Ethics tips for new college graduates

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By Staff and Wire reports

If you’re a corporate newbie or a freshly minted graduate entering today’s work force, how do you succeed in the brave new world of “The Office“?

“It’s important these stars-in-the-making are prepared for the profound differences between work behavior and school behavior,” said Shanti Atkins, president of ELT Inc., an ethics and compliance training company. “For example, do not rate your boss as hot or not,” referring to rating professors and friends on social networking Web sites.

Here are three more tips:

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(LJS File)

(LJS File)

* Technology is your best friend and worst enemy. Your ability to communicate and network technologically goes far beyond what previous generations have seen. But the rules are different in the workplace. Everything you do on company time and company equipment can be considered work and is subject to standards of professionalism you might not be used to. Every e-mail, voicemail and text message you send could someday be used for or against you in a work dispute or performance evaluation. Even if you’re blogging about work on your home computer on your own time, you could be violating company policies or other standards.

* After-hours business events can be perilous. If you are schmoozing on the company dime, you aren’t off the clock in terms of business behavior. So keep your eye on the ball, not on the open bar. Binge drinking and professional performance don’t mix, so learn your limit and stay well under it at company events.

* Learn the written and unwritten rules of your workplace. What are the rules regarding technology, after-hours business conduct, office romance and sexual harassment — and many more corporate cultural and employment issues that will define your work experience? Your best bet is to make a friend in the human-resources department and show your boss you are committed to learning and living by the organization’s rules.

Tech tip: Dealing with lockups

When your computer starts acting up, locking up or freezing up, it is, of course, immensely satisfying to punish its disobedience by unplugging it, usually while cursing at the machine.

But if you want to keep using the computer, limit yourself to cursing. Yanking the plug (or removing a laptop’s battery) stops the computer dead instantly, giving it no time to stop the hard drive or pause whatever it might have been doing. Data corruption, or worse, can easily result, especially on older systems.

Instead, if the computer won’t respond to any of your inputs, push and hold in its power button. After a few seconds, a Mac or PC should shut down for you, a less jarring procedure than an instant loss of power.

— Wire reports

Web site of the day

http://creativeclass.com/whos_your_city/maps/

Love to waste time looking at tons of data on maps? Consider your day wasted.

The Web site is linked to Richard Florida’s book, “Who’s Your City? How the Creative Economy is Making the Place Where You Live the Most Important Decision of Your Life.” So naturally, it’s full of interesting info about lots of cities ranked by fascinating categories.

Click on the first map, which uses 2006 Census Bureau data to analyze the number of single men vs. single women in various cities, and you’ll learn that Lincoln and Omaha both have more thousands more single men than women.

You’ll also find a map that shows eastern Nebraska is home to people who are a bit extroverted, agreeable and conscientious. But we’re not neurotic or all that open to experiences.

It even rates Omaha as one of the best cities in the U.S. for mid-career professionals.

Happy data hunting.

— Staff reports