Better Together 3

Office Couples Go Classic

It’s Valentine’s Day and that means that it’s time for our (nearly) annual look at office couples you’ll want to encourage. These items work together to make your workplace more efficient. This year our couples are taking inspiration from the classic romances of Hollywood’s golden age. Once you’re done checking out our couples, consider checking out the movies, too. Sure they’re in black and white, but they’re still pretty amazing.

Sit-to-Stand: The loner finds love

The sit-to-stand desk is the confirmed bachelor/bachelorette of the office. Like Holly Golightly from Breakfast at Tiffany’s, it’s happy living life alone. It’s a free spirit that doesn’t want to be tied down. Pairing off seems stuffy. After all, the whole point of choosing sit-to-stand was to get rid of that pesky chair. In the end though, even Holly finally admitted that going it alone was hard. It’s comforting to have a hand to hold and a shoulder to lean on. If you’re making a move to a sit-to-stand desk, you’re going to want something to lean on, too. Sitting is hard on your body, but standing can be hard also—especially at first. Take some of the pressure off your legs and feet with an active sit-stand stool like Muvman or a balance board like the Steppie.  Both options still provide for movement and help work the muscles in your core, back, and legs while also keeping your legs and feet from feeling tired and sore.

Shredder and Storage Boxes: Opposites attract

At first glance, it seems like there’s no way that shredder and storage boxes could ever be a couple. How can a destroyer love a saver? It’s the classic Desk Set scenario. Spencer Tracy’s efficiency expert is convinced that computerization is the only way to make sure a TV network’s reference library can keep up with increasing work load. Katherine Hepburn’s head librarian is just as sure that replacing human expertise with a mindless computer means disaster. Where’s the middle ground? In the end, they’re both right. The computer can answer small questions freeing up the librarians’ time for more complicated issues.

It’s the same with shredding and storage. Making smart use of both will result in a more clutter-free environment for you. There are always files you need to keep, but do you need them all? Checklists, shipper tracking numbers, and proof of delivery may have been crucial as you were finishing up a project, but do you need them a year later? Recycle or shred those items to save on storage space. And don’t forget to go back and look at stored files from time to time. While there are exceptions (financials, HR records), if you haven’t touched stored files in several years, shred away!

AED and First Aid Kit: Sacrificing for the greater good

Love probably isn’t the first thing that comes to mind when you think about AEDs and first aid kits. In fact, you probably don’t think about them at all. Don’t be fooled. Their plain exteriors may be hiding one of the greatest love stories of all time. Like Rick and Ilsa in Casablanca, who gave up their great love so they could do their part during WWII, AED and First Aid Kit have come to realize that their own problems don’t amount to a hill of beans in this crazy world. Both of them have dedicated themselves to taking care of your office. They’ll plug away in the shadows doing their part to keep all of you safe whenever you need them. Don’t feel too guilty though. At least they can say that meeting in your office was the beginning of a beautiful friendship.