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When it's a personal relationship that's getting the boot, slightly fewer people would resort to an online chat to say "things just aren't working out."
At the same time, more than half of respondents said they would rather confess their feelings to a crush using an emoticon than in person. Ten percent said they'd even propose marriage via an instant message.
The survey included 40,000 Yahoo Messenger users.
CO-PAY CONFUSION: What do the words "flexible spending account" mean to you? How about "out-of-pocket maximum"? Surely "copay" rings a bell?
If you're like many people, some of the terms in your health insurance plan might as well be written in Sanskrit. Less than half of workers are comfortable explaining common benefit terms to a friend or co-worker. Only a few more read all of the benefit information provided to them during their office's annual health care enrollment process, according to a survey by consulting firm Watson Wyatt.
"Employees have seen benefits as kind of a once-a-year event," said Jill Folan, spokeswoman for Watson Wyatt.
Understanding such terminology is increasingly important as workers take more responsibility for managing their coverage, a task once left to employers, she said.
Businesses aren't off the hook, however. Employers can provide a glossary of health benefit terms, as well as provide examples to help employees understand common scenarios, Folan said. About 70 percent of workers prefer to receive print materials at home or work.
Nothing like kicking back in the easy chair for a little light reading on
deductibles.
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 The nonscientific survey included nearly 2,100 workers covered by health insurance.
OFFICE KUDOS: It's happened to many of us. A co-worker stops by your desk to thank you for a job well done while your boss sits in her office, completely out of earshot. Or the kudos is sent by e-mail, and your happiness fades as you realize your boss isn't on the recipient list.
It makes you want to shout: "Thanks, but tell the person who can give me a raise!"
More than one third of professionals say businesses are ineffective at rewarding their employees strong performance, according to a new poll.
"Managers at times may overcomplicate what it takes to provide good recognition," said Diane Domeyer of OfficeTeam, an online job search service that conducted the nonscientific poll.
Saying thanks doesn't have to involve an expensive, formal event, she said. Rewarding an employee in front of their peers and supervisors can go a long way toward making them feel valued, Domeyer said.
Even a handwritten note or movie tickets can work, she said. Other creative approaches include allowing extra days off or extended lunch breaks.
Sales has long been an industry in which tangible, trackable progress has led to more frequent recognition, but many companies are expanding their criteria to subjective areas like exemplary customer service, Domeyer said.
Thanking workers for a job well done improves employee retention and productivity, she said. "It will pay bottom-line dividends," she said.
[Associated Press;
by Jackie Farwell]
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