I don’t know how to hold a grudge.  I’ve never met anyone who has done something so terrible to me (killed or seriously hurt someone I love on purpose) that it warrants harboring an extremely negative opinion of them for months or years on end.  Even when a person does something that I consider rude, mean, or inconsiderate, my ...

The British newspaper The Independent reported that Virgin Atlantic sacked 13 flight attendants for criticizing the airline's flight safety standards and describing its passengers as chavs on Facebook.  And yes, I didn’t know what chav meant either.  Apparently it’s the British equivalent of white trash.  In a statement, the ...

Real Simple Magazine has just featured one user manual that’s worth reading – how to be plugged in without being impolite.  Hap tip to Yahoo! Shine for the highlights, which contain advice from some of the business in the tech-etiquette business: 1. You’re walking down the street and listening to your iPod when you run into someone you know. ...

I often talk about steering clear of talking politics in the workplace because you never know who you might offend.  This is especially relevant during a presidential election year, when everyone has an opinion and doesn’t hesitate to share it.  Kris Dunn over at the HR Capitalist has some useful tips on how to avoid an uncomfortable ...

A WCW reader writes:  “Dear Alexandra, I’ve read your advice about the right way to leave your job, and I think it’s good.  Only trouble is, the people I work with aren’t exactly helping me out.  I gave them six weeks notice so that I could find and train a replacement, but no one except me seems to feel this major urgency to hire ...

Bob Sutton’s book, the No A**hole Rule:  Building a Civilized Workplace and Surviving One That Isn't,  has been generating buzz since it was published last year.    Sutton, a professor of management science at Stanford University, argues that a**holes—those who deliberately make co-workers feel bad about themselves and who ...

A reader e-mailed the following question:   I recently gave my company a month’s notice as I planned to move to a new city and pursue a new career.  A few weeks later, the company gave out the second installment of our bi-annual bonuses, and I did not receive mine.  The company did well this year and my accounts posted increased ...

In their January/February issue, Details Magazine has a provocative article on how to break up with a boss who’s holding you back.  The article tells the story of Michael Rogers:   “Michael Rogers had lunch or cocktails a couple of times a week with the CEO of the New York public-relations firm where he worked. They’d split a plate of ...

Every year, I get asked by one media outlet or another how to handle the office holiday party.  This year, I decided to share the advice I and others provided to the Wall Street Journal last weekend:   “We spend so much time communicating on Blackberries and e-mail, the office party is a rare opportunity to really meet the people who ...

Over at 45 Things, Anita Bruzzese talks about coping with a demotion at work.  I was particularly interested in this post, because while I frequently discuss how to overcome work setbacks in general, I’ve never focused on the specific issue of demotion.  Here’s what Anita has to say: Whatever the reason, being demoted is something no ...