Which Working Environment is more Productive?

August 17, 2011 · a bit of fun, office environment, office supplies · Comments Off

The famous debate of whether working from home is more productive

A common on-going argument is whether the home is more productive than the office. Employees nod their heads vigorously when asked the question whilst managers shudder at the thought of their workforce switching office tasks for This Morning. There are many aspects of working at home and in the office which divide managers and their employees’ opinions.
working from home

Travel

A common argument of working in the office is the time spent commuting. Many people argue their time spent travelling to the office could be used as working time instead. Bosses argue they know their workers too well to trust them with such a responsibility.

Home: The 2 hour commute to the office can be switched for valuable working/TV time.

Office: The fact workers have to travel to the office means they have to get out of bed. It’s up to you to decide whether this is a pro or a con…

Distractions

Many bosses believe there will be too many distractions if working from home that effect productivity, resulting in less work being completed. What they don’t realise is that there are probably even more distractions in the workplace.

Home: Screaming children will actually drive a worker into their home office, instructing their partner to tame their offspring as they “have work to do”.

Office: Water coolers prove more of a gossip meeting point rather than providing a thirst for knowledge.

Stationery

Working from home means employees have to be responsible for their own office supplies, in the workplace everything is provided, generally in one cupboard. There is the other factor that supplies within the office tend to go missing.

Home: All stationery is one tidy place and home workers generally know where this is in their own office. Stationery supplies can also make excellent weapons, convenient for attacking intruders or annoying partners.

Office: If an employee is running low on supplies there are many other workers they can steal their much needed stationery from.

Facilities

Home comforts are much more appealing than the communal facilities that are on offer in the workplace. Sharing a fridge with the rest of the workforce generally results in some thieves being named and shamed.

Home: Having a fully functioning kitchen within the building means the ready meal diet can be ditched.

Office: Communal toilets means listening to co-workers perform their daily bathroom businesses which can be a great source of entertainment.

Although there are pros and cons to working at home and in the office it generally depends on the person. Some people are more productive in the home whereas others prefer to leave the house and have a change of scenery. Bosses should assess the person on their productivity in the office in order to decide whether they are better working at home or in the office.

Top 5 Essential Office Supplies

July 21, 2011 · a bit of fun, office furniture, office supplies · Comments Off

Aside from the basic stationery resources; pens, pencils and paper, there are a range of office supplies available which serve many different purposes. Some are to assist productivity and others are to lighten the mood. Some can also improve communication between colleagues in the office and ensure important messages are easily accessible to different people.

Display board/ notice board

Display and notice boards are an excellent means of communication between certain groups of office workers. They can be easily assembled using glue guns and allow for notices to be pinned to them. Company news and progress can be displayed on them along with targets and achievements. They can also be used as a community board, alerting employees of future charity events and job opportunities.

Notice board

Appropriate use: They are extremely convenient for larger firms whose employees’ may not all be in the same office at the same time.

Inappropriate use: Display boards and colleagues should be treated with respect, pinning a picture of you baring your behind at the Christmas party is something your colleagues could probably live without.

Post-it notes

Sticky notes are another convenient method of communication between few individuals rather than a large group or department. They’re very handy for jotting contact details down on and reminding yourself or others of an important task that needs finishing. The adhesive which is created using glue sticks makes them easy to stick anywhere.

post-it notes

Appropriate use: Giving your colleague details of someone they need to contact, along with a reminder.

Inappropriate use: Writing your phone number and sticking it in various places around the office in a desperate bid to get yourself a date isn’t attractive. Writing “hottie” as the name of contact won’t help either.

Desktop friends

For those who have made themselves increasingly unpopular over the years a desktop friend may be the last resort of social interaction. Placing a soft toy or action hero on your desk can make your work space feel more personal.

super hero

Appropriate use: Having a superhero on desk will make you feel invincible and ready to tackle any workload.

Inappropriate use: A blow-up doll will probably result in a letter of dismissal heading your way.

Water cooler

water cooler

Although water coolers may appear to function solely as a meeting point for gossip queens, drinking water throughout the day can improve productivity levels and brain function. Staring at a computer screen all day can result in mid-afternoon headaches, keeping replenished on water can help to keep you hydrated and reduce headaches.

Appropriate use: Replenishing water supplies to remain hydrated, they’re also a great excuse to stretch your legs.

Inappropriate use: “Accidentally” spilling a glass of water over female colleagues so their top becomes translucent. You will be deemed as the office creep.

Kettle

kettle

Productivity levels wouldn’t be the same without regular caffeine fixes. You may notice employee numbers will diminish without the presence of a kettle; it’s definitely one of the most essential office products.

Appropriate use: Making a cheeky pot noodle when the canteen is a few too many strides away.

Inappropriate use: Overfilling the kettle so it overflows onto a plug socket in an attempt to be sent home for the day. You may end up footing the repairman’s bill.

DG Office Supplies Claim IDS League Top Spot

June 10, 2011 · news, office supplies · Comments Off

Leading Manchester office supplies retailer DGOS have received excellent news from Dealer Support this week – they have won the IDS League 2011 for Dealer of the Year. The IDS League is an industry benchmark of accomplishment for merchants based on specific criteria, particularly financial and operational figures. DGOS came 3rd in 2009 and 2nd in 2010, before their well-deserved triumph this year.

Dealer of the Year was assessed on direct costs, overheads, gross profit and top-line sales growth. The entrants were assessed on annual growth so businesses of all sizes were allowed to enter.

Managing director of DGOS, Darren Carr spoke with pride about their victory “I’d like to say a huge well done to everyone who has helped to make DGOS number 1. Keep putting in the tireless hard work, keep negotiating like the experts you are, and ensure we service our loyal clients like they were the last ones on earth.” Darren also said how it was a “compliment” to be sharing the award with Red Box as they are a very well respected company.

DG Office Supplies will be presented with a trophy to mark their victory. They intend to put every effort into continuing their success into the future; Darren Carr reminded his team at http://www.dgos.co.uk “please remember it’s all about what we do today and tomorrow not what we did yesterday… that’s history”. DGOS will no doubt be doing their best to claim first prize again next year.

How To Stay Fit And Healthy In The Office

May 12, 2011 · office environment, office furniture, office supplies · Comments Off

How To Stay Fit & Healthy At The Computer Screen

Working in an office can often entail high pressure, time consuming projects. In this time, office workers can often let their health take a back seat in order to focus on being successful. Instead of neglecting their health they should ensure; a comfortable working environment, balanced diet and exercise are all incorporated into their life along with their employment.

Office work tends to involve lots of sitting and staring at a computer monitor with minimal movement and human interaction. This can cause office workers to become unsociable, unfit and unhealthy leading to stress and even depression. It’s important for office workers to remain active and maintain their health, as the effects of sitting at a computer all day can be worse than labouring on a construction site.

Working in an office can have negatives effects on the body’s health, many workers let their health and fitness slide by the wayside, resulting in health problems later in life. Others sacrifice human interaction in exchange for emailing and instant messaging; this can have a tiring effect on the mind, as people require human interaction to maintain happiness.

Eating habits can deteriorate whilst working in an office. Boredom and frustration can lead to comfort eating. Others skip meals in order to meet deadlines and attend meetings. Both have negative effects on the body, causing weight gain which could lead to obesity. Unhealthy snacks should be substituted with fruit, nuts or low fat yogurts. Healthy, nutritious snacks containing low fat and high protein can help prevent hunger pangs and further snacking.

Comfort is paramount in the workplace. Ensuring workers have the correct office furniture to cater for their height and weight can prevent muscle strains. Computer chairs should be height adjustable so workers can comfortable reach the keyboard, mouse and floor. Computer monitors should also be at eye level to prevent neck pains. To prevent pains in the wrist and hand whilst using a computer, special mouse mats the have a hand rest can be purchased. When purchasing office supplies, it is equally important to purchase the correct furniture to suit each individual.

One of the most aggravating factors of office life is the lack of exercise workers engage in during the day. This makes it even more important to put time aside for exercise after or before work. Many people believe exercising only refers to cardiovascular activities which increase the heartbeat. When in actual fact, exercise can refer to 30 minutes walking the dog at a brisk pace. For those who don’t have much spare time on their hands yoga is a great form of exercise. Even a 10-20 minute yoga session daily can improve fitness, relieve stress and reduce muscle tension.

Maintaining health whilst being an office worker is the key to a healthy lifestyle and happiness. Even minimal changes to lifestyle including; gentle exercise, improvement of diet and ensuring suitable office equipment is available can improve health, fitness and happiness. This in turn, should improve work performance!

healthy happy office

Lower Your Stress – Ditch Your Mess

May 3, 2011 · office environment, office furniture, office supplies, stationery · Comments Off

Organisation is essential in the office. Different projects that cross-over, combined with personal and legal documents can wreak havoc on a worker’s desk. Clutter can cause hard work to get lost in the midst of newspapers and useless printouts. If you look around in your office and see stacks of miss-matched paperwork, broken/chewed stationery all mixed in with lettuce off yesterday’s sandwich it could be time to invest in some equipment to bring a considerable amount of organisation back to your desk.

Lack of organisation is common in office workers. Although organising your possessions may seem like a tedious task, it could save you heaps of valuable time. Being organised is all about maintaining desk tidiness and ensuring it’s a work friendly surface, as opposed to one big clear up when you realise you’ve lost half of your paperwork. If you are organised from your first day of work it will save you so much time in the long run (however, if your desk is already resembling Aladdin’s Cave all is not lost).

Some particular office stationery and furniture can really change your organisational skills with minimal effort:

Ring Binders Ring binders and lever arch files are perfect for storing paperwork, whose sole purpose has become a coaster for your coffee cups. Keeping documents in a safe place is paramount to being a successful office worker, workers who have an untidy desk are less likely to feel at ease and work effectively. Buying packs of folders is the perfect solution so you have different categories which are easily accessible and know exactly where your documents are at all times.

Note: Don’t forget you will also need to invest in a hole punch if using ringbinders, so there’s no excuse for ripped papers.

Once folders start getting filled with paper work it’s definitely time to purchase some dividers. Sub-categorising really speeds up the process of locating a piece of paperwork so it’s worth separating them into sections by topic or date.

Many people use their desk top only, rather than the drawers a desk often possesses. All stationery should be stored in a drawer rather than scattered on the desk. As well as keeping the desk tidy, there’s no excuse for your pens “accidentally” appearing on your colleague’s desk…

Note: It’s definitely worth designating one of your drawers for personal possessions. That way there’s less chance of them getting lost, stolen or mixed up with work equipment.

These small, seemingly tedious tasks can really help the organisation and tidiness of your working environment. Ordering your paperwork can save time and ink by requiring less reprints of lost documents. By making a few subtle changes and maintaining your tidiness you can really kick bad organisation habits. Remember mess = stress!

Going Green in the Office Whilst Staying in the Black

April 19, 2011 · Recycling, office environment, office supplies · Comments Off

I was fortunate enough to be able to write this guest post on Eco-Office Gals website.

Eco-friendly office

With Global Warming having shocking effects around the globe, do your bit to help the environment by keeping your workplace green.

When it comes to wastage, offices can be one of the main culprits. With such busy schedules and deadlines to meet, saving the environment can be one of the last things on a worker’s mind. Simple tasks such as reprinting documents unnecessarily and repetitively boiling the kettle all have their negative effect on the big wide world. Typical thoughts can be “it won’t make a difference if I do it just this once” but what about the thousands of other like-minded people? What happens when they leave the light on “just this once”?

The colour green symbolises many things, one being nature and eco-friendliness and another being wealth and money. By following the advice on this page you can be green in both senses, by saving the environment whilst being cost effective. Of course there are obvious, everyday tasks which can reduce costs, here are just a few.

  • Energy saving light bulbs – these can fit into the majority of light fixtures and give out as much light as a regular bulb, whilst lasting longer and using only 20-35% of the electricity of an equivalent regular bulb.
  • Switch off electronic equipment which isn’t in use. Computers and the like tend to get left on in offices, costing the earth – in both senses.
  • Where possible, print on both sides of the paper. This will half the amount of paper going through your printer, saving money on paper as opposed to wasting a perfectly good side of paper.

In addition to energy saving tasks, there are also office products and stationery which can be purchased to make your office more eco-friendly. When purchasing new products look out for if they are recycled/recyclable. There an array of recycled items, some less commonly used such as:

  • Fire extinguishers – although you wouldn’t think it some of these can be recycled. Just make sure you put the fire out before recycling…
  • Recycled calculators – these are particularly interesting as not only do they run off solar power, they are also made from recycled materials making them incredibly sustainable gadget.
  • Recycling wall chart – keep everyone aware of the amount of recycling that takes place in the office and raise awareness for people to suggest more eco-friendly initiatives. Make sure the wall chart is also recyclable!

Yes, going green is that easy. No need to forget those all-important deadlines whilst reducing your carbon footprint. So before you leave the light on in a hurry to get home, take a step back and think “just this once, I can make a difference”.

Spring Cleaning in the Office

April 19, 2011 · office environment, office supplies · Comments Off

Spring is all about turning over a new leaf. Why not change your work ethic by giving the office a spring clean?

Cleaning supplies

Dust, clutter and grime. All of these are common in the office, and all of these make for a chaotic mind. You may not think having papers strewn haphazardly over the desk amongst numerous cups containing week-old coffee would affect the way you work, but all these factors are piling on to the stress of your work load. Furthermore, following certain hygiene practices such as sanitizing telephones and door handles, washing kitchen equipment and keeping the toilets clean can reduce the number of viruses and bugs being passed on from person to person.

It’s not just the kitchen and toilets that need to be cleaned. All areas require hygiene maintenance, a cleaner will usually do the basics but keeping things extra clean and tidy will ensure a pleasant working experience.

Hygiene and cleanliness are vital within the work place and some cleaning products could prevent viruses, odours and filth developing. Eating food in the office can create some unpleasant odours which tend to linger, prevent this from happening by placing an air freshener on your desk to keep the air fragrant. Also, plates and mugs have a habit of sitting on workers’ desks for weeks unnecessarily. Purchase some washing up liquid so there’s no excuse for dirty dishes cluttering desks and ruining paperwork. Alcohol hand gel is becoming an increasingly popular product within the work place, especially with the scorching temperatures in the summer, as the heat allows bacteria to breed at a higher rate. The hand gel can be used at any time to sanitize the hands and prevent bacteria and germs being spread throughout the workforce.

Create some order in the office! Keep desks tidy – with a desk tidy. These are perfect for storing relatively small stationery items such as pens, paperclips and scissors which have a habit of getting lost. Storage units such as filing cabinets can be used for larger items, leaving plenty of desk space for equipment and documents that are currently being used. A common office pain is the amount of paperwork that goes missing, often to be found in combination with a colleague’s possessions months later. Avoid mixing business with pleasure by investing in a magazine rack, so important documents don’t become a bookmark in the latest gossip magazine…

Watch your fellow workers spring into action whilst the sweet smells and fresh aromas tantalize their nostrils. However, the key point to remember is – continue the cleanliness! Having a clean, tidy work space will make for a clear, relaxed mind.

Five Top Tips For Lightening The Office Gloom

April 12, 2011 · Recycling, a bit of fun, office environment, office supplies, stationery · Comments Off

Okay, so you’re thinking how can stationary possibly change the desk dynamic? There’s always going to be drawling silence that only the photocopier manages to break. Or the humdrum lady who enjoys sharing the most interesting photographs of her offspring, wearing a coating of chocolate, on different climbing apparatus in the park. Well at least it’s better than hearing about your male supervisor’s divorce that he just can’t come to terms with whilst trying to avoid the stale whiskey from his breath that circulates the confined space every time the fan chooses to direct gusts into your face. Well, by bringing some colour and contrast to the situation you can leave the Monday feeling strictly for Mondays.

Here, I have conjured up a list of essential stationary do’s and don’ts when spicing up your stationary so you can become the ray of sunshine that slowly tans a smile onto your colleagues’ pale faces.

DO invest in some funky stationary.

Colour is the key here, the bolder and brighter the better. Think rainbow pens which you can lend to the duller of your colleagues which will make for some cheerful note taking. Plus, the vibrant colours ensure they won’t get lost as easily as the regular ball point option. You could even go green, in the eco (and colour) sense, with DGOS as they have an abundance of recycled stationery that covers every category of the colour chart, so you’ll be helping the environment whilst watching everyone go green with envy at your new purchases.

DON’T copy off your colleagues.

Be original! Bring in your original office supplies and before you can say “stationary cupboard” you’ll have everyone chatting to each other rather than cursing at their monitors. Try to bring in interesting stationary that aren’t run of the mill. Never forget a message again with these neon pink and purple pads.

DO have a large clock visible to all involved.

Refrain from chewing your rainbow pens by clock watching instead! Everyone’s guilty of it so why deny it anymore? Plus, it helps you to prioritise your workload more efficiently if you have constant track of the time.

DON’T be surprised if your stationary starts to go missing.

We all know how irritating it is when we can’t place a vital piece of equipment and then it “appears” on your colleague’s desk. An investment into furniture, cabinets and padlocks could curb wandering possessions and reduce the expenditure on replacing equipment.

DON’T use your new stapler as a weapon.

This manoeuvre could undo all the magical stationary dust that has been sprinkled over your newly revitalised work mates. Also, it won’t go down well with a health and safety assessor.

All things said and done, a revamp of your working environment could really give the atmosphere a lift and maybe even spark a whole new passion for work! Fair enough, we’re not promising miracles, but a touch of colour and variety could add some fun and happiness and who wouldn’t want that?

Filling the Office Supplies Cupboard on a Shoestring Budget

March 29, 2011 · news, office supplies, stationery · Comments Off

office supplies cupboard

When setting up a new business there are many things which need to be invested in and with a good number of these items – it doesn’t pay to cut corners or take the ‘budget’ option. Your computing equipment for instance needs to be relatively up to date, resilient and powerful enough to survive a few years of heavy use without becoming mind-numbingly slow to load up programs. Similarly, decent corporate stationery such as business cards should be of such a quality as to provide a great first impression of your company to external parties. Thankfully, there are other office necessities which can be acquired for minimal outlay – office supplies falls firmly within this category; provided you are savvy in your purchasing practices.

Only buy that which is really needed

Although it is certainly nice to have an extensive selection of different sized notepads and pens in all the colours of the rainbow…is there really any need to have such variety? Provided you are well stocked with pens, pencils, memo notepads, A4 paper, printer ink cartridges, paperclips, staples, staplers, files, a hole punch and standard sized envelopes you will be prepared for 95% of all office scenarios…having only spent a modest amount on supplies. Make a list of everything that you think you are likely to need then set to shortening it ruthlessly – if it transpires that you have neglected an item which later turns out to be indispensible then fear not, there’s sure to be a shop nearby to tide you over.

Look at generic brands

Having mercilessly shortened your list of required office supplies to a small selection of items it is time to select specific products. Huge savings can be made here by simply opting for ‘generic’ labelled goods as opposed to those of the more widely recognised brands. Provided the specifications are on a par with their branded counterparts – the quality should be of exactly the same level and on a day to day basis you’ll never notice the difference. On the printer ink front it pays dividends to look at ‘compatible’ ink cartridges as opposed to the official manufacturer’s refills – they are often less than half the price and built to the same exacting standards.

Capitalise on money saving incentives

As is the case with many retail sectors, online retailers offer the best value for office supplies purchases. As well as offering more competitive prices than their high street counterparts overall, many retailers also offer incentives to utilise their service. Setting up an office supplies account often brings with it substantial discounts on orders in addition to flexible payment options and high levels of customer service. To get the best possible value on your stationery and office supplies keep a look out for online incentives and ensure to place an order large enough to qualify for free delivery.

By bearing this advice in mind it is possible to fully equip your office with all the required stationery and accessories for a fraction of the cost of those who simply head over to a ‘Superstore’ and buy everything they think they might need with scant regard for their actual business requirements.

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