Accepting Roles Created for Us: The Ethics of Reciprocity    

Grounded in theories of feminist research practices and in two empirical studies we conducted separately, our argument is that seeing reciprocity as a context-based process of definition and re-definition of the relationship between participants and researcher helps us understand how research projects can benefit participants in ways that they desire.

Powell, Katrina M. and Pamela Takayoshi. CCC (2003). Articles>Workplace>TC>Rhetoric

Acquired Disability and Returning to Work: Towards a Stakeholder Approach    

This article examines the potential application of stakeholder theory to the case of a disabled worker returning to work. A gated notion combining both the instrumental and ethical views of stakeholder theory is explored as a way to understand how to determine who may be classified as a stakeholder. This nuanced application of stakeholding to the process of returning to work lends itself to the consideration of mediation techniques as mechanisms of conflict avoidance rather than exclusively as dispute resolution techniques. Implications in terms of the study of the return to work process, disability, and the further potential for practical application are discussed.

Yue, Anthony R. Journal of Workplace Rights (2007). Articles>Business Communication>Accessibility>Workplace

Adaptive Technologies and Techniques for People with Vision Problems  

Talk with Gloria Reece, a senior member of STC’s AccessAbility SIG who can help you understand vision problems and the technologies that exist to make information accessible. Get practical advice for implementing new technologies in your workplace.

Reece, Gloria A. STC Proceedings (2004). Articles>Accessibility>Visual>Workplace

Adding an Informal Touch to Organizational Communication

Some say it's a revolution that will change radio broadcasting and people's listening habits forever. Others say it's a fad that's of limited appeal or use to anyone but geeks and enthusiasts. Whatever anyone says, something that has rocketed out of nowhere and gotten big companies and radio stations alike interested (and after only eight months) must be worth investigating. That "something" is called podcasting.

Hobson, Neville. Communication World Bulletin (2005). Articles>Business Communication>Rhetoric>Workplace

Age Discrimination in Technical Communication  

Age discrimination in the workplace occurs any time one worker is treated differently from another due to age, or another worker's beliefs about age-related inabilities. Solving the problem of age discrimination in the workplace involves three things: understanding the problem and how it affects the way we work, educating ourselves and the rest of the general working public about age discrimination, and finding specific ways to address and overcome the issue.

Steele, Karen A. and Linda I. Bell. STC Proceedings (1993). Careers>Advice>Discrimination>Workplace

Alienation  

A hypothetical example to help technical communicators think through ethical issues in the workplace (before they occur in real life).

Bryan, John G. Intercom (2003). Articles>Workplace>Ethics>Security

American Society for Training and Development

Founded in 1944, ASTD is the world's premier professional association and leading resource on workplace learning and performance issues. ASTD provides information, research, analysis and practical information derived from its own research, the knowledge and experience of its members, its conferences, expositions, seminars, publications and the coalitions and partnerships it has built through research and policy work.ASTD's membership includes more than 70,000 people, working in the field of workplace performance in 100 countries worldwide. Its leadership (see ASTD's Board of Directors) and members work in more than 15,000 multinational corporations, small and medium sized businesses, government agencies, colleges and universities.

ASTD. Organizations>Education>Workplace

"And Then She Said": Office Stories and What They Tell Us about Gender in the Workplace    

This article calls for a rhetorical perspective on the relationship of gender, communication,and power in the workplace. In doing so, the author uses narrative in two ways.First, narratives gathered in an ethnographic study of an actual workplace, a plasticsmanufacturer, are used as a primary source of data, and second, the findings of this studyare presented by telling the story of two women in this workplace. Arguing that genderin the workplace, like all social identities, is locally constructed through the micro practicesof everyday life, the author questions some of the prevailing assumptions about genderat work and cautions professional communication teachers, researchers, and practitionersagainst unintentionally perpetuating global, decontextualized assumptionsabout gender and language, and their relationship to the distribution and exercise of power at work.

Weiland Herrick, Jeanne. Journal of Business and Technical Communication (1999). Articles>Collaboration>Workplace>Gender

Applying Technical Communication Theory in the Workplace: Can Theoretical Frameworks Survive in the World of e-Business?  

Technical communication is usually seen as a practical profession -- one that emphasizes products, process and results -- rather than one that emphasizes theory and broad, generalized application of research results.

Grice, Roger A. STC Proceedings (2001). Presentations>TC>Workplace>Theory

Approximately "Real World" Learning with the Hybrid Model

Most workplace professionals write documents in a fairly mature way. They typically write: Independently or with collaborators, without direct or constant supervision; With frequent interaction with team members at remote locations, and not just with those at their own division or company; With computers and other electronic equipment; and With the freedom to make important decisions about project and time management, such as determining when and how to interact with others, how to collaborate with irresponsible writing partners, how to resolve unexpected problems that arise, and how to meet deadlines despite mishaps and obstacles. How can instructors of business and professional writing prepare students for the relative freedom and independence of this kind of thinking and writing?

Spilka, Rachel. Teaching With Technology Today (2002). Articles>Education>Writing>Workplace

Be Concise

When giving overview information, be concise. Save the details and flowing language for those that want them or have the time, but don't slow down the skimmer. This doesn't mean skip the details, just keep them from people who don't need them.

Bricklin, Dan. Good Documents (1998). Articles>Writing>Workplace>Technical Writing

Big Brother in the Boardroom  

The lives and antics of the housemates of the reality TV show Big Brother may have drawn our attention, but do we need to concern ourselves with the activities of a real Big Brother? Has George Orwell’s vision of electronic surveillance and mind control come true in the new millennium? Many people believe that Big Brother is alive and well and coming to a computer network near you. In fact, he could already be living with you in your office, watching your every move on the Internet. their rights by monitoring their employees: They need to ensure that their employees are not wasting time browsing adult Web sites, or sending and receiving personal e-mail. Hence the proliferation of sophisticated server software, which can perform all manner of filtering tasks automatically.

Archee, Raymond K. Intercom (2002). Careers>Workplace>Privacy

The Big Huff

An hypothetical example of interpersonal communication issues which may arise in the workplace. Tad had sketched a layout to the wrong scale, so you called him in for what you thought would be a straightforward conversation. But instead of agreeing to make the changes, he stiffened a bit, then said, 'I've been working on this account for three years, and I know how these people work. They're going to futz around with this for a few days, and then tell you they want it the way I've done it. Believe me, it'll save a lot of time and money if we just go with it as is.' What can you do to get Tad's co-operation now, and to keep it in the future? And what might you have done differently to prevent this conflict?

Hard at Work. Careers>Workplace>Collaboration

Bill Gates' Last Day At Microsoft

Bill Gates gave his last keynote at the 2008 CES show in Las Vegas and he started it out with a spoof of what his last day might be like and includes cameos from a number of Microsoft executives and some Hollywood stars, celebrities and politicians. This video is just an excerpt of the longer keynote.

Catalyze (2007). Careers>Workplace>Multimedia

Breaking the Sound Barrier  

I love my job but don’t feel the managers think it’s important, partly because of the noise. I also sometimes feel that I’m just an ISO requirement. I’ve also heard from techs that customers don’t look at the manuals; they just put them on a shelf. Any thoughts?

Alroy, Faye. Intercom (2003). Careers>Workplace>Writing>Technical Writing

Bridges To Trust: Achieving Corporate Expectations within a Skeptical Environment  

Explains some of the tough challenges, novel approaches and successful procedures implemented at Leybold Inficon--actions that worked there, and may also be helpful to you in building a more tightly-coordinated technical communication function within your company.

Inch, Richard. STC Central New York (1999). Presentations>Workplace>Assessment

Bringing Practitioners into Programs

Four presentations about how to connect academic programs with workplace practitioners in technical communication.

Barker, Thomas, David Dayton, Elizabeth O. (Betsy) Smith and Tracy Bridgeford. CPTSC (2005). Presentations>Education>Collaboration>Workplace

Business Communication Quarterly  

Business Communication Quarterly is a refereed journal devoted to the teaching of business communication, which is a broad, interdisciplinary field. It is also international, and thus the journal aims to present the field from that international perspective.

Association for Business Communication. Journals>Writing>Workplace

By the Water Cooler in Cyberspace, the Talk Turns Ugly

Thousands of message boards for individual companies have emerged over the last few years, creating a window on what some employees feel but never say publicly. Often the view through this window is rather ugly.

Abelson, Reed. New York Times, The (2001). Careers>Workplace>Collaboration>Online

Capital Equipment Workshop  

The purpose of this workshop is to expose members to the complexities of capital equipment budgeting and purchase. Specifically, the topics include: depreciation, useful life of a product, accounting and company policy. This workshop is for you if your group is using obsolete equipment and you need the skills to sell management on an upgrade for your department.

Caernarven-Smith, Patricia. STC Proceedings (1995). Articles>Workplace>Technology

Career Options for Technical Communicators in a Restructured World  

In a booming economy, promotions and advancement 'up the career ladder' seemed like reasonable expectations for capable technical communicators. But in the new downsized business environment a new career pat tern is emerging called the portfolio career. In a portfolio career, a person develops a range of skills and applies them in a series of jobs or assignments or responsibilities. Technical communicators are in a unique position to take advantage of this new trend in the workplace because they often possess a wide range of transferable skills and have a good overview of the company's product line and business processes.

Fisher, Lori H. STC Proceedings (1995). Careers>TC>Workplace

Cell Phone Etiquette  

Lists fifteen rules for conscientious cell phone usage.

Robart, Kay. Intercom (2001). Careers>Workplace>Etiquette

Centering in on Professional Choices    

I examine my involvement with writing centers as an example of how we can look at the choices we’ve made within our areas of expertise to see why they attract us. In my case, the flexible, collaborative, individualized, non-evaluative, experimental, non-hierarchical, student-centered nature of writing centers is an excellent fit.

Harris, Muriel. CCC (2001). Articles>Writing>Workplace

CEOs Are From Mars...

With a creative background and an M.B.A., I’ve been a professional half-breed over the past 20 years. What I’ve learned is that the antagonism, hostility and resentment often felt on both sides of the equation is the outgrowth of a basic failure to understand what makes the other side tick.

Derricks, Alma. Boxes and Arrows (2002). Articles>Workplace>Communication

The Challenge of Line Manager Communication

There is a great deal of research around these days that makes the connection between employee engagement and good line manager communication. After all, as the saying goes, people don’t leave bad companies, they leave bad managers. The reality is there are many elements that make a bad manager. As communication professionals, we are not there to solve all the problems of socially challenged managers, but we do need to help them fulfill their role in effectively communicating to their people.

Cropley, Adrian. Communication World Bulletin (2007). Articles>Business Communication>Management>Workplace