Building a Positive Workplace Culture

Workplace culture creates the character and personality of your organisation. Most often, the people in the company shapes the overall atmosphere and the environment of the workplace. This includes elements’ such as leadership, values plus people’s behavior and attitude. As a whole, workplace culture impacts work satisfaction, connections, and progression within the company. 

Why Do We Need a Positive Workplace Culture?

1. It attracts and retains talents

Workplace culture largely contributes towards the retention rate of employees. More than that, it eases the employment of new talents. According to an article by TeamStage, the millennial generation in 2025 will account for 75% in the global workforce and to this group of younger generation, business culture is more important to them than anything else. Primarily, they are more concerned with their work environment and professional development compared to the status quo. 

2. Employees are happier and more productive

An engaged employee is worth a lot. According to a study conducted by Business 2 Community, companies with motivated employees perform better by 202% compared to companies with low employee engagement. The results came as no surprise as employees that have a deep emotional commitment to the organisation tend to perform better. They are normally more committed to their goals and will go above and beyond to achieve them.

3. It drives financial growth

Companies that build a pleasant and robust workplace culture may experience a 400% increase in income (Cultureiq). Aside from that, Bonfyreapp discovered that highly trained managers contribute to a 27% boost in revenue per employee (out of a total of 33%).

Ways to Improve Your Workplace Culture

1. Nurture employee relationships

In a workplace, strong relationships can lead to more effective communication. Take advantage of this by organising group bonding activities such as a festive gatherings or a company trip. It helps to get the team together and they can get to know one another better.

2. Create a pleasant working environment

A rigid working space along often leads to employees unconsioucsly harbouring negative feelings. They tend to feel stress and their overall work performance may be affected. The feelings of being undervalued and unappreciated may spread like a domino effect when left unattended. 

Always ensure your workplace has an inviting environment. Try placing plants in your office to ventilate your indoor space. Create a relaxing rest area and stocking up on your pantry helps to build a more positive vibe. 

3. Be generous with trainings 

Invest in a progressive career training plan for your valuable talents. Provide them with the right trainings to help them upskill themselves and be a better leader. This will help your talents feel valued for their efforts, which will improve overall work productivity, performance, and engagement.

Donald Trump and His TRUTH Social Platform

On October 20, Donald Trump, the former U.S. President announced that he will be launching his very own social media app, called “TRUTH Social”. The announcement was made through a press release that was released by the Trump Media & Technology Group (TMTG) and Digital World Acquisition Corp (DWAC).

The beta launch will be in November 2021, but it is only available for invited guests. The official app will expect a nationwide rollout in the first quarter of 2022.

Why is He Launching His Own Social Media App?

Back in January 2021, Trump was banned from Twitter and Facebook due to the U.S. Capitol Hill riots. Although he’s unhappy with the ban, there’s nothing he can do about it.

Are Big Tech Companies in Trouble?

As stated in the press release, the objective of Trump Media & Technology Group is to develop a challenger to the liberal media consortium and to fight back against Silicon Valley’s “Big Tech” businesses, who have used their unilateral power to suppress opposing views in the United States.

“We live in a world where the Taliban has a sizable Twitter presence, but your favourite American President has been silenced.” In a written statement attached with the publication, Trump stated, “This is unacceptable.”

“I’m really looking forward to sending out my first TRUTH on TRUTH Social. TMTG was formed to give everyone a voice. “I’m looking forward to sharing my opinions on TRUTH Social and fighting Big Tech,” he stated.

Trump Media & Technology Group also said that they want to create a media empire that will compete with CNN, Disney Plus, and Netflix in terms of news, podcasts, and streaming services. 

According to a presentation deck on the group’s website, the start-up foresees competing against Amazon.com AWS cloud service and Google Cloud in the future.

Inside the World of Stand-Up Comedian, Rizal Van Geyzel

Building a strong presence in Malaysia’s stand-up comedy scene, Rizal van Geyzel is well-known to be the co-founder of Malaysia’s first and longest-running comedy club, The Crackhouse Comedy Club Kuala Lumpur. 

Our team had a casual interview with him and here’s the story of his interesting journey.

Q1: Where did you get the idea of running a stand-up comedy club?

Rizal: I had a 9-5 job in a hotel chain for about 5 years. It was lots of fun, but I did not feel like I was serving anyone’s purpose. Then, I started out as a comedian at Open Mind Night in 2010 and 3 years later, I decided to turn it into my full-time job. In the first few years, when me and my partners, we used borrowed venues such as restaurants, cafés, and places that were not really conducive to perform a live comedy show. 

In 2014, we decided to have a place that we could call our own. It should be built comedy-centric and serve as a place to encourage or breed new talents. And that became The Crackhouse Comedy Club.

Q2: What are the challenges in starting your stand-up comedy business in Malaysia?

Rizal: I noticed that there is no precedence when it comes to live stand-up comedy. We have to create our own scene, and we have to create our own industry. There’s no exposure on commercial media or any of these big platforms. There was none.

Q3: Seeing that stand-up comedy is a young market in Malaysia, why did you still choose to venture into comedy in Malaysia?

Rizal: The team and I wanted a place where Malaysians could stand out in the global comedy community. Many international comedians gathered in Malaysia, and we wanted them to see how fun a diverse Malaysian audience can be at the comedy show.

I also think that Malaysians are always the ones when it comes to cracking jokes and sharing our stories during our regular Mamak session. It has become a part of our culture, and I think that the world needs to see this. 

Q4: When people talk about entertainment, people tend to think of cinemas, karaoke, etc. Stand-up comedy might not be the first thing that comes to their mind. How do you actually build this awareness about stand-up comedy to promote your business?

Rizal: Yes, stand-up comedy is still a new thing in Malaysia. The idea of listening to one person speak especially about broad-minded topics as well as being vulnerable, naive, and open on stage is new to Malaysians. I think “word-of-mouth” is definitely the best when it comes to something as edgy and experimental as stand-up comedy.

Social media helps with “word-of-mouth.” The people who come to our comedy shows now, they know what to expect because of the reputation we have in the local community. Even until today, 7 years since The Crackhouse Comedy Club ever started its operation, we are still getting first-time customers coming in to watch our shows, which is a good sign. It means that we are uncovering layers and layers in our audience demographic.

Q5: How would you describe your company’s success so far?

Rizal: I would say that the fact that we have been successfully running a very small-scale intimate room that is very much stand-up comedy-centric. When we first started, stand-up comedy was new, and the nature of the show itself is uncensored, confrontational. 

But for 7 years running, I think it is probably thanks to the comedians who had dedicated their time and perhaps even their dignity to level up their game. The people have been so supportive, we have regulars that have been here since the very start, and we also have new regulars that just discovered us and want to keep coming back. So, I think the successes would probably be towards the comedians that run this place. And also, our loyal audience. All these have contributed to our success so far.

Getting Personal with Rizal

Q6: What is your philosophy towards work?

Rizal: I would say it is to be FUN, always. Especially if you’re doing something for yourself, running your own business, doing something following your dreams, it has to be fun. You have to always find joy in it. There was once this person who told me that if it’s not fun anymore, you shouldn’t be doing it. And I agreed. The minute it feels like work, you know you’ll need to stop and think about it again. Because this is a job that is supposed to help other people leave stigmas.

Q7: How do you prioritise your work initiatives as a comedian?

Rizal: It’s a bit difficult for me because I have to play both sides. On one hand, I’m a comedian, I’m a performer, and on another, I’m a business owner that promotes comedy and hires comedians. So, it is pretty tough, I have to say.

Many people say that the artist and the business should never be mixed, but I focused a lot on this place because I think what comedy does is bigger than me, bigger than who I am. So, a lot of my priorities will always go to The Crackhouse Comedy Club. Me, my own career as a comedian always comes second. When I think about it, it is very sad for me, but putting in the work for the latter helps me sustain my life as the former.

Q8: How do you prioritise your work initiatives as a comedian?

Rizal: I would say personally it was performing with Douglas Lim at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival for one month straight. I got a taste of what it was like to perform in a developed country where stand-up comedy had been a part of the culture for many years.

Q9: To wrap up, what’s your advice to aspiring entrepreneurs?

Rizal: Always have fun. There’s uncertainty when you’re on your own.

Top 7 Reasons Why Digital Transformation is Good for Your Business

Digital transformation is radically changing the way companies function and the value they can provide to clients. The adoption of digital technologies for internal and external business activities is fundamental regardless for the progress of big enterprises or small to medium businesses.

With digital transformation in place, businesses will need to constantly challenge and experiment with existing systems to remain competitive in their respective fields. Given the right implementation, it helps to simplify processes, enabling businesses to stay relevant with the emerging consumer needs.

If you’re still considering whether digital transformation will help you with your business, keep reading this article. It’ll help you to understand the advantages of digital transformation and why exactly you need it for your business. 

Why Digital Transformation?

  1. Easier Data Collection

Data collection is significant for every business. By analysing the data collected, businesses can make better, informed decisions to drive their business forward. The problem arises when there are huge amounts of data to be collected.

Traditional methods of data collection may take forever for one to gather all the data needed. Some data collected may not be even relevant to the business. With digital adoption, people could easily collect huge chunks of data and perform necessary screening at ease to omit irrelevant data. All they’ll need is a system integrated and they’ll receive quality data for their business insights in no time.

  1. Effective Resource Management 

Digital transformation can solidify the information and resources of a company into a set of business tools. It can put all of its resources into one location instead of scattered software and databases. Resources are streamlined and become more accessible across departments. Overall, it helps to improve the efficiency of the company.

  1. Improves Productivity

Humans can’t be working 24/7. Teams may get overloaded with work and tasks may just pile up. Having the proper IT tools can help your company enhance productivity and optimise the workflow. Always automate tedious procedures if you can. Your team can work more efficiently with automation by focusing on tasks that really matter while staying updated with data streamlined across the firm.

  1. Greater Accuracy for Customer Insights

A common challenge in customer insights is the accuracy of data on hand. Sometimes, data gets left out without your knowledge. Often, it can feel like you are playing a hide-and-seek game with the pieces of data. They could be hiding somewhere in your sales representative hand, customer service, marketing or they simply just didn’t make it pass your data collection system. 

As a result, assumptions on data tend to take place and customer insights may become inaccurate. Digital transformation helps to solve this by integrating customer data across multiple platforms, turning them into meaningful insights for businesses. As a whole, data can enable a more holistic strategy through relevant, tailored, and adaptable information. 

  1. Increases Customer Satisfaction 

Consumers are getting digitally conscious and businesses should acknowledge that. In many ways, digital transformation can help to improve your customer experience. Just to name a few, it could be as simple as having an online store, setting up a social media account to interact with your customers and implementing chatbots to respond to your customers while you are away. 

Remember, it’s always about connection. Be there for your customers where they need you. The sweet spot for digital transformation is that you can still show that you care without being physically there or online chatting to them. All it takes is the right system and processes to improve the overall customer experience. 

  1. Higher Profit

According to a research by SAP Center for Business Insights and Oxford Economics, 80% of companies that went through digital transformation have seen an increase in earnings. It was also revealed 85% of respondents see an increase in their market share. On average, leaders anticipate a 23% increase in revenue over their competitors. 

  1. Improves Agility

Consumer trends are moving at a relatively fast pace. With the help of digital transformation, companies can be more agile and adaptable to the demands of the consumers. Digital transformation improves speed-to-market, while enabling rapid innovation. When a company is able to take steady steps while rapidly keeping up-to-date, changing, or adapting their processes, that would be a sign that the company is on the path towards improvement.

Conclusion

While digitising a business is essential, it should be implemented progressively. It should be done only when you and the team are ready to accept systems and procedures out of the existing company culture. Changes can be scary, but if the change can help you reap the benefits long-term wise, take the time to talk to your team. Our last advice to you: Be patient when taking concrete steps towards digital transformation. 

The Future of Metaverse Technology

Metaverse is a 3D virtual world designed to look exactly like our real life. We can play, work, and socialise in it. Imagine that you’re jogging in a virtual space. As you jog, your brain sends a signal that you are thirsty and you want to buy a bottle of water. Immediately, a convenience store appears right beside you. Sounds ridiculous? But, that’s exactly how a Metaverse world works. 

While you are able to purchase a bottle of water in the Metaverse world, you wouldn’t be able to quench your thirst in real life. This brings us to the possible future where the real world and Metaverse would set to serve two different needs. The real world will be a place for people to fulfill their physical needs and the Metaverse world as a place for people to fulfill their spiritual needs.

Projection Mapping of Disney

The concept of Metaverse could be difficult to grasp for some people. One could say the foundation of Metaverse is somewhat similar to what we experience in the world of games like Minecraft and Fortnite. In the game, you are playing in a world of your own. You can smell and touch things inside the game. You may have a job, have friends, and own assets.

With all these elements, does it mean that you have another life in the gaming world? That question, we’ll leave that for you to answer.

What Does This Mean for Businesses? 

It’s important to understand that Metaverse technology could be somehow more complicated than a gaming world. It grows beyond being immersed in a virtual world represented by digital avatars, growing and evolving along the decisions and activities of the society that inhabits it. Blending augmented and virtual reality technologies, Metaverse will eventually enable users to interact with virtual elements within a real location.

Over time, the emergence of Metaverse may change the way brands interact with their users and transform the economic prospects holistically. Organisations will need to conduct new market surveys for consumers’ behaviour may be different in a Metaverse space. There could be a potential shift from online advertisements to Metaverse spaces creating a whole new shared, virtual economy. 

Big tech companies like Facebook and Microsoft are already on the head start to build the “Metaverse.” You might think that Metaverse sounds too futuristic and uncertain. But there’s one thing for sure – it’s already evolving and it will be a big thing. When the time comes where it booms in popularity, will you be prepared to ride on the trend together or will you be the one to be left behind?