Back in the day, lunch hour was just that: A full hour. Well, if you find yourself glancing at the clock when it strikes 1:55 p.m. only to realize your company’s cafeteria closes in five minutes as you run down there to scarf down your lunch, you’re not alone.

When was the last time you took a full hour for lunch? When was the last time you ate at a location other than your desk as you had your sandwich in your left hand and mouse in your right?

According to a piece on Forbes, there are several ways to spend your lunch time. Read more

We all have bad days from time to time — this is a given but sometimes criticism could feel like an attack. Without lashing back or reaching for the first pint of Ben & Jerry’s (or whatever your vice), there are a few ways to handle criticism to take it for what its worth.

1. Consider the source. As pointed out by a piece on U.S. News & World Report, don’t put too much weight into criticism if it comes from someone who’s not credible or always criticizes everyone. In the piece, Chrissy Scivicque writes, “So who’s giving you this feedback? Is it your boss, whom you respect and want to please? Or is it a co-worker who doesn’t really know what you do all day but thinks she’s got the answer to everything? Sure, people like this might hit the nail on the head once in a while, but don’t give them more attention than they deserve. Concentrate on the feedback that comes from people you respect and whose opinions matter—those who know you, your job, your skills, and your work ethic, and who truly have your best interests at heart.”

2. Pull on your big girl (or guy) pants. Let’s say the critique actually comes from a credible source and could actually be true to form. Gasp! After the initial disappointment the destructive or even constructive criticism hits the ego, try not to take it personally. Be strong. If your skills need improvement, work on them. If a project could have been done more accurately or timely, leverage this as a learning lesson and move on.

3. Listen and gain clarity. Again, without taking it personally or getting defensive, simply listen. Hear the feedback loud and clear. If it’s not clear, ask for further clarification. Gain insight and digest the information that’s been given to you. Try not to put too much weight into it other than realizing this is only going to make you more stellar on the job and the next one, too.

4. Let go of perfection. This is a big one. Newsflash: We’re not perfect! No one is. We all make mistakes, we all have bad days, we are all — let’s say it together now — imperfect. Although hearing negative feedback could be alarming, it’s a fact of life. No one expects you to be perfect nor should you expect others to be either. Scivicque reminds us in the piece, “So let go of that unrealistic expectation. We all have to deal with negative feedback at some point in our career. It’s how you handle it and what you do with it that makes you stand out.”

Feeling stressed or stuck while you’re on the job is something that everyone goes through, but sometimes it’s a sign that your career is in need of a new direction. So, how can you tell if your bad day is really just a bad situation?

“When you feel depressed or like your stomach is in knots on Sunday night as you prepare for the work week, this is a sure sign you need a new direction,” said Tiffani Murray, an HR consultant and author of Stuck on Stupid: A Guide for Today’s Professional Stuck in a Rut. “Any job that’s a detriment to your health is not a job to hold on to.”

Read more in 5 Signs It’s Time to Leave Your Job. [Mediabistro AvantGuild subscription required]

If you’ve been known to drop the F-bomb once in a while at the office, you may want to reconsider your choice of words.

In a new study, CareerBuilder reveals 64 percent of employers think less of an employee who repeatedly swears. In addition, 57 percent are less likely to promote someone who curses in the office. Questions are raised about professionalism, lack of control and maturity, along with a lack of intelligence.  Read more

Birds of a feather flock together, right?

According to a new study analyzed by Innovisor, a management consulting firm in Copenhagen, apparently men and women choose work partners who look like themselves!

As reported by The Wall Street Journal, men and women are more likely to select someone to work with on a daily basis with the same gender. In the study itself, participants indicated they work with an average of eight people on a daily basis. As for the gender make-up, it’s weighed heavily on their own gender. It sounds like the survey was conducted for middle management since high level supervisors who were male were tossed from the survey due to influence of power, not peers.

Jeppe Hansgaard, an Innovisor managing partner, stated to the WSJ, “We prefer to collaborate with people who look just like us. That’s a management issue, because you want your employees to collaborate with the right people, not just people who look like them.”

Gender bias wasn’t specific to Denmark. In fact, it existed in 29 countries involved in the study! This includes the U.S., U.K., Australia, China, India, and Brazil. Since it sounds like the study was conducted for gender only, additional research would be needed to break it down by ethnicity and religion. That said, Hansgaard indicated anecdotal evidence could lean one to believe biases may exist on those realms as well.

As for next steps now that the results are known? According to the piece, companies need to manage their collaboration efforts among teams since currently they go unnoticed as they’re formed informally.

Tick tock goes the clock.

On a slow work day like today when many people scurry out of the office or grab a quick lunch before they head out the door, some of us are bound to our desks much to our chagrin. That is, until the end of the work day you’re trapped.

When you stop to think about it though, it’s not all that bad. It’s probably more quiet as the day continues and technically, it creates an opportunity to go through that in box.

According to a piece posted by The Daily Muse, there are several ways to be productive on an otherwise non-productive day.

1. Create a succession plan. For starters, you can take your job description and outline tasks per month. As an example, perhaps you create an editorial calendar on the first Monday of every month, reconcile freelance invoices every other Tuesday, that kind of thing. The purpose of this task is to create a work flow document so when the day comes that you leave your job and your mind is frazzled, you won’t have to do it then.

2. Get organized! For most of us, this means organizing that overflowing in box with countless emails. While you’re at it, create new folders or start deleting old ones which are no longer relevant. Just don’t get too caught up in a delete key frenzy — be sure to save anything involving HR or employee issues, thank you messages from colleagues, and detailed process issues so you won’t have to recreate the wheel the next time you need to send out a lengthy message.

3.  Read. After all, it’s fundamental! Even though you may already be online 24/7 as you create new stories and headlines, why not take some time to read articles about leadership, careers or trend pieces about the media. When all is said and done, chances are you’ll enjoy the much needed downtime that is technically productive at its very own pace — your own.

Here’s an interesting predicament for you. An internal job posting looks enticing so you throw your hat into the ring and go for it! But alas, you don’t end up getting it. Now your boss treats you differently, knows you’re looking to leave and with review time coming up (not to mention salary increases, if any), you’re wondering if you’ll get left in the dust.

According to yesterday’s New York Post, Gregory Giangrande writes, “You first have to analyze how much of this, if any is you projecting….I’ve seen employees fearful of even attempting to transfer out of unwarranted concern, and others who created a self-fulfilling prophecy by acting differently themselves, causing their boss to have a negative reaction, then blaming their boss for reacting to their actions.”

Although certain bosses will certainly be peeved, the key to handling this situation with finesse is having a good old-fashioned honest conversation. He indicates in the piece, “Prevention is the best medicine, so ideally you’d have an open, honest conversation before the process starts.”

That said, after the interview process if things don’t go as planned, the chief human resources officer for Dow Jones recommends ongoing conversations to leverage this situation as a “catalyst for a talk about how to expand your current job. And a reassuring word that it’s not personal and you remain committed never hurts.”

We’ve all been there, right? One colleague completely rubs you the wrong way in the newsroom and as much as you want to put your best foot forward and wear that faux smile, it gets draining (not to mention old).

Thanks to the Harvard Business Review there are three strategies to deal with that irritable colleague without telling him or her to talk to the hand.

For starters, you can focus on the things you can change, not the things you can’t. You can’t change their behavior or thoughts but you can certainly change your own.

Second, it may be tempting to confide in your editor, your colleague in the photo department or a friend in graphics. Don’t do it. According to HBR, “emotions are contagious, so complaining about a co-worker can bring everyone down.” Not only that, talking poorly about someone else may inevitably be a poor reflection on you. Take it out at the gym instead. Find a positive outlet to let off some steam that doesn’t involve giving into the negativity.

Lastly, and in a surprising move, the last tip involves working together. Sure, it may go against the grain of your automatic reaction to avoid the person altogether but the piece points out you may become more empathetic as a result. “You might discover reasons for his behavior: Stress at home, pressure from boss, etc.”