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Year: 2014

Feel underappreciated? You’re not alone

Feeling underappreciated can in­­tro­­duce bitterness into your work rela­­tionships, which will negatively affect your work. The lack of acknowl­­edgment for your contribution can lead to bad feelings and an unwillingness to compromise when it comes to making decisions with a partner or co-workers, write Josh Baron and Rob Lachenauer of Banyan Family Business Advisors.

Always measure the cost-benefit ratio of complaining about the boss

Q: “Without meaning to, I have created a big problem with my manager. I have doubts about his technical skills and feel that he needs more training. Since I didn’t want to tell him this, I decided to take some of my technical concerns to his boss. His boss escalated our conversation into a formal discussion with human resources. As a result, my manager is now aware of my feelings about his technical ability. How can I repair our relationship?” Worried

Make it easy for them to return your lost iPad

If you lose your iPad, chances are the person who finds it won’t be able to access your contact information to return it to you if you use a passcode. To keep the device locked but returnable, Lory Gil suggests a way to add contact information to the lock screen.

It’s definitely nepotism–but is it too risky to call it out?

Q: “Management allowed my boss to hire one of her relatives, even though this is against company policy. My manager and ‘Wendy’ were not close before, but now they carpool, eat lunch together, and even plan joint family vacations. My concern is that Wendy is not being properly supervised. Her work is often incorrect, but my boss constantly makes excuses for her. The executive who approved Wendy’s hiring has left, so our current management may not be aware of their relationship. I don’t know whether to report this policy violation or just ignore it and focus on my work.” Wendy’s co-worker  

Add a sucker punch to your writing

One good way to really wake up your reader, no matter how dry the topic of your document, is to very occasionally drop a paragraph consisting of a single sentence between two larger bodies of text. It can provide a dramatic jolt and create a quick, laser-like focus on the topic of that sentence.