Humor: Office Holiday Parties, What Our Drink of Choice Tells Colleagues

Well, it's that time of year again.  Holiday parties.  If your company is doing well enough, they may even be throwing an office holiday party that offers (cue the dramatic music) alcohol.  While you should always play it safe when it comes to alcohol at any party, it becomes doubly important at the office party.

So drink responsibly and try to take advantage of the networking opportunities with your colleagues.  Some of them may know you very little or not at all.  With that in mind, if your colleagues don't know you well, here's a humorous attempt to explain what your drink of choice may be telling them about you.

Business Casual vs. Business Professional

The age old question:  Do dress codes at work make any difference on productivity or morale?  It seems the scientific answer is that most studies show little to no effect in either direction.  Here's a few blogs that get into this discussion in a little more detail:  Productivity Blog, Culture in the Workplace, Andrew Jensen.

In the spirit of full disclosure, I will offer up that I am absolutely a jeans and t-shirt guy.  So you can guess which side of the fence I fall on.  Personally, I feel if I am comfortable, I am much more likely to be happy and productive.  Business casual all the way for me!  But, I absolutely think business professional attire is warranted at times.  So basically, since company dress codes come down to company preference, here's the three basic questions to ask to determine which one makes the most sense.

10 Things to Stop Doing Right Now

Great article from Jeff Hayden.  Happiness in your business and personal life is often a matter of subtraction, not addition.  Lots of great points.  Probably not many of us who can accomplish all of them.  But we have to keep trying!  Enjoy the read.

A Company That's Showing the Money!

Kudos to Whole Foods for paying its employees more than it has to.  While other retailers, such as Walmart, pay their employees an average of $12 per hour, Whole Foods pays their employees an average of $15 per hour (a whopping 25% more!).  In addition, Whole Foods offers the majority of their employees benefits and stock options.  Whole Foods co-CEO Walter Robb says he wishes the company could pay them even more.  While the annual wage still equates to a modest amount around $31K, fundamentally, it's a huge step forward for American workers.

Got Zzzzzz's?

Ahhhh, sleep.  Love it.  Back in the high school and college days, I could sleep away half the day no problem.  If there was such a thing as an Olympic Sleep Team, I would have been a lock for a gold medal.  But then reality and life set in.  While those sleep days are long gone, I still try to get 7-8 hours a night.  Not just because I like it, but because I NEED it.  While it's true you can get by with less sleep, it is not healthy for your mind and body and definitely robs you of productivity during your waking hours.  The average American sleeps 6.5 hours.

Is Offshoring a 4-Letter Word?

I'll cut to the chase.  In my opinion, yes, offshoring is a 4-letter word.  While I can understand the arguments made in favor of offshoring, from a long-term and "big picture" perspective, I just think it's a bad idea for America.  Here's some articles from The Economist, Foreign Policy Journal, Procurement Intelligence Unit, and HRO Today that provide some food for thought. 

Humor: Beat the Heat

As much of the country has recently gone through a solid 7-10 day intense heat wave with 100+ degree temperatures, everyone has been trying to beat the heat.  How we ever got by before A/C is a mystery to me.  Always on the lookout for ways to gain an advantage at work, it got me thinking.  How can we use a heat wave and the usual precautions to our advantage at work?

1. "Stay hydrated.  Drink plenty of water regularly, even if you do not feel thirsty."  Sounds like the perfect reason to hang by the water cooler (for your health's sake of course).
2. "Check on the welfare of family, friends, and loved ones."  Sure they are personal calls, but it's better to be safe than sorry to make sure your loved ones are safe (for their health's sake of course).
3. "Slow down and avoid strenuous activity.  Do not try to do too much on a hot day."  OK, if I must (for your health's sake of course).