Do you dread your commute?

Lengthy commutes to work are taking a toll on U.S. workers.  So much so that a recent survey showed that four percent or five million people have skipped work by pretending to be ill to avoid their harrowing commute into the office.

The study was commissioned by the Workforce Institute at Kronos and conducted by Harris Interactive.  Not surprising, nearly half of U.S. employees polled said commuting is affecting their overall job satisfaction.  And, despite the unemployed who are desperate for work regardless of location, 32 percent of workers said they factored in their commute when choosing their current job.

Long commutes are impacting the productivity and morale of today’s professionals because it consumes valuable time – time which could be spent actually doing work or with their families.  Given the access to remote technology, businesses should consider being open to workplace alternatives for employees – at least some of the time.   The fact of the matter is the growing number of mobile workers and the variety of workplace options has transformed how work gets done.

Remote access apps for mobile devices like the iPad2 are allowing workers to tap into their desktop files from anywhere in the world.  While this is not necessarily new technology it is being embraced at a more rapid pace.  Mobile workers continue to use a variety of devices aside from their laptops/desktops and they are constantly seeking out new tools that will keep them productive, no matter what device they use.

Let us know what you do to be more productive when you are traveling or away from the office.

Less than 1 mile from OfficeLinks' Wall Street location, you'll find your neighborhood green bakery.

Less than 1 mile from OfficeLinks‘ Wall Street location at 200 Church Street, you’ll find a one of the most eco-friendly food businesses around: Birdbath Neighborhood Green Bakery.  The little sister of City Bakery serves breakfast and lunch to go, with desserts and specialty drinks, seven days a week.  All served food is made from organic materials that are regionally grown and seasonal.

They’re green right down to their buildings: The bakery walls are made of wheat, the cups made of corn (which, by the way, is biodegradable).  The countertop display and shelves are all made from 100% recycled paper.  The floor is reclaimed wood from Pennsylvania.  Even the light fixtures are vintage. Birdbath is even wind-powered, and all of the food is delivered from their main kitchen in bicycle-powered rickshaws.

Awesome bonus? They give discounts to any customer who arrives by bike, or even skateboard.

Sound like an ideal lunch break to you?  Does to me! So take a walk (or bike or skateboard ride!) over to Birdbath on Church Street.   Find out more about Birdbath here.

Start your own garden with Garfield Park Conservatory's seedlings.

Looking to grow your own garden this spring and summer?  The Garfield Park Conservatory, located less than 5 miles from OfficeLinks’ Chicago office space, is offering you an opportunity to come pick some special seedlings for your garden on Saturday May 21, 9:30 am – 3:30 pm.  There will be a unique, exciting and tasty variety of herbs, veggies, and fruits for your own growing pleasure, including heirloom varieties of tomatoes, corn, beans, squash, tomatillos and peppers, as well as former and current All-American Selections varieties.

University of Illinois Extension Master Gardeners will be on hand to answer all of your questions.

Garfield Park Conservatory volunteers started all seeds in a Garfield Park Conservatory greenhouse, and all proceeds from the sale will go directly to the Garfield Park Conservatory Alliance to help fund programs. Seedling prices vary by plant.

And while you’re there, you can pick up some FREE tulip bulbs at the Garfield Market Place Gate (just north of the Conservatory’s front doors).  Bulbs start to be given away at 9 am, but the line forms much earlier, and it goes until the bulbs are gone (which is usually around 11 am, so arrive early!).

So head on over to Garfield Park Conservatory, located at 300 North Central Park Avenue, to pick up your seedlings and tulip bulbs to support the Conservatory and your own green thumb!

Federal employee travel and commuting account for the largest category of what the administration calls indirect sources of pollution.  The White House is encouraging workers to travel less for business and to use mass transit for their commutes.

Today, most businesses understand their responsibility to limit their impact on the environment and are leveraging available technology like video and audio conferencing as an alternative to business travel.

Among the many benefits of this technology are: a decrease in business travel expenses, a reduction in carbon dioxide emissions and increased productivity.  Individuals can have face-to-face meetings with colleagues or clients anyone anywhere in the world allowing them to collaborate as effectively as if they were meeting in the same room.
 
Access to this technology is no longer a luxury but a necessity for businesses of all sizes. Companies find themselves managing a distributed workforce with limited budget for business travel. Videoconferencing eliminates geographic boundaries and is an easy way for businesses to be environmentally conscious.

Did you know that 5.7% of New York City’s residential waste is textiles, yet they are 100% recyclable?  Since 2007, the Council on the Environment of New York City (CENYC) has offered textile recycling drop-off sites at select Greenmarkets, including one at the Union Square Greenmarket just a short walk from the OfficeLinks Chelsea office location, redirecting hundreds of thousands of pounds of material from the landfill. 

Every Monday at the Union Square Greenmarket (due to construction, the site may move around the park, so you can just ask at the Market Manager’s tent if you have trouble finding it), from 8 am – 6 pm, you can recycle your unwanted textile materials, including clothing, shoes, linens, bedding, and towels.  They are then sold for reuse or to recycling markets that turn materials into wiping rags, fiber for car seats and insulation.  And, yes, your donation is tax deductible!  So, before or after work, or even on your lunch break, take the short 1/3 mile walk from the OfficeLinks Chelsea office location to the Union Square Greenmarket and turn your Manic Monday into a Material Monday and help “green” New York!  For more information, click here.

If you want to stay competitive while using a virtual office, professionalism must remain a focus in the forefront. Employees should be able to send an mail from a prime professional business address and there should be a phone number available to customers/clients and employees with a professional voice answering the phone. Your business could have live call answering during business hours, access to a day office and even a fully-equipped space for meetings. A professional front face is key. Remember an old rule of thumb; a good impression is a lasting one…a bad one lasts even longer.

OfficeLinks’ three superior New York City office locations (40 Wall Street, 1440 Broadway and 33 West 19th Street) and a landmark Chicago office location in the Willis Tower, offer clients an array of Virtual Office options that are just right for every kind of business out there – including yours.

So, whether you are a start-up, entering a new market, needing local presence for project work, or have a mobile workforce, a Virtual Office is a viable, cost-effective option for your business. To learn how OfficeLinks can help, click here.

Willis Tower, which already meets Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) criteria, has plans that include: efficiency improvements to the building’s exterior envelope and windows, mechanical systems upgrades in the form of new gas boilers that utilize fuel cell technologies, reducing elevator and escalator energy consumption by 40%, upgrades in restroom fixtures, condensation recovery systems and water efficient landscaping resulting in water savings, upgraded lighting that will save up to 40% of lighting energy consumption, and the use of renewable energy.

OfficeLinks, located on the 84th floor of the Willis Tower, applauds Willis Tower’s commitment to going green. OfficeLinks has created a LEED compliant office space for their tenants that includes paints, finishes, adhesives and carpeting that meet low VOC (volatile organic compounds) or Green Label Plus requirements, Energy Star rated equipment and appliances, and re-used material use wherever possible.

Going green at Willis Tower gives Chicago sky high hopes for a better future. To find out more about Willis Tower’s green transformation, click here.