Your Quoting Process is Bleeding More Profit Than You Think
Colin Sinclair McDermott encourages business owners to stop letting profit slip through the cracks of a manual process and start leading with data-driven accuracy
Having taken part in a number of industry events throughout February and March, Colin Sinclair McDermott aka The Online Print Coach has three key areas he wants to explore in a bid to open up a discussion on the issue of diversity in the workplace
February and March have been extremely busy months and through a number of industry events I attended, it became very apparent that in this article, I needed to open up for discussion on the issue of diversity in the workplace.
There are three key areas I wish to explore that will hopefully help us all drive more diversity in the workplace, attract and retain the next generation of our industry, address the gender gap, and promote mentorship from older professionals.
In March, I had the pleasure of running a Networking Masterclass, hosted by FESPA UK for the Next Generation of our industry. It was wonderful to meet so many young and enthusiastic professionals and get to understand their roles within their current businesses and how they ended up in the industry in the first instance.
There is definitely a hunger to progress in their careers but what I did take away from the event was that quite simply, our industry as a whole is not employing enough young people. Through speaking with the attendees, it became clear that the industry as a whole can be doing so much more to build awareness for the opportunities that do exist.
Despite having so much new and exciting technology, printing for the younger generation is still very much viewed as an outdated industry. So, what can we do to make our positions more appealing?
There is definitely a hunger to progress in their careers but what I did take away from the event was that quite simply, our industry as a whole is not employing enough young people
For starters, I think we really need to emphasise the digital technology used in today's methods and show this next generation how much more sophisticated and advanced our industry has become in recent years. They have a much stronger grasp on technology and tend to pick up and understand these things much more quickly.
We should embrace this and utilise this unique skill set. We should be using more social media platforms to reach this audience and not just rely on engaging with schools and colleges to present these opportunities. One of the key things that really struck me from the young people I spoke with was their lack of understanding of their potential career path.
Many felt unable to approach their peers and had no clear direction of what their growth potential was within their business. It's important as business owners to ensure a clear line of communication to all staff members and ensure we have that open door policy.
I always recommend to the clients I work with that staff appraisals should be carried out at least once a quarter. And finally, embrace sustainability. This next generation is extremely environmentally conscious. It's important to them to work within an industry that is eco-friendly and has a positive impact on the planet.
I had the pleasure of being asked into an all-male panel discussion recently, run by Women in Signs and Graphics and I have to say, what an eye-opening experience it was. I guess I was one of the people ignorant of how challenging it still was for women in our industry.
I've always been surrounded by pretty strong women since I got involved in print. The first person who employed me was a female production manager. Because I was asked to be on this panel, in the weeks leading up to it, I started to have a lot more discussions with women I know so that I could understand the other perspective and bring value to the panel.
According to the BPIF, the print industry in the UK is made up of just 31% women. Another stat that really surprised me is that women in our industry typically retire with a pension pot of £136,800 less than men. Obviously, in this day and age, we need to be working much harder to close that gap, and the latest figures indicate we are heading in the right direction with the pay gap closing to 9.71% in 2022, a 1.14% decrease from the previous year.
So, what can we all do to close this gender gap? I feel it's important to change the perception that our industry is male-dominated. Whilst the statistics show that this is still currently the case, this figure is starting to shift and what was pleasant was to see at the aforementioned next-generation event is that there was a fair 50/50 split between males and females.
It's also important we celebrate the female role models we do have in our industry. There are no barriers to entry any more thanks to the advancement in technology, therefore roles such as production are far less physically demanding than in the past. We need to be aware of the culture we are creating in our workplace. Creating an environment that everyone is comfortable with is key to building a more diverse workplace so your business can thrive.
Another panel I had the pleasure of being involved with was hosted by the ISA. The main topic was to uncover the issues around the current skills gap in printing and signage companies which led to the fact that many of the older generations were leaving the industry early. This was possibly down to the physical demands, particularly in the signage sector, and the lack of opportunity to diversify to other roles within these industries.
Perhaps an avenue we could all explore further, rather than lose this valuable experience too soon, would be to utilise these staff members for mentorship and help us close these skills gaps we currently have in many of our workplaces. Pairing younger professionals with older professionals can be great for knowledge sharing, skill development, and also career guidance.
As an industry, we can all do better here. If we can promote stronger diversity in our workplaces, you will reap the benefits long term. It will foster a more inclusive and attractive work environment where staff feels valued and respected. It can boost your staff retention and productivity. It's important to bring different perspectives to the table and it will lead to more creative thinking. Be the change!
Having been in the print industry since the mid-late 90s, Colin Sinclair McDermott entered the world of self-employment in 2004 and over the years that followed, experienced a number of highs and lows running his own print company, learning what does and doesn’t work.
In 2022, he trained with The Business Coaching Academy to become a fully certified corporate coach with the Worldwide Association of Business Coaches.
Through The Online Print Coach, industry members can access an online training platform, Print Mastermind and private 1-to-1 coaching with Sinclair McDermott.
www.theonlineprintcoach.com
