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A Layoff Deserves a Greeting Card
Tweet Share on Facebook June 30, 2008 Comment (9)A layoff is distressing and embarrassing, but that's no reason not to send a card, reports the News & Observer in Raleigh, N.C.
Hallmark makes cards specifically for layoffs, and sending them can "demonstrate your bonhomie and business etiquette," according to the story.
A layoff card from Hallmark reaffirms that the recipient has deeper value than the job title that's now a fading memory: "I hope you'll take pride in all you've accomplished and realize how much you have yet to give," the card reads. The subtext: We care about you, even if the system doesn't.
Earlier this month, the newspaper reported that Kansas City-based Hallmark would itself be cutting 335 jobs in the United States and Canada.
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Healthy Eaters Are More Energetic Workers
Tweet Share on Facebook June 30, 2008 Comment (3)One more reason for employers to start snooping in your brown bag: A new study from ComPsych, a provider of employee assistance programs, found a significant correlation between balanced nutrition and at-work energy and productivity.
The study found that half of all employees with balanced diets reported having high energy, compared with only 5 percent of employees with unbalanced diets.
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Lying About Expenses Can Be a Job-Ender
Tweet Share on Facebook June 27, 2008 Comment (2)It might seem like a small thing, but if others decide you lied about business expenses, it's enough to get you removed from the bench.
An Orange County judge is appealing the decision by state officials to remove her from her office. She was reportedly authorized for a single night's hotel stay while attending a legal conference but stayed an extra three nights and, allegedly, lied about her conference schedule when she tried to claim the expenses.
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Friday Roundup: Make Money at Your Wedding
Tweet Share on Facebook June 27, 2008 Comment (1)It's Friday. Here are a few news tidbits to finish off the week:
Supplement your income—find a sponsor for your wedding.
Sea change: Children and family now headline small talk among men at the office.
You can get fired for slamming your employer on Facebook. (Is this news?)
Microsoft's careers blog does Bill Gates justice.
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My Future Was Destroyed by the UPC Scanner
Tweet Share on Facebook June 26, 2008 Comment (3)When I was a kid, there was only one job I definitely wanted when I grew up—supermarket cashier. I grew up in New Jersey when long nails were ubiquitous and UPC scanners hadn't yet come into their own. That meant cashiers were still tapping the register keys, making everyday concerts of their quick clicks. Nail polish—almost always accessorized with tiny jewels and floral motifs—was often dayglow orange or hot pink, and very nice to watch at work while you waited in long lines at Pathmark or Kings. A truly skilled cashier could whiz through our grocery cart, her eyes rarely glancing at the keys.
I spent many hours in training for my dream job. A set of press-on nails and an extra-large calculator enabled me to develop my skills at home. On occasion, I would get some real-world experience, when a cashier would generously let me come around the counter and key in the numbers for a can of Country Time or a jar of kosher pickles.
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The Worst Advice Ever
Tweet Share on Facebook June 25, 2008 Comment (1)If you've ever offered someone your great career insight only to realize weeks (months, years) later how totally awful it was—welcome to the club.
This from Penelope Trunk:
The worst career advice I ever gave was to my brother's college roommate, Robert Buckley. He was one year out of college when he asked me if he should quit healthcare consulting to become an actor.
I said, 'No, that's the dumbest idea I ever heard.'
That Robert Buckley would be the Robert Buckley now starring in NBC's Lipstick Jungle.
So go praise Penelope for her mea culpa, and get her advice on defending your own dream career track from would-be advisers. Just remember, we're all lousy sages sometimes, and the bad advice you sometimes get is no doubt as bad as the advice you sometimes give. I should know. I tried to shake a close friend of his focus on a single, far-fetched dream job. Until he got it. He now splits his days between a Major League Baseball press box and dugout.
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Why You Need to Make It Home for Dinner
Tweet Share on Facebook June 25, 2008 Comment (4)When it comes to family time in the work-life balance, one particular time may be the most important: the dinner hour.
A recent study from researchers at Brigham Young University suggests that long hours on the job cause higher work-life conflict when they regularly interrupt dinnertime.
Researchers looked at data from a large IBM survey and focused on 1,500 U.S. workers with children under 18. They found that the work-family conflict associated with working longer hours dropped significantly for women who didn't miss dinnertime. Indeed, working long hours can take a toll personally and professionally (it's called burnout), but making it home for dinner can mitigate the impact.
The takeaway: Companies may benefit if they find a way for employees to work long hours but make it home in time for dinner, according to the study.
It's one more reason—along with high gas prices—to lobby for a telecommuting day (or two).
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How to Get a Job When You're 60 Plus
Tweet Share on Facebook June 24, 2008 Comment (28)Karen writes:
I recently lost a job because a younger person was also applying while I was there. I am in my 60s—not that old, good looking, professional, with lots of experience. Is there anything I need to do to secure the job despite my age? I obviously made an impression to be called back for the second interview, but I didn't get the job. I'm losing my confidence!
Karen, don't lose your confidence! But you may need to put a bit more effort into your search. Here are some tips:
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You're Fired—for a Wikipedia Update
Tweet Share on Facebook June 23, 2008 CommentEntry No. 17 in the book of Lessons for Safe Internet Use at Work:
While NBC held back announcing Meet the Press host Tim Russert's death for about an hour—long enough for his family to be informed—his Wikipedia entry was updated to reflect the news in about half that time.
So who told? An employee at Internet Broadcasting Services, which works with local NBC stations. From the New York Times:
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Are We Getting Dumb or Quick?
Tweet Share on Facebook June 20, 2008 Comment (8)The half-attentive, ever-antsy nature of our scrolling life on the Web may be making us stupid, the Atlantic Monthly says this month. The story reports on the findings of a University College London study of online research habits: "We may well be in the midst of a sea change in the way we read and think."
The authors of the study report:
It is clear that users are not reading online in the traditional sense; indeed, there are signs that new forms of "reading" are emerging as users "power browse" horizontally through titles, contents pages and abstracts going for quick wins. It almost seems that they go online to avoid reading in the traditional sense.
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