Office Equipment Safety Guidelines

As a business owner, department manager, or team leader, it’s important to keep your valuable assets, employees and office equipment, out of harm’s way. Accidents happen, but most can be prevented by taking the necessary safety precautions. There are certain situations that employees may encounter that require a little more than just common sense.

• Place electronic office equipment at a safe distance from the wall to prevent overheating, which can cause paper jams, poor quality prints, and reduces the longevity of the equipment
• Keep walkways clear of electrical cords/cables; besides being a tripping hazard, a sudden jerk to the cords/cables could damage them
• Have broken, frayed, damaged, or cords/cables with melted insulation repaired or replaced immediately
• Untie cords/cables that are tied in knots and check for any damage
• Use power strips with 3-pronged plugs where ever possible to ensure grounding and prevent overloading electrical outlets or extension cords
• Check the amp requirements of the electronic office equipment and amp capacity of the outlet before plugging it in
• Discontinue the use of and contact your office manager if equipment is damaged in anyway; further use could cause additional damage leading to added repair costs
• Avoid using space heaters near office equipment; the heater could cause the equipment to overheat or melt the plastic
• Do not eat or drink around electronic office equipment; food particles could get lodged and cause moving parts to jam (read Why Clean Your Dirty Keyboard & How to Properly Do So) or you could risk severe electrical shock
• Electronic office equipment should not be positioned next to exterior windows for two reasons: to prevent sun damage or overheating and to prevent water damage if the windows leak
• Reference the owner’s manual to find out the electronic equipment’s required room temperatures and/or humidity levels to ensure optimum productivity
• Ask for assistance, or request a training session from the Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) if employees are unsure how to use the office equipment
• Reference the owner’s manual before loading paper, changing toner, or clearing a jam in the printer to avoid causing an unnecessary malfunction and subsequent service call
• Moving electronic office equipment should be left to the IT staff or OEM (read The Do’s and Don’ts of Moving Office Equipment)
• Know what types of materials the paper shredder can and cannot accept; some models shred cd’s, credit cards, staples, and paperclips and others don’t; always use caution when removing a jam

Play it safe! It’s important that employees and office equipment end-users are made aware of possible hazards and have the knowledge to handle different situations should one arise. Always consult the owner’s manual if you have any questions or concerns or contact the OEM directly. Most OEM’s will have a website and/or customer support page as well.

Please share this information with management and your fellow co-workers. Did I miss anything? Please feel free to leave a comment.

Top 11 Reasons to Use Social Media in Business

Over the past few years, to say social media has exploded would be an understatement. Members of social media sites have discovered it’s the easiest way to find, learn about, and share information that directly influences their purchasing decisions. It is this reason alone that every business should be on multiple social media sites in an effort to reach as many people as possible.

Below are the top 11 reasons to use social media in business:

1. Build relationships – personal and professional; connect with all types of people – past and present coworkers, current clients, prospects, vendors, competitors, and marketing professionals to build your network
2. Share information – share your blog posts; share interesting and useful articles, other blogs, webinars, podcasts, presentations, and poll/survey results with your fan base
3. Gather valuable information – research similar products/services, competitors, prospects, marketing tips, blog ideas, create your own poll/survey – the amount of information available is endless
4. Join a social network of like-minded individuals or start a new interest group where you can further brand your product/service, build relationships, and share ideas and information
5. Stay current with the latest trends – write a blog or join a discussion on a trending topic; become aware of new social media sites that might fit the needs of your business
6. Land a great new job – using your new connections on various social media sites, you can get the inside scoop on companies that are hiring, as well as resume and interview tips
7. Discover a new passion in life, become a volunteer, or start a fundraising event
8. Get found by prospects by using inbound marketing tactics – spread the word about your product/service through social media sites; to form a complete marketing plan, combine this with outbound techniques (interruptive marketing)
9. Build business reputation and brand – constantly add value to all your posts and become a trustworthy leader in your industry; to quote Bob Burg, “All things being equal, people will do business with and refer business to those people they know, like, and trust.”
10. Build a marketing department inexpensively – for start-ups, employing inbound marketing tactics is a cheap way to start marketing your product/service; most social media sites are free to join, while others have a minimal monthly or yearly fee
11. Help increase conversion rates – use social media and inbound marketing to steer more organic traffic to your website and convert more leads into sales; the average conversion rate is 2.3%, but varies by industries according to ClickZ, Marketing News & Expert Advice, http://www.clickz.com/clickz/column/1691779/benchmarking-average-conversion-rate.

I recommend choosing a handful of social media sites to manage and start getting your feet wet. Not every site available will be right for you or your business and it would overwhelming to try them all. The Remi Group consistently maintains a blog, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Google Plus pages, a YouTube channel, as well as a Twitter account. For our type of business, a Pinterest, Tumblr, or Flickr account isn’t worthwhile, but obviously they are great for other brands.

If you need help getting started, there are countless different types of resources. I have used the An Hour a Day book series on Facebook Marketing, Twitter Marketing, and Social Media Marketing. They address each entity in a step-by-step fashion that is very user-friendly. I also find Hubspot to be extremely helpful. They are continually publishing user guides that contain valuable information, tips, and tricks. Lastly, when creating your profile on the various social media sites that best fit your marketing plan, it’s a good idea to connect with other marketers to check out what they are doing to boost business.

Do you have a tip or trick to share with newcomers to social media? Share it with us; you are more than welcome to post questions and/or comments here!