If the tough economic times have given you cause to become angry and you feel justified in taking that anger out on your employees, I've dug out a great article for you from the very depths of Google that will help you reach the pinnacle of "bad boss-ness."

"The worst boss: Five ways to claim the title" has some great tips for all those wannabe jerks out there. The first, according to author John Grubbs, is to become the "punisher." Basically, whenever someone does anything wrong, seek out a way to humiliate them and punish them for it rather than talking with them and trying to improve things.

Second, and going hand-in-hand with being the "punisher" is to punish everyone in your department even when it's just a few people doing things wrong. This will save you time in having to actually search and find the people causing the problems.

Third, try to lose control. As Grubbs puts it, be a "poor leadership guru." When you are confronted with your lack of control and leadership, try using anger as your first weapon. Make sure you hide your expectations from your employees as well.

Fourth, try to intimidate your department when things go wrong and forget whatever instructions you may have given just that morning. Make yourself as unclear as possible to make sure your employees are frightened and unsure about their jobs.

Fifth, make sure you ignore the employees on your team who are performing poorly. This goes along with punishing everyone for the mistakes of the few. Make sure you reward the poor performers with bonuses and the choice assignments as well.

So, if the economy or life in general has you down, you can achieve success by channeling that negative energy into negative management. Or, you can try to avoid those things and maybe turn the entire path of your department around. The choice is yours.

These days, it seems that many business meetings take place over lunch. But mixing eating and working can be a risky affair that, at the very least, can destroy your diet.

Happily, this article from Men's Fitness Magazine is on hand to help you avoid indigestion and survive your next business eating session.

First, always grab breakfast. This will help you control your appetite come lunch time. You will eat less, rescue your diet, improve your health, and reduce the cost of the meal by ordering something smaller.

Second, check the restaurant menu online before you head out. Most meal mistakes happen when you feel rushed or are not prepared. Do a little "strategizing" and you can get through it.

Third, if you eat a salad you can add bulk to your stomach. This fills you up, but doesn't pile on calories. It can also help you not appear like a ravenous pig when eating your main course.

Fourth, avoid the "liquid calories." This is especially true when you are dealing with alcohol. Nothing adds fat and lowers inhibitions more than booze. If you want to maintain your health plus your mental acuity, try sticking with water.

The most important thing to remember is to keep the business lunch about what it is intended to be about – business. The focus should not be on what you are eating, or what anyone else is eating. By planning ahead, focusing on the situation at hand, you can eat smart and still get work done.

Why are so many employees disenchanted and disillusioned by their jobs? This article by Claris Fernandez on Bizcovering.com suggests that there are four main areas that cause friction between employees and their bosses.

1. Attitude problems. According to Fernandez, "The reasons for a person having an attitude problem are so deep-rooted and complex that you don't want to solve any problem that you encounter." Deal with attitude problems quickly and try to avoid them as much as possible.
2. Communication problems. Somewhere along the way to becoming a manager, it seems like most people lose their ability to speak. Management-speak is filled with strange phrases and euphemisms that most employees have no time for, don't understand and resent.
3. Disagreements. Most managers don't take the time to know the various personalities of the people who report to them. They take a one-attitude approach to everyone, and this doesn't always work with everyone and this leads to arguments. Nothing side-tracks a project like arguing.
4. The doers. These are the go-getters in any department or organization. These are the people who get things done. As a manager, you should identify these people as soon as possible.

Of course, the list of issues that employees complain about goes on a lot longer, but these are some key issues to keep in mind. If you keep these straight, maybe you can manage your people better, become productive, and have a few happy employees reporting to you.

Everyone has experienced or witnessed a meltdown at work. Sometimes the pressures of the job or the day can build and build until something snaps. Of course, if you aren't careful, such an event can lead to someone being fired – something this piece over at CNN.com could help you avoid.

Communication is the most important thing. Far too many companies don't communicate and this only builds pressure, creates paranoia and can lead to meltdowns. If you are feeling pressure, let someone know.

Keep an eye on your workload, because if you are trying to do too much, you are headed for a breakdown. Just because you are overwhelmed does not mean you can't do your job, just that you are human.

Don't forget to give yourself a break. Throughout the day, everyone needs to take a moment to step away from the desk and get away from the stress.

Finally, if you offer help to others, others are more likely to offer help back. If you see a co-worker nearing that point where a meltdown seems inevitable, extend a helping hand. The hand may come back your way on the day your meter is in the red.

Most meltdowns result in tears, or tantrums. If you don't learn to control them, it's possible for them to elevate into violence. So, take the time to control your own emotions, but learn the signs of a nearing meltdown in the people around you.

Taking a few early steps to head off a breakdown can save the office a lot of tension and potential violence.

When you decided it's time to look for a new job, you need to consider a lot of things. You need to think about the company, its financial situation, the work involved, the hours expected, the salary offered and the benefits package.

But perhaps most importantly, you should also find the right boss to work for. The Washington Post has some suggestions on that in their article A< href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/08/12/AR2006081200369.html">Finding the Right Boss.

The article offers several things to keep in mind during your next interview:

• Are you meeting with the right people? Do you meet with the person you will be reporting directly to? If not, consider this a warning sign.
• Is your boss wiling to discuss himself? You don't have to pepper your boss with questions, but setting him up to discuss how he got where he is can indicate his willingness to share information.
• Is there a positive "vibe" regarding the person who previously held the position? Or did that person quit in anger? The past may have an impact on your future.
• How's your future boss' career? Is he considered a "rising star?" Has he been promoted regularly?
• Watch for non-verbal tips and cues. Did your boss show up to the interview on time? When he or she spoke to you, did they look you in the eye?
• Follow your hunches. Your gut can really be a great barometer. Did you get a good feeling from your boss? Trust those instincts.

Remember, the job interview is as much a chance for you to interview your future supervisor as it is for them to interview you. Don't be afraid to ask questions, do some research and make the right decision.

And final tip from our columnist Bob Selden, whose piece How to select your new boss explores similar territory.

Before you even get to the interview, jot down what your selection criteria are for an effective boss. You should do this in much the same way as you would if you were a manager selecting a new employee.

In most offices, the general rule is that you work twice as hard as the guy sitting next to you. Well, what if you aren't wired that way? What if you just happen to get your work done and want to take a little time to stretch and relax? Hey, what if you just want a normal life?

This piece over at Careerbuilder.com, The Right Way to Slack Off at Work" has some great tips on how to do that without getting into trouble.

First, remember that e-mails can wait. Too many workers get lost in the e-mail maze, with each new e-mail distracting them from tasks at hand. Unless the message is marked as urgent, you can let it sit there for a while.

Second, if you say "no" to someone, you more than likely will not get fired. Be honest about not wanting to participate in a project or letting people know when you are overwhelmed.

Third, avoid "multitasking." These days, it is expected that an employee will be on the phone while typing and e-mail and running a report. This is not how it should be and doing work this way only adds to stress.

Fourth, take breaks and, fifth, don't eat lunch at your desk. Take time away from work so that you can give your batteries time to recharge.

Finally, schedule some "me" time. If you have a calendar, open it up and block out some time to get away from work and then turn off your cell phone and don't check your e-mail from wherever you decide to get away.

Being a "slacker" doesn't really have to be a bad thing. You can keep you sanity and health without getting into trouble for not doing your work. If you work smart, you can work sane and healthy.

If you want a rumor to spread faster than you've ever seen, you need only whisper it within an office. Sometimes it makes you wonder if you're still in high school.

The first thing you're likely to come up against at work that will remind you of school are the bullies. Yes, the same kind of people shoving others into lockers and stealing their lunch money, are now the same people you might be working beside. They will dismiss your ideas or berate you in a company meeting.

Second, you will need to learn how to dodge workplace gossip. Just like the gossip that spread from locker to locker, a farm of cubicles is the perfect "firetrap" for rumors.

Third, you will need to make friends just like you had to that first day in high school. However, as scary as this still is, forming relationships is key to keeping you sane in a crazy working environment.

Fourth, you may need to find a mentor. Just like that teacher who taught you as much about life as shop, finding someone who has been through the ringer at the company can help you learn from their mistakes.

Finally, and fifth, you may need to participate in extracurricular activities. In the work place this means taking the time to get out of your house and not taking work home with you every night can be very important just like sports was in high school.

Keeping these things in your mind as you enter the new office environment may actually provide a comfort for you. You survived it once, and you can do it again with a higher salary.

There is one relatively simple thing that every manager can do for employees but so few do, and that's give feedback. Normally the excuse is that they are too busy, but some studies suggest that they are just plain uncomfortable about doing so.

While their direct-reports want it, most bosses are too squeamish to sit down and discuss an employee's performance face-to-face. The importance of this is discussed in this excellent article over at CIO.com

According to author Esther Derby, "Feedback—when it's done well—can improve results and strengthen working relationships. When it helps people see their blind spots and understand the impact of their behavior, feedback can change the trajectory of a career."

Some managers claim that, in addition to being uncomfortable with the concept, that their attempts to give feedback often go astray. Derby states that managers report stories of "mysterious hints, vague announcements, arguments, blame and humiliation."

Derby's article goes into great length explaining the reasons why giving feedback is not only something employees want, but is crucial to a well-run department, company and office. She also explains exactly what feedback is, and that giving it needn't be so terrifying and time-consuming.

In short, one very simple way to improve the way your employees work for you, is to talk to them about the work they've already done.

Giving feedback is not just something to do when raise time comes, but something valuable throughout the year. Keep it in mind, and you may see improvements within your company sooner than you think.

There seems to be a never-ending list of complaints that employees have about their jobs. However, author Patrick Lencioni has written a book entitled "Three Signs of a Miserable Job" and he discusses what those signs are and what it all means in an interview posted at Nationwidespeakers.com.

According to Lencioni, he decided to write this book after witnessing his own father trudging off to a job he hated day-after-day-after-day. It was then that he realized that, although people spend most of their lives at their respective jobs, most of them are also miserable.

He adds that a miserable job is not just a "bad" job, as that is subjective, but a job that "drains [workers] of the energy, their enthusiasm and their self-esteem."

What are the signs? The first is anonymity which comes when an employee gets the feeling that their manager does not care about them and tries to ignore them. The second is irrelevance which comes when a worker can't see why his or her job is important to the company or where they belong in the scheme of things. Finally, there is "immeasurement" which, according to Lencioni, "is the inability of employees to assess for themselves their contribution or success."

Lencioni states that most managers these days just don't even attempt to take an interest in their employee's lives. By taking the time to do this, managers can do a lot to alleviate those three signs and feelings, and do a lot to help employees feel like sticking around for the long haul.

With the economy as bad as it is in the United States and despite a rising unemployment rate, there are still plenty of people who feel their boss is so bad they have to leave their current job.

According to the SearchCIO-Midmarket.com salary survey (noting like bit of brevity, eh fellas), fully 30% of CIOs and IT managers left their previous jobs because they were dissatisfied with their managers - a far higher proportion than left because of a merger or downsizing.

This goes against many industry experts who argued that the current downturn meant people would stay with their current job however poor their boss.

According to an executive recruiter interviewed for the article, "regardless of the economic period, people still demand job satisfaction." She also added that they are unwilling to settle for anything below their own standard for that satisfaction.

And why should they?

So, if you think that the downturn in the economy has given you license, as a manager, to be as mean or un-complimentary as possible to your employees, you might want to think again. Your behavior toward your people has a much bigger influence on their willingness to stay than whatever level the dollar may be at.

Take the time to keep your people happy, even when things are tough, and you may benefit more than you realize.

Enough fun, that is. Leave it to the folks in the UK to turn bringing humor into a delightful and interesting-looking website. The Fun at Work Company is loaded with all kinds of things a manager and employee can do to bring some funny into the working environment without also offending everyone.

So, if things are looking too serious at your office and you're dying to find a way to lighten it up, but maybe you are funny-bone deprived, this would be a great place to start.

There is an entire list of "Fun Stuff to Hire." These are things you can rent, for a day or so, and bring into your office to lightening things up. Want a pool table in that conference room for a pool tournament? You can rent it. How about some drums for people to pound out their frustrations? You can find that here too.

There is a section for big "wow" thing to bring into your office. How about a huge message projected onto the side of your office building? What about arranging for your employees to arrive at work and find barriers, a red carpet, the paparazzi, and fans to give them the true red carpet treatment?

If your group likes physical stuff, then there are events that can appeal to them here too. Rock climbing? It's there.

The site also contains a huge list of jokes and gags that you can play on co-workers and employees without offending them or embarrassing anyone too much. You can buy fun things to give your employees to show your sense of humor and try to liven things up around the work place. You can arrange themed events and getaways and, well, the list is endless.

So, don't think that you have to come up with the office humor and morale-building all alone. There are folks to help you. Check it out and then do what you can to bring a smile to your employee's faces. They'll thank you for it, and they'll work harder.

There are times in life when you wish the words that just flew out of your mouth could come back before anyone hears them. This is never worse than when it happens at work. So how do you deal with it?

Careerbuilder.om and CNN.com have an article called Uh-oh! You said that at work? exploring this very thing.

While filled with amusing examples, the article saves the tips for dealing with these situations for the end. What exactly should you do if a verbal miscue comes out of your mouth into the exactly wrong ears?

According to the article.

• Admit your mistake. If you try to hide it, you really will just bring more attention to it. Acknowledge that you made the mistake and then apologize and try to move on.
• Try to make the most of the situation. If you were caught making disparaging remarks about your boss or co-workers, use the fact that you were caught try and bring those issues out into the open. Try to turn the mistake into a chance to make things better around you.
• Don't take it all too seriously. If you have to, just make it all a joke. Everyone makes verbal mistakes and trying to laugh it off might be the best way to ease the tension and make everyone feel better.

Keeping those three simple tips in mind won't stop you from making another gaffe. However, they may help you control the damage such things cause. It doesn't have to ruin your day when your tongue trips over your own words.

In the current climate, rumors regarding "down-sizing" and layoffs are bound to spread. But what are the signs that the layoffs may really be coming?

An article on Monster.com, Get Clued into Layoff Warning Signs" has some things to keep in mind.

If you have gotten a bad review or warnings from managers, you may want to start preparing your resume once the layoff rumors start. When it comes to removing employees, the ones who have caused trouble in the past are one of the first to go.

You may also be in trouble if your boss is spending a lot of time looking over your shoulder, especially if he never did that before. Another warning may be that your co-workers and other managers suddenly stop talking to you.

If you suddenly find yourself with a new boss, the changes may continue right through your current job. If various upper-management people suddenly leave the company or are replaced, you may have legitimate concerns. And another sign of changes ahead is if the company is suddenly flooded with new hires that don't seem to fit the typical employee mold.

Just remember, though, that there are some things that remain within your control. A bad review can be made up for by working harder and making yourself more valuable. At the same time, if your boss keeps looking over your shoulder, your work may not be up to his standards and it might be time to talk to him or her about it.

The rest, of course, are beyond your control. The best thing you might be able to do is prepare your resume and your life for a career change.

Let's face the fact that life in most offices is a drab, miserable existence. No one likes working in cubicles and, if the internet is any guide, there seems to be no end to the complaints employees have about their bosses.

If that's the case in your office, it might be time to inject a little humor into the situation and see if that helps improve morale.

In this article, a former executive who now teaches managers how to use humor at work, Clyde Fahlman, advocates the use of something he calls CHIP when it comes to office humor.

• Connection – make the connection with what's funny around you including e-mails and bulletin boards.
• Health – remember that laughter shows signs of improving the health of those who do it more often.
• Inspiration – look toward others to help inspire your sense of humor and find those who use humor effectively.
• Perspective – help workers, including managers, keep their jobs in perspective by using humor. This can help deflate egos.

Of course, managers also have to use humor safely and without offending anyone. This takes practice, but if it's mastered, morale and the general health of the people who work for you can improve dramatically.

It can also save you money by cutting down the turnover rate within your office and keep those workers you value working for you instead of the competition.

The company McDaniel Partners studies businesses and how employees relate to their management. According to this article on their website, many senior managers miss a very simple and key trick. They forget to acknowledge their employees and show that they even care.

The litany of thoughtlessness and stories about a lack of caring that McDaniel Partners have collected is pretty depressing

• The CEO who didn't send a condolence card or flowers to his secretary when her mother died.
• Two senior executives walked by an employee who had a flat tire in the parking lot and didn't offer to help.
• Senior executives often ride up in the elevator or walk the hall and don't acknowledge us, their employees, with a warm hello or even a nod.
• The executive didn't thank me for my efforts or recognize me for my work. Doesn't he know how much effort I put into making this project a success?

Mangers, according to the company, need to realize that their movements are being monitored by employees all the time. If you ignore that employee in trouble, others will notice as well.

SO get to know your employees and find out their likes and dislikes. Make sure you don't hide in your office and make yourself visible to the people who report to you. Don't lose touch with the rank and file.

Finally, always remember that your company's greatest assets are the people who come in and do the work every day.

Far too many senior managers seem to feel that they have made it to the top and they don't need to deal with the "little" people anymore. That is a crucial mistake that can make your company a very sorry and sad place to work.

There's nothing quite like an on-the-job horror story to make you feel better about your own job. Things cannot possibly be as bad where you work if your boss or your company is not doing the crazy things people like to rant about online.

So here's a top-10 complied from across the web by JobMob.com.

From Workrant.com comes the story of the "concerned employer." This employer fired both a husband and wife just after the couple bought a house and announced they were expecting their first child. The reason the company fired the husband is because they thought he would be mad because they had fired his wife.

Then there was the job applicant who visited a very old and very leaky office the night after a heavy rain. After dodging numerous buckets to catch the drips from the roof and sitting in a conference room to complete a written test she had the added indignity of the ceiling giving way and dumping buckets of water all over her and her interview suit. She promptly informed the employer she was not interested in the job.

Finally, there was the company who told the IT manager that a consultant had been brought in to see how he did things and offer suggestions for improvement. So, the IT manager sat next to the man for weeks, showing him everything he did and being on his best behavior. Then, weeks later he was fired. It turned out the company had lied to him and the man had spent weeks actually training his own replacement.

That and many other stories are available at JobMob.com. Of course, the list of horror stories is endless on the web, but it's at least nice to know things can't be nearly that bad where you work, can it?

As the price of gas increases, at least here in the United States, more and more employees are looking for opportunities to work from home. Telecommuting is a trend that has been growing steadily for some time now and seems unlikely to stop.

But sadly, there are plenty of operations that are trying to scam people instead of providing them with real work-from-home opportunities.

Some of these are discussed by John Rossheim over at Monster.comin an article called "Avoid Work-at-Home Job Scams."

The first thing to keep in mind is that you should probably explore any work-from –home opportunities within the company you are already working for. You may want to ask your manager, for example, if there are opportunities for that.

If that's not an option, you should explore telecommuting jobs within existing, legit companies instead of answering e-mails that show up in your inbox promising you great work-from-home chances.

For example, anything promising that if you stuff envelopes you will make a lot of money is probably a scam. It is a business model that makes little sense as most real companies could afford to have people in-house stuff envelopes. At the same time, any assemble-products-at-home jobs are likely not legit either.

You can check places like the Better Business Bureau and the Federal Trade Commission for information about companies offering you work-at-home opportunities to ensure their legitimate nature. It also pays to ask potential employers lots of questions before accepting any kind of position. If you do things right and carefully, you could end up saving lots of money on gas and renew your energy for your job.

It can be a tall order trying to keep your employees interested and engaged in their work. According to the business consulting organization SCORE, there are 10 things you can do that will help. Keeping these things in mind can help you manage better and keep your office productive.

1. Throw out any pre-conceived notions you may have about employees in general.
2. Try to approach your people with fresh eyes and take into account their unique perspective.
3. Make sure all of your people are equipped with what they need to do their job.
4. When you manage your employees make sure they understand exactly what is expected of them in their respective jobs.
5. Take time to get to know your employees and what their career goals are.
6. Pay the money needed and take the time to make sure your workers are properly trained.
7. Ask your direct-reports to evaluate you. Find out how they perceive you and your work and adjust accordingly.
8. Pay attention to the office rituals and what's going on around you.
9. Recognize and reward employees who have done their job well and do a good job of this so others will want to do the same.
10. Be consistent. Don't start programs and then drop them after a few weeks. So stick with it.

    Whatever you do, taking the old adage of the manager who hides in his office is exactly the wrong way to go. Talk to your people, get to know them, and treat them like human beings and you'll get a response in return.

Just about every company has some kind of dress code. But while many of these might seem pretty relaxed, it might just be that your boss notices how you dress and bases his or her decision on promoting you on that very thing.

So argues this piece on CNN.com, adding that there is a seemingly endless battle at companies with dress codes:

Battle No. 1: Employees misinterpret the dress code or they don't abide by it. Battle No. 2: Companies have a code in place but don't enforce it. Battle No. 3: Companies don't have a dress code but they still reprimand employees for wearing certain attire. Or, Battle No. 4: There's constant objection from certain industries along the lines of, 'Why do I have to look nice at work if I don't see anybody?'

Of course, the article also mentions that how you dress may be more important depending on what industry you work in. For example, the financial industries industry is one that requires a more formal way of dressing.

In summer months, when the clothing seems to become less and the dress codes become less enforced, don't use that as an excuse not to dress professionally.

Take the time to adhere to your dress code, in short. Dress for success and your managers will notice. If you look the part, they may perceive you in the part of management yourself and that could help you move up the ladder more quickly than you realize.

Before you say "yes" to a new job offer, have a read of this piece by Rachel Zupek, on Careerbuildr.com. It could save you no end of problems down the road.

Technically speaking, the article is meant for those considering their first job in the "real" world. However, the tips certainly apply to anyone considering a change in their career. For example:

• Consider realistic expectations for your salary. If you have decided to change careers entirely, you may end up making less than you were previously. Don't assume that you will be making millions immediately.
• Carefully weigh the benefits package offered. Remember that your salary is just one component of an overall package. What other benefits are offered? Are they better than at your current job.
• Remember that job satisfaction is more important than how much you make. This is something far too many people who have been in the working world forget. No matter how much money you make, if you hate your job, you're going to be miserable.
• Make a decision based on "real life" scenarios and not "what-ifs." Don't worry about what might happen if you happen to succeed at your new job. What will you be doing now? What is truly realistic at the new job considering your future?
• Remember that finding a job is a job all by itself. If you are looking to make a change, you need to approach it just like you would a project at work. Plan things ahead of time and devote time working at it.

There are more tips and suggestions within the article. While all of them also apply to those who are only starting out in the working world, if you've decided you need to make a change in your current career-path you may want to think about them as well.