Workplace Issues

I'm often appalled at the physical spaces and meeting formats in which people are meant to open their minds, solve problems and inspire progress. Desks are for filling in forms and filing papers – not for creating, thinking, making, learning, or collaborating.

I learned a new term today: work spouse. Apparently, these are the people or the person, who you spend your day with at work - and who can make your spouse jealous.

I'm really not interested in the morality of the events around David Letterman, but I do think this is a great example of why it is dumb to have dalliances in the workplace.

I read with some amusement today that the best way to start an office affair is at the company picnic - and that half of American workers have apparently had a romantic liaison with a co-worker.

Being a "live and let live" kind of guy, I don't have an issue with tattoos. I wouldn't refuse to see a doctor, dentist, banker, or any other professional because he or she chose to sport a visible tattoo. But apparently, this line of thinking puts me very much in the minority.

Although they are generally discouraged, the fact is that people do fall in love and enter relationships with co-workers. After all, when you spend eight hours a day with people and have little time for outside relationships, the connections get made at work.

A story comes out of Texas about a woman who was ordered to take down her American flag at work.

Ever wish you could take a shower while at work? Ever wish that others could take a shower while at work? Believe it or not, there's actually a small movement for this luxury.

You thought your workplace was bad? Inc.com, the website for Inc. Magazine, has collected some truly horrific workplace stories that might just put your problems into perspective.

America is a strange, strange place. Where else would people bring their animals to the office? Perhaps it's not so strange, or at least uncommon. But the more I think about it, the more convinced I am that the French would do the same thing if they could!

Do your co-workers drive you crazy? Well, one of the things you may want to do is take a look at yourself before you run around accusing them of things.

A survey has put Australia dead last when it comes to workplace politeness and manners. But I think the Aussies are being a bit hard on themselves.

Recession or not, for most Americans tomorrow's inauguration of Barack Obama will be a time to down-tools and celebrate a moment of history.

Drink-driving after the company party is bad. Very bad. And so is getting smashed, behaving badly and then having to deal with the unintended consequences the next day.

The average worker apparently spends approximately two hours each day taking care of personal matters. So why is so much personal business being done at work? And what - if anything - should we do about it?

Another negative effect of the declining economy is the increasing number of violent acts at work.

Sometimes the way things go on at work is enough to makew you wonder whether you're really still in high school.

Are you the guy at the office who thinks that acting like an idiot is something you should be proud of? Do you think it's funny to take your kit off at company parties? If so, according to Australian work and behavior experts, you may well be the office prat.

A recent survey has revealed that 35% of managers open share their political views in the workplace, while a whopping 66% of employees do the same. I'm quite certain that such statistics would make any HR manager spit up their coffee.

Everyone has run into the situation where you are running late for work. If you need an excuse, don't try any of these.

OK, so you're having a bad day at the office. Is there anything you can do to turn it around? Actually, there most likely is.

Everyone who works in a modern office knows that the cubicle sucks. They really offer no privacy, yet they manage to successfully hamper effective communication between cow-workers. But is there a solution?

The good news is that virtually all British firms now back up their critical IT systems and data. The bad news is that a significant minority then fail to ensure there is a version of it off-site in case disaster strikes.

Most British workers feel they are managed by a bunch of dithering, uncharismatic functionaries and would give their eye teeth for a bit of decisive decision making.

I used to think the scariest thing about Florida were the rays and the sharks in the Gulf of Mexico, now it's clear that it's the Florida House of Representatives.

More than likely your office life takes place within the gray walls of a cubicle. Sadly, this creates rat-like mazes and forces humans to live within tiny cells and stare at computer screens.

When people are hit with a tragic loss, don't believe for a moment that they're leaving their personal lives at the door. Debilitating diseases, divorce or the death of a loved-one are among the most stressful events anyone can experience.

Have you signed your love contract at work? Many have been forced to in the UK and USA - but workers in Taiwan have said no to the love contract, and in resounding numbers!

One of businesses' necessities is the "employee handbook." These are devious little devices that are a pain to create and often looked upon by employees as some kind of catch-all bible.

As the race for the White House hots up, Americans have decidedly mixed views about the wisdom of sharing their political views with their colleagues and bosses.

The next time you think you're working for a weird company, you might like to reflect on some of the truly bizarre workplace stories of 2007.

The annual Christmas quiz in UK lawyers' magazine Legal Business has raised eyebrows with questions such as "which female partner at a top City law firm was sent to Asia after she was caught having a threesome with two trainees – in the office?"

If you've been to Japan in the summer, you'll know how hot it can get. Which is one reason why the Japanese government is trying to get businessmen to hang up their jackets and ties for something a little cooler.

You and the rest of the people around you know that something is going on with your manager. He or she is doing things that are, at the very least, unethical, if not outright illegal. But because it's the boss, no one wants to say or do anything. What do you do about that?

People love to pull jokes on their co-workers and, if they can get away with it, their bosses. But thanks to the phenomenon that is YouTube, they're getting more elaborate, labor-intensive and wild.

After a couple of years of wearing business casual, I have a shocking confession to make: I'm going back to wearing my big-boy clothes. For someone who has always thought of himself as something of a rebel, this change of heart is somewhat disturbing, but let me explain why.

The fine line between work mates and best mates is all too often blurred. Repeating office gossip is not worthy of an adult in the workplace; it's reminiscent of high school.

British managers love their face-to-face meetings, and will happily spend £17 billion having them, whether necessary or not.

Hankering after that fetching brass door knocker, but a bit strapped for cash? Need to neuter the cat but worried about the vet's bill? Don't worry, just put it on expenses – just like millions of other British workers do.

With storms battering Britain, nearly a third of workers have admitted to putting their safety at risk by driving to work in unsafe weather.

Workplaces that are close to water could well help to create more productive and motivated staff, a Scottish report has suggested.

With more than half of Britain's bosses believing that it is not an abuse of power to have a relationship with a junior colleague, a new survey suggests that workplaces are becoming hotbeds of sexual shenanigans.

British workplaces are becoming infested with aggressive, rude, bullying behaviour at all levels, a new study has suggested.

Private and public sector organisations in Britain are failing to keep pace with their customers' complaints, at a time when the volume of complaints and sense of urgency are rising sharply.

So-called sick building syndrome may have been misnamed as its symptoms are linked more closely to job stress than unhealthy environments, according to research published in the journal Occupational and Environmental Medicine.

British businesses are being hit hard by the spiralling cost of energy, and some could even be forced to shut down, industrialists have warned.

How can you avoid becoming buried under piles of paper? According to the new breed of organizing experts, the secret lies in creating and maintaining viable, user-friendly systems for all aspects of your work.

Charlie Grantham and Jim Ware over at the Future of Work blog are convinced that sometime before 2010 there will be a major transformation in the way white collar knowledge workers in the United States conduct their business activities.

Two-thirds of British workers feel their boss is a good leader, and three quarters say they are proud to work for their organisation, according to a study looking at trust and leadership.

While changes in the nature of work present a great opportunity for enhancing business performance, disconnections and gaps in the goals and visions for workplace components often allow opportunities to slip away.

Businesses are still worryingly complacent about the potential business risks from a bird flu pandemic and are not making contingency plans fast enough, a British consultancy has warned.

Employers and workers on both sides of the Atlantic are Scrooges, two surveys have suggested – refusing to allow decorations, taking home presents meant for others or simply dumping work on less fortunate colleagues.

Some two million people have been bullied at work in the past six months, latest figures have suggested – many of them managers and many of them by their managers.

Writing in the Guardian on Saturday, Ian Wylie argued that the bonds of trust between employers and their staff in British and American workplaces are being broken down by the insidious rise of surveillance and by employers who "are free to invade our privacy at will".

Voicemails and answerphones may have consigned the constantly ringing phone to history, but mobile phones have now stepped up as one of the most trying irritations of the modern-day workplace.

A five star hotel in Kerala, India, is encouraging its senior staff to grow their hair long and sport a ponytail tied with yellow ribbon as their company uniform.

Better office design alone cannot deliver better productivity. Workplace dynamics are a complex set of interdependencies and above all, they are all about people.

A poor working environment in offices across Britain is damaging morale, cutting productivity by a fifth, and costing the economy £135 billion every year, according to new research.

Staff at the Asset & Sales Finance division of UK banking giant Barclays have been told that they will be sent home to change if they don't smarten up, with sportswear, denim jeans, shorts, flip-flops and strapless tops among the attire banished from offices.

The office remains is as it is today because that's how we imagined it yesterday. The office is a creation of humanity – it's a simple invention. Consequently, we can change it – it's not set in stone.