Author: f1221acikmirovic

OPA! Mariano’s invading Greektown

Posted on by f1221acikmirovic

Shoppers who enjoy a great experience at grocery stores and finding international products can look forward to new expansion of Mariano’s in Greektown.  In a recent article in the Chicago Sun-Times, Bob Mariano, owner of the Mariano grocery chain, unveiled a new plan to open up the new store in the Halsted area.  The plan would be to open up the 71,132 sq. ft. store at 40 S. Halsted that would include a walk in beer cooler, where customers could make their own craft beer 6-pack, a classroom kitchen, a gelato cafe with bar included, energy efficient water and electrical systems and a parking lot that could fit 150 spaces.  Opening up such a store could create as close to 450 jobs.

In the state the economy is in, I think opening up the store can have both good and bad effects.  The upside would be the creation of jobs and added attention to an already diminishing Greektown area.  It could put that area on the map for diversifying it’s client base and adding more revenue and attention to surrounding businesses.  The downsides include, taking business away from the small specialty shops that have been in the area for years.  Along with that, Greektown has gotten smaller by the years.  With people not having money to spend on local businesses, this area will just be known as one that once housed the greatest Chicago Greek community.

A few questions to think about.  Do you shop at Mariano’s?  What effects do you think it will have on the overall economy?  Should Mariano’s choose a different area and leave Greektown alone?  How could this store be beneficial/disastrous for Greektown?

http://www.suntimes.com/business/15966929-420/marianos-opening-greektown-store-with-luxury-atmosphere-high-end-goods.html

Companies urging employees to stop afterwork emails

Posted on by f1221acikmirovic

I recently read an interesting article in the Chicago Tribune entitled Companies Urging Employees to Stop After-Hours Emails (www.chicagotribune.com/business/breaking/chi-companies-urging-workers-to-avoid-afterhours-email-20120921,0,507363.story).  In reading this, I became aware of the fact that more and more employees are spending their time answering emails and doing work after hours.

The more time an employee spends at work, the more time they will spend doing work at home.  That’s basically the main point I got from this article.  For companies this is a great event because it has many advantages.  If a person is spending all their time working and sending emails, they in turn, will be great assets to the company because of their knowledge.  However, economists, as well as, the general public believe that employees who take their work home with them tend to feel more pressured and tired.  According to the article, the productivity index in the workplace is up 2.6% since last year.

After reading this article I began to think of all the drawbacks of bringing work home.  Constant fatigue and pressure can really add to lack of performance and negative attitudes towards work.

I run a maintenance company and it isn’t uncommon for me to be answering emails until the late hours.  Bringing my work home with me is inevitable.  The constant pressure and lack of time in the day to answer every email and every call has lead to late nights catching up on work.  I can understand why some companies are requiring this change for its employees.

Does anyone think that bringing work home causes more pressure and negative views of the job?  Could this cause an increased turnover rate in companies?  Is anyone dealing with this at their own jobs?