Today’s leaders around the world cite culture and employee engagement as one of their top organizational challenges. They are in a position to identify and assess the need for change in their organizations as certain issues are only evident like a tip of the iceberg. In order to kick start organizational change management, leaders can do these two things. Constantly Ask Why? Why do we do it this way! If “That’s the way we’ve done it always” is the answer, it’s time to delve deep into underlying issues that are waiting to be addressed.Consult an expert from outside and allow them to experience your firm for a while. They might be able to bring out the existing flaws. New perspectives always end in benefits. Organizational Change Management Factors contributing to failure: Management behavior does not support changeEmployees’ resistant to changeInadequate resources / budgetOther obstacles Organizational culture eats organizational change for breakfast, lunch and dinner- so, don’t leave it unattended. Mind-set Shifts for Organizational Transformation From profit to purposeFrom hierarchies to networksFrom controlling to empoweringFrom planning to experimentationFrom privacy to transparency The transformation journey can’t rely only upon technology innovations as innovations are a result of in-depth factors including mind-set, behavioral constructs, leadership and culture. The most profound business challenge we face today is how to build organizations that can change as fast as change itself. – Gary Hamel An Employee always tend to think and fear “My boss does not like me!” This mentality stops him/her from expressing his/her thoughts freely. This is a definite do-harm factor for the firm as suggestions from employees are valuable as they stem from their work experiences. Be it inter personal or even judgemental, an employee must be given a free hand to sincerely express his point of view. Culture defies strategy The key is to make your employees happy. Happy employees perform better. To make them happy, you just have to do one important thing as a leader. Listen. Listen. Listen. You can be straight forward, treat them like friends in order to create a great atmosphere. By doing this you are extracting their potential with ease. They come forward with excellent suggestions for the good of the company. Employee experience is all about emotional connect. References. Mindset Shifts For Organizational TransformationCulture and...

It is an unpleasant fact that accidents will happen. No one plans for them to happen, and this article doesn’t advise that you over think or prepare for every eventuality. However, it is important to have a clear idea of the processes to follow and the possible safety nets to have in place to protect against accidents in your business and in the workplace. The range of workplace accidents and injuries is wide and varied, from simple trips and slips, muscle strains, repetitive strain injuries and crashes and collisions. A clear reporting and recording process All workplaces and businesses no matter how small must have a clear process of reporting and recording any accidents, incidents, near misses as a way to improve business practice. Employees and staff must all be fully aware of the health and safety measures in place as well as who they should be reporting any safety issues to in the workplace. Insurance Insurance is primarily about ensuring that the business is covered for any accidents that might happen, from accidentally losing an electronical storage device to slipping down the stairs. Your business must have cover for accidental events that may affect business continuity. Simply wishing you had this advice at the start and the right public liability and employee protection insurances in place won’t save your business when faced with huge expenses, fines and compensation pay outs. Legal protection Having access to a professional lawyer or team of lawyers who are able to assist you with everything legal, from branding and copyright issues to labor law and more. Having the legal support to deal with accidents and business challenges is a great piece of advice for all small to medium sized businesses. You need to have a local firm that you have checked out and are prepared to use when you need them. Having this type of local legal protection makes it immediate and accessible as soon as you need it. Just as if you were in the Costa Mesa and had an accident you would look for a California Personal Injury Law Firm, you should be thinking the same for your business. Managing accidents is about having the right support at the right time and if there’s any expected litigation, make sure you have the right lawyers for the specific case at hand. Health and safety training In conjunction with first aid, health and safety training will go a long way to making employees more aware of the safety risks in the workplace. Employee health and safety in the workplace is the responsibility of all those in it and as such employees, managers and other business stakeholders must be aware of the safety standards that exist in the business and be prepared and trained to follow and adhere to these. Accidents in the workplace can vary from the immensely insignificant to those that can be life changing. By remaining mindful of this and doing some form of preparation and risk assessment around these issues that affect your workplace, will go a long way to ensuring that any accidents in your workplace are dealt with as best you can, with as little disruption to your business as is...

There is no doubt that virtual meetings have taken off in a big way over the previous months and years, but some companies are simply not sold on their main advantages and are looking to go back to the old-fashioned way of doing things at the earliest possible opportunity. Well, the following blog post is all about some of the main benefits of virtual team meetings that may end up playing a big role in your decision-making process when it comes to working out whether a meeting should be held virtually or face to face. Reduced Costs First of all, there is the low-cost factor of a virtual meeting to take into account. Obviously, this can prove to be majorly beneficial as your standard business trip can end up racking up huge bills if you are not careful. On the other hand, many of the main virtual meeting providers are available for free or at an extremely low cost. This makes it a no-brainer for many organizations – especially the smaller ones, which have budgets that cannot stretch as far as the big companies. At the same time, many larger businesses are also deciding to switch to virtual meetings to reduce their costs. Comfort in Own Environment While there is no doubt that it can feel strange when it comes to not being in the same room as the other person, plenty of people have now adapted to virtual meetings and would not go back to the old way of doing things. Ultimately, some people perform better when they can control their own space. As for technical issues, these are something that many people have become used to during the pandemic, so they may well not prove to be as awkward as you would initially think they should be. Allows Time to Focus on Other Things The next major advantage of virtual team meetings is that they are certainly time-saving. A lot of hours can be expended moving from one place to another – not to mention the possibility of getting stuck in traffic and all the other potential issues that can end up occurring along the way. When you are in a virtual meeting, there is no commute time to concern yourself with. Not only this, but you have a lot more hours in the day when it comes to focusing on the other issues that may be pressing to your business and need to be dealt with straight away. Before, a meeting out of town could have taken up your entire afternoon. Now, it can be dealt with within an hour due to virtual meetings. These are just three of the major advantages that can push people to conduct virtual meetings rather than their real-life counterparts. Ultimately, they come down to three simple factors: cost, comfort, and time. Adding all three of them together can certainly make all the difference when it comes to ensuring that you get everything out of the meeting you had initially hoped to, which can prove vital in the road to...

One of the greatest assets of any commercial organization is to be found in its employees. Regardless of business scale or complexity, this remains a fundamental truth. It can also be observed that, throughout each of the past decades, the commercial sector has had to embrace significant social and cultural issues which have quite literally transformed the workplace. From issues of gender and race equality in the 1950s, to the introduction of new technology through subsequent decades, which impacted and replaced parts of the labor force, the employer/employee relationship has been tested with successive challenges. Similarly, the present business environment finds itself challenged by questions of worker health and safety, and rapidly changing business practices, during a once in a lifetime health pandemic. The question becomes: Are there some universal considerations which can assist management in dealing with human issues as they arise? Listen! A conflict left unattended will escalate There is a simple notion that remains constant throughout the years – we each feel the need to be recognized. The simple fact is that every single person, both employers and employees alike, view the world in a different way. Sometimes, it is that simple acknowledgment which diffuses potential conflict. When a problem arises – Listen. Really listen. It is surprising the number of managers who take pride in their listening skills, yet find themselves with an escalating staffing problem. Referral to a local specialized website provides a telling insight into the scale and depth of the industrial dispute issue. In short, a conflict left unattended will invariably escalate. The first step in conflict resolution is putting aside personal thoughts and feelings on a matter, and focusing on hearing and understanding an individual’s problem or concern. Agree on a solution! A conflict left unresolved will escalate If listening is the first step, then the next step is to seek a solution which will reconcile the matter. Clarify with the worker (or workers in a larger industrial dispute) whether you have understood their concerns and correctly ascertained the extent of the problem. Once the problem is understood by both parties, the next step is find a solution or a course of action which removes the concern for the employee, and is mutually acceptable to the employer. The solution may be a simple and straightforward one in the majority of cases. Ensure that talk is supported by action – words are generally not enough to finalize a matter. Quite often the matter is not simply addressed and may require a longer term ‘fix’ which may necessitate procedural, behavioral or cultural change. In this case, ensure that any commitment is honored – set progress milestones and regular meetings if needed. Mediation by a third party In more complex cases, the involvement of a third party may be warranted. This might be a ‘neutral’ party, perhaps chosen by the employee or a senior level manager. If the conflict cannot be resolved in-house, the employment of an external consultant or legal firm may become the next logical step towards mediation and reconciliation. Summary Regardless of employment position or level, people respond best when they are treated as individuals and feel they are being listened to with interest. Taking some time to remind ourselves of these basic understandings often goes a long way to resolving human issues before they compound and...

If you’re new to the world of business, you want to make sure that you hit the ground running, as the early days can often be the most difficult as you’re likely spending more money than you might expect. Even later on, as a more established business, you want to make sure you’re doing as many things right as possible. The landscape that you find yourself in as a business is a very competitive one, meaning that any advantage that you can leverage is something that’s potentially worth doing. Your next step should be finding out what you can do to accomplish this and then making the most of your newfound position as a business with the right approach to success. Streamline Your Hiring Process Different people in your position will have different attitudes towards the importance that employees play in the overall success of the business, but a lot of people agree that their role is an instrumental one. With this in mind, you might find that your first step is making sure that your hiring process is as effective as possible – find the best possible candidates for the jobs that you have available and ensure the application process is suitably succinct. It’s not necessary to accomplish something like this on your own, especially if you’re used to doing things a different way, so seeking help from companies such as DataCheck can mean that the improvements you feel are far more substantial than you would have otherwise been able to achieve. When you’re talking about your employees, it’s also important that you think about their importance after you’ve hired them. Employees aren’t simply machines that can benefit you only, you need to treat them properly and do what you can to make sure that they’re happy and comfortable in their positions. Failing to do this won’t just mean that their productivity may slip, but also that they might seek work elsewhere, somewhere they feel their efforts will be more appreciated. Adapt to Changing Times In all areas of life, outside of business, it isn’t uncommon to find people who are particularly averse to change. In particular, change that requires them to do something differently to how they’ve always done it. It’s understandable why people can feel this way, it’s easier to just keep doing something the same way as always, after all. However, when the aim of the game is standing out and giving your customers or clients a reason to choose you, it’s important that you keep an open mind about change. This isn’t just for the sake of your clients either. Your employees may well respond more positively to you if they know that they can approach you with ideas and you value and will take time to consider these suggestions. This mentality is something that’s especially important to maintain in an age where technology is rapidly improving and allowing for different ways of doing things in such short spans of...