In the very basic sense of the term, crisis management is defined as the process by which a company handles a stressful work situation. In order to streamline your everyday working process and to reduce the amount of pressure on your crisis management team, here are a few tips you could follow!

1. Have a plan

While the steps to solve every problem may not be the same, the principle around the solution follows similar guidelines. In order to be on top of at least the basic steps, it is important to always have a plan in hand. The moment you have the basic outline ready, filling in the details isn’t that hard. Remember when you were a kid and you were taught to colour only on the outside and then start inside? This plan works really well for your solving critical situations as well!

2. Let your employees know about the situation

Sometimes, when you are neck deep in problems, it is important to keep the door open to as much help as you can get. Let your employees know what’s happening and keep them informed about the seriousness of the issue. There are two advantages to this. Not only are you being open and clear as a manager, you are also letting in new ideas about how to solve the problem. Talk about a win win situation!

3. Communicate the action which needs to be taken

In extremely critical situations, it is important for you, as a leader, to take complete charge. This is not really a plan but an important step in the process of solving the problem. Give direct orders to those who can get things done and make sure you delegate as much as possible. Avoid leaving things open ended and have your pointers mentioned directly.

4. Create a crisis management team

One of the best ways to deal with a crisis situation head on is by creating a crisis management team. With senior executives, business leads and your public relations team, your crisis management team should include every member who is equipped with the skills to solve a problem from the very word go. Once you get your team in place, you can start working on delegating and then turn your attention to more pressing matters.

5. Be accessible

When in a situation which needs your attention completely, it is important to let your employees know you are available no matter what. Sometimes, even though you have given direct orders, people are faced with sudden questions and it is your job to get everything clarified. Have all your documents open and accessible so people know, even at times like this, you care most about honesty.

Solving a crisis takes time and effort. It takes a lot of dedication and hard work and when you have all your employees together, you know you’ll come out bright and shining. If you think we missed out on any other ways to solve a critical situation, comment and let us know!

Company culture is important to foster the overall growth of  one’s company. Since you spend over half your day at the place you work, it is vital to work at a place where not only you, but your talents are appreciated as well. In order to develop a good working environment, here is how you can make your work a fun and entertaining place!

1. Keep empowering and encouraging

One of the ways to ensure your company has a strong work culture is if your employees feel motivated into doing their daily tasks. Empower and push your employees into believing what they are doing. You have to make sure your team don’t just have to do their job, but are invested in it so much, they want to do it really well. With empowerment, people are pushed to do their very best and with that, you get the added joy of seeing a task done really well. One of the ways to empower your team is by looking at how you can encourage them to do better, no matter what.

2. Empathise with your team members

When you don’t care and do not empathise, your work culture suffers. Often times, you don’t realise that different people have different ways of dealing with situations. While you may be okay with communicating things in a certain manner, the other person might look at it as obtrusive, loud or even rude. When you realise something bothers another person in your team, talk to them. Ask them what is bothering them and have a clear understanding about what you can do to make their life better at work.

3. Be inclusive in your activities

One of the best ways to improve the company culture is to be inclusive in all your activities. Sometimes, you end up leaving people out of your group activities because you either don’t converse with them on a regular basis or because you just forget. This leads to the other person thinking that you don’t like them, leading to a lowered morale. In order to avoid situations like this, make sure you include your team members in all your activities. Little things like asking everyone if they want to order lunch with you or asking them if they want coffee as a part of your meal  makes a lot of difference in the overall work environment.

4. Be open to new ideas from everyone

In every team, every role is clearly defined for each person in the team. However, over a period of time, different team members express the need to explore other areas in the same team. One of the ways to improve the kind of morale your team has is to be open to any and every new idea people throw at you. Not only does this broaden your horizons as a leader, it also instills a positive environment and increases the personal growth levels of every member in the team!

5. Humour is always a good cure

Humour is an extremely positive motivator. One of the foundations for having a good place to work at is if you have a happy, laughing environment. Remember that no matter how stressed things are at work, a little laughter and joking around can always make the world a better place!

6. Let your team know your door is always open

There are always times when you as a leader tend to lower your strong exterior. Realise that when you have a team working for you, everything can’t always be peachy happy. Make sure you are always available for your team, no matter what happens. Even if there are issues which end up affecting the work, a good talking through always helps in resolving them.

One of the key responsibilities of being a leader is to ensure your work culture is such that people want to come to work, rather than avoid work. If you think we missed any other reasons as to how you can create a good work environment, comment and let us know!

Every job has an expiry date. Whether you want to do something on your own or you get a better job offer, there comes a time when you have no choice but to quit. However, if you have worked in the same company for a really long time, quitting becomes a hard task. When it comes to quitting, there is a time and place to do what you know has to be done.  Here is how you can resign and still work on all the relationships you built at work:

1. Give a clear reason for your resignation

When it comes to resigning, the best way to avoid any confusion is to give a clear reason about why you are quitting. Even if  those reasons are related to your work environment, let your boss know. Furthermore, the more transparent you are, the better your chances of leaving without any bad connotations. On a side note, make sure you don’t complain to your colleagues about  your job. The more dirty laundry you air in public, the bigger the impact on your professional life.

2. Be public about your resignation

Office politics are hard to avoid when you are resigning. People like to talk and if they have an issue with you, the discussions become all the more negative. When you decide to quit, make sure you tell all the people who need to know. This helps in clearing the air about your resignation and gives people the chance to come to terms with your choice. Be clear, vocal and direct.

3. Have your notice period mapped out

The notice period is the period of time when you start finding and preparing your replacement with all the things you have been doing. Your notice period begins the day you hand in your resignation. Start by documenting the things you do on a daily basis and have a detailed breakdown of how long it will take to finish your pending projects. Organize the different tasks you have on your roster and make sure you finish as many pending projects as you can before your last day. Your notice period also helps in giving your colleagues time to process your resignation, so make sure for however long you are on your notice period, everything is in place.

4. Mend all your broken bridges

When you do make the decision to quit, fix all your broken bridges and make sure you leave on a positive note. The relationships you build at work are extremely important, so do not let go of them too quickly. Who knows? The people you worked with in your past, can help you grow in your future!

5. Offer to help

Often times, even after you give a notice period and quit, finding a replacement can be extremely difficult. One of the best ways to leave with all your senses in place is by letting your boss know that you can help whenever needed and possible. By doing this, you are letting your former employer know that no matter what, you value your relationship with him and your ex colleagues!

Quitting your job is not an easy task. However, if done right, you ensure you don’t leave too many broken bridges in your wake. If you think we missed out on any other ways to quit your job gracefully, comment and let us know!