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According to Gallup's 2023 workplace report and a BambooHR analysis, U.S. employees are increasingly dissatisfied at work, despite wage increases and greater flexibility. The reasons for this unhappiness vary, including inflation erasing pay gains, the unsettled nature of the workday, and a cooling job market. Companies have attempted to address these concerns by offering more benefits and support, but employee satisfaction has not improved. Factors contributing to this dissatisfaction include new employees feeling adrift and weakened relationships among coworkers due to distance. While some workers are satisfied with their jobs, others have experienced negative impacts from changes in remote work policies. [Extracted from the article]

The article discusses a trend among several corporations during the early 21st century that encourages blunt talk between fellow employees concerning employee performance and feedback, a practice known as radical candor, mokita, or front-stabbing. It examines a reluctance among some employees to participate in what the article describes as a culture of candor.

The article presents tips for employee conduct during their final days in a particular job, particularly concerning even-tempered behavior toward supervisors and managers, diplomacy in exit interviews, and the possibility of being escorted out of office buildings. The article presents comments from New York talent-management firm Alexander Mann Solutions employer branding services head Liz Weeks.

The article discusses benefits offered to freelance workers who utilize communal office spaces in the U.S. According to the article, some communal office space operators provide social perks and activities including yoga classes, in-office salon services, and organized field trips. The article cites research conducted by the organization the Commercial Real Estate Development Association (NAIOP) to state that 781 co-working space existed in the U.S. in 2013 compared to one in 2005. The article presents comments from the firm Village Workspaces co-founder Oliver Barry.

The article discusses electronic cigarettes in the workplace. Only three U.S. states have laws that ban the devices from places of business, thus leaving many employers free to adopt their own policies. Issues they confront include balancing the desire to help employees quit smoking with non-smokers' objections to electronic cigarettes.

The article discusses distractions in the workplace, focusing on the potential losses of employee productivity that can result from interpersonal conversations and interruptions between co-workers as of September 2013. Topics include open spaces in office design, cubicles, error rates, and the comments of researchers such as the professor Erik Altmann.

The article reports that Scott Forstall has left his position with consumer electronics manufacturer Apple Inc. Forstall, who supervised Apple's mobile software division, refused to sign a letter apologizing for faults with the company's mapping service and was consequently relieved of his duties. Information is provided on Forstall's previous relationships with his colleagues and Steve Jobs, the late co-founder of Apple, as well as the unrelated departure of retail executive John Browett.

This article discusses strategies for managing individuals with negative attitudes in the workplace. Topics include research indicating that an individual's workplace productivity can be damaged by a co-worker's negative outlook, the neurological effects of complaining on productivity, and the ways that chronic complaining can sometimes expose legitimate problems in organizations.

The article discusses how peers in the workplace can undermine one's efforts to lose weight, or at least not gain weight. Culprits include those who insist on sharing fattening desserts brought from home, and skeptics who question the effectiveness of co-workers' diets. Business lunches are another occasion at which people sometimes feel pressured to eat.

The article discusses what makes a tyrant in the workplace and what can be done about such persons, Psychologist Sylvia LaFair has identified 13 harmful behavior patterns that have origins in a person's family background. She says the first step in addressing bad behavior is to openly identify it in simple, non-provocative language.

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 conversation in the workplace, particularly among office workers. View that workers talk, but offer little of substance in their conversations; Comments from Debra Fine, a trainer and author on the subject of small talk; Discussion of the ability to chitchat in Bernardo J. Carducci's "The Pocket Guide to Making Successful Small Talk"; Examples of conversational openers, low-involvement responses, and sure fire closers designed to wrap up a conversation.

The author discusses a study by the U.S. National Aeronautics & Space Administration (NASA) and aviation electronics company Rockwell Collins Inc. on the potential for single pilots to fly commercial jets with speculation on the necessity to have multiple people performing the same job in various career fields.

The article discusses the oversharing of personal information by employees in the workplace including an article published in the "Harvard Business Review" by professors Dr. Lisa Rosh and Dr. Lynn Offerman on managers who share information in order to show openness and gain the trust of colleagues.

The article explores the value of disruptive co-workers, which are individuals whose personalities make it difficult to get work done, including narcissists, the passive aggressive type, and the gossip.

The article discusses a survey of employees conducted by the marketing research organization Gallup finding that more respondents said they would prefer working for a male supervisor than for a woman.

The article presents an answer to a question regarding whether or not it is appropriate to address a coworker about his or her body odor, dispensing advice on the most tactful methods for addressing the issue and exploring whether to confront the coworker or use human resources (HR) to mediate.

The article looks at businesses' efforts to facilitate interaction and collaboration among their employees, as of 2013, citing companies including Internet company Google Inc. and online retail firm Zappos, and discussing factors including workspace design and interactive installations.

The article discusses co-working arrangements under which employees from different companies share the same work space and informally interact throughout the day, a collaborative approach that firms hope will help them solve problems and generate new ideas.

The article provides an answer to a question about the suicide of a co-worker.

This article offers a guide to interacting with co-workers in the U.S.

The article presents cases on employees whose career reputations were affected by a boss or colleague who has ulterior motives. Victoria L. Rimasse resigned from her job as a legal assistant at a law firm when her boss would regularly take credit for tasks she completed, saying she now has trouble trusting people. According to Vicky Oliver, author of "Bad Bosses, Crazy Coworkers & Other Office Idiots," one must keep his cool if a colleague attempts to denigrate one's character, blame him for something he did not do or steal credit for his work.

The article examines the almost universal human practice of talking to oneself in the context of the workplace. Psychologists state that talking to yourself serves a variety of uses in what is known as self-regulation, such as goal-setting, which are helpful at work. However, it can also create an inappropriate distraction to other employees. Researchers note most instances of talking to oneself stem from frustration.

The article presents an overview of the impact both optimistic and pessimistic people can have in places of employment and in society in general. A discussion of research, included that which was performed at Carnegie Mellon University, which looked at pessimism and optimism and its side effects, is presented.

The article presents an overview of the role social comparison theory, in which people compare themselves to others, plays in the workplace. A discussion of several employees, including accountant Joe Pizzileo, who have been involved with upward or downward comparisons in the workplace is presented as an example.

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.

The article reports on efforts being made by employers to offer fair flextime policies to employees. Examples of new flextime policies are given from Chubb Corp., RSM McGladrey Inc., and PrintingForLess.com. Some of the features of new policies are allowing all employees to apply for flextime, requests that employees justify their schedules in a written proposal, a regular evaluation of flextime setups, asking people to back up their co-workers, and placing the responsibility for scheduling on a team of people.

Offers a look at the use of outdoor adventures in the training of executives and the building of teamwork in the workplace. Claim that executives who go on outdoor adventures build confidence and leadership abilities; Participation of Clarke Murphy, a managing director at Russell Reynolds, in a sailing race; Ways in which Murphy prepared for the race and chose his crew members; Importance of diversity in the workplace.

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.