None of us wants to die regretting the life we didn’t live but could have had. Of being in the wrong place, living someone else’s story, and failing to do anything about it.
As the irrepressible raconteur Quentin Crisp once said,”It’s no good running a pig farm badly for 30 years while saying, ‘Really, I was meant to be a ballet dancer.’ By then, pigs will be your style.”
So, why do so many people live out an ill-fitting storyline?
Social Psychologist Dr. Andy Milward explains, “We are motivated to craft a self identity that gives meaning to our existence. We reflect on the events that have characterised our lives so far. Some planned, some random, some good, some disappointing. Subconsciously, we tie these together in the form of a story. Just as with a novel, our story has an underlying theme. And this determines the content of future chapters in our life story. If we want to change our unfolding story, we need to figure out this theme. We can then write a different chapter, according to a new theme that will lead to a happy rather than a dispiriting denouement.”
Jo Bradshaw, a one-time business advisor in Milton Keynes, is a great example of someone who has crafted an exciting new life.
As a young professional she had a very limited appetite for the outdoors and adventure. Fast forward a handful of years and Jo is now a freelance high altitude expedition leader.
A charity cycle trip led onto other charity challenge. And soon her friends helped her notice that a new story was possible; one she could make a living from; one she could inspire others through.
Jo is now looking to complete the Seven Summits in 2018, a huge endeavour she is undertaking to support the work of Place2Be, a charity that provides emotional and therapeutic services in primary and secondary schools.
She has climbed Everest, Denali, Aconcagua, Elbrus, and Kilimanjaro; and will attempt Carstensz Pyramid and Mount Vincent over the coming year.
Would you like to explore more with Jo and Andy? Learn about narrative psychology? And start to shape the next chapter of your life?
Chamber member Dave Stewart, MD of the Fresh Air Learning Company, has created the “Highland Hack” series of themed walking journeys for small groups of business leaders. The next one, “New Directions,” runs 9 – 13 October 2017, features Jo and Andy as well as a number of fascinating guest companions.
As Dave explains, “Unlike a traditional residential programme, Highland Hack is a hotel-hopping journey on foot through the wild beauty of the Scottish Highlands. The physicality of journeying is an important aspect of the reflective process we facilitate. The route follows the northern section of the iconic West Highland Way and is accessible to a wide range of fitness levels. It’s a perfect setting to reflect, re-energise, and recalibrate around the big steps business leaders need to make. It’s also a whole load of fun!”
The Fresh Air Learning Company is on a mission to breathe fresh air into how ambitious companies think and act; and in particular to accelerate the effectiveness and resilience of their boards, senior teams and leaders.
The company specialises in immersive outdoor team experiences and inspirational leadership journeys. Team experiences are designed to develop the self-awareness and trusting relationships required to boost performance. Leadership journeys provide the space and inspiration for leaders to reflect, refocus and re-energise around the big steps they need to take.Team experiences range from reflective Board away-days to powerful simulations set within dramatic storylines. Leadership journeys range from half-day business leader walks to multi-day, creative thinking treks through the Scottish Highlands.
After a few years in the commercial cleaning business I soon learnt that all cleaning companies say that they are ‘excellent’ at everything they do and they all promise their customers the world. Prospective customers are unsurprisingly distinctly immune and unimpressed by this hyperbole.
I realised that it almost became a differentiator to not boast or make grandiose claims, but instead to take a more modest approach and rely on testimonials and case studies from commercial cleaning customers who were genuinely satisfied with the service they were receiving.
So our Spotless mantra purposefully became to quietly under-sell and over-deliver.
But a new feedback tool is now out there that has encouraged us to make more of our strong track record of great customer service and loyal customer base. The independent B2B review website.
Review sites, especially TripAdvisor and Yelp have revolutionised our decision making in the hospitality and B2C market, but the world of B2B reviews is still in its relative infancy. And where this does exist, it seems to be mostly associated with trades and small businesses.
Is ‘big’ business worried by what they might find out? Might they be embarrassed by hearing what people really think of the service their business provides?
Customer feedback via independent review sites is gradually becoming an opportunity for large UK wide B2B businesses to really differentiate themselves from their competitors.
Joining Feefo
So, after some research Spotless Commercial Cleaning has taken the plunge and joined Feefo, who provide trusted independent reviews.
It was a risk. We always ‘think’ we provide good customer service, but have we been deluding ourselves?
We measure our Quality Score in every contract. But real satisfaction in the cleaning industry is often subject to the invisible metrics of relationships and trust.
Would our customers be kind to us, or were we about to be sorely disappointed? Would anyone reply? Writing reviews can be time-consuming.
We sent out review requests to our customers and held our breath.
The initial buzz was exciting. Thirty reviews poured in immediately, and almost all awarded us 4 or 5 stars, plus a couple of 3s to make sure we didn’t get too pleased with ourselves.
After a few days we hit an average rating of 4.2, and after 90 reviews in our first month we’ve stayed at that rating.
I’ve personally replied to every review thanking the customer for their feedback, especially anything negative. We even retained one unhappy customer by addressing his concerns with a quick turnaround following his comments.
Most of our reviewers have given their names which is ideal but they can also be anonymous, perhaps encouraging more candid feedback. All comments are valuable and help us improve our service.
Our star ratings already appear on our organic search listings. The stats tell me that this alone gives a 17% rise in click through rates. Search engines love reviews.
Countless studies have shown that more reviews mean more revenue. One popular study by iPerceptions found that customers are 63% more likely to buy from websites that display customer reviews.
The possible downsides
So, what are the drawbacks? Last week we tendered for a £500k contract and made much of our Feefo rating as a differentiator. Then, we received a 3 star review and it sat at the top of our list for two days while we waited and hoped for some better reviews to replace it.
So, we re-sent the invitation to those customers who had not responded the first time asking them to review our business, and to our relief a torrent of fresh 4s and 5s came in.
It’s good to have some bad ratings
However, we have learnt that having some bad ratings makes the good ratings more believable. If all ratings are good then prospects are less likely to believe them.
Companies should acknowledge mistakes, correct inaccuracies, and, if necessary, take the conversation offline. The tone should be constructive and not defensive.
How good is good enough? For most people I’ve spoken to, anything over 4 out of 5 is a positive buying message. I think we’d all think twice about staying at a hotel where the rating starts with a 3.
Reviews make us raise the bar
And has it changed how we think? Yes! 4.2 out of 5 is the new benchmark at Spotless, and we want to do even better.
Now I look at 4.5s and over in any business sector with a touch of envy and it encourages me to try harder. How can we better improve our customers’ experience? What could we have done differently to get a higher score? What’s stopping every customer being delighted with the service they receive?
Suddenly customer service matters a whole lot more. And that’s progress.
See more on the Spotless Commercial Cleaning website.
Businesses of all sizes depend on their logos and websites to reach customers worldwide.
With visibility on the Internet more important than ever, having a distinctive logo and website has become an invaluable tool for the majority of the UK’s businesses. However, many business owners are not aware of significant dangers when commissioning the creation of logo and website design from a third party agency.
An issue that has landed businesses in trouble in the past and one which I frequently see is in relation to the ownership of copyright of their logos and website. If ownership rights are not dealt with prior to the signing of a commissioning contract, the completed product – whether that be a logo, a website or a piece of software – will belong to the creator of the work, rather than the business which paid for it! It seems unfair, but that is the law.
For example, in the case of logos, it’s important to have copyright assigned to you because if anyone were to copy your logo, it’s only the copyright owner who could legitimately complain. As it’s likely to be you who would want to object rather than the designer who created the logo, you need to own the copyright.
It is possible to secure a transfer of copyright after the design work has been created, but only if the design agency is happy to transfer it to you and this could come at an additional price. Of course, if the agency is not in a position to pass on the necessary rights to you, its reputation could suffer dramatically.
But why take the risk?
The ideal time to discuss copyright ownership rights in the process of hiring a branding agency, web designer or software developer is before any contracts have been agreed.
Smaller businesses rarely have the resources to review contracts with a fine tooth-comb, so they are more commonly caught out by intellectual property pitfalls than larger commercial firms.
Use of intellectual property protection can make or break a business. By properly protecting your logo, website, piece of software or any other intellectual property, you can create valuable assets for your business. However, failing to take the necessary precautions can leave you vulnerable to competitors and the creators of commissioned work.
Owners of shares in UK companies may no longer be able to shelter behind nominee shareholders due to the People with Significant Control (PSC) reporting rules.
Increasing the transparency of the ownership and control of UK companies is the purpose of the People with Significant Control (PSC) legislation introduced last April. As a result, and depending upon the size of the shareholding, owners of shares in UK companies may no longer be able to shelter behind nominee shareholders.
Until March 2016, a nominee shareholder protected the identity of the beneficiary of the shareholding (i.e. the actual owner) and was an individual, company or LLP that held shares on behalf of the actual owner. In the context of a company, a nominee shareholder is named publicly as the holder of the shares but is accountable to the actual owner of the shares, who remains anonymous. Generally, the relationship between the nominee shareholder and the actual owner is governed by a Declaration of Trust (or other confidential nominee agreement) which establishes that it is the actual owner who owns the shares, not the nominee.
Today, any PSC of a company or LLP must have their details included on a public register to provide greater transparency regarding ownership. As a result, a number of new conditions have been incorporated into the Companies Act 2006, the main one being that a company or LLP must provide a statement detailing which persons hold, directly or indirectly, more than 25% but not more than 50% of the shares in the company.
BIS Guidelines
The Department for Business Innovation and Skills (BIS) has published non-statutory guidance which gives examples of the types of relationships and roles that a person can have with a company, and that may imply that such a person is deemed to have significant influence or control over that company. A summary of this guidance is available here.
BIS indicates that if shares or rights in a company are held by a nominee, the company should treat them as if they were held by the person for whom the nominee is acting.
Importantly, companies have a duty to take reasonable steps to find out if there are any registrable members and individual shareholders are required to disclose their interest if they should be named on the PSC Register. Lindsays previous article on PSC can be read here.
Nowadays, large-scale cyber-attacks are a growing risk to networked devices posed by external hackers.
The recent ransomware attack on the NHS caused severe disruption to hospitals and GP surgeries across England and Scotland, highlighting the need for companies to take their cyber security seriously.
I recently considered the sort of risks that network devices pose internally. This week, I’m looking at the growing risk to networked devices posed by external hackers. Connected devices with web browsers are a great entry point to a company’s network and all the confidential customer and business data held within.
Whether your business is a major brand or an SME, the consequences can be the same – a direct impact to the business, customer concern over a breach of confidential data and an incalculable damage to customers trust in a brand, that can rock its reputation for years.
In my opinion, there is a reason why organisations place a lower priority on print security. Simply put, print as a business function is often overlooked. Companies have only recently started to wake up to the fact that unmanaged print can become a hidden – yet considerable – cost to an organisation.
If print costs are only starting to become a realisation for many companies, then it may take even longer for businesses to appreciate the security vulnerabilities that print and print devices can expose them to.
Another factor could be the fact that cyber security is typically viewed as being a computer or network problem. The data content of these systems are considered extremely valuable to hackers, but all it takes is an innocuous printer in the corner of the office to become a gateway to these robustly protected assets. Therefore, businesses need to realise that it is just as important to protect the potential gateway as it is to protect the assets that cybercriminals want to steal.
One of my concerns centres on whether businesses are simply unaware of the security risks that printers pose. I believe it is Xeretec’s role to ensure that print security is an integral part of our clients IT security policies. This is where our long history of working with clients in sectors where data confidentiality is vital, such as financial services, legal and healthcare, pays dividends.
My colleagues and I are able to apply our security knowledge and experience to ensure that print security is an integral part of a company’s overall security policy. We regularly work with clients to review their device security to ensure that it continues to be fit for purpose. As well as this, we’re able to offer a combined security system from Xerox and McAfee to protect devices against attacks and prevent threats to their confidential data.
Whilst no one knows what 2017 holds, one thing is for sure – hackers will remain as active as ever. Talk to Xeretec to ensure that your devices are as well protected as they can be against internal and external risks. Between us, we can make hackers lives harder whilst protecting your company’s data, brand and reputation.
For more information, contact your local account manager on 0750 000 4563.
Digital repository solutions are becoming increasingly popular within organisations but when talking about these solutions to people unfamiliar with the concept, there are often similar questions asked. We’ve listed a few of these to (hopefully) shed a bit of light on these.
What does it do?
Our repository system’s primary focus is storing, classifying and delivering organisational resources (media, documents, presentations, learning content etc.). Think of it as your organisations own personal library containing all your organisations content. The resources can be accessed through a friendly user interface by browsing and searching (including searching document content), and by a powerful suite of web services that link external or third-party systems. Content access, upload and download can all be controlled by user rights and quality assurance workflows are built in to ensure that the right content is uploaded.
What are the benefits to my organisation?
Think about all the information your organisation has collected and created and where it sits. This will often be in folders on servers, C drives and even in personal email inboxes. Now say you even have access to the right area where that information is held how do you know that the PDF entitled ‘X’ contains information relevant to the bid you are preparing or that the video file entitled ‘Y’ will be useful for the presentation you are creating. What if instead all this information could be stored, discovered and accessed through one system. No more recreating content that someone has created already, no more losing knowledge because an employee has left – everything becomes much more efficient.
Is this like SharePoint?
There are some similarities but SharePoint was not really designed to act as a library for discovering resources etc. (for example it can’t search the content of a document as a digital repository can). Its been designed more for sharing resources rather than searching and discovering them. SharePoint is very good at what it does but its a bit like comparing apples and oranges.
What are the main features?
There are many and these can be configured to suit the particular requirements but the list below covers the main ones:
– Keyword/phrase search
– Metadata search
– Store and retrieve named searches
– Resource content search
– Show similar resources
– Subscribe to RSS feeds
– Preview resources
– View full metadata record
– Export resources
– Comment on and rate resources
– User customisable resource tags
– Report problem/abuse
– Contribute resources
– Can handle any type of files
– Most commonly images, documents and audio-visual files
– Metadata creation and editing
– Resource review functionality
– Classification creation and editing
– PDF conversion for .doc resources
– Workflow editor
– Defining collections within the repository
– Set access permissions for specific groups of users
– Configurable System Roles
– Group Administration
– Various authentication options
– All functions accessed by web browser
– Metadata harvesting
– Search from learning management platforms
– Support for wide variety of Metadata and packaging specifications
If you’re interested in learning more please do not hesitate to get in touch to find out how a digital repository can help your organisation.
On a warm day in May, a group of around thirty (mostly) women joined us at the G&V Royal Mile Hotel for our monthly Inspiring Women in Business Lunch. Our guest speaker was Tracey McNellan, a woman boasting an illustrious career in the fast-paced media industry.
From early on in the event, delegates relaxed in to the comfortable surrounds of the G&V, drink in hand, where they were given the opportunity to network prior to being whisked in to the dining room to hear from our guest speaker.
In something of a break from the norm, this Inspiring Women in Business event was held Q&A style with one of Tracey’s colleagues – Paul Harper of Heart Scotland’s drive time show – quizzing Tracey on a range of topics, from her early career to challenges she’s faced to radio’s place in today’s world. Paul informed the crowd that the last Q&A he hosted was with the lawyers of Steven Avery, the man made famous by the documentary Making a Murderer. This Q&A, he assured, would be much more light-hearted.
They covered Tracey’s career first, noting her background in computing and early love of music, which undoubtedly influenced the direction her life would later take. We learned of Tracey’s determined nature from an early age, where when she told her mother about her intentions to take on a sales role and being told she didn’t have enough experience in sales, she replied with a straightforward; “I’ll learn”. They spoke of her rapid career progression, winning the roles of Sales Manager at only 25 and Sales Director at 29, and her philosophy that – to counter those who believed she was too young for such a senior role – “if you’re capable enough, you’re old enough”.
Radio and the wider media industry are seen as ever-exciting and fun places to work, yet like most businesses they don’t come without their challenges. We heard next of some of the obstacles Tracey has faced in her many roles (and in her personal life, too). She spoke of her earlier marriage, the changes she has seen her workplaces undertake as the media industry has evolved, and her conflict of choosing between her career and her personal life – notably, a career move that would see her move to Nottingham for the role of Managing Director at Capital FM East Midlands, at the cost of leaving behind a life she loved in Scotland.
Tracey couldn’t stay South forever though, and eventually moved back to Scotland for the role of Managing Director at Global Scotland (Heart & Smooth), where even today she and her team face challenges that many radio stations face in a world of constant and rapid technological and societal change. She believes that radio must continue to “evolve and change rapidly”, and that in this time of ‘fake news’ radio must hold on to it’s status as an instant, yet trusted source of information.
We heard a little of Tracey’s life outside of work, too. While she admits that it can be difficult to ‘switch off’, she enjoys coaching other businesses and, while in Nottingham, took up a side project of becoming a yoga and pilates teacher.
Tracey then talked us through a typical day – well, as typical as one could be, given that “no two days are the same, because it’s radio [and] things happen, and we need to react”. That concluded the Q&A, and after applause, lunch arrived. The staff at G&V promptly delivered our plates, a delicious pork belly, followed by a dessert of honeycomb and ice cream, and tea and coffee.
During dessert, there was the opportunity for delegates to ask any burning questions – after which Tracey and Paul had to take their leave. Paul was due to host the drive time show in only a couple hours time and while we were enjoying their company, as Liz McAreavey said, “we’d rather not be responsible for silence on the air this afternoon”.
Our next Inspiring Women in Business Lunch will be held on June 27th at the Waldorf Astoria, where we will hear from Catherine Topley, Director of Corporate Services at Scottish Prison Service. Click here to book your place.
Trying to distinguish workplace stress from the pressures of work can be a little stressful.
Some people say that a certain amount of stress is a necessary, as without it we would lack the motivation or drive needed to do our job effectively. This leads to stress being seen in terms of good (necessary) or bad (excessive), and therein lies a wee problem.
The Stress Response puts us in a highly-charged state, in preparation for fighting or fleeing. This is highly useful if we are faced with a genuine threat to our safety, security or life.
But in the modern workplace, employers want staff to communicate effectively, work well with colleagues, plan and prioritise, problem-solve, show flexibility, think on their feet when needed, all the while maintaining certain standards of work.
Just the right amount of pressure to do our jobs well usually does the trick. If it doesn’t there may be a performance issue or another problem entirely.
Either way, there really are no benefits to be had from stress at work.
So why do so many managers not prioritise stress and ultimately, staff welfare?
Bear Payne.
This is the name the media and fans have been eagerly awaiting on following the much anticipated arrival of Cheryl and Liam Payne’s baby boy in March. I remember agonising over baby name books trying to decide what to name our children and Bear’s arrival brought me back to the time when I became a new parent and my life changed forever.
Becoming a parent is an exciting if not hectic time and it takes a while to adjust to the lack of sleep, constant feeding and changing nappies! Being a parent brings an enormous responsibility to care for your children during their lifetime, but there is also a responsibility to care for your children should you no longer be around.
The Childhood Bereavement Network estimated that in 2015, 23,600 parents died in the UK, leaving an estimated 41,000 dependent children aged 0-17. Where does that leave them?
So whether you are a brand shiny new parent like Cheryl and Liam or a more experienced, but utterly exhausted parent with young and demanding children (I fall into the latter category!), now is an ideal time to think about putting your affairs in order to ensure that your children are cared for by the person or people of your choice and that financial provisions are in place should anything unforeseen happen.
The answer is simple – make a Will.
In this document you can appoint a guardian who would be responsible for your children’s welfare should you not be around and set out the financial provisions determining when your children will receive their inheritance.
As a parent, appointing a guardian is probably the most important thing parents with young children need to consider. You may wish to consider a family member such as your own parents or a sibling, but if the grandparents are elderly or perhaps there are no or unsuitable siblings, you may wish to consider appointing a friend or friends of a similar age to you or perhaps even younger.
Often a couple are considered rather than two unrelated individuals. The person(s) you choose would take over your legal rights and responsibilities so it is vital you are comfortable with your choice! It would of course be prudent to discuss matters with the person(s) to ensure that they would accept such an appointment prior to making your Will.
If you do not appoint a guardian in your Will, it is left to the courts to decide. This will result in a time consuming and costly process which is obviously stressful for those involved. It would be cheaper, quicker and easier for everyone if a guardian was appointed so staying away from court procedure altogether.
With regards to financial provision, you can, in your Will, set out how much of your estate your children will inherit and at what age. The age of legal capacity in Scotland is 16 and most people feel this is far too young for their children to inherit a potentially large sum of money. If there is no Will in place or your Will does not specify an age to inherit, then your children will receive funds at 16 years old..
To avoid this, trust provisions should be considered and included in your Will. Inclusion of a trust will set out the age that you wish your children to inherit, usually 18, 21 or 25. The trust can be flexible to allow the advancement of both income and capital before that age, to assist with ongoing costs including education, if thought suitable by the trustees you have appointed in your Will. It would be sensible to have at least three trustees so that there is a majority and the trustees do not have to be the same individuals that you have appointed as guardians.
Your Will should be reviewed when your family circumstances change and having children is an ideal time to put your affairs in order and make/update your Will. It will only take a few hours of your time to make a straightforward Will, but it could make all the difference to your children’s future. Once in place, you can then go back to the hardest but most rewarding job in the world!
A report from August 2016 stated that 76 per cent of IT practitioners had reported that their organisation has experienced loss or theft of company data over the past two years.
Does this figure reflect that data theft is simply now commonplace? Or does it highlight the need for companies to do more to minimise the risk of data breaches?
Upon reflection, I think it’s a mix of both. Minimising risk – especially from data breaches – is now a board-level concern, although it is far more difficult to establish to what extent it now filters down into proactive measures to protect against data breaches.
We live in an era where security is a dynamic risk and one that’s constantly evolving, so companies will always need to do more to keep ahead of the curve. Sadly, there is no magic strategy to end all security risks and it’s a job that requires constant attention, not least because cyber criminals are relentless in their efforts to capture confidential and valuable information.
Print infrastructure is, more often than not, one of the weak links in the security chain. Too often it is overlooked by IT professionals, resulting in networked devices being deployed and used without proper safeguards in place. An unsecure print infrastructure is vulnerable to both internal and external risks.
Internally, devices that do not have any secure print measures in place can give rise to situations where confidential documents are printed and left unclaimed on a device. In those scenarios, it’s all too easy for documents to be picked up by those unauthorised to view them. This can be particularly harmful; for instance, a HR team may print a confidential spreadsheet that shows employee salaries and leave it unclaimed on a device used by the sales team. Alternatively, a hospital department could print a patient record and leave it unclaimed on a device that’s accessible to the public, resulting in a serious breach of patient confidentiality.
To prevent such scenarios, we offer a range of Intelligent Print Management solutions that make print more transparent and accountable. Equitrac Print Management– among its many other features – offers access control by adding authentication at the printer to protect devices from unauthorised use of print, scan and fax functionalities. It also provides confidential printing with its authorised user-only, Follow-You print feature, which ensures that prints are only delivered into the right hands and negates the risk that confidential documents could go missing.
Many of our private sector clients, in industries such as financial services, are also required to honour specific regulation and compliance criteria around their customer data, meaning that they must consider their responsibilities in the context of their device and print security policies. The Information Commissioner’s Office applies pressure on companies to do so by imposing hefty fines to public and private sector organisations that have failed in their data privacy duties.
For more information about how to improve your document and data security, contact your local account manager on 0750 000 4563 or visit https://r1.dotmailer-pages.com/p/1HI3-3NL/why-document-security-is-important.
