A New Purpose for Microwave Technology: Increasing Employee Productivity

As the GREAT RECESSION drags on and layoff mounts, employers are increasingly seeking productivity gains. After trimming staff, CEOs often turn to HR consultants for training programs or look to invest in software that will yield increases in productivity and higher profits. Often the payoff from those investments can take weeks, months or even years.

However, a small investment in microwave technology can yield daily productivity gains of up to 12% among white collar workers without a CEO laying off a single employee. Companies might also see lower health care costs among those employees utilizing microwave technology for their personal benefit.

LOST TIME

How much time is wasted during the working day? The range of productive time lost in the workplace is estimated to be somewhere between one and two hours. A personal microwave in a cubicle or on a desktop can cut that lost time in half. For example, at the beginning of the day, those that need their coffee reheated or oatmeal fix will spend ten to 15 minutes to walk roundtrip from their desk to the communal microwave to reheat their coffee or heat their instant oatmeal. At lunch time, the line to heat up lunch from the vending machine in the communal microwave can last anywhere from 5 to 10 minutes. Time lost during the staff meeting to reheat the coffee mug, once the coffee goes cold, amounts to five to 10 minutes of lost productive time.

In the current economic environment, employees can and must do their part to increase the level of their personal productivity. iCubed International, is the maker of the iWavecube, the world’s smallest and first personal microwave. The iWavecube takes up less than one cubic foot of space and fits easily into the tight space of an office cubicle, home office or the open air of the executive corner office.

Increasing one’s personal productivity helps that employee during annual evaluations. The best way to keep your job is to increase your perceived value by your boss. And, becoming more productive than your co-workers is a competitive advantage that can go a long way to being perceived as more valuable. Employees can increase their personal productivity by working smarter and not harder simply by making better use of the available working hours. A personal or desktop microwave can make you 12% more productive than your co-worker in a 8 hour day simply by reclaiming an hour that is lost to reheating coffee or standing in line for the communal microwave only to see yesterday’s lasagna still splattered on the walls and ceilings of the communal microwave.

LOWER HEALTH CARE COSTS

“In the current economic recession “Brown bagging it” should be the norm.” Even though restaurants are offering value meals, there is no restaurant offering that is both less expensive and healthier than a meal brought from home. People who want to save time and money as well as eat better would benefit most from investing in a personal or desktop microwave at work to reheat a healthy, portion controlled size meal prepared at home. Eating better should lead to weight loss which should lead to healthier employees and that will definitely lower health costs.”