Of many things I learned from the fire department, one that stands out is that every incident leads to a review and implementation of changes to policy and procedures, if required, in order to preserve life or structure.
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Internalized Stress
“Stress at work is common, but it shouldn’t come from employee relationships”
Dealing with stress arising from the tidal push and pull of working with other people should not be detrimental to the work that you are trying to achieve.
If you are encountering resistance or friction from co-workers; whether they see it a perceived jostle for position or they feel the need to scramble to be seen by the higher management, that insecurity comes from within them – not you and you should rise above it.
Inspiring, no BS, Spartan founder Joe De Sena has a simple 1,2,3 format for dealing with this. His advice – TRANSPARENCY
- Talk directly– what are you afraid of? Say what you need to say, right to the point, don’t beat around the bush, address the issue right out.
- Don’t talk if they are not there – simple really. Don’t waste time and energy talking about someone unless they are there to hear it. If you can’t say it to their face, don’t say it.
- Get shit done! Just get on with it and stop allowing others to tie you up with their negative energy.
Software as a Service (SaaS) providing Solutions
In case you are unaware, for many of us now, working remotely or ‘offsite’ is made possible by working in the cloud. The tools that enable us to be effective in this work are SaaS or Software as a Solution which is essentially the distribution model of internet hosted applications which are used on a subscription model.
What are the benefits of SaaS?
SaaS offers many potential advantages over the traditional models of business software installation – trialling, buying, installing, licensing and updating.
Some of the advantages are:
- Lower up-front cost – SaaS is normally subscription-based and has no up-front licence fees resulting in lower initial costs and ease of adoption.
- Quick set up and deployment – SaaS application is already installed and configured in the cloud.
- Easy upgrades – The SaaS providers deal with hardware and software updates, deploying upgrades centrally to the hosted applications and removing this workload and responsibility from you.
- Accessibility – All you need is a browser and an internet connection. This is generally available on a wide range of devices and from anywhere in the world, making SaaS more accessible than the traditional business software installation.
- Scalability – SaaS providers generally offer many subscription options and flexibility to change subscriptions as and when needed.
Negatives?
There are some disadvantages for sure – no access if network coverage is poor, slower speeds than installed software but the biggest gripe I hear is the lack of ownership and the perceived passing of oftentimes sensitive information to the control of others.
What happens to my data if I end my subscription? Who owns the information? Will my client data be secure?
These are valid questions especially in light of recent data breaches and security issues globally. The reply we give is double edged, lesser of two evils really.
You need this particular software and the options are:
- Cloud access – outbound traffic from devices, desktops, mobile etc to a portion of your business information that enables operations
- Internal hosting on servers – inbound traffic through a VPN from the same mobile devices but also opening up the risk of accessibility to all other business information hosted on the same servers by hackers.
We always prefer Option 1 and that’s without going into the cost considerations of internal network, bandwidth, IT services etc.
The norm in software is becoming SaaS for most operational management, which is why we refer to it as Software as a Solution (SaaSaaS is a bit longwinded).
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Finding the right software to provide you with the solution comes from identifying the requirements and needs of your business first. That is where we come into the picture. We can help you find the right fit, chose your SaaS solution and develop the system to work for you.
Get in touch with us for more information or to set up a meeting.
What happens when Change Management meets employee resistance to an RPA roll out?
“RPA is a promising new development in business automation that offers a potential ROI of 30-200%—in the first year. Employees may like it, too.”
— Xavier Lhuer, McKinsey and Company
The line “Employees may like it, too.” is so simple and understated yet sums up possibly the biggest stumbling block in any Change Management process.
Employees. Their reaction to change can be driven by many factors including a fear that their job or position is under threat.
“What’s wrong with the way we always did it?”
People hear ‘Robotic Processing Automation’ and think of auto factory production lines. RBA applies to any process or production that can be automated, not necessarily ‘robotized’.
Robotic processing automation promises a substantial return on investment that has attracted the attention of business leaders. While the ROI can be impressive, the majority of cost savings are realized by reducing employee headcount. Find out how a change team can identify and mitigate employee resistance to an RPA implementation and create a successful change initiative.
Again a line that is worth addressing “..reducing employee headcount.”
In my experience change management is NOT about reducing staff numbers. It is in fact about removing the human element from mundane repetetive processes and empowering the staff to become more productive and efficient at other tasks more suited to their skills.
Just like any other process in project management, effective change management involves clear planning and communication of what the process means.
Focus on the positive side of things:
- you may not have to work late or through lunch anymore
- you are able to duplicate your time on data entry by engaging more people in a simpler process (webforms)
- you will engage with techno phopes who shy away from noraml data entry due to spreadsheetaphobia – empowering and motivating
- your company will be SO much more productive as back office and admin tasks are smoother releasing more time for overwatch and analysis
- you can centralize data making it easier for key stakeholders and management to access and inform themselves without absorbing hours of others time
Don’t forget to be in front of the negatives:
- there will be people who expect a magic wand approach – change is an iterative process. Roll out steady, sandbox and stress-test .
- there will be retraining and many repetitive questions and answers – you are the person with the plan and in the know, you MUST be patient with people, they are willing to learn.
- it will take time and you may feel there is no end. Well, there isn’t! At some point your process will gain critical mass and others will take it forward and be ambassadors for your process.
Article Inspiration Source: Mitigating Employee Resistance to an RPA Implementation
