Motherlove shapes cultures and individuals, but a mother does not necessarily have to be the one who has birthed the infant. Humans are not the only creatures that assist the needy going through difficult times. There are so many animals who have stepped up and “adopted” animals of other species. It is thought that these unlikely occurrences, may indeed be a result of the animal's empathy, to relieve its pain, hunger, or loneliness. Mammals have the same brain structure, and

April 1st is popularly known as April Fools’ Day and many people, all over the world enjoy and celebrate foolishness and fun by pranking others. The origin of this day is unclear, and some say it is as a result of the calendar changing from the Julian calendar to the Gregorian calendar which resulted that the New Year moving from April 1st to January 1st. Some missed the memo and continued to celebrate New Year on 1st April and were the subject of pranks and ridicule by thos

Can a colour have an impact on us? Well according to SmallBizTrends “Colour has been known to have a powerful psychological impact on people’s decisions and this knowledge has been harnessed all too well in marketing psychology by designers and marketers alike.” Some well-known brands like Starbucks, BP & John Deer have all included the colour green in their branding. This colour has been chosen as it represents growth, freshness, and sensitivity to the environment, all ver

For many people, the “Month of Love” is a triggering month as so many people celebrate Valentine's Day and focus on romance, relationships, and gifts. Personally, I feel that the focus should be shifted, and more emphasis should be placed on oneself and those around us. Now more than ever, we need to take care of ourselves and of those with whom we engage on a daily basis. We never know how our employees, family members, and friends are feeling, and a little bit of love and

Gosh, can you believe that we made it! Welcome to 2022 and congratulations for making it through another extremely challenging year. Before you start beating yourself up about anything, be it weight gain, consuming too much alcohol, spending too much money, not exercising enough, making bad relationship decisions.... blah, blah blah! STOP. Now is the time to RESET. No need for New Year’s Resolutions, as these are often destructive, and often unattainable. Why you may well ask

It is that time again when we need to ponder the year that was. Was 2021 really the year you thought it would be? Was 2021 an “I don’t want to talk about it”, type of year and looking forward to a new year? If you have experienced huge successes at work or in other areas, that is great, but the greatest success for many of us is the fact that we endured and made it to the finish line. If the past year has sabotaged your goals and resolutions for 2022, think again and look at

The festive season is just around the corner once again, and this means that the hunt will again be on for those perfect gifts for employees and clients. For some, this is a wonderfully happy time where gifts are given with joy, but for some sceptics, there is still doubt as to the advantages of giving year-end gifts. However, giving year-end gifts is no longer seen as a “nice to do” but rather as a business necessity and should be budgeted for annually. Employee year-end gi

Now more than ever has our mental health been negatively impacted as we have been forced to keep our distance from our co-workers, loved ones and “normal” has a new meaning. Not only has the distance been an issue, but the loss of family members, friends and colleagues has affected our mental health enormously too. It is interesting to see how different people use different mechanisms to manage their mental health and companies have been assisting employees and their clients

On the 24th of September, each year, the diverse cultures, and traditions that make up South Africa, are celebrated. On of the 5th of September 2007, Jan Scannell, also known as “Jan Braai, “created the event, and Archbishop Desmond Tutu, was made the National Spokesperson for Braai Day. Whilst addressing the event, Tutu said: “There are so many things that are pulling us apart and this day has the wonderful potential to bring us all together…. We have eleven different offic

There is no force more powerful than a woman determined to rise. – W.E.B Dubois In South Africa, the 9th of August each year, commemorates the 1956 march of 20 000 women to the Union Buildings in Pretoria, to petition against The Population Registration ACT, which required South Africans defined as “black” to carry a pass. The women stood quietly for half an hour and then started to sing a protest song Wathint'Abafazi Wathint’imbokodo which translates into “Now you have touch

As the world reflects on Nelson Mandela’s legacy, we give thanks for his life, his leadership, and his devotion to humanity and to humanitarian causes. Memories shared over the years by some of the people who knew Nelson Mandela and those who only had brief encounters, illustrate the kind of man he was and just how kind he was to all. This month is his special day on 18th as it is each year, and it is a good idea to see how we can become more like this great man and show some

“youth” noun the period between childhood and adult age. Very often the youth are given a bad “wrap” and one often hears “the children of today……”, or “in our day a child would never be allowed to do that”. But realistically speaking, the youth of today are living in a different time and have different challenges and are not at all like the youth of then or the adults of today. It is up to the adults to make sure that adolescence is a healthy experience for these youngsters

Why Notebooks you may well ask. It may feel with the introduction of computers and other technology in the workplace, that paper is obsolete when it comes to day to day working. This might be true for documents, and other business forms, but stationery is far from fading. From personal preference to an enhanced productivity tool, notebooks are bigger than ever, and it seems as though people are pretty picky, looking for not only practicality, but also at times looking for a

The Healthcare & Pharmaceutical industry uses promotional products to its advantage in many ways. The industry distributes the products to the customers to win their loyalty. The recipients keep the freebies in their homes and offices, reminding them of your company and its products. Thus, your promotional products ultimately help drive the recipients to your pharmaceutical or other healthcare products. Although the medical industry can offer common freebies such as branded m

'We can’t pay the full salaries and benefits of our employees during the lock-down unlike major corporations. We applied for a government subsidy and we’re still waiting for its release. This has affected 85% of our workforce. The other 15% were paid their usual compensation because the nature of their tasks allow them to work from home. I’m worried about the repercussions of this. It looks like there’s a storm brewing out there that could adversely affect the motivation of o

MOST BUSINESS-PEOPLE ARE THROWING MONEY AWAY, DILUTING THEIR BRAND, AND OR MISSING MAJOR OPPORTUNITIES. THIS IS NOT OK, A gift given is to cement your business’s relationship with either the individual and hopefully with the company too. Making a person feel valued can be a very important part of doing business in some industries and this managing of business relationships can be tricky and can ultimately backfire if not navigated carefully and with thought. Below a few tips