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The article reports on technology companies that provide services on site so that their employees do not have to leave to do errands. The example of BEA Systems Inc. is given, where such things as car washes, massage therapists, and grocery shopping are offered. This allows employees to spend more time doing their jobs. The article provides other examples of companies and the services they offer, and suggests that they do this in order to get more work out of their employees.

The article reports that while allying yourself with a prominent executive at the office can be a shortcut to responsibility and promotion, when your patron leaves you may be left exposed. Companies work in much the same way as the animal kingdom, and when the alpha manager has departed, those under his protection are open to aggression from the new leaders.

Focuses on women executives in China, with a particular focus on working mothers and their children. Comments from Peggy Yu, co-founder of online retailer dangdang.com, suggesting she doesn't feel badly about going to work and not spending all her time with her kids; Cultural aspects of life in China that help shape the women's view, noting they were left alone as children because parents were sent off to work for the government; Comments from other women executives, suggesting their children will survive just like the women did; Availability of low-cost day care.

Focuses on status in the workplace with a particular focus on the out-of-office e-mail reply messages. Description of an out-of-office reply and how it reminds others in the workplace the importance of the person; Excerpts from several automated-reply messages received by Pat Dugan, who perceives them as status symbols for the sender; Methods by which individuals can ignore e-mail messages, instant messages and cell phone calls; Perception of self-importance the out-of-office replies leave with others in the workplace; Humorous re-writes of the out-of-office messages, imagined by co-workers.

Focuses on the attitudes of individuals on Sundays, knowing they must go back to work on Monday. Similarities between the Sunday night doldrums of going back to work and those as a child when individuals were returning to school after the weekend off; Comments from Caleb Weintraub, a studio-art professor, suggesting he doesn't hate his job but still suffers from the dread of returning to work; Comments from William Bridges, an author and consultant on business transition, regarding the Buddhist way of thinking; Experiences of some workers and how they cope with the dread of returning to the work week.

Discusses coping with the job loss of a spouse who works at the same firm. Description of the journalism scandal at the "USA Today" involving foreign correspondent Jack Kelley, whose wife, Jacki Kelley, works as the top advertising executive at the newspaper; Statistics indicating the number of married couples working at Southwest Airlines, indicating the trend of couples working for the same employer is more common these days; Comments from Gail Golden, a consultant for RHR International, an executive-coaching firm, regarding the potential reaction of and impact to the spouse remaining at the firm; Recommendations for dealing with associates in the workplace.