muniBLOG: Records and Information Management

Advantages of Integrating Your Mobile Workforce

What does integrating your workforce mean?

What will I gain from mobile integration?

Why does mobile integration matter?

These are the important questions that customers are asking more and more. Whether you are a small or medium-size business owner or an IT professional at a large enterprise, you are most likely considering how, what and why mobile integrations have become such a big deal.

Integrating your mobile workforce means your systems and data are relayed to the smart phones or off-site systems of your employees. They receive real-time reporting, customer information, tracking codes – whatever form of data your organization uses can be integrated through mobile.

Mobile Integrations: Here Comes the Boom

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With the recent boom of reliance on cloud storage and cloud integration, IT managers and business owners who are not using mobile integration are playing catch up. Yes, your in-house systems may be integrated to some extent, but your business no longer takes place only in-house. At a bare minimum, I am willing to bet your team uses their email from their smartphones (unless there are privacy concerns). The world is more connected than ever, Wi-Fi is available in more places than ever, and smart phones are available to more users than ever. But, your systems and your data are still just in-house?

Mobile integrations are here to stay and the benefits gained are ever the more valuable:

Offers New Revenue Streams

Mobile integration gives salespeople many more opportunities to turn budding prospects into paying customers. With reports and data input information being accessible via a smartphone, the chances of sales opportunities increases simply due to availability of resources.

Empowers Your Mobile Workforce

Mobile employees use integrated systems to receive important documents, company memos, web messaging – if it can be sent to the cloud, it can be sent to your team. This allows your mobile team to be instantaneously informed and engaged with the onsite team.

Reduces Data Conflicts

Users will receive real-time data. The data they see will be the most up to date and the data they enter will be available in-house just as efficiently. Data conflicts will be reduced, stress levels will remain bearable and all parties involved will be more efficient and effective.

Saves Money and Time While Reducing System Complexity

A properly developed mobile integrated system means less cost for hosting an in-house data centre. Maintenance costs, housing costs and installation costs will all be decreased. IT workers will have more time for important tasks and all employees will receive a more seamless software experience.

Even the Farmers Are Getting In On the Technology

Heavyweight agriculture and technology equipment manufacturer, John Deere have dove into this mobile integrations movement (John Deere Press Release) like it’s the local pond. John Deere’s most recent dabble into the big data movement is their implementation of their Operations Centre. The Operations Centre is a suite of farming software that relays data to farmers, but they are now integrating with their mobile workforce via smartphones and in-cab technology. Here is what Senior Product Manager Tyler Hogrefe of the John Deere Intelligent Solutions Group has stated,

“We’re making machine and agronomic information available to users where they want it and when they need it. Users will be able see how their operation is performing, direct and adjust operations in the field, and seamlessly collaborate with trusted partners in order to increase efficiency and profitability.”

John Deere prides themselves on being a leader in not just agriculture and construction equipment industries, but also a leader in information technology and their mobile integration strategy is unlike most other companies. They have used mobile integrations to transform not just how their employees do day-to-day operations, but how their entire business is run and also how their business is perceived.

A large scale mobile integrations strategy like John Deere may not be quite on your radar; however the expanding industry and possibilities of mobile integration should excite you. New solutions are being developed every day and these solutions are changing the way businesses operate and changing how employees work. Large or small, if you need mobile integrations solutions – or just advice – be sure to reach out to CoreSolutions Software.

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Dealing with Escalated Situations in Your Workplace

Resolving workplace conflict is an expected part of the job managers and Human Resource Practitioners. Whether you work in education, healthcare, human services, business, or any field, you might deal with angry, hostile, or noncompliant behaviour every day. Your response to the defensive reaction is often the key to avoiding a physical confrontation with someone who has lost control of their behaviour.

These ten De-Escalation Tips will help you respond to challenging behaviour in the safest, most efficient way possible.

  1. Be empathetic and non-judgmental
  2. Respect personal space
  3. Use non-threatening nonverbal communication
  4. Avoid overacting
  5. Focus on feelings
  6. Ignore challenging questions
  7. Set limits
  8. Choose wisely what you insist upon
  9. Allow silence for reflection
  10. Allow time for decisions

 

 To help you towards more efficient conflict de-escalation and resolution, the following basic steps can be followed:

  • Obtain the name of the person with whom you are speaking: People respond favourably to their own name. It also makes the conversation more personal. Ask for the person’s name early in the piece and use it throughout the discussion.
  • Use Active Listening: Clarifying, paraphrasing and using open-ended questions ensure that the individual you are speaking with knows you are aware of their situation and frustrations. Resaying a person’s own words back to them demonstrates that you have understood entirely what they were trying to say.       
  • Show support and suspend judgement: Empathy needs to be shown during conflict situations. Respecting the other person’s point of view even if you do not agree entirely will be the first step to resolving the conflict. 
  • Get them to agree and say yes: Having the person agree with you on general factual points leads the conversation towards a more favourable outcome. If you can show that you have understood their point of view by making clarifying statements you generate a state where the other person must reply with an affirmative response. The sooner you can get the person to say yes then sooner the conflict will de-escalate. It always works.
  • Avoid clichés: The worst of these being “Calm Down”. Did you ever notice how people who tell you to calm down are the ones who got you mad in the first place? Saying those words during a verbal conflict usually gets the classic retort “I AM CALM” very loudly usually with an animated hand gestures as well.       
  • Show empathy: You need to show compassion and understanding and give the conflict your full attention. Do not make impulsive decisions. Take the time to work through the problem.
  • Consistency in Courtesy: The person you are dealing with first thing in the morning deserves the same level of respect, civility and patience as the individual you are dealing with at 2 in the afternoon. They warrant the same high level of service and professionalism as the first person you spoke to. You need to maintain that position of positive brand ambassador and an excellent professional service.

There are many physical aspects of being mindful of in conflict situations. It is important always to be aware of features of conflict such as your body language, your emotions, your judgement, and your initial thoughts. Keeping these in mind is essential when trying to de-escalate a problematic situation.

Monika B. Jensen is the principal of the Aviary Group, consulting company that address workplace discord.  For more information, visit www.aviarygroup.ca

 

 

 

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Incremental Building Strategy Delivers Large Software Projects

Part Four in the Series: Software Development Guide for Business Leaders

For larger development projects, using the Incremental Build Model for software development can improve project success and get useful products into production quicker. By using an incremental build model to develop smaller, fully functional components, you are breaking the project into smaller, more easily digestible chunks. This model leads to greater success, improved client approval, and better functionality.

Why Break the Project into Smaller Increments?

The project management team may break a larger project into smaller pieces when delivering, delighting and getting customer feedback are important. Accomplish this by having the project entirely defined, scoped and then chunked into deliverable components.

Sometimes the best plan of attack on any large project is to use a divide and conquer technique. Using this approach helps to deliver good software solutions to the customer quickly. Using this strategy produces customer goodwill, a feedback channel from the client and helps the project team achieve a series of small successes which is great for morale.

We suggest that for any big project you consider breaking it down using the Incremental Build model so you can divide and conquer it and delight and deliver to your customer.

The solution starts to sound like an Agile project, but it has nothing to do with the project management technique employed. It’s a strategy to deliver quickly and get valuable customer feedback.

Use of Incremental on Larger Projects

Image of a circle being divided up into incremental parts

Project managers and clients can decide to break a larger a project into smaller increments. An Incremental Model’s success hinges on a complete scope and requirements. Once detailed and documented, the project can be broken into smaller, deliverable, pieces and delivered in stages throughout the project.

Breaking a larger project into smaller increments can reduce the cost of initial product delivery but may increase the cost of the whole project.

Another benefit of an incremental build is the stream of customer feedback on each increment that can help to identify deficiencies, additional features, and product changes which lead to a better final product.

By breaking the project into smaller increments, then using a traditional waterfall project management technique, the project manager can plan, define, develop and test each increment.

Because few changes are made within any single increment complete regression testing to identify development deficiencies can happen quickly.

How Does the Incremental Build Strategy Improve Success, Client Approval, and Functionality?

Image of a circle being divided up into incremental parts

Your customer, whether an internal department or an external client, wants to get their hands on their applications as soon as they can. When you deliver, using an Incremental Model, you delight them by delivering; then engage them for feedback. The result is a better product and a stronger relationship with your customer.

On your next larger development project, use the Incremental Build Strategy to break it down into smaller chunks to delight your customer, deliver quicker and to develop better projects.

 

CoreSolutions of London, Ontario, is a locally acclaimed software development firm with over 25 years of experience. CoreSolutions’s team of experts, including developers and project managers, build web or mobile applications using the latest technology and tools and will assist you through all phases of the project including brainstorming, requirements planning and project management. Connect with CoreSolutions today to start your project with a Free Business Systems Requirement.

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Stacking the Deck – The Exceptionally Clear Method to Define & Document Your Software Requirements

As a business leader, you may be considering developing a web application for your team, your company or customer use. Congrats! Let’s get your project off to a good start with a clear and concise Software Requirements process.

Throughout this series of Software Development Guide for Business Leaders, we will help you to understand the elements of success in a software development project.

As the leader, (aka project sponsor), your contribution will be paramount in defining the software expectations and your input will be required throughout the project lifecycle to ensure that everything stays on track and there are no surprises at the end of the project.

Finding the Aces – What is a Software Requirement?

Project Managers break software requirements into functional and non-functional components.

Functional requirements are simple documents that outline the inputs, the behavior of the software and the outputs. An example could include a login screen. You will have very specific inputs (typically username and password fields) and actions for different scenarios (login success, login failed, reset password, etc.)

The non-functional requirements include details such as performance requirements, security, or reliability. A good example would include a requirement for role-based security. This would change the features of the system depending on which user level an individual has logged in (administrator, contributor, general users, etc.)

Seems simple, right? It’s critical that we get these software requirements right before we start developing. Product quality, delivery timelines, and budget are all dependent on the quality of requirements. So, what can we do stack the deck in our favour?

Shuffling Methodologies – How to Develop Software Requirements

Image of Agile cycle

There were two studies performed in the 1990’s that help us create better software today. A study by the ESPI in 1995 found that 40 – 60% of all defects discovered in a software project traced back to errors made during the requirements stage. An earlier study in 1994 by the Standish Group helped us understand that 13.1% of projects fail due to incomplete requirements and 8.8% of projects fail due to rapidity changing requirements (Girase, 2012). It may have been a long time ago… but this is largely still true today.

There are two mainstream project development methodologies in existence today. The older Waterfall method that has been around for decades and is still used today by many organizations and the more recent Agile Software Development Model which was established with the publication of the Agile Manifesto in February of 2001.

The Agile Software Development Model made many strides to resolve and improve project requirements gathering, however, our experience is that both Agile and Waterfall have their advantages and disadvantages and they are not for suitable for every situation. Traditional project management models, like Waterfall, still require documentation of a requirement before the coding and testing start while Agile is iterative and requirements are refined as they are built. Agile is flexible and allows for fast feedback and changes as the project unfolds.

Internal development teams should get more value from Agile as they have easy access to stakeholders who are very engaged in the software development process. Not every organization has the resources or bandwidth to be engaged through the entire process and most stakeholders will want to have the clear start and end dates (and project budget) before starting a development project.

We have used both Agile and Waterfall and while they both have their benefits, we feel that we’ve found a sweet spot in between the two methodologies. We approach our development through a hybrid model that utilizes the best from both models and focuses on a visual representation of requirements and the design of a functional prototype before any coding starts. To bring our clients software visions to life, our Milestone development process borrows the parts we like from Agile (The iterative nature of the project, and the fast feedback) and from more traditional development like waterfall (having a planned finish date). This ensures that our stakeholders are active participants in the design and functionality of the system on an ongoing basis. Through this process, we eliminate surprises at the end of the project.

The Final Cut – Defining and Documenting Your Software Requirements

So, you have developed spectacular objectives, your project is guaranteed to be a smashing success now, right? Well, no. Simply having clear and well-defined objectives isn’t necessarily enough. One of the biggest challenges in software development (or any other longer-term project) is that we have to capture and document the requirements specifically enough to limit how open they are to interpretation. Clear direction is essential, or your development team may come back to you to clarify, or worse, deliver what they “thought you wanted”. Have you ever had someone come back to you and ask you to clarify an objective or thought only to realize that they were on the wrong track?

 

So where do you capture requirements? Well if you’re like the vast majority, you’re probably capturing requirements in simple Excel files. However, there are much better solutions available that offer so much more. At CoreSolutions, we really focus on capturing and bringing your vision to life. Capturing requirements in a visual way is a key component to clarifying expectations and limiting revisions. We document the requirements through a software system called iRise. This allows us to develop an interactive prototype before a single line of code is written. The actual development coding is the most expensive part of any software development process so, by developing a working prototype of the system before we start development, we can more accurately estimate the development cost and stay on budget. While this is more upfront work, it does lead to greater project success and overall experience. Let’s face it, the requirements need to be captured at some point during the project so why not do that work upfront so you have a better grasp of scope, timeline, and budget. It just makes sense.

 

Screenshot of iRise

 

The figure above is an example of a screen that’s part of a prototype in iRise.

 

As we outlined throughout this article, with so much riding on effective requirements planning, it’s critically important to define and document goals and deliverables. Whichever project methodology you decide to use, capturing requirements means a lot of upfront work, but it’s worth it to ensure the success of your project. By using an effective project methodology, and really understanding and documenting your system requirements upfront, you will effectively be stacking the deck for your project’s success. If you want to stack the deck even more and need help planning out your next software project, reach out to us. We love helping prepare software visions and have been great at it for over 25 years.

 

CoreSolutions’ team of experts, including developers and project managers, build web and mobile applications using the Agile Methodology and tools. CoreSolutions will assist you in all phases of your project including:

·         Brainstorming;

·         Requirements Planning & Gathering;

·         Prototype Design;

·         Project Management.

 

Connect with CoreSolutions today to start your project by completing a Project Profile.

Works Cited

Girase, N. M. (2012, May). airccse.org. Retrieved 12 10, 2016, from http://airccse.org/journal/ijsea/papers/3312ijsea05.pdf

Mitre. (n.d.). Eliciting, Collecting, and Developing Requirements. Retrieved 12 12, 2016, from www.mitre.org: https://www.mitre.org/publications/systems-engineering-guide/se-lifecycle-building-blocks/requirements-engineering/eliciting-collecting-and-developing-requirements

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Planning a Software Development Project? You need to read this!

What can you do to ensure your software development projects are successful and avoid costly redesigns.

Part One in the Series: Software Development Guide for Business Leader.

When you do as much custom development as we do, we hear a lot about future-proofing in development. The average expected lifetime of software that our customers expect is between 5 and 7 years. When a system is designed to last that long, a considerable amount of effort should be invested into planning. For a business that plans on developing a custom application, it’s important to future-proof your project to avoid costly application redesigns and to improve application longevity. Future-proof through planning, honest reviews of your in-house skills and capabilities, striking a balance of in-house support and outsourced development, and by avoiding proprietary tools and frameworks.

Future-Proofing Checklist

  • What is the life expectancy of your final product?
  • Have you assigned a Project Manager?
  • Have you set realistic project goals, budgets and timelines?
  • Have you done an assessment of your in-house resources?
  • Does the project rely on proprietary tools?
  • Have you assigned a Project Manager?
  • Is your outsourced partner large enough
  • Do you have a software update plan?

The key issues this post addresses include:

  1. How to avoid painting your development project into a corner by using proprietary frameworks and tools.
  2. How to be in control of your application development, regardless of your in-house development skills.
  3. How to ensure long-term support for your application when resources fail, are replaced or become incapacitated.
  4. How to handle post development support and why it is crucially important – The work continues even after initial development is complete.
  5. How to create the ideal mix of outsourcing and internal support.

Future-Proofing a Project During the Planning Process

Future-proofing your project starts just after it’s been envisioned and is typically the domain of the Project Manager (PM). The PM will use planning tools and methods and determine what is best for the business and the project long before any development occurs. PM techniques and processes help avoid uncomfortable situations where developers are vying for the work based on their skills and capabilities.

The PM uses tools and processes along with their knowledge of organizational assets and history, resource capabilities and strengths, and weighs this information to determine the right mix of in-house work and outsourcing.

Without thinking about future-proofing during the planning process you may end up with a short-lived web-application with higher than expected costs to the business. This is why dedicated pre-development planning is so crucially important.

Avoiding Costly Application Redesigns

Your company can avoid costly application redesigns and redevelopments if you critically review internal resources at the beginning of the project and if you avoid, as much as possible, the use of proprietary technology.

Also, an effective way to prevent costly redesigns is to:

  • Use Project Management techniques and tools, (use a Project Manager).
  • Complete project scope and business requirements documentation at the beginning of the project.
  • Have sufficient budget to do the project right the first time.
  • Setting a realistic timeframe and make sure not to cut corners.

The Importance of Assessing In-house Skills and Capabilities

An evaluation of your in-house capabilities is critical to the success of your business and crucial to your application development’s longevity. Your PM should execute a Capabilities Matrix to understand where your organization’s weaknesses are. A great place to start is the TOGAF Architecture Skills Framework for processes and layouts of an IT Capabilities Matrix.

Be honest about the real capabilities of your organization. Do you have the capacity, knowledge, and resources in place to make this project a success? An honest assessment will help avoid any problems and mitigate risks in the future.

Avoiding Proprietary Tools and Frameworks

To effectively future-proof your development project, PM’s and development leaders should avoid proprietary tools and frameworks sourced from new, or untested sources. The terms, “open source,” “free,” or even low cost, should be approached with extreme caution and diligence during the evaluation and selection processes.

You can achieve some amazing designs and benefits through these programs but never be lenient about accepting unproven technology or partners; especially during the planning phase of your project.

The long-term viability of using development resources from smaller organizations must be evaluated and weighted against other factors. Smaller, less experienced teams may be exciting to work with, but their stability in the long-term may trigger a redesign in the short-term.

When in doubt, go for tried and true solutions, tools and frameworks. You’ll have an easier time finding resources in the IT community to help you and you’ll all but eliminate the risks associated with partnering with an immature organization.

It’s not always as exciting, but it will be significantly less risky, and if something does go wrong, you have more contingency options available.

Keeping Custom Applications Up-to-date

Developing a custom application may incur a significant up-front cost, but the work doesn’t stop when the app goes live. There are ongoing costs and time investments that must be made to maximize the life of your new tools. Just like the operating system on your computer, your application will require upgrades over its useful lifetime.

You will need upgrades on databases, frameworks, tools and operating systems and there will be new features, additions, and business opportunities too.

No matter the cause, it is important to factor the cost of keeping your new application up-to-date in your annual budgeting of time and dollars.

Outsourcing Application Development and Support

Outsourcing is the ultimate future-proofing of your development projects.

When a development project has internal support for infrastructure and project management but uses external resources for the development then greater levels of success can be achieved.

Some of the benefits of outsourcing that I’ve seen include higher levels of technical expertise, excellent project management, and time management to name a few. Others can include tighter budgets, less scope creep and avoidance of the long-term cost of people.

Conclusion

If you plan on developing a custom application, be sure to future-proof it and avoid costly application redesigns while improving its shelf-life.

Future-proof it by using a project manager and project management tools and techniques.

Plan on updates. If secondary systems require updates, they may also need you to update your custom applications. Plan and budget for updates, then perform them; doing so will improve application longevity.

Assess the skills of your in-house team, (if you intend to develop in-house) and use an assessment framework to get the best result. An honest evaluation of resources and skills will help you avoid important operational tools using old thinking and skillsets.

Outsource; the costs associated with in-house development teams are more than dollars. While it is true that your team will know the business better and can react quicker; it’s also true that they will cost you more, get outmoded and limit development to their capabilities and skillsets. Outsourced agencies often have a broader, more modern approach to development.

On your next project try a hybrid approach by deploying an internal PM to oversee and coordinate the project, and an external development team to apply the latest techniques and programming tools.

About CoreSolutions

The CoreSolutions team of experts, including developers, systems analysts and project managers, build web and mobile applications using the latest technology and tools and will assist you through all phases of the project including brainstorming, requirements planning and project management.

Connect with CoreSolutions today to start your project with a free estimate.

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A Quick Tip for Finding Municipal Statistical Data

A Quick Tip for Finding Municipal Statistical Data

As municipal consultants we constantly have the need to research municipal operations and data. But have you ever had difficulty finding it all in one location?

My method of choice to research and collect such information for Ontario municipalities is to use the Ministry of Municipal Affairs Financial Information Return (FIR) site. There is a wealth of information available on this site: https://efis.fma.csc.gov.on.ca/fir/Welcome.htm  

Here is what the site looks like.

Municipalities in Ontario are mandated to report their annual operations to the Ministry of Municipal Affairs by annually submitting a Financial Information Return (FIR).

You can search for information in a variety of ways – By Schedule, by Municipality, Provincial Summaries or Multi-Year Reports. I most frequently search Schedule 40 – Consolidated Statement of Operations – Expenses,  of the municipalities I am needing to compare, because it contains their expenditures which are categorized into the nine (9) main municipal operations.

Others I typically frequently use are – the Municipal Data, Schedule 10 – Revenues, Schedule 20 – Taxation Information and Schedule 80 – Statistical Data, which includes staffing numbers. There are however, a number of other Schedules you can search to find the specific information you may need.

The one caveat I must mention though, is that although municipal operations can be similarly categorized, there is no way to ensure that a municipality is consistently reporting their information in the same category as another municipality. So, if you are comparing municipalities and a number seems too high or too low in comparison, you should always seek clarification from the municipality to be certain you’re comparing apples to apples.

I can only speak to what I’m familiar with here in Ontario, but I suspect a similar reporting requirement exists between all Canadian municipalities and their respective provinces.

If you’re a consultant or other professional in another province, does your province have a similar municipal database?  I would be interested in learning about it so I can share it with our professional members.

Or if you use other methods to find municipal data, I’d love to hear about them too.  We all need data – so why not help each other find it!

Susan Shannon – [email protected] Susan’s experiences as both a municipal Chief Administrative Officer, and now as a consultant, led to the development of muniSERV.ca .  Her experiences have provided her with the insight she needs to help municipalities and professionals connect.

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What does Bill 132 (Sexual Violence and Harassment Action Plan Act) mean to you and your workplace?

One in four women and one in ten men say they have experienced some form of sexual harassment in the workplace. Of the reported cases of workplace sexual harassment, 55% were committed by co-workers; 39% of which involved a supervisor or manager. 8% of those who are sexually harassed at work report the harassment.

Recently there have been some changes made to Bill 168 – Violence in the Workplace, which gives employers’ statutory obligations. Bill 132, Sexual Violence and Harassment Action Plan Act, which received royal assent on March 8, 2016, requires all employers to have policies and programs including an investigation procedure. The essential changes brought by Bill 132 include: an employer is required to create a workplace harassment program; the program must include reporting and investigating tools for incidents of workplace harassment and violence; the employers must ensure that all complaints are investigated, and investigations are completed in a timely fashion and a new power to the Ministry of Labour (MOL) to order an independent workplace harassment investigation at the employer’s expense.

September 8, 2016, now looms for companies as the date for compliance with Bill 132. The amendments stand to change dramatically how workplace harassment is addressed in Ontario. The new OHSA obligations and expectations have been set and are accompanied by expanded government oversight. Harassment in the workplace is already a challenging issue that could engage multiple forums, with complaints possibly being advanced through a grievance, civil claim, complaint under the Human Rights Code, and, depending on the severity of the conduct, the criminal justice system.

Also, and particularly, the Bill amends the OHSA to require an employer to conduct an investigation of a workplace harassment complaint that is “appropriate in the circumstances.” The phrase “appropriate in the circumstances” is not defined. Further, the Ministry of Labour has not published any guidance material to communicate what factors will be considered by inspectors when determining whether an investigation meets this standard. Assuming that the inspectors could be evaluating investigations against expected best practices which would include such things as an impartial investigator, a collection of all relevant information, and procedural fairness to the alleged harasser could create challenges for employers as the appropriateness of an investigation may be evaluated in hindsight.

Consequences of flawed investigations would impair or prejudice the employer’s ability to establish just cause for termination or discipline. There would also be an issue of due diligence under the OHSA and Human Rights Code. Consequences would include aggravated, punitive or Code damages; penalties from the Ministry of Labour under the OHSA and reinstatement in unionized workplaces. Some of the critical mistakes some employers are making include: failing to act at all; taking the complaint seriously; failure to train investigators; inability to plan, improper or inadequate files; and retention of evidence.

Many situations happening in the workplace may prompt the necessity for an investigation, such as allegations of discrimination or harassment, workplace bullying, inappropriate use of the internet or social media, policy breaches, or statutory violations. Often, employers attempt to resolve minor issues informally through discussions with the employees involved. When the allegations are more serious, employers may depend on managers to conduct internal investigations. However, in many situations, having an organization deal directly with the problem is not necessarily the best approach – informal discussions may rapidly collapse, and basic investigative steps may be overlooked by inexperienced managers, making matters worse. A vital skill for any employer is identifying when a formal investigation by an external investigator is appropriate.

Note: meeting the requirements of Bill 132 could lead to mistakes that can be costly to your organization.

Be prepared. Be proactive.

Contact Monika Jensen, Principal Aviary Group at [email protected]  or (905) 683-9953 if you need a complaint investigated or mediated.

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Embracing Civility for a More Satisfying WorkPlace

Complaints of harassment, discrimination, bullying and now violence and disrespectful workplaces have become a standard concern for managers and Human Resources specialist. As we cope with the many arising situations, I have found the word incivility is becoming frequently used. So what does incivility mean? To define it, let’s look at how the Institute of Civility describes it. Civility is about more than merely being polite. Civility requires a profound self-awareness being characterized by true respect for others. Civility involves the tremendous hard work of remaining present even with those with whom we have inherent and perhaps fierce differences. It is about continuously being open to hearing, to learning, to teaching and to changing. It pursues mutual ground as a start point for discussions when differences may occur, while at the same time be aware that differences are heartening. It is persistence, grace, and strength of character.

Recently research has expanded our practical understanding of incivility by identifying behaviours which employees have deemed disrespectful. The most frequently occurring forms include: neglecting to turn off cell phones; talking behind someone’s back; doubting someone’s judgement, using demeaning or disparaging language, gestures or behaviours; communicating with the intent to belittle or degrade, eye rolling, giving the silent treatment and using sarcasm; gossip and slander; paying no attention or ignoring someone; taking credit for someone else’s work or ideas; intimidation by intentionally using fear to manipulate others. It may also include yelling, invading personal space, throwing things, slamming things and losing one’s temper; and sabotaging by setting someone up to fail or intentionally creating a situation to make another person look foolish or incompetent. Also may include hate-ism by deliberately pointing at a victim based on age, gender, race or sexual orientation are instances of profiling because of an “ism.”

Many examples include blaming others rather than accepting responsibility; checking email or texting during a meeting; using email to send a difficult message to avoid facing the person, which may be misunderstood and misinterpreted; not saying “please” or “thank you”; not listening and talking over or down to someone.
The cost of incivility is high. It is not only about money! There is research to support impacts on performance through lost time and absenteeism, lack of creativity, less helpfulness and less likely to assist another employee. The impact of teams is on the level of energy, emotional engagement, and performance. The conduct reaches into our physical health; impacts our customers and commitment to the organization and willingness of employees to stay with their companies. All affecting the bottom line of productivity.
So how do we address these issues? I would like to explore some recommendations for your consideration. It starts with us as individuals. Managing ourselves. How? If you throw a ball at the wall…it comes back. It works with people too. If you are, mean…it comes back! People will be mean to you.

How can you be kind and patient all the time when life is so stressful—and just plain hard? You do it by embracing civility! Civility requires self-awareness.

With self-awareness you can:
 Control your attitude
 Manage your moods
 Choose behaviours that do not negatively impact your life or disrupt those around you

Can you…
 Feel and express annoyance, irritation or frustration without hurting others— and then let it go?
 Accept and even appreciate that other people have needs and opinions which are different from your own?
 Encourage and enjoy the successes of others?
 Recognize when someone else feels irritated, upset or frustrated and keep yourself from reacting impulsively in response?

As leaders, we need to model. The Russian novelist, Leo Tolstoy wrote: “Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing themselves.” Employees look to leaders for guidance and someone to aspire too. What are they seeing? Watch your language and put away your smartphones when engaging with your staff. Be mindful of the perils of emails and other electronic communication. Pick up the phone or set up a face to face meeting instead. Take immediate and corrective action when warranted. Rude and disrespectful behaviours emerge quickly and sometimes without warning. As the leader, you need to respond at the moment. By delaying a reaction or action, it sends out mixed messages to the offender as well as the entire team. Take all complaints seriously, realizing that coming forward by the individual is difficult, and they need to know they are supported.

We attend seminars and workshop on harassment prevention, Creating Respectful Workplace and Violence in the Workplace. I have put together a workshop on “How Embracing Civility can Create More Satisfying Work Environments”. The agenda is:
• Why Civility Matters
• It Starts with You!
• Do What You Say and Say What You Mean
• Good Fences Make Great Neighbours
• Working in the Salad Bowl
• Eliminate Gossip and Bullying
• You Can’t Always Get What You Want
• Taking It to the Extreme
• Paving the Path to Civility

Contact Monika Jensen, Principal, Aviary Group, at [email protected]  if you are interested.

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What is your Asset Management Plan?

 

What is your Asset Management Plan?

 

After nearly ten years in and around Municipal Government, I understand the pressures you are face. Staff turnover, increasing administrative and operational demands, and reduced outside funding are just some of the significant pressures municipalities are facing. Unfortunately, the forecast isn’t so rosy either.  The aging workforce, deteriorating infrastructure, and will only make things more challenging in the years to come.  This is why it is more important than ever to get the most value out of each and every dollar spent by developing and implementing an Asset Management Plan.

 

What is Asset Management Planning?

 

Prioritizing needs over wants by ensuring timely investments in infrastructure.

 

Needs for an Asset Management Plan     

  • Aging and decaying infrastructure
  • Higher expectations from the public regarding levels of service
  • Higher health and safety standards
  • Increased regulations
  • Growth

Top Benefits of an Asset Management Plan

  • Reduces unpleasant surprises
  • Helps in achieving consistent levels of service
  • Helps in establishing policies and benchmarks for performance
  • Provides for easier budgeting
  • Reduces Municipal risk

·          All Federal Government Gas Tax recipients will be required to have an Asset Management Plan in place by March, 2018.

 

Develop a clearer picture of the state of your assets by developing an Asset Management Plan. You and your stakeholders will be better informed about asset operation, maintenance, and renewal decisions.

 

Contact Richardson Municipal Solutions today for your free Asset Management assessment.

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