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Why choose Conflict Management training for your staff?

As a company, Quell Training are always asked ‘Why would I need to train my staff in Conflict Management?’  We also frequently hear comments such as ‘Our company doesn’t face any form of abuse’ or ‘ none of my staff report any form of abuse to me!’

The truth is Conflict Management training is an umbrella phrase that encompasses a range of areas which affect most companies.  These include Lone working, Personal safety and dealing with aggressive behaviour both internally and externally.    Recent statistics from companies suggest conflict within the workplace is on the increase and the world is becoming more hostile.

As an active training provider in many different regions both North & South of Ireland, we see evidence of people becoming more frustrated and impatient with each other or a service provider.  This leads to further frustration, anger then aggression resulting in someone innocent or not being assaulted when actions spiral out of control.

To answer the question ‘Why choose Conflict Management training for your staff?’ consider this:

Quell was asked to meet with board members of a large organisation recently to outline the benefits of investing in Lone Working training for their staff.   We presented the problems their staff faced and also how more defined primary measures (polices) could give clear guidance to staff.   The Finance Director was sceptical and posed the question ‘In the midst of an economic downturn is this really a necessary expense?’

My answer was clear and brief. The cost for all staff to be fully trained and certificated, would be a small fraction of the cost of a claim brought by a member of staff who has not been given a policy to follow or been adequately trained.  The repercussions of a damaged reputation of a company who neglects their duty of care cannot be underestimated.   Not to mention the unwanted increase of Health & Safety and Insurance company inspections that would ensue from one incident.

The statement was not intended to scaremonger or force the company to rush into the training, it was rather a truthful fact.   Many professional companies are facing an increase in stress and absenteeism whilst endeavouring to maintain their market position in a recession. Staff performance and corporate image are of paramount importance and investing in training can be the key to success.

Training with the company commenced.  Two weeks later an incident involving a member of staff who had completed the training occurred.   As a result of the staff member following a defined policy and given that registered training records were in place the company  successfully defended a claim of litigation.

For more information on why your company should choose Conflict Management training with us, please call a member of our team.

 

Lone Worker Training: Code Words

 

If you hear someone say code words, we usually find people usually have two expressions and answers when it comes to lone working and the subject of code words.

One:  “We never use them as it makes me feel stupid.”

Two:  “Do they really work or are they really hard to remember.”

We at Quell like the idea of teaching the use of code words as they are both effective when used correctly and also extremely cheap, in fact if I am correct they are actually free!

The problem we have encountered over the years when we have been delivering Lone Worker training, is that some of the code words used were pretty difficult to remember and this was because they used sentences or different and often confusing terminology to alert staff when working in pairs or on the phone, thus resulting in the recipient of the code asking to confirm the code that was supposed to have been relayed in a quick but unnoticeable manner. This in turn not only makes the person nervous, but if the potential aggressor understood or realised that a code word was used then escalated into a higher level of frustration therefore making it even harder for the Lone Worker to leave the situation.

It does again remind me sometimes of the old “Danny Boy this is Broadsword Over” however that was Holywood and they could do retakes!!

Code words are a tool which everyone who is a Lone Worker should consider using. This means firstly checking with their line manager is there a system in place to use a code word, then sitting with the other members of staff (it takes 10 minutes) and coming up with good ideas of code words which can be used and only they as a team or department will know.

Recently I worked with a Civil Service department who designed an effective system that has been working since we implemented it over 3 years ago, and they have 3 clear lines to follow (example):

Code…??   –        Receiving abuse

Code…??   –        Receiving a threat /believe they are about to be assaulted

Code…??   –        Police / PSNI / Garda Síochána

Without giving the facts and details of the different codes, all I will say is that after speaking to the team the code words have helped them while Lone Working as other members of staff know if there is or has been a problem.

For more information on Lone Worker Training please contact us at Quell.

Blog by Will Holland

 

Conflict in the Workplace: Does it happen?

Conflict in the Workplace: Does it happen?

This question was asked recently during a seminar that I recently spoke at about the three stages an organisation should take if they want to avoid Conflict in the Workplace.

Good question I thought as it came from a supervisor who is in an industry where he has to deal with complaints and problems on a regular basis. However, it did make one or two people sit up and take note that he asked this question directly to me and also from his own introduction of his responsibilities.

The question of conflict in the workplace does open up a plethora of different problems, but the one thing it made me realise again is that a high degree of people do not see the conflict in the workplace, and they develop counter active methods to block out the issues they face, like being sarcastic for example or worse living in total denial of the issue, but unfortunately it then escalates to a point of no return.

You are probably thinking that the person with the question is either a bit daft or totally ignorant, well sorry but he was an educated person with a vast amount of knowledge and experience of his role, but again as I always say to my learners having the best qualifications does not protect you from being assaulted and from my experience of delivering sessions on conflict in the workplace a high degree of these highly educated people have been assaulted more so than the street wise person, who sees the problem and uses their experience to avoid or escape.

Learning conflict in the workplace skills is not the be all and end all of everything, but it does help in the event of having to deal with any form of aggression.

Blog by Will Holland

If you would like more information on conflict in the workplace please contact us on the details below

Is lone worker training a waste of money for my company or just something that needs to be done?

This is an easy answer for me as being a product and service provider that includes a significant section in delivering of lone worker training. My answer to this is to simply say ‘next question please’.

When the dreaded word “recession” is used we all have different opinions and ideas of how it’s progressing or how it’s changing our approach to work and progress; however a large part of us will admit that when the belt is tight and the money is low, two things have a tendency to be shelved?

That’s right Marketing & Training and it can lead in some cases to be a problem for a company to develop, but on these subjects I can only comment on Training because my only knowledge of marketing is being bombarded at present with invites to social network events, where I sit with others being told that if you set up these systems it will not cost you a thing, but at times forget to mention that it takes time, effort and a lot attention to both develop and maintain these sites. However it can be beneficial if you persevere and learn to type and express yourself like on this blog we have created.

So why should we use training to develop ourselves and our staff? Well even us as a company still have to develop ourselves to be more efficient and professional in a competitive market.

Lately I have seen many tenders and requests for training, but what astonishes me more than anything is that a high degree of them do this by highlighting the % lean towards cost, for example a quote I read recently “this quotation will be reflected more by cost rather than delivery”, now me being a trainer for over twenty years in various roles, will let you know that training is like anything else in life “you get what you pay for”.  If you are going to take the risk of employing a trainer or training organisation that will only deliver to the level of what you have paid, well sometimes the hassle you get from their poor delivery and complaints from staff is down to you in the end.

What I would suggest is simple techniques when employing a trainer or organisation to supply the delivery of good training. Start with the basics of reputation, experience and references but ensure you ask questions to confirm that they have actually done what they say they have done. Have they got insurance and not a cheap one from some website that only gives out the minimal cover, as in the long term if an accident did happen you might find the trainer has disappeared or is not as reliable as you first thought! Does the trainer have experience and can they deliver effectively?  When I teach trainers I always point out that our learners now expect more and more, so being that old likeable person who can stand up front of a class and tell a few stories and crack a joke or two is not what people want, as what they do want is a professional service. Also ask yourself the question of has the trainer asked you enough questions about the training, have they taken the time to understand your requirements and spend the time to learn the issues needed to deliver a high standard of training?

Remember selecting a training provider is like employing a builder or mechanic, if you pick a cowboy they will run circles around you and leave you in a cloud of dust.

It is commented by both the private and public sectors that training is being shelved regularly or ignored, but when something happens and an incident or accident occurs, one of the primary questions is did the person receive training and by whom?

Training is never a waste of time, but it is if you select the wrong trainer and then they select the wrong form of training which also can then unfortunately look bad on the person who organised it.

For advice or guidance ask us as lone worker training is what we design, deliver and evaluate.

Blog by Will Holland

 

 

 

Dont risk Lone Worker Safety to cut costs

Don’t risk Lone Worker Safety to cut costs

The majority of people who hear the above statement of, ‘don’t risk Lone Worker Safety to cut costs’ would immediately think that it does not happen.  However through recent research it is becoming more apparent that certain aspects of ensuring staff safety is being put down to hoping for the best.

We at Quell always run by our statement of expect the worse and hope for the best.

The above statement refers to a long list of things that some organisations might avoid putting in place because an incident towards their lone workers has not happened (yet)!

If you way up the cost of putting measures in place to avoid incidents against your lone workers or staff against the hassle of having a member of staff off work for a period of time, or possibly the need for a temp to cover the workload, or additional pressure that other staff would inevitably end up with due to having to ‘take up the slack’, plus the possibility that you may have civil action taken against you for not acting responsibly enough does tilt the balance towards prevention is better than any cure.

Recently incidents towards lone workers or acts of aggression have been recognised by the media, as more and more high profile cases of negligence by employees or line mangers is being pushed into the limelight.

A manger asked me the other day about the subject of responsibility and what really could happen if an incident was directed to court action.  My initial response was that they should be prepared to provide documentation and then evidence on how they did everything in line with company policy and made a viable attempt to protect their staff etc (which can be very costly and time consuming), however my final point on this subject was about survival for him as an individual and I asked him to imagine that if he was asked to leave his organisation because of his lack of care…….who would employ him in the future (he didn’t reply)?

We take the subject of workplace violence seriously and we ask anyone responsible to think and don’t risk lone worker safety to cut costs.

For more information on Don’t risk Lone Worker Safety to cut costs, call us at Quell.

Blog by Will Holland

Personal Safety Training (Why?)

Recently whilst carrying out training needs analysis within an organisation the above question was asked.  The person asking the question did not ask it in a callous way or indeed mean any intent of questioning the training that was being provided, but it was asked in the manner of why has it got to a point where organisations feel that training has to be done in this subject?

What we have decided to do this month is run a series of blogs looking at different parts of the training and how best we can give out tips to help you understand if there is a risk to your personal safety.

Before I begin over the coming month, I want to point out a few things to put everyone in the right frame of mind and understand the blogs.  Advice via blogs, articles and even you tube can never replace physical training as it highlights phrases, emotions and actions in the “what if” and inclusive the training needs to be either recognised or delivered by someone that has experience and references. I work with a vast number of organisations that bring us in after the training that they have selected has not worked, or the trainer has not understood the risks faced by the staff.

I have written on many occasions that you can throw a stone in any direction in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland and hit someone who says they can deliver training in personal safety, but because of financial constraints or ease of selection some organisations employ these trainers without fully understanding the importance of the training.  This means that in the long term when something has happened to a member of staff and they try and find the trainer to give substance to the training provided, well all I will say is that it has not ended good for all involved.

Training in this subject is both essential and sensitive to many organisations, inclusive of being last on the long list of issues, however if a member of staff is injured and it was proven that a risk was identified and they did nothing about it, again it would be hard to not only keep their job but also just as hard to find a job when it is proven they did not provide a safe place to work.

Blog by Will Holland

 

Dealing with Violence in the workplace

Dealing with Violence in the workplace

Dealing with Violence in the workplace is a very powerful and sensitive subject for many employers and employees, as it can have massive consequences if not dealt with or prevented correctly.

The subject of any type of Violence in a person’s life has the victims suffering from depression, lack of motivation and behavioral changes.

However within the workplace we all have to feel safe and a desire to work hard to then feel the benefits of doing a good job, but when the job has an even small element of workplace violence it can have a devastating effect.

The promotion of providing a safe working environment has at times been only directed at subjects like First Aid, Manual Handling & even Working in Confined Spaces, and let’s be honest these do have their place in certain roles but the time and consideration of members of staff that Work alone, Deal with Aggressive Clients or are Public Facing don’t seem to have the same priority at times.

Dealing with Violence in the Workplace is something that any responsible Managing Director, CEO, Manager, Supervisor or Team Leader should reflect upon at times, as the safety of staff from Abuse, Threats & Assaults will and can have the same damaging effect onto an organisation than anyone having a serious accident.

When it comes to dealing with any form of aggression in the workplace it is very easy to go to the HSENI website and download their guidance notes, but to actually understand how to prevent, deter and defuse incidents can be another challenge. We always recommend asking staff, revise their risk assessment of their roles and if they give you incidents that they have faced relating to workplace violence you will need to react quickly and correctly.

If you need help on what to do in dealing with violence in the workplace please don’t hesitate to contact us on our details below or look at our client list and see the companies we have helped and continue to work with to reduce workplace violence.

Confidence Training, is that what our training is?

 

This was a question asked from a person who enquired about information on the training we provide.
It is a very relevant one and does highlight the confusion some people may think of when looking into what we do as a training company.

What is confidence training and what effect does it have on the average person. I came across this phrase once when working in London and it was supposed to give business people that little boost to tackle people and organisations in succeeding in what they were striving to do.

The approach we look at is that confidence training is not motivational training either but what we refer to as knowledge is power; for instance you can’t buy experience or develop it quickly in some areas and also experience by some is classed as making a different choice after a selection of bad decisions, and in truth that is also true.

So let’s look back at it again and explain what we class as confidence training in workplace violence. If you give anyone a different look at something, add a few problems followed by topping it off with a what if scenario, then help them to step back and see how there is always a clear and simple solution to a problem; that is how we believe you can build confidence in defusing what we class as workplace violence incidents.

We as a team actually do train in building confidence, and it’s all directed at helping our attendees appreciate if you understand the situation, then you can see an exit or resolution resulting in them gaining confidence and knowledge. The only approach we do differently is we don’t build a raft, blindfold or ask you to trust us while we catch you when you fall; we show you facts and then demonstrate how you can get out of a situation quickly and safely, or defuse it without escalating the situation further!

Answer: Yes but in a SMART manner.

Blog by Will Holland


 

 

Personal Safety: People keep standing to close to me when I am dealing with them (Aggressively)

In customer service jobs we come across this problem quite often, and the result can be due to someone that is either frustrated with the organisation or the person in front of them.
Some training over the years that I have seen has been giving tips on how to judge the distance, for instance imagine a person between you, or can you smell their breath and even weirder ones that I would rather leave to someone else to describe.

How we teach the best distance to have is by demonstrating key skills to easily remember when confronted by someone who is possibly aggressive of frustrated.

A good guide is when you are talking to the person and looking them in the eyes, can you see either of their feet in your provisual vision and if not then you are to close.  Seems simple but practice with someone and when you can see their feet ask them to touch your nose with the tip of their finger and you will see they are just slightly out of range of contact.

The above skill mixed in with stance and terminology helps everyone that attends our training to control the situation safely and not alert the aggressor or frustrated customer that you are concerned.

For more information on our personal safety training please contact a member of the Quell team and they will be more than happy to help you.

Blog by Will Holland

 

Lone Working Training in Southern Ireland

Lone Working Training in Southern Ireland

You may be surprised to learn that we at Quell have had a significant interest and influx of requests for training from the South of Ireland, and the interest levels seem to be continuing each week.

What can this be put down to?

Employers?

Realising that they have a duty to protect their workers from harm, or that they have more chance of being prosecuted by  local authorities now more than ever as the subject of workplace violence that incorporates lone working is more acknowledged now, than say five years ago.  I would also add that more managers are being taken by civil action if proven that they did not put in place systems or training to counteract incidents relating to abuse, threats and assaults?

Employees?

Employees are more aware of the importance of being trained properly to prevent, deter and defuse incidents of workplace violence.  I also believe that employees do have a better understanding of their own rights, when faced with aggressive or potentially violent situations?

Training?

The subject of how the training is delivered has always been very large bowl of contention and it has also caused more debates and heated discussions by different training organisations over the years, from topics like it’s to Health & Safety orientated, to how much force should be used, even down to various levels of control & restraint being used.

However we at Quell believe we must be doing something right with our approach as the clients that we have been working with on projects such as lone working training in Ireland have continued to increase and repeat,  and anyone that owns a business knows that repeat business is a sign your doing something right.

Our training is not generic and does not come from ‘you tube’ or the ‘back of a magazine’, or do we take methods from other training organisations as our training is focused on the problems and issues relating to the attendee, so if you agree with my three short points and think we can help you with your training needs then please do hesitate to get in touch.

For more information on lone working training in southern Ireland, or any of our various training packages relating to workplace violence please contact us on the details below.