< Previous40 East Midlands Business Link www.eastmidlandsbusinesslink.co.uk REFRIGERATION and ship out pharmaceutical products as quickly as possible to their final destination. As such, while it might result in energy savings to install several doors between the cold storage facility, and the loading bays, this only slows down the productivity of the workers within, and how soon they can have the stock shipped out. Air curtains provide a potential solution to this problem, or at the very least minimise the loss of heat at loading bays. A cold store air curtain works by creating a curtain of air that cuts through currents, creating a barrier between the external ambient air, and the chilled temperature within a cold store. The greatest benefit of these systems is not just the ability for the air curtain to minimise energy loss through temperature contamination, but also to allow continual access for any workers. There is no door to be opened or closed, and the curtain is safe for workers to travel through as they deliver and remove palletised goods. Not only does this improve general efficiency within the cold store, but it also enables rooms to be kept at varying temperatures – important when a facility might have to cater for a wide range of pharmaceutical products, that might require varying levels of refrigerated storage. Of course, there is more to efficiently running a temperature-controlled storage facility than plugging up the entrances. Managing stock within the distribution centre can become increasingly more complex, as the temperatures are kept lower. For instance, machinery and systems that rely on battery power can come under risk, as continued exposure to the cold has a negative impact on batteries - typically resulting in fifty per cent degradation to battery life. This can become a larger concern with the move towards electric lift trucks and fork-lifts, which can see vehicles running out of power at inopportune moments. When it comes to workers within these facilities as well, there are a host of new concerns and problems to be aware of, many of which will require some remedial training for companies moving employees to cold store facilities. In the above example of electric vehicles, staff need to be made aware that a vehicle which is marked © Shutterstock /Sorn340 Studio Images 38-41.qxp_Layout 1 02/04/2020 15:35 Page 3www.eastmidlandsbusinesslink.co.uk East Midlands Business Link 41 REFRIGERATION down as having an eight-hour battery life, might struggle to manage more than four or five. Changing the labelling on these vehicles can go a long way to preventing problems, alternatively investing in batteries with larger voltages can help minimise the problems. One way that retailers are adapting to this is to better utilise what space they currently have available, either through better allocation of resources, or by bringing in outside companies to design and identify ways to more effectively utilise the same space. For many, however, this may not be an option. With warehouses becoming increasingly cramped, and the demands for frozen and chilled goods increasing year-on-year, the only remaining option is often to rent or invest in new warehouse facilities. Last year already showed a sharp decline in the availability of big box warehouse spaces, as more and more was being purchased or rented even during the financial crisis. Ultimately the supply chain is what causes a proportion of losses due to cold storage and distribution, and when it comes to plugging the gaps, these are possibly the areas to pay more attention to. © Shutterstock /Sorn340 Studio Images 38-41.qxp_Layout 1 02/04/2020 15:35 Page 442 East Midlands Business Link www.eastmidlandsbusinesslink.co.uk PUBLIC RELATIONS O n the day that I write this, I was meant to meet Piers Morgan - no relation to the headline. It was part of a major 3-day conference that I was sponsoring at the ICC in Birmingham which as you might imagine, had been the subject of major speculation for the last 30 days. Delegates were getting anxious, all 1,500 of them, as were the sponsors, especially me, as it was a major investment and one that for now, I will have to recoup later in the year. More on that later. However, in and amongst all the speculation, most of it total guess work I might add, was some great communication by the event organisers. They were in touch constantly over every social channel and directly via email. They explained that up until a certain point, the event WOULD be going ahead but that they were seeking advice and clarification on a number of matters. This gave us all as much certainty as it had been possible to give at that instant so we could plan as best as we could too. For most of last week, which for reference was the 16th-20th March, I spent my time helping clients and associates navigate how to keep their customers informed about their latest projects, products or services in light of the unfolding and ever-changing COVID-19 crisis. The key thing was the need for proactive communication. It is no good waiting for the phone to ring to confirm you are open for business or for an email to pop up to reply back in the affirmative. Right now, your customers, your prospects and even your suspects are still seeking solutions, they still need support and advice. Most of all, they crave certainty and to know that you are there for them. They don’t actually mind that you are providing that support from your The REAL ‘C’ word is By Greg Simpson, founder of Press for Attention PR and Enterprise Nation Champion for Nottingham. 42-43.qxp_Layout 1 02/04/2020 15:38 Page 1www.eastmidlandsbusinesslink.co.uk East Midlands Business Link 43 PUBLIC RELATIONS kitchen table, the spare room or even the garden shed. They just want to know that they have a resource available. Or not. If you are NOT open for business or if it isn’t quite business as usual, then you shouldn’t be afraid to explain that. Nobody will blame you; these are unprecedented times and for many there will be a significant period of adjustment needed. All you need to do right now is ensure that you are making those adjustments and you are making progress with whatever solutions you find. I mentioned earlier that I had made a major investment in that show. As part of being a sponsor I had some exhibitor space. So, I had a great big pop up stand designed and printed for me by the wonderful team at Essential Print in Derby ready to roll in time for the show just in case it DID go ahead. It is HUGE. I haven’t needed to pick it up yet and indeed, the logistics of doing so are now a little more complicated BUT again, I know that the Essential Print team is open for business but that we will have to find a different means of collection because they emailed me immediately to explain all of this. In fact, they emailed me, texted me and even whatsapped me with progress reports all week to ensure we met the deadline that we were originally working to. They were excellent throughout. So remember, communication is the real ‘C’ word this year and that is why for now that stand will be repurposed as a background studio for my video calls and consultancy as I alter the way I provide my services. If you fancy a chat, join me online. 42-43.qxp_Layout 1 02/04/2020 15:38 Page 244 East Midlands Business Link www.eastmidlandsbusinesslink.co.uk FAMILY BUSINESS A ccording to the Institute of Family Business, two thirds of businesses in the UK are family-owned. That’s 4.8 million in all, 16,000 of which are medium and large businesses. Across the East Midlands, there’s tens of thousands of family business employers – some are fledgling companies, others have been established for hundreds of years, but together family businesses generate over a quarter of UK Gross Domestic Pound. In 2016, for example, the family business sector paid £149 billion in tax, which is twenty-one per cent of UK Government revenues. It isn’t just their production output and financial contribution that makes this sector such an indispensable part of the British economy, but also what it offers in terms of recruitment. Family firms employ approximately 12.2 million people in the UK and account for forty-seven per cent of private sector employment. It’s no exaggeration to say that family-run businesses are the backbone of our economy, but they’re not without a unique set of challenges, as we explore. first 46 Á Family 44-47.qxp_Layout 1 02/04/2020 15:39 Page 1www.eastmidlandsbusinesslink.co.uk East Midlands Business Link 45 FAMILY BUSINESS © Shutterstock /tomertu 44-47.qxp_Layout 1 02/04/2020 15:40 Page 246 East Midlands Business Link www.eastmidlandsbusinesslink.co.uk FAMILY BUSINESS The familiarity between family members means that they might behave with one another in a way they wouldn’t with unrelated employees. And working with family members runs the risk of bringing household drama into the workplace. Not only can this create tensions between related employees but can also make working life difficult for all staff. It’s inevitable that any family-run businesses serious about growth will have to look outside the clan when recruiting. Ensuring that these staff members can work free of bickering is critical. If not, a business is likely to struggle holding onto talent which can seriously scupper growth plans. One of the other potential threats for family businesses is nepotism, or rather the appearance of favouring one staff member over another simply because they’re related to you. It has to be said, however, that this won’t always be the fault of the employer, and can often give disgruntled employees a means of expressing their dissatisfaction at losing out on a promotion or raise. Say, for example, two employees are vying for a newly created or recently vacated position. Both candidates possess valuable skillsets which would be invaluable to the role, and both have the The familiarity between family members means that they might behave with one another in a way they wouldn’t with unrelated employees. And working with family members runs the risk of bringing household drama into the workplace. 44-47.qxp_Layout 1 02/04/2020 15:40 Page 3www.eastmidlandsbusinesslink.co.uk East Midlands Business Link 47 FAMILY BUSINESS © Shutterstock /fizkes right kinds of experience. In fact, both are evenly matched when it comes to experience, ability and time served with the company. One of them, however, happens to be the son or daughter of the managing director, while the other is an unrelated employee. If the MD selects their own kin for the position, the other candidate could throw around claims of nepotism – claims they could very well take to tribunal. This isn’t an easy burden for family businesses to bear, but being objective is critical to ensuring workplace harmony and the continued success of the company. Business leaders need to think of their relatives as they would any other employee, especially when it comes to promotion and discipline. This is by no means a silver bullet, but it should help to ease any accusations of “it’s one rule for us, another for them”. For family businesses, the challenges don’t end in the board room, sales floor or warehouse. Working together with family members does invite the danger of talking shop over personal phone calls or, should they live together, over dinner. Mental health experts claim that there should be a separation between one’s work and social lives, but this is difficult when both cross over with one another. Some companies have found success in creating specific times or areas where business talk is forbidden, thereby creating that separation between work life and home. But, ultimately, it comes down to the individuals involved and, as ever, what works for one company head won’t necessarily do so for another. Family-run companies are the beating heart of British business, permeating every sector right up and down the country. Long may it continue. © Shutterstock /Aleksandar Karanov © Shutterstock /Albina Glisic 44-47.qxp_Layout 1 02/04/2020 15:40 Page 448 East Midlands Business Link www.eastmidlandsbusinesslink.co.uk CORPORATE HOSPITALITY I n the COVID-19 pandemic, “normal” corporate hospitality has gone out of the window. While this could have seen a complete dropping of the corporate hospitality ball, instead, plenty of alternative ideas have cropped up to rescue networking and relationship building. Where business events from roundtables to seminars, product launches, meetings and conferences are concerned, one doubts anyone in the region has seen so many cancellations and postponements take place at one time, however this has not stopped gatherings being reborn, through webinars, video conferencing and live streaming platforms, which are ready to accommodate these events in a new format to keep business going. These alternatives are allowing professionals to connect from home, hear speakers, learn, comment and have discussions through live chats and take part in Q&As, as well as network online thanks to platforms such as Zoom, WorkCast or even YouTube and Facebook. Virtual events come with many advantages. They can cut costs, doing away with venue rental fees, catering Engaging with events despite COVID-19 © Shutterstock /fizkes© Shutterstock /one photo As masses of events are cancelled, virtual alternatives have stepped in. 48-50.qxp_Layout 1 02/04/2020 15:41 Page 1www.eastmidlandsbusinesslink.co.uk East Midlands Business Link 49 CORPORATE HOSPITALITY and staff, while attendees don’t need to book hotels and transport. In addition your event is not limited to the size of a venue, and with reduced expenses one can cover more niche topics. Meanwhile, an event speaker can be brought in from anywhere, and speakers can even pre-record their talk if they aren’t available during an event’s allocated running time. One can also record the entire session for use in future marketing, and send it as a follow up to attendees post-event. Holding an event online comes with a further benefit of being able to analyse traffic, how many views you got, what the interaction levels were like, where people clicked off during a presentation, and how many questions were asked. Plus, one can build a solid list of contacts, as most digital events need attendees to input their details to join. A virtual event should reflect an in person one. For example featuring speakers, breakouts and networking opportunities. Running such an event involves much of the same aspects you would expect in a real life scenario. One should organise your topic/s and themes, conduct speaker outreach, create a website or page online to highlight the benefits of attending and the agenda, decide where you will host your video, test it, and ensure speakers understand how to use the platform, choose the ideal time to attract attendees and of course promote the event via email, social media and blogs. Follow up post-event is also key, so put a communication plan in place - perhaps you will send delegates content from the event, or ask for feedback. You may utilise a private LinkedIn group to allow 50 Á 48-50.qxp_Layout 1 02/04/2020 15:41 Page 2Next >