Heading Back to the Office? Help Your Team Adjust

Wed, 26 Oct 2022 19:00:00 GMT

Businessmen at a desk by Andrea Piacquadio

If your team has been working remotely for the last few years due to the pandemic, you may be returning to the office now that the situation has changed. To help your group adjust, here are five expert tips.

Start With a Hybrid Schedule

It can be tough for people who have worked at home to do a full 180 and head back to work in person on a 9-to-5 schedule. However, many businesses have found success by using a hybrid schedule of half remote work and half office work to ease back into the routine.

This gives employees a break from the sudden change, which can have ripple effects for them at home if they have a spouse or children who must also accommodate this shift. It also lets you evaluate whether you truly need everyone in the office full-time or if a hybrid schedule is the wave of the future.

Make the Work Environment Welcoming

Create an inviting workspace for your team so they feel better about being at the office. Some ways you can welcome returning workers include:

New office furniture, like high-end ergonomic chairs
Better ventilation
Complimentary food and beverages
Free masks
Perks like services that come to the office (dry cleaning, barber, health and wellness classes, etc.)
Dedicated work areas or pods for those who need or prefer more physical distancing (immunocompromised, at-risk seniors, new parents, etc.)

Try Some Team Building Exercises

It may have been a while since your workers were together — understand that it can take folks time to get back to where they were in 2019. Team building exercises can be a fun way to get everyone in sync again.

You can use food or other incentives, like gift cards or PTO, to up the stakes for winners if you use competitive activities, such as those for workers in sales.

Ensure Proper Work Equipment

If you haven’t used your office space in several years, you need to make sure the infrastructure is functioning properly. Be certain heat, AC, and the like are running correctly.

Additionally, check that your computers, monitors, copiers, and other machinery are in good working order. You may need to update software, operating systems, security, or internet speeds to bring everything up to date.

Remain Flexible

Between new illnesses, power grid strains, unpredictable weather, and other factors, working at the office may still have to be flexible as you move forward. It’s best not to be too rigid in case something forces you back to remote work suddenly. Remember, many of the businesses that weathered the past few years best were the ones that already had work-from-home policies in place and were agile enough to go with the flow.

As your business adjusts to the current working environment, you may need to rethink your insurance coverage in light of your current situation. Call Coram Insurance at 425-939-2656, and let our independent agents help you find the coverage for where your business is today.

Read the full article at www.coramins.com

How to Choose the Right Smart Security Camera

Wed, 19 Oct 2022 19:00:00 GMT

Security Camera by ipeema

A security camera can help protect your property against intruders or provide evidence in the event of a break-in. But with all the technology available today, it can be tough to figure out which smart security camera is right for you. Here are four points to consider when you shop for a camera for your home.

24-Hour vs. Motion-Activated Recording

Some cameras run continuously, while others are only triggered to turn on when they detect motion nearby. There are pros and cons to each.

A 24/7 camera won't miss anything, since it's always on, but you’ll have to go through all that footage to find one or two moments if you’re looking for a specific event, such as a trespasser in your yard (though some systems have the ability to find notable events automatically). However, an always-on camera will capture even the slightest movement, which a motion-activated security camera might miss.

A motion-activated camera will be triggered by anything that moves, including pets, wild animals, and tree branches. As a result, you may get some false alarms if you’re receiving notifications that your camera has turned on. However, because it only records movement, this type of camera can store data more efficiently, which is a consideration if you’re using local storage (see below).

Battery Powered vs. Wired

Battery-powered cameras run the risk of having their batteries run out just when you need to capture something, which isn't an issue for cameras that gets their power from a wired connection. Therefore, you have be sure to change the batteries whenever they've been used up. But battery-powered cameras can be more portable than hardwired versions, depending on the model you buy, which can be helpful if you want to make small adjustments to their positioning or take them to another property.

Cloud vs. Local Storage

In the old days, you had to store security camera data on a local device like a video cassette, disc, or DVD. Then came microdisks for smaller and easier storage.

Some cameras still use these tiny discs today, while others have migrated to cloud storage. In general, cloud storage is preferable, as it has fewer size limitations, if any at all, and is more reliable, assuming sending information to the cloud from your camera works properly.

The biggest advantage of cloud storage is you can access the footage anywhere. If you’re on vacation in Europe and want to see your backyard back in the States, you can do so from your mobile phone or tablet.

There are also camera systems that use centralized local storage and allow remote access, but you'll likely pay more for this type of setup.

Price vs. Features

Like other electronics, your security camera will be more expensive the more features it sports. Better image resolution, two-way talk, integrated spotlights, night vision, and smartphone alerts are some of the options that drive up price but may well be worth it to you.

Finally, the cost of a security camera starts rising when you integrate it with other security system components, especially monitoring services from an alarm company. So you may have to crunch the numbers to find your sweet spot between price and features and be willing to sacrifice bells and whistles you don’t really need if budget is the main concern.

Don’t forget to protect your home with the right home insurance policy. Call Coram Insurance at 425-939-2656 to explore coverage today. Between homeowners insurance and your security camera, you’ll sleep easier knowing you’re fully protected.

Read the full article at www.coramins.com

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Heading Back to the Office? Help Your Team Adjust

How to Choose the Right Smart Security Camera