5 Creative Ways to Spice Up a Boring Office

It's no secret that companies like Google and Pixar have super cool and cutting edge office environments. There are those out there who spend their whole education racking up the credentials just so they can spend a career in a cool ocean-themed cubicle and take breaks in a nap pod, which is probably why trying to get a job at either place is next to impossible. Sure, working at these companies is definitely a sweet gig, but that doesn't mean your job can't be. If your workplace is still rocking beige walls and 1980s cubicles, it's probably time for a change. A dull office environment is not only takes a toll on business and the way customers view it, but it can also attack employee health, causing physical and mental deterioration. Don't let your employees get the Monday blues when they leave the office on Fridays. Here are a few great ways to spice up office life and bring in some fun!

Let Some Light In

We've all seen those commercials for depression meds with the victims sitting in dark rooms ignoring their pets. One has to wonder, perhaps if they opened a window and let some light in, maybe they wouldn't need the meds. Unfortunately, most people don't realize how important light is to the body. Yes, poor lighting can strain the eyes, but it can also leave employees feeling trapped. In an office environment, repetitive menial work coupled with bad lighting is practically a recipe for depressed, unproductive employees. Plentiful natural lighting has been shown to improve outlook and increase productivity in all sorts of environments. Lack of natural light has a negative effect that increases over time, so many people don't even realize it causes depression. If you've got a dull office, one of the best ways to liven things up is by opening a few windows. If that's impossible for whatever reason, amping up the artificial lighting for office use is a good substitute. Just make sure your aren't living in the dark!

Bring the Outside Inside

Believe it or not, a little touch of the outdoors can have a tremendous effect on the appeal of an office space. Not only do a few plants make interiors feel more homey and inviting, but many of them can actually purify the air, improving employee mental health! Some of the prettiest easy-care office plants that do this are aloe vera, chrysanthemum, gerber daisies, and red-edged dracaena. Additionally, colorful, easy-care fishes set on the edges of office desks with glass tops will definitely liven up any space. They have become super popular in recent years. If you're in need of a cute, quiet cubicle friend, beta fish have been known to live comfortably in one gallon bowls with plants to oxygenate the water. However, buying a quiet filter such as an Aquaclear or a Cascade 300, instantly increases your fish options, and you won't have to do much more than feed them twice a day. If you can convince your boss, plants and fish make adorable nonintrusive additions to the workplace that guests are sure to love!

Have Some Fun

Obviously, work is for work, but that doesn't mean you can't have a bit of fun on the job. Sometimes small things like regular games during breaks or lunchtime is a great way to bring employees together as a community. Instead of letting things get stagnant at work, change things up a bit. Have activities going on after work some days that employees or office guests can take part in. A running game of Kill the Stickman or Trashbin Basketball with scores kept on stylish presentation boards for office use can go over the course of several days. They are easy and fun on days when there aren't any meetings and the board isn't in use. Additionally, silly things like "Weird Hat Day" or a day for harmless pranks will bring much needed laughter to a drab workplace, making employees want to do good at their job because they value it. In short, always remember to get your work done, but there's nothing wrong with having fun in your down time!

Change the Walls

One of the biggest signs of a boring workplace is boring walls. If you're employees look like they might be about to grind cheese graters against their foreheads just for a bit of color, its probably time to say goodbye to the boring cubicles and white walls. Not all cool cubicles with modern design are super expensive. Nowadays, cubicles come with designs that offer both privacy and windows to view the world through. If you find functionality of cubicles helpful to your work environment but want a way to bring down the walls, office workstations for multiple users make wonderful alternatives. Finally, tossing a bit of color on the walls or someplace else in the office really brings a room back into the world of the living. Consider adding some artwork for employees to rest their eyes on when the computer light is getting to them. Views of the outdoors are extremely beneficial to those within indoor environments for extended periods of time.

Modernize

The workplace blues aren't only caused by drab looks. Gaudy old office furniture can take tolls on both business perception and employee's physical health. The best way to solve this is to step into the 21st century! Modernization can work wonders for an office if done right, and it doesn't have to cost the boss an arm and a leg. Simply adding mesh back chairs with ergonomics can drastically improve circulation and decrease back pain for users, and the best part about them is the affordable price. Hiring interior designers with specializations in office applications may be one of the best decisions a boss can make for their business. Most office designers are aware of which furniture is the most conducive to a productive, attractive work environment and they won't hesitate to get the best for the best deals.

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5 Ways to Create An Eco Friendly Office

With all this talk of climate change and all the shows on TV about the animals affected by human expansion, its no wonder that the "green revolution" has truly taken off. People everywhere have taken on the responsibility for the effects on the world they can't always see. They've taken up recycling, changed their lighting fixtures, reduced their shower times, and all that other good stuff. But what about when you're at work? Even if you're the greenest guy or gal at the office, its hard to keep up the routine if your workplace doesn't provide avenues for it. Here are some great ways to go green at the office, and possibly save some cash in the process!

Recycle

Recycling is often the first thing people think of when they try to go green. Obviously, offices use tons of paper, which kills trees and wastes an unnecessary 55% of water compared to recycled paper. The list of office products that can be recycled is pretty much endless: papers, metals (paperclips and soda cans), cardboard, but one of the most important things you can recycle as a business is plastic. You may not know, but when plastic isn't properly recycled, it has a good chance of floating around over the years until it reaches the ocean, where it can float around for a very long time. That plastic bottle you're drinking out of, if you don't recycle it, could very well end up in one of the five oceanic gyres filled with plastic. According to 5gyres.org In each of the world's oceans, there's an area where all the currents meet and swirl pretty much infinitely. Any trash or plastic in the water will eventually make it there to become part of a giant trashy soup. These plastic gyres pollute the water and trap animals. Sometimes migrating fish can swallow tiny bits of this plastic. If they're caught by us, the fish are usually eaten, which basically means we are eating each other's trash, albeit in small quantities. Every human born since the 50s has plastic in their bodies and scientific research shows that drinking or eating from plastic containers can contribute to developing cancer. 

Recycling at the office is a great way to help break this cycle since workplaces house numerous individuals that would recycle if given the opportunity. You may even choose to check with your local government to see if it offers cash rewards to businesses that recycle! 

Pull the Plug

Did you know that devices plugged into walls are always sucking power? Even if your cellphone is fully charged or your hairdryer is completely off, if its plugged into the wall, both the environment and you are paying for it. What the electric companies don't want you to know is that the best way to lower your power bill is to unplug all your stuff when its not in use. Even if your employees set their computers to "low power mode" when they leave the office, if its plugged in, its likely costing the tons of money on the electric bill. A study done in California determined that "low power mode" is responsible for 10% of total electricity used in homes in California. A great way to save the environment and save yourself some cash is to change your computer's settings so that it saves energy. You can look up how to do this depending on your computer, and you'll be surprised just how much energy this saves. Also, don't forget to pull the plug on things like TVs, DVD players, and other gadgets when not in use either at work or at home. You may end up saving your workplace a few bucks and a few polar bears by reducing the amount of fossil fuels burned!

Carpool

Soccer moms and high school kids have taken this collective mode of transport to the max. Of course biking, taking the bus, or riding a scooter to work are far more eco-friendly than driving a car, but since most people can't get away from it, carpooling is the next best thing. Talk with your co-workers to see who lives near you and ask if they'd like to carpool. Not only does it save all of you money on gas if you all pitch in a little bit, but it also saves gas. Research shows that around 8 billion gallons of gas would be saved if every car in the U.S. carried just one more person. Carpooling is a wonderful opportunity for co-workers to bond and become friendly with one another. After all, you spend all day together anyway, why not get to know the folks in the office cubicle configurations next to you? Some employers even pay there employees a little extra just for riding together! Who knows? You may even gain a best buddy while you gain cleaner air!

Green Office Desks

This is one for the employers rather than the employees. While its probably not worth the trouble if your workplace is already filled with quality office desks, those of you thinking about starting a new business or redesigning your office can consider choosing eco-friendly office desks. Great multi user workstations for business use are easy and efficient to power even if they're not made out of sustainable materials. By housing more than one individual, the desks can save space, making your workplace appear cleaner and more efficient, but they also use less power, saving you money on the company's electric bill. For those of you considering redecorating, recycling the old desks and looking for stylish office desks for sale made from sustainable materials like recycled metals, recycled glass, bamboo, or other sustainably extracted hardwoods is another great way to go green!

Smart Office Lighting

Choosing the right lighting for your office can make a world of difference for both the environment and your pocketbook. We've always said that natural sunlight has always been the best sort of lighting for office scenarios if you have a sufficient source. Natural sunlight saves tons of money because it costs none, and it has wonderful psychological effects on employees and guests alike, making them feel better, more upbeat, energetic, and friendly. However, if your office simply can't do this for whatever reason, never fear! There are plenty of great desk lamps and office lighting solutions out there that can save both the environment and you some worries. Choosing compact fluorescents and LED lights that use little energy can give you better lighting and save you more money over a longer period of time than traditional incandescent lights. These lighting options burn brighter and more efficiently for much longer than traditional lights, and can sometimes burn for years, saving you tons of money and the environment tons of fossil fuels. Going the extra mile by springing for lighting systems that have motion sensors can also help your green theme by shutting off when there's no sign of physical activity. Schools everywhere have already made wonderful use of this nifty invention, why not see if your workplace will too?

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5 Easy Ways to Stay Healthy at Work

We all know that the office life can be a hard one. Sitting behind a chair all day can easily take a toll on your health, even if you love your job. Some health issues commonly associated with the office life can include back problems, depression, eye problems, and more, but you don't have to fall prey to these terrible conditions anymore. Just follow these simple office-health tricks and you'll find yourself feeling healthier in a snap!

Healthy Office Lunch

Making sure to eat a healthy lunch is one of the best known ways to keep yourself healthy at work, but it can be hard to choose the right thing when you're staring at a vending machine loaded with goodies or a menu full of yummy carbs. Here's the trick though: Don't give yourself the option! Brown-bagging a lunch from home is a wonderful way to keep yourself in much healthier shape if you toss in the right foods. Try to pack after you've already eaten in the morning and before you head to work. Packing a lunch when you're not hungry will help you make healthier choices so that by the time the lunch hour rolls around, you won't have the option of munching on chips or cookies because they're not in your lunchbox. Instead of chips, opt for foods like seeds and nuts, which are rich in Vitamin E. For a drink, say yes to water and tea rather than soda. Veggies with dip are awesome options too for most Americans, since we don't typically get enough of them in our diet. For sandwiches and hearty salads, turkey is a great lean meat that will keep you full and even helps to prevent cancer! Yogurts, fruits, and dark chocolate are healthier ways to satisfy your sweet tooth. Remember to eat small snacks throughout the day (about every 2-3 hours) to keep your metabolism running. Just make sure you don't eat at your desk!

Great Healthy Work Lunch Recipes:

1. Slow Cooker Chicken Caesar Sandwiches

2. Lighter Chinese Chicken Salad

3. Chickpea Salad Wraps

4. Chewy Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies

5. List of 53 Healthy Work Snacks


Clean, Clean, Clean!

Even if you're eating healthy at your desk, you can still be spreading germs. Eating at office desks makes them a breeding ground for bacteria. Over time, fallen crumbs built up in the nooks and crannies of ergonomic keyboard trays and uncleaned desk surfaces can attract pests that carry diseases. Even if you don't make a habit of eating at the office desk, you should still make sure to keep your workstation as sanitary as possible. Pick a day to come in a bit early with a can of compressed air to flush the gunk out of your computer's keyboard, then wipe the surface with disinfecting wipes to kill bacteria. After that, keep a dispenser of hand sanitizer to use both before and after touching your keyboard or desk and don't ever eat over the top of it. Make sure to wipe down your office desk regularly with wipes so the germs don't have a chance to rise up and exact their revenge upon you and your co-workers. Don't be the victim! Fight the flu and leave a lemony-fresh scent of destruction in your wake! Those germs won't ever know what hit them...

Bring the Outdoors Inside

Getting the office blues are almost as bad as getting a cold, but did you know that the blues may not have anything at all to do with your job or even yourself? That's right! Its incredibly easy to get a small case of depression even if you fully enjoy being around your co-workers and doing your job, especially if your workplace has poor office lighting or no windows. Believe it or not, having a view of the outside world with natural lighting does wonders for work ethic and self esteem. If you find yourself feeling down or sleepy at your office and you don't know why, its probably due to the fact that the place has no windows. The best way to remedy this is to make your own! Dress up the cubicles with pictures of nature, your kids, your pets, or whatever else boosts your morale. Take walks outside during your break (maybe while you munch on some healthy work snacks)! Adding some plants to the corners of your desk is a great way to bring the outdoors inside so things feel a little livelier. Succulents, bonsais, and cacti are great, easy to care for plants that would do beautifully in an office environment. One relatively new trend is the keeping of small fish at office desks. Betta, or Siamese Fighting Fish, are extremely low-maintenance bowl fish that are fairly cheap and available at most pet stores. Why not see if your workplace will let you keep one and hit the pet stores to start finding yourself a Nemo?

Desk-ercise!

Desk-ercizing is a trend that is sweeping the nation even faster than desk-fishies. We all know how hard it is to exercise while at work (unless you're a physical trainer), but there are plenty of ways to keep that workout going long after you leave the gym. First things first, make sure to watch your posture to keep yourself healthy as bad posture is the leading cause of back pain. Doing a few 20 to 30 second leg lifts next to the CPU holders under your desk are amazing ways to keep your legs in shape at the while on the job. Stashing a few dumbbells or stretch-bands in your office storage cabinets are great ways to keep arm those muscles from tensing up between the long hours of typing. Don't forget to throw a few squats or push ups in there too to round out your mini-workout. All the extra exercise is not only wonderful for your health, but it also helps keep you focused and uplifts your mood!

Here's a list of body-toning exercises you can do while on the job: 33 Ways to Exercize at Work!

Chair Yoga?

Yeah, its a thing. But don't knock it just yet! Actually, office chair yoga is a fabulous way to stay healthy at work, so why not do it? Making use of those comfortable office chairs to get your work done is what's expected, but that doesn't mean you can't use them to do something new and incredibly healthy. If your office already has affordable ergonomic office chairs in stock, then you're already on the fast track to a toned figure and spiritual enlightenment! In fact, there is already an ergonomic office chair out there practically designed to help keep its occupants in perpetual zen mode! The Chakra Chair by Eurotech Seating makes the best yoga mat for the office, designed to support the chakra points of the body and leave all other areas free of tension. Its lightweight, comfortable structure makes it the king of all desk chairs if you're looking for the best way to stay healthy at work. If you want to stay in perfect zen, just try a few of these cool yoga chair moves to find your inner peace while at work: 8 Seated Yoga Poses You Can Do From A Chair!

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How To Accessorize Your Office Desk

Innovative new products are available in 2013 sure to enhance your office desk while providing your space with excellent ergonomic benefits. The top office accessories available from brands like ESI are a must for any professional office environment. This article showcases the best ways to accessorize any desk effectively and on a budget!

The first product you'll be in need of after purchasing new office desks for the home or business is a keyboard tray. Top ergonomic keyboard trays are an absolute must and provide space saving benefits by creating usable work surface for any desk. Will so many models available on the market, you'll be at no shortage of solutions. However, most industry professional will recommend you start your search with brands like ESI Ergonomic Solutions and other reputable favorites.

Next, you'll want the office accessory that is sweeping the nation. Monitor arms, which support computer screens, are fantastic space savers that are extremely ergonomic to provide maximum satisfaction for their owners. For home use, single screen monitor arms are typically the most efficient, while businesses tend to prefer dual screen monitor arm solutions for their unique needs. Whatever your style, choosing an adjustable computer is never a bad idea. Nearsighted, farsighted, short, tall, or standard, this product is friendly to all!

The third thing you'll need to accessorize your office is a device that anyone who has ever spilled something will surely be thankful for. External hard drives for computers can be a serious pain both in maintenance and accident forgiveness, but CPU holders can take all that pain away! These devices can be installed conveniently underneath a desk to hold your computer's CPU, or hard drive, up off of the ground. Not only do these babies grant you extra leg room, but they can also swivel for easy maintenance. No more squeezing behind your desk with a flashlight to fix your computer! And the best part about keeping your CPU off the floor is the potential to save yourself thousands by rescuing your computer from spills before they even happen!

Now we all know that humans would never be able to function without light, so why miss out on office lighting for sale for your workplace? That's right! The fourth thing to accessorize your office is the latest in lighting technology! The office lights sold today aren't just your average bulky desk lamps anymore. These modern desk lights usually equipped with adjustable LED features can fit almost anywhere, resting discretely on the corner of your desk or even underneath an office cabinet. So whether you'd prefer a flexible, ergonomic desk lamp or an overhanging task light, you can rest assured these high-powered devices will illuminate all your possibilities!

Ah, finally! The humble pencil holder, helping students and business executives alike accomplish their goals since the invention of, well, the pencil. But today's pencil holders are no longer just grooves at the end of a desk. Why settle for something like that when you can accessorize with a pencil drawer? Todays modern pencil drawers typically rest on ball bearing slides and provide ample individual space for, not just pencils, but notepads, scissors, staplers, paperclips, pens and anything else you'd need. With a pencil drawer conveniently installed next to your keyboard tray, your completed office space will be equipped with everything you could possibly need to function successfully and with style!

No matter the accessories you choose to utilize, in order to get the most production possible from your new office furniture, ergonomic products are essential. Several brands that manufacturer new executive desks for the home and business will offer package deals for added value. Make sure to shop around when looking for the perfect furniture configuration for your business. The best products might even include what you need!

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