by Fern Shaw | Jun 12, 2024 | water cooler, Water Coolers
With ever-shifting work environments, especially due to events over the last few years, coupled with constant changes between a physical versus a virtual workspace, we pose the question – do water cooler conversations still take place? If so, are they of benefit?
First, let’s define what water cooler talk is. Essentially, it’s the informal conversations between co-workers that typically occur spontaneously in the workspace. It generally involves casual discussions on non-work topics which employees engage in during free moments throughout their workday.*
Next, we turn to whether chats at the water cooler, be they in person or in cyberspace, are of benefit to an organisation and its employees.
According to research, it would seem water cooler chats do benefit both.
- They contribute significantly to building an inclusive company culture as they create opportunities for employees to bond over shared interests and experiences.*
- Whereas the shift to remote work transcended the physical office space, virtual platforms gave rise to the ability to host casual conversations, giving remote teams a chance to build working relationships in an informal setting – around a virtual water cooler.*
- Various studies showed organisations who facilitated virtual water cooler talk resulted in a significant improvement to employee well-being, a feeling of being included and a positive outlook in general.*
If you too are interested in installing a water cooler, creating a positive and convivial atmosphere for your employees, co-workers or for the children and staff at your school, chat to us at AquAid.
Make the most of our more than 24-years’ experience, our wide range of high-quality water dispensers and twenty branch strong team, all who provide the best in both products and service.
*source: from a blog at Cerkl
by Fern Shaw | Jun 5, 2024 | bottle fed water coolers, mains fed water cooler, water cooler, Water Coolers
#GenerationRestoration is the theme for this year’s World Environment Day. The focus is on land restoration, desertification and drought resilience.
According to the United Nations ‘desertification is one of the biggest environmental threats of our time. It refers to land drying up due to reduced rainfall, the expansion of agriculture, including deforestation and poor irrigation practices. Climate change is exacerbating desertification: right now, around 2 billion people live on drylands vulnerable to desertification, which could displace an estimated 50 million people by 2030. If people cannot grow food, they will need to move to an area where they can, increasing the risk of desertification, and having negative effects on landscapes, wildlife and human health.’
The positive news is that there are numerous programmes in place, all of which contribute towards helping grow forests, revive water sources and bring back soils.
As a company, AquAid have long understood how vital it is to address such environmental issues and at the core of this philosophy and ethic is our ongoing commitment to support charities that strive to address the very challenging issues of drought, deforestation and poor irrigation.
We achieve this, in large part, by donating a portion of our revenues generated from each installation of our Mainsfed Water Coolers and each purchase of Bottled Water. These donated funds are used by charities such as Christian Aid and The Africa Trust who implement vital sustainable water resources and farming practices that help regenerate fertile soil, capable of growing food crops, grazing for livestock and water for potable and productive use for thousands of communities in developing countries.
If you too would like to be part of #GenerationRestoration, be kind to your planet and help contribute towards a better environment, simply by drinking water, then chat to us at AquAid.
by Fern Shaw | May 17, 2024 | instant tap, water cooler, water cooler, Water Coolers
In Part I about skipping lunch while working, we were all about bad nutrition and productivity and skipping lunch. In this session, the debate continues with mentions of the (for some) dreaded broccoli, superfoods and eating well at work.
Two journalists battled it out; one had spent time working in France, where lunch was always taken away from one’s desk. The other said that she would far rather power through her lunch break and have her sandwich at her desk as it would give her more time after work to spend with her family.
Having lunch away from your desk is the way to go, according to studies at the University of California. Taking the time out of your work environment gives your brain a breather and allows your brain to ‘power up’ and go back to work refreshed and ready for the next haul. Sitting at your desk doesn’t allow for that brain refresh. I would imagine it’s similar to taking a power nap, which does work.
Superfoods
*In the nineties, it was all about organic food. Then along came the concept of ‘superfoods’, a term used to describe foods that are supposedly really good for you. But it turned out to be more of a re-branding exercise for otherwise mundane supermarket produce, like berries for example. And if you ask a scientist, the term superfood means something completely different. It’s used in academia to refer to calorie-dense food, like chocolate (aha!).
Broccoli
Apparently, the little green forest trees (as I like to call them), have been shown to help the immune system to clean harmful bacteria from the lungs. A compound found in the vegetable is now being trialled as a treatment for people with lung disease.
Eating well
When surveyed by researchers from Nottingham University, staff at the UK’s National Health Service said they felt they had a responsibility to set an example for healthy eating at work. But the American Journal of Public Health found that for healthy eating habits at work to take any effect, workers’ families also had to get on board. What people eat at work is linked to their overall lifestyles and attitudes to nutrition.
I must say I do like the can-do attitude of the people at the NHS. Overall, I think it is important, as your working day takes up a lot of your hours awake (bar those power naps), to make sure that the powers-that-be in your work environment focus on your well-being too. Are there kitchen facilities at your workplace?
Is there a water cooler? Instant Tap? A hot water drinks dispenser?
Some type of sip and feast designated area?
If not, perhaps it’s time to have a chat with your employer and point out the clear benefits between nutrition, good hydration and productivity.
source*: an article in Quartz.
source**: an article in the New Scientist
by Fern Shaw | May 14, 2024 | water cooler, Water Coolers, water dispenser
There’s no avoiding it. Work an eight-hour (or longer) day and you’ll have to stop to eat at some point. Be it a questionable sandwich or a lavish lunch, workers need grub. But what should you eat to achieve maximum results? And is skipping lunch to reply to those e-mails really such a bad thing? In this two-part series, we have a look at both sides.*
Eating in the office canteen is good for you. In Finland, at least.
The Finnish have done a lot of research into workplace eating habits. One study by the Finnish National Institute for Health and Welfare found that workers who ate in office cafeterias, compared to those who brought in packed lunches, were eating more fruit and vegetables. This has a lot to with the fact that in Finland, food provided in canteens must meet national nutritional guidelines.
To be sure, the wisdom of eating in a canteen does depend on the quality of what’s on the menu. Staff interviewed at Barnsley Borough Council in London described the food in their cafeteria as ‘stodgy’ and more suited to those performing manual work.
Skipping lunch is bad for you.
As explained in his book about workplace eating habits, Christopher Wanjek found that workers who skip lunch are more stressed, less productive and only end up snacking in the afternoon anyway.
The endless cycle of bad nutrition and low national productivity.
Poor eating choices affect productivity. In fact, it causes this shame spiral:
There’s a lot that has gone into this debate. In Part II, we’ll thrash this out further. For now, at least one thing is crystal – keeping yourself hydrated at work can only be good for you.
While we wait for the next instalment, remember to repeatedly recharge your water glass or water bottle using your desktop water dispenser or zeroing in on your floor-standing water cooler.
*source: from an article in Quartz.
by Fern Shaw | Apr 23, 2024 | Water, water cooler, Water Coolers
At AquAid we are keenly aware of the impact using plastic has in our industry, to our customers and on our environment. This Earth Day we felt it important to reiterate our ongoing commitment in seeking solutions and alternatives to reduce waste, minimise our carbon footprint and increase the sustainable provision of our water and water products to our customers.
Potential long-term options?
- Paper cups/cones
Paper cups may seem like an obvious alternative, but they are not. As paper is porous, all cups contain a lining which means that they cannot easily be recycled. Unfortunately, although few people may be aware of this, if you are paying to recycle paper cups, these lined cups actually contaminate the recycling batch they go into.
There are cones available without a plastic lining, but they will only hold water for a matter of seconds before it will start seeping through and leak onto surfaces or on the floor. Whilst these are useful from an environmental perspective, they are less useful from a hydration perspective; the reason organisations have a water dispenser in the first place.
Paper cups cost around 50% more than plastic, with cones priced slightly lower.
- Plastic bottles
There is a place for reusable plastic bottles, however, we need to be aware that a plastic bottle weighs at least 30 times more than does a plastic cup. This then means that using plastic bottles is adding plastic weight and volume rather than reducing it. Even if you re-use a plastic bottle (which some people will re-use 30 times, but others much less so) it has to be borne in mind that the bottle needs to be cleaned which has its own environmental impact.
- Use bio-degradable/compostable material
The idea of using bio-degradable plastic is very appealing at first as people picture it literally turning into dust. The problem is that in order for the plastic to compost, it needs to be kept in very specific circumstances only achievable in an industrial composting environment. Not only are there very few such facilities in the UK, there are also no nationwide collection schemes in place for them. If bio-degradable cups end up in landfill they can be more harmful to the environment than normal plastic cups, as is indicated in various reports and case studies from authorities in the field*. Added to this, bio-degradable plastic is made from corn starch – which again brings with it a significant impact on the environment. As a final point, bio-degradable plastic is considerably more expensive than regular plastic.
The solution
Because of the focus directed at the issue of single use cups, we may be forgetting the difference between litter and recycling. Plastic on its own is not an issue – unrecycled plastic is. Bearing this in mind, we believe there is a viable solution, one which will be of benefit to not only ourselves and our customers, but also to our environment.
Recycling plastic cups
Upon consultation with a number of recycling authorities, in particular BIFFA, a leading integrated waste management company, we’ve established as follows:
- The cups that AquAid supply are made of a single type of plastic. The benefit of this is that easy to recycle and a valuable resource that can be repurposed and resold.
- Our plastic cups are easily recycled if placed in a dry mixed recycling (DMR) bin. These are bins which take cans, paper, cardboard and plastic. Not only will the material placed in a DMR be recycled, but DMR bins cheaper to have emptied than a normal waste bin.
We believe that we have established a practical, cost effective and viable solution to using our drinking cups and are inviting our customers to contact their local recycling companies to confirm that they offer the dry mixed recycling bins (DMR), to assist with the recycling of not only plastic cups, but also the many other recyclable items found in offices up and down the country.
* sources: articles in The Guardian; UN News
by Fern Shaw | Apr 15, 2024 | water cooler, Water Coolers
We’ve given quite a bit of attention to British trivia over the years for good reason. Trivia is interesting, fun, it keeps your brain active and just as important, it provides you with a wealth of interesting knowledge you can impart to your colleagues, workmates, clients and customers whenever you head off to replenish your drinking water at your water cooler station.
In the spirit of keeping with this tradition, here are a few updated trivia titbits for your entertainment.
Architecture
In 2021, the Smallest House in Britain, located in Conwy, North Wales, also known as Quay House, received a new addition to its living space for the first time in 400 years – a sofa. We don’t like to boast, but we’re sure we could fit one of our tabletop water coolers or Instant Taps in the House.
Geography
Mind the gap. The distance between Britain and America is widening by one and a half inches a year as upwelling in the Mid-Atlantic Ridge pushes tectonic plates apart.
Science & Nature
A blue whale can hold up to 5,000kgs of water in its mouth. As much as select of our range of water coolers have the capability to constantly supply refreshing drinking water to large organisations, we regret we’re not able to provide blue whale water coolers. Also … saltwater.
I think it’s safe to assume that here at AquAid, we like trivia. It may be as we understand the connection between cognitive function and how drinking water keeps one in tiptop trivia retaining knowledge mode – aside from being able to perform better throughout the working day of course – almost as important!
Sources: House Beautiful Mail Online Blue Whale
