09 May, 2024
3 mins read

Renting Warehouse Space For Your Personal Possessions

Renting Warehouse Space For Your Personal Possessions

If you are gearing up for a big move or if you want to remove some of the clutter from your home, basement or attic, consider renting warehouse space. Renting a warehouse will give you an offsite location to safely store your items that is climate controlled and secure.

Before you sign the lease on the warehouse space you’ll need to visit the facility to inspect the premises first hand. You’ll need to be comfortable with where your valuables will be stored, and you’ll need to make sure the warehouse is clean and have proper security systems. You may also want to check to see how your items will be stored while in the warehouse. Will they be on pallet racks or shelves? Will there be secure wooden containers for loose items? How do warehouse employees handle the items? Warehouse management may require employees to move items to allow access to other items, so be sure to watch them while at work to see how carefully they operate warehouse machinery.

You should have a good idea of how long you’ll need to rent the warehouse space. Don’t sign a lease for an entire year if you only need to store your possessions for a couple of months. Find out the prices for month-to-month leases or if the warehouse offers a 6-month or 8-month leasing contract. If you need long-term storage, find out if the company offers long term leasing policies and make sure the rental fee doesn’t skyrocket after the first year.

Once you decide on a warehouse space to rent and sign the lease with the warehouse manager, you can start transporting your items into your designated storage area. You can either move the items yourself or hire a moving company to do it for you. Some warehouses will provide you with a moving and transporting service, which is recommended because they can store and stack items into your rented space in a way in which it is easier to be moved and stored. The packing materials you choose can also have an impact on the way your items are stored. Professional packing and moving companies or warehouse employees can assist you in maximizing your packing and wrapping to ensure efficient warehouse storage.

As your possessions are being moved into the warehouse space, an inventory will be taken. All paperwork will need to be done at this time for legal reasons to document the exact amount of items and the condition they are in at arrival. When it is time to retrieve your items, the condition will be checked to ensure nothing was damaged during the time that the warehouse space was leased.

Many warehouse facilities offer add-on features to renting space. You may wish to purchase insurance, or it may be offered to you as part of your rental fee. Many warehouses also have bathrooms, showers and offices available for those who need to work or are storing goods that are …

3 mins read

Labor and Employment Law – Three Concerns for Business Owners to Address

Labor and Employment Law – Three Concerns for Business Owners to Address

Employment law governs interactions between management and labor. It also details the way in which management is responsible for the environment of the workplace and, to a certain degree, interactions between labor force members. Employment law continues to evolve in response to a changing society, so business owners need to be proactive about remaining compliant. EEOC compliance software and ad tracking software can be valuable tools in meeting compliance goals. There are three compliance concerns all business owners must be sure to address.

1) Diversity in the Workplace

A lack of diversity in the labor force of a particular business is not necessarily due to deliberate efforts to exclude a specific group or groups. It can sometimes be a result of not casting the employment opportunity net wide enough to attract diverse applicants during hiring periods. However, that explanation may not suffice in the event of a complaint. Therefore, a special effort should be made to avoid the appearance of hiring discrimination by placing ads for employees in a variety of venues. Ad tracking software can help keep track of the success of ad locations in attracting a diverse group of applicants and EEOC compliance software can be a labor-saving means of tracking hires to ensure that diversity goals are being met.

2) Maintain an EEOC Compliant Atmosphere

An essential element of a successfully diverse labor force is an atmosphere that is respectful of differences, featuring zero tolerance for the harassment of protected groups. The bottom line on this matter is simple. The business owner is responsible for the work atmosphere and must see to it that sexual harassment, discrimination, and other behaviors specifically addressed in employment law are not tolerated. In the event of such a problem, there should be specific and effective means of resolution available to the labor force. Obviously, it should be plain that retaliatory action against a complainant is unacceptable.

3) The Termination Paper Trail

Termination has its dangers for the business owner. A job loss, particularly in this challenging economic climate, may not be accepted gracefully. Tempers could flare, resulting in an unjustified complaint. It is essential to make sure that all terminations comply with the letter of the law and to make sure that every step of the process is documented, in case it is necessary to defend the business in court against a wrongful termination complaint. In potentially contentious matters like termination, there can never be too much documentation.

In order to follow the letter of the law, however, it is necessary to know the law, and to keep track of its evolution through court rulings and interpretations of the law. Recent decisions concerning automatic terminations related to not returning to work after a leave of absence offers a good example of the sort of changing applications of employment law that a business owner must keep up with the remain compliant with EEOC expectations. According to recent EEOC interpretation, that …

3 mins read

Never Underestimate Manual Labor Jobs!

Never Underestimate Manual Labor Jobs!

If you ever did this, you are definitely wrong! For some of us, coming home from a day of lifting, digging, pounding and carrying can be more satisfying than a bank accountant counting the notes. Read on to find out the different types of manual jobs.

Construction Helpers

This is the most common manual labor jobs that you’ve heard of and they are the ones who run around assisting skilled construction workers. They carry tools, equipments and other materials that are needed, run errands, perform a variety of tasks like hammering, and clean up the work area at the end of each day. All these may seem small unimportant but imagine, what will be the life of those skilled construction workers be without them?

Besides that, it can be a real eye-opener as you can get an insider’s look at the construction of the buildings, bridges, roads and monuments!

What it takes: To qualify to be a construction helper, you need to have dexterity to use the tools, have excellent judgment when it comes to safety and have a high level of precision when making measurements. Most importantly, you need to have good physical strength and stamina, and at the same time, able to follow directions clearly. Good math skills, honesty, dependability and courtesy will definitely do you well.

Where the jobs are: Look for jobs like these in the Yellow Pages under “Construction”, “Carpentry”, “Plumbing”, and many other construction-related topics. Alternatively, look for Help Wanted ads in the newspaper.

What this job could lead to: With the experience that you have gained from being a construction helper, you might decide to pursue future positions like an apprentice to a special trade, which will then lead you to positions like master plumber, carpenter or whatever your field is.

Deckhands on Fishing Boats

These are entry-level positions that requires lots of learning and involves a lot of hard work. If you have always loved going fishing, this is definitely a chance for you to do it real.

As a beginner, you may be allowed to handle more responsibilities like hauling trap, operating fishing gear and etc.

What it takes: You need a lot of physical strength to qualify for this job. Besides that, as weather and water conditions can change quickly, you must possess a hunger for adventure. To ensure safety and success for a fishing venture, good teamwork is critical. Other desirable qualities for this job are mechanical aptitude, good condition skills, endurance, patience and alertness. However, if you are prone to seasickness, this is definitely not the job for you!

Where the job are: You can try your luck at places like commercial fishing companies, marine biology labs and sport fishing companies.

What this job could lead to: If everything goes well, you might end up as a captain of a fishing boat, an owner of a fishing company, or manager of a retail fishing equipment store. Other possible positions include harbor pilot, marine …

3 mins read

Tips To Successfully Manage Bar Inventories

Tips To Successfully Manage Bar Inventories

Management of inventories is essential to succeed in business. Unless a businessperson keeps complete track of all the goods in his stock, he is sure to end up in loss. These inventories could be in any forms. These include materials and components, work in progress inventory and finished goods inventories. It is essential to keep a record of the inventories to ensure that no fraudulent activities take place. Inventories are to be reconciled periodically. Bar inventories are no exceptions to this rule. Where inventories with regard to bar is concerned, one should ensure that proper measures are followed to have a perfect account of the inventories so that one could have a proper planning and prevent loss.

Bar inventories management

Like in any other sensitive products, bar inventory management is also difficult. You need to take into account various factors that may be behind the failure in the reconciliation of these types of inventories such as spillage while pouring alcohol, breakage, theft and so on. As far as a bar is concerned, it is essential to tally the accounts every day to ensure that inventories are properly accounted.

Tips to manage bar inventories

Having some guidelines to manage inventories effectively may be of some use. Here are some suggestions for effective management of bar inventories.

Have a separate worksheet for your inventories. If you can have software designed for this purpose, it is all the more greater.

Include every type of bar inventories you have. Classifications always help.

It is not the just the quantity that matters: you also need to have the price included to ensure you have a perfect inventory management system.

The bar inventory list should contain the alcohol brand, the purchase and sale price per bottle and the stock available of each product.

Start your day counting your bar inventories. Do not forget to include all that are in and out of storage.

Every single bottle should be accounted and hence educate your staff on the need to save the empty bottles for counting. This also greatly helps you plan your orders for specific liquors.

Broken bottles should be included in inventories and hence you could have your staff maintain records of all broken bottles.

Check the closing stock for the day and tally it with the sales for the day. Do not forget to include broken bottles and wastages.

To ensure that there are no errors, it is suggested to instruct all the staff to maintain proper record and provide them each with a worksheet so that they would have the details included with regard to purchase and sale of liquor bottles.

Bad inventory management and fragile bar business

If the inventory is not managed properly, the business may not run smoother. Have a perfect plan to maintain your inventories and do bear in mind that inventory management is not possible without the help of the staff dealing with inventories. Hence, it would be best to entrust with each …

3 mins read

Substantially Comparable in PERM Work Experience

Substantially Comparable” in PERM Work Experience

If an employer hires an alien for a position and then later decides to start the Green Card process on the alien’s behalf there may arise problems as to establishing the employer’s actual minimum requirements. In the PERM recruitment process an employer may advertise for a position requiring a certain amount of experience that is considered normal for a position. If the alien beneficiary only qualifies for the PERM position based on experienced gained working for an employer in the same or “substantially comparable” (SC) position then a PERM petition will be denied.

In a perfect situation it would be best to not have to rely on experience gained with an employer because such a situation is a common audit trigger. But, in reality it is often necessary to use experience gained with an employer to qualify for certain visas statuses (EB-2 for example). When it is necessary that work experience gained with a petitioning employer be used for a PERM it is equally necessary to document that this experience came for a position that was substantially different than the PERM position.

Situations where experience gained from an employer is needed to be proven to be substantially different are usually cases of aliens seeking EB-2 status with a bachelor’s degree plus 5 years of post graduate experience. For alien’s seeking EB-2 status based on their Master’s degrees it is not particularly important to worry about prior experience unless a petitioning employer normally requires experience on top of an advanced degree.

Actual Minimum Requirements

A major component of DOL review in the PERM process is determining an employer’s actual minimum requirements for a job. Essentially this concerns whether or not an employer has hired people with less experience/education for a position than what is being advertised and listed on ETA Form 9089. If an alien only meets an employer’s listed minimum requirements due to experience gained while working for that same employer in the same or similar position then DOL will question the employer’s actual minimum requirements.

In order for a PERM process to be in good faith it must be actually open to US applicants and not tailored to the specific qualifications of the alien beneficiary. Imagine that an employer hires an alien for the position of entry level secretary (requiring no experience) and then 5 years later files a PERM for the alien for a job that is the exact same as an entry level secretary. But, for the PERM position the employer requires applicants to have 5 years of experience. Since the employer hired the alien for the same position 5 years ago with no experience it is not justifiable to require 5 years of experience if the employer has hired people with less experience in the past. In this case the DOL will not see that a position is truly open to US applicants and will judge it to be tailored to the alien’s qualifications. In reality the employer has had …

3 mins read

She’s Having Contractions, When Should She Go To The Hospital?

She’s Having Contractions, When Should She Go To The Hospital?

One of the most exciting times during a pregnancy is when the baby is about to come. Your heart is pounding and your mind is racing. If it is your first child you might not know what you are in for. If you went to Lamaze Class you might have some insight into what is going on. Lamaze class does try to prepare you for what is about to happen. In class you will learn what to look for when you are trying to determine whether your wife or girlfriend is in labor. However, what if you didn’t go to Lamaze Class or you forgot what you learned? You might be thinking that you as the father don’t need to know the signs. After all who better to know than your wife or girlfriend? The truth is that whatever overwhelming emotions and excitement you are experiencing, she is probably experiencing them time three. It will be up to you to think clearly and logically.

So, is the mother of my child going into labor? There are a few signs to look for when determining whether she is going into labor. Of course the most obvious sign that she is going into labor is that she is having contractions. Or is it? When she is having contractions it is important to determine whether they are labor contractions or Braxton Hicks Contractions, also known as false labor contractions. The key is to keep track of the contractions and time them you can write them down, use stop watches, or even download a smart phone app that keeps track of contractions. You must determine whether the duration of the contractions is growing and whether the span between the contractions is shortening. This is a clue as to whether she is truly in labor. If the contractions are random and do not seem to be getting longer and the span between them is not shortening, she is probably not in labor. Another sign is that the actual labor contractions will get more intense and painful.

Another sign that your wife or girlfriend may be in labor is if she starts to have an increase production of mucus. This discharge is usually accompanied with red streaks that are sometimes called “show.” The other undisputable sign that she is in labor is if her water breaks. If her water breaks it is time for her to go directly to the hospital.

One question that is asked is when she should go to the hospital. The answer to this question depends on what signs she is showing. If her water breaks it is time to go. Otherwise it is a matter of timing. You should time her contractions. Keep track of how long the contractions are, and the time in between them. Once the contractions last for 60 seconds are less than five minutes apart, and these averages go on for more than an hour. These are …

3 mins read

Warehouse Space For Rent – Learn How to Save Time and Money by Making the Right Rental Decision

Warehouse Space For Rent – Learn How to Save Time and Money by Making the Right Rental Decision

Looking for the right rental property is a rite of passage for many businesses. Most discover that they can save time and capital by warehouse renting rather than purchasing their building. However, selecting the best site for a rental can be a difficult decision. More than one business has found itself stuck with steep fees and inadequate space because they didn’t ask the right questions first. But finding the perfect warehouse space to rent doesn’t have to be a painful experience. Read on for more details…

The first step before even starting to browse the available units is to know what you need. How are you going to use this space? Do you just need a big, empty room. Will the landlord pay for the utilities? If you are doing work in the warehouse, you’ll want to look at electrical outlets, restrooms and the ability to maintain a constant temperature.

Then, you need to consider the amount of space you need. You can find small storage units available for a flat monthly fee, but most warehouse rental agreements charge by the square foot. Some rental agreements dictate that the landlord pays for utilities and other property-related expenses, while other leases require the renter to pay for these expenses. When shopping around for the right size unit, also be sure to ask if you can easily upgrade to a larger facility or if the lease will lock you into that space for a certain time frame.

Once you have determined your space criteria and the necessary amenities for your business, it is time to start looking at the available sites. You can search online for available warehouse space to rent or speak with a local, commercial real estate agent.

As you tour the potential sites, consider your shipment needs. If you will just be storing products for an extended period of time, a location off the beaten track might be fine. However, if you expect weekly deliveries, look for a location near an expressway or seaport. Also determine how you’ll need to access the warehouse. For example, if you’ll be receiving truck deliveries, a truck delivery door will be essential.

When you think you have found the right warehouse for rent, talk to the landlord or property manager before signing any agreement. Learn exactly what the owner will provide and what your responsibilities are as a tenant. Be sure to ask about any local zoning or municipal ordinance requirements. If the property manager can’t give you a definitive answer, check with the local government. Nothing is worse than signing a contact to lease a warehouse, only to learn later that your expected use is not allowed per the local zoning requirements.

Finally, when choosing the right warehouse space for rent., always insure your equipment or any goods that will be stored at the location. In case of a fire or other disaster, your …

3 mins read

Self Induce Labor Safely and Naturally

Self Induce Labor Safely and Naturally

Forty weeks have gone by and you have been waiting for this moment for what feels like an eternity. You are bigger than you ever imagined possible, you have been feeling the Braxton Hicks contractions and your bag is packed. Any minute now you will be heading off to the hospital, you think. But… nothing.

If your induction date is fast approaching and you really don’t want to go down that route then here are some alternative methods to self induce labor safely and naturally.

Nipple stimulation by gently rubbing or rolling the nipple is said to encourage the start of contractions. The theory behind this is that oxytocin, the hormone responsible for contractions, is released in the body when the breasts are stimulated.

A review by Kavanagh et al in 2005 found significant benefit from nipple stimulation in women whose cervix had already started to ripen and 37% of women who tried it went into labour within 72 hours as compared to just 6 per cent of those who had not.

Castor oil acts as a powerful laxative. It also stimulate the digestive system and the uterus and so aids in inducing labor. However it is not recommended by midwives because of its side effects of diarrhoea leading to dehydration. The study carried out by Garry et al in 2000 of 100 overdue women found that 57.7 per cent began active labour after a single dose of 60ml of castor oil, as opposed to 4.2 per cent who received no treatment. No adverse affects on mother or baby were reported but all the women who took it felt nauseous.

Sex and orgasms can trigger the release of oxytocin and stimulate the induction of labor. Semen contains a high concentration of prostaglandins which help to ripen the cervix. Sex is safe as long as your waters have not broken. If your water as broken having sex may increase the risk of infection. There is no concrete evidence that sex works to induce labor however it will forge a strong bond between the couple.

Acupressure stimulates certain points in the body to trigger uterine contractions and encourage the babies head to descend and engage. It is used as a very powerful and effective tool in relieving labor pain and morning sickness. There have not been any studies showing any adverse effects on mother or baby. A recent study tested labor acupressure on a group of women who were near or past their due date, and used a control group of women in a similar condition who were not given acupressure. (Complement Ther Med. 2005). The results showed that women in the acupressure group went into labor naturally and significantly more often than the women in the control group who not using any acupressure techniques.

Another study showed that stimulation of one single pain relieving pressure point was enough to remarkably reduce labor pains (J Altern Complement Med. 2004). The study also showed that the total …

3 mins read

How To Tell If Your Significant Other Is Cheating On You

How To Tell If Your Significant Other Is Cheating On You

There are plenty of happy marriages out there and plenty of couples who would never dream of cheating on one another. They are perfectly pleased with the path their relationship is on and they believe the vows they took during their wedding ceremony were meaningful and true. Others may not be happy in their marriages, but instead of looking for happiness outside of the marriage while the marriage is still legally intact, they are honest with their spouse and work toward a mutual solution. However, these scenarios are not always the route people choose to take. If you suspect there may be a problem in your marriage and your spouse may be seeing someone else, there are things you can look for. Consider whether all of their belongings are kept at your home or if they are using a Texas contract warehouse or California contract warehouse to keep stuff off site. Ask yourself if they could be hiding another life from you that you are not a part of.

If your significant other seems to be keeping secrets, consider a few things before jumping to conclusions. Ask yourself if there is a big event in the near future they may be planning a surprise for. The last thing you want to do is accuse them of cheating on you if they are sneaking around planning a surprise party for you. If you suspect something is up and you are worried things may be going south, confide in a close friend. Chances are; they will know if something special is being planned. They can reassure you without giving away the surprise and your spouse will never about your insecurities. However, if things seem off and your spouse is being sneaky over a long period of time and no surprise ever materializes, you may have cause for concern.

Has your significant other had a sudden change in work schedule? This often happens and is perfectly legitimate. If your significant other works in a field where there are shift changes, there are plenty of reasons why the change may occur. However, if your spouse’s job is typically a 9-5 office job and they suddenly start working until 10 pm or 11 pm each night, there may be something going on.

Have you noticed a change in your relationship? If you were always affectionate and that suddenly stops, you may be dealing with a serious issue. If your spouse is getting intimacy elsewhere, they are less likely to need it while they are at home. On the other hand, you may also notice an increase in bedroom antics. The intimacy may not be there and you may feel uncomfortable with how things work out, but you may notice your spouse is more amorous. This is especially true at the beginning of an affair, so if you think a problem may be about to start, you may want to start communicating with them about …

3 mins read

How to Improve Labour Productivity in Iron and Steelmaking Operations

How to Improve Labour Productivity in Iron and Steelmaking Operations

Introduction

Whilst the biggest variable costs for most iron and steel plants include raw materials and energy, the biggest components of fixed cost generally include labour cost. This is especially so in the developed world where a typical blue-collar salary can come to $25,000 per year or more. In this article, the author discusses a number of different approaches to reducing labour costs through emphasis on productivity improvement.

Productivity Differences in the Industry

Whilst some differences in productivity are always evident in different steelmaking processes, very large differences are also often apparent when looking at nearly identical plants. This is especially so if comparisons are made between state-owned and privately owned steel businesses. A typical modern European integrated flat rolled steel plant producing 2.5 millions tonnes of flat products can today be expected to employ around 3000 people. A plant of the same size in some parts of Eastern Europe can at the same time employ ten or even twelve thousand people. It should be stressed that some of this productivity difference is not real, because the comparison is not strictly fair. Quite commonly,

the high productivity plant may be outsourcing many services (e.g. transport services, IT, canteen operations)

the low productivity plant may be providing social or welfare-related activities (e.g. offering hospital or recreational facilities).

However, much of the productivity difference discussed above often is very real and arises because of differences in organizational structure, so that – even on a like for like basis – a three-fold difference in productivity can still be apparent. Low hourly labour costs in many countries do of course mean that poor productivity is not always as problematic as it might at first seem. Nonetheless, as business profitability falls or other performance pressures come about (e.g. changes of ownership, as for example through privatization) so the question arises as to how productivity might significantly be improved.

Lessons from the Past

Lessons from restructuring of state-owned companies such as British Steel are instructive. In the case of the UK steel maker, productivity improvement (beyond that relating to modernization and the introduction of new technology) was achieved in two ways:

First, organizational structure was streamlined by the removal of organizational layers. Why have seven or eight organizational layers when four or five will do? Reduction in the size of the employment pyramid is the key technique here. Firms such as Nucor in the USA (which has just four organizational layers from CEO level down to shop floor level) have applied this very successfully

Second, job flexibility was introduced. The point here is not to have separate teams of utility workers specialised in maintenance of gas, electricity and water services – when a single (better trained) team might be sufficient. Such job flexibility applies not just to utilities; but also to engineering (civil, mechanical, etc), maintenance (iron making, steel making, rolling), transport etc – and can similarly lead to a major reduction in total employment.

Plans …