Workplace Blog

Buying for Bars and Restaurants – Are You Prepared?

Posted on February 09, 2015

Whether it’s a birthday, engagement, anniversary or just a general special occasion, certain industries can constantly feel the effects of being extremely busy all year round. Restaurants, bars, clubs and pubs in particular will probably be packed (even more than usual) this upcoming weekend as dozens of couples walk through the doors hoping for a special evening filled with delicious food and drinks on Valentine’s Day! Having said this, it is surely beneficial to prepare yourselves and your staff in the best way possible, certifying that your areas used for preparation are fully stocked and organised and your customers are aware of all the available facilities around them. Practical Products Certain ways you can make sure you are on top of things during busy times within your workplace includes having useful storage space. Storing products that are frequently used in easy to reach places, for example at the front of a shelf, can make life a lot...

Labelling Hazardous Storage – GHS

Posted on February 04, 2015

The Globally Harmonised System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals, also known as GHS, is an internationally recognised system that conforms to consistent criteria regarding the classification and labelling of chemicals. Chemical classification is extremely important; it helps you to be aware of how the chemicals you are supplying could potentially harm you, others around you and the environment. If you are unsure about the legislation regarding the labelling requirements of chemicals you may be handling and supplying, visit the HSE website for more information. Understanding GHS The GHS was created by the United Nations, after development began at the United Nations Rio Conference in 1992. Considering the fact that there used to be a variety of regulations concerning hazard classification being carried out in numerous countries, although...

Advantages of Lockers for Students

Posted on January 28, 2015

Surprisingly lockers have great advantages for students that you wouldn't even consider without reading into it. Currently Christmas seems like a distant memory to all those children back at school, sat in class counting down the days until the next half term, but as teachers you may want to consider these benefits for your pupils before you write-off the new lockers suggestion. Some of the great benefits for having lockers include: Security The obvious advantage and the main reason for putting lockers into place, is for the security they offer to pupils. Having a lockable area for your valuables is a brilliant way to keep your belongings safe and secure. Making sure you put metal lockers in place is an added bonus, allowing them to be heavy duty and “child proof”. Reduce Distractions Depending on the rules within your school, children may not be allowed to carry mobile phones around once they arrive in school. However they may nee...

Is it a Blue Monday for You?

Posted on January 19, 2015

We’re just over midway through January now, New Year greetings are officially over and normal life appears to have been fully resumed. However, today, Monday 19th January has officially been dubbed ‘Blue Monday’. Apparently, today is the day when the entire population feel a bit miserable, the weather’s dreary, New Year’s Resolutions become undone, and the infamous January blues have officially set in after all the hype of the festivities. It is also probably the week before most people’s paydays since Christmas and it has been a long month after paying for all those Christmas presents. Blue Monday was supposedly first discovered by Dr Cliff Arnall – who reinforces that all of these factors contribute simultaneously to people around the world. The day has become recognised globally, with #bluemonday trending worldwide on Twitter this morning, along with websites such as ...

Google Certified Shop

Posted on January 12, 2015

Here at The Workplace Depot we are proud to announce that we have become a Google Certified Shop! Being a Google Certified Shop means that our customers can shop with us confidently and are safe with the knowledge that we as a business will provide the best customer service and reliable dispatch as we possibly can. Once you arrive on our website, you’ll see the added certified shop badge, if you click this you can see our overall rating as a business; unique, historic buyers have rated us on their own experiences. You can also see that you are protected on your purchases and even verify us, to make sure we are who we say we are and do what we say we do - you no longer just have to take my word for it! To become a Google Certified Shop, as a company you need to meet the following metrics to show that you can offer an ongoing, high quality shopping experience: Have a high percentage of orders with quick response and delivery times. Have a low average f...

Rejuvenating Your Workforce in 2015!

Posted on January 09, 2015

It’s easy for us to say we are going to do things differently in the New Year, whether that’s in our personal lives or at work – if we actually make these changes or not is a whole other story however! Having said this, we thought we would try our best to offer you some valuable advice, from one business to another, about how to revamp your organisation for 2015 with some steps that we are currently trying out ourselves. There are a number of things you can take into consideration when searching for innovation in the workplace, such as motivating and encouraging employees to have more of a say in their departments; make sure your staff are aware that they are actually paid to think! We are going to cover a few things from ensuring you have a motivated workforce, to having a fresh and friendly working environment for your staff this year. Encouraging Employees Inspiring ideas from your employees through implementing systems that make it easier to com...

Happy New Year 2015!

Posted on December 31, 2014

New Year’s Eve is one of those nights where we all get together and reminisce on the year gone by; have we achieved all we wanted to? Where do we see ourselves this time next year? And of course, what are our New Year’s resolutions? Depending on where you are in the world, whether you are watching a firework display, out dancing the night away, or having a quiet night in with family and friends, New Year’s Eve gives us all the chance for a fresh start! If you are lucky enough to be travelling or on holiday when the clock strikes midnight this year (or should I say next year) will you be in one of the most popular places to spend New Year’s Eve in the world? After browsing the Internet, we found some of the most fantastic places to visit at this time of year, including: The Northern Lights – Reykjavik, Iceland ...

Top Christmas Carols

Posted on December 22, 2014

So we are nearly there, the countdown is nearly over, only a few days left until the big fat fellow comes down our chimneys and leaves us presents. We should be getting to the point where children should be finishing off at school and the adults should be winding down at work and if you’re lucky, not returning until the new year. If this is the case, before the big day, why not consider going out singing some Christmas carols - get yourself into the Christmas spirit! If you have children, get them involved. It is one thing you don’t see enough of at this time of year. The only time I ever hear Christmas carols now is when I squeeze the “Press Here” button on the fury Rudolph decoration, so lets try and get more of us singing these traditional carols in public. Here at The Workplace Depot we thought that we would put together a list of some of our favourite carols to share and to also see how many people agree with us, these include: Jingle Bells ...

Fancy Dress for Christmas

Posted on December 19, 2014

Although perhaps not commonly associated with Christmas, fancy dress ideas for this season are becoming more creatively entertaining by the year! Whether it’s your workplace requesting you in fancy dress for the annual Christmas party, or you have been invited to a Christmas Eve knees up with the instruction to sport your best fancy dress ideas - we think there are some fantastic designs to win you the best dressed prize there! (We are talking more than Christmas jumpers here, but for more on those, read our previous blog post). You can be anything these days from a giant Gingerbread man, a Turkey, or even a walking, talking Christmas tree! ...

The History of the Advent Calendar

Posted on December 17, 2014

It's day 17 of our advent calendar and with only one week left until Christmas Eve, we thought this blog post would be most convenient for today! Considering we have been publishing our Christmas blogs every day throughout December in order to resemble an advent calendar, we thought it was only right to inform our readers about the history of this product - why do we buy these cardboard boxes with flappy doors for mystery treats every year? Well, sit back, relax and I will tell you… The origin of the advent calendar can be traced back to the 19th century, when religious families would draw a chalk line every day in December up until Christmas Eve. The first known advent calendar made by hand was in 1851; another early creation was the Adventcandle, a candle for the 24 days of Christmas, like todays advent wreath. The first printed advent calendar was supposedly published in 1908 by Later Lang in Germany, who was a participator of the printing of...

Infamous Christmas Quotes

Posted on December 14, 2014

It’s Day 14 of The Workplace Depot advent calendar and today we thought we would talk about Christmassy quotes and catchphrases! There are many quotes and phrases that we associate with Christmas, whether they are good, bad or just plain annoying; around this time of year they are certainly one thing – unavoidable! Most of the expressions that we exchange in daily conversations to each other at Christmas time are quite common and well-known, including: ‘Merry Christmas’, ‘Happy Holidays’, ‘It’s Christmas!’ Etc. Then of course, there are those not so pleasant quotes: ‘Bah, humbug!’ and ‘Scrooge’ - if you happen to be in the company of those that aren’t fans of Christmas, these can easily be applied! Having said this, there are hundreds of phrases connected with Christmas, but most are not necessarily spoken out by people to others, they are probably more likely to be found on greeting cards (or, of course, within a song). Here’s a couple we found...

Office Christmas Party Games

Posted on December 10, 2014

It’s getting in to the last few working weeks of the year and workplaces might be mellowing out for Christmas, so what better way to introduce some fun in to the office to get your staff in to the festive spirit. A couple of examples we have gathered should get everyone involved in some games, even using some of The Workplace Depot products! Two Spoons (Egg and Spoon Race with a Twist) Staff are separated in to two different teams, whilst a finish line is created at the opposite end of the room by hanging up some tape. Give the first player on each team a spoon with a Christmas bauble balanced on it, then on the word ‘go’ both players must run to the finish line and back again without the bauble dropping off. The race acts as a relay so the spoon/bauble is then p...