General

Your boss wears these underpants. Well, 2 out of 5 at least.  Many  newspapers and Web sites that cover the "career genre" are running this headline today: "2 of 5 Bosses Don't Keep Word."  Yeah, no shit Sherlock.  Why do people jump all over every survey conducted by Anybody, USA?  I really hope as this podcast/blog grows we will give the hardest working souls out there a voice.  No statistical garbage.  Cause at the end of the day, do you care if you're among the 99% who couldn't care less about career surveys?That being said, I'll contradict myself and post a few findings by a study that will be released later in the year by The Leadership Quarterly (sounds sooooo important):• 39% of workers said supervisors broke promises.(Supervisors ARE human.  Would you expect anything better?)• 37% said their supervisor failed to give credit when due.(Where the hell do the 63% work?)• 31% said their supervisor gave them … [Read more...] about Boss's Pants On Fire!

F. Waldo McBurney has won "America's Oldest Worker for 2006," an award handed out by Experience Works (an organization which strives to improve the lives of older people through employment, community service and training).Now if I'm still working at 104 (heck, I don't even wanna be alive!), I don't deserve an award.  In fact, I'd consider myself a failure.  But the bee hive hauling, marathon running, bible toting senior has some good advice for all of us.“Worry shortens life and makes life miserable...The easiest way to shorten ones life is to do nothing.”Sage advice from a man who used to have to cut ice from a pond to keep the family refrigerator cool.  Why not take a time out from clankin' at that keyboard and staring at the screen to be thankful for folks like F. Waldo.  They let lazy bastards like you and me retire the right way - enjoying daytime TV, playing on open golf courses, traveling the world - or doing whatever … [Read more...] about Work Hard, Live Long

For the second time in my career (lucky me!) a co-worker fainted within 10 feet of me.  I'll be honest.  I heard a thump, looked up, saw nothing - and assumed all was ok.  Two minutes later a secretary noted, "Oh my God, _______'s down." All kidding aside, I feel like crap for ignoring the thump.  So, if you hear an inexplicable sound - investigate. Aside from ignoring the poor guy as he lay motionless (it's our understanding that it was a case of extreme exhaustion from overworking), I realize that I hadn't a clue what to do.  Sure, call 9-1-1.  I left that to someone else. Then I bee lined for the HR office and let them know, figuring someone there would be equipped for this type of situation.  Beyond that, I was pretty helpless.  In hindsight, I don't remember a single employer telling me what to do to help a co-worker with a medical need.  The only disease they've ever taught me about is sexual harassment. So, let's go over some quickie … [Read more...] about Fainting at Work – What You Need to Know!

Morgan Stanley CEO John Mack has nothing on me!  He might have received a $40 million dollar bonus (in stock and options) but he didn't have the thrill of sifting through his boss's reject gifts.  The adventure reminded me of the old Wheel of Fortune - and I'm dating myself here - but back in the day you would go "shopping" with the amount of money you won.  It was awkward, weird and didn't really make for good TV so they ditched the idea.  I digress.  Back to MY bonus. A VG Pocket gaming device (you can play Space Invaders and Burger Time), an in-car massage pillow and a Jeep brand knapsack.  Eat your hearts out you foolish Goldman Sachs stooges.  Those suckers are only getting an average payday of $622,000 each. The funny thing is, compared to "bonuses" I've received in the past, this isn't half bad.  I mean, the gaming thingy didn't come with batteries but it's still kinda cute and retails for $40! Since I'm in a glass-half-full kind of mood, my bonus actually bucked a trend: it … [Read more...] about My, What a Big Bonus You Have

The Working Podcast started in April '05 as a labor of love.  Actually, as a labor of hate. I was up to HERE with work and all the BS that came along with it.  In between machine gunning my resume to anyone with an inbox, I decided that a podcast would be a great way to talk to other folks in the same situation.  Careers ebb and flow, and in the middle of the hire/fire sandwich is a whole lotta depressing grey. I could either bash my bosses head in (I'm too peaceful for that), continue to complain (yawn!), or do something therapeutic.  The Working Podcast allows me to do all of the above!Since then we've been blessed with 36,000+ unique homepage views, tens of thousands of downloads and most recently - the honor of winning the Podcast Peer Award for Best Business Podcast 2006.  With a little more focus and effort, plus the addition of two new pals (get the 411 here), I really believe that this time around - the sky is the limit!We plan to bring you the … [Read more...] about Revamped, Recharged and Reloaded