And it’s these glitches that inspired the latest study from Electronics Hub. It looked at the 400 most used apps on the Google Play Store, then analyzed all their reviews to find which apps have the highest mention of bugs and glitches for every 1,000 posted.

Here’s a look at the most and least buggy apps of 2024.

The buggiest apps of 2024

There’s bad news for the design team behind the Go Program Way2Go Card app. The financial support app ranked as the most buggy app of 2024, according to the Electronics Hub researchers. They discovered 325 mentions of bugs and glitches in every 1,000 Google Play reviews.

Dating apps are performing well

Dating apps dominate the top 10 list of the least buggy apps of 2024. They make up almost half the list, with Dating App FlirtMe scoring the lowest of all. For every 1,000 reviews of the app, you’ll only find 8 mentions of bugs. The other dating apps providing a smooth service to romance seekers include Once, Magnet, and Royal Match.

Social media apps

Sendit is the real standout in this category. The Q&A social media app has an impressive 4.8/5 Google Play score, and Electronic Hub research found less than 14 reports of app failure in every 1,000 reviews. “I absolutely love this app,” posted a happy Sendit user. “It’s so smooth and does exactly what it promises.”

The best and worst-performing retail shopping apps

Target is one of the biggest names in the US retail industry. And it still has big problems when it comes to app design. As one of the buggiest shopping apps of 2024, it has almost 150 negative mentions of usability issues for every 1,000 Google Play reviews. 

“Poor design,” reads one review. “There have been issues for at least a couple of years with bugs. It often just stops working for no reason.”

 A second reviewer put it a little more succinctly: “This app sucks!”

How are food apps performing in 2024

Ordering your favourite Mexican take-out on the Taco Bell app isn’t as easy as it sounds. Or should be. This app is riddled with glitches and bugs that can turn a simple order into a rage-inducing experience, pushing you to the very limits of “hangriness”.

And frustrated customers aren’t afraid to share their feelings in Google Play reviews. Over 25% of every 1,000 customers who leave a review in the Google Play store talk about the bugs and error messages in the Taco Bell app

Dating apps with the most bugs 

Grindr is the buggiest dating app of them all, with 156 mentions of glitches for every 1,000 reviews. Feeld, which bills itself as the “modern dating app for open-minded people,” sits in the second spot, with 158 mentions.

Dil Mil, an app catering to South Asian individuals looking to date, is also having some serious performance issues. Its users reported 100 bugs.

Two other niche dating apps feature in this part of the study. They are BLK, a dating and lifestyle app for culture makers in the Black community, and Christian Mingle, designed for those of Christian faith looking for a partner with the same outlook and values.

Bugs and glitches in gaming apps

More than 1 billion people have downloaded Pokémon Go since its 2016 release. But despite its huge popularity, the app’s performance has continued to struggle with  bugs. From server crashes to GPS inaccuracies, players regularly encounter frustrating issues when trying to “catch them all.”

“It seems like it’s getting harder to play because of all the bugs and faults,” reads one review. And that’s just one of the 152 negative reviews you’ll find in every 1,000 posted on Google Play.

The productivity apps ruining productivity in 2024 

Notion is a freemium productivity note-taking web application. However, there’s nothing very productive about all the glitches and bugs that slow users down when making to-do lists or tracking project timelines.

We can say the same for the Google Docs app. The study found that 120 out of every 1,000 reviews talked about bugs and glitches that make this productivity app feel like an anti-productivity app.

Glitchy finance apps

Reviews for the Experian and Intuit Credit Karma report the fewest number of bugs in the finance apps.

The Navy Credit Union is among the highest scorers. Almost 200 of its Google Play reviewers complain about usability issues caused by bugs and poor design.

The post The Best and Worst Performing Google Play Apps of 2024 appeared first on SiteProNews.

A huge part of this accessibility comes down to price. In other words, people who can afford to access the internet every day have a massive advantage over those who are priced out of participating in the 21st-century digital economy.

And as this latest study by Electronics Hub reveals, some countries are doing an excellent job of providing affordable internet access, while others continue to struggle with exorbitant costs that prevent widespread connectivity and further increase the disparity between the digital have’s and the digital have-not’s.

The most and least affordable countries for mobile data

The Electronics Hub researchers kicked off the study by looking at the cost of a 10GB mobile data plan relative to the national average income.

And on that scale, it turns out that nobody is getting a better deal on mobile data than those living in Israel. The price of a 10GB per month annual plan equals just 0.01% of the yearly wage for an average Israeli. It’s one of the reasons why Israel is among the best digitally connected countries in the world, with over 90% of the population having daily access to the internet.

Italy and France are two more highly connected nations where access to mobile data costs just a fraction of the average salary. Italians pay just 0.04% of the wage for an annual plan of 10GB per month. The same plan costs just 0.07% of the average salary in France.

There are several more nations where the price of mobile data works out at less than 1% of the average worker’s take-home pay. They include Australia, Finland, Denmark, and Austria.

Zimbabwe has the most expensive 10GB mobile data pack on the planet. Although calling it expensive is a bit of an understatement. Words like outrageous, astronomical, or maybe even extortionate would be more fitting. That’s because 10GB of mobile data in Zimbabwe is ‘worth’ 356% of the national salary. Like we said, an absolutely outrageous price.

And Zimbabwe is by no means the exception. Super-high data package prices are the norm across the African continent. For example, the price of 10GB annual mobile data in the Central African Republic is 334% of the average yearly income. Then there’s Zambia, where locals need to find 156% of the average salary to cover the price of a 10GB mobile deal.

Broadband prices compared to download speeds in every country

Romania isn’t the first country that comes to mind when thinking about digital innovation and connectivity. However, in terms of price per 1Mbps, it’s the best place on the planet for digital connectivity. In Romania, 1Mbps cost just $0.01.

But this will come as no surprise to those who know a little bit about Romania’s recent history and commitment to innovation.

After the fall of communism in 1989, Romania launched a huge and ambitious modernization development project, which included massive investments in telecommunications. By the early 2000s, private companies were rolling out fibre-optic networks, especially in urban areas, catapulting Romania to one of the top countries globally in terms of internet speed and value for money.

Internet access is a little more expensive in Thailand, where locals pay $0.02 per 1Mbps. Other countries in the least expensive broadband list include Moldova ($0.03), Poland ($0.03), and Slovakia ($0.04).

African countries dominate the top 10 list of the most expensive nations for broadband per 1Mbps, once again highlighting the problems (and price) of digital connectivity across the continent.

Just 1Mbps of internet in Eritrea costs $338! And it’s not like you’d even get much for your money. A 1Mbps internet connection has just enough download speeds to perform basic online activities, but your connection will still be relatively slow. And you can forget about streaming your newest favorite Netflix series. Unless you want to spend an hour watching the screen buffer.

Internet affordability around the world

The third and final part of the Electronics Hub analysis focuses on affordability. It compares the price of an annual broadband plan in every country to its national average salary.

Once again, Romania can say it has the most affordable broadband in the entire world. A year’s worth of broadband costs the average Romanian just 0.74% of their salary. In dollar terms, that’s about $60 a year for a super-fast and super-stable broadband connection.

Broadband is eye-wateringly expensive when compared to the national average salary in Burundi. This is a country where a year’s worth of broadband costs 2,935% more than what most people earn in a year. And yes, you did read that right – 2,935%.

That means the average person needs to find 29X their salary to afford broadband. This is why less than 10% of the country’s population has internet access. A 2023 Global Digital Insights report found that over 10 million people living in Burundi have never been online.

The post A Global Study on Internet Affordability appeared first on SiteProNews.

But as this latest study from Switch On Business shows, you might need one more thing: a connection or hook-up at the company you’re applying to.

That’s because an increasing number of companies are now using referral schemes to hire new staff.

Find out who they are below.

Salesforce recruits the highest percentage of employees through referral schemes

Salesforce loves the employer referral recruitment model. More than 4 out of 10 (41%) of its current staff were referred by another employee. That’s the highest employee referral rate in the entire study.

Salesforce’s high referral rate is not a coincidence. The company actively encourages referrals by offering enticing rewards. Staff members can earn cash rewards and extra days off for recommendations. Referring a friend or former colleague can trigger an annual bonus of $3,000.

The firm also runs regular employee referral social evenings. These are events where staff can bring friends along for an informal mingling event with the Salesforce recruitment team and hiring managers.

Employee referral rates in the Fortune 500 companies

Jobs don’t get much more competitive than the most sought-after roles at companies in the Fortune 500. These companies hire the 1% of the 1%, so applicants need to look for any advantage in this super selective job market.

A killer CV and long list of achievements are prerequisites for these jobs. But the thing that really tilts the odds in your favor is not what you know, but who you know.

The Fortune 500 companies with a high percentage of employee referral rates include Devon Energy, Booz Allen Hamilton, and gaming franchise giant Activision Blizzard. In each case, around a quarter of employees were referred by a friend or family member at one of the firms.

Employed referral rate by different types of buses and industry

Around 11% of all job offers in the USA employment market are made to people who were referred by a current member of staff.

That figure jumps to 17.37% when looking at the amount of referred job offers in US tech companies.

Media is an industry famous for being tight-knit and insular, which explains why 12% of all jobs in the sector were offered to someone who already knew someone at the company.

The industry with the lowest number of employee referrals is retail. Only 6% of retail staff are classified as referred employees.

Employee referral rates at tech companies

Employee referral schemes are very much part of the norm in tech recruitment.

For example, ZoomInfo has an employee referral rate of just over 30%, meaning 3 out of 10 workers at the firm were recommended by a current staff member.

The data shows a similar proportion of referred employees at several other big-name tech companies, including HubSpot, DocuSign, and Splunk.

Meta boss Mark Zuckerberg is infamous for betraying friends in his pursuit of tech greatness. But his firm still loves hiring its staff’s friends. According to the research, one in 5 of Meta’s workforce had a friend, relative, or former colleague who helped them get a foot through the door.

The most employee referrals of any US retail company

Retail isn’t well-known for its employee referral model. However, a few companies buck that trend. 

Electronics retailer Avnet has a generous referral scheme for staff. It’s the main reason why 20% of the firm’s hires came via a family or friend recommendation.

Referring people for jobs in the finance sector

Northern Trust Asset Management is one company where every aspiring finance professional would love to work. Salaries start well into the six-figure range, and bonuses for the best performers can add up to small fortunes.

Most people who send in a CV don’t even get a courtesy ‘no thanks’ email. Instead, the company prioritizes hiring via its referral scheme. And that’s created a tight-knit, family feel where 25% of staff were hired through recommendations.

There’s a similar vibe at crypto exchange Coinbase. The firm is notoriously selective, preferring to hire internally or via recommendations from current staff members.

Jobs for friends and family in the media

Salem Media Group is a Christian content producer that prides itself on promoting family values. And it takes that same family-first approach when hiring. With a score of 25.98%, it’s the media company most likely to hire someone its staff are friends with or related to.

Employee referrals in retail

There are some big names in the retail sector of the industry. But there aren’t many big numbers next to them.

Only 8% of staff at sportswear giant Nike were referred. That figure is even lower at Under Armour (6.11%) and Victoria’s Secret & Co (6.03%).

The post “It’s about who you know.” New Study Unveils the Secret to Landing a Job at the Best US Companies appeared first on SiteProNews.

A recent study by Electronics Hub found that the average global citizen looks at a screen for 6 hours and 43 minutes per day, or around 40% of the time they’re awake.

The study took a deep dive into screen time trends worldwide, looking at which countries have the highest average screen time, which are most addicted to TikTok, and which have a growing smartphone addiction problem.

The country with the highest percentage of screen time

South Africans spend a large portion of the day staring into some kind of screen. In fact, more than half (56.80%) of their waking hours pass by in front of a screen; that works out to around 9 hours of screen time every single day—higher than any other nation in the world.

Japan can proudly claim that its citizens spend the least amount of time absorbed by screen time. According to the data, the average Japanese person spends a mere 22% of their waking hours at a screen, which equates to less than 3 hours per day. 

The country that spends the most time on social media

Five of the top ten nations that spend the most time on social media are found in South America. This is largely due to the continent’s demographics. Brazil, Colombia, and Mexico have a younger population compared to regions like Europe and North America. In other words, these nations have more people who have grown up with (and now can’t live without) social media.

Flipping that around, we see why Japan has the world’s lowest social media screen time score (5.11%). A combination of low birth rates and increased life expectancy means Japan has one of the “oldest” populations on the planet. Nearly 29 million people in Japan are over 65. That’s almost a quarter of the country’s entire population—not exactly the ideal target demographic for TikTok videos or viral YouTube content. 

The world’s biggest TikTok addicts

No one watches TikTok more than people in the UK. Here, the average person watches 154 TikTok videos daily.

Despite rumors of a TikTok ban in the USA, its citizens are still loving the platform. They watch an average of 142 videos every day. But that’s not as much as it might sound. TikToks are approximately 34 seconds long. So 142 videos work out to roughly 80 minutes of daily TikTok time.

How much time do people worldwide spend looking at a computer screen?

Whether it’s for work, fun, or an idle few hours browsing, we all spend some parts of our waking hours in front of a computer screen.

But probably not as much as the Russians. They came out as the nationality with the highest percentage of waking hours at a computer screen, averaging 4 hours 29 minutes per day (or 27% of awake hours).

Once again, South Africa appears near the top of the chart. It’s a country where people sit in front of a computer screen for over a quarter of the day.

The most phone-obsessed nations in the world

Nomophobia (no-mobile-phone phobia) is a very modern phenomenon. It defines the anxiety we can experience without the comfort of a mobile device tucked away in our pocket. Nomophobia stems from the smartphone dependency we’ve developed. According to some studies, 50% of people admit to feeling addicted to their phones. Worryingly, that rate is even higher among younger people.

Nomophobia is running wild in countries all over the world, including South Africa, Brazil, and the Philippines. In each case, people living in these nations are on their phones for over 5 hours a day; that’s more than a third of the time humans are usually awake.

Where people spend the most time playing computer games

It’s easy to lose a few hours in front of the PlayStation or Xbox. The games we play are designed to keep us engaged as we try to reach the next level, complete one more mission, or beat our all-time high scores.

However, given video games’ addictive nature, it seems that the vast majority of players have a good handle on their gaming habits.

Saudi Arabia scores highest when examining the data on how much time people around the world spend playing video games. Yet this ‘high’ score was relatively low. Saudi gamers play for around 10% of their ‘awake’ time, meaning the average gamer is in front of a screen for under two hours per day.

The USA watches the most TV

This final part of the study looks at one of the more old-school forms of screen-based entertainment: television. And it found that despite an overall decline in viewership figures, Americans still watch TV for 4 hours and 39 minutes per day. No other country scores higher than that.

The post New Study Reveals Alarming New Trends in Global Screen Time Habits and Addictions appeared first on SiteProNews.

Based on data collected from Indeed, this latest study from CashNetUSA delves into those US companies that are not just industry leaders but also champions of entry-level compensation.

Find out which firms came out on top in the maps below.

The highest-paying major US companies for new starters

The list of the best-paying firms is dominated by huge US corporations, including financial giants Citigroup and Bank of America. According to the data, 8 out of 10 new starters at these finance giants are earning above the local median salary.

However, the top paying company for new starters in the USA is Tenet Healthcare Corporation. Nearly 9 out of 10 (87%) of new starters at the company take home a monthly pay package that is well above the median pay.

The best-paying companies for new starters in every US state

Montana-based Koppers Railroad Structures can boast a 100% above-average pay rate for new starters.

Wells Fargo bank in Florida just falls short of a perfect score, with 99.14% of its most recent staff taking home above-average pay.

Highest paying company for new starters in major US cities

This section of the study is where we find another company that pays all its new starters a higher salary than average. It’s the Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, a specialized pediatric care facility located in the health of Atlanta city.

The next highest paying company for new starters on this map is Atrium Health. Operating out of Charlotte in North Carolina, it came about as close as you can get to a perfect score, with 99%.

Other major companies that scored well into the 90% bracket include the Boston Medical Center, the San Francisco Unified School District, and the Children’s Hospital of San Francisco.

New starter pay in the US restaurant chain industry

Nobody goes into the US restaurant chain industry for the money.

A combination of low profit margins and a large supply of unskilled labor means this is an industry where the pay is lower than most. And that includes new starter pay.

Sandwich chain Arby’s is the number one firm for new starter pay in this industry. But it’s not something to be proud of, because only 46% of its new employees can say they earn more than the local median salary.

And don’t ask new starters at Burger King how they feel about the size of their monthly pay packet. Because around 90% are probably really unhappy about it; that’s the number of new starters at the restaurant chain that earn the same or even less than the average local salary.

Best paying restart for chain for new starters in every US state

Jack in the Box in Missouri bucks the trend by serving up some very generous salaries to its new starters. The data analysis by CashNetUSA shows that 94% of new starters at the chain are in the above-average salary bracket.

Only two local state restaurant chains can beat that impressive score. They are Taco Bell in Idaho (95%) and Carl’s Jr. (99%), which serves up burgers to the hungry people of Oregon.

How much are new starters making in the US retail industry?

The scores are all over the place when we switch our attention to new starter pay in the US retail sector.

There are some really high-paying firms, like Target, which pays nearly 80% of its new starters a salary that’s higher than the local median wage.

And then there are some really low scorers. Take, for example, the paint manufacturing firm Sherwin-Williams. This is a huge US firm where only 15% of new starters can say they earn more than an average salary.

Salaries for new starters in retailers across the US states

Amazon in Arizona and Walmart in Indiana are happy to use the allure of big starting salaries to attract the best talent. Both companies score above 90%.

That’s good, but not quite as good as Verizon Communications’ 100% score in Minnesota and Virginia.

And, finally, let’s pour one out for the new starters at the discount store Dollar General in North Dakota. They deserve it; only 5% earn an above-average wage after a hard day’s work.

The post Entry-level Earnings: The Best (and the Worst) Major US Firms for New Starter Salaries appeared first on SiteProNews.

But it comes with extra challenges, especially for female freelancers.

Because despite the progressive strides in workplace equality, the freelance market still reflects significant gender-based income gaps. In other words, this is another area where men tend to outearn women who are doing the same job.

This recent study published by OnDeck outlines the dynamics of pay differences across various freelance fields, from tech and design to legal writing, showing how much more men are earning per hour.

Let’s take a closer look at these results.

The gender pay gap in freelancing

The gender pay gap is real, and the disparity in pay between male and female earnings potential extends well into the freelancing world.

On average, male freelancers are selling their time, expertise, and experience for $75.44 per hour. That’s significantly more than the $59.70 billed by female freelancers. Come on, ladies! Know your worth and stop underselling yourself.

Splitting the data by industry, we see an even bigger pay gap in legal freelancing. This is a freelance sector where men are outearning women by over $76 per hour. Over longer-term freelancing contracts, that adds up to thousands of dollars women are leaving on the table.

But there are a few (small) wins for the women contractors and day raters. They outearn male freelancers in administrative support by $8 an hour. Female freelancers can also command higher rates in customer service and design/creative, although the extra pay only adds to a few more bucks per hour.

The gender freelance pay gap across the USA

The United States has come a long way in promoting female empowerment and opportunities. Today, more women than ever are forging their own career paths, achieving financial independence, and competing for top jobs.

But there’s still work to be done.

The freelance gender pay gap is tilted towards men in almost every single one of the USA’s 50 states. In Wyoming, it’s as big as $55 per hour. There’s also a notable difference in freelance pay between the sexes in North Dakota ($42), Kansas ($34), and New Mexico ($34).

Delaware is the only state where women freelancers can expect to earn more than men on average. The OnDeck research shows they’re billing around $14/h more for freelance services.

Freelance rate for men and women in accounting and consultancy

Consulting is where we see one of the most significant gender gaps in freelancing pay. It’s in career coaching, where the $136 per hour male freelancers charge is almost double what a female freelance career coach would bill.

$136 per hour for career advice? That better be some really good advice.

Women make more in freelance training roles and recruitment/talent sourcing. However, once more, the gains are marginal, coming in at around the $5 per hour range.

Freelance pay in sales and marketing

Here’s where we (finally) see the first notable win for all the hard-working female freelancers.

When it comes to helping out companies with brand strategy, women freelancers are valuing their skills and time at a very respectable $150/h. That’s $36/h more than what male brand strategists are billing on an average basis. Well done, ladies.

Another win for female freelancers in design and creative

That trend continues when we take a look at the pay for freelance roles in the design and creative industries.

Women videographers working on a freelance basis are billing their clients around $121/h. On the other hand, male videographers are taking home nearly $50/h less than that, charging an average of $74.

Female freelancers also come out on top in product photography ($21 more) and creative direction ($12.27 more).

Male/female freelance rates in IT & Development

IT and tech development have a (well-earned) reputation as industries for the boys. And although the culture is shifting and more women feel confident enough to pursue tech careers, this is still an area where men get more of the jobs and earn more of the money.

And that’s certainly the the case for male freelance network administrators. On average, they make $108/h, which is $71 more than the average hourly rate for a female freelancer doing the same jobs.

Male freelancers are also taking home more money in freelance systems and database administration, mobile app development, UX design, and back-end development.

The gender pay gap is minimal in several freelance IT roles, including DevOps engineers and front-end developers. In both cases, the difference in pay between men and women freelancers is less than $1.

And women freelancers are invoicing more for work done on database development, systems engineering, and solution architecture. The data show that, on average, these female freelancers are earning significantly more than their male counterparts. In database development, it’s as high as $72/h.

Freelance writing rates for freelancers

There’s a big gap in the money that male and female freelance legal writers make. In fact, it’s huge. In this freelance writing sector, the men are earning $107 more for every hour they work.

Women freelance writers are the top earners in grant writing, proposal writing, and ghostwriting. But the extra money that they earn comes nowhere near the pay disparity in legal writing.

The post New Study Unpacks the Giant Gender Pay Gaps in Freelance Work Across the USA appeared first on SiteProNews.

And so to help businesses retain the talent they need to succeed, the experts from OnDeck put together this helpful guide. It outlines 14 of the best employee retention tips from some of the most successful companies in the world, as well as some advice on how to implement them in your business.

Let’s take a look.

Apple

Apple constantly asks for employee feedback. It wants to know what employees think, feel, and their ideas for implementing the company’s organizational goals. And when it comes to that goal, Apple keeps it simple. The firm’s mission statement is, “bringing the best user experience to its customers through innovative hardware, software, and services.” It’s a clear and concise message that every employee can get on board with.

Alphabet

Alphabet, Google’s parent company, places a significant emphasis on tutoring and mentoring staff. And it works. More than 90% of employees discuss a lack of direction and support during their exit interviews.

Microsoft

Microsoft keeps its staff happy by offering them flexibility and freedom via a hybrid/remote working model. All Microsoft workers can now spend 50% of their week working remotely, significantly boosting their work-life balance.

Adobe

Adobe displays its commitment to employee retention with regular staff check-ins and informal review meetings. Since implementing this new model, which helps identify any employee concerns early, Adobe has reduced its staff churn rate by over 30%.

Netflix

Netflix’s retention plan is all about trust. The company has no set working hours or minimum work week requirement. Instead, it gives staff a task and a deadline, then trusts them to deliver on time.

Whole Foods

Whole Foods has ditched the top-down management structure for a more horizontal model based on cooperation and collaboration. And it makes every staff member feel part of the decision-making process. “It’s a social system,” explains Whole Foods boss, John Mackey.

Adidas

Adidas spent millions redesigning its offices around how its staff like to work. The new refurb includes team meeting spaces and collaboration areas that have boosted employee engagement and collaboration by over 50%.

Nike

Nike has taken the direct approach. If you want to know what your staff really think, then just ask them. That’s why Nike rolled out a new well-being survey. It’s increased engagement across the entire organization and helped Nike build the kind of company culture its staff want to be a part of.

Nvidia

Nvidia is one of the most innovative and forward-thinking companies on the planet. Nvidia instils this culture of innovation across its entire workforce by fostering continuous learning and development. It’s the ideal environment for the kind of super smart, high-achievers who are drawn to work for leading-edge tech companies.

Pfizer

Pharmaceutical giant Pfizer is doing an excellent job of improving and managing its staff’s mental well-being. The company offers free mental health webinars, online yoga and meditation sessions, and courses on managing stress. It’s created a happier, healthier, and more engaged workforce. And happy workers are much less likely to leave.

Walmart

Everyone enjoys (and deserves) some praise for a job well done. It’s just human nature. Walmart has put recognition at the center of its retention strategy. The firm recognizes its top employee of the month with personal gifts and even vacations. It also awarded over 1 million employees a special bonus for working through the Covid lockdowns.

Indeed

The top talent never rests on their laurels. They’re always looking for new challenges and opportunities. Recruitment firm Indeed addresses this high-achieving desire by keeping its best workers constantly engaged with new projects and missions.

United Airlines

United Airlines takes the “day one” approach to retention by running specialized onboarding and training programs for every new starter. These programs make workers feel engaged and part of the company from their arrival. Research shows that this approach can increase the number of employees staying at a company for three years or more by 69%.

Dell

Employee perks are great. But perks that employees actually want are even better. That’s the philosophy around retention at Dell, which tailors its benefit package and perks to the demands and needs of its employees.

Six tips for successful employee retention

Every workforce is unique, so every company needs a unique retention strategy. However, there are some basic principles to getting it right.

They include some key do’s and don’ts.

DO listen to what your employees have to say.

DON’T rely on gimmicks. Most staff won’t care about a ping-pong table in the breakout area.

DO offer flexibility when possible.

DON’T embed a toxic culture of long hours and overwork. That era is over. And good riddance.

DO encourage your workers to learn and develop. If they grow with you,  they’ll stay with you.

DON’T ignore what your employees want when it comes to a benefit package. Instead, design them around what will make your team happy and productive.

The post 14 Lessons on Talent Retention from the Most Successful Companies in the World appeared first on SiteProNews.

But how much are these side hustlers making?

It’s the question that kicked off this latest study from NetCredit. Its team of researchers looked through thousands (and thousands) of job adverts on Fiverr to find the best-paying daily side hustles.

Let’s have a look at what they found out.

Best Paying Daily Side Hustle in Every Country

The NetCredit study starts by looking at the best-paying side hustles for a day’s work in every country.

And there’s some serious global demand for side hustlers with the skills and experience to build a website from scratch.

Website design came out as the best-paying daily side hustle in over 21 countries spread across all four corners of the globe. They include Canada, Brazil, Poland, and Saudi Arabia.

The Top Daily Side Hustle in the USA

Nearly one out of two people in the USA now has a side hustle. And for many, it’s not a passion project. Research shows that as many as 30% of the nation’s side hustlers need that second income to cover the basic costs of living. Not good.

Making that extra bank is a little easier for those with the right technical and digital skills. Website design, mobile app design, and UX design are all among the best-paying daily side hustles in the USA. For a day’s work, these side hustlers are picking up between $120-160.

But the real (side hustle) money is in helping companies build a successful marketing strategy. Day rates for freelance marketers who can create and implement the right messages start at around $160.

Best-paying Side Hustles for Writers

No young writer grew up dreaming about writing content for LinkedIn. However, while today’s professional scribes are working towards that nobel prize for literature, crafting profiles for the professional social network site is a great way to bring in a little extra cash.

As the top-paying side hustle for writers, working on LinkedIn profiles equals $110 for a day’s work—great money for a young freelance writer.

Website content is among the lowest paid daily hustles for writers; that’s probably because more and more companies are outsourcing basic content needs to ChatGPT and other AI platforms.

Making $100+ per Day as a Freelance Designer

Design work stands out as one of the best-paying daily side hustles.

Presentation designers can earn $163 per day, while the average day rate for website design is $162.

More design gigs paying more than $100 for a day’s work include 3D industrial design, UX design, packaging design, and model creation.

Catalog design is the only design side hustle that pays under the $100 benchmark – but only just. The average for a day’s worth of catalog designer is $99.80.

AI Side Hustlers

AI is doing some seriously impressive things when it comes to content creation. But these smart machines and software programs have a long way to go. So for now, they still need human oversight and direction.

That’s created a whole new industry for side hustlers who know how to get the very best out of AI platforms.

Side hustlers are making $63 a day editing AI-generated content. Fact-checking all that content for accuracy is currently worth $35.18 per day.

But the best paying job (by far) is in designing and editing AI Spokesperson Videos ($131 per day).

Daily Side Hustling as a Digital Marketer

Every business needs to get its digital marketing on point. In fact, digital marketing has been one of the fastest-growing industries since the COVID-19 lockdowns.

And with demand outstripping the supply of skills, there is some good money to be made as a digital marketer on the side hustle.

Here’s a rundown of what they’re making:

• Marketing Strategist = $178 per day
• Mobile App Marketing = $109 per day
• Social Media Marketing = $101 per day

Business Side Hustles

The day rates for business-related side hustles are surprisingly low. For example, helping a company with its business plan brings in just $77 per day, while you’ll earn less than $70 per day working on sales, accounting, AI consultation, or drawing up legal contracts and documents.

The exception is Pitch Decks. These are short, sharp, and impactful presentations that start-ups use when pitching to potential investors. Knowing how to create the right story and messages for a pitch deck presentation will bring in $101 per day.

Side Hustling Earning Potential in Data Science & Analytics

Data is the new oil. In other words, it’s now the 21st-century’s most valuable resource.

Those who know how to help companies get the most out of their data can earn $120 a day designing and building custom dashboards.

There’s also some decent side hustle money in machine learning, data analysis, and data visualization.

On the flip side, some of the lowest paying daily side hustles are data-related. A day’s side hustling in data entry and data collection is now worth under $40. This is largely due to specialist companies outsourcing the work to developing countries with much lower wages.

The post The Side Hustles that Will Make You $100+ per Day appeared first on SiteProNews.

Small businesses can now automate creative tasks with sophisticated technology. It’s leveling the playing field, enhancing their competitive edge, and opening up new possibilities in marketing, branding, and online presence, all with minimal investment.

Want to know how to use these techniques to boost your small business? Then check out the latest how-to guide from OnDeck. It breaks down all the best AI Generator content tools for small businesses, including the best ways to use them in your content creation strategy.

What Is Generative AI?

Generative AI is a form of artificial intelligence (AI) that can create new, 100% original content, including written text, images, videos, and music.

Unlike traditional AI systems, which primarily analyze and interpret data, generative AI goes a step further by actually producing something original. It does this by learning about patterns, styles, and structure via advanced algorithms and neural networks, then mimics them to create its own versions based on users’ prompts.

How Should Small Businesses Use Generative AI?

We are a long way from AI replacing humans. For now, and for the foreseeable future, AI will continue to augment our personal and professional lives, helping us do things faster, cheaper, and smarter.

And this is why generative AI content creation can supercharge small businesses.

Automating tasks has the potential to absorb 60 to 70% of a single employee’s workload, freeing them up to do more meaningful and impactful work.

Essentially, AI generative tools can do the grunt work, while humans can devote more time to challenging tasks. Adopting generative AI is a cheap and super-efficient way to increase power and productivity with minimal resources, making it an essential tool for any small business that creates content.

The Dos and Don’ts of Generative AI Content Creation

Generative AI content is great. But it’s far from perfect.

AI content tools require human supervision. Always have a human fact-check and edit any content before publishing (or before you send it over to a client).

And don’t use AI just for the sake of it. Yes, AI thinks much faster than us meat puppets, especially when churning out snippets like titles, meta-descriptions, and SEO alt text. But it can’t understand humans the way humans do. So leave the really important work, like branding and writing copy that persuades and sells, to the ‘real’ content creators.

Generative AI Tools for Text Creation

Copy.ai is a free AI text generator. It’s great for basic content creation but will lag when asked to provide long-form content.

ChatGPT and Jasper have paid versions of these services and are excellent choices for small businesses looking to speed up their content creation. Both tools can put together blogs or content outlines in (literally) seconds. But again, ALWAYS fact-check. Jasper and ChatGPT have accuracy issues.

You can use Generative text tools to:

• Build chatbots for answering basic customer queries
• Generate basic marketing copy
• Generate content ideas/plans
• Summarise reports, long articles, and industry white papers.

Creating Images with Generative AI Tools

For small business owners, AI-powered image-generative tools are a gift from the gods. For less than $20 a month, they can sign up to platforms like Midjourney, giving them a virtual in-house graphic designer that will happily complete any request in seconds (and at any time of the day/night).

With the help of AI, anybody, including those of us who struggle to draw a convincing stickman, can now create high-quality images and designs.

For example, tools like Midjourney and Canva can:

• Create graphics for blogs, websites, and social media posts
• Edit and enhance existing images
• Design logos and branding for your products/services
• Create eye-catching adverts

Audio AI Generation Tools for Small Businesses

Podcasting is an excellent way to build an audience, collaborate, and establish yourself as a thought leader. But what small business owner has the time to learn all the technical skills of podcasting? Well, they don’t have to anymore.

AI audio tools like Riverside, which costs just $15 a month, means you can now podcast without knowing how to actually podcast.

Then there’s Vowel, an audio AI platform that can transcribe meetings, interviews, performance reviews, and podcast episodes. It’s the equivalent of having an extra admin person on your team, and the platform is free to use for shorter meetings (40 minutes or less).

With audio AI, you can also:

• Create music, jingles, and audio loops
• Convert blogs and other marketing material into audio
• Transcribe audio files to text

Making Video Content with AI

Creating video content is about more than just marketing. It’s also one of the most effective ways to train and upskill your staff. In fact, 98% of surveyed small business owners stated that video is a central part of their company’s learning and development strategy.

That’s why small business owners need to familiarize themselves with video AI platforms like Pictory, wave.video, and Synthesia. They can help a small business do the following:

• Create employee training videos
• Create promo videos
• Convert blog posts into video

The post The Best AI Generator Content Tools for Small Businesses (and How to Use Them) appeared first on SiteProNews.

Using data collected from Glassdoor reviews, it highlights the 20 best Big Tech companies to intern at based on reviews of current or previous interns.

This is an insider’s look into internships at the big tech giants, providing invaluable perspectives and highlighting the best places to embark on an internship journey.

The Tech Company That Interns are Most Likely to Recommend

Salesforce is the best company for tech interns, according to the data collected by Resume.io researchers. In fact, you could say Salesforce is the perfect big tech platform for aspiring leaders. That’s because Salesforce has an almost perfect score, with 99.22% of interns happy to recommend its internship programme to friends and college peers. Impressive stuff.

Here’s what a few of them had to say about their Salesforce learning experience.

“Such a great place for young talent,” reads one Glassdoor review. “Smart people, strong systems, great benefits. Couldn’t recommend it highly enough.”

“Supportive team and recruiters,” posted another happy intern. “Work was clearly laid out, and I also had a chance to lead onto the graduate program. An excellent all-round experience.”

“I could not have asked for a better internship,” shared another satisfied Salesforce intern. “I was involved in really meaningful work. Everyone is so friendly and there to support you. Plus, it’s super fun. There are so many events and socials for interns.”

The Tech Company ‘Least’ Recommended by Interns

Let’s turn our attention to the other end of the chart. Of the 20 tech companies included in the study, LinkedIn scored the lowest of all.

But does that mean interning for the professional networking and recruitment site is a terrible experience? Absolutely not.

Although LinkedIn props up the chart of tech companies interns are least likely to recommend, it still scored a very credible 94. The fact that the lowest-scoring tech company still landed well within the 90% bracket is a testament to the quality of big tech internships.

“An excellent experience,” posted one LinkedIn intern on Glassdoor. “So much to learn, exciting projects to work on, and surrounded by the smartest people in the world.”

“Best internship ever,” reads another review. “I learned so much and was treated like an equal. I didn’t feel like an intern; I felt like a peer.”

Who Else Made it into the List?

Many of the biggest names in big tech appear on the list, and they all scored highly.

PayPal, eBay, Microsoft, and Google are present, with all of them scoring over 95%.

Other tech firms interns would be happy to recommend to friends include Adobe, Intel Corporation, and the US software firm ServiceNow.

Big Tech Companies That Didn’t Make the Top 20

There are a few notable absentees from the list, including X (formerly known as Twitter) and Meta (formerly known as Facebook). It might have something to do with the “unique” leadership styles of their CEOs.

Elon Musk attracted a lot of online heat after purging Twitter of almost 80% of staff following his takeover, with interns the first to be let go.

Musk has a track record of never giving his company’s interns an easy ride. According to one tweet from a former employee at SpaceX, Elon once threatened to fire all the interns for waiting in a long line for coffee at SpaceX. He then had cameras installed to ensure it would never happen again.

And Zuckerberg isn’t the most popular leader in the big tech arena. A leaked report from an internal survey at Meta revealed that 70% of the company’s employees were dissatisfied with their CEO.

And there’s also plenty of dissatisfaction among Meta’s current and previous interns.

“Far too much pressure,” reads a post left on Glassdoor. “I didn’t enjoy a single day here.”

How to Land a Tech Internship

But don’t let these exceptions put you off. An internship at a big tech company looks great on your CV, and it’s one of the single best ways to gain experience, learn new skills, and impress future employers.

Tech internships are super, super competitive. Hundreds of thousands of applicants apply for less than a few thousand spots. Statistically, securing an elite tech internship can be as tough as getting into Harvard.

But there are things you can do to increase your odds. So here are some tips on how to land one of these coveted opportunities.

Build Skills: Learn relevant technical skills (coding, software development, data analysis) through courses, online tutorials, or personal projects.

Create a Strong Resume: Highlight your skills, projects, and any relevant experience. Tailor it for each application.

Network: Attend tech meetups, join online forums, and connect with professionals on LinkedIn.

Apply Widely: Apply to multiple companies, including startups and big tech firms. Don’t overlook internships at smaller companies.

Prepare for Interviews: Practice coding challenges, technical questions, and behavioural interviews.

Follow Up: After interviews, send thank-you emails and express your continued interest.

Be Persistent: Keep learning and applying until you land an internship. Don’t get discouraged by rejections.

The post The Top 20 Tech Internships Based on Insider Reviews and Recommendation appeared first on SiteProNews.