Archives for June 2018

Setting up Your Desk to Increase Productivity at Work

June 8, 2018 by Contributed Post Leave a Comment

According to a recent survey about American Time Use, it was found that adults spend 40% of their day at work and working. And to say a hefty percentage of your day (night) is also sleeping, the portion that you’re at work is quite a lot. Some of us do have physically straining jobs that will use up some energy. However, the majority of us do not; we are sat at a desk, staring at a computer screen.

The crazy thing can be that even with all of that information about how long we spend at our desk, there are very few of us that do anything about it. And if you’re working for yourself and don’t have the occupational health team of a large corporation, there will be no one else there to check if your workstation is set up correctly and that you’re avoiding strains, as well as being productive. So here are a few little bits that you can be doing to make sure that you are using your desk space wisely, and are making the space a productive one too.

Productivity

Get the Right Equipment

They say that a poor workman blames his tools, however, when it comes to back pain from a desk chair, if it isn’t a good one, you certainly can blame it for what it does. You need to have some good equipment around you when you’re working, or you’re setting yourself up for failure (or back pain). Get a chair that is adjustable in more ways that just height. Use rests for your wrists if needed, and get a computer mouse to make sure that you’re hunched over the keyboard less. It could be worth looking at some Side By Side reviews to get an overview of some equipment. You may have to spend a good amount of money on new equipment, so you’ll want to make sure that it is all worth the money.

Look Outside

If you have the chance to have your desk near a window, then take it. Having a desk near a window can help in a number of ways. For starters, you’re going to be near natural light which has plenty of health benefits for you. It can help to reduce screen glare, that helps your eyes, as well as being able to rest your eyes when you need to, as you can look outside for a few moments.

Stand Up

The more that we don’t move and the more that we sit at the desk all day, it can have an impact on our health. Large companies counter this by offering on-site fitness facilities or discounted memberships to gyms. But if you are only a small business, or you are the only person on your payroll, then that is going to prove to be difficult. A standing desk could be a good idea, or at least a desk that is adjustable to give you the option. If all else fails, make sure that you’re taking regular breaks and moving as much as you can.

Five Interventions to Support Business Continuity

June 8, 2018 by Contributed Post Leave a Comment

If you would like to avoid distraction in your business and costly downtime, it is important that you have a continuity plan. Every minute you lose productivity you are making negative profits, so you have to make sure that you always have a Plan B and can focus on growing your customer base and value provided ti your market. Below you will find five interventions you might want to think about to maintain your business continuity.

1. Training and Development

Markets and technologies change rapidly today, and you will have to be prepared for the changes. Whether you are operating in a highly regulated environment or are actively seeking new methods to become more productive, it is important that you keep your employees’ knowledge and skill up to date. Training and development investments can pay off for years to come, and prevent your business from losing out to the competition.

2. Energy Supplies

If you run a busy office or manufacturing workshop, it is important that you have the energy you need to run your operations. From heating to internet access and electricity, you need to have a backup plan. It might be time to invest in generac back up generators so your business can carry on operating even if there is a fault in your area. You might want to sign up for flexible pay-as-you-go satellite or mobile internet you can share with your workers, so you can carry on answering queries and talk to customers on the phone.

3. New Market Exploration

If you keep on focusing on the same market, you will never grow your business. It is important that you actively seek new markets and opportunities, instead of sitting back and relying on your existing customers. Your niche market behavior or preferences might change in a couple of months’ time, and if you don’t make adjustments in your strategy or explore new areas, you might lose your business.

4. Customer Relationship Management

To become successful, you will have to stay organized and give out a professional image for your customers. If you don’t yet have a customer relationship management software, it might be time to invest in one, so you can follow up quotes and make your most valuable clients feel respected and special. It is always cheaper to keep your existing profitable clients than finding new ones.

5. Reputation Management

One of your most valuable assets is your brand reputation. If you lose it, you might end up losing money and profits. You should implement a reputation management strategy and monitor your online and offline customer feedback. Create a business transparency policy, so you can be open and honest with your employees, customers, and other stakeholders.

If you would like to avoid disruption in your business, you will have to make sure you are looking after your most important resources and react to the market changes. Have contingency plans in place, complete risk assessments regularly, and make your existing clients feel valued. Continuity can save you money and reduce uncertainty in your business.

How To Build A Successful Franchise

June 8, 2018 by Contributed Post Leave a Comment

Franchise

If you are looking to build a successful empire this year, you might be thinking about starting up your own franchise. A franchise can be an amazing business opportunity because you will be able to have multiple locations and multiple brands under the umbrella of your business. If you’re looking for the idea of buying a franchise this year, franchise search engine could help you in better way.

Money

Whether you are looking to build an escape room franchise, a chain of restaurants or a film company: you will need to have plenty of money available for you when you come to start your business. When starting up a franchise you will need to ensure that you have enough money not only to launch the venture but to also sustain the business for a year at least. This will give you the time you need to get it off the ground and make sure that you are able to start making a profit within 12 months.

Make time for family

Running a business is an incredibly big task, and you will need to ensure that even if you are working long hours, you balance these hours to spend time with your family. A family is hugely important, and it is also important that you are able to switch off at the end of each day and spend time with them. Even if you have tonnes of work to do, set yourself a switch off time each night.

Be passionate

You absolutely cannot look to start a business unless you are passionate about the venture. If you start a business which you don’t really care about, this will show and you won’t be willing to go the extra mile to make it work. If you want to build a successful franchise and empire for yourself, you have to be passionate about the subject and you need to be willing to dedicate your whole life to it.

Give great customer service

The key to any successful business is being on the good side of your customers. Make sure that you go the extra mile and train your employees to work as hard as they can to keep your customers happy and make sure that they respect and love your company. If you are able to show amazing customer service skills, word will spread and you will become more popular by reputation.

Consistent marketing

Marketing is essential if you want to stay in the forefront of your customers’ minds throughout the year. Think about just how you can keep your audience excited and engaged with your brand all year long. Look at a company like KFC who are recently coming up with some incredible and memorable campaigns for social media. If you can take a leaf from their book and provide a funny, entertaining and positive marketing strategy, you will be gaining followers and fans in no time for your business.

Running a business and building a franchise can be hard, but if you have the will, the patience, and the resources, you could be the next big thing.

The Pros And Cons Of Starting A Care Home As A Business

June 8, 2018 by Contributed Post Leave a Comment

Starting a business should be a rewarding experience for an entrepreneur. Looking into starting a care home could be one of the most rewarding business ventures imaginable. Satisfaction from owning a business like this can mean more to you than any of the disadvantages. That being said, you should still think about the disadvantages carefully before you make a final decision on what to do.

Read on so you can get a good idea of the pros and cons of starting a business like this:

Responsibility

A potential disadvantage of starting a care home is the amount of responsibility that you will have, especially when it comes to the initial stages of starting the home. You will need adequate staffing, and you’ll need to be well equipped to delegate properly, so that your employees can help you to run the facility to a high standard. Either that, or you’re going to need sponsors with a big budget, which would allow you to hire a well-qualified administrator and a full-time staff who can work around the clock. If you can’t do this, you may find that you are overworked.

Business Startup

Industry Growth

A big advantage of opening a care home is that this industry is continuing to grow at an above average rate when compared to other types of businesses. In the United States in the period from 2008 to 2018 the health-care industry has been one of the fastest-growing industries. Wage and salary jobs are still growing at a rate of 22%. People will always enter the elderly population, so the rate shows no sign of slowing down.

Payment

Another big advantage of choosing to open a business like this is the earning potential. That being said, there can be disadvantages in the form of payment, too. Why? Well, when you think about the expensive nature of various types of health-care equipment, the rising cost of insurance, and the dependence of many elderly patients upon government insurance programs like Medicare, it becomes clear. You may have to deal with government and insurance industry red tape just to get paid and this can be a big disadvantage. Ensuring HIPAA Compliance by NAHS is crucial in the healthcare industry. Make sure you do your research so you know exactly what is required of you in your local area.

Job Satisfaction

The level of satisfaction you can get from running a care home is definitely one of the major advantages of starting one up. Knowing that you provide a service for those who are in poor health or in their declining years can be an extremely satisfying and meaningful way to make a living. You will be giving people the best quality of life and care in their final years, and that really is something to feel proud of.

Hopefully this post has helped you to weigh up the pros and cons of starting a care home as a business, and you should be able to make a decision that’s right for you. Thanks for reading!

Which Office Layout Would Best Suit Your Company?

June 7, 2018 by Contributed Post Leave a Comment

Office Layout

Source: https://studyclerk.com

When it comes down to it, there are 3 basic office layouts: the open plan, the cubicles and the separate office. Most businesses will choose to have a mixture of the three, but it is worth considering what the pros and cons of each are before settling on what you want.

Whether you are buying or renting, here are a few of the pros and cons of each office layout for you to consider.

Individual Offices

The individual office is still a sign of superiority within a business and often the senior staff will get their own room to work in as a signifier of their status. The main pro is that these members of staff can take phone calls in peace and work quietly on their own. This can also be enhanced quite easily with services in Sound Masking Austin, San Antonio, Dallas, Houston which cover any noise and allow greater privacy.

The downside is that working on your own can be quite lonely for some people. The office may be quieter, but it is disconnected from the rest of the staff. It also means that a quick chat at someone else’s desk will take much longer than really necessary – or may be replaced by impersonal emails and messaging.

Cubicles

The thought of working in a cubicle sends shivers down the spine of many office workers, but there is one advantage. This is the middle ground between the open plan space and the segregated office. With this method, your staff have their own allocated space, but they can also see and hear other members of their team for a quick chat.

The downside is that cubicles make us miserable and can take up a lot of space and often make the room feel very dark. While you could add desk lamps to improve this, natural light is always going to be superior. Cubicles also don’t allow for very much flexibility, which may cause problems for creative teams.

Essentially: only use cubicles if you really have to.

Open Plan

The open plan office is gaining more and more popularity as it is flexible and makes hot desking much easier to manage. Using big tables where staff can set up a laptop (or not) is a great way to make the most of the space you have and let people be a bit more creative with how they work.

The downside with open plan is that it can quickly get quite noisy in a large space. You may also find that if you are using hot desking, people may lose their things or not be able to speak with their team when they need. It seems that they also kill productivity.

Finding a mixture of these types of spaces is the best way to fulfill all the needs of your business in your office. There is no right and wrong way to lay out your space, but now that you know the pros and cons, it will hopefully be a bit easier to figure out what is best for you.