1. Carpet Skates. Yes, carpet skates. They glide over any type of carpet, and they are one-size fits all. We wonder how bored to tears someone had to be sitting at their desk to come up with these things – but hey, any exercise is good exercise, right?

2. USB Fishquarium. You know how people are always saying that fish tanks are calming? Well that’s because they are. And now you can have one on your desk that is powered by USB and also happens to be a desk lamp, clock, and pencil cup!

3. The BS Button. Don’t lie. How many times have you walked out of a meeting or received an email about some new ridiculous task on your plate and said, “This is total bull$#*%”? The BS button is like an easy button, except better.

4. USB Rocket Launcher. Another genius invention that operators via USB. This baby can fire over 6 meters! In order to have the most fun, though, you should probably have a few of them around the office, otherwise coworkers will always know who is responsible for the miniature rocket floating in their coffee cup.

5. Webble Ergonomic Footrest. This footrest keeps your tootsies continuously in motion instead of being stuck flat on the floor for 8 hours. It’s designed to help you improve flexibility, circulation and posture, and reduce muscle fatigue and joint pressure. It doubles as a foot massager, too!

The post Office stuff you totally want. appeared first on Specialty Answering Service.

Here’s one grocery list that’s worth the read. Your body and business will thank you.

1. Whole Grains

Whole grains. You hear about them all the time, and for good reason. Your brain can’t work like a well-oiled machine without a steady supply of energy in the form of glucose. Whole grains that have a low glycemic index and lots of fiber will release glucose slowly into your bloodstream to keep your brainfire burning.

TIP: Aim for 25 grams a day. Whole grain toast with a tablespoon of peanut butter is a great breakfast!

2. Fish

The omega-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA naturally occur in oily fish like wild salmon, trout, mackerel, sardines, and herring. These essential fatty acids (EFAs) can’t be made by the body, and can only be absorbed by diet. Oily fish contain EFAs in a form that the body can easily utilize, and your brain will be especially thrilled, as omega-3 fatty acids are said to play an important role in cognitive function and working memory!

TIP: Chow down on fish twice a week, but limit Charlie the Tuna to avoid mercury consumption!

3. Berries

Want to steer clear of short-term memory loss? What? I’m sorry, I forgot the question. Want to steer clear of short-term memory loss? Eat berries! Blueberries have been found to protect the brain from oxidative stress, and may reduce conditions such as Alzheimer’s and dementia. They can also improve your learning capacity and motor skills. Other berries, such as strawberries, and acai berries, help the brain rid itself of the toxic proteins associated with age-related memory loss.

TIP: Try to eat 1 cup of berries a day, fresh, frozen, or freeze dried. Add a handful to plain yogurt!

4. Tomatoes

Mamma Mia! Did you know that tomatoes contain the antioxidant, lycopene, which could help protect your brain from the free radical damage that leads to Alzheimer’s and dementia? So, have a bowl of whole grain pasta slathered in marinara. Mangia!

TIP: No time to cook? Toss together a quick tomato salad!

5. Pumpkin Seeds

Jack o’ Lantern’s innards are loaded with vitamins A, B, and K, thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, calcium, iron, phosphorus, magnesium, manganese, potassium and copper. They have enough zinc to boost your memory and thinking skills, and not only that, but they are a fabulous source of omega-3 and 6 EFAs, which can help reduce inflammation. Who knew a cute little pumpkin seed could pack such a punch?

TIP: A handful a day is all you need. Roast ‘em or toast ‘em, then start crunching!

6. Cruciferous Vegetables

Broccoli, kale, collards, spinach, cauliflower, cabbage, and a whole slew of other cruciferous veggies are superfoods that contain antioxidants that will protect your brain from those nasty free radicals. They are great sources of vitamins K, E, B and C, folic acid, fiber, and more, and they work to lower homocysteine levels in the blood, an amino acid that may be linked to heart disease, Alzheimer’s, dementia, difficulty concentration, memory issues, and a less favorable mood.

TIP: Toss them into salad, add them to soup, and eat them daily along with the rest of the rainbow!

7. Sage

Studies have shown that sage can improve memory, and may even help prevent against Alzheimer’s disease. Participants were given sage essential oil in varying doses and showed significant improvement on word recall tests compared to those who were given a placebo. So sage it up! Then, audition for Jeopardy.

TIP: Add sage to chicken, try sage and apple stuffing, or sprinkle on butternut squash before roasting!

8. Nuts

Did you ever really look at a walnut? No? Well crack one open. It kind of looks like a brain. This wrinkly nut, among others, is a brain booster, filled with tons of vitamin E. Research has found that the antioxidant vitamin E contributes to less cognitive decline as we age, and lowers the risk of developing Alzheimer’s. So, grab a bowl of nuts and get crackin’.

TIP: Aim for about 2 ounces a day of walnuts, almonds, hazelnuts, etc. Go nuts!

9. Avocados

The avocado fruit, they say, is almost as good as blueberries are for your brain. And it contains vitamin E, which as we have already learned can help reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s, and can also lower high blood pressure, thereby diminishing your risk for stroke that permanently damages brain tissue. Yes, it is high in fat and calories – but it’s the good monounsaturated fat that contributes to healthy blood flow to your brain and the rest of your organs!

TIP: Add ¼ or a ½ to one meal a day. Try a banana-peach-avocado smoothie with a hint of cinnamon!

10. Beans

Beans are cheap. Bonus – they are filled with the kind of fiber that helps to stabilize the glucose levels (blood sugar) that your brain is dependent on for fuel. Black beans, lentils, kidney beans, garbanzo – whatever your bean preference, there’s a plethora of types, and even more ways to prepare them!

TIP: Try to consume about a ½ cup every day. Mash up some white bean hummus!

11. Pomegranate Juice

Pomegranate is that reddish fruit that’s full of tiny little seeds that make it a challenge to eat. Well, it’s worth the challenge. The fruit or the juice is a great source of antioxidants, and what do they protect your brain from? Say it with us: free radicals. If you are going for the juice, though, be careful because it often has added sugar.

TIP: Drink up 2 ounces daily, and dilute it with your favorite flavored seltzer!

12. Tea

No, not bottled tea that’s loaded with sugar or that powdered stuff that comes in a can. Brew yourself a fresh pot of tea daily, and drink it hot or iced. The caffeine in tea will help you focus and improve your memory. In addition, its antioxidants, called catechins, and found in higher concentration in green tea, will keep your blood pumping!

TIP: Have 3 cups a day, and the longer you let it steep, the better it is for you!

13. Eggs

The incredible, edible…yes, eggs are good for you. The yolk, which is where the nutrients are, contains choline, a B vitamin. Your brain takes the choline and makes it into acetylcholine, which is a neurotransmitter that can help your brain cells communicate and keep your memory intact!

TIP: 3 or 4 a week is ok. Skip the fast food drive-thru and make your own egg sandwich!

14. Wine

Everything in moderation. So don’t overdo it, but know this. Research shows that the antioxidant EGCG, which is found in red wine and green tea, helps stop a particular protein (amyloid-beta) from harming brain cells. Not only that, but wine’s antioxidants might block the proteins that cause destructive plaque, and might also help your nerve cells talk to each other!

TIP: No more than 1 glass a day. When it comes to wine, less is definitely more.

15. Curry

Curcumin is the active ingredient in turmeric, the potent spice that gives curry powder its distinct yellow color. Curry has a smell and flavor easily identifiable in Indian or Thai food, and studies have shown that it is beneficial for reducing inflammation, and for getting rid of those amyloid-beta proteins that create brain plaque and Alzheimer’s.

TIP: Turmeric can slow down blood clotting. So check with your doctor first!

16. Water

Did you know that 60% of your body is made of water? Your brain and heart are about 73% water, your lungs are around 83%, kidneys are up there at 79%, skin is 64%, and even though you think of your bones as being solid, they are 31% water! In keeping with the rest of your watery organs, your brain is 75% water. So…drink lots of water. Your brain is 75% dysfunctional without it!

TIP: About 6 or 8 glasses a day is ideal. Not a fan of water? Squeeze in a little fresh lemon juice!

17. Coffee

Just like with tea, the caffeine in coffee will increase your focus, improve your reaction time and help keep your attention span sharp. Studies have also found that it may reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s by 30%. But beware of those venti cups. Too much caffeine can cause brain fog!

TIP: 200 milligrams of caffeine is a good daily limit. That’s about 2, 8-ounce cups.

18. Dark Chocolate

You know, there’s always a way to rationalize dessert. In this case, though, it’s really good for you! Dark chocolate that’s at least 70% cacao contains flavonoids, an antioxidant that can keep your brain healthy. It also has a bit of caffeine, which we already know does wonders for your concentration. You know what else is great about chocolate? Endorphins. “Feel-good” chemicals that chocolate stimulates your brain to produce!

TIP: All you need is a square. About a half to 1 ounce a day. Just like wine, don’t overdo it!

In closing, print out this list and take it to your local supermarket, then stock up. Walking around the store (while avoiding the cookie aisle…) is also great exercise, an important aspect of a healthy lifestyle. Regular exercise can help improve your memory and reduce stress levels, which is another key factor in keeping your brain disease-free!

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Sounds a bit extreme, doesn’t it? Well it’s not; a recent Forbes article stated that, “seventy percent of your employees hate their jobs.” What’s more, according to the University of Cambridge, work-related stress can lead to raised blood pressure and cardiovascular disease and may even contribute to substance abuse. That’s right. Not only do your employees hate their jobs, but it’s also killing them.

Sounds like employee morale could use a boost. Here’s a list of 15 ways to boost morale at work, keep attrition rates at a minimum, and keep your company’s success on an upswing 365 days a year.

#1. Look into employee discount programs.

Ever hear of Corporate Perks? It’s a national employee savings portal that allows small and medium-sized business to qualify for corporate rates and discounts. By leveraging the purchasing power of your employees, you can save on almost everything you want to buy. You might receive discounts on such things as travel, electronics, services, retailers, restaurants, mobile phones and more. A similar albeit smaller version is Great Work Perks, a Los Angeles-based free employee benefits program that offers local discounts on restaurants, spas, amusement parks, sports, etc. Find out what perks are available in your area.

#2. Team building exercises build strong teams.

Encourage peer-to-peer bonding, and help reduce conflict in the workplace. Think non-traditional team building events such as paintball, flag football, entering a corporate softball league, team bowling, group trivia night, obstacle course races like Warrior Dash and the Tough Mudder – you get the idea. You could even reward the winning team with a little convenience like being able to dress in casual attire for a week.

#3. Don’t underestimate the importance of a well-stocked break room.

A comfortable, clean break room or employee lounge with a well-stocked snack area will give your staff a place to unwind for a few minutes without having to leave the premises for that coffee shop down the road. Research has shown that on-site break environments make a difference in overall employee health and happiness and are key to boosting morale at work. Opt for healthy snacks, cushy furniture, and soft lighting, and watch employees flock to that area like moths to a flame.

#4. Break time should be mandatory.

Think break time isn’t that important? Think again. According to research from the University of Toronto, eating lunch at your desk without walking away from the workstation to recharge your batteries can have a significant impact on stress-related absenteeism, reduced productivity, and increased medical costs. So, make “coffee breaks” essential. Two 15-minute breaks a day will give your employees time to clear their minds and keep energy flowing. No room for a “nap pod” like Google has? Some companies might consider having a daily stretch around 2pm, just about the time that our evolutionary history tells our bodies to nap. Wake up those muscles, take some deep breaths, and catch your second wind.

#5. Celebrate employees’ achievements.

Your finance department has just completed a massive audit. Profits have steadily increased over the past several months. Sales exceeded their quota from last month. Find reasons to celebrate your employees, and show them how lucky you are to have them. Why not make mealtime on the company a regular occurrence, like catered breakfast the first Monday of every month, pizza party Fridays, or an impromptu afternoon dessert buffet or sundae bar. Food is fun! But if that’s not your thing, here’s a list from Johns Hopkins University’s human resources department of 101 Ways to Celebrate People.

#6. Comfort is key.

According to furniture manufacturer, Herman Miller, “…having some control over the workspace can improve comfort and the ability to get work done and reduce stress. This, in turn, can lead to greater productivity and better health.” Physical comfort can contribute to psychological comfort, affecting mood, cognitive function, and feelings of loyalty and commitment to one’s employer. In other words, pay attention to the comfort of the workspace you provide for employees. Is the paint color soothing? Are the chairs comfortable? Is there good natural light, office plants, and clean air? If you aren’t sure how to create comfort on your own, enlist the services of a design firm. It’ll do your business a world of good.

#7. Acknowledge special occasions.

Which would you rather have: a workplace that feels as disconnected as a cell phone with no reception, or a workplace that functions like one big happy family? Connecting with staff outside of your professional roles brings people closer, and the closer and happier your employees, the stronger their work ethic. So make it a point to include birthdays, anniversaries, new employee welcome events, cakes, cards, plaques, etc. you’re your regular routine. Your staff will appreciate it, and you’ll appreciate how much harder they’ll work for you when they know you care.

#8. Encourage free-flowing ideas.

Want to know the fastest way to find out what your employees think of the workplace and how they would improve it? Ask them. Monthly brainstorming sessions will poll staff’s ideas on what works and what doesn’t, along with suggestions on how to bring in more business and improve the company’s overall performance. Who knows the company better than the people who are doing the nitty-gritty work? Giving them an opportunity to express their concerns and opinions shows them they are a trusted part of the organization, and allows them to have a direct impact on your company’s success while boosting employee morale. Be a willing listener, and make sure they know your door is wide open.

#9. Show them the money.

Nothing boosts employee morale better than a bonus check. While you may not be able to give sizable sums of money across the board, there’s always room in the budget for a little “thanks for all you do” gift. So next year when holiday time rolls around, instead of throwing a corporate party that many employees find tedious, give them some bucks to spend on whatever their heart desires, or save for next summer’s vacation. It may take a minor chunk out of your operating expenses, but the returns will be worth it.

#10. Get involved in charitable causes.

Doing good works for others is a great feeling. Ask your employees to choose a different cause or charity every year and then make it your mission to volunteer your time and raise funds with a company match. Think walk-a-thons, dance-a-thons, charity runs, proceeds from Alex’s Lemonade Stand, fundraising for a local children’s hospital, volunteering with the Special Olympics or Habitat for Humanity, etc. Then, reward your staff for participating. Everyone involved gets four extra hours of vacation time, movie passes, a gift card for lunch at a local eatery – just something simple to show appreciation for your employees’ making the world a better place.

#11. Build trust.

Sounds easy, right? Well apparently, it’s not. According to Psychology Today, there’s a trust deficit in the workplace. So how can leaders cultivate a strong sense of interpersonal trust? They can keep their word, speak positively about employees and the office in general, demonstrate a strong work ethic, see the bigger picture and put smaller crises into perspective, listen to their staff, and be passionate about the company’s mission. If management doesn’t present a positive, supportive, can-do attitude, employees won’t, either. Positivity begets positivity, and great leaders are honest, clear, and treat people well consistently.

#12. Say thank you.

If employees don’t feel that their contributions are valued, what motivation will they have to do their best? The Times of India says that, “Being thanked for doing good work makes it easier to do more good work, increases the employee’s likelihood of continuing to work for the organization, and serves as a catalyst for attracting additional employees to the company.” Be sure to say thank you for a job well done. Write personalized thank you cards. When one employee does something amazing for the department, reward the entire department to reinforce teamwork. Send out email newsletters recognizing a different employee each month. Everyone has strengths, so take note of the way your employees shine, and then shout it from the rooftops for all to hear.

#13. Prevent boredom on the job.

Consider this: people care if you take an interest in their future. They like to learn. They want to improve their skills, and maybe even have the opportunity to test the waters working for another department for a while. Stimulating your employees’ interest in their jobs and giving them opportunities for growth can keep them engaged and maintain a higher level of productivity. It may not be possible to promote everyone, but try rotating them through different roles that will accentuate their strengths and help them grow beyond their current positions, even if the move is only lateral. It will keep them interested in their jobs, and the boost in employee morale will contribute to employee retention in the long run.

#14. Have a ball.

Sure, some employees may find corporate functions tedious (see #9). But some employees love getting together with their colleagues! Throw a winter holiday extravaganza. Have a costume party at Halloween with prizes for the best dressed. Take the gang to your local sports teams’ season openers. Host a summer kickoff barbeque. Go to the museum. Bust out the projector, and have movies running on loop in the conference room all day so that employees can relax on break and chow down on some popcorn and candy. The possibilities are endless, and the fun might just be endless, too!

#15. Lunch and learn.

Employees may spend forty hours a week on the job, but at the end of the day, they’re regular people with lives and families outside of the workplace. They have interests, hobbies, areas where they excel, and areas where they could use a bit of assistance. Think about what subjects may be of interest to your employees outside of work. For that matter, think about what you’d like to learn if you had the time. Do you need information on financial planning, how to care for aging parents, college tuition/financial aid for your kids, computer skills training, an overview of the Twitterverse and the overwhelming world of social media? Ask your staff what they want to know, and bring in a new speaker every month or several times a year on topics that they’ll love. An hour or two that enables your employees to relax and take their minds off work for a little while is an hour or two well spent.

When you weren’t running the company, what kind of boss did you hope you’d have? What did your employer offer that made you want to come to work every day, and what things made you want to run screaming in the other direction? Be the kind of boss you always wished you had, and your employees will reward you with continuous hard work and dedication. There are innumerable ways to boost morale at work, and you’d be remiss if you didn’t take the time to research the things that will have your employees smiling day in and day out.

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My IT admin is a wonderful man. He’s a kind man, he’s a patient man, but most times I interact with this man, I am screaming. I like to tell myself, and later HR, that I am screaming at the situation and that it’s the situation that I’m frustrated with, but it’s getting harder to convince even myself of this.

You make the Internet go, you make it go NOW!

 

It’s no wonder, then, that a recent study published by GFI Software and Opinion Matters shows 79 percent of IT administrators want to quit their jobs due to work-related stress. This is a 22 percent increase from the 2013 survey, where 57 percent of IT admin reported wanting to leave their jobs. Here are the important takeaways:

• 38% of IT staff missed social functions due to work
• 35% report missing out on family time due to work demands on their personal life
• 25% of respondents said they’ve had a relationship ruined due to their job
• 23% of respondents say they work between 8 and 12 hours of unpaid overtime each week
• 30% of respondents say they regularly lose sleep because of work pressures
• 25% have suffered stress-related illnesses
• 17% have poor physical health due to work.

There’s nothing like having your entire tech team want to burn the building down.

So, this is bad, mmmmkay. As a small business owner, you know how integral your IT staff is to the effective management of your company. Information technology in business management is an already huge and ever growing concern. If these people want to quit their job, they have no loyalty to you, they have no loyalty to their co-workers, and they have no loyalty to your customers. Everybody loses, and everybody is unhappy.

This has to change, and it has to change fast. The very life of your small business depends on it. So how do you do it?

Realistic staffing and budgeting.

IT is important. Don’t skimp on it. If you’re expecting to have one person manage all of the technology issues of your business, then make sure that one person is realistically capable of it. Talk to experts; ask them what kind of staff you need to keep information technology costs low and make sure your business is up and running. If you overwork too few people, you can expect a poor quality of work.

Remember, it’s better to make an investment in the future of your company, then to spend time and money fixing problems that could have been avoided. A larger staff means more support and better relationships for all of your employees, not just your IT admins.

• Building the Team: Determine how many IT staffers you need to effectively run your company. Information technology staffing ratios are usually about 1:50;  a good general starting point but that varies widely based on software used, technical abilities of the staff, demands of each department, etc.
• Investing in Human Capital: Invest in an IT team early; it saves money in the long term. An expert can implement policies in proportion to the projected growth of the company. Way better than temporary IT staffing with no future forecast.
• Bigger is Better: More IT members means more support for your entire company. And who doesn’t like support!

Automated services and outsourcing.

It’s true that your IT staff is of tremendous value to your organization, so free them up for the big stuff by automating or outsourcing mundane tasks. When you need to deploy new software, or help a client with a basic work-around, consider asking your IT team to make a checklist of support items that other customer service representatives can take care of. Outsource the work to an answering service that provides technological support.

Consider automating services like Wi-Fi fixes and mobile device network functionality. Again, asking your IT team to make a program once is a much more efficient use of their time (and yours) than having them take care of issues that arise over and over again.

• Check Marks the Spot: Create a checklist for basic IT support that customer service can handle. Ask your IT staff to help create and participate in a training program.
• Let it Go: Distribute the workload to an IT helpdesk outsourcing call center or a similar BPO type service.
• Auto-Mation is Auto-Mazing: Automate basic fixes so your IT team can focus on bigger issues. Test out self service help desk portals and figure out ways to have people try to solve their own problems.
• Use Forums: Forums are a great way to encourage self service. Take a look at Google Product Forums to see how forums perform.

Moving forward.

Your IT team is important. Love them and they will love you back. Give them a realistic workload, and outsource or automate their more mundane tasks. No small business is going to succeed where 79 percent of their staff wants to quit. Make a change today that can better the lives of your employees and better the prospects of your business.

The post Fact: 79 percent of your IT staff wants to quit. appeared first on Specialty Answering Service.

Sounds a bit extreme, doesn’t it? Well it’s not; a Forbes article stated that, “seventy percent of your employees hate their jobs.” What’s more, according to the University of Cambridge, work-related stress can lead to raised blood pressure and cardiovascular disease and may even contribute to substance abuse. That’s right. Not only do your employees hate their jobs, but it’s killing them.

Not to worry, though, you can implement these two simple ideas to boost morale in the workplace: Taking breaks and focusing on your mission.

Your mind works super hard. Give it a break already.

10/10 Fun people agree: if you want your employees to be happy, try having some fun! A nine-to-five workday can be monotonous, it can be wearisome, and it can be painful; but it doesn’t have to be. Figure out ways to give your employees mental breaks during their day. This doesn’t have to be complicated or costly like employee base jumping / team building / caviar tasting weekend. Here are some low budget workplace morale booster activities:

• Trivia Contest: Split your group into teams. Ask some questions about the history of your company or about your product line. Winning group gets to wear t-shirts to work on Friday.
• Hopscotch Contest: Have some chalk? Have a parking lot? Take your employees outside for a quick 10 minute challenge. Winner gets their picture taken and immortalized for the next 30 days.
• Eating Contest: Have some leftover doughnuts in the break room? Turn yesterdays treats into today’s challenge.
• Fun With Products: Sell something? Try getting pictures of those products and sticking them to your employees heads with rubber bands. The employees need to ask questions and guess the card on their head to win.

Building special days into your work schedule is also a great way for your employees to de-stress. It gives them something to look forward to and something to work towards. Here are some fun examples:

• Pizza Friday: Remember how excited you were as a kid for pizza nights? Try buying pizza’s for your office or a department one Friday a month.
• Baseball Night: Organize a work trip to a baseball game. If you buy tickets in bulk and have >20 employees chip in, you can usually get tickets for lower than face value.
• Celebrate Random Holidays: Pick a few random holidays out during the month and schedule something fun. Did you know today was ‘National Chocolate Parfait Day’? How pumped would you be if 2 weeks ago you received a memo and itinerary for today’s choco-madness celebration.

Your mission: Focus on how your company helps others.

One of the most important steps in maintaining high employee morale is to work with a purpose. This is an absolutely liberating shift in mindsets, and one that will reverberate throughout your office. If people feel like the work they do is meaningful, they will find it more fulfilling, and, in turn, they will be happier. People will look forward to going to work when it matters to them, even if the work they do is difficult.

Establishing this purpose may seem difficult if your company is working in the private sector and is for profit, but keep in mind, all work helps people in some way. Find the way that your company helps people, and motivate your employees to this end. For example, our company (SAS) is a call center service provider that helps small businesses stay competitive by offering on-demand receptionists 24/7. Our mission is to further the growth of small businesses with affordable and reliable multi-channel communication.

All conversations and meetings should center around this mission. It certainly does on our office! It is the driving, motivating factor in our business and should be in your business as well. In this way, if you have a disagreement with an employee or there is some type of dispute amongst your staff, you can avoid making things personal; instead, it all comes down to the job. If your employees know what is going to help our company and what is going to help our customers, you will reach a Zen-like morale in your office.

In the end, you need to make sure that work is something that your employees look forward to being a part of. Create a positive team dynamic, motivate your employees with fun activities and events, and always bring things back to your central mission. You will have healthier employees, and a stronger company, too.

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Surely, some of the happiest places in the US had some knowledge they could impart to small businesses. We read all about those 15 magical metropolises, got the scoop on their greatness, and then applied those concepts to our work environment. After all, we spend more hours working than we do on any other task; therefore, it behooves us to make it as enjoyable as possible! We invite you to take a tour of the top 10 traits that we think make the top 15 towns so fantabulous – and how they can be applied to corporate America.

1. Wide open spaces (Downers Grove, Illinois)

Downers Grove, Illinois boasts over 600 acres of parks and green spaces, much to its residents’ delight. Being confined to small spaces all day long just plain stinks (unless you’re a spelunker or an astronaut). And what’s a cubicle? A small space – really, really small… So try to set aside an area where employees can lounge on their lunch or coffee breaks. We’re not talking about a room that’s just big enough for one table, one chair, a microwave, and a coffee pot. We’re talking about a lounge area. Comfy chairs, non-fluorescent lighting, maybe a few computer kiosks for employees to check personal email (so they are less inclined to log on at their desks), vending machines, a stocked snack area, whatever it takes. Be creative. Have some Sudoku books or crossword puzzles lying around. Popular magazines. The local paper. If extra space is sparse, see if it’s possible to set up a picnic area outside of the building. Employees need downtime, so if it isn’t already built into their schedules, then make room for it. If you want your employees to stay sane, give them a little breathing room. Literally!

2. Get involved (Tooele, Utah)

What does one do in Utah? Ski? Yes. If you are visiting Tooele, Utah, you also give. Thanks to an abundance of neighborhood fundraisers, this mountain town ranked very high in the world of charitable giving. So why is this important in the workplace? For one, it allows employees to give back to the community on a large scale. When people donate to charity on an individual basis, it can be difficult to see how their contribution made a tangible difference. (Ya know, because not everyone can afford to start a school like Oprah, or donate a cool $1M on the regs like the Jolie-Pitts.) But when an entire office or corporation is involved in supporting a non-profit, the impact is clear. For example, the charity SmileTrain raises funds to repair cleft lips and palates for children worldwide. While a donation of $10 may not be appreciable, a donation of $1,000 covers four cleft surgeries. That’s a tangible difference! Additionally, being a “good neighbor” by volunteering or donating to local or national charities can improve your standing in the community, leading to new client acquisition and increased profit. People love to support businesses that support the community. Think about it!

3. Spend time together (Alpharetta, Georgia; Huntington Woods, Michigan; Fishers, Indiana)

In Alpharetta, Georgia, Huntington Woods, Michigan, and Fishers, Indiana, being invited to a neighborhood event is the norm, and in a sense, your place of business is a “neighborhood.” Regular company outings or in-house events will give staff a chance to unwind and share a joke or two. And as they say, laughter is the best medicine! So, consider forming a retention collaborative committee, designed to plan and implement team-building activities that will keep employees happy and looking forward to going to work every day. Host a holiday party. Go to a ballgame. Have a department-wide or company-wide potluck. When you place importance on camaraderie in the workplace, you’ll benefit from more productive employees!

4. Stay active (Frisco, Texas)

What do they love in Frisco, Texas? Sports. From hockey to basketball, and everything in between, Frisco is centered around athletics. So what should your office be centered around? The Keurig? Wrong-o. Just like those Texans, staying active should be an important aspect of the workday. Research suggests that a sedentary lifestyle can contribute to the development of chronic disease. Who would have thought that being glued to your office chair could cause such considerable damage (bet you’re fidgeting now, aren’t you…)? The moral of the story here, quite obviously, is to keep it moving. Encourage employees to stand up and stretch regularly. Heck, you could even have a company-wide 5-minute stretch at the same time every day, like when you’re falling asleep at the desk around 3 p.m. Offer incentives for joining a gym, or better yet, have exercise equipment available on-site. Place printers and copy machines a little ways from workstations, forcing staff to take a stroll every now and then. Energize your employees, and make staying active an integral part of your office environment.

5. Take pride in your company (Seal Beach, California)

Pride. It’s one thing that residents of Seal Beach, California have in common. They take pride in their community. What makes you proud of where you work? Is it your colleagues? The people you help? Maybe you are proud because you brought in a record number of new clients last month. Maybe you are outsourcing to an amazing small business telephone answering service? That makes us happy! Whatever the reason, taking pride in what you do is a feeling that must be fostered on a daily basis. Key leadership might consider sending out bi-weekly email updates, highlighting particular individuals who regularly exceed their sales quotas. Create a monthly newsletter with a “getting to know you” section for new employees. Maybe the company has received praise regarding excellence in customer care; share it with everyone from the CEO to the mailroom. People want to feel good about what they do. So, tell them how proud you are of their accomplishments. A little goes a long way!

6. Education is paramount (Downers Grove, Illionis; Huntington Woods, Michigan; Herndon, Virginia)

The majority of the friendliest towns apparently tout a significant percentage of residents holding college degrees. How does education translate into friendlier communities? Well, readers, that’s a blog for another day. But the fact is, the more time spent educating employees on everything from best sales practices to how to work the paper shredder, the more superior their quality of work. Never underestimate the power that a workshop or training webinar can have to boosting your employees’ self-assurance and ability to do their job. Not only will you see results, but your clients or customers will also experience a difference in their interactions with your business. Knowledgeable employees maintain confidence in their roles within the company, work smarter (pun intended), and will consciously represent the polished image that can make any business a success.

7. Own your work (Apopka, Florids; Hamilton, New York; Huntington Woods, Michigan; Downers Grove, Illinois; Frisco, Texas; Orinda, California; Sammamish, Washington)

There is another common theme among the top 15 – homeowners, and lots of them. We know what you’re thinking. What in the world does home ownership have to do with corporate America? Maybe nothing. But owning your work has everything to do with individual achievement as well as company-wide accomplishments. You don’t live at your job (or at least, we really hope not), and yet in many ways, your job is a second home. In other words, own it. Own every piece of its success, from the minute you walk in the door ‘til the minute you clock out. Take ownership of your responsibilities and work diligently, putting your best foot forward in everything you do. You have that job for a reason – because you are great at what you do. So prove it every chance you get!

8. Quash corruption (Westerville, Ohio; Tooele, Utah)

And yet one more of these all-encompassing concepts: low crime rates. Communities that are the friendliest arguably have the lowest crime rates. No matter how you slice it, crime makes the world a scary place sometimes. Yet, crime isn’t just bank robbers and purse thieves. Nope. It’s everything from white collar to the ole smash and grab. Regardless of how savvy your hiring process is, businesses are not immune to internal crime. Imagine how unsettling it would be to take note of unsavory activity in the workplace, but not have a safe avenue wherein one could report said activity. That’s why it is imperative for every business to employ whistleblower hotline services, allowing staff to report fraud or misconduct without fear of retaliation. We can all agree – it’s much easier to tell the truth when no one knows who is doing the telling.

9. Don’t be afraid to ask for help (Apopka, Florids; Herndon, Virginia; Hamilton, New York)

This isn’t so much an identified friendliness trait, but it holds true for every person in every community in the world. Help. We all need it sometimes, and there is no shame in asking for it. Small and large businesses alike should have hotline services in place for employee assistance. Whether it’s a smoking cessation resource, collaborating with a law firm to provide free consultations, assistance with arranging elder or childcare, mental health counseling, work-life balance seminars, or a meeting with the nutritionist, creating a convenient way for workers to ask for help can relieve stress and improve well-being across the board. We highly recommend it!

10. Smile (Sammamish, Washington)

Last but not least, take a cue from Sammamish, Washington, number one on Forbes’ list. The location for such headquarters as Costco, Starbucks, and Microsoft, neighbors in this neck of the woods actually go out of their way to greet new residents and make them feel welcome. And what could be friendlier than a smile! That simple act is known the world over, and it actually contributes to making us happier people. So give the receptionist a smile when you walk into the office. Smile at the colleague who just brewed a fresh pot of coffee. Going into a tense meeting? Practice your smile in the bathroom beforehand and give yourself an instant confidence boost! And most importantly, smile on every single phone call, whether inbound or outbound. The rumors are true – you really can “hear” a smile through the phone.

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