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SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 2009
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NEWS ABOUT: office

office stories: 21 news summaries

1 - 20 of 21 Stories | 1 2 Next >>

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OPINION

 Enough With the 
 Skimpy Office Attire 


Jul 20, 09 10:52 AM CDT
(Newser) - It’s all well and good that women in the workplace have dropped the power suit for more feminine attire, but does it have to come with "yards of cleavage," micro-minis, and peekaboo bra straps? Relaxed attire has wandered way into bimbo territory, and it's a big mistake,... More »

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women • office • clothing • workplace

 How to Stage a Vacation Coup 

It can be done, with help from the expert

Jul 10, 09 1:05 PM CDT
(Newser) - Planning a summer vacation? It may be harder than you think to get away from your needy colleagues, but with “aggressive, simultaneous upward and downward management,” it can be done, writes Stanley Bing in Fortune:
  • First, get the boss’s permission and make sure your subordinates know
... More »

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vacation • office • summer • workplace • Jay-ZTV

(Newser) - After countless bear hugs, fist bumps, elbow grips, and pats-on-the-back, Elizabeth Bernstein realized that she is her office’s “touchee”—someone co-workers know will be receptive to physical demonstrations of support, she writes for the Wall Street Journal. That got her thinking: When is such touching OK, and... More »

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business • workers • hugging • office • hug • handshake

Firms Feed
Workers to
Boost Morale

It's not a raise, but perk goes long way in tough times, managers say

Jun 11, 09 1:45 PM CDT
(Newser) - The way to employee satisfaction is apparently through their stomachs. Businesses slicing jobs and benefits in tough times are finding that free food is a cheap way to boost worker morale, the Boston Globe reports. The majority of financial officers recently surveyed—68%—is taking steps to boost employee spirits.... More »

MORE ABOUT:
food • layoffs • recession • office • employee • morale

Etiquette for 2009: Don't Mention Your Job

Unemployment straining friendships

Apr 10, 09 11:40 AM CDT
(Newser) - The onetime small-talk staple “So, how's the job going?” is liable to get you into trouble these days, reports Newsweek. Rising unemployment is straining friendships as the haves learn to interact with the have-nots. Among 30- and 40-somethings, discussing luxurious vacation plans is not a good idea, and... More »

MORE ABOUT:
unemployment • office • shrinking workforce • etiquette • financial crisis • recession depression

Working at Home Could Boost Layoff Risk, Some Fear

'Trend toward flexibility' makes about-face in rough economy

Mar 23, 09 10:16 AM CDT
(Newser) - Workers who once had the flexibility to work from home are sticking to the office, worried that less “face time” could make them layoff targets, the Washington Post reports. To some women, the shift appears to be a step backward as pressure builds to “work as many hours... More »

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women • workers • unemployment • office • flexibility • job • telecommuting • financial crisis

Ousted Thain to Repay $1.2M Spent on Office

Lush renovation
was a 'mistake,'
says ex-Merrill CEO

Jan 26, 09 11:37 AM CST
(Newser) - Former Merrill Lynch CEO John Thain says he’ll repay the $1.2 million he spent on office renovations last year, Bloomberg reports. “The expenses were incurred over a year ago in a very different environment,” Thain wrote in a memo to Merrill execs. “They were a... More »

MORE ABOUT:
executive compensation • Bank of America • merger • Merrill Lynch • resignation • office • John Thain • renovation • financial crisis • reimbursement

Cash-Squeezed Calif. to Close Offices Twice a Month

Labor unions file suit opposing cost-saving move

Jan 10, 09 10:32 AM CST
(Newser) - In another creative and/or desperate budgeting move from the Governator, California state offices will close 2 days a month, the Wall Street Journal reports. The state is low on cash and facing a budget deficit expected to swell to $42 billion deficit over the next 18 months. The days off,... More »

MORE ABOUT:
California • cost cutting • Arnold Schwarzenegger • lawsuit • office • labor unions • budget deficit • closing

New Maternity Leave Means Bring Your
Kids to Work

Firms go ga-ga over not losing mom for months

Jan 4, 09 6:00 PM CST
(Newser) - Every day can be bring-your-child-to-work day, the New York Times reports, as more companies are allowing parents to bring their babies into the office. The move helps moms and dads dodge the financial hit of parental leave while simultaneously spending time with their kids. “I have not heard anyone... More »

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parenting • work • children • parents • baby • office • working mothers • maternity leave

 Signs He's Your Work Spouse 

Looking at those platonic office relationships that mirror married life

Nov 11, 08 4:44 PM CST
(Newser) - Everyone has friends in the office, but not everyone has a work spouse—a fellow worker of the opposite sex with whom one has a close, platonic relationship. According to Vault.com, 23% of workers say they have a work spouse. CNN collects signs that you might have one, too:... More »

MORE ABOUT:
office • office workers • friendship • spouse

Herman Miller Says Phooey to Financial Crisis

Still have a job? Thumb your nose at thrift with a $1600 office chair

Nov 6, 08 1:25 PM CST
(Newser) - With a "bah!" to the financial crisis, furniture manufacturer Herman Miller has introduced a chair that costs $1,600—making you “all the more comfortable as you sit for eight hours staring in disbelief at your plummeting stock portfolio,” writes Stacey Higginibotham on GigaOm. The Embody,... More »

MORE ABOUT:
price • office • luxury • furniture • financial crisis • Aeron • Herman Miller • office chairs • Embody

 Watch for These Layoff Signs 

Knowing it's coming could help you prepare

Oct 15, 08 6:45 PM CDT
(Newser) - More than 750,000 American jobs vanished this year, and more cuts are likely amid the current crisis. MarketWatch offers red flags that a pink slip is coming:
  • Colleagues get fired: You are not immune, even if your boss says so.
  • Training budgets dwindle: They are "not
... More »

MORE ABOUT:
layoffs • office • job security • career • financial crisis

Brits Working Longer Days

UK employees put in 41.4 hours a week,
up from 40.7 in 2006

Sep 3, 08 7:07 PM CDT
(Newser) - Britons are among the hardest working Europeans, with only Romanians and Bulgarians working longer than the 41.4 hours our former colonizers put in at the office weekly. That's 2 more hours than the average European, the Telegraph reports, and it's up from 40.7 hours in 2006. Workers in... More »

MORE ABOUT:
European Union • office • statistics • Britain • 35-hour working week

Brown-Bag Boom Makes
for Stinky Office Fridges

Employees moan about offensive odors, liquefied carrots, missing pizza

Jul 16, 08 6:35 PM CDT
(Newser) - A rise in brown-bag lunches is turning office fridges nationwide from a munchies Mecca into an oversized Petri dish—and workers are crying foul, the Chicago Tribune reports. Booming food prices and health concerns are increasing bring-your-own numbers, but the good stuff doesn't always get eaten. "I've found things... More »

MORE ABOUT:
food • health • bacteria • office • sandwich • refrigerator • lunch

Tech Firms to Fix Monster They Created

Email, IMs keep employees available and distracted

Jun 14, 08 11:25 AM CDT
(Newser) - Google, Microsoft, Intel, and IBM are partnering are on a new initiative to help workers distracted by emails and instant messages improve their productivity, the New York Times reports. The Information Overload Research Group, a nonprofit launching next month, will devise cultural and technological solutions to reduce the digital... More »

MORE ABOUT:
Google • Microsoft • work • email • Intel • IBM • office • instant messaging • productivity

Bored at Work? Site Disguises Classic Lit

Readatwork.com lets you fool the boss

May 30, 08 2:08 PM CDT
(Newser) - Business world got you down? Want to escape into a classic poem or short story? The New Zealand Book Council has made a website to help you: ReadatWork.com. The site brings up a fake Windows desktop with folders and PowerPoint files, the Wall Street Journal reports. Click on them,... More »

MORE ABOUT:
corporate culture • literature • reading • poetry • office • website • novel

 Employers Ask
 Office Lovers
 to Sign Off 

'Love contracts' guard bosses against harassment claims

May 10, 08 7:52 PM CDT
(Newser) - Bosses who see love in the air are asking workers to sign so-called love contracts to guard against sexual harassment claims, ABC News reports. "It is documenting the relationship," one employment lawyer said. "You need to define the relationship. Is (it) welcome?" The issue has gained attention... More »

MORE ABOUT:
sexual harassment • love • office • romance • contract • women in office

America's 12 Germiest Places

It's enough to make the hypochondriac in all of us squirm

Nov 1, 07 2:15 PM CDT
(Newser) - The trash smells worse than the kitchen sinks, but it's not necessarily less prone to germs. Health gives you the 12 germiest places:
  1. Kitchen sink and counters—Use antibacterial product.
  2. Airplane bathrooms—Flushing sprays germs everywhere.
  3. Wet laundry—E. coli, courtesy dirty skivvies. Use bleach, dry high
... More »

MORE ABOUT:
list • bacteria • office • common cold • gym

Have You Heard the Latest on Pet Peeves?

Gossip, 'reply all' abuse are driving your co-workers nuts

Oct 30, 07 2:49 PM CDT
(Newser) - "MYOB" is great advice, say office workers who blame poor manners for making cubicle life so bad. Gossip was the biggest annoyance for 60% of people surveyed in a new Harris Interactive poll. More than half complained of co-workers misusing work time with personal calls and web surfing, and... More »

MORE ABOUT:
work • office • cubicle • manners

Keep Those Really Junior Execs Happy

The office isn't the only option for parents whose kids are at loose ends

Aug 6, 07 2:55 PM CDT
(Newser) - Can't find a babysitter? Bringing your kid to work may seem the simplest solution—but first, consider these suggestions from Forbes.
  1. Check out employer-provided child care. Many places don't have on-site care, but they may have backup services.
  2. Work from home. Your boss and co-workers will thank you.
... More »

MORE ABOUT:
work • children • parents • list • office • working mothers

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