Yahoo! Employees Available for Hire

OK, that may not be a totally accurate heading but if you have read the new internal HR memo that Yahoo! distributed recently, you'll see where I'm going.

All Things D recently published an article AND the actual Yahoo! memo that went to all employees explaining that they will no longer be allower to work from home.

Even if they took the job with the understanding that they would work from home.

The Huffington Post covered it nicely here pointing out that new-mother-who-only-needs-two-weeks-maternity-leave and Yahoo! CEO, Marissa Mayer has made another decision that sends the wrong message.

The new policy will begin in June and I'm guessing you're going to see a LOT of Yahoos using up their vacation and looking for new jobs rather than comply and head into the office.

I could be wrong, but to me, Yahoo's loss is another company's gain.

If your company is looking to hire, all you need to do is take out some full page ads in prominent newspapers near Yahoo! offices.

If you were a Yahoo!, would you stay or would you go?

The Better Business Bureau is not Being True to Their Brand

When you think of the Better Business Bureau you might think...
Better
Accountable
Trustworthy

So it is ironic that the latest BBB newsletter focuses on customer service and one of the primary sponsors they thank is none other than Pepco.

Pepco who has been rated THE WORST utility in the entire United States for customer service and reliability.

Unfortunately this isn't the first time the Better Business Bureau has sold out on their brand. They did the same thing last year (http://www.homeofficehustle.com/blog/2012/1/5/shame-on-you-better-business-bureau.html ).

It's good to know Pepco is spending the money from rate hikes NOT on improving infrastructure but rather on PR.

It's not working.

Guest Post: How to Build a Nature Friendly Home Office

Working from home can provide you with a lot of freedom and some very important advantages that you cannot achieve in a traditional work environment. When you work from home, you have the benefit of being able to create a custom home work space that is perfectly suited to your tastes and needs.

It might not seem like a big deal, but lighting can have a huge impact on your home office. Lighting can alter mood and with growing concern over the environment and trying to use energy more efficiently, it is actually one of the most important aspects when considering a design for a home office.

We will provide electricity saving tips here that also do not require one to sacrifice ambiance or comfort.

Take Advantage of Natural Lighting

Choose the room in the home with the best, longest access to natural lighting. Big windows that let in plenty of sunlight are a great way to create a serene and more efficient work environment. By placing your desk in such a way as to be able to have your workspace lighted naturally means that, during the day, there is no need for artificial lighting at all. Studies have also shown that natural light is more psychologically appealing and conducive to productivity than artificial light.

Another advantage to making use of natural sunlight is that it can also aid in the warming of a room, naturally, during the winter months. Sunlight is free, it is good for the mind and it is something that many of us have in abundance. Taking advantage of this resource just makes sense.

How to Be Most Efficient

We do still have to work when it is dark and the type and placement of light fixtures can really make a difference in the energy consumed in home office lighting. When lighting your workspace with energy-efficient lights such as LEDs or compact fluorescents you are getting pleasant, adequate lighting that uses a fraction of the electricity that a traditional light bulb has. Many also report that this type of lighting is more conducive to comfortable work.

Taking advantage of natural lighting through thoughtful placement of office furniture not only saves on electricity, but it provides beautiful, natural sunlight that has been shown to be more psychologically beneficial than artificial lighting. Natural lighting can only take you so far, which means that thought should be put into how you choose to light your work space when nature isn't enough. Through the use of advanced, efficient lighting, you can easily achieve a pleasant, productive work environment that also helps reduce energy consumption and costs.

Disclosure: This guest post was provided by Energy Rates New York, a degregulated energy provider, who is helping to cover the cost of my coffee addiction. While I did not write this post, I AM a deregulated energy consumer and have found we saved a LOT the past two years that we signed on with a different energy provider. I would highly suggest you look at your options if you live in a state where they have deregulated energy.

Clean Up That Office!

It's already mid-January and I have yet to start my beginning-of-the-year office clean up.

Have you?

I was inspired recently when my friend Danielle (who gave us a tour of her home office here) posted a photo on Instagram that she had cleaned up her office.

Then I realized a home organizing friend, Molly of Go Mom Inc. had dedicated January's video series to cleaning up the home office!

I'm not saying I'm motivated... yet, what with tax prep all over the floor of my office now. But here's one of Molly's videos to get us all started:

Tell me - do you do a big office clean up the beginning of the year?

If not in January, when?

Five Reasons to Keep a Supply of Starbucks VIA

image via PopSop.com

I discovered Starbucks VIA a few years ago when our power kept going out. It was the perfect cup of coffee and I didn't even need to warm up water to enjoy it! Suddenly, I realized there would be many many other times I would benefit from having VIA around. Over the past few years, these are the top 5 reasons I keep a supply on hand of both the iced and regular Starbucks VIA Ready Brew (which even though it calls for warm water I have noticed disintegrates just fine in cold water).

1. VIA When the Power Goes Out

Homework by candlelight thanks to Pepco

If there is one thing I need after waking up with no power it's COFFEE... dammit! I'm annoyed enough by the fact that we've lost power. You do not want to see me annoyed and deprived of caffeine! I used to stock up on Sterno and Folgers instant coffee, but it would still take forever to boil water over the sterno. With VIA, all you do is mix it into room temperature (or cold) water, add cream and sugar (optional), and enjoy while you call the power company (again) to report the outage.

2. VIA when you Chaperone a School Field Trip

Yet another field trip to the National Zoo

If you have never sat on a bus filled with 2nd graders after a very long day touring around Washington, DC, then you might not appreciate just how awesome coffee can make you feel. It's not easy to find coffee around the Mall area of DC, but you can always find a bottle of water! Pour the VIA into the bottle of water, shake, and enjoy! If I'm on my game I'll remember to pack a few of those International Delight single-serve creamers.

3. VIA When You Travel - It's much better than the standard room coffee

You know those little single-serve coffee makers they have in most hotel rooms with the little disc packets of pre-measured coffee? The ones that never make a strong enough cup of coffee? Well ditch them. Just heat up the water and add your VIA. Perfect for wherever you traditionally get weak coffee including hotel rooms and airplanes (I HATE airplane coffee). 

4. VIA to Strengthen Weak Coffee

Occasionally on very early mornings when I've stayed up too late playing around on Instagram, I miscount the number of scoops of coffee I need for the amount of water I've already put in. Ironically, I make the weakest coffee on the days I need the strongest. I used to dump out the pot and re-make it. Now I just open up a VIA and pour it into the pot or pour as needed into each mug. It saves time and water this way.

5. VIA When Camping

Yet another Girl Scout camping trip

Sure, you could wait til the water on the camping stove starts to boil. Or, you could fill your cup with water, dump in the VIA, mix and start slurping your way to a better morning immediately!

Tell me when Starbucks VIA (or another instant coffee) has saved you from certain exhuastion.

Janine

Note: I have no relationship with Starbucks other than I buy things from them and they happily take my money. Also - don't download the Starbucks app unless you want to spend EVEN MORE MONEY there because it makes it so easy. Some links are affiliate links.