Category: Office Tips

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Ergonomics In The Workplace

 

There is a need for good ergonomics in the workplace.

An ergonomic workplace not only ensures the safety and comfort of the workers but also boosts their productivity. Proper ergonomics will effectively prevent injuries at the workplace. Ergonomics is all about the designing and arrangement of various products as well as systems at a workplace and also the usage of these product and systems by those who work there. Ergonomics enable the workers to avoid stress at workplace and ultimately it ensures them comfort and happiness. When a workplace has good ergonomics the workers will be healthy and enthusiastic whereas poor ergonomic conditions will lead to various types of injuries and other physical complications. when the environs of a workplace are not properly designed or not maintained in the proper way it will cause either long-term or permanent disability, fall in efficiency, huge loss of revenue and more number of medical claims. In a workplace or an office, the purpose of ergonomics is to make the workplace suitable, safe and comfortable for all the men and women who work there. When the workplace has goo ergonomics it will effectively prevent MSDs (Musculoskeletal Disorders).

The main ergonomic aspects of a workplace

Relief from stress

When the workers in a workplace complain of neck pain, back pain or shoulder pain, it indicates lack of workplace ergonomics. Instead of sitting for hours together, the workers may make it a practice to get up from their chair at intervals,  or they can make it a habit to get up from the seat when they want to with someone over the phone or to file a document, etc. When they want to relax for few minutes, they can get away from the seat. By walking a few steps and stretching during the short breaks they can get relief from stress. Stress can lead to physical injuries. When one is working under stress he/she will remain tense throughout the day. They will forget to take sufficient breaks and also fail to report their medical problems. This will only lead to injury and more complications.

Avoid eyestrain

Those who who spend a lot of time on the computer complain about eye strain. To solve this problem the gare of the light needs to be corrected first, either by adjusting the position of the light or by adjusting the position as well as the angle of the monitor. When there is a light screen background it will be more comfortable to the eyes. Occasionally focusing on an object off the monitor one can give rest to the eye muscles. Those who use a laptop may use an external keyboard as well as a mouse.

Ensure readability

Monitors with poor resolution and monitors that flicker need to be rectified or replaced. The font size must be appropriate so as to avoid eye strain. Those who wear glasses may use full-frame reading glasses which are specifically prescribed for the monitor distance. The monitor must be kept straight in front of the user and the referring documents may be kept to immediate right or left.

Awareness of workplace ergonomics

Proper awareness of workplace ergonomics is very important for everyone. When a worker has proper understanding of his/her work environment he/she can control and adjust various aspects of the surroundings. Control and awareness are very important for reducing the stress.

Perfect workplace ergonomics is in the best interests of all concerned. Poor workplace ergonomics will create physical problems for the employees and heavy financial loss to the employers. The employers can utilize the service of ergonomics specialist who will make specific recommendations for improving the ergonomics of the workplace after studying the working conditions.

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Making Your Workplace More Ergonomic

 

How can you make your office or workplace more ergonomic?

Workplace ergonomics is very essential to ensure the safety and comfort of all those who work there. Those who want to make the work desk more ergonomic may have to make some changes in the entire workplace. One can create a custom ergonomic work desk that meets all the requirements. Those who are aware of the importance of workplace ergonomics can improve the office in such a way that those who work there will be assured of a healthy as well as stimulating environment. It is also important to conduct periodic evaluation of the workplace ergonomics and make suitable changes or improvements to ensure that the employees are provided with comfortable and healthy working environs.

It is not a difficult task to improve the ergonomics of the workplace. By way of making the workplace more comfortable as well as healthier, the productivity of the employees can be enhanced. In modern workplaces one can find many advanced ergonomic products. All such products enable the employees to work more comfortably. Here are a few tips to make the workplace more ergonomic.

Start using Standing Desk Conversion

Without going for total replacement of the work desk the workplace ergonomics can be improved by way of providing standing desk conversion. Standing Desk Conversion is made on the surface of the existing work desk with adjustable height so that the employ can work on it sitting or standing. The Standing Desk Conversion should have separate platforms for the computer monitor, keyboard and the mouse.

Identify all risk factors and prevent injuries

Long frequency, high forces, uneasy or awkward postures are the common risk factors which can lead to various muscular as well as skeletal disorders. Long term exposure to these risk factors may cause injuries of the tissues of muscle, nerves, blood vessels, joints, spinal disc, tendons and other parts of the body. When the body becomes unable to heal such injuries, the affected part or organ in the body fails to function normally. These risk factors must be considered and remedial measures are to be taken while improving the ergonomics of the workplace.

Implement healthy working posture

Neck pain, shoulder pain and back pain occur mainly because of improper working habits. In order to make the workplace more ergonomic the employees must be taught the right position in which they can sit and work. Throughout the working hours one should keep on changing his/her body position. While typing contents from another document one has to make use of a document stand so as to avoid frequent twisting of the neck as well as bending forward and backward. The monitor must be centered with the chair and key board. When one has to attend a telephone call while working on the computer, a headset may be used to avoid the strenuous neck positioning to hold the receiver on the shoulder. The workplace must be arranged in such a way that one need not bend or stoop too much. One must sit relaxed while working on the desk. The shoulder and neck should not be subjected to continued strain.

Arrange ergonomic seating

Improper and uncomfortable seating arrangements in the workplace will cause lower back pain. The height, pan depth and armrests of the chair should be adjustable. The edges of the chair should be round as well as soft and the backrest must be sufficiently inclined. While sitting in the chair one should not have difficulty to sit in different postures. The person occupying the chair must be able to sit comfortably without leaning forward. The chair must be made of slip-resistant fabric and the casters should be suitable to the surface of the floor.

All the people working in a workplace must be aware of the ergonomic conditions and they should have control over the same. This will help them to reduce stress at the workplace. It is very important to properly understand the work environment.

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Why Should You Buy An Expensive Writing Instrument

Why would you buy an expensive writing instrument (pens)

Pens are an absolute must to write on paper. It is necessary for every person, irrespective of the profession or trade they may be into to buy good quality pens that are not only functional and offers flawless writing, but also feel good to hold and can enhance the user’s personality. There are available pens from different brands and prices. The best ones are sure to have a great feel while you’re writing

Ink pens

Today, pens are regarded to be a combination of chemical, mechanical engineering and ergonomics. You can find one for every type of writing, style and occasion. There are many who are interested in getting the best quality writing instruments right from their school days. The fountain pen has always been quite popularly used across the globe for a very long time. Although ball pens are considered to be the most used, fountain pens still are quite popular with those who prefer style and grace in their writing. There are available expensive ink pens from different brands that do appear appealing for giving signatures on documents.

Why own an expensive fountain pen?

People in huge numbers and from all walks of life are ready to spend hundreds of dollars to buy a good quality writing instrument. Some of the reasons to buy expensive fine fountain are as follows:

  • Gold nib: You can easily find fountain pen nibs that are made from gold. You can feel a unique writing experience that is smoother, softer and much more satisfying. Moreover, gold is much costly than steel.
  • Collectible: There are hundreds of collectors who just love to have limited edition pens that are quite expensive.
  • Quality: With a good quality expensive pen, you are sure to get what you actually pay for. By spending more on the expensive fountain pen, craftsmanship and materials used are likely to be far more superior. It can be similar to that of buying jewelry created from gemstones and genuine gold, when compared to purchasing costume jewelry.
  • Filling system: Piston styled ink filling system is preferred by many writers rather than the converter/cartridge filling type. Such pens are quite commonly found among the expensive variety.
  • Family heirloom: Good quality pens can last for a life time and can be handed over to several generations. Many writers are known to treasure writing with the fountain pen which was used by any of their forefathers. It is possible to pass on fond memories by passing the fountain pen to children and grandchildren.
  • Design: Apart from being functional, few fountain pens can be treated as compact art work.
  • Status: There are places where status does matter a lot. It is here that classy pens tend to convey the right message of success. It shows impeccable taste of the owner, something that is not achieved with those cheap ballpoint pens.
  • Less waste: It is only a good quality pen that will write for several years. If ink is exhausted, then it does not have to be tossed out in the trash. Instead, it can be refilled with choice of ink.

The above reasons should be good enough for you to invest in good quality expensive pens. And on top of looking first class, you’ll feel first class too.

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Do You Really Need That Color Copier?

copier, office, scanner, fax machine, office equipment, color printer, are color printers worth the cost, printer costs, printer ink

Copiers have evolved dramatically over the past 15 years and while that may sound like a good thing, it’s not really so good for the copier manufacturers. This may mean that it’s also not so good for you – the user.

As background, 15 years ago, copiers were just starting to evolve from the older analog models to digital platforms. What’s the difference? Analog units worked by reflecting light off of a document and then ‘bouncing” it through a series of mirrors to a drum where it would “charge” the drum to attract toner that it would then transfer to paper. Pass the paper through a heat roller to bond the toner to the paper and you had your copy. To make multiple copies, you had to scan multiple times – “Scan many, print many.”

Copiers were traditionally sold on a three year lease with a “click charge”. There was a monthly charge for the lease and then a charge per copy for every copy run. That charge per copy (click charge) includes both the cost of the toner, which the vendor supplier as well as the maintenance of the unit by the vendor’s service people.

These units were never going to be as reliable as other office equipment because of the high use and the repetitive mechanical action. Vendors could easily upgrade customers to the next great thing because people grew tired of their unreliable old copier. Leases were written for three years and were easy to “roll over”.

The industry then began to evolve to Digital Copiers. These would scan the copy, store it in memory and print it out as many times as needed. These were the “Scan once, print many” generation. They were inherently more reliable because of the fewer moving parts and they allowed the vendors to build in many optional features that would help increase the cost.

These features included using the copier as a shared printer, a fax machine, and a scanner to both email and to storage. Print volume went up, vendors were happy and customers enjoyed the new reliability. And that then became the vendor’s problem.

Because the units were more reliable and had so many features available, buyers and users were reluctant to upgrade as often. Vendors began to run out of new features to incent upgrades. To keep the revenue stream going, they turned to color.

Color copiers had been around for years. They produced high quality “glossy” copies at a high price and a very high click charge. This was usually kept down in the copy room and required approval to be used. What the vendors came up with now was “business color”. This color was great for graphs, bar charts and power point presentations with more of a “matte” finish, and was at a much lower cost than the big color printer.

To build the revenue, they started making it standard on a full line of copiers. Now everyone could have color. But, while the color pricing was much lower than in the past, it was still higher than the black and white cost. And, because the printer could print both black and white and color, the black and white cost was slightly higher. Win-win for the vendors. A higher black and white cost and the potential for still higher color cost that they never got before on the basic office copiers.

Today, color is common and is driving the revenue for the vendors. The question you need to ask as users is, do I really need this? If yes, do I need to control it somehow? Imagine all of those little league schedules and apple pie recipes that everyone uses the office copier for, now being printed in color. It can be controlled by using passwords to access the color capability or by having software to charge each department for the copies they print. In the end though, the best control may be to still only have black and white copiers for the floor use and just a few of the business color copiers that are controlled. In the end, color costs money.

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IS THERE STILL VALUE TO POSTAGE METERS?

postage meters, postage, shipping, shipping costs, stamps, stamp prices

Before looking at the meters you have to understand how today’s postage rates are set up.  The recent reduction has moved the cost of the basic one ounce stamp back to 47 cents.  The cost for the oversized envelope is 94 cents for the first ounce.  Now here’s the price that might make the meter worthwhile – the cost of the second ounce for either is only 21 cents.  Think about how many times you’ve just put that second forever stamp on an envelope when you weren’t sure how much it weighed.

So, does your office need a meter?  Of course the answer depends on how much you mail.  In a very low volume mailing situation, it probably doesn’t make a lot of sense.  Just make sure you buy the right stamps.

Once your volume goes up however, there can be some great savings with a meter.  Savings can come in different ways.  First, you can save the hassle of going to the Post Office that gets more understaffed every day.  Today’s meters by law are all digital and postage can be downloaded electronically.  You just need an account with your meter providor.  And running mail through the meter is a lot easier than peeling and sticking the stamps on.  (And much easier than printing out postage on your printer from one of the dot.com postage companies.)

The second savings comes from putting the accurate postage on each piece.  Years ago, I attended a sales convention of a large postage meter company.  Their entire presentation was built around “the sale starts with a scale”.  The real value comes from having an electronic scale that ties into the meter to accurately weigh and meter each piece.

The entire financial justification of a meter (and scale) is that your savings from putting the proper postage on the piece will offset the cost of the hardware.  Now, understand the costs.  By law, you can only rent the meter from the meter companies.  That’s USPS money that sits in those meters and they want to keep control.  You can however buy or lease the scale.  Figure the cost of the meter rental (less than $30/mo) and the scale lease (maybe $20/mo) versus the savings in both postage and convenience and the more professional appearance of metered mail.
Every business is different and you have to take a look at your situation to see if metering makes good business sense.  Hopefully, this blog post has explained some of the basics you need to make a decision.

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Are Fax Machines Still Useful? Part One.

Are Fax Machines still useful? Part One. 

Of course they are. While fax machine usage has dropped significantly in this email age, businesses still can’t let them go.

Why?

-Ease of use. It’s still the easiest way to get a copy of a document from here to there.

-Reliability. When’s the last time you had a fax problem?

-Urgency. They deliver a printed document in just seconds.

-Legality. Most states accept a fax copy as a legal document. Most don’t accept a normal email.

Accepting this, the next question is, how can I save money on these machines I need?

-Step one: Get rid of the machines you don’t need. Fax machines were all over the office 10 years ago. Identify the few you still use and get rid of the rest.

Many were actually rented from the dealer. More were purchased. You should try to cancel the rentals immediately. The dealer will try to offer a buyout price but if you don’t use them, they have no value.

Donate or trash the machines you own. Before you do, check to see if the toner or ink cartridge has any life left. If you are keeping the same model, saving and using these cartridges can save you money.

 

Once you get the fax count down to a useful level, check your phone bill. If you have a digital PBX or switchboard, many of these still required an analog line for the fax. That is a plain old voice line. You still pay for that every month. You may have been paying for phone lines for years that have never been used.

Finally, check your maintenance bills from your fax dealer. You should cancel the maintenance contract on machines you get rid of but also check to see that you’re not being billed for machines that you took out of service long ago. If you don’t tell the dealer they don’t know.

Watch this space for Part Two – more money saving tips for your office – coming soon.