News Archives - Page 12 of 53

Ramadhan in the Workplace

Posted on April 9, 2021 | by Akeela Zahair

By Andrew Willis, Head of Legal at Croner

Monday 12 April 2021 signifies the beginning of Ramadhan, the holy month of the Islamic calendar in which Muslims often commit to a period of fasting during daylight hours. Considering this, here are three top tips for supporting staff during this time:

Flexible working and working from home

Given the physical demands of daytime fasting, staff may require some adjustments to their working routine during Ramadhan, even if they are working from home. This could include altering shift patterns, allowing staff to start and finish earlier in the day to aid with daytime fasting, or amending workplace duties to reduce the chance of fatigue impacting performance or increasing the risk of injury.

It is important to remember that the requirements may affect each person differently, and organisations should refrain from taking a ‘one size fits all’ approach to flexible working arrangements. Arguably, it is more important than ever that organisations take steps to accommodate their employees’ personal circumstances.

Annual leave and rest breaks

Consider that some individuals may wish to use their annual leave entitlement during Ramadhan to allow them sufficient opportunity to rest during times of fasting or to participate in the Eid celebrations that follow. They may also ask for increased rest breaks or to change the time of these breaks. While it will be fair to expect staff to request time off in the usual way and provide sufficient notice, it may be wise to make an exception where possible to avoid discrimination, such as where requests occur on short notice or clash with other team members.

It may be difficult for an organisation to accommodate annual leave requests as a result of the coronavirus. However, given the importance of this to those who celebrate it, it is important to be as accommodating as possible.

Harassment and respect

Unfortunately, it can be the case that Muslim employees are at an increased risk of suffering religious harassment at work during Ramadhan, either at the hands of third parties or their colleagues. Other staff may have the misconception that Muslim employees are receiving ‘special privileges’, especially if they are given time off or increased flexibility during the outbreak. Organisations should work to dispel any notion of this. Also, make sure to remind staff that appropriate action will be taken against anyone found responsible for offensive behaviour and that ‘workplace banter’ will not be accepted as a legitimate excuse for discrimination.

Given the importance of Ramadhan to Muslim employees, it would be advisable to outline the organisation’s approach in a religious observance policy, giving individuals a clear source of information on their rights at work during this time. Having said this, any policy will need to be inclusive, giving equal footing to other religions, to avoid further claims of religious discrimination.

77% of the UK Experience This Work-Related Syndrome

Posted on April 9, 2021 | by Akeela Zahair

You may read the phrase “imposter syndrome” and be surprised that there’s a phrase for something you feel without realising it’s a common thing. Have you ever felt like you’re not good enough for the career you have? Do you doubt yourself and feel like an imposter in the workplace? Do you have a nagging feeling that you’re winging it? You’re not alone.

77 per cent of the UK experience imposter syndrome.

Some signs of imposter syndrome are:

Doubting yourself
Being unable to accurately assess your competence and skills
Attributing your success to external factors
Criticising your job performance
Being afraid of disappointing

Did the pandemic make imposter syndrome worse?

Interestingly, research has found that working from home can mitigate these feelings – according to the University of Nottingham, there was a 75 per cent decrease in feelings of imposter syndrome compared to the year before, when we were in the physical office.

Associate Professor Dr. Terri Simpkin at the University of Nottingham commented: “Imposter Phenomenon is related to context and so if the context changes so can experience of Imposterism…It’s socially constructed so change the social circumstances and the experience may change too.”

This may not be the case for everyone, however, and some workers may have intensified feelings of self-doubt combined with feeling deflated and isolated when working from home. Remotely working for significant periods of time can impact company culture, social integration, and being in the general thrall of it all. You might feel out of the funk and start to doubt your skills when you’re out of the swing of things.

If you feel like your feelings of imposter syndrome have subsided, but you’re worried about them flaring up again upon return to the office following Boris Johnson’s roadmap to normality, we’ve got some tips to slip back into the swing of things.

Overcoming imposter syndrome

Being so critical of your work performance, even when you do well, can make it hard for you to get some perspective. Here, we look at some steps you can take to overcome imposter syndrome when you get back to the office donning your smartest work suit.

Facts over feelings

We can be prone to letting emotions override logic. Focusing on facts over feelings can apply well to many different areas of our lives, but particularly imposter syndrome. When you perform well, are given praise, or are generally getting things done, praise yourself for your achievements that you’ve worked hard for. Due to your competence, you’ve succeeded, not because of luck or a fluke. Occasionally there’ll be times where things don’t go to plan for everyone, and that can be disappointing. But when you perform well, don’t gloss over the moments or downplay it.

Try not to assume how other people feel about you, for example assuming and feeling like your boss thinks you’re rubbish at your job – you are projecting your own misconceptions about yourself onto others.

We’ve all got to start somewhere

If you’re doing something new at work or are given a new responsibility, don’t put pressure on yourself to master it first time. Everyone has to start somewhere and learn.

Whenever I’ve started a new job or tried something new, I’ve wanted to master it on the first try. Needing additional guidance made me feel like I was weak, especially if there was an audience. Clearly, it’s unfair to put that kind of pressure on ourselves, which it’s why it’s important for us to flip the script.

Instead of feeling as though we need to prove our worth, we need to remember that we all have to start somewhere. We all try and fail before we succeed. There’s nothing worse or more flawed about us than there is about anyone else. Keep that in mind the next time you feel like you’re not learning fast enough.

Talk to your colleagues

If you have friends you feel comfortable opening up to at work, confide in a colleague. If not, speak to your friends outside of work. Chances are, saying your thoughts out loud may help you realise how wrong you are when there’s no evidence of you underperforming at work. Plus, others may be going through the same thing – being honest and open about your feelings to those close to you can have tremendous benefits on your wellbeing.

Take a break from social media

Returning to the office? Queue an influx of LinkedIn posts as workers race to post optimistic and motivational posts about getting an ounce of normality back. Like all social media, LinkedIn can be tough on us if we’re feeling down. And like all social media, everyone only posts their best and highest achievements rather than when they’ve failed on a huge project or are struggling to keep up with their workload.

Avoid putting pressure on yourself and take a break from social media, including LinkedIn – unless if your job relies on it. Ease yourself back into it when you’ve settled back into office life and feel ready to see what other people are posting about.

Look at what you’ve accomplished so far in your career and be grateful for all you’ve achieved. Overcome feelings of fear and anxiety and recognise your successes. After all, you’ve kept your job during a pandemic, so continue working as hard as you are!

The Three Areas Businesses Invested in to Make it Through the Pandemic

Posted on April 8, 2021 | by Akeela Zahair

The coronavirus pandemic has taught us a lot of lessons. We have a better appreciation of our key workers, which includes NHS staff, shop workers, and transport and logistics providers. A better understanding of the spread of infectious viruses has helped individuals and businesses protect themselves and their staff.

The pandemic and subsequent lockdowns also taught businesses the importance of digital solutions that enabled remote working and collaboration. Roles that could be carried out from home made the switch. For businesses that had already invested in digitisation, this was a straightforward move. In some cases, employees were already used to home working. But for others, investment was required quickly to implement the necessary technologies.

A McKinsey survey found that as a result of this need to adapt, businesses accelerated their digitisation by a huge seven years, highlighting one positive side-effect of the pandemic. But where have businesses been investing during this time?

Digital marketing takes the front seat

Many businesses have realised the value of digital marketing in the face of an increasingly competitive industry. This is especially true for retail and B2B organisations that have traditionally operated face to face. For non-essential retailers, national lockdowns meant they could only transact online. While many of these businesses were already operating in the e-commerce space, they didn’t necessarily have the same presence they held on the high street.

Online visibility has been more crucial than ever because many retailers were pushed into the online space. National lockdowns also resulted in consumers spending an extra day a month online. Online sales as a percentage of retail sales shot up by over 50% between February and April 2020 from 19.1% to 30.2%. The current lockdown has seen these sales soar further to 36.3% of all retail sales.

As a result, ad spend on traditional media fell by 50%. Even retailers who increased their sales during the pandemic, including Amazon, reduced their traditional media spend. Meanwhile, after an initial dip due to heavily impacted sectors postponing activity, Google’s parent company Alphabet recorded record profits. Tellingly, 81% of its sales came from digital advertising.

Visibility on search engines and social media is crucial to online success. While undertaking intensive SEO work should be a long-term goal for businesses looking to increase their online market share, paid search can create some quick wins. Many businesses turned to Google Ads to increase their online visibility and sales. Then, as your business grows its online presence, paid and organic search can work together as a lucrative income channel.

Customer service goes digital

As a result of the pandemic, the McKinsey survey found that businesses in Europe increased their percentage of digital customer interactions from 32% to 55%. Interestingly, almost half of brands with over 20 years of longevity ranked customer engagement as their investment priority. Only 39% of younger businesses, however, said the same.

The demand for digital customer service has increased in recent years and has also been accelerated by the pandemic. Businesses that don’t offer digital communication risk losing customers who will seek organisations that prioritise their experience. Of the organisations that rate themselves as excellent in delivering customer engagement, 67% exceeded revenue goals in 2020. What’s more, 75% of these brands are increasing their budgets in 2021.

It’s important to make sure these digital options are available to your customers even when things go back to “normal”. It’s widely assumed that younger customers prefer digital contact methods and their older counterparts overwhelmingly favour traditional communication. However, new research shows a third of over-65s prefer digital contact. For important interactions, the same Echo survey showed 53% of people prefer to speak in person or over the phone. But for information or basic tasks like paying bills, customers prefer digital communication or online self-service options.

With all of this in mind, there’s no clear winner when it comes to how you deliver your customer service. Blending face-to-face interactions (where possible), telephone, email, live chat, and web self-service will ensure you’re meeting the expectations of a wide cross-section of customers.

Employee engagement is on the agenda

The past year has been turbulent for office-based workers. The majority were instructed to work from home in March 2020, before being encouraged to go back into the office, and were then sent home again… and so on. Business spend on digital communication and engagement tools skyrocketed, with Microsoft Teams and Zoom usage growing by 894% and 677% respectively between February and June 2020.

With a plan for exiting lockdown in place, many organisations are now preparing to welcome staff back to the office again after more time away. While you’ve likely got hygiene and social distancing measures in place, employee engagement is important. Especially considering over two-thirds of pandemic home-workers feel less connected to their colleagues and businesses as a result of working from home.

For colleagues returning to the office, there are a number of ways you can increase engagement and keep them up to date with company news and performance. Placing digital signage screens throughout your office that display company bulletins, performance metrics, or even industry news can help your employees feel more connected to your business. Equally, hosting regular business update sessions in your office or at another venue that incorporate team-building exercises and a social element will help your people reconnect.

If you’re one of the many businesses incorporating flexible and remote working into your long-term business plans, there are still ways to engage remote employees. Keeping your company intranet up to date is key to helping employees feel like they know what is going on with your business. Team-building activities don’t always have to take place in-person, either. Virtual quizzes, movie nights, or even gaming sessions are a great way to get your remote workers involved in your company’s culture.

Overall

For businesses whose operations were brought to a standstill because of the pandemic and lockdowns, cost-saving has been essential. But for those that have continued to operate throughout multiple national lockdowns, investment in the right areas has never been more important. Businesses have prioritised digital marketing, customer experience, and employee engagement, and these areas are still key focuses as we begin to slowly return to something that looks like normal.

Stress Awareness Month: 7 Steps to Managing Stress As Workplaces Reopen Post-Covid

Posted on April 7, 2021 | by Akeela Zahair

With 73% of workers admitting they fear a return to the workplace could pose a risk to their personal health and safety, David McCormack, CEO of employee benefits and outsourced payroll provider HIVE360, shares seven practical steps for Stress Awareness Month, that will help ease workers’ worries about being back in the workplace post COVID lockdown, and ensure they feel comfortable you are providing a safe environment for them.

Communicate – ensure workers know it’s ok to feel anxious about the return to the workplace after months of working from home, and encourage them to talk about their feelings so you can reassure them and take any additional action to ease their worries.
Be flexible – for people anxious about a busy commute to work, be open to an early or late start / finish time for the working day. For those feeling really uncomfortable about being in the office, give them the option to continue working from home some days each week.
Be safe – People are counting on their employers to help them get back to work safely. Putting health and safety and employee wellbeing at the heart of any return-to-work planwill help with employee support and reduce the stress of transitioning back to work. Be COVID aware, safe and secure; employers have statutory duties to provide a safe place of work and general legal duties of care towards anyone accessing or using the workplace. Carry out a risk assessment of the entire workplace and implement measures to minimise these risks, and create and share with all employees and visitors to the workplace a clear policy on behaviour in the workplace such as the rules on wearing facemasks, social distancing measures, hand washing and sanitizing, with the relevant equipment available to all, along with what people should do if they or someone they live with feels unwell or tests positive for COVID.
Be caring – employees feel uncomfortable speaking about poor mental health, and this won’t change. With concerns about the effects of COVID-19 on society and the economy, mental health continues to be a growing problem, so demonstrate you are an employer that recognises and understands by introducing and communicating the tools, support and measures available to them to support them and address any fears they have about the return to work. Give them access to specialist medical support and information on wellbeing support.
Keep in touch– the need for clear communication is more important now than ever. Make a point of checking in with your staff regularly, and ask how they are coping.
Encourage work:life balance – poor work:life balance reduces productivity and can lead to stress and mental health problems. Build-in positive steps towards work:life balance to your staff mental health and wellbeing strategies; encourage staff to work sensible hours, take full lunch breaks and get outside for fresh air and exercise once a day.
Tailor solutions – let your employees know you understand everyone’s personal situation is different and that you’ll do your best to accommodate it. Remind people of their worth as an employee, and the positive attributes they bring to the team. After all, people are every company’s most valuable asset.

What Needs To Happen To Support Inclusion Of Transgender Employees

Posted on April 6, 2021 | by Akeela Zahair

In recognition of International Transgender Day of Visibility on 31^st March, we caught up with Joanne Lockwood, a Diversity & Inclusion & Belonging Specialist who also promotes Transgender Awareness to organisations, and an Associate Facilitator with Serenity in Leadership, to find out what we need to do next to stop discrimination in the workplace and support inclusion of transgender and non-binary workers.

What types of discrimination are transgender employees facing?

“Trans employees, who include transgender, non-binary and gender queer individuals, often face severe discrimination in the workplace spanning speculation and false rumours to severe harassment including physical or sexual assaults. Biases and lack of awareness means opportunities for promotions and recruitment of transgender employees is often extremely poor. They can often feel trapped in one place of work in fear of being rejected for future employment. When someone transitions, workmates often act as if someone has died, or people disengage as they are not sure what to say and don’t know how to reengage the friendship resulting in that colleague being isolated and seen as less than they were.”

When you were transitioning, did your place of work help support you and how are things now?

“I had my own IT business with 20 staff and two co-directors. I found it very hard to transition at work and I was unable to share this part of me. I was struggling with my mental health at home and at work and not performing as well as I should. For me it felt easier to allow my co-directors to buy me out rather than face opening up to everyone. When I left, I already had this vision, passion and need to promote trans awareness to organisations. I know what it was (and is) like to be discriminated against, to feel marginalised, to have a sense of imposter syndrome.

“Now I have started my own practice specialising in inclusion and belonging, along with promoting trans awareness, and am able to use my lived experience to have conversations with people about discrimination and the impact of marginalisation. I now work all over the world as a global speaker, offering training and consultancy and talking on panels and podcasts and I am also regular columnist, but I am keen not to be tokenised.

“I am extremely happy and comfortable living my life as a visible trans person and if I can give someone else inspiration to do the same or drive positive awareness, then I am doing something meaningful. I have been married for nearly 34 years, I have two great children, friends and parents and a brother who love me.”

Have things got any better in the workplace for transgender people in the last five years or so?

“In the workplace it is still often easier for an employer to find a reason to let a trans person go rather than have any sort of disruption, conflict or friction. Employers by proxy pass on bias such as beliefs that customers will be turned off and feel that they somehow need to protect the brand and reputation from us and stop questions being asked. Then of course there is the bare-faced anti-trans movement seen as a result of radical feminism or faith. There is extreme anxiety for the transgender person about being open and it can have a severe impact on their mental health.

“However, the debate has increased, there are many more trans allies and more education and awareness. We still need to break the eggs and it will likely take another generation to bring forth the required change. That is just in the UK though. There are still probably 80 countries in the world that don’t recognise or condemn the transgender community, and the UK could still do much better by removing the medicalised pathways to self-determination of gender and recognising non-binary as a legal third option on official documents.”

Will the pandemic have had an effect on inclusion?

“We are of course all wearing masks now which cover our identity, so it is an interesting part of the discussion because trans people often are not allowed to be their authentic selves and have to wear “a mask”. During the pandemic, there has been increased isolation. Trans people often live alone and so are more cut off. Lockdown is very difficult if are struggling with your identity and there is a lack of socialising with like-minded people, who understand you.

“Personally, I think working from home is fantastic. There is an argument that you need to be at work to socialise but actually you don’t need to socialise at work, you need to socialise out of work! The pandemic will spark change and innovation. It is an opportunity for growing inclusion.”

What is the most common stigma you have come across in your work in inclusion and belonging?

“Often when I give trans awareness talks, it ends up being about toilets and showers. I joke that I have made it to 56 years old and have become a toilet consultant along the way – because that’s what people want to talk to me about. The reality is that people are confusing trans people with predatory men and evil perverts. This couldn’t be further from the truth. We just want to get up in the morning, have breakfast, do a great job, come home, kiss our kids’ goodnight and smile like everybody else. This isn’t a lifestyle choice, it’s who we are.”

What needs to be done to protect support and include transgender employees.

“Just because some people don’t actively disapprove of me doesn’t mean they will give me an opportunity. Employers tend to go for the easy hire even if they think they are forward and open thinking. They just want the corporate and perfect fit.

“The best place to start is to have a clear diversity policy. Employers need to review their values and make openly positive public statements on their website, careers pages, intranet and social media and to act as allies to trans, non-binary and gender diverse people. Importantly use diverse imagery so you aren’t just representing one type of person.

“We need to amplify role models and engage with trans and non-binary people when making change and developing the business; actively listening to them and ensuring they feel safe, that they belong and are thriving.

“Ensure your recruitment process is open and inclusive and regularly review your policies. When recruiting review job adverts for gendered language and post them to sites for all sorts of diverse communities.

“Take harassment very seriously and have procedures and measures in place that you action without hesitation.”

How important is the language we use around sexual orientation, gender identity and gender reassignment at work?

“We need to have zero tolerance policies around unacceptable language and behaviour in order to build trust and confidence. Unpacking any concerns is important to see where training is needed. HR systems need to support name changes, gender neutral titles and as much as possible de-gender language.”

What is your future dream for gender inclusion?

“I want to get to a place when one’s gender and sexuality aren’t relevant yet are recognised and celebrated. Acceptance without question. Where it stops being a conversation and is just understood. We are not there yet. In the meanwhile, we need to break down barriers, collaborate, raise awareness, and elect more inclusive governments and leaders.”

Bid Smarter. Win More. Live Better.

Posted on April 1, 2021 | by Akeela Zahair

Blackdragon is a full-spectrum management consultancy focused on helping federal contractor bidders win targeted government contracts. After receiving his award with CEO Monthly, we got in touch with Rob Rosenberger to find out more about how he earned the accolade CEO of the Year 2020 – USA.

Launched in 2015, Blackdragon is a rapidly climbing consulting firm revolutionising the way new contracts with the US Federal Government are identified, pursued, and ultimately won. Going into further detail, Rob begins by kindly offering us more of an insight into the values of the firm and some of its specialisms.

“The founding mission of Blackdragon was to improve the efficiency of the federal contracting industry where contractors compete to win contracts with the US Government. We set out to fundamentally transform the way target contracts are identified, analysed, qualified, pursued, and ultimately won by bidders. The objective was to establish a new paradigm whereby the right bidders consistently win the right contracts, while streamlining market inefficiencies caused by absent or uncompetitive bidders. Typically, clients can range from top 10 mega-firms with hundreds of thousands of employees to very tiny contractor firms with a handful of employees, and everything in between. Blackdragon doesn’t have a preference on the type of contracts to be won and the crowdsourcing model enables the formation of expert dream teams of all backgrounds and experiences. Clients can register for free access to participate in the Blackdragon online marketplace and can purchase products a la carte, as needed.

“From the contractor perspective, Blackdragon helps them to create more competitive bids and from the Government’s perspective, Blackdragon’s influence on the industry boosts better proposals from the right bidders while indirectly discouraging non-competitive proposals that can bog down the selection process. These combine into Blackdragon’s slogan, “Bid Smarter. Win More. Live Better.”, which describes a marketplace yielding enhanced benefits to all participants.

“The aim of disrupting the hyper-mature federal contracting industry with an innovative platform was based on the key principles of global coalition, technology, a virtual workforce, and high-quality products. Not just a global ecosystem of talented experts, Blackdragon is also an emerging community and a family of empowered entrepreneurial individuals proactively using the platform as a means of forming into custom ‘Dream Teams’ that know how to win select contracts. It’s a bottom-up approach compared to the conventional top-down process where bidder firms first decide what contracts to pursue and then seek talent to achieve it. The first and only of its kind, Blackdragon breaks longstanding paradigms by revolutionising one of the largest, most mature industries (the US government contracting industry), renowned for its resistance to change.”

The matchmaking marketplace previously mentioned is what helps Blackdragon distinguish itself from some of its closest competitors as Rob explains further.

“The online matchmaking marketplace combines powerful aspects of the Gig Economy, big data and predictive analytics, business automation, and personal networking connectivity that completely rethinks the value chain. Arguably our most unique selling point is the fact our suite of on-demand products help bidder clients win targeted contracts with low investment risk and minimal disruption to daily operations. It is a powerful collection of complementary features for winning key federal contracts. Clients can also better optimise their precious bid and proposal (B&P) resources for each opportunity by flexibly investing in the right combination of on-demand services that best match their budget and pursuit ambitions. These are both universal and customisable, to perfectly complement or fully replace existing client endeavours.

“In the business world of yesterday, ownership was everything. In today’s on-demand world, access is better than ownership. This very simple concept is causing reverberations throughout the economy and spurring on tectonic shifts across entire industries. ‘Access is better than Ownership’ is a fundamental principle of the on-demand economy, as it asserts that it is better to temporarily rent something (when needed) than to buy and own it permanently. Blackdragon’s innovative business model is liberating and empowering compared to the old way of going company-to-company, competing with peers, and begging to get hired (full or part-time) in a support role. Too often you can be waiting for weeks or months to receive a call or email for the next job prospect that rarely fits, does not pay very well, or includes painful commutes. Even more empowering than all of that, Deal Teams have autonomy over their projects which means they are sharing equal voices with their fellow teammates and their clients on every detail pertaining to how best to win. Dragons are not just there to provide ‘support’ to a client who calls all the shots, they are also helping clients as their partners, because both are accountable for the same outcome.”

Much of Blackdragon’s success can be attributed to its members who are heavily involved in each project. Working behind the scenes, the teams at Blackdragon are involved in community management, ensuring maximum participation in the platform among freelancers and bidder clients.

“Calling themselves Dragons, members of the Blackdragon worldwide coalition are freelance subject matter experts representing the best trained, most experienced, richly networked, immensely talented, and most creative minds throughout the industry” Rob highlights.

“Dragons know that they will be working with top-rated professionals who are the best at what they do, so an unproductive dead weight on a team is removed quickly. This competitive spirit spurs innovation and drives excellence to deliver quality products that often must win to achieve full compensation. By getting matched to best-fitting projects, Dragons can proactively monetise their underutilized assets within the digital marketplace. In advance, Dragons know what they are signing up to provide, the timelines expected for each completion, and the control they will have over their earnable compensation based on their contribution value. Additionally, they have greater confidence that a client will pay them by way of the bigger corporate enterprise, Blackdragon, in the middle of the transaction.”

Bringing the interview to a close, Rob takes the time to reflect on the some of the challenges Blackdragon has faced in recent years, before highlighting a few of the exciting plans which lie in the pipeline for the firm going forward.

“The biggest challenge we have faced is helping bidder client firms understand our disruptive business model as it compares to the conventional way the industry has functioned for many decades without change.

“Looking ahead, we have big plans for the future. While not at liberty to reveal the details, what we can say is that we are preparing to launch a major technology enhancement to the existing online platform. This will be yet another industry gamechanger added to all of the previous accomplishments to date, so stay tuned!”

For further information, please contact Rob Rosenberger at www.blackdragon.expert

Tailored Solutions

Posted on March 31, 2021 | by Akeela Zahair

Established in 2012, Cloud Theory is a technology firm specializing in customized Salesforce-based client relationship management solutions for financial services. Recently, we caught up with Brian Marchand to find out more about their exceptional product and services the team at Cloud Theory effortlessly provides to their clients.

Situated in the heart of New York, Cloud Theory is passionate about providing alternative asset management and investment banking professionals the tools needed to compete in the 21^st century economy. To begin, Brian provides us with a brief overview of the firm and the award-winning solutions the team delivers.

“Cloud Theory was initially founded on the principle of partnership. After working in the consulting industry for such a long time, both my Co-Founder, Min Kang, and I had seen too many firms concerned with revenue growth regardless of the project outcome. Having been used to working with customers who saw consultants as workers and not an extension of the team, our number one goal was to create a firm with partnership as a core value across customers and employees.

“Ultimately, we wanted to build a place where every customer is referenceable, and employees share in our joint success. We specialize in Salesforce solutions for financial services, specifically alternative asset management and investment banking. However, we also work with customers in other industries, including but not limited to insurance, healthcare, and consulting.”

Amongst other key factors, adopting a client-focused approach has been one of the keys to success for Cloud Theory, When discussing the strong bonds the team have with their clients, Brian is keen to highlight how the firm’s personalised approach and attention to detail have rewarded them with a loyal client base.

“Here at Cloud Theory, we approach every customer in the same way. By listening to their existing issues and future goals, we can gain an understanding before we work together to determine the best path forward. While most customers generally have similar goals and challenges, they all have different cultures, skill sets, and processes that don’t provide a ‘one size fits all’ approach. As a company with a product called FundEngine, managed services subscriptions and standard services offerings, we work with our customers to ensure we recommend a solution that will make them successful.”

Regarding the internal culture in place, the firm’s success can also be attributed to the dedication and commitment of its employees, as Brian points out.

“Having worked hard to build a company that cares about every individual that works or has ever worked for Cloud Theory, we strongly believe our family spirit has allowed us to operate in a way that others can’t. Many of our employees are friends, family or former co-workers of current staff. Even with a successful product, nothing happens at Cloud Theory if it wasn’t for the tremendous efforts of our employees.”

Bringing the interview to a close, Brian signs off by discussing some of the various challenges the firm has had to overcome throughout the years, before outlining a few of the exciting plans which lie in the pipeline for Cloud Theory in 2021 and beyond.

“Some technology vendors often focus on too many things. For example, our least successful year over the last seven came when we tried to make too many changes. As a result, growth stalled. When we regained focus, we returned to the 50% year-over-year growth we had come to expect. The outbreak of COVID-19 has been another challenge. However, we were uniquely prepared as most of us were already acclimated to a work from home environment.

“Moving forward over the next year, the company has several major goals across various offerings. We are focused on providing our client base with several subscription services to make their journey to CRM success easier. With the recent hire of Dana Daly as Director of Change Management, we will be providing a subscription service to change management and adoption. Additionally, our experts will turn the traditional data migration and integration project obsolete through our fully formed product, DataEngine. DataEngine will save significant resources on internal and client teams, and automate any client integration, migration or AI need.”

For further information, please contact Elizabeth Curtin at www.cloudtheoryinc.com

Experts Provide 6 Ways Leaders Can Actively Lift Inclusions Barriers

Posted on March 31, 2021 | by Akeela Zahair

Leaders currently face 2 key barriers – prioritisation and recognising privilege

“You either care about people or you don’t but you can’t fake it, and in turn, inclusive leadership starts with recognising the value of individuals” says Garry Eccles, Vice President of Cereal Partners at Nestle.

“If leaders don’t value individuals, become culturally aware and listen more, they won’t overcome the barriers to their inclusion efforts. Inclusion and belonging are personal feelings which means people won’t articulate their thoughts if they aren’t asked”.

Matt Stephens, founder of Inpulse, the employee wellbeing survey experts, agrees. Research from Inpulse shows that 25% of employees do not feel like they can be themselves at work and 33% don’t believe their company takes D&I seriously.

According to Stephens, an inclusive culture is one in which a mix of people can go to work, feel confident in being themselves and work in a way that suits them to effectively deliver company needs. He asserts that to make this happen, it’s essential for leaders to address their own shortcomings in supporting employees to feel comfortable at work.

In the Inpulse webinar about Inclusion, Stephens identified two particular barriers that leaders currently face in improving an inclusive culture at work:

Not prioritising inclusion above other focuses

In the period we’re in now, it’s not that people don’t want to focus on inclusion, it’s that other things get in the way. With so much change – redundancies, remote working, return to work and home schooling – inclusion can fall into the trap of becoming more to do with spreadsheets, hitting targets and meeting the numbers. Leaders need to support inclusion initiatives in a humane way that still values people.

Being unable to recognise privilege

Sometimes in the corporate world, where leadership teams aren’t currently as diverse as they should be, they may struggle to recognise their own privilege. They may think they’re aware of the experiences others are facing but, in truth, their own understandings of the workplace don’t reflect the experiences of their employees. Becoming aware of your own privilege and recognising the real life encounters of others are essential in creating a workplace culture that nurtures the broader needs of a team.

Here are the 6 key steps that Garry Eccles and Matt Stephens have identified, helping leaders to address the inclusion barriers in the workplace:

1. It starts with the top

Leaders should be encouraged to walk the talk and model the behaviours they want to see in their teams Though inclusion is a step that all employees must participate in to help create the right culture, if senior leaders aren’t encouraging inclusivity in communications and actions, middle management and those beyond won’t embrace it either.

2. Being genuine is essential

According to Garry Eccles: “You either care about people or you don’t but you can’t fake it”.

Organisations must show genuine concern for the welfare of their employees. Inclusion efforts can’t merely be about hitting targets. Instead, understanding the value of people should come first and then this should be championed by setting goals and standards.

3. Connect hearts and minds: add the human element back into inclusion

Because of remote work, the pandemic has exposed the home lives of leaders, uncovering their human side which has broken down typical hierarchical barriers. Leaders have spoken about their personal experiences – their struggles, their mental health concerns – and it’s become acceptable for others to open up too. According to Garry, when leaders show these vulnerabilities and human imperfections, it creates a wave of sharing, providing an inclusive place to talk. Adding the human back into inclusive leadership is key.

4. Get everyone on board

When thinking about inclusion, it’s possible that not all members of the workforce will feel it’s an effort that’s connected to them. Some groups may not understand the role they can play in helping others feel included or the benefits that they themselves would feel from a more inclusive environment. It’s important that leaders make an effort to open up the conversation with these people, by linking the conversation to mental health, wellbeing or workplace safety – any inclusion topic that will resonate with them and create a lightbulb moment where someone realises ‘yes, this is about me’.

5. Actively find new perspectives

Most people don’t know what they don’t know, so it’s vital that leaders gain outside perspective in order to overcome their privilege and be an ally to other employees. Creating opportunities such as reverse mentoring in which grad scheme members, for example, pair up with senior leadership to provide a fresh perspective and open their minds to new ideas.

6. Go back to basics

Garry Eccles stresses the importance of creating a ‘listening environment’. Whether it’s by opening up conversations, using employee listening surveys or holding focus groups, leaders must be prepared to find ways to regularly hear the needs and thoughts of their staff. Action has to be based on what employees are saying.

Garry Eccles, summarises:

“When leaders are able to create a listening environment and get to a deeper level of understanding, they have the ability to ask ‘what more can be done?’. It gives them the awareness and the capacity to take inclusion efforts from acceptance to acceleration.”

Shaping the Post-COVID-19 Recovery: Rethinking HR For the Digital World

Posted on March 30, 2021 | by Akeela Zahair

Primary Source Verification provider, TrueProfile.io advises how HR leaders can become stronger influencers by empowering digital workplaces

To extend their sphere of influence even further, HR leaders must now rethink how they can support their organizations to adapt to the workplace of the future and empower digital workplaces. This is according to TrueProfile.io, a leading provider of Primary Source Verification (PSV) services, which outlines that in order to thrive and grow in a post-COVID-19 world, rapid digital transformation and a pandemic-proof organizational model is a must.

Last March, the digitalization that companies were slowly going through suddenly accelerated, seeing transformation projects rapidly sped up. Playing a key role in supporting this acceleration and maintaining a productive virtual workforce, HR leaders emerged as greater influencers within businesses. However, with this increased digitalization set to be a permanent feature of the post-COVID-19 landscape, it is now vital that HR continues to evolve, adapt and transform across every element of the HR lifecycle to meet a new set of organizational needs and demands.

Alejandro Coca, co-head of TrueProfile.io, explains, “As companies make work-from-home policies permanent or move toward a hybrid working model, it’s clear that businesses and society are only going one way: a more digital, flexible world. While HR has been key to rapid digitalization so far, the sector needs to go further in several key areas. By reinventing existing practices, augmenting HR technologies and permanently digitalizing old ways of working, there is an opportunity for HR leaders to take the lead in driving digital transformation post-COVID-19 and extend their sphere of influence even further.”

Alejandro outlines two key areas that need permanently rethinking: upskilling and reskilling current employees and recruiting and onboarding.

Upskilling and reskilling employees

Employees are now working remotely for the foreseeable future, requiring different technologies to deliver their work. The upshot is that digital upskilling is becoming an integral part of many organizations’ learning and development agendas. To play a key role in future-proofing their businesses, HR leaders must now consider implementing effective programs to ensure employees are equipped with the necessary digital skills and tools needed to succeed in today’s workforce and tomorrow’s more technology-driven world.

Fortunately, a growth in digital executive education solutions is now making courses more accessible than ever before. We see a democratization of learning, with knowledge reaching more people in more ways, from apps and video conferencing tools to virtual tutoring and online learning software. For HR leaders, tapping into this engaging, accessible and collaborative learning environment means that there are better opportunities to develop, reskill and upskill employees, giving them the tools to gain new knowledge, skills and attitudes to then apply to their organization’s services.

Recruiting and onboarding

A second area that needs rethinking is at the onset of the employee lifecycle: recruiting and onboarding employees. With a hybrid working model, the most likely outcome for many businesses, most HR leaders will be challenged to have the long-term, flexible infrastructure to recruit, hire and onboard new employees virtually. Having previously relied on in-person conversations and manual, paper-based processes, HR leaders that are still lagging in this area risk, for example, hiring a fraudulent candidate or alienating new employees with an inefficient onboarding experience.

Harnessing digital tools is key to overcoming these challenges and adapting to the workplace of the future. For example, leveraging the right recruitment technology can help get a full view of an applicant’s qualifications, allowing HR teams to build a watertight virtual recruitment process and avoid the potentially damaging scenario of hiring someone who has exaggerated their experience. When it comes to onboarding, new technologies can allow HR leaders to create a tailored, digital hub where new joiners can, for instance, access the documents they need to get a deep understanding of the business. This creates an in-office experience in the home long-term, which is critical for new joiners who will lack the physical interaction they need to absorb the culture of their new workplace.

Alejandro concludes: “This crisis has changed the way we live and the way we work, but it also offers the possibility for HR leaders to rethink their role, accelerate digitalization and play a key part in helping businesses meet the challenges of the post-COVID-19 world. Whether this is through implementing programs to equip employees with digital skills or permanently digitalizing elements of the recruiting and onboarding end of the employee lifecycle; HR leaders must continue to rethink every element of the HR function in an increasingly digital world and how they can support their organizations as we bounce back from COVID-19.”

Highfliers

Posted on March 29, 2021 | by Akeela Zahair

GlideFast Consulting is an Elite ServiceNow Partner that is dedicated to using its profound knowledge of the ServiceNow industry coupled with real-world experience to create solutions for business success. Having used the platform as both consultants and consumers, the GlideFast team is able to provide unique perspectives on the ServiceNow platform, making them the top choice in partner. We speak to CEO and Co-Founder, Michael Lombardo, who tells us about the highs and lows of building GlideFast from the ground up.

Based in Massachusetts, GlideFast Consulting is an Elite ServiceNow Partner dedicated to implementing, integrating and maintaining the digital workflow platform designed for modern enterprises. Through profound technical knowledge and comprehensive experience of the ServiceNow platform, GlideFast is able to provide market-leading advice on how the service can optimize operations of businesses of all shapes and sizes.

ServiceNow, founded in 2014 by Fred Luddy, was created with a vision to build a cloud-based platform that would allow people across businesses to route work effectively through an enterprise. Transforming the outdated, manual ways of working into modern digital workflows for IT, Employees, and Customers, ServiceNow boosts efficiency and productivity with positive results for businesses as a whole.

Michael Lombardo first encountered ServiceNow at the beginning of his career when he worked his way up from a Helpdesk Analyst to Helpdesk Manager at a large Boston hospital. One of his roles as manager was to implement the ServiceNow platform into the hospital systems, which he worked with for two years, acquiring vital experience as a customer that would later equip him in his GlideFast journey. Following his time at the hospital, Michael joined a start-up ServiceNow consulting firm as one of its first ServiceNow developers, utilizing his customer experiences to enhance the platform even further.

With the support of co-Founders, President Lloyd Godson and Chief Public Sector Officer Stephen Light, Michael made the move to set up GlideFast Consulting with a vision to offer exceptional service and expertise around the ServiceNow platform to clients. For GlideFast, strong business outcomes, processes and technical architecture are fundamental to any successful projects, thus the firm’s solutions as a service infrastructure is designed to provide excellent results as foundations for business growth and development.

GlideFast works across a broad range of sectors, including healthcare, local and state governments, telecommunications, higher education, technology and more as an Elite ServiceNow Partner committed to supporting them towards success. The unique perspectives of the team of developers and architects acquired through experiences as both customers and consultants of ServiceNow enable the team to honor its commitment to meeting and exceeding expectations in the creation of effective business solutions.

Accordingly, Michael and his co-founders rely heavily on their team at GlideFast in the delivery of excellence: “Our success stems from our employees. We hire the best of the best to give top tier results to all of our clients.” Together, the employees and management team collaborate and share ideas in a familial culture that is constantly innovating and growing, with new talent in the industry continuously being added to the ranks to further enhance the strength of the team.

With their support, Michael and his co-founders have seen exceptional development to become an elite partner of the ServiceNow platform, even in the midst of personal and professional adversity. Michael himself was diagnosed with Stage 4 cancer in the autumn of 2019, which he has thankfully recovered from after a grueling and challenging period of chemo, radiation and stem cell transplant. Whilst Michael tried to stay as involved as possible in the business, he was able to take the time to heal as well, confident in the knowledge that his company was in the good hands of his ambitious and enthusiastic team.

Now returned to full health and with the growth of GlideFast still at full speed, Michael is looking ahead with great excitement and high ambitions for his firm to become the top ServiceNow Partner in the industry. Seeing the determination and devotion that has built GlideFast so far, there is little doubt that we can expect to continue seeing big things from Michael and his team

For more information, please contact Lauren Jankowski at www.glidefast.com

12 Positive Changes for Businesses & Workplaces

Posted on March 29, 2021 | by Akeela Zahair

Frank Creighton – Director of Business Development at Appreciate Group

“Despite many challenges, the last year has cultivated a fresh, progressive and resilient culture of change for businesses throughout the country, which we can all take forward and grow.”

As the UK reflects on the anniversary of the first Covid lockdown and introduction of furloughing and working from home, Appreciate, the home of Love2shop, shares its ‘Lockdown Legacy’ 12-point list.

These are the key changes cultivated in the last year that many businesses and organisations all over the UK have introduced and embraced in the face of an unprecedented challenge – the Covid pandemic.

As the UK’s leading voice in customer and employee incentives and rewards, Appreciate, the home of Love2shop, has collated the key 12 steps taken in the last year that have brought about positive change in the workplace and will continue to do so.

Speaking on the UK’s business ‘Lockdown Legacy’, Frank Creighton, Director of Business Development at Appreciate Group, said: “Despite many challenges, the last year has cultivated a fresh, progressive and resilient culture of change for businesses throughout the country, which we can all take forward and grow.

He added: “Our Lockdown Legacy checklist is testament to the huge efforts made by employees and leaders alike. This is a time for reflection and gratitude in the business community on a wider scale too – a time to say thank you to loyal staff, customers and to remember the outstanding efforts made by frontline workers in bringing us to this point of optimism a year on.”

The Lockdown Legacy list – from Appreciate, the home of Love2shop:

1. Working from home is here to stay

UK employees showed that despite years of scepticism within the human resources world that WFH (working from home) would be impossible on a large or long term scale; within a month of lockdown one, UK business had embraced it. Not only did staff adapt swiftly, many recognised the huge benefits of a home-based workplace with productivity boosted by cutting out the old culture of commutes, time-consuming office-based meetings with the convenience of building a workflow around life at home.

Going forward? Work from home jobs are becoming increasingly popular as companies recognize the benefits of remote work. WFH is here to stay with business leaders now aiming to introduce a hybrid of both office and home-based working. Many businesses plan to go even further and ditch the expense of office space over the coming years and have a WFH-only workforce – something inconceivable before Covid.

2. Greater staff autonomy

The business world found itself in a suddenly digital-first world of engagement last March. In tackling the new obstacles that presented themselves, staff took initiative like never before and showed themselves to be impressively flexible and creative problem solvers.

Going forward? Employers can now confidently delegate new ideas and approaches to staff knowing there is an openness to change and a resilience in the workplace not experienced before March 2020. This gives leaders the confidence and optimism to know that staff can take more initiative and can be trusted to meet and overcome challenges in the future.

3. Stronger staff solidarity

There has been a commendable display of colleague solidarity demonstrated in the last year. The shared experience of working together under a unique set of testing circumstances has created a stronger workplace bond. Both personally or professionally, we all got through the last year together.

Going forward? Extending this solidarity and recognising how much staff are appreciated with the broader delivery of rewards and recognition programmes. Making this even easier than ever is the Love2shop Contactless card – a personalised, digital gift card that can be sent through email and SMS to staff and customers all over the UK.

4. No more daily commutes

One lockdown legacy that has had a universal appreciation is the end of the daily commute to the office. Now, the working day ends when the laptop screen closes; not an hour or two later. No more getting home tired and stressed from traffic jams and train delays!

Going forward? Introduction of official reduced and even zero commute policies; subsidised commute allowances where possible; the potential offer of a local gym/health club memberships (as opposed to office located options) and an HR policy on school-friendly flexitime for parents. Plus, ‘fresh air breaks’ as standard with staff encouraged to take breaks from their home desk and enjoy the sunshine or walk the dog.

5. Creative employee recognition

With face-to-face interaction restricted and employees digging deep to keep the wheels turning while the world changes around them, companies have had to get creative at recognising a job well done. An added complication has been that not everyone has been present in the daily ‘office mix’ – with some staff on furlough.

Going forward? Businesses will continue to get imaginative and embrace digital recognition platforms, online rewards, virtual and remote office staff reward days. Staff incentives will never be the same again.

6. Better work-life balance – goodbye 9-to-5

After a year spent working from home, often with children and pets in the house, or elderly relatives requiring support, employees have cultivated new skills in balancing time schedules and diaries in a way never seen before. Standard working hours have been adjusted to fit in with staff’s needs.

Going forward? If the last 12 months has taught the UK anything, it is that time with loved ones is crucial to a work-life balance. This means the extension of school-friendly working hours, flexible clock-ins for those with vulnerable, sick or elderly relatives and even overnight online shifts for those with daytime commitments. If the job gets done and done well, there is no reason why 9-to-5 becomes a thing of the past. Overworking and excessive hours was an issue pre-lockdown and tackling this with extra-flexible working hours a step forward.

7. Investing in home offices

Plenty of workers started off their April sat on piano stools and beanbags, having thrown together a makeshift home office over a weekend. Now, they’re riding high on plush ergonomic office chairs, with a head-height monitor and a wrist-rest for their keyboard.

Going forward? Work from home jobs are becoming increasingly popular as companies recognize the benefits of remote work. Home office refurbishment grants and HR policies? Yes, a year fund to ensure WFH is as comfortable, healthy and enjoyable as possible. For working from home jobs, this may mean home office vouchers or introducing digital reward codes to make sure staff invest in lumbar support chairs, standing desks, laptop-risers, voice operated keyboards and Zoom-friendly cameras.

8. Community spirit and connection

Never before have employees had to embrace their local neighbourhood and surroundings as they have these last 12 months. Public spaces have been lifelines to for workers’ health, wellbeing and sanity. From appreciating nature and the outdoors, to joining in on Clap for Heroes and finally speaking to neighbours we’ve only nodded at before, lockdown has created a greater sense of community.

Going forward? Cultivating this further is an investment in staff wellness and retention. This new-found sense of community engagement flows into the workplace. This ‘bigger picture’ approach for businesses and workplaces will continue to bring a greater sense of doing more for others and reimagining CSR (corporate social responsibility) with more time for staff to work on causes important to their community – park clean-ups and fundraising.

9. Zoom is here to stay but it’s not all bad

While many organisation will introduce a phased return to IRL (in real life) meetings in the workplace, the use of Zoom and MS Teams is here to stay. These handy video calling tools have demonstrated that practically any meeting can take place online – any time. Yes, we have Zoom fatigue but no one can deny that the likes of Zoom have possibly saved many a business or at least sustained it during the last year, with Zoom seeing a 2000% increase in account registrations in the last year.

Going forward? The introduction of online video call support policies in the workplace. From employee Zoom technician support, improved home router kits and camera phone cradles, to Zoom protocols that include a minimum number of hours blue light time to avoid fatigue and more privacy.

10. New hobbies and passions

All work and no play is a recipe for burn-out. With our usual leisure outlets closed, such as pubs, health clubs, restaurants and even golf courses, workers have had to find new distractions to keep sane out of hours while living in very restrictive times. This has created a fresh league of budding painters, sour dough bakers, writers, gardeners, runners, readers and more.

Going forward? Appreciate, home of Love2shop predicts that sabbaticals and staff personal development will feature highly post-lockdown. There has been a profound impact on the idea of career development and what is classified as a promotion, as more individuals look for more meaning in their lives and jobs, with new perspectives and activities. For example, a three-day week may be preferable to a pay-rise or new, impressive title.

11. Wellness, self-care and mental health

Key to getting through the last year has been the resilience shown by staff and employers across the UK. However, recognition of the impact of isolation, overwhelm and stress is an essential factor that all businesses must accept as a lockdown legacy. Even the most mentally robust employees will have endured excessive stress and even burn-out. Many top businesses introduced 24-hour counselling services and upped their occupational health provision.

Going forward? Much more mental health support in the workplace, with awareness days and training for staff at all levels to recognise signs of stress and depression. Self-care days will soon be standard in many workplaces with wellness provisions such as online and in real life yoga, mindfulness classes and free access to counselling services becoming priority staff perks.

12. Rule breakers welcome

Many employers dropped their formal wear policy in the last year as so many workers were based at home. Did businesses collapse because staff were in tracky bottoms and not wearing uniforms, ties or suits?? No. Many workplaces also cancelled rigid staff rules on sickness, lateness and time-keeping too and cut workers’ some slack in difficult situations.

Going forward? Work places will continue to loosen up on rigid rules around appearance, requests for time off and pre-Covid staff protocols. That’s not to say the days of presenting oneself smartly and professionally are over. This will always be required in certain settings. But more flexibility and tolerance will certainly continue for many businesses and that will be great news for countless employees.

Realities of Post-Covid-19 Working Life Revealed

Posted on March 25, 2021 | by Akeela Zahair

The seismic shift in our working lives is reflected in the Banner Post-COVID-19 Workplace Market Report, launched on the 24th of March.

The report from the UK’s largest workplace supplies and services company, analyses all the company’s vast reams of sales data from 2020 to identify changing patterns in UK organisations’ office behaviour.

It shows a 2,000% increase in headsets, and laptop sales outperforming desktop computers by 512% as people flocked to work from home. Monitors make it into the top selling list, following employer observations that dual monitors increase productivity by up to 25%.

Meanwhile, companies driven to better ventilate their offices prompted a 622% rise in doorstop sales.

The battle for SMEs to create COVID-19 secure workspaces in between lockdowns, was clear. Sales of general cleaning products rose by 987% and demand for facemasks and hand sanitiser shot up by 3,626%. The use of disposable items such as cups and cutlery also went up by 71%, as employers strove to avoid cross contamination.

When it comes to providing the right tech for employees, but not breaking the bank, the report highlights that the pandemic has turbocharged the rise of the subscription economy – such as for laser printer services – which is projected to rise 3600% in five years.

The report not only charts the dramatic impact of COVID-19 on the UK’s workplace supplies and services, but identifies trends which Banner’s experts predict will continue for the long-term.

The trends are:

Flexi-working and focus on worker well-being
Customer drive to greater consolidation of services
Cleaning and infection control at the heart of business preparedness strategy

Flexi-working and the focus on worker well-being was emerging prior to the Coronavirus pandemic, but has been radically accelerated, and its permanent adoption expedited. Its impact extends beyond laptops and headsets. Banner predicts a decline in larger inner city business complexes, in favour of smaller satellite operations, and a blend of office and home working becoming the norm for most businesses.

Employee well-being is part of this flexi-working trend and is now higher on the business agenda than ever before. This is reflected in Banner’s top selling products list, with ergonomics absolutely central:

Chairs
Desks
Monitor arms
Monitor risers
Laptop risers
Headsets

Banner also predicts that this worker-centric trend will spearhead a leasing revolution. Companies, challenged by the ‘upgrade culture’ of employees, will increase the use of leasing models to provide best in class equipment without denting the bottom line.

The second trend identified in the Post-COVID-19 Workplace Market Report is the customer drive to greater consolidation of services. More than ever, businesses and organisations want a ‘one order, one invoice, one delivery’ approach to receiving goods from suppliers. Aside from the efficiency and economies of scale this delivers, this trend is also driven by environmental concerns and corporate carbon reduction goals. Accelerating this trend was the need to ring-fence vital product supplies to manage the pandemic and possible Brexit disruption. Finally, companies continue to look to reduce the number of orders and deliveries to reduce the risk of contamination.

Banner also highlights the trend for multiuse and more concentrated forms of products, so organisations buy less and store less, motivated by a combination of environmental and practical factors.

The third trend Banner has identified is the permanent impact the pandemic will have on business risk strategy. Many organisations were ill-prepared and ill-equipped to effectively respond to the crisis and they cannot afford to be in that position again. The need to create virus-secure workplaces has changed business behaviour and put cleanliness centre stage.

Frequency of office cleaning has increased from weekly, to 3 or 4 times a day. Communal touchpoints went from weekly cleaning to being cleaned after every single use. From a product perspective, the buyers’ focus will be on refills and multi-use cleaning products, e.g., those which can be used as a hand sanitiser as well as cleaning surfaces such as monitors, work surfaces and office equipment.

Products will also be used to drive behaviour change. For example, antibacterial bin bags, touch-free bins, aerosol-based products for hands-free surface decontamination in one hour. In educational settings, standalone hand washing stations with foot operated taps help to prevent the congregation of numbers of school children in small indoor spaces.

Craig Varey, Managing Director at Banner, comments: “As a leading fulfilment partner to public and private sectors, Banner is uniquely placed to see the shape of reactions across businesses, sectors and industries, and identify the trends that signify a permanent shift in the way we are working. The turbulence of 2020 brought some significant trends in workplace behaviour and management to the fore, which we expect to impact the products we provide over the coming year. Interestingly we had seen these trends emerging prior to the Coronavirus pandemic, but like COVID’s impact on everything, the effect on these developments has been unprecedented.”