Advantia Business Solutions Blog

Making sure people are equipped and dressed to do their work safely and healthily should be common sense, but it’s also required by law. The Health and Safety Executive says that people must be protected against any health or safety risks at work. Where health and safety cannot be adequately controlled in other ways, the Personal Protective Equipment at Work Regulations 1992 require employers to provide suitable Personal Protective Equipment. When companies provide Personal Protective Equipment they have to make sure it’s properly assessed to ensure it is fit for purpose, that it’s stored and maintained correctly, that users are provided with instructions on how to use it properly and that it’s used correctly. This doesn’t just extend to workers. Customers and visitors also have to be protected whenever they are in any workplace or site with health and safety risks. Personal Protective Equipment reduces workplace accidents and ensures the safety of all site users. It’s essen...

You might’ve heard that it’s National Stationery Week this week (24 th April – 30 th April 2017). And yes, it’s a big deal. In such a technology-dominant era, using pens and pencils might seem pointless ( I’ll save my broken pencil joke for later ) But I can assure you, hand-writing is just as important as that mobile device you have sitting next to you. Why, you ask? Let me explain: 1.        There’s a feeling of joy writing by hand What do you do when you get given a new pen from a colleague or supplier? Well, some of you might just place it in your drawer for when it is needed. However, if you’re anything like me you’ll drop everything you’re doing and write anything you can to give the pen a ‘test run’. For some reason this gives us joy, especially seeing your text so perfectly written on the fresh piece of notebook paper. Don’t get me wrong, writing text messages and note-taking on your mobile device can be quick and easy, but choosi...

From encouraging budding learners to the immediacy of picking up and using a pen at work, there are multiple factors keeping the writing instruments market strong. Here are five: 1. Learning power The pen is still mighty in education for a number of reasons, but a key one is learning power. It’s been shown that when children write a letter by hand, they exhibit increased activity in areas of the brain that are also activated in adults when they read and write. Learning to use cursive, or joined handwriting is an important element of the National Curriculum from Years 1 to 6. Things to bear in mind in this market are the robustness of instruments to withstand pressure from heavy handed learners, rapid drying ink that can prevent smudges and stains and a comfortable grip that will encourage children to write for longer. Komfigrip Handwriting Pens have a triangular grip for correct posture, pressure resistant nibs and a superwashable ink formula to prevent stains ...

Any type of business that’s tendering for new contracts, working towards an accreditation or explaining its progressive approach to customers, employees or suppliers can find itself answering questions on its eco behaviour. So what part can technology play? Quite a big one when it comes to improving environmental performance and cutting costs. When it comes to devices and systems at work, measures that can be taken to improve environmental outcomes can include how products are chosen and how, when and where people work with and recycle technology. Being a better environmental player can include small steps to begin with. Even if a business isn’t kitted out with movement detected motion sensors to turn off un-needed lights, or smart technology to adjust air temperature, there are a few steps any organisation can take to be that bit more environmentally friendly with its tech: Choose wisely Checking existing equipment to see if its life can be extended or performan...

Some may say an untidy office is the sign of a creative mind, but if your workplace unruliness goes beyond a piled up inbox, virtual or physical, you might want to think again. At its worst, office mess causes accidents, the majority of which are falls, frequently caused by equipment, files and cables left lying around. Slips, trips and manual handling, often resulting in broken bones, are the most frequent causes of injury are in the workplace. Here are 5 ideas for taking an office environment from chaos to calm: 1. Get into the zone Divide your workspace into zones, with the closest zone on your desk and only for those items you need within arms’ reach, such as computers, keyboard, telephone, pen holder and notepad. Zones outside of this should include your inbox, reference materials, office supplies and personal items, each in their own area of the office. Classify items as daily, weekly or seldom used and keep those seldom used items well away from your offic...

Colder temperatures, shorter days and a journey home in the dark see many workers go between home, car and workplace without seeing much daylight in the winter months. Being cooped up indoors makes our vitamin D levels drop at this time of year and also makes us much more susceptible to coughs and colds. Experts say that people spending more time indoors together is one of the reasons why we catch more bugs in the winter. Workplaces contribute to the problem because they involve a significant number of people working in close proximity, often sharing devices and desks, making it easier to pick up each other’s germs. With sickness absence costing around £500 per person per year, it makes financial sense for businesses to promote good health practices and ensure the workplace is equipped to combat infection. So, what can you do to fight back against the seasonal bugs? Here are four steps to staying well at work in the colder months: 1. Wash your hands ...

Workplace kitchens are no longer places to just make a brew or store sandwiches. The growth in flexible working, bring your own device (BYOD) and collaborative working means company break rooms are becoming much more than ‘worktop, fridge and kettle’. For informal team meetings, a chat over lunch or a change of scenery, office kitchens nowadays are often designed as multi-purpose spaces. Open plan offices mean people need different rooms to retreat to for quiet working or informal meetings – and employers are responding with a variety of comfortable, easy to use spaces in the kitchen. For an office kitchen that ticks the right boxes, here are six elements for making this space a runaway success: 1. Lounge area Providing somewhere for people to relax, have one to one chats or give informal presentations can help drive collaboration, creativity and engagement. An alternative to the more formal setting of some meeting rooms, comfortable seating can help peopl...

Summer is over, the kids go back to school, and your out of office has been removed. Trying to get back into routine as we return to our day jobs after the holiday period is always going to be a struggle, so here are some survival tips. Be an early bird The first day back in the office is always going to be a struggle, especially since you’re still probably in holiday mode. If you’re not horrendously jet-lagged, try and get a decent night’s sleep, eat a proper breakfast and try to get to work half an hour early. This extra time can also ensure you have time to clean up your desk and make an action plan for the week. Tackle your inbox Now for the time-consuming part. Dreaded emails. You may have only gone away for a week, but that doesn’t mean you won’t get 100s of emails – (Let’s just hope you remembered to turn your ‘out-of-office’ on!) Try and delete as much of the junk emails as you can without opening them, because clicking on them only wastes time you could ...

Every four years, we see the Olympics showcase some of the greatest sports and athletes in the world. Whilst you sit on the sofa watching the action, the Olympics is a prime opportunity to reboot your motivation and update what goals you want in life. It’s important to remember that these athletes have been preparing for these competitions for years and even decades. You might not be destined for the Olympics, but that doesn’t mean you can’t apply the same effort and dedication to your own life and work. Understanding that it takes time to achieve greatness will allow you to plot out long term goals and the short term stepping stones it will take to get you there. Here are some tips to help you find that motivation: The human body is capable of much more than you think The Olympics is full of outlandish flexibility, impressive endurance, and incredibly strong athletes. Don’t be discouraged by the elite level of athleticism you see on the TV. Rather, recognise it as a dis...

Every four years, we see the Olympics showcase some of the greatest sports and athletes in the world. Whilst you sit on the sofa watching the action, the Olympics is a prime opportunity to reboot your motivation and update what goals you want in life. It’s important to remember that these athletes have been preparing for these competitions for years and even decades. You might not be destined for the Olympics, but that doesn’t mean you can’t apply the same effort and dedication to your own life and work. Understanding that it takes time to achieve greatness will allow you to plot out long term goals and the short term stepping stones it will take to get you there. Here are some tips to help you find that motivation: The human body is capable of much more than you think The Olympics is full of outlandish flexibility, impressive endurance, and incredibly strong athletes. Don’t be discouraged by the elite level of athleticism you see on the TV. Rather, recognise it as a dis...

Every parent knows that the summer holidays can affect your business. Depending on your child’s school, you could be looking at your kids being at home for about six to ten weeks. And as lovely as it is to spend quality time with your children, the summer holidays can play havoc with your work life. So what can you do about it? Here are some suggestions: 1) Prioritise Decide what is both urgent and important in your business, things like existing clients or new business requests. Make sure you give yourself time to action these at work, also remembering to give yourself time to arrange childcare if needed. 2) Ditch and automate Ditch the urgent but not important stuff. For example, you can schedule social media updates to be posted when you aren’t in the office (on weekends, etc.) so you don’t feel sucked into unimportant social media chats that aren’t really making a difference to your business. 3) Make a list Take an hour out of each week to list all the ...

Every parent knows that the summer holidays can affect your business. Depending on your child’s school, you could be looking at your kids being at home for about six to ten weeks. And as lovely as it is to spend quality time with your children, the summer holidays can play havoc with your work life. So what can you do about it? Here are some suggestions: 1) Prioritise Decide what is both urgent and important in your business, things like existing clients or new business requests. Make sure you give yourself time to action these at work, also remembering to give yourself time to arrange childcare if needed. 2) Ditch and automate Ditch the urgent but not important stuff. For example, you can schedule social media updates to be posted when you aren’t in the office (on weekends, etc.) so you don’t feel sucked into unimportant social media chats that aren’t really making a difference to your business. 3) Make a list Take an hour out of each week to list all the ...

Summertime is always welcomed with open arms after a cold winter and a rainy spring, and all we want to do is make the most of it whilst it lasts. If you’re stuck in the office during this beautiful time of year, you might find yourself daydreaming more and working less. While you probably have a summer holiday booked, you still have to be at work for the rest of the season. It can be hard to stay on task, especially since summer is usually the slowest time of the year for most businesses, so it’s important to keep yourself motivated and productive at work. 1. Plan Sunshine Breaks During the winter season it is common that a lot of us choose not to go out for a walk during our working day. However, now that the weather is brightening up, plan some time to get outside and soak up the sun! A mid-day walk can help reinvigorate you for the rest of the day, helping refresh your mind and bring back that motivation. 2. Stay Hydrated Drinking water is a great health habit ...

As National Stationery Week continues on for the last couple of days, we thought it would be nice to know some interesting facts about the subject of celebration. From breadcrumbs being used as erasers to the world’s most expensive pen – these stationery facts are worth the read: 1. The average office worker handles around 10,000 sheets of paper every year It has been calculated that the average tree is capable of producing around 80,000 sheets of paper, which is enough to sustain around 8 office workers every year. 2. The post-it note wasn’t invented, it was created by accident In 1968, Spencer Silver, who was an employee of 3M at the time, was trying to create a super-strong adhesive. Yet despite his best efforts, all he could come up with was a very weak adhesive that could be removed without leaving behind any residue. This accidental discovery was then used to create the world’s first post-it note. 3. The ballpoint pen first gained popularity becau...