Allyson Dalton, owner, Fox & Goose Pub & Restaurant

Breakfast of Champions

I’ve long believed that just about the worst way to begin a workweek is scheduling an in-office staff meeting. Employees start dreading it by mid-day Sunday. The gatherings usually get off to a late start, drag on and are deemed worthless by most participants.

Enter the breakfast meeting.

Mar 1, 2013 Douglas Curley

Houston, You Have a Problem

Tips for approaching a disturbed manager

The boss must be crazy. 

It may be the riskiest and most difficult conversation to bring up at work, but what other option does an employee have when a manager becomes abusive, disturbed, withdrawn or otherwise damages the workplace?

Leave? That may be an option, or it may not be. The same goes for visiting the human relations department. If H.R. can’t — or won’t — fix the problem, here are some tips on how to address your boss’ behavior and keep your job. 

Jan 1, 2013 Allen Young

Polarized

Has the North Pole grown too complicated for Christmas?

The king stood over the toilet. The reluctant owner of that famous belly, that bowlful of jelly, lifted the overarching fold with two hands, exhaled, concentrated and waited for the stream to bolt from its alcove. No luck. Seconds passed, and a soreness grew in his knees.

Dec 1, 2012 Dean Napkin

Union-Free Activist

Acuity with Kim Parker

Kim Parker, 46, is the executive vice president of the California Employers Association. A nonprofit, the CEA provides human resource solutions for small to medium-sized businesses throughout the state. Parker is also president of the national Employers Association of America. 

Jul 1, 2012 Douglas Curley

Urine Trouble

Workplace drug screening is worth debating

A staffer in the office of Bonney Plumbing, Heating, Air & Rooter Service grew concerned after smelling alcohol on an employee headed out to a job site. The staffer immediately notified management, who met the man at the site and also detected the scent. This was enough reasonable suspicion to demand a drug test, which showed the employee had been intoxicated while driving a company vehicle.

May 1, 2012 Samantha Bronson

Unnatural Selection

Steady shifts in patient demographics and insurance reimbursement rates are forcing some practitioners to re-evaluate their business models and the way in which they deliver care.

Dec 1, 2011 Christine Calvin