What Gen Y Really Wants December 6, 2007

Trunk, P (2007, July 5). What Gen Y Really Wants. Retrieved December 5, 2007, from Time Web site: http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1640395,00.html

Gen Yers don’t care whether we spend more time at work or home as long as what we are doing is meaningful and useful. We will move back in with our parents if it means we can hold out for a job we want. Where travel was once seen as a negative it now makes the employee well-rounded. Gen Yers want to work with their friends and are more willing to work on the weekends as long as they have flexibility during the week.

This is a great example of the new work-life balance that is emerging in the workplace. I think it also shows how we have the power to dictate what work environment we want to work in. Baby Boomers are retiring and many companies are in need of hard workers, we are in demand!

I like that companies are willing to work with Gen Yers to find a balance that will work with both sides to be the best. If a company is willing to spend money to invest in a career counselor, or mentor for a new employee their going to get a better retention rate and employees who have greater pride in their company.

When looking for your new job remember to not put your values aside, if it was meant to be, things will work out.

Kelly Stillman

7 Ways to Make Your Office Greener December 6, 2007

Fisher, A (2005, Dec 4). 7 Ways to Make Your Office Greener. Retrieved December 5, 2007, from Fortune Web site: http://money.cnn.com/2007/12/04/news/economy/environment.fortune/index.htm?postversion=2007120509

This article talks about 7 little things you can do to make your office greener

1. Bring in your own coffee mug; stryofoam is not recyclable

2. Use your office paper more than once and as much as possible; recycle!

3. Switch your computer to “sleep” mode when you’re away on lunch break  (95% savings)

4. Turn the computer OFF when you leave

5. Have a plant, looks pretty and helps filter air

6. Work from home; saves on gas

7. Use refillable pens; Americans buy 5.1 billion a year and waste 770 tons of plastic

Even if someone did even one of these things it may make a big difference in what our world will look like in the future. If being green is something you’re passionate about make sure there is an outlet in your company where you can share your passion and spread it on. There is nothing negative that can happen by doing these 3 few tips; you can just be responsible for helping keep the world a cleaner place! Now, don’t forget to turn your computer off tonight!

Kelly Stillman

Green Light December 6, 2007

"Green Light: Helping you to help the Environment"

Mike Timmons’ article, in "The British Journal of Administrative Management" magazine, offers some good tips and information regarding resource saving practices.  This particular article speaks to the office and business community and provides suggestions on how to make your office space less wasteful.  I have already reviewed several articles on this topic, but I am still able to find new ideas and practices with every article I read.  This shorter article is actually packed with useful information and links to other resources such as "green-work.co.uk" which is a furniture recycling company in the UK.  Simple practices such as utilizing washable dishes and glassware for office parties and or everyday use can save lots of paper/plastic rubbish that gets thrown out after 1 use. Also, as mentioned, buying refurbished or recycled office furniture can be a huge resource and money saver for your company.  This article also offers many resources that you can contact to find out how to make your office and building more eco-friendly and more electrically efficient. Lastly, if offers a suggestion to subscribe to Energy and Environmental Management, which is a magazine published by the UK government that focuses on Environmental issues and building safely/eco-friendly.

This article offered some helpful tips and connected me with another source that has helped me with my "furnishing" section to our project. Many initiatives are being taken these days by companies to make the construction process less wasteful and more productive in the long run. These are all things that we want to implement into our new resident hall that we are designing.

Timmons, M. (2004). Green Light. British Journal of Administrative Management, 30. Retrieved December 3, 2007, from Business Source Premier database.

Top 100 December 6, 2007

Blog 2

 

 This article is actually about the top 100 companies to work for in the

United States

. The number one company to work for is Google. The reasons vary for all companies and since this report started coming out companies have been vying for a spot on the top 100 for ten years now. The good thing about this survey is that it all depends on what the employees have to say, not the employers. Some of the perks that Google has for their employees are free meals, swimming spas, and free onsite doctors. Also, engineers for Google are allowed to spend 20 percent of their time on independent projects. This is why Google gets 1300 resumes a day. What this survey shows us is, it is good to take care of your workers and to make them happy and setup a good workplace. People who are taken care of want to work for your company and they not only want to work for your company but they will work harder for you as well. Other companies include Whole Foods. While the pay at Whole Foods may not be the best neither is the CEO’s pay. The CEO decided that his yearly salary will be one dollar and also decided to forego all stock options. This may not be the smartest thing to do but certainly does lead by example.

 

 Levering, Robert, and Milton Moskowitz. "In Good Company." Fortune 155 (2007): 94-116. Academic Search Premier. 5 Dec. 2007.

Drink Beer From New Belgium! December 6, 2007

Beau Martin

Blog 3

 

 So as much of us all know, we took a little tour of the New Belgium Brewery earlier this year. Well, I went online to see what they wanted to mass public to know and that would be the same as what we got when we visited the site. The main thing that sticks out to me in this company is that they try their hardest to not make work seem like work. Their concept of work is to have fun while you work there. Another thing that New Belgium likes to do is make their workers feel like they are working for something that they own as well. The thing that New Belgium does to create this sense is gives workers a little bit of ownership after only one years worth of employment. New

Belgium

tries their best to maintain an atmosphere of relaxation and easiness. This is the reason why New Belgium does so well and has such a good report with their employees. Even we could see when we went into the brewery how much the workers enjoyed working their. This kind of goes with the notion that food can only achieve great taste if love goes into the making of it.  Well that’s what New Belgium tries to do with their beer, they want to make a great tasting beer because they love what they do and try their best to help their very own company out.

 

"New

Belgium

." New

Belgium

. 5 Dec. 2007 <http://www.newbelgium.com/index.php>.

This Is A Company You Want To Work For! December 6, 2007

Blog 4

 

 So I went onto Forbes.com and typed in fun work and up pops this article, "How to keep your Employees Happy." Well, that’s exactly what the article talks about and it gives a few examples of some companies that do just that. One grocer in

California

named Nugget Markets has 12 percent turn-over rate which is usually 20 percent for grocers. They throw dance parties, random financial giveaways and also lots of free food. But these weren’t the only guidelines to keep workers happy in the workplace. The article said that many workers like flexibility, meaningful experiences, job growth, and values. Although the free food really doesn’t hurt, these employers go about with the ideal that money doesn’t matter when it comes to taking care of their workers. Nugget Market spent 150,000 dollars on a rave for their employees. To this type of company they care about their employees almost as much as their customers. This company says that the key to creating a fun workplace doesn’t only depend on what you do for the employees but also what employees you hire. They say that you have to recognize the personalities of the people you’re hiring and make sure they mesh well with the people you have already hired. The whole idea of this is to make sure that the atmosphere stays consistently happy and everyone enjoys where they work and who they work with. 

 

Weiss, Tara. "How to Keep Your Employees Happy." Forbes. 2 Nov. 2007. 5 Dec. 2007 <http://www.forbes.com/leadership/2007/11/01/corporate-party-employees-lead-careers-cx_tw_1101happystaff.html>.

Charitable Businesses December 6, 2007

Blog 7

 

This
article put out by Tara Weiss, again from Forbes, talks about how consumers
would rather buy products from companies that have charitable causes. For instance, Newman’s Own brand name
products donates all proceeds to charity. In fact, it is shown that consumers would even pay more for a product
that gives to a charity they believe in. Also, the more local a company is, the more that company is
trusted. This brings in the mom and pop
operations. People would rather buy
products from people they know then buy products from a separate group of
people.

As just a
theory, these types of companies may practice good work because they doing good
work for those individuals in need. The
charity that they are doing may rub off on how they work and improve their
working environment. For the most part
this is aimed at what the consumer likes to buy but how often do you hear
complaints from a person who works at a charitable organization? We have to think what works for a business as
well as the employees.

 

Weiss, Tara. "Good Business." Forbes. 30
Nov. 2007. 6 Dec. 2007 <http://www.forbes.com/leadership.html>

For Suppliers, the Pressure Is On December 6, 2007

Deutsch, C. H. (2007, November, 7). For suppliers, the pressure is on. The New York Times, Retrieved 12 2, 2007, from http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9D01EED6103CF934A35752C1A9619C8B63&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=print

Brian O’Keefe

An article in the New York Times titled, For Suppliers, the Pressure Is On, by Claudia H. Deutsch, is about companies who are working to reduce their environmental impact, and are trying to get their suppliers to do so too. As companies bend to consumer desires, they have started becoming greener. Many companies are planting organic crops, watching how much carbon emissions delivery processes use, and retailers are giving better shelf-space to green products. Certain industries are struggling to come up with a definition of what makes their products green, so standards are being created and worked out, and some industries such as electronics have already established standards. Deutsch writes that as companies better there own companies to make less of an impact on the environment, they want their suppliers to share in the process. Companies don’t want to lose suppliers, and as of yet have been unable to enforce such green process. But the companies will approach their suppliers and tell them the benefits of going green by showing them inexpensive process they use. Kristin Pierre says her company tells suppliers, “We will help you be more efficient in the way you use time, labor, materials, and energy.”

To achieve good work in these organizations trying to be green, they want their whole business process to be green. Trying to encourage their suppliers to be green by offering to help them limit costs is a great way to effectively communicate goals. The pros for implementing this process is that more and more business will be able and desire going green. The environment will be better, and people will gain satisfaction knowing they are being good to the environment. And similar industries using the same standards to measure products greenness will benefit the consumer who can buy the greenest products, intern rewarding the greenest organizations. Cons are that the program may put unnecessary strains on some supplier/buyer relationships. The process of going to every supplier could be found too costly. Keep in mind when implementing this plan to practice what you preach, don’t tell other companies to be green if you’re not going to be. Remember the way in which you pursue telling your suppliers you would like them to go green should be done carefully, to avoid pushing them away, you must be supportive and fair. 

Vinyl Meeting Today’s and Tomorrow’s Indoor Quality Requirements December 6, 2007

Borrelli, F. E. (2007, July, 25). Vinyl meeting today’s and tomorrow’s indoor air quality requirements. Society of Plastics Engineers, 13, Retrieved 12 3, 2007, from http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/cgi-bin/abstract/114296804/ABSTRACT?CRETRY=1&SRETRY=0

 

Brian O’Keefe

The article, Vinyl Meeting Today’s and Tomorrow’s Indoor Air Quality Requirements, by Frank E. Borrelli, address the issue of green buildings and the materials in them. Borrelli mentions that commercial buildings have guidelines they must follow in order to manage indoor air quality. Indoor air can be effective by building products emitting chemical, biological, and particle irritants. Borrelli suggest that a safe material that can me used in many different forms is vinyl. Vinyl can be used in; decking and rail, moldings and trims, as flooring and wall coverings, as pipes and wire. Another benefit of using vinyl in building projects is that it can be created to be very nonporous; it can be easily cleaned and doesn’t hold on do things such as dust and other allergens and germs. The article really pushes for increased use of vinyl in today’s green buildings to better air quality and the health of people working in them.

I think that the pros of using vinyl products are that it will better the air quality for those in new green buildings. The better air will limit the amount of time employees are exposed to germs, dander, and other pollutants that can lead to asthma and other illnesses. As far as I know vinyl is relatively inexpensive, and can be a good way to help improve air quality and minimize business expenses. Cons of using vinyl are that it isn’t always the most faltering medium, and the use of other materials could be of greater benefit to the overall look of a space. The article didn’t mention if vinyl is recyclable, but if it isn’t it might add to the growing amount of trash in landfills, where other products may not. When introducing vinyl to the workplace it is important to recognize that there are new ways to install vinyl that are healthier and less pollutant then in the past. Also, remember that overusing a synthetic medium is bound to create too much repetition and could lead to the loss of warmth and energy of a structure.

Vinyl Meeting Today’s and Tomorrow’s Indoor Quality Requirements December 6, 2007

Borrelli, F. E. (2007, July, 25). Vinyl meeting today’s and tomorrow’s indoor air quality requirements. Society of Plastics Engineers, 13, Retrieved 12 3, 2007, from http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/cgi-bin/abstract/114296804/ABSTRACT?CRETRY=1&SRETRY=0

 

Brian O’Keefe

The article, Vinyl Meeting Today’s and Tomorrow’s Indoor Air Quality Requirements, by Frank E. Borrelli, address the issue of green buildings and the materials in them. Borrelli mentions that commercial buildings have guidelines they must follow in order to manage indoor air quality. Indoor air can be effective by building products emitting chemical, biological, and particle irritants. Borrelli suggest that a safe material that can me used in many different forms is vinyl. Vinyl can be used in; decking and rail, moldings and trims, as flooring and wall coverings, as pipes and wire. Another benefit of using vinyl in building projects is that it can be created to be very nonporous; it can be easily cleaned and doesn’t hold on do things such as dust and other allergens and germs. The article really pushes for increased use of vinyl in today’s green buildings to better air quality and the health of people working in them.

I think that the pros of using vinyl products are that it will better the air quality for those in new green buildings. The better air will limit the amount of time employees are exposed to germs, dander, and other pollutants that can lead to asthma and other illnesses. As far as I know vinyl is relatively inexpensive, and can be a good way to help improve air quality and minimize business expenses. Cons of using vinyl are that it isn’t always the most faltering medium, and the use of other materials could be of greater benefit to the overall look of a space. The article didn’t mention if vinyl is recyclable, but if it isn’t it might add to the growing amount of trash in landfills, where other products may not. When introducing vinyl to the workplace it is important to recognize that there are new ways to install vinyl that are healthier and less pollutant then in the past. Also, remember that overusing a synthetic medium is bound to create too much repetition and could lead to the loss of warmth and energy of a structure.