Have you fixed the broken window?Written by Martin Day
Left alone it doesn't take long for a building with a single broken window to rapidly become a building with many broken windows. Fixing problems when they are small will prevent them from developing into larger problems.The same is true when considering level of employee satisfaction Dissatisfaction spreads like wildfire and in a surprisingly short period of time you’ve got morale problems of kind that are notoriously hard to fix. Ensuring your employees are happy is mostly about being tuned into what their problems are and, importantly, dealing with them early on. Keeping initiative is really important and secret is that it is better to give a little and often. This turns out be a virtuous circle. Fixing problem when it’s small is also when it’s easiest and when it’s cheapest. And taking initiative without being prompted puts manager in a position of strength, which also suits employees. Staff like strong, confident management and this approach generates respect not least because someone has taken time to understand some of employees’ issues. Compare that with managers who are out of touch. They arrive late at a problem so they are on defensive, and with their credibility eroded they have to concede to demands which in turn leads to further and less reasonable demands. It’s not big and it's not clever. The issue, then, is how to go about monitoring morale of a company without a big budget and without much spare time? The first port of call should be an online survey. They’re quick, easy to use, and a low cost solution. Surveys can be created in minutes and deployed in seconds, with results compiled in real time; and by using email and websites they cost nothing to disseminate.
| | Victorian. Modern. Colonial. What’s Your Architectural Style?Written by Neda Dabestani-Ryba
Victorian. Modern. Colonial. What’s Your Architectural Style?By Neda Dabestani-Ryba Prudential Carruthers REALTORS You are attracted to a home for more than its number of bedrooms and square footage. Whether consciously or subconsciously, you are drawn to individual character of a home. Part of what makes up that character is its architecture style. During various periods of our history, different architectural styles were prevalent with builders. If you were to take a home tour around town, you can get a feel for when different neighborhoods were built based on architecture of homes. Today, many new homes incorporate different aspects of these styles on exterior and interior. The Queen Anne, Gothic Revival and Empire homes are all variations of Victorian style. Popularized after Civil War, these homes were most popular in South and West. With its intricate shapes, elaborate trimming, and fish-scale shingles, these homes truly reflect Victorian age. Inside, homes are finely detailed with stained glass windows, elaborate trim and molding, and side-by-side entry doors. Other common elements are wraparound porches and bay windows. Greek Revival-style homes were built during 1820-1850. Many of its elements represent style of Greek Temples with columns, gable or double-sloping roofs, and pediments over windows and doors. The windows are usually square and rectangular with fan windows over entryways. The interiors are symmetrical as well, with detailed woodwork and baseboards. Colonial homes take on simplistic style of original homes of settlers to United States. Common to this style are steep roofs with gable ends, clapboard siding and small windows on outside and wainscoting and chair rails on inside. A popular variation of Colonial-style is Cape Cod, which is usually 1 ½-stories with front door in center and two gable (triangular structure) ends. If you've ever seen a photo of White House, then you are familiar with Georgian style home. Built during period of 1715-1790, homes were inspired by English pattern books and reflected wealth of owner. Inside home, you could find large, ornate cornices and trim incorporating leaves and shells. The exterior is marked with medium pitched roofs with minimal overhang. The front door is centered with a decorative crown overhead and flanked by flattened columns. There are numerous windows with nine or twelve panes in each.
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