4 Foolproof Ways to Attract Millennials to Your Company

By the year 2025, Brookings Data Now estimates that millennials will make up roughly 75% of the U.S. labor force.

There’s a clear changing of the guard!

If your company’s workforce isn’t already predominantly millennial, it’s only a matter of time before it is . . . And if you’re an executive who is hesitant to embrace millennials, you’re currently at a major disadvantage when it comes to acquiring the best available talent.

So, how do you go about attracting millennials to your company? Let us help! We love millennials and we know what they’re looking for in potential employers. Make your company a destination spot for them!

A Strong Culture

“Culture is simply a shared way of doing something with a passion.” – Brian Chesky (CEO Airbnb)

Millennials know what they want. Likewise, it’s important for your company to know what it wants and what it is.

This begins with setting core values and goals and making sure they’re echoed throughout your organization. If your company supports a particular cause, see that it’s emphasized and that there are opportunities for employees to get involved.

A Fun Environment

“Being a great place to work is the difference between being a good company and a great company.” – Brian Kristofek (CEO Upshot)

Millennials want work to be fun! So, why can’t it be? In a survey completed by Ring Central in 2014, 78% of millennials stated that a company’s work environment affects their decisions to stay at a job. This comes back to culture. What kind of workplace have you built for your employees? Is it an environment where people are silently working away in their cramped cubicles until 5pm finally rolls around? Or is it a place where people can interact with others, collaborate, and feel like they’re working towards something exciting?

When the work is fun, you’ll find that your employees perform better, boost company morale, and enhance your already-strong culture. You’ll also see your retention rate improve drastically.

A Sense of Transparency

“Power is gained by sharing knowledge, not hoarding it.” -Unknown

In a 2014 study from IBM, millennials cited the top three attributes of a perfect boss as “ethical and fair,” “transparent and readily shares information,” and “dependable and consistent.” The millennial generation values honesty. No fronts, no facades.

Be a company that fosters transparency at every level of the organization – a company that allows its employees’ voices to be heard. Create bridges of communication between the different tiers of the corporate hierarchy. Better yet, make your employees feel like they can approach anyone to ask for advice or present an idea.

Not only does this create harmony, but it also benefits both employee and employer. The employee will feel invested in the company and its endeavors, while the employer will reap the benefit of new innovative methods and ideas.

A Work-Life Balance

“Most people chase success at work, thinking that will make them happy. The truth is that happiness at work will make you successful.” -Alexander Kjerulf (Chief Happiness Officer of Woohoo inc)

People from every generation have expressed the desire for a good work-life balance.

The only difference is that, for previous generations, it was a perk. For millennials, it’s a necessity.

An employer might assume that greater flexibility would lead to a drop off in production but that isn’t the case. According to a survey commissioned by Bentley University, 89% of millennials regularly check their work emails after work hours. 

Millennials don’t want to stop working altogether – they just want flexibility, and their reasons are legitimate. Some want the option of working during the evening when they feel as though they’re at their best.

If you follow our advice and begin to tailor your organization to create an ideal work environment, there’s no reason you can’t add some of the best available millennial talents.

7 Innovative Benefits That Will Help You Snag Top Talent

With the millennial mindset entering today’s market full throttle, skilled employees view new jobs as opportunities for growth, and won’t hesitate to take their talent elsewhere. In fact, a recent Talent Management study issued that a third of new hires leave their job by month six!

But don’t fret – there’s something you can do! Check out these retention strategies that can drastically reduce staff turnover, while channeling employee engagement, innovation, and creativity.

1. Create an Inclusive and Innovative Company Culture

Your company culture should be an experience in and of itself. Today, an exceptional culture is just as vital to employee satisfaction and retention as a high paying salary.

How do you build a strong company culture? Strive to create an environment in which “office drama” is minimized, and collaboration and communication are encouraged.

Respect and encourage creativity and innovation. Make sure everyone gets recognition for good ideas and hard work. Encourage people to think outside the box. Even if a particular solution isn’t currently feasible, remain encouraging and upbeat.

2. Revamp Your Hiring Process

Employees and companies have to be the right cultural fit for each other. Start by choosing the right talent! By onboarding an employee that will “mesh” with fellow teammates, you’ll leverage the productivity and group harmony of your business. Your new hires will most likely be happy in their role in a supportive environment, and the risk of staff turnover will gradually decrease.

3. Make Sure Your Benefits Package Is Up To Date

According to the US Incentive Federation, US businesses spend $90 billion a year on non-cash incentives, up 17% from 2013.

Be it traditional healthcare and retirement packages, or non-traditional gym memberships and tuition reimbursement, benefits are a vital consideration to prospective employees and the baseline for retention.

Consider small benefits, such as food discounts, pet insurance, or an errand running service. Offering perks is often quite affordable, and can generate a lot of appreciation among staff. Don’t know where to get started? Get in touch. We make rocking benefits easy.

4. Reward Hard Work and Exceptional Performance

Rewards and incentives can drive productivity. By acknowledging and supporting the employees who go above and beyond, you also encourage their coworkers to contribute. There are many ways to reward employees!

Provide your employees with regular feedback and recognition for their hard work. Of course, monetary incentives are a plus, but raises or promotions aren’t always an option. Don’t let that stop you from acknowledging your employees’ accomplishments! Everyone appreciates a personalized verbal or written kudos from their boss. This also strengthens the bond between you and your employee.

5. Discourage Micromanagement

Micromanagement, especially pertaining to incoming millennial talent, can be toxic to a work environment and employee retention. Often, the micromanager’s mentality – and drive for productivity – is well-intended, but unfortunately can result in annoyed, disengaged employees who feel like their bosses don’t trust them. Many employees may be tempted to look for greener pastures where they will be able to take on more responsibility.

Whether or not a staff leader can perform better than a subordinate, a “just let me do it” or “do it this way” mentality can hinder employee growth, innovation and morale. When training your management staff, focus on leadership and mentoring skills, and hire managers who want the best for their team, not to be the best player.

6. The Right Type of Management Is Still Needed

Eliminating micromanagement doesn’t mean eliminating management entirely. Managers must provide feedback, guidance, and organize their team, but with an approach that empowers employees rather than stifles them.

Quarterly one-on-ones are an excellent way to communicate and collaborate while still giving employees room to perform individually.

The role of a manager is not to be the smartest, or most capable person in the room; their job is to build high performing teams. Doing so will increase engagement, encourage innovation, and help establish a work dynamic employees want to stay in.

7. Do Exit Interviews

Turnover is inevitable; even in the highest-paying, most sought after companies, employees are going to leave. Consider it a learning experience: understanding why your employees are leaving can prevent others from walking out the door.

If an employee gives notices, plan an exit interview before they leave. Having a neutral party, such as an HR employee, conduct the interview, is often the most reciprocated dynamic.

Turnover is Inevitable, But You Can Improve Retention Rates

Understanding what keeps employees engaged, motivated, and satisfied is vital to attracting prospective hires, and retaining top-talent. While employees will inevitably change careers, needs, or locations, you can improve your retention rates through conscious effort. Many organizations are currently refocusing their retention strategies, and have implemented small-scale benefits such as Errand Solutions to create the “work-life balance” many young employees value. Building a value-based, team-driven, company culture, and rewarding your employees with benefits, bonuses and simple appraisals, is an excellent place to start.

7 Ways Employers are Boosting Office Morale

Did you know that happy employees are 31% more productive?

Salaries aren’t enough anymore. These days, people are just as concerned with living a “good life” as they’re worried about cashing big checks. As a result, many companies have found that by offering perks and benefits, they can greatly increase morale and productivity. We’ve seen it with our own eyes! So even if the upfront costs of these perks seem undesirable, the long-term payoff could easily outweigh the expenditures.

Provide In-Home Cleaning to Reduce Chores

Nobody likes doing chores. Keeping the house clean, mowing the grass, all of these basic tasks can become a burden for people who are already working 40-plus hours a week. Tired workers are less likely to be engaged, creative, and innovative.

That’s why some employers are now offering free or discounted cleaning and other household services. This way, when employees aren’t in the office, they can relax, enjoy hobbies, or do pretty much anything else besides chores.

This will help your employees get some true R&R. As a result, company morale will improve, and productivity will increase as employees are more well rested.

Make it Easy to Hit the Gym

Offering employees free gym memberships or installing a gym facility in your office is a great way to encourage physical health. Gym memberships are relatively cheap in many areas, and group discounts may also be possible.

Meanwhile, a good workout will ensure that your employees are physically healthy. This will lower the risk of injuries, such as pulling out your back. Some studies have even linked working out to reducing the risk of catching a cold. Hitting the gym can reduce stress as well.

Consider letting employees take some time off from work to hit the gym as well. This is an especially feasible option if the gym is on-site or nearby. Letting an employee get in a twenty-minute workout at the gym can increase their productivity through the rest of the day, and improve their creative energy.

Offer a Night Out

A night out is always fun, but it can be hard to justify spending our hard earned cash when Netflix is cheaper than going to a theatre. Why pay for dinner and a movie when you can eat something frozen and watch TV? A lot of people end up skipping date night, especially during the winter.

Getting out of the house can help people relax and focus! So why not lend a hand and give them a night out for less? Offer your employees a gift certificate to a restaurant, or free movie tickets. These little perks can go a long way towards creating appreciation among your employees.

Make Vacation Mandatory

The vast majority of companies offer some type of vacation package. Sometimes the days are set per year. Other companies, such as Netflix, offer unlimited vacation time. However, many employees are often hesitant to take vacation days. Instead, the days just accrue unused.

Believe it or not, unused vacation time can actually hurt companies. Productivity and morale can be hurt as employees become overworked and stressed. Some time away from the office can help employees get some much needed R&R.

That’s why some companies have begun to mandate vacation. “Take your days or else we’ll send you home to get some rest.” This might sound extreme, however, in many cases, a “mandatory” policy simply reinforces how important vacation time is and how serious your company is about honoring it. That’s often enough to get employees to take days off.

Give Your Employees a Full-Time Concierge

Nothing says the “good life” more than having a concierge. Believe it or not, you can provide your employees with 24/7 services through Errand Solutions. Through our app, employees can contact us, and we can help them with just about anything. Seriously. Anything.

A lot of companies deliver their products and services with the utmost professionalism. We do too, but we throw a lot of passion and love into the mix as well. We’ve saved a choking iguana, found the best vegan birthday cake in town, and hosted an ice-fishing theme party. We even helped a customer track down their birth parents and hooked up a nervous child with a therapeutic bunny.

Good Benefits Lead to a Stable, Productive Workforce

The grass is always greener on the other side. Except when it isn’t. Make benefits an experience rather than an add-on. By using these employee retention strategies, you can make the grass greenest right in your office. This way, employees will have every reason to stay, and won’t be tempted by opportunities to leave.

 

Sham-Rock Your St. Patrick’s Day Office Festivities

With Christmas and New Years in the rear-view mirror, St. Patrick’s Day is creeping up on us faster than we know. Soon enough, the 17th will arrive and every street corner and pub will be decorated in Irish green.

St. Paddy’s is a day when everyone – Irish or not – can get involved and join in on the joyous festivities. Over the course of the holiday, you might attend a few parties with family and friends; but you might also find yourself charged with the task of throwing together something special at your workplace.

One roadblock in planning a St. Patrick’s Day celebration at work is that many of the traditional holiday events aren’t exactly…office-friendly. Chances are your boss won’t appreciate their employees getting drunk on the job (talk about unproductive!), so celebrating St. Patrick’s Day in the workplace can prove to be quite the challenge.

How can you make St. Patrick’s Day fun while still complying with company protocol? Let’s look at six creative, office-friendly ways to celebrate St. Paddy’s with your coworkers!

1. Ask Everyone to Wear Green

This is just about the easiest way to get all of your coworkers involved and into the St. Patrick’s Day spirit! Blast out a short email to everyone in advance, and then maybe send everyone a simple text the night before as a final reminder. Try your best to get everyone on board! You could even entice with them a small prize awarded for the most spirited outfit.

If your workplace has a strict dress code, be sure to convey those standards again so that you don’t get any coworkers in trouble – unless, of course, your boss is willing to make an exception for this particular day.

2. Create an Irish Music Playlist

Ireland has produced some of the greatest music of all time. Start the day with some of the traditional Celtic songs to set the right St. Paddy’s Day mood (Spotify makes it easy with plenty of already-curated playlists and albums). If the Celtic folk tunes songs get a little grating after a few dozen passes, switch to a more subtle Irish homage with U2, The Cranberries, or Van Morrison. The variety of famous Irish artists should be enough to last the entire workday.

Create your playlists the night before, keep your phone charged, and let it play! Just be mindful that others are working, so find a soft, comfortable volume that doesn’t inhibit anyone’s ability to get work done.

3. Learn an Irish Jig

While we’re on the topic of music, nothing compliments upbeat Irish tunes like a fun Irish jig. The Internet is a beautiful thing – search for a few simple tutorials online, and teach yourself an Irish jig. If it’s easy enough, you may be able to teach a few employees on the fly, too!

A break for a short, lighthearted dance is a great way to get the blood flowing and lift the spirits of your coworkers!

4. Decorate! Decorate! Decorate!

It won’t feel like St. Patrick’s Day if there aren’t any green decorations around the office. Speak with your boss first and determine whether there’s any budget for such decorations; and if not, you can still find inexpensive decorations or even DIY something simple.

You can also ask each person in the office to handle a different decoration. This keeps costs low and makes everyone feel as though they are an important part of the day!

5. Share a Green Potluck Meal

You can’t have a St. Patrick’s Day celebration without green food! Ask each employee to bring a small dish of his or her favorite green colored food or (non-alcoholic) beverage. Cupcakes with green frosting, pesto pasta salad, spinach and artichoke dip, guacamole, key lime pie…the possibilities are endless!

This also doesn’t have to amount to a full-blown feast or even a full meal. An arrangement of light snacks or desserts may be plenty to keep the blood sugar up, as well as give people a chance to relax and mingle with their coworkers.

6. Hold Games and Contests

Break up your company’s workday with a few holiday games and contests. There are plenty of quick but fun Celtic-themed events to choose from.

Here are a few ideas:

  • Gold Hunt (with chocolate coins!)
  • Irish Trivia
  • An In-Office Parade
  • Jig Contest
  • Costume Contest

Bonus Tip!

Do you know any Irish folk at your workplace? Collaborate with them! Pick their brains and find out if they know of any special traditions or ideas that you can incorporate into your office celebrations.

And remember – if you choose to hold any (or all) of these six office-friendly St. Patrick’s Day activities, be sure to clear them with your boss in advance. Even though alcohol may not be involved and everything might seemingly respect company protocol, it’s best to ensure that there are no issues with anything that you’re planning. The last thing you want is for you or someone else to be disciplined as a result of some party planning gone wrong!

Enjoy bringing the spirit of St. Patrick to your festivities. Be safe and have fun!

Beat the Clock: Ways to Improve Your Time Management

February is National Time Management Month! While it’s not an official government holiday, it’s the perfect excuse to look at your habits and find out how you can make slight changes to save you time at both work and home. Check out just a few of these time management tips:

Track Your Time Waste

To better manage your time, you need to find out where you’re wasting it. What are your time bandits? Do you spend too much time on Facebook? Texting? Watching TV? Start writing it all down! By tracking your daily activities, you’ll be able to form an accurate picture on where your time might be being wasted. There are also apps to help you track your online time, specifically. Programs like RescueTime run the background of your computer or mobile devices and tracks the time on websites and applications, giving you a detailed report at the end of the day.

Make a Plan

Take the information you’ve gained from tracking your time and create a plan. Set goals on how much time you’ll spending on different activities each day and track whether you’ve accomplished them. There are plenty of software programs, apps and other tools you can use to make that happen – including bullet journals. Bullet journals, a recently popular trend, is a journal method that accommodates a variety of different planning systems. You’re supposed to fill the pages with bulleted lists (hence, the name), but also calendars, to-do lists, diary entries, brainstorming notes, doodles and even habit-tracking. Personally, bullet journals were a lifesaver when it came to planning my wedding last year – from lists of potential vendors to sketching out table arrangements, it was the perfect place to keep everything organized. But whether through bullet journals or an app, sticking your plan is key to improving your time management.

Prioritize

Start each day by prioritizing everything that needs to be accomplished. You may have 35 items you want to get done, but if you don’t have the time for all of them (and you probably won’t), it’s important to get the most vital ones done first. A good way to visualize this to think about your day as a bucket, and each of your to-dos is a rock. The truly important items are big rocks and the less important tasks are pebbles. If you fill the bucket with your pebbles first, there won’t be enough room for any rocks. Focus on the rocks first, and if you have time left over, you can start on the pebbles, which will fill in the empty spaces around the rocks. You may have some leftover pebbles at the end of the day, but at least your rocks will have a home in the bucket.

Set Time Limits

There are certain tasks that could take the whole day if you let them, so it can be helpful to set a time limit on those. For example, you could probably spend your entire day just reading and answering emails. Instead, block one hour of time devoted strictly to emails and stick to it. Hate cleaning? Try the 20-10 system – Micky is a big fan! He sets a timer for 20 minutes and spends that cleaning in one area. When the timer goes off, he sets another timer for 10 minutes, and does something fun or relaxing during that time. Micky says he finds that the mundane tasks get done faster when breaking them in to smaller, more manageable pieces.

Establish Routines

Just like you may have a morning routine for getting ready, creating routines for the day can be incredibly helpful. When you know what you’re already going to do next, you don’t have to waste time thinking and trying to decide. When these routines are established, it will become second nature and you’ll start getting through them quicker and quicker. If you plan on a 20-10 cleaning time every night, you can get those mega-cleaning Saturdays out of your routine and make time for something for fun.

Outsource

A huge part of successful time management is delegating or outsourcing certain items when you can. You’re not superman/woman and nobody expects you to be able to do everything in one day. Take advantage of people on your team (or our team!) and ask for help. Did you know you could have a personal concierge at your disposal? A service like Errand Solutions allows you (and your employees/coworkers) to outsource small tasks like making dinner reservations to time-suckers like planning your vacation. When it comes to a company’s time management, Errand Solutions is a huge asset.

Want to learn more? Get time back on your side and contact us today!

A Box of Adorable

Stephanie walked into the Errand Solutions office one morning, a little before 9:30, as usual, coffee in hand. When she reached the door, a post-it was there saying “Need help, please call!” A little nervous, she unlocked the door, sat down and called the number.

Just one ring later, Jennie picked up.

“So glad you called!” Jennie exclaims. “I have an unusual request. Can I come down to your office?”

“Sure… no problem,” Stephanie replied.

“I’ll bring them down in a just a moment,” Jennie said, clearly relieved.

What was Jennie bringing into her office? Stephanie was now more curious than ever.

A knock on the door a few minutes later, Jennie came in carrying a cardboard file box and placed it on the desk. A faint mew escaped, while a paw poked out of a hole in the side of the box. A kitten!

“I was planning on dropping them off before work, but completely forgot about an early meeting I would have missed,” Jennie said.

“Here’s the vet’s address and my phone number. I’ll pick them up and can pay the vet at the end of the day, so all you have to do is just get them there and checked in.”

Stephanie said she loved animals and was delighted to run the errand. Jennie thanked Stephanie and hurried off to her meeting.

Stephanie couldn’t help but laugh to herself—how strange this day was starting out! She sat down and started up her computer to get directions to the vet’s office, but couldn’t help but take a peek at what was inside the box. She opened the lid and gasped. Inside the box, she saw five sets of precious blinking eyes looking up at her.

Forcing herself to gain her composure from all the adorableness, Stephanie carried the box to her car. She drove the kittens to the vet and got them all checked in. After saying goodbye to each ball of fur, she left the vet’s office and headed back to work.

Later that day, Jennie called to say that the kittens were all doing very well and thanked Stephanie again for running this unusual errand. Stephanie was more than happy to spend her morning with a box full of kittens!

 

Risk Takers

Alison had a theory in life: when you’re in over your head, it’s all about how big of a risk you’ll take to keep yourself afloat. That mentality had made her a successful young woman, and there was no denying that her mother was proud of her for it. This time was different, though.

Usually, Alison’s risk taking didn’t interfere with someone’s health, let alone her mother’s. She tried to tell herself that it could only get better, but, even knowing this, it still took all the nerve Alison had in her being to be able to confront her step brother about his care – or lack thereof – for her mother.

Alison’s mother had been very sick for a long time. When she had first fallen ill, she had gotten better and had been discharged from the hospital into her step son’s care. Almost immediately, she started getting worse again. She was hospitalized again, and again discharged into her step son’s care, but the same thing happened. When her mother got worse a third time, Alison checked in on her step brother. She stopped at her step brother’s house one day after work to visit her mother. As soon as she walked in the door, she knew what was going on.

The house was dark, filthy, and stuffy. Medication bottles were jumbled on the table, some half empty and others completely full. Picking her way through the clutter in the house, Alison made her way to her mother’s room. When she saw her mother, she immediately called 911.

Alison’s step brother met her at the hospital after getting her call. “What’s going on?” she asked him. “Look, if you can’t take care of her, I can help,” she added when he didn’t answer. “This isn’t healthy for her.”

“I don’t need any help,” he said, and left.

It was the third time Alison’s mother had been hospitalized for the same illness, and after speaking with her step brother, Alison knew why. She also knew that he wasn’t going to let her help care for her mother. The only course of action she could think to take was to file for custody of her mother – which was the biggest risk she had ever taken.

Not knowing where to start, Alison went to the government’s website and found the forms necessary for filing for custody. She printed them out and read through the directions. Then she reread the directions. Then she read them again. The instructions and lists of requirements were so confusing that they had even Alison’s strong, detailed mind in a knot. She decided to ask the nurse about it the next day when she visited her mother in the hospital. If anyone knew how to figure this out, Alison thought, it would be the nurses who treat abuse victims.

“I can’t help with that,” the nurse said apologetically. “Unless there’s obvious physical evidence of abuse, I’m supposed to stay out of affairs like this.” She started to turn away from Alison, but thought better of it. “If I were you, I’d go downstairs to the Errand Solutions desk. They might be able to find someone who can help you.” Alison thanked her and left.

Alison found the Errand Solutions desk with no problem, but found that she was incredibly nervous about telling someone about the situation. The nurse could see the effects of what had happened, and knew her mother’s condition, but how was she supposed to convince someone else that her mother’s life was at risk if there was, as the nurse said, no physical evidence of abuse?

“Hello,” the woman at the desk said when she notice Alison standing there, trying to muster the nerve to ask for help a second time. “How can I help you?” The woman introduced herself as Amanda, and Alison started to explain what she needed.

“I have these forms I need to fill out,” she said, holding the papers up for Amanda to see, “but I’m not sure how to go about it.”

“Let’s have a seat at the table over here and take a look,” Amanda said, pointing out a table and chairs next to the desk. “So,” she started when they had sat down, “what exactly is going on with your mother?”

Alison told her story from the beginning and found herself describing in vivid detail the state she had found her mother in when she visited her step brother’s house. Amanda let her talk without interruption, and as the story went on, her brow became more and more furrowed. Between the details of the story and Alison’s emotional state in telling it, it didn’t take long to convince Amanda that Alison’s mother was suffering from abuse due to negligence, and that something needed to be done about it.

“Okay,” she said. “Let’s go through this paperwork.”

Together, they sat at the table for several hours, poring over the paperwork, figuring out the instructions which had left Alison so confused, and reviewing all the information that was filled into the boxes. When they had finished filling out the forms, Amanda went over them again, looking for any tricky language or exception clauses that they had missed the first time through. Then, she and Alison went over the information one more time, making sure that the correct information had been entered into the correct boxes.

“Phew,” Alison sighed when they were done. “I don’t think I would have done this right without your help.”

“We’re not quite done,” Amanda said. “It says here that the forms need to be filed at the office in person, so you’ll actually have to take these over there yourself. Here’s what I suggest: you probably don’t want to spend too much time away from your mother, so I think we should fax these over and have the clerks review them to make sure there aren’t any mistakes or anything like that.” Amanda pointed at the Errand Solutions desk. “We have a fax machine here, so I could do that for you right now. That way you don’t waste a trip.”

“I probably wouldn’t have thought of that, either,” Alison said.

The next day, Alison stopped at the Errand Solutions desk on her way to visit her mother in her hospital room. Someone else was sitting at the desk, and Amanda wasn’t coming in that day.

“Are you Alison?” the associate asked. “She left a note, saying that the office called and said the paperwork was in order.” The associate looked a little confused. “I suppose you know that that means?”

“Yes,” Alison said, smiling. “If you see Amanda, tell her I said thank you.”

A few weeks later, Amanda arrived at work to find a voicemail message for her on the machine. “Hi Amanda, it’s Alison,” Alison’s voice said. “I just wanted to let you know that the paperwork was approved, and my mother’s going to be released into my care.”

Three Times More

The entire staff seemed to be running around like chickens with their heads cut off when Serena got to work. No matter who she spoke to, they all seemed to be stressed and in a hurry. She finally asked one of the staffers what was going on.

“We don’t have anyone to run the blood drives,” the staffer told her.

“What do you mean we don’t have anyone?” Serena asked. “We’ve been having blood drives for as long as I’ve been here. Who was organizing them?”

“The woman who was doing it was hospitalized last night,” the staffer said. “We don’t know when she’ll be able to come back to work. She had an assistant, but he resigned yesterday.”

“Why?” Serena was beginning to understand the stress that was running rampant in the building.

“I don’t know,” the staffer said, turning to leave. “I just know we need to find someone to do it soon. We’re running low on our supply. We can’t afford to lose our donations.”

Serena thought about what the staffer had said over her break. The CRMC was the leading trauma center around; they were in constant need of blood. Patients would be brought into the center after a bad car accident or something like that, and many times were kept alive only because of a blood transfusion.

In addition to being the leading trauma center in the area, there were many patients who received blood treatments at the center for other reasons, including diseases of the blood. Serena was especially concerned about these people, because she had a personal connection to the issue. A few weeks earlier, her good friend told Serena that her son had Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia, or ALL. Not knowing anything about ALL, Serena had done a considerable amount of research; in her reading, she found that the treatments for ALL included blood transfusions. She and her husband had decided that they would start participating in blood drives as often as they could. They had gone to the medical center and donated blood, but she also knew that most people only thought about donating blood when there was an event that called their attention to the need for blood.

Putting her coffee aside, she went to the human resources department. “I’d like to take over the organization of blood drives,” she told the clerk, who looked a bit surprised, but got her the information she needed nonetheless. He gave her several binders.

“This one has a list of regular donors and their phone numbers,” he said. “This one has the contact information of people in other departments who you might need to talk to, and this one is the list of regulations for blood drives.” The last binder was the heaviest, and papers were sticking out of it at odd angles.

“No wonder you don’t have someone yet,” Serena said, eyeing the regulations binder. It even looked daunting.

“It’s not that bad, really,” the clerk said. “The nursing staff already knows what to do, so your job is more marketing the event than anything.” Reassured, Serena took the binders with her to flip through.

For the next few days, Serena worked to get the binders in order. She retyped much of the material, printed it out, and organized it in the binder so that all the information was categorized and easy to find. She then went to the marketing department to set a date.

“I want to triple the number of donors that we have at the next drive,” she told the marketing director. “We have a loyal base of donors, but it’s not a lot of people. Not as many as we need to donate blood in order to treat all the people that come through here.”

“Okay,” the director said. “You know they had already set a date before you took over?”

“Oh?” No one had told Serena that a date had been set already. “When is it?”

“Two months from now.” She smiled at Serena. “We’re going to have our work cut out for us if you want to triple the number of donors.”

For the next few weeks, Serena worked on the blood drive effort in addition to her regular job at the Errand Solutions desk. She made phone calls, printed up flyers, and posted advertisements in every community bulletin board she could find around town. A month before the drive, the number of donors who made appointments had doubled from the last drive. Seeing her progress, Serena redoubled her efforts, and started making calls from her home phone and on her days off, trying to get the word out. She did her best to explain to everyone she spoke with why blood donations were important.

The day finally arrived, and the drive went off without a hitch. The nursing staff was even more prepared than the human resources clerk had led her to believe; they were juggling the many appointments Serena had been able to secure, along with quite a few walk-ins, with perfect professionalism. At the end of the day, Serena helped to clear away tables and other supplies before sitting down to organize the books and write up a final report to put in the binder as a reference for the next drive. She looked at the information carefully, paying special attention to the number of donors. When she had a tally, she checked it against the number from the last drive. Then she checked again.

It was just over three times more than the last drive.

Food Delivery ‘Round the World

On Friday morning, we received an email from an International user from one of our virtual locations. The user, Patryk, lives in Gdansk, Poland, which is approximately 4,617 miles away from our Hub in Chicago.

“Would you be able to order food delivery? I’d like 2 servings (for 2 adults) of Chinese food delivered at 9:30pm to my home. Credit card payment preferred, but cash is also ok. For specific dish selections, pick something for me and my wife. No dietary limitations.”

While a food delivery is a pretty standard request for our concierges, everything becomes more complicated when different countries and languages are brought into the mix. However, we don’t let that stop us.

Upon receiving the request, we emailed Patryk right away. “Hi Patryk. Thank you for your request. We’re working on it now and will get back to your shortly.”

Immediately, one of our team members went online to look up local restaurants and read reviews. At the same time, another team member reached out to our local Gdansk concierge network to get personal recommendations. It turns out, there are not a lot of Chinese restaurants in Gdansk, so we had our work cut out for us.

Along with one of our concierge partners, we selected a highly recommended restaurant and carefully picked the dishes from their online menu. We placed the order via conference call with both the restaurant and our Polish associate to ensure the delivery would happen and nothing would be lost in translation.

Eventually, we placed an order of wanton soup, crispy wantons, sesame chicken with vegetable fried rice, duck breast with jasmine rice and a side of sweet & sour Peking cabbage to be delivered to Patryk’s home that night for him and his wife to enjoy.

After the order was placed, we called Patryk. “Just wanted to let you know that the order is placed and will be delivered at your requested time,” we said. “We really appreciate the opportunity to serve you today.”

“Oh wow,” Patryk said, surprised. “That was fast. I actually already received a confirmation text from the restaurant. Thank you so much!”

At exactly 9:30pm, Patryk enjoyed a delicious Chinese dinner at his home. Our Gdansk associate called the restaurant around the time it was to be delivered to confirm that everything went off without a hitch. The restaurant ensured us that it was delivered on time.

Later that night, Patryk sent us to text. “Everything was great, thank you! 🙂 ”

While we couldn’t be there to see the smile on his face directly, the emoji sent from across the world was plenty.

The Dog Days of Summer

“Emily, it’s Linda from the fourth floor. I was wondering if you could do something for me.”

Emily never knew what to expect when she picked up the phone. Working for Errand Solutions, she knew that this call could be about almost anything. There was, however, a certain framework. Picking up the phone meant keeping an open mind, and being ready to think creatively.

She never could have expected a request like Linda’s. Linda was a nurse who primarily worked in the oncology wings. Even over the phone, Emily sensed that Linda was worried.

“Of course, Linda. What can I do for you?”

“Well, first…do you like dogs?”

Emily laughed with relief. “Who doesn’t?”

Linda explained that she was caring for a visually impaired patient named Julie whose seeing-eye dog was staying in the ward with her.

“We’re really shorthanded right now, and we have a full ward. Everyone’s been running around so much, there’s no way we’re going to be able to care for this dog the way it deserves,” Linda continued.

“Sounds like things are a little hectic up there.” “More than a little,” Linda sighed. “I was hoping you might be able to help us. You could maybe walk the dog a couple times a day while the patient’s here. I know it’s sort of a weird request, but do you think you could—?”

“Of course I could do that!” Emily blurted before giving it a second thought. Linda laughed. “Sorry. That might have been a little overenthusiastic.” “It’s fine,” Linda chuckled. “I’m just relieved you said yes!”

Emily jotted down the room number and went up. She could tell she was at the right room because she could just make out a chocolate lab resting its chin on the patient’s bed. Emily knocked on the door, and a woman’s voice beckoned her in.

“Hi, Julie. I’m Emily. Your nurse Linda was telling me you needed someone to walk your dog?” “Hi, Emily. It’s so nice of you to come! I’m sure Lucy is ecstatic too.” She pointed to the lab by the bed, whose tail thumped excitedly.

Emily could see Julie’s relief. She’d always been a pet owner, and understood how caring for an animal could be. She loved to keep busy, but agonized about her own dog’s schedule being interrupted. Julie was clearly feeling a similar uneasiness.

Emily and Julie worked out that two walks a day should be fine, once in the morning, once in the afternoon, for the next week. With that, Emily secured Lucy’s leash, and their week together began.

Every morning and afternoon, Emily and Lucy went out for their walks. For Emily, it became the best part of the day. She loved the fresh air and the warm, sunny summer days, as well as spending time with her well-behaved companion. Emily had noticed a quiet, fenced-in park on their first walk, and on the second day, Julie offered up the tennis ball she had brought along so the two could play.

“Alright, Lucy,” Emily cooed to a patiently-sitting Lucy, making sure the fence was closed, and there were no park-goers nearby. “You ready?”

She shook the tennis ball and Lucy’s ears perked up. She shook it again, and the lab got on her paws, crouching playfully. Ready, indeed.

“Okay,” Emily smiled, winding back her arm and tossing the ball. “Fetch!”

And she was off. Bounding across the small field, ears flapping and tongue stretched out of her open-mouthed canine smile. Lucy got hold of the toy as it rolled to a stop in the grass, gently scooping it up in her mouth.  She turned tail and galloped back to Emily who was giggling to herself. No matter how important its job, it seemed no dog was immune to the thrall of a simple game of fetch.

“Good girl!” Lucy dropped the ball by Emily’s feet. Emily crouched down and patted the dog’s neck. Lucy was grinning, and her coat glinted, slightly brindled in the sunlight. She nudged the ball with her nose.

Emily loved her new dog-walking duties. Between the fresh air and games of fetch at the park, she found that she could not wait to go to work every morning. It only got better when she saw the relief on Julie’s face each day when Lucy returned to her, the canine companion happy to be back at her owner’s side. Emily had always believed that helping people was what she was meant to do. Guide dogs are, of course, trained to help, but Emily couldn’t help thinking that Lucy was born with the same need to help that she felt within herself. The dog seemed almost intuitive. If Emily frowned, Lucy would tilt her head inquisitively. If Emily had a hectic afternoon, Lucy would nuzzle her hands affectionately with her nose. She always seemed to know how Emily was feeling. Emily sometimes wondered who was walking whom.

By her fourth day with Lucy, she remembered she had an afternoon meeting she couldn’t miss. After a phone call with an associate who agreed to take the guide dog for her second walk, Emily headed to the hospital an hour early and headed straight for Julie’s room.

“You’re early!” Julie smiled.

“It turns out I have a meeting later, so I came in a little early make sure you and Lucy were taken care of until then. My friend Tom will be taking her this afternoon.”

“Oh, thank you so much! I really appreciate it. I’m sorry you had to come in early, though.”

“Don’t be! I’m a morning person, and I wouldn’t miss a walk with Lucy for the world,” Emily said with a chuckle.

The sixth morning rolled around, and Emily found Julie’s room empty. Puzzled, she approached the nurse’s desk.

“Excuse me, could you tell me where Julie from room 316 is?”

The nurse grinned. “She got to go home! Her recovery was going very well, and her doctor gave her the all-clear.”

“Oh, okay. That’s great to hear! Thank you.” Emily turned to leave. She couldn’t shake the feeling that she was forgetting something. She knew it was silly, but she wished she could have had one more walk, and a chance to say goodbye to Julie.

The nurse’s voice called her back.

“Are you Emily?”

“I am. How did you know?”

“Julie said you’d probably stop by today. She wanted me to tell you how grateful she was for all your hard work.” Emily grinned. She was born to help others. Today, she knew she was doing what she was meant to do.