Lucky Ties, Bad Suits

Superstitious workers are everywhere. Someone told me things went awry the day he broke his lucky mug. Another said he forgot his supply of lucky writing utensils and that the rest of the day unraveled. Coincidence?

Health-care workers are notorious for their superstitions. A few contacted me to say that if you work in an emergency room, you really can't say the Q or S words ("Boy, it sure is quiet in here tonight!" "Phew, sure is a slow Fourth of July"). As soon as those words are muttered, there's sure to be a huge train wreck, 19-car pileup or barbecue explosion.

Actors and actresses are also longtime superstitious people. No speaking of "Macbeth." Instead, it's called the "Scottish play." And of course, you have to tell an actor to "break a leg." No wishing good luck on opening night.

So how pervasive can these little rituals be? I remember realizing when I was young that many large buildings and hotels didn't have a 13th floor. I figured that if adults felt that way, there must be something to it. Now that I'm an adult, I've got to wonder: Are we all just a little crazy?

"A lot of people may have private rituals that they really believe in, or they are looking for something that will give them an extra boost or help to achieve what they are trying to achieve," said Douglas LaBier, a business psychologist who runs the Center for Adult Development in the District. "It's generally harmless."

It can become a problem only if a person is crippled by superstitions and feels that he or she can't function properly without that lucky pen or charmed office mug, he said.

As someone else pointed out to me on the clothing issue: Sometimes we just feel more confident in an outfit that looks good. If so, then it's not necessarily our strange superstitions that cause us to wear that outfit on big days. It's just human nature.

But then there are people like Ann Christine Keitz. She has an unlucky suit. It's a beautiful chocolate, wool suit she wore the day she was called into the conference room to be told she was being let go -- or as she calls it: riffed [reduction in force]. It was a shock because she had been told she was indispensable. Would the day have ended differently had she worn her periwinkle suit, she wondered?

During the winter months of her job hunt, she couldn't bear to wear the brown suit. But being a bit frugal, she also couldn't bear to get rid of it. So in her closet it still hangs. Every time she glances at it, the bad memories come flooding back.

Keitz now has a job as a contractor with the Defense Department. She's making more money, so she is in a better place financially and jobwise, she said.

But will she ever go near that suit again? No way.

How about consigning it, as Tajbl did? "Whaaat, and risk somebody else getting riffed? Couldn't live with the guilt."

Join Amy from 11 a.m. to noon on Tuesday (6/6/06!!) athttp://washingtonpost.comto discuss your life at work. You can e-mail her with workplace column ideas atlifeatwork@washpost.com. Don't forget, dads: Your day is coming up. Please e-maillifeatwork@washpost.comwith your working-dad wish list.