Can you believe that when the original Post-It Note was conceived, it was hard for the inventor to find anyone to believe in their idea?  Of course, we all know that the lowly Post-It Note has gained a special place in the modern office, and it’s usefulness is rarely disputed these days.

As with anything that is simple, efficient and practical, everybody wants to find a way to make it better. Over the years, these little sticky notes have found their way into the hands of some pretty creative people, and here are a few examples.

Have a little fun with these fruit-shaped sticky notes that have a “scratch-and-sniff” capability so can leave a trail of your favorite fruit scent while you dispense your messages. They also make your drawers and file cabinets develop a delicious fruit basket smell.

Trying to figure out a creative way to decorate that blank office wall? Well, consider crafting a personal art piece made entirely of sticky note pads! Not only will they spare having to put any nail holes in the wall, they can come in very handy when you need to make a quick note.

Are you one of those people who finds they can concentrate on conversations better when they have something to do with their hands? Seems that people who make Post-It Notes understand that dilemma, and have crafted a series of sticky notes with origami designs sketched in so you can fold them into various shapes to keep your hands busy without actually distracting you from what you need to hear — or say — and leave you with a beautiful creation instead of a pile of crumpled paper.

Custom designed sticky note cubes can give your desk a sense of elegance and can even be put to good use promoting your products — or your prized affiliates — in a subtle manner. Many print shops have the equipment to customize the outer edges of Post-It notes to reflect your personal style, logo or catch phrase. Of course, customized sticky notes are great giveaways that keep your name in front of the customer.

Bringing food to eat at work, especially in a big office, can create some interesting social situations. Understanding how finicky and particular some people can be about their food and dining circumstances will go a long way towards keeping a good environment in the lunchroom.

Sanitation

Coffee cups, spoons, plates and all other kitchen items need to, of course, be kept clean and germ free. Ideally, there will be a maid service to do regular thorough cleaning, but even if there is, a fulltime staff member should be appointed to kitchen duty to assure that proper sanitation practices are in place.

Of course, employees should be responsible for policing after themselves and keeping the area clean, but they cannot always be expected to have the time to clean countertops, refrigerators and microwaves that should be attended on a regular basis. Basic cleaning supplies should be provided in the kitchen area so that anyone who needs to clean up can do so. Posting a clever sign like ” your mother doesn’t work here, clean up after yourself” will only do so much, but they should, nonetheless, be included.

Common Food and Drinks

Quite often, office lunchrooms are recipients of food or drinks that are free to all, such as birthday cakes, holiday dishes and leftovers. Certain rules of etiquette certainly apply, especially those dealing with sanitation issues like ” double dipping” and sharing utensils. There is also an unwritten rule that even though it’s free, you want to save plenty for everyone else so there are no hard feelings later.

Coffee makers, filtered water machines and soda dispensers are all items they should be everyone’s responsibility to a degree. No one should be allowed to compromise other’s health by not properly using such common dispensers. The specific contact person should be appointed to routinely oversee all beverage centers to make sure they are well stocked, clean and bug free, and their name should be prominently posted in case anyone has questions or concerns.

Respecting Private Food

When people bring their lunch to work or stock some snacks in the office lunchroom, they should be able to come back and find it a right where they left it.

Many office hostilities can arise when a hungry workers’ lunch is missing because another office worker helped themselves to it. If such issues are a problem, employees should be instructed to label their food containers. No one should have to resort to the ” fake mold plastic bag” novelty item that is being sold to discourage thievery from office lunchrooms.

Another private food problem that occurs involves proper storage.  Some people forget about items and they become rancid or moldy and need to be properly disposed of by their owners. This is one more reason to have workers label their food so it can be identified. Another aspect of this problem involves improper use of the refrigerator space, resulting in cramped conditions where stored food is being crushed or mangled by new items jockeying for position.

Sharing

A rather delicate situation that  occurs in office lunchrooms is people’s enthusiasm about their recipes and food choices. What is delicious to one may be disgusting to another, and people should be aware that not everyone shares their tastes and be very understanding if another employee does not want to try your newest ” hotter-than-hell” salsa recipe because they have in more sensitive system than you do.

Of course, there’s nothing wrong for sharing as long as you are considerate, and the lunchroom is an excellent place to swap recipes, favorite restaurants and daring menus with your coworkers. Learning about others’ tastes can be an interesting way to discover more about the people you work with, and nothing is more delightful than having someone show up with one of your favorites because they know how much you like it.

True, the idea of team building has been around for decades, but a new trend is emerging that goes beyond the “feel good” atmosphere of many events that resemble a pep rally more than a tool to create rapport.

Corporations realize that they can accomplish two goals with one effort when they arrange team building exercises that contribute their time and labor to charitable activities. It is a perfect chance to benefit the community at large and boost their corporate image better than anything as superficial as a  celebrity golf tournament.

According to a New York Times article, the Cone Corporate Citizenship Study showed that 86 percent of the consumers surveyed said their brand choice is influenced by good deeds done by their employees. But positive consumer reaction is just part of the equation, and researcher Charles Moore has said studies find the volunteering as a team creates a “camaraderie quotient.”

Habitat for Humanity
This popular charity constructs new homes for low income families and has programs in most U.S. Cities, so you can even sponsor a Habitat for Humanity trip to a fun location like Las Vegas or Miami Beach.

Participants in these projects have a chance to use their ‘out-of-office’ skills such as carpentry, painting, roofing or landscaping and learn things they never knew about each other.

Since the schedules are arranged so that a team can spend the day working together, they can achieve significant results that creates a true sense of group accomplishment at the end of the day.

Kaboom

Help refurbish or build new playgrounds for children in disadvantaged neighborhoods by signing up for the SAVE PLAY program offred for corporate team building by the non-profit group Kaboom.

This weekend activity coordinates your staff for a high-spirited day building outdoor playgrounds that are laid out in advance. The result is a safe, fun environment for neighborhood kids and some rather obvious rewards for future public relations campaigns and product branding.

IMEC

Corporations in the medical field can arrange for team building programs with this non-profit agency that assembles equipment and supplies for hospitals and clinics in 70 third world countries.

Clinical workers and recent graduates can get hands-on skills repairing and sterilizing refurbished equipment that will be packaged up and sent as complete medical emergency kits around the world.

Not only is this project good for building morale, but it can be great for applying skills that had only been academic to some employees.

Disaster Relief Stations

A flexible in-house team building project can be established that will respond to natural disasters where federal agencies can be overwhelmed so additional, coordinated help from corporate teams is welcomed.

Having the equipment and training necessary to respond to disaster situations shows your corporation is responsive to the community and has taken steps to be prepared to offer their services when the need arises. It also empowers employees to feel like they have made a plan to contribute to their community when help is needed most.