Rex Huppke

Imagine me walking into a corporate executive's office. Me: How important is trust to the health of your workplace? Executive: Why, it's critical. Awkward pause. Executive: Who are you? And why are you in my office wearing pajamas? Me: I'm...

Emotionally, jobs can be like lovers. We fall for them, fight with them and sometimes lose them. The Great Recession left millions of Americans jilted by their jobs. But as the economy continues its slow recovery, some find their old flames back on...

Hi there, readers. I'd like to talk about your fantasies. Not THOSE fantasies, you pervs. This is a family workplace column. I'm talking about your "quitting fantasies" — the daydreams we have about the most satisfying way to exit a job. Say...

You often hear people say that when the job market is bad, it's a good idea to go back to school and boost your academic credentials. I have disregarded that advice because I fear it might interfere with my TV watching, but many folks — whether...

I was climbing a gorgeous rock formation in Arizona the other day, holding my 6-year-old's hand, when my foot slipped and my butt made acquaintance with a cactus. This was not one of those tame, domestic cactuses. It was an ornery, feral succulent...

If we lived in a perfect world, doughnuts would be vegetables, Matthew McConaughey would have my abs and I would have his, and work would be a high-paying activity that involved naps. Also in a perfect world, a thing called The Working Families...

The workplace advice columnist has only one natural enemy: the happy worker (Laborius contentus). This rare — some might say mythical — creature poses a threat to anyone who dispenses workplace-improvement tips for a living. But rather...

Suppose I'm a business — and what a handsome business I'd be! — that's interviewing people for a job opening. There are two finalists, one 27 years old, the other 52. They have similar qualifications, albeit the older candidate has more...

As a couch enthusiast of some renown, I'm generally opposed to any form of mandated physical exertion. Our bodies know it's time to exercise when the guilt of not doing so outweighs the pleasure of eating ice cream in a comfy chair, or when said chair...

Because I am predominantly flawless, I have little need for introspection. (I'll pause a moment to give you time to agree. Feel free to applaud.) Of course there's always a slight possibility I have room for improvement, particularly if "crippling...

When I first received a copy of "The Manager's Phrase Book," I laughed. I laughed long and hard. The book is a collection of more than 3,000 canned phrases a manager can use in different situations, rated on sliding scales such as "casual to formal"...

We wanted to make you aware of a special half-off Trib Nation discount that will work for four upcoming career-focused TribU classes -- on researching the decision to get an MBA; on more effective workplace conversations; on better time management; and on...