by Belinda Ollewagen | Sep 13, 2018 | instant tap, water cooler
It was the hottest June in 40 years and the weather services is predicting more heatwaves for the rest of the season, making it one of the warmest summers on record. Heatwaves are a global phenomenon at the moment, and what many experts say is a taste of what’s to come in the future – our new ‘normal’. While we need to get our head around that and what it means for us long-term, we have to be cognisant of our immediate responsibility to staff members to ensure they remain properly hydrated. This is not just a health issue, because now more than ever, remaining properly hydrated is essential for peak performance. Business owners are constantly looking at ways to improve productivity, and one simple and cost-effective way to do so is to ensure there are enough instant taps or water coolers in break out areas so that staff have access to clean and safe drinking water throughout the working day.
The Natural Hydration Council, in their ‘Hydration at Work’ document stated that ‘the brain is particularly sensitive to changes in water balance, which in turn, can affect mental performance (e.g. concentration, alertness and short-term memory) and overall work-related productivity.’ In one study it was found that water deprivation had a negative impact on the reaction times of the male and female volunteers, they were left feeling fatigued and sluggish. Another study found that five adult volunteers that consumed very little drinking water for either 13, 24 or 37 hours had decidedly impaired concentration and reaction times.
Other negative side effects of dehydration include headaches and moodiness, ‘when we are lacking fluid, we can start to feel increasingly agitated, impatient and tense’ – not the best demeanor for being productive. While the type of work we do will affect the level of hydration necessary – after all someone doing manual labor outside fully exposed to the extreme heat will need far more drinking water than someone working indoors – but even those of us in an office exposed to air conditioning, which is known to dry out our skin, need to top up on our water intake to ensure we are sufficiently hydrated.
As we gear up for even hotter days, let’s be sure that we’re prepared and have everything we need to ensure employees are happy, healthy and productive. For your personally tailored water solution to help you do so, and which may encompass any one of the water cooler or instant taps ranges, reach out to AquAid today.
by Belinda Ollewagen | Aug 8, 2018 | instant tap, water cooler
We’ve had a very hot summer so far, and while we’re all familiar with the ‘drink eight glasses of water a day’ guide, there are times when this intake is not sufficient for our bodies and we need to head to our water coolers or instant taps more frequently to increase the amount of water we drink. Here are four instances where the average advice of 8-a-day is not enough and we should make drinking water more of a priority.
- Environment
Along with changes in climate come changes in bodily function and water requirements. In summer, hot weather increases our rate of perspiration while in the cooler winter months, indoor heating causes our skin to lose more moisture. Changes in altitude also affect our system which means we need to replenish our fluid reserves accordingly.
- Exercise
When we exercise we perspire and we need to drink more water to compensate for that loss of fluid. If you choose to work out during your lunch hour or just after work, be sure to fill up your water bottle at the water coolers or instant taps in your breakout area before you leave – drinking water throughout your work-out will ensure you stave off dehydration and perform better.
- Illness
Fluid loss is unavoidable with certain illnesses particularly fever, vomiting or diarrhea so it’s essential that we up our intake of drinking water during this time – it’s also a good thing to remember if you’re suffering from a headache, very often it’s a sign of dehydration and not a sign of something more serious so it’s always good to drink a glass of water first before assuming the worst.
- Pregnancy or breast-feeding
They say that a pregnant body at rest works harder than a non-pregnant body climbing a mountain, which explains why all forms of fuel (whether it be food, rest or water) should be increased to compensate for the extra energy expended, and this applies to nursing mothers as well – it’s suggested that pregnant women drink around 10 cups a day and breastfeeding mothers around 13 cups.
If you’re wanting to supplement your water sources at the office, remember that AquAid have a full range of bottled and mains fed water coolers to choose from, along with a choice of very popular instant taps – sleek, efficient and cost-effective alternatives to other water points in your breakout area.
by Belinda Ollewagen | Aug 7, 2018 | aquaid, instant tap, Water Coolers
Earlier this year the European Commission announced plans to ban single-use cutlery, plates, straws, cotton buds and balloon sticks by 2021 in a new initiative to reduce marine pollution. We all know how dire the situation is with regards plastic pollution and how it affects our lands and oceans, along with animal and human life alike. So, one of the biggest reasons to switch to instant taps, mains fed water coolers or AquAid refillable 19ltr bottles reused between 30 and 35 times, is the fact that it does away with plastic bottles or greatly reduces the amount of plastic used.
The most common type of plastic pollution in our oceans is nurdles – these are the plastic pellets used to create other plastic products. Along with polystyrene, plastic bags and food containers, they make up the vast majority of marine debris, it is estimated that there are around 165 million tons of plastic pollution in the sea – and it forms the greatest threat to large marine mammals. Not only can they become entangled in the plastic which then curbs their movement and ability to find food, but ingested it can block their digestive system which ultimately leads to starvation. In addition to the physical impact of plastic pollution on creatures, it can also poison their system which in turn affects the food chain and our own source of food. It is estimated that nearly 500,000 marine mammals die each year due to plastic pollution in our oceans.
Left in landfills, plastic does not fare any better. Chlorinated plastic releases dangerous chemicals into the earth which can seep into underground water supplies harming the surrounding ecosystem and drinking water. In addition to this potential water pollution, another form of pollution is the methane gas released as plastic biodegrades which significantly adds to global warming – as arctic ice melts and recent heat waves can attest to.
While great efforts are made to promote responsible recycling, and while collectively we are doing a better job of reducing and re-using, which does minimize global impact, we still have a long way to go. And in a corporate setting one of the easiest ways to do our bit is to provide a more environmentally friendly water alternative for employees – if we can offer them safe, easily accessible drinking water via instant taps, mains fed water coolers or via our 19ltr refillable bottle, it prevents staff from having to buy small half-litre bottles of water which immediately reduces the amount of plastic being disposed of. If you need a tailored water solution that perfectly fits your needs and the needs of your employees, while also benefiting the environment – call AquAid today.
by Belinda Ollewagen | Aug 7, 2018 | instant tap, Water Coolers
Employee engagement, according to Forbes, is the ‘emotional commitment the employee has to the organisation and its goals. This emotional commitment means engaged employees actually care about their work and their company.’ Those who are engaged are easy to spot: it’s the person first through the door in the morning because they can’t wait to start their day, they are full of energy when they talk about their work, the corporate culture, their manager, or any challenging project they’re involved in; and their positivity inspires those around them. So it’s easy to see why employee engagement is beneficial for business, and there are a number of ways of achieving it.
One good place to start is to encourage a strengths-based culture – this exists when a team member’s strengths are aligned with their professional requirements. It’s quite different to the more standard performance appraisal system which focuses more on a person’s shortcomings rather than what they’re good at. By focusing on the positive, research has found that employees are more motivated, they are more inclined to develop their strengths, and they are more likely to thrive in their working environment.
Another way to foster employee engagement is to show that the company cares about their staff – this can be demonstrated in big ways like implementing incentive programmes or different reward systems, or providing regular training so that employees can upskill and move through the ranks more confidently. But it’s also implicit in the small things like ensuring your staff members have a comfortable breakout area (research shows that regular breaks aid productivity), and that there are tea and coffee facilities with safe drinking water easily accessible via instant taps or water coolers.
According to Glassdoor, the nine pillars of employee engagement are:
- Knowing your value and purpose within the company
- Constructive and timeous communication
- Health and wellness
- Enjoying your physical workspace
- Having a well-defined role in the organisation
- Social interactions in the office
- Recognition and incentives
- Support and buy-in from quality managers
- Bolstering personal growth and development
Employee engagement leads to higher employee satisfaction, higher staff retention and lower turnover, less absenteeism, higher productivity and ultimately increased profitability – can you afford to not prioritise it?
by Belinda Ollewagen | Jun 4, 2018 | Hot Water Taps, instant tap, Water Coolers
We all know that dehydration is bad for us and that it’s important to keep ourselves well hydrated throughout the day to ensure we perform optimally, which (in addition to it being law) is another reason why companies provide easy access to water in the form of water coolers, water boilers and hot water taps. But many of us still don’t drink enough water and even slight dehydration is harmful. Our bodies naturally alert us when it needs replenishment, but thirst mechanism aside, what are the other cues we often misread?
Some of the first signs of dehydration are similar to hunger pangs, which mistakenly makes us reach for something to eat. The confusion apparently stems from our hypothalamus, that part of the brain that regulates appetite and thirst – which, when we’re dehydrated, gets its wires crossed. It’s always best if you’re feeling slightly hungry to try drinking water first, if hunger pangs persist then move on to a snack, but always try replenishing the body’s water supply before doing anything else.
A more obvious sign is a dry mouth, potentially followed by a headache – the latter is not something we would normally associate with dehydration, but unwittingly it is often the cause. According to University News ‘dehydration headaches may happen because a lack of fluids causes shrinkage in brain volume. This results in the brain pulling away from the skull, which triggers pain receptors in the meninges (the membrane that surrounds the brain).’ So, before you reach for pain killers, walk over to the hot water taps in your office kitchen and make a cup of tea or drink a glass of water. An important point to remember however is that while drinking coffee and tea will aid hydration, it is only effective around the four cups per day mark – if consumption exceeds that, it actually becomes a diuretic which is counterproductive to hydration.
Other more serious signs can include fatigue, heart palpitations, cramping, loss of concentration and loss of mental capabilities. It is particularly the change in focus and shift in mental acuity that affects productivity. A study assessing the effects of mild dehydration on cognitive performance found that ‘mild dehydration in men induced adverse changes in vigilance and working memory, and increased tension/anxiety and fatigue.’ Worryingly, many of us begin our day already mildly dehydrated which is then exacerbated by a lack of water intake as we move through our day.
It is imperative, both from a health and productivity point of view, that we maintain sufficient hydration levels, and we achieve this by forming healthy habits – keeping a bottle of water on our desks and sipping on it throughout the day; and taking regular water and tea breaks. Mild dehydration is insidious and if we are to function optimally, we need to learn to read the signs correctly.
by Belinda Ollewagen | Mar 28, 2018 | aquaid, Hot Water Taps, instant tap, Water Coolers
Want to know how your business can save 119 hours and £1,638 in wasted productivity every year?
Read on …
How many cups of tea or coffee do we drink at work?
- There are 65,64 million people in the UK
- Each day 165 million cups of tea and 70 million cups of coffee are consumed – that’s an average of 4 cups per person per day
- Let’s assume the average person (Jane/Joe) drinks one cup at home and three cups at the office
- Let’s also assume that Jane/Joe is working in a micro-sized business of 9 employees and that when they make tea or coffee for themselves, they also do so for another 2 employees in the office
How much time do we waste waiting for a kettle to boil?
- It takes 3 minutes for a kettle to boil – that’s 3 minutes Jane/Joe wastes every day waiting for hot water for the three cups of tea or coffee they’re wanting to make, assuming Jane/Joe and the two colleagues take it in turn to make drinks
- If we work an average of 22 days per month – that’s 66 minutes wasted in the month and 792 minutes or just over 13 hours wasted per year
- If the average working day is 8 hours long, it means we waste more than 1.5 working days per year waiting for that kettle
- And that’s just for one Jane or Joe
Want to add a monetary value to that time wasted?
- The average wage in the UK is £13.94 per hour – that’s 23 pence per minute, without employers NI contributions of around 13 percent
- If Jane/Joe wastes 792 minutes per year waiting for water to boil it equates to £182 lost in productivity
- Again, just for one Jane or Joe
Want to know how much that actually impacts on you as a business owner?
- There are 5.7 million small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) in the UK, which makes up 99% of all businesses
- SMEs can be broken down into micro business owners (the vast majority of SMEs) who employ 0-9 employees; small business owners who employ up to 49 employees; and medium business owners who employ up to 249 employees
- If you are a micro business owner:
That’s a £1,638 and 119 hours (or 15 working days) loss in productivity per annum waiting for a kettle to boil
- If you are a small business owner:
That’s a £8,918 and 647 hours (or 81 working days) loss in productivity per annum waiting for a kettle to boil
- If you are a medium business owner:
That’s a £45,318 and 3,287 hours (or 411 working days) loss in productivity per annum waiting for a kettle to boil
Hot water taps provide instantly ready boiling water, no wasted time waiting for a kettle to boil – can your business afford to be without one?
Sources:
Business Wire Research & Markets
Statista
House of Commons Library
