Aside from the job scope itself, one factor that significantly influences how employees feel about work is the environment. By work environment, I mean everything that forms part of employees’ involvement with the work itself, such as the relationship with co-workers and supervisors, organizational culture, room for personal development, etc.

A positive work environment makes employees feel good about coming to work, and this provides the motivation to sustain them throughout the day.

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If you’re looking for a new job, then I would say that assessing the work environment is a crucial step you shouldn’t skip. After all, this is the place you might be working at in future and you wouldn’t want to be dragging yourself to work every single morning!

Recommended Reading: Survive Office: 10 Tips For Moving Up Corporate Ladder

Due to the job variety available in the marketplace, this article is probably a little generic and may not apply to all types of jobs. However, as you shall see below, these qualities are much valued by employees and employers in most jobs. I would say that they are pretty universal in that sense, except in a few exceptional cases.

1. Transparent & Open Communication

In essence, a transparent and open form of communication addresses the employee’s need to feel that what they have to say has value. It is what makes employees feel that they belong in the organization. Work then becomes meaningful because the employees know that what they contribute affects the organization that they are affiliated with.

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It is thus essential for staff to discuss the organization’s philosophy, mission and values, from time to time during retreats, meetings, etc to ensure that everyone knows what they’re working for other than their paychecks. Having open discussions get people involved and allow them to share their views and perspectives on how to achieve company goals. After which, the management side will give their own perspectives on how to fulfill the organization’s mission.

Recommended reading: 6 Tips towards Not Having Pointless Meetings

Give and Take

Such two-way open communication will eventually break down the hurdles present in hierarchical or bureaucratic organizations. At the end of it all, it promotes trust in day-to-day interactions between co-workers, as well as between subordinates and supervisors.

Everyone becomes more united with the organization’s mission in their mind. There is mutual respect among all employees, regardless of their official statuses.

This is when employees will not be afraid to suggest ideas to improve the work processes, thus benefiting everyone in the organization in return.

2. Work-Life Balance

There has to be some sort of balance between work and personal life. In general, having that sense of balance will improve job satisfaction among employees because they will feel that they’re not overlooking the other areas of their lives that are, if not more, important to them than work.

The Constant Juggle

When employees fulfill their various needs and goals in life, such as those of family, friends, spiritual pursuits, self-growth, etc, they can then feel more confident about themselves and perform their best at work. Apart from that, employees that are exposed to more experiences in life outside of work can use what they’ve gained and apply that to their work.

In other words, work-life balance can promote creativity and out-of-the-box thinking.

Also Read: 8 Tips To Simplify Your Work Life

A Nod from the Top

‘Good’ employees or workers are often defined as those who put in loads of effort and sacrificed their personal time in order to perform well in their work. Some employees are simply workaholics who would rather neglect other aspects of their life for work.

Managers have a responsibility to show that this is not right, by rewarding employees who maintain good work-life balance habits (e.g. leave work on time) and can still perform well.

In this case, the organization may adopt a firm stance on work-life balance by educating employees on the benefits of having such balance in their lives or even include it under their mission statement.

Related post: How Freelance Designers can find Balance in their Work Life.

3. Training & Development-Focused

In a time when change is more rampant than ever before, it is necessary for organizations to be keep abreast with the changes and train their employees accordingly. For instance, technology is evolving so rapidly that what organizations commonly used ten years ago could be made obsolete today (e.g. Zip drives, dial-up modems, etc).

Adapting to change is never more crucial in this era because those who don’t, get replaced. This applies to both the individual and the organization itself.

A training and development-focused organization has a clear roadmap for training their employees to sustain and enhance the productivity of the organization as a whole. Essentially speaking, there are two kinds of skills that can be developed: hard skills and soft skills.

• Hard skills: impact work productivity directly e.g. knowledge of a new database management system
• Soft skills: interpersonal skills which could affect the morale of the organization.

A positive work environment would have routine trainings to improve efficiency and instill positive attitudes among employees.

4. Recognition for Hard Work

Rewards are necessary to encourage certain behaviors in persons. This is known as positive reinforcement under operant conditioning in the field of psychology. It is used in organizational behavior management as well: by rewarding employees who put in effort for their work, this will promote similar behaviors in the future.

Also Read: Manager Or Leader: Which Are You?

Shower Praises

A reward here doesn’t have to be monetary in nature; sometimes even a simple verbal recognition by the supervisor is all that is necessary to spur the employees’ motivation.

When hard work is appropriately rewarded and duly recognized by the management, employees will naturally feel valued by the organization for what they put in. Such mentality is healthy for the organization because employees will be willing to go the extra mile without worrying about not getting anything in return.

Acknowledging their Presence

Apart from having a system of monetary rewards in place to award those who perform at work, daily interactions can also be a good means of recognizing efforts. It’s free too! Managers ought to verbalize their appreciations for simple little things when employees go the extra mile. However, these should be made specific and personal for the employee to feel that what they do are being taken seriously and appreciated.

5. Strong Team Spirit

As social beings, we naturally seek support from our peers and seek to belong to a group. Come tough times, the team should come together to deal with whatever problems are out there. This is where a sense of unity is evoked in the team and employees will no longer just feel that they’re working for themselves. They are now working towards something bigger than themselves, and as a team.

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Instilling a strong team spirit is not easy because it involves the acceptance and tolerance of differences in perspectives and working styles between teammates. There is a need for them to see that they’re working towards a common goal before they can look beyond the differences.

Band of Bros

Have team-bonding activities that let the team focus on the positive sides of each member and negate the negative ones. Celebrate events like birthdays for each member of your team to show the exclusivity. Deal with issues together. Basically, whatever it is that you do, do it as a team.

One pitfall to look out for when team spirit is high is the groupthink phenomenon. This psychological phenomenon occurs when the group cohesiveness gets so strong that judgments or decision-making get clouded.

Think about it, when team spirit is strong, members will be inclined to support whatever decision made as a team without raising any valid objections. The solution is to have a member playing the role of the Devil’s Advocate during discussions.

Related Post: 5 Crucial Aspects To Consider Before Accepting The Job Offer

So what do you look for in your ideal working environment? Full-time freelancers can sit this one out, you are probably already in it.

Already on the mobile payment system bandwagon? So are thousands of other businesses out there. What’s a business owner to do to get new customers and keep existing ones coming back for more? Well, there are plenty of loyalty and reward systems out there that can help you expand your customer database. By rewarding them for staying loyal to your business, you give them a good reason to come back to yours every single time.

But we are not talking about punchcards here, we’re talking about smart apps that deliver offers and deals straight to your customers, programs that collect customer data and can tell you what your customers ordered, tested and bought, as well as when they last came in or redeemed an offer.

In this last post of the mobile payment system series, we will look at some of the creative concepts offfered by these apps and platforms to help businesses retain customers.

Recommended Reading: 15 Mobile Billing Systems For E-Commerce

1. Pirq

Pirq helps users discover deals, redeem offers and manage their purchases and rewards easily. Pirq users can download the app, find deals, and reserve those they are interested in then scan the Microsoft Tag at the shop to get their punch card.

They will be treated to special rewards or discounts off the total bill at restaurants, beauty, retail and service outlets. Patrons who do not use smartphones can send an SMS to redeem deals as well.

For businesses:

Merchants will be able to track customer preferences and traffic in real-time to figure out when their peak and off-peak periods are, and what rewards their customers are interested in. The system also does not allow users to reserve an offer that they have no intention of redeeming so merchants can reach more active clients and customers without being swamped by overwhelming demand.

2. RewardJunkie!

Like to frequent restaurants, cafes, bars and pubs? Why not get rewarded for your patronage? You can claim special offers, discounts and rewards if you frequent a place that uses rewardJunkie!.

New users are treated to Welcome treats (worth hundreds!) that they can redeem with their smartphone. Users can link a credit card into the app and scan a unique QR code at the shop counter to make their purchases. These in-store purchases give them points that will help them unlock more treats that they can redeem.

For businesses:

Business owners can try out rewardjunkie! at $50 per month for three months but then will have to adopt one of three pricing options. In return they get reports, customer data and analytics, targeted campaigns straight to their customers’ phones, and email support.

3. LevelUp

Levelling up is a normal action in games but we can actually use the same concept in real-life shopping too. With LevelUp in their iPhone or Android phone, customers can scan QR codes at their favorite shops to eventually unlock special savings, if they go back often enough.

Apart from that, there is no need to carry around loyalty cards that are brand-specific, or cash for that matter. You can pay for your purchases straight from your smartphone.

For businesses:

LevelUp charges 0% processing fee but if it is acquiring new and returning customers you want, then you might want to invest in their loyalty campaigns. Using customer analytics of purchases and visits, LevelUp can help you build a robust clientele for your business for a fee.

4. Key Ring

Want the best offers and coupons sent straight to your smartphone? Then Key Ring is the app to get. Users can scan all their loyalty and rewards cards into their smartphone and when it comes time to use their cards, the app displays the barcode for scanning.

They can also pick from an array of loyalty programs to sign up for straight from within the app. Key Ring is probably the only one for now to have apps for not only iPhone and Android phones, but also BlackBerry and Windows phones.

For businesses:

On top of analytics reports, with Key Ring, business owners can customize their own offer campaigns in the form of surveys, discounts or sweepstakes, send special one-time redemption offers for special dates like anniversaries and birthdays to selected customers. They can also set redemption limits to service their customers better and not be overwhelmed by demand.

5. buzztable

The problem most diners have with the best restaurants is the horrible queue they have to brave before they can get a seat and a bite to eat. Buzztable makes the waiting more bearable – by letting the customers view top dishes from the menu, see the progress of the queue, and let them decide whether to stay and wait or cancel the reservation.

Frequent customers are rewarded with VIP status and may receive incentives and treats in return. They also get a direct channel to voice their appreciation or complaints to management.

For businesses:

Owners with a booming dining business will love the customer retention ability of this app as well as the table assignment feature, which lets them seat more customers faster and more efficiently. The system will also automatically send new offers, loyalty rewards and birthday perks to returning guests via their smartphone or email.

6. DeelioZ

DeelioZ is a loyalty rewards program app that lets you collect points, which you can use to redeem rewards from participating outlets. New users start off with 100 points. They earn another 100 for checking into a location and 200 points when they get a friend to download the app and check into a location as well.

To redeem rewards, customers need a four-pin confirmation code, which they can get from employees of the service, brand or product. Plus, Deelioz users get extra points on their birthday.

For businesses:

With Deelioz, it is easy to start a rewards program and inform customers about upcoming offers and events. The service also adds a personal touch to the business-client relationship via personalized birthday messages and customized rewards. Business owners can also refer other businesses to try our DeelioZ, getting DeelioZ dollars which they can use to redeem advertising opportunities and solutions.

7. Perka

This is how Perka works: you check in at the location, make a purchase, say your name, and you get a stamp; get enough stamps and you will be promoted from a regular all the way to VIP status. The higher up the loyalty ladder you go, the more special perks you can unlock. That’s it. On a side note, your server is bound to remember your name every time you visit the store.

For businesses:

Perka gives customers a direct line to give business owners their feedback via the app. Have customers who don’t have iOS or Android yet? Perka also works via text. There are two pricing plans to choose from: one lets customers earn offers per purchase and the other lets the earn points as per dollar spent at your store. Thus, you are rewarding only paying customers.

8. ERPLY

ERPLY is a Paypal POS (Point-of-Sale) solution for merchants but it also improves a better shopping experience for consumers. With the PayPal app, buyers can scout for stores (for instance, boutique shops) nearby that use the system. Checking in at the location before they arrive alerts the store owner to expect your arrival.

In the meantime, they can in customers paypull up your past purchases to make helpful suggestions that fit for your personal tastes. At the checkout counter, checked in customers pay from their Pay Pal account authenticated by facial recognition by the cashier. Receipts can then be emailed to the customer.

For Businesses:

The facial recognition helps cut down fraud cases and nothing says best customer service better than to know exactly what your customer wants. It is also possibe to build incentives and release coupons that cater to their needs and wants based on their purchase history. During busy days, employees can check the system to know who is still in the store and who has left to better manage the staff and available customers.

9. Belly

Already have Passbook? Then, Belly is going to be a great addition. As you enter a location, give the location’s iPad a scan of your loyalty BellyCard or mobile app (on your iPhone or Android smartphone). You will get points in return, which you can use for redeeming rewards that you actually want.

For businesses:

To get started with Belly, business owners pay a monthly minimum of $79/mth which will get them 300 loyalty cards, and an Apple iPad among other benefits. Add another $20 to that and they can have unlimited numbers of loyalty cards plus marketing campaigns and materials to help their business flourish.

Other Worthy Mentions

Here are 5 other platforms and loyalty app programs that can give your business some leverage.

SpotOn

SpotOn lets customers collect Spots for checking in and purchases they make. The Spots can be saved up to redeem bigger rewards or greater savings. Spreading the word about a new business on SpotOn also get users extra rewards. Like Belly, SpotOn also gives merchants a tablet and unlimited loyalty cards to get them started.

MintM

MintM is actually a shopping and reward app (and also a digital wallet) for use in India. Points are called Mints, and collected Mints will be coverted to coupons and gift cards. You get points for checking in locations and for referring friends to the app.

Punchcard

Make purchases, then with the Punchcard app, take a photo of your receipt to receive a stamp. Once you’ve collected enough stamps, you can redeem rewards at participating stores. They are pretty strict with the receipts and scan qualities but Punchcard is already at tons of stores.

Shopkick

Get Kicks out of checking into shops, buying selected items and even just for looking at hot deals up for grabs. Shopkick rewards you for doing what you already do best, shopping and giving yourself awesome treats.

stiQRd

It’s Stickered but with a QR embedded in there – stiQRd banks on QR Codes to get their loyalty program running. Customers go into a shop, scans a QR code provided there and gets rewarded for it if they do it often enough.

Sending mass mail with personal and friendlier touch is quite a tedious job as you need to change some of the variables in the mail content. For example, you’re hosting a birthday party and need to send out invitations but you do not want your mail invitation to sound like it’s a spam or you want to personally address the person using their name in your invitation. In order to do so, you need to send one mail at one time since you need to change the variables.

This is where Mozilla Thunderbird and a little add-on of it – Mail Merge, excels at its best. With this two tool you don’t have to keep on changing the variables. Just create a spreadsheet and draft a mail, and let this two tools do the hardwork for you.

Recommended Reading: How To Import Windows Mail (.Eml) To Mac (.Mbx)

Install mail merge

First thing you have to do is to download Mozilla Thunderbird. After installation, launch Thunderbird and it will ask for your email account. You can create a new one or use an exisiting account of yours.

Now, to install the add ons – Mail Merge. On the upper right side, you can see a "list" icon. Click on it and then click on add-ons.

On the add-ons manager page, search for Mail Merge. Click install and restart Thunderbird for the add-on to work.

1. Create a CSV file

The first thing that need to be done before you can send out your mails is to create a CSV file. To create a CSV file you can use any spreadsheet tool, if you have Microsoft Excel, you can use that.

The first row of the spreadsheet is used to enter the variables you want to use, for example – first name, last name, mail and etc. After you’re done, save the spreadsheet in CSV format.

2. Drafting Personalized Mail

Click on File > New Message > Message or press Ctrl + N

Enter the variables at places that you want the values to appear. Each variable should be enclosed using the double curly braces, for example {{FIRST NAME}}. Enter variable exactly the same as in the CSV file, this includes spelling, spacing and capitalization.

After you’re done with message creation, click on File > Mail Merge. Set Source > CSV , Deliver Mode > Send Later and Format > Both.

Under CSV section, for File, click on browse to locate the CSV file (spreadsheet) you did earlier. After you’re done click "OK".

After clicking "OK", your mail and CSV file will merge. Earlier, we set "Deliver Mode" to send later, so the mails can be found in Local Folders > Outbox. Click on the mail and you’ll notice that your variables has been replaced with the values in your CSV file.

To send out the mails, click on the "list" icon on the upper right, File > Send Unsent Messages.

And voila! you’re done. With this trick you can stop worrying about sounding automated when sending mass mail and sending personalized mail is no longer a tedious task.