The employees at this company arent allowed to wear shoes

The employees at this company arent allowed to wear shoesThe employees at this company arent allowed to wear shoesHow comfortable are you with seeing the hairy toes of your coworkers?This is the question being posed by Gusto, a San Francisco-based startup. What the startup actually does - helping businesses with human resource management tools - is less interesting than its unusual office policy, which may be a perk or a nightmare, depending on your stance on sweaty bare feet. According to the San Francisco Chronicles profile on the company, the company has a no-shoes policy.When you visit Gusto, you are asked to take off your shoes. To ease their transition into a shoeless world, guests are given disposable paper slippers. You will see Gustos 275 employees padding around their Pier 70 headquarters in slippers, socks or in the all-natural choice of bare feet.At Gusto, you need to take off your shoesHow did this policy get started? At the request of its CEO, who grew up in a shoes-o ff home.We want our office to feel like a home, to be comfortable and authentic, Josh Reeves, CEO and cofounder of Gusto, told the Chronicle. We started Gusto in a house in Palo Alto and had a no-shoe policy there, and we all grew up in shoeless houses.For some of us, the thought of showing off our feet off in all their sweaty, odorous glory would be too intimate. But for these employees, thats exactly the kind of informal, familial vibe the policy is supposed to inspire.Taking off my shoes makes me feel like Im at home, an unnamed Gusto employee told geschftlicher umgang Insider. It creates more of a family dynamic, which helps us do collaborative work as a team every day.If the thought of seeing your boss feet grosses you out, then maybe being a Gustie, as the employees call themselves, isnt for you.

Employee Benefits Can Strengthen Compensation Packages

Employee Benefits Can Strengthen Compensation PackagesEmployee Benefits Can Strengthen Compensation PackagesIn any industry, a solid practice for attracting the most skilled employees comes down to leveraging employee benefits to strengthen the compensation package. Building an appealing comp plan that offers leid only fairpay,but also a variety of benefits, can help any organization to beat out the competition. Comprehensive employeebenefit packages often include generous paid time off from work, dental, vision, healthcare, short-term and long-term disability insurance, life insurance, retirement savings plans and flexible spending accounts. According toPayScales 2017 Compensation Best Practicesreport, 44 percent of employers think they are doing a good job of paying their employees, but only 20 percent of employees feel the saatkorn. Many employers have plans to improve their compensation strategy, but it can be costly to do this for everyone. Creating an employee benefit program that includes multiple layers of affordable and flexible benefit options can offset ansicht costs, while still appealing to talent. Here are some steps your organization can take to improve the structure and sustainability of your compensation plan and benefits for employees. How to Put Together an Attractive Employee Benefits Package Creating an attractiveemployee benefits packagecan take a lot of research on the part of the company, but it pays off in the end. The keys are to find out what benefits are available today and what employees need or want the most from their employer. In this article, you will learn how to put theory to work with actionable steps. Learn the Industry Standards The first thing you must do is learn the standards of the industry in which your company operates. This means that you should find out what your competitors are offering their employees in their benefits package. This can be accomplished by speaking with employees at your company who came t o you from a competitor or by speaking with colleagues you know from other companies. Use data from several current salary surveys to investigate what related assignment rates and benefits look like in your market. Review your benefits offerings with a benefits agent knowledgeable about your field. Seek Feedback From Current Employees It is also important that you seek feedback from your current employees. This can be done by sending out brief email surveys asking what they like most about the companys benefits program and what is lacking. Another method is by using an internal employee engagement system that measures employee interest in benefits. Biometric information can also help you to see what benefits are being used and whats not getting much use. You should also talk to all of the employees who are leaving your company, whether for retirement or to work for someone else. This topic should be broached during theexit interviewso you can gauge why they are leaving and if i t is due to the benefits package you currently offer employees. Work With a Benefits Consultant Companies are becoming more inclined to work with a benefits consultant these days in order to put together an effective package. A benefits consultant will point you in the right direction, answer all of your questions, and even put together a package that meets the needs of your employees. Since they are considered an expert and they work with many of your competitors, they have an added layer of insight that you dont have. Ask for at least two options in benefit packages that can be voted on by a committee of your employees. Make Sure Legal Requirements Are Met for Essential Employee Benefits Privatehealth insurance plansfound in the marketplace must offer the same set of essential employee benefits to everyone at your company. These plans must cover emergency care, hospitalization, outpatient care, maternity and newborn care, mental health and substance abuse care, prescripti ons, rehabilitation, lab services, pediatric care and wellness services. This may change somewhat as health care reform continues in the USA, so be sure to have some flexibility in plans being offered. Defined contributions and bonuses can be attractive for employees trying to afford healthcare insurance. Communicate Employee Benefits in Compensation Offerings The next step in strengthening your compensation packages for candidates is to communicate this package when discussing compensation at the time you extend a job offer. Have this in writing and provide information on your employee benefits website and printed brochures. Design an Attractive Employee Benefits Package The benefits package must be attractive to look at for the candidate, not just a piece of paper with words written on it. Instead, make sure the document has pictures, graphs, and tables in it to provide the candidate with a plethora of information about all the benefits offered by the company. Include Benefits Overview in Job Descriptions and Advertisements Whenever your company posts a new job opening to a job board or to its careers page, be sure that the job description includes an overview of the benefits package available for that standort. It does not have to be an in-depth description, but it should convey what will be available in a way that will appeal to your targeted talent. How to Discuss Benefits in an Interview When you interview a candidate, make sure that the benefits package is part of the discussion. This will help the candidate know more about your company, the position and what you have to offer them. The benefits should be discussed in the firstinterviewwhen your interviewer gives the candidate the overview of the company and the job available. You can actually get away with discussing the benefits package and not the salary at this time. Retain Employees With Benefits If any of your employees are considering leaving the company for positions elsewhe re, you need to communicate to them that the benefits they receive are second-to-none. According to Colonial Life, 73 percent of employees say that understanding the benefits they have is very important. In the same survey, 37 percent of employees want information on their benefits that they can understand. As a company, you need to communicate as effectively as possible about the available benefits. Whether this includes creating a newsletter or informational pamphlet or holding a seminar for employees make sure your employees know what they have. In short, companies can attract some of the toptalentin their industry by offering a strong compensation package that includes various forms of benefits. When you perform a review of your benefits and find that they need to be updated, make sure it is a quick process that encompasses your current and future employees. Updated on March 31,2017,by Tess C Taylor

These are the Top 10 happiest cities in America for 2018

These are the Top 10 happiest cities in America for 2018These are the Top 10 happiest cities in America for 2018Do you have a good career going, but find that you are still unhappy? welches that jump from your collegeinternshippaying $8/hr to a full-time job at the same company really what made it for you in terms of happiness?Studies from Purdue have shown that money can help people become happier, but only to a certain extent. In fact, the happiest people in America, in terms of income, are actually those in middle and upper-middle class not the millionaires living in Silicon Valley.So what is the magical combination of life experiences and assets that make people the happiest and more importantly, where do they live?Here is a brief glimpse of the Top 10 happiest cities in AmericaSioux Falls, SDLincoln, NEOlathe, KSOverland Park, KSOmaha, NEBoise City, IDLexington, KYCary, NCMadison, WIWichita, KSObviously, there must be something more to Kansas andNebraskathan meets the eye. In f act, none of the Top 10 happiest cities are very large metropolitan areas like D.C.,New York, San Francisco, and Los Angeles.Curious about how the top 10 made the list? Wondering how you can capitalize on the factors that make those cities so happy? Read on for a more detailed look at the cities that made our list.How we came up with this listWe didnt just pull this list of happy cities out of our hats - we looked at the following criteria to determine where people are the happiestBeing well educated (Population with at least a bachelors degree)Having a job (As meaayad by the unemployment rate)A short commute to work (God do people hate traffic)Low cost of livingHaving a family (Getting, and staying married, has a ton of happiness benefits, on average)Thats a ton of fun - and happiness - for the whole family, backed by science. The data all comes from the most recent 2012-2016 American Community Survey.After we decided on the criteria, we gathered the data for the 200 largest cit ies in the country.We then ranked each place from one to 200 for each of the seven criteria with a score of one being the happiest. (Any ties were given to the larger place)Next, we averaged the seven rankings into a Happiness datenbankindex for each place, with the lowest overall Index winning the title Happiest Big City in America.Keep reading for more on why each of these 10 places made the cut - or just hop to the bottom for a more detailed look at these happy cities.1. SIOUX FALLS, SDPopulation167,884Sioux Falls, the largest city inSouth Dakotacomes in at number 1 in our ranking. So what makes this city burst with happiness?A very short commute and the extremely low unemployment rate would make anyone sing with joy. In addition, their incredible arts and culture atmosphere and beautiful parks make this city one of the best.2. LINCOLN, NEPopulation273,018People often wonder if anything really happens in the Midwest other than farming. Obviously, something good, because Nebraska and Kansas offer some of the happiest cities in AmericaLincoln is the capital of Nebraska and is known for their Sunken Gardens. Lincoln also offers cheap rent, lots of jobs, and short commutes what more could you ask for?3. OLATHE, KSPopulation132,787Olathe coming in at number three in our top 10 list was actually first in last years ranking. This sunflower state city is bustling with job opportunity.Olathe is also a married-couples center, with over 60% of the residents in this city are married. So if you are serious about getting hitched, perhaps checking out Olathe will bring you some happiness.4. OVERLAND PARK, KSPopulation183,775Moving back to Nebraska comes another go-happy city, Omaha. Omaha and Overland Park actually tie for fourth and fifth on our ranking, but what about these cities makes them so happy?Omahas great zoo, parks, and museums are not the only things that make residents happy. Omahas short commute and low unemployment rate also help make this city full of s miles.5. OMAHA, NEPopulation443,072Like Omaha, Overland Park is yet another Midwestern city that makes it to the top of our lists. It ranks 6th in unemployment and 10th in higher education for residents.Overland Park is the second largest city in Kansas and is full of great things to do, like heritage centers and Overland Park Arboretum and Botanical Gardens.6. BOISE CITY, IDPopulation218,677Next in our ranking, we move to Boise City,Idaho, a city in a state known for their potatoes. Who wouldnt love being surrounded by an agricultural industry that can surround you with fries, hash browns, and mashed potatoes?In addition to the delicious tubers, Boise City ranks 8th for the commute. Idaho is also known for its ranching and connection to the infamous historicalOregonTrail.7. LEXINGTON, KYPopulation311,529Lexington comes next in our top 10 with over 41% of the residents having degrees. The average rent here is less than $800/month who wouldnt jump with joy at those rates?Lexington i s the second largest city inKentuckyand is known as the horse capital of the world. So if you are a horse lover looking for a happy place to live, check out Lexington.8. CARY, NCPopulation155,822Cary is known for their low crime rates, low unemployment, and diverse suburbs. It is also located in the Research Triangle Park area, meaning residents of Cary are close to a cornucopia of healthcare and tech jobs.Cary ranks high on many of our criteria 4th in higher education, 6th in unemployment, and 7th in married households. While Cary is one large suburbia, there is much nightlife and things to do in the surrounding areas including Durham, Raleigh, and Chapel Hill.9. MADISON, WIPopulation246,034While Madison comes in 9th on our top 10 list, dont think its residents are unhappy. Like Cary, Madison has low unemployment and a high percentage of residents with higher education degrees, thanks to the University of Wisconsin.Madison is known for their vibrantmusicand culture scene. From musi c festivals to performing arts, you will be sure to find something thatll make you happy here.10. WICHITA, KSPopulation388,033Last but not least comes Wichita another Kansas city Wichita ranks 9th for commute and 12th for rent costs, making this a convenient and affordable city for anyone.Wichita is the largest city in Kansas and is the cultural center for Kansas. The city boasts the Wichita Art Museum, the Wichita Symphony Orchestra, and the Wichita River Festival, which brings over 370k visitors every year to the city.Happy readingFeeling happy that your city made it on our Top 10 ranking? If you dont see your city on the list, but live in a large U.S. city? Check out our full list below to see where you stack up. Perhaps all we need to do is move to Kansas. Who would have known the Midwest is a happiness hub?If you are looking to improve your own happiness, check out how you can help improve your personal factors housing costs, job satisfaction, income, and education.Zippiacan h elp you find a career that will help optimize all those factors in your life.Detailed list of the happiest cities in America for 2018RankCity1Sioux Falls, SD2Lincoln, NE3Olathe, KS4Overland Park, KS5Omaha, NE6Boise City, ID7Lexington, KY8Cary, NC9Madison, WI10Wichita, KS11Des Moines, IA12Little Rock, AR13Huntsville, AL14Lubbock, TX15Amarillo, TX16Spokane, WA17Fort Wayne, IN18Fort Collins, CO19Grand Rapids, MI20Pittsburgh, PA21Chandler, AZ22Scottsdale, AZ23Louisville, KY24Oklahoma City, OK25Colorado Springs, CO26Mcallen, TX27Columbus, OH28Greensboro, NC29Tulsa, OK30Frisco, TX31Knoxville, TN32Springfield, MO33Albuquerque, NM34Bellevue, WA35Gilbert, AZ36Laredo, TX37Syracuse, NY38Montgomery, AL39Plano, TX40Salt Lake City, UT41Mckinney, TX42KansasCity, MO43Columbia, SC44Metairie, LA45Eugene, OR46Buffalo, NY47St. Paul, MN48Raleigh, NC49Minneapolis, MN50Naperville, IL51Sunnyvale, CA52Corpus Christi, TX53Chattanooga, TN54Durham, NC55Winston-Salem, NC56Rockford, IL57Clarksville, TN58Virginia Beach, VA59Salem, OR60Irvine, CA61Brownsville, TX62Chesapeake, VA63Shreveport, LA64Peoria, AZ65Urban Honolulu, HI66Toledo, OH67Anchorage, AK68Tempe, AZ69Tallahassee, FL70Irving, TX71Nashville, TN72El Paso, TX73Cincinnati, OH74Fremont, CA75Rochester, NY76Lakewood, CO77Killeen, TX78Mobile, AL79Fayetteville, NC80Arlington, TX81Torrance, CA82Indianapolis, IN83Mesa, AZ84Akron, OH85Seattle, WA86San Antonio, TX87Reno, NV88Baton Rouge, LA89Columbus, GA90Aurora, IL91Henderson, NV92Warren, MI93Portland, OR94Fort Worth, TX95Joliet, IL96Arlington, VA97Austin, TX98Denver, CO99Dayton, OH100St. Petersburg, FLThis article first appeared on Zippia.