Drilling Down: Caught Up in the Online Video Stream

Getting too little sleep for several nights in a row disrupts hundreds of genes that are essential for good health, including those linked to stress and fighting disease.

Add this factoid to the many others concerning the poor state of customer service, right alongside the one about how we collectively lose $38 billion annually waiting around for the cable guy to show up. According to a new poll, most American consumers (53%) say that they spend 10 to 20 minutes on hold each and every week. That 15 minutes or so per week adds up to 780 minutes per year—or 13 hours annually—spent waiting for a company that swears via automated message “we care about your business” to answer the darn phone.

Add this factoid to the many others concerning the poor state of customer service, right alongside the one about how we collectively lose $38 billion annually waiting around for the cable guy to show up. According to a new poll, most American consumers (53%) say that they spend 10 to 20 minutes on hold each and every week. That 15 minutes or so per week adds up to 780 minutes per year—or 13 hours annually—spent waiting for a company that swears via automated message “we care about your business” to answer the darn phone.

(Scott Ingram Photography)

This survey, conducted by officebroker.com, which contradicts many New Years resolutions by staff to claw back a better live/work balance, found that the average office worker spent an additional 38 minutes at work each day during the winter months. This equates to more than three hours a week or an additional day and a half per month. Main reasons cited by respondents for working longer hours were to stay out of the cold, avoid troublesome rush hour traffic and ensure all work was completed prior to the Christmas break.

Pilots have been falling asleep in the cockpit because of shift patterns which can see them at the controls of an aircraft 23 hours after waking up, a study has found. The findings of a study by Simon Bennett of Leicester University, has rekindled fears that passenger safety could be put at risk by pilot fatigue.

(epicharmus)

Many executives have been known to cultivate an aura of intimidation. It's a management style that's gone out of vogue, but isn't unheard of.