Did you ever check out a company or an individual under scam on the internet? From the first time we got caught taking the cookie from the cookie jar as a kid, we all learned that sometimes it is dangerous to tell the truth. We also learned pretty early to separate the big lies from […]

Last week as I went through airport security, waiting for my husband who was getting the grand pat down for the zillionth time since his hip replacement operation eighteen months ago, I was musing about how we normalize the abnormal. Going through security, checking for vials or sharp objects, or whatever, is now a common […]

Have you ever been treated unfairly at work? Were you ever asked to do more than your fair share? Have you gone above and beyond all reasonable requests, doing an exemplary job and getting no recognition? That is how Joelle saw her job. She worked harder than any of her peers, in fact she even […]

Ever listen to people at a crowded restaurant during week day lunchtime? Often you hear conversations that are variations on the theme of “My boss is a —-“. Lots of four letter words can be put into that sentence. Ever wonder why so many employees have a negative spin on the person they report to? […]

Anyone ever tell you “You are so irrational” or maybe “You’re so predictable”. How about ever hearing “Women are so irrational” and “Men are so logical”? All are true and not true at the same time. We are often predictable in our seemingly irrational behavior if we know what to look for. In Dan Areley’s […]

Vampires are takers. They cause workplace conflict as they smile and wipe the blood from their mouths. They go back to their offices or cubes feeling full and satiated wondering why there is mayhem around them. They are just doing what comes naturally. Vampires are defined as corpses who have risen from the dead to […]

You know the saying about “when the going gets tough…..” and the sentence is often completed with some statement like “everybody goes shopping” or everybody makes margaritas.” So, what happens in the workplace when there is a rough patch? Do employees shop or sip or roll up their sleeves to help each other? In the […]

Before I tell you what the latest survey on workplace peeves is, take a minute and think about what bothers you the most with your colleagues at work. I’ll start with mine. I hate, I mean HATE people who talk out of both sides of their mouths. I call them “splitters”. They tell you how […]

Racing toward success and a big bottom line often causes myopia, a condition where you can only see what is in front of you. If you are myopic, you are short- sighted. This condition is more than can be cured with a pair of glasses or contacts; it is about lack of discernment or long-range […]

In “Don’t Bring It to Work” there are lots of examples of how a system works. One of the most interesting comes from nature. It is called “The Butterfly Effect.” Physics has shown us that small variations in the initial conditions of a system, like a butterfly flapping its wings can lead to tremendous long […]