by Fern Shaw | Jun 26, 2024 | mains fed water cooler, Water, water cooler, Water Coolers
Not all of us have the wherewithal, location or access to be able to cool off as is indicated in the above image. There is however, an easy and simple solution to help you keep your cool when the temperatures soar. You guessed it – drink water more. Here are six reasons why:
Regulates Body Temperature. Our bodies rely on sweat to cool down and sweat is mostly water. When it’s hot, we sweat more, so we need to drink more fluids to replace the water we’re losing. Dehydration can lead to heatstroke, a serious condition that can be fatal.
Boosts Energy Levels. Even mild dehydration can sap your energy levels. When you’re dehydrated, your blood volume decreases, making your heart work harder to pump blood throughout your body. This can lead to fatigue, headaches and dizziness.
Improves Physical Performance. If you’re planning on spending any time outdoors in the heat, whether it’s for work or play, staying hydrated is essential. Dehydration can impair your physical performance and make it harder to exercise.
Improves Mood. Dehydration can also affect your mood. Studies have shown that dehydration can lead to irritability, anxiety and difficulty concentrating.
Sharpens Mentality. Dehydration can also affect your cognitive function. When you’re dehydrated, you may have trouble concentrating, focusing and making decisions.
Keeps Your Skin Healthy. Dehydration can make your skin look dry, dull, and wrinkled. Drinking plenty of water helps to keep your skin hydrated and plump.
If you need a simple and efficient solution which will help make sure that you and everyone in your organisation, site, university, college or school are able to maintain great hydration habits, chat to us at AquAid: 0800 772 3003.
With our wide range of bottled and mainsfed water coolers, and our scheduled and next day bottled water deliveries as part of our service, we have you (water) coolered.
by Fern Shaw | Jun 19, 2024 | water cooler, Water Coolers
In today’s fast-paced work environment, it’s easy to underestimate the power of casual conversation. But in the break room or that quick chat by at the watercooler station – these seemingly unproductive moments can hold immense value. Here’s why:
Building Bridges, Boosting Culture
Water cooler chats create space for informal interaction between colleagues. Sharing stories, jokes, or even weekend plans help employees connect on a personal level. This fosters a sense of camaraderie and strengthens company culture, leading to a more positive and collaborative work environment.
Innovation Through Interaction
Sometimes, the best ideas spark during casual conversations. Discussing a news article or a shared hobby can lead to unexpected connections and fresh perspectives. Chats at the water dispenser can be a breeding ground for creativity and innovation, as employees from different departments exchange ideas and challenge each other’s thinking.
Problem-Solving Power
Stuck on a project? A quick chat with a colleague from another department might be just what you need.
Water cooler conversations allow employees to tap into the collective knowledge of the team, offering a chance to brainstorm solutions or get a second opinion on a tricky issue.
Employee Engagement and Retention
Feeling like just a cog in the machine? Casual chats with coworkers can help combat feelings of isolation and boost employee morale. These interactions create a sense of belonging and value, leading to higher engagement and lower turnover rates.
Breaking the Ice, Building Trust
New hires can often feel overwhelmed in a new environment. Water cooler chats offer a chance to connect with colleagues in a relaxed setting, easing them into the company culture and fostering trust within the team.
The takeaways here are that these casual interactions can be powerful tools for building relationships, sparking creativity and ultimately, driving success in the workplace.
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.
