Working Wounded: The Top 5 of '06

Dec. 29, 2006 — -- Expensive gas, backdated stock options, and CEOs in jail -- wasn't 2006 a great year?

Unfortunately, if you want to read about any of these stories, you'll have to look elsewhere. I'd like to offer a quirkier look at the year from the world of the "Working Wounded."

As 2007 approaches, here is a quick countdown of my Top 5 favorite stories of 2006:

5) Say hello to electronic goodbyes. Radio Shack sent pink slips to 403 employees via e-mail. I have no idea if it used little emoticons -- a little employee hanging in a gallows or a worker that suddenly goes up in a puff of smoke. Firing people via e-mail is probably the most heartless act I've seen in my decade as a workplace pundit. To me, this proves that Radio Shack's treatment of its people is as shoddy as its products. Let's hope this is a trend that doesn't spread.

4) Doing the absolute minimum. Saying that U.S. Congress doesn't get much done is not going to be news to anyone -- despite being able to send letters for free. But this year Congress managed to create a level of self-parody that I didn't think was possible. For the umpteenth time Congress rejected a call to increase the minimum wage then turned around and gave itself yet another raise. Let's all have empathy for people trying to live on a paltry $5.25 an hour and keep pressure on Congress to raise the minimum in 2007.

3) When in-flight entertainment really crashes and burns. What is more relaxing than in-flight entertainment during a long flight? I know some Jet Blue customers who might disagree. A Los Angeles-bound flight's landing gear didn't properly deploy earlier this year, and the plane landed in a shower of flames. The interesting part is that the passengers onboard the flight actually watched their own landing on satellite TV. And you thought the remake of the "Poseidon Adventure" was scary? But I think this is a great metaphor for what it's actually like to work today in a 24/7 cable-news culture: We see everything, even the stuff we'd rather miss.

2) Just plane chaos. Northwest Airlines changed the age-old policy of boarding its planes by row. Now after the first-class cabin and frequent fliers, getting on a NWA plane looks a lot like a mosh pit. Ironically, the move was made because the airline discovered that a little bit of chaos actually reduced the time that it took to board a plane, according to studies by five minutes to 10 minutes. To me, this is a great example of how sometimes the best way to do things isn't the most logical.

1) Handshakes are so five minutes ago.. Guess who came out this year against the handshake? The World Health Organization. Fearing an outbreak of avian flu, the WHO now is telling us that a handshake is the perfect way to spread disease. Given e-mail, videoconferences, iPods, telecommuting and communicable diseases, it now seems like we're on track to never make human contact with anyone during our entire 9-5 grind.

Here's hoping for a saner 2007.

Here are the results from a recent workingwounded.com/ABCNEWS.com online ballot:

Working Wounded/ABCNEWS.com online ballot question: How truthful are the people where you work?

• It's always the whole truth and nothing but, 3.3 percent
• It's mostly the whole truth and nothing but, 36.7 percent
• I trust them as far as I can throw them, 59.9 percent

Our winning strategy for dealing with a liar comes from F.R. in Gainsville, Fla.:

"I know the popular opinion is to never deal with a liar. But I disagree. I think it's not realistic. The key to me is to assume that everyone can lie and to learn how to monitor their truthfulness. Sure it sounds negative, but I've learned that the best way to trust people is to test them. It's worked for me."

I like it. I really like it. What people say they like about their job:

• Doing what suits me/fulfilling, 18 percent
• Interacting with the public/helping people, 15 percent
• Freedom/flexibility to do my job my own way, 13 percent
• Flexible hours/favorable work schedule, 12 percent
• Good pay/wages, 10 percent

From: CareerBuilder.com

Bob Rosner is a best selling author, speaker and internationally syndicated columnist. He'd love to hear your thoughts on this topic, especially if you have better ideas than he does. His books include: "The Boss's Survival Guide" and "Gray Matters: The Workplace Survival Guide." Send your questions or comments to him via: bob@workingwounded.com.