The huge printer in the copy room had been around forever and it was beginning to be tempermental. It frequently jammed and occasionally it quit running in the midst of a huge batch of printing frustrating both the user and anyone waiting their turn to make copies. It was often in need of toner refills because of the huge volume of copies required of it and these were stored in the corner cabinet along with ink refills for the duplicating machine. Reams of paper were stacked in boxes and these were taking up floor room creating an area that was hard to move around in and extremely tiny. The lack of a window and the glaring fluorescent lighting gave a yellow tint to everything in the room. All in all, it was a depressing place to come and everyone tried to avoid the copy room unless it was absolutely necessary.

On the other hand, the break room had been newly remodeled and it was extremely inviting to everyone or so it seemed. The floor covering was a gorgeous blue color and the walls had been painted a rich gray color. The break room chairs had been replaced with very comfortable and charming oak chairs with upholstered seats that picked up the same shade of blue mingled with a bit of burgundy running through it. The pictures on the walls contribute to the tone of the room by exhibiting beautiful scenery and good taste.

When Mary, who was in charge of stocking the copy room with supplies, came up with the idea that maybe a group of the employees could get together on their own time and rejuvenate the copy room, many of them gave it good consideration. While it was certainly unusual for workers to spend time on something work-related on their time off, a lot of folks were agreeable to giving their abilities and time if the company would agree to pay for all materials. It took one afternoon, to change the copy room into an enjoyable little spot to make copies and stock up on supplies.

It is possible to accomplish much in the way of improvements when people are willing to work together to get the job done. A few examples of this are:

• Charity Events: Many people love being involved in events that are put together to help out a designated worthy group who are joined in some way by a common need. There are walks that promote the knowledge of certain forms of Dementia such as Alzheimer’s disease. Other well-known walks focus on certain cancers like Breast Cancer where everyone wears the color pink.

• Working to Promote Community Support: When there is a levy on the ballot that will provide needed funds for such things as libraries or schools many times people will band together to volunteer their time. Their chief reason is to inform other people about the value of passing legislation that will benefit their community.

• Community Improvement Projects: Volunteers will often donate time to clean up the community in which they live to make a better place for themselves and others.

By Chris Scott Barr

Have you ever noticed how certain people can get out of work a bit easier than others? Take smokers for example, I’ve had several jobs where people were allowed to step outside for 10 minutes (several times per day) for smoke breaks. If you didn’t smoke, you worked while the smokers were out. Same goes for people with kids. Granted, they actually have a good reason for missing some work. But still, they can miss a few hours here and there when their kids have a doctor/dentist appointment.  Well if you’ve ever fancied skipping a few hours to be with your kids, without actually having children, here’s something to check out.

The Office Kid is a little kit you can use to fool the office into thinking you’re a parent. You get a picture of your child (you can pick the gender and ethnicity) and a hand-drawn picture of your family. There’s also a metal lunchbox full of excuses you can use when you want a little time off. The basic kit is $20, but you can get extras like a photoshopped picture of your child’s sports team and more artwork for a bit more cash. A word to the wise, don’t get caught. The people that actually do have kids will never let you live it down.

[ The Office Kid ] VIA [ CrunchGear ]

Getting an education is necessary in this day and age. Technology has advanced to a point where study is required to understand sometimes even basic trades. Unfortunately, most people do not have the time or means to take time off their jobs in order to pursue a new degree or an advanced degree. This type of radical life change requires incredible stability and self-stuffiness that most do not possess. Fortunately there is a way to get the degree you desire in a way that doesn’t require you to be on campus every day as normal universities require. The option to pursue further studies online is becoming a well-known, widely used commodity in recent years. It allows students of every age to study from home while maintaining their jobs, social lives and family time.

Even obtaining a masters degree online is plausible. Online master’s universities are numerous. If you already have a degree and are working happily at your job but you would like that extra edge in order to gain promotions and higher wages, a master’s degree might just be what you are looking for. It doesn’t have to eat away hours of your time or require you to compute too far off locations at odd hours. All you have to do is sign up online, read books and teacher’s notes and supply the typical term papers for grading. Many well known, upstanding universities offer this option so that you can still obtain a respected master’s degree from the University of your choice.

Online PhD counseling is another option many are unaware of. When studying and researching for your PhD, you may need class counseling and time to understand where your degree is going. For this kind of help, online resources are indispensable. The time you spend on your PhD is valuable and you want every hour spent to count toward your PhD. Talking to a counselor online is one option that may help your time be used to its fullest.

A final item of business that many online students have found extremely valuable is the online programs universities sometimes offer. Chat rooms and discussion forums students use to communicate can be a huge help to those who are confused about projects, concepts and schooling issues. There are even study groups, which are formed online and additional training sessions teachers offer.

Completing your degree online is perfectly plausible and doesn’t have to be too difficult or time consuming! All you have to do is research your preferred university and get started!