|
June 2008
In this issue
►Welcome
►Instant Messaging
►Employee Productivity
►Summer Special/News
►Spotlights
|
|
Summer Special
For the
months of June, July, and August, we are running a special on adding a
second monitor to your existing workstation. A 19” Ultrasharp monitor is
just $349, and a 22” widescreen monitor is $300.
If you
are interested in adding a second monitor, please call K&R for a
complete quote, as additional parts/labor may be needed in some
instances. See the accompanying articles in this newsletter about why
adding a second monitor can be good for your business.
News. . .
We’d
like to welcome the newest person to the K&R Family. . . Stan
Caramalac. He is going to be working on updating our client configurations
to provide us with the best possible information about your network.
Please
keep an eye out for our NEW client satisfaction surveys appearing in an
inbox near you. Customer satisfaction is in the spotlight at K&R,
leading us to implement various new satisfaction measurement strategies.
Your responses will directly influence how we respond to your issues, as
well as provide us feedback on how we can improve our service. Make sure
that your voice is heard by filling out the survey or sending an email to
dcollins@krns-inc.com.
Thank you in advance for your cooperation!
Fatherhood is pretending the present
you love most is soap-on-a-rope.
-Bill Cosby
|
|
Just for Laughs
|
|
|
Welcome
Every
month, it’s good to step back and remember what people work for. Very few
people work for the act of work. Instead, people work for the
“feel-goods”, the feeling people get when they produce something of
value. Creation is what most people strive for at work; new ideas that
shake the status quo and promote teamwork, growth, and productivity.
People come to the office to create, to receive the feel-goods of their
labor. In this issue, we’ll discuss employee productivity, as well as
share a few ways to help employees feel good. After all, feeling good is
what work is all about!
The
K&R Network Solutions Team
|
|
|
|
10 Tips for
Using Instant Messaging
for Business
By Monte Enbysk
Reprinted with permission from the Microsoft Small Business Center
|
|
|
|
|
Blame it on instant
messaging. Here's the scene: A couple dozen professionals at a New York
advertising agency quietly type away at computer screens congregated
near each other, in an open room devoid of office walls and tall
partitions.
|
Quietly
is the key word here. An occasional laugh or chuckle punctuates the silence.
But no one is talking. Why? They are communicating with one another
almost exclusively through instant messaging (IM).
"When
I'm visiting this firm, I can't help but notice this [lack of people
talking]. Seems odd to an outsider, but this is now pretty much their
corporate culture," says Helen Chan, analyst for The Yankee Group, a
Boston-based technology research group, who has friends at the ad agency.
A
technology designed initially for conducting one-on-one personal chats
has permeated the workplace. Many business people are choosing text-based
IM over phone calls and e-mail — preferring its immediacy and streamlined
efficiency in getting real-time information from partners, suppliers and
colleagues working remotely.
Instant
messaging is essentially the text version of a phone call. At businesses
large and small, more and more people are using it as a communications
tool. For many, it serves as a backstop for e-mail problems and other
emergencies — witness the spikes in IM usage after the Sept. 11, 2001,
terrorist attacks.
"Instant
messaging could well be the dial tone of the future — albeit a silent
one," says The Wall Street Journal, noting than more than 200
million people are now sending instant messages through software from
Microsoft's MSN Messenger and Windows Messenger services, America Online,
Yahoo! and other providers.
Read more
|
|
|
|
5 Factors That Affect Your
Employee's Productivity
By Dr. Jan Stringer, Ph.D.
 1. Attitude Is Everything
Happy employees are productive employees. And it doesn’t take a rocket scientist
or a consulting firm to figure that one out. Negative attitudes can
torpedo employee productivity much faster than nonstop basketball being
streamed over the Web.
“An
employee with a positive attitude usually enjoys the work that they do
and feels empowered and recognized for their contributions,” said
Henning. “An employee that is complacent and does not really enjoy their
work, but is simply there for a paycheck usually does not produce at a
high level, develops a bad attitude and generally drags a team down.”
2. Boss Is the Barrier
How can you improve employee productivity when the boss stinks? A recent
poll found that, among other things, an employee’s productivity is
determined by their relationship with their immediate supervisor. When
the bad boss fails to keep promises, never gives credit when due, makes
negative comments, or blames others for their mistakes, the productivity
level of their employees is significantly impacted.
“A poor
supervisor is definitely the No. 1 factor that causes low productivity,”
said Barry L. Brown, President of a Florida-based consulting group. “It’s
been my experience that a good supervisor will motivate, inspire,
encourage and reward good performance. A poor supervisor, of course, is
just the opposite, only in multiples.
Read more factors
|
|
|
Chris Eck
Chris
Eck is a help desk technician here at K&R. He grew up in San Diego,
CA and is an MCSE (Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer).
Chris
stays busy at work by helping clients troubleshoot support issues, and
being the internal authority on network security and constructing secured
networks that scale to fit client needs. When we asked Chris about what
he enjoys most about his job he said “If there is a problem, I want to
know how to fix it. I take ownership of the issue as if I was having the
issue. I will solve the problem, and move on to the next one.” Our
clients get to enjoy the benefits of having such a determined support
person on their side.
Read more on Chris
Productivity.
The literal
definition is “having the power of producing, creating”; this is most
evident in the workplace. Employee productivity can be measured,
quantified, and managed. But increasing employee productivity is much
more difficult than quantifying it. An increase in employee productivity
is usually attributed to motivation, that is, if an employee has a reason
to work hard, they will. To that end, many managers and small business
owners spend vast amounts of time coming up with ways to motivate their
employees. But sometimes motivation isn’t the issue. Sometimes the tools
your employee’s have are holding back their productivity.
Read more on Managed Services
|
|
