VOLUME 4
No. 1
PP324494/0062
The Australasian
The Australasian
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Contents
Adbourne Publishing 3/1527 Burwood Hwy Tecoma, VIC 3160 PO Box 735, Belgrave, VIC 3160 Melbourne Office Neil Muir Ph: (03) 9752 6933 Fax: (03) 9752 6944 Email: neil@adbourne.com Adelaide Office Robert Spowart Ph: 0488 390 039 Email: robert@adbourne.com
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Welcome Message from AACUHO
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AACUHO: The Beginning
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Not the ‘R’ Word
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Internet Access for Student Residences It’s a jumble out there!
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AACUHO 2009 Conference Program
Administration Robyn Fantin Tel: (03) 9752 6426 Email: admin@adbourne.com
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Dealing with Difficult Staff
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Orientation Week and Disorientation Week
Marketing Tania Lamanna Tel: (03) 9500 0285 Email: tlamanna@bigpond.net.au
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The Judicial Meeting: Suggestions for Newer Professionals
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New Technologies and Self-Leadership
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How to manage email overload
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Bed Bugs: The College Creepy You Can Beat!
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Bed Bugs: Overview and Precautionary Steps: What Can Be Done?
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Training Teachers in Customer Relations
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Don’t “check-out” on me!
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Redundancy
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Gen Y Q&A
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Product News
Production Claire Henry Tel: (03) 9752 6944 Email: production@adbourne.com
The Australasian Student Residences Management Journal is published by Adbourne Publishing in conjunction with AACUHO, the Australasian Association of College and University Housing Officers Inc., and AHAUCHI, the Association of Heads of Australian University Colleges and Halls Inc.
Front cover: UniLodge CEO Peter Bates gets amongst UniLodge Brisbane residents
DISCLAIMER Adbourne Publishing cannot ensure that the advertisers appearing in The Australasian Student Residences Management Journal comply absolutely with the Trades Practices Act and other consumer legislation. The responsibility is therefore on the person, company or advertising agency submitting the advertisement(s) for publication. Adbourne Publishing and The Australasian Student Residences Management Journal reserve the right to refuse any advertisement without stating the reason. No responsibility is accepted for incorrect information contained in advertisements or editorial. The editor reserves the right to edit, abridge or otherwise alter articles for publication.
AACUHO
All original material produced in this magazine remains the property of the publisher and cannot be reproduced without authority. The views of the contributors and all submitted editorial are the author’s views and are not necessarily those of the Australasian Association of College and University Housing Officers, or the publisher.
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Welcome Message O
n behalf of the Australasian Association of College and University Housing Officers (AACUHO), welcome to 2009’s first edition of The Australasian Student Residences Management Journal. I hope that you will enjoy the articles and research presented in this edition.
I would like to take this opportunity to invite you to attend the StarNet/StarRez 2009 AACUHO National Conference which will be held at the Crowne Plaza Resort, Torquay, Victoria, Australia. The Conference entitled “Building a Premier Team: Students, Staff and Support Services” will be held from the 14th to the 17th April 2009. A copy of the conference program is included in this edition. Over 150 delegates representing Heads of Colleges/Halls/Villages; Deputy Heads; Deans; Managers (e.g. Business, Facilities, Catering and Operations); Administrators; Housing Officers; Resident Staff and Trade Exhibitors from the Australian and New Zealand University Residential Accommodation Sector will be in attendance. This will surely be an outstanding conference along the beautiful Victorian Coastline! The conference program includes: keynote speakers; NEW parallel/streamed discussion groups and workshops (including Resident Support Services, Finance and IT, Buildings/Facilities and Administrative/Catering); study tour of Melbourne, Latrobe and Deakin University residential accommodation (optional); trade exhibition; networking opportunities; sightseeing and social events. If you are interested in registering for the conference or your staff, please contact Mr. Terry Ryan (AACUHO Secretariat) at aacuhosecretariat@iprimus.com.au or download a registration form online at www.aacuho.edu.au. The AACUHO Executive has met numerous times over the past 11 months to progress the activities of the Association: Discussions have been held with the Association of Heads of Australian University Colleges and Halls Inc (AHAUCHI) regarding a joint conference in Adelaide in 2010, planning for this event has just commenced, so information regarding this conference will not be circulated until the middle of the year. The two Associations will also be conducting seminars/workshops in each State/Territory during 2009 as a joint initiative to increase professional development for its members. The new look AACUHO website is currently being updated with photos, member’s papers, resources, industry discounts and the latest information to help members get the most out of their Association. Membership has grown to over 300 and we are hoping to increase this in 2009. Construction of a Member Login area is being finalized. A reminder to all members that the Association’s Annual General Meeting will be held at the Torquay Conference as well as elections for the 2009/2010 Executive Committee positions (e.g. President, Vice-President, Treasurer, Secretary and Committee Members). If you are interested in being involved on the Committee, do not hesitate to contact me or the AACUHO Secretariat for more information. Information regarding elections will be sent out in early March by the Secretary. In concluding, I would like to thank the Torquay (Geelong) Organising Committee and Terry Ryan (Conference Organiser) in advance for their efforts. I also believe that our Association has improved the services and products that it offers to its members. I hope that you will see real benefits of being a part of AACUHO, now and into the future!
See you in Torquay, Victoria!
Yours sincerely,
AACUHO
Mr. Sean Brito-Babapulle AACUHO President
AACUHO: The Beginning By JOE MASSINGHAM
In Australia there was no such organization, only a small group of Heads of Colleges who would have no truck with those who were not Heads or who were Heads of residences which did not meet the organisation’s somewhat bizarre definition. Joe had visited some of the residences in or attached to West Coast universities (especially WSU and Stamford) and had been overwhelmed by the helpfulness and willingness to share of his American counterparts. This contrasted so strongly with the insular attitude of many of those who led Australian residences at that time that it left an indelible mark on Joe.
AACUHO I
n the early 1980s one or two of the colleges at the University of New England started to explore the possibility of various links with overseas, mostly American, residences. The first Australians to attend an ACUHO (no ‘I’ in those days) went to the US in and came back with sometimes good, sometimes bad tales of very different residential and educational systems. Another result was the establishment of the first Resident Tutor/RA exchanges with Washington State University, Pullman, WA (WSU). From the very beginning Joe Massingham, then Master of Wright College at UNE was extremely keen (some said ‘obsessed’) with the idea of establishing a similar allembracing association for everyone involved in residences.
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Joe’s first ACUHO conference was at Western Illinois University, Macomb, Ill. Quite unintentionally it became a memorable trip. The Heads clique were working hard to persuade the rest of the world that they were the only legitimate representatives of Australian residences and had organized a teleconference with ACUHO and the heads of Houses organization in the UK. Garry Johnson, who was heading the US committee taking part in this hook-up asked Joe to attend. At the appointed time the leader of the Australian group came on the line and gave a somewhat long-winded and pompous introduction of his group. The UK group, who were in the middle of a very well lubricated dinner session, responded briefly and then it was Garry’s turn. He outlined some of the major points the Australian had made and commented positively or negatively, as seemed appropriate, to them. He then introduced me, explaining that he would ask me to comment and elaborate on the Australian concerns and issues as I thought fit. You could hear the indrawn hiss of breath without the aid of the transPacific phone line! You could also feel the frost in the middle of an Illinois summer emanating from the speaker phone. An added amusement was the contribution from the UK heads. They had just enjoyed an obviously well-wetted dinner and were keen to demonstrate their humour and choral abilities. They were demonstrated frequently but did not improve with repetition. On his return from Macomb Joe’s first action was to register AACUHO as an incorporated association. After Joe its first two members were the Wright College Secretary and www.adbourne.com
Sally Stratton, Joe’s long-suffering partner. Both signed without a murmur when asked to do so! Another early and enthusiastic member was a young fellow called David Holmes who lived in outback Victoria but was keen to join the real world.
The conference has grown dramatically since then and is now a wonderful annual holiday for many members. As a personal view, I believe a return to more unadorned and focused activities would serve the association better but I’m aware I’m very much in the minority.
He also pursued the question of formal affiliation with ACUHO-I (the I had been added by now; they obviously knew we were coming). From this end the Americans seemed extraordinarily slow, cautious and unenthusiastic, though a few such as Jim Grimm and Keith Guy were great supporters. Poor Mike Hoctor had the doubtful privilege of receiving most of Joe’s ‘cajolements’ and must have wondered what awful sin he’d committed to deserve this.
Another of our very early activities was training for student leaders, who had a bewildering variety of titles in different institutions. We ultimately adopted the American ‘RA’ as our generic title. This training was very useful and was greatly improved each time it was undertaken because of the feedback from participants. RA training is now nearly universal in Australian universities, though there are still one or two places that claim, “It’s just a matter of commonsense and training’s not necessary.” Try telling that to lawyers for the plaintiff!
AACUHO’s first national conference was held at Wright College, UNE in 1991. We had 19 enrolments but only 18 turned up. Unfortunately, Edwina Ridgway, Head of Duval College, was scheduled to present a paper but went down with a respiratory infection on the morning we started. Iqbal Khan, then Head of Residences at USQ and an ex-Wright Fellow was dragooned into taking her place. He delivered a spirited paper which evoked much mirth amongst his audience, though afterwards neither he nor they could recall any of it.
The establishment of a permanent Secretariat was also an early venture which has stood the Association in good stead. It has been always been run by keen ex-leaders in student housing so it keeps the association focused on appropriate activities. I suppose ther will be some people somewhere who still ask why we started at all. My only excuse is, “It seemed like a good idea at the time – and it still does to me.” n
Not the ‘R’ Word By PHILLIP DUTTON
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ast year in this Journal I wrote about some of the ingredients of university residential life that encourage leadership. The reference to Dr Joe Martins, a past Head of Warrane College UNSW, got me started. In his paper at the AHAUCHI Conference of 1989 in Townsville he tracked the way that he saw how residents generally move from a domestic sense of responsibility at home to a more civic sense of responsibility in College. This rang true for me and still does but I would like to examine these levels of responsibility (the ’R’ word) a little further in the context of university residential life. In Colleges and Halls, so often reputed for providing students with living supports that reduce their own sense of responsibility and independence, there may in fact be a strong case to suggest that experiences of greater and more extended
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responsibility are available and often unavoidable in the formation and development of our young adults in Colleges and Halls.
Domestic Responsibility A domestic level of responsibility is traditionally expected of our students at home with differing levels of freedom, coercion, parental frustration and cajoling over many years before leaving home to live in a university residence. It is often accompanied by a share of domestic chores and an allowance as well as the comfort and security of family life as well as the nagging mother. The sanctions for avoiding domestic responsibility such as withdrawal of privileges are usually no more than a passing nuisance and any transgressions are soon forgiven in the interest of overall domestic bliss as long as one has learned a lesson. > www.adbourne.com
< Well, that may be the amusing stereotype with which we are familiar. However, it should not be taken for granted especially when we experience so many other students for whom a secure, family home life has been jeopardized. More and more students have had to face greater responsibilities in homes where families have been split, marginalized and challenged financially especially in assisting with younger siblings. Often, in these cases, our students have faced responsibilities far beyond helping mum and dad at the domestic level. Most of our students have worked in casual retail or hospitality or other positions perhaps as early as their mid teens from Year 10 onwards. A growing number are involved in community service if only because schools since the 1980’s have been more engaged in the service of the community around them. Many too have taken a gap year before entering university and college and arrived at an average age of 19 with experience that has taken them far from home in the service of other communities and other cultures. In short, many of our students come to university residences with broader experiences and responsibilities far beyond the domestic regime of home life.
Civic Responsibility Martins was making a broad differentiation here between those students with the experience of domestic responsibility only and the sudden but supported experience of living in College. His observation, that living in a collegiate community suddenly requires a new student to come to terms with a new level of responsibility on more equal terms, remains helpful. There may be Head, a Dean and Tutors but there are no parents and life is lived on more equal terms with one’s larger number of co-habitants. Whether this differentiation applies more to an earlier era or not, Martins’ observation may still be fundamentally accurate but not nearly adequate enough in 2009. Students who come to university residences for a year or two do experience a brief and unusual style of life. The rules, unwritten or otherwise, reflect a need for civic co-operation, respect for others and the need to subscribe to values that reflect that community. In the past senior students in university residences have sometimes seen College as an escape from the values of the broader community and have operated as if in a closed environment where the rules or standards of the broader community need not apply. Other less acceptable rules have applied and perhaps in the subculture of many Colleges they still do at least to some extent. Thankfully, orientation activities that initiate new students by applying unacceptable practices seeking to create a so called sense of equality based on low common
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denominators have gradually diminished across the sector. There is no real equality of course when third years do it to first years. There is more and more evidence that higher common factors, where first years are not targeted for special attention, for humiliation or bastardisation by later years are more characteristic of residential student life than in previous generations. In fact, it may well be that students can experience activities that take them beyond the civic nature of their relationships with fellow residents to a level of community responsibility that is more proactive, more far reaching, more rewarding and more defining for the college.
Community Responsibility More and more Colleges and Halls in 2009 have community outreach projects and activities that have helped to make student life within residences less inward looking. Within my university, the Australian National University, our original College Bruce Hall has established very strong programs that engage its residents in local environmental sustainability projects and a far ranging project in academic support entitled Learning Communities. Our next door neighbours at John XXIII College have programs that take them further afield to the Solomon Islands in their community outreach. Burgmann College has a range of community projects, all active and inclusive of many residents, including more recently the establishment of a community partnership with the Doomadgee people of the North-West Cape. These are just examples from one Australian university whereas it is known that such a community focus among university residential colleges is growing right across the sector in a range of interesting and sometimes unusual ways.
Conclusion It may well be that growing responsibility amongst university residential students is often characterised these days by, firstly, an experience of more than domestic responsibility upon arrival; a more immediate sense and appreciation of civic responsibility within their hall in terms of their willingness to co-operate with the needs of the college and their fellow residents; and, thirdly, a greater willingness to subscribe to activities that are characterised by community responsibility that are proactive, personally fulfilling, group enhancing and enriching in the collegiate setting. This is all the more reason why we as Managers and Heads of Colleges and Halls, in our educational role, should treat our residents not only for who they are but also for whom they may become. n References 1.
Martins, J. F. (1989). Effect of environment on academic and personal development. Unpublished paper presented at the National Conference of the Association of Heads of Residential Colleges and Halls of Universities of Australia, James Cook University, Townsville.
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Internet services at Student Residences It’s a jumble out there! By Neil Thompson, Managing Director, AccessPlus
So it was not surprising to find that internet services were available at every residence. The main models ranged from: • No managed services provided at all – residents make their own arrangements • Residence provides its own internally managed system • University provided intranet and internet • Residences club together to provide managed services • Full outsourcing to independent providers • A combination of these The business model is critical for everyone. Most residents understand that the service is never free and never completely unrestricted or unlimited. The challenge is to provide sufficient quality and affordability to make residents happy.
We have recently done some research at 2 levels: 1. The various models at residences for provision of internet services to their residents, to identify what is out there 2. Residents themselves, to hear about their needs and expectations This paper addresses some of the core issues raised. 1. Residence-level/ management-level research It is unquestionable that residents everywhere need access to internet services for their courses and for their lifestyle. There is increasing evidence that your residents will have made their residential decision partially if not wholly on the quality and affordability of the available internet services.
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The cost of national and local networks is high now and not likely to reduce in the foreseeable future. The ever increasing demands means that infrastructure costs at the national and local levels to meet the demands will remain high. The difference will be in availability of better quality services rather than reduction in cost. For accommodation owners and managers the basic formula for success is ‘bums in beds’. Occupied beds = income (fees or rent). Losing income at any time is problematical; losing income in the current climate can be very uncomfortable and lead to compromised services, reduced rents and even closures. The business model is of increasing concern and there are rafts of financial considerations that will have cost v benefit analysts excited for months. How can the cost be recovered? What are the benefits? Is it recoverable in terms of fees, rent or direct revenue generation? The answers are as diverse as the locations, we found. I gave a paper at ACCUHO last year on the results and a summary is on our website. www.adbourne.com
Internet services may represent a cost factor for some but they are on the other hand a profit centre for others (equipment suppliers, engineers, ISPs). Owners of residents will want a return on their investment – maybe all residences, public and private will in future. If the return expectation is more widely spread then there are consequences. A higher cost to the residents is one. Lower quality services is potentially another.
outages. This is not always easy considering few published notices are actually read! A bit more on this issue: •
There is no universal method of making contact with all residents. You can try email, sms, msn, facebook, twitter, notices on the notice board, notices under doors, informing management and staff and residential assistants, room telephone, mobile, on site representative of the provider, notices on log in pages... and still you will not reach everybody! Many are reluctant to call helpdesk services for a variety of reasons (perceived cost, language difficulties). Residents who leave adequate contact details when they created accounts - especially mobile phone numbers (not international numbers please!) are the best informed.
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Residents expect some form of compensation if the service is out for any extended period.
Having less income expectations in the chain is more likely to result in cheaper services to residents and higher quality services. In turn this means higher marketability of the residency, more assured occupancy rates and better rents. If owners share income they will have a higher responsibility to users. It is an inevitable consequence – duty of disclosure, liability and accountability in the face of new regulation. One issue often raised is the wired v wireless considerations. There is a clear trend from a consumer perspective to the ease and mobility of wireless. Sometimes for good reasons residences are totally wireless (heritage buildings for one). Some have a combination of wired and wireless. Most successful services however run on a structured data cabled network. Responses from IT departments and communications specialists invariably go down the cabled road. ‘If you have a cable then use it’ and ‘if you can cable then do it’ is the mantra. So yes it’s a jumble out there! These are just a few of the regular points that are raised.
Speed is next on the order of importance. If the service is available and reliable then the next issue is definitely speed. •
From a provider perspective higher speed = higher cost. The cost of major links in Australia from major providers are both expensive and inflexible.
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Notwithstanding this the residents are entitled to ‘acceptable broadband speed’. This short phrase can raise much angst and argument but it is independently defined at around 512/128kbps. Take some of the advertising you see with a pinch of salt!
Data allowances – same as speed.
How will you know when you need to address the issue of internet services in your residence? There will be simple indicators:
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Take the advertised massive offerings of downloads or unlimited downloads with the same pinch of salt. Data in Australia costs money (not everywhere in the world) and has to be recovered.
• Complaints from residents
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Most residents fall within the envelope of reasonable use. If there is an allowance many will stay within it. We have many students who stay within a 500MB/month range. Others cannot contain their use within 20GB! This is all changing over time and experience and packages must be competitive in the eyes of the resident. If they are not then the simplest indicator is resident complaint to management.
• Complaints from parents of residents • Increasing administrative and direct costs to provide the service • Drop in occupancy rates Keep an eye on these. 2. Resident-level research – more specifically, what residents want from internet services and how they use the internet Firstly they tell us the service must be reliable. This is even more important than speed. Residents do not cope well with outages for any reason. They are not interested in the cause – only in the remedy. Good communication helps. Residents want to be told about planned outages and want information about unexpected The Australasian Student Residences Management Journal
Support – residents like the helpdesk other direct methods of resolving their immediate issues. •
They like to talk to someone, sometimes complain and sometimes vent!
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A high percentage of calls we know as PEBKAC Problem Exists Between Keyboard And Chair!
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Their issues are rarely insurmountable - around 95% are resolved on first contact. Most issues are procedural – connection and accounting. >
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Internet services at Student Residences •
Most residents are not blessed with computer management skills and expect help. Helpdesk access is of high importance as many students are a long way from their own personal support networks.
Price – Price is usually raised as an issue only if for any reason the system is unreliable or slow. •
Most accept that it is a chargeable service and willingly pay. Residents know if prices are good value.
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The expectation is that they should have some free sites including free access to the University intranet for on campus residencies.
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Some use alternate services such as 3G in conjunction with or perhaps instead of the in room service. The availability of alternatives is shaping up as a good article topic for next time
User-friendliness – the system must be easy to use. Note that 50% didn’t read any material provided (published instructions, FAQs). You must have an easy to incredibly easy account creation process. It also needs easy to incredibly easy payment methods. In one campus the cash payment option includes a map leading to a nearby bank and bus timetables! Mobility (and ubiquity?) is a huge issue and the strong trend is notebooks (laptops) that can connect to both wired and wireless networks wherever they are at Uni or elsewhere. The service must firstly be available in their rooms as well as common areas, computer labs and libraries. Other highly rated issues: •
Specials – residents are consumers and like to get a deal. Provision of specials is good for residents and providers. It can enhance relationships between provider and residents which I suggest is an essential element for a service provider in residencies.
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After that it was Blog sites, Bittorrent, You Tube
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Then news and email…
Knowing this gives us a good lead on how to best communicate with residents. What more would they like from a managed service •
More free to access sites
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Speed options
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Local servers (gaming, file mirroring, VoIP, online noticeboards)
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VoIP bundled with accounts
I would rate reliability as the most important issues overall. Outages for any reason are not well received. The residents appreciate explanations and communication but are only concerned to know when services will be restored. Reliability is a core expectation as it acceptable speed, delivery on that first and back it up with communication and good value. It has been good to listen to our users, we reckon it keeps us in business. n AccessPlus is a Queensland based specialist provider of Managed Internet solutions to student accommodation, hotels, resorts and conference centres around Australia and yacht marinas along Queensland’s cruising coast. Contact details: www.accessplus.com.au neil@accessplus.com.au (07) 5451 1146 0402 043 294
And as a PS – results of research into favourite ice cream flavours (in descending order) – you may want to bear this in mind for your next resident meeting: •
Chocolate
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Vanilla
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Cookies and cream
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Choc chip
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Banana
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Usage information – ability to know where they are in their time and or data plan is important.
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Choc chip cookie dough
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Security – they want to be confident that no one can steal their data or access their system and information
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Choc mint
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Strawberry
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Free sites – they want access to sites such as banks so they can make on line payments, university intranet and some core research sites
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Pecan praline
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Mango
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Peanut butter and chocolate
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Pistachio
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Macadamia
How do students use the internet? •
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The highest rating was Facebook. Next MSN. Next Uni intranet for research and course related issues. www.adbourne.com
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By TONY ROLLAND
And, your insurance company will applaud your actions by being proactive towards plant maintenance. Further, a Thermoscan™ has the potential to prevent major downtime caused by a switchboard failure and possible ensuing fire.
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One thermal abnormality observed during a regular inspection, had the potential of costing at least two days downtime and the losses would have amounted to around $2 million. The problem was repaired with a replacement switch and one and a half hours of scheduled downtime, much cheaper than unscheduled downtime.
e are currently in tough economic times. Therefore, money is tight, and the resistance to spend has escalated, making maintenance an expensive necessity. However, we must continue paying our insurance premiums, and hope that we will never ever get a return on this investment. So, the need to keep your plant and facilities operating effectively requires that funds must be allocated to preventative maintenance. The alternative is gloomy. Another form of insurance is a regular Thermoscan™ inspection. The difference is you do get a return, one that can potentially help save you many thousands of dollars.
And, to help with the decision-making, it has been reported, that where the cause of a fire can be established, in 80% of cases, it is an electrical fault. When engaging a thermographer to carry out the Thermoscan inspection, it would be wise to select operators who are specialists in their trade. All of Thermoscan’s™ Field Operators are qualified and Electrical Fitter/Mechanics and all are trained at Melbourne University to Level 1 Thermography standard - A.I.N.D.T. n
The StarNet/StarRez 2009 AACUHO Conference
BUILDING A PREMIER TEAM:
AACUHO AACUHO Students, Staff and Support Services Crowne Plaza Torquay, Geelong, Victoria
Conference Program
Tuesday April 14 to Friday April 17 2009
Tuesday April 14
The Australasian Student Residences Management Journal
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Thursday April 16
Wednesday April 15
Friday April 17
Dealing with
Difficult Staff By GREVIS BEARD Director, Worklogic Consulting Pty Ltd (www.worklogic.com.au)
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taff behaving badly can significantly affect your workplace’s productivity and morale. And responding to bad behaviour can itself be stressful for managers. This article provides suggestions, strategies, and several case studies for when you next need to deal with a staff member behaving badly.
“What is really going on here?” – The Context of Staff Behaviour and Conflict When staff conflict arises, think about what that difficult staff behaviour or staff conflict is really about. This will assist you to work out the most constructive way to respond to the problem before you. You’ll be managing the underlying problems, not just the obvious symptoms. Consider whether the issue actually a “process” or “culture” problem, rather than purely an “interpersonal” or “people” problem. Is it a process problem that has become “personality driven”? Might the personalities of the staff involved be preventing a “process” problem from being solved? The individual’s apparently “bad behaviour” may in fact be a completely rational response to a bigger issue! Once you ascertain if it’s really about staff interactions, or another broader process problem altogether, you can get your head around what is the nature and type of staff behaviour or conflict you are hearing about, and then determine the most suitable ways of solving that issue. It is also constructive to think about your own perceptions and biases that might impact on your handling of the situation. Think about the history of your own interactions with the people involved, your career experiences, “personal” buttons, previous attempts to resolve staff conflicts, and your own feelings towards the workplace. These can all impact on how you interpret what is going on. What reaction do you have to staff conflict? Does conflict make you feel uncomfortable? How are you responding? You are also part of the dynamic.
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It may be that work allocation, favouritism, or inappropriate messages or behaviours by managers may also have contributed to the staff behaviour that is now before you. Have a think about whether managers and supervisors are “walking the talk” in relation to appropriate and fair behaviour in the workplace.
So what’s the response? There is no “one-size fits all” way to deal with inappropriate staff behaviour or staff conflict. Based on how you’ve understood the problem, you might implement: • A direct conversation between the employees, with no outside assistance • A Facilitated conversation/Mediation between the employees involved • Team building exercises • Training in particular skills • An Investigation into the alleged conduct, or a Workplace review to understand the context more thoroughly These different responses are not mutually exclusive. You may wish to use a few, depending on the situation. www.adbourne.com
Direct conversations/approaches
Team building exercises
Sometimes employees can resolve minor disputes themselves, but even these disputes can escalate and impact upon working relationships and workplace morale, if not dealt with quickly.
Often, our clients come to us when a recent anonymous staff survey has reported allegations of staff being socially excluded with factions or cliques forming, when inappropriate or unprofessional comments are being reported indirectly, or when discriminatory comments or bullying behaviour is witnessed, but no individual employee is willing to come forward and complain.
How long has the difficult staff behaviours been going on? Is it a “one off” occurrence, or one which is out of character and unlikely to reoccur? Are there minimal power imbalances between the staff concerned? Does there appear to be a straightforward solution? If so, encourage the staff to talk through the problem between themselves. If you have a code of conduct that explicitly refers to behaviour of this type, that normalises such approaches from one staff member to another, to talk about and defuse the situation. If the staff behaviours indicate an ongoing dispute, or involve bullying, discrimination and sexual harassment, then it may be beyond local resolution by employees themselves. Investigations or workplace reviews may then be a more appropriate response.
There’s no scope here for direct conversations or a mediation. You don’t know whom to approach! But don’t ignore the feedback from staff surveys, or rumours in the tea room. Get the work team together and some “time out” to establish (or re-establish) ground rules for the future. You can use internal or external people to facilitate this discussion. The main thing is to use a methodology that assists with setting down rules for the future. It should not be seen as a “blame” session, or a “whinge” session. Team building exercises do need to be carefully managed, so they help “stop any rot” in reminding staff about appropriate behaviours, and challenge any inappropriate understanding of what is acceptable behaviours in an open forum.
Mediation/Facilitated conversation Mediation/facilitated discussion may be appropriate as a stand-alone process. Or it might be the next step, if direct conversation between the staff has not worked. One added advantage of a facilitated discussion, depending on the circumstances, is that the process is less formal and so for some staff is more palatable. As both mediation and facilitated discussion are problem solving processes, the focus is on the problem and not the participants. The key aim is to get the parties to talk and also listen to each other through a voluntary and confidential discussion. The goal is for the participants to the mediation/facilitated discussion resolve the dispute for themselves - with the assistance of the mediator/facilitator. It is also for the participants to make an informed decision about their future that they can live with - regardless of whether or not they have reached agreement. Mediators or facilitators do not impose any resolution, particularly as they are impartial.
Training Where conflict is arising because staff may not have the skills to interact as professionally or effectively as they could, you may wish to focus your workforce on developing specific skills. These can be relatively broad, say, “teambased decision making”, “professional interactions in the workplace”, or “goal focussed teams”. This is more targeted a response compared to team building, and focuses on building skills within your staff so that they can deal with problems themselves in future. Training will be an appropriate response where the whole team needs some intervention, not just two individuals who are in conflict. Investigations/Workplace reviews Workplace conflict that stems from staff not behaving inappropriately may be managed with any of the above interventions. But it may be that you are “flying blind”, and do not know the full extent of the staff conflict or underlying causes.
Often, mediations deal very effectively with issues of “communication”, “expectations”, and “interpersonal” differences. They provide a forum for staff to acknowledge each others’ perceptions of what has gone on to date, and to reestablish ground rules for the future. Difficult “histories” between staff can be “de-toxified” through the mediation process.
A general workplace review investigates how staff are travelling, and identify areas for targeted improvement. It can show you the extent and nature of problems, including staff conflicts, in the workplace. Separately, a particular investigation into specific concerns deals with particular staff conflicts, but investigations can also highlight broader problems in the workplace.
Mediations and facilitated discussions can also be useful to do, either before or after types of interventions, such as an investigation, although they do not take the place of an investigation.
Consider investigations or workplace reviews where conflict in the workplace involves ongoing or long-term disputes and are more serious in nature - bullying, discrimination and/or sexual harassment. >
The Australasian Student Residences Management Journal
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Three scenarios “The pushy staff member” scenario < What do you do where a staff member is not respectful of other staff? They may, for example, pressure and manipulate other staff into obtaining the best work allocation or rostering – “my way or the highway”. And this staff member may have been employed there a very long time, so that other staff, whilst resentful, may feel they can’t challenge Mr or Ms Pushy. You may have witnessed this scenario yourself, where you may have inherited a staff member who – due to their longevity at the workplace or their position in the informal power hierarchy – feels that they can behave in a way that intimidates and bulldozes other staff. So what might you do? • Establish or re-establish ground rules for behaviour, through group discussions, group agreement and group learning about appropriate staff interaction. • If you don’t have any documents in existence already in writing that set the ground rules, create some. • If the bullying staff member tries to dominate the training or even challenge the higher standards that you are trying to establish, immediately reiterate the ground rules for the training, and continue to enforce these during that training. • Where the bullying is so serious that you don’t think training or mediation is likely to fix the problem, perhaps it is timely and appropriate to get some legal advice about some one-to-one direct conversations with that employee, and even disciplinary action after the matters has been investigated. “The racist comments” scenario Say that out of the blue, one of your staff comes into your office, closes the door, and claims that another staff member is constantly making racist comments. What do you do here? • Again, you may already have internal policies setting out what’s appropriate conduct - and how you deal with complaints. Any internal policy should include these aspects. If you don’t, seriously consider getting your policies in place. • Training staff about what is appropriate behaviour is extremely useful as prevention is better than cure. Does your training occur regularly? Does it also happen at induction? Apart from training, you may need to investigate these allegations of racist comments, fairly and promptly. • Once you’ve got the investigation completed, you can then explore what you then need to do. A fact finding investigation is the key to grounding your future decision making in objective truth. The Australasian Student Residences Management Journal
“The hidden agendas” scenario It may be that some staff have hidden agendas, and difficult and destructive behaviour is happening behind your back. You may be aware that something is not quite right, through exit interviews or a general “vibe”, but you suspect this is the visible tip of a dangerous iceberg. So, how do you respond here? • Don’t be in denial about a workplace iceberg. They could do a lot of damage. • If you were to approach staff for one-to-one discussions you may find yourself not getting any nearer to the truth. Staff often “clam up” because you are “internal”. Getting in someone external to conduct a workplace review can lead to a much more comprehensive and candid response from staff. • The information obtained in a workplace review is often gold-dust. You learn an amazing amount of detail about what’s working, what’s not, what needs improvement. You can then generate solutions and recommendations. • For example, once you know which staff you may need to re-engage with, approach these staff in one-toone talks about their morale and commitment to the workplace. Confronting these “white-anting” staff may not be the easiest thing, but at least from a workplace review you now know what is going on and whom you need to have some frank discussions with.
In Conclusion • Managing people can be very rewarding and also at times very hard – there is no “one solution fits all” in responding to inappropriate staff behaviour and/or staff conflict. • What are you doing to ensure your staff understand what behaviour is expected? Consider training (or retraining) for your staff. • With dysfunctional staff interactions – consider training, facilitated discussion/mediation, and/or investigation. • With misconduct allegations – investigate them, take disciplinary action where necessary. • Do you know what is really going on in your workplace culture? If there are staff issues you are not really abreast of, a workplace review will reveal how your workplace is travelling, and/or recommendations for improving staff behaviour and/or morale. n
Grevis Beard, together with Deanne McLennan and Rose Bryant-Smith, are former lawyers who now run Worklogic Consulting (www.worklogic.com.au). Worklogic provides a range of discrimination and dispute resolution services, including the investigation and mediation of workplace complaints, workplace training, HR troubleshooting and workplace reviews. To receive free Worklogic newsletters on a range of human resources subjects, please email your contact details to enquiries@worklogic.com.au
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Orientation Week and Dis-orientation Week By Dr. IVAN HEAD Warden, St Paul’s College, University of Sydney
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eople with over all responsibility for an O week program may well have to start with the assumption that as much as 90% of what is said simply cannot register. If it cannot register, why hit your head against that brick wall? Perhaps only someone who can re-live and reflect on their own dis-orientation can offer an orientation? Here are two simple examples offered as parables by Mr Disoriented himself. I arrive at 3am on a rainy summer night at the night porter’s office in a College in New York – a first time visitor after a full 24 hours traveling and time lag. The plane is 5 hours late and I wonder if the Limo driver whose car looks suspiciously unlike an un-registered cab is going to divert to somewhere I know not where or demand 5 times the fare. I even wonder whether the night porter will have gone to bed, and when I think about, I realize I have not even pre-confirmed that there is a night porter. So when I do get there and the night clerk says in an accents unfamiliar something like, ‘Take these four keys, one for the gate, then cross the lawn then one for the next gate, then cross the road, then one for the front door, then go along the corridor and the fourth key will unlock your door - I am inclined to say ‘I can barely find my way out of the room I am standing in, let alone understand what your otherwise clear instructions actually mean. I need more help than that’. I also note that each key is engraved with a code placed there by the satanic keeper of a temple in an Indiana Jones movie. Added to that, I do not know what authority the man talking to me has – I do not even know how to place him in the context of the new institution. I feel intensely the boundary between my own malleability and willingness not to be problem, and the desire to define and assert my own boundaries as a thoughtful, intelligent ‘can-do person’. Actually, I am feeling whacked from just getting here. Needless to say, Mr Dis-oriented could not make the fourth key open his apartment door, but was gratified in his continuing belief that it was ‘the door’s fault’. Really it was! The Australasian Student Residences Management Journal
Mr Dis-oriented then turns up for 11 am Choral Worship at the hugely gothic St Thomas’s 5th Ave for the Byrd Mass for 3 Voices on the Feast of Ss Peter and Paul – as one does. Two well-marked sides men with white flowers in their jackets are standing in the central inner door swing space, with what might be service sheets in their hands, but ever on the look out for ‘signs to mis-read’ Mr D notices that by each sides man are two very clear and elegant signs on top of each other for double emphasis. The four signs say. ‘Please do not use the Centre Door, Use the Side Doors’. I note the arrows pointing away from the centre doors. So follow these signs and and re-picture these two elegantly dressed men as vergers for a special event, probably a wedding given the white lapel flower – and so I head off to the side and stop in a cul de sac space to watch others going into the Wedding I imagine is about to happen. I then see people simply arrive and go straight in the centre doors and given a sheet on the way in. I reckon they are afterall not going to a Wedding and so back I go. On entering the centre doors, I make the mistake of saying to the verger, who had been kind of watching me ‘I am sorry, I misunderstood your four signs that directed me to the side doors’. He takes a step towards them and says ‘Oh, those signs only apply once we have closed this door and the Service has started – when the door is open just come on in’. He did not add the word ‘dumbo’ but then his tone of voice had said it all. >
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< Always too much the literalist in my own sign world, I failed again because of my respect for signs, but again registered solely the textual reality of the signed vestibule, the signed doorway, the signed ‘first 48 hours’ of experience in a new city – in this case an over-signed space did not mean what it literally said and I mis-read the other cues. Maybe I was just intimidated and lacked the courage of applied common sense. There is room for dissonance in all this and for parabolic thought about the nature of the experiences of women and men at 18 as they enter the vestibule or cross the threshold of College life, something about putting young men and women at ease in a new setting, about readings and misreadings. It is clear that some of this ‘signposting’ and institutional engagement with the sound promotion of institutional wisdom leads on to far more important themes, like those of social psychologist, Dr Terri Apter, Senior Tutor at the all women Newnham College in Cambridge, U.K. and as outlined in her book The Myth of Maturity: what teenagers need from their parents to become adults. She is concerned with the myth of independent and indeed instantly presumed maturity at age 18: the myth that
independent and autonomous responsibility and maturity is solely what University life will be all about as one arrives in some moment and place at that point in life. Perhaps this was once a corrective to the over coddled or intentionally souffléd late adolescent who has been controlled or drilled to rise to a certain level of measured performance, but who has never gained or been granted presumptive or relational independence. At 18+ this person may be stifled or unable to function when self-direction is the sole resource. He or she might have peaked in the closely monitored environment of an Independent School. Apter believes that the swing is now far too far in the other direction. Her views are shaped by the long, lengthening lines and percentages of ‘thresholders’ who implode or explode one way or another in passage though the 18-22 doorway specifically in the context of a poorly structured or poorly signposted University experience. That path can be inadequately sign-posted and a good College addresses that. A College can best address its ‘signage’ and ease of ‘interpretation by freshmen’ and can best address support structures when it issues from all levels of governance through all key staff and office holders and in conjunction with an astute and informed wider University with a consistent commitment to outcomes, core values and standards. There must also be a shared or communal wisdom and sense of what can indeed go wrong individually and institutionally – and most importantly, the students in residence together will be the empowered adults that make it work by consultation and empowerment or not. University and College cannot simply become a risk free environment where adults are overtly or subtly treated as another kind of ‘minor’. Here, I simply want to acknowledge that there is a difference between imposition on students and emergence from amongst students; a difference between empowering and entrusting young adults with their own community and imposing a set of standards autocratically from above. But even so one may say to 18 year olds ‘Here are 5 ‘thou shalt nots’ that will really limit the down side of residential life at University.. My considered 5 Thou Shalt Nots are stated as, ‘Do not break it (probably expensive to fix or requires micro surgery), souvenir it (cultural wastelands are boring), mess with it (fire equipment saves lives), sledge it (sport is better without hazing of opponents), or drink it (since it is far from your first or second)’. Interestingly there are no limits to the up side that arises as young adults awake to their own passionate curiosity and interest in a life long love of a subject area though perhaps one would state the 5 principles that provoke the up side just as succinctly. n Ivan Head holds a PhD in the interpretation of miracle stories from Glasgow University and is beginning his 15th year as Warden of St Paul’s College. He was formerly Warden of Christ College Hobart in the University of Tasmania
The Judicial Meeting: Suggestions For Newer Professionals By MARK BAUMAN
can provoke a touch of anxiety, especially in newer professionals. While understandable, I believe it’s more useful to regard this experience as an opportunity to begin a relationship with the student sitting across from you. Over the years, I have developed a general style that I adapt, contingent upon the situation and the student. It has served me well and disbanded many of the feelings frequently associated with an experience students might describe as “going to the principal’s office.”
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s a residence life professional, resolving student conduct issues is an important component of your position. While variations among institutions are common, most staff members will resolve at least minor policy violations (i.e. noise, low level harassment, first time alcohol incidents) in accordance with residential policy. Many institutions will also allow and/or encourage residence life staff to assume a more active role in judicial affairs
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(i.e. non-residential) by serving on conduct boards or as a University mediator. Regardless of your exact involvement in student discipline, resolving student conduct issues is an excellent opportunity to build relationships. The primary vehicle for building these relationships is the disciplinary meeting – a one on one discussion between you, as the hearing officer, and the student alleged to have violated policy. Sometimes these meetings
Below are some suggestions regarding the disciplinary meeting. Keep in mind that each situation is unique and should be regarded as such. These suggestions represent general ideas that you can adjust based on your personality, style and the situation at hand.
1. Do the unexpected. Students may arrive at your disciplinary meeting expecting a less than pleasant experience. They know why they have been called to your office and are expecting the resultant meeting to immediately address alleged poor conduct. Don’t. Take a few minutes to simply talk with the student about college, classes, their roommate, where they are from, what their plans are upon graduation. Build a relationship in those www.adbourne.com
few minutes concentrating on the whole student. When it’s time to discuss the real reason for the appointment, use a transition that works for you. I usually say something along the lines of “Ok, we should talk about why we’re here today.” At this point your student is likely more relaxed and comfortable compared to when they first arrived.
2. Shake hands. Simple, but effective, shaking hands immediately establishes rapport. It also indicates your acknowledgement of a student’s adulthood. Furthermore, shaking hands, in my view, shows that you are accepting of the student before you. In other words, it’s not the person you’re challenging – rather it’s their conduct.
3. Ask insight-generating, open-ended questions. For example, asking a student “did you do this?” or “are you guilty” is not only a one word generating answer, it provides no insight to you or the student regarding the incident. One of my frequent choices is “what do you think about all this…” which essentially asks a student to reflect on their conduct and being in my office for less than positive reasons. I often ask students what they would do differently or what they learned as a result of this experience. I almost always ask if “people at home…” are aware of this situation and “what they think about it…” (the reason I don’t ask about ‘parents’ is because some students are estranged from, or have otherwise poor relations with, their parents). Regardless of the exact questions you use, be sure they stimulate thought and reflection in your student. Not only are these types of questions more insightful, they also support the learning mission of higher education.
4. Allow the student to tell his or her story. Discipline procedures vary by institution. Consider a standard alcohol incident. At some institutions, the procedure is to inform the student of the disciplinary consequences. If s/he desires to challenge this automatic finding of responsibility they must initiate the requisite procedure. In this scenario, the opportunity to build relationships is limited. Furthermore, students lack the opportunity to tell their story. Thus this suggestion – “allow the student to tell his or her story” – can be a significant diversion from established practice. Often, students know they have violated policy; they simply want to be heard. In following this suggestion, even if a case is open and closed, you should still give the student a full opportunity to speak their mind.
5. Continue the relationship. It might be easy – indeed it might even be the norm – for your judicial meeting to mark the end of interactions with a given student. Consider the following scenario: You The Australasian Student Residences Management Journal
hold a judicial meeting; a student receives their sanction, completes the imposed requirements accordingly, and is released from the probationary or warning status. These scenarios do, of course, occur, even with the most enthusiastic student life administrator. However, these should be the exception and not the norm. In my view, judicial meetings should be regarded as the beginning of a relationship with a student. Depending on your college’s size and/or your role on the campus, you will likely see this student again. It is, for example, quite common for me to see students later that same day: in the dining hall, in the student recreation center, at a sporting event. Take these opportunities to continue the good foundation created during your initial meeting: say hello, ask a few easy questions, and, most importantly, use their name. The positive message you send in this brief interaction is important in solidifying a sound relationship.
6. Follow up. This is standard procedure for resident advisors and it should be for professional staff as well. Make an appointment at the mid-way point in the student’s sanction to assess their progress, answer questions, and provide guidance where necessary. As before, don’t begin this meeting with questions specific to their sanction. Inquire first about them as a person – their classes, their summer plans, and their involvement with the University. Ask questions that connect information from your first meeting to the present: “When we first met, you talked about changing your major…any movement on that.” Demonstrate that you’re concerned with them as a person, and not simply as someone who violated policy. After a while, be sure to ask about the progress with the sanction and direct the conversation accordingly. For example, if you assigned service, inquire about their hours, where they did them and what they thought about the experience.
7. Hold students accountable. It’s important to establish a culture where students placed on university sanction know they will be held accountable. Each sanctioned student will, of course, interact with other students. If s/he is allowed to drift and does not complete requirements in a timely manner, word will likely spread. The converse is also true: through follow up meetings and clear expectations, students know they will be held accountable. This sentiment gets communicated to other students in his/ her network. If no progress has been made, be firm. Just because you’re building a relationship with the student doesn’t mean you’re a pushover. Give them clear time limits (i.e. “I’d like to see 5 of your service hours completed and documented by March 30, 2005”) and then arrange a follow up meeting. While establishing this culture will take time, the benefits for all involved are significant.
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The Judicial Meeting (continued)
information. Do not allow yourself to enter a meeting where a student may have legitimate policy and/or procedural questions to which you do not have answers. Know your institution’s policies and procedures thoroughly before you enter your first judicial meeting; follow your institution’s procedures precisely and take thorough notes both during and after your meeting.
Conclusion
8. Positive reinforcement. Students who complete requirements in a timely fashion should be supported; ask them what they learned, what insights they gained, and how this could apply to future scenarios. If you’ve learned about the student, suggest that they get involved in a club or organization that appears to match their interests or educational future. I believe in being very open with students; as such, I’m more than willing to speak about how pleased and proud
I am of their resolution. I also believe that turning a negative situation into a positive outcome is the best way to deal with these sorts of incidents. By completing sanctions, and not engaging in similar behavior, students do exactly that.
9. Know the code. Student codes of conduct, residential policy and procedures etc. all vary by institution. Today’s students are well informed and have ready access to this
Judicial meetings are not an exact science. There are many subtle nuances that you will learn with time, experience and through professional development While the suggestions in this article work well in my professional practice, I would encourage you to find your own style. Talk to your judicial affairs office or more seasoned residence life staff for their insights. Ask to sit in on more complicated meetings so that you might learn the challenges presented in these scenarios; read judicial affairs articles and consider attending a regional drive-in workshop on this topic. Take each of these experiences as an opportunity to learn and craft your own unique approach to resolving student conduct issues. n Mark Bauman is Assistant Director of Student Standards and Area Coordinator, Bloomsburg University Reprinted with kind permission of Reslife.net www.reslife.net
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The Australasian Student Residences Management Journal
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100% Australian owned catering management company, Cater Care Australia was established by a team of highly experienced executives from within the catering industry. Our designated management will deliver a customer focused service with consistently high standards to each individual client. Cater Care Australia is a substantial provider of services to various Educational facilities. With our extensive experience and excellent food skills, we are in a position to provide a quality of service that is second to none in all areas of the education market including residential colleges, TAFE colleges, boarding schools and university refectories. Unlike large corporate caterers, you will be dealing directly with the company’s owners and decision makers who are jointly committed to designing individual, highly personalised services. We recognise the importance of healthy eating habits and our responsibility to assist effective nutritional
education through the provision of nutritious, healthy food and beverage choices. We understand that nutrition is important to health throughout life and the key to healthy eating is enjoying a variety of foods from the different food groups. Poor diet depletes people of their vitality and can adversely affect concentration and productivity. Our menus are carefully planned and independently dietetically analysed to ensure that a nutritional balance is maintained, whilst at the same time offering a variety of meal selections that are attractive and appealing. As part of our ongoing marketing initiatives, Cater Care Australia offer regular themed events to help break the ‘routine’ of residential catering. Cater Care Australia is committed to delivering an extensive range of catering services, whilst still retaining the personal touch. Treating all our clientele as if each were the only customer, is the very heart of our Service Philosophy. We care for you! n
New technologies and self-leadership ROBERT GRANT argues that Heads need good self management if they are not to become slaves to information and communication technologies.
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hile educators have struggled to overcome the numerous problems associated with the introduction of computer technology in classroom learning, in the offices of corporate and educational administrators computer technology has made rapid strides. Today the physical appearance of the Principal’s office, like that of CEOs and executives and operators in the commercial world, has changed at least insofar as a computer screen sits on the desk. And when they leave their office, they inevitably carry that other miracle of technological development, the mobile phone.
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Together with the personal computer and more recently the BlackBerry, the mobile phone has arguably been the most significant development in the way we manage our lives and run our schools. But how well are we as Heads coping with email and mobile telephone technology?
The mobile phone Like all great inventions, the mobile phone has transformed our work and our personal lives. We are able to do things which were previously impossible. Telephone conversations from our motor vehicles or from distant playing fields are now commonplace. www.adbourne.com
Reflecting wider community practice, few Heads move anywhere without their mobile phone. But like so many inventions, have we paused to assess whether this device is being used in its most appropriate way? Have we given consideration as to how we make best use of this technology - or has it all just ‘happened’? And if we are not making best use, is its impact negative, or at least eroding the potential benefits? Some years ago, in the latter part of the 1980s at a small meeting of Heads, an adventurous colleague proudly displayed his new pager device. It was rather similar to those widely used by the medical profession. ‘Why would you want that?’ we asked. ‘Well, I think it is important for people in my organisation to be able to contact me as they wish,’ was the reply. Incredulously (some would say naively), we asked ‘why would you want that?’ The reply is long-forgotten but the ultimate impact was not. Twelve months later, he had discarded the pager, fed up with its constant and increasing invasion of his time both inside and outside his school. Today, the mobile phone has for many Heads replaced that pager. It is noticeable when there is a break in proceedings at a meeting of Heads that many flock to their mobile phones. Whilst one readily acknowledges that there can be emergency or pressing situations (including those which we forgot to deal with among all those matters needing our attention before departing the office), nevertheless, it is worth asking the question as to how necessary such readiness to access to the mobile is. Does it reflect an incapacity to delegate to those back at the school? A lack of confidence in others? Does it reflect a reluctance or insecurity in being temporarily disengaged from the physical environment of one’s school? Have we lost the capacity to use time away from the office to reflect, to contemplate, and simply to cogitate? Regardless of what it represents, to the extent that the use of the mobile distracts us from all the collegial and informal interaction with others, it has a negative effect. Lest this sound like a discourse against the use of mobile phones, let it be readily and enthusiastically acknowledged that they have a vital part to play in enhancing the way we do our work and live our lives. My point is that we need to question whether their use has strayed beyond what is important to achieve this; whether we are employing best practice; and whether the mobile phone is, for some, no longer a servant but a master.
Emails If mobile phones have created a race of addicts, the same can be said of email. As a society, we seem to be struggling with the impact of email. The Australasian Student Residences Management Journal
Some email writers who, knowing that because within seconds their email will appear on the screen of the recipient, assume that it will receive instant attention and hence response. (‘I sent you an email this morning and haven’t had a reply!’) To overcome this, one Head sends an automatic acknowledgement, with the promise of a written response when he is able to do so. Yet there are many email recipients who succumb to the temptation of assuming urgency or priority, which means that one’s own organisational priorities are less controlled, and more dictated by others. Failure to provide a cooling-off period, or time for proper reflection before responding is another outcome of the email syndrome. It is hardly a recipe for good management. Another problem of digital communication well known to Heads is the sheer volume of emails. Anyone who has spent a day or two away from the office and their computer can readily tell from the accumulation of emails waiting their return just how much email traffic they typically deal with in a day. Recognising the problem, some Heads have developed systems for avoiding the voluminous invasion and the ‘urgency’ of the email. The lap-top provides travelling Heads with the opportunity to assess email situations at appropriate times, prior to returning to the office. Many Heads have taken to restricting knowledge of their email address, requiring communications to go through their >
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< Personal Assistants. The PA effectively filters the information and, either by email or hard mail, transmitting those communications to which the Head should attend. This has the added advantage of keeping the PA ‘in the picture’. Such a procedure is hardly novel, for it is exactly what has long occurred with incoming correspondence via hard mail. Despite the significant saving of time that this process provides, some Heads prefer not to restrict the volume of incoming emails. The reasons are unclear, but one which has been admitted is that some feel that they would be more ‘out of the loop’, and less aware of what is going on, however inconsequential some of the email contentmightbe. Perusing a large number of messages prior to pressing the delete button can add up to a large and significant number of hours during the week, a fact which is too easily ignored. The use of the ‘cc’ button hugely raises the amount of email communication. Heads who have addressed this have instigated a number of procedures. For example, one Head who instructed staff not to copy him unless a reply was specifically sought from him saw a substantial reduction in emails on his screen. In one school, staff were told that no email was to be sent which could not be put on the Common Room noticeboard.
Self leadership The demands of time made on Heads are considerable, and schools as institutions are growing more and more complex. In most of our schools, Heads and senior staff have been developing protocols and procedures for staff and students in the area of computer and mobile phone usage. Much of this has unavoidably been ‘catch up’, rather like the construction of motorways in our cities. Yet one wonders how many Heads have thought through the issues affecting their personal operation in respect of these technologies. Is their valuable time being used to optimum effect? Is it time to take stock? Only one person in a school is appropriately equipped to provide the long-term planning and vision for the school, and that is the Head. And if the Head is immersed in ‘today’, then ‘tomorrow’ will be less well provided for. The advance of technology is so rapid that it can subtly assume control. Unless users avoid pragmatic, short-term responses and adopt well considered management strategy in their use of new technologies they will find themselves not liberated by it, but enslaved. n First published in Independence Volume 33 No. 2.
How to manage email overload
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ven well-organised executives are finding ‘smart’ technologies are making them feel their day is spiralling out of control. Productivity software like MS Outlook and Lotus Notes, designed to get us more organised, only seems to add to the problem. E-trainer Dermot Crowley of Adapt Training Solutions says mastering digital productivity tools is the answer and he shares six tips on how to stay on top in the age of technology.
1. Don’t despair. I have seen Inboxes with 28,000 emails in them. I have known people who send emails
to themselves to remind themselves that they need to action an email already in their Inbox. Some people give up and just delete the lot! There is help, and it’s right in front of you. Applying a little thought, and maybe some training, to how you use the productivity tools on your computer will deliver a planning system far more powerful than the old paper systems.
2.
Plan your week. Don’t let your week just happen to you, plan what you need to achieve, and get the necessary activities out of your head and into your system! Learn to make email management a part of the day, to deal with it at regular intervals (between three and six times a day), and then put it away to focus on priorities and commitments. Turn off email alerts and alarms, they are just distractions from other work.
3.
Centralise all work in one tool. There are two types of activity you need to manage: meetings workload and tasks workload. Most people use their electronic system to manage meetings, but the tasks are spread across many different tools, including to-do lists, spiral notepads, post-it notes and their head. Both MS Outlook and Lotus Notes have powerful task management systems. It makes sense to use them if much of your work is driven by email, and both systems allow you to convert emails to tasks (Drag an email to Tasks in Outlook; Copy into New button in Lotus Notes).
4.
Treat your Inbox as a delivery dock. Managing your Inbox is all about managing actions, and every email can be processed and actioned with one of the following five Ds: Delete; Drag to file; Delegate (Forward, then File or Delete); Decide when (schedule as a task); Do it now (Reply, then File or Delete).
5.
Protect your Inbox. Inbox noise is a term now used to describe all the emails you receive that do not directly help you achieve your goals and objectives. Use the email Rules function in Outlook or Lotus Notes to automatically delete or file emails that are informational or not of immediate relevance. Set up expectations with your team (who may generate a lot of the noise) about what you need to know or expect them to link you in on. Get off unnecessary distribution lists and email subscription lists.
6.
Compose better emails. The clearer your email is to the reader, the more likely they are to action it in a timely way. Write clear subject lines with impact and state any actions required and due dates in the first line or two of the email. Consider the ‘five sentences’ method (http:// five.sentenc.es/). Dermot Crowley is a director of Adapt Training Solutions, a leading corporate training company that specialises in enhancing productivity and effectiveness through the smarter use of technology. Dermot’s client list includes Macquarie Bank, NAB, Boral, Reserve Bank of Australia and the NSW Catholic education system. For more information visit www.adapttraining.com.au or contact Dermot direct at dermot.crowley@adapttraining.com.au n
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www.adbourne.com
Bed Bugs:
Bed Bug Wo rks hop
Ann oun cem ent
The College Creepy You Can Beat! By Stephen L. Doggett Department of Medical Entomology, Westmead Hospital, NSW, 2145.
S
ince the start of the new millennium there has been a major resurgence of bed bugs; between 2000 and 2006, infestations in Australia increased by an extraordinary 4,600%! Unfortunately student accommodation, especially university colleges has been heavily impacted. Once bed bugs are brought into a college, they can be very challenging to control and the infestation often spreads throughout the facility, affecting many students. The upshot of this is that eventual eradication can cost the college many tens of thousands of dollars. However, with bed bugs, you can be proactive in reducing the chance of these problems happening. The main problem with bed bugs is that they bite producing intensely irritating lesions. This can affect the health of the students and their ability to study. For the college, there are potential legal ramifications and litigation is exploding; one irate victim in the US sought damages of $US20million after being heavily attacked! Of course this is just one problem for the college; if they become known for having bed bugs, then a downturn in student enrolment can be almost expected. Of course you can pretend it won’t happen to you; just keep your fingers crossed for a very, very long time, as bed bugs are set to be around for a while yet. In response to the re-emergence of bed bugs, a Code of Practice for their control was produced by the pest management industry (free from www.bedbug.org.au). This year, the same experts that produced the Code will be running a full day seminar on bed bugs and their control, encompassing both theoretical and practical components. Topics include; Medical Implications, Impacts on Accommodation, Bed Bugs and the Law, History of Control, Inspecting for Bed Bugs, Non-chemical and insecticidal, Management Plans, Case studies (including university colleges), and Bed Bug Prevention. There will be a practical session with company products displayed and live bed bugs. The Australasian Student Residences Management Journal
What are the advantages of attending? Simply put, knowledge is power. Knowing how to deal with bed bugs appropriately can reduce the chance of the infestation spreading, decrease overall control costs and minimise the risk of litigation. There are also many devices coming out on the market claimed to control bed bugs, however many are ineffectual and these will be reviewed. This workshop is designed for those impacted by bed bugs, whether directly or potentially in the future, and those responsible for eradicating them. This includes Student Accommodation managers, Executive Housekeepers, Hotel Engineers, Hotel management, Motel contract managers, Tourism groups, Property management companies, Pest Managers, Pesticide suppliers, Environmental Health Officers and anyone else affected by bed bugs. n The course will be held at Westmead Hospital in Sydney on Thursday 7th May 2009. Full details and registration form can be downloaded from: http://www.aepma.com.au/index. php?action=news_item&id=49
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Bed Bugs: Back and Biting Series
Overview and Precautionary Steps: What Can Be Done? By Stephanie Madden, Director of Public Relations, BedBugCentral, with Contributions from Jeff White and Richard Cooper
B
ed Bugs: Overview Bed bug related incidences and occurrences in hotels, homes, apartments, condos, and even dormitories have grown exponentially over the past few years. Every day, more and more bed bug related stories appear in the news, and it doesn’t seem to be slowing down. Recently, bed bugs have begun appearing on college campuses across the country. At this time, there have been about fifty (50) news stories about bed bugs and college campuses in this past month alone. As you may be aware, bed bug activity has increased on a worldwide basis and has become a major problem in the United States, Australia, the UK, and many other developed and third world countries. These insects are very efficient ‘hitchhikers’ and rely on people to transport them on their belongings from one location to the next. They cannot jump however; they are dispersed in a wide variety of ways that include rental furniture, luggage, second-hand furniture, and any other item that may have been exposed to an infested environment. When someone stays in an infested environment, the bugs are very efficient at traveling with the individual to their next destination, which could unfortunately be from residence hall room to room. Bed bugs are prevalent in all socioeconomic sectors and do not discriminate on one’s social status. As a result, guests of some of the finest hotels in the world have been surprised to learn that their accommodations were infested with the tiny blood-sucking insects. While it is true that more and more lodging facilities and residence halls are experiencing problems with bed bugs, in many cases, the activity is limited
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to a very small percentage of rooms. Often, infestations are present for several months or more before bed bugs are seen in obvious locations, such as on the mattress. Instead, early infestations tend to be in more secluded environments, such as underneath, or even inside the box springs where they remain undisturbed and well hidden. As a result, populations are often not detected until they become well established. Students, parents, and residence life should be equally educated on the growing problems of bed bugs and what can be done to stop the spread of infestations. Rick Cooper, Technical Director of BedBugCentral, and one of the industry’s leading bed bug experts, and Jeff White, Research Entomologist and resident bed bug expert at www.BedBugCentral.com, took a few minutes to provide me with some valuable information about bed bug behavior and what can be done to help control them on college campuses.
What can students and faculty members do? Students and staff must be extra diligent when dealing with bed bug infestations as opposed to other pest problems, because bed bugs are very difficult to detect, and even harder to eradicate. It is necessary that one take all precautions seriously when dealing with a discovered infestation. To better understand how to prevent bringing bed bugs home with you, it is important to first understand some basic background information. Bed bugs are small, nocturnal insects that typically feed on the blood of their human hosts while they are sleeping. During the day, bed bugs are typically inactive and hide in cracks and crevices behind headboards, under or inside of box springs, as well as any other locations where they can remain virtually undetected. They typically feed only once www.adbourne.com
every week or two. Between blood meals they remain well hidden in their resting places until it is time to come out for another blood meal. They are very resilient and in the absence of a host they can survive up to one year without a blood meal. Encase: Encasing all mattresses and box springs in dormitories with “bed bug proof” encasements prior to discovering any bed bug infestations is one of the most important steps that can be taken. Encasements are now available that have been specifically designed and tested to prevent bed bugs from infesting mattresses and box springs. Without encasements, the bugs will often infest areas inside the box spring and could be present for months without being detected. The end result is that infestations become well established before they are identified and can be much more difficult and costly to eradicate depending on the amount of residence hall rooms traveled to. One of the greatest benefits of the encasements is that in the event that bed bugs do get introduced into a dormitory setting, they can be readily detected on the exterior of the encasement. As long as encasements have not become compromised (ripped or torn) they can provide the piece of mind that if bed bugs are introduced into a dorm room, you will be much more likely to see them during inspection of your bed by restricting the access of bed bugs to the exterior of the The Australasian Student Residences Management Journal
encasement where they can be readily spotted during a visual inspection. In addition by restricting bed bug activity to the exterior of the encasement, bed bugs will be unable to infest the interior of the encased mattresses and box springs. When buying encasements, make sure to only buy encasements that have been scientifically proven to be bed bug bite-proof and escape-proof.
Periodic Inspections Once mattresses have been encased, bed bugs can no longer infest the mattress and/or box spring, a budding bed bug infestation should be visible on the surface of the encasement and easily dealt with once the student or RA has reported it. Periodic inspections by students or RA’s can serve the entire residence hall community by ‘squashing’ bed bug infestations in the early stages. Students should be educated on the signs and symptoms and should look for evidence whenever they are changing their linens. They could also periodically check their bed frame for any signs of activity. Many students will become aware of possible bed bug infestations by noticing bite symptoms; however that alone is only grounds for investigating the possibility, not for diagnosing the problem. Protocol: A necessary step to ensure the situation is handled correctly is for institutions to implement a >
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< protocol on how to handle bed bug infestations properly. To create a sound protocol, housing professionals must speak with educated entomologists and pest control experts who have successfully treated numerous bed bug infestations. This way, regardless of the pest control operator or the level of student cooperation, everyone knows what is necessary and needs to happen for the successful treatment and eradication of the bed bugs. That protocol about how to handle bed bug infestations needs to be provided to RA’s RD’s and management. These need to be given out to make sure that bed bug infestations are identified and handled in a timely and efficient manner. One of the greatest implications RA’s and RD’s may face is if they are not educated enough, they may not be able to handle the problem correctly, which would lead to an infestation not being addressed in a timely manner. This would also increase the potential for spread to other rooms and residence halls on campus.
Forthright with information: The importance of being open and honest with students when dealing with a bed bug infestation cannot be stressed enough. The occurrences of bed bug infestations on campuses are now so widespread that there is no reason to feel any misconceptions about lack of cleanliness, etc. Students must be educated to not pick up second-hand furniture, to take precautionary steps when traveling, and to inspect and launder bedding frequently. Please check out www.BedBugCentral.com for more detailed bed bug information.
Next, literature needs to be provided to students and parents with information about the signs and symptoms of bed bugs and what to look for. This begins to educate everyone about what to do in the case that a bed bug infestation is suspected. With everyone educated, everyone can efficiently and effectively work together to take care of things properly.
Quick Tips for Students •
Periodically inspect bedding and linens
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Launder bedding and linens frequently in hot water
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Check anything you bring into the residence hall room
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Keep an eye open for welts, bite marks, etc.
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Keep your ears open for people complaining of or talking about infestations
•
See a staff member if you find an infestation, ASAP. n Reprinted with kind permission of BedBugCentral and Reslife.net www.bedbugcentral.com www.reslife.net
ADVERTORIAL
A Case Study on Internet Service Provision –
The Student Village (Victoria University, Maribyrnong)
V
ictoria University’s 525 room Student Village at Maribyrnong in the suburbs of Melbourne was built many years ago with only telephone cabling to each room. Students expect an in-room internet service as standard, and were instead having to organise their own mobile internet contracts with the major carriers. This involved long contracts and often the purchase of additional hardware. That in itself leaves a bad taste in student mouths, because as we all know, students would rather spend their money on having fun! The Student Village also had an archaic PABX phone system, which was expensive to maintain. The demand for these phone services was also questionable. And so Victoria University searched high and low for the right solution. This solution had to come at little or no cost to the University (no investment and no ongoing overheads), deliver high speed broadband internet services with a range of casual and monthly plans, and pay a good commission. The whole service should also be totally outsourced, and fully managed from end to end by the third party including free customer support and an automated billing solution. After an exhaustive process, Victoria University selected StarTech Communications for a live, no cost and no obligation trial for semester two of 2008. Due to tight deadlines, there was no time to wait for a fibre build to the site, and so Star-Tech commissioned BigAir to deliver a wholesale internet data tail using class licensed wireless point to point technology. The PABX was decommissioned (delivering a large saving) and a new much smaller and more cost effective voice solution was deployed which provides phones only to communal areas. This freed up the telephone cabling for Star-Tech to introduce a VDSL (Very high bit rate Digital Subscriber Line) solution. Star-Tech installed a mini DSLAM (Digital Subscriber Line Access Multiplexer) at its own expense, and likewise also supplied special VDSL modems for each room. In essence, Star-Tech installed a smaller version of what the “telcos” install in local telephone exchanges in order to
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deliver residential ADSL services. The main difference is that the DSLAM is installed at the residential site, and so only the residents on site use the service. In Korea, where urban high rise is prevalent, the vast majority of the public receive their internet service via VDSL. This also means that less people are contending for the supply, leading to what’s known as a lower contention rate. VDSL can also deliver IP TV (internet protocol television). Star-Tech also supplied and installed wireless access points, so that the Village could be served by seven networked hot-spots. Customers can connect using their self set up accounts using the same log-in page via the wireless solution as they do in their rooms through the cable port on their walls. Using a totally secure on-line billing gateway, customers pay for their service with a credit card or with a prepaid access card that Star-Tech provides. The network that Star-Tech installed also supports VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) telephony. Star-Tech partners with Freshtel to deliver these services which have been well received by students at the Village. Freshtel can also offer corporate VoIP solutions. The VoIP solution available has no IP PBX on site, and comes at no cost to Victoria University. Star-Tech went one step further in adding value by allowing students to use Freshtel VoIP (which is internet dependent) without needing a Star-Tech account. Likewise, free access is permitted to all of Victoria University’s web pages and on-line services without the requirement for a Star-Tech ISP account. Needless to say, the trial was a success, and now the students residing at the Student Village are enjoying a secure state of the art fully automated in-house internet service at special student prices with no contracts, no paperwork, and no hidden fees or terms. The solution is triple play ready (internet, voice and TV) and not only is the University saving money, but they’re also making new incremental revenue with no risk. n JEAN MOREL Division General Manager, Star-Tech Communications If you would like any information please contact Star-Tech on 02 9496 4100 or email jmorel@startech.com.au www.adbourne.com
Resident Satisfaction is OUR BUSINESS
E
stablished in 1977, Catering Industries is Australia’s leading, privately owned contract catering company. We pride ourselves on our ability to meet client expectations regarding: •
Fixed price catering solutions
•
Nutritious and tasty meal choice
•
Dietary requirements, including modified foods
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Menus approved by consultant dieticians
•
OHS and Food Safety Programmes
•
Takeover, training and development of staff
•
Accreditation support
We have in place industry leading Quality Management Systems and ISO Accreditation to standard AS/NZS 9001 : 2000. All facilities under contract with Catering Industries are supported by our enthusiastic and experienced operational management team – who not only are highly educated in catering standards – but all whom are trade qualified chefs with a passion and flair for food. Currently servicing New South Wales, Canberra and Victoria – we are commencing operations in Queensland in 2009. JONAS CUSCHIERI NATIONAL MANAGER – BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT Ph: 1300 364 092 (toll free) Email: jonas@cateringindustries.com.au Web: www.cateringindustries.com.au
Training teachers in
customer relations By LINDA VINING
You must too if you are going to run training sessions in customer relations. Here are some suggestions to ease the way. The first task is to define marketing in terms relevant to a school. To do this I divide it into three phases: attracting enrolments, affirming the choice and retaining loyalty. Different techniques are used for different phases. It is largely in the third phase that teachers can play a crucial role by strengtening customer satisfaction over a long period of time.
Breaking down resistance
T
raining teachers in customer relations is unlike any other professional development: the mere suggestion is likely to generate a high level of resistance that needs to be addressed before any meaningful instruction can take place. Ask any group of teachers to describe the notion of marketing and they are likely to say they feel ‘put upon’ at the suggestion of ‘selling their school’. They were trained as teachers, not salespeople. Teachers don’t like the words “customer” or ‘customer service’. A
teacher once put it this way, “shops have customers, prostitutes have clients, hospitals have patients and schools have families!” Any form of marketing is seen as superficial, glossy and manipulative. Resentment accompanies the extra time and effort needed to stage an open day, put on a performance for grandparent’s day or any other promotional activity. It is often against this backdrop of resistance that I am engaged by a school to run a workshop for teachers on customer relations. I need to tread gently to gain acceptance and trust.
The Australasian Student Residences Management Journal
Some teachers fear that customer service is an invitation for parents to rule. It is not. Customer service does not mean being subservient. A teacher remains a professional expert, however, it does mean that teachers learn techniques for positive communication, to listen in new ways, identify needs, use a conflict model for handling complaints and accept criticism without becoming defensive. Below are some of the methods I use to break down resistance to marketing and introduce the concept of a customer centric school. Explain the market forces When staff understand the external political, social and demographic forces impacting on their school and the ways that other schools are responding to an evolving environment, they begin to see the need for change. It often comes as
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with problem people, defining image objectives and considering ways to achieve them. Develop an action plan It is a mistake to think that good public relations can be imposed from the top. You cannot put a set of rules on the notice board and tell people to follow them. A good customer relations ethic must be developed from within. At a customer relations workshop with Toorak College in Mt Eliza, Victoria I was able to engage teachers in lively talk about the things that annoy them when they deal with other service providers such as shops, banks and telecommunication companies. They had just returned from holidays and they had many tales to tell! They could readily identify poor customer service when they were on the receiving end hanging-on the end of the line, wrong information, being shuffled from one person to another, being ignored, made to feel stupid, and the rest. a surprise to those who are insulated from the competitive edge of education to hear the ramifications that outside forces such as a decelerating economy, declining birthrates, funding policy, working parents and the poaching of students are having on their school. From my experience, teaching staff are not widely exposed to these threats so they often fail to appreciate how hard it is to fill a school and a boarding house in order to sustain its level of operation and staffing. To them, enrolments are the responsibility of the principal, admissions office or school council. At a catholic school, one teacher seriously offered, “God will provide!” In a competitive marketplace every member of the school has a role to play in reaching out, connecting and repeatedly reassuring customers of the quality of the service. Families made up of many children may be at your school for 15 years or more. That’s a long time to keep a customer happily connected.
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Identify your customers The start of the training session is the time to identify your many customers, their characteristics and what they want from you. A large proportion of your staff will be parents or grandparents so they are well qualified to provide contemporary answers to these questions. Having set the scene it’s time to get practical. Teach skills Reluctance flourishes in an environment of uncertainty and change. When venting their resistance, staff often complain about the lack of training that accompanies change. Therefore, the next stage in establishing a customer orientation is to give staff the skills they need to undertake new public relations roles. This includes instruction in communication techniques, body language, tone of voice, ways to say ‘No’ without offence, dealing
After describing their own annoyances and talking about their emotional responses to bad service, the teachers were more receptive to the annoyances that schools can create for their customers. As an exercise I grouped teachers into departments, including the boarding department, and generated discussion on their department’s image objectives, that is, “What do we want our customers to think about us and say about us?” At the end of the day the Toorak College teachers were still going strong, obviously enjoying marrying quality learning with quality customer service, so working collectively we developed a concept for a customer service brochure for the school - a new concept for the College. Reward good PR It takes time for some staff to accept a customer orientation – in my experience, anything up to 2 years. They will respond more quickly if they www.adbourne.com
feel a customer culture permeating the entire school from reception to the principal’s office. For example, when a senior staff member picks up a ringing phone or goes out of the way to assist a parent it sends a message that customers are important. A school that undertakes regular customer satisfaction surveys demonstrates that customer feedback is valued. A school that recognises and rewards outstanding customer service sends a message that this aspect is noticed and appreciated. Customer service is not a coat of glossy paint that will smooth over cracks. Marketing cannot make a poor product good, but a customer centric approach is a powerful relationship tool that can set a school apart in a competitive marketplace. n
About the author Dr Linda Vining is the Director of Marketing Schools. She offers distance learning courses in Customer Relations for both teachers and administrative staff. A work manual, textbooks and a personal mentor support each course. For further information about marketing courses and resources contact Dr Vining on 08 8260 7077 or office@marketingschools.net
Don’t “check-out” on me! By Christa Sandelier, Complex Coordinator, Colorado State University
S
o, have you ever worked with someone (or maybe you currently are) who after announcing that they were leaving to accept another position, “checkedout” of their responsibilities? I have, and for so long it frustrated me because then I had to “pick up the slack” or just resolve that they didn’t care anymore. After some introspection I’ve realized that maybe they “checked-out” because I checked-out on them. I’ve noticed that once a job search is announced that in some instances, that person is no longer included in committees or planning projects. There might be a committee formed for a project that will continue into next year. The person who is leaving their position is usually not invited to be a part of that group. It is usually stated, “what do you care, you won’t be here, this won’t affect you, you should focus on finishing things up,” and the list goes on. How far do we go to make people matter when they arrive? We make welcome signs and have parties. We take them around to
different offices to introduce them to others. We also talk about all the great things we are planning and try to involve them in as many things as they wish, but what about that person who is leaving? Do we make them feel like they matter? What do we do to include them? Now, I’m not saying that the person leaving does not have any responsibility in this issue. I’ve seen the “high-fives” signaling “I’m out of here, you can deal with that next year,” but I wonder how much of that is real and how much of that is a defense mechanism really meaning, “if you don’t care about me, I’m not going to care about you?” It’s important to make all employees feel like they matter. Support them in their endeavors and treat them with the professional respect that you would any other employee. Take time to touch base with the people you supervise and make sure they are feeling like they matter to the organization. If someone is leaving a position, it doesn’t necessarily mean that they do not like their job. It might just mean that it is time to move on. For those of you leaving positions, care about your job until the end. Care about it even after you leave, for you still have colleagues working there. For those of you supervising or working with these individuals don’t “check-out” on them, you’d be surprised that most of them do not want to “checkout” on you. n Reprinted with kind permission of Reslife.net www.reslife.net
Thinking Management
Redundancy By DEAN MINETT
I
want to talk about a dirty business, something that we generally shun or sweep under the carpet, pretend it hasn’t happened.
Retrenchment, redundancy. Did you know that retrenchment happens to most senior people at some stage in their career? Some people experience it twice, three times, four times….Sally Jesse Raphael, the American talk show host, was fired some 13 times before she became a household name, earning millions! Retrenchment happens due to a number of reasons, some of them reasonable, some of them unfair, some of them political and some of them stupid. These events often bear no relevance to performance (because if they did, it wouldn’t be called retrenchment it would be called firing) and having been both in the situation of having to retrench and being retrenched, I can honestly say, neither position is pleasant. They are however a fact of business life, especially in larger organisations. So, if they are a fact of life, we have to work out the best strategies to deal with them and push on, because the alternative is to sit in a mire of self-pity and languish even longer on the non-working list. (“Get off your bum and stop feeling sorry for yourself” was more-or-less the advice a friend was given by her doctor once for depression. Whilst my friend was incensed, it did work, because she was so mad at the doctor that she decided she was going to show him!) An experienced friend of mine was recently unemployed for quite a few months and his approach was, don’t hide it, go on the dole immediately (after all, you’ve paid your taxes), and make your job looking for a job. He also had a good way of describing it – he told people he was “on the unattached list” (reminiscent of a masterless samurai in middle-ages Japan I guess, although these were often hunted down as bandits!). Other descriptions that are quite useful and honest include “between jobs”, “under-employed” or just “no longer with XYZ company”. Some of the best advice I received many years ago in a similar situation was to immediately make a list of all the people you know, and divide them into people whom you could telephone directly (list A), people who you could write
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to (list B), and those who may or may not care that you are looking for work. When you call/write/e-mail, don’t make an issue of it , just let them know that you are now unattached and would be interested in hearing from them if they heard of anything that may suit you. It will surprise you how many people you weren’t expecting to reply do so, and those you thought may contact you, don’t. Nothing like unemployment to sort out those who deal with you for your role, and those who deal with you because of you. Once you have all these other people helping you to look, the next issue is to plan your finances. Senior people often can take up to 3,4 or even 6 months to find a similar job, although the positive news is that the majority find employment that is better paid or more enjoyable! So you need to plan how best to eke out an existence on the remaining bank balance until the new income starts. Firstly, takeaway is out! Then learn what your mother/ grandfather knew – how to make bubble & squeak! Its amazing how much food can be safely recycled if you experiment. Next, train your kids/significant other to appreciate how many ways porridge can be used. Versatile stuff that! Next, plan how many café lattes you can afford per week, and do it. Nothing like a contemplative cuppa to lift your spirits. (Alternatively, turn up at friends’ offices around morning/afternoon tea time, and see how many want to take you out of the office so their friends don’t see you!) Good managers know how to budget right? Not always. You know what they say about a mechanic’s car, or a builder’s house? The same often applies to us – when it comes to our personal budgeting, we are not as careful as at work, especially when there is regular income. When there isn’t however, it is paramount that costs are accurately forecast, and income estimated. There are no bosses to brownnose to here – this is reality, so there is no point in artificially inflating the forecast. If it is out, chances are that paper blanket in the park is looking good. On a positive note, time between employment is a useful time for contemplation, appreciating what you have, recognising your strengths and weaknesses, considering if this is a divine hint to do something else for yourself or for another company, completing some additional education or just chilling out. I have written before on the importance of de-stressing, or unwinding the spring, and if you have come from a stressed situation, there is no healthy benefit in continuing to stress after you have left the job. What’s done is done, move on. Leaving/losing a job is considered one of the most stressful events in life, but it doesn’t have to be, so get off your bum and do something about it! n © Dean Minett 2000–2009 This article was first published in Hospitality magazine. www.adbourne.com
ADVERTORIAL
Technology meets Solutions Behind the Student Bathroom Door...
W
e met business owner and inventor Konrad Schuster of Global Bath Insert who spoke to us about the often uncomfortable subject of unloved Student Accommodation Bathrooms. “Global Bath Insert, now celebrating over 20 years of success, has continued to be synonymous for its uniqueness and affordability. In keeping with our company vision, we decided to take it one step further and service the DIY market.” Global Bath Insert traditionally serviced only government housing, the hotel industry and tradespeople. Their awareness of the need to go beyond has made them formulate a new strategy, one which benefits not only the general public, but also the Student Residences on a national basis. Konrad prides himself on being ahead of the pack and has worked over time to invent the DIY Kit of the product, until recently, he offered only to a select few. His bath and shower inserts, tried and proven for over 2 decades, are now available for everyone to benefit from.
value of the hotel. The new equity more than paid for the inserts!” Used by builders, plumbers and tilers to increase value in renovated properties, the concept has been causing great excitement to the industry with Better Homes and Gardens featuring it in their show recently.
Inventor and Entrepreneur
Konrad Schuster “My advice to managers is to always stay ahead of the pack…” This product certainly allows you
Global Bath Insert offer a personalised service as well as the DIY component, Konrad even offers to come and train a team member for those less confident. An easy solution to make your student bathrooms look and feel loved againat a cost which will leave the finance department smiling. n
to do that!
“The difference is astounding; one hotel updated their shower bases which assisted them in gaining an additional star on their rating; their prices were increased as was the
The Australasian Student Residences Management Journal
“My advice to managers in accommodation is to always stay ahead of the pack; for us this is reflected right down to the fungal and mildewrepellent silicone we use when finishing our work.”
You can get more information at www.globalbathinsert.com National Office 1800 817 115 International Office +61 8 8322 4266
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No noise No moving parts Long life No ice trays to compromise hygiene Auto defrost Lock standard Low energy consumption Tamper proof thermostat Hinges convertible left to right Interior light All-round magnetic seals 30 litre - 60 litre models to choose from Solid and glass doors
Ideal for Student Accommodation For further information please call 0414 891 716 or contact cireelectronics@optushome.com.au
Gen Y Q&A In our last issue, Anders Sorman-Nilsson gave an overview of attracting and retaining Gen Y staff. Here, he gives further insight into this demographic.
1. How would you define Gen Y? This the demographic born between 1979-1994 - people who have been exposed to the social markers of ‘stranger danger’, computers, the internet, cheque book parenting, and September 11 during their formative years.
2. Could you give me some examples of the challenges which may face Gen Y in the current economic environment, and how do you think they will respond to them? In 2006, one third of Australian credit card applications were from Gen Ys. It is estimated that 73% of Gen Ys were in ‘substantial debt’ even prior to the financial crisis, so access to money will be a challenge for them. Having been brought up with 17 years of unprecedented economic growth, the new economic environment is a totally new ball game for Gen Ys, one in which they will need to learn to manage to manage their bank balances more responsibly. In the past, they were used to their parents guaranteeing their mobile phone contracts - now they may not find that the same buffer exists. If the current financial crisis is anything to go by, who can blame them for having handled their own finances irresponsibly though, when society, governments and banks are not leading by example, and rewards financial excess with bailouts? We will see a further deepening of the mistrust for financial institutions, and may see a move toward social networking based finance like Peer-to-Peer lending, which is perceived as more transparent and ‘high trust’. On the other hand, because of unaffordable real estate in Australia’s major cities, a large proportion of Gen Ys have opted to stay at home well into their 20s, and few own sizeable share portfolios as neither superannuation nor saving for a rainy day has been as high a priority as backpacking in Nepal, or a new pair of designer jeans. In this sense, Gen Ys are more cushioned both in the short and long term than say Baby Boomers on the verge of retirement. Gen Ys with insight will see this as a bump in the road, and learn from the experience.
3. Having lived through past economic hurdles, do you believe the economic crisis will in hindsight be a pivotal point in time for Gen Y? Do you think the economic crisis will change the way Gen Y act? The Australasian Student Residences Management Journal
I think it will shape the future of banking and lead to greater corporate transparency, and this is something that is in tune with the Gen Y values system. Seeing the redundancies and corporate collapses first hand will lead to a new wave of entrepreneurialism amongst this creative and innovative generation, as they will be keen to take charge of their own destinies. In a sense the financial crisis proves that the Gen Y focus on living and spending for today is ‘correct’ - I mean, imagine saving for your superannuation for your whole life and then having a sub-prime mortgage debacle wipe out a life-time worth of savings? Equally, starting up your own company has never been more affordable than now, and through social networking tools like facebook, myspace, and twitter communications and PR have been democratised. Gen Y don’t only have their finger on the pulse of change in the world, in many ways they are the bloodstream of change in the world. They are for intellectual property infringing filesharing, they get the web 2.0 mindset, they collaborate virtually, and having lived, breathed and dreamed online computer games, they are adaptable and team-oriented.
4. What good will come out of Gen Y because of the crisis? It will bring to the surface their innovative bent, their creativity will shine through, and smart organisations will look to their Gen Ys for input into ‘out of the box’ marketing and branding campaigns that resonate with what will be Australia’s largest consumer group by 2020. We will also see a greater focus not on regulation to steer the financial system, but transparency. Gen Ys have lived their entire lives for all to see on the web, and expect the same in return from the organisations they work for and invest in. The financial downgrade is also a great time for Gen Ys to upgrade their thinking - to learn, to observe and to position their business brains in profoundly connected ways so that they are in pole position when the economy turns again. I am expecting that they will step up to the plate - if their employers won’t let them, they will leave, because deep down they believe that they are better equipped to run a business than the guy in charge.
5. How will ‘Gen Z’ be different to Gen Y? The ‘bubble wrap’ Generation is a product of Gen X (1964-1979), and is the current generation of babies born, ranging up to ‘tweens’ and early teens. They are already shaping parents’ consumer patterns, and are seeing the financial crisis impact their parents first-hand. In this sense, they are likely to grow up more financially conservative than Gen Ys. On the other hand, they have been
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Gen Y Q&A bubble wrapped in ‘Baby Bjorns’ by highly involved Gen X parents, shielded from any adversity by cotton-wool legislation, and seen more computer interfaces than human faces. This could well be the virtual generation who live as much of their lives in ‘2nd Life’, as in first life. Expect soft skills training to be in massive demand as this generation enters the workforce over the next ten years.
6. To what extent do you think the economic and working environment of humans effects their behaviour? Does a rapid change in environment change their behaviour?
At the moment mass myopia is affecting human behaviour. While there is no doubt access to finance is impacting the economy, the question is how much of it is a reality and how much is just a crisis in consumer confidence? It takes a lot for people to actually change their behaviours - a study shows that 90% of coronary bypass patients go back to their old life-style patterns within 2 years of the surgery. We may see people pay off their credit cards or boost their savings accounts with the ‘stimulus package’ now, but even rapid change does not necessarily lead to long-term behavioural change. We thought we had learnt from 1987, 1997 and 2001, yet the current financial crisis shows that we are still affected by speedblindness and greed. Hvaing said that members of my family who were exposed to the Great Depression were deeply affected by it and learnt to always freeze their left-overs and put money in the mattress. That may once again prove a wise move. n Anders Sorman-Nilsson is a reformed lawyer, and the principal agent provocateur at Thinque, which he founded in 2005. Anders is a thought leader on innovation, change management and generational trends. His keynotes, Thinque Tanks and mentoring provide GPS directions for organisations and individuals that want to successfully navigate a constantly changing business landscape and successfully position their creative ideas in a whacky world. www.thinque.com.au www.thinquefunky.com
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Common Room and Dining Room of the Student Residences at LaTrobe Bendigo showing the level of de-lamping achieved.
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