New Products
Social media leads to closer bonds with coworkers
The concept of social media as a threat to professionalism is slowly becoming outdated. More organizations are adopting online social tools to foster camaraderie among coworkers, adding to a company’s productivity. Experts posit that engagement between coworkers reduces employee turnover and increases loyalty and mutual emotional support at work. Carlos Gracia, founder of Nobox, a social media […]
Is your open-plan office hurting your health?
Set aside the hand sanitizer for a moment: though prevailing office etiquette suggests sniffly coworkers are the greatest germ-carrying risk, a recent study out of Sweden finds that office design and layout has an unexpected relationship to employee sick time. As EHS Today reports, the study, titled “Office Design’s Impact on Sick Leave Rates,” considered […]
Who’s really winning in the workplace surveillance game?
As employees become more tech-savvy, offices whine over lower productivity, loss of work hours, and data theft. An occasional phone call and a few minutes on the internet are perfectly fine, but distraction over long periods of time can result in huge losses. To minimize the risk of fraud and keep people focused, businesses worldwide […]
Wayfinding techniques revamp hospital design
Talk about adding insult to injury: to visit a hospital is, in most cases, to get profoundly lost. Signs are few and far between, or scattered about with seemingly little planning. Elevators and hallways never seem to lead where they say they will, and most visitors need a medical textbook to help distinguish what each […]
How to conference call like a pro
The inherent awkwardness of the average conference call is captured in a new video from YouTube favorites Tripp and Taylor. Watch the quick clip and see how palpable discomfort – and the little white lies – becomes clear as day when the comedians cast a light on a normally remote banality of the typical workday. […]
Brooklyn Best Buy faces emergency exit fines
A Best Buy in Brooklyn has been cited for blocking an emergency exit, according to reports by The Brooklyn Eagle. Penalized by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration, the retailer — which had previously been fined for a blocked exit in another location — will answer to a proposed fine of $27,500. Kay Gee, […]
How to catch winks at work: Where (and why) to nap on the job
Following reports that junior bankers in the world’s most competitive investment banks have been taking to their office bathroom stalls for much-needed rest breaks, even the non-bankers among us have been contemplating where to rest at work. Some workplaces offer nap rooms, such as those found at Nationwide Planning Associates, and The Huffington Post, outfitted […]
High-tech Google contact lenses probably don’t do what you think
Your first thought after hearing about Google’s new smart contact lenses may have been of Google’s other buzzed-about innovation, Google Glass. But if you were thinking that the two had anything in common, you’d be wrong. On Thursday, Google announced plans to make contact lenses embedded with minuscule chips and sensors that will measure the glucose […]
Dress to sweat: workout wear Friday gets employees moving
Loosen your ties and strap on your sneakers: if the Washington Post has anything to do with it, office workers may soon be replacing slacks with yoga pants… at least on Fridays. In a post that generated its share of comments and controversy, Post fitness and health writer Vicky Hallett argued the “Case for Workout […]
How effective are corporate wellness programs?
Aware of the fact that company’s finance hinges on the health of its employees; more and more companies are incorporating health and wellness programs. But are these efforts paying off? According to the National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, productivity loss due to family and personal health problems cost US employers $1,685 […]