Poster of the Month, January 2015: The importance of punctuality and running on time

ALWAYS LATE?

Try these tips to improve your punctuality

• Fill up your car the night before
• Get everything ready before you go to bed
• Set your wake-up alarm
• Get up as soon as your alarm goes off
• Shower first — it will help you to wake up
• Have a breakfast that is quick and easy to prepare
• Check traffic and weather for possible delays
• Watch the clock and leave earlier if necessary

Be on time, every time

January's Poster of the Month has been designed to help employees with their timekeeping. 

Punctuality is important. If someone persistently arrives late, it is unprofessional and disrespectful to those who make the effort to turn up on time. It can also let the team down if you are relying on that person to be in a certain place, at a certain time.

Employees should arrive on time and be ready to start work — having showered, eaten and picked up all their belongings, including PPE and other workplace essentials.

Kodiak posters regularly cover punctuality, organisation and time management skills. 

If you need posters on any of these subjects, we have a wide range available, via our sales team.

For more information, please call us on 01530 456 000 or visit our website: www.kodiak.co.uk

Poster of the month, September 2014: The power of ideas in the workplace

EVERY IDEA is a foundation just waiting to be built on

This is the first of a new series of monthly blog articles we will be posting.

Every month our design studio personnel will choose their favourite poster of the month and we will share it with you here.

September's poster of the month (shown above) is about developing ideas.

Good ideas lead to great improvements

When planning a project or improvement initiative, talk to your staff.

Your staff are the people who:

• deal with your customers first-hand
• experience problems and difficulties in your workplace
• are aware of the dangers and hazards in your workplace
• get frustrated when things are too awkward or complicated
• understand how your current methods waste energy, materials and time

Their input and ideas could help you develop:

• improvements to customer service and the customer experience
• solutions to persistent problems
• a safer environment and safer working practice
• more streamlined systems that are easier to operate
• initiatives to save energy and reduce waste

For more poster examples, please visit www.kodiak.co.uk

The importance of planning

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Whatever the job, planning is a vital ingredient. Whether you are a bus driver planning a manoeuvre or an industry worker planning to manufacture a batch of products.

While some might think it is quicker and more productive to dive straight in and get on with the job, those with more experience understand the value of thinking things through and being suitably prepared.

Here are three things your employees should be asking themselves before starting work.

1. Have I checked the details?
Your employees need to know exactly what is required and what is expected of them. The manufacturing spec sheet should specify all the materials, equipment, processes/settings, quantities and deadlines.

Drivers should know their route and what to do in the event of a diversion or other unexpected event.

Referring to the details regularly ensures that the task is completed successfully and with as few errors/mishaps and as little waste as possible.

2. Do I have enough materials?Whether it's raw materials for use in production or fuel for a vehicle — it's always important to check there is enough to do the job and a contingency just in case something unexpected happens.

3. What can I prepare in advance?When a deadline is involved, anything that can be done to save time is a bonus. It might be organising equipment, gathering materials together, part-assembling products or clearing away clutter/waste that might get in the way.

Planning the job properly means there is less scope for making errors. Fewer errors ultimately means the job takes less time, creates less waste and incurs less cost.

For employees in industry, planning the job makes things easier by keeping tools and materials to hand and spreading the work more evenly over the time period. This, in turn, reduces last-minute pressure and stress, which can often lead to mistakes.

For drivers, planning a manoeuvre allows a full assessment of the space, surroundings and potential hazards. A well-planned manoeuvre is less likely to result in a collision or damage to the vehicle.

So, in short, planning is important for safety, quality control, waste reduction, timing, cost maintenance, error reduction and to ease stress and pressure.

Kodiak's motivational poster programme regularly covers the importance of planning. 

If you would like to find out more about how our posters can help your employees to plan their work more effectively, please contact us.

For daily tips on dealing with common workplace issues, why not follow us on Twitter.

If you would like to find out how Kodiak posters 
can help your business work smoother, smarter 
and safer, please call us on: 01530 456 000 
or email us.

Increasing productivity: Five easy ways to become more efficient

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As Da Vinci once said 'Simplicity is the ultimate form of sophistication.' It's also true that if you're trying to cut out inefficient ways and streamline your operation it pays to start simply. Here are five things to help you get started.

1. Check your existing equipmentIs it performing efficiently? Is there a leak that needs pugging? A blade that needs sharpening? A part that needs to be replaced or some software that needs to be updated? Are there enough tools to go around?
2. Enlist the support of your employees
   Promote a positive attitude and pro-active approach to reducing waste and improving production. Ensure your employees understand why reducing waste is so important and that they know how they can help. Encourage them to report problems early and suggest time or energy-saving ideas. Involving your employees makes them feel more valued and gives you the insight you need to make positive changes.
3. Be organisedDid you know that the average person spends a year of their life looking for things they have lost? Make sure all your tools, equipment and materials have a permanent home and that all staff know where they are kept. In addition, develop a work ethic where all employees tidy up after themselves and return items they have used to their rightful place.
4. Plan aheadLeaving everything until the last minute creates unnecessary pressure, under which employees can become flustered and more prone to making mistakes. Encourage your employees to save time by doing what they can in advance. This might be assembling tools, organising parts or preparing materials.
5. Get if right first time
   Rework takes up valuable time and uses up extra resources. Adopt a 'right first time' approach and encourage employees to check their work for quality/mistakes before they submit it.

If you like these ideas and would like to find a simple way to implement them in your company or organisation, we may have just the solution.

Kodiak's motivational poster programme regularly promotes these productive processes and continually reminds your employees of the need to manage their time efficiently and be less wasteful.

If you would like to find out more about how our posters can help your company to increase productivity, please get in touch.

For daily tips on dealing with common workplace issues, why not follow us on Twitter.

If you would like to find out how Kodiak posters 
can help your business work smoother, smarter 
and safer, please call us on: 01530 456 000 
or email us.