PAGE 10, WTBY FREE PRES, WEDNESDAY, ~AC 7,1990 LL)1S BI c.i:iki :$; "I see Ms. Brown has a negative attitude towardsthe new tecnnologyl" DEPUTY Mayor Tom Edwards (centre) joins company president Stuart.Angus ( left) and branch manager Lesie Parr for the traditionai ribbon-cutting Cere- mony to open Proctor & Redfern's new Whitby office.- Proctor & Redfern offers a wide range of enghkeering, planning and architecture services., How do you go about ensuring a smooth transition from manual te automated methods when you introduce a computer in your firm? "Management must take a comprehensive apprmch," says ComputingCanada agazine editoru John Cardiff, "and recognize that computing changes the' way information fiows througout the entire organization." Méanufacturera in particular know that there are two fiows within every factory. The flow of physicae od -- as raw materials are gradually transfomed into finished products -- and the flow of information which describes that procesa. Today's typical factory is roadblocked because the flow of physical gooda cannot be faster than the flow of information. Computera speed that information flow and pave the way for real gains i productivity. But in daing so, theyai"ochange work patterns by blurring the dividing lines between individual job responsibilities. That poses a significant socal challenge te, your employees and you should recognize it as a possible source of stress. b 4, "A-proportion of employees wil readiiy adapt and remain hungry for further challenges," says Julia Glick, a consultant with DMR, an information management and teclmology consulting firm in Toronto. "Others will react less positively, perhaps with suspicion bcrdering on hostility. They feel threatened. That's human nature."ýý The best way to deal with that, says Glick, is te keep employees fu]ly informed, starting well before the computers arrive. 'Tell theni why this change is taing place, how it will affect their jobs and the company as a whole, how they can do things for themselves te. make the change easier, and what kind of support theY can exPect from the organization. They'll know what's in stere for them and how they fit inte the changed structure. They can begin,. if they have te, te change their attitudes." That's sound advioe. Studies show that if you do ail those things, you are more likely te achieve the objectives you set our for the systeni. You will aIse, have mnade your employees aware of their important role in the changes around them. Once they feel tey ave a vested interest in the system, yodll be surprised at how qickly they'il learn te make diffrent and better uses of it. Education and training plaY a vital role in making a smooth transition. Despite aIl the glossy brochures that describe "user friendlyl' computers, the average person cannot learn how te use a computer effectively without guidance. Fortunately, help is readily available. If you purchased your equipment from oe of the larger vendora, they wili almoat certainly offer quality training programs. Failing that, contact Proctor & Redfern have Whitby office After many years of helpingrto build Durham Region, the Pro- ctor & Redfern Group has taken un> residence. Feb. 22 markecl the officiai, opening of the company's Whitby office at 420 Green St. De ýutyMayor Tonm Xdwards joined Proctor & Redfern pre- sident Stuart Angus and Whitby office manager Leslie Parr for the traditional ribbon-cutting ceremony. Although the Whitby office bas been open since last June, last week's festivities finally made it.officiai. Iounded in 1912, the Toronto- based Proctor & Redfern Group offers a wide range of engineer- ing, planning architecture and landscape arciecre services. Among the mnany projects the firm has dee in Durham Region are the Duffin Creek pol- lution control plant in Pickering; the Hwy 401/esney Rd. inter- change in Ajax, and the Falling- brook subdivision in Whitby. Local manager Parr said Whitby was chosen to be the company's first Durham office because of the municipality's location in the region's centre and its proximity to Hwy 40 1. In addition to serving Durhamn, the office will also cover North- umberland, Victoria and Peter- borouqh counties.. A highlight of the opening was the presentation to Edwards of a $2,500 cheque and four ftamed photographs for the Whitby Museum. The photographs are 1946-vin- tage shots of the Whitby sewage treatnient _plant which was designed by Poctor&RPedfern. Edwards returned the favor by presenting a Welcome to Whitby floor mat te the cômpany. IN NEW BUILDIN ON BROCK.STREET NORT Frank Office opened The officiai opening of W. Frank Real Estate Ltd.'s new Whitby *office teok place last Wednesday Mayor Bob Attersley was on hand for the traditional ribbon- cutting cereniony. The office, located at 223 Brock St. N., will be the new home of 50 sales personnel and staff under the watehful eye of mana- ger Gerry Wbattam. Frank's former downtown Whitby office was actually loca- ted next door te the new facility but'in an eIder building. The new office is housed. in a modern complex. Company preiîdent Walter Frank said bis ffinm has «alot of 'faith in Whitb, this is a town that bas a lot of growth.» Following the ribbon-cutting the mayr presented a Towno* Whitby key chain te Whattam. The Broock Street office is one of 16 Frank offices across Ontario. Hire experieflced -creu"I ( manager on a regular or part" W. FRANK* Real Estate celebrated the tam and president Walter Frank (sea-. opening of thefr new Whitby office bust Ld o h'r week. Mayor Bob Attersley (left) joined e)fotetritional- ribbon-cutting Steve Frank, Allan Frank, Gerry What- ,cerÇMOnY- .1 - Smoothing the path for computing in your irm