Cubicle Pranks and Other Work Misadventures

I'm still waiting on the Kennedy family to endorse this blog, but until then, let's see what I can round up for this Tidbit Tuesday:

* That will teach you to go on vacation: If you want to see the ultimate cubicle prank, check out this posting from the folks at TechRepublic. Personally, it's my idea of a great place to work -- I think everyone is going to want the same thing.

* Where's my sweater? If you've ever had a battle over it being too hot or too cold in your workplace, you're not alone. In a new survey, extreme temperatures are, by far, the single biggest office worker complaint, followed by messy restrooms, tacky décor, rodents/insects, leaky ceilings and obnoxious smells. More than a third find their offices "bland." The vast majority of survey respondents (69 percent) said the overall condition of their office buildings affects their individual productivity and motivation. The study was commissioned by Blumberg Office Properties.

* The bully at work: A new white paper from The Hugh Downs School of Communication at Arizona State University Nearly reports that one-fourth of American employees will experience office bullying at some point in their work history. "Unfortunately, a story of abuse that is not deemed credible is unlikely to motivate those in power to step in and stop the bullying. This not only damages the target of abuse, it also is costly for witnessing coworkers and the organization as a whole," a statement says. In response, eight tactics are offered to help bullying targets "best tell their stories so that other people listen, find them credible, and bring about change."

* Laziness pays off: The next time your boss tells you that you're a slacker, just point out that you're following advice from some of the smartest people in the country. Number crunchers from Harvard University and the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) drew up a formula to calculate whether waiting for a bus or walking to the next stop was the best option for those facing a sporadic bus service. The conclusion: It's better to sit and wait because there's a greater chance the bus will zoom past you as you hike to the next stop.




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