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POSTED: Monday, February 09, 2009

NATION

'Nametag Guy' is very approachable

The grocery store, the post office, a party—no matter where Scott Ginsberg goes, everyone knows what his name is. In fact, he has made sure of it by wearing a nametag every day for nearly nine years.

What began as a college experiment has made an expert on being approachable out of Ginsberg, author of the recently published book “;Stick Yourself Out There: Get Them to Come to You.”;

“;It's a permission slip into a conversation,”; says Ginsberg, who refers to himself as the “;Nametag Guy.”;

And being approachable, Ginsberg says, is priceless. He wears the red and white sticker, which simply reads “;Scott,”; everywhere he goes and even has a nametag tattooed on his chest. But you don't necessarily have to wear a nametag to be able to walk into a room and tell people who you are.

Ginsberg has used his experience to launch a career-coaching company, and speaks at seminars about making yourself memorable and executing ideas.

“;Everyone can wear a nametag,”; Ginsberg said. “;Not everyone can make a career out of it.”;

 

How to keep sick workers away

Feeling under the weather? You may cash in sick days when you're coughing and sneezing, but that doesn't mean your phlemgy colleagues stop coming into the office.

A recent survey 2,000 adults and 150 senior executives at the nation's 1,000 largest companies by research firm International Communications Research found that about 45 percent of employees very frequently show up to work while sick, although managers believe only 17 percent do so.

Staffing company OfficeTeam offers these tips to help managers avoid allowing ill employees to clock in:

» Communicate expectations: Let staff know you prefer they stay home when they're sick to ensure a quicker recovery and avoid infecting others.

» Set an example: Sick employees are more likely to stay home if you do the same.

» Give options: Allowing employees to work from home if they think they're coming down with the flu can help them remain productive without spreading a potential illness around the office.

» Offer help: Bring in temporary professionals to keep projects on track when employees are out sick for more than a day or two.