Banner Blog

We interview Craig Varey, Managing Director at Banner, as he takes a look back on 2018 and into 2019

"I'm pleased to say 2018 was a success for Banner as we continued to invest and develop the business to add value to our customers. This was substantiated by the achievement of strong business growth and more customers entrusted Banner to support their business supplies and needs during the last 12 months.

We moved more towards partnership-based relationships with our customers, gaining insights and a deeper understanding of their evolving needs and requirements along the way. Our customer partnerships have informed many of the investments and developments that were made during 2018 and have enabled us to set strong foundations for the future.

Here are a few examples:

Several heads are often better than one

Collaboration is the route to innovation, growth and happier people, yet not every organisation is embracing it as readily as they could.

In the workplace, collaboration, involves setting up processes that help teams to work together, improve practices, make decisions and innovate. Although the technology to help colleagues collaborate effectively, wherever they are, is here, many companies are still to exploit it.

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

Here are six reasons why we should all make collaboration a priority for 2019:

We're extremely proud of Camille Kendall, a Key Account Manager at Banner, who went out with the Homeless Hampers volunteers recently to help distribute warm clothes, hot food, drinks, blankets and sleeping bags to the homeless in the Yorkshire region. 

With freezing temperatures and bitterly cold nights, Homeless Hampers provides an essential role in protecting and supporting the homeless in Yorkshire with the help of volunteers like Camille.

Claire Hobbs, Health & Wellbeing Coordinator and Flu Lead, Milton Keynes University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

Following on from part one of our interview in B Procurement, Claire tells us what brought her into health and wellbeing and what drives her:

Claire Hobbs, Health & Wellbeing Coordinator and Flu Lead, Milton Keynes University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

From encouraging uptake of the flu vaccine among the 4,500 staff at Milton Keynes University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, to try and challenge mental stigma, Claire Hobbs' role as Heath and Wellbeing coordinator is a busy one.

In her interview with B Procurement, Claire explains the Trust's drive to encourage people to look after themselves:

B safe this Winter with this guide to winter essentials

We all know how unpredictable the weather is in the UK during winter; one day it’s mild, next it’s raining and then it’s snowing! While you have no control over the weather, you can control how you prepare your workplace. 

Here are a few tips to help you B Prepared this winter.

The impact of outdated tech on productivity shows why the right technology is so important.

Research has found that UK employees waste an average of 40 minutes every day working with less-than-ideal tech, at a cost of £2,100 each, or 21 employee days per year (Sharp, Oct 2016).

Creative colours to create memorable Presentations. 

Colours play a major part in our lives and they affect the way we behave. They can make us happy or sad, agitated or relaxed. They give us direction, like green for go and red for stop and they are used to indicate what's good and bad for us, such as on food packaging.

 But how do colours affect us in the workplace and how can using colour increase understanding, productivity and efficiency?

Global trends on increasing productivity in your workspace.

Are you getting distracted by colleagues talking on the phone or having a conversation across the office?! If you are in an open plan office, more than three quarters (78%) will feel the same way.

As part of World Productivity Day this year, Jabra revealed the top workplace productivity trends. These were based on a survey amongst business professionals in the UK, US, Germany and France.

Improve your work environment with 5 key tips.

A healthy, happy workforce is a vital component of a productive, successful business. As workers we spend most of our daylight hours and more than a third of our lives in the workplace, so it's inevitable the look and feel of our surroundings will impact on our productivity.

That is why it is important to optimise the offices we work in to get the best results to encourage collaboration and creativity, improve morale and well-being, and ultimately increase productivity.

Here we take a look at 5 of the key things you should consider when designing or updating your office space.