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Year: 2011

Group gift-giving at work

When a group of co-workers chip in to buy a gift for a colleague, should they allow noncontributors to sign the card, as well? Or should they leave the gift shirkers out in the cold? An office coordinator in Florida posed this etiquette question to us recently.

Make Mondays count

When the boss asks you how your weekend was, don’t just say, “fine” and move on. Instead, tell how you benefited from an experience on the job or had a work-related brainstorm.

Does your job title matter? You bet!

One admin wrote: “Our company just reorganized and changed our job titles from administrative assistant to ‘office assistant.’ None of the job functions changed. I feel demoted. Should we go to our manager and speak to him about our displeasure or just be quiet and not say a thing?”

Get out of voice mail jail

Check whether someone unfamiliar with your company’s voice mail system can navigate it easily. Always give callers the option to talk with someone, so they aren’t stuck in voice mail hell.

Help new employees

Before they arrive to work for the first time, email new employees helpful information such as where to park, what the organization’s dress code is and where to go when they arrive at the building.