Devan Moonsamy 

The month of March is not just a month to acknowledge human rights but also to commemorate international woman’s day. International woman’s day was recognised worldwide on the 8th of March. 

As the world celebrate woman and the achievements of great woman, we should look at our offices to see how we can ensure woman are landing leadership positions. Over time woman have had to fight for their seat at the table. Many started at a business in minor admin roles and whilst many have been up skilled and progressed, there have been so many who haven’t grown at all. 

The reality is that woman have to work twice as hard to show their capabilities in order to land leadership positions. The new hybrid working model as well as working from home can be the perfect example to show how woman have to maintain a home and keep their tasks at the office in check. 

As we celebrate and commemorate woman, let us also look at what we can do woman landing roles in leadership at our offices. 

• Start by interviewing qualified woman for all leadership roles available. This will ensure a diverse interviewing process that will allow for possible intervention on hiring a female candidate that is best suited and motivated for the job. 

• Invest in upskilling of female employees. By offering opportunities to upskill and gain knowledge on the existing experience can help encourage female employees to better their skills on the work they do. It is time to move away from females seen as receptionist and admin efficient roles.  Challenge and open the door to opportunity that can shape their career in the business. 

• Don’t treat woman as if they are all the same. Woman might not all have the same interest. Each female employee might have different expectations and desires for their career growth. Diversity and inclusion are not about applauding like thinking but rather embracing uniqueness and differences in the workplace. 

• Create an environment that allows for woman to fly. Many times, it is the foundation of the organisation that needs to be checked. If your board of directors and higher management still consists of mostly males it is time to re-evaluate the structure of your business. The shake up and leadership opportunities for woman in the work place should start at the top. More companies need to be open to the idea of a female CEO or CFO. Having more management in higher management can play a significant role in how female staff feel about the way in which the business operates. 

• While on the topic of management making leadership opportunities available for woman in the office, we should also shine the spotlight on managers and supervisors of the departments. Managers in different departments are at the front in terms of employee engagement. They are the best individuals to determine growth and development leaps for staff working under them. It is for this reason that more employee engagement should occur and relationship building between staff and management be established. 

• Businesses can also look into diversity workshops and training to help improvise the gender make up in the office. This is essential to navigate through the gaps and to work on the balance of inclusions and diversity. Workshops and training will help staff voice concerns as well as give management tools to work around challenges experienced by the staff. Diversity workshops and training might also be the solution to give insight to management on how to adopt a more open approach to change. This can also be the solution to deal with getting rid of gender bias in the office. 

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 

South Africans have been hit hard with the latest increase in fuel prices. In the next month the price of fuel could increase by atleast R2. This is not just a concern for motorists but businesses too. 

At the same time experts warn that fuel prices are expected to reach record high of atleast R40 a litre. This has motorists feeling uncertain about what the next few months have in store. It also creates uncertainty around the price of food and other commodities. 

The price of fuel has an impact on businesses as well. Ultimately the price increase of fuel will result in even the price of transport going up. This means that goods being transported will by road will now cost you more. 

The fuel price increase will also have an impact on employees traveling to work. For many the hybrid and work from home was seen as a relief in the tough economic times without having to fill up the tank in a bid to drive to work. But now that Covid-19 regulations have been relaxed there are more staff getting to work using their vehicles. 

Consumers will also be feeling the pinch with the price of fuel going up and perhaps they would tighten their belt on shopping. Small businesses would need to look at alternative to stay ahead of the economic turbulence that that the fluctuating fuel price brings with it. 

Here are some ways to improve your service to your customers and improve operations in your business. 

• Tighten the budget on unnecessary travel. As much as companies need to get their goods delivered and they need to collect stock from suppliers, it is time to relook at travel taking place in your business. Instead of making supplier trips daily cut it down to once or twice a week. The same can be said for delivery services that are being offered. If you offer delivery on goods to your customers, try to change it from daily to perhaps once or twice a week. Ensure that the delivery is worth the amount the customer has purchased for. 

• While on the topic of tightening the budget, reassess the travel needs for your sales agents. Many businesses have branches out of town. In this case a branch manager will have to do site or store visits. It might be a good time to relook at the cost factor of sending the individual out of town for a trip for the day and perhaps use online platforms to help the branch with their needs. 

• If it is possible allow staff to continue to work from home. This might be a good idea for bigger businesses. The daily commute could be the reason why staff might feel challenged to come to work. The price in petrol increasing will put employees under pressure and as a result they might not be performing their best. Offering the team an alternative to hybrid or work from home might be a solution to keep the staff morale up. 

• Try to relook at virtual interactions for meetings and client interactions. Instead of having sit down meetings at offices outside your work space that might require you to drive out, try to schedule them virtually. It is important to monitor and maintain resources in the businesses but it is also essential to manage those resources correctly. Try to prevent unnecessary trips and look at moving your operations more digitally to improve the use of resources in your small business. 

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 

The world has been shocked by the attack on Ukraine by Russia. It has sparked debate and discussion across the board. Be it on your favourite radio station to standing by the water cooler at the office, the crisis has received wide spread attention. 

Office discussions around the conflict being experienced around the world to who won the soccer match last night can become unpleasant if not handled correctly. This does not mean needing to police the conversations taking place around the office. It just implies that individuals must be made aware of how this type of argumentative or contentious topics should be discussed. 

Although many of your staff might be keen on discussing these topics, it might surprise you that many of them might hesitate getting into a discussion. For many of these employees they might feel unsafe to speak their mind out of the fear of being misunderstood or getting involved in a conflict. 

This does not mean a mandatory policy must be instated to get staff to start talking. Things like politics and issues around the world can be discussed in the office provided there are guidelines to prevent them from getting out of hand. 

It also doesn’t mean that discussions in which people share their opinions will always get out of hand. The workplace should be an environment in which staff feel safe to share their ideas and opinions. 

Ideally there should be communication policies in place at work to give staff guidelines on the communication that is acceptable between staff and staff as well as staff and clients. 

This should also highlight how contentious issues should be discussed respectfully and appropriately. 

Here are a few ways to encourage and cope with the discussion around issues that are argumentative:  

• Create a safe working environment that encourages healthy discussion. Instead of not having staff talk about topics, have guidelines on how certain topics should be discussed. It is important that staff feel work is a safe space. They should not feel that they are targeted at work because other staff members are having a conversation around them and are being insensitive to their needs. 

• Making the environment safe also means levelling with your staff members. Be empathetic and understand where they are coming from. Many of them might be coming from different backgrounds and ethnicities. This would also mean that some staff members who are not familiar with their beliefs could present a bit of insensitivity. It is important to rehabilitate the workplace culture with actual culture conversation. Remember knowledge is key. 

• If you are a staff member that is always abreast with the ongoing of the world then work on having a broad mind around people’s acceptance around your opinion. Not everyone is going to agree with you and as such you should not thrive at convincing everyone on your point of view. Be open to the perspective of others and allow yourself to listen and not only want to be heard. 

• Own your opinion. Many staff members cave at the possibility of conversation around a topic that is controversial. It is important to own your opinion and stand for what you believe in. It would be a good idea to start engaging in discussions and be confident about your point of view. This will boost your confidence and also allow you to share a different perspective on a topic. 

• Not every contentious topic will lead to an argument. If it does and insults are being hurled, the best would be to address the issue with a manager and eventually HR. Communication guidelines are necessary and should be acknowledged by all staff. 

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 

Who would have thought that in the year 2022 there would be a whole new dynamic on how people work? From having employees on strict 8 to 5 schedules to now having flexi hours and work from home, we have come a long way in terms of change in the workspace. 

Hybrid working has been recognised as a method that will be both encouraged and welcomed in the workplace. It is a great way to ensure necessary protocols are followed and also ensure productivity. In light of the fuel price increase it has also brought on relief for employees struggling with the fuel bill by allowing a break in commuting to work.

As much as we are embracing and adapting to the new workplace schedules, we should also be looking at change in leadership to adapt to the new work lifestyle. Our leadership methods should change to accommodate the new normal. 

Leading a team in person has its challenge and leading a remote working team can also have its own challenges. Many businesses struggle to keep their employees abreast with the new technology. Even managers and leaders struggle to adjust to the new technology. It should come as no surprise that there might be challenges to adjust to the new work world order. 

The work from home and the office can be both stressful and unpredictable for management. This is a new method of leadership. You have to make the necessary adjustments to existing skill sets to accommodate the new work form.

Here are some ways to help managers improve the way they manage employees working from home: 

• Improve your communication online. Ensure that instructions are clear. It was a chore to get to know how the online systems work. But since it is here to stay it is something we have to master. In order to improve and change your leadership techniques to accommodate the new work order, use methods to improve your communication. Ensure you communicate clearly and without any confusion staff. 

• Start digitising your schedules. Keep everything online. Whether it is a drop box or a new online system, having all your information online is a great way to keep the new move successful. It will also get your staff who might be hesitant to change to get in the rhythm of keepings things online. Digitising work can be the first step to improve the way you lead. This gives you an opportunity to ensure everyone has the necessary skills to embrace the online efficiency. 

• Improve your observation. Look at the quality of work with some of the employees. Look at who is in need of training and upskilling. This can show you have an interest in your team’s development and that even though they are working remotely, that you are aware of their needs. Things like training and development can still take place online. 

• It is important to be compassionate. Ensure that you are empathetic to your team’s needs. Try to connect with your team. If someone hasn’t taken a day off in a while check in on them. Check in on them and try to establish best methods to improve their well-being. Remember being a good leader is not only about keeping up with productivity but employee wellness too. 

• The most important improvement in leadership in terms of adjustment for online work would be to avoid micromanagement. Having employees working from home and not being able to keep track of them can be stressful especially if you aren’t able to keep track of their productivity. If you are not able to stop micromanagement then improve the way it is done. You don’t need a check-in check- out system. Rather have a productivity system. As long employees are producing results this should be enough to keep you informed about the activities of employees. 

• Trust your employees. It is important to show your staff that you trust them. Prevent them from feeling that they are being watched or monitored. Trust them. Give employees an opportunity for creativity and productivity. This would be a good way to get staff to feel valued and improve your management methods. 

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 

Most businesses are operating at full or maximum capacity. Hybrid working is being embraced in the working world along with any other alternative methods that will improve existing workplace procedures. 

The reality is that working from home has had an impact on workplace creativity. This has resulted in a lack of upskilling as well as a lack of engagement with staff that would ideally have seen innovative ideas. 

Getting staff to be more creative with their ideas and thinking in the work place takes time and the setback dealt from Covid-19 might have impacted your bid to regain innovation in the workplace. 

But it is important reignite the creativity flame in the office. Senior management has a significant role to play in the journey of getting staff to take a fresh approach to innovative and creative thinking. 

Here are some ways to inspire innovation and creativity in staff: 

• Start by reducing the amount of work you outsource. Boosting creativity in the workplace should start with using resources available to you. Instead of getting 3^rdparties to conduct work that needs to be done. If staff members are equipped with the resources and have the skill then they should be first in line for the job in terms of creativity in the workplace. 

• You need to trust your team. The reality is that creativity means being able to think out of the box. This means having confidence in your team that if an employee uses innovation and creativity then they will create something that is delightful. In essence showing your team that you are encouraging their creativity indicates the trust you have in them. 

• Whilst we are exploring the angle of trusting employees with the rope of creativity, we should also explore the impact creativity has on employee well-being. Having the ability to explore aspects of worked around the status quo and work outside the box can reduce stress. It can also promote healthy work attitude and confidence to take risks in the work place. 

• Another way to inspire creativity would be teamwork. Reshuffling teams and getting employees working in teams can have an impact on their attitude at work. It can motivate them and allow team members to motivate each other, resulting in creativity. Team work allows for a whole new dynamic in workplace creativity building. In most offices working in a team is the platform that sees people performing at their best.

• Motivate staff by sending them on upskilling workshops and training. Training around customer service, communication and even conflict management can be a great way to determine creativity. This platform gives staff a chance to show their creativity out of their comfort zone and also provoke innovative thinking by means of being challenged around new skills development. 

How does creativity and innovation help management? 

Having staff think out of the box helps escalate the reduce in the workplace. Being a senior manager means being a leader. This means believing the people in your team are able to solve problems. If staff are creative and innovative, they will be great at problem solving. Improving innovation and creativity in the workplace creates a more energised hive mind. 

This can also be a good way to measure employee capabilities when it comes to promotions and leadership positions. An employee who rises up to the challenge can eb measured based on their approach to handling situations and more so their creativity in doing so.

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