While it's still pretty much the norm for American workers to mold their lives around their bosses' schedules, many small business owners are giving employees flexible work hours, allowing them to take part in outside activities such as graduate school, charitable work or second jobs. Company owners who give their workers such leeway say they're not just being considerate, they're doing something that makes good business sense. More
Beijing Cooldown?
from The Wall Street Journal
The run-up to this summer's Olympics ignited an explosion of new commercial and residential space in the Beijing market over the past two years. The Chinese capital has given itself an urban facelift that includes skyscrapers and sports stadiums, a new third terminal in Beijing's international airport, bigger park space and a more expansive subway system — ingredients for a modern metropolis. More
Retrofitting Buildings Seen as Key to Lower Energy Use
from Charlotte Business Journal
As awareness of global warming enters the public consciousness, a growing number of large corporations are committing themselves to aggressive efforts to become carbon neutral. This means their operations will not result in an addition of greenhouse gases — a major contributor to global warming — to the environment. More
As Web Traffic Grows, Crashes Take Bigger Toll
from The New York Times
There is plenty of disappointment to go around these days. Such technology stalwarts as Yahoo, Amazon.com and Research in Motion — the company behind the BlackBerry — have all suffered embarrassing technical problems in the last few months. The Web, like any technology or medium, has always been susceptible to unforeseen hiccups. Particularly in the early days of the Web, sites like eBay and Schwab.com regularly went dark.
But since fewer people used the Internet back then, the stakes were much lower. Now the Web is an irreplaceable part of daily life, and Internet companies have plans to make us even more dependent on it. More
 |
Product Showcase: LogiSon Acoustic Network
 More than 70% of employees say they would be more productive if their workplace was quieter. The LogiSon Acoustic Network increases speech privacy and reduces disruptions by introducing a masking sound that makes conversations and noises more difficult, or impossible, to hear. It’s a cost-effective method of improving overall acoustic comfort. More info
|
Highs and Lows of Telecommuting
from Inquirer.net
The New York Times recently asked a dozen experts on energy, the economy and contemporary lifestyles what the current high prices of oil would mean for the average American family. A number of the experts agreed that, for one, the high cost of commuting from home to workplace would make “telecommuting” more common and popular. More
From A to Green: How to Green Your Day Job
from Grist Magazine
Hi-ho, hi-ho, it's off to waste we go. Nope, those aren't the lyrics the Disney dwarves in "Snow White" belted out en route to the daily grind, but in today's world they're right on the money. Most skyscrapers, offices and cubicles are ecological disaster areas, squandering massive amounts of energy, water and paper while spewing out toxins and trash. It's enough to make a person downright weepy (not to mention grumpy and wheezy). More
Strategies for Reining in Energy Costs
from The Wall Street Journal
With gasoline surging toward US$5 a gallon — and oil flirting with US$150 a barrel — small businesses are scrambling to figure out how to keep their costs in check this summer.
Experts say small companies should start actively pursuing ways to lower their energy bills now, since rising energy prices aren't likely to abate anytime soon.
More
Your Office Can Make You Sick
from The Boston Channel
Plenty of people are sick of their jobs, but is your job actually making you sick?
From germy keyboards to the stress of long hours to personality conflicts, going to work can be a minefield of ill health. Experts said there are easy ways to make the workplace a healthier environment.
More
 No one likes to be confronted with flies in food facilities, restaurants, offices or when they are purchasing their groceries. It’s not always easy to solve flying insect challenges quickly, efficiently and discreetly in sensitive areas, but PestWest has solved the problem. More info
|
Mediation ‘Underutilized’ in Workplace Conflicts
from Norwich Union Risk Services
Employers are being urged to make greater use of mediation to help resolve conflict at work and to avoid the "significant costs" associated with employment disputes. More
Cities Near Beijing Close Factories to Improve Air for Olympics
from The New York Times
With Beijing struggling to clear polluted skies before the Olympics in August, the nearby industrial port of Tianjin has ordered 40 factories to suspend some operations for two months as part of a broader effort to improve air quality during the Games, state news media reported. More
|
Sguig Syncro by Keilhauer
 Sguig is the first task chair designed with Keilhauer's groundbreaking ergonomic research on gender differences related to the biomechanics of sitting. Sguig ergonomically supports BOTH men and women. More |
|
|
|
While it's still pretty much the norm for American workers to mold their lives around their bosses' schedules, many small business owners are giving employees flexible work hours, allowing them to take part in outside activities such as graduate school, charitable work or second jobs. Company owners who give their workers such leeway say they're not just being considerate, they're doing something that makes good business sense. More
