The Globe and Mail - The Office

Questioning the conclusion that sexist men earn more money

csilverman — Tue, 7 Oct 2008 13:58 EDT

Men who are taught at a young age that women should stay in the home end up earning more later in life, according to media reports about a study published in the Journal of Applied Psychology. The resulting articles carry headlines such as “Men with sexist views 'earn more',” "How Sexist - Follow link to read full post

Grieving for a lost job

csilverman — Fri, 3 Oct 2008 12:51 EDT

Some people are taking a certain amount of pleasure in the fact that some of the big-bonus bankers who pushed mortgage-backed securities are facing unemployment and financial uncertainty. In recent weeks, we've seen images of employees of big investment banks and other financial companies carrying their - Follow link to read full post

Networked workers: email and the Internet have a firm hold on the workplace

csilverman — Thu, 2 Oct 2008 14:24 EDT

It's not exactly a shocking revelation, but a survey from the Pew Charitable Trusts confirms that workers of all stripes are using email and the Internet in general for their daily work. Computer haters are finding it tougher to operate in today's offices.The survey, "Networked Workers," was released - Follow link to read full post

Confronting a colleague about drug abuse

csilverman — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 12:09 EDT

When she was first hired, Amber was a model employee. Then she started calling in sick, borrowing money from colleagues, losing her temper, and falling behind on her work. At first, her boss at the small public relations firm became concerned. Then she caught Amber snorting white powder in the ladies - Follow link to read full post

The downside of a hyper-competitive workplace

csilverman — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 11:57 EDT

Robert P. Vecchio, a University of Notre Dame management professor, has found his niche: workplace envy. He wrote a book, Jealousy and Envy Among Health Care Professionals, and has authored several papers on the subject, including "Explorations in Employee Envy: Feeling Envious and Feeling Envied.” - Follow link to read full post

A mouldy way to prevent office lunch theft

csilverman — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 14:04 EDT

There's a good chance that your office fridge has been the scene of a crime.Someone takes the time to pack a tasty homemade lunch and store it in the fridge, only to crack open the door at lunchtime and discouver that a co-worker has helped themselves to the food. To counteract office lunch theft, people - Follow link to read full post

How to make your boss hate you

csilverman — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 16:51 EDT

Most workers have no trouble listing the things they don't like about their boss. But how often do we take a look in the mirror and think about the things we do that make our bosses crazy? Probably not that often. To help you with a little self-diagnosis, I recommend reading “Ten things your boss - Follow link to read full post

Organizational conformity: because we've always done it that way!

csilverman — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 11:30 EDT

I would also accept “that's just the way we do it” or “it's always been like that” as other examples of the mindset that can take hold inside a workplace. This bent towards conformity can paralyze an organization, according to Bob Sutton, a professor of management science and - Follow link to read full post

Back in the saddle, and laying waste to workplace myths

csilverman — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 10:12 EDT

Yes, I'm back.Like many people, I took time off in August and early September and am overjoyed to be back in the office to write The Office. After all, there's only so much time one can spend relaxing in perfect sunshine. Okay, so even workplace writers suffer from the September blahs.Speaking of workplace - Follow link to read full post

“Please let others talk during a meeting” and other messages for boorish colleagues

csilverman — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 11:39 EDT

How would you go about telling a colleague their jokes are inappropriate or that they have bad breath? I imagine most of us would suffer in silence, afraid to get into a confrontation. But for those looking for an anonymous way to register a complaint, NiceCritic.com (“The Anonymous Way to Send - Follow link to read full post