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job spill n. Work or work-related tasks that carry over into personal time.There are two types: The type you create and the type your boss expects.  I don't care whether you're cooking dinner for a family of six or sitting on your ass watching American Idol, your time is YOUR time.  We covered this on episode #57 of the Working Podcast - but several of you wrote in looking for a text version.  So here it goes:1) Set precedent from the start. Maybe you have 4 jobs, 10 kids and spend all your free time with a Bible study group. Keep your new employer guessing about the "real" you.2) Keep your work friends out of your inner circle.  Don't get all misanthropic on me but keeping some separation can filter our home work - as well as cut down on useless gossip and negative banter.3) The thrill of tech toy work goodies wears out quickly.  Try to escape the blackberry, cell phone or pager. Sometimes they're a necessary evil - but they're really nothing more … [Read more...] about 6 Cures for "Job Spill" – Leave Work at Work!

A survey recently conducted by Harper's Bazaar questioned 500 professional women with top jobs in finance, newspapers and health care about their attitudes on their office environments.  Here are a few nuggets: - 85% have cried in the bathroom (I wonder how many men have?!) - 3 out of 5 would rather work directly for a man than a woman - 86% said they would flirt with a male colleague if it meant they got their way - 7 out of 10 said they were empowered at work by wearing high heels The bottom line is, if you got it - flaunt it.  I always loved Jack Nicholson's character's line in As Good As It Gets when he's asked how he writes women characters so well: "I think of a man, and I take away reason and accountability." Now of course, I don't feel that way (so hold back those mean e-mails) but apparently other woman do! Why else would they not want to work for another woman? In my experience, working for a man and a woman are VERY different experiences - each … [Read more...] about Dirty Girls Get Promoted

My stomach is churning from all the cold cuts, chicken wings and Amstel Lights - but there's something I wanted to get off my chest before I call it a night.  In a Super Bowl filled with sloppy play and forgettable commercials - Career Builder fumbled the ball by firing the monkeys.   Their latest campaign, "It’s a jungle out there,” fell completely flat.  At least to me and a dozen others.A quick search of folks blogging their take on the ads turns up mostly positive reviews for the spots.  I'll blog more on this tomorrow.  But I gotta say - I thought the ads were sloppy, over-produced and did not strike a water-cooler chord with this cube-dwelling slave.  Maybe once my stomach settles I'll feel differently.  Stay tuned...  … [Read more...] about Bring Back the Monkeys!

We pick a box for the office pool.  We eat greasy chicken wings.  We watch the advertising orgy.  And somewhere in the middle of the game (yes, there IS a game!) everyone sits back and small-talks about how much the silly ads cost.There are between 50 and 60 ads sold at approximately 2.25 million each (after discounts). A conservative estimate puts the amount of money spent on advertising by companies at 125,000,000.  That's not even including the money and manpower it takes to make the commercials.Let's look at some random numbers of how this 125 million dollars could be spent:- Would roughly equal 42 cents per American.- $3 for every American without health insurance.- Diamond Emerald Nuts, one of this year's smallest advertisers, would be able to give their 670 employees a $4,000 bonus.- Taco Bell could actually pay farm workers a decent enough wage to clean green onions and spinach.- Could buy 6.25 million red Swingline staplers.  If put side by side, … [Read more...] about Super Bowl Math: Advertisers Dis Employees

I love mornings when I wake up and a blog entry writes itself.  The content YOU guys provide is 10 times better than anything I can ever conjure up.  So check out this e-mail I received from a loyal listener of the Working Podcast.My Fellow Co-workers, I felt it was time to remind everyone in the division about water dispenser etiquette.  It was brought to my attention moments ago that people are frequently taking water from the water dispenser when the water bottle is empty.  This results in the cooling reservoir to be drained and subsequently there is no water left at all.  Fortunately for the rest of the division, this has happened to me 2 times this week alone, hence saving others from the frustration of their inconsiderate coworkers.  Since some individuals either can’t change the water bottle or don’t bother to check, I would like to recommend the following procedure: 1.  Every time you obtain water from the water dispenser look … [Read more...] about Rules of the Water Cooler Exposed

I'll never forgot when I dropped by my friend Fred's house to find him working in his bathrobe and slippers.  It was 4pm on a Thursday!  He went on to explain that he was now working from home around 75% of the time.  At first, I figured the kid had been fired and was trying to save himself some shame.  Then my mind started to race: maybe he had a health issue.  Yeah, that's it.  Freddy was going mental!In reality, the 30-year-old airline employee had just joined the estimated 10 million (perfectly healthy and gainfully employed!) folks who are spending a large chunk of their careers telecommuting.Here are some results from an interesting study recently released by Futurestep, an online executive recruiting service for management professionals:- 61% of 1,300 executives believe telecommuters are less likely to advance their careers compared with those who haul ass into the office.- 80% of these executives say telecommuters are equally or more productive … [Read more...] about Should We All Work in Our Underwear?