Electronic Records Management Now Plays Bigger Role in Sustaining Business

Knowledge Management is very essential in every organization.  A subset of the Knowledge Management System is Records Management.  Today, we shared a free webinar to cooperatives, to inform and remind them of the value of creating policies for proper handling and management of records from its creation, utilization, retention, and destruction.  Also, part of the objective is to provide a deeper awareness of the significance of not undermining the importance of documentation in any organization.

The training provided an understanding of the scope of Records Management.  The focus of the presentation was on establishing and developing an Electronic Records Management System or automating the data and information management in their cooperative.  Especially now that many have implemented a new working condition of telecommuting or mostly known as Work-from-Home setup.  

Digitization is now the new normal.  In every transactions and activity that we conduct, it surely equates to data and information, and the creation of records.  The bigger a cooperative grows, the bulkier are the records that need to be filed and managed. 

We advise, if you are now designing your Business Continuity Plan or business plans, include in your plan the development of your RMS or EDMS (Electronic Data Management System) because it is key to your business sustainability.  With the presence of documented processes, policies, and procedures, new employees would be able to cope with new tasks and functions even if there are no proper turnovers.  By referring to your standard working operations, they'll gain insights on how to act and work in your organization.

To share, here are the videos of the said training.  It was fed live via the NATCCO KRC page.  If you were not able to see and attend it, you can watch the video here.  Also, we provided a link to the speaker's copy of the presentation for your reference.

Video Recording of KRC's free webinar on Introduction to Records Management

Part 1 

Part 2

The number of registered participants during the said training reached 185 pax in the Google Meet and there are other cooperators who joined through the FB Live feed.  The following images are the GROUP PICTURES of Google Meet participants.

To get a copy of the PowerPoint presentation on Records Management, click on the image below and you will be directed to a google drive.

We hope these materials helped you.  Should you need assistance in setting up your RMS, you may contact NATCCO's Consultancy unit or message us at krc@natcco.coop.

Keep safe and stay at home, until the coast is clear.  Have a great day ahead!

Making Income during Rest Days or Sundays

Since March, we have been cooped up in our homes.  I feel like I have gone through myriads of emotions and adjustments for the past six (6) months.  This pandemic has taken so many securities away and the activities that bring me joy.

My colleagues and friends fully know that I love my job because I get to travel much.  I gain energy being close to nature, thus going to Mindanao, the Visayas and other rural areas provide me motivation and sources of inspiration.  

What I love most about traveling is I get to take pictures of people, places, and cultures.  The photos that I have taken populates my Instagram accounts and it serves as references for my paintings.  Now, I only have the memories brought by my photos and my window entertains me with the view of my lovebirds and the plants that we have grown for the past few months.  Yes, my family and I started cultivating vegetables and herbs in pots. Thanks to ECQ-GCQ, we discovered new sources of joy.

Another challenge for me is that I lost a big chunk of my source of income.  I lost my travel allowances and as a result, a check I issued for my loan bounced back because my usual cash flow was disrupted.

Financial problem is indeed the best motivator to become resourceful and entrepreneurial.  I started spending time in our kitchen, cooking, and preparing kimchi and oatmeal cookies to cut on cost.  I can still enjoy foods that I love by making it by myself.  Then my neighbors started asking me if they can buy my produce.  Why not?  But #WorkLifeRealities, it didn't last long though because I have a demanding job as an educator and trainer, and with the work-from-home setup, I spent more time facing the computer.  

Then I decided to make products on Saturdays and Sundays.  I started learning from YouTube new products that our neighborhood would like.  That's how I started making Maki-Sushi and Gimbap during Sundays.  I discovered that by posting pretty photos on my FB account, customers who crave the same food that I'm interested in started contacting me and messages come in.  

So now, my new project is to promote my kitchen products.  

Somehow, the income coming in from my cooking helps.  It surprises me that the best thing you can sell online are those things that you yourself are interested in.  

I know, if you are reading this blog, you too are looking for means of augmenting your income stream.  My tip is to discover first the things that you like and you are good at, and make sure that you'll enjoy the process of selling it.  Otherwise, you will just stop.  It still holds true that if you enjoy what you are doing, then it is not working but like a child's play, the effort becomes enjoyable too.  Learn how and where you can sell your products, understand your consumers' preferences, and start building your small business online.

Attend training in online marketing.  There are so many resources you can use online to set up your store.  Look at FB's marketplace, Lazada, and even Shopee.  They offer a platform for online sellers even if you are just a micro-entrepreneur.  Understand their policies.  You might be surprised to know that it is not necessary to have a high volume of goods to sell on these online marketplaces.

I hope this article helps.  Please do comment if you like it or not.  If you have questions, feel free to ask by using the e-mail form in this blog.