Devan Moonsamy 

Being a business owner comes with its challenges on an ordinary day, but on days when the power is out every few hours, those challenges can become impossible to cope with. Small business owners are the ones facing the worse of the loadshedding which has plagued us these last few weeks. The fluctuating levels from stage 5 to 3 and so for on, has made it impossible to plan the work day with minimum disruptions.

Besides the power cuts impacting productivity, it is also causing supplier delays as well as disruptions to the work flow. The loadshedding causes traffic delays, this results in suppliers or drivers not meeting the timeous deadlines that businesses promise customers. The power outages can also cause staff members to come late to work. For many who work from home, the power outages might now force them back to the office to cope with the work load as the loadshedding at home cuts in on their work time. 

The group that his impacted the most is small business owners. When the power is out clients have to be turned away, especially in services business like a salon or printing facility. For those running supermarkets or small convivence stores the power cuts can see food produce losing its quality. Fridges in the business would be without power for some time and this might cause items in the fridge to go bad. The stock loss is a concern for the business. 

The reality is that some small businesses are unable to purchase generators at the capacity that it is necessary to power up the entire store during loadshedding. The loadshedding also causes damage to the equipment in the business and many business owners might not have that sort of cash to service the equipment that is damaged during the loadshedding period. 

The loadshedding also brings a security risk as it can see a rise in the criminal element. In the area when the power goes out, potential criminal activities might transpire. This will cause the business to incur further loss. Whether it is theft or even robbery, the loadshedding allows for easier access for criminal activity.

It has been just a few months of normalcy since the dawn of Covid-19. The corona virus brought not just a deadly virus in its path but a disruptive streak of mayhem that resulted in the loss of economic prosperity for small business owners.

Just as businesses are slowly recovering from the blows dealt with Covid-19, the newest stumbling block in their way is the continuous loadshedding. While loadshedding seems to have us slowing down our tracks, let us look at 3 ways to work around the challenges presented to small businesses from loadshedding: 

• Flexibility is key in the wake of loadshedding. Allow your team members to work flexibly during the loadshedding schedule. This means checking the schedule ahead of time and being informed of your times of loadshedding. Then structuring or putting a schedule together that is flexible. This could also mean adjusting start and finish times to ensure work is completed in the time when there is power to prevent production delays. 

• Work on an alternate energy source. There are a number of possible solutions to keep the power on in the workspace. The easiest being a generator. This does however come at a cost. Instead assess the situation in the office. Look at the processes which requires the most amount of work to be done. If it is a booking or reservation computer that must be up and running, try to get a UPS to power up those areas as it is essential to the business. You may also use this time to catch up on admin and filing. 

• Avoid stockpiling. In light of the current situation with the loadshedding, avoid stocking up on items that require being put in the fridge. Rather order and stock them as you need them. This will minimise the stock wastage and it will also allow you to better manage the goods on hand. Use plug protectors to prevent the damage to equipment. This can be helpful in preventing damage to equipment in the long term.

Devan Moonsamy is the CEO of ICHAF Training Institute, a South African Corporate Training Provider & National Learning Institute. 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 

The month of September usually has a hub of activity around culture. It is during this time of the year, that the spotlight is on aspects of cultural engagement. There is hype in the workplace with everyone preparing to dress in their cultural attire to participate in the Heritage Day activities.

However, as much as it is something to look forward to and it can be deemed as a fruitful team building activity, there might be those team members who don’t necessarily enjoy the participation. The lack of enthusiasm and the forced participation might not leave everyone feeling optimistic about joining in on the celebration.

The need for additional involvement for team members in activities outside their work scope might not receive the support you hoped. This is due to the fact that most people in the office find participation in workplace activities forced. They have a lack of enthusiasm and it can infiltrate to others on the team. The lack of enthusiasm and the lack of participation can create negativity around the idea of building a successful team spirit in the workplace. 

Before we look at how to overcome it, we should look at why are team members feeling this way?

There are many reasons as to why a team member might not feel as enthusiastic about participation in team activities. Some team members are driven by their work and might view this as a distraction. Others might have a lot happening on the personal front and as a result they might not feel like they want to participate in tedious activities. 

We should understand that a person’s choice to participate or not to participate should be respected. The same must be communicated to those who are trying to snuff out the light of those who want to participate. The choice of participation is key in restoring the team spirit around team building tasks.

Here are 5 creative ways to get your team to celebrate Heritage Day in the office: 

•  Start by getting team members who usually drag their feet to participate in these activities to share ideas on how to celebrate culture. Engage not just with these team members but all team members to identify the best possible way to commemorate all cultures. Opening the floor to your team towards a solution for the celebration can get the team members excited about celebrating their culture. If your team is all out of ideas have a group engagement. If the entire team actively participates, the event will be more successful. 

• Incentivise the celebration. The best way to get people to participate is if they can see value for them in the end. Ensure there is a best dressed, best team, most creative outfit etc. If you are worried it might put people under pressure to have to spend and out shine the others, then engage with the team around the guidelines for this. It doesn’t have to be something like a pageant, but rather just a day to have fun getting to know each other’s culture by dressing in traditional attire. 

• Try initiating the culture swop. For the sake of knowledge sharing, get your team to swop their cultures. Put down the different cultural groups on paper, shuffle them around and assign them to the team members by allowing them to randomly pick one out of a hat. This is spontaneous and will definitely have them thinking out of the box. The culture swop can be used for dressing and for information sharing. 

• Ditch the usual drinks and a braai. Instead, take a trip with your team to a historical site in the city. This way they can share more about South African culture. Take a trip to a national site or even visit a few religious institutes to gain clarity on religious beliefs. This will do wonders in knowledge building and also be a field trip for the office-based staff members. If the work load isn’t permitting a road trip, try getting team members to present information from their culture. Have a fun quiz on South African culture thereafter. 

• Get your team members to learn a new phrase or sentence from a culture group. This can be useful even when assisting customers on the phone. Don’t stop there. Put up some posters with bits of information on different cultures that come from team members around the office. This can be done weekly or even every month. It will help keep the discussion around culture active.

Devan Moonsamy is the CEO of ICHAF Training Institute, a South African Corporate Training Provider & National Learning Institute. 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 

When a work environment is plagued by toxicity, it starts to have an impact on the wellness of staff. Workplace culture plays an important role in the journey of employees in the business. It can shape the way they carry out their duties, engage in activities and their overall enthusiasm for being in the business. 

A toxic work culture consists of conflict, negative energy, hostility and even isolation. There is a lack of team spirit and a gap in deliverables being met. The reality is that a toxic work culture can be the cause for many staff members feeling disconnected on the verge of leaving. It pushes people to the point in which they feel their mental health is being compromised. 

If the work environment is lacking room for growth and creativity for the staff, this will impact the way in which the business meets its objectives. Toxic work culture doesn’t just occur with staff. It is also the pitfalls and lack of encouragement from senior staff members that are hindering the progress of the team. It is for this reason that toxic work culture needs to be eradicated to ensure there is room for growth and opportunity. 

Senior management not following the company guidelines and thinking they are above the policies are a classic start to a toxic work place. If you have management not meeting objectives of the business timeously, coming in and leaving whenever they fancy and even cutting corners when needing to meet company objectives – then this is the start of the toxic environment.

Staff members should not be made to feel as if they are picking up the slack, whilst a senior management member reaps the benefit. A toxic environment has managers who are not able to lead their people, ruin the environment because of their lack of accountability. It is important to ensure that your team sees you as the beacon of hope, the light to their dark days and the influencer to encourage them when the work place gets a bit too much to handle.

Lack of collaboration between team members also contributes to a toxic environment. This presents itself as an opportunity for the team to just believe in the fact that they can only rely on themselves. This causes a gap in the aspect of team work in the business. Instead of working together people might find it more fitting to hash it out on their own rather than asking anyone for assistance. As a result, there is a lack of growth for the team members. 

The reality is that when company work culture becomes toxic, the first thing to fall is trust between team members. As a result, there silo working mentality is established. People in the workplace would rather work by themselves instead of leaning in on another person to gain assistance. 

If we don’t fix our toxic work cultures, there will always be a barrier to growth. The environment with its hostility and frustration is preventing the team from moving forward to their goals and objectives. 

Here are a few ways to pave the way for growth and work on the toxicity in the workplace: 

• Conduct a review on your team’s performance more regularly. Engage with the team and observe their work. This will help you to determine the best possible plan to assist them in enhancing their presence in the business. You can identify gaps and even applaud the moments that they had a good performance. The route of recognition will help break team members away from the negativity around the work culture. 

• Reintroduce your values to your team. Perhaps it has been a while since team engagement and identification of values. Having a catch-up session and relooking at the values can help work on why people feel they should be in the workplace that they are in. Engagement is the most important element to break the toxicity in the workplace. 

• Show your staff that you care. If they have lost a loved one recently or they were absent from work due to ill health, check in on them. If you don’t engage with staff and show them you care they start to participate in the toxicity in the work place. This will cause tension for others and even encourage other team members to chime in on how bad the organisation is. 

• Train senior management on how to handle staff members. Deal with issues of favouritism and concerns around lack of policy implementation. When we listen and act on what our team needs, we will see a more holistic environment. People will want to come to work and participate because there are no sides. 

• Growth is important for all employees. Ensure you have plans and steps in place to assist staff in their developmental goals in the business. If they need upskilling and training, send them on those courses. It is a sign that you care about their growth and you will overcome the challenges to meet their needs. Accommodate their grievances and assist them. These are all steps that must be taken to overcome the toxic workplace that sees a large staff turnover. Do things that will keep your staff happy and employed with you.

Devan Moonsamy is the CEO of ICHAF Training Institute, a South African Corporate Training Provider & National Learning Institute. 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 

September has been marked as a month to commemorate and celebrate the heritage of South Africans. It is also the time of the year when culture gets celebrated and encouraged in the workplace. From dressing in traditional attire to even having food from different cultures being shared, heritage month is a spectrum of diversity. 

As much as time is made in this month to celebrate and commemorate cultures, it is perhaps the only time in many businesses when diversity is celebrated. We might even find the enthusiasm for cultural education and participation might only be active during this month. However, there is a need for engagement and diversity all year round. 

Diversity is not just the inclusion or participation of different colours. It is people with disabilities, different ethnicities, sexuality, religion and even education levels. Instead of just a celebration of culture, how about celebrating diversity in the month of September? 

The reality is that steps have been taken to embrace and bring about diversity on the workplace. However, there is a pattern of diverse practises or recognition of other cultures only occurring in the month of September. More needs to be done to highlight the different backgrounds and way of life in the workplace. Using the entire month of September might be a great way to raise awareness on the need for diversity. 

Here are 5 ways to diversify your working environment 

• The first step to take in the wake of approaching diversity would be to ensure you introduce diversity in your hiring pool. When you are selecting potential candidates in to be employed in the business, ensure that the scope for the job is applicable to a wide range of candidates from different backgrounds. This is a stepping stone in terms of opening the platform to bring in a variety of groups to your working environment. 

• Try to have a broad spectrum of people in management. Diversity is not only about colour or beliefs. It is also about employing and engaging with people from all walks of life, including different intellectual skills. Engaging with a wider range of people in the office can go a long way in ensuring clients are even comfortable. This means having people from all nationalities, ethnic groups, religious backgrounds etc. 

• September might be heritage month for us South Africans, but our journey to discovering the inclusive and diverse potential doesn’t stop there. Use the whole year to shape and mould the work place to be more diverse and applicable to all communities. Having diversity is the answer to minimising conflict and tension. Once people open up to different groups, the education and conversation takes place. This allows for perceptions and misunderstandings to be ironed out. 

• Mentorship programmes are also a great way to diversify your workplace. Offering internships and allowing your team to mentor a new staff member and even existing staff can also help debunk many perceptions people have around things they don’t understand. Mentorship might also feel like a tedious task to staff who just want to meet their goals and objectives at work and go home. In this case, be transparent, and ensure the staff member understands that the purpose of mentoring is to bring about better understanding to diversity in the workplace. 

• Training around diversity can be a great way to educate staff around diversity. This also allows management to acknowledge and admit that there is a need for education around diversity. Training around diversity can help the organisations management and staff understand how to be open to diversity and how to manage any misunderstandings they might have around it. Diversity training equips the team with the ability to work with people who are different form them. It is necessary in order to ensure that staff work harmoniously, respecting each other. 

Devan Moonsamy is the CEO of ICHAF Training Institute, a South African Corporate Training Provider & National Learning Institute. 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 

Adopting to change is never a breeze. There is always hesitation and tension from staff members needing to do things differently from what they are used to. Whether it’s a new printing machine or a system update, it never gets embraced by the team without glitches. It goes without saying that when new technology is implemented in the work place there must be training administered to ensure everyone understands what the new system does.

The reality is our team members are accustomed to the way things are done. There is seldom a celebration around innovative new technology. When we do introduce new technology or systems in the workplace there is a very slim chance that the team members will get a hang of it in a matter of days. Some of the team members who are tech savvy might explode with excitement around the new gadgets, but others who are still familiarising themselves with the cool features on WhatsApp might take time to adopt the new technology. 

This doesn’t mean they will never accept new technology. This just means they would take more time to adjust and embrace new technology. There are some that see the value in adopting to change but there will be those that won’t take to it as easy as others. 

Instead of having the mindset that I am management so whatever I say goes, rather try to create an environment where your staff sees the same benefits you see in improving the operations system. The change must not just be something that will make your work easy but also be the reason for other team members to feel determined to come to the workplace. 

Here are 4 ways to ensure staff embrace the new technology or system being implemented in the office.

• Start by giving everyone a heads up. Inform the team of the new and innovative change you wish to implement and explain how the change will make work better. Align them with your vision and identify the benefits. Give them as much information around this new piece of technology so that they can prepare and anticipate how they can adjust to the new tools. 

• Identify influencers in different departments. Negativity can spread quickly and this will not do well when we need to engage the team to react positively to the new technology. Once we identify people in each department to be advocates for the new technology, they will play a huge role in trying to influence those hesitant to the change to see things differently. 

• When the system is ready to go, host and exciting and creative launch. Ensure there is a hype around the product or system. This way the team will be in awe at the benefits and feel motivated to apply it to their day to day. Perhaps have a lunch or even a launch party. Make it fun and interactive so the team feels determined to be part of this change that will see their work being made easy. 

• Adopt different training styles for the new equipment of system. Some people might take longer than others to embrace and learn the new technology. This doesn’t mean they don’t like it. It just means they have different learning styles. This could be a reason for their hesitation to the new idea.  

• Try to circulate educational videos and even step by step guides to help the team familiarise themselves with what to do. No one wants to keep asking another colleague for help. This will make them feel inadequate. Rather have a step-by-step guide accessible to all staff to avoid any awkwardness.

Devan Moonsamy is the CEO of ICHAF Training Institute, a South African Corporate Training Provider & National Learning Institute. 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