MAILBAG!!!

Even though we had a Mailbag on Monday, there were a couple questions throughout the week, and it's a slow Friday nonetheless...

Peddler,

My boss recently gave us the opportunity to work from home one day a week, as long as that day is not Monday or Friday. I decided to give it a shot, but was wondering your thoughts on this...

Jay, FL

Jay,

You have one helluva boss, the work from home phenomenon is a rare and beautiful thing. Basically it means you do the same amount of work you would do at the office (about an hours worth), but spend the rest of the day doing whatever you want, instead of trying to look busy at your desk. Just make sure that you actually do some work, or the privilege will be swiped out from under you.

In terms of what day you should pick, this is a tricky decision. Obviously Thursday looks like the most promising option, and it may be considering it gives you that great break between hump day and Friday. But don't downplay taking off Tuesdays either considering we have Monday Night Football coming around the corner. Granted, all your loser friends will be in bed by 10pm but at least you can stay up, drink by yourself, and watch football without worrying about being late to work. But don't discount Wednesdays either, which is the best day for daytime television. Get your work done by Noon in order to watch three straight hours of Quantum Leap and Knight Rider on the SciFi channel. Life is good...

Peddler,

An umemployed buddy of mine just asked if I can get him a job with my company. The problem is that I work for a small firm and I think that a friend working here might interrupt the great flow I have with my coworkers. Thoughts?

James, DC

Jimmy,

You're right about the size of the company, and if you worked for a large organization this wouldn't be an issue. But right now you have a rapport with your coworkers that I assume is somewhat professional, and you'd like to keep it that way. If you bring a friend of yours into that environment, the friend will be expecting you to act the same as when you hang out socially, and may even provoke you to do so. This could cause a major riff with your current officemates.

On the flip side, this might not be a bad thing. A great deal of us act too professionally at the office in order to fulfill some sort of bizarre social order. Loosening up a bit can make you feel more relaxed and generate better output. Of course, it could also cause you to put metal in the cafeteria microwave just to see what happens. Or put cellophane over the toilets in the men's bathrooms. Or have sex with an intern in the coat closet during your quarterly sales meeting. You know what...screw it, hire your buddy. What's the worst that could happen?

I'm pretending to go to an IT conference in Leesburg in order to go watch the U.S. basketball team crush the meager Argentinian's at a bar down the street. Have a great weekend, see ya on Monday...