Advantia Business Solutions Blog

It’s often that we’re looking to turn the heating up in English offices, as sunny days are a rare accompaniment to our usual week in the office. But with the weather being surprisingly hot lately, we decided to put a few top tips together to help you cope with oppressive office heatwaves and, hopefully, keep you going until the beer garden calls at the end of the day. 1. Ditch the coffee Did you know that during these hot summer days you need to rehydrate with at least 2-3 litres of water a day because we tend to sweat more? This brings us to rule number 1 - Hydration. Get this wrong, you might as well bang your head on the desk a few times to match the headache (and potential heatstroke) that you will be suffering with. You know that water cooler you have in the office? Use it. Our advice would be to bring in a bottle and fill that up, as those tiny little plastic cups can easily fool you into thinking that you’ve drunk enough for the day. (Don’t ...

When it comes to recommending the right fire extinguisher, knowing which type is best for which kind of fire is potentially life-saving. Although the number of fires in the UK has decreased significantly since smoke alarms became commonplace from the 1990s onwards, Fire and rescue services (FRSs) attended around 162,000 fires in England during 2015/16. This is 5% more than the 155,000 attended in 2014/15 (Department for Communities and Local Government’s Fire Statistics report.) From a workplace perspective, retail units, cafes, bars, restaurants and manufacturing sites accounted for many of the 22,000 out of home fires attended by the fire services in 2013-14. These non-residential fires resulted in over 1,000 non-fatal casualties and 17 fatal casualties in 2013-14, making advice on fire safety equipment particularly critical to these end-user groups. The type of extinguisher to use depends on what materials are involved in a fire. With the chief causes of fire includi...

Let’s face it, we all love stationery. Being handed a new and fancy-looking stapler can lift my mood as much as the next person, but there are a few things we did not know about the beloved items we have on our desks (unless you’re a stationery geek). So, let’s lay out the facts (with the assistance of some lovely imagery): There you go, you learn something new every day. Happy World Stationery Day! 

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...

If more bystanders performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) quickly and used defibrillators where available, thousands more people could survive cardiac arrests each year. In its new 2015 guidelines, the Resuscitation Council says that as well as calling the emergency services straight away, people could improve a victim’s chances of survival if they gave CPR immediately on recognising the signs of a cardiac arrest. Defibrillators are portable electronic devices that automatically diagnose and treat life threatening cardiac arrhythmias through the application of electrical therapy, allowing the heart to re-establish an effective rhythm. The use of a defibrillator within three to five minutes of collapse can make survival rates as high as 50 to 70%. Fewer than 2% of victims in the UK have a defibrillator deployed before an ambulance arrives and of the 60,000 cases of suspected cardiac arrest each year, less than half of these have resuscitation attempted by ambulan...

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...