Many office workers live in the same area and travel about the same distance to work; it therefore makes sense to car share, saving you both money on fuel and the extra mileage on your car. These tips can help you to set up a successful car sharing arrangement.

a) Agree your route and schedule
Set the morning pick-up points and agree a place to meet for the trip home.
b) Set the ground rules
Smoking or non-smoking, music volume, eating or drinking and car temperature. Your car share will have a better chance of success if these issues are discussed in advance. Agree on waiting times and side trips.
c) Draw up a schedule for driving responsibilities
If all members of your group drive, decide among yourselves if you want to alternate daily, weekly or, monthly etc.
d) Establish a method for reimbursing car expenses
If some members of your group don’t drive, agree how the costs will be shared and agree on payment dates. If everyone shares driving equally, there may not be a need to exchange money.
e) Be punctual
Decide how long the driver is expected to wait before heading off to work alone.
f) Be courteous
Do not sound your horn when waiting for passengers e.g. early in the morning as it could wake the neighbours up.

Below are some more ways to help brighten your day in the office:

Go green
It’s a good idea to add a few plants around the office or even one on your desk. Research shows that plants can decrease stress and enhance productivity. Plus, it’s something nice to look at whilst stuck in a boring office enviroment.

Talk
Everyone knows what a difference it can make to have someone to talk to, it can make a big difference to your working day as well as your home life. Even if it’s just for a chat when you go get a coffee or someone to go for lunch with, it can brighten up your day. A friendly office means a brighter enviroment and happier staff.

Time out
You should always take regular breaks away from your computer; it’s good for your mind, your eyes and your body and can help you to de stress. You could take a walk and get some fresh air or chill out in the breakout area with a magazine or a book. It will make a big difference to your day and your mood to just relax for a few minutes every so often.

There are many ways to make your office a brighter more pleasant place to be. A big part of daily life is spent sat at an office desk; it’s therefore a good idea to ensure you enjoy your working environment. Here are some ideas to make your work space a better place to be:

De-clutter your desk
At the end of each day clear up your desk, organise all your papers and files and clean your desk and computer. Make sure you throw away anything you no longer need so you can start afresh in the morning. Starting the day with a tidy desk will make you much more relaxed and productive.

Add a personal touch
If you can have a photo or two of your family or friends on your desk, something to make you smile when your stressed and fed up it can help brighten your day.

Get away from your desk
Many people eat breakfast and lunch at their desk whilst still working; you should allow yourself time to get out of the office even if it’s just for a short walk or for a sandwich. It will de-stress you and clear your head, leaving you feeling refreshed.

One of the main causes of absence in the office is stress. Many people dread going to work; they are unhappy in their role and feel like they need time out. Stress can affect different people in different ways, as some people actually enjoy being stressed, it makes them feel busy and important, whilst others hate feeling stressed and will stay off work to avoid it.

Many employers don’t know how their staff really feels about coming to work. With a little thought and effort the work place can become a more pleasant enjoyable place to be for everyone. It’s a good idea to ask staff how they feel about their role, if they are unhappy with anything in particular, if they have any ideas to improve the work place. A suggestion box works well as staff can get their ideas across and remain anonymous if they wish. Another good idea is to have monthly meetings where a representative from each team can bring forward any new ideas they have for improving working life.

Ensuring your staff are happy in their role can drastically reduce the number of sick days which are taken and make your staff a lot more productive.

There are many factors that affect job satisfaction. Whilst two people can be doing the exact same role, one person could be unhappy with their job whilst the other is very content. One of the main things that people relate to job satisfaction is pay; as this is the main reason why the majority of people work. If a job is very well paid then people can usually handle the work load and any other stress that comes with the job. On the other hand, if a job is poorly paid it usually means the staff won’t be very content in their job.

If a job is interesting this usually means more job satisfaction than if the job is mundane and boring. It’s good to have a different variety of task to keep the mind occupied and also make the day go quicker!

Colleagues are another important factor, seeing as several hours a day are spent with co workers it definitely helps if you can get along and even become friends. There’s nothing worse than going to work when you don’t get along with your colleagues. Many people will stay in their current job as they feel relaxed and part of a team.

Most people hate starting a new job, being the new girl/boy is very daunting. Although everyone is usually very friendly and helpful towards you on your first day, it can still be a nerve racking experience. You don’t know anyone, you don’t know your way around, you don’t know your job, there aren’t many things that you do know on your first day and you usually get tired of asking questions.

Colleagues expect the new person to ask questions on their first day, but what about the day after? It’s hard to remember everything you were told on your first day and you don’t want to annoy people by asking the same questions several days in a row. It’s a good idea to keep a notebook with you, even if it’s just to jot down silly things like how to get to the tea room and people’s names; it will save you having to ask the same questions over and over.

First days can be both exciting and boring; you’re excited to start your new job, but bored with sitting around just watching others as you want to get stuck in and start work. It’s best to be patient and take note of everything you are shown rather than rush straight in and make mistakes that others have to rectify.

Whether you are self employed and work from home or you work in an office, it’s very important to ensure you keep a tidy desk; a well organised desk will make you far more productive than a disorganised one.

It’s a good idea to have stacked trays on your desk; one for work to do, one for work that has been done plus another for things that you frequently refer to throughout the day. Searching for lost documents can take up a lot of time and leave you feeling stressed and frustrated. It’s also a good idea to have a clear out once a month to make sure your not hoarding any junk that is no longer of any use; the longer you put it off the harder it will be.

If you have the use of draws within your desk, this is where you should keep items that you don’t use every day but are still required to keep or documents that need to be stored away for data protection reasons. It’s always good to have a clear desk policy; it makes work life a lot less stressful when you know where everything is.

Charity events are a good way to get staff motivated and boost morale. There are so many charities you could support and so many different fund raising ideas you could have a go at.

The office enviroment can be quite a dull place and people generally are more productive when they are happy and content in their job. Things such as charity events can help people to get involved more and help them see the office as a happy positive place to be.

You could organise a fund raising day once a month, where a different team or colleague chooses the theme and the charity. If it’s the summer you could have a sports day where all colleagues participate in silly events such as the egg and spoon race, or pay a pound to throw wet sponges at the manager (this one usually goes down a treat!). Other popular ideas include a bring a cake to work day, where each colleague will buy or bake a cake bringing it into work and fellow workers can then purchase their favourite, with all money going to your chosen charity. These possibilities are endless and it is good fun to get your staff to come up with some ideas of their own; the wackiest wins.

For those who work full time or even those who work part time, a huge amount of hours are spent with colleagues, probably more time than spent with close friends. It is therefore important that you treat your colleagues with respect and hopefully they will do the same for you. There is nothing worse than going into the office knowing that you don’t get along with a fellow worker. It can make many people dread going into work and sometimes means that they won’t show up at all. It is easy to get annoyed and frustrated with colleagues when so much time is spent with them, they may or may not be the type of person that you would choose to have as a friend, but it will make your working life so much easier if you choose to bite the bullet and get along with them.

It is a good idea to have team events where everyone can see each other outside of the office environment. Many people are completely different outside of work and the quiet shy workers may let their guard down a bit in a different environment making it easier for them to relax more when back at work. You don’t have to spend a full day with your colleagues in your own time; just a meal after work or a few drinks in the local can help you get to know your colleagues better. Many long lasting friendships are formed in the workplace and sometimes even the odd romance!

Following on from the previous article about exercises for the office enviroment, some of the main discomfort caused whilst sat at an office desk for several hours is found in the shoulders, upper arms and back. Below are some exercises which can help relieve any discomfort you may experience.

Keep your chin tucked in. With your fingers interlaced behind your head, keep your elbows straight out with your upper body upright. Pull your shoulder blades towards each other. Lean over the back of your chair to extend your upper back.

Hold your right elbow with your left hand and then gently pull your elbow behind your head until an easy tension stretch is felt in your shoulder or along the back of your upper arm. Repeat on the other side.

Interlock your fingers behind your back. Slowly turn your elbows inwards while straightening your arms. You should feel a gentle stretch across your chest and shoulders.

Interlock your fingers; turn your palms upwards above your head as you straighten your arms. Elongate your arms as you feel a stretch through your arms and on the upper side of your rib cage.