We've often spoken about the way in which ISO 9001 certification can instil confidence in consumers and encourage them to purchase from you instead of from your competitors. But this globally-recognised accreditation can also be a huge boon to organisations who rely on B2B (business-to-business) custom. An ISO-accredited quality management system will give your clients a little extra peace of mind when they choose to do business with you, but beyond that, ISO 9001 certification is actually a requirement for many contracts across a variety of different sectors.

Here's just one example. Early in 2016, we helped Gecko Metal Works to implement a new quality management system and achieve that all-important ISO 9001 certification. Gecko provide specialist sheet metal work services such as laser profiling and folding, and now that they are ISO-certified, they are able to bid for lucrative government / military contracts that they were previously locked out of.

ISO 9001 accreditation is a mandatory requirement for many different contracts nowadays, so no matter what industry you're in, we're confident that achieving ISO certification will help you to win new business for your company.

The experienced quality consultants here at NPT Management Systems can help you to get certified, and we can also help with pre-qualification questionnaires - please contact us today to discuss your organisation's requirements.

Handshake image by Flazingo Photos

As more or less anyone who’s ever had a job will testify, joining a new company can be a very daunting experience. The first day tends to be the scariest, but even with that hurdle out of the way, it can still take weeks or even months for a newcomer to really settle in and become integrated with the rest of the team.

Of course, as an employer, it’s very much in your best interest to get each new recruit into the swing of things ASAP. Here are a few tips for helping a new employee to get comfortable with their role and fit in with everyone else:

• Give them a proper welcome. If you’re constantly very busy (as most business owners are), it can sometimes be difficult to find time for a new arrival – many bosses simply tell their new recruits to get stuck right in, possibly asking another staff member to show them the ropes as they go. But it’s better for everyone if you make time to sit down with the new employee on their first day and give them a full briefing: welcome them to the company, explain their role in detail, go over what they will be expected to do during an average day, and encourage them to ask questions if they’re unsure of anything.
  
  
• Introduce them to their new colleagues. Don’t just point at everyone and reel off a list of names – call a staff meeting and make sure the newcomer knows who everybody is and understands each person’s role within the organisation. Equally, you’ll want to ensure that your old hands know who the new individual is and what they’re doing here too. This meeting should be held as soon as possible – you may even wish to gather everyone around on the Friday afternoon before the new recruit officially starts work.
  
  
• Make yourself available. Your new employee is bound to have a lot of questions on their first day, and more questions will likely arise as they get to grips with the tasks you assign. Make sure you’re around to answer them, or the newcomer will quickly feel disconnected and uncertain about their new role.
  
  
• Get them up to speed with any systems you already have in place. This could be anything from an ISO 9001-certified quality management system to the system for taking your lunch break. Any systems, processes or protocols – no matter how informal or self-explanatory they might seem to you – should be explained right away to help the newcomer feel like they’re truly in the loop. Of course, if you do have a formal management system in place, it’s doubly crucial to ensure that the new person is working in the same way and to the same standards as everyone else!

Image by Kanban Tool

Christmas may seem a long way off at the moment, but with autumn closing in, now is very much the time to start thinking about your staff do. Leave it too late and there’s a chance that everywhere will be fully booked, in which case your Christmas party – a seasonal staple for many businesses and a great way to reward your employees for another year’s hard work – may not even happen.

So gather your team around, ignore their cries of ‘Do we HAVE to start talking about Christmas already?’ and find out what everyone wants to do this year. If you’re struggling to come up with any ideas, here are a few fun suggestions that are slightly more adventurous than just having a few beers in the office...

• Go-Karting: If you want to celebrate the festive season with a little friendly competition, why not take the team down to your local go-kart centre and see who’s the fastest in the company? Don’t worry if there’s a sore loser amongst your staff – they’ll have the whole Christmas period to get over it!
  
  
• Room Escape: These Crystal Maze-style games are very popular right now, with room escape centres popping up all over the country. The goal is simple: escape from the room by solving a series of puzzles and unlocking the door before time runs out! The puzzles, which tend to blend physical tasks with mental challenges, are great fun, and this could be a great choice of activity if you want to sneakily boost everyone’s team working and problem solving skills!
  
  
• A Meal Out: If the above suggestions sound a little too exhausting for you, you may prefer to go a more traditional route and take the team out for drinks and a sit-down meal. Find a nice restaurant in your town, book a table now (before all the other businesses in your area have the same idea), and remember to bring along some crackers for everyone to pull!

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