In the office of the present, employees have a number of Internet sites to visit where they can compare notes with unseen comrades, research their legal rights, and share humorous stories about office life. It is a trend that is likely to carry on into the office of the future.
Here are a few interesting sites easily found on the Internet.
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Working Stiff (www.pbs.org/weblab/workingstiff/) – This was actually a temporary site hosted on the Public Broadcasting Service’s Web page. The producers are no longer adding original material to the site, but it will stay online for another year or so and its bulletin board will remain active so readers can chat. It’s worth a visit, however, to take the “Stress-O-Meter” test, to see how you’re holding up to job stress, and to read some amusing diaries kept by a telephone customer service rep, an Illinois casino worker and other front-line workers. There is also an advice column – which answers questions like “how do I best survive a mega-merger?” – and links to resources, such as the Department of Labor and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
Hard@Work (www.hardatwork.com) – The Web site’s self proclaimed mission “is to reduce the oversupply of fear and alienation in the workplace by meeting the pent-up demand for constructive communication about what’s happening on the job.” And it does generate intelligent communication about many routine and not-so-routine problems that can arise in any office. In a section called “Stump the Mentor,” visitors can seek advice for dealing with job challenges. For instance, one person wrote in to ask for suggestions on motivating teenage workers, and a recently promoted bank worker asked for guidance in making “the transition from coworker to supervisor.” Another section titled “The Rock Pile,” allows readers to read more in-depth case studies of problems, such as managers trying to deal with office romances and helping a good employee deal with some family problems.
Working for a Loser (www.my-boss.com) – Is a site for folks who want to vent about their boss, or just laugh at goofy stories from the trenches. For example, one reader wrote in that his boss had made some rather unrealistic demands, prompting the worker to say, “look Rome wasn’t built in a day.” To which the boss replied, “I wasn’t in charge of that project.” Each Monday the site is updated with a new list of one-liners and stories, site visitors can vote on their favorites. Visitors can also buy the book version through the Web site. It contains a number of stories compiled over a three-year period.
Temp 24-7 (www.temp24-7.com) – Is dedicated to the plight of temporary help. It offers some serious advice columns, as well as a forum for venting frustrations and sharing on-the-job humor and gripes about “perms.” One reader sought advice from the site’s columnist, “Dear Blabby,” on how to deal with employers who try to avoid paying the temporary agency’s fee by offering her the job directly. Another reader wanted to know how to deal with leaving an assignment before it’s completed. There’s also a regular list of temp lingo, which is sort of amusing. Oh yeah, and like a number of other sites, visitors can buy “cool stuff” through the site store.
Ask Annie: Real World Career Advice (cgi.pathfinder.com/fortune/careers/annie) – Readers can submit questions to advice columnist Anne Fisher through her location on Fortune.com’s site. The site also offers links to employment resources, which can help you determine whether you have a case for asking for a raise or whether you should worry about being a victim of downsizing.
Disgruntled: The Business Magazine for People Who Work for A Living (www.disgruntled.com) – Started by journalist Daniel S. Levine, Disgruntled is updated monthly and typically includes stories about investigations into safety hazards and other wrongdoings at various companies around the country. The attitude this site projects is definitely watchdog for the corporate underdog. It also offers an extensive and well-organized list of resources and links. A site visitor can find links to individual state labor codes here, resources for information about being a contract or temporary employee, and support for “whistle blowers” who report wrongdoings by their employers.
