Workplace

In the remote northeastern corner of Guatemala, archaeologists have found what appears to be the 9th century workplace of a city scribe, an unusual dwelling adorned with magnificent pictures of the king and other royals and the oldest known Maya calendar. This year has been particularly controversial among some cultists because of the belief that the Maya calendar predicts a major cataclysm - perhaps the end of the world - on Dec. 21, 2012. Archaeologists know that is not true, but the new find, written on the plaster equivalent of a modern scientist's whiteboard, strongly reinforces the idea that the Maya calendar projects thousands of years into the future.

Julie Berebitsky's history of hanky-panky in U.S. offices over the last 150 years is an extraordinary achievement. To write about so much bottom-pinching, ogling and scandal without a single double entendre or levity of any sort must have taken considerable restraint. Instead, the history professor at the University of the South in Sewannee, Tenn., has chosen to present her treasure trove of saucy examples in such a relentlessly flat way that "Sex and the Office: A History of Gender, Power and Desire" is an effort to get through.

'Life is short. Have an affair." That's the slogan of the Ashley Madison dating service, a website for people who want to cheat on their partners. That's right, unlike traditional Internet dating sites -- where you're expected to say you're unattached no matter what the truth is -- Ashley Madison is honest about its duplicity. Unlike match.

When John Tlapa looked in the mirror, his nose looked like he "could pick a door lock," he said. It resembled "a hook with a point on it. It was pretty ugly. " So two years ago, the San Diego-based screenwriter underwent rhinoplasty to improve his profile and fix a deviated septum that had plagued him for almost 40 years. Tlapa, 54, is part of a trend that, in recent years, has seen increasing numbers of men seeking cosmetic surgery. In 2011, 9% of surgical and nonsurgical cosmetic procedures in the U.S. were conducted on men, according to the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery - a 121% increase since 1997.

Robert Hill did not join the Los Angeles Police Department to become a millionaire. And yet, that's what happened in September when city officials cut the veteran cop and his lawyer a check for nearly $4 million. The money was compensation for the snide comments and other abuse Hill suffered at the hands of other LAPD officers after he reported that a supervisor used racial slurs and embezzled department funds. In the last decade, at least 16 other officers have won million-dollar-plus jury verdicts or settlements from the city in lawsuits in which they leveled accusations of sexual harassment, racial discrimination, retaliation and other workplace injustices.

The walls are closing in on white-collar workers ? their office environments are shrinking, propelled by new technology, a changing corporate culture and the age-old imperative to save a buck. Although personal workstations won't disappear, the sprawling warrens of cubicles and private offices that have defined the workplace for the last few decades are heading the way of Rolodexes and typewriters. The shift is of tectonic proportions, experts on the workplace say. In the 1970s, American corporations typically thought they needed 500 to 700 square feet per employee to build an effective office.

Amid outcries from business groups and conservatives fearing the government might start poking around workers' homes, U.S. Labor Secretary Alexis M. Herman on Wednesday withdrew a directive that employers are responsible for health and safety problems in home offices.

Drug Abuse on the Job Declines Again, Study Says: The figures declined for the sixth straight year, according to the latest data from SmithKline Beechman Clinical Laboratories, but it is still a huge problem. The SmithKline Beechman Drug Testing Index, a gauge of positive drug tests in the workplace, declined to 8.41% in 1993, the lowest level in the past decade, from 8.76% in 1992.

As Valentine's Day approaches, many workplace managers are keeping an eye out for workplace romance that can destroy productivity. But one group of workplace consultants said that there's another, bigger problem. Experts at Challenger, Gray & Christmas, Inc. released a cautionary essay this week that warned managers to be on the lookout for workplace hostility. The firm, which helps displaced workers make the transition to reemployment, said that because workplaces are so understaffed, employees become overworked and frustration abounds.

Just short of turning 58, Charles L. Walker is old enough to have painful memories of segregated bathrooms and whites-only water fountains he encountered as a youth in his native West Virginia. But the View Park resident said the racism he encountered during the last few years as a mechanic for American Airlines at Los Angeles International Airport is "the worst thing that ever happened to me."

The cafe is narrow, with a dozen little tables and a gray concrete floor. Nothing too fancy. Nothing too shiny. No espresso poured into designer porcelain with a dusting of organic cacao and a layer of orange-infused, textured milk. No movie stars. Or hardly ever. But Kaldi Coffee & Tea is home to a community of dreamers who share a singular ambition: They want to be part of the movies. Since the silent film era, people have flocked to L.A., seeking stardom. Hollywood may change, but the calculus remains the same.

Lonnie Giamela received a phone call last year, just before the start of the NCAA tournament, from the owner of a manufacturing plant in North Carolina. A labor lawyer from Los Angeles, Giamela knew immediately this meant basketball business. The plant of 100 employees, located in a hoops-crazed region, feared the start of the tournament might drain worker productivity and lead to profit loss. The company decided to block all CBS-affiliated websites proliferating NCAA distraction action but wanted a plan to prevent a revolt.

There's less office gossip being whispered around the water cooler at work - and what's being said is nicer too, according to a new report. The rumor mill is a mainstay at 63% of companies, according to a new survey from staffing service The Creative Group. Four years ago, 84% of firms said chit-chatting at the company was commonplace. Six out of ten times, the gossip is inoffensive and light-hearted, according to the report. And while 20% of the talk is negative, respondents said it wasn't meant to be hurtful.

How can you tell if a co-worker might have a substance abuse problem, and what should you do about it? Here are tips from experts: Watch for signs: According to the federal Drug Enforcement Administration, indications that an employee might have a substance abuse problem include work absences without notification, frequent disappearances from the work site, work performance that alternates between high and low productivity, and progressive deterioration...

As Valentine's Day approaches, many workplace managers are keeping an eye out for workplace romance that can destroy productivity. But one group of workplace consultants said that there's another, bigger problem. Experts at Challenger, Gray & Christmas, Inc. released a cautionary essay this week that warned managers to be on the lookout for workplace hostility. The firm, which helps displaced workers make the transition to reemployment, said that because workplaces are so understaffed, employees become overworked and frustration abounds.

Miners and people in the hotel and food service industry have the highest smoking rates, while those in education have the lowest, finds a new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report on smoking prevalence in various professions. Data from the National Health Interview Survey found that overall the incidence of smoking was highest among those who didn't graduate high school, had no health insurance and lived below the federal poverty line. Smoking rates among all working adults surveyed was 19.6%.

She shied away from the term "sexual harassment," preferring "seductive pressure. " "Women can't talk about the seductive pressure that men put on women, because it is a taboo in France," said the woman, pausing between sentences. A former company manager, she, perhaps tellingly, wished to remain anonymous. "As women managing directors, we've all been confronted with it. " As she spoke, she began to worry that her comments would create "generalizations" about France. She was only one person, and was sorry to be wasting a reporter's time, she added, with a tight smile.

Workplace drug testing data show methamphetamine continues to be a significant problem in the Western states. In data released Friday of U.S. workplace drug-screening tests in 2010, Hawaii ranked first in the highest rates of positive screens for methamphetamine--410% greater than the national average. The rates in Arkansas and Oklahoma were also high, 280% and 240% above the national average, respectively. California's rate was 140% above the average. Overall, positive methamphetamine screens in the workplace stands at 0.10% nationally.