Faculty/Staff Blog

How to Thrive and Gain Respect in Your First Job

Posted on by David Souder
Earning respect in the workplace is a give-and-take process. Ask good questions, look for good times to speak up, be patient, listen and learn.

Many UConn seniors and new graduates are focused on landing that first full-time job. And once the job starts, there are many new and exciting experiences. Colleagues want you to feel welcome, and take the time to show you how things get done.

Before long, though, the honeymoon period ends and a new challenge sets in. You don’t just want your colleagues to welcome you – you want them to respect the value that you can add in the workplace. UConn helped you learn the skills you need to do your job, but it is only after graduation that you realize you have to showcase your abilities too. How do you do that? Continue Reading

History in the Making

Posted on by Robert Bird

Brexit: People Had Enough With Distant Bureaucrats Telling Them What To Do

One of my enduring interests is research and teaching related to values-driven business. I jumped at the opportunity to teach a law and ethics course in London this summer with 14 bright UConn undergraduates. Such a program is filled with experiential education – we visited the US Embassy, the UK Supreme Court, Lloyd’s of London, and the Royal Society for the Arts, among other places.

Little did I know that our summer course would take place right in the middle of one of the most important events of modern Europe – the vote on whether the fifth-largest economy in the world would leave the European Union. Continue Reading

TED Talks

Posted on by John Elliott

Provocative, Well-Honed, Brief Lessons Can Augment Teaching and Learning

You are probably doing it too, watching TED Talks.

The acronym stands for Technology, Entertainment and Design. These are brief, invited presentations, in front of live audiences, most of whom have paid substantial sums to attend.

The annual event began in 1984, and has evolved over time. Now there are offshoots on college campuses and other venues. Today the web makes access easy and most can be viewed after the fact for free. https://www.ted.com/talks.

Why are TED Talks important to the dean of a business school, other than the fact that they are very engaging? Continue Reading

Faulting Companies for Legally Repurchasing Shares is Disingenuous

Posted on by John Elliott

Financial columnist Andrew Sorkin, writing in the New York Times on Aug. 11, 2015, cited political scrutiny of stock buybacks noting “…a backlash from some investors and government officials, who have questioned whether such use of profits is a productive way to deploy capital rather than reinvesting in businesses and jobs.” Continue Reading

Living Wage or Personal Dignity? A Choice Workers Should Never Have to Make

Posted on by Robert Bird

Recently, a company was ordered to pay $1.75 million to thousands of employees who had to clock out during bathroom breaks.

A living wage or personal dignity is choice that workers should never have to make. It is also an imposition that employers should never be able to place on anyone. The allegations made by the employees in this case were primed to go viral because of how this conduct shocks our conscience. While the practice is unjust and unfair, it also illuminates deeper implications about how a workplace is managed. Continue Reading

The 12 Rules of Attending an Office Party in 2015

Posted on by Lucy Gilson, Paul Gilson

‘Tis the season to be jolly fa la la la laaaa, la la la laaaa……… which means, you got it, office parties!

The fun, and sometimes painful, time of year when everyone must be seen having a good time with their boss, colleagues, and “friends” in HR! A time when there are so many rules and potential missteps that everyone is raising a glass to just “Keep Calm and Carry On!”
As management professors, we often get asked by our nervous students, ‘What are the latest do’s and don’ts at this time of year?’ This year however, we have noticed a change in the questions we are getting. No longer are students asking if it’s OK to bring a same-sex date, or leave early if they have another (more exciting) party to get to (both questions are so last year). No, the questions now sound something like: Continue Reading

The Courage to Say ‘No’

Posted on by Lucy Gilson

Air travel is no longer glamorous and sometimes, well, often, just annoying – too many people on oversold flights, crammed into tight spaces, and fighting over whether it is OK to put a seat back.

Add to this weather delays, mechanical problems, TSA screenings, and having to pay for every little extra, and it is not surprising that the flying passenger is no longer a happy, friendly person. Continue Reading