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Spotting A Good Cleaning Company For The Business

Maintaining a clean and presentable office is essential in creating a good first impression to clients. After all, a clean establishment is said to reflect the quality of work and performance a company does. Moreover, it also showcases the amount of care a business has for its employees’ well-being and comfort.

Finding the Perfect Cleaning Company

Luckily, there is no shortage of cleaning companies available. From taking out the trash every day to carpet cleaning, there is a suitable service for each type of business out there. Before jumping into the bandwagon and hiring a cleaning company, there are a few factors to consider to ensure the partnership goes smoothly.

List down the cleaning services needed.

A company has to identify the type of cleaning service they need. This would depend on the usage of a particular area. For instance, if the lobby of an office experiences heavy foot traffic within the day, it might be ideal to have a cleaning service assigned to clean it at hourly intervals in order to keep everything spotless.

Consider the budget as well as the needs of the company.

Find out how much the company is willing to spend to hire a cleaning service. It is advisable to gather information from different establishments and compare what they have to offer. Note down the services they have and whether they carry appropriate equipment.

Take into consideration the special cleaning needs of the business, would they require a dehumidifier? Maybe they need a carpet cleaning machine to clean up their office floors? Questions like these should be addressed ahead of time to prevent confusion and to se
t expectations.

Qualified staff and products used.

Check staff have been trained and certified, especially by Interactive Training International and that they are using the latest chemicals and products, such as environmentally friendly products and microfiber cleaning technology for better results.

Conduct background research and inquire about previous clients.

Once a cleaning company has been chosen, find out about them by contacting their past clients. Conduct research on whether they provided excellent service to their previous customers. It is also advisable to check reviews to see if anything is said about them.

Finding out how they treat their clients should be a helpful factor in deciding whether to hire the said company or not.

Understand the contract and inquire about insurance coverage.

Always read the fine print and ensure that the cleaning company has a reliable insurance coverage. In case a steam cleaner damages a portion of the office carpet, for instance, it will be easier to know that reparations for such will not be a problem.

Work out a trial run if possible.

Ask if it is possible to have a trial period with the cleaning service before fully committing to hire them. This will give both parties a chance to adjust and also work out the details like cleaning time as well as target areas.

With these guidelines in mind, it’s easier to determine whether a cleaning company is the right one to go for. Hiring the right cleaners for a business requires a bit of diligent research before
finally making the decision to commit. Taking these precious steps ahead of time will help eliminate potential problems from cropping up in the future.

About the Author: Debra Wright is a creative and innovative blogger and online marketing specialist. She uses her wordsmith skills to share her ideas, thoughts, and tips to other people about
topics that fascinate her, such as tips on cleaning services. Follow Debra on twitter @debrawrites…

Meeting Health And Safety Standards As A Business Owner

Those who own and run a company that inhabits an office or retail space and employ a number of staff need to make sure their premises and business practices meet health and safety standards set by local authorities and government bodies so that they steer clear of financial and legal penalties, as well as harm to staff. In order to keep your staff, yourself, and your business safe, owners need to make sure that they meet these standards in the property, or space that they occupy.

To ensure that their premises is safe, accessible and meeting the health and safety standards required, a business owner may need to make appropriate changes to the premises, or their daily routine, to guarantee that their company operates in a safe way.

Security and Safety

Businesses should make sure that their premises are both secure and safe so that they can prevent damage to property and injury to staff and customers. Business owner’s whose offices or retails spaces occupy the upper storeys of a building should make sure that their windows are safe and are only able to be partially opened to prevent serious injury from falling, and have suitable locks to help to help deter criminal activities.

Security measures also need to be applied to doors, and businesses that possess valuable items may want to make use of pin entry system as a precautionary measure. A business needs to also consider how they would evacuate a property and therefore management need to adhere to a building’s fire evacuation procedure, or create one of their own that will allow customers and staff to exit safely should an incident occur.

Access for All

Businesses in any industry need to make sure that their premises are accessible to all. In the UK, businesses need to comply with The Equality Act 2010 and make appropriate changes that allow for those with disabilities to easily enter and use the property and
space. Installing ramps and automatic doors will help those less able gain access to the premises.

Regulate Breaks

When employing individuals, businesses should adhere to the legal requirements in regards to regular breaks and working hours. Anyone who is over 18 and works more than six hours a day or shift is legally entitled to a 20 minute break, but businesses whose employees work in manual labour or spend their day using a computer may want to provide longer, or more regular breaks to avoid reduction of productivity and health issues.

Clean Work Space

The area in which your business operates should be kept to a high standard of cleanliness so as to avoid illness, contamination, and pests. An unclean premises can lead to serious problems in regards to employee performance, customer satisfaction, and even building structure if neglected for an extensive period of time. All of these problems can leave a business failing and unable to make a profit. By ensuring that your workplace is regularly cleaned and tidied by a professional office cleaner, your business can avoid any financial and legal problems that may arise from an unkempt office space and ensure that daily running and productivity is maintained at a high level.

Trained First Aider

Having a trained First Aider who is employed by your business means that should any incidents occur that require medical assistance, there is instant help available. Businesses will want to provide First Aid training courses for a select amount of their employees so that accidents and incidents that happen in the workplace can be quickly taken care of and assessed as to whether further medical assistance is needed.

About the Author: Beth Stubbings thinks that it is important for all businesses to be conscious of health and safety not only because they need to meet legal requirements, but also because of the effect it has on profits and staff productivity. She would recommend Bristol Cleaners to companies that require an office cleaning service for their business.

Building a Surveillance System on a Budget

Building a decent surveillance system for your home or office doesn’t have to cost thousands of dollars. In fact, you may already possess most of what you need to build a small network of cameras around any areas you’re interested in surveying. You don’t even need special training or a technical degree to implement a cost efficient and effective system; byusing wireless IP cameras and your computer, you can watch and record streaming video directly to your system.

1. Cameras – There are many brands of IP cameras thatcan work well for your needs without requiring an expensive investment. Cameras like the Airlink 101 SkyIPCam1500W offer a range of features and can easily connect to virtually any wireless network. Loaded with night-vision technology, these cameras are inexpensive and work well for monitoring doorways, rooms and other areas you may want to cover.

2. Router – Unless you have custom settings entered into your router for DHCP or other connections, virtually any wireless router will work with these IP cameras. As default settings go, the entire setup can be as easy as plug-and-play. However, keep in mind that you’ll have greater wireless coverage for your network with more powerful routers.

3. Computer Software – Many of these cameras utilize software that you install on your computer. This software can control most of the recording aspects of your surveillance system, including support for multiple monitors. Each camera saves its recordings to individual folders on your computer for ease of use. While this software may be a quick and small installation, each camera folder can take up a lot of hard drive space. If you have a desktop computer or a server, it would be wise to install a separate hard drive for nothing more than camera recordings.

4. Monitoring the Cameras – While most camera software will allow you to watch all of the cameras in unison, many of them will also support the ability to connect to them directly. By using the camera’s IP address in a web browser, such as Internet Explorer or Firefox, you can directly access the camera and view the live stream. This kind of access will also allow you to change different settings of the camera, such as wireless network access, night-vision, motion sensing and other features the camera might have.

5. Easy to Install – Depending on the model of your camera and where you buyit,it’s possible to start running your own single camera surveillance system today for less than $100. Although setting the camera up may take a little work, the camera can typically be plugged in and set up in its location in less than an hour. Since many of these camera brands are stackable, you are able to add the same model of camera to your surveillance system later and manage the recordings from a single piece of software. The software included in cameras such as the Airlink 101 SkIPCam can support up to 16 simultaneous cameras.

For those on a tight budget, this may be a more ideal solution for an affordable way to build an effective surveillance system. As long as the cameras can connect to your wireless network, you can place them in virtually any locale that power can reach. Day or night, monitor your home or business from the convenience of your own computer or laptop.

About the Author: Ken Myers is a father, husband, and entrepreneur. He has combined his passion for helping families find in-home care with his experience to build a business. Learn more about him by visiting @KenneyMyers on Twitter.

Cheated By The Fine Print? Contractors And Worker’s Comp

Independent contractors are eligible to file for workers’ compensation if they have their own workers’ compensation insurance or if they were hired to do a job by a company that provides these benefits.Landscapers, skilled tradespeople, painters, construction and domestic workers, and other types of independent contractors are deceived into believing that they are not entitled to workers’ compensation because they are not regular employees of a company. However, they are entitled to workers’ compensation in certain instances.

Companies who hire uninsured independent contractors to do a job must provide workers’ compensation insurance for them and anyone else the independent contractor hires to work on the job. So, independent contractors are entitled to workers’ compensation just like a company’s regular employees.

According to Stokes & Kopitsky, “Even if you work for a subcontractor who claims he is not responsible for providing
workers’ compensation, an experienced premises liability lawyer can help you find a general contractor or union that is. Independent contractors may have a personal injury claim for negligence that is not barred by workers’ compensation law.”

Independent Contractor or Employee?

Independent contractors differ from employees in the sense that they work for themselves whereas an employee works for a company. Independent contractors determine their own work hours, have their own tools or materials, get paid by the job, and pay their own local, state and federal taxes. Independent contractors are not covered by certain labor and employee laws. To cover themselves if they are injured on the job, independent contractors should purchase their own liability insurance and a workers’ compensation insurance policy.

Employees, on the other hand, earn wages and are obligated to follow the rules of the company who pay
s them. A company sets employees’ work hours, provides employees with tools and materials to do their job and withholds the local, state and federal taxes from their paychecks. Employees are protected by labor and employment laws and are entitled to workers’ compensation if they are injured on the job.

Misclassification of Employees

A debate has been raging for quite some time now over companies that classify an employee as an independent contractor. Companies save money in misclassifying employees because they are not obligated to withhold income taxes and provide benefits, such as overtime, unemployment insurance and family and medical leave.

The U.S. Labor Department has joined with states to look into this problem and is holding companies liable when they are found to have intentionally misclassified workers. Because the state and federal governments a
re working with the IRS over this issue, companies have been advised to review the status of each employee to make sure they are in compliance with federal and state labor laws.

Providing Benefits for Independent Contractors

Under the federal Fair Play Act, independent contractors carry the status of “employee” of companies who hire them. This is why a company who hires an uninsured independent construction worker to perform a job must provide workers’ compensation benefits.

If you are an independent contractor without workers’ compensation insurance, it would be to your advantage to purchase an insurance policy. However, if you have been told that you are not entitled to workers’ compensation, research federal laws and laws of your state or contact a workers’ compensation lawyer to get clarification before addressing the matter with the company who hired you

About the Author: Domonique Powell is an independent contractor who enjoys sharing information with others.

The Benefits Of VoIP For SMEs

Voice over Internet Protocol has evolved dramatically as a technology in the last few years and as it becomes cheaper to install, more SMEs are implementing it in place of traditional systems.

Unlike traditional means VoIP is a far more flexible option with a huge array of features and massive flexibility. As a solution for communication issues it’s a fantastic alternative to the traditional and offers a number of benefits which we’re going to take a closer look at here.

Big Player

The thing about VoIP is that it allows small businesses on mediocre budgets to keep up with larger companies that can benefit from advanced communication tools, at a far lower cost. This is the beauty of VoIP. Unlike a few years ago,
when options such as IVRs, call recording and audio conferencing were expensive and costly to implement, VoIP has changed this. This allows SMEs to work smarter and also give the impression they are larger businesses than they are.

Scalability

The scalability of the service is also something of note and VoIP can be easily added, expanded and altered as and when required. You can simply add or change phone numbers and as they’re not tied to your local exchange you can have any number you want from anywhere in the world you want. This sort of scalability and the options that come with it are something that a lot of people really like and the reasons a lot of SMEs in a wide range of businesses love this service.

Not Office Limited

Thanks to the wonders of the smart phone VoIP is not just limited to the office and in fact is easily extendable to mobile phones thanks to 3G. In essence, this means that it’s easy to carry all your office contacts and information in your pocket and remain in contact when on the road or away from home. For businesses with home workers this is also of benefit as it means they can work from home and still seem to be in the office. The other big benefit is that there are no expensive calls, as there would be if you were using it on a mobile phone contract.

VoIP works well for the vast majority of SMEs and it’s understandable why this is the case. Here are a few little things http://solutionbuilders.co.uk advise you to consider before implementing such a system.

Look at the requirements of your staff and see whether a service like this will benefit them and the way they work.
Cost is a big factor for moving to VoIP. The best way to determine whether or not you should is by chec
king your mobile and communication costs. It’s often easily possible to save 50% on costs with a VoIP service when compared to traditional lines.
VoIP is simply a voice call over the Internet – it should be not more complex than that, so don’t feat change
Will your business begin to grow soon? If so VoIP could be a far better option than trying to expand traditional channels.
Ask questions – a telecommunications vendor should answer them for you.

VoIP is a fantastic addition to a range of businesses and you should consider it if you’re looking for a change to your phone system or communications in general.

About the Author: Cormac Reynolds has written about technology for a half decade and has covered a range of solutions. He is a lover of sports and travel.