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Here's a reason to have sympathy for your managers: They may well be spending nearly 20 percent of their time dealing with the fact that their employees can't play nice.

A new survey from Accountemps asked managers the – admittedly somewhat biased – question: "What percentage of management time is wasted resolving staff personality conflicts?"

The mean answer: 18 percent.

To put that in perspective, if your boss is working a 40-hour week he or she is spending more than seven of those hours on personality conflicts among employees.

This isn't a new phenomenon. Accountemps, a financial services staffing firm, said it's gotten similar results in past studies on the same topic.

Obviously part of a manager's job is to resolve personality conflicts. And yet, let's hope the boss isn't spending all their time intervening over who left their dirty dishes in the break room sink and who drank the last cup of coffee and didn't make a new pot.

The survey was based on interviews with 1,000 senior managers at companies that have 20 or more workers.

TODAY Money expert Alexa von Tobel, the founder and CEO of LearnVest.com, joined TODAY.com for a live Web chat this morning.

Here are two of her answers to questions from the live chat. See below for the full Q&A and video of the Money 911 segment. 

Question from Amanda:
We have a great start on my son's savings account. He is 2 years old and we have about $6,000 in his account. Our intention is to keep growing this to use for his college education. Are there any good savings accounts, CDs, etc. that yield more than the traditional .25 percent from the bank?

Alexa von Tobel:
Hey Amanda! You're off to a great start!

First, I want you to create a 529 Saving Plan- which is an education plan and an easy way that you can save to pay for your son's education. Think of this as a type of savings account where you get special tax benefits for putting away money that is later used towards education. If you set up a 529 you can use it in several ways, including a savings plan that works similar to an IRA contribution or a prepaid plan where you can pay costs ahead of time.

Next, After opening the account, it will function like an investment account without too many complicated details or hidden fees. And, since taxes can take away a substantial part of income, using a 529 plan to save for college is always a good deal. However, if you choose to withdraw money without using it for education, your savings will then be taxed as income.

Lastly, Amanda, check out this section on LearnVest.com.

It will help you figure out your investing timeline. Since your son won't be going to college for around 16 more years, that money should be invested in something that has higher returns than a simple savings account!

Nini's question:
Can you give me some tips related to tax season? I haven't gotten started yet and I only have a couple weeks to spare. And I am SO busy! 

Alexa von Tobel's answer: 
Hey Nini! I dread tax season too. But, we're all in this boat together! The first step is to get organized with all of your documents! This doesn't have to be painful. 

Next, after you organized your documents - decide if you want to use a program like Turbo Tax or H&R Block OR find an accountant - this piece on LearnVest spells it out for you exactly!  

And here are 5 really cool phone apps to make your life easier during tax season!

Complete archive:

If you have a question for our TODAY Money experts, submit it here.

To sign up for an e-mail reminder for our next chat, click here.

Watch this week's Money 911 segment:

What’s worse than being unemployed? Working in a job you hate.

A new Gallup poll finds that workers who are “actively disengaged” – that is, emotionally disconnected from their work and workplace – are more likely to rate their lives as poor than those who are unemployed.

The survey found that 48 percent of unemployed workers are thriving in their lives, compared with 42 percent of unhappy workers. Seventy-one percent of happy and enthusiastic workers were thriving.

The unemployed people also were more likely than the unhappy workers to report that they were well-rested, smiled or laughed a lot and experienced enjoyment.  

A higher percentage of unemployed and unhappy workers said they felt worried, sad, stressed and angry than those who are happy in their work.

Of course, in the current economy, many people might be willing to take a job they hate, and even risk some unhappiness at work, just because it comes with a paycheck.

The survey was based on telephone interviews of 1,266 U.S. adults, completed late last year.

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Who are the biggest tax cheats in America? Single men under age 45.

Sixty-four percent of people who admit to fudging their taxes were single men, and 55 percent were under 45, according to a recent survey by DDB Worldwide Communications Group. The good news: Only 15 percent of Americans admitted to cheating the tax man.

An inability to smartly manage money appears to be another characteristic of self-identified cheaters − 42 percent said their financial situation was "one missed paycheck away from disaster," the survey found. Cheaters are less likely to save money, with 45 percent describing themselves as "a spender rather than a saver."

"We've found that there are no major differences in income between tax cheaters and noncheaters," said James Lou, a strategist with DDB. "However, there are significant differences in how they make their income last and how they view themselves."

It comes as no surprise the survey found that those trying to fool the IRS are more likely than their noncheating counterparts to engage in shady behavior.

"Their willingness to cheat is not limited to their taxes but spans a wide range of situations and behavior where they are looking to get away with something," Lou said.

How cheaters compare with noncheaters:

• Taking money from their child's piggy bank: 28% vs. 8%
• Working a job under the table while getting unemployment: 73% vs. 20%
• Keeping the wrong change given to them by a cashier: 71% vs. 3%
• Asking a friend to pose as an ex-boss on a reference check: 59% vs. 13%
• Lying about their income to qualify for free government aid: 51% vs. 5%
• Lying about finding something in their food to get a free meal: 26% vs. 3%
• Wearing an outfit to an event and then returning it: 46% vs. 14%
• Keeping a $20 bill they saw somebody drop: 31% vs. 12%
• Shoplifting: 37% vs. 3%

   

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Picture what you'll look like 30 years from now. Unnerving, isn't it?

Researchers at Stanford University are using high-tech tools to harness this natural aversion to aging with a noble goal: jolt Americans into gaining a new sense of urgency about retirement savings.

The project uses computer software to morph subjects' photos into aged avatars (think bald, gray, wrinkly and saggy) in an attempt to close the gap between the present self and the future self —without turning young adults into misers, the Wall Street Journal's Jason Zweig reports. By enabling people to see what they will be when they are old, the virtual-reality technology can supposedly transform the natural urge to spend for today into a willingness to save for the future.

Skeptical? The research seems to be on to something: Young people who saw their aged avatars said they would save twice as much as those who didn't, one experiment found. In another, students viewed avatars of themselves that smiled when they saved more and frowned when they saved less. Those with morphed avatars said they would save 30 percent more than those with unchanged avatars.

If you're having difficulty mustering the willpower to save, and you don't feel the need to see your face with more wrinkles, consider these sobering facts from the Center for Retirement Research at Boston College: 51 percent of households are at risk of not having enough to maintain their living standards in retirement. That's up from 43 percent in 2004. If you account for health-care costs, the at-risk percentage jumps to 61 percent.

We don't know about you, but that's a little more scary than some extra wrinkles.

Photonica via Getty Images file

When was the last time you were in a record store? Yeah, we can’t remember either (maybe it was December, but that was to buy concert tickets).

Market research firm IBISWorld.com analyzed its database of 700 industries and came up with 10 that, if not dead, are circling the drain.

They are, in order of most revenue earned in 2010 to least:

1. Wired communications carriers
2. Mills
3. Newspaper publishing
4. Apparel manufacturing
5. DVD, game and video rents
6. Manufactured home dealers
7. Video postproduction services
8. Record stores
9. Photofinishing
10. Formal wear and costume rental

While some aren’t surprising (Hello Blockbuster! How are those late fees treating you?), it does give an interesting glance into where we may be as a country. Are we slobs that never dress up anymore? And given the housing market, you’d think a mobile home might be an attractive option due to its affordability.

Which one of these do you still patronize?

We here at Today Money learned a valuable lesson this month: Don’t mess with our readers’ sugary cereals.

A Life Inc. post about future plans for Cap’n Crunch was among our most popular stories in March, drawing in hundreds of thousands of readers who couldn’t bear to see anything happen to their favorite early morning sugar high. A follow-up story on the future plans for the Cap’n was also a big talker.

Even if you like to eat kid’s cereal, you still have to do grown-up stuff like pay taxes. But you don’t have to like it.

A Life Inc. post about the Internal Revenue Service’s response to all those reasons some people think they don’t have to pay taxes also got a lot of you talking … about how much you hate paying taxes.

While we’re on the subject of arrested development, this month many of you also wondered why more adults aren’t smarter than a high school student, when it comes to financial literacy anyway.

Even if you aced that test, there's always room for improvement when it comes to financial literacy, and our experts are here to help. This month, Suze Orman had advice for people who can’t control their spending, career diva Eve Tahmincioglu answered reader questions how to get a job despite a gap in employment and Farnoosh Torabi answered questions about building credit and checking your credit score.

The recession has been hard on many of us, but it’s been especially tough for these couples who have been forced to wait to divorce because of the economic effects of the recession.  This story sparked a passionate debate about when it is right to divorce, and for what reasons.

On a lighter note: Hairy crabs, fried chicken, high-end electronics – you can get anything from a vending machine these days, if you just go to the right country. This slide show on vending machines was a big hit with readers, and sure makes the office candy machine look like a snooze. 

If you dropped off a surly teenager or wiped a splash of baby food off your suit before heading to work this morning, you're not alone.

The percentage of moms with kids under 18 who are either working or looking for work dipped slightly in 2010 after holding steady through 2008 and 2009. Still, more than 7 in 10 moms are participating in the labor force, according to newly released data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The BLS said 70.8 percent of women with children under 18 are participating in the labor force, down from 71.4 percent in 2009. Although that drop is slight, it represents the lowest percentage of moms in the labor force since 2005.

The overall labor force participation rate for all workers has fallen over the past few years, amid economic hard times and a high unemployment rate.

Moms haven't been immune to those problems. The unemployment rate for moms with kids under 18 was 9 percent in 2010, nearly double what it was in 2007.

Married moms have historically fared better in the job market than single moms, and this difficult time hasn't been an exception. The unemployment rate for married moms was 6.3 percent last year.

Moms who are divorced, widowed, never married or married with an absentee spouse faced an unemployment rate of 14.6 percent, according to the BLS.

White Diamonds

By Amy DiLuna, TODAY.com senior editor

She was a movie star and a style icon, but Elizabeth Taylor’s most enduring legacy may be her perfume empire.

Twenty years after she launched White Diamonds, the scent remains the world’s best-selling celebrity fragrance.

Style blog Fashionista.com tracked down the stats from market research firm Euromonitor International, which reports that sales of White Diamonds earned $76.9 million globally in 2010. The figure takes into account all fragrances under the Elizabeth Taylor brand, which include Black Pearl and Passion. White Diamonds alone, however, brought in a whopping $61.3 million last year.

Few can forget the perfume’s TV ad (“These have always brought me luck,” purrs Taylor as she tosses a chandelier earring into a gambler’s pot). Taylor launched the fragrance at Chicago department store Marshall Field & Co. in 1991, just as she was about to embark on her eighth wedding, this time with construction worker Larry Fortensky.

White Diamonds was honored by the Fragrance Hall of Fame in 2009.

American Petroleum Institute

Gas prices are on the rise, and for most of us that will mean allocating a bit more of our budgets to filling up the tank — and the tax coffers.

But how much of our gas tab goes to the tax man varies widely by state.

The American Petroleum Institute, an industry trade group, calculated how much Americans were paying (.pdf file) per gallon in local, state and federal taxes as of January 2011, and the difference by state is substantial.

As of January, Californians were paying an average of 66.1 cents per gallon in taxes, while Coloradoans were paying 40.4 cents.

Of course, overall gas prices also vary widely by state.  The AAA's daily fuel gauge report shows that regular costs about $3.99 a gallon in California, while drivers in Colorado are paying just around $3.40.

If you’re looking for the secret to loving your work, perhaps a trip to northern Europe is in order.

A new quarterly survey of workers in 29 countries, conducted by staffing firm Randstad, found that Denmark and Norway had the highest percentage of workers who reported being “very satisfied” with working for their current employer.

Thirty-five percent of Danish and Norwegian workers surveyed were “very satisfied” with their jobs, according to the survey. In addition, 45 percent of Danish workers and 44 percent of Norwegian workers reported being satisfied with their jobs.

Americans actually weren’t too far behind the Danes and Norwegians, with 29 percent of us reporting that we are very satisfied with our jobs. Still, Canada, Mexico and Luxembourg all had a higher percentage of very satisfied workers.

The least happy workers appear to be in China and Japan. Only 5 percent of Japanese workers surveyed reported being very satisfied with their jobs, while 9 percent said they were very dissatisfied.

Just 7 percent of Chinese workers reported being very satisfied, while 3 percent said they were dissatisfied.

The survey was conducted in Feburary and included at least 400 workers workers, age 18 to 65, in each country.

Eve Tahmincioglu

Eve Tahmincioglu, our resident career diva, joined us for a live Web chat Thursday afternoon.

Here are two of her answers and a complete archive:

Question from chat guest:
My boyfriend was laid off last month because of lack of work in his field. He's been applying for jobs in the same field since, but he's having trouble because his heart isn't in it. He doesn't love the field, but doesn't know what it is that he wants to do instead or how to find out. He's also reluctant to talk to a career counselor because he finds the idea scary. What can I do to help him?

Eve's answer:
Hiring managers can smell lack of desire on the part of a job applicant -- and in this job market he's going to be doomed. He needs to realize it's not always about a job you love but sometimes it's just about a paycheck. And that's not a bad thing. I wrote about this recently.

But, it may be time for him to take a hard look at himself and what he wants. If he doesn't want to talk to a career expert, I always suggest reading "What Color Is Your Parachute."

It's an oldie but a goodie when it comes to figuring out your next career step. It helped me early on in my career. 

Question from Anna:
Apparently a solid work history is no longer good enough. I've encountered employers who won't consider me for employment due to being out of work for more than six months. What can be done, if anything, to overcome this. I'm confident that I'd be an excellent employee. If only i could get the employers to look at my resume.

Eve's answer:
There is nothing that drives me crazier than employers who won't consider the jobless for a job. I ranted about this in my blog recently.

That said, you need to make yourself look not jobless. Don't mention it in a cover letter, don't include it on your resume and, you should be volunteering -- or updating your skills by taking a class -- during this off-work time. That way, if a hiring manager brings it up you can say you've been quite busy.

Complete archive:

If you have a question for our TODAY Money experts, submit it here.

To sign up for an e-mail reminder for our next chat, click here.

Mike Segar / Reuters

The deadline for filing your taxes this year is April 18.

If you're overwhelmed by your federal taxes this year, the friendly folks at the IRS are offering their help this Saturday.

Nearly 100 IRS offices across the country will be open from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. to aid frustrated taxpayers. IRS personnel will be available to assist with tax return preparation, answer account questions and help with a variety of other issues.

"If taxpayers can't get immediate help, they can be pointed in the right direction," said Dean Patterson, a spokesman with the IRS. In addition to the walk-in IRS offices, all taxpayer questions can be answered at the IRS website.

To locate an IRS office that is open Saturday, click here. The IRS is planning two more open houses later this year.

If you are 60 or older or you've earned less than $49,000 last year, free individual taxpayer assistance is available. Call 800-906-9887 to find a location near you.

Here's some good news from the IRS: Taxpayers have a few extra days to file this year. The deadline for filing returns is April 18.

The economy is barely afloat, but at least our hair looks great.

Nearly 42 percent of adults say haircuts and hair coloring is one spending category they refuse to trim from their budgets, according to a 2010 survey (.pdf file) sponsored by Stores magazine, a retail industry publication. The study examined what spending areas are "untouchable" and what are "expendable" in consumers' budget.

As the economy improved last year, many adults were a lot quicker to say hands off to certain areas of discretionary spending, the survey found. A few luxuries, including casual sit-down dining, department store shopping and haircuts made their way back onto the untouchable list after falling victim to America's flirtation with frugality as the recession unfolded.

Related story: Going gray to save money? No way!

"Small luxuries such as gourmet coffee, casual dining and even high-end cosmetics were among the things many consumers really had to learn to live without,” said Susan Reda, editor of Stores magazine. "Though most Americans are still quite focused on maintaining a budget, many are once again falling in love with the things they had to temporarily say goodbye to."

Luxuries deemed "untouchable" by Americans:

• Internet service: 81 percent
• Basic cable TV: 61 percent
• Hair cuts and coloring: 42 percent
• Charitable contributions: 38 percent
• Casual sit-down restaurants: 32 percent
• Upgraded mobile devices: 23 percent
• Organic food: 17 percent
• Daily cup of gourmet coffee: 17 percent
• Facials: 11 percent
• Maid service: 9 percent

What luxuries do you refuse to cut from your budget?

Despite a still shaky economy, the number of men getting plastic surgery is on the rise, according to numbers released Monday by the American Society of Plastic Surgeons.

One factor that might be fueling the growth: Older men trying to hold onto their jobs.

"I hear it from my patients, men in their 50s ... they are confessing to me they need it to stay competitive in the workplace," said Dr. Phil Haeck, a Seattle plastic surgeon and president of the group that released the study. "In a recession economy, the pressure is on doubly to look younger."

Haeck said the trend he has observed is reflected in the statistics released by his organization: The number of men getting facelifts surged 14 percent in 2010 compared with 2009, Botox usage increased 9 percent and liposuction rose 7 percent.

The increasing number of plastic surgeries could serve as an economic bellwether. More than 5 million reconstructive plastic surgery procedures were performed last year, up 2 percent. The increase mirrors the rise in consumer confidence throughout most of 2010.

"There's some pent-up demand for cosmetic surgical procedures," Haeck said. "People have waited a couple of years or more to have procedures, until their finances were at least somewhat back in order."

The top cosmetic surgical procedures conducted on men in 2010:

1. Nose reshaping: 64,000
2. Eyelid Surgery: 31,000
3. Liposuction:  24,000
4. Breast reduction: 18,000
5. Hair transplantation: 13,000

The top minimally invasive cosmetic procedures for men:

1. Botox: 337,000
2. Laser hair removal: 165,000
3. Microdermabrasion: 158,000
4. Chemical peel: 90,000
5. Soft-tissue fillers: 78,000

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If you’re drunk and at work reading this, there is the increasing likelihood you’re not the only one.

OK, that’s wildly overstating the case, but Bloomberg BusinessWeek reported recently that at least in Silicon Valley, the at-work adult beverage is on the comeback. Which shouldn’t surprise anyone who worked there during the dot-com boom of the early aughts.

At Yelp’s San Francisco headquarters, there’s a standing keg (as opposed to a keg stand) that lets employees drink as much as they want. Well, after they swipe their badge so the bosses can track how much they’re imbibing (killjoys!). Great pic of the tap and app with the story.

There is the predictable hand-wringing about this. Worries about company liability and productivity. And the predictable counter-arguments about letting adults be adults. Do you think a beer or two at your workplace would be a bad thing? Airline pilots, we don’t want to hear from you.

A prominent economics professor in France has launched a website dedicated to optimism.

Jean-Hervé Lorenzi, who teaches at the Paris-Dauphine University, said he established the site dubbed “Tous Optimistes” (All Optimists) in order to counteract a group of doomsayers who are preaching that France is heading toward economic and social devastation.

Many foreigners consider France one of the world’s most desirable places to live, but a recent poll of French people found that many are anxious about the future and sentimental about the past (the poll found that a French person is more pessimistic than the average Afghan or Iraqi).

Prof. Lorenzi says his website is an attempt to end French pessimism, which he says is fuelled by a group of “declinologists” -- those who bemoan the demise of the “French model.”

Gallup

The Great Recession appears to have had a big – and negative - impact on Americans’ sympathy for Mother Earth.

A Gallup poll released last week found that Americans are prioritizing economic growth over the environment by the widest margin in nearly three decades.

The poll found that 54 percent of Americans think economic growth should be given priority over environmental protection, while 36 percent thought the environment should be given the top priority.

For decades, the chart was reversed, with the majority of Americans saying that environmental protection should be the top concern. But things began to change when the economy entered its sharp decline in 2008, only reversing course again briefly following the Gulf Oil spill.

It’s unclear if the nuclear disaster in Japan will cause people to rethink those priorities. The survey of around 1,000 adults was conducted March 3 through 6, before Japan was rocked by a massive earthquake and tsunami, which has killed thousands of people and left a hobbled nuclear plant leaking radiation.

Parents should be honest when teaching their children about finances, money guru David Bach says.

"Money should not be a taboo subject," he says. If you are in debt and experiencing money woes, share your problems with your children — don't keep them behind closed doors.

The best-selling author of "Debt Free for Life," Bach says his family taught him about investing and the value of money at an early age. His grandmother helped him buy McDonald's stock at age 7. He is passing along some of the same lessons to his own 7-year-old son, Jack.

Watch the video below for more tips on how to teach your kids about what things cost, the importance of savings, strategies for allowances and how to give to charity. Our favorite lesson: how a child can turn $5 a day into a half-million-dollar cash stash.

Bureau of Labor Statistics

Unemployment rate for 16- to 19-year-olds, seasonally adjusted.

Here’s what we know about summer jobs: The pay is low, the work can be unrewarding and, all too often, there's an unflattering uniform involved.

Oh, and they're really, really hard to find.

The unemployment rate for 16- to 19-year-olds is always higher than other age groups, but things have been especially tough these last few years.

Nearly one in four teens who want to work don't have a job, according to the most recent data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Although the unemployment rate for that age group has improved slightly in recent months, it remains far above the overall unemployment rate of 8.9 percent.

The situation is much worse for African-American teens, who faced an unemployment rate of 38.4 percent in February. Unemployment for black teens has spiked close to 50 percent twice in the past couple of years.

Even though the overall job market is improving, the summer job market for teens is still expected to be quite difficult. Outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas said summer hiring last year was the worst since 1949, and things aren't expected to be much better this year.

The cost of doing your business is about to rise.

Citing rising raw material and energy costs, Kimberly-Clark said Thursday it is raising prices on diapers and toilet paper by as much as 7 percent. The cost increases will be phased in over the summer, so stock up now.

Brands affected by the increases include Cottonelle and Scott bathroom tissue, Huggies baby wipes and diapers, and Pull-Ups and GoodNites training diapers. Price changes vary by brand and pack size.

Are you starting to notice rising prices when you shop? You aren't imagining things. Americans paid more for food and energy in February, new data show. But outside those volatile categories, inflation overal was tame, the government said Thursday. 

The Economides call themselves America's cheapest family. And yes, that is their real name. They've shown TODAY audiences how to save on everything from holiday decorations to clothes to groceries. Here, Steve and Annette Economides share advice with a reader on how to scale back expenses with three growing children.

Question: Last year my husband had a nice secure job working a four-day work week. We had good insurance, shutdowns at holidays, 401k, retirement benefits and bonuses. Then one day the company decided that they no longer needed his particular division. Now my husband works for a temporary service at less than half the pay and no benefits.

Our biggest problem has to do with having three boys – ages 12, 13 and 17. The oldest is a senior this year and we need some practical advice on how to cover all the expenses, from senior pictures to shouldering the cost of SAT testing. There has been no whining about wearing off-brand shoes or Mom and Dad not being able to follow the ball teams to away games like we used to. The younger boys do odd jobs and yard work for neighbors and the oldest one has a part-time job.

Answer: The first issue is to deal with medical insurance. If you don't have it through COBRA, encourage your husband to keep looking for a job that will at least provide major medical coverage. In the meantime, pick up a temporary medical policy with a high deductible – you’ve got to be covered, especially with kids. Check out EHealthInsurance.com. (Editor's note: Depending on the rules in your state, you children may also qualify for coverage through Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program.)

You’re on the right track with your boys earning their own money. Encourage them to pick up more of their own expenses if possible. You’ll need to help them prioritize what they spend their money on, and help them look ahead to anticipate future expenses such as prom or photos or sport team fees.

Shop around. Sometimes senior pictures can be purchased somewhere other than the school and you can realize substantial savings.

With your reduced income, you many qualify for an SAT waiver—meet with the guidance counselor at your son’s high school. You can get more info here. If sports fees become overwhelming, ask the sponsoring organization if they have any scholarships available.

Don’t be shy about shopping thrift stores for clothes and prom outfits. In the last year we purchased two tuxedos from thrift/consignment stores, one for $50 and another for $22; both needed minor alterations. We also found fantastic gowns for our daughters for less than $10 each.

You're doing great. Keep evaluating every expense. If it's a necessity and the money isn't there, look for other options and you'll not only survive these tough times, but you’ll find ways to THRIVE!

Visit our website to read our Q&A blog and hundreds of money saving tips from visitors all around the world. And here is an archive from a live Web chat the Economides hosted on TODAY.com:

And watch a video from their segment on TODAY: 

Chris Chambers / Getty Images

Companies are jumping on the NCAA bracketology bandwagon in an attempt to score with customers.

If you dream of winning more than just your office pool, plenty of contests exist for the bracket-obsessed. And if college basketball isn't your thing, there's no reason why you can't embrace the marketing overload and have some madness fun.

Here are some of our favorite promotions and contests:

• If a No. 16 seed shocks the world and upsets a No. 1 seed in the second round — something that's never happened in the history of the tournament — Pizza Hut will distribute free slices at designated locations.
• Diamond Foods is offering two chances to win $10,000 with an underdog contest and a standard top-seed bracket.
• The Consumerist is running a bracket-style contest for readers to select the Worst Company in America. There are no prizes, but you it might be smart to avoid the "winner."
• Reese's is sponsoring a "Pick the Perfect Play" contest on the NCAA website. The winner will win a trip to the 2012 tournament and will get a chance to shoot for $1 million.
• Betty Crocker launched the Betty Bracket, a single-elimination contest where consumers can vote for their favorite of 64 game-day recipes, many inspired by the top college basketball hometowns.
• Domino's Pizza created a Facebook page where pizza lovers can vote for their favorite style. Sixteen pizzas will enter and only one will win.
• Applebee's and ESPN's Round by Round Pick 'Em game lets players make selections for the most immediate round — and accumulate points along the way. The winner will receive a trip to ESPN's headquarters.
• T.G.I. Friday's has a special menu and is promoting game-watching parties and food and drink specials.
• UPS is promoting a "Print Madness" deal for cheaper color prints.

If you think your bracket picks are good enough, you can win cash the old-fashioned way: betting. For a longer roundup of contests, click here.

Look around your office: Chances are at least one in three of your co-workers is stressed out.

An American Psychological Association survey released earlier this month found that 36 percent of workers regularly experience stress at work.

Money was a big stress factor, with nearly half of those surveyed saying a low salary has a big impact on their work stress.

Other common reasons included lack of opportunities to advance, a heavy workload, unrealistic job expectations and long hours.

It’s no secret that the recession and its aftermath have forced many Americans lucky enough to have a job to work harder, in some cases for less pay. Now that the economy is improving and the job market is loosening up a bit, some workers may feel like they have had enough.

About one-third of those surveyed said they intend to find a new job within the next year.

The study of about 1,500 U.S. workers was conducted by Harris Interactive in January and February.

Tip of the hat to The Daily Finance, which reported on this survey earlier this week.

In 2009 Google began a project to build better bosses. It was called Project Oxygen and what the search engine found may blow away the theories held in most corner offices in America. It seems workers don’t need smarter bosses, they need … well … ones that care more.

The New York Times describes the process and the findings. Google essentially used itself as a guinea pig, data mining performance reviews, feedback surveys and the like. And initially the key management qualities it found - be productive, have a clear vision, etc. - were like “reading a whiteboard gag from an episode of ‘The Office.’” 

But when the search giant used its analytics to rank the "Eight Habits of Highly Effective Google Managers," it found something surprising. People want a boss who takes an interest in them as people and who leads them to solve problems by asking questions, not by providing answers.

While our adventures in management have been sometime more akin to babysitting (“Wait, how come S-S-SHE gets to have next Wednesday off!!???!!!!”), it has been our experience that good workers rarely want the boss to do their job, they just want he/she to make it possible for them to do their job and get out of the way. Nice to see Google agrees.