A business leader’s guide to managing stress in the workplace
Did you know that 2 in 5 employees say stress has affected their health? With the growing demands of a 21st century workforce and the pressure of having to stay ‘switched-on’ at all times, stress in the workplace is becoming a serious business issue.
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4 ways to keep your team productive over the festive season
If you tend to have fewer business enquiries around Christmas, then it’s easy to let things slip. But even in some of the busier industries, employees tend to slow down for the festive break, losing productivity and creativity. But it’s this time of year that can really make or break your business. If you’re smart about it, you can get your business off to a flying start in 2018.
As we mentioned in our previous blog, an engaged, productive team is integral to business success. Especially at this time of the year. Here are four ways to keep your team productive over the festive season.
1. Show gratitude
Recognising your employees really does go a long way. If employees understand the contribution they’re making to the business, they’re more likely to be committed to your business goals. Of course, this is great for employee engagement, which can have a direct impact on business success. Sears, Roebuck & Co. found that for every 5% increase in their employees’ attitude scores, there was a 1-3% increase in customer satisfaction and a 0.5% increase in revenue.
Whether you celebrate individual or team achievements, it’s important to show your employees gratitude. There’s not just one way to do this either. Gratitude can take the form of small gifts, giving employees more responsibility, or even just saying ‘thank you’!
Another great way to show employee appreciation is to host an awards ceremony. This could simply be a fun ceremony at your office Christmas party, with a mix of serious and light-hearted awards such as ‘The Eternally Late Award’. Or on the other end of the scale, you could invest time into planning an intricate awards ceremony with specific awards and nominations for each category. Depending on your budget, you could even invest in a trophy or plaque for each award.
2. Eat healthily
Food plays a huge part in productivity around the festive period. If you walk into an office in December, odds are that you’ll notice some form of communal junk food. This can take its toll on your employees. If you’ve ever fallen victim to the ‘3 pm sugar crash’, then you’ll know what we mean.
Foods with a high glycaemic index, such as cakes, sweets or burgers, result in a rapid increase in blood sugar levels, which can leave you feeling slow and groggy for the afternoon.
To get around this, it could be wise to offer healthy alternatives. Some ideas could be communal fruit bowls, nuts, or vegetable crisps. Slow-release carbs such as bananas and walnuts can also be really effective in maintaining employee productivity. Why not check out our top 12 productivity-boosting office snacks?
Not only is this great for your employees’ physical health, but this is also a great way to show gratitude. Did you know that 60% of employees feel more valued when their company provides them with food?
3. Introduce some healthy competition
Who doesn’t like a bit of friendly competition? This can be a really effective way to keep your team productive over the festive season. You can offer rewards in the form of a monetary bonus, an experience such as a spa day, or even some cool office tech. If you have a smaller physical budget, then why not introduce some unique employee perks? For example, you could offer additional annual leave, the chance to finish early on Fridays, or even stop work for the last day before the festive break to watch Christmas films if targets are met or exceeded!
Rewards can be offered for employees who meet their individual targets or groups meeting a company-wide target. Departmental-level competitions could include rewarding the top seller in the sales department or the customer support team member with the highest customer satisfaction score.
4. Review your office environment
Your working environment also plays an important part in keeping your team productive over the festive season. Offices with plenty of natural light, ample third space and fast internet can be perfect for maintaining productivity levels. The temperature of your office is essential too. Did you know that offices below 20 degrees can result in a 50% drop in productivity?
At WorkWell, our luxury business centre offers an abundance of natural light, over 4,500sq.ft. of breakout areas for employees to meet, collaborate and work, as well as superfast WiFi and individually controlled air-con in each room. Why not arrange a viewing at our high-quality serviced offices in Leeds or Harrogate?
7 time-saving tools for business leaders
As a business leader, you’ll often find that time can be your worst enemy. With the pressure of the day-to-day management of an organisation, retaining clients and winning new business, as well as trying to find time to see family and friends, it can be a very demanding job. As a result, many business leaders struggle to achieve a good work-life balance.
Trying to pack all the responsibilities that come with running a business into one day can often prove challenging. Did you know that 80% of CEOs wake up before 6 am? Here’s a full breakdown of how the average Chief Executive spends their day. Traditional time-saving techniques such as prioritising your workload, organising your daily schedule with a calendar and only checking emails at certain times of the day, can be really effective in streamlining your working day.
But with the introduction of technology has also come a range of useful time-saving apps and tools. Many of which can help enhance the effectiveness of these traditional techniques. And you know how much we love our technology at Carrwood Park…
Automation can save you so much time. How long do you spend putting together your to-do list for the day? Imagine if you could add an action to your list with a single touch of a button.
This free tool, If This Then That (IFTTT), uses ‘Applets’ to link your apps and devices together. With over 1,000,000,000 Applets being used every month, you can automate anything and everything from the temperature of your office to muting your phone during meetings!
Slack can be a great tool to keep in touch with your employees, especially if you have any remote workers. It’s designed to make it as easy as possible to contact your team, and can be useful if you want to quickly get a message to someone. You’ll find that a lot of people only check their emails or texts at certain times of the day, so you’re often left waiting for an urgent response… Encourage your employees to download Slack on their desktop, mobile, tablet, Apple Watch and so on, and you’ll rarely have to worry about this.
If you struggle with memorising your passwords, Dashlane will be a lifesaver! This tool securely stores your passwords and automatically logs you in when you visit a website. If you have more than one account, for example on Twitter, simply click the Dashlane icon and you’ll be presented with an option of different accounts to choose from.
If your employees ever need to sign in using your login details, you can securely share the passwords via Dashlane. The great thing about this is that your employees don’t even need to know the password to log in! As long as they use Dashlane too, they’ll be able to log in automatically…
This ‘beautiful accounting software’ allows you to monitor and manage your cash flow on the go. It links to your mobile, tablet and desktop, meaning no matter where you are, you can send payments and invoices, schedule bills, create purchase orders and more! Xero also integrates with over 600 third-party apps for extra convenience.
If you’re a regular networker, odds are you’ll have a pile of business cards stashed away somewhere. Or maybe you have an accumulation of business cards scattered around the office. Either way, this tool will come in handy. Use your iPhone to scan your business cards and immediately import their contact details into your iOS contacts. The app even integrates with CRM systems such as Salesforce, saving you and your team hours of admin work!
Buffer is one of the best tools out there to ensure your social media accounts stay topped up with content. Similar to Hootsuite, you can use this tool to schedule posts ahead of time to avoid constantly being on social media. It integrates with Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Google+ and so on…
Another fantastic feature of Buffer is the Google Chrome Extension. You can use this to instantly share an interesting article to your social media channels, or, of course, schedule it ahead of time. You can even schedule a retweet to avoid spamming your followers!
Turn your iPhone into a portable scanner with this simple but effective tool. It uses advanced software to quickly scan any paper documents and convert them into a digital file. Scanner Pro also allows you to edit the file, meaning you can use it to sign contracts and scan books, receipts or other documents. You don’t even need to worry about creases or coffee stains – the app automatically detects this and converts it into a clean PDF file. As you can imagine, this can save you a lot of time.
These tools will truly streamline your working day, saving you hours every week! Why not try them out for yourself and let us know what you think on Twitter, Facebook or LinkedIn?
Are you looking for a workspace designed with productivity and innovation in mind, where you and your team can truly excel? Why not arrange a viewing at our luxury serviced offices in Leeds and Harrogate?
Top 12 productivity-boosting office snacks
There’s a growing awareness of how important it is to promote wellbeing in the office. Business owners and employees alike are beginning to realise the importance of an office environment that encourages a healthy lifestyle and a good work-life balance.
This isn’t just a new fad. Countless academic studies have reported the productivity benefits of happy, healthy employees. Healthier workers take less time off sick, which can result in significant savings over time. Taking active steps to promote a healthy workforce can also help to attract and retain talent. Research suggests that millennials are particularly keen to work for companies that value their well-being.
Why does healthy food matter?
Food is the fuel our bodies run on. The better our diet, the better we’re likely to feel afterwards. And the better we feel, the higher our concentration levels will be.
Fresh, healthy food provides us with energy, improves our mental health, helps our bodies to fight sickness and boosts our focus. Ultimately, if you eat well throughout the working day, you’re more likely to consistently produce great results.
Unfortunately, offices can often be high-risk environments for unhealthy food. It’s not unusual for workers to eat junk food at their desks because they haven’t had time to go out to get anything else. Vending machines, biscuit platters in the boardroom and boxes of chocolate for the team can also be difficult to avoid.
Why not make a commitment to make healthier food choices at work? Resist the temptation to eat one of the cupcakes that your colleague bought for everyone, and instead indulge in some fresh fruit!
Business owners can help with this, too. Changing up the refreshments you offer during meetings and work events can have a big impact here, as can ensuring your team members have enough time at lunch to eat a well-balanced meal. And instead of placing chocolate and sweets around your office across the festive season, why not offer mixed nuts and dried fruit instead?
Having access to food preparation facilities can often be overlooked, too. Instead of buying a ready meal from the shop, this means you can prepare something fresh, providing you with more nutrients. This is a real priority for us at WorkWell, and we offer high-quality shared kitchen spaces for users of our serviced offices and co-working spaces.
12 productivity-boosting office snacks
Looking to boost your productivity at work? Why not replace your office sweet cupboard with some of these healthy snacks?
- Raw nuts
Nuts are packed with vitamins, minerals and essential fats like omega-3s, which provide healthy fats for energy, mitigate stiffness and joint problems and help to regulate mood.
- Carrot sticks and hummus
Carrots can be a great low-calorie snack, containing lots of vitamins and minerals, and not many carbohydrates. Combine this with hummus and you’ll get a nice balance of minerals, protein and fibre – and an extra-delicious snack!
- Fibre-rich fruits
High fibre fruits, like berries and apples, are ideal for a mid-morning snack as they can make you feel ‘full’ sooner. Studies also suggest that fibre plays a part in improving your immune system, meaning you’re less likely to fall victim to the dreaded cold that’s going around the office.
- Coconut chips
Packed with healthy fats, coconut chips can serve as a sweet replacement for your normal packet of crisps or popcorn.
- Roasted chickpeas
Like nuts, chickpeas have a low GI (glycemic index), which means they release energy slowly so are great for maintaining productivity. Delicious served straight from a can or as the key ingredient in hummus, this versatile food can also be served roasted as an alternative to nuts.
- Green smoothies
Have you noticed more people drinking green juices recently? There’s a good reason for that! By blending leafy greens and vegetables into a smoothie, you can easily hit your five-a-day. Blending from fresh means you retain vitamins often lost in cooking processes, and the liquid format means your body can more readily absorb the goodness. Counteract bitterness by adding some ripe fruit like mango or pineapple. Here’s how to blend the perfect green smoothie…
- Greek yoghurt and honey
Honey has been used medicinally for centuries, for everything from a cold to lowering your blood sugar. Mix this with greek yoghurt, known for its digestion-aiding probiotics, and you’ll do a load of good for your stomach.
- Bananas
Slow release carbs, such as bananas and walnuts, can help you avoid the ‘3pm sugar crash’ – something that you may be familiar with if you tend to snack on doughnuts and sweets.
- Unsweetened dried fruit
Dried fruit is a great source of energy and fibre. It’s also a lot more office-friendly than fresh fruit as it is non-perishable, which means you can store it at work without worrying about it going off. If you often eat porridge or granola at work, why not add some dried apricots and raisins to it?
- Celery sticks with peanut butter
Research suggests that celery and peanut butter can reduce your chance of heart disease and diabetes. It’s also a lot more filling than some of the other snacks on this list. Although if you’re watching your weight, try not to go overboard on the peanut butter…
- Granola bars
Low in sodium and high in potassium, granola bars can increase blood and oxygen flow in your body. This means you’ll have higher concentration levels, and for longer!
- Vegetable crisps
Like coconut chips, these can be a healthy, low-saturated fat alternative to your average packet of crisps. For added health benefits, why not try making your own vegetable crisps at home?
What are your favourite productivity-boosting office snacks? Have we missed any out? We’d love you to share them with us on Twitter.
What else can you do to promote health and productivity in the office?
There are a wide range of techniques and initiatives that companies can explore in order to encourage better health and productivity among their employees. At WorkWell, we offer a range of perks to promote health and wellbeing, as well as attracting and retaining talent.
These include:
- Plants in the office
- An eco-friendly working environment
- Plenty of windows to boost natural light
- Sparkling facilities, cleaned daily
- Over 4,500 sq. ft. of breakout areas and third space
Do you want to benefit from a working environment designed with employee productivity and wellbeing in mind? Why not arrange a viewing at our luxury serviced offices in Leeds or Harrogate?
Employee engagement: the dark horse of business success
We often hear about self-proclaimed business growth experts offering ‘secrets’ into their tactics. These tactics can be anything and everything from a basic marketing strategy to gaining financial investments.
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Why we’re proud to be an eco-friendly business
Did you know that global temperatures are rising at an alarming rate, with 16 of the 17 warmest years on record coming after 2001? Or that Arctic sea ice has shrunk by 3.5-4.1% every decade since 1979? With one of the strongest recorded hurricanes in history recently hitting the Atlantic, it’s unsurprising that climate change is one of the most important topics of this century.
As an eco-friendly business centre based on the rural outskirts of Leeds, we’ve always appreciated the wonders of nature and, as a result, have been proactive in doing our bit for the environment. And over the last few years, we’ve noticed even more businesses following suit and making an effort to ‘go green’. We’ve seen companies invest in eco-friendly products, offer options for remote working, and even set up their own ‘green committee’.
At WorkWell, we’re proud to apply the ‘Three Rs’ – Reduce, Reuse and Recycle – to meet both international standards and our environmental targets. Some ways we meet these targets include using carpet made from recycled plastic bottles, enhancing building insulation to reduce wasted heat, and sorting 100% of our waste for recycling.
Since introducing these strategies, we’ve noticed a whole load of benefits across the business, our residents, and our team.
Make a real difference to the environment
Even the smallest things can have such a positive impact on the environment. With 150 acres of rainforest lost every minute, going paperless – or at least making a conscious effort to reduce the amount you and your company use – can make a real difference. At Carrwood, we’ve been taking this one step further with a tree planting scheme to offset the environmental impact of our business park. We have over 1,200 trees across the 100 acres that make up Carrwood Park and Brookfield Court!
Meet UK recycling targets
Did you know that at WorkWell, we sort 100% of our waste for recycling, which means just 16-18% goes to a landfill site? With the recycling targets for UK businesses at 75% by 2020, recycling should be a focal point in your business.
It’s easy to implement in everyday office life, too! Ensure that your office has enough recycling bins, make an effort to separate the recyclables from non-recyclables on your office clear-outs, or even try introducing a rewards scheme for the top recyclers. At Carrwood Park, we like to think about the bigger picture too, using office furniture with up to 50% recycled content…
Reduce business costs
Becoming more eco-friendly can save your business a lot of money, too. Even something as simple as using refillable pens can save you a surprising amount of money in the long run. Furniture made of natural materials like wool tends to be easier to clean than other materials, which means you can save costs with cleaning. And just think about how much money you could save by getting your employees to print double-sided! Remember that it all adds up.
A better working environment
Research suggests that introducing greenery to the office boosts employee productivity, motivation and happiness. Plants can reduce the amount of CO2, dust and mould in the air, not only contributing to cleaner air around the office but also in your local community.
Companies with ‘green committees’ can reap the benefits of a better working environment too; encouraging your employees to work towards a mutual cause can bring your team closer together. This strengthened team spirit, combined with the effects of a greener office, helps to carve a better working environment for both your business and your employees.
Improve business sustainability
Did you know that working towards a greener environment has a positive impact on the sustainability of your business? This means that if you have methods in place to deal with rising costs due to climate change and you’re less dependent on natural resources than your competitors, you have a greater chance of long-term success. And if you consider the fundamentals of business sustainability (profits, people, and the planet), it makes sense…
Become a haven for wildlife
Depending on where you focus your environmental efforts, you could even build up a haven for wildlife around your office. This won’t be a fast process and is likely to take months, if not years, to build up, but it’s worth it! Not only does this help improve employee happiness and motivation, but you’ll find that it becomes a great talking point for any prospective clients or employees…
As a business that was originally built on farmland, we’ve always been at one with nature. Did you know we’re home to two pairs of nesting red kites? You may even spot one on your next visit!
Are you interested in working from an eco-friendly business centre in the heart of Yorkshire? At WorkWell, we offer a variety of business growth solutions from serviced offices and co-working spaces to meeting rooms and virtual offices. Why not get in touch with our team now to find out how we can help?
WorkWell’s Meeting Room Guide
Why opt for a hired meeting room in Leeds?
Leeds is home to over 536,000 individuals, making it the UK’s second largest city. The business-oriented city attracts many organisations to its trendy cosmopolitan streets, creating appeal around hiring quality, well-facilitated and flexible spaces to hold meetings, events and seminars.
Leeds is a practical city to run meetings out of, with fantastic transportation links for the whole of the North and even to the south, it makes it simpler for anybody across the UK to attend a meeting.
Whilst the transport links offer convenience, Leeds offers more practicalities, with a plethora of shops, cafes, restaurants and bars for food and drink to be gotten from. Being surrounded by so many options can reduce the time spent navigating to the nearest local shop.
Leeds is a developing city, with money being put into improving the city’s infrastructure and green spaces. This means that whilst you may want the convenience of a meeting room in an urban environment, you can still find green spaces to enjoy your lunch or a long walk.
Potential issues to consider with hiring a meeting room?
Hiring a meeting room comes with a lot of considerations to be made, whether it is the budget, the capacity of a space, or the technological capabilities. Considering each aspect of your ideal meeting room will set you up for success.
- Ensure the space has the technical capabilities and IT support for those days where it may be causing some issues.
- Will you have access to other facilities? I.e. printer access or a kitchenette
- Location is king, make sure everyone attending can get there without it costing too much money or time!
- Consider taking a tour, there’s nothing worse than feeling like you’re trapped in an arrangement that doesn’t meet your business needs. Try before you buy will help protect from any issues.
- Make sure to book with plenty of time to prepare. Don’t try booking the day before, make sure you and your meeting room provider are prepared for your attendance, more so, making sure they’re not booked up!
Stretching your meeting room budget
Looking for ways to make the most of your meeting room budget? Accessing a high-quality environment for meetings helps increase your business’s credibility and can contribute towards the general success of your organisation. However, stretching your budget isn’t always a practical solution for just the one meeting, so we’ve come up with some ways you can stretch your budget:
- Connect with another business – Do you know anyone that would be interested in sponsoring your meetings? This could be in the form of anything from providing the catering for your meeting to handing out branded goodie bags to your attendees. If you do the relevant research and get a bit creative with your approach, this tactic can really pay off.
- Look for hidden costs – Some of the seemingly-cheaper meeting rooms often come with a variety of hidden costs. This could be for anything from the catering to using the wi-fi! We can’t stress enough how important it is to ask exactly what is included in the price before you make your booking.
- Opt for all-inclusive packages – It could be a lot more cost-effective to book an all-inclusive meeting room package. Take time to look for a package to suit your business and you could end up saving a lot of money on things you usually pay extra for!
- Host out of the city – People often assume that a city centre location is perfect for your meetings, but that’s really not the case! More rural locations don’t just tend to be more cost-effective compared to city-centre meeting room facilities, but they may also provide a more convenient location for your attendees.
- Have a fixed budget for all meetings –Sometimes it can really help to visualise things by writing them down on paper. Take some time to work out exactly how much you can afford to spend on each meeting, down to the penny. From here, you can keep this figure in mind when booking your meetings to make sure you don’t go over your budget.
- Create an opportunity for funds to be raised – This is no short-term solution, but creating additional means to fund your meetings can be a great way to subsidise any excess costs from your budget.
- Booking in bulk – Some meeting room providers offer discounted rates for bulk bookings. Simply ask around and find the perfect place for you.
- Electing to use a smaller space – Consider the size of the space needed to comfortably conduct a meeting. Instead of picking one, you can roam around in, look for one that comfortably sits attendees and provides you with the necessary amenities to conduct.
For more tips on finding meeting space and overcoming the challenges involved in planning and running meetings, the WorkWell blog is a mine of useful information and advice – subscribe today for regular updates.
What’s going on at this year’s Buy Yorkshire Conference
With 200 stands and attracting around 4,000 delegates, Buy Yorkshire is the North’s biggest B2B conference and exhibition.
This highly-anticipated annual business event is nearly here.
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Ergonomic office innovations we can’t afford to ignore
The benefits of ergonomic office furniture have long been realised and documented. ‘Sitting comfortably’ can improve productiveness by as much as 11%. By contrast, an uncomfortable office can be damaging to our health and wellbeing. Though ergonomic workspace is becoming increasingly innovative.
From standing up to work, to have a ‘third place’ to relax, take a look at the following ergonomic office innovations we can’t afford to ignore.
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