“Storytelling is one of the most powerful marketing and leadership tools there is,” says communications expert Kelly D. Parker. In this TED Talk, she explains how stories make proposals of all kinds more memorable â and shows how you can craft a compelling narrative to connect, persuade and drive meaningful action.Â
Employee health and safety is a priority in so many aspects of your business; from labor policies, to illness prevention, to safety equipment, and more. One area you may be overlooking, however, are the cleaning products used at your facility. Of course, youâre thinking about regular cleaning and hygiene, but are you thinking about which chemicals are being used in that process?
In this article, we look at some of the concerns with commercial cleaning products that may be among those used in your facilities supplies.
A 2023 study found that 90% of workers who handle cleaning products at work could not recall one ingredient from a product that they use in their job. It seems fair to say that the average person probably doesnât think too much about what chemicals are wiping down their desk, washroom, or other workspaces. However, your workspaces are probably being cleaned with a variety of products, some of which may contain ingredients you wouldnât use in your own home.
When it comes to cleaning chemicals there are a lot of risks, many of which are addressed in your regionâs regulatory workplace safety training guidelines.
If weâre looking past flammability and explosion risks, itâs the less flashy risks to employee health that make certain products a concern. Long-term, repeated exposure to certain chemicals â through inhalation, skin absorption, or ingestion â can have unfortunate consequences, such as:
Itâs not simply the ingredients of the product, but also how theyâre being used. According to Cleaning & Maintenance Management, âthe method by which the cleaning product is delivered can have a substantial effect on chemical exposure. For instance, aerosol sprays emit a large amount of small cleaning product droplets at high velocities, resulting in a much greater chemical inhalation exposure. Pump dispensers, in contrast, emit a smaller amount of larger droplets at a lower velocity.â
Donât fall for idealistic branding. It may be tempting to simply buy products touted as âgreenâ or âeco-friendlyâ and accept that as due diligence. However, a recent study from the University of York found that these designations donât always mean thereâs no harm, especially when it comes to impacting air quality.
Particularly, the study found that some green cleaners emitted the same or even higher rates of harmful chemical compounds, due to âthe fragrance ingredients of these products.â
Unfortunately, there is no perfect solution. To maintain hygiene standards, cleaning products are essential. However, there is a lot you can do to reduce the risks of adverse health effects on your employees:
In conclusionâŚ
Most people arenât aware of what goes into their cleaning products or what risks they pose. However, in a business setting, this can potentially lead to your employeeâs health being jeopardized. By taking the proper time to speak with your vendor and understand the products you are using, you are taking the best care of the people who work for you.
Everyone is time poor these days â and one of the casualties of this epidemic is a healthy nightâs sleep. Itâs well known that sleep deprivation has some serious consequences for your health and work-life balance. Illness, poor work performance, burnout, and strained personal relationships are just a handful of the risks. Â
So how do you fix it? You might not be able to squeeze in going to bed earlier every night, but new research suggests the real benefits will come from waking up at a consistent time every day. In this issue of The Pulse, we take a look.Â
Waking up at the same time every morning is critical in setting your bodyâs circadian rhythms and resulting in a better nightâs sleep overall. Consistent wake up times program your body to know when it should be awake, allowing it to shut down better and make the most of the time you are sleeping. In fact, over time, this will train your body to automatically know when to release melatonin, the hormone in charge of inducing sleepiness at night and when to stop producing it in the morning. Meaning, it will eventually become easier to fall asleep and wake up.Â
In contrast, when you sleep at erratic times, your body doesnât know when to release melatonin, and therefore can produce â or fail to produce â it at inopportune times throughout your day.Â
When your body operates on a consistent rhythm, it operates better across the board, improving such important things as:Â
All of these things contribute to a more restful sleep and a happier, healthier you in all aspects of life. Â
Part of fixing your circadian rhythm, and waking up at a consistent time every day, is forming strong habits and holding yourself accountable. Â
Some tips include:Â
The good news, following these tips and sticking to a consistent wake up schedule should have noticeable results within a week to ten days. Â
Sleep is important in all aspects of your life; your mental and physical well-being, as well as your work and personal life. If waking up at the same time every day is the key to making each nightâs sleep extra effective, then implementing the habits to make that happen is a fantastic gift to give yourself. Â
If youâre managing a fleet of company vehicles, one of the risks your bottom line faces is employee fuel fraud. A recent survey found that as much as 5% of a transportation companyâs total annual fuel spend might be wasted on fuel fraud. Â
In this article, we take a look at fuel fraud, why it happens, and what your business can do to protect itself.Â
This type of fraud refers to dishonest practices by employees, such as drivers, who are responsible for refuelling company vehicles. Or, it refers to the targeting of said employees by criminals intending to use their corporate fuel card information.Â
This happens in two main ways:Â
It can be advanced or rudimentary theft. On the simpler end, you have drivers filling up some personal jerry cans while refueling the company truck; these instances can be dealt with individually and may not have much of a long-term impact. On the more technologically sophisticated end, organized criminals may target your drivers and use card-skimming to replicate fuel card data, then use those cards to finance other purchases.Â
This trend of fraudulent activity within your fleet can have significant consequences, impacting various aspects of your operations, finances, and reputation. Â
The financial losses are the most obvious consequence. A potential 5% of your fuel budget every year is no small hit, especially considering fuel can account for as much as 60% of a fleetâs operational budget. This could lead to an increase in your operational expenses overall, meaning other opportunities for research and development are missed, potentially giving you a disadvantage compared to your competitors.Â
Misuse of fuel resources can also lead to inefficiencies. When fuel is used for unauthorized purposes or in excess, it reduces the availability of resources for legitimate business activities, potentially leading to delays, disruptions, or increased downtime. This can all have an impact on your business and your customersâ perceptions of you. Â
All in all, employee fuel fraud can have very serious ramifications for your business.Â
The best thing you can do is implement robust controls, monitoring systems, and preventive measures to detect and deter fuel fraud. This can include:Â
The same survey that found that 5% of a transportation companyâs total annual fuel spend goes towards fraud also found that âmost fleets use disparate systems to track fuel spend and other operating metrics, including fuel consumption.â Whether the source of fraud is employees or criminals, if your monitoring methods donât catch it right away, youâll lose more money. Â
Fuel fraud is one of the biggest issues impacting organizations with fleets right now. As tactics become more advanced, ensuring you have the proper monitoring technology is necessary to protect your money, your operations, and your reputation. Â
If youâre an employer, or manage a team of people, one behavior you might find taxing is vacation day âhoarding.â This is the practice of intentionally allowing unused vacation days to accumulate, rather than taking them as intended. Â
In this issue of The Pulse, weâre looking at vacation day hoarding, why it happens, and proactive measures you can use to remedy it.Â
Employees all have individual motivations behind letting their PTO collect. It comes down to a combination of individual personality and workplace environment. Some common reasons include:Â
For both employee and employers, vacation day hoarding is a serious concern and should be addressed to prevent consequences.Â
For employees, vacation day hoarding can lead to:Â
Employers can feel the effects as well, leading to:Â
Employers who are noticing PTO hoarding behavior would be prudent to take several steps to remedy this. Or, even if itâs not an issue yet, and you simply wish to prevent it from becoming one, you can try the following:Â
In conclusionâŚÂ
Despite it being a common practice, vacation day hoarding can have detrimental effects on both employees and employers. However, by fostering a company culture that respects time off and encourages a work-life balance, as well as implementing vacation day policies, employers can remedy these issues. Â
When it comes to office supplies, it can be difficult to distinguish between what is a âwantâ and what is a âneedâ. It becomes even more confusing when employees arenât on the same page and preferences differ. The question left is, how do you support varying office supply needs while ensuring your budget isnât converted into untouched sticky notes? Â
Based on research performed by United Stationers, one of the largest distributors of wholesale office supplies in the B2B space, companies allocate between $186 and $544 annually per employee for office supplies, with expenses varying based on the companyâs scale. Â
Regardless of your company’s size, trimming unnecessary costs will enhance operational efficiency and boost your profits in the long run. This article looks at the different strategies you can put in place to make sure youâre not spending more than necessary for your employees to do their best work. Â
Itâs tempting to buy in bulk if thatâs when discounts appear. However, this can quickly eat away at your bottom line if the supplies arenât being utilized or if they are being taken advantage of. Purchasing office supplies thoughtfully means youâre investing time into finding out which supplies are crucial and appreciated by each employee. It also means youâre investing time into figuring out what kind of shipping options it takes to deliver said supplies. Â
Employee surveys are one way to determine internal office supply needs. By collecting data on employees’ office supply needs, youâre facilitating an environment with open communication while learning more about how your employees complete their in-office work. Â
Setting a consistent purchasing schedule is another way to make sure youâre thoughtfully ordering supplies. This keeps both you and your employees accountable for ensuring your office supply reserve isnât over-consumed and sustainable long-term. Â
Chances are, you didnât randomly select your vendor, and you use them for good reason. However, saving money with your vendors that deliver office supplies doesnât necessarily mean severing ties with them. Instead, a closer examination of how you allocate your funds to such vendors will help to establish a financially symbiotic relationship. Â
For example, businesses often overlook the shipping and mailing rates associated with their ordered office supplies. While one canât control the vendor that delivers their products, they can control which vendor they choose. Choosing office supplies based on their tacked-on shipping prices reduces the total in the long run. While that might feel obvious, finding economical shipping solutions that donât trade cost for convenience is a tedious, but must-do action. Comparing and consolidating all the options is time-consuming but critical given the changes that rapidly occur in carrier pricing structures. However, if thoroughly compared, the best-priced solution becomes more apparent and easier to implement. Â
In most cases, the differences between the name brand and the generic brand are slim. Itâs smart to bulk up on items that are the generic brand, especially for supplies that can be expensive like ink cartridges for example. Generic ink cartridges designed for desktop inkjet and laser printers frequently come at a price that’s only half of what you’d pay for name-brand alternatives, yet they often exhibit negligible discrepancies, if any, in print quality.Â
Office supplies are not as straightforward as one thinks and implementing a regular schedule for auditing stock, pricing structures, and general employee needs is integral to ensuring youâre not overspending on a category that easily be overlooked. Â
When we are young, we often have a specific idea of what it means to be successful. Things like earning a big salary, owning a nice house, a luxury car or boat, etc. All the things grown-ups and the media tell us we are supposed to want. As we age, we often find that maybe those milestones arenât actually what fulfills us; that success does not have one definition but many.Â
Society often bombards us with standards and expectations, but true success isn’t about fitting into a mold; it’s about carving our own paths. Â
What exactly does success mean? The definition of success is, âthe accomplishment of one’s goals.â Notice how it says nothing about money, a house, or a fancy car? Thatâs because success can take the form of whatever you choose for it to be. The sooner you embark on your journey of self-discovery, the sooner you can channel your time and energy into pursuits that genuinely resonate with you.Â
A recent study by analytics company Gallup showed that individuals often, âhave a nuanced definition of success â but think everyone else only cares about money.â Our backgrounds, cultures, and upbringing influence how we define success. But we need to reflect and determine if societyâs goalposts work for us as individuals.Â
For some, success means climbing the corporate ladder, earning big bucks, and achieving higher titles. But for others, it’s about finding joy in their hobbies â mastering a painting technique, reaching a fitness goal, or travelling to new places. Or maybe success is somewhere in between, whatever that might look like. Ultimately, success if what you decide it means to you.Â
As you age or even complete some of your goals, you might find that they donât fulfill you the way you thought they would. You might not even want to achieve them in the end. Thatâs because success isnât static; itâs a journey, not a destination.Â
Just because youâre not there yet, doesnât mean youâll never get there. Setbacks are lessons, not losses. It takes tenacity and determination to achieve any goal.Â
Whether you’re reaching for the stars or enjoying life’s simple pleasures, your version of success is valid and worth celebrating.Â
In the end, success is what makes you smile, what fills your heart with warmth, and what gives your life purpose. So, embrace your journey, embrace your uniqueness, and know that success looks different for everyone â that’s what makes it beautiful.Â
Water cooler chat is the backbone of a socially healthy workplace, but contrary to its name, it doesnât rely on the presence of a âcoolerâ at all. Rather, the âwater cooler chatâ phenomenon is a socially stimulating environment that stops continuous workflow with a slight change in environment, to prolong productivity throughout the workday. Itâs also a place where you can break away from individual thoughts and merge ideas, work-related or not. You donât need a water cooler, or an office, to create this kind of environment, but regardless, the name has stuck and now represents a space where employees can switch gears.Â
With the increased percentage of employees working remotely, especially those who primarily work in office spaces, water cooler chat experiences are dwindling. They are difficult to replicate within hybrid/remote work environments, yet the human need still exists, even if employees donât always realize it. In this article, we take a look at why water cooler chat is vital to the workplace and how to make sure sourcing water for your breakroom is both cost-efficient and sustainable. Â
At this point, you might be thinking, âisnât it a law to provide available drinking water to employees?â While there are regulatory standards for employee breaks and breakroom supplies, that doesnât mean you canât optimize the costs required to fulfill them. Â
Most offices adopted a water cooler system using bottled jugs, often delivered on a recurring schedule and requiring physical installation each time. No matter the kind of work, the costs it takes to keep your team hydrated add up quickly, especially in fields where the headcount is high, and physical labor is required. Â
To reduce breakroom supplies expenditures, many businesses are switching to bottle-less water coolers, offering a physical location for water cooler chats without the hassle or cost of dealing with five-gallon jugs. Bottle-less water coolers are both an economical, and a sustainable solution requiring a one-time installation where the cooler is connected to the building’s existing municipal water supply. Not only do they work in tandem with your existing water system, but some offer advanced filtration abilities such as reverse osmosis and activated carbon. Â
The most notable benefit that comes with the implementation of these systems is reduced longterm costs. On average, one single five-gallon jug of water costs about $15 per month when you factor in shipping and delivery. Normally, you wonât just need one per month, that number could fluctuate drastically. Itâs not uncommon for a business to spend upwards of $200 a month just on bottled water. Â
With bottle-less systems, youâre not only paying less for the water itself, but youâre eliminating the delivery service fees that come with traditional water jugs. Although bottle-less water is directly connected to your building’s water and electricity lines, you will certainly not be paying more for it. Municipal water line prices vary but are usually within a range of $0.00025 – $0.0005 per litre, and rates are always public, so you can prepare for invoices ahead of time. Â
Another benefit to this system is the conservation of places where employees can take a break and chat, improving workplace culture. By making filtered water accessible, youâre encouraging a more productive and supportive environment. This is especially emphasized when employees donât have to test their biceps changing coolers out. Â
Lastly, a bottle-less system will undoubtedly reduce your carbon footprint. Every year, jugs fill up landfills if they arenât properly reused. They are made of material that does not decompose quickly, and although they are better than cases of individual plastic bottles of water, their usage will directly lead to increased waste. Itâs not often that the most sustainable solution will also save you money, but when it comes to your breakroom supplies, bottle-less water integration addresses both sides. Â
In the interest of curating a productive workplace environment, perfecting the basics is a great place to start. Reassessing your current office water solutions will help uncover hidden areas that generate unnecessary costs and carbon. Â
The importance of having a strong online presence for your business in the modern world cannot be overstated. If youâve been hesitant to update your digital presence, or are skeptical of its impact, in this issue of The Pulse, we look at some of the statistics that show just how critical it is. Â
In our current digital age, 28-29% of all business is conducted online. This number has only been on the rise since 2020, and shows no sign of slowing down. As of 2023, approximately 71% of all businesses have a website, most of which utilize various tools and hosting platforms that make implementing a brand vision possible, without the required design expertise. Â
This means, if youâre not active online or using a website to attract customers and build credibility, youâre not only missing a huge amount of potential business but allowing your competitors to fill that gap. Â
While having a social media presence increases brand awareness, and generates consumer transactions, social media engagement does not replace the value of a website. Rather, both can work together to drive customer loyalty and business legitimacy through a well-rounded, and accessible presence. Unsurprisingly, nearly 92% of global web traffic comes from Google, further emphasizing the importance of meeting the potential customer where they already are, or rather, where their cursor is.Â
If youâre operating a smaller business, you might be thinking that you can rely on word of mouth or a Facebook page to get by. And, sure, that can be sustainable for a time. However, in the long run, you are missing opportunities to better market yourself. A lot of this boils down to credibility and trustworthiness. Customers want to make informed decisions when spending money; a reliable digital presence is one of the best tools to make choosing your business easy.  Â
In 2023, 43% of small businesses invested in the performance of their website. Once again, if you wonât, your competitors will. Â
Part of the reason online business is so important in this day and age, is that your customers are going to be prioritizing convenience and accessibility more than ever. Being able to find information, answer questions, and make purchasing decisions easily, on any size screen, in any place. Â Â
This applies, especially, if you have the capacity to sell products or services online. In this case, not only is the quality of your website presence critical to having a leg up over your competitors, but the seamlessness of your online payment portal is too. Â
If your website is outdated or dysfunctional, itâs important to invest the funds and effort to resolve that. Here are some things you should know about user experience when it comes to a businessâ website:Â
Likewise, with 54% of web traffic in North America coming from mobile devices, ensuring your website is mobile-compatible is essential. Â
Establishing and maintaining an accessible, informative website is crucial to your businessâ success, especially when nearly a third of all business occurs digitally. Failure to do so might literally cost you. Â
Across the United States and Canada, whether your practice provides scrubs to employees is going to depend on several operational factors. If you find yourself in the position of choosing whether or not to buy or rent scrubs for your employees, or pass the cost off onto the individual, there are several advantages and disadvantages of either scenario to consider. Â
In this article, we break down some the factors to weigh before deciding. Â
If weâre looking at a black and white cost analysis, itâs less expensive to have employees supply their own scrubs. Not only do you avoid the initial purchase, but you may also avoid recurring laundering, replacement, or damage fees. Â
Especially for smaller practices or those with limited budgets, providing scrubs to employees may be burdensome. Many of these practices may opt to reimburse employees for the cost of purchasing scrubs or partner with a provider who will sell scrubs to employees at a discounted rate.Â
There are some advantages to supplying uniform scrubs that you might want to weigh against the cost disadvantage. These include:Â
Owning or renting your employeesâ scrubs means you also have better control over their laundering. Depending on the line of work your practice does, this might be in the best interest of everyone, including your patients. Bacteria and other harmful agents can linger on scrubs long after a shift ends, leading to increased chances of infection inside and outside your practice. Â
Despite the cost on them, some staff may actually prefer buying their own scrubs. Not only does it give them control over the fit, color, and style, but some individuals have sensory preferences when it comes to factors like fabric, necklines, etc. Depending on the size of your staff, and their individual needs on the job, allowing them the freedom to make these decisions for themselves might make for a more harmonious working environment. Â
Deciding whether to pay for scrubs or let employees buy their own is going to depend on your line of work, staff size, requirements, and other unique variables.Â
However, if you do choose to supply your employeesâ scrubs, ensuring that youâre paying fair market rates, and have an optimized laundering and delivery schedule, should those needs apply, is crucial for your practiceâs financial wellbeing.  Â
