There's no escape: the holidays start NOW. The Jobacle gang has rounded up a list of gift ideas for your favorite office worker. Whether you pulled a co-workers' name out of a hat or just want to bring some holiday spirit to your cubicle, we've got you covered with the 2007 Office Worker Gift Guide. If you're looking for a motorized tie rack, move on!Smencils$1+Back in sixth grade we had a "invention contest." I vividly remember submitting a flavored pen. Basically, I popped open a 19-cent Bic, poured some fruit juice inside and thought I'd be sharing flavor across the world with my fellow pen cheers. I didn't win. But I sure likethese Smencils.Made out of paper that is soaked in "gourmet liquid scents," these pencils are packed with fun scents such as cherry, rootbeer, watermelon, chocolate, etc. - or buy a kit and make your own at home.You already know how important positive items are on your desk, at $1 a pop (minimum pack of … [Read more...] about Office Worker Gift Guide 2007
Working at Kmart Taught Me How to Work
Bosses at my first job referred to me as Clock #26 and required me to wear a red vest. Yes, friends, $6.05 an hour at Kmart was where I received my inaugural paycheck. Don't laugh, I learned a lot! In fact, I attribute portions of that job - even though it was about 15 years ago - for getting me into podcasting. I started innocently enough by collecting carts, ringing registers, and stocking the shelves. I don't know if it was the way I scanned or the way I bagged, but I was quickly moved up to the big time: Register Supervisor. Now, when someone ran out of quarters or needed a 15-minute break, they came to me, Clock #26, keeper of the keys and master of your bladder. Now you're probably wondering - what the heck does this have to do with podcasting? See, a register supervisor was allowed to play God in one other way - he or she had control over the store intercom. A long-necked, flexible microphone with a black button that only I could press. And when I did, my voice echoed … [Read more...] about Working at Kmart Taught Me How to Work
DayTipper Podcast Launches – Lifehack Central
I am pleased to announce that your Jobacle Cubemaster, Andrew G.R., is producing a spankin' new Internet radio show: The DayTipper Podcast.In a nutshell, the podcast is jammed with lifehacks; tips designed to make you more productive than ever before. On episode 1:- A new use for Silly Putty- How an orange can help keep you awake- Best/Worst tips of the week- Dryer Sheets enter the DayTipper LabsFrom employment to family - gardening to home improvement - DayTipper has tips for everything. Plus, they'll pay you $3 per published tip. As someone who used the service before I got to know the gang - it's the real deal. If you're a fan of the Working Podcast I think you'll like the DayTipper podcast. It's done in a similar style: quick moving, me running my mouth, etc. Check it out and let me know what you think!Stream DownloadSubscribe … [Read more...] about DayTipper Podcast Launches – Lifehack Central
Working on Veterans Day? A Disgrace!
For a country that plasters yellow bows all over their SUVs - proclaiming "Support Our Troops" - we should get Veterans Day off from work, no?And I'm not just saying that because I'd like an extra day off from work. Rather then give the day off to teachers, bank tellers and political suits to shop the day away, we all should get the day off, and then have to spend at least half of it truly honoring members of our armed forces. Spend some time at a VA hospital or VFW hall. Raise some money. Raise awareness. Do anything you can to help veterans. A recent study showed that 26% of the country's homeless population are veterans.That's how we thank out troops?With over 200,000 strong in Iraq and Afghanistan, we clearly need to take better care of these folks. Employers can start by mobilizing their workforces to do more on Veterans Day. I know I'm generalizing. There has to be some employers out there that do something special. Right? Please let … [Read more...] about Working on Veterans Day? A Disgrace!
Paid Bloggers Wanted for Jobacle.com
Due to some serious growth, Jobacle.com seeks two new bloggers. 1) Career Web 2.0. You will bring the latest and greatest career tools to our readers' attention. Quickie reviews should be objective - pointing out the pros and cons of new employment-related Web sites and/or tools.2) Career Advice. You need to be able to put a unique twist and/or spin on the standard career advice. Our goal is to deliver realistic advice in a voice that our readers trust. We're true believers that there's enough carbon-copy stuff on those HotMonsterBuilder sites. You must be original!Send me whatever you think is necessary to get the gig and an approximate figure of what you would like to earn per post (you won't get rich - but we can help with the groceries). You might be asked to write a paid sample blog entry. Payment will be made via Paypal. We'll plan to start at two posts a week per position (approximately 250 words each) and see how it goes from … [Read more...] about Paid Bloggers Wanted for Jobacle.com
5 Office Small Talk Sins: R U Guilty?
I’m not too big on compiling lists of things that will 'change lives.' However, today a conversation occurred in my office between two of my co-workers that made me (as it always does) start to grind my teeth. It was mindless, boring, cliché banter that was used as nothing more than a device to fill a void of silence between two people that really had nothing to say to one another. Silence is golden...especially at the office.We’ve all taken part in it at one time or another. Maybe we let ourselves get dragged in or maybe we sparked up the exchange ourselves. I’m not a sociologist so I have no idea why people in quiet moments with other people feel the need to always say something, no matter how trite. I think it may have something to do with the fact that we’ve become a society - that between cell phones and iPods - no longer feel comfortable with our own thoughts.Those moments seem so rare these days that when the opportunity of … [Read more...] about 5 Office Small Talk Sins: R U Guilty?
Admit It, You Stereotype Too!
He got his start laying pipe for the Atlas Water and Sewer company. Eventually, he climbed the ranks, becoming responsible for a staff of 800 and annual revenue exceeding $120 million. His name is Victor Kipling. This is his weekly column.Alarms rang and sirens whooped while red lights flashed with laser-like intensity. The entire area was suffused with urgency, and a sense of emergency sliced, like a knife, through the office. Execs and clerks gasped, almost in unison, when they heard the news...Yes indeed, it was finally confirmed that Joe (you know, the unassuming guy in the third cubicle from the window) was actually overheard using a...a...stereotype about a certain group when talking to a friend on the phone! Who would have thought, they said, that a seemingly normal person like Joe was such a, well, fascist. And then the attacks really began - he's probably also a smoker, drives a gas guzzler, votes Republican, likes his steak rare and even watches FOX cable news!, … [Read more...] about Admit It, You Stereotype Too!
Work Meetings: All Talk, No Action?
I've got two questions. Is it just media or do all industries find more and more reasons to call longwinded meetings about any and every topic involving the company? Second, assuming the first answer is yes, do these meetings seem to require the presence of all or most employees? Let me say now that my current boss does not feel the need to involve me in all the day-to-day decisions no matter how big or small. He deals with his managerial responsibilities and brings me in when necessary. As a result I work with a level of autonomy that I haven't experienced in years. I have also grown more in my field and have become better at my trade because of it. He does exactly what he gets paid significantly more than me to do. For the company it means more efficiency. When endless meetings do not bog down full departments so much more gets accomplished in a more expedient manner. Maybe that's just my opinion but I'm sticking to it.Check out the PayScale Meeting Miser to see just how much money … [Read more...] about Work Meetings: All Talk, No Action?
Commuting Advice: Driving Meditation
The following is from one of my favorite human beings on this fine planet, Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh:When we do walking meditation, the point is not to get somewhere, but rather to practice, using walking as the object of our attention. Even when we do have to get somewhere and must drive to do so, there is an opportunity for practice. Thich Nhat Hanh, Vietnamese Zen master and poet, has written a number of gathas, or brief verses, for enhancing our mindfulness during everyday activities, even driving a car.Before starting the car, I know where I am going. The car and I are one. If the car goes fast, I go fast.If we are mindful when we start our car, we will know how to use it properly. When we are driving, we tend to think of arriving, and we sacrifice the journey for the sake of the arrival. But life is to be found in the present moment, not in the future. In fact, we may suffer more after we arrive at our destination. If we have to talk of a destination, what about our final … [Read more...] about Commuting Advice: Driving Meditation
WorkHack: How to Get Out of Meetings
Here's your 'Get Out of Meetings Free' Card.Meetings are the ultimate in annoying teenage foreplay: There's lots of awkward stroking and nothing ever seems to get accomplished. We all know this futile exercise is nothing but a time and money waster. Well thanks to the Meeting Miser from PayScale.com, you can now calculate exactly how much your time in a meeting is costing the company - down to the cents per minute.Just tell the calculator where you are located and the titles of the people attending the meeting. PayScale will then use their collected salary data (which in my experience is pretty accurate) to do the math. I'm only worth about 50 cents a minute. But given some of the marathon meetings we have in my neck of the woods - it adds up fast! How much is your meeting time worth? … [Read more...] about WorkHack: How to Get Out of Meetings