionalism

Employee engagement is a pivotal component of any successful business. Employees who are enthusiastic about what they do are more productive, innovative, and committed to their work, which leads to increased profitability and success for the company. In this article, we will describe employee engagement, why it is essential, and how organizations can improve it.

Employee engagement is defined as an employee’s emotional attachment to their organization and its goals. Employees who are fully invested in their work and willing to go above and beyond to help the company succeed are considered engaged. They are enthusiastic and motivated, and they take pride in their work. Disengaged employees, on the other hand, are those who are emotionally disconnected from their work or the organization, resulting in lower productivity and higher turnover rates.

A highly engaged workforce is a valuable resource for any company, as it aids in the improvement of performance and the achievement of strategic goals. Employees who are engaged are more likely to be productive, innovative, and dedicated to their jobs. They are also less likely to leave the company and have lower absenteeism rates. Employees who are engaged are also more likely to recommend their company as a great place to work, which can aid in attracting top talent.

Disengaged employees, on the other hand, can have a negative impact on an organization’s performance. They may be less productive, less committed, and less likely to contribute to the organization’s success. They may also be more likely to take time off work and look for work.

So, how can business owners boost employee engagement? Companies can employ a variety of strategies to increase employee engagement. To begin, it is critical to ensure that employees feel valued and appreciated. This can be accomplished through continuous feedback, reward schemes, and professional development and growth opportunities.

Second, businesses should foster a positive work environment that encourages teamwork and collaboration. Team-building exercises, regular team meetings, and social events that bring employees together outside of work can help with this.

Third, companies should give employees the opportunity to participate in decision-making processes. Employee surveys, comment cards, and weekly meetings with management to discuss concerns and ideas can all help. Some examples of activities can be found here.

To summarize, employee engagement is critical to an organization’s success, and steps should be taken to increase engagement levels. Communication, recognition, training, employee involvement, work-life balance, and leadership are all strategies that can help create an engaged workforce. By investing in employee engagement, organizations can improve productivity, innovation, customer satisfaction, and employee retention.

You can also read about brands and authors

Co-working Space and its many Benefits

October 5, 2021 in Business, Co-Working Space, Professionalism, Training, Upskilling, Workspace

Co Working Spaces

Co-working space simply explained, is a commercial work environment where diverse groups of independent, hardworking & dedicated professionals such as techies, writers, freelancers and remote workers, work together in a shared communal setting for effective and productive use of their time.

It’s been proven over and over that the use of co working space is very beneficial to the users despite the fact that strangers have alongside each other in the workspace environment.

Emerald Zone as a co-working space provider for some years now following customer testimonials and tangible evidence alongside local and international has compiled the benefits of using co working space to customers.

Here are a quick summary of the benefits of using the co-working space

  • Since users of co working space work for different organizations and have varied interest, there is little or no competition nor internal politics. It strengthens the confidence and identity of the worker as they feel distinct and unique.
  • Co working spaces are focused on entrenching and strengthening values such as collaboration, learning and sustainability. It is supposed to be a norm that workers help each other as they all have different skill set and can support each other in the work space community.
  • Workspace provide amenities that may not be available in some office settings nor in many homes for those that Work from Home, neither do freelancers have easy access to such things as Conference Room, Meeting Room, Work out space etc
  • The opportunity to network with other professionals is one of the great benefits of co working space. Being surrounded with goal oriented and high achieving professionals and ensuring one is truly present among them by engaging and interacting surely has its way of strengthening the individual’s network.
  • Co working can increase productivity as it takes away the Work from Home distraction and because it’s facility that is paid for, users take their whole self to work so that they can get value for their money alongside the motivation they get from seeing other professionals operating at the top of their game. This also gives a sense of belonging as opposed to the feeling of loneliness that customers experience from Working From Home.
  • Happiness they say is a choice, the vibe a co working space gives often enhance happy feeling among users. The positivity of thinking about the possibility of connecting to the next great opportunity or the next big thing. The feeling of being among those that make things happen in diverse ways. The feeling of catching a snack with a stranger that can turn out to be a homie in a few more connect does bring forth the feeling of happiness and this impacts on work done from co working space.
  • Using a co-working space tend to give the user an opportunity to learn something new. It could be a new skill, a fashion style, personal space facelift, healthy lifestyle habits, gaming platform etc Many at times users may have come across the information but may never have used it until they are in close proximity with another user hence they get positively influenced to try out new things.

Emerald Zone is has been providing workspace that meets the needs of users from Personal space to private offices that can take from 3 to 10  people as well as training & conference room suitable for up to 70 people. Emerald Zone has workspace facilities located in different areas within Ikeja, Lagos, Nigeria all strategically within serene environments that enhance concentration and productivity. The rates are friendly and the amenities are amazing so to make more enquiries you can visit on ezonelagos on Instagram or Facebook, you can also call 08038095408 or email info@emeraldzone.com.ng

Code Zone 2021 ends successfully

September 19, 2021 in Professionalism, technology, Training, Uncategorized, Upskilling

Code Zone 2021  started on Monday August 2, 2021 and it was clearly on a higher level from previous editions which held in 2019 and 2020, this holiday summer coding Program for Teens and Preteens rounded up on August 31, 2021 after 22 days of intense training of participants between the ages of 10 to 16years.

This year’s edition was quite exciting and  intense for us as organizers as we had to manage both In-person and Virtual classes  at the same time. We had 3 classes hold simultaneously and for ease of administration and  identification of the students we named each class after Programmers:

  • In- person Class for HTML & CSS  we named Team Babbage
  • Virtual Class for HTML & CSS we named Team Malvat
  • Virtual Class for JavaScript we named Team Eich

Code Zone Team Malvat

Code Zone Team Malvat

In line with our practice each participant had to apply their learning in their area of interest which we have come to appreciate that it makes assimilation easier for all participants. The areas of interest showcased through the presentations of these young ones were Soccer, Fashion, Books, Music, Games, Aviation, Movies, Travel, ecommerce and Lifestyle. The amazing display of creativity by the children through their choice of images, page layout and colour combination among other things made the guests go wow!

Code Zone 2021 Project

Participants project

One of the many things that continues to give us joy on the project are those moments when these children write their  code and it works, the joy that exudes from within them cannot be bought, here  are some moments in pictures, most of our of the participants had no clue on what coding was like before they got on the program, in all there were 22 participants

The Program was concluded on with presentations from  members of each team, the beauty of the presentation for us is that beyond the coding that the kids have learnt and want to showcase, its an opportunity for them to develop the confidence to face an audience, they also get to take questions and most importantly get feedback on their work so they can improve on it if they choose to go further.

Code Zone 2021 Presentation Day

Code Zone 2021 Presentation Day

‘The success for this year can first be attributed to God and the amazing efforts of the volunteer instructors namely Ifeanyi Chiemeke, Michael Umoren and Biose Isichei. It’s  also a good opportunity to say thank you to parents that registered their children as well as individuals who sponsored the registrations of a number of children and overall the Emerald Zone team that ensure all the behind the scenes activities move successfully; Said Mrs Akinloye Olufunke

Feedback from parents have been positively overwhelming and captured for future reference, we also got a couple of mentions in the papers

Code Zone 2021 Testimonial

Code Zone 2021 Testimonial

Code Zone 2021 The Nation

Code Zone 2021 The Nation

Code Zone 2021 Vanguard

Code Zone 2021 Vanguard

Code Zone 2021 Telegraph

Code Zone 2021 Telegraph

Code Zone in The Guardian

Code Zone 2021 Guardian

Code Zone is an annual program powered by Emerald Zone with the mission of helping the young ones acquire coding skills at little or no cost in order to prepare them as they grow into the world where technology takes the lead.

LASU Graduates Signs up for Graduate Development Program.

October 15, 2020 in Graduate Development Programme, Professionalism, Training

LASU Graduates Signs up for Emerald Zone Graduate Development Program.

Personal Development is an individual decision. However, It is clear that we have to take steady steps to adjust to life in the new normal. It is therefore on this note that we applaud the Final Year Students & recent Graduates of Lagos State University for signing up for the Graduate Development Program organized by Emerald Zone.

Emerald Zone designed this monthly training program to empower the youths and prepare them for the workplace. The organization identified the gap in the expectation of the employer in a Talent and the level of preparedness of the fresh job seeker.

Dr. Igot Ofem, LASU Career Development Centre Coordinator said ‘Emerald Zone has been consistent in its efforts to contribute to the development of the Youths, their track record speaks for itself. Therefore, we are very comfortable to partner with them so that they can upskill our soon to be graduates & their immediate predecessors’.

The Graduate Development Program provides soft skill training that is very essential to fit in the workplace. Modules such as Personal Effectiveness, Business Eco-Systems, Ethics, etc are just a few among the areas covered.

The COO of Emerald Zone, Mr. Oladapo Akinloye is excited to have the LASU students on board ‘this is a confirmation of the value we consistently deliver, our resolve to consciously expand the base of employable youths is coming to fruition’.He further stated that the 4 weeks training program has expert practitioners as faculty that give relatable examples hence helping the participants learn clearly and understand faster.It is a platform we have developed for organizations to reach out and seek well-groomed talents that can be hired for their aptitude and attitude.

At the moment the Graduate Development Programs is Virtual and runs once a week for four weeks. Classes are intensive as it encompasses a lot of assignments and discussions. Individuals or groups are invited to reach out to @ezonelagos on Facebook & Instagram to register for the next cohort which is in November 2020 if not they can register for other months.

Etiquette tips for Smooth Conference Calls

March 29, 2020 in Business, Professionalism

The Month of March 2020 will forever in history be recorded as when there was a
sudden spike in the use of Online Meeting Apps. The reason is not far fetched as
Covid-19 almost grounds the world to a halt in business activities, alternating means
have to be discovered while observing the mandatory Social distance.
Since more people now have to work remotely we have turned to Apps such as
Zoom, Free Conference Calls, Skype, Google Hangout, WhatsApp, OnSip etc to try
to get the business going. It is therefore important to give some tips on how to use
these correctly so that we don’t leave each other displeased with the non verbal
cues.

Here are some tips for making an effective and efficient conference call.
Send Notice Ahead: it is important to treat online meetings with agenda as a regular
meeting because discussions and agreements are official and legally binding. This
enables participants to prepare ahead – such as download the App if need be, check
their ear & mouthpiece, clear calendar, get the documents / references for the
meeting ready etc.
Confirm your Presence: When you join an online meeting it is important to
introduce yourself or you are introduced especially when the participants are not
your team members Even if the App will show the number of participants ensure
you register your presence with a comment or something especially if you joined the
meeting late.
Reduce or Eliminate Disruptions: It is disrespectful to others in the same call when
there are audible interruptions from someone’s end especially the type that can be
managed ahead e.g. loud ring tones friendly neighbour, screaming kids etc its only
fair to keep such interruptions away from your meeting as these will not likely happen
if you were physically in a meeting room. If you however have disruptions, then
apologize and ensure it doesn’t reoccur.
Be Present: Don’t just join the call because you are scheduled to be part of it and
nothing else. While you may want to multitask in order to optimise your time it is

important that you confirm your presence by contributing to the conversation when
the opportunity presents itself. There must have been a value expected from you to
have been invited for the meeting, this can’t happen if you are silent.
Be Audible: While you may be soft spoken remember that all attendees are relying
on technology to transmit the information to them, so if you have to increase the
intensity of your voice do it just for the period of the meeting. What you don’t want is
attendees asking you to repeat yourself over and over or you are being lectured on
how to use your microphone properly during the meeting.
Don’t Dominate the meeting: While you may be the host or you may naturally have
a deep voice you need to consciously not dominate the conversation all through the
meeting. This will be counter productive as you may not achieve any significant thing
since all attendees just have to agree with you so the meeting can come to an end.
Keep Meeting Official: Don’t fall for the temptation of drifting very far from the
objective and the Agenda of the meeting. There may be many other matters to
discuss, be disciplined enough to keep all matters official. Also do not make any
matter personal, disagreements may occur but it is important to take your official
position as opposed to turning it into a personality bout.
Recap agreements before closing: Before the meeting officially ends, ensure there
is a clear establishment of all that was agreed and the next steps to take. No
attendee would be happy to have spent time in a meeting with no cogent outcome.
Proper goodbyes can follow after agreements are established.

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