Monthly Archives: November 2013

Original ideas for decorating the office at Christmas

This entry was posted in Articles and tagged , , on by María Aragón.

Christmas_decoration-199x300Face it: With the arrival of Christmas, we undergo a kind of metamorphosis: we pull in our claws, foul moods turn into cotton candy and we’re transported (for a while) to the land of good feelings and even better intentions. And we top it off with flashing multi-coloured lights and red, green and gold textures…All shiny!

We want the world to march to the beat of a Christmas carol, and get excited by decorating it so that it matches our own inner world. But before you decide to run off and spread the Christmas spirit around the globe, we suggest you start by customising your surroundings first! Why not start where you give it your all every day for 8 hours: the office!

DIY office decorating. Do it yourself! If what you’re expecting is an album of traditional Christmas decorations and a list of the shops where you can buy them, then this article may not be what you need! But wait: read on and maybe you’ll like our suggestions. :)

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Office furniture and accessories that will make your day

This entry was posted in Articles, Working life and tagged , on by Lynn.

Do you ever feel in need of a power nap at work?


What a question…! Each body functions differently, but quite a few people feel the urge to take a… zzzz—my apologies, I dozed off—power nap every day to fight off their midday fatigue. Power naps (a short sleep which terminates before the occurrence of deep sleep) are generally known as healthy (preventing heart attacks and stress) and beneficial for productivity (because they restore our energy and promote performance).  Unfortunately, other than Google there are very few companies where an afternoon nap can be considered acceptable. We are clearly lacking in our implementation and lobbying of power naps during working hours.

The power nap, first and foremost, has to fit into the context of our office environment. Who would want to lie around at the office in a random corner with no purpose or grace? A comfortable sofa or grassland suits perfectly, but, what if neither is available?

No worries, some designers are already two steps ahead of us. Thanks to the following products, awkward napping has become a thing of the past.  With such furniture who wouldn’t surrender to a nap and descend instantly to the floor!

Desk Bed by Athanasia Leivaditou:

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“Too few female leaders – not just an individual problem”

This entry was posted in Interviews and tagged , , on by Lynn.
The interview was conducted by Stefanie Hornung at the HRM Expo trade fair, Europe’s biggest trade fair for human resource management.

Do we need more women on boards of directors or should more women be holding key positions at companies? How can that be achieved? Dr Elisabeth Kelan of King’s College, London has been researching these questions for many years.

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Dr Kelan, the question regarding the scarcity of women in leadership roles has been a topic of hot debate in the media for years. More and more companies are now busy figuring out how they can elevate more women into leadership positions. Despite this data there is still the impression that not much has changed. Is that true?

Women in leadership positions is an important topic not just in the media but also inside the companies themselves, however change is coming slowly. We should avoid becoming too fixated on the percentage figures. There are other success quotients. If you want to change gender ratios you need a strategic orientation, you need to take the whole culture of the organisation and the overall context of discrimination at the workplace into consideration. That will take time.

Are you in favour of a quota for women?

When you look at the scientific research it’s quite clear: the quota is the right prescription for quick changes. The disadvantage is that by doing so you’re making a drastic intervention in the affairs of organisations. Many people strongly disapprove of such forced regulations.

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Jobs in danger of extinction?

This entry was posted in Articles and tagged , , , on by María Aragón.

robot_assitantLet’s look at how welfare and transport work is already being done by robots. Does Technology pose a threat for humans?

A few years ago, we might have started this article wondering if technology could substitute a person doing a job. Nowadays, we don’t even need to ask: it’s already happening! Let’s look at some examples…

Humanoids caring for old people

In Japanese geriatric facilities robots are already being used as an experimental way of looking after the elderly. They look like a small person (they are about 50 centimetres tall, with legs and arms), provide companionship and help the elderly person live independently and safely: they check that the door is locked properly; they make sure you don’t forget your wallet/your keys; and that you take your medicine. In cases of senile dementia, it means that the patient can be monitored constantly without the emotional and physical strain that this may entail. According to several studies around 80% of care providers of an elderly family member suffer from stress and anxiety.

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Game on! Robby Leonardi’s video game CV

This entry was posted in Articles, CV writing and tagged , , on by plabram.

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You might think your use fonts other than Times New Roman and Arial in your CV was creative, but Robby Leonardi has really gone for gold with his creation of this video game CV.

Multi-disciplinary designer Leonardi is sure to attract attention with this idea, which takes you through his skills, training, work history and portfolio and outside interests in a Mario-Bro’s style race to the top prize – Robby’s contact details.

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