Does anyone out there know what percent of office workers go home for lunch? It's something I always wanted in my work-life, and now that I have it, I'm not convinced it's all I thought it was cracked up to be.It takes me between 12 and 22 minutes in each direction--short enough to be a viable option, but long enough to make it not worth my time.We've talked about the downside of living too close to the office. But now let's see if there's a real benefit in heading home for lunch.Read more of my blog post at US News and World Report. … [Read more...] about Going Home for Lunch: A Recipe for Stress?
Career Advice
Is That a Pearl or Just Sand in Your Crack?
We all know that pearls are found in oysters. We also know that pearls are very valuable. However, do you know how a pearl is really created? An irritant (such as sand) gets inside the shell, and the oyster releases a chemical to coat the foreign particle. After many, many coatings, the piece of irritating material has become a pearl! Now, have you ever sat in the sand on a beach and gotten sand inside your clothing? It is quite uncomfortable! Imagine how the oyster feels not being able to get the sand out of its shell.Those two ideas can also be related to your career. Have you ever had a great idea or a desire to do something important with your life? Is it a business idea? A dream to work at another company? A desire to retire early and sit on the beach (in a sand-proof suit, of course)? That's your piece of sand. Now, instead of just letting it irritate you until you can't stand it any longer, treat that irritant like an oyster would. Use it. Grow it. Make it a focus of your life.I … [Read more...] about Is That a Pearl or Just Sand in Your Crack?
Super Bowl Ad Roundup 2009: Jobs & Careers
The economy is all jacked up. The country seems like it's on an out of control freight train heading towards a 10% unemployment rate.I can't get a raise. You can't get a new job.But some companies out there have $3 million to spend on 30 seconds. The Super Bowl might be over, and by this time next year no one will remember who won. But will you remember any of the ads...even tomorrow?! The fatwalleted companies who broke the bank certainly hope you do.Here are our thoughts on the work-related job and career stuff. As always, your thoughts are welcome in the comments section below. Check out an audio recap below and don't forget to use those Sick Days! Direct DownloadCareerBuilder.comThese guys need to throw in the towel already, as their Super Bowl commercials get less funny each year.The concept is things to look for to figure out if you need a new job. From a woman screaming in her car in the work parking lot, to a toe-picking, Speedo-wearing co-worker, the ad illustrates … [Read more...] about Super Bowl Ad Roundup 2009: Jobs & Careers
Sun, Rain or Snow at Work?
Frozen ice, sleet and snow has descended on New York, producing one of the coldest and dreariest winters in recent memory.Weather is a big part of our lives. From filling small-talk voids to taking up half a the local newscast with idiotic technology, the psychology of outside conditions goes way beyond 'will I freeze my fingers off today.'I pose the following question, dear readers:What weather do you prefer to work in?We're assuming you work in an office like us, which means in reality, exterior temperatures, humidity and precipitation are, for the most part, irrelevant.Personally, I like waking up to blue skies and sunshine for the drive to work. Then at about 10am it becomes cloudy and overcast. The sun plays peek-a-boo, eventually reappearing at about 3pm for the duration of the day.I know it's greedy but I don't like when it's too nice outside and I'm stuck indoors under the fluorescent lights. At the same time, I don't want weather to be too severe, creating commuting chaos and … [Read more...] about Sun, Rain or Snow at Work?
If Office Supplies Could Talk…
If your office supplies could talk, what would they say about you? I know it sounds like a weird question, but ever since I received an Open Letter From My Keyboard, I try to be sensitive to the needs and feelings of my office supplies. We spend so much time together at my desk, it just makes sense to make sure we have a cordial working relationship. Plus, when I'm in a pinch, I want to know I can depend on the tools that make work possible. After some thought, I figured what better day than today to check in to see how they're all doing. ANDREW G.R.: Hey Stapler, how's it going? STAPLER: Jam-free for over a year, and you acknowledge me now? AGR: I'm sorry, Stapler. I'm just juggling so many projects - PENS: We've noticed. Any chance you can keep us out of your mouth? AGR: Sorry guys. It's a bad habit, but I like to think it's getting better. SCOTCH TAPE: Whatever! AGR: Scotchy, why the attitude? SCOTCH TAPE: You left me for a binder clip!? AGR: I'm … [Read more...] about If Office Supplies Could Talk…
Beware of Other Career Blogs
Sometimes I wonder if they'll have to extend my local Barnes & Noble bookshop to accommodate the always-growing career self-help aisle. With so many books written by "experts," and thousands of blogs devoted to making work better, I sit here this morning wondering if any of it has made a difference.With more resources at our ready than ever before, are a greater number of people happier at work then lets say 10 years ago?My Jobacle ego likes to think so, but how can we quantify the results? Unemployment numbers continue to trend towards double digits, hitting the highest rate in 16 years. Do any of these people feel better because they can commiserate with one another?Authors have always had a bonafied credential. They can point to the fact that they were able to to get through a publisher's filter. At that point, the writer has to know what they're talking about, right? My sneaking suspicion is that in the 21st century, that is less true than ever before. It seems as if … [Read more...] about Beware of Other Career Blogs
How'd You Score That Gig?
Like the warning that tells us never to go food shopping when we're hungry, the same axiom really applies when career shopping. The hungrier, or more needy we feel in terms of job fulfillment, the more likely it is that either we'll select a career path not in our interest, or - worse yet - simply settle for...whatever.Yet the new book, How'd You Score That Gig?: A Guide to the Coolest Jobs-and How to Get Them, by career expert Alexandra Levit, helps in a number of pragmatic, yet creative ways to provide us with a veritable shopping list of what to look for in finding that career of our dreams. Sure, you may think that you've 'heard it all before,' but what the author does is help us gain just enough insight into ourselves so as to better refine the search process. Using a simple, but innovative self-assessment test, Ms. Levit cleverly engages the reader to participate in the career satisfaction discovery process.She's created a 'passion profile,' so that readers can learn, and better … [Read more...] about How'd You Score That Gig?
Fight Fatigue at Work: Detoxify
Are you always tired at work? From depression to anxiety to boredom, there are a multitude of reasons why you might feel sleep deprived.One of the best ways to keep you energy level up at work is to ear right. The Complete Idiot's Guide to Fighting Fatigue offers hundreds of tips to stay alert and feel well-rested. Among them, a list of nutrients that could be helpful to ingest during the work day...ALFALFA is an exceptional source of protein and high in vitamins A, D, E, B6 and K; calcium; magnesium; chlorophyll; phosphorus; iron; potassium; trace minerals; and several digestive enzymes. Alfalfa is also a high-fiber substance with properties that bind and remove toxins from the colon.ALPHA LIPOIC ACID is a potent antioxidant that increases production of glutathione in the body helping to dissolve toxins in the liver. Alpha liopic acid has been used in the treatment of liver and heart disease, diabetes, and other inflammatory diseases.ARTICHOKE is a liver protectant and antioxidant … [Read more...] about Fight Fatigue at Work: Detoxify
Warren Buffett Makes Himself Available to President Obama
Investor extraordinaire Warren Buffet, with his estimated net worth of $62.0 billion, will be featured on Nightly Business Report tonight as part of the program’s 30th anniversary. While American workers have their collective eye on President Obama, waiting to see how he'll restore the jobs they lost and secure the ones they have, Mr. Buffet might be able to offer a glimpse into the future. Here's a sample of what to expect from the interview tonight. Find your local PBS station.SUSIE GHARIB, ANCHOR, NIGHTLY BUSINESS REPORT: Are we overly optimistic about what President Obama can do?WARREN BUFFETT, CHAIRMAN, BERKSHIRE HATHAWAY: Well I think if you think that he can turn things around in a month or three months or six months and there’s going to be some magical transformation since he took office on the 20th that can’t happen and wouldn’t happen. So you don’t want to get into Superman-type expectations. On the other hand, I don’t think there’s … [Read more...] about Warren Buffett Makes Himself Available to President Obama
The Man With Two Offices
The office. No, not the terribly overrated NBC version of the BBC TV show. The actual walled cube where many of us spend 1,700 hours a year. Designed to give you privacy and quiet as you do your job, the office is also the ultimate work status symbol. I've talked before about how offices are harder to come by than ever before. Years ago, the prospect of a young professional earning a larger workspace was an incentive to put his/her nose to the grindstone. Work hard. Get promoted. Get an office. But somewhere along the way, this carrot was replaced with a big corporate stick. All companies operate differently, but as the workforce has grown, and employers continue to cut corners, offices have become a premium. Has sheer supply and demand raised the esteem of having an office in society? Perhaps. The nicer the office, the greater the symbolism. Many Jobacle readers and Working Podcast listeners have often told us that they don't work in offices. Even the upper managers these days … [Read more...] about The Man With Two Offices