A transformer manufacturing facility in St. Louis, MO is currently on lockdown after a gunman opened fired this morning, shooting three people.According to an ABB Inc. company spokesperson on CNN.com, there is no information to indicate the shooter was an employee.Um, yeah. I wouldn't take that bet. The shooter is still at large, suspected of being somewhere within the factory.Unseasonably cold weather, including snow and freezing rain, have recently hit the area. No matter how blue you feel, please keep the guns at home, people. Related Links:What weather do you like to work in? … [Read more...] about BREAKING NEWS: Possible Work Rage Shooting at St. Louis Factory
Archives for 2010
Music at Work. Why It's Important and Where to Get It
Office jobs are filled with stretches of monotony, I don't care how exciting you try to tell me your job is. One thing that helps me pass the time and stay motivated is music. I listen all day long. Every second that I'm at my desk is another second colored in by music. And my employer should thank me.Research from the University of Illinois found that when (256) office workers listened to music of their choosing, they were more relaxed, in a better overall mood, enhanced their job performance and even had a reduced interest in switching jobs.Whoa. And I thought I was just drowning out all that annoying thermostat chatter!So let's crank those speakers (to a reasonable volume) and take a look at the best services to listen to music with at work. RHAPSODYFor several years, I have scraped up $14 a month to subscribe to Rhapsody. The service allows me to stream as much music as I want and has an impressively large catalog - 8 million and counting. … [Read more...] about Music at Work. Why It's Important and Where to Get It
Violated at Work, The Death of Personal Space
More people, less space. It's a problem that the world is plagued with. Once you get to the office, a place where much of our individuality is stripped away to begin with with, we are left with precious little to call our own. Perhaps that is why I've been guarding my personal space a little more carefully of late.There's nothing we can do about the sounds and scents that permeate our workspace, but we CAN protect the invisible bubble that most normal functioning members of society call their own. First let's talk about anthropologist Edward Hall Jr. The one-time Harvard Business School teacher who passed away last year at the age of 95, defined "personal reaction bubbles" in 1966 as follows:- Public space is greater than 12 feet from where I am.- Social space occurs within 4 to 12 feet.- Personal space occurs within 4 to 1.5 feet.- Intimate space is within 1.5 feetFor the most part at work, I find that people respect personal space. In the elevator … [Read more...] about Violated at Work, The Death of Personal Space
55% of Americans Are Unsatisfied With Work; Bowling Is Expensive
People love surveys - especially ones they can relate to. Luckily for you, research conducted by the Conference Board, has uncovered the lowest job satisfaction rate since they've been surveying (22 years). Surprised? I didn't think so. Here's the Jobacle take on the new data. Additional notes of interest: * 56% say they like their co-workers, slightly less than the 57% who said so last year but down from 68% in 1987.* 56% say they are satisfied with their commute to work even as commute times have grown longer over the years. That compares with 54% in 2008 and 63% in 1987.* 51% say their are satisfied with their boss. That's down from 55% in 2008 and around 60% two decades ago. … [Read more...] about 55% of Americans Are Unsatisfied With Work; Bowling Is Expensive
LinkedIn Working on Interesting Additions
More “Community” for ProfessionalsIf you’ve read my posts (I hope so!), you know I have a love/hate relationship with social media. One the positive side, it’s a great way to connect and be part of a community, share info and can be a useful marketing tool. The negative aspects are wasting too much productivity time on the sites, the danger of posting embarrassing or inappropriate content and the constant barrage of info about people we’ve never met and have zero interest in, etc.Although I admit to not utilizing it much, I do like LinkedIn (no lucrative endorsement going on here, btw) for its professional applications. A former editor actually signed me up without my knowledge, but I have found it helpful. But a recent Wall Street Journal article, LinkedIn Wants Users to Connect More by Scott Morrison, acknowledges that the site lags behind others like Facebook in the community-building utilization by its members. According to the article, LinkedIn is … [Read more...] about LinkedIn Working on Interesting Additions
6 Cures for Post-Holiday Work Trauma
The year ended with people scrambling to use up their remaining vacation time. The conference room table was littered with an endless supply of junk food. And your boss even left you alone for a little bit. But nothing is permanent.A new year is upon us. For those of us fortunate enough to be returning to work after a lax holiday season, it can be difficult to put your "work" hat back on. There are new goals to meet. Quotas to hit. Meetings to attend. It's not easy. Here are a few tactics that work for me.- TIE UP LOOSE ENDS. If there is anything still unresolved from 2009, I urge you to close it out as soon as possible. Do whatever it takes. Work nights, weekends and holidays - just get it off your plate. It will be hard to face a new year and new challenges if the ghost of last year is still present.- SET GOALS. Not resolutions, goals! These are work objectives that have quantifiable numbers … [Read more...] about 6 Cures for Post-Holiday Work Trauma