Listen to Lucy

Whenever I interview anyone, I do not consider I’ve done the job properly unless I slip in how old they are

Lucy Kellaway says to eradicate those truly unsuited to office we need random checks on their level of knowledge

If people used the stairs, we would be deprived of the office equivalent of behind the bike shed, says Lucy Kellaway

Disarm others, make them forget you are scarily powerful and lull them into liking you, says Lucy Kellaway

Lucy Kellaway says bosses can learn much by watching a prospective employee on a bicycle

A diet of drudgery in a takeaway might seem wholesome but it does open the eye to better things, says Lucy Kellaway

Germany, strong enough to carry southern Europe on its back, stays home at the slightest twinge

Lucy Kellaway says it’s all very well thinking we are good at what we do but it’s better to try to be good at it

To bring about change, it is criticism delivered in person by random strangers that counts, says Lucy Kellaway

Lucy Kellaway says welcoming gestures require global regulation to spare us crushing embarrassment

On praise, the experts have got it wrong: it should almost never be given in public. It is a dangerous, corrosive substance that has a powerful and positive effect on the person it is aimed at but is better administered behind closed doors, says Lucy Kellaway.

There is little to suggest that viral revenge leaves any lasting marks on target companies, says Lucy Kellaway

Lucy Kellaway says gauging yourself against others is a nasty drip-drip of poison into the bloodstream

It is a mystery why the banks inflict a working day on employees that exhausts them, says Lucy Kellaway

LinkedIn could learn something from the Girl Guides to prevent the skill inflation and sucking up that are rampant on the social network, says Lucy Kellaway