Red Tape and Regulation is Not the Problem
I have run Happy Ltd now for 22 years and employ around 30 people. Three years ago we employed 35 but, as staff have left, we have turned to using freelancers instead of recruiting a permanent replacement. However this has nothing to do with how easy it is to dismiss permanent staff. We are turning to freelancers because, in the current market, we cannot be sure of the level of demand.
I have often been at events where fellow entrepreneurs and small business owners complain about red tape and employment law. Last time I asked the examples they gave were “the minimum wage”, “maternity pay” and even “holiday entitlement”. These are not unfair burdens. These are the basic requirements of running a decent business. I am delighted that we have regulations like this because it means decent businesses cannot be undercut by those prepared to do anything to make a buck.
The Happy Manifesto: 10 Steps to a Great Workplace
The Happy Manifesto, my call for change in the way we work, has now been published. I’ve tried to get the message across as succinctly as possible (just 128 pages) but for those who want a quick summary, here are the 10 key points – each covered with examples and stories in the book:
How to Change a Demotivated Work Culture
People don’t resist change, they resist being changed. See how Marion Janner’s approach to change in the workplace was too good to resist.
Are you Developing your People or Managing Them?
At TrainingZone Live this morning, Michele Owens of the Olympic Delivery Authority gave an interesting example of how people reacted to different approaches:
How Would Banking be Different if it Focused on the Customer?
This week we learned from Greg Smith, departing executive director of Goldman Sachs, that in the sales meetings he attended “not one single minute is spent asking questions about how we can help clients. It’s purely about how we can make the most possible money off them.”
Is Enjoyment the Key to Successful Learning?
At a recent meeting of training providers we did an exercise on what was distinctive about each of our company’s approaches. As well as our learner focus I talked about making learning about computers enjoyable. The response from my colleague was interesting: “You mean, that’s for real? I thought it was just hype. How do you make IT training enjoyable?”
A Radical Idea: Try Listening to Your Customers
I was very struck today by an article in a local London paper, the Islington Tribune, on the special customer service award given to a local corner shop.
Business is About Relationships: Make People Feel Good Today
In my last post, I talked about how the principle “people work best when they feel good about themselves” should be at the core of how your company is managed. This principle can be extended to everybody you work with.
£50 Billion for the Banks, or £1,000 for Every Adult in the UK?
This week the Bank of England decided to pump an extra £50 billion of electronic money into the UK economy, bringing the total of quantitative easing to a huge £375 billion. Scanning the responses to this I retweeted this suggestion from @andyo:
“Rather than pumping £50B into the banks, the BoE could give each household £2K. Surely that would have more effect?”
