Etiquette Tips & Quips Juanita Ecker’s Blog

A couple of weeks ago a young journalist made the news for the wrong reasons. He had recently been hired as a reporter for a Delaware newspaper and to drum up a little publicity for himself, he decided to create a fake press release announcing his hiring. He posted the release online, using the paper’s [...]

A friend of mine was recently complaining about doing her taxes. “Every year I know they’re coming,” she says, “and every year I wait until the absolute last minute to file.” Last year she waited so long that she had to pay her accountant double the fee, and spent a frantic weekend poring over receipts [...]

By Juanita Ecker A customer shared with me that the company he works for recently downsized and let many people go. He is one of the lucky ones to still have a job. However, because they cut people from his department, his responsibilities and workload have increased. He spends most nights and weekends trying to [...]

By Juanita Ecker A few weeks ago I attended the Color the Arts Festival in downtown Columbia, SC, a fundraiser for the arts in the local communities. It was a lovely event held in an outdoor courtyard. Local artists could feature artwork for sale and there was a silent auction to raise money for the [...]

By Juanita Ecker Many people dream of working from home. It’s convenient, your time is more or less your own, and you can work in a space that’s more creative and intimate than a tiny cubicle. But in reality, it can be difficult to focus on your work and get into business mode when you [...]

By Juanita Ecker When I go through the checkout line at a major grocery store in Troy, New York, the cashier will hand me my money and say, “Have a nice day.” The gesture is meaningless. It’s simply an automatic reflex. The cashier doesn’t look me in the eye, smile, or convey any kind of [...]