Okay, I admit it.Back in the day, when I was a worker bee in the corporate arena, one of my favorite days, (other than pay day) was casual dress day.Probably because most of my work experience was in very “professional” type environments, these days were as rare as steak. In fact, if I can recall correctly, the only time we got them was if we had filing and purging projects around the office, or weekend work, or were being rewarded for reaching a departmental goal. Casual attire usually accompanied a more lax, laid back attitude, and less formality in terms of interaction. We felt less inhibited, freer to express our personalities through our attire, and just down-right groovy.Who wouldn’t love it? Now, don’t get me wrong; I dig dressing up in sexy stilettos and nylons, and wearing tailored suits, (that show off my curvaceous legs), but every now in then, jeans can bring real joy too.Not to mention, casual days have also been said to improve overall office … [Read more...] about A Serious Talk About Workplace Casual Days
Archives for May 2010
Big Benefit for Small Company Employees
New Provision Incentivizes Wellness Offering employees incentives for improving their health isn’t a new concept. Many larger companies providing employee health insurance give discounts or cash incentives for smoking cessation, nutrition awareness and other wellness initiatives.Smaller companies have historically faced a big financial hurdle when trying to offer similar benefits to their employees. But that’s about to change. In an article at CNN Money, “Bribe Your Workers to be Healthy,” Sonya Stinson outlines a new provision in the health reform law that will aid small companies. And they will compare insurance rates so that they get the best deal on the coverage.“Starting next year, the law authorizes grants totaling $200 million over five years for small companies that start wellness programs focused on efforts such as nutrition, smoking cessation, physical fitness and stress management. Companies with fewer than 100 employees qualify for … [Read more...] about Big Benefit for Small Company Employees
Join the "I Need a Freakin' Job" Movement
I Need a Freakin' Job is a grassroots movement designed to build a community of like-minded people to express frustration about being jobless and to keep job recovery at the forefront of political conversation.Learn more on their Website and find them on Facebook. … [Read more...] about Join the "I Need a Freakin' Job" Movement
5 Secret Motives of the Office Party Planner
Every office has a party planner; the worker who takes it upon his or herself to collect $5 from everyone to buy a birthday cake. These are usually the same people who make a production and clean out the fridge when it's bursting at the seams. The same folks who leave messages on the water cooler about the top of your bottle touching the lip of the spout.No has appointed them Office Planner, but they have assumed the unofficial role.Maybe I should be grateful that these people take on the tasks that I have no interest and no time to do. But I don't. In fact, I find them quite annoying.Perhaps they are just nice people looking to do nice things. But there are other potential motives:- They don't have enough "real" work to do so they attach themselves to time-wasting projects.- They want control. As the lonely peon at the bottom of the ladder, they are desperate to drive any project.- They want to show that they are 'go-getters.' Will … [Read more...] about 5 Secret Motives of the Office Party Planner
The Most Social Companies as of May 2010
The NetProspex Social 50 is a ranking that shows the average number of friends or connections an organization has across the major social networks. It also looks at tweet volume, the number of followers a company has and the number of followers each company employee has.If you're looking for a social media job, or want to break in with a major company, this list will tip you off on whose attention to try to get via the Web.Notable results include Microsoft trouncing Apple, Coca-Cola sitting flat at the bottom of the list, and GAP stitching their way up the list to hang with the tech big boys.Not surprisingly, social network membership among employees of the largest companies in the U.S. is highest on LinkedIn (43%). Facebook comes in with 11% and the other social networks fall off precipitously after that.Get the full results. … [Read more...] about The Most Social Companies as of May 2010
Top 5 Worst College Degrees if You Want a Job (and to make money)
We all want to believe that once we graduate from college, we’ll be inundated with job offers and automatically make a great living doing exactly what we want. Okay, it’s a bit far-fetched, but even if you’re fairly grounded in reality, you still want a job that suits your talents and sensibilities. But how do you know if your chosen field is going to pay off or put you in the poorhouse? Well, you really can’t go wrong with a degree in business, medicine, or law, and even a market flooded with tech-savvy computer specialists can be lucrative for someone who’s willing to hustle for freelance work. However, if your area of study lies outside the norm, you may find yourself swimming upstream. So read on to find the tip five college degrees that will not only slow you down, but may stop you in your tracks.1. Botany – this is the science of plants. While a degree in this field could lead to certain high-paying jobs … [Read more...] about Top 5 Worst College Degrees if You Want a Job (and to make money)
Social Media and Reputation Management for Today’s Careers
Today’s technology has changed the landscape of so many things.It has revolutionized the way we do business, the way we communicate, the way we receive our news, and even our social lives.Social media outlets like Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, and Linkedin have allowed us to “meet and greet” people from different countries, date from the comfort of our keyboards, chat people up in chat rooms, seek work, and establish important connections. But, with this privilege comes new rules and new responsibilities. Particularly for today’s professional. Some employers are monitoring employees’ “after-hour” activities and online personalities to learn more about the people that play a role on their teams.Do they have that right? That’s debatable.Nonetheless it’s a reality for today’s worker that shouldn’t be ignored. One area that seems to be susceptible to scrutiny (other than personal Emails) is blogging. Bloggers beware.Some time … [Read more...] about Social Media and Reputation Management for Today’s Careers
Workplace Incompetence
How DO These Folks Stay Employed?Is there a co-worker in the cube next to you who repeatedly messes up, yet somehow is able to keep their job? Of course there is. A couple recent customer-service experiences reminded me that in the workplace, it’s often the lowest-common-denominator characters that flourish. Don’t get me wrong; I firmly believe that most customer-service reps do a great job under ridiculously stressful conditions. I only use the following examples to illustrate.The first occurred when the “Large Benevolent Bank That Holds My Mortgage” sent two letters (dated 2 weeks prior) telling me that there had been a gap in my homeowner coverage. Out of the kindness of their hearts, they covered that (non-existent, by the way) gap and for that I owed them $210.00. Fortunately, my insurance agent was able to solve that one for me.The second incident happened to a friend who was moving. She reserved a 14-foot YouHawl truck. A follow-up call led her to … [Read more...] about Workplace Incompetence
10 Job Hunting Tips for Graduates
Graduation season is here, and thousands of new job seekers are joining millions in the job market. What does the new kid on the block need to do to be successful? Here are 10 tips for graduates from Janice Bryant Howroyd, an employment expert whose AppleOne staffing company puts thousands of people to work each month: 1. Do Your Homework. You may have graduated with honors, but the real research begins now. Invest your skills and time into studying opportunities in your field of interest and learn what’s going on in that market. Look beyond Monster.com, Hot Jobs and LinkedIn. Search company websites, and set Google alerts to learn what they aren’t saying about themselves. Tailor your resume to each company; it is time consuming but can pay back big! 2. Ask Somebody. Everyone you know knows someone who knows someone who works in a company you want to be employed by. Work every contact you have, … [Read more...] about 10 Job Hunting Tips for Graduates
Time Management Tips for Today’s Worker Bees
How to get more life out of less time.It’s ironic.It seems the more “time saving devices” we embrace as a progressive society, the less time we actually seem to have.Think about it.There’s microwave cooking, speed dating, emails, online shopping, online job searching, electronic books, online classes, and still many folks struggle to find more “me time” and a better quality of life. Still, one should never underestimate its importance.Time is a commodity. It’s an investment.The way you “spend it” is just as valuable as your money decisions.Not having a handle on how time is used can lead to increased stress, poor work performance, and a feeling of being overwhelmed and undervalued. And who wants that? To help save your sanity, here are a few tips and strategies to help you to have more time, and work smarter, not harder! 1. Become Better Organized---This may seem a bit simplistic, yet it has a great R.O.I. (return on … [Read more...] about Time Management Tips for Today’s Worker Bees