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 consideringrepparttar level of employee satisfaction Dissatisfaction spreads like wildfire and in a surprisingly short period of time you’ve got morale problems ofrepparttar 150439 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. Keepingrepparttar 150440 initiative is really important andrepparttar 150441 secret is that it is better to give a little and often.

This turns out be a virtuous circle. Fixingrepparttar 150442 problem when it’s small is also when it’s easiest and when it’s cheapest. And takingrepparttar 150443 initiative without being prompted putsrepparttar 150444 manager in a position of strength, which also suitsrepparttar 150445 employees. Staff like strong, confident management and this approach generates respect not least because someone has takenrepparttar 150446 time to understand some ofrepparttar 150447 employees’ issues.

Compare that with managers who are out of touch. They arrive late at a problem so they are onrepparttar 150448 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 monitoringrepparttar 150449 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, withrepparttar 150450 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 torepparttar 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 onrepparttar 150438 architecture ofrepparttar 150439 homes. Today, many new homes incorporate different aspects of these styles onrepparttar 150440 exterior and interior. The Queen Anne, Gothic Revival and Empire homes are all variations ofrepparttar 150441 Victorian style. Popularized afterrepparttar 150442 Civil War, these homes were most popular inrepparttar 150443 South and West. With its intricate shapes, elaborate trimming, and fish-scale shingles, these homes truly reflectrepparttar 150444 Victorian age. Inside,repparttar 150445 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 representrepparttar 150446 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 overrepparttar 150447 entryways. The interiors are symmetrical as well, with detailed woodwork and baseboards. Colonial homes take onrepparttar 150448 simplistic style ofrepparttar 150449 original homes of settlers torepparttar 150450 United States. Common to this style arerepparttar 150451 steep roofs with gable ends, clapboard siding and small windows onrepparttar 150452 outside and wainscoting and chair rails onrepparttar 150453 inside. A popular variation ofrepparttar 150454 Colonial-style isrepparttar 150455 Cape Cod, which is usually 1 ½-stories withrepparttar 150456 front door inrepparttar 150457 center and two gable (triangular structure) ends. If you've ever seen a photo ofrepparttar 150458 White House, then you are familiar withrepparttar 150459 Georgian style home. Built duringrepparttar 150460 period of 1715-1790,repparttar 150461 homes were inspired by English pattern books and reflectedrepparttar 150462 wealth ofrepparttar 150463 owner. Insiderepparttar 150464 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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