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In honor of hard working citizens who deal with irrational bosses daily, Working America, the community affiliate of the AFL-CIO, ran a contest asking for submissions of bad boss stories. The worst boss story award went to a woman from Kansas named Joan, who was demoted for planning a company outing to a baseball game that happened to fall on a day when it rained.
Although she planned it two months in advance, Joan's boss blamed her for purposely choosing the day because she knew it was going to rain.
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Spending hours surrounded by co-workers every day and sharing space means we only have a certain amount of privacy at work. Sometimes people will nosily look over your shoulder to get a glimpse of the action on your screen, and I've found that often co-workers are more guilty of this than bosses. Do you feel like your colleagues respect your privacy?
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The ideal job hunting situation is when you're currently employed and looking for a new gig, not only for the obvious financial reasons, but because sudden job loss can render us panicked and decision-impaired. Frantically searching for a new job could sabotage what you've set out to achieve, and you could be back on the market for another position in no time.
Career coach Deborah Brown-Volkman explains why it's important to have a plan when you're job searching and says, "You don't want to walk into someone else's nightmare.
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Self-employment is a goal that many workers strive for: Setting your own hours, making the big decisions, and controlling your work life are appealing parts of being your own boss.
While those aspects excite some, the prospect of self-employment causes stress in others who would rather leave the risk taking to somebody else. Would you want to start a business and be accountable for its success or failure.
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A recent CareerBuilder survey found that 82 percent of employees go to happy hours to bond with co-workers, while 11 percent go to spend quality time with the boss. Which is a stronger factor in driving you to office happy hours?
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Most of us have had our fair share of issues with co-workers, ranging from petty annoyances to backstabbing antics. Confronting a colleague may have its own challenges but when it's the boss that needs talking to job security comes into play. A reader wrote to Slate's Dear Prudence asking for advice on whether to confront a boss (who has the charming tendency to "fly off the handle") about her constant anti-Semitic remarks.
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Just as your ninth grade geometry teacher favored the cute boys in the corner, your boss may very well play office favorites among employees.
It's one form of complicated office politics, and author Louellen Essex advises to consider your boss's rationale: "Is he or she supporting high performers they're grooming for advancement. If so, step up your performance and get yourself in that inner circle. On the other hand, if the boss is playing favorites due to friendships with employees, stay clear."
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There are too many employers out there convinced that employees don't have a life outside of their office walls. Going above and beyond our jobs is what it takes to make an impression, but nothing goads me more than when a boss fails to recognize that butt-in-the-seat time isn't the most important aspect of managing employees — that attitude can provoke the undesired effect of reducing worker productivity and motivation.
3 Dog Agency, a Washington, DC-based public relations firm, says that flexibility is one of the ways they're able to attract the best candidates, and the company's president acknowledges that their policies actually increase productivity.
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You're up to your neck in work while your co-worker complains that she's bored. When approached by your boss with another task you can do with your eyes closed but simply don't want to keep you at the office all night, are you able to say no. What about when she asks you to check in while you're on vacation.
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