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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.

Discusses issues in the workplace with a particular focus on microwave ovens. Comments from a manager at a software company in Virginia, describing the filthy condition inside his company's microwave oven; Discussion of food-borne illnesses, which are sometimes mistaken for the flu; How a microwave oven works, indicating the importance of puncturing the skins of certain foods lest an explosion occurs that will dirty the walls of the unit and create a health hazard; Comments from Lona Sandon, an assistant professor of clinical nutrition at University of Texas Southwestern, regarding the odors created in microwave ovens from subsequent reheating.

Focuses on the changing fashions for women within the business and corporate environments. Preferences of younger working women, who are not looking for a uniform look; Ways in which women of power, such as Carly Fiorina, Andrea Jung and Meg Whitman, are dressing to convey a certain message; View of author that women are more willing to express themselves through wardrobe as the gain clout.

Focuses on distractions and interruptions in the office workplace that can impact output and production. Results of research conducted by Sue Weidemann, director of research at workplace consultant Bosti Associates in Buffalo (N.Y.), indicating several forms of distractions daily; Average length of time it takes a person to recover concentration from a distraction, resulting in wasted work time; Comments from several individuals regarding the interruptions of co-workers who often like to talk or tell stories.

Presents a humorous look at resolutions workers can make for their co-workers to make the work environment a better place. Personal phone calls; Leftovers in the food lounge; Kissing-up to the boss; Co-workers with colds and sniffles; Eating habits; Bathroom etiquette; Behavior toward subordinates; Office paranoia and paranoids; People who over-dramatize office problems; Visiting consultants; Meetings in the workplace; Leftovers in the office refrigerator; Replacing the water bottle atop the water cooler; Learn to fix simple copier problems.

Examines and predicts work-life trends for the year 2004. Results of a survey conducted by Accenture, indicating the number of managers surveyed that will be looking for a new job when the market improves; Changes enacted by companies during the economic downturn that impacted on the personal lives of employees; Percentage increase in traffic at Vault Inc.'s Web site, Vault.com, a career-information site focusing on corporate culture; Statistics related to the number of homes that will have computer networks, increasing the areas in the home where individuals can perform work; Plans of the American Psychological Association to hold a national competition for "psychologically healthy workplaces."