Ask the Expert

In a year where social and political discussions have continued to take centre stage in the media, it’s impossible for organisations not to recognise the impact these will have on their employees. Katie Allen, HR Consultant and Coach of Katie Allen Consulting Limited, explains the steps leaders can take to improve their organisational culture, and make equity and inclusion an integral part of their working lives. THE BIGGEST QUESTION MOST LEADERS FACE IS WHERE TO START. THE ANSWER TO THIS - AT THE BEGINNING. IT’S DIFFERENT FOR EVERY BUSINESS, SO WHAT CAN WE DO TO TAKE THE FIRST STEPS?

The first area that needs consideration in any organisation is the authenticity in its approach to creating an equitable and inclusive environment for its people. The biggest barrier to inclusion is a lack of authenticity. When we, as leaders, say all the right things to make our people feel seen and heard, but then fail to take the action required to make truly lasting change, this performative approach to inclusion can actually do more harm than good. Instead, we need to look for any barriers to authenticity that may exist, and take action to remove them. Examples of this could be making a public statement in support of groups like Black Lives Matter or hosting an event in celebration of International Women’s Day, but adopting workplace practices that actually place black colleagues at a disadvantage (often unknowingly), or failing to take steps to address the gender wage gap. Making a real connection between what we say we will do, and doing it, is hugely powerful in moving the dial

Organisational culture

towards inclusive workplaces. Having the conversations to challenge ourselves on our authenticity requires courage and honesty, and can, at times, be uncomfortable. However, the short-term discomfort is almost always outweighed by the long-term pay-off of truly inclusive ways of working, increasing engagement, innovation and financial performance.

THE POSITIVE ARGUMENT FOR DIVERSITY HAS BEEN WELL RESEARCHED AND DOCUMENTED, BUT FOR MANY, LITTLE PROGRESS HAS BEEN MADE TOWARDS INCREASING REPRESENTATION WITHIN ORGANISATIONS. WHAT CAN BUSINESS LEADERS DO TO HELP ADDRESS A LACK OF DIVERSITY IN THEIR TEAMS?

Firstly, it’s important to recognise that one person alone cannot be diverse. It is the whole makeup of a team or environment that is either diverse, or homogeneous. The first question to ask in an organisation that is trying to diversify its workforce is “what are the barriers to access that exist?”. These can range from the language used in job adverts, the selection methods used in recruitment and the benefits and working arrangements made available. Taking steps to remove these barriers will see an increase in the diverse range of talent we can attract to our organisations, allowing us to create teams with greater perspective and capability. Improving access and acting with authenticity will not only attract fantastic new talent to our businesses, but will improve connections within our existing teams too, making it much more likely that good people will want to stay with us!

IT’S COMMON TO SEE DIVERSITY IN GROUPS REDUCE AS SENIORITY IN ORGANISATIONS INCREASES. WHAT CAN SENIOR LEADERS DO TO HELP IMPROVE DIVERSITY AT ALL LEVELS?

This is where senior leaders need to “lean in” to courageous conversations. Being honest about what we know of our development programs, talent reviews, routes to promotion and access to coaching, mentoring and sponsorship. Are there any barriers to advancement that may exist for colleagues from minority represented groups, that don’t exist for their straight, white, cisgendered or non-disabled counterparts? Again, these conversations can be uncomfortable, but having them is a necessity to address any underlying bias or disadvantage that may exist. There is so much positivity that can be found when our employees are able to bring their true and authentic selves to work. As leaders we need to understand that we don’t always have all the right answers, but we can ask the right questions, and listen and be guided by our incredible teams of people. Remember: • To increase inclusion - look for barriers to authenticity • To increase diversity - look for barriers to access • To increase equity - look for barriers to advancement One size doesn’t fit all, so as a consultant and coach, I help organisations and individuals review their values and working practices, understand and remove barriers, and lead with courage, connection and curiosity as human centred leaders.

Microsoft 365 questions

Rupert Davey, Managing Director at ctm IT Support, has as the answers. WHAT IS THE BEST SECURITY FOR MICROSOFT 365 EMAILS?

We would always recommend Microsoft 365 Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) enforced and set up. This will stop over 99.9% of account compromise attacks! It’s free too.

WHAT IS THE BEST APPLICATION TO USE FOR MY EMAILS IF I USE MICROSOFT 365?

The best application to use for emails that are through Microsoft 365 would be Outlook. This application covers all bases of what would be required. You can send and receive emails, organise a calendar and make calendar/meeting requests via the integrated service of Microsoft Teams.

DO I NEED A SUBSCRIPTION TO USE OUTLOOK?

No, not necessarily. If you have Microsoft Office 2016 or Microsoft Office 2019 as a perpetual licence, then you can use Outlook 2016 or Outlook 2019. However, for the best experience, a subscriptions to Microsoft Business Standard or similar, is recommended. These subscriptions include Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Teams, as well as others not available in the perpetual licence. You also get included upgrades with a subscription, so you’re always on the latest version.

DO I NEED TO BUY THESE SUBSCRIPTIONS FROM MICROSOFT?

No, you do not. We believe that around a third of UK businesses, between 10 and 500 users, use Microsoft 365 with many buying directly from Microsoft at public prices. We have recently launched a product called Nimmbus CSP which allows UK businesses to purchase Microsoft 365 subscriptions at a discounted rate of at least five per cent. Register at www.nimmbus.com now.

WHAT IS A GLOBAL ADMINISTRATOR AND SHOULD I BE ONE?

A Global Administrator (aka GA) is an elevated permission assigned within Microsoft 365, that allows selected people to administer and access your Microsoft 365 tenant. Not everyone within your business should be a global administrator, normally there are a few selected people who have these rights. However, we would suggest against having these rights assigned to your main Microsoft 365 email account and have them on a separate account where possible. A GA level user can access everything.

WHAT IS A MICROSOFT CLOUD SOLUTION PROVIDER?

A Microsoft Cloud Solution Provider or CSP for short is a Microsoft Partner that can manage and sell Microsoft Subscriptions on behalf of Microsoft. These subscriptions still come from Microsoft. We’re a Cloud Solution Provider and serve all our UK Customers with subscriptions at a five per cent discounted rate. You can have more than one CSP connected to your Microsoft 365 tenant. Register for savings at www.nimmbus.com now.

IS IT OFFICE 365 OR MICROSOFT 365? ARE THEY THE SAME?

Microsoft recently (April 2020) announced the renaming of Office 365 to Microsoft 365 to encompass a wider product range. Although the name change, both Office 365 and Microsoft 365 have their own different product groups; Office 365 E3, for example, and Microsoft 365 Business Standard, this is where it can be confusing! However, your Cloud Solution Provider, should ensure that you have the correct subscriptions for your business needs.

WE’RE NOT ON MICROSOFT 365. HOW DO WE SHIFT OVER?

There is typically a one-time migration cost, then on-going costs for the subscriptions which will be required. Normally the migration of email and data is done in one complete action. This means that all your emails will migrate from your old provider onto Microsoft 365, with no loss of email, no downtime and you will keep your email addresses, it will just be from a different provider. Here at ctm IT Support, we would be more than happy to help with the migration and the Microsoft 365 Subscription supply via Nimmbus CSP.

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