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Champagne Bottles are already popping and decisions need to be made to host your upcoming Christmas Office Party?
This isn’t just any party, this is the much anticipated and sometimes unforgettable, for all the wrong reasons, the annual Christmas office party. But no matter if it’s an office, shop or factory it's the time when co-workers get together to celebrate and socialize.
And this is where it can become unstuck, when some colleagues party harder than they should!
Sound familiar, you’ve witnessed or experienced it, and you’ve heard the sayings; ‘letting your hair down, anything goes, drink till you drop, it’s only once a year! It’s not a pretty sight!
The good news, attitudes and behaviours have changed! The once alcohol-fuelled workplace gatherings have sobered up.
This is influenced by more than HR Departments wanting to improve bad behaviour and poor images, but the wider ‘alcohol’ movement promoting drinking less and ‘booze free’ events. Popular activities where colleagues can socialize without alcohol or simply consume less. Lawn bowls, mini golf, and alcohol-free breakfasts. This reflected in research indicating, younger Australians, are cutting back on booze, preferring to socialize in ways that don't involve alcohol. A trend also reflected overseas.
Importantly, colleagues can still socialise. It’s not really about the party or drinks; it's about excessive alcohol consumption. Overindulgence can lead to poor decisions, actions and sometimes later regrets.
If you are a Business wanting to support a social event, it's about planning and adopting ‘office party’ strategies.
7 Staff Management Strategies:
- Establish clear guidelines, codes of conduct, for what is acceptable and unacceptable behaviour in the workplace. Importantly ensure these are communicated directly to all employers so there is no misunderstanding or confusion about behaviour at both the workplace and work-related functions.
With the ‘silly’ season fast approaching and the Festive and traditional Christmas celebrations already in coffee conversations, and decorations, tinsel in shop windows, now is the time to start planning and preparing.
If you are trading during this period now is the time to create and activate your Marketing Campaign.
Importantly, Get your Business House in Order, Sales and Customer ready
Checklist!
Tick the 8 boxes below to see how ‘ready’ you are!
- Be and stay organised:. If you are opening or closing during this period, don’t leave things to chance or memory. Make a Checklist/ Action Plan to ensure everything is covered and everyone is onboard. Examples such as advertised Trading hours, sales targets and payroll needs. Simple steps that help reduce stress and drama!
- Check Inventory levels: Take stock of all goods, look at previous years and current demands to gauge needs. Identify your best sellers, popular items! Critically, speak with your Suppliers to make sure your orders are covered. Other companies will be in the same situation so get in early.
- Staffing needs. Rosters, holiday leave, peak period coverage. Prepare asap. For example, do you need to train new staff, are experienced Team leaders available and do you have backup. This can be a stressful time. Take care of your employees with rewards, downtime and some festive activities to keep up morale. Who doesn't love Secret Santa!
You’ve read the ‘success’ stories, mates having a conversation at a bar, produces one of the most popular board games of all time; the Uni student with brilliant ideas about a platform for easily accessible ‘graphic design’ programs! The rest is history! And not to forget the internet provider that grew out of a local suburban backyard garage, vision that helped change the world of telecommunications.
Makes you stop and ponder, wonder!!
Are you reading this and thinking so why not my idea!
Or are you contemplating, what is out there yet to be discovered, or uncovered, what could be the next greatest ever success story! Inspiring stuff!
Starting a Business
Not for the faint hearted, can be daunting but if you are ready to take up the challenge keep reading!
Gathering ideas: 7 Steps to help guide you.
- Finding an idea: Investigate markets. Importantly, is there a gap, possible demand for a product or service. It's critical to undertake market research. Have consumers buying and spending habits changed; are there different, new, wants and needs; what, which demographics are influencing markets e.g. aging population needs, more people travelling, rise of pet ownership.
- Be wary of trends, they come and go. A healthy unique Business offering should focus on longevity, a foundation built on innovation and passion. Love your business, what you are doing, and you are halfway there!
Who is invited to your Table...or who is not invited?
Invitations to be sent! Check the list!
Just like a birthday or Dinner party, when planning a Business Meeting, it's critical that everyone is invited that should be!
That means inviting those invested in and concerned with the family, connections and networking to have the opportunity to sit at the table.
In Family-owned Businesses the Business Meeting is a significant event. For that reason, it’s essential that all vested stakeholders are invited to sit around the table, to be there to have a say or not. An Invitation helps in preventing sometimes perceived favouritism, being left out or neglected, feelings, that if left unchecked foster, can fuel disconnect, and disengagement.
Bringing everyone to the table provides the opportunity for;
- Ideas sharing, collaboration
- Everyone is involved, participation
- Joint decision making, empowerment
- Facilitating family harmony, unity
- Building relationships, strength
Importantly, in any Family enterprise, key players need to participate to meet their obligations. If operating under a Family Business Board this is critical as there is less opportunity for fluidity of role changes.
This is where having a strong formalised leadership structure is key. Crucial for all Businesses, including small owner led Family interests, with succession planning for retirement or leave of absence needs to be factored in.
Smart operators will consider adopting a leadership team model. This can comprise family members and non-family that are selected to undertake specific specialist roles.
When identifying individuals for roles it makes good sense to consider both job criteria credentials and personality characteristics. Develop the selection criteria for each leadership role based upon family values and the business situation.
The Table is set. Here is the Meeting Menu!
- Send Invitations and Meeting Agenda.
Give adequate notice. Prepare the Agenda, clearly state meeting purpose, and objectives. Be consistent with planning and scheduling Meetings to give advance notice. This will encourage better attendance and participation.
Leaders need people to lead!
Smart Leaders build a strong Team by nurturing potential and developing their people's abilities to bring out the best in all. Through mentoring, collaboration, effective engagement, and connecting the Team is united. Effective leaders empower their Team and are willing to step aside to let member's shine.
We know, a good leader has integrity, courage, respect, compassion and resilience, qualities they display, earning trust and loyalty. They communicate the vision and positively influence others. Learning agility is a strength.
We know also that managing things and leading people are similar but different complimentary disciplines that require the necessary mind and skillsets.
To quote ‘you manage things, you lead people’! Rear Admiral Grace Hopper
To lead, Leaders need followers, a Team to lead.
The skill is the ‘art of leading’!
Simply put, leading effectively, the Leader serves the Team, empowers their actions, enables their work and challenges them to succeed.
5 Key Skills Leaders have;
Your Accounting Partner
Your Management Accounting Partner
Your Expansion Engineer
Your Special Projects Partner