Archive | Common Courtesy

If you know an employee is drinking on job, tell the boss!

Many years ago we had a secretary working for us who had a secret; let’s call her “Polly.” And, the secret manifested itself in a strange way. For the first few months of her employment we had no issues. Then we started noticing that she performed okay in the morning, but not as well in […]

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Drinking alcohol on the job is never a good idea (unless one is a professional wine taster or something similar).  I have worked with many, many people over the years who were intoxicated on the job or who were experiencing the ill effects of intoxicants they consumed prior to reporting for work.  I have also […]

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Be kind to animals

A Point of View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

On March 22, 2016

Category: Common Courtesy, Employment, Getting the Job Done, Getting Through Life and Work, Life Outside of Work, Work-Life

I am an animal lover. I like animals, particularly cats, more than I like many people. (I like dogs, as well as other kinds of animals, but I have a special affinity for felines of all breeds, including big cats, such as jaguars.) In my encounters in life, I have discovered there are lots of […]

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Another View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

On March 22, 2016

Category: Common Courtesy, Employment, Getting the Job Done, Getting Through Life and Work, Life Outside of Work, Work-Life

I have known people, including one of my grandmothers, who were deathly afraid of animals due to a bad experience in childhood.  But, thankfully, I have been around many more people who loved animals and saw them, whether dogs or cats, as their best friends.  I grew up with lots of dogs and cats around, […]

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Gum chewing

A Point of View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

On March 1, 2016

Category: Business personalities, Common Courtesy, Getting Through Life and Work, Life Outside of Work, Work-Life

Almost everyone has a bad habit or more than one bad habit. And, people being people, most people with a bad habit prefer to perceive their bad habit as merely a habit, or a routine, or a preference, absent the negative connotation associated with the expression, “bad habit.” My habit, bad, good, or otherwise, is […]

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Another View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

On March 1, 2016

Category: Business personalities, Common Courtesy, Getting Through Life and Work, Life Outside of Work, Work-Life

Some of these posts are just fun to think about, and one thing the reader may be wondering is, “Why are they writing that”?  As we contemplated our blog, we started listing topics, a handful came to us quickly.  This one is #99 on Melissa’s list.  So, my response to her both on choosing the […]

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When not to park in a disabled parking place

A Point of View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

On February 23, 2016

Category: Common Courtesy, Getting Through Life and Work, Life Outside of Work, Work-Life

Just as there are people who need to park in disabled parking place, there are people, most people, in fact, who do not need to park in a disabled parking space. Prior to co-owning our business, my spouse and I had the unpleasant experience of working for a person who had a particularly vile penchant […]

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Another View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

On February 23, 2016

Category: Common Courtesy, Getting Through Life and Work, Life Outside of Work, Work-Life

I, too, hope karma, or something, will have a way with the person Melissa references.  I don’t know if it will, but neither of us had ever experienced anything like we observed with this person Melissa mentions.  One hears stories about people who abuse parking privileges such as this, and though at the time of […]

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When to use a disabled parking pass

A Point of View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

On February 16, 2016

Category: Common Courtesy, Getting Through Life and Work, Life Outside of Work, Work-Life

Many people probably think they know everything about this topic, however, my experiences indicate there is more to using a disabled parking pass than the casual observer may believe. One of the main rules for using a disabled parking pass, of course, is that the user must actually, legitimately, and legally be disabled. (An upcoming […]

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Another View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

On February 16, 2016

Category: Common Courtesy, Getting Through Life and Work, Life Outside of Work, Work-Life

My quick take on the concept of “when to use a disabled parking pass” is use it when you need it!  While there are some people who use them when they don’t need them – stay tuned for more on that in another blog – there are also those whose sense of independence is such […]

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Jumping up and down when TV breaks

A Point of View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

On January 19, 2016

Category: Careers, Common Courtesy, Employment, Getting the Job Done, Getting Through Life and Work, Trial Consulting, Work-Life

Temper tantrums are never cute. They are not cute among children and they are certainly not cute among adults. (My husband’s relative had a temper tantrum in our home when he was way too old for such a violent outburst, resulting in my having to repair and re-paint the wall he repeatedly kicked, such that […]

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Another View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

On January 19, 2016

Category: Careers, Common Courtesy, Employment, Getting the Job Done, Getting Through Life and Work, Trial Consulting, Work-Life

Our work in the trial consulting arena necessitates the use of technologies that are not perfect.  And, we work in unfamiliar places, with rented equipment like televisions, all of which lead to problems with some regularity.  This is one of those areas where, in our work, “ it happens.”  But, we are almost always able, […]

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Think before you speak.

A Point of View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

On November 19, 2015

Category: Business Frustrations, Careers, Common Courtesy, Employment, Getting the Job Done, Managing Employees, Small Business Success

Think before you speak. This is an old adage that resonates loudly when managing employees. Two examples of the failure of employees have haunted us for years. The first was with our first employee. She was caught off guard when an attorney/client asked her, after discussing Melissa’s academic background with Melissa, “What’s your background?” Mindlessly, […]

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Another View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

On November 19, 2015

Category: Business Frustrations, Careers, Common Courtesy, Employment, Getting the Job Done, Managing Employees, Small Business Success

I suppose there is a time in many girls’ and women’s lives when they dream of becoming a princess.  Unfortunately, however, few people ever realize their princess dream, such that, at some point, they are living in a fantasy world if they persist in their search for Prince Charming.  (As an aside, I have met […]

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Space between notes

In life, just as in music, the space between notes is just as important as the notes themselves. For those among us who are not musically inclined, the “space between notes,” when applied to everyday life, is the silence that often says everything that needs to be said. On the day I am writing this […]

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It is interesting that, in our noisy world, silence, Melissa’s space between notes, is sometimes uncomfortable. But there are times when silence allows someone else to vent, or when silence provides an opportunity to listen. I sometimes find it difficult to stay quiet when I am asking questions of a prospective client who is trying […]

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Mike Cefalo’s notes

A Point of View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

On September 1, 2015

Category: Careers, Common Courtesy, Employment, Getting the Job Done, Getting Through Life and Work

A client of mine told me something valuable a long time ago. He said he writes personal notes, on stationery, in handwriting, to several people each week who have done something noteworthy. I asked him how he found the time to do this, due to his busy schedule as a high profile trial lawyer residing […]

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Another View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

On September 1, 2015

Category: Careers, Common Courtesy, Employment, Getting the Job Done, Getting Through Life and Work

In a time when instant communications are the norm, old fashioned, paper, pen, and stamps count for more than ever. The decrease in “real mail” is remarkable and that makes notes, as Melissa describes, more noteworthy. Or at least more noticeable than a decade ago. All the more reason to do this. We treasure the […]

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Listen – really listen

As a psychologist, I am a paid listener. I listen more than I talk. I learn far more from listening than from talking. Most people, in my opinion, talk far more than they listen (and rarely do they have anything of great importance to say!). If one listens, really listens, there are many details that […]

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It is interesting to be an observer both of people (like our mock jurors) and of people’s listening skills (like our attorney clients). Attorneys are paid to talk, to argue, to persuade. But, when they come to us and we do mock jury or mock arbitration research, they have to utilize their listening skills when […]

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