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The Feng Shui Effect

Do you want to go the extra mile for your employees, and provide a calming work environment? It could promote productivity and improve the health of your workforce – follow our Feng Shui tips and see the results for yourself.

Feng Shui principles can increase the sense of harmony in a room, and can therefore remove stress and increase creativity and inspiration in the office. Here are a few pointers for improving your workspace:

Incorporate more greenery

Don’t underestimate the power of plants – not only do they look pretty and brighten up the space, they also drastically improve the air quality. Many indoor plants have air-purifying qualities, such as the Boston fern and the Peace lily. They will silently remove toxins from the air which may be causing your staff to become unwell or unproductive. Installing plants is really easy for any working environment, so it’s a simple step to take with proven benefits.

De-clutter the space

People generally feel more relaxed in open, tidy spaces and there is nothing more distracting than piles of paper and unnecessary furniture. Part of this comes down to how tidy and organised your staff are, but you can help with the interior design of the office.

For example, are all those filing cabinets really necessary? How often do your staff need to locate records and documents dating back tens of years? Consider upgrading to a paperless office – it’s a lot easier than it sounds. With all business documents easily accessible from individual computers, there will be no need for ugly filing cabinets taking up room in the office.

Improve the light

Office lighting can make us feel tired and can really affect quality of work if it is not sufficient. Nothing can beat natural sunlight, so it’s good to choose a work space with lots of large windows to let the natural light pour in. Then make sure the overhead lights provide enough light, and consider fitting incandescent lamps to each desk so individuals can control their own lighting.
Implementing these Feng Shui practices is a way of investing in your staff and your clients. If people are asked to work in an environment with poor light, no colour and nothing interesting to look at, you can’t expect them to be full of energy and positivity. Create an environment they are happy to spend time in, and their work will be an extension of that positivity.

What We Can Learn From the Past: Disaster Recovery

Disaster recovery plans are essential for any business as downtime can cost SMEs up to £170,000 per disaster. Software provider V1 recently found that only 17% of businesses have incorporated electronic document storage into disaster recovery plans. Disaster can strike at any time; past events such as The Great Fire of London and the Boxing Day tsunami have taught us that, which is why it is important to ensure that some kind of plan is in place to protect essential documents.

What is Disaster Recovery?

Disaster recovery is an area of planning designed to protect a business from the effects of unforeseen events such as flood, fire, hurricanes, earthquakes and other natural disasters. Such plans try and limit the disruption caused in the wake of a disaster allowing a business to quickly resume crucial everyday functions.

Past Events

There have been many unforeseen events that have happened throughout history which had a huge impact on businesses and communities. These highlight that no matter how much a business prepares, sometimes circumstances are out of its control.
The Great Fire of London was caused by a bakery, but natural disasters are harder to avoid. On average the USA experiences seven hurricanes over a four year period, with three major hurricanes crossing the coast every three years. This highlights the importance of disaster recovery and shows just how important it is for SMEs all over the world. Some countries may not experience hurricanes and extreme weather - however typhoons, thunderstorms, flash flooding and many more disasters affect various parts of the world, increasing the chances of businesses facing some kind of disastrous event at some point.

How to Avoid Disaster

Even if disastrous events are unavoidable in some cases, it doesn’t mean that SMEs shouldn’t take precautions to limit the impact they have. Pearl Scan offers many different document scanning solutions for all businesses, so that no matter the event they can be sure that important documents are safe.

Online cloud storage such as Halogen is also a good idea for businesses looking to implement a disaster recovery plan. This allows employees to upload files to the cloud which can then be accessed from anywhere in the world, on any kind of device. This way if disaster does strike and a company finds themselves out of the office for a while, work can continue as normal in a temporary location. Also, it means if paper documents and records were destroyed, information can still be accessed digitally.

Offices that operate a paperless office can draw on a number of benefits including increased employee productivity and a greener work environment due to the reduced use of paper. There are many ways that offices can convert to paperless operations. However, to transition seamlessly there are a few tips that can help make the experience smooth and seamless.

Start Small

Attempting to implement paperless operations in one big project can be detrimental to business. This can be avoided by starting small and working up in conversion size. Consider transitioning one office or department at a time, and ensuring that all employees are comfortable with the new operations before asking another area within the business to embrace the digital era.

Offer Employee Training

Switching to digital operations is easier when addressing issues with how a new system works straight away. Investing in time before converting an office to digital operations gives employees the chance to ask questions, develop their understanding and get to grips with plans before they are rolled out through a business. Such time investment can save time, money and make the transition easier as companies can be sure that all employees are singing off the same hymn sheet.

Spread the Word

Ensure that all members of a business are aware of the upcoming change and educate them on what going paperless means for their day-to-day activities. Slowly begin to discourage devices that use reams of paper such as printers, fax machines or photocopiers. Reducing paper usage means that staff will simplify day-to-day tasks.

Be sure to spread the message to the outside world too. This is a great way to generate publicity and is a unique selling point for any business. Paperless activities help make businesses eco-friendly. This can save money and boost brand reputation as well as bring in new earth-conscious customers.

Choose a Long Term Provider

Many companies offer paperless office services however, it is important to choose a company that will help make the transition easier not just at the beginning but for months and years to come. Some reputable companies offer as much or as little support as needed, giving customers the chance to draw on company experience and utilise the paperless experience in the best possible way.

Specialist document transition experts such as Pearl Scan Solutions can assist companies embracing the digital revolution at every step. With over a decade industry experience, Pearl Scan Solutions are experts in paperless operations and give companies everything they need to make the transition as seamless, effortless and beneficial as possible. That includes free search and retrieval software and a lifetime of support.

To find out how we can help your business why not give us a call and speak to one of our document specialists today!