Workplaces got wacky in '07

Outplacement consultancy Challenger, Gray & Christmas recently released a list of what it called 2007's most unbelievable workplace stories.

Some highlights:

* Workers in Scotland lined up to take classes that encouraged flirting to get ahead in their careers. Class exercises included purring like a kitten and dancing like Christina Aguilera and Justin Timberlake.

* A new tactic to shame delinquent policemen in Thailand who commit misdemeanors, such as littering or coming to work late, requires them to stay in the office all day and sport an armband featuring a smiling Hello Kitty surrounded by hearts.

* An Iowa woman was fired in January for misuse of company time for keeping a diary about how she avoids work. Some of the entries detailed her efforts to fool management into believing she was hard at work, usually by furiously typing her journal.

* The mayor of Millbrook, Ala., closed city hall June 13 so that municipal employees could attend the grand opening of a new Wal-Mart -- on the clock. Employees were required to bring a Wal-Mart receipt back to work as evidence that they spent their government holiday shopping.

* Hana Bank in South Korea sent 20 of its single female employees on blind dates to bolster morale and improve their work/life balance. The women were paired with 20 single men found by a matchmaking agency and sent to a mountain resort in North Korea.

* Rap artist and business mogul P. Diddy turned to the Internet during the summer to find a personal assistant. Diddy said the job would include everything from getting him ready for the red carpet to addressing multimillion-dollar business deals. Applicants had three minutes to showcase their talents. More than 10,000 hopefuls applied for the job.