Banner Blog

Getting together with colleagues more often, virtually than face to face, could be just what you need

From finding the best way to solve a problem, to helping everyone get on top of their workloads, it’s all about collaboration.

Workplaces are embracing collective working because it can make a world of difference to their success. It can help to distribute work more evenly, improve everyone’s abilities, share responsibilities and increase motivation.

However, it’s one thing to know collaboration is a good thing, but another to do it well. Here are five skills that could transform collaboration in your workplace:

Getting our heads together is a great way to work

When we collaborate, we’re said to be more innovative and happier, and projects can run more successfully. This can only be a good thing for wellbeing in the workplace, yet we’re not all embracing it yet.

Research has revealed that while a fifth of UK organisations have some form of collaborative technology in place, only 9% are actively using it to full effect.

Here are six ways that collaboration can boost morale and wellbeing:

Green clothes, cakes and a match donation have helped Banner get one tenth of the way to our fundraising target for our National charity partner.

The first of our charity days at Banner saw people come to work wearing green or choosing not to in return for a donation to the NSPCC, while others baked buns, bought raffle tickets and entered sweepstakes.

LUPC & SUPC Conference 2019 is this Thursday (16th May)! We look forward to seeing you there. #LUPCSUPC19

Our team of experts in workplace solutions will be on stand 62 to discuss your requirements for promotional products.

Banner offers you a quick, simple route to a comprehensive range of leading brands of promotional products including stationery, shopper bags, mugs, clothing, drinks bottles, umbrellas, tech products, badges and more.

You may need a few break-ups if you want your open plan workspace to suit everyone

It's increasingly accepted that open plan offices alone do not provide the working environment that many employees need to perform well. Creating more separation across the floor could improve motivation and productivity, and significantly reduce noise level.

Making a workspace more diverse in its choice of spaces doesn’t need to be at huge expense. With the strategic use of colourful screens, or fabric covered ceiling and wall-hung tiles, it’s possible to create a range of areas without any major building work. It’s all about being flexible and creative with a room.

Powering off equipment at the end of each day, installing LED bulbs and minimising travel are just some steps that businesses are taking to reduce their carbon footprint 

But there’s another move that could make a big difference to many, particularly if they routinely ship out goods. Changing the way these deliveries are packaged.

Most companies are aware of logistics’ impact on the environment, because the delivery of products to customers is a major contributor to any company’s carbon footprint. Even a few delivery vans out on the road can significantly increase carbon emissions, thanks to their larger engine size and the probability they will be driven for long spells.

Doing things right in catering and hospitality is no longer just about cost and speed of delivery. It's also about our environment and health. 

Most people are now awake to the damage that single use plastic is doing to the environment and wildlife. At least eight million pieces of plastic are estimated to enter the oceans every single day, and a plastic bottle is said to last for 450 years in the marine environment. 

These breakdown into microplastics which are eaten by fish and so enter the food chain and, ultimately, our bodies. 

Is your workspace not quite the oasis of organisation it could be?

When everyone's working at full tilt it may feel easier to leave papers and folders lying around to deal with 'another day', but there are valuable benefits to dealing with any messiness for once and for all.

Banner celebrates National Stationery Week #WritingMatters
National Stationery Week is here and, at Banner, we are celebrating the week by giving away five stationery bundles, to recognise the importance and benefits of hand writing. #WritingMatters.

Is your organisation's waste management where it should be?

With more than half of recyclable waste in the UK, 51 million tonnes, ending up in landfill or being destroyed, improving our waste management should be a priority. Here is why organisations need to take the issue seriously: