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Liquid/Solid Seperation Equipment

Posted by Carl on Nov 3, 2009 in Good Going

 

In order to find the best liquid/solid seperation equipment available one must look hard. There is no reason to settle on the first company found, nor is there reason to settle for a company that does not produce the very best equipment available. To make the search a little easier, start by looking at enviro-care.

They have innovative, patented designs that are engineered to reduce maintenance, consume low amounts of energy, and process efficiently. Enviro-care manufactures automated Waste Water treatment and Headworks systems. These products can capture or grind solids, wash them clean of organics, and compact them.

 

Each piece of equipment uses innovative design to reduce mechanical complexity, enhance efficiency, and increase longevity – all at a lower cost. Utilizing 100% Stainless Steel construction and low-maintenance devices such as ball bearing screw drives, discover the simple definition of quality. At Enviro-care they offer channel grinder/comminutor. This Comminutor has a revolutionary design.

 

This design outperforms traditional comminutors and choppers. The comminutor involves stainless steel parts and powerful hydraulic motors. Enviro-care also carries high-end screening parts. In 1982, Enviro-care began to promote the first screening product, the Flo-Screen Automatic Channel Bar Screens and wastewater screens.

There is also the possibility of purchasing an extended warranty. Enviro-Care has a complete service department as well. These service technicians are available to travel to the customer’s job sites to perform the service needed.

These technicians are able to work on non-functioning equipment, troubleshoot them, and train operators on the use of the equipment, among other duties. So when looking for the best liquid/solid separation equipment today, come to Enviro-Care for all of the innovative technology they can offer.

 

 
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Credit Repair Companies – 5 Advantages

Posted by Carl on Nov 3, 2009 in Good Going

At least 5 benefits should be expected from credit repair companies. If you are a person in need of credit repair,you may find yourself in the position of having to decide whether to rely on self  credit repair, or hire a company to do it for you}. you may have a hard time deciding whether to repair your own credit or hire a credit repair company, Now you might very well be successful in fixing your own credit and raising your credit score. given the time to research and learn how it’s done. Look at these reasons why getting help might be the best choice.

1. Experience – credit repair companies are experienced in dealing with the three major credit bureaus. They will have handled various cases and learned many tricks along the way. They can most likely bring about results quicker than you could. 

As the saying goes, “Everything is possible if you only know how to do it.” Credit repair companies already have the know-how. You can benefit from their knowledge rather than having to learn it on your own, from the beginning.

2. Saving time – it takes a lot of time to clear your credit report of mistakes. It’s essential that dispute letters are drafted correctly and continually followed up on until the credit bureaus have removed all the mistakes from your credit report. Trustworthy credit repair professionals know what has to be done, and will work very hard to make certain all errors get removed from your credit report. Getting help from a credit repair company is a good choice, if you want to save yourself some time and frustration.

3. Puts you on the right road – it’s a great thing to teach oneself, and very possible in today’s world thanks to the Internet. But teachers are still needed. The guidance of a good teacher is often most critical to your success in any field. The best credit repair companies will teach you to become financially savvy, in addition to improving your credit score. in fact, the best agencies will give you counseling services at no charge.

4. Monitoring – another thing you can expect from good credit repair companies is monitoring services. Improving your credit score is just a start. When the mistakes have all been removed from your credit report, it should be continuously monitored. Close monitoring especially with the threat of identity theft looming large. It will give you an overview of how the credit bureaus are handling your credit report.

5. Saves you money – sometimes trial and error is fine – but sometime it’s not. Repairing bad credit and improving your credit score using the trial and error method could be very costly in terms of interest, loan terms and conditions and the hours of work it will demand. A trustworthy and experienced credit repair service will save you money you would have paid in higher interest. Their experience will enable them to get quicker results with less expense

As we’ve shown, hiring a reputable credit repair professional has many advantages. Needless to say it’s important to take all factors into account before you decide whether to go this route or not.  At the end of the day it boils down to your own personal preference.

 
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Important Information for Home Workers

Posted by Carl on Nov 3, 2009 in Good Going

An Introduction to Home Working

Ask anyone to describe their perfect job and home working would come high on their wish list. Whether home working is an option provided by your employer or a decision you have taken yourself in starting your own business, the thought of just getting out of bed, walk over to a workstation and just start work is very appealing. No commuting to and from the office and working hours to suit yourself.

But is home or flexible working right for you as an individual, or good for your business as an employer? Well there are many advantages and disadvantages. Home or flexible working brings new responsibilities for both the employer and employee. Equally with advances in mobile technology it has never been easier to set up your own business to work from home.

An Increasing Trend

From a business point of view, allowing staff to work at home on either a full or part-time basis can bring a range of business benefits, from increased productivity, greater staff motivation to effective use of your premises. Advancements in mobile technology contributes enormously to the increase in opportunities for working from home.

The spread of home working using the internet or telephone opens up a new range of possibilities with regards to the way a business works and structures itself. Computers, mobile phones, broadband and mobile broadband all play a role. For the individual, becoming self employed and working from home has also never been easier. If you have a laptop and mobile phone the opportunity is there, it’s just deciding what you want to do. So home working is becoming a way of life for many individuals and businesses, but what is home working?

Some employers will offer selected employees the opportunity to become a teleworker, whereby an employee can undertake their role from home utilising various types of technology, which is provided at the employees home by the employer. The employee will remain in touch with the business and other teleworkers. Some businesses, for example the utility companies who require gas, electric and meter readers, will class employees undertaking this type of work as teleworkers or outworkers.

Some individuals opt for the self-employed work life. The self-employed will operate their business from home, offering a product or service such as web development or business consultancy from home. In these types of roles, the individual can often plan their day to suit their own needs. I know one web developer who often works well into the early hours of the morning as this is when he feels most productive.

Others such as a painter and decorator, plumber or gardener, whilst providing their services away from the home, use home as the office for paperwork such as pricing future jobs and preparing invoices. I know of several painters and decorators who work Monday to Thursday, but use Friday’s to go out and price up future potential work. That is one thing to bear in mind when setting up as self employed, you need to allow time to find or prospect for future work.

Some types of work are more suitable for flexible working than others, the following list is not exhaustive, but will give some guidance:

  • Telesales and Marketing
  • Customer Services
  • Professional services & consultancy i.e. HR Administration & Accountancy
  • Certain types of administration work
  • Data input
  • Creative/Graphics
  • Writing, editing, translation and research.
  • I.T. Support & Programming

Many of the above have a common theme and that is that as long as you have access to a computer and a phone, you can undertake almost all of these tasks from home.

The shift towards flexible working does not mean employees only work from home. Splitting time between the workplace and home is the most productive solution, as you want employees to attend meetings, therefore keeping them informed and involved. Continued face to face interaction within the business remains a key requirement.

With the introduction of flexible working regulations, employers now have to seriously consider employee requests to work flexibly from home, especially if they have parental responsibility for children under 16 years old, disabled children or they are carers for other adults with disabilities.

Employers and individuals also need to consider what equipment will be required to ensure that an efficient business operation and working environment is set up.

Desks, chairs and filing cabinets are just part of the office furniture selection available for the home working environment.

The Pros and Cons

So what are the advantages and disadvantages of an employer allowing employees to work from home or use their home as a base for at least part of the working week? It’s clear there are a number of benefits to the employer:

  • Staff Retention is increased
  • Wider pool of applicants to recruit from e.g. disabled people who prefer to work from home.
  • Productivity gains through having fewer interruptions and less commuting time.
  • Reduced stress and sickness increasing staff motivation.
  • Savings on office space and facilities.
  • Sales staff closer to clients, rather than being based at the office which could be miles away.
  • As with life if there are advantages then there are also disadvantages to home/flexible working:
  • Management of staff and monitoring performance
  • Possible deterioration of key skills and quality of work.
  • Capital costs – training and providing suitable equipment, this could include adaptations to meet Health & Safety standards or meet the needs of disabled workers.
  • Difficulties maintaining staff development and upgrading of skills.
  • Information security risks
  • Increased telecommunication and I.T. costs
  • Sense of isolation and communication problems amongst home workers.
  • Staff morale and difficulties in maintaining team spirit.
  • Home working may not be suitable for certain types of jobs.

One thing I particularly miss is the Monday morning office banter about what you did at the weekend of how your football team has fared compared to others. Often the camaraderie that is unique to an office where you get to know people well over many years is also lost where home working becomes an option.

Are You Suited o Working at Home?

Having identified the types of work that is suitable for home working, the employer must satisfy themselves that employees are suited to this type of work. It’s likely they will need a number of skills in key areas to allow them to work away from base.

  • Time management and self discipline
  • Motivation
  • Communication
  • Technology

We must make it clear that flexible working is not suitable for everyone and care should be taken, because allowing one person to work from home will set a precedent that others will want to follow. Others will see an attraction to working at home particularly on a lovely summer’s day, rather than being stuck in an office. I must confess that as I write this article, I am sitting in our summer house at the bottom of the garden with the laptop on a glorious summer’s day in June.

An employer you must have a clear idea of how home/flexible working could fit in with the needs of the business. A set of house rules need to be established and maintained, i.e. priority is given to requests from parents of young or disabled children. My wife for example, plans her day around the hours of taking the children to school and collecting them later. She maintains that she is extremely focused on what she needs to achieve within those six hours in between. No distractions or idle chit-chat that will occur in an office environment.

In some cases the employer is legally obliged to seriously consider requests for home/flexible workers. Employee with parental responsibility for children aged 16 or under, or disabled children who are under 18 and receive disability living allowances can request a range of flexible working patterns from their employers, this includes the right to work from home. There are similar rights for employees who are carers of adults.

The introduction of flexible working can also lead to an changes to employment contract terms and conditions. In a majority of cases an employee’s place of work is listed in the written schedules of their employment contract. It’s important that when an employee starts to work from home it may be necessary to review and amend their employment contract.

The following is a list of contractual aspects an employer should consider when implementing a home/flexible work policy:

  • Stated hours of work
  • Identify core times when employees undertake to work and/or are contactable.
  • Extra duties or responsibilities that may need to be assigned in addition to those already agreed
  • Identify the terms regarding the supply and insurance of any equipment that may be required, these should clearly state ownership and use, especially that its not to be used for personal use.
  • Clearly identify what the employer will reimburse to cover additional expenses the employee may incur, its especially important to identify the calculation method when costs are shared i.e. utility bills and telecommunications
  • Procedures to be put in place if either the employee or employer wishes to terminate the home/flexible working arrangement.

Allowing home working the employer should remember that they still have health and safety responsibilities for people who work at or from home; and you are likely to have to provide and maintain equipment for employees to use, these include:

  • Workstation complete with suitable task chair
  • Filing cabinet, shelves or storage
  • PC/Laptop with office software, email and broadband internet connection
  • Dedicated business telephone line
  • Printer & fax machine
  • Stationery and Office Supplies

The employer should offer the employee advice on desk chairs to ensure the correct choice of chair for use at the employees home working environment.

IT equipment and software can be expensive so it’s important to ensure it meets your genuine business need and is compatible with your existing systems. Technology changes almost daily and with today’s advances the establishment of virtual teams where employees work together despite working at home can be set up easily and at reasonable expense. These teams could be two employees talking over the phone or you could use more hi-tech solutions like high speed internet, instant messaging, webinar and video conferencing. Many laptops now have web cam and this also offers the chance to see the person you are speaking with.

Providing all this kit and equipment it is important to ensure your business insurance cover is extended to cover home workers, as their home insurance is unlikely to cover this, however they should check with their insurer and extend their policy to include working from home.

Workers who undertake home working should check with their local council and mortgage company the position regarding using their home as a work base, and whether they may have to pay business rates for the portion of their home they use as an office. Some self employed businesses will involve use of a vehicle which will need to be parked up at certain times of the day. For example painters and decorators and builders are likely to utilise a transit van or pick up truck in the work. You should therefore ensure that neighbours will not be offended by having the vehicle parked in the street or to block light out of their homes. If you are to park a vehicle at home, let the neighbours know, it may save a lot of hassle later.

The employer needs to ensure that employees take care of business equipment and information in their possession, it’s important to establish procedures to be followed if any item is damaged or lost, especially data and intellectual rights.

We all agree that flexible working offers a wide range of benefits to both the business and employees, but it needs to be carefully managed to be successful. Procedures should be put in place for managers to monitor and assess home workers, this is the most significant managerial challenge an employer will face. It can be helpful to measure their effectiveness in terms of output rather than the hours of work. Agree set goals and deadlines for particular projects, and ensure these are being met, give feedback promptly and sensitively if things go wrong.

Ensuring home workers have access to training can prepare and help employees develop the necessary skills they need.For staff who work alone a sense of isolation is one of the main factors most likely to make home working fail, therefore it’s important to ensure procedures are put into place to make people feel part of the team, these should include:

  • Frequent 2-way feedback sessions about work and work related issues
  • Regular scheduled visits to the workplace
  • Inclusion in social activities for home based workers.
  • Clear procedures to be followed and contact lists if things go wrong.

When the employees job is entirely home-based from the start, make sure their initiation is undertaken at your premises, this helps the home worker focus and be productive if they have a chance to establish a clear idea of the people they will be working for.

I really did my homework to find where to buy office chair desk systems and a range of matching office accessories.

A Brief Health & Safety Obligations Check List for Home Workers

If you use your home as your main business workplace, you must carry out a health and safety risk assessment to identify any possible hazards to yourself, workers, visitors and other members of your household.

Possible hazards include:

  • Using work equipment at home, including electrical appliances
  • Your workstation set-up
  • Handling loads
  • Hazardous substances and materials
  • Psychological hazards, such as stress or loneliness
  • Fire
  • Slips, trips and falls
  • Excessive noise or vibration

Slips, trips and falls are one of the most common causes of injury in the work place. Even something we take for granted on a daily basis, such as walking up and down the stairs, should be regarded as a hazard. Evaluate whether a hazard is significant and if it is, whether you have taken enough precautions to make the risk as low as you reasonably can.

You need to consider:

  • Your home and those who live there – including vulnerable persons, e.g. children, the elderly, and new and expectant mothers
  • The work done in your home
  • The equipment in your home
  • Emergency procedures
  • First aid provision

Five steps to a health and safety risk assessment

  1. Identify any hazards.
  2. Decide who might be harmed and how.
  3. Assess the risks and remove them or, otherwise, reduce them as far as is reasonably possible.
  4. Record your findings.
  5. Check the risks regularly and take further steps if needed.

Conclusion

With advancements in mobile technology, working at home has become far easier to do. It can offer a very balanced way of life and the rewards can be significant. In the current economic climate, many who have been unfortunate to suffer redundancy or reduced hours are considering setting up their own business to work from home. Having worked in the corporate world for over twenty years and just suffered redundancy, it is certainly an option to consider.

But home working needs to be considered carefully. Is it right for you? Is it right for your employer? What impact will it have on my homelife? Many advantages, but also many disadvantages and bear in mind the health and safety requirements and risks. Your health is important so choosing the correct office furniture to meet your needs is a must for any home worker to ensure you have the proper facilities for home working.

For years a friend of mine worked from home with his desk in his living room and eventually he realised that he could never get away from work, which is as important as doing the work in the first place because we all need time away from work.

If you are lucky enough to really love your work the temptation can be to do it all day long. Eventually this can lead to burn out and can also take away some of the pleasure of working, even if it is something you really love. Therefore it is important to have balance in your life, even more so when you work from home. Some suggestions to help to achieve this are to make sure that when you have lunch, for example, remove yourself from the work space and don’t eat at your desk, get some separation from the work when you are not doing it.

Remember that just because you work from home it doesn’t mean that work has to take over your life.

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