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• Aviva boss Moss and his HR shenanigans

  What a tangled web HR weaves - especially if you happen to work at Aviva (that's Norwich Union in old money). Chief executive Andrew Moss has been uncovered discussing Ugandan affairs with Deirdre Moffat - a former senior member of the firm's HR department seconded to his office. What makes matters even more complicated is that Deirdre is married... Posted Oct 28 2009, 08:31 AM by Guru Filed under: HR, office antics, human resources, andrew moss, aviva, affair

• Kanga-rude office behaviour

  Workplace pests can take many forms. Mice nibbling at cables, fleas hopping across carpets, even lecherous colleagues lurking in the stationery room are all part and parcel of working life and, as such, evoke no sympathy whatsover. But even Guru experienced a fleeting twinge of compassion on hearing of the plight of beleagured Australian psychologist... Posted Sep 22 2009, 09:47 AM by Guru Filed under: office antics, entertainment, office, health and safety, employee wellbeing, workplace relationships

• Naked Fridays set to boost staff morale

  Disciples rejoice! Someone has finally got round to Guru's way of thinking. Business psychologist David Taylor is pushing the idea of 'Naked Fridays' as a way of boosting team spirit. This is something Guru first mooted at the beginning of the year, although Yours Truly preferred Wednesday as the day to bare all. Let's not quibble over... Posted Jul 03 2009, 10:23 AM by Guru Filed under: office antics, workers, office, naked

• First day prank for new office intern

  Guru stumbled across this picture on photosharing site flikr of a superb first-day prank played on the new office intern. Here is your desk and chair... Read More... Posted Jun 18 2009, 03:54 PM by Guru Filed under: office antics, office prank

• Canon removes chairs, installs sirens to improve motivation

  Guru heartily applauds Canon Electronic's approach to motivation at its Japanese HQ, where chairs have been removed and piercing alarms sound if staff walk too slow. Company president Hisashi Sakamaki, author of the future bestseller "A Company will do Well if you Get Rid of the Chairs and Computers", recently revealed the tactics that... Posted Jun 02 2009, 01:00 AM by Guru Filed under: office antics, workers, employee relations, staff, time management, employees, motivation, innovation, management techniques, chairs, Canon

• Workers will play dirty to protect jobs

  Despite the constant barrage of redundancies, pay freezes and increased stress, the UK's workers are keeping their spirits up by indulging in what they do best - office flirting. A survey by office supplies firm Euroffice.co.uk found that the tumultuous state of the economy wasn't affecting the majority of our love lives - but it may be causing... Posted May 22 2009, 09:00 AM by Guru Filed under: office antics, workers, office, flirting

• Five best office pranks

  Guru was recently alerted to this applicant.com blog which has posted on the Five Best Office Pranks Of All Time. Some classic YouTube clips here, Guru's favourite being the frightened co-worker. Guru must also point disciples in the direction of a clip showing an employee's workspace completely covered in tin foil and workers who turned a colleague's... Posted Apr 02 2009, 09:51 AM by Guru Filed under: office antics, youtube, office prank

• You've been April fooled!

  Yes, it's 1 April and you've been April fooled! If you clicked through from the G20 protest story on the Personnel Today website you are a victim of Guru's hilarious April Fool. Of course, there are no City HR directors placating angry G20 rioters, they are all cowering in their offices along with the rest of their workforce, avoiding the... Posted Apr 01 2009, 01:01 AM by Guru Filed under: office antics, april fool

• How to get a promotion at work

  Guru is often asked by disciples: "How do I get ahead at work?" The conventional answer obviously is "hard work, ethusiasm and ambition" - or is it? Another piece of tat from the Institute of Pointless Research has found that one in five British workers would rather have sex with their boss for an instant promotion than put in hard... Posted Feb 19 2009, 03:17 PM by Guru Filed under: work, office antics, career, boss, kiss, promotion, sex

• Snog a Scouser? No thanks...

  Ping! The latest email from the Institute of Pointless Research drops into Guru's inbox. Conference call provider Powwownow (annoying name) surveyed 2,000 UK business people to discover what the real appeal of 'the meeting' was. Other than chocolate digestives (16%) and time out of the office (9%), a fifth revealed they relished the opportunity... Posted Feb 18 2009, 02:38 PM by Guru Filed under: work, office antics, flirt, kiss, meeting

• Obama parties, and the threat to HR

  Yours truly is as cynical as the next man (nay, more cynical), but one can't help but be won over by the rise to power of one Barack Obama. From his days as a community organiser in Chicago to his speech at the 2004 Democratic National Convention, his tale has been told time and time again. And again. And again. And so it is with a heavy heart that... Posted Jan 20 2009, 12:00 PM by Guru Filed under: bush, office antics, time management, inauguration, obama, white house, president

• Swearing survey is a load of *%$!

  The British public apparently couldn't give a f*ck about swearing in the workplace. A survey of more than 2,000 people found that an overwhelming majority are unfazed by swearing, with 87% confessing to swearing on a daily basis. Guru was surprised it was as low as that, judging by some of the places he has worked in previously. The poll was conducted... Posted Jan 19 2009, 12:23 PM by Guru Filed under: office antics

• What is 'Christmas' if we can't be rude and obnoxious?

  Guru was charmed by the news that 33% of Brits are ruder at this time of year, 11% argue with fellow passengers and 23% drink more alcohol - according to a survey by Tripadvisor . As a likely participant of the survey, the blue-headed wise man was touched that perhaps there were more people like him out there than he originally thought. But the travel... Posted Dec 24 2008, 10:22 AM by Guru Filed under: stress, office antics, credit crunch, swearing, Christmas, rude, tough year, trains, commuters

• Top ten tunes Woolworths staff are listening to

  Music, they say, is the food of love. But this is the credit crunch and music has far more important roles to play. Guru has been sent a superb email trail from disgruntled Woolworths head office staff - some already made redundant, others merely awaiting the inevitable axe - selecting suitable tunes for their iPods. All the raw emotions that redundancy... Posted Dec 11 2008, 10:42 AM by Guru Filed under: office antics, credit crunch, redundancy, Woolworths, top ten tunes, iPod

• Christmas party: the usual rubbish

  Guru was dismayed this morning to receive notice from employment law firm Peninsula that 83% of employers were planning to cancel their Christmas party. Yep Yours Truly was gutted to see the survey in the news today - as he put a tenner on in January that it would appear on 3 November. Read More... Posted Oct 29 2008, 06:42 AM by Guru Filed under: office antics, Christmas party, employment law firm Peninsula