Whether you're one of many workers in a row of cubicles or the CEO with the sweet corner digs, your office is the place where you are expected to create, inspire, come up with ideas and do your best work. But if you're spending more time in your office managing stress and frustration than you are doing your job, it could be time to inject a little feng shui into your day.Feng shui, an ancient art and science developed in China more than 3,000 years ago, focuses on creating a harmonious environment using the principles of natural energy flow. As Asian culture has become more popul... view article details

Create and Hone Your Organizational Culture Based on your Business Personality Just as people have different personality styles, organizations have different styles, too. Organizational culture or style is influenced by many factors -- by the person or people who started it, by its current leaders, and by the surrounding geographic and societal conventions, as well as by the nature of the work it does. But even those employees who like their jobs could end up clashing with your organizational culture. According to the founder of the Center for Values Research, Dr. Charles Hughes, harmon... view article details

Q: My question is about 'ethnic' hairstyles in the workplace. Would a person interviewing be scrutinized because they were wearing a hairstyle that was different from the norm? For instance, as an African-American female interviewing for an executive assistant position in corporate America, could I wear dreadlocks or braids? Or, how would corporate America feel about me if I came to an interview with my head covered because of religious practices?A: Wherever I go in today's workplace, I go in style, and you can too. Never forget that putting on clothes and dealing with your hair is an opportun... view article details

Jackie and Tom are members of a software development team. The team is focused on a new application that is to be rolled out next month. Jackie is the senior member and feels responsible for the team’s reputation. She believes the current version doesn’t have enough bells and whistles. Tom believes their reputation will be more affected by the number of bugs still in the software, and thinks they should eliminate those before adding new features.If you were Jackie, which of the following would you say to Tom?'Tom, if you brainstorm with me, we’ll be able to quickly figure out the best features... view article details

Are Vegan Workplaces the Way of the Future? Veganism is everywhere these days it seems. From the Impossible Burger, to restaurant chains like By Chloe, to Netflix documentary films like “What the Health” and “Earthlings,” the world can’t get enough of plant-based eating. There has been a 600% increase in people identifying as vegans in the U.S. in the last three years alone and that trend does not seem to be slowing down anytime soon. This is a far cry from decades prior when vegans were thought of as lentil-loving “hippies” – at the very fringe of society. These days, veganism is a popular li... view article details

Seventy-two years ago, the house I grew up in was occupied by the DeLong family: a husband and wife, one son, two daughters. The husband worked as a salesman, his son as a clerk. None of the women held a job. The neighbors were laborers and waitresses and machinists. One industrious man worked 60-hour weeks at a poultry farm; another unfortunate resident had been unemployed for more than three years when census-takers knocked on his door in 1940. For many of us today, working means cubicles and computers and commutes. It means colleagues who have graduated high school, and many who have also f... view article details

Iron Chef, Jamie Oliver, Mario Batali.Thanks to the Food Network and a plethora of cooking shows, when people think about becoming a chef nowadays, their next thought is about getting their own TV show. But Ed Glebus, an executive chef for CulinArt in San Diego, says it's a lot of hard work, repetition and it's all done off-camera.After working on a farm trying his hand in retail, Glebus was 16 when he took a job at D'Angelo sub shop in Plymouth, Massachusetts. And he's been working in the food industry ever since. Although he gave college a try, Glebus said it wasn't for him and so he set out... view article details

Iron Chef, Jamie Oliver, Mario Batali.Thanks to the Food Network and a plethora of cooking shows, when people think about becoming a chef nowadays, their next thought is about getting their own TV show. But Ed Glebus, an executive chef for CulinArt in San Diego, says it's a lot of hard work, repetition and it's all done off-camera.After working on a farm trying his hand in retail, Glebus was 16 when he took a job at D'Angelo sub shop in Plymouth, Massachusetts. And he's been working in the food industry ever since. Although he gave college a try, Glebus said it wasn't for him and so he set out... view article details

 It's not your parents' workplace anymore - nor their dress code. Gone are the stuffy three-piece suits and conservative skirt sets of times past, replaced with a canvas of khaki on which a world of individuality is expressed, as if to say, 'Trust me: I'm casual.' In some corporations and industries, it's Casual Friday every day of the week. Yet even with today's relaxed standards, it's still not a good idea to show up for work in torn shorts and a baggy tee shirt. Especially if you deal directly with customers, the way you express yourself to the world is far more important than the true you ... view article details

Dear Annette,I have lunch about once a week with colleagues. It's fun and I like them, but they order higher-priced food than I do and then assume we're splitting the bill. I end up paying for more than I eat. How can I keep going to lunch but get them to pay their fair share? Miss Otis regretsDear Miss Otis,Good food, pleasant company, and the knowledge that you'd otherwise be missing important office gossip are all excellent reasons to dine with colleagues. Whether you have a working meal or a social one, breaking bread together has the potential to nourish a common bond and solidify relatio... view article details