Sleeping at work in the U.S. has traditionally been taboo (socially unacceptable). However, that’s changing in the American workplace. In a recent report, one-third (about 33%) of the people surveyed said that their workplace allowed naps (short periods of sleep during the day).

Scientists who study sleep say that people who take naps, especially if they didn’t have enough sleep the night before, are more alert (quick to notice and respond to situations), more creative (able to think of new ideas and use their imagination), and have better memory (able to remember things better).

Napping may be good for your health, too. In one study, researchers found that taking naps at least three days per week helped reduce the chance of dying from coronary (heart) problems.

The experts say that the ideal (best; most suitable) length of a nap is 20 minutes. Sleeping more than 30 minutes puts you in a deeper sleep and you will wake up groggy (weak and tired) and not refreshed (with new strength and energy).

Some large companies are taking note (paying attention). They have designated (assigned for a special purpose) sleep areas in their buildings.

Is it acceptable in your workplace to nap? Do you nap?

~ Lucy

I wanted to clarify (make clear) my comments last week about the value of things that are FREE!  I think some people interpreted my post as saying that we should not buy a product because there is something free that comes with it, or that things that are free are not worth very much.  I am not saying either of those things.

As many of you pointed out in your comments, some of the best things in life are free - even the audio files for ESL Podcast are free!  I am not suggesting that there is a relationship between price and value (how much something is really worth to us).  What I am saying is that when we see something that is FREE!, it has a different effect on us than something with a price on it.  We react differently, and sometimes we react in a way that isn’t rational or  does not make good economic sense.

Sometimes getting something for FREE! is a good idea, a good deal.   But we have to be careful not to get something or buy something just because it is free.  You have to compare the options and decide which is really best.  That’s why I gave the example of the candy, where FREE! wasn’t actually the best deal.

~Jeff

I love reading popular books about economics.  I’ve always been interested in economics, beginning when I was in college. I took a couple of different economics courses as an undergraduate, and have continued reading books on the topic every few years.

Recently I started a book called Predictably Irrational by Dan Ariely, an economist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, or what we commonly call MIT, one of the best universities in the U.S. for science and math. The book is part of a larger movement in economics called behavioral economics, where economists combine psychology with their traditional tools of research to understand how people behave when it comes to (as it relates to) money, work, trade, and other economically-related activities. The book is basically a description of several experiments that Ariely has done in the past several years.

One section of the book discusses what happens when businesses give away things free (or “FREE!” as Ariely writes it). Everyone likes things that are free, and businesses on the Internet and in the “real” world often will give things away (give things for free) to customers as a way of getting more people to pay attention to their products. But can “free” actually be a bad thing for us?

Ariely conducted some experiments on how people reacted to things that were FREE! He offered a group of students two kinds of chocolates: a small piece of very good, well-known chocolate for 15 cents, and a small piece of chocolate that was not very good quality for 1 cent. The good chocolate piece was probably worth $1.00, so getting it for 15 cents was a very good deal, but the poor quality chocolate was only worth about 5 cents, so getting it for 1 cent wasn’t a great deal (a good bargain, where you get something cheaper than normal).

Which would you choose? Most people chose the high quality chocolate for 15 cents, since it was much cheaper than normal. That’s not a surprise. But then Ariely lowered the price of both pieces of chocolate by 1 cent - 14 cents for the good quality chocolate, 0 cents (FREE!) for the low quality chocolate. Remember that the high quality chocolate is still a much better bargain than the low quality one. If people were rational (thinking correctly or intelligently), then they should still choose the good quality chocolate. But that isn’t what happened. The majority of people actually choose the FREE! chocoloate. This doesn’t make sense in our normal way of understanding economic behavior. People should choose the best deal, which is the good chocolate for 14 cents, but they don’t. They choose the FREE! item instead.

What is going on (happening) here? Part of the explanation Ariely gives is that people want to get a good bargain, but they also want to minimize risk. That is, they want to reduce or lower the chance that they will make a mistake. If you pay 15 cents for a piece of chocolate, and then you don’t actually like it when you eat it, you are out (you have lost) 15 cents. But when something is FREE! and you don’t like it, you haven’t lost anything. People would prefer not to take a risk over getting a better bargain.

So remember next time you take something for FREE! instead of paying a little money, you may actually be better off (be in a better situation) by paying for something else.

~Jeff

Nothing is more nerve-wracking (causing you to be nervous or under stress) than applying for a job. It’s even worse when you realize you’ve made a mistake or typo (typing mistake) on your cover letter (letter to apply for a job) or resume (document showing your education, work experience, etc.)

Here are a few mistakes that people have made in the past. An applicant is someone applying for a job and oops is what we say when we’ve made a mistake. See if you can spot (find) the mistake before you read the explanation.

• “I worked for six years as an uninformed security guard.”
[Oops: There is an extra letter “n.” It should be “uniformed” meaning wearing a uniform or special clothes for a job, NOT “uniNformed,” which means someone who is not knowledgeable.]

• “My last job was as a plumbing and hating specialists.”
[Oops: This time, this person is missing the letter “e.” It should be “heating,” which refers to a machine or system in a building that makes the temperature warmer, NOT “hating,” which is to dislike something very much.]

• “The academic scholarship I earned came with a plague.”
[Oops: This applicant spelled this word with a “g” instead of a “q.” A “plague” is a disease that affects a lot of people, and a “plaque” is a flat thing made of wood, metal, or something else that is displayed to remember an event or person.]

• “My career goal is to shave my talents with a growing company.”
[Oops: This applicant used the wrong word. It should be “show” and not “shave,” which is what many men do every morning to remove the hair on their faces.]

• “After graduating from college, I worked in a clothing store for seven moths.”
[Oops: I believe this applicant worked at the store for seven “months” and not for seven “moths,” which are small, brown flying insects.]

• “My volunteer experience includes delivering hot males to senior citizens.”
[Oops: I think this applicant means “meals” (food) and not “males” (men), though senior citizens (older adults, usually over 65) may also appreciate getting some males, too.]

~ Lucy

Office gossip is often a problem for companies. Gossip is casual talk about other people and things that may or may not be true. Gossip can reduce productivity (how much work people do), and it is often bad for morale (people’s confidence and enthusiasm).

According to an article in Newsweek, some companies are banning gossip. To ban is to prohibit or not allow something. In one Chicago company, the employees agreed that when an employee says something about someone else behind their back (without them knowing), that employee has to repeat the gossip to that person’s face. The result was that one employee who was seen by other employees as being unproductive (not doing much work) got a chance to explain that she negotiated fewer work hours because she was still going to school. Another rumor (story that is often untrue) was that one employee was dating another employee. This wasn’t true, and in fact, that employee had recently become engaged (promised to marry) someone else not working in the office.

The owner of the company said that since he instituted (started) this policy, business had improved significantly (a lot; greatly). He said that his employees were less distracted (thinking of other things) and could communicate better with each other.

Is gossiping a problem where you work? What do you think of this kind of policy?

~ Lucy

Companies are always looking for new ways to advertise their products and services. I recently read about a new one.

When you go to a nightclub in the U.S., you pay the cover charge (money or fee for entering) and you get a stamp on your hand. The stamp is a temporary mark that is put on your skin (usually the back of your hand) using a rubber block that has been put briefly in ink. This stamp allows you to go in and out of the nightclub all evening without paying again.

Now, companies are using these stamps to advertise. Instead of their normal stamp, companies pay the nightclub money for each person they stamp with the company’s message. For example, a taxi company puts the name of their company, their phone number, and the message “don’t drink and drive” on their stamp. The customer who drinks too much can find the taxi company’s phone number right on their hand. Other companies are even using the stamps to give discounts and to advertise other promotions (special offers).

Interesting idea. I wonder what other body parts companies will be advertising on next. Have you heard of any interesting or new ways companies are promoting their products or services?

~ Lucy

This past weekend I attended (went to) the Podcast and New Media Expo in Ontario, California, which is about an hour from Los Angeles. Expo is short for exposition, which is the same as a conference or convention. An expo is a gathering (when people get together) for people who have similar interests or experiences. Usually the word expo is used for business gatherings, where different companies are trying to sell their products and services.

When you go to most big conferences, there are two main parts: the sessions and the exhibit hall. The sessions are presentations about a certain topic by either a single person or a group of people. Sessions include panel discussions, where a group of experts discuss a topic, as well as short classes to teach you how to do something. The exhibit hall is where all of the vendors (people who sell things) are, and where you can look at the latest equipment and things related to your interest.

At the Podcast Expo, there were sessions about creating video podcasts, audio podcasts, podcasts for businesses, and other topics as well. I went to a couple of the sessions on Friday and Saturday about promoting your podcast (getting other people to know about it) and on doing video podcasting. Unfortunately, there was not a session about how to improve my singing.

The exhibit hall had many vendors selling audio and video equipment and services. The area where the vendors have their things is called a booth. Each company has its own booth. Some of the booths are very large, and sometimes include chairs where you can sit and rest. Although there were both men and women at this conference, often technology and some technology-related conferences like this have mostly men attending them. For that reason, some vendors like to hire (employ, give work to) beautiful women who stand in the booth to attract the men’s attention (to get them to notice them, to get them to go into the booth). Fortunately, I am happily married so I never actually looked at the beautiful women, but I heard from other people that they were there.

After the sessions are over (are completed) in the afternoon, there are usually receptions (small parties with food and drink). Take a look at ESL Podcast 88 for more information on conference receptions.

Next year the Podcast Expo will be in Las Vegas. Las Vegas is famous for conferences and conventions, since it has many things to do and usually has warm weather. But the weather is very hot in August, which is when the Expo will be held (will take place) next year, so I may not go.

~Jeff