Survey: Promotion more stressful than divorce

What could possibly be more stressful than getting a divorce? Being promoted.

Climbing up the corporate ladder was cited most frequently as life's most difficult event by nearly 20 percent of business leaders in a recent online survey, beating calling it quits with a spouse, adjusting to a relocation or even grieving a death.

While usually cause for a slap on the back, promotions also force us to deal with more office politics, greater job complexity and increased reliance on others, said Matt Paese of Development Dimensions International Inc., a staffing company that conducted the study.

Despite the hand wringing promotions can provoke, almost half of those surveyed said a move into a leadership position positively affected their personal life.

Meeting expectations

If you want to drive your co-workers crazy at a business meeting, interrupt someone, answer your cell phone or fall asleep. If you really want them to curse your name, drag them into a meeting and blather away, without any planning or sense of direction.

Disorganized, rambling presentations are workers' greatest source of frustration at meetings, a new survey reports.

"If you're going to ask someone for time, make sure you're using their time like you would use your time," said Jeff Resnick of Opinion Research USA, which conducted the survey.