Since beginning to work from home, I have found it somewhat isolating. My job requires me to be on the phone all day, chit-chatting with new people - which is fun - but I find that in between calls, I miss being able to walk over to a coworker and convince them to take a coffee break.

My solution? I go to Starbucks. It’s my island of salvation where I realize that not everyone exists on the phone. The odd thing is, now that I’ve begun to frequent three different Starbucks, I’m beginning to notice the regular routines of the employees and the customers. It’s almost as if I’m witnessing someone else’s 9 to 5 and the proximity to it makes me feel better - I know, it’s strange!

I now know that the manager of one of my favorite spots just recently adopted a little girl named Jane. His partner comes in a half hour before the end of every shift for Jane to help out, even though she has a difficult time lifting a water bottle (Jane is 1). I also know that another Starbucks employee is cheating on her boyfriend with a Barnes & Noble employee and has had to do some fast thinking to prevent them from meeting each other.

On top of the employees, the customers are always fantastic to watch. There’s the woman with the mismatched sneakers that refuses to sit anywhere but at this one table in the corner. She likes to come in every Wednesday and Friday to read the same copy of Jane Eyre. I also have been a witness to several painful blind dates, which just makes me appreciate my boyfriend all the more, and also wonder, who is setting up these people?

I suppose what I’m trying to say is - if there’s anyone else out there, like me, who is finding it a bit difficult to adjust to the isolation of working at home; go to the nearest Starbucks and remember why the office can sometimes suck.

-Carla Guzzetti, account executive

Despite the fact that I have been in corporate America for more than 25 years, I have a pet peeve I must share with all of you corporate raiders out there reading this. Since most of you are the movers and shakers I am begging you to hear me out. What is my pet peeve? Corporate-speak!

I was in my local bookstore and picked up a book that caught my eye called “A Dictionary of Bullshit” by Diane Law. I have been laughing from the moment I picked it up because it addresses my annoyance at the plethora of business “buzzwords” that have permeated our conversations for decades now. So, before I lose my mind completely I want to share some of them with you and plead with people to embrace the English language as it was designed and throw these silly phrases to the wind. Some of my favorites:

“Due Diligence (noun): the failure to spot blindingly obvious contractual, legal and accounting nightmares prior to a takeover.”

“Blowback (noun): the inevitable consequences of a foolish business decision, generally dealt with by other parties after the person responsible for the decision has safely left the scene of the crime.”

“Benchmarking (noun): the corporate equivalent of waterboarding.”

“Behavioral Competencies (noun pl.): personal idiosyncracies yet to be crushed to nothingness by the corporate behemoth.”

“360 Degree Appraisal (noun): an attack from all sides.”

“Robust (noun): a doormat, which holds up well to being stood on, repeatedly, by many different people.”

“Third Generation Contingencies (noun): things that might go wrong, but not until years in the future, by which time you’ll hopefully be far away and beyond the reach of blame.”

And, on the top of my list:

Vice President (noun): a corporate drone who accepted a fancy job title instead of a pay rise.”

-Morissa Pawl, vice president western region