Skip to content

Year: 2011

Hold that charge!

Cell phone batteries last a little longer if they’re kept cool, so if you keep your phone in a coat pocket near your body, the batteries may run down faster. Try carrying it in your purse or on your belt. Away from home without a charger? Store your phone in the hotel room’s fridge. — […]

Dealing with retaliation after sexual harassment complaint

Last week a reader who had filed a sexual harassment complaint asked for tips to survive a work environment that has grown even more hostile—in a different way—since her complaint. With the law on her side, she thinks she will eventually prevail, but she still has to work everyday with a boss who retaliated with “new, impossible to meet” work demands. Forum readers advise “keep documenting,” try to transfer to a new boss, and work hard to stay positive. Lisa says, “Whoever is out to get you can only succeed if you let them… Reward yourself for staying upbeat …Good luck with all the legal stuff.”

Work with a bad boss?

Nearly half (46%) of employees say they’ve worked for an unreasonable manager. Most (59%) stayed in their jobs, despite working with a bad boss, according to an OfficeTeam survey.

How to manage conflict

Manage conflict within a team with this tactic from Harvard Management Update: When tempers flare, arrange team members in a semicircle around a white board. Put ideas on the board, and then ask team members to ally against the conflict, not each other.

10 rules to reverse the email spiral

Chris Anderson, who runs the high-profile TED conference, believes we need to focus on limiting the flow of email, rather than focusing on how to organize and file all those messages. Anderson penned 10 ideas that could make a dent in email quantity:

Self help

Take responsibility for your own professional development, says Steven DeMaio on HarvardBusiness.org, with this strategy: Set a goal of having one major learning experience each quarter. If work isn’t challenging you enough, seek out a volunteer opportunity or enroll in a class.

Does this cliché really still happen? My boss is coming on to me!

Question:  “My boss is making strange comments that I’m not sure how to handle. Last week, he said that it is not unusual for people in my position to sleep with their managers. I was so shocked that I didn’t even respond. I just continued talking about work. Yesterday, he told me how much he loves me and that he will never let me quit my job. This seems kind of weird. What should I do?”  —Confused

Beat procrastination

Looking to beat procrastination? Try the Swiss cheese technique. Punch holes in a task like it’s a block of cheese. Do a five-minute portion of an important task. Then another five. Anything can be broken down into small doable chunks.

Go green: Paperless business cards

In some professional corners, people are gravitating to digital business cards. The advantage? No more piles of cards to sort through. Check out these three online tools to create your own online card: