Trusting relationships at work lead to all good things, including greater productivity, performance, and morale. Still, according to recent research, including the Civility in America 2011 survey, incivility is a growing problem at work.

Who's responsible for composing your company's correspondence? If you're not smiling, it must be you. While many would rather have a root canal, writing a letter doesn't have to be intimidating. All it takes to write first-class letters is a little practice, also know as developing your writing style, and some careful proofreading.

One of the main reasons people are happy at work is because they like their boss and coworkers. When they get along, feel part of a team. Even an unsatisfying job becomes more acceptable when you enjoy the people you work with.

Every time I get ready to leave my home, two sets of big, brown eyes plead to go with me. Unfortunately, my girls, Kaila and Holly, often have to be left at home. If you have four-legged kids of your own you know what I'm talking about.

Recently, I’ve read several articles about how important vacations are for our well being. No matter where we fall on the totem pole we need them. Simultaneously, I’m reading CNN’s Why is America the "No-Vacation" Nation? which begins "Let's be blunt: If you like to take lots of vacation, the United States is not the place to work."

Monica* was unhappy in her role at a large healthcare company. An intelligent woman, with excellent academic credentials and a stellar work history, she felt unchallenged and underutilized in her role. With every passing day, her boredom grew so that she soon found it difficult to get up in the morning, and even more difficult to motivate herself to get to work. Needless to say, she was unhappy in her career.

Before you start surfing the web from your office or send another email to your best friend, consider this: your employer is probably monitoring how you use their Internet connection. That includes keeping track of the websites you visit and possibly reading your email.

If you're unhappy in your current position you're not alone. Job satisfaction in the U.S. has hit a record low, according to a recent Executive Action Report from The Conference Board, a New York City-based non-profit which creates and disseminates knowledge about management and the marketplace.

Dealing with criticism can be tricky. Whether you're on the giving or receiving end you'll need to choose your words carefully. What you say, and how you say it, can mean the difference between improved performance and bitter resentment.

Most of us don’t think a lot about communication. After all, we’ve been communicating since we were kids. As babies we learned about the world by listening. And we quickly learned to get what we wanted by crying.

What do you think about when it comes to verbal communication? Giving a presentation? Networking at an event? Talking with your friends and family? How much do you focus on the words you say? Probably a lot.

Do you spend your time scurrying from one meeting to another? You're not alone. For many people much of the official workday is spent sitting in meetings. Other duties like answering an endless stream of email and getting a little paperwork done are squeezed in during the few moments a day we actually get to sit at our desks. But, that's another story.

The workplace has always represented a melting pot of ages and life stages. It’s nothing new to find different types of employees in the workplace with conflicting communication styles, opposing values, and preferred ways of doing business working shoulder to shoulder. What is new, however, is that this represents the first time in American history that we’ve had four distinct generations in the office simultaneously.

A recent workplace survey revealed that four out of five people-managers and workers alike-know firsthand the woes of being micromanaged. Micromanagers hurt productivity and morale-and often drive others away. In fact, one out of three people has changed jobs because of a micromanager.

As any human resource executive can tell you, frustration and office temper tantrums by employees are not unusual, but two new studies indicate that incivilities in the workplace appear to be increasing. Termed "desk rage," by one survey, it includes arguments between employees, pen throwing managers and workers kicking expensive computer equipment in fits of aggravation.

When you are feeling angry at someone, what do you do? Do you know how to express your feelings in ways that are clear and assertive? Many folks don't. For that reason, one of two things happens: they hold the anger in, and, as we all know, it sneaks out in strange and often inappropriate ways, or, they explode and scatter their unhappiness over everyone, perhaps, destroying relationships on the way! Neither of these are healthy alternatives.

No matter where you are, or where you want to be, you need good communication skills to succeed. Don't worry if you don't have these skills already, everyone can learn to communicate more effectively. And understanding personality Type can help with the process.

The economy is a little like the weather — if you stay around long enough, it will change. Whether it's a bull or a bear market, it's always a good idea to take a look at where you are in your present job to see if there are ways you can make yourself more employable — or at least less expendable.

Some people simply can't handle change. They lose their emotional balance and stress themselves out and everyone else in the process. Others seem to be able to roll comfortably with the punches, often coming out better than before. These people are known as Agile Employees and...

In today's uncertain economy, many people are concerned about their jobs. They wonder about their company's future. And if layoffs do come, they wonder who will be the first to go.

In today's uncertain economy, many people are concerned about their jobs. They wonder about their company's future. And if layoffs do come, they wonder who will be the first to go.

Management can be challenging under the best of circumstances. But some situations are inherently more uncomfortable than others because of the politics involved. If you’ve ever had to manage or be managed by a former colleague, or had to work for a boss who is younger than you are, then you may have experienced these difficult dynamics firsthand.

Organizations that are in the throes of change must make sure that the framework for change is in place before charging forward. Too often, goals and strategies are defined but there is little attention to whether the organizational culture is ready and primed for the changes. Staff then gets frustrated or just ignores the change efforts completely. Here are the ten essentials elements that are critical for change to be successful.

The new workforce of Gen X’s, Gen Y’s and Millenniums have different priorities than the Baby Boomers or the Aging population that came before them. But before you complain that they don’t have a good “work ethic” or a “loyalty to the company,” it is helpful to look at some of the characteristics of Boomers and this group.

People are getting old. Not just in the US but all over the world. The elder population, 65 and older, is the largest growing sector in all developed countries. According to Census Bureau projections, the US elderly population will more than double between now and the year 2050, to 80 million.

Are there folks in your organization who believe in the 'longevity model'? Likely there are. These are the people who learned their jobs really well in the first year of employment and continue to repeat that same year over and over and over. Perfectly pleasant people performing patiently!

"By the year 2000, we'll have paperless offices." Isn't that what many people were thinking and saying thirty years ago? Electronic mail came along and the prediction threatened to come true of messages whizzing back and forth with no paper involved. It was a technological dream come true. However, we've traded one problem for another.

Most of us are laboring too much and too hard these days. And everyone in this unpredictable economy and highly competitive work environment has to do more with less or as one manager told me "do more with nothing!"

Beware all you multi-taskers, you may not be as productive as you thought. According to new research compiled by David E. Meyer, a psychology professor at the University of Michigan, productivity is actually hindered when people try to accomplish two things (or more) at once.

Caution all you multitaskers, you may not be as productive as you think. Researchers continue to find that multitasking decreases productivity, increases stress, and may cause physical discomforts such as stomach aches or headaches. In a recent study by Eric Horvitz and the University of Illinois, a group of Microsoft workers took, on average, 15 minutes to return to serious mental tasks, like writing reports or computer code, after responding to incoming e-mail or instant messages. They often strayed off to reply to other messages or browse news, sports or entertainment web sites.

In today's economy many businesses are struggling to get more done with smaller resources and fewer employees. Sneaking into the office early to get "a little work done" is common these days. Most of the official workday is spent sitting in meetings, answering endless email, and, trying to squeeze in a little paperwork whenever we can.

The other day I met a woman who had registered for my Living Richly^tm program. She smiled and said, "I meant to call you. I wanted to tell you why I wasn't at the seminar." At that moment, it hit me. Telling me you meant to do something is like telling me how unimportant that item was on your list!

Are piles of paper taking over your office? If you're like most of us, your inbox is overloaded, your desk is a disaster and you probably have some piles of stuff on the floor. Don't despair, you can take control of the chaos

It’s common knowledge that most women make less money than men. Unfortunately, this sometimes happens even when they are working in the same profession. Sadly, it also appears that despite an increased integration of “male” and “female” occupations in 1970’s and 1980’s, women’s progress stalled in the mid 1990’s, according to a briefing paper by the Institute for Women’s Policy Research.