ArcaMax

You deserve a big fat raise! Care to argue the point? Didn't think so. But did you ever consider that the reason you are so dramatically underpaid may not be the fault of a stingy boss not giving you more? The problem could be your wimpy self not having the gumption to ask for more.

Or so suggests Robin Ryan in her recent post "What Salary ...Read more

Let's face it: You love your job so much that the idea of taking a vacation is totally ridiculous.

Why would you exchange all that invigorating stress for lazing around a talcum-powder white beach with a cold margarita? You'd have to be crazy!

Well, you are crazy, and that explains why you will be taking a vacation, like it or not.

If you ...Read more

Ever get the feeling that you don't belong?

You come to work and do your job, but you can't escape the suspicion that everyone else is different from you.

In a word, you're a misfit.

Now, it could be that everyone else in your office is a misfit, and you're the only normal person. Or it could be that everyone else is normal, and the misfit ...Read more

If you're wondering why this week's column is so lame, I have an explanation. I'm sick.

Or, to be medically precise, I'm telling everyone I'm sick. But really, I'm perfectly healthy. So, telling everyone I'm sick is kind of sick.

Would you ever do anything so sneaky?

Of course you would.

There are many advantages to telling your employer you...Read more

Paul Simon came up with "50 ways to leave your lover." I wish I could say the same when it comes to leaving your loser of a job. Unfortunately, there are only seven ways to leave a job. If you don't like it, don't blame Paul Simon. Blame Harvard.

The distinguished Harvard Business Review -- HBR to its friends -- came up with the seven-ways ...Read more

Who needs privacy? Who needs peace and quiet?

You do, that's who.

But I wouldn't count on getting these needs met any time soon. We live and work in the era of the open office. No walls. No barriers. Nothing between you and your closest co-worker but a steely stare of contempt and an occasional snarl.

If you don't work in an open office ...Read more

The famous business consultant Alexander, Lord Tennyson said it best: "In the spring a young manager's fancy lightly turns to thoughts of happy hours."

It's true! Seeing the weather warm up and the direct reports freeze up, even the dimmest bulb of a manager realizes that their loyal team wants to frolic like butterflies and, while they're ...Read more

Be honest, now: What's so bad about meetings?

There must be something, right?

Whether the meeting is a brainstorming session, status update or an executive spiel on the company's flimsy future, even the best employees do not look forward to being called into a conference room.

As for the worst employees -- and yes, I'm talking thee and me -...Read more

You don't get to be the editor of the "Smarter Living" section of The New York Times without a great resume and a lot of talent. (You also don't get to be editor with a sketchy resume and a smidgen of talent. I tried and look where I wound up.)

It's a surprise to read that the current editor, Tim Herrera, boasts that one of his "proudest ...Read more

I don't like to brag, but I am very busy. I am busy doing nothing, but it still counts. In fact, being busy doing nothing counts a lot more than being busy doing something.

If you doubt me, ask Olga Mecking.

Mecking is the author of "The Case for Doing Nothing," a recent article published in The New York Times.

The basic premise is that ...Read more

I love Kaizen. Everyone loves Kaizen. That only leaves one question -- what the heck is Kaizen?

Is Kaizen that hot new word game where you have to see how many words you can make using only six letters of the Mongolian alphabet? Is it an ancient martial arts discipline in which you train mind and body to face danger and then run like hell? Or ...Read more

Good news! It's not too late to save 2019.

Yes, your New Year's resolutions have been smashed. Your hopes and dreams have been dashed. Still, there is enough 2019 left to turn it around. All you have to do is read Anne Fisher's hopeful post on the Fortune website.

"5 Career Moves You'll (Probably) Make in 2019" is the title of the piece, and...Read more

Oopsy! I almost made a big mistake.

I signed on to glassdoor.com. Glassdoor is a company that rates other companies. The idea is that anonymous reviews from anonymous reviewers will warn off good job seekers from accepting bad jobs.

I am suspicious of online reviews. It's how I got myself trapped into watching six seasons of "Here Comes ...Read more