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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?

The atmosphere is approximately 21% oxygen.   Deprivation kills.  But what if you're getting "just" enough in the workosphere?  Enough to live - but an amount low enough that you constantly find yourself tired...Enter a jolt of Oxygen in your pocket.Oxia boasts itself as the world's smallest, lightest and most fashionable portable oxygen dispenser.  It's a "natural boost of energy anytime/anywhere."  I first read about it on this fitness blog.  And heck, if it's good enough to get Lindsay through her rehab stints and Britney through her multiple pregnancies - it's surely good enough for us.Is portable Oxygen a true "stress tonic?"  Years back - when Oxygen bars were poised to be the next big thing - here's what the FDA had to say.While the results were pretty much inconclusive, we ain't running out to pay for air.  I'm hardly cheap, but I do have to draw the line somewhere.  At $20 for approx. 30 puffs - it … [Read more...] about Oxygen at Work: Are You Deprived?

Sure, you can take your cell phone number with you.  And for the most part, your house number only changes a few times in your life - BUT why not have "One Number... for Life."  That's the slogan of GrandCentral.com - a company that allows you to pick a phone number in your area code (not all locations available yet) and have it forwarded to other numbers.This is a great FREE service for all of you job hunters out there.  Even though you might think your phone number will never change - life gets in the way.  And what happens when that dream job you applied for eight months ago tries to call you at that old number?  Don't lose a job because you lost your number!A Grand Central number is tied to YOU not a specific phone or location.Another great benefit for those on the job hunt is that you can have different greetings for different callers.  We'd never suggest you lie to a potential employer, but it's a nice option to be able to … [Read more...] about WorkHack: Get 1 Phone # for Life

Your boss is watching.  We already know that cameras are everywhere, your Internet history can follow you for life and your boss has too much time on his/her hands.  Here’s a look at how technology is only going to make things worse for the common cube dweller. HEATMAPPINGWhat if your computer monitor was rigged with cameras that tracked the movement of your eyes?  Advanced Eye Interpretation technology is here now, and you better pray that your company can't afford to buy it.  Currently used as a tool to help optimize Web sites by helping the owner understanding what visitors are looking at, the sophisticated eye-movement tech can easily be adapted by corporations who wish to know what their employees are looking at all day.Crazyegg.com recently announced that they are offering faux heatmaps and overlays of what people are clicking on within certain Web sites – for FREE.  All site owners have to do is post a single line of code onto a page and they … [Read more...] about Spy Games at Work: How Your Boss Watches You