Be my Valentine
Young man: “Do you have a date for Valentine’s Day?”
Young lady: “Yes, February 14th.”
Sleeping on the job
I’ve written about the advantages of taking a power nap before. This short video clip explains how resting can help you get the most energy out of your day. The most important rule is that you shouldn’t sleep for longer than 30 minutes! So why aren’t more companies offering their employees ‘nap salons’?
Watch that preposition!
In English, we say, “We are good (or bad) at doing something”. In German we say: “Wir sind gut (oder schlecht) in etwas sein”. So just watch that little preposition!
Working with difficult employees
Do you know how to handle the undecider, the drama queen, the volcano or the panic button? Geoffrey James describes ten common workplace characters (link to inc.com) and tells us how we can work together with them.
I’m out of the office
You’ll be out of the office for a few days and need help writing your “out of office” message?
Here are two suggestions from me …
Thank you for your message. I am currently out of the office and will be back on 2 January 2014. If there is anything which requires immediate attention, please get in touch with [insert name and contact details here].
Best wishes
[Your name]
Thank you for your message.
I’ll be out of the office from Monday, 23 December 2013 until Thursday, 2 January 2014 on [business / holiday] and will have [no / limited] access to my emails. If your message is urgent and you need immediate assistance, please contact [full name]. You can email him/her at [email address] or call him/her on [phone number].
Thank you again.
[Your name]
On the importance of listening
We have two ears and one mouth so that we can listen twice as much as we speak.
Epictetus
