The Optical Vision Site

OWA One Minute Mentor – Change is not always difficult

Thank you to the Optical Women’s Association (OWA) and Audrey Pavia of Tura for this post –
Change Is Not Always Difficult – This is relevant whether you are in a small or large business – optical or non-optical! Thank you Audrey for an excellent One Minute Mentor tip!

In corporate life, at least, change is not only the ‘only constant’ but it is also frequently a thorn in one’s side! You know that it is necessary, but how are you going to get people to go along with it and welcome it? The underlying assumption is that people are going to resist it. So it is necessary to design change management programs with touchy-feely content as well as the hard systems and physical changes.

However, there are situations where people adapt remarkably quickly, without ‘help’. For example, when you join a new company, they have a way of doing things that is undoubtedly different from the way you have been used to. But what do you do? You do your best to adapt to this foreign method of doing things. Whatever thoughts you may have had during the first few days about the oddness of the place are very soon displaced in your desire to become a useful part of your new environment. In the process, you have made all sorts of changes to yourself without pain: you have a cup of coffee at 10 AM, not as soon as you get in to work; you attend meetings that run into lunch, where before you had a strict lunch break; you complete your meeting notes the day of the meeting, instead of the day before the next one. And that’s just the small stuff. Now you are working for a new boss, with new colleagues and new people to get to know. These same changes could happen if you were already an employee and the organization simply ‘reorganized’. In this case would your actions and reactions be the same? Probably not!

So what is the difference that makes change easy in one situation but not in another? Surely it is in the mind of the individual. In one situation they have everything to gain and nothing to lose. In the other they might come out worse off. In the first case, they made the decision for themselves and had worked out in advance what it was worth to them. In the second case, the decision was made for them and the reasons for the change did not specifically have their personal interest in mind. The instigators of the change were looking for benefits to the organization, not to individuals. The first is self-centered; the latter is organization-centered. Being a part in the machine is fine when we’re a ‘big wheel’ but not so fine when you are a smaller one that may have to whirl faster.

The fear of loss is greater than the fear of gain. When there is nothing to lose, change is not a problem.

Audrey Pavia is Vice President of Marketing at Tura LP. Tura eyewear collections include Tura Flex, Lulu Guinness, Ted Baker, Tourneau and Goldfinch

Eye Can Or Eye Can’t – Butch Lumpkin Armless Athlete Can

‘If you say you can or you say you can’t you are absolutely right’

I had to write this post, because I am very tired of people saying ‘It’s impossible, I Can’t, No way I can do this’. The reality is you can if you want to, saying I can’t is just another excuse. My friends John and Lynette Smith sent me this inspirational story of Butch Lumpkin, born with deformed arms and hands. He plays golf, he teaches tennis and is a motivational speaker. In other words ‘It’s impossible’ is not in his vocabulary.

When I look at this video, I am ashamed of myself for any whining or not being grateful for all the things I have in my life. My motto for 2010, Eye Can and Eye Will!

Avoiding Legal Hassles with Optical Employees

One of the responsibilities I had as an executive working for an optical company with many employees was having to be sure that we avoided legal troubles particularly from within! Usually, any legal problems were a result of employees feeling they were treated unfairly and could have been avoided.  I recently read an interesting article about this subject in U.S. Vision’s Supervisor Support publication (August 09). The original article is by attorney/authors Amy DelPo and Lisa Guerin entitled “Top Tips for Avoiding Legal Trouble with Employees.” In their article, DelPo and Guerin offer these simple tips and they are applicable to any optical work place, small, medium or large:

• Treat your workers with respect. Don’t humiliate or treat them badly. Follow the Golden Rule.
• Communicate with your workers. Always be ready to talk, and respect their ideas.
• Be consistent. Be fair, and treat all employees equally
• Give regular evaluations. Don’t neglect evaluations. Handle them properly. They give useful feedback, and might be useful evidence in court.
• Make job-related decisions. Base all decisions on objective employment criteria and never on a personal basis.
• Don’t punish the messenger. You don’t want people to hesitate to bring problems to your attention.
• Adopt sound policies and follow them. Follow company rules carefully and consistently.
• Keep good records. Record all potentially important employment decisions, including details, reason and results.
• Take action when necessary. Deal with problems promptly and fairly.
• Be discreet. Employee matters should be kept in strict confidence. There’s no need to share details with anyone except those who have a right to know – such as human resources.

For the full article and legal resource suggestions go to this link: http://www.nolo.com/

Workers’ Comp – Controlling Costs

Today’s challenging economic environment calls for wise use of your business’s resources, smart cost-cutting measures, and a keen eye on the bottom line. Now is the time to refresh your knowledge about workers’ comp – controlling costs and knowing about compensation laws to avoid fines for failing to comply. Workers’ comp insurance costs have concerned business owners for a long time. Many states are taking steps to increase rates in an attempt of offset escalating health care costs, growing  claim volume and shrinking state revenues.  Though strong external forces are working against optical business owners, you can help take control of your workers’ comp insurance costs by following a few basic tactics:

Pay what you owe, when you owe it.

Why lend interest-free money to your insurance carrier? Pay this year’s premium based on this year’s wages. Any reductions in staff and hours worked should be factored into this year’s premium, not considered retroactively a year after you’ve paid. Waiting for the end-of-year audit to determine your annual premium can cost you dollars and restrict your cash flow.

Ask questions.

Whether you don’t understand a billing statement, aren’t clear about why your premium went up (or down), or can’t make sense out of coverage details, ask your agent or carrier representative. What you learn may do more than clarify workers’ compensation issues – it could also help you save money.

Enforce workplace safety practices

Picture courtesy of healthandsafetyuk consortium.co.

Your business’ safety record is a critical factor in determining workers’ comp premiums. Publish and practice safety methods, making certain employees abide by your workplace standards.

Source: Paychex Spotlight – November 2009, www.hsconsortium.uk.co

Prune Dead Wood and Let Star Optical Employees Shine

“Stop avoiding conflict and prune the dead wood.” Author Tom Peters concurs when he writes: “Give a lot, expect a lot, and if you don’t get it, prune.”

The truth is that some turnover – of the people who aren’t contributing – is good. But low performers, once surrounded by other low performers, are loathe to leave. People like to work for people who like them and are like them, so if you notice that your practice is heavily weighted with “falling stars,” take a keen look first at the management team. Recognize that some low performers are actually high performers in disguise but will only perform up to the manager’s expectations. Maybe your expectations…..

Here are two lists that summarize the upside and downside of keeping or pruning the dead wood:

Keeping Low Performers:

• Means positions are full and you don’t have to place a want ad
• Increases theft
• Lowers productivity
• Wastes your time on daily disciplinary issues, reports and discussions that could be better spent building business
• Sends a terrible message to everyone else: “You can under-perform consistently and complain regularly and we still have a place for you – a place right alongside our most valued employees and even a place interacting with our most valuable appreciating asset, our customers.”

Terminating Low Performers:

• Means brand standards, values and character are upheld
• Keeps high performers longer (and recruits their friends)
• Puts other low performers on notice
• Typically raises the game of average performers
• Makes the crew more focused
• Gives customers better service
• Helps you work and sleep better
• Means you or managers may have to cover a shift until a better person is hired
• Raises productivity and profitability

Logically, which choice makes makes the most sense? Unhire the people who make your job harder, your team mediocre and your customers disappointed. People are your brand. We are not in the optical business serving people; we are in the people business serving optical goods. So do it – Prune Dead Wood and Let Star Optical Employees Shine!

Source: U.S.Vision Supervisor Support

EyeCare And The Fun Theory

We’ve all heard the expression you can attract more flies with honey than vinegar, Volkswagon has taken that philosophy a big further with the introduction of  The Fun Theory’ a belief you can change peoples behavior by making it fun to do so. Whether it is learning something new, selling a product, or picking up trash, make it fun and the behavior will change.

We believe in the Fun Theory here at OVS, which is why we post all of these FUN OPTICAL EVENTS, because when people have fun, they buy, when people have fun, they learn, when people have fun, they refer and come back.

So think about what you can do that is fun in your office, and please feel free to share it with us and with them- Because  they are having a contest on their site, you can enter your own ‘Fun Theory’ Your entries should be presented with a written explanation plus a visualisation of the idea itself. It could be a simple sketch, photos or a film of a prototype. You decide what will do your entry justice.

Good Luck and Have Fun!

How to Correct an Optical Employee’s Sub-Par Performance

Picture by Telegraph UK

One of the most difficult aspects of being an optical business owner or manager is dealing with an optical employee’s sub-par performance. Correcting performance problems is one of the primary responsibilities of supervisors and employers. By being respectful and straightforward in your approach, you can improve optical employee standards while also maintaining a good working relationship. No one likes dealing with this issue and it is not easy so here are some great tips that I found in US Vision’s Supervisor Support Newsletter.

1. Correct privately. Calling an optical employee out for an inappropriate action in front of her peers is disrespectful and will also serve to undermine a good working relationship between the two of you. You must preserve the employee’s self-respect if you desire her to listen to your reproof.
2. Don’t use false compliments. Some people believe that correction should be given only after complimenting an employee on some other aspect of his performance. While I agree that you should highlight the person’s good qualities, you should never make up compliments in order to cushion the blow of criticism. This type of treatment  of your optical employees is manipulative and deceptive. In my experience, most employees want to be told directly if and what they are doing wrong so that they can correct it.
3. Only state the facts. Statements such as,  “I really feel that you…” or, “your coworkers think that you …” are completely ineffective and pointless. Correction should only take place when you have hard evidence of an infraction. Only performance issues which have been personally heard, seen, or read should be addressed.
4. Tell him  what you want him to do. Instead of simply telling the  optical employee what he did wrong, specifically tell him what you would like him to do instead. For instance, instead of saying, “Don’t be late anymore.” Say, “You must be on time or early every day.” By giving a concrete step you want him to take in order to make him a better employee, the interchange will be more profitable and memorable for him.
5. Don’t forget to document. When you speak to an optical employee about a serious performance problem, you must document it. Include the date, time and location at which the correction was given. Record what you said, as well as the employee’s response.

SOURCE: Adaptation of  original article by Amy Kreger from Associatedcontent.com

Improving Cross-Cultural Relations in the Optical Work Place

I saw an article about improving cross-cultural relations in Pink Magazine and was very interested in reading about it as I remember a very unfortunate episode at an optical company I worked for years ago which had many different racial groups. The customer service department had several Hispanic members who would like to chat to each other in Spanish and some non-Spanish speakers felt excluded. It created quite a fractious situation when management made the well intentioned but misjudged request that everyone speak English while in the work place.

Picture from Peter Lumpkins

Here is an abbreviated version of the article about “Improving Cross-Cultural Relations in the Work Place”:

Looking around during break or lunch times you will often see the different racial groups sitting together separately not mixed in together. Why is this and is it something to be concerned about? Psychologist Beverly Tatum, Ph.D and author talks about it:

“Familiarity, comfort and common interest” – in other words, the dictates of human nature – are at least part of what I observed, Tatum says. “If you are in France and you hear someone speaking English,” she gives as an example, “You’re likely to bond with them.”
The instinct to socialize with others resembling us is very powerful. There are times during the week – lunch, breaks, special celebrations – when we just want to “relate” and feel “familiar”. And those with similar experiences will more often than not share cultural and racial backgrounds as well. People like to speak their own language together even if they all speak excellent English, it is just more comfortable.
So what’s the harm in all this? It is only lunch, after all. But it turns out that those seemingly harmless social situations can be more of a reflection of company culture – and have more of an effect on career mobility – than you might think. For example, the deeper personal understanding found in mentor-protege relationships – the kind that make or break careers – are often forged in social settings. Effective managers of today’s multicultural workforce have to know how to get along with other cultures in a host of different situations – including social ones. It is good practice for improving optical patient relations as well.

First steps improving cross-cultural relations in the Optical work place and beyond starts with each of us but how does a business owner or manager begin improving cross-cultural relations? You can’t force people to socialize together but you can

• integrate work teams with the hope that social interaction will follow
• hold formal workshops
• encourage cultural exchange work events
• lead by example.

Source: Excerpts from “Cafeteria Crisis, by Kathryn Whitbourne, Pink Magazine