Working yourself to death, literally

What is your strategy for not working yourself to death?
911 Repair: It’s time to look back on the year to identify the workplace911 person of the year. We search worldwide for nominees, and some years it can be a very tough call. But not this year.
Meet our person of the year, Kenichi Uchino. Unfortunately Mr. [...]

How do I get back into work now that baby is gone?

What’s your back to work strategy?
Your Rant: My kid is about to start school and I’m ready to get back into the working world. But it’s been a long time since I’ve had a job. Help!
911 Repair:
When I read your e-mail I thought of Emily Katrencik. She’s an artist who recently spent 30 [...]

Is it poor performance or a personal problem?

What’s your strategy for talking with employees about poor performance? 
Your Rant: I’ve got an employee who is performing very poorly. I’ve talked to him, but I have no idea what is going on.
911 Repair:
My undergraduate degree is in Occupational Therapy and I’ve worked in a number of psychiatric hospitals along the way. I wish I [...]

How to stop worrying about money

Dear WW: I’m in my fifties and have just started thinking seriously about my retirement. I clearly need to put more effort into this area. Can you make any suggestions? READY TO GO
Dear GO,
When the aircraft maintenance staff at Turkish Airlines finished up a repair job ahead of schedule, they celebrated by sacrificing a camel [...]

How to survive a younger boss

Dear WW: My boss is half my age and is driving me crazy. How do you survive an attack of a twenty-somethings? OLDER & WISER
Dear WISER,
Here is a fun fact for you. Many of the most popular children’s book authors: Margaret Rey, J.M. Barrie, Margaret Wise, Lewis Carroll, C.S. Lewis and Dr. Seuss-never had kids [...]

How to be happier at work

Dear WW: Work is a grind. This sounds really dumb, but is there something that I can do to make work less painful? SORE SPORT
Dear SORE,
I’ll admit, I’m a big fan of Peter O’Toole. From Lawrence of Arabia to The Stunt Man, I think he’s one of the greatest actors of all time. Recently I [...]

How to make telecommuting work

Dear WW: My boss wanted to score points with his boss so he volunteered my department to be our company’s telecommuting pilot program. I’ve tried to talk him out of it but it’s no use. PHONE FROM HOME? NO WAY!
Dear Phone,
I was dense when it came to 5th grade science. “Is there a hole in [...]

How to stay healthy under managed care

Dear WW: My employer just switched to an HMO. I don’t like giving up my old doctor, and I’m afraid I won’t get as good treatment. WHAT’S UP, DOC?
Dear What’s,
A buddy of mine once bought a way-cool car. There was only one problem. He was always hitching rides in my old beater because between the [...]

How to deal with a coworker who has Aids

Dear WW: A man who I work closely with and like a lot just confided to me that he has AIDS. I’m shocked and I don’t know how to respond. SCARED
Dear Scared,
You can catch a lot of things at work-a cold, things falling through the cracks, or hell. But AIDS is one of the few [...]

How to deal with the company doctor

Dear WW: My company has an on-site health clinic for employees. I really like the doctor, but a friend told me I’m better off seeing an outside doctor (even though it means making a co-payment) than giving my health information to my company. SHOULD I TAKE MY PANTS OFF AT WORK?
Dear Pants,
From Marcus Welby to [...]