Maybe it is me, but there seems to be many different groupings and names for the different generations in our society today. I was reading an article about a recent Harris Poll that used this generation grouping: Matures (those ages 62 and over) Baby Boomers (those ages 43 to 61) Gen Xers (ages 31 to 42) Echo Boomers (ages 18 to 30) I am not familiar with “Echo Boomers” terminology – I always thought that generation was referred to as Generation Y. “Matures” is a new one for me too. Wouldn’t it be nice if somehow we could get some ANSI-like standard on what the generational names are?
Continue ReadingPresenteeism and Flexible Hours
I had never heard of “presenteeism” up until a couple of months ago as I mentioned in this post. Now I encountered this SM&M article – Working While Sick. Top reasons for schlepping in when sick: I feel guilty for calling in; my workload is too heavy; I save my sick time for personal reasons like family emergencies, sick children, parent care issues and other unexpected events; and I try to have perfect attendance. “Schlepping in…?” Another new phrase for me. No real surprises in the reasons for coming to work sick. I did find this paragraph insightful: The study suggests bosses could do more to stem the trend. “Employees… Read More
Continue ReadingEven Laundry?
Google and work-life balance – this story may make you sick with envy. In case you haven’t heard, Google was ranked as the best company to work for in the US. The aforementioned link is a slide show that reveals what the culture of Google. All I can say is amazing. Just to give you a partial idea of the Google campus: Google takes the work-life balance to a new level. A Googler who’s pressed for time can get plenty of errands done while at work. Employees can do laundry for free in company washers and dryers (free detergent too) or drop off dry cleaning.Among Google’s many other conveniences offered… Read More
Continue ReadingDont Borrow Their Blackberry
I don’t think this foxnews.com story needs much analysis – Business Owners Confess to Checking E-mail While Driving, Using Bathroom. The survey suggests that entrepreneurs cope with the lack of time by working whenever and wherever they can. Forty-nine percent of respondents said they make business calls and check while driving, and 18 percent admit they read work-related e-mail and documents while in the bathroom. I think this survey redefines the definition of work-life imbalance.
Continue ReadingA Culture of Fun
From abcnews.com – How to Have More Fun at Work. This topic is going to become more common as Gen X ascends and Gen Y populates the workforce. Already we are seeing numerous articles on work/life balance enter the article sphere. I’ve worked for many Boomer managers who were suit-and-tie, get your work done leaders with no time for, well, fun at the office. At one technology employer, we had a dartboard and ping pong table in the lunchroom that was a huge hit. In the sales department, we would take a 15 minute afternoon break to go trash-talk each other while competing like we were in the Olympics. To… Read More
Continue ReadingAnother Survey, Similar Results
Now HotJobs.com offers up their survey about job seekers in 2007 – Many workers to consider new jobs in 2007. No surprises in that headline. Their stats: The survey — in which nearly two-thirds of respondents (66 percent) said they would consider new job opportunities in 2007 — suggests the U.S. workforce is full of “passive job seekers” looking to improve their prospects.Optimism about new jobs in 2007 was also common among survey-takers, as approximately 70 percent believe opportunities for job seekers are better or the same as one year ago. These numbers are similar to SHRM’s results. There is a stark contradiction later in the article. Salary ranked as… Read More
Continue ReadingWhat’s Not In It
Just a quick thought to start this new year – one way to spot a suspect opportunity is if the employment ad spends more words describing what you don’t have to do as opposed to what you do have to do. I just read an ad that spent multiple sentences and bullet points explaining what the position did not entail. Mainly, it sounds like you don’t have to work.
Continue ReadingTelecommuting Trend Expands
Telecommuting is the Norm is a quick article from Sales & Marketing Management’s website. I don’t think this trend is surprising to most people. We have seen a tremendous shift towards this approach in outside sales positions over the past 2 years especially. Most candidates now expect some form of telecommuting capability including wireless-connected laptops, VPN connections and PDA cell phones. If your company does not offer these telecommuting basics, consider this excerpt from the article: “The war for talent, combined with commuting times and costs, and an increasing need for work-life balance are all factors that promote telecommuting,” says Jim Lanzalotto, vice president of strategy and marketing for Yoh.… Read More
Continue ReadingWork/Work Balance and Money
And now for a brief follow up to my previous post. From foxnews.com’s business section – Money Might Buy At Least a Little Happiness, Study Shows. A strange survey for sure, but one that illustrates that there is some happiness to having money. That I don’t doubt. But two excerpts from the article are quite fascinating. First: Does money make you happier? Or does being happier in the first place allow you to earn more money later, maybe by way of greater creativity or energy? Or does some other factor produce both money and happiness? There’s evidence for all three interpretations, Lucas says. I am partial to his second question… Read More
Continue ReadingWork/Work Balance
I hope this isn’t a trend – Extreme Jobs Mean Long Hours, Little Sleep — A Lot of Money. The example in the article is a trial lawyer working to make partner (reminds me of John Grisham’s book The Firm). How about this (my emphasis): A new study in the upcoming issue of the Harvard Business Review estimates that 1.7 million Americans now hold extreme jobs. The study defined “extreme” as any job that requires more than 60 work hours per week and fits various parameters regarding work flow, travel, responsibilities away from the office and outside commitments. A further description of Mr Shontz (the trial lawyer): Shontz is almost… Read More
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