Punk Rock People Management

Introducing my free new book “Punk Rock People Management”.  Before we start, here’s a classic piece of Punk Rock – New Rose by The Damned:

I had the great fortune of seeing The Damned, The Doctors of Madness, The Jam etc. many times at The Marquee Club in London.  This included getting ‘extinguished’ by Captain Sensible on stage when it became so hot that the Captain decided to hose those pogo-ing on stage down with a fire extinguisher amidst electricity and live cables.  This was in the pre-risk assessment era – Hooray!

Free book “Punk Rock People Management”

Punk Rock People Management suggests that the HR profession has become a bloated industry which delights in making things more complex than they need be.  In the book I have stripped down People Management to the bare essentials.  This means that each ‘chapter’ is just one page long – ideal for the busy person / Kindle reader etc.  Thus you can read a chapter in less time than it takes to pogo to a Sex Pistols or Linkin Park song!   On hearing about it , Tom Peters, the world’s greatest business thinker, author and speaker sent me a mail with just two words in it:  “Do it!” – Now that’s what I call succinct in the normally long world of HR!

To whet your appetite, here are some chapter titles.  The book is organised using the classic ‘Life, Sex and Death HR cycle’, i.e. Hiring, Inspiring and Firing:

HIRING
Selection – Shall I stay or shall I go?
Induction – It’s my first time

INSPIRING
Engagement – Pretty vacant
Motivation – Reasons to be cheerful
Training – Waiting for the great leap forwards
Innovation – What’s new pussycat?

FIRING
Conflict – Who killed Bambi?
Redundancy – Submission
To order your FREE copy of the book, please contact me via the Punk Rock People Management webpage.

Find my current book ‘Sex, Leadership and Rock’n'Roll‘ on Amazon.

For now, let’s treat ourselves to the great punk philosopher Billy Bragg, with his song “Waiting for the great leap forwards” – a song all about the gap between talk and action in change management / organisation and HR development.  Reminds me of Red Wedge and many other great days of wide eyed optimism and passion.  There still is a better way to get your point across than stealing a bottle of water from Poundland!  Check Punk Rock People Management out for some fresh thinking on business / HR / inspiration etc.

The office Christmas party is often seen as a reward for the efforts that the staff have made during the year and depending on the size of the business can take various forms.

The most obvious venue for a small business with a handful of staff is a local restaurant or pub, where food and drink flow smoothly and possibly some form of entertainment is provided by the establishment.

For larger companies with hundreds of employees the needs would obviously be quite different and Christmas parties are often arranged to take place in venues offering larger capacity such as conference rooms in hotels or sports arenas.

The cost of the annual company get together is obviously relative to the size of business in terms of outlay and planning and for larger companies who are likely to stage other events such as large scale sales meetings throughout the year the advantage of employing a corporate events management team are obvious.

Corporate events come in various forms including corporate entertainment, such as the Christmas party, client hospitality where business relationships can be built in unique and stylish surroundings designed to impress your clients or planned events as a reward for hard working staff.

There has been much growth in recent years in the area of corporate team building, many forward thinking businesses now see this activity as an essential part of company culture and as such include it in their long term plans rather than as a one off quick fix solution.

Corporate team building activities are designed to stimulate the workforce, strengthen the team and boost morale, it is a great way of forging a bond amongst a workforce that after all spends much of its time working together in the same environment for the best part of their lives.

It sometimes appears strange how we spend so much time in a work environment with the same people without really knowing too much about them and team building activities away from work allow us all to learn more about the strengths and weaknesses of those around us.

It is a fact that a happy and contented workforce make for a great business, if the staff feel valued they will give so much more back to the company.

Market Expertise

The first characteristics to look for in potential property managers are extensive knowledge and experience in the real estate market where your property is. Knowledge and experience in the market helps you price the rents and leases accordingly, which is the key to keeping your property competitive.

Personalities that Jive

While experience in the market may lead you to a particular property manager, you always have to be able to work with them on a personal level. When you speak to a property manager on the phone or interview them in person, make sure that your personalities and work styles work well together rather than clash. This helps to ensure a smooth working relationship on an ongoing basis.

Customer Relations

Finally, the property manager has to possess superior customer relationship skills. The property manager is going to be the face of your property so you want someone who always has his or her best foot forward. Choosing a property manager that works well with tenants and prospects helps to ensure low turnover rate, high occupancy rates and smooth interaction between you, the tenants and the property manager.

While this may not be a comprehensive list of the characteristics to look for in your property manager, these are three of the top traits. Using these traits as guidelines can help you identify the best available property manager for your needs.

The benefits to company owners of the corporate team building experience is that the activities on offer are specifically designed to bond and strengthen the team which in turn helps boost morale.

The experience will certainly make members of  staff feel more involved as the courses are based on team accomplishments rather than personal achievement and as such every member of the team is included in making decisions and motivating each other.

This in turn makes the team feel more valued which will help increase company profitability whilst providing a strong platform on which to build a business.

Forward thinking business managers  realise that team building event programmes need to become part of the company culture and feature in the long term plans of an organisation rather than as a one off event to provide a quick fix solution.

Anyone that has taken part in an out of hours staff outing or get together, be it ten pin bowling or white water rafting will agree that the event was in fact a lot more enjoyable than they had anticipated and can’t wait for the next opportunity to repeat the experience.

It is a fact, that some time out can make a difference, whether you want motivational outdoor team building activities, physical adventure team building events, mental team challenges or just a fun time for all!

I believe that Stress could be the next epidemic this country will face, if it isn’t already! Stress is known as the silent killer, it can creep up at any time and cause no end of physical and emotional health problems, costing business’ billions and people their lives.

Are you suffering from Stress?

Here are some symptoms of Stress. If you tick more than one of the symptoms, then you are indeed suffering from Stress, which, if left untreated, could lead to major physical health implications.

• Anger
• Depression
• Anxiety
• Changes in behaviour
• Food cravings
• Lack of appetite
• Frequent crying
• Difficulty concentrating
• Feeling tired
• Difficulty sleeping

What are common Stress Triggers?

• A general increase in the pace and complexity of working life brought about by the rapid growth in information technology
• The erosion of personal space and time resulting from developments in communications technology
• Increased workloads resulting from staff cutbacks, etc
• Increasingly informed and demanding customers and clients
• Lack of job security
• The stresses involved in commuting to and from work, travelling on the job etc.

Where there is recession, there is stress. Business’ downsize on human resources, but there expectations on the existing staff performances increase. Redundancies, unemployment, low income, there are many triggers for a Stress Attack, but behind every trigger there is Change of some sort and where there is Change there is Loss!

How do you manage your Stress?

From my many years experience firstly as a Therapist and now as a Coach, I have assisted many people in Stress Management Techniques. However, in order to manage your stress, you need to first recognise and then accept that Stress is affecting you and your loved ones.

Self Awareness is the key to a healthier and happier lifestyle.

Here are a few Stress Relief Techniques

• Exercise – no surprises there – simply walk for at least 30 minutes every day.
• Breathing from the Diaphragm – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4hIKv2dsPC8&feature=related
• Take daily lunch breaks away from your workstations
• Spend time with friends
• Listen to Music regularly and Dance
• Have FUN, watch Comedy Films, Laugh out Loud!
• Stop watching the news and reading the papers – they are full of doom and gloom!!

I am a great advocate for fun and laughter, laughter is most definitely the best medicine.  Unfortunately, I actually witnessed Management in high pressure Corporate working environments, informing employee’s not to laugh so much!  Can you actually believe that!?  We all know the financial impact Stress can have on business’ – Stress costs business’ billions every year in the UK alone.

Poor Stress Management Techniques

Alcohol consumption/dependency is on the increase and binge drinking is becoming a national health issue.  Binge drinking is not only a teenage health risk, it is a health risk for all ages and alcohol dependency is becoming an issue for every age group!

I am left with no doubt, that we as a nation are taking life far too seriously and I mean that seriously!

Is it time for you and your business to do a Stress Audit?

http://joyandrewsbusinesscoaching.co.uk/