Last week as I went through airport security, waiting for my husband who was getting the grand pat down for the zillionth time since his hip replacement operation eighteen months ago, I was musing about how we normalize the abnormal Going through security, checking for vials or sharp objects, or whatever, is now a common way of life

Have you ever been treated unfairly at work Were you ever asked to do more than your fair share

Ever listen to people at a crowded restaurant during week day lunchtime Often you hear conversations that are variations on the theme of “My boss is a ----“

Anyone ever tell you “You are so irrational” or maybe “You’re so predictable” How about ever hearing “Women are so irrational” and “Men are so logical”

Vampires are takers They cause workplace conflict as they smile and wipe the blood from their mouths

Before I tell you what the latest survey on workplace peeves is, take a minute and think about what bothers you the most with your colleagues at work I’ll start with mine

This is a call to action The recent oil spill underlines that we have let our old, outmoded patterns of behavior forge the way

In “Don’t Bring It to Work” there are lots of examples of how a system works One of the most interesting comes from nature

There has always been workplace conflict – well before the recent economic crises, the intensity of information technology, and the coarsening of society had a chance to influence our work environments Depictions of workplace tensions are common in literature – for example, in Shakespeare’s Richard III, Dickens’s A Christmas Carol, and Melville’s Moby-Dick

Did you ever wonder when you “throw something away” where “away” is Follow, in your mind, a cardboard box or a soda can from wastebasket to recycle bin to landfill