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Year: 2011

Don’t invite a thief inside

Beware of “office creepers,” who slip through secure doors held open by friendly employees and walk out with laptops, purses, cell phones and more. Simply saying, “May I help you?” to a stranger might be enough to deter a thief trying to slip through unnoticed.

Hey, boss: I’m working!

Don’t be afraid to show the boss that you’re putting in extra hours when he or she isn’t around. One subtle alert, suggested by Princeton Search Group: Send the boss an email message while you’re working off-hours. The clincher: The message will show the time of day (or night) that you sent it.

Back to school: Is it worth it?

The current job climate is driving many people to go back to school, with the number of 50- to 64-year-old students climbing fast. Even people with jobs are taking classes. Should you? Some great advice from SmartMoney magazine:

Schedule lunch between to-dos

Divide your day’s priorities between those you’ll complete in the morning and those you’ll handle in the afternoon. You’re less likely to skip lunch on a regular basis because you can’t find a break.

Caring for your network in 5 steps

True or false: Networking is a task, like building your house. Accumulate the materials, do the necessary hammering, and bingo, you’ve got your house. “False,” say authors Bob Allard and Richard Banfield, who assert that networking greatness comes from giving, not accumulating.

What’s in a title? Job satisfaction–or not!

An administrative assistant wrote that she felt “demoted” after a reorganization left her and other admins with the new title of “office assistant”—though their jobs and pay remained the same. Many admins said they’d feel demoralized too and encouraged her to speak up, since your title can affect the way others see you. Forum reader Mark suggests she point out to management that studies show job titles psychologically affect job satisfaction. “A (good) title can be a job enhancement that does not cost a single penny,” he says. To drive home how strongly they feel, Mark suggests the admins might even offer to pay to reprint their business cards. What do you think?

What bugs your boss about meetings

Starting or ending a meeting late ranks as the No. 1 complaint about company meetings, according to a survey by Accountemps. Top pet peeves about company meetings among senior man­agers:

Gain more time

Set a time limit on routine tasks to gain more time out of the day. Example: If it normally takes you an hour to write the perfect letter, plan to give yourself half the time to write a “good enough” letter. Give up on the idea of being perfect at everything.