According to recent data, the number of office jobs in New York City is at all-time high, since approximately 1.5 million of the city’s 4.5 million employees are office based. Working in an office has its advantages: you’re in a familiar environment and you have a fixed place of work (a time saver in a metropolis like New York City), but office work also comes with its drawbacks. After gathering data from many surveys, here’s a list of the top 8 grumbles of office employees.

1. Lack of Privacy

Office trends shows we’re moving away from cubicles towards open space, and this has brought some positive changes, but not everyone appreciates open plan layouts. Many office workers who spend their day in this type of setting complain about lack of privacy and about not having the right space for certain decision making or problem solving tasks. Open plan offices are not bad per se, but it’s always wise to have private spaces and design office layouts taking into account different roles and tasks.

The New York Subway is one of the largest subway systems in the world, with trains departing from stations about every 2-5 minutes during rush hour and about every 5-15 minutes during the rest of the day.

The Subway is a cheap and convenient way to get around New York City, however traveling on the Subway during rush hour can be also daunting, lots of pushing and shoving, impatient people all trying to get to work at the same time.

We have put together some helpful tips on riding the Subway and ways to minimise risks.

Combining parenthood and a career can be quite a juggling act, and finding someone to care for your little one is of paramount importance. There are different types of childcare available in New York and finding a safe, reliable and licensed practitioner is vital. You need to be able to do your job knowing that your child is being taken care of, is happy and healthy. You, as the parent, know what is best for your child, and finding a warm, friendly environment requires some research.

The Bureau of Child Care provides a wealth of information and advice on childcare along with licensing and registration services for childcare workers. You should start looking a few months before the childcare needs to start, to give yourself time to check out what is available, and what would best suit you and your child’s needs.

Keeping fit is important for your well being as well as being a great way to keep stress levels down. Fitting exercise into your work day can be a difficult task, but is well worth the effort. Decide what type of fitness training you would like to do – power walking, yoga, jogging, swimming, or a mixture. Even a short walk will do you good – try getting off a stop before you need to and walk the rest of the way, run up the stairs instead of using the elevator and take a walk in the park at lunch time instead of sitting hunched over your desk.

As far as gyms go, there fitness classes for all abilities, with times to suit office workers. You could take a pre breakfast yoga class, a lunchtime spinning class or go for an after work weight training session. If your office building has its own gym you could come into work a little early and spend twenty minutes using the facilities.

Christmas Office Parties in New York

The most special time of the year is approaching fast, and many businesses are now busy preparing for their Christmas office parties. These end-of-the-year celebrations are often regarded as an effective way of rewarding staff for their hard work, boosting employee morale, and starting a new year with a positive frame of mind.

However, some have claimed that corporate holiday parties are not as popular as they once were, and that in many cases they are below staff expectations and fail to fulfil their purpose. Seamless (an online food ordering and delivery company based in New York) surveyed more than 1,000 companies and asked them about their Christmas celebration habits and plans. The data they collected showed some interesting trends, which are summarised below.

Lower overall expenditure

One of the main conclusions reached following the survey is that the belt-tightening measures taken by many companies have also affected the overall expenditure allocated to their annual Christmas parties. There seems to be an increasing preference among employers to organise office parties on a budget, since approximately 42 per cent of all firms surveyed said they were spending less than $25 per person on their corporate Christmas event. In fact, only 10 per cent of companies spent between $51 and $100 / employee, and a further 20 per cent opted for a mid-range budget of $25 to $50 / person.

Open bars are no longer the norm

The Seamless survey also revealed that only 50 per cent of the companies interviewed were planning on including an open bar during their corporate Christmas party. In 2012, the percentage of no-alcohol office parties in the city barely reached 21 per cent, but two years later that figure had more than doubled at 44 per cent. Moreover, the survey revealed other data related to the type of holiday entertainment offered at end-of-the-year office parties: up to 70 per cent of the businesses surveyed mentioned there would be no dancing at their annual Christmas event.

For several decades, the predominant corporate culture in the United States has been characterised by long working hours and a generalised reticence to taking vacations. However, in recent years flexible working practices have begun to be frequently implemented in companies around the globe in an attempt to provide employees with a better work-life balance. This trend has of course had a direct impact on US-based firms too, and it is estimated that more than 3 million US employees now benefit from flexible work arrangements.

As one of the most prosperous and forward-looking cities in the country, New York has led the way with regards to the implementation of flexible working practices. This article provides an overview of the progress made so far, as well as a review of the most flexible workplaces in New York.

Flexible Work Arrangements in New York: General Trends

According to data published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, flexible work arrangements are particularly common among New York employees who hold managerial, executive, or administrative roles in the private sector. Within the public sector, New York employees who work for the federal government are more likely to have access to flexible working arrangements than their local or state government counterparts.

Another trend worth mentioning refers to the widespread adoption of flexible working practices across genders and age groups. For example, a New York Times article recently drew attention to the fact that telecommuting is no longer an option limited to mid-career employees, as the typical telecommuter profile has grown to include young graduates and employees close to retirement age irrespective of their gender.

If you plan on throwing an office Christmas party in New York City, then you will want to go all out to turn your party into a special event. As you put your party together, there are a few guidelines you should follow to make it easier for your guests to have a good time.

Places To Have Your Party

New York City is filled with great places where you can have your office Christmas party. There are five places in particular that will offer you and your employees a memorable Christmas party event.

Minus5 Ice Bar

The Mius5 Ice Bar is made completely of ice, but it is open all year round. This chilling venue is ideal for a memorable office Christmas party.

The Elm

The Elm is a relatively new restaurant in Brooklyn that has been growing quickly in popularity. It features four-star food and an excellent wait staff.

Malbec and Tango House

The Malbec and Tango House has a very rural feel to it, which makes it unique for New York City. It has a larger hall that will definitely create atmosphere for your office Christmas party.

Andaz Wall Street

The Andaz Wall Street room is fun because it is a throwback to the 1960’s. You feel like you walked back in time the moment you walk through the door. This room could bring back some nostalgic Christmas memories for your employees.

Whether you are at a work function or holiday party with family members, it is important to realize the effect that alcohol can have on your perceived reputation. At one moment, your co-workers may view you as a super-smart, hard-working person. After a few shots of tequila, however, this perception can quickly change. A University of Michigan research study reiterated the idea that drinking alcohol in front of other co-workers can make co-workers perceive one as less intelligent.

The Importance of a Professional Meeting Venue

When you are having a big meeting, seminar, or other important business event, you need to make sure that you’re holding it somewhere that exudes professionalism. After all, the places you choose to hold major meetings in say a lot about the success of your business. If you want to impress your clients or business partners, then you should take a moment to look into these great venues.

TKP New York Conference Center

The TKP is a brand new conference center opening up in the heart of Manhattan. Thanks to its unique location, people attending your big meeting will have an immense range of lodging, food and entertainment choices when meetings are not in session. This is especially great when you are holding longer seminar or conference events.

One of the major benefits that this event offers is the sheer scale of its facilities. Anyone who’s visited midtown Manhattan knows how small and space-efficient the meeting rooms are there. After all, you need to use space wisely when you’re building onto an island with a population of millions. This venue provides some of the most spacious meeting space in the city, all with a wonderful view overlooking the lights and sounds of Manhattan.

PricewaterhouseCoopers

Every year, PricewaterhouseCoopers hires on about 2800 interns, and they pay very handsomely as far as internships go. They may not pay the most, but they are one of the most sought after internships in the entire country, let alone New York City. Most of the popularity is due to the fact that PricewaterhouseCoopers has kept much more respectability during the housing and financial crisis than other accounting firms in New York City. PricewaterCooper has its head offices  in Manhattan.

Ernst and Young

The Ernst and Young internship is highly prized, with one of the higher hourly wages of the New York City internships on this list. They pay a total of $9000 for the duration of the internship, and a whopping 98% of their interns go on to find full time employment. They hire around 2200 interns a year and you can apply for the internship through their website.

Deloitte and Touche

The third accounting firm on this list, Deloitte and Touche is one of the lesser known accounting businesses offering internships on this list. While they may not be well known, their internship is one of the most sought after in the city, with almost 1200 interns taken on every year. You can apply for the internship via their website or contact them at their offices in the Garment District.

Goldman Sachs

Goldman Sachs is the infamous investment banking firm that just about everyone has heard of by now. Despite their history, Goldman Sachs has remained one of the most highly prized internships in the city, and offers some of the hightest pay out of all the internships here. They hire very selectively, so you should apply at their website as soon as applications are accepted. Goldman Sachs head offices can be found in the Wall Street area.

KPMG

KPMG, situated in Midtown Manhattan, is another accounting firm, and it offers quite a few benefits that make it very popular to those seeking out an internship. KPMG’s internship program pays about $8500 for the term, and comes with a notoriously high level of on-the-job training. People mostly come to KPMG for the experience it provides with its internship, and you can apply through your school or their website.

JP Morgan

As an investment bank, JP Morgan has grown into one of the most powerful businesses in the world. The interns at JP Morgan benefit from the highest pay of any other intern in New York City, raking in almost $15000 after their internship. This high pay means that they expect the best, and the application process for this internship is extremely strict. If you want to get into this internship, then you need to get your application in on time, without any errors. You can do this through their website.

Merrill Lynch

There are a lot of reasons that interns come to Merrill Lynch for their internship. One of the biggest reasons is honestly the exclusivity of the internship program. Merrill Lynch, with offices in the Theatre District, hires on some of the fewest interns of any other Investment Bank, but they pay handsomely at about $12000 for the internship.

Lehman Brothers

Lehman Brothers hires on a little over 500 interns for its program every year. Interns at Lehman Brothers can expect to make about $29 an hour here, which will work out to around $12000 for the duration of the internship. This is the highest hourly pay of any other internship in New York City. To apply, you can either go through your college career counselor or apply online directly through their website.

Accenture

Accenture is a consulting firm, and they have a competitive internship program that is the most popular in the city for consulting internships. They only hire on 125 interns a year in this work-oriented internship, and they pay handsomely for the internship. Their website is the best place to apply, since they are constantly changing the requirements for application.

L’Oreal USA

Famed consumer goods company L’Oreal hires on around 100 interns for its internship program. Their pay is classified as “mid-range” for the higher-end internships in New York City, with pay being around $10000 during the internship. The biggest perk of this internship is the experience it gives you working with an international consumer goods business, and the internship helps you to get accustomed to many aspects of doing business in this arena.