[Courtesy of Grantland Cartoons] There's something about an annoying co-worker that's like a Medieval form of torture. Unlike the persistent whistler in a department store, or the airline passenger seated next to you who insists on smacking her watermelon-scented bubblegum all the way from N...

If corporations were suitors, they would be the kind who would call at the last minute for dates, and show up  with tofu and tomato juice instead of chocolates and champagne. They'd give you just enough to sustain you for the night, but not enough to leave a pleasant impression, let alone ...

With the florescent lighting, and frequent references to "cutting the fat" from corporate operations, work at many companies these days is more reminiscent of a supermarket than an office. It sometimes feels as if company owners and investors are shopping at a large discount grocery store....

I’m writing this blog from Jury Room 1517 in Lower Manhattan.  As it required the threat of a monetary penalty and jail to get me here, it got me thinking about what it takes to get your employees to come to the office every day, and then what it takes to get them to work productively. ...

Thieves in the night is how most workforce managers I’ve observed run their layoffs. Even if the layoffs occur for no reason other than a corporate monetary shortage or restructuring, there is a pall of secrecy and shame that follows the departing employees. This shroud of silence, that’s ...

Who wouldn't want to be efficient and produce high-quality products and services?  It’s one of those idealistic goals, like exercising five days a week at dawn, cleaning the house before you leave each morning, or religiously staying within your personal budget, that’s hard to ar...

That old John Fogerty song, Centerfield, never resonated with me. Begging a coach to put me in centerfield as opposed to comfortably (and safely) on the bench or off to the side isn’t anything I can imagine doing—unless it was the only alternative to being fired or not getting a much-neede...

As too many U.S. companies downsize and ask workers to reconcile themselves to salary and hiring freezes for the first half, if not all, of 2009, the Indian workforce looks like a veritable party. It seems like whenever a big round of job cutting has taken place, the answer to the outraged (and ofte...

Now that we’re in an 'official' recession, your sales reps may have reconciled themselves to failure. Many of them figure they’re probably out the door at the end of the year, anyway, so why bother trying?  Some of them may simply be pathetic (that’s always a possibility, though,...

What are your company's leaders worried about?  If you don't know, think about what's missing. This holiday season it's probably a party that feels like a reward. If you don't know what's coming, don't get your hopes up. It most likely won't be as swank as last ...