Whether it’s planned or not – music is a part of our daily lives. Ranging from the rhythmic beating of our hearts, to the playlists we create for ourselves, or even attending a musical event. We know and have experienced the affect that music has on our mood, memories and emotions. But is this appropriate for the workplace? One of the greatest things about music is that it’s an experience. In the office, it is not a tangible substance that we can see, touch or change – but we can perceive the meaning and harmonies differently. Studies have shown that more upbeat music tends to create a positive, happy feeling, whereas slower melodies will often form a calmer, more relaxed environment. There are positive and negative forces behind the debate for music in the office – POSITIVE: Music contributes to a relaxed environment Can reduce stress Encourage a good mood of employees Creates rhythm to which people can work – increasing productivity Acts as a buffer to other office distractions NEGATIVE: Not everyone finds music stimulating Can possibly be more of a distraction, decreasing productivity Different personalities prefer different types of music – can cause office tensions Not appropriate in...Read More

As June comes to an end, we have made it through the first 6 months of the year. It’s been a tough year for many. Retrenchments have become an ever-looming reality for thousands of people. As individuals, we are not able to fight the poverty giant or take on the nations unemployment rate, but we can build our own financial independence. By making the decision to control your own finances, rather than letting your finances control you – you can take charge of your life, and enjoy the freedom to live, rather than survive. We have identified 5 tips to create your own financial independence for the remainder of the year: 1 – Set Realistic Financial Goals: have a vision of what you would like to achieve and align it with your current financial status. Give yourself time to achieve your goals, and don’t be afraid to get some financial advice in order to get there. 2 – Don’t Over-Spend: This seems fairly obvious, but as our demand for goods and service increases, so does the necessity to spend. Make a point of spending less than you earn and fight debt where possible. 3 – Identify “The Necessities” in Your...Read More

This article first appeared on the Skills PortalWednesday, May 29, 2019 - 09:01Author: Catarina Allison Written communication can have a greater impact on our professional image than we realise. It assists in getting a message across to colleagues, staff, clients and community. By making even the smallest grammatical error, you could be portraying a message of unreliability, inaccuracy, and poor-quality service. Here are 3 basic rules we learnt in school, which still apply in business: Syntax Syntax is the arrangement of words and phrases to create well-formed sentences.  English generally operates under the SVO order (Subject – Verb – Object). Below we have examples of correct and incorrect SVO order: The cat (subject) washes (verb) it’s paw (object) - correct                       The cat (subject) washes (verb) their paws (object) - incorrect Why is the second sentence above incorrect? Because the cat is singular and is only washing one paw, which is also singular.                              Punctuation There are 12 punctuation marks that are commonly used and using them incorrectly could change the entire meaning of the sentence. Ie: Lets eat Granpa! vs Lets eat, Grandpa! Have completely different meanings. So, unless you want to feast on your immediate family, I suggest you have a...Read More