This is Halloween month — a good time to pick at the fears and phobias many of us experience in the workplace. We’ve all had at least one day filled with disturbances, upheavals and, sometimes, catastrophes at work. Most times, they work out just fine at the end. Other times, we take them home with…
In the Northeast, the season for playing golf with clients is winding down, but Fall is the kickoff for sports — and an upswing in client entertainment. Sports and client entertainment seem made for each other. But, with the economy still in flux and with many businesses carefully watching their bottom-line, should we also be…
Earlier this month, I put together my all-time baseball dream team, with lots of heavy-hitters from various decades. That post got me thinking about who I’d want on my team in the workplace. Since it’s a fantasy team, here, too, I chose some heavy-hitters from various decades to be an integral part of my team.…
Some employers dread the start of fantasy football season as a drain on productivity; others think it’s a minor waste of employee time. Obviously, there are two sides to this issue. Should employers come down hard on fantasy football, or just let it ride? Even critics seem to be at odds with this trend. For…
First, those who know me know that I’m an avid baseball fan. And despite the fact that we’re going headfirst into football season, and my Indians didn’t make the playoffs, I can dream, can’t I? (By the way, I’ve heard that fantasy football is a billion dollar business!) Second, you may be asking, “What does…
How can employees stay motivated when it’s 80-plus degrees, sunny and the pool or the golf course is calling? It’s no secret that, for most of us, the temptation of a day at the beach makes it difficult to focus on work in the office in the summer. But, through the years I’ve seen employees…
I got curious about why this time of year is called the “Dog Days of Summer”, so I did what anyone who’s curious does. I went to Google and found that the “Dog Days” are named for Sirius, the dog star that’s brightest from early July through early September, when the heat of summer gets…
I’m not giving away any secrets by saying it’s been a hot, hot summer. And, of course, it’s hot in Dallas. But things are really heating up at Shamrock’s Dallas office, thanks to the cool business strategies being lead by Dave Fechter, Shamrock’s executive vice president of operations. For the past nine months Dave’s been…
Finally, I can grab a beer and get my fill of the global games of summer! The Olympics officially begin July 27th, and Sweden is set to compete in events ranging from Archery to Wrestling with a total of more than 20 events. Here’s an interesting fact I read on Wikipedia about Sweden and the…
As we get closer to the Olympics, this month we decided our focus will be on other countries. Today, I’d like to focus on my observations and reading about Germany. One major difference I’ve noticed is, like many countries overseas, employees in Germany are more serious in the workplace, but it seems when German employees…