by Belinda Ollewagen | Jun 19, 2019 | water cooler
There’s an interesting article in Psychology Today that looks at office productivity and what factors have a positive influence on our ability to perform better. Turns out socialising and water cooler chats are not the time waster that management often thinks it is.
MIT developed a wearable badge embedded with a radio transceiver, a microphone, a microprocessor, and a set of motion sensors which tracks and records information about the wearer – their location, direction and voice inflections. These are measured during the day doing different tasks; including meeting colleagues face-to-face and socialising – the data recorded is then compared with the wearers’ productivity.
One such study was done in a call centre and they found that employees who are more cohesive – defined as how connected work friends are with each other, whether they talk to each other or not, and how interconnected everyone is – all positively influences their productivity and job satisfaction.
In a similar study it also showed that group cohesion – the result of bonding and chatting and spending time catching up around the water cooler – was a central predictor of productivity. Employees whose group cohesion was in the top third showed more than a 10% increase in productivity. In addition to that, the study also showed that the larger the network of people one knew, the more productive one was.
This just goes to show that socialising is not time wasted. The time you spend chatting about the weekend, your son’s rugby match or where you’re off to next on holiday, all while you wait your turn at the water cooler are important building blocks towards feeling that you are relatable and belong – a cohesion that ultimately makes you a happier and more productive employee.
by Belinda Ollewagen | Jun 13, 2019 | water cooler
World Environment Day 2019 focused on air pollution and how we need to clean up our act (no pun intended) – those scary facts are that 9 out of 10 people worldwide breathe polluted air and that it causes 7 million premature deaths annually!
Over the years there have been various other themes, many spotlighting pollution of our natural resources – water for example, we know our water cooler water is pure, but we also take it for granted, living in first world countries as we do, that the water we swim in and drink from our taps is also clean, but that’s not always the case. Water pollution has a fatal effect on our surroundings, here courtesy of Seametrics, are the frightening facts:
- ‘Every day, 2 million tons of sewage and industrial and agricultural waste are discharged into the world’s water (UN WWAP 2003), the equivalent of the weight of the entire human population of 6.8 billion people.’
- ‘Tens of millions of people in Bangladesh have been exposed to poisonous levels of arsenic from contaminated groundwater.’
- ‘In developing countries, 70% of industrial wastes are dumped untreated into waters, polluting the usable water supply.’
- ‘More than 80% of sewage in developing countries is discharged untreated, polluting rivers, lakes and coastal areas.’
- ‘About 10% of America’s beaches fail to meet the federal benchmark for what constitutes safe swimming water.’
- ‘Federal authorities estimate that the headwaters of 40% of Western rivers are tainted with toxic discharge from abandoned mines.’
- ‘More than 70% of China’s rivers and lakes are polluted, government reports have said, and almost half may contain water that is unfit for human consumption or contact.’
- ‘Every year, more people die from unsafe water than from all forms of violence, including war.’
- ‘Industry dumps an estimated 300-400 MT of polluted waste in waters every year.’
- ‘Nitrate from agriculture is the most common chemical contaminant in the world’s groundwater aquifers.’
by Fern Shaw | Jun 6, 2019 | water cooler
It could, according to a new study. The research results indicate that it could be down to simply not having drunk enough water the day before.*
Reasons for sleepless nights vary and are often linked to underlying psychological issues, but the new study published in the journal SLEEP, involved more than 20,000 adults in the US and China, all of whom had their sleeping habits and urine samples analysed.
The authors concluded that the links between sleep quality and hydration are down to a hormone in the body called vasopressin.
“Vasopressin is released both more quickly and later on in the sleep cycle,” explains lead author Asher Rosinger, who is an assistant professor at Penn State.
“So, if you’re waking up earlier, you might miss that window in which more of the hormone is released, causing a disruption in the body’s hydration. If you are only getting six hours of sleep a night, it can affect your hydration status. This study suggests that if you’re not getting enough sleep, and you feel bad or tired the next day, drink extra water.”
Although maintaining proper hydration habits should be relatively simple, another survey, carried out on 2,000 people revealed that half of Britons have no idea how much water they should be drinking daily, while a third admitted they fail to keep themselves properly hydrated and don’t drink water unless it’s mixed with something else.
Although opinions vary on how much water should be drunk each day, it seems that increasing one’s water consumption can only help pave the way to a better night’s sleep.
Which is yet another reason to make sure you visit your water cooler regularly during the day, keeping yourself properly hydrated and well prepped for a good night’s rest.
*excerpts from an article in The Independent
by Belinda Ollewagen | Jun 3, 2019 | water cooler, water dispenser
We all know water is essential for our bodies to function and perform optimally, but we sometimes forget the exact ways in which water works its magic in each and every cell, each and ever day. As a reminder, courtesy of the European Hydration Institute, here are some of the remarkable benefits of good hydration and why you should make a point of stopping at the office water cooler more often.
Brain
Adequate hydration is important for proper functioning of the brain. When we are well hydrated, brain cells are better supplied with fresh, oxygen-laden blood, and the brain remains alert. Mild dehydration, a 1% to 2% loss in body weight, can impair the ability to concentrate. Loss of more than 2% body weight due to dehydration can affect the brain’s processing abilities and impair short-term memory.
Cells
Hydration in the body is important for transporting carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals and other important nutrients and oxygen to the cells. The cells then produce energy for the body to function. Furthermore, hydration facilitates disposal of the waste products of metabolism, enabling the right cellular chemical function.
Digestive Tract
Hydration plays an important role in the digestion of food and the absorption of nutrients from the digestive tract. Water is required to dissolve nutrients so that they may be absorbed into the bloodstream and delivered to the cells. Insufficient hydration will slow the digestive process and chronic poor hydration can lead to constipation.
Heart
Fluids are important for healthy heart function and the correct regulation of water balance is essential to keep blood pressure within the healthy range. Dehydration decreases cardiac output which may lead to increases in heart rate and a fall in blood pressure. The circulatory system delivers a constant supply of oxygen to the brain, muscles and to all other tissues.
Kidneys
An adequate water intake is essential to keep the kidneys working well, helping them to remove waste products and excess nutrients mainly via urine. The kidneys regulate the body’s water levels by increasing or decreasing the flow of urine. The kidneys also work to control normal levels of sodium and other electrolytes. A well-hydrated healthy person’s kidneys filter approximately 180 litres of water each day: clearly most of this has to be reabsorbed to prevent excessive losses from the body.
Temperature
The body water has an important role as a thermoregulator, regulating the overall body temperature by helping dissipate heat. If the body becomes too hot, water is lost through sweat and the evaporation of this sweat from the skin surface removes heat from the body. Sweating is the most effective way that the body prevents itself from overheating.
Muscles and Joints
Water acts as a lubricant for muscles and joints; it helps cushion joints and keeps muscles working properly. Muscles and joints, in addition to the bones, are necessary for us to stand, sit, move and carry out all daily activities. Approximately 70 to 75 percent of the muscle is made up of water. Maintaining the right water balance is essential for optimum muscle function.
Indisputable is that proper hydration is essential to the physiological well-being and subsequent performance of us all. By making regular trips to the water dispenser and by increasing our water intake we improve our general health and well-being, and at the end of the day, that trumps all else – as Mahatma Gandhi said ‘it is health that is real wealth and not pieces of gold and silver’.
by Fern Shaw | May 29, 2019 | water cooler, Water Coolers
At AquAid Water Coolers, we’ve been in the business of water provision for 21 years, supplying a wide range of high quality water coolers and drinking water to customers throughout the UK.
We value our customers as we understand that they are the backbone to our business, enabling us to grow from our humble beginnings in 1998 to now, one of the UK’s largest water cooler suppliers.
Just as important to us, and an integral part of our business ethos since we began, is our commitment to helping those in need. In this manner AquAid has, to date, donated over £14 million to charity and have helped more than 6 million people.
Another organisation (and valued customer) committed to creating a sustainable environment and better future for all is LKM Recycling.
We recently invited them to take part in a charity initiative: this involved the building of a water well (known as an Elephant Pump) which enables a community in Africa direct access to safe drinking water. This well building program is instituted by an AquAid founded charity – the Africa Trust – which since its inception in 2010, has built more than 8,000 such wells throughout sub-Saharan Africa, providing potable water to over 2 million people.
We were delighted when they agreed to take part in the well building and even more pleased to be able to present them with a photo of their built and named well in June of 2018. We found out a little more about LKM Recycling during the well building period:
“The mission of LKM Recycling is dedication to the highest quality of customer service delivered with a sense of warmth, friendliness, individual pride & company spirit.”
They offer total waste management services across a wide range of sectors including:
- Metal recycling
- Plastic recycling
- Wood recycling
- Paper recycling
- Cardboard recycling
- Scrap Vehicle Recycling
- Skip Hire Services
- Confidential Shredding services
Marketing Manager at LKM Recycling, Simon Baxter, had this to say, “We operate a zero to Landfill policy which means we divert as much waste possible away from landfill and towards recycling.
We have recently opened a waste transfer station in Sittingbourne to handle multiple waste streams to support our growing domestic skip hire business.
We have also recently opened a new confidential shredding facility that can shred and recycle confidential documents from our customers. This means less paper waste ending up in landfill and helps protect businesses from the GDPR laws.”
Here at AquAid, we’d just like to thank all at LKM Recycling for their continued custom, their support with getting an Elephant Pump built as well as their raising awareness about what their support produced.
If you currently have an AquAid water cooler and would like to find out how you can go about sponsoring your very own water well, at no extra cost, please contact us.
If you would like to enquire about installing a water cooler, where your hydration means the provision of safe water delivery to people in need, please do get in touch.
by Belinda Ollewagen | May 20, 2019 | water cooler
World Oceans Day is celebrated each year on June 8th. Officially recognised by the United Nations since 2008; on World Oceans Day people around the globe are asked to honour and celebrate one of our greatest natural resources, its importance in our lives and how each of us can protect it, no matter where we are.
And if you’re asking why we should celebrate the day, let’s remember it’s not just water from our water cooler that helps keep us alive, it’s also a healthy world ocean that’s critical to our survival, because it ‘generates most of the oxygen we breathe; helps feed us; regulates our climate; cleans our drinking water; offers a pharmacopoeia of potential medicines; and provides limitless inspiration’.
Last year World Oceans Day boasted 1,500 events held in 140 countries – these ranged from celebrations, cleanups and film screenings through to festivals, concerts and conferences; 5.5 billion impressions of #WorldOceansDay on Twitter and Instagram in the month leading up to June 8th; and 10,000 commitments made on social media to stop using single-use plastics in honour of the day.
If you want to show your support this year, you can do so in three easy steps.
- You can plan an event and download resources – there are wide variety of event ideas to choose from
- Register your events and activities
- Show your support on social media and make sure to tag #WorldOceansDay
Here’s hoping that the 2019 figures can outperform last year’s statistics – together we can make a difference! To quote arguably the greatest oceanographer of all times, Jacques Cousteau ‘The sea, the great unifier, is man’s only hope. Now, as never before, the old phrase has a literal meaning: we are all in the same boat.’
