Archive for July, 2014

Enhancing security in the workplace

The Challenges of Technology in the Workplace is that is filled with important information and personal details, the last thing you want is unauthorized personnel gaining access to your workplace. Here are a few ways you can enhance security to ensure your premises is safe.

Restrict access to a building

You face a tough challenge monitoring who is entering a workplace if you make it possible for anybody to enter as and when they please.

Install a safety mechanism onto your entrances so that admission is only permitted when people either insert the correct code or show an access card. This way, visitors will need to speak with an employee or employer before they are granted access.

Have only one entrance for visitors

While it may be convenient to have multiple entrances when you employ hundreds or thousands of staff members, it’s not always necessary to make these accessible to visitors too.

Pick an easy-to-find entrance around your building — perhaps one facing out onto a main street or where there are no steps to climb — and then put up signs on every other door guiding visitors to the correct point of entry.

If you have the space and resources, go a step further by creating a reception area at this entrance. That way, someone will always be on hand to welcome guests and determine why they are visiting your offices.

Use visitor badges

Once you have determined that someone is permitted to be in your workplace, provide them with a visitor badge that is to be worn throughout the duration of their appointment.

This piece of equipment will instantly distinguish visitors from staff members and are great for informing employees about who someone is and where they work — no need for someone to introduce themselves over and over again!

Do you receive a number of visitors on a daily basis? Invest in a top-quality ID card printer from a specialist brand like Kalamazoo Direct and you can save yourself the hassle of having to outsource visitor badges every time a new client arranges a meeting at your workplace.

Keep crucial information out of sight

No matter how much you try to enhance security around your workplace, you are asking for trouble if you leave sensitive documents in clear sight.

Encourage members of staff to put important information in a locked cabinet once they have finished using it or when they have to leave their desks for a meeting.

On a similar note, employees who use computers should be told that their computer should be locked if they are away from the device for a sustained period of time.

4 Ways to Convince Your Boss to Let You Work from Home

That traffic jam last week is what finally pushed you over the edge—your normally long commute of 30 minutes grew to two hours as you tried to get home from work. Although you like your job and your co-workers and your boss, lately you have found yourself dreaming of working from home—and that endless commute convinced you to set up a time to speak with your supervisor about doing just that.

The following tips can help you show your boss how and why working from home will be a great option:

Arm Yourself With Statistics

Before you go in to speak with your supervisor, you might want to print out some articles that show how employees who telecommute are more productive. For example, this digital article from Inc. Magazine notes that employers save an average of $11,000 per year if an employee telecommutes half the time. And, in case your boss questions if you would be putting in the required number of hours from home, assure him or her that telecommuters are almost two times as likely to work even more than they are required.

Have the Right Equipment

In order to successfully work from home, you’ll need the right tools and equipment as well as a home office that is amenable to getting a lot of work done. Before speaking with your supervisor, take some photos of your home office, and make sure that you have—or can easily get—the right equipment that is needed to telecommute. For example, most bosses will want you to have a decent computer, a reliable printer, great cell phone reception and secure access to any remote files.

If you are not already on the cloud at home, you may want to research cloud-based storage options that will prove to your boss that you can easily share documents and files with him or her and your co-workers. If you are confused about cloud storage, a website like Top 10 Cloud Storage does a great job of offering tips and advice about which cloud-based systems are best suited to your needs.

Explain Your Reasons

As Skip the Drive notes, your boss will probably want to know why you want to work from home. Prepare for this question ahead of time, and come up with serious and compelling reasons of why you want to telecommute. Instead of saying things like “I am so seriously tired of the office dress code, and at home I can dress the way I want to”—which will probably get you sent back to your cubicle in a matter of seconds—calmly and confidently explain how you will be more productive in a quiet home-based office, how your long commute is really draining or how you feel you could get more done without the distractions of co-workers.

Be Willing to Compromise

When speaking with your boss about working from home, offer compromises. Suggest that you give it a try two days a week, and take it from there. Or, if you feel super strongly about telecommuting and your boss seems to be less-than-thrilled about the idea, offer to take a small pay cut. Showing that you are willing to bend and work with your supervisor may help to convince him or her to give telecommuting a try.

When your boss approves, it will be a big step to a work-from-home arrangement. All equipment will be moved to the employees’ houses, your boss’ house, and even a self storage unit for other office supplies that won’t be needed. When that happens, the company will need office moving services to help with the big transition.

Barclays introduce talking cash machines

It is something we all are now taking for granted, a convenience we know and enjoy however for some the ability to pay for an item is not as easy as swiping a card and and entering easy to remember 4 digit number. Forget about having the funds available, we take for granted the simplest of abilities when standing at a checkout in the supermarket, vision. For 20 years my Father-In-Law has had to deal with macular degeneration, a condition whereby he cannot see anything only in his peripheral vision. Financials have always been a pain for him. Reading a statement, available balances and handling international money transfers have been problematic. There has rarely been a level of support for a person in his position short of making the journey to the bank and dealing with staff face to face.

Barclays look to be paving the way as the first high street bank to introduce an audio feature to cash machines. Obviously, this does not shout your available balance for everyone to hear, instead a customer can plug in an earphone to listen to the instructions that are appearing on-screen. A helping hand for those who wish to make use of the convenience. A long over due first step to helping those who have long been without assistance.

• Digital Eagles  – Giving practical advice in Barclays Branches around the UK, to help build the knowledge and confidence when using technology
• Online Guides – Easy to understand online guides on a wide range of computer topics including setting up email accounts and using online and mobile banking, amongst many others!
• Accessibility Developments  – Covers Talking ATMs, personalised debit cards, contactless payments   

Locate your nearest machine with their online branch locator.

1. Visit the branch locator on the website.
2. Enter your town or postcode.
3. Under ‘Where’s my nearest…?’ select ‘Barclays cash machine’.
4. Tick the box marked ‘Internal cash machine with audio’ or ‘External cash machine with audio’ (or both) and hit ‘Search’. 

Non-Barclays customers can also use the audio cash machines, found at branches across England and Wales and at selected Asda supermarkets.

Tell your friends and family that this technology is available, Barclays are providing over 7000 “Digital Eagles” to help with any concerns and making it easier for anyone, visually impaired, or perhaps suffering from dyslexia or learning disabilities to use cash machines and online banking .