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This is the latest news and information for workers and managers from across the Web universe, brought to you by Monday Morning Manager writer Harvey Schachter. Follow us on Twitter @Globe_Careers or join our Linked In group.
Executive coach Marty Nemko recommends the traffic light rule, particularly with impatient Type A recipients of your often wordy spiels. For the first 20 seconds, consider you have a green light. It turns yellow for the next 20 seconds. At 40 seconds, it's red – stop. Harvard Business Review
Two-tired pay can ding profit
New experimental research suggests the two-tier pay scale in the auto sector and other industries just leads to lower efforts – not only by new employees paid less than veterans but from the veterans themselves, perhaps because a social norm has been violated. The bottom line: Profits don't go up as expected. American Accounting Association
Legibility trumps low-contrast text
Minimalism has benefits but not when it leads to the use of low-contrast text in an attempt to make Web pages look less cluttered, notably on sites seeking a high-end image. Usability specialist Katie Sherwin says it strains the eye, reduces legibility and the chance to find items, and diminishes user confidence. NMGroup.com
Strike a pose to boost confidence
Before competition, athletes often stand tall with their shoulders back and heads up, a power pose that increases testosterone and reduces the cortisol stress hormone. Dr. Greg Wells, a human physiology scientist, suggests trying it at work, along with an athlete's drive, every day, to be 1-per-cent better. Leadership Now
Turn your to-do list into a game
If you're a gamer, you might enjoy turning your to-do list into a game, courtesy of the Quest App on iOS. When you swipe a task complete, you receive a reward and when you gain enough of them, you move to a higher level. AddictiveTips.com
Harvey Schachter is a Battersea, Ont.-based writer specializing in management issues. He writes Monday Morning Manager and management book reviews for the print edition of Report on Business and an online work-life column Balance. E-mail Harvey Schachter
Harvey Schachter