The Retail Training Agency
7030 Woodbine Avenue L3R6G2 Markham, ON, Canada

MANTRA // We're challenging this energy heading into next week and beyond.

WASTE // Framing waste in a new perspective is a key priority for interior design firm 2LG Studio. The company paired with Knife manufacturer Savernake on a collection of knives and chopping boards using recycled plastic, post-industrial composite waste and compressed paper. The best part? This project reinforces that recycled or product made of discarded "waste" can replicate traditional surfaces finishes. Durat and Smile Plastics are two material suppliers that are doing this work.

SPEED READ // Unfortunately, there are no shortcuts. You can skim a business document or an email, but skimming a good book and retaining all of its meaning is a little harder to do. . You tend to read faster by reading more. The word frequency effect shows that the more times you've encountered a word, the faster you'll recognize it. You'll stall on less familiar words. Your ability to predict words, even in your peripheral vision will increase your speed. The New York Times recently wrote that readers skip "the" about 50 percent of the time. . If speed is your goal, then you'll do best to read clearer writing. So, maybe not a magnum opus. Leave that for when you are able to slow down and savor your read.

SUPPORT // We are cognizant that we count a broad range of people and organizations in the industry: large global companies and smaller brands and retailers. Ultimately, we serve individual professionals transitioning, deep in their roles, or on the cusp of a promotion. We may be experiencing the effects of the current environment differently. But we are all affected. If you are looking for ways to support your team at this time, we have a couple of ideas (some at no cost).... VACATION Some of your team may have had to cancel or put on hold their vacations. All your team to carry over their canceled and unused vacation time into the next fiscal year. Not many consider "social distancing" a rejuvenating holiday. PAID LEAVE If it is financially feasible to do so, paid leave for your employees at this time would help reduce the financial disruption in your employees' lives. VIRTUAL OFFICE There can be real costs associated with setting up an at-home office: laptop stands to prevent backaches, and office chairs, office supplies. A stipend (Shopify announced this) for all employees, however small, to help cover these unexpected costs helps to reduce the burden for your team. CONNECTION Touch base with your team daily. Social isolation can be rough. Stay engaged. FREE TOOLS Virtual work doesn't have to be expensive to facilitate. Zoom for video conferencing, @asana for project management (great for commenting on projects or work without "always-on" chat, and to-do lists are project management too!) and @wetransfer for file sharing are a couple of our favourites that we still can't believe are free. #staysafe #stayhealthy #socialdistancing #weareinthistogether. See more

DISSOLVE IN WATER // Outdoor brand @finisterreuk has developed a biodegradable garment bag. But this is not your usual biodegradable-in-decades bag. Finisterre used Aquapak polymers which are 100% water-soluble. Don't believe it? It will dissolve in boiling water, producing water, carbon dioxide, and mineralized natural biomass. That means the bag is non-toxic for land and ocean (and us humans). #fashioninnovation