News

Whiteboards' History, Materials and Buying Tips

Posted on August 20, 2014

We won’t hide our love for the good old blackboard—that sweet smell of chalk, that hissing sound as you write on the board... You could write in bold by applying pressure and shade different areas of a diagram by flipping the chalk sideways and wiping it across the blackboard surface. There used to be "chalk-fights” between groups of students and I remember more than one of our teachers target-practicing on my rowdy peers with pieces of chalk; but thanks to whiteboards, we don’t see any blackboards around anymore. Invention and History of Whiteboards Why did the whiteboard become such a huge success when we already had blackboards? The answer is "convenience". Blackboards were hard to wipe clean and turned whitish after a little use. You had to wet-clean them frequently to keep the writing clear. In fact, the earlier versions of whiteboards also needed to be wiped with a wet cloth. It was for this reason that despite being invented as far back as the late 1950s, whitebo...

The Future of Technology – What Does it Mean for Businesses?

Posted on August 18, 2014

Last year, we published an article referring to the Top 5 inventions that changed the workplace, today I wanted to talk about the future of technology in the workplace and what this might mean for us. It would appear with institutions such as Google HQ, Apple and internet sites such as Kickstarter, a website designed for people to display their innovations and have them funded by the general public, people are wondering what will be thought of next and how, as a business, can you keep up? The Importance of Social Media Not only is it important for businesses to maintain social networking sites and blog posts for fresh content and possibly a click through, more and more employers are ...

A True Office Classic

Posted on August 13, 2014

Being involved in my fair share of meetings, I can truly say that you can’t beat a classic. No matter how much technology comes out, nothing can replace the trusted Whiteboard in these situations. Tablets and Smartboards are being rolled out nearly everywhere these days, but I believe that you still need a Whiteboard in your workplace boardroom. The ease of scribbling notes and diagrams onto the board for everybody to see is just simple and very effective. You may say you can do the same with Smartboards, however we all know that technology can go wrong and normally does when you need it most. The simple approach of writing out what you need and then having the ability to erase it easily is brilliant. Another advantage of using Whiteboards, is that they are “green”. They are better than using paper or Smartboards, making it a perfect, cost effective, solution. Finally Whiteboards work perfectly alongside projectors. You are able to view your presentation on screen, whils...

The Promotion of Smoking in the 1950’s - Times Have Changed

Posted on August 10, 2014

Back in the 1950’s, smoking and cigarettes were actually promoted as being good for you and, to a certain extent, healthy – by doctors! Many posters back in this decade show advertisements for cigarette brands such as L & M, Pall Mall, Camel, Chesterfield, Viceroys and Lucky Strike with a positive message, with references to certain brands being ‘just what the doctor ordered’ and how ‘more doctors smoke camels than any other cigarette!’ Following on from this, more adverts discussed that there was even scientific evidence to suggest certain brands are good for you, as well as how smoking would keep you slim. Times Have Changed Thankfully, times have...

No More Page 3

Posted on August 07, 2014

Twice a year here at The Workplace Depot, we send out an updated version of our catalogue to keep our customers informed of changes to our range of products. With this in mind, we are currently in the process of sending out our Summer/Autumn Workplace Depot catalogue, this time with a twist. The latest catalogue features support for a campaign called ‘No More Page Three’, whose goal is to get The Sun newspaper to stop featuring photos of young, topless women. The idea to support the campaign was sparked off by our sales manager Michelle Day, after being fed up of visiting warehouses and factories 'decorated' with sexist calendars and The Sun’s page 3. As a result, the team at The Workplace Depot thought it might be an interesting idea to make our own page 3 from our catalogue into an advert for the No More Page 3 campaign. Reaction to our advert The team weren't fully confident that the idea...

National Seasonal Affective Disorder Awareness Day

Posted on July 24, 2014

Seeing this in the calendar today and working in an office, I thought that this would be a good topic to talk about. Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), also known as “winter depression” due to the symptoms being more obvious within winter. SAD is a seasonal patterned variation of depression. Low mood and a lack of interest in life are the 2 main symptoms of this disorder. Most of you will be surprised to know that this is actually a disorder, most people believe that this is just a myth. The symptoms normally start in autumn, whilst the days are getting shorter and then increase in severity during December, January and February. Once spring arrives the symptoms start to decrease, until they have completely disappeared. What Causes SAD? Unfortunately the cause of SAD isn’t fully understood, however it is known to be linked with the reduction of natural light, due to the shorter days within winter. Without going too scientific – the sunlight affects chemicals and...

Top 5 Seriously Cool Places to Work

Posted on July 18, 2014

So after seeing some really good looking images of offices and workplaces and hearing about what particular workplaces do to keep their staff motivated, I thought I’d share my particular favourites (obviously not including The Workplace Depot, that blows all of these out the water). So some of the really cool places to work, in my opinion: Google Probably with no surprise to you reading this, Google has got to be on this list. All of Google’s offices are seriously cool, with features within the London office such as: snugs, a roof terrace, an allotment and many different great looking rooms. Photo: Google Inventionland So from the name, we can see that Inventionland brings new products to wo...

National Twins, Triplets and More Awareness Week!

Posted on June 30, 2014

When you browse the Internet a lot, it occasionally happens that you do find something worth reading about… Honestly! This morning I happened to come across National Awareness Days and today marks the start of twins, triplets and more week, recognising multiple births across the UK. I think it’s important to acknowledge the rarer among us, although multiple births have been on the rise; the births of twins has risen almost 50% from 1984-2004. With this in mind, I have discovered a few further facts on twins, triplets and more. General and Fun Facts on Multiple Births in the UK 1. Around 98.5% of all multiple births in the UK are twins and more than 9,000 sets of twins are born in the UK each year 2. Worldwide, there are at least 125 million living multiples 3. Up to 22% of twins are left-handed, whereas in the no...

An A-Z of Office Supplies

Posted on June 04, 2014

Here at The Workplace Depot we have supplied numerous office workstations with the necessary equipment that you would need daily. We supply everything that you would need for an office environment. Here is an A-Z of essentials that you can get from us for your office: A – Aid (first aid) B – Bins C – Conference Chairs D – Disability Equipment E – Energy Saving Labels F – Filing Cabinets G – ...

Plastic Posts and Chains for Workplaces - Little Things, Great Value!

Posted on May 23, 2014

Plastic chains and posts are one of those inconspicuous products that none of us feel a glaring need for, unless dealing with crowd management. Workplaces like banks, theatres, cinemas, airports and public offices know the utility of these practical products can restore order to a bustling workplace without much effort. Just mark the line that you don’t want the people to cross, and watch them obey the rules. Posts and chains deliver a stern warning without actually saying anything to offend the customers, who would stay in queues and avoid the areas where you don’t want them to tread, for whatever reasons. People generally respect the limits marked with these plastic poles and chains. Plastic posts and chains present an instant and economical solution to crowd management. Just put up the posts, attach these heavy duty plastic chains, and you are done. Using these chains, you can easily control the flow of the pedestrian traffic in the office or even regulate vehicular traffic in...

Hosepipe Protectors and Ramps – Your Problems Solved

Posted on May 21, 2014

I passed by a construction site the other day and they had a hosepipe running across the road. In an effort to make the hose secure, somebody (probably by the orders of the site manager or safety officer) had passed it through a steel pipe. The improvisation would have been inspiring, but the pipe was creating a rude bump for the vehicles driving on the road, apart from being a tripping hazard for pedestrians, especially during the dark hours. Whoever put it there probably didn’t know that hosepipe protector ramps had long been invented. What Are Hosepipe Protector Ramps? Hosepipe protectors and ramps are simple and inexpensive pieces of equipment that make it possible for you to get a hosepipe from point A to point B without risking damage to the pipe, causing bumps on the road, or creating a tripping hazard on the walkway that lies between points A and B. The double sided ramp makes vehicular and wheeled movement smooth and protects against accidental trips and falls. T...

Setting Up a Car Park - A Lucrative Business Proposal

Posted on May 19, 2014

Monday Morning Inspiration In October last year, Epping residents made a peaceful demonstration to protest the parking problem in their neighbourhood. Commuters travelling via the nearby underground station would leave their cars parked along the streets from 8am through to the evening every day, creating problems for the residents. Parking woes are not new to London or other British cities, and finding a place to park your car can be a big problem, especially in the commercial areas. Public car parks are always jammed and private ones either cost a lot or have exclusive admission rights. If you are in an area where there's a need for parking and an open plot of land is available close by, establishing a paid car parking can be a good source of income. Selecting a Location If you set up, say, a small 50-car paid...