HR – When the chips are down what kind of employer are you?

We all know the story .. on the 12th March, the country was effectively shut down except for essential services.

It was a time when each and every single employer in the country had to figure out really quickly what they needed to do to protect the business during this uncertain shut down period – how long would it go on for, how many bills do I have, how much money do I have in the kitty, how much do I need to survive?

All huge questions and with no simple answers and no playbook to refer to.

What we did next reflects who we are, who the business is, our values, our ethos.

A week later, I checked in on a good friend of mine who worked as a baker in a coffee shop (part of a  small but well known chain) around the corner from our office, just to make sure that he was OK.

What he shared with me was a tale of two very different HR philosophies and two very different approaches to their employees.

On exactly the same day he was given notice by his employer and his partner who manages a creche was also told that her place of business was closing because of the “lock-down”.

However, there was a huge difference between both.

In his case he was “left go”, unceremoniously with no guidance towards where he should go to for supports and no word as to what his status would be when this “pause” was over. Effectively it was a P45.

In her case, she was also left go temporarily, but with absolute clarity that her role would still be there when things returned to normal, she was guided towards the supports she needed and the employer set up a WhatsApp group so that the team could stay in touch during the lock-down.

While both of these scenarios were identical, they couldn’t be any further apart.

I have sadly heard of so many cases where loyal employees were just cast away on the 12th March, with virtually no concern as to how they would put food on their tables next week.

Your team are your business, and how you treat them will absolutely determine how successful your business will be and how deep your team will dig for you when needed.

When the lights come back on, I know of a great guy and all of his colleagues who will be looking for a new opportunity, and I know of a great gal and all of her colleagues who be delighted to get back to work and will dig deep for their employer when the chips are down.

What type of employer are you?

Greg

Greg Canty is a Partner of Fuzion Communications, a full service Marketing, PR, Graphic Design and Digital Marketing agency with offices in Dublin and Cork, Ireland

 

10 Years of Hashtags – The Magic is in The Message

I see the confused look on their faces and Hashtags are often just one step too far!

“What is all this hashtag business?” I get asked.

At times it does feel like we are talking another language…

At my social media courses I think it is the one thing that definitely seems to bother people the most. It is a step too far: On Twitter they understand followers, they get following and know that tweets must be less than 140 characters but the mere mention of Hashtags and it seems to add that Tipping Point of confusion that never fails to get a few moans and groans of exasperation. Too much!

So what the hell are these nasty things and how and when might you use them?

In very simple terms a Hashtag is a means of adding a “tag” or label to a post (tweet) on Twitter by using the “#” symbol followed by a continuous set of characters. This is normally a word or a few words joined together.

For example if I prepared a tweet about a new shop opening in town I might tweet “Great to see a new shop opening on Grafton Street #Positivity“

When you do this on Twitter it automatically changes the colour of this text, making it stand out and it also adds some “link” functionality to that word(s). If you click on this “link” Twitter will display a list of all the tweets where this hashtag was used.

In a way it gathers them together, which is really handy if it brings the reader to a bunch of tweets about a topic they were very interested in.

While Twitter will track popular topics and show you the keywords that are used most frequently in posts (trending) it will also track the most frequently used hashtags. If everyone who is talking about a popular topic uses a particular hashtag to label these posts it not only gathers them together but it also helps to get the topic trending.

So when might I use a hashtag?

For me the single biggest advantage to the use of a hashtag is the simple colour change to that keyword. The text appearing in a different colour draws the readers attention to it and when used properly it can help to communicate the subject matter of that post. The link functionality as discussed earlier is an added bonus.

You can use your own hashtags (there is no ownership of them) or decide to join in on conversations about topics where a particular hashtag is being used already and use it in your posts – this can give you and your tweet visibility if this topic has stirred up a lot of interest.

For me a hashtag can be used in a powerful way to signify a Key Message of yours or a significant  “Breadcrumb” (click that link for my blog about key messages) that you wish to leave behind about you and your business for the reader.

You might use a hashtag to label posts about:

• An event or concert #LondonFoodFest or #EP14 (Electric Picnic 2014)
• Elections #LE14 (Local Elections 2014)
• A place #Dublin
• A cause #LGBTRights
• A sentiment #LoveCork
• An outlook #Positivity
• A philosophy #WinHappy
• A show #Murnaghan
• Your team #LFC #YNWA
• Publicising job opportunities #Jobs or #JobFairy

You can use the hashtags in very many ways to suit the occasion and to draw extra attention to the point you want to make or a particular keyword(s) in your post.

You will find the more progressive TV shows will encourage the viewer to tweet about a topic being discussed and will suggest a hashtag to use – in a way the viewer is asked to “join the discussion“.

Hashtags are also appearing in adverts for brands, where they are often used to help create an association for the consumer between a sentiment and the product or service #LoveLife.

For me hashtags are used best when you decide on a “family” of these, which should be used consistently for you and your business.

Having decided on your key messages you might devise a range of hashtags that might best be used to communicate these little breadcrumbs about you and your business.

For example a restaurant in Dublin who prides themselves on using local artisan suppliers, who have an extensive menu with good gluten free and vegetarian options, who stock a range of craft beers and is very proud of the city and who offer free treats on a Tuesday, might regularly tweet using hashtags such as:

#SourceLocal #Artisan  #GlutenFree  #VegMenus  #CraftBeers  #LoveDublin  #TreatTuesday (hopefully not all at the same time!)

When you are posting you are best keeping your hashtags as short as possible, memorable and try to use them just one at a time in tweets. Used consistently and in the right context you would be surprised how quickly a place gets known for these things.

For example when I tweet I use hashtags a lot to draw attention to particular things in my posts and the ones I use most frequently are #Positivity (when talking about good news or job announcements) #WinHappy (when talking about Fuzion – this is a core philosophy) #FuzionFriday (when talking about our Friday lunch with the team) #FuzionPlaylist (when I mention the music playing in the office).

It amazes me when people play these back to me (“I’d love to join ye for FuzionFriday some day”) in the context that I intended and I then realise that I have managed to convey our key messages effectively by using this simple Twitter device.

I do fully understand people’s frustration with all of this new media and it’s quirks and idiosyncrasies but most of it is built to be easy to use ….once you know how!

You may prefer not to use hashtags at all (sometimes there may be no need) but if you want to get that special message across then start using this new language…

 #HashtagHeaven

Greg Canty is a partner of Fuzion Communications

Fuzion Communications offer Social Media Consultancy and Training from our offices in Dublin and Cork, Ireland

Greg’s 5 Priorities for Dublin Chamber #GoGreg

As we are doing a lot of work in Dublin and getting more and more involved with Dublin Chamber of Commerce (Greg co-chairs the Business Owners Network that meets every second Friday) Greg decided he would take the next step and try to get even more involved.

He has decided to run for Dublin Chamber Council which would give him and us the opportunity of influencing how the Chamber is run and trying to shape the strategy and direction that it takes about key issues.

While he believes that Dublin Chamber is doing a really good job he feels that it could do even more..

We have taken an extract from his “campaign literature” where he has outlined his pitch including his Top 5 priorities – In his words:

My Pitch!

No 1 – Passionate about Entrepreneurship

I am passionate about start-ups, business ownership and the SME sector and believe that Dublin Chamber should become a natural hub for all activity in this area. I don’t believe this is the case at the moment.

Dublin Chamber was founded by business owners and we should strive to get back to a scenario whereby successful business owners of all sizes are proactive members driving, supporting and encouraging enterprise in Dublin. We need their voices, influence and expertise to start shining through.

Successful entrepreneurs are asked to speak at Dublin Chamber events – we need them as proactive  members!

For my part I have had my own businesses since the age of 13!

No 2- Influence

I believe that Dublin Chamber should have a much bigger voice and influence in how our city and country is run. I hope with more involvement and through my own expertise I can start to support Chamber in communicating our messages even stronger through more use of traditional and digital media.

Also I believe my communications experience and my insights from working closely with some politicians and other key influencers could be of benefit here.

No 3- Fresh Perspective from the ‘Not so shy’ Cork boy!

I admit it, I’m not from Dublin!

While some might hold this against me as being a negative I feel it is a real positive. I operate a business in both Dublin and Cork, spending my time equally between both locations. I believe I offer a unique fresh perspective as a result, which could benefit the Chamber.

No 4 – Destination Branding Insights

I was recently part of the Destination Branding team that created a Brand book for the Cork region with a focus on attracting Irish and foreign direct investment.

The learnings from this process could be quite valuable to Dublin Chamber.

No 5 – Fun

My last point is a very serious one!

While there is serious business to be done I do believe we need to have a much bigger element of fun to the networking and the business of Chamber. In my view the best networking is done in a relaxed atmosphere and when people are enjoying themselves. I always try my best to achieve this and for anyone who attends my Business Owners Network sessions I chair once a month, I hope this is witnessed.

To give you a taste of the fun we have check out the incredible rendition of “White Christmas” that the Business Owners Network managed in December on YouTube!  

For these reasons I am asking the Dublin Chamber members who would like a fresh, challenging and different voice for Dublin Chamber Council to consider me when voting opens on the 18th January.

I am also asking members to also consider voting for David Lafferty, an accountant who runs his own practice and someone who is busy flying the flag for the SME’s and business owners. He is an active member of the Business Owners Network and has worked on the Budget Task Force with the Chamber.

…Well said Greg!

We don’t think he is the worst and from time to time he does come up with the odd good idea so we would ask Dublin Chamber members to support his campaign!

#GoGreg !!