Rex Huppke

I expect that doctors in the delivery room will soon hoist up newborns and proclaim, "Congratulations! It's a brand!" That's the world we live in, folks. We're no longer just people — we're warm-blooded versions of Nike or Budweiser or, in my...

The workplace is a lot like football. I say that not because it's true, but because it's a handy way to justify the hours I spend watching football. Also, it allows me to write off nachos as a business expense. But this week, the football-workplace...

One of the best experiences of my life was watching Jamie Smith, a young man with autism, leave his routine in Chicago, travel to the Special Olympics World Games in the chaotic Chinese city of Shanghai — and succeed. Jamie's success -- managing in...

A workplace discussion of the differences between men and women can be squirm-inducing. Fortunately, I was born with squirm-resistant genes and dive into touchy subjects, at least until someone gets angry and I hide under my desk. Connie Glaser, an...

When I was young and naive (approximately 16 months ago), I believed all it took to create a happy workplace were big salaries and free doughnuts. Turns out, it's a bit more involved. There's this thing called "culture," and the happiest workplaces...

Hello! I want you to know that I'm SUPER excited about this week's column!! It's about exclamation points!!!! I recently received a work-related email riddled with them, as if it was written by an overcaffeinated glee club. "Well," I said, harrumphing...

DISCLAIMER: I am in no way responsible for the content of this column. Any errors, overstatements or outright fabrications are entirely the fault of editors, saboteurs or readers. Now then, let's talk about accountability. In the past decade, the...

It's holiday office party season, that magical time of year when co-workers spend time together having forced conversations over festive snacks that aren't as good as they were before the economy tanked. Fun! Based on extensive research, here is a...

Because I'm a very important man, I carry very important things, including: a smartphone, an iPad, gum (fresh breath is critical when you're important), a huge wad of cash that indicates importance, a slingshot (to ward off unimportant people) and a...

As is tradition in my family, I sat back after a fine Thanksgiving meal, submerged my feet in a bucket of warm gravy and reflected on life. It was a chance to exercise the muscles of gratitude that tend to grow weak throughout the year. I started with...

I have some bad news for young people entering the workforce: You're all a bunch of weenies, and we don't like you. LOL! JUST KIDDING! No, seriously, millennials are great, but we do need to have a talk. So sit down with Old Man Huppke and let me...

The problem with the bags of treats and trays of cookies that appear around the office this time of year is that if you don't eat them you get sent to prison. At least, that's what I told myself several years and several thousand Snickers ago. I now...