When I first became a manager, I felt a little lost and unprepared as I entered my office on the first day. A few weeks prior, I had been a lower-level employee in a small business. Suddenly, I found myself managing a team of eight individuals in a large corporate office. Although I had experience working with peers within an office environment, the movement from peer to manager brought many unforeseen difficulties.I quickly learned that managers have to learn to take a certain level of criticism from employees, typically pertaining to my own decisions and as well the company’s choices. These complaints were simply part of the job. Many of my employees felt the need to vent and disagree about managements’ decisions, yet they often failed to take the initiative to address the concerns themselves. They were content critiquing upper-level administrators but failed to provide any proactive solutions for addressing their criticism. As a manager, I had to realize that this type of behavior was common and my willingness to work longer hours and address tough problems is what positioned my job apart from the average employee. It was not an employee’s job to solve the tough problems; it was mine as member of the company’s leadership.Although it was easy to address that a problem existed, it became clear to me that solving the problem through critical thinking was a more challenging and crucial aspect of my job as a manager. When a staffing problem arose or a project had a setback, it was my job to make sure the situation was resolved. This meant often engaging in reflective thought and deep, critical thinking-skills every manager must possess. I realized that it was not enough to merely employ the easiest option; instead, I had to think about the advantages, risks and unforeseen possibilities when addressing the situation.I also realized that managers prioritize their responsibilities to ensure they can provide enough time to critically address a problem. Knowing when to delegate menial administrative tasks to ensure time to address more important issues was key to my development as a manager. If a setback arose that demanded my immediate attention, I had no qualms putting aside my current task to tackle the more significant problem. My role as a manager required me to designate what responsibilities were critical to the mission of the business-a task I was not asked to complete as an employee.During the first week at my new position, I sent out more emails than I would have in a whole month at my prior job. Communication between staff, clients and customers became a central component of my work as a manager. I quickly reduced the number of emails I sent weekly by synthesizing information into larger messages. However, communicating effectively meant much more than simply being efficient and responsive to emails. I had to invest in my employees to ensure they were not only motivated but also developing as a professional. Weekly meetings with my employees became a time where I could challenge my staff to improve, provide motivation and ensure any inter-office conflict was resolved. Moreover, I soon found out that managers were the “face” of any business. Clients often wanted to hear from me and expected that I communicate in a professional manner. Being able to efficiently answer client questions and concerns while establishing a sales relationship was a vital aspect of my position as a manager.More important than communication, critical thinking or attitude, I realized managers must display an unmatched work ethic in the office place. I had to ensure tasks were being completed-no matter the difficulty of the assignment. Yet, I soon realized that trying to fit every item into an eight-hour workday would prove to be quite difficult. As a manager more was demanded of me, and I had to prioritize my time to ensure everything was complete. Time management became one of the most vital aspects of my job. I had to ensure I set aside time for certain responsibilities, developed a system to keep track of assignments and delegated tasks to my employees based on their skillsets. Suddenly, an extra fifteen minutes in a day made a significant difference in my work output.My transition from an employee to a manager helped me realize that the mindset and expectations of a manager are far different than an employee. Managers have to stay positive, motivate employees, communicate effectively with clients, and manage time in a way employees simply do not. The effectiveness of a department rests on the shoulders of management, and, ultimately they are the ones that have to answer for results.Luckily, the transition is not as daunting as it appears. Most companies provide an ample amount of time for a new manager to adapt and form the necessary mindset for the position. Yet, there remains a significant learning curve involved in moving to a management position and a constant drive to become better is crucial to success. I certainly did not enter into my first manager position with a fully formed skillset; rather, I developed those skills through experience. Comprehending the difference between my role as an employee and manager was crucial to my development, and I only obtained that understanding through a series of both successes and failures.

Former chairperson and CEO of Xerox Corporation, Anne Mulcahy, once said,”Employees are a company’s greatest asset- they’re your competitive advantage. You want to attract and retain the best; provide them with encouragement, stimulus, and make them feel that they are an integral part of the company’s mission.”If you are an organization that uses the Internet for everyday business practices, then there should nothing stopping you from going one step further and applying technology provided on the Internet to employee management.Under piles of workloads, appointments, and meetings, it often becomes understandably difficult for a manager to give employees the time and attention, encouragement and stimulus that they deserve.
Making use of a company’s greatest assets – its human resources – to their fullest potential sometimes means adopting technology that efficiently tackles time constraints, management challenges, a employee dissatisfaction.Has it Ever Worked? Yes!Ever wondered what goes into making candy? The answer should be a large number of very satisfied workers. Or at least that’s what the Jelly Belly Candy Company of California believe.The family-owned company takes its employee performance and job satisfaction very seriously.They recently decided to make the switch from its antiquated talent management process to a far more modern and automated system that uses an employee management software to provide accurate performance appraisals.The result?The new automated employee management system has allowed for a more standardized, organized, and formal evaluation process at the Jelly Belly Candy Company.Greater accessibility between employees and managers, better training programs, and more efficient performance appraisals have all allowed the company to reach its business objectives without compromising on employee satisfaction.The Different Tools of an Employee Management Software1. Maintain a database for all your former and current employeesComplete, searchable, and secure records that includes information such as the employee’s personal details, bank details, emergency contacts, and even a record of his/her sick leaves.2. Reduce the paperworkAn efficient employee management software will allow employees to request time off, submit timesheets or documents and allows employees to audit or approve submissions or requests.
This negates the need to work with HR or submit unnecessary pieces of paper.3. Keeps track of time and attendanceEmployees and managers have an instant record of absenteeism and the number of hours put into work everyday. This allows employees to be more responsible and stay on top of their punctuality and absenteeism rates before it becomes in issue.4. Total RewardsSome employee management software apps allow managers to provide their employees with rewards (financial or non-financial) for good performance.Employees can access their total reward statement through the software, and this often becomes a powerful way of keep individuals motivated and driven.5. Expense ManagementAn incredibly useful feature of most employee management software is that it allows staff to scan or photograph and upload receipts onto a database, therefore allowing managers and employees to keep a permanent account of all expenses.6. PayrollA simple app can process payroll on individuals online based on the number of hours they have put in with just a click of a button.7. Asset ManagementWhen an employee leaves the company, managers can keep track and monitor the return of any equipment that was provided to the employee by the organization.8. Shift PlanningIn an organization that depends on perfect timesheets for its smooth functioning, a tool that schedules the staff, eliminates shift conflicts, and notify employees of work shifts automatically can prove to be extremely convenient.9. Track progress of the companyInformation is constantly being constantly being collected on the employee management software, making it easy to gauge the company’s progress.
Instead of having to spend time putting together reports to see how the company is doing, a quick look at the information on the software should allow managers to constantly and accurately track the company’s progress.The Benefits: Employee Engagement and Satisfaction1. Providing constructive feedbackNeither managers nor employees look forward to performance reviews, often a once-a-year event that makes an employee feel like a school kid receiving a report card.Surveys have shown that employees dread annual performance reviews and are therefore less likely to respond in a positive manner to the feedback that is given.An employee management software allows managers can control how frequently and in what format they would like to provide feedback to their employees.Performance appraisal reports can be replaced with configurable dashboards and messaging systems, resulting in feedback that is constructive, efficient, and perhaps flows better with the rest of the company culture.2. Setting goals and motivating employeesAn employee management software makes it easy to remind employees of their goals and drive them towards developing skills and meeting deadlines.This structure also allows employees to work more independently instead of being micromanaged by a manager or HR professional.3. Better accessibility and communicationTime constraints, clashing schedules, and increasing workload makes it difficult for employees and managers to communicate.This can foster resentment and misunderstandings, with managers sometimes being too harsh in their judgement of employees and employees sometimes feeling like they have been judged unfairly.Employee management software avoid help companies avoid such issues, and can help managers clearly communicate their expectations from an employee.4. Better employee-manager relationshipsEmployee management software takes away some of the pressure, anxiety and stress that is often observed between managers and employees.It allows for an environment that encourages low stress communication and help employees and managers work together towards meeting organizational goals.To summarize, an employee management software provides an organization with a plethora of tools for better management, while simultaneously focusing on employee satisfaction and engagement.
If used correctly and to its fullest potential, employee management software provides a company with an automated, efficient management system and a healthier work environment.

How a university is managed and controlled, is often a concern for many people who are associated with it. The list includes students, regulatory authorities, trustees, donors and many more. With time, it was realized that traditional systems don’t yield results as expected because there are numerous loopholes within the system. This is when software companies came up with specialized ERP software that will cater the overall functioning needs of educational institutions by offering a new University Management System. Such a system will bring the much needed uniformity and stability within an organization.It is quite obvious that such an advanced system will be expensive because the software will thoroughly integrate a university under its wing. However, it’s like a onetime investment, and universities investing in them will surely reap the benefits. Mentioned are some small benefits of such a system.The management of a university will find much reduction in its work load as every task and job will be completed on real time platform in a determined manner.
Secondly, the productivity of a college will increase to large extent as the new system will implement tested ways of managing everyday tasks.
The security of data and transactions will be ensured to large extent. ERP software generally use a web based server for keeping the daily records, and hence, there are fewer chances of manipulation and mishandling of data.
The management will also have better control over various departments as every department will have to perform for output. It will be easy for the top level management of a university to find the faults within a department and take necessary steps for control and correction.However, before investing in such ERP systems, it’s crucial for the management to understand and judge a few factors mentioned below.Level of customization: Configuration of ERP college software is not a massive task, but what needs attention is the level of customization offered. The management must ensure that the software is capable of bringing all functions on a single platform. Also, if there are multiple campuses, it’s crucial that the software offers combined solutions for all. Since, each college and university has its own customized functions, it’s essential to understand the adaptability of the software.
Options for added modules: Popular ERP software systems have numerous modules that can be incorporated for an added cost, to increase the overall functioning of a university. This may include GPS, mobile platform, and biometric systems among others. While these technologies may seem to be an added expenditure, the benefits are prodigious.
Level of support: While installing, customizing and implementing such complex software, the management must expect the highest degree of support from the software management company.With the new university management system, the modern system of education will reach a new height of excellence. The system will be beneficial to everyone associated in day-to-day running of the university, and will help the admin and management in apt controlling of various functions.