Unless working in laboratory compliance or the regulatory industry is your bread and butter, I don't think most bench techs know a lot about all that is required to fulfill the different laboratory positions. As a bench tech for years, I heard many of my colleagues express dissatisfaction about the lack of opportunities for upward mobility in the ...

We all know the saying ''birds of a feather flock together.''  This does not only refer to the fact that those with common interests and values tend to be friends and hang around each other. Research has shown that adopting synchronous body language (essentially mirroring someone else) tends to make the individuals feel closer without ...

One of the most uncomfortable situations for employees and managers alike is a workplace that has obvious conflict. We are taught to work as a cohesive team and lots of resources is spent on teambuilding. The word ''team'' is considered sacrosanct in fact. Yet, the dirty little secret is that conflict is inevitable. If you have worked for any ...

Generally I change the battery in my smoke detectors each year on the date we ''fall back'' to return to Daylight Standard Time  I use this date as a convenient memory jogger to make sure I always have fresh batteries in what an essential part of my home emergency system.  I need my alert system to be fully functional in case I need ...

You cannot attend any professional conference without seeing at least one presentation on the intergenerational workplace. There are entire cottage industries dedicated to addressing the work ethic, learning styles and dedication of the various age groups found in the typical workplace. Interestingly, most of the lessons are directed at baby ...

Have you ever heard the expression that someone is always ''on'? That comes from the showbiz reference to the fact that the person mentioned always acts as if they are on stage, or before the cameras. The inference is that they are acting for effect and not being ''real.'' Well, I submit that in today's competitive world it is not such a bad ...

About a year ago I met a very engaging and outgoing young woman. She is a successful business leader and a Harvard graduate. There is not much exceptional about this, perhaps, except she is from a rural village in Jamaica and is the first in her family of nine siblings to graduate high school. I was fascinated by her MBA from Harvard but could ...

Every organization these days has mission and vision statements. We all learn them at orientation. Some companies insist we wear them on name tags or ''buddy badges.'' Others have them plastered in elevators, hallways and in conference rooms. Everyone wants to be the ''provider of choice'' or something similar. Everyone respects patients and ...

It is very common for a laboratory professional who is promoted from the ranks into management to simply stand there like a deer in the headlights.  Now what?  Moving from the bench to supervisor means a laboratorian will have to prepare reports, attend meetings and generally deal with the sticky (and often  thankless) job of ...