The Office that Never Sleeps

There are times when you may need to work remotely rather than in the office, for a variety of reasons. You may have a contract that allows you to work from home on certain days, you may have a job that involves a lot of time out of the office or you could be sent abroad on a business trip.

Some people may think that working remotely can easily be abused, that you may not start work till lunch time or could be watching television instead of writing those reports.

It is important that you work the same office hours of everyone else in your workplace. If you’re travelling you need to let your office know when and where you can be reached, taking into account time zone differences if applicable.

The New York Subway is one of the largest subway systems in the world running about every 2-5 minutes during rush hour and about every 5-15 minutes during the rest of the day.The Subway is a cheap and convenient way to get around New York City, however travelling on the Subway during rush hour can be daunting, lots of pushing and shoving, impatient people all trying to get to work at the same time.

We have put together some helpful tips on riding the Subway and ways to minimise risks.

We have all been there, come mid afternoon you feel like snoozing at your desk (not recommended if you want to keep your job!) and your focus starts to waver. You feel drained and exhausted and you find even stringing a sentence together difficult. This drop in energy is a physiological response but the good news is there are steps we can take to prevent it.

A major factor is what you eat at lunch, you need to avoid sugars and simple carbohydrates as these get absorbed into your bloodstream immediately which causes a rise in your blood sugar.

We have put together a list of some of the labor laws of New York State for you.

• The current minimum wage for covered employees in the State of New York is $7.15 per hour. There is a list of exceptions to this covered minimum wage law.
• If a covered employee is required to work overtime, they must be paid one and a half times their normal hourly rate.

Here’s a list of tips you and your colleagues can use to help reduce the negative impact of open-plan office arrangements.

1. Be quiet. Try and keep the noise level to the minimum. Avoid using the speaker phone if it’s not necessary. Avoid using noisy gadgets. Befriend a set of headphones to listen to videos and podcasts. Find an enclosed space for short personal phone calls if you must make them.

2. Control your phones. The constant ringing of your cell phone while there’s also someone on your direct line can be distracting to your colleagues. Turn down the volume and try to answer the phone within three rings. Avoid fancy ringtones.

There are eleven Empire zones in New York City that are offered benefits and incentives to expand commercial, retail and industrial companies. These are The Bronx (Port Morris and Hunts Point), Manhattan (East Harlem and Chinatown), Staten Island (West Shore and North), Brooklyn (Southwest Brooklyn, East Brooklyn, North Brooklyn/ Brooklyn Navy Yard) and Queens (South Jamaica and Far Rockaway).

Created in 1996 to help revitalize the Upper Manhattan and South Bronx market place, the New York Empowerment zone is a federal economic development initiative. If your business qualifies and operates in the Empowerment Zone you could be eligible for increased depreciation tax deductions, employer wage credits and tax exempt bond financing.

One of the best ways to liven up offices, reception areas and conference rooms is adding a splash of color. If buying or renting colorful art is out of question, why not enhance the corporate space with plants?

Carefully selected indoor plants will soften the harsh effects of modern office decor; they are visually pleasing, soothing and keep up the positive image of your company, as well as help naturally improve the indoor air and are effective in decreasing tiredness.

With such a high density of business centers in New York, the city has an array of plant rental service providers covering Manhattan and surrounding areas. Here at NY Offices we decided to compile a list of companies that would be happy to revive any workspace, large or small.

Commercial plantscaping includes office plant rentals, seasonal plant displays, plant sales and, in some cases, on-going maintenance.

With our busy working lives, we don’t always get the time to actually leave the office for lunch, so finding a lunch delivery service that offers healthy options and quality menus is important. Ordering pizza and other fast foods is not good for your diet or well being but taking the time to research alternatives can be time consuming, so we’ve done it for you!

There will be no excuses for drab and unhealthy lunches after you have read through our list, and with all the amazing options available in this multicultural melting pot of a city you are spoiled for choice.