From selling blood to delivering phone books, the gang at Coupon Sherpa has put together 24 Ways to Make Money While Unemployed. … [Read more...] about 24 Ways to Make Money While Unemployed
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Your Employer’s Wellness Program Might Hit a Wall
Federal Law Prohibits Asking Certain QuestionsLast week, I wrote, "Parity for Mental Health Insurance Coverage," about a new law that will mandate employers who offer employee health insurance to cover mental health and substance abuse treatment. In a related area, I found this article by Cari Tuna in the Wall Street Journal, “Wellness Efforts Face Hurdle.” The article talks about employers offering incentives to employees so that they will join “wellness” programs. Most incentives take the form of cash, gift cards or reductions in insurance premiums. Entrance to these programs usually starts with a health survey, often requesting information about family history.But a recent federal law, the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act, passed in November, 2009, now limits employers or health insurance company’s ability to collect information that discloses genetic-testing results or family history. The EEOC (U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission) … [Read more...] about Your Employer’s Wellness Program Might Hit a Wall
Office Olympics Ideas
The Winter Olympics are about to get underway. You know, the ones with actual athletes? While there's enough snow here in New York to get some freestyle aerial skiing done during lunch, we'd rather stick with indoor Office Olympics. The following made-up events will get everyone at work involved in some kooky team “sports,” and may even boost morale. They are most enjoyable when organized using billable time (what?), and without the knowledge of “the boss” (or whatever you call that guy who signs your check). Cue the opening ceremony and lets get started! The Pencil Pusher. In this game of skill, contestants have 30 seconds to lodge as many sharpened No. 2 pencils as possible into suspended ceiling tiles. Because projectile objects will be flying through the air, safety glasses are recommended. The Banker. Contestants take turns shooting rubber bands at the ceiling, in an effort to bank them into a coffee mug placed in the middle of a conference table. The player with the … [Read more...] about Office Olympics Ideas
Working Podcast #97: Surviving the Toxic Workplace
Today's topics: A new book on "Surviving the Toxic Workplace." Have You Reinvented Your Career? ABC News wants to hear from you. Get the details on the latest episode of the Working Podcast. Direct Download … [Read more...] about Working Podcast #97: Surviving the Toxic Workplace
Quantify Wasteful Meetings With Meet or Die
Meetings are the bane of existence for us office dwelling fools. Countless hours are spent around the conference table. Some people doodle, others daydream. And very rarely does anything actually get accomplished.Former employees from Apple and EA are no strangers to wasteful meetings. That's why they have created Meet or Die, the online tool where you can estimate how much money that meeting just cost the company, and share that info with the world.Just specify the name of your company, the industry you work in, the length of the meeting and the titles of the attendees and sit back as Goolah, the site's mascot, tells you how much money just evaporated into thin air.After the meeting results are calculated, you have the option to share them on the site's homepage.The site is useful if you're looking to kill a few minutes, but I'm still a fan of the Payscale Meeting Miser. … [Read more...] about Quantify Wasteful Meetings With Meet or Die
Parity for Mental Health Insurance Coverage
New Rule’s Timing Couldn’t Be BetterOn January 29, 2010, federal regulations were issued regarding parity in mental health and substance abuse insurance coverage. What it means is that employer group health insurance plans (of companies with over 50 employees) will now have to offer the same coverage for mental health and drug abuse treatment as they do for medical illnesses. An article on CNNMoney.com, “New U.S. rules set parity for mental health care” explains,“The measures, known as mental health parity, ban group health plans from applying different coverage standards for mental health disorders or substance abuse treatment than those for general medical treatment or surgery.‘The rules we are issuing today will, for the first time, help assure that those diagnosed with these debilitating and sometimes life-threatening disorders will not suffer needless or arbitrary limits on their care,’ U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen … [Read more...] about Parity for Mental Health Insurance Coverage
Sun CEO Jonathan Schwartz Resigns; Tweets Haiku
Techcrunch reports that Sun Microsystems CEO Jonathan Schwartz has resigned from his job via Twitter. Today’s my last day at Sun. I’ll miss it. Seems only fitting to end on a #haiku. Financial crisis/Stalled too many customers/CEO no moreI guess when you're a CEO, you can get away with it. But if you want to exit the right way and quit your job with class, you need The Exit Guide: How to Quit a Job the Right Way. Included are some great resignation letter templates. Schwartz might be out of a job, but we're sure he can spare a few bucks to buy a copy. … [Read more...] about Sun CEO Jonathan Schwartz Resigns; Tweets Haiku
Super (Unemployment) Bowl
This weekend there will be about 20 people at Jobacle HQ watching the Super Bowl. We'll all be chowing down on chicken wings and pulled pork sliders, shushing each other as the first commercials start to roll.At an average cost of $2.6M for 30 seconds, everyone from Anheuser-Busch to Walt Disney will be jockeying for our attention.We'll all muse over the cost of these ads, a figure, which quite honestly, is incomprehensible to me and my middle-class friends.The out-of-work construction worker will laugh; the unemployed teacher might chuckle. And my friend's dad, who's worked in a union for 37 years, will be sipping beers for the first time as a member of the pink-slip brigade.With 1 out of every 10 Americans unemployed, am I the only one sick over the Super Bowl ad orgy?Let's do some quickie math.In the time you watch Danica Patrick whore herself out for Web hosting, 43 people could have been added to payroll at $40,000 a year each - we'll even toss in $20,000 for medical … [Read more...] about Super (Unemployment) Bowl
Choose Not to Fly Your Freak Flag at Work
When Not Fitting in is a Good ThingIn a recent post, “VIDEO: Pains in the Office,” Andrew gave some terrific examples of stereotypical rude co-workers and how they drive us nuts. I’ve always been thankful that at least they seem to be in the minority. But an article in eWeek.com, “Four in 10 Workers Say They Don’t Fit in with Peers,” tells us that it’s possible most of us are outnumbered by these characters. The article points out how one “bad apple” in a work group can “spoil the “barrel” and have a negative affect on the group as a whole:“Rude, gross and inappropriate behavior by co-workers and managers is not the exception in the workplace, research suggests. A similar study on the effects of rudeness finds that when teams witness incivility, negative thoughts dominate and diminish productivity for the larger group.”Scary, huh? It seems to me that the offender would self-select out of the … [Read more...] about Choose Not to Fly Your Freak Flag at Work
Reality Check: Work Fire Drills FAIL
Shouting fire in a crowded theater could land you in jail; yelling 'fire drill' at work is a big, fat, colossal fail. While an exciting and welcome change of pace in fourth grade, workplace fire drills are a time-wasting distraction in the corporate culture. Before my inbox gets jammed from fire survivors, let me preface this post by stating I am not anti-fire drill, nor am I pro-fire. I just think the methods employed by most organizations are laughable.THE TRUTH ABOUT WORK FIRE DRILLS1) Don't give me a mandatory meeting place in the event of a fire. I understand that employers want a headcount so that they can make sure everyone is out of the building (and cover their asses). But should disaster strike, you will find me acting in my best interest. If that means jogging three miles away from the burning building, so be it. I'm not suggesting I'll trample helpless children, a la George Costanza, but I will look out for myself and my family … [Read more...] about Reality Check: Work Fire Drills FAIL