Business Info - issue 138

06 | P2P Magazine 01732 759725 BULLETIN Shabby offices contribute to epidemic of vocation frustration Office supplies retailer Staples is warning that almost every office worker in the UK feels frustrated and stuck in a rut, a condition it calls Vocation Frustration. Its research into the impact of the office environment on UK employees found that 97% of 2,000 UK office workers surveyed feel frustrated at work, with 89% regularly thinking about switching jobs. Of those that do, 37% get frustrated in their new job within the first six months. Nine out of 10 workers say they seek fulfilment at work and the fact that they are not getting it helps explain why job-hopping is so prolific, with workers predicted to have 11.7 jobs between the ages of 18 and 48. Employees’ sense of fulfilment is influenced by a number of factors including the quality of their working environment, for 77% of those surveyed. Two thirds (68%) say they are more likely to feel valued by an organisation that invests in their office space; 76% agree that an attractive workplace encourages staff retention. Commenting on the findings, Professor Sir Cary Cooper, Professor of Organisational Psychology and Health at the Manchester Business School, University of Manchester, said: “As this report finds, 89% seek fulfilment at work, and the physical and psychological environment are critical to achieve this. How you are managed (by praise and reward instead of fault-finding), reasonable hours of work and flexible working, if required, and a good quality office environment are all fundamental to enhancing job satisfaction. The physical environment is important not only because it makes the job experience fulfilling, but also because it says to employees ‘we care about you’.” Staples .co.uk/whenyourspaceworks Derwent Art Prize winners Following the launch of the Derwent Art Prize 2018 at London’s Mall Galleries, the accompanying exhibition has relocated to The Pencil Museum in Keswick, Cumbria, where it will remain until January 31 2019. The exhibition includes 2D and 3D drawings in pencil, coloured pencil, graphite and pastel from 20 artists based in the North of England and the four Derwent prize-winners. These include the renowned Parisian artist France Bizot, overall winner of the Derwent Art Prize for a coloured pencil drawing of Madame Bovary; Serbian artist and second Prize-winner Jovanka Stanojevic; and French artist Emma Bertin Sanabria, winner of the Young Artist Prize. The write brothers Montegrappa has unveiled a new pen celebrating airplane pilots. The Aviator’s Pen is made entirely of aluminium and has a rounded aerodynamic profile. Its barrel is etched with ‘Remove before Flight’ and ‘No Step’ commands, while the clip bears a technical design reminiscent of landing gear struts. The Aviator’s Pen is available in fountain pen, rollerball and ballpoint versions. www.montegrappa.co.uk Green glue To meet growing demand in the craft market for ecological products, adhesive tape manufacturer tesa has included three glue products in its ecoLogo range – the award-winning tesa Glue Stamp, the Glue Roller and the Glue Stick. Products in tesa’s ecoLogo range are 100% solvent-free and made from sustainable materials, including bleach-free paper and recycled plastic. The tesa Glue Stamp features a stamping action for the quick and precise application of glue, which is claimed to be an efficient and less wasteful way of sticking material to paper and cardboard. Each 100% recycled plastic unit contains over 1,100 stamps. Offered in several versions with varying degrees of adhesion, from permanent to removable, the tesa Glue Roller has a tip optimised for pressing the tear-resistant film carrier onto the surface being glued. The permanent version is packaged in 80% recycled cardboard. The third product, tesa Glue Sticks, are easy to use, grease- and solvent-free, non-toxic and can be washed out of clothes in a 30˚ wash. www.tesa.co.uk A cup of fresh air An innovative water cooler that turns office air into fresh, clean drinking water, with no plumbing required, is now available exclusively from Sharp and its partners. An environmentally friendly alternative to bottle-fed dispensers or plastic bottles, the Skywell 5TE water cooler takes in ambient air and, through condensation, turns it into water. Skywell removes dust, airborne particles, bacteria and other impurities from the water through a seven-stage air and water filtration system, ultraviolet purification and ozone treatment. A built-in smart monitoring system continuously monitors every drop of water dispensed to guarantee quality. Rachel Dean, product business manager at Sharp UK, said: “Consumers and businesses are actively seeking ways to reduce how much single-use plastic they use and minimise their environmental impact.We believe that Skywell has the potential to help us all think differently about drinking water.” The Skywell has a customisable 8-inch interactive touchscreen and dedicated app that lets users create their own personal profile and set water consumption goals. The display can also be used as an office message board and to display a company logo. Because the Skywell doesn’t require plumbing or mains water, just a power supply, it can be deployed throughout a building or site. www.sharp.co.uk November 2018 Vocation frustration UKofficeworkerson thebrink