9 Ways to Thank a Colleague That Are Cheaper More Meaningful Than Buying Lunch

9 Ways to Thank a Colleague That Are Cheaper More Meaningful Than Buying Lunch9 Ways to Thank a Colleague That Are Cheaper More Meaningful Than Buying LunchIn case you havent heard, showing gratitude and appreciation to those around you has some pretty big benefits, like making office life better for everyone, lowering your stress levels, and helping you gain perspective and clarity. So, whetherbei its that contact who helped you land your dream job or a co-worker whos always going above and beyond in the office, its always a good idea to thank those around you for their time and effort. Of course, most of us dont have gobs of money to spend on gifts or lunches out to show how grateful we are. But thats OK- as the old saying goes, the best things in life are free. And when it comes to giving back, you dont need to drop any dough at all. Here are a few ideas for how to do it.1. Take on an Extra ProjectDid a co-worker cover your butt during an important deadline? Return the favor by offering to take on something extra that he or she needs help on (or just doesnt really like doing). Learn more about how to do this by following the instructions for a work swap here- just dont give your colleague any of your work.2. Write a Heartfelt NoteWhether its a thoughtful schmelzglas or a handwritten card, never underestimate the powerful of a well-crafted letter. Check out how writer Aja Frost used this technique to thank people in her life- and how it ended up transforming her career.3. Give a Social Media Shout OutWho doesnt love getting a mention on Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook? If a friend or colleague did a small favor for you, it can be nice to let your network know, too. Who says we cant send random tweets of kindness every day?4. Write a LinkedIn RecommendationIf you want to do something on social media thats a little more permanent, visible, and thorough than a tweet, try writing a meaningful LinkedIn recommendation. It not only shows your appreciation, but it also helps someone gain professional cred. Not sure how to write an out-of-this-world LinkedIn rec? Weve got a great five-minute guide to get you started.5. Tell Other PeopleIts great to hear that someone really appreciates your work- especially from other people. I once helped a co-worker find sources for an article with a tight deadline, and in addition to her thanking me profusely, I was really excited when our boss sent me an email to say that my colleague had told her about the awesome work Id done. I got a second thank you it was a double-whammy of gratitude.6. Pass Along OpportunitiesLove the work a friend, professional contact, or colleague is doing? Hand that person a great opportunity (or a referral) so that others can see that talent, too. Heres a quick email template for an intro to make this one even easier.7. Make Their Day a Little EasierDid your co-worker order lunch but then get stuck in on a never-ending call? Offer to grab it when youre out. Is your cubemate scram bling before a meeting? Tell her youll make copies of the agenda and get the conference room all set up. These little acts of kindness can make a stressful day so much better for someone- and we cant think of a better gift than that8. Be a Good ListenerWhether its a colleague who needs to vent about a tough client or a friend who wants to pick your brain about an upcoming job interview, listening to peoples comments or concerns and giving them your time lets them know that theyre valued. Career coach Lea McLeod has a primer on being an amazing listener. 9. Get PersonalIts easy to think of your professional connections or colleagues solely in the context of work. But trying to know them on a more personal level by asking questions shows how much you enjoy their presence. This doesnt have to mean posing deep or intrusive questions- even asking about someones family if a co-worker mentions relatives can spark a great conversation that you can go back to later on. To help you with this, check out Alex Cavoulacos secret to remembering anything about anyone.Money doesnt buy happiness, and gratitude certainly doesnt have to cost big bucks. But doing something that is thoughtful and meaningful can go a long way in showing your contacts just how much you appreciate them.Photo of thank you word cloud courtesy of Shutterstock.

How to Spot a Job Scam

How to Spot a Job ScamHow to Spot a Job ScamNot every job scam is an outright con, many are just promises the employer cant keep.If a job sounds too good to be true, it probably is. So say employment lawyers and career coaches, who warn that, especially in this economy, employers may be making promises they cant fulfill.There is a lot of fraud out there (in job postings), said Barry Janay, an employment attorney who practices in New York. The best way to prevent it is to do your research beforehand.Jill Knittel, an executive recruiter with ER Associates in Rochester, N.Y., said there are some companies that are taking advantage of the large number of people searching for jobs right now. I recently spoke to a client who asked me about a job and said, in my gut it didnt sound right. I told him he needed to go with his gut.Both Janay and Knittel said there are certain things that, if you encounter them on your job search, are red flags that the opportunity may not be all that it promise s. Be aware of these red flags, they warn, and investigate whether the employer can come through on what they promise.An unexpected call from a recruiter. You dont know how the recruiter found you. If you didnt apply for it and they are contacting you through e-mail, that could signal a problem, said Janay. He suggests a job seeker find out how this recruiter found your name, and whether the connection is legitimate.The job requires you to make an investment upfront. Some companies are asking hires to pay for such things as training, said Knittel. Send X dollars and well train you in how to do the job. Or, your salary will start once you make a sale. Take a job and dont get paid? Its not a good idea.The job requires relocation. This doesnt always mean the job is not legitimate, but it does require you to do much more research. Uprooting yourself, and your family, is not something anyone should jump into after a phone interview. At the very least, you should go to the new city to int erview and see the geschftsleben and working conditions for yourself.You are offered a job for which you know you are not entirely qualified. If the job doesnt match up with your qualifications, said Janay, you need to ask why they would be soliciting you for that job. If you do accept a job where your skills dont match the job description he advises that you get something in writing that states your employer recognizes that you do not have the experience or skills originally required for the job.Not a job scam, but a false promiseBoth Knittel and Janay say that a bad employment experience is less about outright scams and more about clarity on both sides of the offer they say it is up to the job seeker to ask the right questions and do everything they can to protect themselves during the job search.Tracey Bernstein, an executive attorney with the New York law firm Himmel and Bernstein, points out that you have the most leverage before you start a job. Once you start, the ability to negotiate drops dramatically. So make sure you ask questions about compensation and job responsibilities before you start.Bernstein said people in sales jobs are especially vulnerable to employers who might take advantage of their situation.Knittel agrees. schlussverkauf jobs are heavily geared toward commission, she says. Candidates need to find out if what the employer is promising is realistic. Find out what your predecessor made. A lot of people are afraid to ask these questions. But they are a legitimate part of the interview process.Other questions to askWhen will I have a salary review? Not just a performance review, but a salary review.Whom will I be reporting to? Its possible in this economy that things will change before you start your job, but its best to establish these relationships before you get onboard.Can we put this in writing? Whatever you agree to in the interview that is important for you to succeed in that job, whether its salary, reporting structure, expected work hours or title, ask that it be written down.All agree this does not have to be a contract, just a written agreement. It can even be in an e-mail, says Bernstein. You just want clarity on what you agreed to. If all you have is a verbal agreement, then you are going to have misunderstandings.

I got there first! How your subjective experience of time makes you think you did even when you didnt

I got there first How yur subjective experience of time makes you think you did even when you didntI got there first How your subjective experience of time makes you think you did even when you didntImagine a championship match between two rival baskettanzabend teams. The game is tied, seconds left on the shot clock, two players lunge forward, reaching for the ball. In a split second, their hands both collide with the ball, but neither player gains possession. Instead, the ball goes soaring out of bounds. Immediately an argument erupts as each player claims the other knocked the ball out. The referee desperately tries to break the two apart and make the correct call.Heated arguments like this are an all-too-familiar sight in competitive sports. From tennis to baseball to football (both versions) to basketball, referees and umpires have a tough job making high-stakes judgment calls on what happened and where, knowing full well that no matter what they decide, players and fans alike will be outraged.Follow Ladders on FlipboardFollow Ladders magazines on Flipboard covering Happiness, Productivity, Job Satisfaction, Neuroscience, and moraAs cognitive scientists, my colleagues and I are interested in explaining differences in perception among people watching the same events unfold. In baseball, researchers already know that differences in the speed of sound versus the speed of light can cause different perceptions of whether a player is tresor or out. What about in the basketball example? Are both players simply lying to get the ball back to their team, or is there something more going on?How time passes is subjectiveFirst, you need to understand a little about time. Time is subjective. Physicists have known this to be true since 1905, thanks to Einstein himself. Most simply, his theory suggested that time passes differently depending on factors like speed and gravity. (Remember the movie Interstellar?)Subjective time, however, is not limited to the fantasies of s cience fiction and thought experiments in physics. Many researchers, such as neuroscientist David Eagleman, have studied neurological time and how your own experiences can shape your perception of time, such as how time seems to slow down during a traumatic experience.In 2002, cognitive neuroscientist Patrick Haggard and his colleagues showed that voluntary action has the ability to shape ones perception of time. In their study and subsequent replications, it was shown that an action and its effect can be perceptually bound together in time.For example, if you use an outdated computer, you may be familiar with the experience of double-clicking a folder, only for it to open several hundred milliseconds later. At first, this delay can be frustrating. But over time, you adapt to the delay and it feels nearly instantaneous.This process of adapting to the delay, called intentional binding by researchers, paved the way for studies investigating how the feeling of ownership over events aff ects your perception of what happened. With the slow computer, you know that the folder opening was a result of your clicking, even if it happened later. This knowledge and feeling of ownership over the opening of the folder is what results in intentional binding, and leads to the delay feeling shorter as you adapt to it.Putting time estimates to the testGoing back to those two basketball players (whove called a time out to cool off while we figure this out) objectively, they cant both have touched before the other. However, we wanted to know whether both players could have really experienced that they touched the ball first and the other part knocked it out.In buchen to test this possibility, we devised a simple experiment. Two participants sat across from one another at a table. Following a flash of light, each used their right hand to tap the others left hand as quickly as they could. They then made a temporal order judgment a decision on which event happened first.In order to isolate just the perceptual experiences of the two taps, we set up a divider between the participants to make sure they couldnt see each other or know how the other person responded. Participants also received no feedback about whether their judgments were correct or incorrect.In our experiment, participants were significantly more likely to report that they touched first. Even when both participants tapped each other at the same time, participants reported that their own touch happened first 67% of the time. This bias functionally translates into an apparent delay in processing their partners touch even when their own touch was 50 milliseconds later than their partners touch, participants perceived both events to be simultaneous.We controlled for each participants ability to see their partner, but we still wondered whether this bias could be socially influenced. So we ran another experiment with a similar setup, except this time the other participant was replaced with a mechanical device that tapped their hand.Even when making judgments between their own touch and a mechanical touch, participants still reported that their own touch occurred first. This time, when their touch and the mechanical touches were simultaneous, there was a 75% probability that participants said they themselves touched first. In fact, even when we removed the mechanical touch altogether and replaced it with an auditory click, participants still perceived their touch as happening first.Researchers mathematically modeled the timing people perceived (on the vertical axis) against the objective timing (on the horizontal axis) of the touch. Even when touches were simultaneous, participants were more likely to report that their own tap happened first.Your own actions seem to happen soonerThese results show that people really do experience the order of events differently, perceiving externally generated events as happening later than events they themselves caused. This bias, which we named the Egocentric Temporal Order Bias, builds upon existing research showing the importance of vantage in perception. It further supports the subjective nature of time perception, and can help explain why sports calls can become so heated and divisive. Differences in perspective can result in conflicting experiences of the same event.Returning to our two basketball players, our experiment suggests that both players are indeed telling the truth Each experienced their own touch first, and so think their opponent was the one who knocked the ball out of bounds. Rather than continuing to argue, perhaps our on-court rivals can recognize their two different experiences of what happened, accept the refs call that they really both touched the ball simultaneously and resume play by a jump ball.Outside the realm of sports, research looking into biases and illusions in perception can help inform our relationship with technology. If the bias we found truly represents a delay in registering unexpect ed events, technologies like automated emergency braking systems can help save lives.As for why people experience this bias in the first place, the answer isnt immediately clear. My colleagues and I speculate that it may support a constructive model of perception, where your conscious experience is not an objective representation of reality, but rather built by your brain using information from your senses to generate the world around you, much like a dream. However, there are many potential explanations for mechanisms that could be causing this bias.So as the crowd roars and celebrates their new champion, we researchers still have work to do. Perhaps our new findings will lend insights to an argument in another sport but thats a whole different ball game.Ty Tang, Research Scientist in Cognitive Science, Arizona State UniversityThis article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.You might also enjoyNew neuroscience reveals 4 rituals that will make you happyStrangers know your social class in the first seven words you say, study finds10 lessons from Benjamin Franklins daily schedule that will double your productivityThe worst mistakes you can make in an interview, according to 12 CEOs10 habits of mentally strong people