Author: Developers Think

“Managing Worry in Uncertain Times” was the title of a webinar organized by Atlas Healthcare for Group clients held on 14 October 2020, as part of the Atlas Group’s focus on Mental Health Awareness during the month of October.

The webinar, which was open for Atlas corporate clients and members of the Malta Chamber of Commerce, Enterprise and Industry, was an interactive one and was run by an ICAS International Masters Level clinician – Catherine Srubisky.

At the start of the webinar, Catherine Calleja – Managing Director at Atlas Healthcare, gave a short introduction on ICAS Employee Assistance Programme. She said that ICAS is a global EAP that provides unlimited direct access on a 24/7 basis to psychologists for employees and their families as well as local face-to-face counselling, legal and financial helplines and support for HR and line managers.

She added that ICAS has been designing and developing wellbeing, counselling and EAPs for over 30 years – initially in the UK and then expanded globally in 185 countries.

“Atlas Healthcare has recently introduced ICAS International to Malta for the benefit of its employees and clients. We believe that supporting wellness and, in particular, mental health is of paramount importance and constitutes a key motivational factor at work. Within the current pandemic crisis, this becomes even more relevant,” Calleja said.

Catherine Srubisky, a South Africa-based clinical psychologist and ICAS facilitator, delivered the key note speech during the webinar. During her interactive session, which included questions from clients and members of the group’s management team, Srubisky asked the question “why is the world so worried?” She said that there is still a lot of uncertainty in the COVID-19 scenario: “It is not just about the virus and our own sense of safety but also about the multitude of impacts that COVID-19 has in terms of our financial security, our careers, our working roles and our relationships with others.”

She added that viewing stress as a positive challenge can be an incredibly helpful and protective tool. The challenge and the difficulty is when we stay in that place of stress and worry too much, or when stress and worry completely overwhelm and exceeds our ability to actually respond.

During the month of October, Atlas promoted a 30-day Mental Health Challenge calendar – a month-long initiative on mental health, during which the firm shared a daily challenge with information and tips on its social media platforms on how to better take care of oneself and each other. The challenges were intended to improve mental wellness, raise awareness, and fight the stigma of mental health.

Deborah Schembri has won the second edition of the Malta Businesswoman of the Year Award, in recognition of her extraordinary role in structuring and growing STM Malta Pension Services Limited into a major global pension provider, as well as for demonstrating determination and perseverance in accomplishing her professional goals.

Malta Chamber President, Perit David Xuereb was on the panel of judges in the competition.

“I am honoured to win this important and prestigious award. It is the result of my hard work, integrity and perseverance that I always have put in in the various C-Level roles that I held over the years” said Deborah Schembri as she accepted the award.

“I would like that as the Winner of the Malta Businesswoman of the Year Awards, I will have the opportunity to promote the competences and capabilities of women with a view in seeing more women being appointed in decision-making positions and board members. I also hope that I serve as an inspiration and encouragement for other women.”

A virtual ceremony to announce the winners was held at San Anton Palace and all nominees were invited to join remotely. The presentation of the trophies to the winners was held a few days later by H.E. George Vella, President of Malta. The winners were also presented with a smartphone each, sponsored by Vodafone Malta.

The Malta Businesswoman of the Year Awards were launched in 2018 through a partnership between HSBC Bank Malta p.l.c. and the Office of the President of Malta, with the aim of highlighting outstanding female leaders in the business and economic world. This year’s edition of the awards was held under the patronage of the President of Malta, and sponsored once again by HSBC Malta, together with Farsons Group and Nestlé Malta Ltd.

The following was penned by Exigy, a local team of industry experts with over 17 years in providing digital solutions:

A sudden shift in priority for digital systems has left several businesses reeling, not anticipating that such a strong push for digital transformation would be needed so urgently.

On the other hand, many other organisations are already feeling the benefits of implementing technology within their business processes.

Due to this, it has become crucial, now more than ever, for business leaders to identify the true key pillars of achieving smart working.

Flexibility

Flexibility is one of the prime factors that make up a truly smart workplace. Implementing an effective collaborative platform will allow managers to easily track the productivity of each employee, eliminating the need for micromanagement and insistence on time spent at the office.

For instance, EY Ireland recently reported that 70 per cent of businesses found a significant increase in productivity when shifting to rewarding employees based on contribution and productivity rather than hours worked.

The shift from hours to contribution has certainly paid dividends for various businesses. A reason for the surge of productivity stems from various factors, such as employees facing fewer interruptions.

This makes it possible for them to focus on their work and make more calls themselves, thereby increasing autonomy.

The reduced stress caused by traffic or of arriving on time at the office are also significant factors.

All these benefits have a positive impact on the quality of work and productivity, which benefit the company in terms of earnings in the long run.

Workflows

Another noticeable pillar is that of workflows. In the modern workplace, employees often have less time for traditionally repetitive tasks. Increasingly, human resources are becoming the most important resource.

However, over 40 per cent of employees’ current tasks can be automated by today’s technology, meaning that most workplaces may be preventing their staff from working on more important tasks and allowing them to do their best work.

Through Business Process Automation, employees’ time can finally be freed up for more important tasks, through intelligent workflows that take care of administrative tasks.

The smart nature of Workflow Automation is not only efficient in boosting employee productivity, but it may also help deliver projects on time with fewer opportunities for error or miscommunication.

As AI grows increasingly intelligent, so too does the ability to receive useful predictions and insights that use existing performance data to improve on existing tasks.

Mobility

Lastly, mobility is yet another vital pillar in achieving a smart workplace. Allowing most of an employee’s key tasks to be done anytime, anywhere and on any device is a significant benefit.

As more and more of the workforce becomes occupied by millennials, a generation known for their familiarity with various devices, it is the ideal time for businesses to utilise multi-device platforms, which grant the user the ability to complete tasks, irrespective of their surroundings.

This not only achieves a flexible flow of operation but also gives employees a greater sense of freedom to work with whichever device they feel most comfortable.

The tools to achieve smart working have never been as accessible as they are today, from centralised ERP solutions to smart collaborative tools that help move the flow of work from one department to another.

However, success can only truly be achieved if your organisation is ready to adopt them. Keeping these pillars in mind is crucial for achieving a truly smart workplace.

At Exigy, we bridge the gap between business and technology. We are proud to help digitally transform our clients’ business processes through the expertise of our consultants and our knowledge of industry best practices.

Contact us to find out how our solutions can help increase your business resilience and take your business to the next level.

T: 2011 2000; E: sales@exigy.com; www.exigy.com

Leading professional services firm KPMG announces a change in its top role, with André Zarb being appointed as the firm’s senior partner as from October 2020.

André Zarb will be succeeding Tonio Zarb, who led the firm during a significant period of investment and growth, with the firm doubling its revenue and investing in one of the broadest multi-disciplinary teams on the island.

Commenting on the appointment, Tonio Zarb stated “I am pleased to see André take over with a solid team backing the next chapter of growth, initiatives and overall leadership, which André will undoubtedly bring to the firm”.

André joined KPMG in 1986 and he took over responsibility for the tax function in Malta in 1993. He was appointed partner in 1994 and was instrumental in driving significant developments within the tax function. For almost three decades he has been advising leading local businesses, international clients, multinationals and private equity firms on various tax matters. André has also regularly advised the public sector on major changes in tax legislation, and has closely contributed into developments which helped establish Malta as a financial centre. In addition, following Malta’s accession to the European Union, he has regularly advised on EU related fiscal matters.

Commenting on his election, André Zarb said “I am excited to take over from Tonio and to continue to build on the strong fundamentals, in particular our talented and committed 500+ team, our solid leadershipgroup, and most importantly our clients and other stakeholders who place their trust in us. We are relentless in our drive to be the most trusted and trust-worthy multi-disciplinary professional services firm.”

Tonio, who has been with the firm since 1979, barring a short three-year stint overseas, became partner in 1989 and led the advisory function before being appointed Senior Partner in 2012. Tonio now looks forward to returning to a client-facing role as a partner within the Advisory Function. In a message to all staff of KPMG in Malta, Tonio Zarb stated “I believe that I’m leaving behind me not only a very strong firm with the potential for a great future ahead of it, but also a very committed and capable management team that will deliver on this promise”.

As André moves into his new leadership role, Anthony Pace has been appointed Head of Tax as from October 2020. Anthony brings three decades of professional services experience, crafted principally within the tax function of the firm where he has led numerous direct and indirect tax advisory engagements in banking and financial services, telecommunications, gaming, real estate and family businesses. He has also led several tax due diligence engagements.

In welcoming him into his new role, André commented “Working over the years with Anthony within the Tax function, I have witnessed first-hand his skills and incisive approach and I am delighted that he has taken over the leadership role. He has a lot to offer to the tax practice and indeed to the wider firm.”