Lunch breaks are a good time to shoot a quick message to someone in your network, read a book or think about your goals, experts say. Unplugging yourself completely for a short time is also a perfectly valid way to spend your lunch. CNBC (2/7) Is it best to tune out offensive comments in the workplace? You should feel comfortable speaking out against comments that offend you at work, particularly if they are racist or sexist, writes Amy Gallo. However, don't assume that the person speaking was intentionally trying to offend you. Harvard Business Review online (tiered subscription model) (2/8)
Success may rely more on the ability to hold a conversation than on technical training or raw intelligence, writes Skip Prichard. In this interview, he asks Judith Glaser about her work studying conversational intelligence and the three levels of conversation people can achieve. Skip Prichard blog (2/6)
The Landscape
Facebook expands paid leave for caregiving, death in family Facebook's Sheryl Sandberg says the company is expanding paid-leave benefits for employees faced with caring for a sick family member or mourning the death of a loved one. The company is giving workers up to 20 days of paid leave for the death of an immediate family member, up to six weeks of paid leave to care for a sick relative, and up to three days of leave to take care of a family member with a short-term illness. TechCrunch (2/8)
Researchers in Japan found that cats are able to recall what food bowl they ate from 15 minutes prior, suggesting that cats, like dogs and people, can remember specific events. Episodic memory is associated with a degree of self-awareness, and the finding might help researchers better understand feline-human bonds, researcher Saho Takagi said. BBC (1/25),DiscoverMagazine.com (1/26)
Never give in except to convictions of honor and good sense.
