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Employee Recognition Could Improve in a Recession
Tweet Share on Facebook November 20, 2008 Comment (2)If cost-cutting employers chop employee rewards programs during the downturn, will workers despair over the lack of recognition? Perhaps not--if the programs are replaced with something better.
Bob Nelson, an author and expert in employee motivation, talked with Harvard Management Update about employees' favorite kind of reward: praise.
An excerpt of the interview:
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Bush Will Back Unemployment Benefits Extension
Tweet Share on Facebook November 20, 2008 Comment (181)President Bush is in favor of extending unemployment benefits in this market, White House press secretary Dana Perino said this morning. The Senate could vote today on a bill, already passed by the House, that would extend unemployment insurance by seven weeks--or 13 weeks in states with unemployment rates higher than 6 percent.
An extension is relief for those who have exhausted their benefits, and it's also considered by some economists to be an efficient economic stimulus, as the money goes to people who will spend it rather than save it.
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Jobless Claims Ugliest in 16 Years
Tweet Share on Facebook November 20, 2008 Comment (1)The number of new applications for unemployment insurance hit 542,000 last week, the Labor Department reported this morning. That's up 27,000 from the revised 515,000 initial claims filed a week earlier. It's also much worse than the 505,000 initial claims economists were expecting.
While these are the highest initial claims since July 1992, it's worth noting that the nation's labor force has grown by about half since the early 1980s (AP). Still, the numbers affirm expectations that the unemployment rate--at 6.5 percent in October--will continue to climb.
"Indeed, the current four-week moving average of initial claims, at 506,000, is consistent with about a 400,000 monthly drop in nonfarm payrolls," Joshua Shapiro, chief U.S. economist at MFR, wrote in a morning note. "The latest unsmoothed initial claims result of 542,000 is consistent with almost a 500,000 monthly pace of nonfarm payroll decline."
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When a $200,000 Salary Isn't Enough
Tweet Share on Facebook November 19, 2008 Comment (3)Community colleges in California are struggling to fill top positions that pay about $200,000 a year. That sounds like crazy talk in this economy, but the situation may be a sign of things to come nationwide, as leaders retire and applicant pools shrink, the Chronicle of Higher Education reports.
Community college positions tend not to pay as much as comparable four-year college positions, and California contenders have to weigh compensation packages against higher living expenses, "complex laws, strong unions," and a rocky state budget, according to the Chronicle.
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7 Ways to Get a Job Near Obama
Tweet Share on Facebook November 19, 2008 Comment (5)While job seekers are hot to land one of the more than 7,000 political appointments that President-elect Barack Obama will have to make, the cold truth is that most average Joes won't come close to scoring one of these. Lily Whiteman, author of How to Land a Top-Paying Federal Job, says those jobs are filled by people who are leaders in their fields or by people with significant political connections, especially those with the backing of an influential organization, like a union.
But take heart: If "Yes we can" is still ringing in your ears and you long for a shot working under an Obama administration, Whiteman has some great advice for finding work in a federal agency.
Here are some tips:
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Liz Lemon and Others: on Work
Tweet Share on Facebook November 19, 2008 Comment (1)Here's a little break from the bailout/Big Three madness: The Boston Globe has a sweet slideshow of work-related movie and TV quotes. I am adding my own contribution from 30 Rock, a supremely good TV show about a TV show that is, really, all about work.
Here, an exchange between Liz Lemon (played by Tina Fey) and her boss, Jack Donaghy (Alec Baldwin):
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Big Three Jobs: The Nub of the Numbers
Tweet Share on Facebook November 18, 2008 Comment (4)While it's certain that a failure of any Big Three automakers in Detroit would bring a new kind of pain to the country's jobs market--there is some dispute over the numbers.
The New York Times Economix blog takes a look at the oft-quoted figure that 1 in 10 U.S. jobs is supported by the auto industry (a figure harvested from a 2003 Center for Automotive Research study) and offers some insights.
From Economix:
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Citigroup to Cut 50,000 Jobs
Tweet Share on Facebook November 17, 2008 CommentCitigroup said today it plans to cut more than 50,000 jobs worldwide as part of a larger effort to slash expenses and regain profitability.
Reuters reports that bank sources have said the cuts will be completed within the first couple of months of 2009. Citigroup had about 375,000 employees at its 2007 peak. It now aims to bring payrolls down to 300,000.
You can see Citigroup's "town hall" presentation for employees here.
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Anthony Morrow: How to Be a Rookie Success
Tweet Share on Facebook November 17, 2008 Comment (8)Every workplace rookie wonders how to start a new job right, and the pressure to perform has intensified in recent months, as a wider swath of companies cut their payrolls and every worker questions his or her dispensability.
This weekend, all rookies found their hero in Anthony Morrow, the Golden State Warriors player who scored 37 points in his first NBA start--the most ever for an undrafted rookie, the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
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A Great Interview Tip
Tweet Share on Facebook November 14, 2008 Comment (1)When preparing for an interview--make use of a voice recorder. It’s very easy. Enlist a spouse or friend to mock-interview you and tape your answers.
Then, you will be able to avoid precisely what Rowan Manahan, over at the Fortify Your Oasis blog, is talking about in in his post today. Specifically, sounding like this:
