Poster of the Month, June 2017: Controlling anger in the workplace

ANGRY WORDS

Anger doesn't solve anything,
but can destroy everything

Take a deep breath and choose
your words carefully


June's Poster of the Month is about professional conduct when managing anger in the workplace.

A typical workplace employs a diverse range of people with different skills, attitudes and personalities. They may work well together, but that doesn't automatically make them socially compatible, so there could be personality clashes, unresolved tension and resentment bubbling under the surface, just waiting for a time to reveal itself. 

With this in mind, it's a good idea for employees to have an understanding of how to recognise and manage their anger.

Five ways to control anger in the workplace

1. Take a deep breath and calm down
Take the opportunity to stop and think before you speak. Walk away from the situation if you have to. This will prevent you from saying anything you might regret later. It will also help to protect your reputation and preserve your working relationships.

2. Think about possible solutions
Think about what is causing your anger and what needs to happen to make you stop feeling that way. It might be something very simple and easy to fix.

3. Express yourself
Anger is a perfectly natural emotion, but while you want to avoid an angry outburst, you also want to avoid bottling it up.Once you feel calm and rational you can talk about what is making you angry, without getting angry. Be assertive and non-confrontational in your approach. Avoid giving criticism or blame and try to focus on problems rather than people. 

4. Don't hold grudges
Holding a grudge can fill you with a sense of bitterness and injustice. Learn to let things go and move on.

5. Exercise regularly
Exercise is a great way to clear your mind and get rid of pent up stresses and frustrations.

Kodiak has many more workplace posters on the subject of
professional conduct.

To find out more, please give us a call on 01530 456 000.

 

Poster of the Month, May 2015: Harassment can lead to prosecution

HARASSMENT IS AGAINST THE LAW

If you target someone with negative behaviour on the grounds of their:

• Age
• Sex
• Race
• Disability
• Gender (including transgender)
• Marriage or civil partnership
• Pregnancy or maternity
• Religion or beliefs
• Sexual orientation

this counts as harassment and you could be prosecuted

May's Poster of the Month looks at the issue of harassment in the workplace.

While bullying and banter can both be serious workplace problems in their own right, harassment is actually a criminal offence that could lead to prosecution.

This poster serves as a reminder to employees that harassment will not be tolerated and could have serious consequences.

Kodiak posters regularly cover harassment as well as bullying, offensive banter and general professional conduct.

If you need posters on these subjects, we have a wide range available via our sales team.

For more information, please call us on 01530 456 000 or visit our website: www.kodiak.co.uk

Poster of the Month, January 2015: The importance of punctuality and running on time

ALWAYS LATE?

Try these tips to improve your punctuality

• Fill up your car the night before
• Get everything ready before you go to bed
• Set your wake-up alarm
• Get up as soon as your alarm goes off
• Shower first — it will help you to wake up
• Have a breakfast that is quick and easy to prepare
• Check traffic and weather for possible delays
• Watch the clock and leave earlier if necessary

Be on time, every time

January's Poster of the Month has been designed to help employees with their timekeeping. 

Punctuality is important. If someone persistently arrives late, it is unprofessional and disrespectful to those who make the effort to turn up on time. It can also let the team down if you are relying on that person to be in a certain place, at a certain time.

Employees should arrive on time and be ready to start work — having showered, eaten and picked up all their belongings, including PPE and other workplace essentials.

Kodiak posters regularly cover punctuality, organisation and time management skills. 

If you need posters on any of these subjects, we have a wide range available, via our sales team.

For more information, please call us on 01530 456 000 or visit our website: www.kodiak.co.uk

Poster of the Month, December 2014: Respectful communication in the workplace

 

A WEAK ARGUMENT

cannot be strengthened by volume
or aggressive language

Stop raising your voice and try raising your game

December's Poster of the Month is, essentially, a reminder to all employees about communicating respectfully with each other.

This means putting across a valid point, in a reasonable and considerate manner, without shouting or using abusive language.

It's a particularly relevant subject in the run up to Christmas, when deadlines are tight and tempers are often running high.

Kodiak posters regularly cover conflict, communication and listening skills. 

If you need posters on any of these subjects, we have a wide range available via our sales team.

For more information, please call us on 01530 456 000 or visit our website: www.kodiak.co.uk

Is social media getting your company noticed for the wrong reasons?

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When it comes to social media it seems even the big brands can get things very, very wrong.

From inappropriate tweeting to disastrous customer relations and audience engagement that spectacularly backfired — the Internet has seen it all.

Social sharing is putting companies and their employees under a very unforgiving spotlight, where every misdemeanour is magnified and shared — often to the point of going viral.

How is this material shared?

Twitter exchanges

Today, as I am writing this blog, there has been news coverage of a Twitter exchange between clothing retailer, Joy, and a tweet about one of their greetings cards.

A visitor to one of the company's London stores had tweeted the company to point out the offence that one of their cards could cause to people with bi-polar disorder. Their response was dismissive and insensitive.

Since the exchange began, mental health organisations have got involved and there has been a campaign to boycott or 'joycott' the store.

The company has apologised and the offending tweets appear to have been deleted from its timeline but, thanks to screenshots, they continue to be shared.

Audio recordings

This recorded exchange between a Comcast customer service agent and a customer who wanted to cancel his service is another example of an episode that went viral.

The customer recorded eight minutes of an extremely lengthy and awkward conversation in which he tried to cancel and the agent was excessively obstructive.

The company expressed its embarrassment after the exchange and has since investigated the incident to identify what went wrong. 

Complaint letters published online
One customer's disastrous experience with Ryanair led to this letter of complaint being posted online. Its humorous account of the customer's dealings with Ryanair staff soon became an Internet hit.

It was followed by this equally humorous letter sent from a customer who had experienced a terrible stay at a Britannia hotel.

According to Buzz Sumo, online content that evokes laughter and amusement is among the most likely to be shared.

Photographs

From broken products delivered in mishandled packages to incidents of foreign body food contamination. If your company's mistake can be photographed it can also be shared online.

Video footage

Many people now carry video-enabled mobile phones and many cyclists have helmet-mounted cameras. This means that anything from difficult customer service exchanges to [warning: the following clip contains extreme bad language NSFW]  incidents of road rage can be filmed covertly and uploaded without the consent of those involved. 

As technology becomes smaller and more discreet, we may not even be aware if we are being filmed, so maybe it's safest to assume we're always on camera.

Bad publicity like this is not easily forgotten.

Mud sticks and gaffes like these can be difficult for some companies to recover from.

With this in mind it's much better for incidents not to occur in the first place.


How do we prevent the incidents that lead to bad publicity?

Keep a closer eye on your social media accounts

Social media accounts are often considered a job for a junior employee, but this can be unwise. It may help to have a specific programme of content to communicate and for more senior staff to be on-hand to deal with customer interactions.

Encourage customer feedback

If customers have complaints it is much better for them to complain to you than to do it online. Always give them the opportunity to give feedback on their experience and if they do have complaints make sure you act on them and resolve them.

Listen to your employees

Encourage your employees to be open with you and tell you about persistent issues and frustrations they are having. Address these issues wherever possible.

Regularly review employee training

Training can help your employees to deal with day-to-day difficulties proactively, confidently and constructively.

Some of the ways employees can improve customer service include:

• Listening to the customer and acknowledging what he/she is saying
• Avoiding promising anything they might not be able to deliver
• Focusing on what they can do and doing it  
• Having a good attitude and being courteous

Drivers can minimise the risks of road rage by:

• Driving sensibly and avoiding antagonising other road users
• Paying special attention to vulnerable road users, such as cyclists
• Avoiding angry/provocative behaviour, like using hand gestures or flashing lights

Remind your employees of these basics on a regular basis

Kodiak's workplace poster programme regularly covers advice for providing good customer service and avoiding incidents out on the road.

To find out more, why not visit www.kodiak.co.uk or give us a call on 01530 456 000.

Tackling aggression and violence in the workplace

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Updated October 2014 

It seems everywhere I have been lately there have been notices about violence. They're in the hospital, in the Post Office, on the bus and even in some shops.

The HSE defines work-related violence as:

Any incident in which a person is abused, threatened or assaulted in circumstances relating to their work.

According to statistics from the British Crime Survey in 2012/13 there were 649,000 incidents of work-related violence. 

Assaults accounted for 332,000 of these, while 317,000 involved threats to victims.

More than half of the assaults resulted in physical injury and 3,697 of these resulted in at least seven days' absence from work.

Work-related violence and stress related absence

Of course it is not just injuries that result in employees being absent from work. Work-related violence is also a major cause of stress, which itself can be debilitating.

Frontline workers in healthcare, and protective services like the police, are identified as most at risk. The risks are also high for lone workers and those who come into contact with the general public. For example:

• anyone who drives for work could be exposed to incidents of road rage;
• lone drivers who deliver to their recipients' homes; and
• bus drivers who have contact with the public on a daily basis – sometimes late at night.

Internal conflicts may also lead to issues if unresolved workplace frustrations or personality clashes reach boiling point.

So what else can be done to combat the problem?

Continue to raise awareness
Make sure your employees understand exactly what violence is, what might cause it and how to recognise it. Identifying early warning signs, such as irrational behaviour, and reacting accordingly could help to prevent an incident.

Give practical advice
Consider everything your employees might need to know. From understanding the risks and using preventative techniques, to taking evasive action and following correct procedures in the aftermath of an incident.

For example, using the right tone of voice and body language can sometimes be instrumental in defusing potentially violent situations.

Address internal problems
Everyday conflicts and frustrations can become destructive over time, or in the heat of the moment. For some employees, knowing when to walk away from a situation and take five could avert an incident they may later regret.

Also consider security risks, such as expired or missing lightbulbs, broken fencing or piles of debris, which may provide a hiding place for would-be thieves.

Take a proactive approach by encouraging employees to report issues or take preventative action. It may help to nip a problem in the bud and stop it from evolving into something serious.

Install additional security measures
CCTV, alarm systems, panic buttons, two-way radios and extra locks are just some of the security measures available to safeguard your employees.

Encourage employees to report incidentsThis can be difficult, but if an incident of violence goes unreported, you may never know that you have a problem.

Be aware that incidents may be difficult to talk about – approach the subject sensitively and be prepared to offer further support should it be required.

Kodiak's workplace posters frequently addresses the subjects of anger, violence and personal security in the workplace. Our posters can help you communicate positively to potential victims and potential perpetrators.

If you would like more information on how our posters can help you tackle the threat of violence in your workplace, please contact us.

For daily tips on dealing with common workplace issues, why not follow us on Twitter.

If you would like to find out how Kodiak posters 
can help your business work smoother, smarter 
and safer, please call us on: 01530 456 000 
or email 

Work-related stress: Five things every employer should know

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Experts say we all need some pressure at work. It can be a positive and motivating force – even exciting with the thrill of the deadline and the camaraderie of the team. But if the pressure becomes excessive, that's when stress can creep in.

So what are the five things every employer should know?

1. The scale of the problem
Around half a million UK workers say they have suffered from some form of work-related stress. The estimated cost to Great Britain is £530 million and around 14 million lost working days each year.

The problem is widespread and appears to be growing. The HSE reports that the number of people suffering from work-related stress has more than doubled since 1990. (Source)

2. The causes of work-related stress
Stress manifests itself in different ways and is not attributable to a single cause as it often depends on the person. They may feel:

• overwhelmed by the demands of their job;
• stifled by having no control over the way they work;
• isolated and without enough support or information;
• uninformed about upcoming changes;
• unsettled if their role and responsibilities are not clearly defined; or
• intimdated or humiliated by bullying behaviour.

3. How work-related stress can affect your employees

In the short-term stress can cause feelings of anxiety and negativity coupled with poor memory and confusion.

Repeated exposure to stress over a longer period may result in physical symptoms, such as headaches, increased blood pressure/heart rate, muscle tension and upset stomachs.

In the long term these symptoms can become worse and even develop into more serious conditions such as depression, high blood pressure and heart disease.

Rather than seeking help from their employer or GP, those experiencing stress often resort to smoking, drinking or comfort eating, which puts an even bigger strain on their health.

4. How work-related stress can affect your business
For starters, employees under stress may exhibit poor performance at work. They may be less productive and more prone to making mistakes. Over time this may start to impact on your quality, service or customers.

Research shows that groups of employees under stress are more prone to disputes, grievances and general unrest.

More worryingly, stress can cause disturbed sleep, which can be very dangerous, especially if the employee is a driver or operates heavy machinery.

According to Bupa, work-related stress is one of the main causes of sick leave in the UK, with one in six working adults claiming to have suffered from it. Empoyees off sick causes extra stress and pressure for those employees who are left to pick up the slack.

Rather than seeking help from their employer, the employee may just decide to look for another job. This could mean that the time, effort and expense taken to recruit and train the person could all go to waste.

5. How you can tackle work-related stress

Educate your employees 
Explain the difference between positive pressure and negative stress. Make sure they are aware of the symptoms i.e. what is normal and what they should be concerned about.

Encourage them to talk to someone
In the first instance they should talk to a supervisor or manager about the problem. This is a vital first step in getting to the root of the issue and resolving it.

Give practical advice
Are they approaching the task in the best way and with the right attitude? Are they overcomplicating a task or making extra work for themselves? Would they benefit from further training? Are they taking care of their health (getting enough sleep, eating a healthy diet, keeping hydrated etc)

Kodiak's motivational poster programme regularly covers stress and the issues surrounding it to educate and advise your employees.

To find out more about how Kodiak's posters can help you manage stress in your workplace, please contact us.

For daily tips on dealing with common workplace issues, why not follow us on Twitter.

If you would like to find out how Kodiak posters 
can help your business work smoother, smarter 
and safer, please call us on: 01530 456 000 
or email us.