Five tips for impressing your boss!

Building an excellent rapport with your boss is an important part of being a success at work. And those individuals who think that having a great relationship with the head honcho means “sucking up” are the same folks who wonder why they get passed over for big promotions year after year.

Impressing your boss is synonymous with doing a good job and being a productive member of the team.

Here are some tips for impressing the boss – and making yourself look great in the process:

1. Be positive. A positive mental attitude impresses management and also projects you as a person who is generally excited about coming to work every day. People who mope around the office and complain about their situation rarely advance through the company.


2. Be honest. Getting caught in a lie is an irreversible occurrence. Once the boss sees you as untrustworthy, you’re never going to be entrusted with any serious responsibility again. Even if the news is bad, always tell your boss the truth.

3. Be on time. Many people mistakenly believe that being late for meetings and work is no big deal as long as they get the work done. That may be true, but punctuality and perfect attendance help you stand out above the crowd.

4. Do more. The employees who get remembered come promotion/raise time are the ones who are willing to step outside their responsibilities and help out their teammates during busy periods. Innovation is also rewarded by the boss – so new creative ideas as to how to get things done should be shared whenever possible.

5. Give your boss strokes. Although it may come off as ingratiating if handled poorly, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with letting the boss know when they do a good job, or has done something that has impacted YOU in a positive way.

Remember, at the end of the day, it is all about GOOD ATTITUDE and HARD WORK. People who embody these qualities are the ones who build great relationships with the boss.

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How to make more money with your 401(k)

In today’s unsteady economy, it is more important than ever to prepare wisely for retirement. If your employer offers you the chance to take part in a 401(k) or other retirement savings plan, congratulations, you are ahead of most Americans who are living check-to-check with no real plan for the future.

But are you getting the most out of your 401(k)? The following financial tips will help you feel secure that you’re doing everything possible to make your golden years a dream come true.

401(k) Tip #1: Take advantage of employer-matching opportunities.

If you are working at a company that offers matching programs (where the company contributes and matches all or a percentage of what you take out of your paycheck for the 401(k)) try to put as much as you can into the program. This is like getting free money from your employer for retirement!

401(k) Tip #2: Choose your investments wisely.

When setting up your 401(k), pay close attention to the types of investments your plan will be making. Make sure that the strategies employed by your plan meet your long-term goals. If you are risk-averse, find the 401(k) plan options that provide slower, steadier returns. If you prefer to “go for it” and live life on the financial wild-side, choose the higher-growth investments when allocating funds within the plan.

401(k) Tip #3: Change up your plan from time to time.

401(k) plans give you the option to change where your money is allocated over the course of time. Research has found that individuals who study the market (even on a casual basis) and make occasional changes to their distributions based on that knowledge, enjoy higher returns over time.

401(k) Tip #4: Spread things out.

Again, if you are risk-averse, try and spread the allocation of your 401(k) money across several different funds within the program. This way, the slower growth areas will be supported by the higher performing investments and the overall level of risk will be diminished.

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Five tips for proper workplace etiquette

While it is hard to get along with everyone in your office all the time, there are still several things that each and every employee can to do make the workplace a more pleasant place to be. Some of them are obvious, such as bathing frequently and not bringing your un-housebroken puppy in to sit under your desk all day.

Other things, such as the items comprising the list below, we do without even thinking about the fact that they might be upsetting the gentle balance of the office ecosystem.

Five tips for proper workplace etiquette:

1. Don’t make personal calls within earshot of your co-workers. Just because you feel comfortable talking about your sex life or unfortunate medical conditions in front your peers does not mean that they want to hear all about it. Cell phones are a magnificent invention! Use them…outside.

2. Don’t “borrow” things from co-workers. While swiping a pen or a legal pad as needed may seem harmless, rooting around someone’s desk is a supreme invasion of privacy. The supply cabinet is only a few yards away. Make the trip.

3. Don’t play your music too loud. Respect the needs of those sitting near you. Keep the volume on your radio low. And if you’re listening to your iPod, and the volume is turned way up, it can be just as annoying as a large boom box placed at the entrance to your cubicle.

4. Let people know where you are. Nothing is more frustrating than trying to track someone down for a meeting or to answer a request, and finding out that they went to play nine holes at the local community course without telling anyone. Even if you are entitled to the time away from the office, let the people you work with know where you’re going to be, and how you can be reached.

5. Engage in proper hygiene. OK, so we mentioned it above, but unfortunately for many people, it bears repeating. Many times, you can’t smell the scent you are giving off. Shower every day and go easy on the perfume or cologne.

Visit www.aceofficesystems.com for the best office furniture at unbelievable prices! Call us at 1866-964-8457. Or contact us via e-mail @ sales@aceofficesystems.com.

Tax tips for small businesses

One of the biggest challenges facing small business owners is not growing revenue or figuring out ways to expand into new markets, but rather making sure they get their taxes right. No entrepreneur wants to run afoul of Uncle Sam – but the tax laws encompassing small businesses can be daunting for the uninformed.

Here’s a look at some top tax tips designed to help save your business money and keep you on the IRS’ good side:

1) Make sure employee withholdings are handled properly. Every employee must have the following deducted from their paychecks: Social security, state and federal taxes, Medicare, matching of any 401K programs (if applicable) and unemployment tax.

2) Keep all documents for at least seven years. If the government ever performs an audit on your business, they will ask to see records dating back for seven years. Plus, it’s just good business to track all financial transactions as you grow your business.

3) Remember all relevant tax deadlines. Businesses need to be aware of more than just April 15th. Estimated taxes for business are due quarterly, and employee taxes can be due weekly, monthly or quarterly as well. Missing deadlines can lead to big penalties from the IRS.

4) File your taxes online. When you file your taxes electronically, not only are they processed faster, but there is a strong chance that they will not be reviewed by lower level clerks at the IRS, thus reducing the odds that you will be audited.

5) Hire a professional. The easiest way to sleep at night is to hire someone who does taxes for a living to handle all your books. Accountants are a nominal expense when you stop to consider all the money they can save you in deductions and avoiding penalties.

6) Use the IRS, don’t fear them. The IRS has a wealth of resources available for growing business owners to help make taxes as painless as possible. Check out www.irs.gov for more information. You would be surprised how many of your questions can be answered in a snap.

Visit www.aceofficesystems.com for the best office furniture at unbelievable prices! Call us at 1866-964-8457. Or contact us via e-mail @ sales@aceofficesystems.com.

Inspirational books for the corporate bookshelf

There are some business books so filled with life and inspiration that simply reading them once can give you the “juice” you need to do more with your career. Here is a look at four such books – and why everyone who works in an office or has started their own company needs to read them right now.

Inspirational Corporate Biographies:

Iacocca – Over two decades old, this autobiography is beginning to show its age, but the story remains timeless. Lee Iacocca’s corporate journey is essential reading for anyone who has been fired or told NO repeatedly during the search for the dream job.

You’ve Got to Put Your Heart Into It -- Starbucks founder Howard Schultz built an empire with wits, enthusiasm and a refusal-to-be-denied attitude. This story places the reader at the center of journey and features plenty of business lessons that can be utilized in the course of a career.

Buffett: The Making of an American Capitalist –- Read along with biographer Roger Lowenstein as he documents the inspiring life of our era’s greatest investor. There are so many inspirational tidbits in these pages you’ll be a “mini-Buffett” by the time you’re half way through.

Gates: How Microsoft’s Mogul Reinvented an Industry –- This blow by blow account of Bill Gates’ rise to corporate greatness illustrates the power of creativity and persistence, and gives a fly-on-the-wall perspective to some of the most important business decisions of the past 100 years.

Losing My Virginity: How I've Survived, Had Fun, and Made a Fortune Doing Business My Way -- Is it possible to build a brand, get rich AND have a blast along the way? Virgin founder Richard Branson thinks so, and in this tell-all autobiography he shares with readers exactly how he did it!

Visit www.aceofficesystems.com for the best office furniture at unbelievable prices! Call us at 1866-964-8457. Or contact us via e-mail @ sales@aceofficesystems.com.

Warnings signs that you need to get organized, NOW!

How do you know if you need to organize your workspace and your work life? Well, if there’s a Billy goat roaming around your cube chewing on memos from a meeting that took place five years ago, chances are your organizational skills could use a touch up.

Here are several less extreme, but monumentally important signs that your workspace may be spiraling out of control:

• Does it take 5-10 minutes or more for you to find a document on email or in hard copy form?

• Are there documents on your desk that are no longer relevant?

• Do you find yourself looking for the same important documents again and again?

• Are unread magazines and newspapers piling up around your workspace?

• Have you ever been going through your papers and found an important document that needed to be addressed a long time ago?

• Is your email box filled with important or semi-important correspondence that you have not replied to or opened?

If you answered YES to any of these questions, then it is time to take a day or two and get organized! Make more effective use of your workspace. Get an Inbox/Outbox systems started. Take an evening and go through all your emails until you are 100% caught up. Once your desk looks less cluttered, you’ll be able to get more done in a day with a lot less stress.

Visit www.aceofficesystems.com for the best office furniture at unbelievable prices! Call us at 1866-964-8457. Or contact us via e-mail @ sales@aceofficesystems.com.

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The 10 best companies to work for (and links to their job openings!)

Have you considered pursuing your dream job lately? In tough economic times it is easy to lose sight of all the things we aspire to do professionally, but keep at it! The people who end up working for the company of their dreams are the ones who, well, went right out there and asked for it.

To help aid in your quest, here are 10 amazing companies and, because we don’t want to hear any excuses, links to their job openings!


1. Google (http://www.google.com/intl/en/jobs/)


2. Apple (http://www.apple.com/jobs/us/index.html)


3. Disney (http://corporate.disney.go.com/careers/index.html)


4. Yahoo! (http://careers.yahoo.com/)


5. Nike (http://www.nikebiz.com/careers/)


6. Amazon (http://www.amazon.com/Careers-University-Recruiting/)


7. Target (http://sites.target.com/site/en/corporate/page.jsp?ref=nav_footer_careers2&contentId=PRD03-000483)


8. HP (http://h10055.www1.hp.com/jobsathp/)


9. Procter & Gamble (http://www.pg.com/jobs/sectionmain.jhtml)


10. IBM (http://www-03.ibm.com/employment/)


Visit www.aceofficesystems.com for the best office furniture at unbelievable prices! Call us at 1866-964-8457. Or contact us via e-mail @ sales@aceofficesystems.com.

5 technologies it’s hard to believe are almost obsolete

Voice Mail

Why sit there and try to craft the perfect monologue when a text message works just as well. And with the advent of so many new portable communication devices, who isn’t available all the time anyway? And with the graying around the temples of voice mail, it’s shocking to think that not long ago we were all using tape-driven answering machines.

Fax

The PDF, scanner and ability to send email attachments have all worked in concert to render the good old facsimile machine obsolete. For a while there, it was clinging to life due to the off chance that you would need to “sign something and fax it back”, but digital signatures and Tablet PCs have made even those document that require an authentic John Hancock deliverable online.

Messenger Services

Again, the need to get documents across town is handle

Xerox Copier

Admit it; you use the copier much less than just a couple of years ago. The digital distribution of documents (play say that three times fast) has made

DVD

We realize that this is not a business technology staple per se, but have you walked into a Blockbuster store lately? It’s like a funeral home in there. Although everything is where it should be, and staff still robotically greets you when you stride through the door, but there’s just something melancholy about the whole experience that feels like Netflix and even their own Blockbuster.com service have really changed the rules of the game. In this fast moving world, today’s technology is tomorrow’s drink coaster.

Visit www.aceofficesystems.com for the best office furniture at unbelievable prices! Call us at 1866-964-8457. Or contact us via e-mail @ sales@aceofficesystems.com.

Infants and Toddlers Furniture Sale

Guest Commentary: Review clears Collier County office furniture purchasing policy

At a May meeting of the Collier County Commission, D.M. Tidwell cited what he believed were a number of deficiencies in county practices for purchasing office furniture. Speaking on behalf of a Marco Island office supply firm that now employs him, Tidwell claimed the county purchasing department paid excessive prices for office furniture, refused to consider his employer’s competitive bid, wasted money for outside design services, etc. The claims were reported on by the media.

The county commissioners requested that the county Government Productivity Committee undertake a priority review of Tidwell’s various criticisms, which we completed last week. After a detailed study of both sides of the dispute, we concluded that the county has a sound approach to planning and acquiring office furniture that is consistent with widely established practices of government and business. There is no evidence of malfeasance by staff or suppliers, nor is there evidence of gross waste of county funds. Therefore, the Productivity Committee anticipates no further involvement in this vendor protest. Our findings are elaborated on below.

Purchasing strategy and policy

To put Tidwell’s criticisms in context, it is necessary to understand the current county policy for purchasing office furniture. The county commission established the standards for the office furniture through a deliberate and competitive process and selected two companies, Herman Miller and Steelcase, as primary suppliers. Advantages of focusing on a limited number of suppliers include:

 Consistent office furnishings throughout county government facilitates interchange of furniture between departments and divisions due to reorganizations or new and reconfigured buildings. Examples of savings in recent projects were cited.

 Standardization reduces the staffing required to purchase office furniture.

 Due to an umbrella purchasing agreement negotiated by the state, prices paid by Collier County for the selected furniture are the lowest available nationally and within the state.

The Collier County policy of a few suppliers is a mainstream management practice. Lee, Charlotte, Sarasota and Broward counties, as well as FGCU and others, use the same furniture brands at similar price points. Steelcase and Herman Miller are not the lowest-price brands, but they are ergonomically sound (an estimated 85 percent of the population will experience low back pain in their lifetimes) and come with longer term and/or broader warranties than brands sold on price emphasis.

The downsides of a county focus on a few brands is that it may generate resentment among local merchants who are not franchised to sell the equipment specified, vigilance is required to assure that the county obtains all the discounts and services that it should from long-term suppliers, and the potential for using newer and/or less-expensive brands may be undervalued. In my experience supervising an office purchasing department (as an element of my senior vice president of human resources and administration position at the Quaker Oats Co. in Chicago), the risks are manageable and are outweighed by the benefits of standardization.

Design services

Tidwell stated that he could provide office layout design services to the county for little or no fee. He retracted his offer of design services after learning that neither he, nor his employer, meets the professional licensing requirements for that activity under Florida law. In any event, prudent use of outside office layout design services is a reasonable and customary procedure that provides access to skills that are impractical to retain on county staff due to the specialized and periodic nature of the work. Also, an independent viewpoint can be helpful to avoid pressure from departments for more or better furniture than the county standard.

The glass reception desk

Much attention has focused on a $10,000 glass reception unit sitting in a warehouse. We now know that the unit was purchased last year for installation in a public area of the new Emergency Operations Center. Perhaps a modest premium was paid to achieve aesthetic goals, but economic pressures will undoubtedly result in a more utilitarian approach going forward. Evidence that a frugal mind-set is now in place are efforts reported by staff to redeploy substantial amounts of existing furniture to new facilities and a variety of expense-reduction initiatives incorporated in the budgets now under development.

Conclusion

The Productivity Committee consists of 12 appointed volunteers with several hundred years experience in government, business and management consulting. Historically we have not been hesitant to flag deficiencies in county practices when observed. However, the committee does not concur with the substance of Tidwell’s claims of broad mismanagement in county office-furniture purchasing.

Adding a touch of class to the office

By Ong Bi Hui

Office furniture is mostly functional rather than flashy in design, but two Singapore entrepreneurs are determined to add a touch of class to the workplace.

Mr Gavin Woo and Ms Katrina Tan are former colleagues who decided in 1997 to venture out on their own.

They used a modest $50,000 of their own money to set up Office Planner, a company that distributes designer furniture for the masses, with a focus on supplying inspiring designs for offices.

Just over a decade later, they are well and truly in the global league. They recently signed a deal to be the sole furniture distributor in Asia for leading French designer Philippe Starck.

Mr Woo and Ms Tan got to know each other when they worked together in the sales department of Corten Furniture. 'When we were at Corten's sales department, we were more or less solving most of the problems there using our own devices, so we figured that we might as well run a business ourselves,' said Ms Tan, a former stewardess with Japan Airlines.

Singapore-based Office Planner started with only four workers in 1997. Today, it has grown into a 70-man operation and has franchises in Australia and South Korea, with one more slated to open in Malaysia by October.

The company's annual revenue has soared to more than $10 million, a tenfold increase from its first year of operations.

Apart from distributing furniture from renowned brands such as Philippe Starck, the company also works with European designers to come up with its own line of office and home furnishings, some of which will be manufactured at its Sungei Kadut factory.

Ms Tan said the duo managed to break even in the first year of operations, which she added was 'no mean feat'.

'We had to survive without salaries for six months.'

While the 'bread-and-butter' income of the company comes from its line of office furniture called Mobilink, other lines are also selling like hot cakes. The most notable is Philippe Starck's xO series - home furnishings with the signature Starck look but at mass-market prices.

The duo had direct dealings with Mr Starck, including a trip they made to Milan to express their interest.

Mr Woo joked that Mr Starck 'speaks very little English - or so he led us to believe'.

But they almost missed the opportunity to clinch the deal.

'When his representatives came to Singapore to find an Asian partner, we were doing a job for the Singapore Embassy in the Philippines, ' Mr Woo said. 'By the time we rushed back, we had to meet Mr Starck's representatives at 11.30pm because they had to fly back the next day.'

Eventually, Mr Starck picked them as he felt that they were 'passionate about the business and not about the dollars and cents'. However, this was only after they personally flew over to Milan to express their interest in the deal.

Office Planner has also just launched a new line of colourful office furnishings called Itaca, and has been collaborating with Philippe Starck since last year on a series of office furnishings to be launched soon.

Despite their success, a niggling concern remains over whether office furniture will continue to be a neglected aspect of the furnishings market.

'At least 90 per cent of furniture design graduates end up doing home furnishing designs,' said Mr Woo.

Though the company currently works mainly with European designers for its collections, the duo hope they can one day hire design students as in-house designers, for that truly uniquely Singapore design that combines the best of East and West.

This article was first published in The Straits Times on 2 July 2008.

U.S. office furniture orders up but outlook cloudy

NEW YORK, July 2 (Reuters) - U.S. office furniture orders rose 2 percent in May compared with a year earlier, to $990 million, but a slump is likely later this year, a trade group said on Tuesday.

The Business and Institutional Manufacturers Association said May shipments rose 1 percent to $945 million.

For the year to date, orders are up 1 percent and shipments are flat, it said.

But the trade group said it expects full-year orders and shipments to fall 4.7 percent and 6.8 percent, respectively.

"The industry's primary macroeconomic drivers are either negative (business confidence, corporate profits) or deteriorating (service sector employment, new office construction)," Raymond James analyst Budd Bugatch wrote in a note to clients commenting on the BIFMA data.

Rising commodity costs are also pressuring margins, forcing manufacturers to raise prices in the face of soft demand, Bugatch said.

Nonetheless, the analyst affirmed his "outperform" ratings on Herman Miller Inc (MLHR.O: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) and Knoll Inc (KNL.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) and his "market perform" rating on Steelcase Inc (SCS.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz).

"Each of our companies under coverage is well managed and high quality, boasting individual competitive strengths and positive cash flow dynamics," Bugatch wrote.

He affirmed his "underperform" rating on HNI Corp (HNI.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz), saying the company is exposed to the struggling low end of the office furniture market as well as the housing slump. HNI makes fireplace products in addition to office furniture.

BIFMA compiled its May report from 38 companies that account for about 75 percent of the industry's volume. (Reporting by Helen Chernikoff; editing by John Wallace)

Tech Bubble Video - Funny!

15 things everyone should have at their desk

When you add up all the time you spend in a day getting up and heading to the supply cabinet or asking a coworker to borrow a paper clip, it turns out than you could have gotten about a month’s worth of extra work done in a year…if you had just had everything you need to flow through the day right at your fingertips.

Still, workers at offices around the globe don’t keep the office essentials they use most right there at their desk.

Here’s a basic list of office supplies and organizational items that every worker – from CEO on down – should keep handy throughout the course of the day.

· Company letterhead

· Envelopes

· Stamps

· A Ruler

· Scissors

· Business cards `

· Kleenex

· Pens, pencils and markers

· Paper clips

· Stapler

· Post it Notes (lots and lots of Post it Notes!)

· Scratch paper

· An In/Out Box

· A moistener for stamps and envelopes

· Advil or other form of headache relief

Now that you’re all set with the basics, visit www.aceofficesystems.com for the best office furniture at unbelievable prices! Call us at 1866-964-8457. Or contact us via e-mail @ sales@aceofficesystems.com.

How to prepare for corporate downsizing

Lately, the business climate in this country has been unstable at best. Even the most well-heeled companies are finding it hard to make ends meet, and letting go of people as a means if staying afloat.

If you’re concerned that your company may begin downsizing, the first thing to do is NOT PANIC! This can be a stressful time to be sure, but it is those who act calmly and prepare wisely that will rebound quickly if they are indeed let go from their job.

Here are some sure-fire tips for surviving corporate downsizing:

• Start saving. If you are let go, chances are that money is going to be tight during the period when you’re searching for a job. Penny-pinch wherever you can to make it through this time financially unscathed.

• Polish your resume. If you haven’t updated your resume in a while, take a few hours at home and make sure all the entries are current and looking sharp.

• Check in on your references. Make sure that the individuals you use as professional and personal references are still available and willing to sing your praises. Make sure that you have all their current contact info as well.

• Study the job market. This is a good time to look at sites such as Monster.com or HotJobs.com to see who is hiring in your industry or chosen field.

• Don’t freak out when you leave. If you are let go, don’t let any negative feelings or personal frustrations show. This is NOT a good time to burn bridges! You never know when your company might right the ship and start hiring again.

Visit www.aceofficesystems.com for the best office furniture at unbelievable prices! Call us at 1866-964-8457. Or contact us via e-mail @ sales@aceofficesystems.com.