Google co-founder Larry Page was speaking at tech mash-up Google I/O yesterday after revealing earlier in the week that he suffers from vocal cord paralysis when he said: "At least in my case I feel I should have done it sooner [revealed his medical condition] and I'm not sure that answer isn't true for most people, so I ask why are people so focused on keeping your medical history private?"
Oh, Larry. Larry, Larry, Larry. We wish you well, but where to start with stating the obvious because the rest of us non-famous, non-Googlegazillionaires just thought en masse: "All of our medical records should be Google-searchable? WTF?" If you happen to live in Ohio, however, then you're not simply thinking this acronym. No, you're saying it loud and proud, because a new study finds Ohioans swear more than anyone else in the country!
Seattle-based mobile marketing company Marchex spent a whole year analyzing more than 600,000 consumer-to-business phone calls, using voice recognition software to pick up on our potty mouths. With any luck, the voice recognition software does a better job translating the word "literally" than MSNBC's Chuck Todd does reading it off of a teleprompter.
Marchex ranked the top states for cussing. The Top Five Most Likely To Swear States (in descending order) are Ohio, Maryland, New Jersey, Louisiana and Illinois. Meanwhile, the Top Five Least Likely To Swear States are Washington (state), Massachusetts, Arizona, Texas and Virginia.
Marchex ranked the "most courteous" states, too. The Top Five states where you're most likely to get a "please" and a "thank you" are South Carolina, North Carolina, Maryland, Louisiana and Georgia. The Top Five states where you're least likely to get a "please" or a "thank you" are Wisconsin, Massachusetts, Indiana, Tennessee and Ohio.
Okay, let's get this straight. According to Marchex's results, residents of Maryland and Louisiana are among the mostly likely to swear, but they're also more likely to say "please" and "thank you" between expletives. Residents of Massachusetts don't swear nearly as much, but they won't say "please" or "thank you," either. Then there are the residents of Ohio, who apparently swear like sailors AND never bother to say "please" or "thank you." Ohio wins!
Men swear the most overall, accounting for two-thirds (66%) of all cursing among the phone calls analyzed.
Since Marchex analyzed work-related phone calls, perhaps we can deduce that Ohio has the nation's Most Likely To Swear Workforce as well? Hmm. Ohio, I swear that you need to read this blog post.
When we talk about workplace bullying, we tend to view it from the perspective of bosses bullying employees. But there's a new "trend" sweeping some global workplaces called "upward bullying" in which employees are turning the tables and bullying the boss. Yeah. How do you like them apples?
Upward bullying is apparently all the rage in Australian workplaces. Australia is far away from us, but human nature is the same everywhere. And chances are, American bosses don't want to talk about getting bullied by the rank and file, because it makes them look less managerial -- like bosses who are losing control over their workforces, which, of course, is exactly what's happening.
There are scant articles on the topic of upward bullying, but here's one:
In every company, there is always a cluster of slack workers whose performance is being questioned, a bunch of disciplined employees and a horde of grumbling workers who might have been denied a promotion or a pay rise. These resentful employees may retaliate by abusing their superiors or making false complaints against them. Experts call it "upward bullying", and female bosses and younger managers are bearing the brunt of this indiscretion.
Bosses are humans, too, and some of those who have been victimized by "upward bullying" complain of sleeplessness, anxiety attacks, migraines and even clinical depression.
The norm has always been "bosses as the bullies", but junior employees have turned the tables. How much of a problem is "upward bullying"?
Lawyer Scott McSwan of McKays Solicitors says that "It is a concerning trend". Of the 20 current workplace bullying cases he dealt with, a quarter relates to upward bullying.
Who knows how many American bosses are being verbally, emotionally (and perhaps in a few cases, physically) bullied every day on the job. No statistics exist that I could find. It's an interesting question to consider, however, because it goes against the stereotype of the mean, overbearing boss who is bearing down on the powerless, nervous employee.
Last week's cover story in Time magazine discussed how younger employees are increasingly narcissistic and see no sense of hierarchy in the workplace. If you have a problem at work, then skip over your immediate supervisor and call the CEO directly. Hello!? We're out of pencils in the storage supply closet! Could you get some more down here, stat? What's taking you so long???
I'm kidding, of course, but you get the general idea. If employees, particularly those new to the workforce, no longer see a workplace hierarchy and chain of command to be observed, respected and followed, then what's to keep them from bullying the boss if they damn well feel like it?
I'm not saying that every employee under age 30 is a raging bully in the making -- they're certainly not -- but the disappearing sense of workplace hierarchy and respect for authority in U.S. workplaces could be another emerging layer on top of the "upward bullying" problem. Meanwhile, older employees can turn around and bully a younger boss, too. It goes both ways. And so does modern workplace bullying, apparently.
You don't need to download the latest fiction bestseller for some light reading this summer. Just log on to social media because -- surprise, surprise! -- the majority of people's comments are just as fictional as Fifty Shades Of Grey, and your male co-workers are among the main offenders.
According to new research out today from Barclaycard bespoke offers, just under six million of us regularly tell white lies or embellish stories on our social media channels. And with a further ten million Britons poised for pretence and considering typing out a tall tale or two, the trend is set to rise.
Two fifths (39%) of fibbers put their dishonesty down to feeling the pressure of needing to have a good time or sound upbeat in their updates. More than a quarter (29%) admit that their lives are simply too boring without embellishment. Perhaps unsurprisingly then, 40% admit to feeling envious of others' posts and news.
What you see isn't what you get in 140 characters or less! Is this surprising in the least? No, not really. But go on, Barclaycard, go on:
Interestingly the survey found that men's primary motivation for 'twibbing' was maintaining a 'cool online persona' (15%). They are also twice as likely as women to want to impress their workplace colleagues (22% vs 8%), choosing Twitter over Facebook as their cheat channel of choice. Women prefer to 'fakebook' and are more influenced by peer pressure with twice as many fearing the critical eye of their followers and friends (20% vs 9%). They are also twice as likely to doctor a photo by using an editing app such as Instagram or Photoshop (12% vs 6%).
So Facebook, it turns out, is a self-imposed form of workplace peer pressure, especially for our male work colleagues. Again, using status updates as a vehicle to brag about our latest, greatest status symbols isn't surprising, particularly when we actually read Facebook and Twitter. We aren't being our authentic selves online. Somebody page Oprah Winfrey, stat!
But what can be done about the constant stream of twiction (love that word)? Well, if we aren't already, then we can take everyone else's status updates with a big grain of salt, log in less often, and/or decide to forge a more-real online persona. If something seems too good to be true, then it probably is, especially on social media. Now go post that selfie. Your next status update meeting starts in five minutes.
It turns out that your crappy co-workers aren't simply giving you grinding headaches on a daily basis. No, they're also increasing your risk of developing diabetes. Let's take an online doughnut break to discuss.
New research finds that a stressful lack of "social support" in the workplace, when combined with obesity and general physical inactivity, can increase your chances of developing type 2 diabetes:
Dr. Sharon Toker of Tel Aviv University's Faculty of Management has found that low levels of social support and high levels of stress in the workplace can accurately predict the development of diabetes over the long term — even in employees who appear to be healthy otherwise. Published in the Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, the study contributes to an ongoing body of research linking work conditions to physical and mental health.
The researchers' 3.5-year-long study of male and female employees established that work conditions had a preventative or predictive effect on the development of type 2 diabetes. Participants who reported having a high level of social support at work had a 22 percent lesser chance of developing diabetes over the course of the study.And those who described themselves as either over- or under-worked were 18 percent more likely to develop the disease. The results were controlled for various risk factors including age, family history, activity level, and body mass index.
So next time your crappy co-workers "forget" to tell you that there's cake in the break room and now it's all gone, you can whip out this study and, as you lick the frosting off the bottom of the box, say: "Stop being such douchebags, guys, because you're going to give me type 2 diabetes." You're welcome.
Watch out, incoming! Your co-worker just sent you a terse, angry-sounding message via electronic means. Hit any key, indeed.
Texting, email, instant messaging and our silly, myriad social media platforms have been a virtual godsend for the average passive-aggressive person in the office. You know, the co-worker who likes to play head games to get your dander up, but never will confront you directly to your face. Yeah, that co-worker.
Forget Post-It Notes pasted on the break room fridge, because that's so Twentieth Century. Online communication offers your most passive-aggressive co-workers an instant firewall to hide behind, a sturdy bunker from which to spray you (and potentially your fellow co-workers) with verbal fire. It's like paintball, only without the paint. It's just balls, but it's still a big mess. Speaking of balls, your co-worker would confront you directly if he (or she) had any, right? Right.
Our society talks about getting older as if it's the worst thing that can possibly happen to us, when it reality it's one of the best things that can possibly happen because it gives some of us a greater appreciation for amazing attributes such as simple directness and refreshing honesty, even when someone has something bad to say. If there's a problem, then tell me up front and we'll work it out, okay? Oh, these pants DO make me look fat? Terrific! Thanks so much for telling me!
Of course, we live in the smartphone age in which it's gotten far too easy to hide behind a tiny keyboard when engaging in workplace interaction. Personally, I've come to loathe all forms of online passive-aggressiveness, which is a form of digital dodging for which I have absolutely no respect. I can spot electronically-lobbed, passive-aggressive missives from a mile away these days, and I have less and less tolerance for it. At this point in my life, I feel like I've earned the right to be told straight-up. Go ahead, say it, I can take it. I'm more comfortable in my skin, I've been there and done that, I've wormed my way through more than a few sticky life situations, I've developed the laugh lines to prove it, and so STOP HIDING BEHIND TEXT MESSAGING AND CONFRONT ME DIRECTLY! It's a respect thing. Word.
I don't think our growing, widespread "hide behind technology" problem is caused by any one generation in particular, however. It affects all of us, and how.
Unfortunately, the co-worker who hides behind electronic means hasn't gotten the message about interacting with your ears instead of your eyes, especially when he or she must confront you in some way. So you open an electronic message to find sparkling gems such as "Surely, you must realize that your numbers don't add up, please revisit" or "If you guys don't clean up the break room TODAY, then it will be CLOSED until further notice!" or "I probably should have told you this earlier, but..." or "This isn't going to work" or "You're fired." Hey, it does happen.
(Psst, beginning any message with the phrase "Surely, you must realize" should be avoided at all costs because surely, you must realize that you're being a condescending jerkwad, right? Right.)
So what can you do about co-workers who hide behind online firewalls and refuse to confront you directly?
Whenever you can, shut it down in person. If a co-worker texts you indignantly from 20 feet away, march right over to her cubicle and say kindly with a smile, "What's up? I just got your message. Is there a problem?" Of course, this approach won't work if your co-worker is in another city, is on the other side of the world, or is always "out of the office." In these cases, the phone, or Skype, works just as well. Ping! If your co-worker doesn't answer, then leave a gentle voice mail that says, "What's up? I just got your message. Is there a problem?"
In other words, meet indirectness with directness and hiding with biding. Refuse to let this co-worker hide behind bitter, passive-aggressive emails, texts, and social media posts. Call him or her out on it for as long as it takes until he or she gets the message that you won't get played. Hit the balls this co-worker electronically lobs over the net squarely and directly right back into his or her court. Game, set, match, but probably not love.
I've dealt with a few people in recent years who like to hide behind technology when they're in a passive-aggressive confrontational mood and trust me, it won't take long before these people realize that I will respond to their terse messages with inquisitive, unflinching-but-gentle directness that probably makes him or her think twice before pressing the "send" button again. If I send this message, will she try to talk to me directly, or (gasp!) call me? Is it worth it to be such a passive-aggressive jerk to this person?
In my case, most of the terse, passive-aggressive-in-tone messages stopped after a few bouts of friendly return fire. What's up? I got your message. Is there a problem? I say "most" of the messages stopped, because online, passive-aggressive behavior can become rather ingrained and it's hard to eradicate entirely. But confronting it head-on will cut down on the number of passive-aggressive messages in your inbox.
I had to step up my game to turn this dream into reality, though. I had to pick up the phone instead of playing along, online. Try it sometime with a work peer and see if it makes a difference. Chances are, this co-worker might think twice before hitting send. At the very least, he or she will quietly come to fear and/or respect the mere possibility of your future directness, which might be all that it takes for you to see a difference in your inbox. Duck, incoming!
Besides, arguing back and forth in 140 characters or less is getting rather old, isn't it?
