Office Politics weekly web roundup - 07/11/08

In the news…
Office Politics - Library Journal
Odd man out is recipe for a toxic office - TheStar.com
On the Job: Office politics may be unavoidable - Salt Lake Tribune
Don’t let office ‘drama queen’ act out to you - SunSentinel.com
Office politics ‘responsible for many IT project failures’ - ComputerWeekly.com
Gartner: Office politics kills IT projects - ZDNet
From the [...]

Unused vacation days and resignations

Following my reply to “Leaving in 2 Weeks” and their question regarding accrued vacation pay, Gia asked me a question pertaining to unused vacation days and resignations.
“Hypothetical scenario: I am a salaried employee of my company. If I were to leave my job (with several weeks of unused vacation time), am I losing out?? What’s [...]

Why you should not trust mentors

Why you should not trust mentors

I don’t trust mentors.
It’s an honest statement, but one most people don’t ever really want to consider. Mentors can come from 2 very different sources, depending where you work. In some larger organizations, there are formal mentoring programs where you are assigned or choose a mentor and they assist you in guiding your career [...]

Getting Good References - A Contingency Plan

So you’re on the verge of giving your resignation. The news of this will hit your manager like a freight train. You really don’t know how your manager will take it, and you want to ensure that you still obtain optimal references.
The Obvious
The last few weeks are very likely to be a large chunk of [...]

Dressing for Success

Dressing for Success

Over time, business dress has evolved to the point where how you dress is an extension of your personality and philosophy. With the introduction of business casual and the softening of rules surrounding personal attire, people have a lot more flexibility around what you can wear at work. This is an interesting dynamic because, as [...]

The Office Pet

The Office Pet

The Scene
Your team is working diligently to finalize the deck and send it off the client. There have been many late nights, but this Friday afternoon, it will all be over.
You are furiously trying to figure out a way to re-calculate a GM% so that your client doesn’t blow his lid. You look over, and [...]

Dressing for Success

Dressing for Success

Over time, business dress has evolved to the point where how you dress is an extension of your personality and philosophy. With the introduction of business casual and the softening of rules surrounding personal attire, people have a lot more flexibility around what you can wear at work. This is an interesting dynamic because, as [...]

Aaron's Rant of the Day: Close your door!

Aaron’s Rant of the Day: Close your door!

Dear colleague of mine who shall remain unnamed,
It has been a few months that are working together now. Your office is fairly close to my cubicle - as a matter of fact, we have but a mere panel separating my desk from your office. If that panel was not there, we would actually be facing [...]

3 positive ways to approach office politics

3 positive ways to approach office politics

Have you ever tried asking someone what they think about office politics? If you have, you’ve most likely heard groans in response, then watched as the person rolled his or her eyes and started a horrific tale about a boss or coworker.
The term “office politics” has an extremely negative connotation because, let’s face it, it [...]

Why you should not trust mentors

Why you should not trust mentors

I don’t trust mentors.
It’s an honest statement, but one most people don’t ever really want to consider. Mentors can come from 2 very different sources, depending where you work. In some larger organizations, there are formal mentoring programs where you are assigned or choose a mentor and they assist you in guiding your career [...]

3 positive ways to approach office politics

3 positive ways to approach office politics

Have you ever tried asking someone what they think about office politics? If you have, you’ve most likely heard groans in response, then watched as the person rolled his or her eyes and started a horrific tale about a boss or coworker.
The term “office politics” has an extremely negative connotation because, let’s face it, it [...]