Devan Moonsamy

There is always a moment of pressure when your phone beeps and it is a text from your boss. Whether the text is a follow up to a meeting that occurred during the day or instructing you to execute work after hours, that need to carry out the instruction that has just been sent grips you. 

In a bid to attract digital nomads with labour laws, Portugal has now made it illegal for bosses to text workers after hours. This, coupled with other labour law changes are set to attract more digital nomads who are individuals who perform their work over the internet while traveling. 

As much as we are seeing an influx of work from home and work from anywhere, there is a need to set the tone in terms of interaction with staff after hours. If employees can work from anywhere and don’t exactly have a fixed shift, then it can be suitable to contact employees when there is a pertinent query. 

Now, while some might see an after-hour work request as an opportunity to shine out with the boss the reality is this might not be the case. Your boss will feel like they can always rely on you to pick up the load, making the other team members feel they need to remain competitive and follow suit. 

Yes, there will be times when you have to work around the clock to meet a deadline and perhaps check your emails and respond to them after hours for a big deal that needs to be closed. But what should you do if this behaviour becomes a regular routine and have you putting in more hours when you are off the clock? 

• Start by setting personal boundaries.  We must draw the line between personal and work life. Prevent scrolling through emails in bed and working when you can’t fall asleep. Remind yourself it is acceptable to disconnect after the work day. Even though establishing boundaries might seem easier said than done we must try to achieve this. If you find your work life constantly infringing on your personal space due to texts and emails from the boss then it’s time to have a conversation with them. The trick is to make your boss see that there is something in it for them. Your boss might not like you confronting them about the topic but once you make them see how doing work after hours doesn’t give you chance to do it to your best, they might ease up on those after hour queries. 

• Assess how urgent the situation that needs your attention is. Once you receive a correspondence from your boss about a particular request, try to determine how urgently does this need to be dealt with. As an employee you are able to determine when to respond to this query but as a boss, you should be able to conclude the same. 

• Usually, if emails are not tended to urgently, then your boss might fire a text at you. This might have you sweating bullets before opening WhatsApp in the fear of having to see the text and needing to respond. The fact is communication is key. If you have received a text from your boss and it is a follow up to an email you have not seen yet, then you must make him aware of this. If you are not at home or near your computer you won’t be able to meet the request. Being open and honest with your boss might remind them that after hours work should be limited to absolutely urgent tasks. 

Given the current working hybrid, we must be open to communicate about deadlines and meeting client needs. Despite there being progress on the work front there have also been challenges for people having to adapt to the new normal. 

Staff members are expected to be more accessible, especially those who work from home and this thinking coupled with the gratitude to have a job during the pandemic has influenced the fear to not confront the boss. 

As we approach the festive period and start to deal with an influx in queries, sending communication with regards to any after-hours work is necessary. Instruct staff about the possibility of after-hours work and when possible the remuneration or overtime attached to it. 

Devan Moonsamy is the CEO of ICHAF Training Institute, a South African TVET College. He is the author of Racism, Classism, Sexism, And The Other ISMs That Divide Us, AND My Leadership Legacy Journal available from the ICHAF Training Institute. 

The ICHAF Training Institute offers SETA-approved training in business skills, computer use, and soft skills. Devan specialises in conflict and diversity management, and regularly conducts seminars on these issues for corporates. To book a seminar with Devan or for other training courses, please use the contact details below.

Tel: 011 262 2461 | 083 303 9159 |

Email: admin@ichaftraining.co.za devan@ichaftraining.co.za | 

Website: www.ichaftraining.co.za |  www.devan-moonsamy.com

Devan Moonsamy 

At some point of our career, we will find ourselves in the presence of a co-worker who is constantly complaining. The moment something doesn’t go their way, they have to start throwing their toys out of the cot. This can be very difficult to handle in the workplace because try as much as we want to avoid it, negative energy is contagious. 

The office complainer might always look for an opportunity to let out at any one willing to listen about how frustrated they are in the workplace. Inevitably, when a non-complainer co-worker suggests the complaining co-worker leave the organisation, then this is met by shock and horror. The complainer co-worker usually just wants someone to agree with them and see things from their perspective. The complaining co-worker might not take to advice, guidance and optimism with a positive outlook. 

This can make things very difficult for the rest of the team. There will always be a negative vibe in the office as the office spirit might need major improving and most importantly if there are any planned extra-curricular activities, there will always be received negatively by the complainer. 

Here’s how to handle the office complainer without letting bad vibes and moods spread onto others:

• Before we call out the office complainer for their behaviour, let us try to put ourselves in their shoes. It is very helpful to understand why the person might be complaining as this can help us see their grievance. An office complainer might just be looking for someone to listen to them or they might want to get their message out there because they have a legitimate grievance and don’t know how to go about addressing it. Most times complaining comes from a place where people feel there isn’t a way to get their problem solved.  

• If you find that whenever you are with a co-worker, they vent to you then perhaps it is time to call them out on this behaviour. The next time the person starts complaining speak to them about how it makes you feel. If you do have a close relationship with them then chances are you would be able to better let them down on this constant badgering. By doing this, you also allow yourself to reset the relationship you have with your co-workers. You are able to see if you are always the co-worker, they turn to in order to vent. If this is the case then perhaps you would need to set boundaries. 

• On the other hand, if you don’t have a close relationship then it might just be easier for you to leave the conversation. You can validate their complaint with, “I hear what you are saying,” and then excuse yourself on pretence of a deadline. But if you really don’t want to engage or entertain this sort of thing, politely excuse yourself and the complainer would surely get the message that you don’t appreciate these types of conversations. 

• In some instances, the need to complain might form part of a strategy to get work completed. A co-worker that complains regularly might use this as a process to get their issues out on the table in a bid to start working towards solving those problems. In other cases, complaining might be a plea to get advice or help on a difficult task at work. Whichever the case, if your goal is to help your colleague that is complaining ask them questions around the challenges and try to establish how you can help them. Encourage your colleague to also take their concerns to management and address some of those concerns in meetings. You won’t always be able to afford a solution and in some cases having a professional platform to discuss legitimate concerns is what is needed to help prevent further work issues. 

Devan Moonsamy is the CEO of ICHAF Training Institute, a South African TVET College. He is the author of Racism, Classism, Sexism, And The Other ISMs That Divide Us, AND My Leadership Legacy Journal available from the ICHAF Training Institute. 

The ICHAF Training Institute offers SETA-approved training in business skills, computer use, and soft skills. Devan specialises in conflict and diversity management, and regularly conducts seminars on these issues for corporates. To book a seminar with Devan or for other training courses, please use the contact details below.

Tel: 011 262 2461 | 083 303 9159 |

Email: admin@ichaftraining.co.za devan@ichaftraining.co.za | 

Website: www.ichaftraining.co.za |  www.devan-moonsamy.com

Devan Moonsamy 

One of the most frequently asked questions in our training sessions is how time can be managed more efficiently. The answer we provide is simple, in order for your time to be managed more efficiently, you work tasks should be prioritised. 

This means ensuring that all the urgent tasks are at the top of the list and dealt with in earnest to prevent a backlog. By allowing ourselves to prioritise tasks we automatically create a system in which we work on the most important tasks first and move down the list. 

By doing this we can ensure our time is spent better and tasks on hand are completed according to their priority. But what happens when there is an urgent task that needs to be dealt with from a different department? 

One of the challenges with working in an office environment is the fact that there is always an external factor that has an impact on your work. Whether it’s a delay from a supplier or a department that needs to do their part to ensure you can make your client happy, if the work doesn’t fit in their priority list, then chances are you will need to wait. 

This leads to endless pressure and frustration with dealing with a department. The bigger issue comes about when you have committed to your customer and because this person from this department is not client facing, they might think this isn’t their problem. 

But here’s the thing, a slip up or slump in the service delivery chain is a problem.

The ultimate goal is to ensure the customer is satisfied and pleased with the service. This being said the need for customer satisfaction must be emphasised and the work prioritisation regime must be upheld. 

Here’s how you can get your departments in the organisation to work better together: 

• Set clear and achievable goals for all department. Ensure that each department is familiar with the organisations objectives and work towards achieving that together. Ultimately, it is about meeting the customers demand and bringing in business for the organisation. If all departments are aware of what goals are needed to be achieved, we will see more efficiency. Team work is dream work and having the dream team is not a hoax. Provided your team works well with others and respects each team member there will be a smooth flow of work. 

• When we speak to our departments about work prioritisation, we should explain the method that should be used to do this. Allocate a specific selection to prioritise work. This way client or customer satisfaction should be at the top of the list. So, whether the query comes from sales or admin as long as it is for a client there will be a shift in priority. 

•  It is no secret that client facing staff are more under pressure to meet deadlines and customer satisfaction. Perhaps having a better of understanding of the seriousness around client queries and the risk it puts the business at not meeting their expectation can help departments that don’t face clients when it comes to dealing with queries. This means liaising with those departments regularly if they are the reason for the delay in the work flow. 

• If you are still struggling to get all departments on the same page then initiate an incentive for the most productive department. Research shows that when the prospect of an incentive is put in place, team members feel more encouraged to participate and reach goals and objectives.

Devan Moonsamy is the CEO of ICHAF Training Institute, a South African TVET College. He is the author of Racism, Classism, Sexism, And The Other ISMs That Divide Us, AND My Leadership Legacy Journal available from the ICHAF Training Institute. 

The ICHAF Training Institute offers SETA-approved training in business skills, computer use, and soft skills. Devan specialises in conflict and diversity management, and regularly conducts seminars on these issues for corporates. To book a seminar with Devan or for other training courses, please use the contact details below.

Tel: 011 262 2461 | 083 303 9159 |

Email: admin@ichaftraining.co.za devan@ichaftraining.co.za | 

Website: www.ichaftraining.co.za |  www.devan-moonsamy.com

Devan Moonsamy 

It goes without saying that product knowledge is the key contributor in fuelling sales. You could have an amazing product but sadly due to a lack of product knowledge by your staff, you won’t be able to see the desired results. 

The thing about being a customer is knowing you can put your trust in a sales person based on their knowledge of a product. This is a risk for employers especially when consumers can google just about anything. 

Imagine a situation for the staff member when a customer seemingly has more knowledge than they do on a particular product. This not only makes the staff member look bad but the company as well. 

Before we identify ways in which staff can learn their stuff we have to identify what exactly is it that they need to know. 

Customers want information on price most times. But they also want to know guarantees or warranties, special features etc. They would also have questions around the product compared to competitor products. They would also expect information on the returns policy and other policies or procedures in your business. 

So in light of this we should understand that there is a lot for staff members to keep track with. This means knowing the policies and products. And if they slip up in front of a customer it would be difficult to save that sale. 

But never the less there are ways to help staff remain knowledgeable on the companies’ products and procedures. 

– Give staff the opportunity to engage with the product. This means allowing them to familiarise themselves with it and having to put its features and function in their own words. If staff are comfortable with a product they would be more knowledgeable in its features and have more confidence when they need to pitch it to someone else. Giving them a chance to engage with the product and use its features helps them to improve their skills and knowledge on the products. 

– As we know we swear by, experience is the best teacher. Staff and management should engage in hypothetical scenarios to share how they would handle a customer related situation. It’s also encouraging to give staff a chance to pitch a product to you. This shows us how they would sell it to clients and allows you to see what they need improving on. 

– This is also a great way to get senior staff members or those with more experience to share ways in which they gather information on the products. Everyone has their own techniques and methods to meet customer expectations but if the correct method is used to gain product knowledge then staff won’t find it difficult to keep up. 

– It is never a bad idea to test staff periodically. Having fun quizzes and incentives can encourage staff to be clued up on product knowledge. This means giving them a chance to play a fun game to test their product knowledge. Make it interesting by having some prizes and incentives that way there is motivation to keep up to date on the products. 

-Training is essential. We shouldn’t assume that sales comes naturally to people. It is a skill just like any other and if a staff member struggles to learn about the product it will result in them being a talker without substance. Conduct regular training session for communication and product knowledge. Train staff on new products and display exactly what expectations are around the sales of these products. 

Devan Moonsamy is the CEO of ICHAF Training Institute, a South African TVET College. He is the author of Racism, Classism, Sexism, And The Other ISMs That Divide Us, AND My Leadership Legacy Journal available from the ICHAF Training Institute. 

The ICHAF Training Institute offers SETA-approved training in business skills, computer use, and soft skills. Devan specialises in conflict and diversity management, and regularly conducts seminars on these issues for corporates. To book a seminar with Devan or for other training courses, please use the contact details below.

Tel: 011 262 2461 | 083 303 9159 |

Email: admin@ichaftraining.co.za devan@ichaftraining.co.za | 

Website: www.ichaftraining.co.za |  www.devan-moonsamy.com

Devan Moonsamy 

Earlier this week a video circulating online showed a woman trashing a bank at a branch in Cape Town while she was naked. The video has sparked discussion around her frustration and what could have been the reason for her feeling she needed to strip of her clothes to send this message. 

Before we look at the damage done by the woman to the property, or even try to understand what the staff are going through we should take a moment to think about what lead to this woman behaving in this manner. 

Consumers should be afforded good customer service. There shouldn’t be any reason for a customer to feel unsatisfied with our services. The reality is that over time people have just accepted that bad customer service is normal and the only way to get help is to throw their toys or in this case clothes out of the cot. 

Maybe this incident is what we need to spark the discussion around customer service and how to better assist disgruntled and unsatisfied customers. The reality is we are moving into our peak period. Tension will be high and we need to address our customer service capabilities to establish whether or not our staff can handle a situation like this. 

• Staff members should be better prepared and understanding to the circumstances. If you are the bringer of bad news, do so carefully. Do not be insensitive or robotic. Understand that people might seriously be depending on what you have to say. And if you have a nonchalant attitude, you will see the person being frustrated and upset. 

• Put yourself in the customers shoes. If you were in those customers position, how would you feel being denied something. If it’s a refund or an exchange or a denial of a loan or credit increase there must be a better way to break the news to the customer. 

• Before shouting out to your manager or raising your hands up indicating there is nothing more you can do, ask yourself if you have done everything you can to assist the customer. Chances are your manager might make a world of a difference and change the situation but find out exactly what your capabilities are in handling a specific situation and then make a call. 

• You are the brand ambassador of your organization. People don’t see your name tag they see a person working for that specific organisation. So, when you are not giving good service, the customer sees that everyone in the business will have the same attitude and they would be inclined to not support you anymore. 

• Training is key. As team leaders, managers and supervisors identify the areas in which staff require training. Use training to enhance the skills of staff and to identify any gaps which could be the reason for staff not performing to their best. 

• Always remain calm. Don’t panic and mimic the customers behaviour. Assess the situation and remain calm. It won’t help if you also express anger and react disrespectfully. This moment will pass but if there is a threat to your safety 

As much as we are focusing on the outlook of how businesses need to be more mindful to our needs as consumers, as consumers we should be mindful of the way we conduct ourselves. It goes without saying that the customer’s needs are a priority and must be met, but we need to be realistic and understanding to certain circumstances that might be beyond the control of the business. 

Before shouting for the manager or writing a scathing email or Facebook post, try to see how the branch can remedy the situation. Sometimes it could just be that one person has dropped the ball. In that case there would be due processes in place to ensure this does not happen again. 

Unfortunately, personality clashes and lack of service delivery can fuel you anger in a specific situation. Be mindful of your surroundings and as we have advised staff members to feel your plight, you should also put yourself in their shoes.

Devan Moonsamy is the CEO of ICHAF Training Institute, a South African TVET College. He is the author of Racism, Classism, Sexism, And The Other ISMs That Divide Us, AND My Leadership Legacy Journal available from the ICHAF Training Institute. 

The ICHAF Training Institute offers SETA-approved training in business skills, computer use, and soft skills. Devan specialises in conflict and diversity management, and regularly conducts seminars on these issues for corporates. To book a seminar with Devan or for other training courses, please use the contact details below.

Tel: 011 262 2461 | 083 303 9159 |

Email: admin@ichaftraining.co.za devan@ichaftraining.co.za | 

Website: www.ichaftraining.co.za |  www.devan-moonsamy.com