Story Archives of 'Workplace'

The Legislature has created a commission to look into the effects post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injuries have had on soldiers returning from the Afghanistan and Iraq Wars.

State and military officials are concerned veterans and their families fight two battles when they come home.

Soldiers are reluctant to admit problems, particularly psychological ones.

And if they do, they get tripped up in bureaucratic red tape.

New Hampshire Public Radio’s Dan Gorenstein reports the commission will begin to address those issues and more starting Wednesday.

Sleeping on the job is not usually something managers promote.

But one New Hampshire company has made napping part of its corporate culture.

Researchers from the Institute of Medicine say napping helps prevent sleep deprivation.

But it could also save the US economy billions of dollars a year.

NHPR Correspondent Sheryl Rich-Kern files this report.

America’s growing population of foodies have gobbled up chef’s tales like Kitchen Confessional by Anthony Bourdain and scores of books and TV shows about the kitchens of Mario Batali, Jacques Pepin, Alice Waters and others. But what about the tales from the front of the house? A man known only as “The Waiter” has been chronicling the turning tables at a white tablecloth New York restaurant he refers to as “The Bistro”. He’s been writing about his escapades on the Waiter Rant Blog since 2004. And now his blog is a book: Waiter Rant: Thanks for the Tip -- Confessions of a Cynical Waiter. The anonymous waiter revealed his identity in The New York Post yesterday morning. His name is Steve Dublanica, and he joins us on Word of Mouth to talk about his work.

We'll also hear the story of Jackie, a waitress at Dysart's Truck Stop in Bangor, Maine. The truckers who stop at the restaurant love Jackie, who's served them for decades. But after 26 years in the business, Jackie decided it was time to retire. This piece was produced Sara Paul for the Salt Institute for Documentary Studies.

(Photo by shoothead)

Today on Word of Mouth, techno overload. Yes, technology has changed the speed and way we conduct business. But not everyone would say it’s become easier. With hundreds of unopened e-mails in the inbox, pop-up notices, RSS feeds, and text messages and phone calls competing for our attention, the tools designed for effiency are leaving us more distracted and less productive. Technology giants Intel, Google, IBM and others combined efforts to form a new non-profit organization called the Information Overload Research Group.

We’re joined by Matt Richtel, who reported on the digital deluge for The New York Times. He’s also the author of the conspiracy thriller Hooked, which deals with distraction and information addiction in the digital age.

We're also joined by Alex Wright, a writer and information architect who has led projects for The New York Times, Harvard University, IBM and others. His new book is Glut: Mastering Information through the Ages. Wright’s thorough tracking of the interaction between people and information illustrates that we are not the first generation to be caught up in "information overload." He says we are only now beginning to understand the information ecology that surrounds us.

(Photo by Sybren Stüvel)