More office workers expect to give than get gifts; don’t mix alcohol with caffeine, study says

More office workers expect to give than get gifts

Despite jobless rate, many don’t have resumes prepared for a job hunt; Surviving a promotion

Job-hunt readiness, surviving a promotion

READY OR NOT?: With the nation’s jobless rate above 10 percent, many workers may expect the unexpected when it comes to their careers. But only one in five have updated their resumes in the last three months, while almost half haven’t made changes to the document in the past year, according to a recent survey.

Shoppers and small businesses planning to spend less on gifts this holiday season

Shoppers, small businesses planning to spend less

How to plan productive meetings; Restoring your good name in the face of identity theft

Another meeting? How to avoid wasting company time

Acing the interview: Hard questions and good answers; Women clean up, men skip soap

HELP ON INTERVIEWS: Just landing an interview these days is tough.

How to score a federal government contract; timeshare industry proves resilient in hard times

GOVERNMENT CONTRACTS: As businesses continue to feel an economic ripple effect, some might be turning to the largest consumer in the country: the government.

Bright spot for the tanning industry; bartering in the modern age; holiday shopping in advance

BARTERING IN THE MODERN AGE: It may be the oldest business strategy in the world, dating back to prehistoric times.

Adjusting workplaces to older employees, fall fashion do’s and dont’s

ADJUSTING TO “SILVER TSUNAMI”: An ergonomics expert says American companies are going to need to make a lot of changes as they adjust to an increasingly gray-haired work force.

Managers have a fear of confrontation; small businesses paying salaries for warm bodies

BE CLEAR, BOSS: As a manager, you’re expected to make demands of other people. So why do many find it so hard?

Psychologists on how to help distressed colleagues; Airfare rates drop as employees fly coach

PREVENTING TRAGEDIES: The stresses of hard times can overwhelm someone without a support system of family and friends, psychologists say, sometimes even leading to tragedies at a work site.

Managing your credit; your spouse may think your job loss is a blessing; sleep distractions

SWIPING PLASTIC: It can sometimes be difficult to make a purchase if you don’t have a credit card — or impossible, in the event that you need to make a hotel reservation or rent a car.

How-to edition: Stop interruptions at work, get money back, manage better

KEEP OUT!: The open-plan office was meant to improve communication within a workplace. As cube-dwellers know, that can be true — but it also means you can hear everything and are subject to constant interruptions.

The history of credit and ‘cannibal consumption;’ married job seekers carry more stress

BUY NOW, PAY LATER: Financial institutions helped develop consumer credit in the 1920s, as postwar prosperity raised the standard of living and old ideas about the burdens of debt quickly disappeared. Americans became so enamored of credit and layaways that many couldn’t survive without them.

Twittering and friending for employment; Battered offices still congenial, survey says

SIGN UP, HOOK UP, JOIN UP: Every time you hand out a business card, that contact should also be added to your online social network, experts say. These sites are an opportunity for self-branding and building connections while on the job hunt.

Ford’s American utopia in the Amazon, summer hiring, collect calls on Father’s Day decline

SUBURBIA IN THE AMAZON: Deep in the Amazon rainforest are the ruins of what was once meant to be a Midwestern American utopia, complete with white picket fences, hamburgers and movie theaters. But now “Fordlandia” is overrun with weeds, a city Henry Ford long ago abandoned.