5S Methodology
5S Methodology: Increasing workplace productivity
  • Productivity

Whether in a workshop or an office: Things don’t always go as planned. The 5S methodology can help us carry out tasks more efficiently and make better use of available resources. Invented in Japan, it has already revolutionized the corporate world there. What’s behind the method, and how can its individual steps be integrated into daily working life?

5S Methodology: Increasing workplace productivity
Start a side business
Starting a side business
  • Get Started

Are you planning on setting up a side business and want to know how to go about it? Starting your own side business while working full time is a great way to minimize your financial risk. Test the waters, but first make sure you are legally registered and that you are even allowed to work on the side. This article contains a step-by-step guide on how to make the process run without a hitch.

Starting a side business
Employer ID number
An introduction to employer ID numbers
  • Grow Your Business

Starting a new business comes with a great deal of new responsibilities and paperwork – wising up on the relevant administrative requirements for your business is a good way to avoid issues in the future. This is certainly the case for declaring tax – and to collect tax for your company you will need to register for an employer identification number (EIN), otherwise known as a sales tax number, or...

An introduction to employer ID numbers
Price calculation
Price calculation: How should you calculate sales prices?
  • Grow Your Business

Do you want to bring a new product onto the market or offer a service that’s in demand? Then you first have to calculate the sales price. Doing this involves many factors. All conceivable costs as well as your profit margin must be incorporated into the price calculation. What are all the things that you should keep in mind?

Price calculation: How should you calculate sales prices?
Spike conversational email
Spike: The conversational email app
  • Productivity

Spike, the mail messenger, combines several different clever tools right into your inbox to enable chatting with email – eliminating the need for several different apps as well as the need to check lots of different inboxes or messaging apps to stay up to date. Spike presents itself as an app which improves productivity and efficient collaboration, something which most companies strive for. The...

Spike: The conversational email app
Layoff criteria
Layoff criteria - the different methods
  • Grow Your Business

Letting employees go is hard on all parties, but it can be made a lot easier if you plan which layoff criteria to use beforehand so you’re ready if the worst case scenario presents itself. There are five main methods employers can use to work out who to keep in the company and who sadly has to be laid off. The defined criteria is taken into account and each employee can be evaluated according to a...

Layoff criteria - the different methods
Job references: how to write and understand them
How to write or understand job references
  • Productivity

Generally speaking, you are under no legal obligation to provide a job reference for an employee if they ask you for one. If you do make a reference as an employer, you must be fair and accurate. How do you write a job reference that is fair and accurate for a terrible employee? Does this put you at risk of being sued? Read on about how to write and understand fair job references, without putting...

How to write or understand job references
How to conduct an interview
Conducting an interview - the right way to do it
  • Productivity

An interview is not an easy situation - neither for the applicants, nor for you as the employer, who ultimately decides who to accept and who to reject. If you have to conduct an interview, you should do it in such a way that you can get as detailed a picture of the candidate as possible. A structured process and open, credible communication will make this process a lot easier for you.

Conducting an interview - the right way to do it
OX App Suite
OX App Suite by Open-Xchange
  • Productivity

Looking for a new office solution? The OX App Suite offers many functions that are similar to those of Microsoft and Google, but also has data protection in mind. The app suite enables you to work together on documents, distribute files via cloud storage, organize emails, and always have important addresses on hand. The Open-Xchange software package provides users with everything they need in...

OX App Suite by Open-Xchange
Bring your own device | what is BYOD?
Bring your own device (BYOD) – the digital trend with pitfalls
  • Productivity

In the party scene, you’ve probably heard of “BYOB“ or “Bring Your Own Beer” where guests are expected to bring whatever they want to drink. The term “BYOD” therefore also sounds quite positive. “Bring Your Own Device” means you have the comfort of working on your own laptop instead of having to get to grips with the devices provided by the company. Mobile workplaces have now become the norm....

Bring your own device (BYOD) – the digital trend with pitfalls