< PreviousDefinition of creativity: The use of imagination or original ideas to create something new, innovative, and exciting. This past six months has seen me reconnect with my creative side and I know I am not the only one. From the beginning of lockdown, we have been thrown into a new way of living, spending more time indoors with less opportunity and freedom at our finger tips, so we have had to think of new ways to occupy our minds, and creative hobbies have been a huge part of that. From textiles to gardening, from wood work to baking, if we reflect at how we have spent some of our time these past few months, I bet we can all say we have embarked on something new and something creative at some stage. Now I ask you - how did it make you feel? I know how it made me feel; happy, satisfied, productive, and excited. Having a background in the arts, for me getting creative is a part of who I am and if I don’t refuel my creative tank regularly, I run out of steam and lose my mojo very quickly - particularly when it comes to running my business - so I know in order to operate my business to its maximum potential, I have to keep myself topped up with the creative stuff, though I do realise not everyone feels the same about art and creativity. So, what if you are not artistic? This is actually irrelevant, because when it comes to business you do not need to be artistic to be creative, nor be creative to generate new ideas. Now more than ever is the time when many businesses have had to adapt, think outside the box and be innovative with their ideas - launching new arms to their existing offerings, pivoting their business models to slot into the current times, and some are even starting brand new ventures, or at least considering it. If you resonate with any, or all the above, then you will have at some stage had to participate in some form of idea generation and if not yet, you will. The idea of incorporating creativity into business for many can be daunting and seem ‘fluffy’ and unnecessary, but as psychologist Edward de Bono says: “Creative thinking is not a talent, it is a skill that can be learned. It empowers people by in business By Fiona Duncan-Steer, founder of RSViP Business Networking Agency. For help in getting started with your creativity in business strategy contact me to arrange a free discovery call: fiona@rsvipnetwork.co.uk www.fionaduncansteer.com www.rsvipnetwork.co.uk 40 East Midlands Business Link www.eastmidlandsbusinesslink.co.uk NETWORKING adding strength to their natural abilities which improves on teamwork, productivity and where appropriate, profits.” Yes creativity is a skill that can be learned. With the right tools and techniques in place, you can become a master of creativity for yourself or for your team and after all, great leaders are those who coach and empower others to think for themselves - creatively. With the use of various frameworks anyone, and I mean anyone, can encourage those creative juices to flow and generate those light bulb moments that may end up becoming the most ground breaking ideas in your industry and at very least be the new business venture you are looking for, the new diversification in your current business you need right now or the solution to a challenge you are currently facing. Amazingly, Mac’s multiple typefaces come from a calligraphy class Steve Jobs once took part in: “If I had never dropped in on that single course in college, the Mac would never have multiple typefaces or proportionally spaced fonts and since Windows just copied the Mac, it’s likely that no personal computer would have them.” Going back to that definition at the beginning of this article, the words ‘imagination’, ‘original ideas’, ‘innovative’, and ‘exciting’ all link to that one word - creativity. We are all born with creativity, intuition, imagination, and curiosity – four human traits that can effectively never be replaced by AI or robots. So why would we not harness those superpowers and utilise them to achieve great things? It is never too late to become the leader in your industry and how do you become that leader? By daring to use your imagination, combined with the curiosity to try new things, intuition to guide you in the right direction, and creativity to land ground-breaking new innovative ideas this world still has plenty of room for. I challenge you to invest time in integrating creativity into your business, into your working week, into your marketing strategies, into your teams and watch what happens… A business without creativity is a business without ideas. Creativity 40-41.qxp_Layout 1 09/11/2020 13:36 Page 1www.eastmidlandsbusinesslink.co.uk East Midlands Business Link 45 NETWORKING © Steve Edwards Photography 40-41.qxp_Layout 1 16/11/2020 14:58 Page 242 East Midlands Business Link www.eastmidlandsbusinesslink.co.uk WATER AND WASTE MANAGEMENT Water resources are under increasing pressure from climate change, population growth and the need to protect the environment. However, increasing ambition from government, regulators, water companies and businesses are together having a profound impact in the amount of water that’s being used and how wastewater is being treated and recycled. Even media, marketing and other non-water intensive industries still use water every single day. Toilets, sinks, water coolers, dishwashes, not to mention the water involved in the commercial cleaning of an office block or building – it all adds up. Fortunately for businesses of this kind, there are several easy ways to reduce consumption and use water more efficiently. Businesses can switch to a more efficient water company that’s better aligned for the environment and a company’s overheads. There are simple and often inexpensive options to help reduce water usage in the workplace, such as fitting water aerators to taps. Then there are displacement devices which can be placed in toilet cisterns so that less water is used per flush. Alternatively, companies can install duel flush toilets. If an office or facility has a garden, a water butt can be installed to gather rainwater which can then be used to water grounds. Even with solutions such as these, companies should still carry out regular water audits to determine where water inefficiencies are taking place. One of the biggest issues here is leaks, which not only waste water and cost money, but can lead to damage and costly repairs – especially as not all business insurance policies cover flooding of this kind. As part of this audit process, it’s also worth determining where wastewater is going and if it can be recycled into other areas of the business or sent to a more environmentally- friendly treatment plant. There are a number of technologies that can be used in the water treatment process depending on the requirement and, indeed, the type of wastewater. Of these technologies, it’s filtration that is most commonly used thanks to cost-effective and reliable nature. Reverse osmosis, which removes contaminants from water by using pressure to force water molecules through a semipermeable membrane, has grown in popularity over the years because of its high levels of effectiveness. Treating and purifying water with ultraviolet (UV) light, however, has become a mainstay because of its efficiency, affordability Managing waste responsibly Food and water are two of the biggest commercial waste streams. Although there are steps companies can take to mitigate waste in-house, they must also ensure their waste is treated in a responsible and environmentally-friendly manner. 44 Á 42-44.qxp_Layout 1 09/11/2020 13:37 Page 1www.eastmidlandsbusinesslink.co.uk East Midlands Business Link 43 WATER AND WASTE MANAGEMENT © Shutterstock /People Image Studio 42-44.qxp_Layout 1 09/11/2020 13:37 Page 244 East Midlands Business Link www.eastmidlandsbusinesslink.co.uk WATER AND WASTE MANAGEMENT © Shutterstock /Dmitry Naumov and longevity. Even at a domestic level, a UV water purification system can destroy 99.9 per cent of waterborne microorganisms in a single pass. Unlike some of the other technologies and systems available, UV is an environmentally-friendly alternative and results in no disinfection by- products, making it a popular option in the food and drink industry. Using the correct and consistent dosage, UV treatment has been proven to deactivate the entire rogue’s gallery of microorganisms attribute to spoilage, from viruses right through to moulds. Moreover, its electrical needs are low, meaning it can run consistently with low operating cost, as well as wasting no water, making it a win-win. Whatever the business or sector, reducing water usage isn’t only an environmental imperative, but a means of cutting costs. But there’s no denying that some industries produce massive amounts of wastewater that simply cannot be prevented. Therefore, the onus is on treating that wastewater and recycling it, creating a closed loop solution and helping to solve the water crisis before it ever truly begins. Although water is one of the biggest waste streams, it’s not the only one. In the UK alone, some 7.3 million tonnes of food waste is produced every year. The responsible recycling of food waste offers several benefits to businesses as well as the ripple effect on the environment, our urban spaces and the people that inhabit them. But businesses can perhaps be forgiven for being unsure of how best to dispose of their food waste. Do they donate surplus food and drinks to food banks and other charities, as an increasing number of supermarkets, restaurants retailers? Or do they send their waste to anaerobic digestion (AD) plants where it can be turned into biogas? The answer comes down to size and scalability. For a food business, the former option can be much more viable. There will be peaks and troughs in terms of yield, products sold and surplus. Much of this will still be perfectly edible, but it might be approaching its best before date. A company can forge agreements with one or several food charities and social enterprises to donate quality excess food. No doubt there will also be spoiled products that is unsuitable for human consumption which can be sent to AD facilities. Collecting food waste for AD plants is becoming more commonplace, with numerous trials confirming their logistical legitimacy in our region. Businesses could be free to sign up to regular collections where their waste is taken away and used to generate renewable energy. Surplus products from vending machines can be donated to food banks, so long as they are still edible and fit for human consumption. And that’s exactly what businesses across our region are doing. Collected food is steered away from landfill and sent instead to anaerobic digestion plants. A typical AD plant can generate up to 1,800 cubic metres of biogas from two tonnes of food waste. This is enough to produce 1,800 kilowatt hour of renewable electricity. The Waste and Resources Action Programme (or WRAP) claims that, if the UK achieved zero food waste to landfill by 2020, the nation could reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 27 million tonnes, with businesses saving £2 billion. Food waste isn’t the only by-product used to produce renewable biogas. Agricultural waste is also hugely important in supplying this burgeoning industry. Farming businesses can either work in tandem with a biogas company or, more commonly, choose to erect a digester on their own land. This is a more sustainable option than the wooden pellets more commonly associated with biogas. Studies increasingly doubt the environmental validity of this approach, despite conservation efforts from suppliers. No matter much we close the loop, there will always be waste streams… and that’s okay. The important issue is in how those waste streams are managed and recycled. As we go forward, businesses can no longer afford to shirk their responsibilities and are increasingly taking a more proactive role in their waste. 42-44.qxp_Layout 1 09/11/2020 13:38 Page 3www.eastmidlandsbusinesslink.co.uk East Midlands Business Link 45 EDUCATION AND TRAINING A shrinking talent pool, increased digitalisation, and economic influences are forcing the skills gap to widen, and it is affecting the nation’s productivity, which is now recognised as the lowest amongst the G7. Organisations in the UK are shelling out £4.4 billion a year as a result of the skills shortage, with well in excess of half of employers having struggled to find staff with the required skills in the past year. Increased recruitment costs, inflated salaries and the training required for those hired at a lower level than needed, as well as temporary staffing are all highlighted as causes for this expense. Our region is fortunate in being the host of world class facilities, a plethora of training programs and specialist training providers, leading higher education institutions and up-skilling funding opportunities. The East Midlands is rife with opportunities for business and education institution collaborations in particular. For instance Continuing Professional Development (CPD) is offered by universities across the region. CPD refers to the learning activities 46 Á © Shutterstock /Rawpixel.com Solving the skills shortage With a shrinking talent pool across almost all industries, training and education has never been more important for filling the skills shortage. But in the wake of the pandemic, the way training is undertaken has evolved. East Midlands Business Link explores. 45-47.qxp_Layout 1 09/11/2020 13:40 Page 146 East Midlands Business Link www.eastmidlandsbusinesslink.co.uk EDUCATION AND TRAINING © Shutterstock /Alexander Supertramp employers and employees complete to grow, develop and enhance their skills to ensure their academic and practical qualifications do not become outdated, enabling continuous development of professional abilities and allowing employers and employees to stay at the forefront of their professions. While universities, with their specialist up to date knowledge, offer a range of readymade courses for individuals and organisations, from using people analytics in HR to courses in system safety engineering for those working in computer science, if there is a precise development path one needs employees to follow, bespoke education programmes can be designed in collaboration with many of the region’s universities. Custom programmes present a variety of flexible and effective education options that will inspire talent. Universities are prepared to work closely with business to understand them and the challenges they face, to meet learning needs as well as form courses that fit to a preferred time frame. With CPD talent can be retained, a team’s specialist skills developed and a business’s productivity enhanced. Courses on offer vary from short courses offering a combination of strategic, practical and core skills to re-enter the workplace with, to longer term leadership and management programmes for new, middle, and senior managers, business owners and entrepreneurs, to sector specific training courses designed for one’s industry, to online and distance learning so one can study flexibly from anywhere. These can be credit or non-credit earning. Building a culture that features growth and leaning opportunities is important for a plethora of reasons - not only is it good for businesses and has an impact on the bottom line, but up-skilling can impact employee satisfaction and retention. Twenty-one per cent of employees indicate the they are more likely to stay at a business that supports their development. Businesses can also collaborate with universities and other education institutions to gain access to high calibre students, for instance by developing a partnership to offer degree apprenticeships that allow students to gain work experience while getting the qualification of a degree and professional accreditation, but also opening up a talent pool with the skills needed by employers. In the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, online training has grown in popularity and prevalence. Although online training has existed in one form or another for decades with many people – from students right through to senior staff – taking advantage of it. Since lockdown, however, it has exploded in usage as apprentices look to maintain their learning, companies complete their employees’ training, and individuals that are now based from home, or have been made redundant in the wake of outbreak, to upskill. Outside of the pandemic, the appeal and popularity of online training lies in its flexibility. From a home office or smart device, it can be worked around any schedule, fitting in with other engagements and appointments. It can also even be undertaken on-the-go, turning that daily train or bus commute into a learning opportunity. That same 45-47.qxp_Layout 1 09/11/2020 13:40 Page 2www.eastmidlandsbusinesslink.co.uk East Midlands Business Link 47 EDUCATION AND TRAINING flexibility is what gives online training an edge, allowing an uninterrupted learning stream for all manner of individuals while they observe social distancing regulations. Small surprise that many traditional training providers have made the transition to online learning, in part or in full. No doubt misconceptions existed around online training before the pandemic with some employers perhaps reluctant to use them over the misguided perception that they aren’t the equal of in-person training or lack the range of subjects. This couldn’t be further from the truth. Online courses cover a diversity of subjects from health & safety, administration and quality assurance right through to management and everything in between. Because of the nature of e-learning and the flexibility we’ve already touched on, it means training providers are uniquely positioned to get creative with their content and how it’s delivered. This ‘out of the box’ thinking offers a great opportunity to make courses and learning content more engaging, memorable and, thusly, more effective. It also means that content can be continually refreshed and updated with the latest research and findings in a way that traditional location-based courses simply can’t compete with. Providers also have access to analytic data from which they can see what does and doesn’t work about the courses they provide and, crucially, the way in which they’re delivered. As we look towards future, training of every kind will prove crucial to ensuring there’s a talent pipeline in place for all sectors to draw from and that the skills shortage diminishes rather than continues to widen. 45-47.qxp_Layout 1 09/11/2020 13:40 Page 348 East Midlands Business Link www.eastmidlandsbusinesslink.co.uk OMS Q&A Tell us a little about OMS and what you do. OMS is a multiple award-winning training and consultancy firm based in Coalville, East Midlands. We have over 22 years trading experience, supporting both local and national clients and are certified to ISO 9001 Quality management system, ISO 14001 Environmental management system and ISO 45001 Health and Safety management system. The business is split into two divisions, one covering training and the other consultancy, allowing each division to provide the necessary focus, resource and expertise in each discipline to ensure a positive customer experience. The Consultancy Division specialises in providing advice and support in: • General Health and Safety • Making your workplace “Covid- secure” • Human Resources • TUPE • ISO 9001 Quality Management Systems • ISO 14001 Environmental Management Systems • ISO 45001 Health and Safety Management Systems • ISO 22301 Business Continuity Management Systems • System audits • Site inspections and audits The consultancy support we provide is bespoke to your organisational and considers the activities you carry out and the level of support you want us to provide. The Training Division specialises in providing a range of both in-house and public training courses and is approved by several nationally recognised awarding bodies, these include: • NEBOSH • IOSH • CITB Site Safety Plus • IPAF • PASMA • Ladder Association • SPA • UKATA • City & Guilds • ILM (Institute of Leadership and Management) • CQI-IRCA • Worksafe OMS prides itself on the portfolio of clients that it has managed to secure, including Amazon, BT, Molson Coors, Triumph Motorcycles, Qualcomm, Legal & General Insurance, AIG, Inchcape Shipping Services as well as local SMEs, and has an enviable client retention rate and consistently receives exceptional feedback. With the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic what challenges do you foresee companies facing? COVID-19 has brought into sharp focus the impact that a global pandemic can have, impacting not just on the world economy, but also the everyday life of every individual on the planet. It has highlighted how fast a virus can spread across the globe and the devastating impact on health and life it has had, not only physically, but mentally too. A big challenge that companies face is how to operate both safely and economically at the same time. One example is that health and safety regulations and social distancing mean it is harder to get the same efficiencies from your business as was possible pre- COVID. This may impact on margins even after demand recovers. The OMS training business is impacted by us imposing a reduced number of candidates on each course, to enable safe social distancing, and having additional costs by providing a more stringent cleaning regime, face coverings, temperature checks, sanitising stations and changes to the premises to ensure that we are Covid-secure for our staff and visitors. The Hospitality sector has also been badly impacted through reducing the number of people they can have on their premises impacting on their revenue. The furlough scheme ended 31 October 2020 and is not being extended, however, it is being replaced by the Jobs Support Scheme, but the government’s contribution is reduced. This will have a further negative impact on businesses that are already struggling to stay afloat, and those companies will Q&A OMS We spoke with OMS about the ongoing challenges of the pandemic and what firms can do to become COVID-secure. 48-49.qxp_Layout 1 09/11/2020 13:43 Page 1www.eastmidlandsbusinesslink.co.uk East Midlands Business Link 49 OMS Q&A cut back on their spending, having a knock-on effect on other businesses and will inevitably lead to job losses. The vulnerability of global supply chains has also been highlighted and businesses will need to move to develop more resilient supply and distribution systems, as they need to place a greater value on supply reliability. That may also come at a cost. Many of the old economy or offline businesses now realise they need to have a full online offering. This will result in significant profit margin pressure, as these companies become encumbered with dual cost structures associated with running a legacy store, or branch network, alongside supporting a growing online business. This may mean that these businesses may operate at a cost disadvantage versus those digitally based companies. The geopolitical fallout with respect to the EU and the UK, and China and the US, is also making it very difficult to plan capital expenditure in industries where margins are already squeezed and it is difficult for them to generate the required return on capital. What can companies do to help mitigate the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic challenges? It is important to have forward planning in place to include sound financial forecasting. Sound financial forecasting will enable you to predict future sales, costs and cash-flow allowing you to put in place a strategy to navigate you through the uncertain times caused by the dynamics of this pandemic. Financial forecasts reduce financial risk, as it allows you to project anticipated short-term and longer-term financial performance and, where possible, adjust the business outgoings or identify funding requirements to get you through the lean times. Linked to this is the need to be agile and realise that, in light of your forecast, changes will probably need to be made to adapt to the “new normal”, whatever that becomes. Implementing Covid-Secure Being Covid-secure is a legal requirement for all organisations operating in the UK. Covid-secure is a critical element in keeping your organisation open and looking after your customer requirements. There are several reasons to ensure that your organisation is Covid-secure. Firstly, you want to make sure that you look after your staff, as without them you are in trouble. You not only want them to be safe, but also feel safe, and are confident to come into work knowing that you have their interests at heart. If you are customer interfacing, you also need to look after them and make them feel safe. So, how do I make sure we are COVID-Secure? There are several areas that need to be considered and a good starting point is carrying out a risk assessment. Assess the risk by carrying out a COVID-19 risk assessment - as an employer, you must protect people from harm. This includes taking reasonable steps to protect your workers and others from coronavirus. This is called a COVID- 19 risk assessment and it will help you manage risk and protect people. You must: • identify what work activity or situations might cause transmission of the virus • think about who could be at risk • decide how likely it is that someone could be exposed • act to remove the activity or situation, or if this is not possible, control the risk. If you have fewer than five employees, you do not have to write anything down, but it might help if you do. To seek advice or assistance don’t hesitate to contact us on 01530 833533 or info@oms.uk.com 48-49.qxp_Layout 1 09/11/2020 13:43 Page 2Next >