June 30, 2003

Think you're tired on the job?
Posted by at 3:30 PM

While many people feel how the lack of proper zzz's affects their work and private lives, there are those whose job relies upon their ability to go without the normal 8 hours of sleep... doctors-in-training. Starting on Tuesday, resident doctors may be getting a little more shut eye:

One of the fiercest debates over resident hours is over whether fatigue leads to more errors. The correlation has been established for pilots and truckers, but surgeons such as Warshaw dispute the connection for doctors. Studies are ongoing, including one at the Brigham that is tracking doctors' hours and vital signs against their patients' outcomes.

What does this mean for area hospitals? Read the articles: Doctors ordered: Work less and Hospitals confront new rules on curbing residents' work hours.
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Build skills, not pay early in career
Posted by Douglas Eisenhart at 10:20 AM

BostonWorks Job Doc Andrea Wolf offers advice to workers early in their careers:

In the early stages of a career, your goal is to gather experience, build your skill set, and determine what you like. I think it is unfortunate that you left a job you ''loved'' because it didn't pay well.

Read this week's entire Job Doc column from the Boston Sunday Globe.

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DEC is dead; long live DEC
Posted by Douglas Eisenhart at 10:17 AM

Call it one of the ironies of the early 21st century work world. In today's fast-changing markets, companies - even large corporations - may come and go. As a result, it is possible for corporate alumni networks to outlast the companies that spawned them. Such is the case for DEC alumni. ''As an economic entity, DEC is dead,'' said Edgar Schein, an emeritus professor of management at the MIT Sloan School of Management. ''As a culture, it lives on in its alumni. A culture can be stronger than an economic unit.''

Read the article from BostonWorks in the Boston Sunday Globe. --------

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Putting the shine back on 'rusted-out' career
Posted by Douglas Eisenhart at 10:10 AM

"Rust-out", which comes from being in the same job too long, can lead to boredom and possibly burnout:

Barbara Reinhold, author of ''Toxic Work: How to Overcome Stress, Overload, and Burnout and Revitalize Your Career'' and director of the Smith College Career Development Office, says that people suffering from rust-out have three options: dead work, new work, or revitalized work.

Since finding new work isn't always possible in today's tough job market, career revitalization becomes especially important. A career, says Reinhold, involves more than just the job itself. It also includes education, training, and networking. So, even if the job stays the same, you can revitalize your career by making changes in the other areas.

Read the piece from BostonWorks in the Boston Sunday Globe.

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June 26, 2003

What are your former employers saying about you?
Posted by Douglas Eisenhart at 5:15 PM

High unemployment and the lousy economy are creating a boom in an uncommon industry: reference checking.

Not employers checking job candidates, but job seekers finding out what former bosses may be saying about them.

Read the article, entitled "Tough times a boost for reference-checkers", from the Atlanta Journal Constitution web site.

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It's 90 degrees and sunny
Posted by Jason Butler at 9:44 AM

We've just suffered through the worst winter and spring since the dawn of time. Now, we are finally getting some decent weather, but of course it's during the workweek.

So now, while I'm counting down the hours (~31.5 or so) to my vacation, I'm looking out my window past Morrissey Boulevard to the green grass of BC High and I'm pondering this article from ABC News: Americans get short-changed when it comes to holiday time.
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You make the most money. Bye.
Posted by Jason Butler at 9:29 AM

You can always count on the Journal for jolly trends. Today: well-paid professionals draw unwelcome attention.

[Lay-off victim] Mr. Wood and the others were faulted for nothing. They simply made too much money at a time when the company was desperate to economize. Circuit City then hired about 2,100 lower-paid hourly workers to replace Mr. Wood and the others, who had represented 20% of its sales force.

In doing so, the retailer made an increasingly common cost-saving move: swapping expensive labor with lower-paid workers. The approach, which is generally legal, doesn't eliminate the position but rather the high-paid person in it. The technique is especially attractive to service businesses such as retail. Like so many companies today, they face massive pressure to cut their labor costs. But unlike manufacturers, they have jobs that can't easily be automated or shipped overseas.

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Putting all your email eggs in one basket
Posted by Jason Butler at 9:22 AM

The New York Times takes a look at what happens when you run all your email through work, then leave the company.

For much of the working population, e-mail is not only available but indispensable, a tool not just for work but for maintaining personal bonds. Like Ms. Finnie, many workers are accustomed to using a work computer and e-mail address to stay in touch with friends and family in the course of the day.

Yet with the convenience comes risk. Although many people are aware that they may be sacrificing privacy by using workplace e-mail, they are sometimes indiscreet in what they write. And for those like Ms. Finnie who spend years in a single job, the e-mail address becomes part of their identity. Leaving a job and its e-mail address can cause practical and emotional upheaval.

I'm lucky, I have my own domain so I don't have to worry about it.
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June 25, 2003

The high cost of efficiency
Posted by Jason Butler at 9:19 AM

J. Bradford DeLong, in Wired, takes a look at whether computers really raise or lower productivity.

Computers are tremendous labor-saving devices. They give us power to accomplish extraordinary amounts of work in extraordinarily short intervals of time: financial analysis, data mining, design automation. But they also give us the capability to do things like play solitaire. Or send instant messages. Fiddle with fonts. Futz with PowerPoint. Twiddle with images. Reconfigure link rollovers.

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June 24, 2003

Worker's compensation insurance costs are soaring
Posted by Jason Butler at 9:22 AM

The New York Times reports on yet another burden for employers which prevents them from hiring: soaring costs for worker's compensation insurance.

Prices are escalating, government and industry officials said, because of rising medical and legal costs; a recent devastating price war by insurers; and, many insurers and business executives say, a significant amount of fraud.

In the last few years, the cost of almost all kinds of insurance has been rising sharply. But workers' compensation insurance, which pays for treatment of on-the-job injuries and lost wages, is a particular problem because its purchase is mandatory. Businesses cannot trim their workers' compensation coverage to save money because, every employee must be fully insured.

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How to annoy your best customers
Posted by Jason Butler at 9:18 AM

This morning's New York Times reports on the inventive new ways travel organizations are sticking it to business travelers.
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Law Firms easing up on Associates?
Posted by Jason Butler at 9:16 AM

Another promising trend spotted in this morning's Globe: law firms are easing up on associates in the name of family.

The partners' plan tries to address one of the legal profession's most challenging questions: How can lawyers balance intense dedication to their work with the equally demanding task of raising a family? The three men point to a 1999 report by the Boston Bar Association that found the legal profession was ''in danger of seeing law firms evolve into institutions where only those who have no family responsibilities'' can thrive. Many law students and attorneys like the partners' plans, but others maintained that long hours are a fundamental part of being a good lawyer.

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Biogen merges with Idec
Posted by Jason Butler at 9:13 AM

Big news in the local biotech market: Biogen is merging with Idec in a stock-swap valued at $6,440,000,000.

The new company, to be called Biogen Idec, would be based in Cambridge, rather than Idec's headquarters in San Diego. Biogen's chairman and chief executive, James C. Mullen, would be CEO of the combined company. Idec's current chairman and CEO, William H. Rastetter, would become chairman. Each company would have six members of the new board of directors.

Now may be the time to buy that condo in Kendall Square.
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Sprung from cages on Landsdowne Street
Posted by Jason Butler at 9:09 AM

The Boss to play Fenway?

Not everyone's in love with the idea, reported Newscenter 5's Mary Saladna, but so far there have been very few naysayers.

Red Sox officials haven't confirmed that it is Bruce Springsteen who would be playing, but that is the word all over town. If it does happen, there will be two shows Sept. 6 and 7. It will be the first time a rock concert would be played at Fenway Park.

This would be exciting, the best-known singer of songs for the working man playing a show at Fenway Park. Now I just need to figure out how to use my work connections to score tickets. Let's see, the Globe is owned by the Times, who are part-owners of the Sox. Hmm.

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June 23, 2003

Older and Far Away
Posted by Jason Butler at 1:46 PM

Sometime this morning, between the college nostalgia and the paternity anticipation posts, I came across fellow Syracuse alum Amy's post about her reunion with her early-twenties, post-college friends.

This weekend I also had a reunion with a group of friends from "back in the day"... that glorious early 20's, just finished college time. You have a job, and thus real money for the first time, but most likely you don't have much responsiblity so you can get away with going out and drinking massive amounts pretty regularly. ... This weekend, I look around the table in the bar/restaurant located within our old stomping grounds. We discuss things like home purchases and 401(k)'s and the job market. I see people I don't know. I see an infant at the table with us (his parents having made the hour long trip to the big bad city) and I wonder: what happened? When did we become so uncool? And then the baby's father says: remember that time during a blizzard, the T wasn't running, this place was packed and we just sat in here and drank all day... Someone else jumps in: or the time that.... and we are off. And I realize there is a little part of us that will always stay young and cool.

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Newspapers and Unions
Posted by Jason Butler at 1:24 PM

Editor & Publisher writes this morning about union conflicts at newspapers around the country, including here at the Boston Globe and at the New York Times [full disclosures: I am a non-union consultant here at the Globe. The Globe is owned by the Times].

Tim Porter writes an interesting insider's view of the subject over on his weblog.
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Here's one for all you RSS geeks out there
Posted by Jason Butler at 10:00 AM

If you don't already, you should subscribe to the BostonWorks articles feed. We update this feed every Friday night with the BostonWorks stories coming out of the Boston Globe newsroom.

Are there any other feeds you'd like to see? Email me and let me know.
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More firms are offering paternity leave
Posted by Jason Butler at 9:55 AM

This is a trend I like, more firms are offering paid paternity leave to new fathers.

Currently, about 13 percent of companies with more than 100 employees offer [paternity leave], up from just a handful 10 years ago, according to the Families and Work Institute in New York. ''We are seeing more young men who are actively parenting,'' said Kathie Lingle, national work-life director for KPMG LLP, an accounting and tax services firm based in Montvale, N.J. ''There has been a general societal shift. They want to be involved.''

Paternity leave is not an immediate issue for me, but may be in the next few years. I hope all businesses will offer this benefit by then.
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College grads not liking the job market
Posted by Jason Butler at 9:55 AM

Graduating college students are feeling the cold slap of reality.

Just a few weeks ago, they were facing the future with blind optimism, confident that a job would turn up someplace soon. Now, members of the class of 2003 are finding that it's a lot tougher in the real world than they'd anticipated.

Full-time employment has yet to materialize for students who delayed their job search. Others are banking on the relationships they built while on internships to help them find permanent work. Still others are the envy of their peers: They've got jobs.

In 1994, a similarly tough year, I graduated without a job. It was depressing. A couple of months later, I ended up getting a job through my sister's best friend's husband.

Keep trying, job leads can come from the strangest places.
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Competion at work. Good? Bad?
Posted by Jason Butler at 9:54 AM

Is competition among co-workers inspiring or debilitating?

Some say competition among employees is helpful because it keeps workers working and interested in their jobs. Others believe competition has gotten to dangerously high levels. Jobs are at stake now, that argument goes, and people are worried somebody else might get promoted while they get the boot - and it's to the point that some of them are sabotaging their perceived rivals.

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June 20, 2003

To college or not to college?
Posted by Douglas Eisenhart at 9:28 AM

Here's a story that caught my attention: should a high school graduate go to college to earn a bachelor's degree or instead take the time to apprentice him or herself and learn a lucrative trade?

It's not unusual for seniors to graduate without a firm plan for their future, although it's hard to miss the directive most adults send: college, college, college.
. . .
That's not to say the message isn't valid. In the late 1990s, workers with bachelor's degrees earned about $1 million more in their lifetime than those with only a high school diploma, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Still, not everyone follows the same track in life.

As the parents of a "rising senior", my wife and I are in the throes of college hunting with our daughter and girding our loins for the massive payout this will entail, upwards of $130,000 over four years at a private institution (without any financial aid). This is clearly an investment second only in magnitude to one's home. But it's somewhat difficult to contemplate an expenditure of this level at a time when all about one the very products of these institutions are laid off and suffering, struggling to find work in a changing economy that values hard skills over managerial experience and cannot supply high-enough level jobs for all the degreed folks, or even entry-level jobs for the freshly minted grads. It sharpens one's thinking as a prospective buyer of education: the colleges may be selective in choosing who they want to attend, but we can be equally selective in choosing which institutions meet our criteria - for now and the future.

Read the piece from the Washington King County Journal. Also see this week's BostonWorks piece on how local trade schools are thriving in today's employment market.

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Call for help
Posted by Jason Butler at 9:20 AM

Happy Friday everyone -

I'm working to clean up my bookmarks, and I want to make sure I'm checking all the places where I can find good information for you about job-hunting, career management, and the working life.

Do you have suggestions for great sites, magazines, or weblogs I should check regularly and post to this blog? Please email me and let me know!

Thanks,
Jason
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IM in the workplace
Posted by Douglas Eisenhart at 8:49 AM

Do you use IM on the job? If so, you're among a growing user base of this application, initially popular among AOL kids on the home PC but now migrated into the workplace:

It's now common to see IM in the corner of computer screens in offices across the country. Consulting firm Gartner estimates that by 2006 more North Americans will choose IM over e-mail to communicate at work. Another research firm, Osterman, suggests that about 18 per cent of the working population currently uses IM compared to eight per cent two years ago.

Read the entire piece.

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June 19, 2003

Marketing, money, minorities, more
Posted by Douglas Eisenhart at 5:17 PM

Quick links to this week's industry updates:

BIOTECH - New campaign markets Bay State to biotech businesses

FINANCE - Fleet says loan woes ending

HEALTHCARE - $1.2m is set to foster minority doctors

TECH - the Good News Story of the Week: Area firms win stake in high-tech combat gear pact.

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Executive Dream Team
Posted by Jason Butler at 8:39 AM

Business 2.0 tells us their answer to the question: If you could have a group of anyone to run your company, who would they be?

Whatever their backgrounds, all of them have dramatically improved the companies they've worked for, and there's little doubt they'd do the same for our hypothetical enterprise. Here's the best management team we could choose -- and why we selected each member.

For some reason, I'm not on the list. Maybe next year...
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Wireless unit key in Verizon union discussions
Posted by Jason Butler at 8:31 AM

Verizon's biggest union wants a chance to organize the rapidly-growing wireless division, and is trying to make this a key issue in the current negotiations. Verizon calls Verizon Wireless a separate discussion.

''If they don't agree to improve the wireless situation, there will be no settlement,'' [union leader] Bahr said in a conference call with reporters. ''We have a variety of tools in our arsenal, of which a strike is one.''

Verizon spokesman Eric Rabe said: ''Verizon Wireless is not a part of these contract negotiations. The bargaining is between Verizon's telecom group and its unions. We believe that these negotiations must focus on the needs and welfare of the more than 75,000 workers covered by these union contracts.''

Read the whole article from yesterday's Boston Globe.
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June 17, 2003

Here come the 'Duppies'
Posted by at 1:13 PM

In the 80's it was the Yuppies, in the 90's it was the Dot-com'ers, now, in the 00's... the 'Duppies?' CNN|Money has an article on the new class category that the current unemployment situation may have spawned:

In the dry argot of government statisticians, they're the "underemployed" -- people who aren't working as much as they'd like to.

But a better name for them might be "Duppies" -- depressed urban professionals.

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Smug goatee'd bosses and bitter wage slaves
Posted by at 11:49 AM

Segueing from Jason's earlier post about the spate of business travelers addicted to television, CNN has a story today about The Office, a BBC-produced "mockumentary" series about a sales team for a paper supply company that "finds hilarity in a working world where very little gets done by nine-to-fivers who would rather spend their days almost anywhere else." The series aired across the Pond several months ago, but this week, cable's BBC America is repeating all six half-hours of that first season -- three episodes in rotation nightly at 10 p.m. EDT, Monday, June 16, through Saturday, June 21.

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MA housing costs eat up paychecks
Posted by Jason Butler at 9:28 AM

This morning's Boston Globe reports that housing costs as a percentage of wages are rising, in part due to a lack of affordable housing stock.

A traditional benchmark of affordability is spending no more than 25 to 30 percent of one's income on housing. With two young children, Acia Heath and her husband have outgrown the apartment they rent for $1,100 a month in Dorchester. Now, thanks to a mortgage program that requires only a 3 percent down payment for families with annual incomes of about $80,000 or less, Heath figures the family can afford a $350,000 house. But after a year of searching, the only houses they've found in their price range are in Brockton and Springfield.

''If you want something in decent condition in Dorchester, it's $400,000 and up,'' said Heath, 29.

Many consumers can't find houses that fit their budgets because of a supply problem, said Thomas Callahan, executive director of the Massachusetts Affordable Housing Alliance. ''We haven't been building enough housing stock, particularly at the affordable end,''

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Strike brewing at Verizon?
Posted by Jason Butler at 9:27 AM

Verizon Communications wants employees to cover more of their health insurance costs. The union is not happy, and strike talk is in the air.

Unions are blasting Verizon for seeking concessions as the company records profits of $4 billion a year and executives take home multimillion-dollar pay packages.

Paul R. Feeney, a senior IBEW Local 2222 official, said the union considers ''unacceptable'' any plan to shift healthcare expenses. ''It's a benefit that we bargained for and we deserve,'' he said. ''They came at us with it in '89 and we struck them for 17 weeks.''

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Road warriors addicted to hotel television
Posted by Jason Butler at 9:26 AM

Susan Stellin in this morning's New York Times writes about how business travelers are slaves to the idiot box.

"It's like eating candy -- it's comforting and it makes you feel terrible afterwards, but you can't stop yourself," said Kim Robinson, an editor at a New York publishing company who travels for work about once a month. Though she rarely watches television at home in Brooklyn, in a hotel the first thing in the morning she turns it on. And at night, she will watch -- well, just about anything.

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June 16, 2003

The life of a clown
Posted by Jason Butler at 9:56 AM

The Wall Street Journal profiles the life of the various Ronald McDonalds around the country.

Typically actors, or ex-Ringling Bros. clowns or teachers, Ronalds make about $40,000 a year on average. A Ronald busy handling 400 shows a year can make close to $100,000, while the highest-paying Ronald, who appears in national commercials, earns more than $300,000, according to former Ronalds. Asked about Ronald's salary, McDonald's ducks the question. "Ronald doesn't go out to work," says Amy Murray, a director in U.S. marketing. "He goes out to have fun."

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The grad school market is tough, too
Posted by Jason Butler at 9:56 AM

Patricia Kitchen in Newsday writes about how overflow from the sagging job market is making it harder to get into grad school.

As with employers, this is a time when admissions committees at the top-notch schools "don't have to make trade-offs" when it comes to grad school candidates, says Justin Serrano, executive director of Kaplan Test Prep, which helps applicants prepare for entrance exams.

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Middle class and out of work
Posted by Jason Butler at 9:55 AM

This week's Boston Globe Magazine's cover story profiles the life of those who are middle class and out of work.

They search for leads at their gyms, on the Little League field, in churches, coffee shops, and while they work stopgap jobs. They live a twisted version of 9-to-5, a working life defined by their relentless search for a regular paycheck.

There are some interesting nuggets in this story, including how a look at how many other parts of society make money off the unemployed.

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June 13, 2003

Work-life balance - for dads
Posted by Douglas Eisenhart at 9:48 AM

As Father's Day approaches, read the latest from CareerJournal on what it takes to be a good dad:

For decades, mothers have been the target of reams of guilt-inducing child-development studies dissecting their every move, right down to how their moods will shape their babies as adults.

Now, researchers are training their microscopes on fathers at last, with some compelling results. Not only do dads' interactions with their infants and toddlers influence the way kids relate later to other people and the world at large, but fathers' influence in some realms is even more powerful than moms'.

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Men negotiate better pay
Posted by Douglas Eisenhart at 9:17 AM

From this morning's Boston Globe:

A new study found that men routinely ask for more money than do women in salary negotiations. More than that, the study by a researcher at the University of California, Irvine, found that the two sexes take radically different tacks as they bargain.

Read the entire piece.

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New college grads lack career smarts
Posted by Douglas Eisenhart at 9:10 AM

This article from the Dallas Business Journal reports that while they may have done well in the classroom and have a lot to offer the workplace, the typical recent college grad is a neophyte in terms of career savvy:

"Today's college graduates may be far advanced in computer skills, but they report feeling behind in job-pursuit knowledge and interview confidence," said John Brock, chairman of John R. Brock & Associates. "Today's college graduates have received an exceptional education and have every reason to feel certain about what they have to offer the workplace. They just need to develop practical methods to convey their skills, knowledge and offerings in both written and verbal forms."

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June 12, 2003

Rally, Romney, convention, continuance, Cape
Posted by Douglas Eisenhart at 3:01 PM

From this week's industry updates on BostonWorks:

BIOTECH - starved for capital and good news, a rally in biotech stocks is eyed hungrily by industry execs. Read more Biotech news.

HEALTHCARE - faced with more patients who can't afford essential medicine, the Romney administration is planning to establish special discount pharmacies. Read more Healthcare news.

HOSPITALITY - a $1 million marketing plan for the Massachusetts Convention Center should help address some local concerns. Read more Hospitality news.

TECH - happy with the arrangement, EMC and Dell have agreed to extend their partnership another two years through 2008. Read more Tech news.

And our Good News Story of the Week goes to both RETAIL and FINANCE with the announcement that Citizens Bank is adding 9 new in-store supermarket branches on the Cape.

Read all the industry updates.
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Preparing for due diligence
Posted by Jason Butler at 1:55 PM

VentureBlog discusses how a venture capitalist will perform due diligence on your company, and how you can prepare.

If a VC is engaged in due diligence on a company, it means that the VC finds something sufficiently compelling about the business proposition that he or she views it as worthy of further investigation. While the specific business being investigated will dictate where a VC puts emphasis in the diligence process, the information reviewed is generally the same stuff across businesses and among investors.

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Workers paying a larger share for drug plans
Posted by Jason Butler at 12:51 PM

You can always rely on the New York Times for your daily dose of gloom. Today's news: workers are getting shafted again in drug plans.

Companies have been increasing employee co-payments for drugs in their health plans for several years. But now, some health plans are imposing deductibles of as much as $150, which employees must pay before their medicines are covered, or have begun to require them to pay as much as half the retail cost of the drugs. Still other plans are paying for certain expensive drugs only if a doctor first tries a less expensive treatment and then petitions the health plan for approval.

I wonder if the cost increases are in any way related to the $2,600,000,000 drug companies spend each year on consumer advertising. I'll be sure to ask my doctor.
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Stresses and strains
Posted by Douglas Eisenhart at 9:34 AM

Times are tough, for those employed as well as those unemployed. Workloads are going up for office workers, with attendant ills:

Offices can be dangerous places. Certainly not as dangerous as meatpacking plants, where one out of four workers falls sick or is injured each year. Still, a sedentary and stressful lifestyle can leave the deskbound with wrenching back pain, elevated blood pressure, even muddled brains. Here's how to ward off the perils of the workplace.

Read the entire piece - complete with anatomical graphics - from the June, 2003 Business 2.0.
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June 11, 2003

Practice your stories
Posted by Jason Butler at 10:45 AM

Johanna Rothman on the importance of practicing your stories before your interview.

Here's a story in unrehearsed mode: "Uh, yeah, I worked on a team with a bad - well, make that a difficult - no he was really bad - project manager. We'd have these long-long-long team meetings. We didn't get anything done in the team meetings, so I met with people separately to get something done on the project."

Ok, so we have a candidate who's showing some initiative, working around an inappropriate project manager. If this is your story, you could tell it this way: "I once worked with a project manager who wasn't so hot at facilitating meetings. Our team meetings were interminable, with no resulting action items. I lived through two of those meetings and realized if I wanted to accomplish my work, I'd better use another vehicle to solve my problems. I emailed people directly when it was a one-on-one problem. I had off-line meetings with two or three people. And when I needed the whole team, I suggested an agenda to the project manager."

Which person do you think would get the job?
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Caring for an infant is work, too
Posted by Jason Butler at 8:57 AM

An article in the New York Times describes the life of a stay-at-home dad, and how that life creates challenges for him when he interacts with other adults.

The tentative plan is for Mr. Zorek to re-enter the working world when Jeremy is in kindergarten. He worries that he will face the same awkward silence from interviewers that he now faces at cocktail parties; the same silence women face when they re-enter the work force -- and then some. So he is doing what so many women do when they opt out for a few years of motherhood: volunteer projects for causes he believes in "to keep my hand in" he says, and to fill the potential résumé gap.

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June 10, 2003

Staying focused?
Posted by Douglas Eisenhart at 11:58 AM

Productivity in the US may be up, but is our time on the job still as well spent as it could be?

. . .Even as their work load grows, many Americans apparently spend a considerable amount of time handling personal phone calls, surfing the Internet or socializing with co-workers while on the clock.

Read the piece from the Raleigh, NC News-Observer.
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Supreme Court makes it significantly easier for workers to win discrimination suits
Posted by at 11:21 AM

The New York Times is reporting today, a unanimous Supreme Court ruling that makes it significantly easier for workers to win discrimination suits against their employers in cases where race, sex, religion or national origin is one factor among others in a dismissal or other adverse job action.

Such cases of "mixed motive" — a legitimate reason combined with an improper, discriminatory one — are so common as to be the norm in the world of employment discrimination litigation...A 1989 Supreme Court ruling had made it difficult for plaintiffs to qualify for the favorable jury instructions that come with a mixed-motive case, under which the employer has the burden of proving that it would have made the same decision even in the absence of the improper factor. The court said then that the plaintiff must prove by direct, not circumstantial, evidence that discrimination had been "a motivating factor" in the employer's action.

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Small ISV's, you need developers not programmers
Posted by Jason Butler at 10:53 AM

Eric Sink, founder of a small software firm, discusses the difference between developers and programmers, and why a small company can't afford to have "programmers."

For the purpose of this article, a "programmer" is someone who does nothing but code new features and [if you're lucky] fix bugs. They don't write specs. They don't write automated test cases. They don't help keep the automated build system up to date. They don't help customers work out tough problems. They don't help write documentation. They don't help with testing. They don't even read code. All they do is write new code. In a small ISV, you don't want any of these people in your company.

Instead of "programmers" (people that specialize in writing code), what you need are "developers" (people who will contribute in multiple ways to make the product successful).

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June 9, 2003

Honesty, HR, cutbacks, and counselors
Posted by Douglas Eisenhart at 11:22 AM

From this week's BostonWorks in the Boston Sunday Globe:

You may be seeking an edge in a tough job market, but you better think twice before you cross the honesty line as it can have dire consequences.

As you approach a company about a position opening, should you go through the HR department or around it? Be aware that if you bypass HR, there are risks as well as rewards.

If your company goes through cutbacks and you are one of the lucky ones left behind, here are some tips on how to lessen your share of the pain.

And this week's Job Doc says when you are in "panic mode", a career counselor can bring direction and stability to an otherwise unfocused search.

Read all this week's BostonWorks stories.
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Harvard considers easing consulting restrictions
Posted by Jason Butler at 7:15 AM

Today's Globe reports that Harvard Medical School is considering loosening restrictions on financial ties between faculty and drug companies.

Because of Harvard's prestige and history of limiting corporate influence in research, its decision will influence other medical schools.

Many of them also are reexamining their conflict-of-interest policies at a time when industry-academia collaboration is accelerating and the public has become increasingly wary of the influence of money on medical science.

Depending on how Harvard resolves the conflict-of-interest issues, this decision could greatly affect Boston's biotech industry.
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June 6, 2003

Venture Capitalists on Joel
Posted by Jason Butler at 3:50 PM

Venture Blog rebuts Joel's essay.

Many businesses can and do benefit from additional capital, especially those developing complex semiconductors, systems, communications gear, drugs and so forth. As Joel acknowledges, his advice to entrepreneurs largely only applies to software/web companies, and only those that can be bootstrapped. Venture capital is often required for software that has to developed on a rapid schedule to keep up with changing hardware, or requires an expensive direct sales channel, or is competing in an application with strong first-mover advantages and network effects. In some cases, entrepreneurs like to involve experienced venture investors simply for corporate oversight and advice.

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Audio blog: critiquing performance in a job interview
Posted by Douglas Eisenhart at 11:33 AM

Now here's a piece that I bet most haven't heard before: a recording of a soon-to-be college graduate in a real job interview critiqued by a pair of career consultants. The piece ran on PRI's "Marketplace" radio show last evening. Click here for the link to the Marketplace page and scroll down to the piece entitled "Critiquing a Job Interview." Then hit the speaker icon or link to play the segment. (Note: you will need the Real Player browser plug-in.)
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Turnabout predicted for Mass. economy , but layoffs persist
Posted by Douglas Eisenhart at 9:54 AM

From the front page of today's Globe:

After more than two years of recession, the Massachusetts economy appears to have finally hit bottom, reaching a key turning point that should be followed over the next several months by new, albeit weak, job growth, according to a new forecast.

The prediction by Alan Clayton-Matthews, an economist and professor of public policy at the University of Massachusetts at Boston, comes amid a trend of improving national and state economic data.

Other experts demur amid mixed indicators, but there is enough positive evidence, says Clayton-Matthews, to at least point to signs of a ''a nascent turnaround.'' Read the article.

Meanwhile, tracking the local biotech scene, it would be hard to draw the same conclusion with word of Millennium Pharmaceuticals cutting 600 jobs - part of the mixed signals.The layoffs come as the firm announced a strategic shift from research to products and a projected loss of $420 million this year.

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The rise and fall of ArsDigita
Posted by Jason Butler at 9:00 AM

Continuing with our Venture Capital theme, here is an essay by Eve Andersson on the rise and fall of ArsDigita, an Internet consulting company. Andersson attributes the fall to the evil influence of the VCs.
[Disclaimer: I am close friends with one of aD's founders]

This is a story about a company. A company that was profitable from Day 1. A company that built products that were useful to many other companies. A company that had ethics, that treated the breadwinners (programmers) with respect, a company that could afford to help people and give away software and training, while still having enough left over to grow and save a few $million in the bank.

That is, until the venture capitalists arrived on the scene. Lying to customers and employees became commonplace. Greed replaced philanthropy as each of the company's unique programs was dropped. But, this is a company, and the goal is to make money -- any positive impact on the world is secondary, right? The real question is: how much money did they make?

This is an entertaining and informative read, though extremely one-sided. Make sure to read the comments after the piece for some valid counterpoints.

The former ArsDigita building is across the street from my home in Central Square. A few months ago Cambridge College moved in.

There's no word on whether they kept the giant fishtanks.
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Joel on Venture Capitalists
Posted by Jason Butler at 8:52 AM

Joel Spolsky shares his thoughts on fixing venture capital.

I can't help but think that there's something wrong with the VC model as it exists today. Almost every page of these books makes me say, "yep, that's why [Spolsky's company] Fog Creek doesn't want venture capital." There are certain fundamental assumptions about doing business in the VC world that make venture capital a bad fit with entrepreneurship. And since it's the entrepreneurs who create the businesses that the VCs fund, this is a major problem. Here's my perspective on that, from a company founder's point of view.

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June 5, 2003

Funds, pharmacies, Fenway, food, fraud, and forward leap
Posted by Douglas Eisenhart at 2:32 PM

From this week's industry updates on BostonWorks.com:

FINANCE - Locally in finance, Eaton Vance named new managers of four of its funds and Sovereign Bank opened a new Community Mortgage Center in Roxbury. More Finance news.

HEALTHCARE - The state is told to return $18m to druggists in the bungled prescription tax plan. More Healthcare news.

HOSPITALITY - Starwood Hotels details its $35 million plans for the hotel at the Boston Convention Center in South Boston. And have fun reading about the man who makes all the food happen at Fenway. More Hospitality stories.

RETAIL - Local whole foods retail chain Bread & Circus goes through an evolution. More Retail stories.

BIOTECH - For her involvement in the ImClone insider-trading scandal, now-indicted Martha Stewart gets her name in the news. But to counter the bad news, the Good News Story of the Week also goes to Biotech, where a forward leap in research on promising cancer drugs stirs the industry to hopes of a revival. The AMEX biotech stock index is up nearly 35 percent thus far in 2003, and many companies, including local giants Genzyme and Millennium Pharmaceuticals, hit 52-week highs this week. More Biotech news.

Read all this week's industry updates.
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More signs of hope
Posted by Douglas Eisenhart at 12:53 PM

From a piece in yesterday's Christian Science Monitor:

For months, the job market has frustrated everyone from President Bush to millions of Americans out of work. Now evidence is building that some businesses are finally starting to hire - and the era of downsizing may be ending. Indeed, a new report indicates planned job cuts in May plunged 53 percent to a 30-month low.

Read the entire aricle.
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An alternate POV on IT job gains
Posted by Jason Butler at 9:45 AM

Gary disagrees with our Out in the Field article on potential IT job gains.

Let's work out the numbers, a national survey of 1400 CIO's, ok let's be generous and assume that 15% of the CIO's are in New England. 86% of the CIO's said no change in hiring which today is zero. So, 1400 X 14% = 196 CIO's who expect to hire. 196 X 15% = 29 New England CIO's who will be hiring. 50% or 15 CIO's are looking for staff Help only. Now, my understanding is that Massachusetts has shed over 100,000 IT jobs which means that even if each CIO had 3 openings that is about 1000 candidates per job. How positive is that?

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June 4, 2003

On the other hand. . .
Posted by Douglas Eisenhart at 10:49 AM

Mass. business confidence falls in May:

Business confidence in Massachusetts fell again in May as the postwar bounce that lifted consumer and investor confidence nationwide bypassed Bay State companies, according to Associated Industries of Massachusetts.

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You want some cheese with that whine?
Posted by Jason Butler at 10:32 AM

WSJ: Will workplace complaints do more harm than good?

"If you express discontent in a culture that doesn't want to change, you run the risk of being seen as disruptive,'' concedes Mr. Lieberfarb, who now owns a digital-media consulting firm in Los Angeles.

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Pension pain and looking up
Posted by Douglas Eisenhart at 10:30 AM

Two stories from today's Globe, the first one on a pending change in pension payout laws:

Pending federal legislation would reduce by as much as one-third the lump sum payments that millions of Americans are eligible to take from their employer pension funds when they retire, change jobs, or are laid off.

And on the broader economic front, the voice that counts, Fed chairman and oracle Alan Greenspan, delivered some signs of hope:

Federal Reserve chairman Alan Greenspan said yesterday that he sees ''the makings of a turnaround'' for the struggling US economy, but left open the possibility that the central bank could cut interest rates again should the economy need another boost or deflation become a greater threat.

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June 3, 2003

"I did it" vs. "I was in the right place at the right time"
Posted by Jason Butler at 3:24 PM

Fun, geeky discussion of attribution error, with a piece on CEO compensation.

First, I believe that we commit attribution errors in our evaluation of corporate CEO's. The rise and fall of America Online had much more to do with the context in which it operated than with Steve Case's character traits. One of the reasons that I am not a fan of stock options as compensation is that their value tends to depend a lot on context rather than performance - options are worth more in a rising market than in a falling market.

In fact, the whole issue of CEO compensation is made murky by the economic attribution error. If CEO's really make enough of a difference to merit their centerfold spreads in business magazines, then they are badly underpaid. On the other hand, if context plays the dominant role in determining corporate profitability, then CEO pay is biased upward by the attribution error. I suspect the latter.

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Speed networking
Posted by Jason Butler at 11:01 AM

The wave of the future? Business 2.0 on speed networking.

This is speed-networking, and if you're looking for a better job -- or just for contacts that'll help you do a better job -- you may want to give it a try. Speed-networking nights are popping up around the country, usually at alumni association or professional group meetings, and they could well replace trade show hospitality hours, Rotary Club meetings, and online chat rooms as the preferred way to make new contacts.

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June 2, 2003

Career plans, interview power, IT gains, more
Posted by Douglas Eisenhart at 4:08 PM

From this week's BostonWorks in the Boston Sunday Globe:

Career experts say a backup plan keeps your career positioned for the future - in other words, even when you're not actively looking for a job, you're thinking about your next career move and are open to possibilities.

Go into your next interview confident: be informed beforehand about your potential employer because knowledge empowers in interviews.

From "Out in the Field", our weekly round-up of employment stats and trends, we learn that IT executives predict job gains in the 3d quarter - woo-hoo! - and a new study traces minority women and best practices in the workplace.

This month's "Transitions" profiles an advertising manager whose layoff lead her to discover her true calling - and profits - in the kitchen.

Read all this week's stories.
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