Refrigerator Cleaning Schedule: July

Since all of our employee's at Genera have access and permission to use the refrigerator in the break room at any time for food, drinks, dressings, etc. we bring from home, it is imperative that we work together as a company to ensure it stays clean and free of old and moldy food on regularly basis. The best and fairest way to do that is having a rotation schedule of which department will be responsible for cleaning each week.

A blog post will be up monthly as well as a tangible copy of the below schedule on the refrigerator. 

- Cleaning is every Friday. 

- The recommended time is between 2:30 PM and 3:30 PM.

- The schedule will follow the magazine rotation. 

- This is only for the refrigerator in the breakroom.

- It is only necessary for two people to clean the refrigerator. 

- It is recommended for each department to create their own specific list of employee rotations to make the cleaning schedule fair. 

- Please ensure any type of food or drink item you bring from home is labeled with your name on it.

- Any food that is moldy, appears to have bacteria, or unsanitary will be thrown out regardless if a name is on it. That will up to the employee(s) cleaning that Friday. 

- Please stay aware of what you bring in so that is not accidentally thrown away. 

For example, check the refrigerator Thursday to ensure you do not have anything in there that may be thrown away that you want to keep.

If you have any questions, feel free to email Liz T.

*Thank you Liz C., Sharon, and Darryl for a team effort Go-Gen idea!

July Office Announcements

Sandi: July 16th

Emily: July 21st

John W.: July 25th 

Liz T.: July 30th 

John S.: 2 years (July 5th)

Sharon: 22 years (July 12th)

Sandi: 31 years (July 16th)

Teresa M.: 13 years (July 22nd) 

John W.: 12 years (July 28th) 

• Summer dress code: Dress shorts can be worn on Friday's at the office throughout the rest of the summer. Please note: shorts need to be knee length or Bermuda style.  
• Summer hours: Genera will offer changes in work hours through August 31st, 2015. Please see your direct manager for all details and questions.

• Color the park:  Ballantyne Corporate Park’s eighth annual Color the Park drive for Classroom Central will be held July 22 – July 31. Classroom Central is a free store for teachers and supports more than 100,000 children in our area that need school supplies. Join Ballantyne Corporate Park to collect packs of markers, colored pencils and crayons to give underprivileged children the tools they need to succeed.

• Experiments in Money - Free Lunch & Learn Seminar: On Wednesday, July 22, noon - 1 p.m., Shay Prosser, CEO of financial education firm Get it Together, will present Experiments in Money during this special seminar for tenants of Ballantyne Corporate Park. Learn how to set attainable financial goals and adjust to life's curve balls. The session will be held in the Bissell Training Room (located on the third floor of the Chandler Building, 13860 Ballantyne Corporate Place). Lunch will be served. Register here. (Be sure to add "Experiences in Money" as the subject)

• Paws for the Cause: The third annual Paws For The Cause Humane Society fundraiser will be held Thursday, July 7, 6 p.m. - 8 p.m. at Cedarwood Country Club. Dinner will be provided with a $10 (minimum) donation. Silent auction items include a round of gold with a PGA professional, Carolina Panthers tickets, autographed items and much more! All proceeds will go to the Humane Society of Charlotte. For more information or to RSVP, contact Molly Green (Be sure to add "Paws for the Cause" as the subject)

• Volunteer Opportunities at Tri!Ballantyne: The Morrison Family YMCA is hosting its 6th annual Tri! Ballantyne on Saturday, July 18, at 7 a.m. The Y is looking for volunteers for the event and the Kids’ Tri! Ballantyne. Come on your own or volunteer with friends, family or coworkers. Groups are welcome! Available shifts range from 4:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Register as an individual or as a group. Click here to register.

Happy Independence Day on Saturday, July 4th!

In observance of the holiday, the office will be closed on Friday, July 3rd. 

• Please remember to wash any company dishes that you use once you are finished – do not leave them in the sink.  Also remember to work as a team: if you see spills, messes, or anything out of in order around the office or breakrooms, please take a moment to clean it. Events like that can be avoided if everyone cleans after themselves as well.

• In an effort to become more environmentally friendly, please opt to use the available ceramic coffee mugs instead of paper. Please also do not forget to wash your cup once you are finished.

• It is recommended that a quarter is donated for every magazine you take. At the end of the second quarter, we will count the donations and give to a children's charity. This quarter we will donate to the Polly Klaas Foundation which is a charity organization devoted to preventing crimes against children, assisting in the recovery of missing children

• Departments need to be aware of the refrigerator cleaning schedule in the main breakroom. The July list is posted in there and a new blog post will follow later this week.

Kris: She realized that my request was urgent without my telling her. She made my request top priority and turned my files around quickly.

Chris Z.: Chris's willingness to find a solution for my issue despite his suffering from a migraine ... he always goes the extra mile to help me.

Sandi: Sandi has been very helpful in obtaining files for me in order to complete our claiming process.  She always responds quickly to all of my requests.

Brittney: I was going to be out of the office for a few days and Brittney assisted me in creating all of my trial galleys for the days I would be out, which has saved me many hours of work! Thank you Brittney for always helping me when I'm overwhelmed!

Nataliya: Nataliya implemented an update to the on-line CMG wholesaler statement in time for the new accounting month and the wholesalers have come back with very positive input on the change. Thanx Nataliya for making our job easier!

Sara: I would like to thank Sara for going her extraordinary efforts in supporting the Business users and in particular Data Control and Publisher Payables.  Sara is constantly solving problems for users and is never too busy to listen attentively to any IT related issues we might have. Great job Sara, I don't know what we would do without you.

Nataliya: I really appreciate Nataliya's help with problem solving and coordination for the data loads from Curtis.

Jim: Jim is always eager to provide assistance with software migrations and environment configurations.  He has a positive attitude which makes working with him pleasurable.

Employee Spotlight!

Each month we will feature two employees at Genera Solutions to get to know them better. Our two employees for June are Matt and Colleen.

We see our co-workers on a daily basis, but may not always get the chance to engage or get to know them like we want. Our employee spotlights allow us to get to know each other on a deeper basis.

What are your favorite hobbies?

Attending Car Shows and planning weekend projects around the house 

Is there one quote that you live by?

"Persistence nets results! "

If you could be any animal, what would you be and why?

Probably an Eagle to soar to a Mountain Top for a little R&R 

What is your favorite movie?

I’d have to say "Cannonball Run" with Burt Reynolds and Dom Delouise…funny stuff! 

What is your favorite restaurant in Charlotte and what do you like to order there?

Riccio’s Pizza Villa… the Chicken Parmesan there is unreal! 

What is one thing you want to do in life that you have not accomplished yet?

To maybe own my own auto custom shop restoring old classic cars. We can all dream right ?

What are your favorite hobbies?

Running, travel, pretty much any outdoor activity. 

What is your favorite movie?

I enjoy a good action movie and have seen all of the Transformer movies multiple times. I also thought "Signs" put an interesting (and entertaining) spin on faith.

What is your favorite restaurant in Charlotte and what do you like the order there?

Del Frisco’s does a great pan-seared scallop.

Who is your favorite sports team?

I don’t follow hockey as much I used I to, but I was a huge fan of the Oilers when I lived in Edmonton. 

What is one thing you want to do in life that you have not accomplished yet?

See all 7 continents.

Quick Office Updates

-- Dress shorts can be worn on Friday's at the office throughout the rest of the summer.

*Thank you to Darryl for your Go-Gen!

-- Bissell is having issues with visitor parking. Please read the following clip from a memo received:

Management has provided preferred visitor parking in an effort to accommodate your business needs.  The intent is to welcome your guests with convenient parking. It is unfortunate, that we are currently documenting the same vehicles in these spaces for prolonged periods of time.  Please share with your employees that “Visitor” spaces are not intended for their use and that parking contrary to these guidelines is a direct violation of the Lease Agreement.  

-- Chandler Visitor Parking and Drive Lane Closure on Tuesday, June 30th. Please read the following memo from Bissell:

The visitor parking spaces and drive lane located directly in front of the Chandler Building will be cordoned off and inaccessible during the morning of June 30th from Midnight until 11:00 AM.  Please do not leave any vehicles in these spaces overnight as they will not be able to be moved until after 11:00 AM on Tuesday.  Please see the attached map for the exact location.  

-- Automation changes are coming to Oracle for regular Invoices! This will save a lot of time and be much more efficient for everyone involved.

*Thank you to Liz T. for your Go-Gen and involvement with Sara to generate a way to make this happen, and a big thank you to Sara for developing a system to make it possible!

-- 401K Open Enrollment is on July 1st. Please revert to the email sent from Teresa H. on Monday, June 22nd for further information.

-- It is important to work as a team to ensure the cleanliness of our very large office space, especially the breakrooms. If someone tries to refill powders, beans, etc. in the coffee machine, but is not sure how, please do not hesitate to ask Liz T. or Matt D. and they will be happy to help you. This ensures a mess is not made inside of the machine and something does not accidentally break.

-- Congratulations to Bobbi who is now a full-time employee of the Genera WFS team!

-- The office is closed this upcoming Friday, July 3rd in celebration of Independence Day!

Magazine Rotation Schedule

One perk of working at Genera Solutions is the magazine shipment we receive every Thursday morning. Since all of the magazines we take are complimentary, a Go-Gen request was submitted for a donation box. 

We have been successfully implementing this idea for a few months.  This is completely voluntary, but recommended that a quarter is donated for every magazine you take. At the end of the second quarter, we will add up the donations, and give to a children's charity. 

When the magazine shipment arrives on Thursday’s, we are following a rotation schedule on which department will get first pick. This ensures fairness for every employee. You may choose up to 5 different titles, but please only take 1 copy per title. If copies are left over at the end of the week, you are welcome to more.

                     Schedule:
                                     6/25/2015 - AR and FAS
                                     7/2/2015 - Operations
                                     7/9/2015 - Setup
                                     7/16/2015 - Pub. Pay
                                     7/23/2015 - Incentives
                                    7/30/2015 - IT/OBA

After those dates, the rotation will begin again. Another blog post will be created as the time gets closer.

Reminders: 

If someone besides Liz T. signs for the magazines, please ensure that the monthly titles displayed in our lobby are pulled first (before others begin taking magazines). Examples: Cosmo, Glamour, Allure, Redbook, GQ, Flex, Lucky, Shape, etc.

Please do not remove the monthly titles on the display case. Once the rotation has finished, the titles will come down, and employees will have the ability to take them home. They are to remain displayed on the case until that time. 

Refrigerator Cleaning Schedule: June

Since all of our employee's at Genera have access and permission to use the refrigerator in the break room at any time for food, drinks, dressings, etc. we bring from home, it is imperative that we work together as a company to ensure it stays clean and free of old and moldy food on regularly basis. The best and fairest way to do that is having a rotation schedule of which department will be responsible for cleaning each week.

A blog post will be up monthly as well as a tangible copy of the below schedule on the refrigerator. 

- Cleaning is every Friday. 

- The recommended time is between 2:30 PM and 3:30 PM.

- The schedule will follow the magazine rotation. 

- This is only for the refrigerator in the breakroom.

- It is only necessary for two people to clean the refrigerator. 

- It is recommended for each department to create their own specific list of employee rotations to make the cleaning schedule fair. 

- Please ensure any type of food or drink item you bring from home is labeled with your name on it.

- Any food that is moldy, appears to have bacteria, or unsanitary will be thrown out regardless if a name is on it. That will up to the employee(s) cleaning that Friday. 

- Please stay aware of what you bring in so that is not accidentally thrown away. 

For example, check the refrigerator Thursday to ensure you do not have anything in there that may be thrown away that you want to keep.

If you have any questions, feel free to email Liz T.

*Thank you Liz C., Sharon, and Darryl for a team effort Go-Gen idea!

Genera Solutions Cookout

On Monday, 18th, we at Genera Solutions held a cookout for our employees to celebrate everyone's hard work and the beginning of Spring and Summer. We ate delicious foods, caught up with our friends, played games, and simply enjoyed being out of the office and in the sunshine and fresh air. Below are pictures and memories from the event. We hope everyone had a great time!