The Courier & Advertiser (Angus and Dundee)
Making immediate impact
Adevelopment coach has shared plans to inspire business leaders to make an immediate impact in their organisations.
Cami Alexander, who has worked at DC Thomson for seven years, is one of the expert speakers at this month’s Courier Business Briefing.
She will reveal some tips to help managers with soft skills in the online event at 8am on February 18.
The briefing, sponsored by Thorntons Law and supported by Skills Development Scotland, has the theme of “managing people in a global pandemic”.
Cami said the goal for her 10-minute talk was to impart some positivity amid the difficulties of the Covid-19 pandemic.
“It’s about giving people a good news message,” she said.
“I will be drawing on some of the positive things people have done and also about how we can learn from Covid-19 to build back better.
“I am hoping to impart a few ideas that people could go and try out as they do not require any training or money. They will be things that can enhance people’s experience and working relationships.
“I hope the audience will feel empowered.”
Cami hopes her advice will empower her audience to take immediate steps to enhance the way in which they work.
She will share some of the soft skills managers require in supporting a team of people. She said: “It’s about bringing our human qualities into the workplace, and developing businesses that do not just run like machines, but are adaptable, flexible communities drawing on the creativity, commitment and ingenuity of their people.
“I’d like people to leave thinking ‘I can do this now’ using tools that are easily accessible.”
The Courier Business Briefing aims to inspire local businesses to grow, invest in their people and compete at the highest possible levels.
This includes the need for leadership, morale and growth.
Other speakers are Thorntons Law managing partner Craig Nicol and Kathryn Hill, an employer engagement adviser for Skills Development Scotland.
To register for the free online event visit thecourierbriefings.co.uk
Farmers are turning to technology to keep track of their livestock’s emotional state in a bid to improve animal welfare standards.
An app is being trialled which allows people to log emotionally expressive behaviour exhibited by dairy cows, veal calves, pigs, laying hens, broiler chickens and ducks.
Farmers are presented with a list of about 20 key descriptive terms tailored to each species, which are a mix of positive and negative emotions. A sliding scale will be provided to decide how strongly a statement applies.
The data is then sent off and integrated into a larger pattern to be matched against other farms.
“Good physical health is vital for good welfare but there is clear consensus among the scientific animal welfare community that factors such as enjoyment, contentment and positive excitement play an equally vital role in ensuring that an animal has a good life,” said Professor Francoise Wemelsfelder, from Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC), who created the app.
“QBA (Qualitative Behavioural Assessment) not only provides a way to assess these factors, it also opens up the conversation about what positive emotional wellbeing for an animal truly looks like.
“Because we believe fundamentally that animals are not simply production systems to be managed. They are sentient creatures that must be cared for.”
Supermarket Waitrose has licensed the app for trial and development for two years, and will begin rolling it out across 1,800 of its supplier farms from next week.
James Bailey, executive director at Waitrose, said: “This is a huge development for the industry as it is the first time any retailer has explored welfare measures based on the concept of an animal’s freedom to express positive emotions.
“For the UK to continue its position as a leader in farming standards, it’s critical that we recognise farm animals as sentient creatures capable of experiencing a range of emotions and positive experiences.
“By acknowledging this, working hard to understand what those positive emotional expressions are and how they can be unlocked, we can lead the industry into a new and more confident era of farm animal welfare.”