The Swiss watch industry has dominated ever since the 1800s when farmers began assembling handcrafted mechanical watches during harsh winter months. Today Swiss watches are synonymous with luxury and prestige. But can the Swiss watchmaking industry survive?

Technology has transformed what collectors want from a watch… or has it?

The release of the Apple watch, and the many other designs that have followed suit, has revolutionized watchmaking for the first time in centuries. With ever-increasing demands on our schedules, millions of consumers are investing in the convenience of having a mini-computer strapped to their wrist. Why would you wear a watch that can only tell the time when a smartwatch can answer your calls, text your friends and track your fitness goals?

And yet for traditional and new watch collecting aficionados, a smart watch is the equivalent of a factory van to an exotic car collector – it misses the point entirely. Even watches that integrate traditional craftsmanship with the functionality of digital technology will fail to capture the attention of true collectors. The love affair with Swiss-made mechanical watches is one that can be passed on from generation to generation, with quality that will last a lifetime.

And thus classical watchmakers have an opportunity to capitalize on and appeal to an emerging market of watch collectors: a generation that grew up with technology and rejects its omnipresence. As the popularity of mindfulness activities such as yoga and meditation peak, so too do the low-tech, slow tech, neo-luddite and tech-free movements. A growing swathe of people reject wearables that ‘ping’ us away from the present moment. Time is a treasure, and while a watch can keep time, it shouldn’t control it.

Although collectors may stick to Swiss-made classical models, consumers have come to expect a curated, technology-driven discovery and buying experience. For example, a magazine advert can now include augmented reality (AR) links, which mean if you put your phone over a photo, an immersive video about the watch can begin to play. At CuleM, we have developed an app called Try On CuleM, so that users can try on all the watches in our first World GMT Collection from their desk or dining room table. By utilising new technologies watchmakers can reach new, wider audiences, and can help consumers ‘try on’ a watch – even if they are nowhere near a retail outlet. This can lead to increased sales and help a traditional brand reach a tech-savvy audience.

Luxury watch brands committed to innovation will drive future demand. Season after season, classical watchmakers release a new edition of a vintage watch – “best-selling vintage watches reimagined.” However, mature brands can no longer afford to play it safe as independent watchmakers like Akrivia and Singer Reimagined challenge the likes of Rolex and Omega.

While the Swiss watchmaking industry is full of staggeringly creative and talented people, they often work for organisations driven by the bottom line and relying on their reputation and heritage – not their innovation. I believe that an overreliance on profits translates into lost creativity and a tired routine of re-releasing best-selling models.

Unlike the technology industry, where Google, for example, encourages its employees to focus 20% of their time on side projects, traditional Swiss watch brands lack novel curiosity and innovation. For watchmaking talent, even a few hours a week focused on creativity and lateral thinking can lead to the uncovering of new and innovative designs that can transform a brand, and its earnings.

Watch brands that seize the opportunity to make the ideas of the past relevant in the 21st century are more likely to cement their place in the industry and its future. For instance, I worked with veteran designer Damien Ummel to challenge and evolve the design standards of a standard GMT travel watch. CuleM’s inaugural GMT World Timers solve the historical inaccuracy of travel watches for the first time, and display the correct time in 24 time zones – an essential feature for the globetrotters of our generation.  By looking to the future, rather than to the past, the watch industry has an opportunity both to remain relevant and to reach new consumers. By constantly looking backwards at design, it will fail to achieve either.

Artificial intelligence (AI) can help the luxury watch industry remain relevant. The power of artificial intelligence (AI) to drive intelligent marketing has begun to evolve the watch industry as we know it. Emotional Analytics (EMO), a start-up based in Singapore for instance, uses artificial intelligence to group data from billions of social content updates into topics of interest by mapping out the emotional engagement with each topic.

This insight can help ensure data-driven growth for industry players. For example, EMO recently studied new watch brands with a price point below $500. This revealed some very interesting insights that watch brands can capitalise on to ensure they are creating watches that people really want. For example; people have a strong preference for Swiss automatic watches, like diving, pilot, and dress watches; they prefer 42mm watches or small 38mm watches and have a neutral opinion about 40mm watches; nato and rubber straps are the most popular; and the most popular colours are blue and black. This kind of insight can help reduce the risks when launching a new watch, and enables a brand to combine innovation with design aspects that consumers want.

Baselworld has long been the most important event of the industry’s calendar, and while I enjoyed the palpable, passionate energy of Baselworld in March, many independent watch brands are choosing to forego the show altogether in favour of investing in contemporary online marketing channels. Exhibitions need to embrace the future and new technology if they are to remain relevant and attract the visitors that will make the cost of exhibiting worthwhile.

Unfortunately for Baselworld, it is not the only industry player which can offer behind-the-scenes access to new watch innovations and releases. Social media influencers, for instance, can target millions of people in a way that can be tracked and analyzed for impressions, engagement, and efficiency. Therefore, Baselworld must now reconcile its iconic existence connecting passionate collectors and watchmakers with novel forms of marketing and technology.

For instance, Baselworld might consider live streaming more of its sessions, or enabling exhibiting watch brands to host sponsored webinars for global audiences. More and more conferences are selling to an online audience as well as the offline visitors. Issues of time, the impact of travel on the environment, and the cost of visiting are all eroding visitor numbers, but an event can still be a huge success if it embraces the online world; opening up to virtual visitors from across the globe. Leveraging AI and new innovations in communications technology, Baselworld can ensure its offline event generates a wealth of digital data. In so doing,  Baselworld may be able to offer independent brands actionable insights from one of the most valuable microcosms of the watch industry.

Luxury watch collecting is now an investment within reach. Luxury watches combine high-end Swiss craftsmanship and timeless design into a desirable object that will stay with collectors for decades to come.

These timepieces have an implied cost, however. Although price points for Swiss-made automatic watches can exceed 100,000 euros, watch collecting is no longer an investment beyond reach. Advancements in manufacturing and factory-direct retail business models have opened up luxury watch collecting to new markets.

These business model innovations are not about cutting costs or quality – it’s about finding new, innovative ways to sell direct to the customer, eliminating traditional retail outlets with large mark-ups, and delivering the savings to the customer.

For example, at Culem we looked at how to cut out the retailer and sell direct from the factory and thus launched on Kickstarter. We did this because we wanted to ensure that everyone, not just those with six-figure salaries, had access to the ultimate Swiss-made luxury GMT World Timer, and so we could build a global community of watch collectors and world travelers.

By looking at innovative ways to connect with customers, and reduce costs without compromising on design and quality, there is an opportunity for start-up brands to create another tier in the watch collector market, attracting new buyers with a slightly lower price-point.

There will always be a place for the very high end watches like Vacheron Constantin or Laurent Ferrier, but micro-brands in the 2,000 to 5,000 euro retail price point will be fierce competitors as consumers seek value, relevance, and an alternative to the status quo.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Matthew Cule is a passionate collector of watches and founder of CuleM Watches, an independent luxury travel watch brand. Culem’s World GMT collection of Swiss made dual time, automatic watches are designed for people who love to travel.  Culem believes there is nothing more meaningful and amazing than travel – and no object more special than a watch, so each watch is a masterpiece, a work of art and the perfect travel companion.

Web: www.culemwatches.com

Instagram: @culemwatches

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Culem-Watches-509036822900736/

Twitter: @culemwatches

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/culemwatches/

Kickstarter: http://30e.fnd.to/culemwatches

When you decided to become a freelancer or start your own business you very quickly discover just how much you need to do. It can be quite overwhelming, so it is good to have some digital tools to hand to help you get yourself on track.

Let’s share a number of the best free apps and tools that you will find useful as you set off on your new venture. They’ll help you get organised and make the most of your opportunities.

Clockify

What is it?  Time tracking software that syncs across devices to show you exactly where your time is being spent.

Who’ll want it? Small businesses or freelancers with a lot to do and no love for admin.

Accurate time tracking means you won’t undercharge or overcharge for your work. You’ll also be able to see all your projects’ progress, and how much you have left to spare when you’re pitching for new work. The key to not wasting time is knowing where you’re wasting it.

Clockify’s timekeeping dashboard is the epitome of organised, you’ll know exactly where your tasks are at a glance! Synced to both desktop and mobile, it breaks down your hours, days, and weeks. Track your time, break down the data, and turn timesheets into a doddle.

Trello

What is it? A super straightforward to-do list with easy task management. Trello is a favourite for freelancers, agencies, and other small businesses, because even the free version gives them exactly what they need.

Who’ll want it? List addicts and people who like to keep their tasks and projects organised.

The humble to-do list should never be overlooked. Having a simple list of jobs to do can help you make the most of your working hours and avoid those unpleasant moments of forgetfulness.

Bullet points on bits of A4 paper might work for a while, but when your job list starts growing, you’ll need a smarter way of managing them and staying organised. Trello is a simple task management tool which helps you organise and order your jobs with clean, colourful cards and lists. If a deadline changes, you can just move the cards around, and if you win a new client, you can create a list specifically for them and keep everything in one place.

It’s all dragging, dropping, and a bit of typing – easy!

Headspace

What is it? Easy meditation you can do in five or 10 minutes.

Who’ll want it? Everyone who has a busy mind; i.e. all of us.

Headspace isn’t designed for freelancers or business owners specifically, but some quiet mindfulness is something we could all do with.

The app has hundreds of short meditation sessions designed to help with stress, anxiety, depression, and sleep problems. If you struggle to switch off, or find yourself slipping into negative thought patterns, this is the app to download. You can try 10 sessions for free before you decide to pay for a subscription.

Solna

What is it? More than just an invoicing tool, Solna does all the admin for you. It helps you track your income and gets you paid faster.

Who’ll want it? Freelancers and small businesses with lots of invoices and no time to chase them!

For some small businesses and freelancers, getting paid means sending email attachments and mailing A4 pieces of paper. It sounds simple, but it can end up being a big admin job without the right help.

If you want to get paid on time, smart invoicing is the only way to go. Solna helps you create stunning, branded invoices, send automatic payment reminders to those pesky late payers, and track every invoice until it’s in your account. All invoices come with read receipt, so no more chasing random accounts people either!

Solna is packed with clever features to help freelancers and small businesses whether they’re new to the game or not.

Coconut

What is it? A free current account for freelancers, the self-employed, and small businesses, that also takes care of the accounting and tax.

Who’ll want it? Anyone that dreads financial admin.

Traditional accounting packages and business bank accounts haven’t kept up with the fast-paced way we work today. Coconut addresses this by combining banking and accounting in one simple product.

A Coconut account gives you a debit card, transfers, and simple online statements, as well as some fast, helpful extras. Coconut helps you stay organised by categorising your business expenses and sending you instant notifications when you spend to remind you to snap the receipt. It also gives you helpful tips about what you can and can’t claim, helping to maximise savings on your tax bill. What’s not to love?

These digital tools will help you get started – setting you on the right road to manage all your admin tasks, get paid and generally manage your time and keep everything organised. If you find you need other support, have a look round and it is very  likely that there is an app for that!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Inna Kaushan is co-founder of Solna, a smart invoicing platform powered by credit score data. Solna speeds up the invoicing and payment process for freelancers and small businesses. Through leveraged credit data that is overlaid on the platform’s invoicing and reporting functionality, users get a clear picture of their customer’s financial health and their overall exposure to risk. The system’s automated credit control functionality automatically chases overdue invoices – freeing up time and ensuring faster payment.

Web: https://solna.io/

Twitter: @solna_io 

Facebook:@Solna.io

LinkedIn: Solna

There is a time and place for humour and in some presentation situations it may not be appropriate. However, in most presentations, even those on finance, it can be a benefit to lighten the mood with some touches of humour.  It adds to the enjoyment for the audience and means your listeners are more likely to be on your side.  A boon when you have objectives to achieve from giving your presentation. 

If you’re worried that you’re not a natural comedian – it is all about setting the right tone and engaging with your audience. Here are some tips for adding humour next time you are giving a financial presentation or speech.

1. Research. Take time to find out about the organisation and attendees.    They will undoubtedly have a fund of stories about their organisation and the people in it. Pitched correctly this can provide you with an excellent opening to your presentation – and there may even be a funny story you can share. But remember…

• No ‘victims’. Never make personal comments about anyone in the audience as a way of being amusing. Do not think that having arranged for a ‘victim’ before the presentation will work.  Many in the audience will then spend the entire presentation worrying that they will be the next victim. It’s a sure fire, and quick way, to lose the support of the rest of the audience.

• Use your experiences. If you want to tell an embarrassing story, make sure it is something you have experienced.   Undoubtedly some of the audience will also have lived through this unfortunate episode in their lives.    This way you will gain the sympathy of the audience – and don’t alienate anyone.

• Words and pictures. Some of the audience will react well to the spoken word, and others are influenced by visual presentations.  It is therefore a good idea to have something that will add visual impact to your presentation.   This could be a humorous image on a slide, or even a humorous (and appropriate) prop.

• Avoid laughing. Although you want your presentation to be humorous – don’t join in the laughter.   There is nothing wrong with the presenter having a wry smile on his/her lips – but too much laughter from you gives the impression that the session is for your benefit.   Also, if you laugh and the audience does not this is a way to make the atmosphere uncomfortable for all concerned.

• Watch your language. In a lot of situations, it would be a mistake to use inappropriate language to get a point across.   I have seen this happen and it is nearly always a mistake.  Unless you know the audience well and feel they are happy to put up with fairly tame, but inappropriate language, do not indulge in this.

• Use pauses to full effect.    If providing a humorous punch line to the story, pause and allow the audience to realise this is an important part of the presentation.  If they don’t take the hint; move on.

• Always practice. Humour inserted into a presentation should be written down and rehearsed as any other material would be.  Do not think that humour can be off the cuff. It needs to be planned and rehearsed – you as the top comedians so.

• Give the audience time to laugh.   You can never guarantee when an audience will find a statement funny.  Each audience has its own personality.   Some groups will laugh at a particular statement and others will fall silent.  If they do laugh give them time to enjoy the moment.

1.  Be Yourself. You do not have to mimic your favourite comedian when delivering the funny content.   Be yourself.   If the audience does not get your humour, you can still rely on the main message of the presentation.   Move on.   It will get easier as you deliver more presentations with humour.

Use these tips and you may find yourself becoming one of the most popular speakers in your area of expertise!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jean Stewart is from Toastmasters International a not-for-profit organisation that has provided communication and leadership skills since 1924 through a worldwide network of clubs. There are more than 400 clubs and 10,000 members in the UK and Ireland. Members follow a structured educational programme to gain skills and confidence in public and impromptu speaking, chairing meetings and time management. To find your nearest club, visit www.toastmasters.org

The waste industry has changed significantly over the last two decades.  In Western world we’ve generally attempted to stop throwing everything into landfill and taken greater responsibility for collecting recyclable materials.  However, despite many good intentions, the true value of recyclable materials is not being realised. Cross-contamination of plastics and dirty packaging means that over half of the items going into the recycling bin aren’t recycled.

The waste industry has become a high-volume throughput industry, making it an efficient and cheap alternative to a failed high-cost recycling system. However, throwing packaging and products into landfill or the ocean is wasteful and polluting.

To compete, the recycling industry needs to transition from a high-volume throughput industry to one focusing on high-purity.  Recyclable materials are very valuable in their pure state but the cost and difficulty of separating mixed recycling make it uneconomical.

What does the recycling industry need to do to become profitable and make a substantial contribution?

Closed-loop Recycling: 100%

Currently, even when used-materials are recycled, they tend to be made into ‘lesser’ products. A plastic bottle, for example, may be processed into packaging which ends up in landfill.

A truly green initiative, however, would be to move towards a 100% closed-loop recycling system. That is, a system where a recyclable product is transformed back into its original form or into an item of equal value many times before its disposed of.

Separating mixed plastics, however, is difficult and expensive and even a small amount of the wrong type of plastic can cause an entire batch to become contaminated. Just .05 kg of PVC plastic within 1,000 kg of PET flakes can cause it to become brittle.

Education has only gone so far. People are more familiar with recycling practices than ever, yet there is still confusion about which items can be recycled.

The contamination issue has, to-date, been insurmountable for the recycling industry. So, while I think that in the next 20 years we will have a 100% closed-loop recycling system, there are a few other technologies and processes that need to be implemented before closed-loop recycling is achievable. These will tackle the issue from both sides, empowering consumers while developing the capabilities of the de-manufacturing economy.

Impact of the De-Manufacturing Economy

We predict that within 10 years, the businesses of the world, starting with the FMCG companies, will be able to deliver on their extended producer responsibility (EPR).

This means that all product prices will include the environmental costs of used-packaging being sent to landfill. If the product’s used-packaging is identified and closed-loop recycled the EPR will be delivered. EPR will incentivise more sustainable production practices, product longevity and maximise close-loop recyclability. EPR legislation has been pushed since the mid-1990s. However, the difficulty in identifying if EPR has been delivered for a product’s packaging has not been possible. ReCircle technology will both identify the packaging and via closed-loop recycling deliver EPR. Once operating, EPR legislation can be enacted.

Within 20 years, we predict that there will be a closed-loop recyclability index (CLR) displayed on every product, indicating both the sustainability of the manufacturing process and the cash value of the packaging once recycled using an appliance like ReCircle. Just like ingredient contents in food, the CLR will influence a consumer’s purchasing decision.

These labels will help to further educate the public as to what can and cannot be de-manufactured, as well as identifying products that support the de-manufacturing industry.

All this will drive change in consumer purchasing behaviours, promote the growth of the de-manufacturing industry, and help to reduce de-manufacturing costs. By 2039, the de-manufacturing economy will approach the same level of employment as the financial services industry and will employ as many designers and robot operators as the manufacturing industry.

Involving consumers

The general public has become educated on environmental issues.  However, recent documentaries, such as the BBC’s Blue Planet II, have demonstrated how far we still have to go in terms of recycling. Many people now no longer trust curbside collection but feel paralysed about what else they can do.

The simple answer is to let people take a more active part in the recycling process. Instead of separating items and hoping for the best, consumers should be empowered to guarantee 100% correct segregation of e.g. different plastics, and ensure they are delivered to manufacturers in a pure form, ready for closed-loop recycling.

In fact, by delivering high-purity materials back to manufacturers, consumers could benefit directly from the high value of these materials. Government schemes encouraging the purchase of recycled materials will assist further.

This is where technological innovations will play a major role. ReCircle, for example, is an appliance for home or business that will use a sensor to identify and guarantee the correct separation of different plastic, glass, metal, etc. The appliance will then wash and grind the materials for separate storage in the base. The high-purity materials are then picked up and the consumer reimbursed for the weight of recycled materials.

Appliances like this are a vital step towards achieving 100% closed-loop recycling.  In 20 years, every individual, business, airport, hospital, factory, restaurant, education institute etc. will take responsibility for the separation and cleaning of recyclable material. On an individual level, required purity becomes easily achievable, allowing the industry to benefit from valuable, high-purity closed-loop recyclable materials.

Innovations in Technology

A number of existing technologies will be re-engineered to help both industrial and consumer recyclers. We predict that these technologies will focus on improving the ease and affordability of high-purity recycling.

The first and arguably most important innovation we be a further and continuing reduction in the cost and size of material sensors. Currently, sensors are relatively expensive because they can sense multiple substances. Exception sensors, detecting one substance only, will be smaller, simpler and when mass-produced very much cheaper.

Next, we need to reduce the size of the grinding, granulating and compacting equipment. Smaller equipment means more compact appliances allowing consumers to process their recycling in their own home or business.

With domestic closed-loop recycling, the current efficient home delivery and pick-up services will be adapted to include bespoke equipment that will individually empty and weight each of the separately stored recycled products.  On-demand home delivery and pick-up services have improved in performance and cost, due to the improved technology and logistic systems developed by companies like Amazon and Uber. The application of this technology and processes to on-demand recycling collection will delivered lower costs and therefore greater value to closed-loop recycled products.

Inevitably cost, performance and efficiency will improve as the technologies improve. We should see a future in which almost all used-materials will be 100% closed-loop recycled. A major improvement for the planet.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Aldous Hicks is the CEO and Co-founder of ReCircle Recycling Ltd. Aldous has over 30 years of business experience as a technology and software developer, project manager and mechanical engineer, including developing water and material recycling technology. He developed SOHO custom PC database software and prior to that worked with Mannesmann Demag AG, a multinational German mechanical heavy engineering company.

Aldous has now turned his attention and expertise to the recycling economy, founding ReCircle to create a solution that will empower consumers while reversing the unsustainable and inefficient recycling system.

ABOUT RECIRCLE

ReCircle Recycling Ltd (RRL) aims to address the problem of contamination with our patented technology in the form of a recycling appliance.

The main function of the appliance, or “ReCircle”, is to ensure captured used-materials are kept separated with 100% accuracy. By keeping each type of used-material separated and pure, the appliance will ensure the inherent material value is not lost due to being mixed with other different materials – the major problem with the current recycling system.

By guaranteeing 100% purity of recyclable materials, ReCircle can:

• Remove the need for the current expensive and inefficient collection of co-mingled recyclables and the ensuing problematic sorting & separation processes.

• Guarantee 100% closed-loop recycling of glass, steel, aluminum and plastics (PET & HDPE) processed by the ReCircle appliance.

• Retain the value of used recyclable container materials, so they can be sold at a premium and successfully closed-loop re-manufactured after their useful life.

LINKS

https://www.recirclerecycling.com/

http://www.facebook.com/recirclerecycling

http://www.linkedin.com/company/recirclerecycling

Tweets by ReCircleRecycle

http://instagram.com/recirclerecycling

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBd18yNL9G7CcmrwhFGMGpg

REFERENCES

http://www.petbottlewashingline.com/pvc-in-pet-bottle-recycling/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extended_producer_responsibility

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-38338599

https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2015/12/what-actually-happens-to-a-recycled-plastic-bottle/418326/

Alcohol and Drug problems may not immediately appear to head the list of significant risks to an organisation – however they may be the trigger for a major economic, accident- or safety-related event. It is often the accumulation of small factors and their interaction that results in a calamity.

There are three elements that should be the cornerstones of any corporate alcohol and drug strategy: Risk Management; a Taking Care Alcohol and Drug Policy; and Rehabilitation back into the workplace. There are also many legal traps to be aware of, particularly in relation to testing and disciplinary procedures.

In relation to risk management addiction is too often not considered a disability nor suitable for ill-health retirement, and yet for the medical profession addiction is increasingly considered an illness. The WHO, International Classification of Diseases (ICD 10), and DSM5 use the term dependency since 1975. To align with the Human Rights Act it may be important to consider using the term dependency as well as addiction.

Abuse often infers misconduct, and corporate alcohol and drug policies invariably focus on misconduct, but dependency may not necessarily be abuse if it is considered an illness. If dependency were considered a disability under The Human Rights Act it would provide some protection for an employee coming forward to declare a problem.

I also believe, under an alcohol and drug policy, alcohol needs to be considered separately from drugs; alcohol is a legal substance and drugs are invariably illegal substances and there may be legal and organisational responsibilities if the use of drugs at work is identified.

Furthermore, there needs to be a differentiation between intoxication at work and dependency, as dependency is not categorically linked to intoxication at work. The latter is classed as misconduct, whereas dependency should be considered as a possible performance issue affecting work. All the above have legal implications.

What is the value in developing a ‘caring approach’ to dependency? Employees should feel that management can be trusted to support them in their illness either via Occupational Health or by their own line manager and should feel safe to declare they have a dependency problem.  Confidentiality is paramount and it is important a procedure is in place where managers and Occupational Health can liaise to perform a work-place risk assessment on an individual. Risk assessing the employee’s work would identify tasks that should be restricted if these tasks are considered at risk of causing accidents, damage or economic or reputational impact to the individual and/or the organisation. If this approach is applied employees will feel safer in coming forward and a significant problem may be avoided.

Lastly, if the organisation, via Occupational Health, can provide a suitable rehabilitation programme for dependency that should lead to more employees coming forward and a confidential declaration of the problem would then trigger a formal risk assessment followed by a suitable rehabilitation programme within a caring environment.

Is providing treatment for an alcohol or drug dependent employee good for both the organisation and for the employee? I believe yes to both. Why? Because providing support for an employee with a dependency problem gives someone a chance to rehabilitate and return to being a productive employee. In my experience employees given this opportunity are invariably grateful for the support they have been given by both the organisation and their line manager and usually become loyal employees – if the treatment has been successful.

The process for rehabilitation back into work is important and should involve Occupational Health monitoring the treatment programme. At appropriate stages meetings should be held with the line manager to progress towards a phased return to work. This needs to be based on a risk-assessment protocol which will include regular reviews by Occupational Health and on-going therapeutic meetings such as AA.

Relapses do occur and if properly managed these can be incorporated as part of the therapeutic process. Two important rules that must be adhered to: the employee must not turn up for work intoxicated and must immediately disclose to their line manager and/or Occupational Health that they have relapsed. The employee will not therefore attend work with the potential for incurring the penalties for intoxication at work and any possibility of denial is removed by the declaration they have relapsed. If a relapse is addressed immediately in this way it can provide negative reinforcement to strengthen the rehabilitation process.

What dependency rehabilitation treatment works? Best of all is residential care because it cuts off the individual completely from the social and work environment triggers that were part of the problem. This invariably also involves removing the employee’s mobile phone! And it always provides the most successful outcome. Too often day care treatment does not address the many factors that are contributing to the dependency such as dual pathology, family or work-related issues. Too often detoxification is the first and only treatment – and as a result, relapses are, in my experience, much more likely to happen (and continue happening).

The value to the organisation in retaining a valued experienced employee without the costs of re-hiring and retraining is obvious. Employees will acknowledge and be fully aware of such a caring approach, recognise the implications of intoxication at work that could potentially drive them down the misconduct route. Lastly, and most importantly, colleagues are also more likely to be supportive and encourage an employee to go forward to discuss any problem with their line manager or Occupational Health.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Dr Michael McCann MB BCh MA DIH MD MFOM is a Member of the Faculty of Occupational Medicine, and received a Doctorate in Medicine for his work on alcohol problems in the workplace. His latest book, “Alcohol, Drugs and Employment”, is designed to be a reference book for health professionals as well as management and human resources to assist them in dealing with the often-challenging cases of substance abuse which they may be faced with.  Dr McCann will be speaking at iCAAD London 2019; Europe’s leading conference on Behavioural, mental and Emotional Health. https://www.icaad.com/icaad-london-2019

With the technology now available you no longer need to be working in your current office. You have many options including heading off to work in idyllic, sunny places. If you are feeling tempted to go and work from a faraway beach let’s look at what you’ll need to do this successfully.

Get the right Hardware

Switch your heavy laptop for a light version perhaps the Microsoft Surface Pro or Apple Macbook Air.  For something sturdier there’s the Dell Rugged Extreme range.

Remote working is likely to mean you’ll be accessing the Cloud at lot, and you may also have several programs running at the same time – so choosing something with a decent amount of RAM is important. Also, if you think you’re likely to have to work offline a lot, then a good-sized hard drive, or one that connects to an extra external hard drive is important.

Without plug sockets to hand you’ll need a powerbank. To help you choose the right one, here’re a few things to consider:

• How many devices do you want to be able to charge from the powerbank? Charging your phone once or twice will be possible from most, but if you’re looking to keep your laptop charged as well, you’ll need a larger capacity device.
• What devices are you charging? Powerbanks come with a variety of outlet sockets, but they’re not all the same.
• How strong are you? Some of the high capacity powerbanks weigh 1kg or more. That’s more than the weight of the Surface Pro and not far short of the 13inch Powerbook Pro
• Are you flying? Many airlines ban the really high capacity powerbanks, so err on the side of caution if you are a frequent flyer.

Connectivity

If your house is on the edge of the beach and the WiFi reaches the beach, then great. If not, you’ll need a 4G connection and be able to tether via your phone.

If you are sold on the beach being a Caribbean one, you will have to be prepared to work with fairly slow speeds. The Bahamas seems to have the fastest broadband speeds in the area, at about 9.95Mbps. If you’re happy with the Florida coastline instead, you can get much faster speeds, at 46.6Mbps. If you want to use 4G, here’s where you can choose your preferred beach.

If you are travelling for a short period, check the price of buying data locally and compare to UK prices.  If your mobile contract comes with a lot of data, check their roaming policies. Outside of the EU, most UK operators charge £5 per day to use your contract data.  That may be sufficient.

Don’t forget you will be backing up your data online, as well as accessing your apps and email. Ensure you take that into consideration when looking at how much data you need.

A security warning here. If the data on your laptop needs to be secured, be very careful about using local WiFi. It is a common practice for hackers to spoof WiFi connections in order to get access to your data.

VOIP or Mobile?

Running a business means talking to people; a lot of people. Staff, clients, suppliers, investors and prospects are just a few.  Depending on where most of your clients are, you need to think carefully about how you set up your phones. Your mobile is certainly not your best option, even if it is one of the easiest devices to take to the beach. If you decide on the Bahamas because of the broadband speeds, mobile calls back to the UK could cost over £2 a minute.

A VoIP-based solution with a softphone on your laptop and/or your smartphone handset may be the best solution. SIP trunk connections to other countries where you do a lot of business will mean you’re only ever making local calls, rather than calling at international rates. You can even keep a UK landline number – so clients never need to know you’re on the beach rather than at your UK desk. Just remember to check the daily weather forecast back home so you know what to say when someone says, ‘dreadful weather we’re having here – what’s it like in your neck of the woods?’

Teamwork and productivity

There are plenty of ways to communicate with a geographically diverse team and tools to help you continues to be developed.

Instant messaging tools, such as Slack, Hipchat or Google’s Hangout Chat are all free, or have free versions.  Video-conferencing could be useful depending on how good your internet connection turns out to be.  Skype Google’s Hangout, Zoom etc are all there to be used.

Project management will be key. Thankfully there are plenty of tools available. Basecamp is one to consider if your projects aren’t particularly complex. Trello that allows you to manage a number of different projects using a ‘boards’ system.  If you want to combine chat, meetings, collaborative working, file sharing and project management something like Microsoft Teams is worth exploring.

Securing your data

Working in remote locations, particularly if it is only for a short period of time, can increase security concerns. Devices being stolen can mean a major data security nightmare. Data breaches on devices that contain Personally Identifiable Information (PII) for EU citizens need to be reported to the information Commissioners Office (ICO) within 72 hours. You also have to tell the people affected!

Far better to secure your devices and be able to remotely wipe them, if necessary. Talk to your IT Manager or IT support company about Mobile Device Management (MDM), biometrics or two-factor authentication (2FA) before you go.

Good luck with everything if you decide to take the plunge.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Mike Ianiri is Director of independent telecoms brokerage Equinox. Mike works with companies, charities and other organisations to help them choose the right telecoms packages for their needs and thereby reduce their costs. He is particularly knowledgeable on the integration of IT and telecoms in business.  www.equinoxcomms.co.uk

Twitter: @CommsEquinox

Whether we like it or not, we’re in the midst of a paradigm shift away from institutional governance and towards people power. The connected economy of the internet has allowed huge decisions to be dictated by what are effectively digital referendums; some good, some potentially harmful, but all undoubtedly historical in their nature. We are at the tip of the iceberg and there is still significant change ahead.

I am optimistic that much of this change is for the good. However, history has a habit of looking unfavourably towards individuals and corporations who don’t hold up to the scrutiny of modern morality. This is evidenced by the demonisation of all slave traders, colonisers and sexual exploiters of history, who often were simply doing what was ‘perfectly legal’ in their period of history.

It isn’t easy to tell how history will look back at us now, but the signs are there. Our descendants will be astounded by our generation’s wasteful nature. They will be horrified that we’re so destructive to our own planet, that we didn’t act on climate change, that we were so overtly misogynistic and racist. Perhaps they will even judge us for eating animals. And with history moving faster than ever before, I believe we will look back with disbelief in as little as a decade.

So what can we do to make sure we are on the right side of history, especially when ethical moorings will change as soon as 2030? What steps can we take to ensure our legacy as a business leader is viewed favourably? I give my five top tips for future-proofing your reputation.

1) Evaluate your company by more than just its ability to make money

We live in a capitalist society, so we claim forgiveness for focusing on the bottom line with every decision we make. However, I predict that history won’t look too kindly on the companies that passively played the game of making endless profits without actively seeking to improve the lives of their employees and customers.

Some argue that we’re moving into a period of post-capitalism, where markets still drive the economy, but intelligent machines are able to overlay human wellbeing as a significant factor to ensure the destructive nature of unfettered free markets is reigned in. In this scenario, it’s possible to imagine that we programme these machines to be optimised not just for profit but also for the quality of life of all stakeholders within a company – i.e. directors, employees, partners, suppliers, shareholders and customers, all in one go.

The interesting thing about this idea is that you don’t need to invest heavily into artificial intelligence to future-proof your organisation for post-capitalism, you just need to start thinking about how you can improve the lives of every person your company touches. What’s great about this is that most HR departments are already seeing the benefits of an empowered workforce, evidenced by the table footballs and treat markets cropping up in the offices of many of the major tech companies, and the switch many corporations are making towards employee ownership or setting up as social enterprises.

But despite the progress we’ve made as a society, it’s not all optimistic. Some of the biggest companies in the world are currently making vast fortunes through exploiting their workers. I predict that unless they change their ways, history won’t look kindly at Walmart, Sports Direct and Amazon, but conversely it will at Riverford, John Lewis and Google.

2) Envisage your customers viewing your decisions on the front cover of a newspaper

In the modern age, ill intent has few places to hide. In just a few years, we’ve come from miniscule recording equipment being the stuff of governments and spies to almost every human on earth having a tiny personal recording device that can instantly share content across the entire planet. Who knows what technology will be developed in the future? What we do know is that it will likely make it even harder for the morally abject to hide.

While on the face of it this could have been an Orwellian nightmare, one thing Orwell got wrong is that he assumed the institutions would be the ones doing the watching. The opposite has happened – it’s put more power in the hands of the general populous. The digital panopticon is not without its dark side, arguably causing lynchings in India and precipitating the Arab Spring. But it also has its good side, by calling out corrupt politicians or business leaders.

The only solution to survival in this always-recording milieu is to act with empathy for your stakeholders in every decision you make. How would they react if your opinions or actions were plastered across the homepage of the Huffington Post?

3) Do what is right, rather than what is negotiable

The idea that everything is negotiable is a hangover from the ‘80s business ethos of dog-eat-dog, survival of the fittest. However, the economy is not a zero-sum game, and getting one over on your partners/clients/customers simply creates a net loss for society. This is also a breeding ground for unsustainable growth, which has led to us pillaging our planet.

I strongly feel that we can resolve many of the problems in the world if we simply reframed how we approached a negotiation, thinking about the human and societal implications of the agreements we reach, rather than just the bottom line.

Large corporations have huge buying power, which has given them even more influence in negotiations. These corporations have identified a shift in public mood, hence why they’re investing so heavily in corporate social responsibility (CSR). But history will look back at the choices the directors of these companies made, and CSR will be cynically viewed in the light of companies investing even more into their procurement departments. If you must, think of your negotiations in terms of a branding exercise with longevity. Because consumers of the future will avoid the brands who operated sweatshops and drove their SME suppliers out of business in their relentless pursuit of profits.

4) In 2030 will your decision still be seen as fair and just?

On the subject of sweatshops, I believe the next #MeToo movement is likely to come from the world of global business, where company directors have allowed so many workers to be exploited in developing nations through low pay and frankly life-threatening working conditions. Additionally they have made decisions that have caused untold damage to the environments of developing nations.

I can envision a time in the near future where whistleblowers call out their bosses when they make morally abject decisions that affect the lives of workers overseas. They will leak emails of the ones who willfully caused rainforests to be cut down or rivers polluted. We’re seeing the shoots of this now, but at the moment it’s the faceless corporations who are being singled out, and they are able to counteract this by increasing their public relations budget. In an age where it’s easy to get hold of emails and call recordings, it’s not hard to imagine the next step being an active campaign by the public to hold the decision makers to account.

Now imagine it’s 2030 and environmentalism, economic justice, and true social/gender/racial equality aren’t just fringe ideas, but are the mainstream. Will your decisions hold up to scrutiny, or will you be held to account by your colleagues, and ultimately the general public? Will you be safe from #DecisionsHaveConsequences?

5) Listen to your moral compass

Whilst we’re on the subject, another thing history won’t look favourably on is the billionaires who hoarded wealth rather than reinvesting it, who facilitated the greatest gap in wealth distribution the planet has ever experienced. I left the world of banking because the system was broken, that it was designed to help drive wealth to the top and keep the rest of us blinded to how inequitable it actually is.  My intuition screamed to me that this was morally bankrupt, even though culture currently still praises those who hoard wealth in a hollow pursuit of temporary praise.

I realised I could apply my knowledge of economics and finance to help regions that have been exploited, rather than continue to be part of that exploitation. I also realised that taking a long term, sustainable approach to the economic development of these resource-rich regions would help facilitate greater wealth generation for all, in a way that works in harmony with nature instead of against it. I co-founded Blueprints because in my gut I knew it was the right thing to do, and that I didn’t need to compromise on being rewarded financially for my efforts – indeed the more successful I am, the more successful others become with me. Equally, I’m very aware that I couldn’t live with myself if I were one of the 8 people who held greater wealth than more than half the planet.

What is your intuition telling you? Are you helping to generate wealth symbiotically for yourself and for those less fortunate, in a way that’s harmonious with nature? Or are you purposely holding back others in a hollow pursuit of wealth or status, with little regard for what state you might leave the planet in for future generations? I predict that history will judge those who are dishonest with themselves by much higher standards than we currently feel are acceptable.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

David Solomon is co-founder of Blueprints, a fintech platform for economic development that connects brands and businesses with local producers and manufacturers. Blueprints exists to promote a new economic model that leads to a more sustainable and equitable society.

Web: https://blueprints.org

Crowdcube: https://www.crowdcube.com/companies/blueprints/pitches/qY9Goq#

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/solomonk77/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/solomon77/

We’ve all heard the marketing buzz – it’s all about engagement, with high profile influencers maximising the use of social media. Today the most successful bands are the ones that know how to engage their fans. Of course, fans bring recognition but importantly, they help create financial success as well.

Digital channels give access to fans and to musicians alike which means the relationship between them is direct and measurable.

Here are some key lessons businesses can learn from the music industry and musicians in particular about how to engage and create a loyal fan-base.

Get the conversation started

Whether you’re a new band, a startup, or a more established business you need to remember that consumer expectations across the board have changed dramatically. So much of our lives are online, using numerous platforms, which means it’s becoming harder to hold people’s attention. Relationships with publishers and media have also evolved with traditional media losing its clout, and you need to think differently about how to get your message out and keep your audience interested.

The power is being handed back to fans and consumers, who are driving the conversations on social media and user generated content platforms such as TripAdvisor. This means more work is required to create and nurture audience relationships, but it also provides new opportunities for conversations with fans, finding out what they want and keeping them updated and informed about what’s in the pipeline.

Steps to take

Authenticity rules

Marketing is becoming increasingly story-led. Artists, brands and businesses need to show a more complete and authentic picture of who they there and what they stand for.

But it’s not just about your story – you need to be able to talk to your audience in a way that shows you want to listen to theirs too. Authentic people are those who ask questions and open up conversations. As in daily life, these conversations will be multi-genre, they may be political, they won’t always relate directly to what you do or make, but they will show your values and identity. Avoid sitting on the fence.

A good example… when your fans are getting fed-up with ticket prices, availability and secondary sales do something about it.  Ed Sheeran did.  He went out of his way to ensure tickets to his shows were only available through reputable ticket exchanges.

Create your niche community

User generated content platforms are driving conversations between fans and artists/businesses. We’ve all seen how powerful fan communities can be on social media platforms such as Twitter, so it is important to focus on creating your own niche community around your identity.

Subba-Cultcha.com is one example of a music community that is following the model of the likes of TripAdvisor. Fans can not only upload their reviews and read others but have a place where they can buy tickets for experiences they love, all reviewed by like-minded peers whose opinions they know they can trust.

Any space that can offer a sense of exclusivity, and give audiences control over what they see and what is sold to them will keep people engaged.

Make use of the data

There are so many ways you can use technology to understand your audience’s online behaviours – and you don’t need to employ any shady or privacy invading tactics to do so. Remember, anything you or they publish digitally is a tool to discover what your target audience responds to, enabling you to anticipate future patterns trends in more granular detail.

Some tools that will help you measure and monitor audience behaviour include Google Analytics, and Amplitude, a platform that allows you to track user response trends in real time.

What is important is to understand what is driving those numbers – it will be worth the investment of time.

Give generously

Incentivise your following and give them rewards for their presence, for example, competitions, exclusive first samples/listens to new products and music, follower discounts on merchandise, etc.

Radiohead let their fans decide what to pay for their album ‘In Rainbows’ with their ‘pay what you want’ scheme – showing fans that they cared about them, and their relationship with them wasn’t just about the money.

Work out what is most appropriate for your business and the stage that you are at – for example if you want to increase your email database, give them an incentive to sign up, if you want to encourage more word of mouth brand ambassadors, use merchandise.

But show restraint

Don’t give everything you’ve got in the hope that people will return the favour! It must be employed with restraint, and there needs to be some benefit to you. Free content and services are powerful means of showcasing what you are about and giving people the feeling of being a valuable part of the club.

For musicians it can be a difficult balancing act – open access can help you get a viral hit and a loyal following, but you have to be paid for what you produce. Whether you’re a musician or a business – remember, it’s also much harder to roll back and begin restricting access to your content when you started by giving things away for free. 

There are a few big success stories of artist’s having been discovered through giving away content; Carly Ray Jepsen, Shawn Mendes and even Mr. Bieber himself, but there are many more not so successful stories whereby providing free music via streaming platforms didn’t provide the big break the artist was hoping for. 

In some cases it can even lead to a backlash. For example, U2 gave away their album ‘Songs of Innocence’ free on the iPhone 6 – and it caused a massive backlash and didn’t generate the additional sales they had hoped for.

It’s the same with business, giving your product away for free doesn’t mean it will reach the masses, it just devalues the product.  Ever heard the brand slogan “reassuringly expensive”?

Take time to respond

It may not be possible to respond to every comment on your page, but you should be paying attention to them all. Take the time to respond to as many as you can; the positive, the negative, the suggestions and constructive criticism. If you are updating your site or products on offer, share an update and explain how audience feedback and comments helped to drive your decision. And if your community is not yet forthcoming with opinions and ideas, show you want to hear from them by conducting polls and asking questions – this can be easily done on social media channels, blog posts and via email campaigns. 

Trailers and sneak previews are a great way of giving your nearest and dearest fans a taste of what’s to come, whetting their appetite so-to-speak.  Childish Gambino is a great example of an artist who relishes fan engagement by providing sneak-peaks to new, sometimes even unfinished videos.  He continually reacts to the zeitgeist and comes up with ways to whet his fans appetite and keep them engaged.

And remember, if you leave them wanting more, make sure you’re responsive enough to follow up! 

Speak directly

Reaching people in private inboxes helps to add to the sense of community and involvement with something bigger. In an instant message age, communications direct to a personal inbox have more resonance. People don’t want intrusion or anything with a whiff of ‘salesy-speak’, so don’t bombard them every other day with your latest offers. Do keep in regular touch with well thought-out messages telling them something you know they will be interested in.

Where applicable this can also be employed with direct mail – used thoughtfully and with a specific purpose, it can be an effective tool for grabbing attention away from the digital noise. Communication shouldn’t come through just one channel; the conversation needs to continue offline, online, in store, at live events, and through product and service development.

Nowadays you want to attract actively engaged customers. Keep working on engaging and keeping them engaged and their enthusiasm will be a positive force for your business.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Mark Jennings has worked in digital publishing and advertising his whole career. He previously worked in the US and UK for the Financial Times, he most recently launched the digital portfolio for Last Word Media. Mark Jennings set up Subba Media with the aim of disrupting the publishing market. Subba-cultcha.com is a fan generated music and festival reviews platform. Built from a strong loyal community, the content is produced by music fans and  festival goers, enabling artists and brand sponsors to reach a new, more engaged audience.

Web: http://www.subba-cultcha.com/

Twitter: @subbacultchacom

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/byfansforfans/