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I work for a company that designs household electronics. Recently, management added a large photo mural to the wall of the corridor that I work on, with 20 head shots of female models using some of the hair products which are one of the wide range of products that the company makes. It's the sort of thing that would be in magazines: there's not a freckle, wrinkle, stray hair or blemish in sight. Everyone has perfect, smooth skin and is thin and young and beautiful. Looking at this mural every day upsets me. [more inside]
posted by iplaytheviol at 2:04 PM - 8 answers

So Institution X screwed-up and some of my personal info got loose, including my full name, SSN, and possibly my driver's license number. To compensate, Institution X is offering free "Experian IdentityWorks Credit 3B" for 24 months ... [more inside]
posted by ZenMasterThis at 8:16 AM - 5 answers

I've just gotten an email from my home insurance provider telling me I'm going to have to do a self assessment and I don't know what to expect. More than a little bit nervous. [more inside]
posted by ivanthenotsoterrible at 11:34 AM - 3 answers

A lot of productivity advice recommends figuring out what the most impactful tasks you have are, and focusing more of your energy on these. This is good advice, but how do I know what those tasks are? (Aside from asking my boss.) I do a variety of things: is it most important that I do them quickly, or that I do them well, or that I am pleasant to the people requesting them? How do I determine what my focus should be? Please recommend an exercise to help me figure out what the values are in my workplace so that I can strive for excellence. I really want to do well in this job.
posted by epanalepsis at 7:25 AM - 18 answers

YANML but I find this area of law to be a confusing maze. And my pregnancy brain has lost some of its processing power. What laws do I need to be aware of that offer me some protection in the workplace while I’m pregnant in NYC? [more inside]
posted by Riverside at 1:15 PM - 4 answers

For anyone with financial modeling experience I'm wondering how you handle a situation where you need to combine a range of possible cost values into a single number for further analysis. See inside for more details. [more inside]
posted by 12%juicepulp at 10:11 AM - 7 answers

I'm currently working as interim CTO at a technology company. I'm a contractor, and I'm considering whether or not to apply for the role on a FTE basis, but I'm worried about just adding yet another middle-aged white male C-suite member to the world. [more inside]
posted by gmb at 7:33 AM - 15 answers

Someone told me if you are late to a meeting, say “Thanks for your patience”. I liked that and use it often. A Mefi whose name escapes me, when put in the spot. suggested saying “I don’t want to give you my first answer, I want to give you the right answer, let me get back to you”. I also liked that and use it often. What are the phrases you use at work that help better communicate / frame / set expectations / lead / work with your colleagues?
posted by jasondigitized at 6:00 AM - 43 answers

This is a question where I partly don't know what I don't know, so I have to bumble my way toward asking what I'm asking, but essentially I'm trying to figure out what's up with my home appraisal and whether I should be contesting it and, if it's too complicated to answer here, who I should be even asking. This in Texas and I'm not sure to what extent the question is localized. [more inside]
posted by less-of-course at 3:41 PM - 12 answers

In a nutshell, I am a frustrated artistic, literary, nature-loving, spiritual type who has a stable 'career' in communications but my soul is slowly dying. I am bored. I hate screen-based life. I hate my colleagues. I hate the work. Someone help. [more inside]
posted by foxmardou at 10:11 AM - 19 answers

My tenth year of teaching has felt like my worst, and I am considering a career change. I am not sure what to do next. I'm not sure what I'm qualified for, I'm not sure whom to talk to, I don't know how to get started. Please help me with your knowledge and experience. [more inside]
posted by The Larch at 6:19 AM - 22 answers

In the 90s, I did work for what was then a very small tech startup. Literally, a guy in his living room. I was paid at the time for those services. In 2000, as the company began to grow, he gave me a physical stock certificate for 1% of the company. That company was never publicly traded but has recently been sold to a larger, public tech company for a substantial sum of cash. I've never had a discussion with him or anyone else about this stock (in part because I never imagined he'd sell or go public). We're not on good terms anymore. I'd like to talk to someone about if my certificate has value and don't know where to start. [more inside]
posted by anonymous at 2:29 AM - 12 answers

For some of my smaller spaces I want to offer design by the square metre and enable my clients to work out my fee*, which will hopefully help them to pick up the phone. The aim is to present people with a simple function so they can do it themselves, e.g. if they've got say 225 square metres what will that cost them? I'm hoping to find something people as non-numeric as myself can punch into a calculator: area operation number operation number = $number [more inside]
posted by unearthed at 7:02 PM - 4 answers

We are selling the family home and using a family friend as the broker. He is asking for 6% commission. In light of the current lawsuit, do I ask him to come down? [more inside]
posted by cgs at 2:09 PM - 11 answers

I'm an empty-nester-retiree contemplating different configurations of home ownership in the next 18 months. Is there some professional role that can do the math to give me data to help with the decision? [more inside]
posted by KneeHiSocks at 8:00 AM - 4 answers

I'm an IT contractor. The consulting and recruitment agencies who set me up with the contract are billing $150/hr. I get $70/hr. Is this a typical cut? [more inside]
posted by kitcat at 10:30 AM - 11 answers

This is my sister's quote. I am experiencing some crazy things at work. [more inside]
posted by intrepid_simpleton at 10:48 AM - 18 answers

In 2009 I had a book published by Abrams. I no longer have the contract but at the time I received $9000 up front which I gradually "paid back" through book sales. I received statements every 6 months for years telling me how many had sold, and how much further I had to go before I saw any royalties from sales. Now the book is out of print (sold out) but I haven't received a sales reports in years. Is it likely they owe me anything? [more inside]
posted by Liquidwolf at 7:14 AM - 22 answers

[Asking for a friend] I've been out of the workforce for 20+ years while doing full-time parenting, and started using Glassdoor to investigate companies where I'd like to find a job. Now it's blocked me with a message that says "To restore your access, we ask that you contribute." [more inside]
posted by BlahLaLa at 9:24 AM - 7 answers

Hello. I moved back to NZ from UK in October (yay!). My replacement at work didn't work out, so I have been working for my old organisation (a small charity within a UK university) since 30 January. I am being paid through the uni "talent bank" as a temp. Boring but scary (for me) tax etc questions below the fold. [more inside]
posted by Carravanquelo at 11:14 PM - 1 answers