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This month’s blog post comes to us from our friends at ECI. We found their suggestions for a safe and healthy workplace very helpful, and believe you will too.

As of September 14, 2020, there have been 6.7 million cases of COVID-19 in the U.S. and nearly 200,000 deaths. A recent poll shows that 54% of U.S. employees say they are worried about exposure to the virus at their job. But, the good news is that 71% of employees have confidence their employers can manage workplace environments safely. Fortunately, there are several ways to minimize the threat of spread in your workplace.

1. Keep employees, customers, and visitors informed

Stay in constant communication with your employees, customers, and visitors to inform them about your risk mitigation plans. Use snail mail, email, loudspeaker messaging, and signage to provide information about these measures and enforce mask-wearing, frequent hand washing, and proper 6-feet distancing. Ensure that employees understand the importance of mask-wearing; masks help to prevent a person who is sick from spreading the virus to others by keeping respiratory droplets contained and from reaching other people. COVID-19 spreads mainly among people who are in close contact with one another (within about 6 feet), so the use of masks is particularly important in settings where people are close to each other or where social distancing is difficult to maintain, according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC).

Provide training for putting on and taking off masks properly, and even for fully washing hands, caution employees against touching their faces or their masks, and install hand sanitizer stations to further minimize the risk of spread through touching objects. You should also keep a supply of either surgical or N-95 masks if employees’ mask straps break.

Continually keep employees apprised of all new developments. Inform them that risk assessments are taking place, and instruct on what they should do if they are feeling symptoms or if they notice other employees that are exhibiting symptoms.

Disseminate your sick policy digitally and in paper form concerning a possible outbreak to your employees, along with resources from the CDC for learning more about what they can do to protect themselves (see step 3 below).

2. Have a work-from-home Plan B in case of a local outbreak

Hot spots continue to pop up all over the country, and your region may be affected sooner or later.

Should this occur in your area, you’ll need a contingency plan allowing as many workers as possible to work from home. Make sure there are enough laptops, VPN devices, printers, and any other role-specific technologies (such as phone systems for receptionists and customer support staff) to support work for all of your units that must remain operational. Account for your “bring your own device” (BYOD) policy and the handling of sensitive data, so that an outbreak doesn’t lead to a data security disaster.

3. Mandate that symptomatic employees stay home

Once employees show symptoms of fever or acute respiratory illness, the CDC recommends that they should know your company wants them to stay home until they are free of symptoms for at least 24 hours, without the use of fever and symptom-reducing medicines.

If an employee presents symptoms at work, such as shortness of breath, nasal drip, muscle aches, chills, sore throat, or coughing, they should be separated and sent home immediately.

If an employee is not sick or showing symptoms, but has a family member at home diagnosed with COVID-19, notify their supervisor and refer to CDC guidance for conducting a risk assessment of their potential exposure.

Finally, if an employee tests positive, employers should inform employees of their possible exposure to COVID-19 in the workplace while maintaining the confidentiality required by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Employees exposed to a co-worker with confirmed COVID-19 should refer to CDC guidance on conducting a risk assessment of their potential exposure.

4. Keep the facilities clean

The CDC recommends routine cleaning of all frequently touched surfaces in the workplace. If your cleaning staff cleans bathrooms and common areas, but workers maintain their workstations, communicate that they should sanitize their areas (including doorknobs, keyboards, and desks) frequently, and provide disposable wipes for the purpose. The CDC offers a comprehensive set of instructions for cleaning and disinfecting your facility.

5. Avoid workers coming in for financial reasons

Given many Americans are living paycheck to paycheck, a scenario to avoid is sick workers evading testing or coming in for fear of not getting paid. Just one employee making an ill-advised decision could be catastrophic for other employees and the organization. Employers are not legally obligated to pay self-isolating workers who may not be sick or, in some cases, sick. But it makes sense to reward conscientious hourly employees by offering to keep their paychecks coming if they need to take time off because of illness or exposure.

Places of employment, as well as schools, have a significant role to play in the prevention of COVID-19 spread. Following these measures is the social (and in some cases, legal) obligation of every employer until the end of the pandemic.

Jacobs Gardner Office Products offers a large selection of PPE and cleaning products to keep your office safe and healthy.

Content comes from them: https://www.ecisolutions.com/blog/how-to-minimize-the-threat-of-covid-19-spread-in-your-workplace

This month’s blog comes to us from our friends at Double A Paper

How we see the world around us impacts our lives and how we relate to others. Understanding your own emotions can be a powerful tool when interacting with the world, both personally and professionally. By learning how to cultivate company mindfulness, you can increase team interaction, employee productivity, and the bottom line.

What is Mindfulness

Mindfulness is a concept centered around self-awareness. Mindfulness is about being in the moment and experiencing your environment with no distractions. While being mindful, you pay close attention to your thoughts and emotions without judgment.

Mindfulness cultivates emotional intelligence and provides the skills needed to ignore impulsive, emotional reactions. Teaching your office how to be more mindful has the potential to increase the happiness of your work environment.

Why Company Mindfulness is Important

More companies are focusing on the wellbeing of their staff due to the increasing cost of an unhealthy workforce. Employees who are dissatisfied with their workplace tend to call out, resist work, and look for other opportunities. This could potentially leave companies with high turnover and a toxic culture.

The number of sick days used for mental health has increased exponentially over the past five years, causing mental health to be the number one reason for employees to call in sick.

Mindfulness can lower blood pressure, increase focus, and reduce anxiety and depression in employees. In fact, when employees practice mindfulness, they are more likely to be resilient in the face of stressful situations. Resilience and adaptability to stress play a key role in wellbeing.

When employees feel confident in handling stress, they are more likely to make good decisions for the business. A mindful employee is more likely to focus on productivity, reduce waste, and be conscientious. This will support the planet and your bottom line!

Teach Your Employees to be More Mindful

Educating your employees is the first step to increasing company mindfulness. It begins with establishing an open dialogue. Be open to discussing your employees’ emotional stance with the company and allow everyone to share what they love about their job and which areas need improvement.

Make sure you let them know that this conversation is a safe place designed to enhance their work experience. Teach them about mindfulness and why it is important. Some of your employees may be practicing mindfulness on their own. Encourage them to share their strategies.

Allow everyone to discuss any concerns and tackle their anxieties head-on. Allow an open flow of conversation and practice empathy and understanding.

Brainstorm ways to incorporate mindfulness into the workweek. Let your employees be a part of this shift in the company culture. This will allow them to feel valued and heard.

Incorporate Mindfulness into Remote Work

Many employees are now working from home to stay healthy and safe. It is more important than ever to incorporate mindfulness into your company’s work-from-home culture.

Stay accountable by touching base with your team. Make sure they are taking the time to be mindful while away from the office. Remind them to get fresh air, clear their mind, and make time for short movement breaks during the day.

During this uncertain time, it is essential that your employees feel as if they are part of the team. Take time at the end of video meetings to have everyone discuss their mindfulness practice. Prompt them to explain how mindfulness has impacted their new work environment.

Lead by Example

It is essential to lead by example when implementing mindfulness at your company. The first step is to make mindful decisions for the company.

For example, you could start a mindfulness accountability group. Gathering a team of dedicated, mindful employees could create a domino effect for the rest of the company. Before you know it, mindfulness will be ingrained in your work culture.

Manage with Emotional Intelligence

Emotional Intelligence (EI) is the ability to understand, perceive, and manage your own emotions. When you manage with emotional intelligence, you use empathy, understanding, and self-awareness to communicate with your team.

Mindfulness is a powerful component of emotional intelligence. Managers with high EI communicate their message better because they understand who their audience is. Managers with high emotional intelligence are more persuasive and inspiring to their employees.

Practicing EI will allow you to gauge and control your employees’ reactions to difficult situations. With this in mind, you will see the efficiency of your team increase.

Allow Mindfulness Breaks During the Day

Creating space in the day for your employees to practice mindfulness is essential to increasing company mindfulness. Allowing time between meetings for self-awareness is a great solution.

By the end of a meeting, most employees have checked out. They are already mentally preparing for their next meeting. This train of thought can continue all day, leaving your employees feeling burned out.

Providing time between appointments will allow them to decompress and focus on themselves for a moment before focusing on their next obligation. Let your employees know this time is for mindfulness.

Encourage them to step outside, do some deep breathing, or reflect on how they are feeling. You will have more focused, productive meetings when you allow your team opportunities to be mindful.

Schedule Movement Breaks

Most office workers have minimal amounts of movement during the workday. This time can increase if employees are working from home. Sitting for long amounts of time has been reported to be as unhealthy as smoking. Schedule a five-minute movement break for your team.

During this time, they can get up, stretch, and walk around. Remind them that this is a part of their mindfulness practice. Encourage them to focus on the sensation of moving after sitting for so long. This will allow your employees to energize themselves by breaking away from their responsibilities and moving their bodies.

Mindfulness comes in many shapes and sizes. Regardless of how you increase company mindfulness, you will be rewarded with a happier, more effective workforce. For more tips on building a healthy work environment and personal fulfillment, subscribe to our blog.

Now is the perfect time to take a few steps to prepare yourself for a strong start to the New Year (and new decade). You have a much better chance of making positive long-lasting changes when you’ve laid the groundwork ahead of time, rather than waiting until January 1.

Here are a few things you can do today to get ready for a great new year….

Reflect and assess on 2019.

What worked this year in your life? What didn’t work? What could you have done better? And what did you do really well? Sit down this week and actually put pen to paper to take a look back at the entire year to see where you need to make changes and where you need to give yourself a pat on the back. Once you’ve fully reflected and given yourself a real reality check, then you’re ready to keep an open mind and move forward armed with all the knowledge about how to tackle 2020.

Join a gym or hire a personal trainer and book your training sessions through the first two months of the year.

A great way to work on your health and fitness is by joining a gym, hiring a personal trainer or having an accountability buddy to work out with. The beautiful thing about signing on to work with a trainer is that you can actually book, block out and schedule your workouts with your trainer weeks in advance. If those workouts are already in your calendar and your trainer’s calendar before the New Year even starts, you’re much more likely to keep them and commit to them, especially with someone else keeping you in check.

Buy new workout clothes and sneakers, a new gym bag and water bottle.

Just like you want to dress for success at work, you also want to dress for success at the gym. If you’re still hiding in oversized cotton t-shirts and sweatpants that cling to your body and don’t let your sweat breathe, now’s a perfect chance for a wardrobe upgrade. Find some sweat-wicking leggings or shorts, supportive sneakers and even a gym bag that fits all the essentials, along with a big new reusable water bottle to keep with you at all times. You could even add your fitness gear to the Christmas list that you give to others, then fill in the holes based on whatever you don’t receive. Once you’ve invested in the proper attire for your workouts, you’ll be extra excited to make them happen regularly.

Remove obligations that could get in the way of your goals.

In today’s go-go-go society, we’re trained to think that the busier you are, the better off you are. But truly, that’s not the case. Before the New Year hits, we think you should take some time to review all of your current obligations, commitments and even relationships. Do they bring you joy? Do you look forward to them or dread them? Do you leave them feeling uplifted or drained? Do they support your healthy goals or hinder them? Whatever people or responsibilities are weighing on your time and emotions, consider eliminating them, if at all possible. Not only will you have more time to focus on your workouts, sleep, self-care and healthy eating, but you’ll also feel a weight lifted off your shoulders — and you can’t put a price-tag on that.

A few other honorable mentions …

• Clean out your pantry and fridge of all the unhealthy and expired food you don’t want to eat.

• Start stocking up on fresh produce and frozen produce to have on hand so you can have veggies at every meal.

• Sign up for a healthy meal delivery service for busy weekdays, so you can be sure you’ll have a nutritious and filling meal that supports your health goals.

• Write your goals down on multiple pieces of paper and paste them everywhere, including your mirror, fridge, car and desk.

Good luck!

Aiming for a work-free holiday break this year? Here’s how to realistically make it happen.

You’re working like crazy to tie up all of those necessary loose ends before you officially say goodbye to your desk for the holiday break.

Ideally, you’d spend your time off relaxing and recharging. But, if the past few years are any indication, you’ll more than likely spend a good chunk of your time glued to your computer or phone instead.

Well, no more. You deserve to actually kick back over the holidays. So, here are six tips to help you seriously disconnect and enjoy this merry time of year without work commitments hanging over your head.

1. Be Realistic

While you should definitely make a strong effort to check out of work-mode over the holidays, it’s important that you’re also realistic with your expectations.

Now that we’ve all become so accustomed to being constantly connected, it’s that much tougher to unplug entirely.

So, don’t enter into your break with the assumption that you won’t even glance at your inbox until your time off comes to a close. You’ll likely only wind up disappointed and frustrated. Focus on being better than normal, rather than perfect.

2. Lay Some Ground Rules

When you’re planning to disconnect for some time, it’s important that you set some clear expectations — both for yourself and the people that you work with.

In regards to yourself, will you allow any time to check in on work-related matters? If so, outline those rules now, such as only letting yourself pop into your inbox once per day for no more than fifteen minutes.

Also, make it known to your colleagues that you plan to be out of touch and for how long, so that they know better than to wait on you for any urgent requests.

3. Prioritize and Work Ahead

A key part of truly being able to unplug during your time off is adequate prep work — after all, it’s tough to relax if you feel like there’s a ton of unfinished business looming.

When you’re a few weeks out from your break, make a long list of all of the things that need to get accomplished before you officially check out. Then take a look to see what can be delegated and what can wait until after you return.

Sort the tasks that are left in order of deadline, and then start chipping away at those to-dos far ahead of time. That way, everything should be pretty close to handled by the time you stroll out of the office for your break.

4. Refrain From Setting Goals

This one can seem somewhat counterintuitive, particularly with the popularity of resolutions during this time of year.

However, if you know you’re going to be tempted to work when you really should be enjoying quality time with your loved ones, refrain from setting any professional goals for yourself until you’re back at work.

Why? Well, outlining those career and business ambitions during your time off will likely inspire you to get moving on those goals immediately — which will ultimately put you right back in front of your computer.

5. Set an Out-of-Office Message

This step seems obvious, but it’s one that far too many people neglect.

Setting an out-of-office responder when you’re on your break will remove much of the pressure from your shoulders, as well as keep your colleagues in the loop.

So, make sure to draft one of these messages before you take your time off. Include your return date as well as the contact information for someone else who can help with urgent matters, and you’ll be able to cut that tether that’s constantly connecting you to your inbox.

6. Abandon Your Electronics

Perhaps you’ve implemented all of these tips and you still don’t feel confident that you’ll be able to enjoy the festivities without a screen in front of your face.

If that’s the case, go ahead and lock away your electronics. Power down your phone and keep it in a drawer for the majority of a day. Put your laptop and your work bag in the back of the closet — where you’ll have to consciously reach for them.

These small changes can make a huge difference in how often you find yourself relying on those devices. When you need to be intentional about their use, you’re much less likely to be attached to them.

You deserve some time to unplug and relax over your holiday break. But, sometimes that’s easier said than done. Put these six tips to use, and you’ll be able to enjoy some (mostly) work-free and guilt-free time off.

The opinions expressed here by Inc.com columnists are their own, not those of Inc.com.

As we enter into the holiday season (yes, brace yourself, it’s that time of year again) we thought this would be a great time to reflect on the importance of kindness.

Kindness in the office, at school, in traffic, or at home, can change a bad situation into a tolerable one.

In a world that moves so fast, and is digitally driven, ironically, we are less connected with one another on a deeper level than ever before. Since we only see the surface (or the highlight reel) we have no idea what another person is going through in their lives. They may have just lost a loved one, or a job, or may be dealing with pain or an illness. Those who treat others poorly or fly off the handle, are more likely to need our kindness than we can possibly imagine.

Being a little kinder than necessary is always a great way to go through life. Even ONE person can make a difference. Will that person be you? Or maybe you will be the recipient of another’s kindness?

We’ve included a few ideas for random acts of kindness here. We’d love to hear some of your ideas.

All of us at Jacobs Gardner wish you a peaceful season filled with goodwill and kindness.

The way your day starts sets the tone for everything that follows. That’s why it’s very important to be intentional about your morning routine. While we know that you don’t have much time to spend on intricate and unrealistic wellness practices, there are a few short and simple things you can do each morning to ensure you find a better footing to take on the rest of the day with ease.

1. Get some natural sunlight first thing in the morning.

Would you believe that there’s something totally free you can do each day to boost your happiness hormones and energy levels? Get sunlight! Natural sunlight, that is. Our bodies and hormones get a lot of information from the light that we’re surrounded with, and that’s why it’s important to spend a little bit of time, anywhere from 5 to 15 minutes, in natural sunlight, without sunglasses, within about 30 minutes to an hour of waking up.

This time in the sunlight will signal to your brain to release serotonin, which is a feel-good hormone that also makes you calm and focused. In addition to that, starting your day with some natural sunlight and vitamin D can actually help you sleep better at night, because it resets your circadian rhythm to follow the natural pattern of light and dark, so your body will be ready to power down in the evening time.

2. Drink 16 to 32 ounces of water as soon as you wake up.

During the night-time while you are sleeping, your body is going through a ton of processes, and it also isn’t taking in any liquid. That means that when you wake up, you are technically dehydrated and in need of fluid intake. In addition to that, when you drink water first thing in the morning, it actually helps to flush all of the toxins through your system that were accumulating over night.

Try keeping a bottle of water next to the bed each night, then you can down those 16 to 32 ounces as soon as you wake up. (Quick tip: Room temperature water is actually a lot easier to drink than cold water, so it’s better if it sits out all night.) From that initial drink, you’ll get a boost of energy from the hydration, your brain will feel more focused — as it’s mostly made up of water and always needs fluids to function — and you’ll also feel full, so you don’t have to run to the kitchen for breakfast right away. Hydrating throughout the day is important for everyone, but that first glass of water is perhaps your most beneficial one of the day, so don’t skip it.

3. Spend a few minutes of quiet time meditating or being mindful.

It’s very common to wake up and immediately check our phones for emails, messages and other incoming requests from other people, thus setting us off in a reactive mode. Yet, focusing on other people’s issues can fill us with stress and worry, and this isn’t the best way to begin a day. That’s why, it’s beneficial to take anywhere from 3 to 15 minutes in the morning to sit quietly and be alone with your thoughts before consuming any technology or social media. If you’re not comfortable sitting alone in silence, you can also try out a guided meditation app, like Calm or Headspace, and let the narrator tell you what to do.

Meditation has been shown to reduce anxiety and stress, enhance self-awareness, improve attention span, as well as a host of other perks. And one thing it definitely does is make sure that you go into the day with a more mindful approach. While it may seem like meditation is a fluffy practice just for those who teach yoga, it’s growing in popularity in the mainstream as more and more people understand its powerful benefits for daily life.

The right morning routine can do wonders for your day, so choose at least one of the above and give it a try tomorrow morning. Good luck!

Our friends at Hammermill have provided a great resource for effective studying, just in time for Back to School season.

When you have many small tidbits of information to memorize, like a list of words and their meanings or a list of dates and events, there are some simple tricks you can use that make remembering easier. We’ve put together some good ideas that can give you an edge when it’s time to study.

Have a test coming up? Check out our Study Guide Templates, and be sure to join our mailing list to receive more tips and ideas.

A Little Understanding; a Big Difference

When it’s time to memorize, knowing a little bit about how our brains work can really help. Our memories are not all stored in the same place. Different kinds of actions are remembered in different parts of the brain. There’s short-term memory, long-term memory, muscle memory and more. Some people remember what they see more easily, while others remember what they’ve heard or what they’ve done.

A good trick to increase your odds of remembering is to use a study method that puts the information in more than one part of your brain. That might sound difficult, but it really isn’t. Here’s the key: don’t just read information and expect to remember; write it down and say it out loud. This simple process ensures that the information is going to several different areas of your brain, making it easier to find later.

Do It Again…and Again…and Again

The next thing to know is that repetition is essential. Repetition is really important. Repetition builds success. To remember ideas or concepts, try rewording them a few different ways to ensure you fully understand them. For simple facts such as names and dates, information that shouldn’t be changed, repetition is the glue that will help them stick in your brain.

You might be lucky and have a super brain that catches everything the first time. But even then, you encounter a ton of information every day, and there are ways to make it easier for you to remember later.

A Simple Method

Here’s one way to get more from your study time. Take a blank sheet of paper. Make a column down the left side of the paper. Now, inside that column, copy down all of the facts you need to remember. The smaller you write, the more information you can fit on a page, BUT the harder it is to read and check later. Write your information down in a size that is efficient but also comfortable to read. As you write the information down, be sure to say it out loud (NOT in the library).

Now, turn the paper over. Make a column down the left side of the paper. Try to write down as much information as you can from memory. Don’t worry if you can only remember a couple of things. Once you’ve written down everything you can remember, fold the paper over so the completed column on the back is next to the incomplete column on the left. Copy down everything that you couldn’t remember.

Be sure to check out our helpful Study Guide Templates to see how it works!

When you are done, fold that left-hand column back so that you can’t see it anymore. Make another column and try again. You’ll probably remember a little more this time. When you’ve finished writing down everything you can remember, unfold the paper and check the corrected list on the left against the list you just made in the next column over.

Once again, copy down everything you couldn’t remember, saying the information out loud as you write. Now, fold the two columns back so you can’t see them anymore and try again. Keep doing this until you can write the entire column without missing any information. If you really want to be sure you’ve got it, keep going until you can write down all the information without any mistakes three times in a row. It may take a few sheets of paper until you can successfully write everything down from memory. Got it? Cool!

Take a fresh sheet of paper, make a column down the left and write all the information down from memory. Okay. Time for a break.

And Again…

At the start of your next study session, start with the information you’ve “already memorized”. Take the piece of paper you used at the very end of your last study session, flip it over to its blank side, make a column down the left and try to write down everything from memory. Don’t be surprised if a few facts don’t come to you quickly. Try hard to remember as much as you can, but when you get stuck and can’t remember any more, fold the paper over and check your results, copying down all the missing information. Keep repeating the process until you can do it all correctly three times in a row.

Be sure to use a sturdy paper that is thick enough to hide the answers on the back, something like Hammermill Fore® Multi-Purpose. You can also print out our helpful Study Guide Templates to save you some time!

Hammermill paper is available at

Jacobs Gardner 1-800-638-0983 or www.jacobsgardner.com

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