With Autumn just around the corner, many people are planning to move house in order to be in and settled by Christmas. My sister is just one of the thousands of people who have had an offer accepted on a new house and are now starting to pack together all their belongings, ready to move to pastures new. But that packing and the logistics of actually moving all your things from A to B can be a nightmare, and can not be left to chance, but needs to be acutely planned.

Here are some tips that I have collated with friends to moving your things without any hassle.

1. Find a good and reliable removal firm,

You need to get your removal firm booked as soon as you have your moving date so you are not left in a position where you can move, but can’t actually move. Use the internet to look up house removals in order to read reviews, get a moving cost and find a company that you will feel comfortable with.

2.Sort as you pack.

You will have accumulated a lot of rubbish in your previous home, so moving out is the best time to sort. Get rid of accumulated rubbish, clothes that you no longer want, or that no longer fit, cull the toys that are not played with.

If you have new things ordered for your new home furniture wise, you can get larger pieces removed through council removal services, or can donate them to charity shops like St Giles, which have larger shops for furniture donations. Things like carpets and curtains can be included as part of the sale of your old house as they more than likely won’t fit your new home.

3. Label Everything

Make sure all your boxes of belongings are clearly labelled so you can put them into their new rooms straight away. Keep a box with things like cups, tea and coffee, spoons etc close at hand, along with a special box containing toys and things that might belong to your children that will help them settle into their new home quickly. Also make sure you have your new keys in your handbag and the old keys ready to hand to the estate agent.

Happy moving!

It is often said of us Brits that we don’t really know how to complain properly, and, as a consequence, we tend to just suffer in silence.

But there are some cases where you really need to complain and make sure your voice is actually heard, particularly if the situation is something which endangers yourself, your family or anyone else. Here ate some occasions when keeping quiet is really not an option.

Medical Negligence­

If you are involved in any sort of situation which could be classed as a case of medical negligence, then you should definitely seek legal advice and take action.

Medical Negligence could be a case of misdiagnosis, receiving the wrong medical  advice or treatment, poor aftercare that could lead to further issues and illness, a delaying of diagnosis or being given the wrong medication. It can lead to short term or long term problems, even death in the most severe of cases. It should not, in any case, be ignored.

Rogue Traders and Dodgy Tradesmen

Your home is your castle, your pride and joy, so it may be that you want to further improve it through home improvements like extensions, new Windows and doors and loft conversions.

You need to look very carefully before employing tradesman, because, as programmes like Rogue Traders and Builders From He’ll prove, there are a lot of people stealing a living in trades they really know nothing about. Look for recommendations from friends and family, websites that show examples of their work and long established businesses, but if you do fall victim to a dodgy job then you need to report the work to trading standards and then seek legal advice in order to persue the case through a Small Claims Court.

Poor Service in a Restaurant

I recently booked a table at a well known chain restaurant. The table was booked for 7pm. At 7.30 we were still waiting to be seated, at 8pm we had no drinks and no-one had taken out order. I called the manager and made a detailed complaint which led to our food and drinks all being complimentary as way of an apology.

Poor Service in a Restaurant or eateries is not acceptable under any circumstances, but if you Don’t complain you are basically doing just that -accepting it. Complain properly – in a non aggressive manner and to the right person, the manager rather than a poor harrased waitress already under stress.

Flexible working is becoming a staple of modern business as companies and employees strive to reach a better work-life balance. The aim is to create a more productive workplace through better morale, teamwork and individual performance.

This starts with a change in mentality from everyone on your team but you also need to reinvent the workplace to create an environment that makes it easier for staff to hit targets. Flexible working has changed the way businesses think about office design and you only have to look at major brands like Google and Apple to see how drastically things have changed over the past decade.

The rise of dedicated workspaces

The mention of Google and Apple offices probably conjures mental images of open workspaces and quirky features like slides and games rooms. That’s great in terms of creating a more collaborative space and boosting moral but what about those times when your team members need to get their heads down and make things happen.

The best examples of modern office design incorporate a range of dedicated workspaces for their staff:

• Focus space

• Collaboration space

• Team meeting space

• Relaxation space

• Telephone conversation space

• Concentration space

• Inspirational space

As UK office design agency Office Principles explains: “Activity based working in a building is really characterised by different environments, different spaces and different settings for people to either concentrate individually or to collaborate with a couple of people together.”

There are times when your team needs to be creative, times where they need to collaborate and times when they’re better off working alone. People work in different ways as well and your team members are going to be more productive in certain working environments more than others.

This is the basis of office design for flexible working.

A stronger focus on psychology

The shift towards flexible workplaces means design choices are made with a heavy emphasis on the psychology of your workforce. The notion that happy workers are productive workers has been proven by countless studies to the point it’s no longer a cliché. However, workplace happiness is only one aspect of your psychological considerations for modern office design.

Here are some other things to consider

–          Create a sense of space with layouts and furniture

–          Invest in comfortable furniture

–          Let as much natural light as possible into our workspace

–          Use glass walls to make light go further

–          Add plants and touches of nature

–          Add art and creative works

–          Stick to minimal designs and use colour to your advantage

–          Maintain a clean and tidy workspace

–          Make your recreational areas a genuine break from the office

It’s important you understand how small details such as colour, the use of curved vs straight lines and lighting affect human psychology. You also need to back this up by making sure your team has all the tools they need to do the job and consider ergonomics – from the furniture you use to where certain work tools are located around your workforce.

Flexible working revolves around the notion that workers are at their best when they enjoy their job. Modern businesses know how important employee satisfaction is but it all comes down to improving productivity, attracting a higher quality of job candidates and holding onto your best staff for longer. This all starts with creating a workspace that allows your employees to be the best workers they can.