White Papers & Articles

We’ve heard it a thousand times - the labor market is tight and only getting worse.  Unemployment for professionals is close to an all-time low while demand continues to skyrocket.  Frankly, this is nothing new, nor should this be news to most of us.
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What is rather striking are the number of companies who seem to have little plan in place for how they’re going to continue to hire new employees amidst one of the most competitive and challenging employment times in our nations’ history.  Where plans lack, so do results.  Long gone are the days where we can post a job online and get a slew of great applicants, especially in the technology sector.  Why?  Because everyone is working, which means those who aren’t, well there might be a reason for that. 

What this also tells us is in large part the people we all want to hire are gainfully employed elsewhere, to get their attention to come work for you you’ll need to have a plan in place to do so.  Before we can build a hiring plan we first need to understand what we’re up against.

Local Marketplace Dynamics – Orange County, CA:
·       Wages in OC are on average 17.3% higher than the national average and 21% higher than neighboring counties

• OC unemployment in September 2021 was 5%, for professional workers it’s estimated to be under 2% (meaning more than 98% of professionals are gainfully employed right now)
• Many industries are experiencing record growth including IOT, app developers, banking, services and healthcare
• Supply vs. Demand - there are more than 3x the number of job opportunities available as there are people in professional roles to fill them; the supply and demand disparity is even worse in the technical sectors
• Hiring for light industrial/ manufacturing personnel is incredibly challenging due to sheer demand coupled with the supply of personnel still artificially minimized due to geopolitical reasons

 
If your organization is hiring now or in the near future, especially for technologists, I strongly recommend you consider the following hiring and company operational best practices as these will set up both your organization to attract and retain the best people.

Remember, the ‘art of hiring’ isn’t a guessing game or round of blindfolded pin the tail on the doneky.  People work where they feel appreciated, respected, and compensated appropriately so your organization needs to be able to demonstrate that and then operate accordingly.
 
Hiring & Company Operations Best Practices:

• Attraction – two of the best ways to get more eyeballs on your company organically is through your existing employees and social media.  If your existing employees like where they work they’ll tell others, simple as that.  Good people attract other good people.  Some companies offer referral bonuses to their employees for helping to fill key roles.  Secondarily, social media continues to reign supreme when it comes to getting the word out to a large audience.  The trick is to determine which platforms are the best then ensure your messaging is consistent and resonates with your audience.

 

• Sell Your Story – process by which companies build out their sales pitch to attract better talent by using a story to describe the company’s ‘WHY’; it’s a marketing strategy based around the company’s vision and mission – your reason for existing as a company.  This approach is especially powerful with younger generations.

 

• Fringe Benefits & Perks – this isn’t just for Silicon Valley companies any longer, if you aren’t offering some of these you’re automatically in 2nd or 3rd place as an employer:
  • Retirement plans with match
  • Additional compensation via bonuses
  • Work from home programs
  • Vacation for new employees starting at 3 weeks, a 2 week offering is becoming a thing of the past
  • Employee recognition programs
  • Sign on bonuses for new hires
  • Onsite barista/ drink and or snack stations
  • Medical/ dental/ vision plans 100% paid for by employer
  • Employee referral compensation programs
  • Free lunch for employees, or onsite cafeterias with subsidized meals
  • Company ownership incentives
  • Education reimbursement
  • Paid paternal leave for parents (including fathers) beyond FMLA offerings
  • Wellness programs
  • ‘Quiet Room’ spaces which allow employees to decompress
  • Commuter assistance
  • Childcare assistance
  • Car cleaning services

I’ll admit some of the above items seem a bit over the top yet in the same breath I must also admit many of these things are becoming common place.  It’s not to say you need to do them all, but to not offer any of these perks to current and or prospective employees means you may likely find yourself losing current employees to other companies who do have them, or not being able to hire at all.  SHRM estimates the cost to backfill an existing employee is 6-9 months of their annualized salary.  This offers a good moment of reflection – should you invest upfront (perks) or pay in the rears as you look to backfill and replace employees?

Additional Best Practices:

• Employee Onboarding Program - new employees who experienced a well-structured onboarding orientation program were 69% more likely to remain at a company three plus years.  Learn more about onboarding programs at http://www.sqr1services.com/white-papers/why-your-new-employee-wants-to-quit-part-3-finale

 

• Incentives to Stay - Hiring a new employee in today’s market is challenging, ensuring they’ll stay employed with you after the fact is another consideration altogether. Consider implementing or refreshing your programs in areas like on-the-job training, career growth development, mentoring and employee appreciation programs.  These programs showcase an employers’ desire to invest in their employees both for the present and future.

 

• Shorten Your Hiring Process – long gone are the days of half a dozen interviews, followed by panel discussions and presentations.  The employers today who are scooping up the best employees on the market are doing so largely because they’re acting quickly.  In some cases I’ve heard of offer letters presented to prospective hires after just one interview.  Every time a candidate takes another job while they were in the middle of your hiring process that’s time you’ve spent you can’t get back.  Act quick and be decisive.

 

• Use a Hiring Service – most of us are in the business to be good at our chosen professions, which for most doesn’t include acting in the role of HR/ recruiter.  If you can afford the extra cost it’s advisable to partner with someone who does candidate sourcing and hiring on a daily basis as their profession.  Recruiters and personnel in HR typically understand the market and hiring conditions for their local areas well and know how to target people who are gainfully employed – a tactic called ‘direct sourcing’.  In today’s employment market if your strategy is to post and coast (put a job up on an online job board and pray for good candidates) you’re already starting off at a deficit you’ll likely never climb out of.  All hiring strategies must include a direct sourcing component to be successful.

 

• Get Active – not everyone can afford the cost associated with working with recruiters, which for professional hiring, especially in the technology sector commonly comes with a fee of 25% the candidates annual salary.  If you can’t afford a recruiter you’ll need to get active yourself, start by jumping on LinkedIn and reaching out to candidates directly using the messaging service.  Another good practice is to attend industry or trade events with the hopes of meeting good people who could be prospective future employees.  Remember, these approaches typically don’t produce results quickly so you’ll need to invest time and remain consistent at it.

 
To attract the best of the best we need to constantly review and optimize our strategies to ensure they are both keeping up with the current marketplace while producing the results we need.  Remember, continuing to do the same thing over and over again yet expecting different results isn’t a good recipe for hiring success, it’s corporate insanity. 

Think back to the last time you had a service company over at your home to do work.  I’ll bet you’re like most people I talk with who seem overjoyed to talk through the fiery details about their hellacious contractor experiences where hopes for good services are incinerated by severely, underwhelming contractors who still somehow render work for top dollar.

Sound familiar?

Unfortunately, many of us have similar stories to share when it comes to less than stellar service experiences.  Our dismal experience with service provides can be boiled down to a lack of two characteristics: passion and care.  In my most humble of opinions the reason why we experience poor service is because those providing it fall short in the areas of being passionate about what they do and caring to deliver a great experience.  I thought I would forever be in the service abyss until two guys from a mobile window screen company completely changed my perspective on what’s possible.

My wife and I recently decided to finally deal with some house repairs we’ve been putting off for a couple years and without a referral went online to find some help.  I, my typical skeptical self, wasn’t expecting anything special.  Frankly, I just hoped they would actually show up and not break anything in the process.  Yes, we’ve experienced much of this in the past.  Were we doomed to be saddled with lackluster help?  I certainly thought so.

Until these two guys showed up!

Tony and Saul of T&S Mobile Screen Services arrived on the scene ready to up the ante and deliver a service I’m still trying to comprehend in all of its majestic glory.  I’m writing this article because it needs to be said and perhaps recognized that good service DOES still exist in the world.  I also own a services business myself that was started primarily because of this very issue – there seem to be endless companies offering bleak services which fall short of delivering a ‘Wow Factor’.  That said, as a quick disclaimer, I’m not an employee of T&S, this isn’t a paid advertisement nor was I asked to write this.  I’m simply just a happy customer wanting to share a good word about a great small business.

So, what did T&S Mobile Screen Services do which made such a phenomenal impact on us?  Let’s go through the experience start to finish:

• Upon arrival (which was on-time, so right there T&S was already starting off on a good note) Tony, one of the owners, notified me they were at our house and ready for us
• When I greeted Tony at the front door he must have noticed we don’t wear shoes in our house so he immediately put on booties; he didn’t ask if he needed to he just did it with a smile
• As he walked in our home Tony handed me his business card, gave a firm handshake accompanied by some old school good eye contact; this told me he understood the importance of first impressions and values respect and professionalism
• He then proceeded to do the same thing with my wife, again very professional and courteous
• His dress, and that of his partners, was clean and professional – these guys were the real McCoy, ready to work
• Tony took charge and asked me to walk him around our house so he could “understand exactly what I needed done”, I loved this because it showed me he cared about my perspective and wanted to ensure their work met my expectations; during the walk around he advised me in two areas which ended up savings us some money – I didn’t ask him to do this, he just did it because it was the right thing to do.  The mark of a good and honest professional!
• During the walk he never once tried to upsell me or convince me of work needing to be done, Tony was very matter of fact and spoke plainly.  Bonus points!
• After the walk around, which lasted only a couple minutes, he took me out to their truck parked in front of our house where a small work station was already set up and this is where they went from good to downright impressive:
  • They were playing classical jazz music in the truck with the windows open; I wouldn’t call myself a jazz lover per say but I’ll openly admit it was incredibly inviting and again showed their desire to create a welcoming environment with their service and presence at our home
  • Tony and Saul demonstrated to me what the new window screens looked like and how they would be installed, this further gave me confidence I had picked a solid product from a reputable business
  • Then they showed me their truck!  It was a Sprinter type van lined floor to ceiling with individual cubbies all organized with a labeled numbering system.  The inside of the van was chock full of equipment and parts yet it was organized like a library.  Even their Dewalt chopsaw was in pristine order glistening in the morning sun.  Never in all the years I’ve been working with service providers and contractors have I seen a work vehicle this clean and well organized.  What it said to me was “we pay attention to detail with our stuff just like we will with yours”.
  • The last part about the truck experience which I thought was clever on their part was they put a damaged screen on an L bracket sitting outside the truck.  Guess what happened next – two of my neighbors passing by on their way to work stopped and started asking questions then took their business cards to schedule service at their homes.  Brilliant.  All they did was hang a damaged screen off a standing bracket.  No signage, no sales pitch.  What it said without words was “if you have one of these (aka a damaged window screen) we can help you just like we’re helping your neighbor”.
• Now that their work was under way they eventually had to go upstairs in our house to access some of the window screens on the second story.  As Tony went up stairs he called out “I’m coming up stairs”, then when he was on the second floor he began whistling in a slow methodic rhythm.  Another genius move on his part.  Tony wanted to make sure his presence was known at all times to the people who live in our house so there wouldn’t be any unexpected or awkward situations.  Again, brilliant on his part as Tony and Saul continued to operate like a class act.
• As they finished their work Tony asked me to do another walk around the house to have me inspect their work in front of him.  It was stellar!  I had not one complaint, and for someone as anal as myself that’s saying a lot
• The payment experience at the end was smooth and without unexpected costs or upselling
• As they closed up their truck and took off I realized they had finished the job in a shorter amount of time than what they had quoted.  Arrived on time and finished early – I wish everyone operated like this!

 
The guys at T&S Mobile Screen Service put on a class on how to run a business that produces both great results and customer experiences.  These guys should get a freakin Emmy Award for their performance!
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As the day went on I couldn’t stop thinking about the experience.  For Tony and Saul it may have just been another job and another satisfied customer but for me it was something altogether quite different.  It changed my entire mindset about what’s possible.  Now that I’ve experienced this type of service, something akin to a Nordstrom’s experience – maybe even better, I now know this type of experience with contractors and service professionals is possible.  What it really comes down to is being passionate about what you do (whatever that may be) and caring enough to put in a great effort.  Since then I’ve probably told a half dozen people this story, my father and I have now done a podcast on it and I’m writing this article you’re reading now.  If that doesn’t tell you the power of good service I don’t know what to say other than this…

I would happily pay good money to have more experiences like this with service providers and contractors who are passionate about their craft and care to leave a positive lasting impression.  Thanks again to Tony and Saul from T&S Mobile Screen Services, you guys made me a customer for life.

​Want to get through your remediation project successfully?  Doing these two things helps dramatically increase your chances of success.

#fearlessmedtech #remediation #fda #medicaldevice #medtech #quality #compliance #QMS

​Remediation in the medical device industry is often described as a matter of “it’s not if it will happen, it’s when it will happen”.
 
With so many companies over the years going through major remediation efforts one would think by now most people in the business would have a good appreciation for what success looks like to navigate through FDA remediation projects.  Yet, many people will tell you the remediation projects they’ve been a part of were messy, unorganized and a galactic waste of money.  Unfortunately, when we’re faced with remediation there is no choice other than to mend our broken wings before flying home for the summer.
 
This sparks an interesting question – if I have a remediation project ready to deploy what are the things I can do to ensure it succeeds?  Regardless of the project size implementing these six keys to success will drastically help increase your ability to successful execute on your next remediation project:
 
1.       Ensure Your Entire Company (Especially Executive Management) is Onboard
Everyone in the organization, bottom up, needs to understand why this project just went to the top of the work list.  Everyone needs to be bought in and rowing in the same direction, otherwise you’ll experience cumbersome internal issues as mentioned above, which waste time, money and energy.  One can accomplish by using a tactical scorecard as described in #4.
 
2.       Establish Clear, Consistent and Easy Communication Protocols for the Project
Once your entire management team and company is onboard its time to set expectations for communication.  This is one of the most overlooked parts of any large scale project.  It’s especially important when considering cross functional company divisions and the people accountable to working towards successful completion.  When people are misinformed or don’t know what’s going on you can be certain it will slow your project down and cause further product quality and procedural issues down the road.
 
3.       Get a Lobbyist 
You’ll need someone acting as the liaison between your company and the FDA.  Typically, this person comes from your QA/ RA group, but is that the right person?   Don’t assume your de facto executive in QA / RA is the best for the job.  Ensure your company aligns itself with a proven individual who has relationships within the FDA and knows how to play the game.  If necessary get a consultant to support this effort.  This will pay off huge dividends in the end as they’ll know how to navigate delicate situations, get continuances and or leniencies where able.
 
4.       Employ a Tactical Scorecard
Remediation projects can quickly run off the rails if leadership isn’t hyper focused on tangible execution.  When projects span an entire organization involving dozens of resources and a multitude of external suppliers its easy for things to get lost in the shuffle causing delays and confusion among the troops.  To overcome this challenge utilize a tactical scorecard which everyone in management has access too along with anyone who is in a lead role for the remediation project.  It’s a project charter and Gantt Chart combined into one, just simplified.  This scorecard should breakdown the project into four or five key areas as necessary, but no more than five.  Each of these project areas act as a cost center of sorts for accountability.  Within each area you’ll have the activities coming up in the next 30 days, deliverable dates and the people who own the work.  A process like this creates transparency while providing clear direction.  The key stakeholders should meet at least monthly, if not earlier, to review the status of the project in comparison to the scorecard.  SCRUM style meetings offer a good approach for transparency and accountability.
 
5.       Learn How to Manage Cost Early On
Often companies will use a consulting group to lead or help work through their remediation efforts.  All too often the selection process for that supplier comes down to a key relationship within the company which basically side tracks any formal vetting process of other possible suppliers.  Cost becomes a 2nd or 3rd consideration over a relationship.  This can be disastrous as selecting the wrong supplier to help you with a remediation project can end up costing you thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, of dollars extra down the road.  Case in point – when you use suppliers that fly in consultants you are literally paying more than double the cost for that service just because those resources weren’t local.  Flights, housing, food, per diems, auto, travel, etc. adds up incredibly fast.  I’ll admit, sometimes the best solution is an out-of-town supplier, however be sure to do your homework before you settle on the one supplier that’s going to get your company back on track. 
 
6.       Know the Difference Between Execution & Strategy
As mentioned above, companies use consultants because it’s a good way to get ahead of a remediation project with people who have been there an done it before.  It momentarily expands your bandwidth for as long as you need.  While that sounds lovely there is a downside to the consulting and client relationship – the difference between strategy and execution.  Some consulting companies bill themselves as experts and charge big prices to boot.  What many companies find out the hard way is that these overpriced consulting firms stay up in the stratosphere where strategy is best played and seldom come down to the ground level to get their hands dirty.  This means they can put a plan together but executing on it is another story all together.  If you’re going to use a consulting firm make sure your contract includes deliverables which focus on execution and completion of work. 
 
Key Take Away:
If you’re heading into an FDA remediation project it is paramount to set up a company wide communication protocol which provides direction and project updates in real time.
 
Action Item:
Remember – it’s not ‘if’ but ‘when’ you’ll find yourself in a situation where you’re stuck going through remediation.  Therefore, you must be proactive.  Before you need the help, begin compiling data on suppliers that could help with a possible remediation project.  Compare their capabilities, learn how they would approach a potential project, how do they charge, etc.  Once you’ve done your homework you’ll then have all the necessary information upfront to make a strategic and informed decision when it comes time to dive into remediation.

Imagine a life that is totally different from the one we know today.  A life where disease and medical disorders are not commonplace.  A life where medical afflictions no longer claim lives.  It’s a wild thought, we know.  It is our utopia!

Now think about this utopia in comparison to where we are at today.  In 2019, roughly 58 million people died worldwide of which 74% of those deaths (or 43 million people) were the result of noncommunicable diseases like heart disease, stroke and COPD.

Imagine what the world would be like if all of those people, our family, friends and colleagues, were still with us.

It’s a sobering and certainly emotional thought!  But how could we ever achieve such a utopian life existence?

Enter Square-1 Engineering and the greater life science industry.

As I write this I’ll humbly admit there will inevitably be people who read these statements and think we’re absurd or even delusional for thinking we could ever achieve a life without disease and medical disorders. That said, it would also be prudent to note the purpose of this statement is not about our company, it’s not a sales pitch or a ‘look at what we’re doing’ ploy. It’s about an unrealized opportunity we need your help with as we believe it to be our responsibility to spread the word.  Our utopia is indeed possible and it will take all of us, both within the life sciences industry and outside, to work together towards a greater goal. 

This greater goal, which we’ve defined by Square-1’s company vision, is to achieve a life where ‘medical technology has created a new quality of life empowering people to live fearlessly’.

Fearlessly!

Our company, like many others, is on a quest to change the world as we know it for the better.  How are we going to do this you ask?  We’ll achieve this through the advancement of medical technology.  Along with many other companies in the life science industry, our focus is to drive change and innovation so that we can continue to inch closure to a state in the future where the way we live as people is better than today.  Hopefully without disease and medical disorder.

Imagine again if all heath care afflictions were in fact eradicated. The fear many of us live with as a result of the daily health issues we struggle with would also cease to exist.  Rather than harboring fear we could spend our time focused on a life filled with optimistic gratefulness.

We know our ambitions are colossal, even unimaginable at times yet this is exactly what keeps us going.

It’s for this reason we’ve made it our mission to put all our time and energy into advancing medical technologies to improve patient lives today so we can in the future meet our utopia, a world rid of disease and disorder.

Could you live fearlessly?

Join us on our mission and learn more about some of the great companies who are pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in order to create a better tomorrow.  A fearless tomorrow.  Our utopia!
 
Medtronic: https://www.medtronic.com/us-en/about/mission.html  

Edwards Lifesciences: https://www.edwards.com/aboutus/credo#

Staar Surgical: https://staar.com/our-mission

Square-1 Engineering: http://www.sqr1services.com/vision-mission.html

Axonics Modulation Technologies: https://www.axonics.com/about-axonics/who-we-are

​Diality: https://www.diality.com/diality

​#fearlessmedtech

You’ve got an idea!  Maybe it’s to optimize a process, save the company money or to develop a new product.  Many of us at one point or another in our careers will come across this situation where we have a brilliant idea but we don’t know how to implement it.   Once we have the idea what we do after the fact is what makes or breaks our ability to turn into reality.
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The steps below can help you organize your thoughts in a formal manner so you can further vet your idea while positioning yourself (and of course your idea) for the best possible chance to get approval from the powers that be.

Step #1 – Develop A Business Case

A business case captures the reasoning for initiating a project or task. It is often presented in a formatted written document outlining everything from the reason for the project, problem(s) it solves and the ROI.
 
Components of a business case document may include:

1. Identifying the business need (‘why’ should the company invest in your idea)
2. Expected Outcome & ROI
3. Justifying why the project is necessary
4. High level outline of project goals and objectives
5. What does successful completion look like
6. List of assumptions, things you believe to be true regarding your project
7. What challenges or constraints will you likely encounter?
8. Share what alternatives have you considered
9. Perform a cost benefit analysis to determine the strengths and weaknesses of alternatives in comparison to your idea or project
10. Close with a strong recommendation on why the company should invest in your idea (this needs to clearly articulate why it would be a dumb decision for the company not to move forward with approving your idea or project)

Once you’ve compiled your business case now it’s time to present it.  Set a meeting with your boss, or the appropriate party who would most likely approve your idea and or project.  Inform them ahead of time what the purpose of the meeting is and arrive prepared with multiple copies of your business case both to reference and present from.  Leave the approver with a copy of your business case and an action item to keep them engaged and thinking about your presentation.

Well look at that!  You did such a good job compiling your thoughts and presenting your idea that your boss granted you approval to move forward in the project.  Excelsior!

Now that you have approval, which is a fancy way of saying “we like your idea enough to put money behind it”, you will need to build out the project in detail using a ‘Project Charter’ to ensure it meets a successful conclusion.
Note: What’s the difference between a ‘Business Case’ and a ‘Project Charter’?  A business case comes first as it is an assessment or feasibility study of an idea or task; the sponsor (person who has the idea) pitches their case to the funding stakeholders (typically your boss or people in management). If approved, a project charter is completed outlining the project in detail. The information within the charter is the constraints for which success will be measured.

Step #2 – Develop a Project Charter

As mentioned above, the project charter is a document which clearly defines the project scope, objectives, and participants involved. Components of a project charter may include:

1. A clear statement, or project scope, describing deliverables and the problem or opportunities the project is meant to address along with phases throughout the project
   1. This also includes what’s out of scope for the project, meaning work which isn’t involved in this project
2. How are you evaluating performance via success criteria
3. Objectively and upfront identifying areas of risk, these are ways the project could fail if not addressed properly
4. Detailing out project requirements which are conditions or tasks that must be completed to ensure the success or completion
5. Outlining a schedule for events for the project, this is typically accomplished using a milestones approach or Gantt Chart
6. Describing the project budget, including funding sources and how those funds might be used from a time/ resources and materials perspective
7. Identify team members and project lead(s) as well as what other resources will be used to support the project (cross functional, suppliers, consultants, etc.)
8. Establish communication expectations so the team knows how and when project updates will be given; consider using the SCRUM or Agile methods

 
You’ll note that much of the work that was done initially for the business case can in turn be used in completing the project charter. If your project is big enough it may be worth looking into project management software, like Basecamp or JIRA, to electronically track your projects activities and deliverables.

Now that you’ve got your main documents guiding you through the project out of the way the next step will be to kick off the project and get underway.  I recommend doing the kickoff meeting in person if possible, or via video conference call, where the team can openly talk about the needs of the project and how tasks will be divided up.  All resources involved in the project should have a copy of the project charter along with clear expectations on what their role is and timeframe to deliver those tasks.
Now that you have a basic foundation for what is needed to get your projects approved and kicked off the next step is to look into resources like the Project Management Institute (PMI) and their primary resource guide called Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK).  These resources will help you stay on track while providing vast amounts of information on how to move projects through to successful completion. 

​Technologist, including engineers, are often unfairly labeled and stereotyped as lacking soft skills when it comes to interacting with other people.  Words like ‘quirky’, ‘introverted’ and ‘rambling’ are often used to describe technologists and how they interact with others.  After more than 15 years in the medical device field working side by side with my engineering colleagues I’m convinced these adjectives unfairly characterize many technologists, yet the use of these descriptions continues to permeate conversations rather consistently. 
 
Whether you’re a technologist or not, the simple truth is we all could use a little help in upgrading ourselves professionally.  Continual improvement is a cornerstone for a good professional and so is proper business etiquette.   If you’re looking for a way to improve how you show up, including how those around you perceive you, consider the following nine steps to boost your business etiquette:
 
1.       KISS (Keep It Simple, Stupid)
A wonderful acronym to say the least.  Those of us who like to tinker and develop products  have a tendency to overcomplicate the outcome, as well as our communication.  When we ‘over engineer’ our ideas, products or conversations it shows a lack of understanding for the true need as well as our ability to hold back personal interest before company needs.  Good business etiquette in this area is when we build awareness around the importance of keeping things simple which focuses on driving greater realized value for the end user.  “Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.” – Leonardo Da Vinci
 
2.       Understand the Big Picture
Technologist can be stereotyped as not understanding the company’s bigger picture and its goals as a business.  Its important engineers slow down to take the time to understand how their role impacts the business, especially how their decisions impact things downstream.  When we understand the big picture we’re able to remove ourselves from our preconceived notions and think like business professionals, not just technology developers.  This becomes crucial when we’re making decisions early in the product development process on product needs versus how that need supports the company’s mission and the needs within the marketplace.  Just because something is a great feat of engineering awe doesn’t mean it is necesary for the product, the company and or the customer.
 
3.       Be Proactive With Your Communication
Engineers live a life of projects.  They go from one project to another in their day to day work and as such they’re often embroiled in deadlines.  There’s nothing more frustrating to have someone on your team report the day of the deadline that they are going to miss it.  That’s unacceptable.  When we have good business etiquette we respect the other people on the team by communicating proactively so the team is prepared, especially in a situation where we may be missing a deadline.  Don’t wait to communicate. 
 
4.       Understand Your Cross Functional Colleagues
It’s poor business etiquette for engineers to only stay in their lane and not get to know, interact with, or understand their colleagues in non-technical roles.  Why is this the case?  Read #2 on this list.  When we don’t understand the bigger picture of the business, how it runs and operates, how decisions are made and why they’re made, our ability to be a productive employee is reduced to chance.  Ever seen someone come up with an idea which they claim to be amazing or revolutionary to be shot down shortly thereafter from another person in the company?  More often than not that idea infringed on #1 or #2 within this list.  For example, if you make a suggestion to add a feature to an existing product without taking into consideration the cost to manufacture it or if the companies sales people can actually sell it to their customers you’ve singlehandedly shown that you can come up with ideas which have little merit in their ability to be executed. 
 
5.       Good Enough Vs. Perfect
Confucius said, “Better a diamond with a flaw than a pebble without.”  When we chase perfection we often find ourselves on a never ending journey where we’re busy as can be without accomplishing much.  Its important engineers build awareness around the idea that nothing is ever finished therefore it isn’t settling if perfection isn’t achieve.  We should expect it and build product updates into our process down the road.  Apple, Inc. does this all the time with their new releases and they still have people lining up around the block to buy their products, regardless of the initial glitches and bugs associated. 
 
6.       Handshakes and Eye Contact
Those of us in technical fields can at times get a bad rap for not being social butterflies who know how to engage with others.  Let’s buck the stereotype!  Good business etiquette tells us it is important to give a firm handshake upon initial interaction with another person.  In fact, its common to hear from leaders that a poor handshake can be the difference in someone getting a job.  The limp wrist, fish handshake belongs nowhere in business.  Same can be said about eye contact.  Be intentional with your eye contact when speaking with someone in person.  Looking at the floor or down at your lap gives others the impression you aren’t confident in yourself.
 
7.       Ditch the Cell Phone
Your cell phone needs to stay in your pocket at all times when you are engaged with others, especially in a business setting, unless you are using it as part of the discussion.  If you’re in a conversation, including a group conversation, and you’re simultaneously thumbing through your social media you’re giving off a sign that what other people have to say isn’t important.  Put the phone away!  Your digital friends, who you’ll never meet anyways, won’t even notice you’re not there to like their cat memes.  FOMO no mo.
 
8.       First Impressions Are Actually Important
This goes hand-in-hand, pun intended, with #6.  The way we show up with other people, especially during a first impression can make or break someone’s perception of you.  Greet people, shake their hand, learn their name.  Make an effort to engage with them.  Be polite and considerate.  Lastly, be groomed!  If you’re appearance is disheveled or unbecoming of a professional that’s how you’ll be treated.  Most technologists make a healthy living in their careers, it’s important you act like it, at least upon first impressions.
 
9.       Respecting Others Lack of Technical Knowledge
When you’re talking to a layperson, a non-engineer, do your best to use simple, straightforward language.  People who aren’t engineers already are often times giving you the benefit of the doubt that you’re smart. (this is the one time when a stereotype works in your favor)  As such, you don’t need to impress people with your technical prowess by using terminology and theoretical concepts which fly over the head of the other person in the conversation.  Be mindful of who you are talking to and adjust accordingly as this will ensure the discussion is fruitful for both parties.  If the other party wants more information they’ll signal to you to get into the weeds, then its go time!
 
When we’re demonstrating good business etiquette we simultaneously show that we respect others while respecting ourselves.  Take the time to build awareness in this area of your career, it will pay dividends in spades over the long haul. 

We've talked on a couple occasions about the importance of planning ahead.  When it comes to your business and the safety of your employees planning ahead for emergency situations is a must for all leaders and business owners, alike. 

Listen in as our Operations Manager, Trisha Aure, shares with us in this two part series why it's so important to have an ERP (Emergency Response Plan) in place and the steps to go about implementing one within your business.

​Part 1: ERP Overview & Initiation

​Now that we're aware of what an ERP can do for us and how to initiate it from scratch, let's look further into the implementation for an ERP.

Did you miss our article on Emergency Response Plans (ERP)?  Access it here: ​​http://www.sqr1services.com/white-papers-and-articles/why-you-need-to-implement-a-business-emergency-response-plan-immediately

How many times have we waited too long to address something to later learn our procrastination ended up creating more work and heartache in the end? 

This is a daily experience for many businesses pushing off activities which may on the surface seem unimportant or trivial in the moment but lack thereof in the wrong circumstances creates havoc on the business’ leaders and employees alike.  Havoc also likes to bring with it a loss of time and funds for what that’s worth.

Enter the Emergency Response Plan (ERP); also referred to as an Emergency Action Plan (EAP).

If you’ve ever seen an ERP, or been lucky enough [heavy sarcasm here] to be a part of the team putting one together, you know firsthand this exercise is no walk in the park.  A thorough and well-rounded ERP can easily exceed 60 pages in length, we’ve seen them over 200 pages, covering everything from natural disaster planning to emergency health services and of course the latest business challenge - pandemics.  Many also include Continuity of Operations Plan (COOPs) which address situations like when employees can’t come to the office but the show must go on.  Sound familiar?

Gosh, ERP’s seem pretty important, right? 

Exactly, then why is it so many companies, especially companies under 100 employees, don’t have an ERP in place.  Not only do they not have a formal document and list of procedures to rely on when the sky falls, little to none of their employees have ever been trained in what to do should an emergency occur.

This is business gambling at its finest hour.  Without a plan in place we are accepting an incredible amount of unnecessary risk. 

Why do companies choose to put off business planning which includes ERP related procedures and documents?  The survey says the #1 answer is ‘they didn’t think they needed it because it [an emergency] wouldn’t happen to them’.  Other reasons why companies don’t have an ERP in place is they didn’t know they need one or they’re fire fighting [bad pun given the context of this article] other business needs which require immediate attention. 

Whatever the reason may be which has led you to push off implementing an ERP just know this – should the proverbial crap hit the fan putting your business, operations, employees or facility in crisis mode, know that your company and or its directors could be held accountable for a lack of planning or action – especially if lives are at risk.

This is certainly a grim reality and one which isn’t fun to think about. 

Let’s hope you’re in a position where you’ve been lucky enough to not experience any emergency or critical situations and therefore haven’t had to activate an emergency plan.  If that’s the case we not so subtly suggest you consider the following:

1. Get an emergency response plan in place IMMEDIATELY; even if the plan you put in place initially is a couple pages worth of emergency preparedness, you’ll still be better off than a company that has nothing
   1. Bare minimum requirements of an ERP should include facility evacuation, emergency health, utility dangers and or heavy equipment/ chemical hazard protocols should they apply
2. We recommend making the investment and hiring a company or external person to walk you through the development of a full Emergency Response Plan.  It’s a relatively inexpensive exercise which brings about a welcomed piece of mind, one your owner(s), Board and or employees will appreciate; when we look out for the wellbeing of those around us we’re leading at an optimum level while protecting our investments
3. Create an ‘Emergency Team’ within your company which is comprised of staff assigned to specific tasks should an emergency occur
4. Share your plan with your employees and document the discussion [have your employees sign off confirming the discussion occurred] and file this within their employee files
5. Train your employees on the plan, including a proactive drill to simulate a crisis to see how the plan works in a simulated environment; do these drills annually and have your employees and or Emergency Team sign off on the activity; the ERP training should also be included in every new employees’ onboarding process
6. Create a place employees can easily access the ERP both electronically and in person via a paper binder of sorts

Given the events of 2020 its understandable for businesses and their employees to be on edge about the unknowns ahead of us.  Planning ahead of time for possible risks reduces our likelihood that risk develops into a situation which puts our employees or the company in danger.  It’s always better to plan and have the plan never go into action than to be unprepared and regret it later on.

In January of this year we were contacted by a company to help create their first ERP as they had just experienced an emergency situation where an employee, we’ll call her Tina, fainted at the office in a common area.  Another employee, let’s call him Josh, found her conscious but noticeably shaken up and still on the ground. Josh stayed by Tina’s side and called the paramedics with Tina’s approval.  He stayed with her, providing support and comfort until the paramedics arrived; long and short Tina turned out to be okay, she had fainted due to overheating.

A couple months later I asked the company’s VP of Ops about the outcome of the situation to which she shared, “we were lucky Josh of all people found her, Josh was an EMT (Emergency Medical Technician) when he was in college and jumped right into action.  If it had been anyone else, including me, we would have been unprepared not knowing what to do.  We had no plan in place whatsoever to deal with a situation like this.  Needless to say we’re lucky things ended without further incident and thankful the situation wasn’t worse for Tina.  Interestingly enough, Tina and Josh now officially chair our emergency prep team.”

This company got a wakeup call and got lucky the situation wasn’t any worse.  Prior to this incident they had no plan in place, no process to deal with crisis’ or emergency situations.  Their business and employees were left to chance in dealing with critical moments, moments which can be the difference between life and death.
 
As Denis Waitley says, “Expect the best, plan for the worst, and prepare to be surprised.”

The names and situations described above have been changed to protect the identify and privacy of the company and individuals involved.

Key Takeaway
Don’t wait until it’s too late to get an Emergency Response Plan (ERP) in place.  The ERP acts as a guide providing step by step procedures for emergency situations.  Not having a plan in place means you and your company are accepting a potential large amount of risk, risk which isn’t necessary.

​Action Item
Put on your activity list for immediate attention to implement step #1 in this article: Get an ERP type plan in place IMMEDIATELY; even if the plan you put in place initially is a couple pages worth of emergency preparedness, you’ll still be better off than a company that has nothing. The bare minimum requirements should include facility evacuation, emergency health and utility dangers protocols; include heavy equipment/ chemical hazard protocols should they apply.
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