ASK HR: My boss has refused to embrace the digital age, how do I help him?

Q. My employer is 62 years, and very rigid in his thinking. Recently, I approached him and tried to explain why we should publicise the furniture business on social media, only for him to say that we still sell, even without an online presence. I feel that he is the main obstacle to the company’s growth. What can I do to let him see the opportunities we’re missing?

Six years ago, I was not on any social media platform, until I attended an interview and was asked for my Twitter handle.

The interviewer was a fairly young man, and I am sure he must have thought I was not in touch with the world.

It occurred to me that times were changing, and I quickly joined a number of these platforms, if for nothing else, to keep abreast with news.

Your boss has successfully managed the business using the traditional methods, therefore he will be averse to introducing new methods of doing business, afraid they might reverse the positive trends.

In the past, journalists would wait until they were back in the newsroom to file a story, however, with the invention of smart phones, they can send their stories, videos and photos to their editors while still in the field.

Do a cost and benefits analysis to convince your boss that it will make financial sense to take the business online. Make him understand that if your competitors are more proactive, they will have first mover advantage, which might affect your competitiveness in your market.

It might also be beneficial if he visited a similar operation that has adapted digital. It’s also critical for the business to invest in a resource who has the knowledge to guide through this transition. The existing staff must also be retrained to understand the new way of doing business.

To also mitigate against any risks, you could consider implementing the digital transition in phases. Start advertising on the different social media platforms while still advertising other products on the traditional platforms. This way you could track the effectiveness of the different platforms.

Delivery is another operation you can test by having some products available online for potential clients to purchase, while still giving them the option of a face-to-face sale. You could gauge the revenue accrued from the online sales and the face-to-face sales to decide which options to scale up, however, some shoppers might prefer to view the furniture before purchasing, so as you move to the digital space, put that into consideration.

Don’t give up. If you persist, and show your boss concrete examples of how the business will fair when you make use of social media, he will come around.