10 Guilt-Free Snacks You Can Enjoy At Work

March 1, 2019 by SW Admin

Getting through the workday sometimes requires a little extra energy, and a quick snack can do just the trick. But if you want to munch on something without feeling guilty, what are your options? To help you power through those lulls you need real substance and not just a quick sugar rush. Below are ten snacks you can feel less guilty about eating while at work.

1. Greek Yogurt with Fruit

Greek yogurt is a great source of calcium, has probiotics, and is high in protein.

2. KIND Bar

Made with whole nuts, fruits, and grains, KIND granola bars make for the perfect healthy snack on the go.

3. Almonds

Almonds contain a lot of healthy fats, fiber, protein, magnesium, and vitamin E. They’re sure to help fight hunger to get you through the day.

4. SkinnyPop Popcorn

Non-GMO. Gluten Free. No artificial flavors. Skinnypop Popcorn is a great healthy snack alternative to traditional options that won’t make your insides regret eating it.

5. Apples with Peanut Butter

You know what they say: an apple a day keeps the doctor away. This tasty snack is as healthy as you can get. It has fiber from fresh fruit, and healthy fats/oils and protein from the peanut butter.

6. Fruit Salad

Fruit salad provides plenty of fiber and complex carbs to give you a healthy jolt of energy.

7. Dark Chocolate

Dark chocolate is one of the best sources of antioxidants, so you can snack on some to satisfy your sweet tooth without feeling too bad.

8. Smoothie

While some smoothies can be packed with non-healthy ingredients, there are plenty of options for ones that are good for you.

9. Fruit with Cottage Cheese

This convenient, high-protein choice of snacks is sure to give you momentum to finish out your day.

10. Animal Crackers

Most people think animal crackers are just for kids. While they do make for a good snack to give little Johnny, they’re also low in calories, fat, and sugar, so you can snack on some in the office without feeling too guilty.

The Digital Tools Every Hotel Manager Needs

February 28, 2019 by SW Admin

While the key to success in the hotel industry will always be good, old-fashioned hospitality, leveraging the right hotel technology makes it easier to meet and exceed guest expectations. From pre-booking to checkout, using digital tools will help your hotel run smoothly, offering guests an experience they will come to enjoy and trust. So what are these tools? Here’s the hotel technology you need to attract guests and manage hotel operations better.

Digital Tools for Hotel Managers

1. Property Management Systems

A hotel property management system (PMS) is the lifeblood of operations. It’s where all front-office capabilities come together on a single platform. A good PMS combines tasks such as guest check-in/check-out, managing room rates, billing, booking reservations, and room assignments. This hotel technology is an absolute must-have; you really can’t operate a hotel these days without a good PMS.

Popular PMS platforms include:

2. Revenue Management

Success in any industry in today’s business environment is all about data. To collect the right information so you can provide the right price to the right customer at the right time, you need a revenue management system. This software helps you make the right decisions by automating the process of collecting and analyzing data.

3. Pantry Management Software

Food and beverage trends in hospitality require a keen understanding of your guests, which means vending machines are no longer the go-to option for providing them with snacks and beverages. They want more items with easier access and a hotel pantry is just the ticket.

But managing a pantry can be challenging. After all, it’s a retail operation and you’re a hospitality professional. Hotel technology like Supply Wizards makes it simple. Order all your items–snacks, beverages, sundries–from an easy-to-use online platform and get delivery within 1-2 days.

4. Marketing Tools

If your hotel doesn’t have a strong online presence, how will guests find it? Digital marketing is an absolute must. Here’s what you need to effectively market your hotel.

A well-designed website
Google Analytics
Social Media Management Tool

team members high five each other for motivation

10 Ways to Keep Your Team Motivated

February 15, 2019 by SW Admin

Whether you manage a small office with a handful of people or a large team in a corporate setting, keeping your team motivated is essential to success and overall happiness. Motivated employees have a better outlook, are more productive, and are generally happier.

But even the biggest go-getters come across the occasional lull. As a manager, part of your responsibility is to keep your team motivated and eager to do their best all the time. That’s no easy task, so we’ve compiled a list of ten areas to focus on to help give your team a little extra drive.

10 Ways to Motivate Your Team to be More Productive & Happier

1. Pay Them What They’re Worth

You don’t want to lose a great employee because they’re not paid enough. Make sure their salaries are consistent with their productivity. You also want to keep their pay in line with what other companies in your industry are paying to prevent them from jumping ship for higher pay.

2. Improve the Company Culture

In a study published in the Harvard Business Review, a company’s culture plays an important role in how motivated employees are. The research focused on three areas:

How culture affects performance
The worth of culture to an organization
The processes that influence culture

The key findings? Performance is largely tied to why we work. There are better customer outcomes when a culture fosters certain characteristics such as more play, potential, and purpose. As for certain processes that impact a company’s culture, it varies and how the role is designed can have a big affect.

A company’s culture directly impacts employees perspective on work. Make sure your organization is actively pursuing a culture that inherently motivates employees.

3. Recognize Success (For the Whole Team)

As a manager, taking time to celebrate achievements should be a priority. Recognizing success can be a powerful motivator as it fosters a sense of fulfillment for employees in their careers. It adds to their sense of purpose. Do this both on an individual level and for the whole team. Encourage team members to recognize achievements among each other.

4. Keep Them Fueled

The infamous mid-afternoon slump can wipe out all the motivation in even the most determined employees. Help them maintain momentum to power through the day with the right snacks and beverages. A quality snack delivery service will do the trick without impacting your overall productivity.

5. Help Them Reach Their Full Potential

Leading a team is about more than just balancing workloads among each member. A good manager helps employees develop themselves professionally. Understanding their strengths and weaknesses becomes critical. Challenge them to go further in areas in which you know they struggle.

6. Provide the Right Tools

One major frustration that can deteriorate any team’s motivation at work is being asked to complete tasks without the proper tools available. It can wear employees down. For example, in today’s workplace, there are endless digital tools available to help manage and complete work. Make them available so your team can be more productive.

7. Ask Questions, Don’t Just Give Answers

One of the main factors of having a sense of purpose is finding solutions on your own. Instead of laying out the path to solving problems for them, ask questions that will energize them to figure out the solution by themselves. Nobody likes to be told exactly how to do their job.

8. Show Them How & Why Their Work Matters

When employees fail to see how their work impacts the big picture within an organization, engagement and productivity begin to decline. When leading a team, remember to always include them or their work in the company’s broader strategy.

9. Offer Opportunity for Growth

Not providing pathways to more opportunities leads to complacency, which will only breed unmotivated employees. Offer plenty of opportunities for your team members to grow where they can eventually take on new and bigger challenges.

10. Have Fun Together

People that get along well with one another also work well together. Help your team foster good relations among each other through team building exercises or something as simple as regular lunch meetings together.

How Your Office Break Room Can Be A Source Of Insipiration

February 8, 2019 by SW Admin

As the workplace continues to evolve in so many ways and so quickly it can seem difficult to keep up. Cultural and operational changes in recent years make the modern office hardly recognizable from its not-so-distant past. This includes the office break room. The days of boring wall art and clunky vending machines that might or might not steal your money are over. Your company break room can now be a source of inspiration. Here’s how:

Keep Employees Energized

Employees often use office break rooms to eat, whether it’s for lunch or a quick snack. (Shocking, we know.) But in all seriousness, the foundation of the modern break room rests on the ability to provide employees with a broader range of food and beverage products, which includes healthy snacks. Food that truly gives them energy versus a quick sugar rush only to be followed by a hard faceplant into the keyboard. Snack delivery services make this easily attainable.

Maintain Positive Levels of Morale

There are many elements that factor into improving morale in the workplace, but chief among them is sharing a sense of higher purpose with fellow colleagues. A welcoming and engaging office break room is the perfect place for employees to mix and mingle and share their enthusiasm for working towards a common goal.

Bold Design & Artwork

Have you ever been inspired by dull, neutral colors? What about those framed posters of mountains with the word “Inspiration” printed on the bottom? A bold approach to your break room design can have a positive impact on employees. Unique artwork often conjures up a sense of curiosity, while the right colors generate a feeling of enthusiasm.

Fosters Collaboration

Your office break room has a seemingly uncanny ability to bring people together. A common place where all employees are welcome–and actually like to be–can foster inter-departmental relationships, which may lead to stronger collaborative efforts among your employees.

As about one-third of our time is spent at work, we owe it to ourselves to have offices with comfortable spaces such as break rooms that not only provide a place to relax but offer a sense of inspiration.

email inbox overload interruption concept

3 Biggest Interruptions for Office Managers and How to Manage Them

February 1, 2019 by SW Admin

You got a minute?

As an office manager, you’re probably interrupted at work by that question more than you can count. Whether it’s an executive or employee you manage, there’s always someone who needs help.

Add to that the barrage of emails and messages from team collaboration tools and it’s a wonder how you’re able to get any work done.

Your workday becomes a constant battle of fighting interruptions and distractions to accomplish tasks.

Aside from staying late or getting to the office early, there’s got a be a way to minimize interruptions so you can focus. Rescue Time, a time management software product, has a great blog post about just that. You can read the whole post here, but here are the main points:

Awareness
Schedule interruptions
Rethink how you communicate

Here are the most common workplace distractions for office managers and how to deal with them.

1. In-Person Interruptions

By far the most common, in-person interruptions are especially challenging to manage because, well, they’re right there in your face. You can’t just walk away. To deal with these distractions, schedule ‘available’ and ‘unavailable’ time. Just be mindful that, as a manager, it’s your job to help employees when needed.

2. Emails

How many emails do you receive in a day? Dozens? Hundreds? Whatever the amount, emails account for another big portion of workplace interruptions and your productivity takes a hit with each message. Here’s how to manage email interruptions:

Schedule times throughout the day to review emails
Turn off notifications
Only respond immediately if absolutely necessary
Get rid of irrelevant messages

3. Collaboration Tools

There are so many digital tools for managers out there designed to improve productivity. But sometimes they can become quite an interruption themselves. Be sure to set guidelines with your team about how and when to contact you through your collaboration program.

3 Small Changes To Your Hotel Pantry That’ll Make A Big Difference

January 19, 2019 by SW Admin

As grab-n-go concepts for snacks and beverages are highly preferred among guests, more hotel managers are choosing to install a pantry to meet this growing need. But managing a pantry can be quite a challenge. If you find that your hotel pantry is lagging in performance, here are three simple changes you can implement to improve sales and guest performance.

1. Sell What Guests Like

Stocking your hotel pantry with items that you or your staff prefer isn’t serving your guests well. Fill the shelves with items your guests want. This might take some time, especially if you’ve only recently set up a pantry. But talk to your guests. Find out what they like. If you’re using a pantry management platform like Supply Wizards, you can view sales data to help you decide which items sell best.

2. Group Similar Items Together

Ever walked into a retail store and couldn’t easily find something? It’s a rare experience. That’s because everything is organized in a particular way. You won’t find sporting good items mixed in with medicine. When it comes to your pantry, you want guests to easily find what it is they’re in the mood for. Keep sweets with the sweets, savory with savory, and so on.

3. Place New Items Among Top-Sellers

Once you do decide to try selling new products in your hotel pantry, be sure to place them between items that are already selling well. The last thing you want to do is place them in a corner where guests won’t be able to easily find them.

balance your snack variety between healthy and junk food

Balancing Healthy Snacks & Junk Food in The Office

December 14, 2018 by SW Admin

Healthy snacks are all the rage these days and for good reason. With about 93 million Americans affected by obesity, one of the most common causes of Type 2 diabetes, poor eating habits are at the core of these and other health issues.

Many people seemed to have taken note.

Awareness of the positive impact a healthy lifestyle provides can be seen all around us. You can’t go anywhere without passing by a fitness club or yoga studio or seeing an advertisement for products or services meant to improve your health.

But can eating healthy all the time be bad?

As it turns out, it can. Sort of. There is such a thing as eating too healthy. It’s called orthorexia. Though not an official diagnosis, some experts in the medical community recognize it as problematic and see similarities to other eating disorders such as anorexia and bulimia.

Does this mean by offering just healthy snacks in your workplace will have an adverse effect on employees? No. Not at all. But is it terrible to induldge in the occasional candy bar or bag of chips? Nope.

Get 1-2 Day Office Snack Delivery from a Local Supplier

What is important to consider is the variety and balance of snack products you offer in the office.

Why Balance Healthy Snacks & Junk Food in The Office?

Eating habits are largely a personal choice. It’s one thing to stock your own home with nothing but healthy snacks, but in the office there are other factors at play.

The diversity of the workplace is perhaps the biggest reason you want a good balance between healthy items and junk food. Not everyone is a health fanatic, and one employee’s definition of eating healthy could be different from another’s.

For example, some employees might eat as healthy as possible for their main meals and exercise routinely, but they allow themselves to snack on sweet and savory items throughout the day.

Furthermore, even if encouraging healthier eating habits are part of your company’s approach to employee wellness, it’s okay to provide a little candy or some cookies.

And what of the stress factor? Sometimes the pressure is on at work and while a healthy snack can help you power through the day, sometimes you just want a cookie or piece of chocolate to get through the stressful moments.

What is a Good Balance?

It depends. Because of the diversity among employees vary from company to company, a balance of healthy snacks and junk food will be just as different.

The best way to find out what ratio will work for your office is to ask your employees. A simple email or a survey will do. Just try to refrain from assuming what everyone will like, as doing so can lead to signing up for the wrong type of snack delivery service for your office.

Finding out what types of snacks your employees want will help you choose a snack program that offers the variety and balances of products your workplace needs.

5 Snack Delivery Options for Your Office

December 6, 2018 by SW Admin

Office snack delivery services help busy managers save the time and hassle from grocery shopping for their offices. Right from your desk are dozens (hundreds, really) of snack and beverage options from which to choose. No wonder so many businesses are opting for this approach to providing snacks for employees.

But as many choices there are for products, there are seemingly as many options for delivery services. Which one should you choose? Which is the best snack delivery service for your office? Here are five options to help you decide.

1. Snack Nation

One of the core elements of Snack Nation’s snack boxes is variety and their focus on healthy items. They offer something for every preference or dietary need. Prefer low sodium snacks or need gluten-free products? Snack Nation can deliver.

Their pricing starts at $299/month per box, and there’s no contract needed. This is a great option for those looking for variety. However, it’s not a local service, so if you run out of a few items you’ll need to wait until your next box is delivered. They also don’t offer beverage options.

2. Instacart

Instacart is like grocery shopping from your desk. As a grocery delivery service, Instacart connects you with a local grocery store. One of their employees gets your order, does the shopping for you, then delivers the items to your office.

Instacart is good for those wanting fresh items in the office, like fruits or vegetables. Like Snack Nation, there’s no contract. But there are added fees per item purchased.

3. Urthbox

Urthbox is another snack delivery option for your office. This service has a large focus on non-GMO and organic products, which includes beverages.

The boxes they send are always filled with different items, so employees will have new options to try with each delivery. The downside to this, though, is not having control over the products you order. A box of 25+ snacks starts at $49.

4. InstaCandy

Sometimes you just need a tasty treat to satisfy your sweet tooth. If that’s what you’re after, InstaCandy is a good option. This delivery service provides, as you might have guessed, candy. All kinds of it.

InstaCandy delivers a box at the same time every month full of candy from around the world. It’s the 21st century version of the ol’ office candy jar!

5. Supply Wizards

Many snack delivery services lack the local distribution of products. With Supply Wizards, your office can order all the items it wants (by individual piece) and get them delivered by a local vending operator.

And not only with they deliver, but they can help stock your break room for you. Get the items you need fast with 1-2 business day delivery. There’s no contract to sign. Just create an account and start ordering!

Resolving Conflicts in the Workplace

November 20, 2018 by SW Admin

Workplace conflicts are inevitable. With so many different personalities crammed into one space day after day, there are bound to be issues–big and small–that arise. If you’re a manager, chances are you’ve spent some time solving problems between employees. In fact, most managers spend 10-26% of their time handling conflicts.

In most cases the issues are work-related, but sometimes it’s personal.

Regardless of the problem, there’s one thing that’s certain: if a conflict is ignored for too long, it can lead to larger issues and ultimately affect office morale.

So, what causes conflicts in the workplace and how do you resolve them?

Common Causes of Workplace Conflicts

Communication issues. Poor communication is perhaps the most common cause of conflicts in the workplace. Sometimes it’s a misunderstanding, other times it’s a failure to communicate at all.

Structural issues. Differences between two departments can lead to problems, particularly when either side is unwilling to compromise.

Personality differences. A clash in personalities can lead to conflict as well. This includes the way one person handles a situation or a difference in values.

Whatever the issue, it is essential for managers and supervisors to recognize the problem and work to resolve it as soon as possible.

How To Resolve Conflicts In The Workplace

According to clinical psychologist Susan Heitler Ph.D., a collaborative effort is the best approach to handling problems between two people. This process works in three steps:

1. Recognition of the problem

2. Exploration of underlying concerns

3. Create a mutually agreeable solution

“For this process to work,” Heitler explains, “participants need to stay collaborative, like they are sitting on the same side of the table facing the problem, never flipping into oppositional or hostile stances toward each other.”

3 Tips To Help Manage Conflicts

1. Wait until both parties are calm. Getting two people to try and resolve the problem while they’re still angry or upset is not effective. Let some time pass to keep tempers from flaring up.

2. Be an active listener. When you sit down with someone to solve a problem, listen to understand. Try and see it their way.

3. Stay focused on the problem, not the individuals involved. By focusing on the problem and not the individual, you will avoid a personality clash that might cause even more problems.

Top Snacks to Offer Employees

November 13, 2018 by SW Admin

Offering free snacks as a perk for employees is common practice these days. Workers enjoy the convenience and employers get more productivity since no one has to leave the office for a little nosh. A snack delivery service makes it even easier. With just a few clicks on your computer, you can have a wide variety of products delivered quickly.

The question is (with so many options), what do you choose? Obviously, you want only the best for your office so here are the top snacks to purchase for your break room.

Sweet Snacks

Snickers
Skittles
Twizzlers
M&M’s
Starbursts
Twix

Savory Snacks

Doritos
Baked Lays
Fritos
Pringles
Pretzels

Granola Bars

KIND Bars
Nature Valley bars
Nutri-Grain bars
Quaker Chewy Bars

Healthy Snacks

Chobani Yogurt
Salads
Fresh Fruit
Vegetables
Sabra Hummus (individual packs)

You get a greater variety of products with a snack delivery service and the convenience of ordering right from your office. With the Supply Wizards platform, you can order by the piece which eliminates having to store inventory somewhere and get 1-2 day delivery from a local supplier.

3 Reasons Why Your Hotel Needs to Focus on Food & Beverage

October 25, 2018 by SW Admin

Pleasing the palate of hotel guests is no easy task. Their expectations and demands are always shifting, keeping hotel managers on their toes at all times. Not keeping pace can spell trouble and result in decreased revenue streams due to lost opportunities. Recent trends in hotel food and beverage indicate positive growth opportunities for hotel managers, so it’s time you develop a strategy.

3 Reasons to Focus on Your Hotel’s Food & Beverage Strategy

1. Grab-n-Go Concept Growth

In a recent report from Avendra, a group purchasing organization for hospitality, the changing climate of hotel food and beverage strategies are highlighted. Included is the growth of the hotel pantry concept, where guests have quick and easy access to snack and beverage products.

The concept is an alternative to vending machines, which can sometimes be troublesome and aren’t as visually appealing as a small, well-designed convenience market. Chip McIntyre, VP of marketing for Avendra, says “limited-service hotels are seeing outsized volume growth from grab-n-go type occasions. This lodging segment is seeing a larger share of the 2 percent industry supply growth.”

2. Higher Standards Expected From Guests

When it comes to a food and beverage strategy for your hotel, guests are setting the standards. To remain competitive, hotel managers need to keep up. What are the new standards?

Local options
Creative cocktails
Housemade meals

These three elements combined create a fully unique experience, one they can’t get from a chain restaurant in a hotel. As Fernando Salazar, SVP of food and beverages at Interstate Hotels & Resorts says, “I hate hotel restaurants. I like restaurants that happen to be in a hotel, that have their own concept.”

For luxury and independent hotels in particular, a unique food and beverage experience is easier to accomplish as they are not beholden to any corporate or brand requirements.

3. Demand for Fresh Foods

It’s nothing new that consumers are increasingly health-conscious about their food. That’s why many of the pantry and market concepts offer fresh products for guests. As the Avendra study reports:

“Just over half of the sample of hotel industry participants are selling fresh/refrigerated foods in convenience or a market format today. We expect this segment to see further growth as about one-third of those who do not offer fresh foods in a market concept are planning to do so within the next year. On average, about 45 percent of hotel sites that offer fresh foods within on-site convenience stores are seeing better-than-expected revenue growth.”

While sweet and savory treats are always nice to have, a lot of travelers want healthier options. The proof is there.

So whether you’re a luxury, select-service, or limited-service hotel, there’s a food and beverage strategy for you to implement.

Choosing a Coffee Pot or Single Serve Machine for Your Office?

October 21, 2018 by SW Admin

Every workplace needs coffee. Whether it’s for a small office or a large manufacturing facility, coffee is the fuel that gets people going in the morning. But what kind of coffee machine is best for your office? Should you use an office coffee service to handle it for you?

The answer is determined by several factors:

How many employees there are
How important it is for the coffee to taste good
How much time do you (or anyone) want to spend dealing with coffee

Employee Count

If your office is small and doesn’t have a lot of employees, it wouldn’t make sense to have a full pot of coffee sitting there every day. You could end up just pouring money down the drain…literally.

The Importance of Taste

Some people are pretty picky about their coffee, and we don’t blame them. Some coffee makers provide higher-quality coffee than others. Take a quick survey of employees to see how important the taste is.

Time Constraints

Not that making a fresh pot of coffee takes a long time, but it can take you away from work for a few minutes. That can get frustrating if you’re the person in charge of keeping fresh coffee available. A few minutes here and there throughout the day, every day can get old.

Now that you have an idea of what kind of demand there is for coffee in your office, let’s take a look at the pros and cons of both types of machines.

Single-Serve Coffee Machine

There are several different types of single-service coffee machines out there, but Keurig is perhaps the most popular. It’s convenient and offers a variety of flavors.

The pros:

Brews coffee in under a minute
Variety of flavors
Make coffee, tea, hot chocolate and more

The cons:

The pods can be expensive
Coffee doesn’t taste as good as fresh-brewed
K-cups are not recyclable

Coffee Pot

The biggest question you’ll face if you’re going to choose a pot over a single-serve machine is whether or not you want a commercial grade or consumer grade coffee maker. This will largely depend on how many people work in your office. For small offices up to about thirty people, a consumer grade machine will suffice. But if there are dozens or even hundreds of employees, a commercial grade coffee pot would be better.

The pros:

One pot can serve many people
The coffee tastes better
Just pour and go

The cons:

More maintenance
If empty, you have to wait for a new cup

Whichever you decide you want, Supply Wizards can connect you with a local office coffee provider that and offer a full range of coffee flavors and brews. Contact us to get started!

3 Ways to Provide Office Snacks For Employees

October 10, 2018 by SW Admin

There’s no doubt that every workplace needs some form of office snack service. Whether your employees got stuck in a long meeting and didn’t have time for lunch or simply need a tasty pick-me-up towards the end of the day, providing snacks in your office makes for a better workplace culture.

Productivity
Engagement
Happiness

These are the results of offering snacks for employees. But the question is, how can you provide them? Here are three approaches to an office snack plan.

1. Vending Machines

Provided your office has space, vending machines are a good option if you’re looking for a quick and inexpensive way to offer snacks and beverages in your office. If you choose a full-service vending program, the machines will be delivered, installed, and maintained all at no cost.

2. Micro Market

Micro markets are great for larger office and workplace settings and allow for employees to purchase items through a kiosk. The convenience of a micro market is what makes it an attractive option for an office snack service.

3. Snack Delivery Service

Many employers are providing snacks as a perk to help attract and retain employees. There are several ways to go about purchasing the items, including a snack delivery service. This helps eliminate the hassle of sending an employee to the store to purchase all the product. The Supply Wizards online ordering platform connects you with a local vending operator that has hundreds of products to choose from and can deliver your choices in 1-2 days.

Best Places To Purchase Break Room Furniture Online

September 21, 2018 by SW Admin

Putting together a break room for employees is no easy task. There’s an abundance of options to consider when it comes to designing a comfortable space for employees to seek short refuge from a busy workday. For example, buying the right break room furniture. It might seem like an easy thing to do. After all, it’s not your house you’re trying to decorate. It’s just the office break room, so whatever’s cheapest works, right?

Wrong. There is no *just* anything.

Not that cost isn’t important, but we’re talking about the place where your employees can gather, relax, and grab some office snacks. It helps them regroup after that stressful phone call or a long, data-filled meeting. Break rooms can enhance the workplace in ways you wouldn’t think of, such as increased engagement and productivity. In short, a well-designed break room can improve day-to-day operations within your office.

What to Consider When Buying Office Break Room Furniture

Before you jump into purchasing furniture too fast, take some time to consider what your specific needs are, such as:

Price/Budget
Spacing
Style
Comfort

You’re better off taking your time with your buying decision to make sure you get exactly what you want. To help with this process, get the whole office involved. Have everyone vote on the break room furniture you want to buy. It’ll make things easier on you and make employees feel valued.

7 Online Sources to Buy Break Room Furniture

1. National Business Furniture

Since 1975, NBF has been providing office furniture for a variety of businesses and institutions. In addition to furniture, they also provide free office space planning. All of their products are backed by a lifetime guarantee.

2. Wayfair

Although Wayfair’s specialties lie within the home decor category, they are also another great online source for break room and office furniture.

3. Officefurniture.com

Officefurniture.com is an NBF company offering a full range of furniture for offices an break rooms.

4. Office Depot

If you’re on a budget or looking for something more practical, Office Depot/Office Max is a great source for folding tables and chairs.

5. Amazon

What doesn’t Amazon sell, right?

6. Worthington Direct

Worthington Direct’s specialties include church and school furniture, so if you’re looking for items with a little more flare, this could be a good source.

7. Staples

Staples has plenty more to offer than just, well, staples. Check out their website for your break room furniture needs.

Light Roast vs. Dark Roast Coffee

September 12, 2018 by SW Admin

If you use an office coffee service, there’s probably a lot of debate among employees about light and dark roast. Disputes over which type tastes better or which one has more caffeine are likely common in your workplace. While the only thing that really matters is that they enjoy the coffee, it does make one wonder: Is one better? Does one type have more caffeine?

The Difference Between Light and Dark Roast Coffee

The distinctive features in taste between the two different kinds are a result of how the beans are roasted. A light roast is exposed to heat for less time than a dark roast, which means it retains more of the bean’s original flavor. It also means it will be higher in acidity, so if you’re one whose stomach easily gets upset, a light roast might not be your best choice.

With a darker roast, the beans are exposed to higher heat at longer intervals. This method creates a flavor that is sweeter, heavier, and much less acidic.

Which Type Has More Caffeine?

When a coffee bean is roasted, the natural oils are drawn out from it, as well as the caffeine it contains. So the longer the bean is roasting, the more oils and caffeine content are extracted. That said, lighter roasts have more caffeine because they are exposed to heat for a shorter amount of time than dark roast.

Settling the Dispute Among Employees

Despite the fact that lighter roasts have more caffeine, it’s really a personal choice as to which kind tastes better. The best way to settle this difference among employees is to provide them with a full variety of coffee choices.

How to Convince Ownership to Install a Hotel Pantry

August 16, 2018 by SW Admin

You’ve seen the success other hotels have had with installing a pantry in the lobby, and you want to do the same. But first, you need to get the approval of senior management or ownership. How do you approach them about it? You certainly don’t want to bring it up in passing, so here are the steps to take to help you pitch the idea of installing a hotel pantry for your location.

1. Show Them How It Benefits Your Hotel

It’s easy to get caught up in explaining how other hotels are using pantries as a way to provide guests with food and beverages. But what ownership will hear is a “they’re doing it, so we should too” kind of argument. That’s not a concrete enough reason. Installing a pantry is small investment, so to get buy-in from your boss you need to show them how it will help your hotel. Get as specific as possible. Take a look at your current program and figure out the problems, then show the pantry will provide solutions. For example, if your hotel has vending, are the machines constantly breaking down? Are guests losing money in them? These issues can be a hassle for both guests and staff. A hotel pantry can help eliminate these problems. Pantries are also great for:

Greater convenience for guests
More variety of products
Increasing ancillary revenue

Once you pinpoint the specific benefits of a hotel pantry for your hotel, it’ll make it easier to convince ownership to consider having one installed.

2. Explain What’s Needed to Do It

We’ve written before about the basic needs for installing a pantry. This is a good starting point to help you determine what’s involved with getting started. But your management and/or ownership will want to know specific costs. For example, you’ll need to figure out how much space you have to install a pantry, then determine how much hardware (shelves and cabinets) you’ll need. You’ll also have to decide how you will stock the shelves with products. Will you have an employee purchase the product from local stores? Will you use an online ordering platform like Supply Wizards?

3. Prepare Visual Aids

Once you’ve shown them what’s involved with installing a pantry, create a presentation with proper visual aids to help persuade them. Visual aids help enhance a presentation and overcome barriers where communication has failed to express your thoughts. Visuals you could use include:

Images of other hotel pantries
Cost analysis
Research

4. Prepare to Defend Yourself

Managers are skeptical by nature. If they weren’t, they’d end up making a lot of rash decisions that would have a negative impact. They will likely push back on why a hotel pantry is so necessary. Be sure to prepare yourself for their questions. You can do this in two ways: research as much as you can on the growing demand of hotel pantries, and by practicing your presentation with someone else, either a colleague or a friend.

Why Free Snacks in the Workplace Won’t Improve Employee Engagement

August 8, 2018 by SW Admin

The modern workplace can be tough to manage. The varying demographics make it challenging to keep all employees focused and engaged, which requires a sort of acrobatic approach to managing a workplace. One way to help increase engagement that has become popular–specifically among millennials–is offering free snacks for employees. There’s a lot of buzz about how this is the way to win the hearts of employees and how it will lead them to a happier work-life.

Except for one thing: free food won’t suddenly create a work environment that everyone loves. Not on its own.

Snacks are definitely a great perk that employees appreciate, but increasing engagement really boils down to is culture. If your company’s overall culture stifles growth and happiness and the ability for employees to grow, no amount of free anything will prevent employees from leaving.

So it’s not a matter of offering free snacks, but having this perk be a part of your company’s culture.

Where Free Snacks for Employees Fit Into Your Company’s Culture

The mere mention of a company’s culture likely conjures up images of employees at Google or Facebook lounging around playing games in the break room as if they were hanging out with friends instead of at work.

But culture is more than that.

It’s a combination of the work environment and the company’s overall objectives, including its mission and values. Free snacks help create a work environment that employees value and feel valued, and those who feel valued are more likely to be more engaged and happier at work.

How To Improve Your Company’s Culture

Free snacks themselves won’t magically increase engagement among employees, but it is a start. Here are five other ways to help improve your company’s culture.

Embrace Transparency
Recognizing Valuable Contributions
Foster Strong Relationships Among Employees
Encourage Independence
Communicate Passion

If your employees seem unengaged at work, start looking at your company culture and figure out a way to make changes that reflect the type of company employees want to work for.

6 Mistakes To Avoid When Creating A Break Room Your Employees Will Love

July 20, 2018July 12, 2018 by SW Admin

There are few places where people spend more of their waking hours than at work, which makes the company break room the primary location of comfort for a significant portion of the workweek. It’s a place where they can regroup after a bad phone call or getting yelled at for a mistake. That’s why it’s so important to do it right.

Some companies, like Google and Facebook, are known for elaborate break rooms. Games, TV’s, and modern furniture are some features that employees get to enjoy. The reason these companies approached their break room design int his way wasn’t simply because it’s cool or fun. It’s because they recognize the benefits for a well-designed shared space.

Now, this isn’t to say you need a huge budget to do up the break room like Google. In fact, you can do it for a fairly low cost (relatively speaking, of course). What’s important is that you do it right and avoid these mistakes when creating a break room your employees will love.

1. Buying Uncomfortable Furniture

Budgeting is always a concern when designing a break room, and it’s often why companies skimp on the furniture. But if the break room is a place for employees to relax for a few minutes, don’t you want them to be comfortable? When choosing furniture, be sure to do some research. Check out the reviews online or better yet test the furniture out yourself.

2. Choosing The Wrong Decorations

Research has shown that the right artwork in the workplace not only makes people happier but increases their productivity by 32%. That means avoiding cheesy posters of a mountain top with the word “courage” or “determination” written on them. Pick artwork that reflects your company’s culture and is inspirational without having to say it outright.

3. Not Having A Message Board

The break room is the one part of the workplace where everyone is welcome at any time. It’s where your work-community gathers on a daily basis, and this provides an opportunity for everyone to share important information and announcements. Every break room should have a message board for this reason.

4. Not Keeping It Food-Friendly

Large companies often have full kitchens that make up part of their break rooms. For smaller companies that don’t have that luxury, offering snacks through an office snack delivery service is more common. Either way, your break room should be a place where employees can easily enjoy lunch or a quick snack to help them power through the day.

5. Providing Bad Coffee

…or no coffee at all. As more Americans are drinking coffee now more than ever, it’s essential that you provide it in the office. It’s expected. Here at Supply Wizards, we offer a full variety of artisan and gourmet coffee options.

6. Ignoring Input From Employees

Since the break room is for all employees, you should involve them in the process. Listen to what they have to say and decide if the ideas are something to consider. You could take votes on specific things like paint color, lighting fixtures, or artwork. Involving them in this way makes them feel included and helps create a dynamic workplace culture.

Hotel Tech Guests Love

July 5, 2018 by SW Admin

For hotel guests these days, a great experience goes beyond excellent customer service and complimentary perks. The technology your hotel offers has become just as important as gracious staff members and a free breakfast. It might seem counterintuitive to the increased desire for a more personalized experience that consumers want, but personalization doesn’t necessarily mean hotel staff needs to be more present. In fact it’s quite the opposite: guests increasingly prefer to handle their own needs without the help of a hotel employee. Here are different examples of hotel technology that guests love.

Smartphone Functionality

What can’t you do with your phone? When it comes to enhancing the guest experience at your hotel, it’s time to think mobile. Services like ALICE are helping guests request and receive the services they want right from the palm of their hand. If a guest needs more towels or has a question, they can use their phone for a near-immediate response.

Online Streaming

If the goal of your hotel is to help provide a ‘home away from home’ for guests, then you need to make sure your rooms reflect how people live at home. According to the Pew Research Center, 61% of young adults use online streaming to watch TV. If they visit you’re hotel, it’s likely they’ll be frustrated if they can’t stream their favorite show or at least connect their devices to the TV in their room.

Keyless Entry

How many times have you had to hand out extra keycards to guests who lost them? Probably more than you can or would like to count. An increasing amount of hotels, including Marriott and Hilton, are moving towards providing mobile apps that guests can use to unlock their doors.

Robots

Not many hotels currently employ the use of robots to deliver products like towels or coffee to guests, but for those that do the guests seem to like it. According to Steve Cousins, CEO of Savioke, a company that manufactures robots, “Guests love that their deliveries come in under half the time (typically in five minutes), they don’t have to tip the robot and [they] avoid awkward human interactions when they’re getting ready for bed.”

greek yogurt with granola for protein snack

5 Energy-Boosting Snacks To Keep In Your Office

June 29, 2018 by SW Admin

Falling asleep at your desk but already met your caffeine limit for the day? Try one of these energy-boosting snacks instead of going for another cup of coffee. They’re simple and can give you the energy you need to power through the rest of the workday.

1. String Cheese

If your perception of string cheese is that it’s just a snack for kids, think again. String cheese has great benefits that can keep you going. In addition to carbs from the milk, there’s a good dose of protein and calcium. There’s even a ‘light’ option that’s healthier as it has less saturated fat. You can even mix it up with some fruit or beef jerky if you’d like.

2. Trail Mix

Not just for hikers, trail mix is an excellent source of good fats, fiber, and protein and is always a good choice when it comes to snacks that give you energy. Even if you don’t like the varieties offered by snack brands, you can always make your own with the exact kinds of nuts and fruits you like.

3. Hummus and Vegetables

A Mediterranean dish that’s made from chickpeas, sesame seed paste, olive oil, and lemon juice, hummus is full of fats and protein. Combined with some vegetables, this snack is an easy and healthy way to help sustain enough energy to get you through the workday.

4. Yogurt

Yogurt–particularly Greek yogurt– is a great source of protein. You can easily add fruit, granola, or oats to keep yourself full and going longer.

5. Oatmeal

Carbs are your body’s primary source of energy. While the extra boost you get from them might not last as long as protein (since protein takes longer to break down), whole grains such as oats do last a little longer and contain B vitamins like niacin, thiamin, and folate, that work together to help metabolize energy.