As warmer summer weather approaches, we look forward to backyard barbecues and outdoor swimming pools but it also means that those who work outside need to prepare for hot working conditions. Employers should establish a complete heat illness prevention program which includes providing workers with water, modified work schedules as necessary to avoid the hottest part of the day and training for workers about the symptoms of heat-related illnesses. To keep yourself healthy and safe during the warmer months, be mindful of the following things throughout your workday and make sure other team members do the same.

Stay hydrated

Drink plenty of water and avoid dehydrating liquids like coffee, tea and soda. Try to drink water every 15 minutes, even if you don’t feel thirsty. Since you are likely sweating, you should be drinking more

Wear protective clothing

Lightweight, light-colored and loose-fitting clothing helps protect against heat. Change clothing if it gets completely saturated. Long sleeves and a hat will help protect your face and arms from the sun.

Pace yourself

Slow down and work at an even pace. Know your own limits and ability to work safely in heat. Schedule frequent breaks and take time for water breaks in a shaded or air-conditioned area.

Avoid getting sunburn

Use sunscreen and wear a hat if working outside. If possible, avoid direct sun exposure by working in the shade.

Eat smaller & lighter meals

Eat light and refreshing fruits and vegetables and avoid hot, heavy foods that can leave you feeling sluggish in the heat.

The hot weather can take a lot out of you and your team members so be aware of the signs of heat-related illness. The best way to protect yourself is prevention so incorporate the steps above into your summer routine!

Promotional products are undoubtedly an important part of a marketing campaign, but adding a logo to a product that will keep workers safe becomes incredibly invaluable. In honor of National Safety Month, we’ve put together a list of safety-minded promotional items that will be useful for your customers and your staff.

First Aid Supplies

Personal first aid kits and reusable cold packs are great to have on hand and are something customers will keep for future use so they are reminded of your company after the tradeshow is over.

First Aid Kit https://www.promoplace.com/keeneysofficesupply/p/ZJXKS-MLDRT/personal-first-aid-kit

Cold Pack https://www.promoplace.com/keeneysofficesupply/p/AOANO-HWNTR/aqua-pearlstm-hotcold-pack

Summer Products

Promotional items that protect against the summer elements are also useful to customers and will help to keep your company in mind all summer long.

Sunscreen https://www.promoplace.com/keeneysofficesupply/p/BQTLO-JYZXR/safeguard-1-oz-sunscreen-with-carabiner

Insect Repellent https://www.promoplace.com/keeneysofficesupply/p/JRYLT-LBZQA/bug-spray-pen-stick

Protective Gear

Logoed safety gear will show that you are dedicated to keeping your team protected and will be helpful for your customers as well. Reflective outerwear, safety vests and hard hats are all items that will be used frequently industry by those in the construction and won’t be thrown away. Some other safety ideas that everyone can use are reflective bracelets and earplugs.

Reflective Bracelets https://www.promoplace.com/keeneysofficesupply/p/KJXHQ-LCLJH/reflective-safety-velcro-wristband

Earplugs https://www.promoplace.com/keeneysofficesupply/p/MMZKQ-LPYFF/safety-earplugs-in-clear-case

Developing a comprehensive health and safety checklist is an important first step in creating a safe workplace. Identifying potential hazards and developing procedures to handle them will ensure the safety of your employees and show your commitment to building a culture of safety in your workplace. Below are a few items to focus on that will ensure your office is a safe place for your employees to work.

Keep Your Office Clean and Tidy

An unclean workplace can pose a health and safety hazard. Make sure that all restrooms are kept clean and require employees to clean up after themselves in lunchrooms and cafeterias. Keeping your office free of clutter is also helpful in maintaining clear walkways and ensuring employees don’t trip on objects on the floor.

Maintain Proper Lighting

Proper lighting in office areas can help prevent eyestrain for computer workers and is necessary to avoid accidents. Outdoor lighting is also important to help create a safe journey from the workplace to the parking lot for employees and visitors. Regularly check lighting and replace light bulbs that have broken or gone out.

Enforce Safety Wear

Be sure that you have the adequate supplies of safety clothing and equipment. Depending on the nature of your workplace, this may include goggles, hard hats, gloves, hearing protection, footwear or reflective outerwear. Take the necessary steps to ensure the equipment you provide properly fits your employees and provides the necessary level of protection.

Define Emergency Procedures

Train your employees on emergency procedures such as what to do in case of a fire or worker injury. Clearly mark all exits, ensure you have the proper signage and place emergency contact numbers in plain sight. Regularly review emergency procedures and ensure all employees understand how to react.

Inspect Fire Extinguishers

Inspect your office fire extinguishers monthly to check the pressure and make sure the extinguishers are visible and easy to retrieve. Schedule annual inspections by a certified fire protection equipment company to make sure everything is functioning correctly.

Keep First-Aid Kits Stocked

Supply your workplace with a fully stocked first-aid kit that includes all of the materials you will need. Depending on the number of employees you have, you we need different supply quantities. Pre-made kits are labeled with the number of people it will support so you can choose the correct size for your office.

Stay on Top of Equipment Maintenance

Keep all machines and power tools in working order and inspect them regularly. Make sure tools aren’t rusted and check the condition of machine guards and other protective pieces. Also, be certain that all employees are properly trained to use the equipment before allowing them to work alone.

Doing a regular check of all these areas will help to maintain a safe and will be easier than doing a complete overhaul each year. If your company needs protective wear, safety signage or first aid materials, contact the Keeney’s and we will help keep your office stocked and your team safe.

Utilizing small businesses is ultimately good for your community but it can have several advantages for the customer as well. Small businesses are more likely than chains to support to local organizations, deliver quick solutions, provide personal interactions and offer specialized services you can’t find anywhere else. Here are a few ways you as the consumer will benefit from choosing a small business:

Support Community

Small businesses tend to give back to their local area by supporting local non-profits, donating to schools, and attending charity functions. Since they are not spending money on national advertising campaigns, they are able to sponsor local events or organizations as a way to get their name out and network within the community. Because small businesses are a part of the community, they are invested in helping their town thrive. Keeney’s provides supplies, donations and volunteer time to various organizations in the Puget Sound.

No Bureaucracy

Because of the uncomplicated structure of many small businesses, decisions are able to be made quickly without waiting for a question to move up the corporate chain. Small businesses are also able to have flexibility on policies unlike corporate companies so issues can be addressed and handled on a case by case basis. The staff at a small business has access to the key decision makers or owner and can get the right people involved if a customer needs additional assistance. At Keeney’s, our President is very involved in customer matters and is often in attendance at customer meetings and events.

Personal Interactions

Due to the size of the staff as a small business, customers get a more personal experience. Clients speak with consistent contacts so they don’t need to repeat their history and their needs are already known by the team. At Keeney’s, customers work with the same customer service team members, have consistent drivers delivering their products and have designated account representatives to service their needs.

Specialized services

Small business are more likely assist a company that needs a unique service than a chain store. With the flexibility of a small business, they are able to create specialized services and get them implemented quickly to meet a customer’s needs. Due to the need of some of our customers, Keeney’s has created programs to offer desk top delivery, inventory management and custom web pages.

Whether you’re starting a new project or looking to change your supplies or furniture provider, give the Keeney’s team a call and we will show you first hand the special small business experience.

If you spend most of your work day sitting at your desk in your office, you should definitely make a high-quality office chair a priority. Low-quality chairs can cause lower back, leg, neck, and shoulder pain and tend to only last a couple years before needing to be replaced. While the aesthetics of the chair matter since it is part of your office decor, you will mostly want to consider the following features when looking for a chair:

Lumbar support

Quality office chairs will provide excellent support to the lower back and will usually have adjustable lumbar supports, allowing you to properly fit the chair to your lower back. This goes a long way toward helping prevent some of the types of back strain making the chair comfortable for everyday use. Look for a chair that allows you to adjust the placement and degree of lumbar support.

Adjustments

Just about any office chair you find is going to have adjustments for height. This adjustments, however, are less important than others like lumbar support, seat depth, seat and back angle, arm width and height, and tilt tension control. The various knobs and levers on each chair will allow you to adjust the chair to fit your body and the task you are performing. These features are also helpful if your office would like to have a standard chair for all employees, as a more adjustable chair will fit more people.

Modularity

Adjustability is essential, but given the range of body sizes and shapes in the workforce, modularity is just as important. Some chair lines offer a range of cylinder, seat and back sizes, further allowing you to outfit your entire office with a chair design that is consistent, yet fits 100% of the people on your team. A chair that has the wrong seat depth for an employee – whether it is too long for a person with short legs, or too short for a person with long legs, or too wide for a person with narrow shoulders – can lead to serious repetitive stress or fatigue issues. A truly modular chair line will allow you to change out a seat or back years down the road, so when an employee leaves and is replaced by a person of a different size, rather than buying a new chair, you can simply buy the appropriate seat and change it out. This functionality helps extend your investment, and respects the environment by reducing waste.

 Upholstery

Choose an office chair that has a breathable fabric, so it will not become uncomfortable after you have been sitting in it for a long time. Many chairs come in a mesh fabric that allows air flow and can provide you will cool comfort, especially during the summer months.

Ultimately, having a good chair for your office is important for reasons beyond just your comfort and health. Studies show a good, supportive, comfortable office chair helps you be more productive with your work, and can even help reduce distractions. Before purchasing a new chair, contact Keeney’s ergonomic team to assist you in selecting the best chair for your needs.

Working on a computer all day long can be extremely stressful on your body. With improper posture, your neck and shoulders can become very sore, making it even harder to sit and work properly day after day. Using the proper office furniture and ergonomic positioning will help you use good posture and avoid pain after a long workday. Here are a few tips to help you stay comfortable:

Adjust your screen to eye-level

One of the biggest causes of neck pain at the office is keeping a computer screen too low. This forces users to slump over to type and positions their neck downward to view the screen for long periods of time. Get a monitor stand or monitor arms that allow you to position your screen at a comfortable viewing height. This will let you keep your neck relaxed and straight while you work.

Position your screen arm’s length from your face

Nearly as important as screen height is the distance your screen is from your body. You don’t want to be sitting too far away from the screen and have to lean in or hunch over to view it but you don’t want your nose to be touching the screen either. A good rule of thumb is to keep your computer screen approximately an arm’s length away from your body.

Don’t twist your back or neck to view the screen

Make sure to position your computer screen at the center of your vision so you do not have to twist your neck or lower back to view it. Avoid working on computers that are seated to the side of you, or use a swivel chair to physically rotate your body toward the screen if you have a duplicate screen setup.

Use a headset for calls

If you’re making a lot of calls, there’s a good chance you’re working with a telephone held between your shoulder and your ear, which can cause a lot of neck pain after prolonged periods. To avoid uncomfortable positions, use a hands-free headset that allows you to take calls and type all while sitting up straight.

Making these simple changes can help to make you comfortable all day long (even after you clock out!) For assistance adjusting your workstation, contact the Keeney’s team and one of our representatives will conduct an ergonomic assessment and make sure you have everything you need to avoid neck and back pain at the office.

As we make strides towards a paperless office, one paper product still remains irreplaceable: the business card. When attending conferences, fairs or networking events, exchanging business cards at the end of a conversation is crucial for following up afterward and remembering each person you met with. Prepare your design carefully, and your business card will make you look professional, build trust and set your company apart from others in your field. Below are a few things to consider when creating your business card.

Incorporate Your Branding

Remain consistent with your brand when developing your business cards. Use your brand colors and include your logo on your business card to create a seamless connection between your cards and company website. This connection will also help in remember who you are and what company you work for.

Highlight Your Name

Besides your company logo, the most prominent thing on your business card should be your name. Make sure it is easily readable by selecting a legible font and a color with contrast to the background. You will also want to include the title of your position for more context.

Include Important Contact Information

Make sure your contact information is easy to read on your business card. To prevent crowding your business card, you may want to select one or two methods of contact to showcase. This commonly includes a phone number and email address. Remember to include a personal email (not generic), and direct phone number.

Be Mindful of White Space

Once you’ve added all the above mentioned elements in your business card, make sure there is still sufficient white space. This is important to allow readers to easily skim the card. Your card will also look more professional if it isn’t cluttered with too much information. If you find that there isn’t enough white space, you might consider decreasing your font or logo size, or completely removing some information. If appropriate, you can also think about using both sides of your business card.

Make it Memorable

A business card is typically your first impression and there are a number of creative tactics you can use to make yours stand out. Designing a business card with a unique shape, interesting material or bold color can help your card stick out in a stack.

The perfect business cards should be easy to read, well designed, and reflective of your business. If you need you need to print your newly designed business cards or reprint the ones you currently have (you don’t want to run out!) contact Keeney’s and our team with get you networking ready!

Spring is a time to reawaken and refresh, making this the perfect time of year to clean and organize. Whether your goal is to be more relaxed or to increase your productivity, getting reorganized and de-cluttering your desk at work can help make your desk a much better place to work. Here are some tips and tricks to get organized this spring and stay organized:

Clean Your Desk Surface

You’ll need a clean slate to begin your desk spring-cleaning so start by removing everything from your desk’s surface. When cleared, give your desk a scrub down to create the best surface for you to work. You’ll be amazed at the dust that’s been lingering behind your phone and the coffee mug rings you never really noticed before.

Throw Away Anything you Don’t Need

Now that everything is off your desk, separate the items into a keep and garbage pile. Recycle any old paperwork you don’t need any more and throw away any thing that is cluttering your work area. If you’re not sure about whether you’ll need a document in the future, scan it to your computer to easily reference if needed.

Prioritize Your Supplies

Take a look at everything you have left in and on your desk and prioritize what you need more often to decide where to store it. For example, the planner you use every day should stay on top of your desk but the catalogs you reference once a month can go into a drawer. This step in organization will help you locate important items easily.

Once you’ve finished your desk spring-cleaning, don’t forget to periodically do a check on your organization. Ensuring that you’re cleaning and throwing away unnecessary papers, and other supplies throughout the year will not only keep you in the right frame of mind and also make your job next spring that much easier. Check out the selection of organizers at Keeney’s to keep your desk tidy all year long!

When preparing for a tradeshow or big event, you should think about how the items you are handing out portray your brand. The promotional products you give to attendees say a lot about your company and help to shape a customer’s opinions about you. By choosing green products, you show you are committed to sustainable business while helping attendees to make eco-friendly decisions as well.

Eco-Friendly

Pay attention to a product’s content when selecting promotional products. The product search on our website allows you search eco-friendly products so it is easy to find products that are biodegradable, recycled or organic. One of our favorites are these pens made out of a biodegradable cardboard!

Biodegradable Pen: https://www.promoplace.com/keeneysofficesupply/p/EMAEO-GFKPH/eco-friendly-recycled-cardboard-clicker-pen-w-bamboo-clip

Plants and Flowers

Nothing is greener than an actual living plant! A live plant also isn’t going to get stuffed in a desk drawer so it will keep your logo in mind sitting on their desk. For our 70th Anniversary Celebration we ordered logoed containers and sourced succulents from a local florist.

Container: https://promoplace.com/keeneysofficesupply/:quicksearch.htm?quicksearchbox=VKWIR-HXWTK

Succulents: Fena Flowers (Kirkland, WA)

Source Locally

Using locally made products reduces your carbon footprint. When your product doesn’t travel long distances, you’re promoting better air quality and reducing pollution. In additional to being more eco-friendly, you’re also supporting your community and the local economy. We love Seattle Chocolates and buy them every year for holiday gifts!

Locally made goodies: https://www.promoplace.com/keeneysofficesupply/p/FQBJR-LXCXM/seattle-snack-tumbler

When selecting promotional giveaways for your next event, consider how the consumer will use it, what the product is made or and where the product is coming from to make a sustainable choice. Your future customers will associate you with being a green company and Mother Earth will thank you!

Office supply manufacturers are coming out with more and more eco-friendly products each year. Many commonly used supplies are being made with recycled content, compostable materials or reusable components, making it easy to switch to a more sustainable product. The next time you go to purchase an office product, consider if there is a green alternative to try. Here are a few of our favorite eco-friendly products:

Tree Zero Paper

Paper made from sugar-cane bi-products, a readily available and renewable raw material

Pilot B2P Pens

Pens made from recycled plastic bottles

BeGreen V Board Master Dry Erase Markers

Refillable dry erase makers

Scotch Greener Tape

Tape made with recycled and plant-based material

Magnum Toner

Remanufactured toner made in Seattle

To make the switch to sustainable products, filer your search by “Green Products” or look for items with the green leaf symbol on the Keeney’s website. The leaf icon indicates that the product was made with recycled content, compostable materials or is a remanufactured product.