The Pros and Cons of Having a Job in Chicago

Written by Chicago Office Movers on November 20, 2023. Posted in City Profiles

The nation’s third-largest city is a thrilling place to live, but Chicago is also an exciting place to launch a career. Workers here enjoy immediate access to a diverse range of cultures, arts, and sports. While the pros are clear, working in the Windy City also has a few drawbacks.

Since its humble beginnings in the early nineteenth century, the city of Chicago has drawn businesses of all varieties. Traders, frontier farmers, and government contractors characterized the area’s first economy. Economics and business have shaped the city for nearly two hundred years.

By the 1840s, Chicago laid a strong foundation as a leading trading center. Chicago’s gradual development was spearheaded by the fur trade, military installations, the marketing of farm products, and private real estate. As capitalism expanded, the city transformed economically.

Chicago was also poised for development, with its flat prairies suitable for railroads, fertile soil in the Great Lakes region, and abundant water. The large deposits of iron ore and coal in the area paved the way as the nation increasingly turned to steam and steel.

The city’s population grew by 1930, approaching 3.4 million. As more people flocked to Chicago, more workers became available to work in construction, entertainment, and services. The economic development led to a further influx of people, making Chicago a city of opportunity.

What are the pros of having a job in Chicago?

1. Abundant professional opportunities

Today, Chicago offers its workers countless professional opportunities with 200,000 jobs created since 2010. Individuals find work in diverse sectors, such as manufacturing, IT, publishing, health services, and technology. As the second-largest business sector, Chicago is home to nine Fortune 1000 companies.

2. Concentration of female entrepreneurs

Chicago is known for its high concentration of women entrepreneurs and startups founded by women. In this bustling city, 25 percent of founders are women, which is significantly higher than the global average of 14.1 percent. Chicago is home to organizations that support women in business.

Among the many organizations are those that help women in the technology field gain access to professional networks and give them opportunities to share knowledge. Other organizations assist women in their endeavors to fund their ventures, teaching them how to pitch and talk to investors.

3. Flexible work weeks

Like other major US cities, Chicago has a five-day, 40-hour workweek. However, many employers are flexible, offering their employees summer Fridays, generous vacation days, and the choice to set their own hours. Post-pandemic, work culture now includes the option to work from home.

4. Proximity to the suburbs

Downtown, with its vibrant arts and culture scenes, has a diverse job sector. Individuals spend after-work hours in the museums, jazz clubs, and theaters. If they live in the nearby suburbs, they return to a quieter and calmer home. Commuting to the city from the suburbs offers this desirable mix.

What are the cons of having a job in Chicago?

1. Winter weather

All the frills and thrills of working in the city come with disadvantages. One of the most obvious cons is the subfreezing Chicago winters, where temperatures drop to 30 degrees Fahrenheit or below. Winters are snowy, making walking to the office from the train station cold and physically demanding.

2. High crime rate

Chicago is a premiere city to shop for expensive jewelry and high-end clothing—these attractions also make it a hotspot for crime. The murder rate in the city is four times higher than New York City. People who work in Chicago must remain continuously vigilant of their surroundings.

3. Infamous traffic

Traffic in Chicago is the third worst in the nation. Traffic jams are notoriously high during peak commuting times. Pedestrians are not entirely safe either, as drivers speed, ignore traffic laws, and have a worrisome disregard for people walking on sidewalks or crossing the streets.

The Windy City may be an ideal place to work for people who enjoy the friendly Midwestern charm, the endless opportunities to explore every nook and cranny of this major metropolis and the fact that a sports, music, arts, or other exciting cultural event is always happening.

Working in the Windy City exposes people to not only diverse employment opportunities, but cultures, languages, and food. Workers who are concerned about crime take safety measures to ease their worries. Using affordable public transportation is an alternative to driving in the heavy traffic.

Chicago is a major player in many thriving industries in the US, including finance and business. People working in engineering, healthcare, pharmaceuticals, government, and transportation find plenty of employment opportunities. Airline titans, like United Airlines, are also headquartered in the city.

Companies, like Tyson Foods, Boeing, and Caterpillar, moved out of Chicago due to crime or taxes. For them, the cons were too high. But others, like Kellogg’s, Mars Wrigley, and Google, have recently made the move into Chicago. If your company chooses to relocate here, rely on Chicago Office Movers.

We are among Chicagoland’s leading commercial movers, prepared to help you relocate successfully with our years of industry experience, a wide range of comprehensive office moving services, and the dedicated crews who handle your valuable office goods with exceptional care.

Chicago Office Movers’ comprehensive services include short- and long-term storage, quality support with relocation planning, packing and unpacking, and paperwork storage. Our office movers are licensed, trained, and security-conscious—ensuring your most sensitive documents and equipment are in good hands.

Our efforts have won us the trust of prestigious universities and major companies. Chicago Office Movers is the recipient of industry awards as well as numerous five-star ratings from satisfied customers. We extend our high-quality relocation services to all businesses large and small.

Whether your company plans to move locally, long-distance, or internationally, choose Chicago Office Movers for a seamless relocation. As a reliable office mover, we offer efficient services, helpful advice, and competitive rates.

Call our Chicago, Illinois, location at 312-244-2246 (CHI-CAGO) or fill out a form for a free estimate.

Name**
Email**
Company/ Business
Phone
Services
Expected Move Date
MM slash DD slash YYYY
Message
Does our staff have permission to send texts regarding your move?*
- YES
- NO
How did you hear about us?
CAPTCHA
Name
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

What Does the Design of the Chicago Flag Represent?

Written by Chicago Office Movers on March 12, 2021. Posted in Corporate Relocation, Office Moving

Chicago is one of the most popular and populated cities in the U.S. It has one of the most recognizable skylines in the world dominated by the Willis Tower (still called the Sears Tower by locals) and is home to many landmarks and attractions that draw visitors from all over the globe.

About the City of Chicago

Chicago is also a city of historical significance as industry within the city helped develop the western U.S. in the 19^th century, and it is a major cultural center as many artists, writers, actors, and musicians have hailed from Chicago. Many prominent businesses were started in Chicago, including Sears and Marshall Fields (now Macy’s), and many businesses still operate out of Chicago and the surrounding areas including Boeing, Walgreen’s, United Airlines, and more.

This Chicago Flag

When one thinks of Chicago, several visuals may come to mind, including the Sears Tower, the Lakefront, Navy Pier, and the Bean. One symbol of Chicago that is recognizable across the U.S. is the city flag.

The Chicago flag has a simple design with 3 white stripes, 2 sky blue stripes, and 4 red 6-pointed stars and different representations of this design can be found all throughout the city. The flag is flown in homes, outside of businesses and government buildings, and at public parks. It can also be seen in graffiti art and some Chicago residents even incorporate the design into their tattoos as a display of city pride.

The Chicago flag is easily one of the most recognizable city flags in the U.S. and each symbol on the flag represents something about the Windy City. In this guide, we will cover the history and meaning behind the design of the Chicago flag. If you own or manage a business and are interested in moving your operation to Chicago, our commercial movers at Chicago Office Movers can help with every aspect of your business relocation.

History of the Chicago Flag

The history of the Chicago flag starts in 1915 when then Mayor of Chicago William Hale Thompson created a municipal flag commission. This commission was asked to hold an open public competition in which people submitted their design for a Chicago flag. The winning design was submitted by a man named Wallace Rice and his design was adopted as the city’s flag in 1917.

At its inception in 1917, the Chicago flag had the design that is familiar to us today, but with only two stars. In 1933, the third star was added and in 1939, the fourth star was added. The design of the Chicago flag has remained unchanged since the addition of the fourth star.

Chicago Flag Design

Every element of the Chicago flag symbolizes something in relation to the city. To put it generally, the white and blue stripes represent the city in a geographical sense, the stars represent historical events, and each point of the star represents concepts and virtues related to the historical events.

Bars

The bars on the Chicago flag consist of three white bars at the top, bottom, and middle of the flag, separated by two sky blue bars. Each of these bars represent the following geographical aspects of the city:

Top white bar: The North Side of Chicago
Top blue bar: Lake Michigan and the North Branch of the Chicago River
Middle white bar: The West Side of Chicago
Bottom blue bar: The Great Canal and South Branch of the Chicago River
Bottom white bar: The South Side of Chicago

Chicago was established on the shore of Lake Michigan in the early 1800s because the Lake, Chicago River, and the Great Canal that connects the Chicago River to the Des Plaines River made it easy to import and export goods by water. Because of this, Chicago’s downtown area developed on the shore of Lake Michigan and the city could only spread north, west, and south, creating the main geographical regions of the city known as the North Side, West Side, and South Side.

Stars

The four stars of the Chicago flag represent important historical events that occurred in the first 100 years of the city’s history. Each of the 6 points of these stars also symbolize virtues, concepts, and accomplishments related to the historical events.

The Great Chicago Fire: The first star which was featured on the flag’s original design stands for the Great Chicago Fire that occurred in 1871. The Great Fire occurred when most of the city’s buildings were made from wood and it burnt much of the city to the ground. Chicago’s subsequent recovery and literal rise from the ashes showed the resiliency and city pride of its residents. The six points of this star represent transportation, heath, population, finance, commerce, and labor.
World’s Columbian Exposition of 1893: The second star from the original 1917 design represents the World’s Columbian Exposition which was held in Chicago in 1893. The exposition was held in Jackson Park in a temporary fairground known as the White City. It drew over 27 million visitors from around the world between May and October of 1893 and this event had a profound effect on Chicago’s arts, architecture, and self-image. The six points of this star represent religion, civic sport, beneficence, justice, aesthetics, and education.
Century of Progress International Exposition: This third star which was added to the flag in 1933 represents the Century of Progress International Exposition, also known as the Chicago World’s Fair, which was held from May 27, 1933 through October 31, 1934. This fair was held as a celebration of the city’s centennial and the theme was technological innovation. It was also a celebration of Chicago’s rise to become the second largest city in the U.S. (now third largest behind New York and Los Angeles). The six points of this star stand for world’s third largest city, convention city, wonder city, great central market, the “I will” motto, and the city motto urbs in horto (city in a garden).
Fort Dearborn: The final star added to the flag in 1939 represents the founding of Fort Dearborn in 1803. Fort Dearborn was built along the Chicago River before the formal establishment of the city, and it was reconstructed in 1816 after being destroyed in the Battle of Fort Dearborn in the War of 1812. While European and American settlers had already reached and settled in the area that became Chicago, the opening of Fort Dearborn resulted in a permanent small settlement being developed in the surrounding area which grew to become Chicago. The six points of this star represent every political entity that Chicago once belonged to including France 1693, England 1693-1763, Virginia 1763-1778, Northwest Territory 1798, Indiana Territory 1798-1802, and Illinois statehood 1818.

The Chicago city flag remains one of the most popular and recognizable city flags in the U.S. and has been named the second-best flag in multiple surveys, coming in second to the Washington, D.C. city flag.

There have been proposals for adding a fifth star to represent various people and events including the city’s first African American mayor Harold Washington, the founding of the Special Olympics, and even the Chicago Bulls dynasty of the 1990s and Cubs 2016 World Series. However, it is expected that the city will stick with the current iconic design.

Relocate Your Business to Chicago

Chicago is a great America city that is home to world renowned businesses and institutions and a proud populace. There are many great reasons to move your business to Chicago, including access to a young and tech savvy workforce, access to the third largest market in the U.S., access to two international airports, and lower taxes than the east and west coast. If you want to endear your business to the local workforce, customers, and clients, be sure to fly or display the Chicago city flag.

Chicago Office Movers is a professional commercial moving company that can help you move your business to the city of Chicago or the surrounding Chicago suburbs. Our licensed, union commercial movers will help manage every aspect of your move to make your office relocation as seamless as possible.

You can reach us at 312-244-2246 (CHI-CAGO) for more information about our office relocation and commercial moving services.

Name**
Email**
Company/ Business
Phone
Services
Expected Move Date
MM slash DD slash YYYY
Message
Does our staff have permission to send texts regarding your move?*
- YES
- NO
How did you hear about us?
CAPTCHA
Comments
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

5 Tips to Complete Your Office Renovation Project

Written by Luis Toledo on January 22, 2021. Posted in Office Renovation

Office Remodeling Project

An office renovation demands flexibility. The last thing a business owner needs is an interruption to workflow amidst the disruptions already caused by the coronavirus pandemic. The reduced workforce prompted by the health crisis might, however, provide a timely opportunity to renovate an office.

Here are some tips on how to complete the renovation project.

1. Develop a Strategy

Firstly, it is important to devise a renovation strategy. Develop a renovation budget to guide the project from the planning stage through completion. Evaluate the costs of construction, materials, labor and extras. Surprise costs are not uncommon, so budget to accommodate unanticipated expenses.

An office renovation is likely to disrupt workflow. Consider where to put employees, provided staff still work onsite. If the office is nearly empty as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, repositioning existing personnel during the renovation will be less problematic.

When crafting an office renovation design, keep in mind important factors that will affect operations. Evaluate the potential for future growth, advancements in technology, functionality, employee work preferences and the number of office staff. Business owners may consider current office design trends.

A proposed timeline will be extremely beneficial to ensure a smooth renovation. In Chicagoland, the office building may be exposed to harsh winter weather. Certain phases of the renovation may be affected by snow and ice. Factor in delays due to inclement weather to avoid unexpected costs.

2. Communicate

Keep lines of communication open with all the people involved in the office renovation project. These professionals include the design team, general contractor, office staff, landlord and stakeholders. Everyone should be informed about the anticipated work schedule and project plans.

Send out a proposed work schedule to everyone involved, and ensure it is updated whenever changes occur. Involve employees by holding a virtual meeting (due to COVID-19 concerns) and ask them to voice their concerns and design preferences before construction even starts.

3. Maintain Productivity

An office renovation can temporarily disrupt employee productivity, even when staff work remotely. Avoid a drop in productivity for office employees who continue to work onsite by communicating often, minimizing construction noise, and ensuring adequate artificial or natural light are available.

The current pandemic has forced many office staff to work from home. An office with minimal employees onsite is ideal for starting and finishing construction work. If staff still work onsite, schedule contractors in the late evening hours when employees are gone.

4. Build Health Safety Features

The COVID-19 pandemic has introduced drastic changes to businesses. As lockdown measures encourage remote workforces, business owners may consider subdividing existing office space. The resulting smaller units make better use of the decreased employee footprint upon which businesses now rely.

Office floorplans must be altered in light of the coronavirus pandemic. Social distancing will continue, and the office must accommodate public health safety measures. Place workstations farther apart, and build cubicle dividers high enough to prevent respiratory droplets from reaching other staff.

If cubicles are too pricey for the budget or do not complement the office layout, install sneeze guards instead. Plastic or glass shields protect employees from respiratory droplets emitted through sneezing and coughing. Sneeze guards may be portable or permanent and are affordable.

Proper ventilation is critical in the coronavirus era, especially in offices with moderate- and high-risk exposure. Clean, fresh air (without re-circulation) is necessary inside offices. During the renovation, increase ventilation in the office via natural or artificial means. Clean air filters regularly, too.

5. Capitalize on Strengths

Most office buildings have strengths. Focus on what features made the building attractive when it was brand-new. The building might have solid structure. If so, consider taking down some walls to allow more natural light into the interior space. Or, open the space to increase the property’s value.

Update the property with finishes and graphics. Consider freshening up the signage, which is a cost-effective measure. The goal is to enhance the building’s curb appeal to create a positive first impression. Keep in mind that younger generation employees seek more daylight and open spacing.

Install environmentally friendly features during the office renovation. When designing or installing new electrical fixtures, plan on using technologies that save energy, such as long-lasting, low-energy light bulbs. Add sensors or time switches to lighting to prevent a waste of energy.

Build out the office using locally sourced recycled, refurbished and sustainable materials. Encourage efficient waste policies by adding centrally located recycling areas. Donate outdated furniture instead of discarding them in the trash. Environmentally friendly companies are more attractive to customers.

Once the office has been successfully renovated, employees who temporarily work remotely will return. Rather than expect them to jump in, introduce staff to the changes. Train employees on the new technologies and the space in which they will work. Provide tours and video training, too.

Commercial Moving Services

Commercial contractors are considered essential workers during the coronavirus pandemic. Locating a suitable contractor to begin renovations will require an investment of time and resources. When you’ve settled on a reliable contractor, you’ll require the commercial moving services of Chicago Office Movers.

An office renovation requires the physical ability to move all the desks, filing cabinets, chairs and equipment. Chicago Office Movers provides the manpower companies need to clear space for a renovation project. Our commercial movers are also available to disassemble equipment.

Chicago Office Movers are trained to skillfully and carefully pack, label and move office goods to an offsite storage facility or another building. Our office movers load all boxes into our secure moving truck. Our teams also dispose of or donate old office furniture.

Moving crews from Chicago Office Movers will unpack and reassemble any equipment and furniture once the renovation is complete. We also unpack small office supplies, plants and decorations so that your commercial space is usable immediately after the office renovation.

Contact Us

Chicago Office Movers takes every precaution during the turbulent pandemic. We clean and disinfect moving trucks and practice social distancing.

When your Chicago, Illinois, office will be renovated in the near future, consult Chicago Office Movers at 312-244-2246 or through a contact form for expert handling of your office goods. We provide free estimates.

How to Color Code Moving Boxes

Written by Chicago Office Movers on October 22, 2020. Posted in Packing

Color Labeling Moving Box

Relocating an office is a major event. A lot goes into packing and unpacking the office goods. When you are looking to reduce the stress associated with relocating an office, consider color coding the moving boxes. Here are five practical tips to smoothly transition from office to office.

Before packing up the office, make a conscious decision to donate or sell any unused office equipment or items that will no longer serve a functional purpose in the new space. Moving fewer items will be more organized, less stressful—and preferable.

Importance of Color Coding Boxes

Also prior to the move, business managers should communicate the contents of the boxes to the commercial mover. When surrounded by mountains of plain cardboard boxes, it can be challenging to correctly identify each one. Color coded moving boxes are the solution to this common predicament!

Unpacking is manageable when the movers and office personnel know what box belongs in each room. Each color assigned to an individual moving box should represent a particular zone. The copy room, for instance, should be assigned a certain color, and the breakroom kitchen a different one.

A piece of red tape, for example, may be placed on all the boxes containing storage items. The office supplies may be packed into multiple boxes with purple tape adhered to them. Color coding in such a way helps to quickly identify the contents of the boxes without unpacking them.

Such a tactic is extremely useful since the items that require immediate unpacking can be quickly identified. Knowing what is inside the boxes helps office managers seamlessly continue business operations without experiencing the disruptions caused by the avoidable hassles of unpacking.

1. Gather the right supplies.

First and foremost, colored duct tape is necessary to color code moving boxes with ease. Large selections of colored duct tape may be found in local retail stores. Choose solid colored duct tape, as opposed to patterned ones, to facilitate quick and easy legibility.

Waterproof permanent markers are needed to write on the colored duct tape. If opting for colored duct tape, choose black permanent markers. The waterproof feature of the markers prevents the ink on the labels from smudging during rainy weather. Offices can always re-use the markers later.

2. Pack the boxes smartly.

In order for the color-coding process to work effectively, the boxes must be packed properly. Smart packing simply means packing similar items together in each box. Office supplies belong in a separate box, while important records should be packed together in a different one.

Mixing up the contents in each box may save on the number of boxes utilized during the move, but it also makes unpacking much more difficult than necessary. Labeling is also easier when the box contains only the items listed on the colored duct tape.

3. Label each box with details.

Each box should be labeled with descriptive information. Noting the contents of the box and what room it goes into is important. Write down the general weight of the box and whether or not it is fragile. Draw arrows to show which way the moving crew should hold the boxes.

4. Place the labels strategically.

The colored duct tape ideally should be adhered to the sides of the boxes. Some moving companies recommend only one side of the box needs to be identified with the tape. However, office personnel might go as far as placing the color-coded tape on multiple sides of each box.

Avoid placing the labels solely on top of the boxes. When the boxes are piled on top of one another in the moving truck, office employees will be unable to see the labels. Adhering the labels on the sides of the boxes allows staff to see them at first glance.

Upon arrival at the destination, the office manager in charge will be better able to direct moving crews as to where to place each box. Depending on the label, some boxes may not require unpacking right away. The color-coded strategy will thus serve its purpose.

5. Create a master list.

Creating a master list of the colors assigned to each box is extremely helpful. Keep the master list in a safe place or with the office team member in charge of the move. Be sure the master list can be readily accessed upon arrival at the destination.

Consider using Google Docs or Google Sheets to create the master list. The ease of online programs allows users to access the document anywhere and on any device. Office managers may also want to print out a hard copy (but remember this can get lost during the move).

Another tip is to print several copies of the master list. Hang one master list in a highly visible spot on each floor of the new office space or in each room. Moving crews will reference the list, which facilitates the correct delivery of each box to the appropriate room.

Work with a Professional Mover

Packing up your office can take time away from business operations. Instead, assign the task of packing to an experienced and office mover, like Chicago Office Movers. Our highly efficient packing services are top notch and trusted by many local businesses.

When choosing Chicago Office Movers to pack your office goods, you can expect careful handling of your fragile office equipment. Each item is organized, wrapped, and securely packed in sturdy boxes to ensure a smooth transition to your new office space.

Our union movers are trained and background checked, allowing area businesses to place full confidence in our professional packing services. As a part of our comprehensive moving services, we also unpack office goods. Our moving crews will place each box in its correct location at the destination.

Chicago Office Movers has served Chicagoland for the past 35 years. When you need an office relocation company to handle every aspect of your move, count on Chicago Office Movers.

Contact Us

We offer a free estimate for our moving and packing services to businesses in the Windy City. Give us a call at 312-244-2246.

Posts Tagged ‘chicago office movers’

The Pros and Cons of Having a Job in Chicago