June 30, 2004

Social Issues tug Wal-Mart in different directions
Posted by Jason Butler at 9:31 AM

Today's New York Times reports on Wal-Mart's new directions, brought on in part by the recent class-action certification of the discrimination case.

Lately, it's been hard to tell what kind of company Wal-Mart plans to become. On one hand, it bans certain magazines from its stores, vigorously fights matters ranging from shareholder proposals to federal lawsuits, and justifies strategies by quoting its long-dead founder in the obsolete manner of Chinese quoting Chairman Mao.

On the other hand, in the last year, Wal-Mart created an office of diversity, announced that it would protect gay workers from workplace discrimination, and pledged to promote women in the same proportion that they apply for management jobs, promising to penalize senior executives if that does not come to pass.

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June 29, 2004

Emailing resumes to recruiters won't always generate a big response
Posted by Colin Moor at 9:41 AM

CareerJournal writes about how emailing resumes to recruiters won't generate a big response.

"My suspicion is that providing an e-mail address for resumes gives them a way to make prospective applicants feel proactive," says Peter Berger, a former chief executive officer and an ex-division president for Fortune 500 companies, who is seeking another senior-management job. "That way, everyone feels good."

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June 28, 2004

Taking the T during the DNC
Posted by Jason Butler at 2:21 PM

The MBTA has published a brochure on service changes during the Democratic National Convention.

Top Ten Things to Know during the DNC

1. Additional trains and buses are running all week long.
2. Plan ahead and buy tickets, tokens and passes well in advance.
3. The Fleet Center area is closed and mostly inaccessible.
4. North Station and Lovejoy Wharf will close starting Friday evening, July 23, at 8 p.m.
5. North Shore commuter rail lines will terminate at stations north of Boston. Shuttle buses and subway trains will provide connecting service.
6. At Haymarket Station:
• Green Line services will terminate
• Orange Line is open
• Bus service will not run after 3:00 p.m. weekdays

7. All baggage, briefcases, packs, and boxes are subject to search.
8. Due to proximity to the Fleet Center, the Orange Line and highway buses will not permit packages onboard larger than 6" x 12" x 4" (about the size of a loaf of bread).
9. Bikes are not allowed on subway or commuter rail.
10.www.mbta.com will provide updated information on service changes and revised schedules.

Let the nightmare begin!
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How to approach your boss for a raise
Posted by Jason Butler at 9:02 AM

The New York Times gives advice on how to approach your boss for a raise.

You've patiently toiled through the last three years of wage and promotion freezes at your company. Now that the economy is beginning to thaw, isn't it about time to ask for a raise?

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From Generation X to the Sandwich Generation
Posted by Diane Danielson at 7:41 AM

In the movie About Last Night, Demi Moore was asked “what does one do on sandwich night?” Nearly twenty years later and that question has a whole new meaning for those of us who grew up with the Brat Pack. Today we are fast becoming part of the “Sandwich Generation” where we are providing both child and elderly care in addition to holding down fulltime jobs. Sunday’s BostonWorks section reports on a study which shows that “[e]lder care responsibilities are affecting workers' jobs and, in some cases, their other relationships.”

Of those polled, 35 percent of those working outside the home and taking care of an aging parent or older relative say their job performance has suffered. Thirty percent of those who work and are also married say their marriages have suffered as a result of caregiving responsibilities.

While the survey did not identify how many of those interviewed with elderly care responsibilities were women, it did note that the caregivers who had sisters were much more likely to receive some help from siblings as opposed to those with only brothers.
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June 25, 2004

Leaky workdays
Posted by Jason Butler at 3:15 PM

Anita Sharpe in Worthwhile discusses how much of her day "leaks" away.

Endless daily emergencies. These are the things, usually unexpected, that have to be done RIGHT NOW to move a project forward. It's a bit like waking up every morning and finding that the plumbing or electricity is out in your house. Time leak? Between two and four hours a day. Energy drain? Far more.

Meetings. Most last at least an hour, but the business can usually be finished in 20 minutes. Time leak? Between two and four hours a day.

Commuting. A little over an hour a day.

Go read the simple measures she's taking to plug the leaks.
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The interns are coming! The interns are coming!
Posted by at 10:02 AM

Around here they're not referred to as individuals but a "crop", "set", or "batch." And soon apparently, an onslought of bright-eyed, bushy-tailed, go-getting interns is preparing to descend on Capitol Hill. If you're still looking for a summer gig among the country's power elite, go here.
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Motivation and such
Posted by Jason Butler at 9:08 AM

Perhaps I'm a little cynical. For whatever reason, I tend to bristle whenever motivational techniques are used on me. For this reason, I have always despised those posters with eagles soaring and sentence fragments exhorting me to blah blah blah blah blah.

At least I'm not the only one. The Wall Street Journal reports on how actual working folk despise these little management motivators.

[S]ome people are grateful to get their inspiration wherever they can, but others resent having their boss think they can be rolled so easily. "I'm not going to change my business philosophy based on a poster," says Michael Loughman, a sales manager who inherited the golf-course photo hanging behind his desk with the caption, "Risk: you can't reach your goals without occasionally taking some long shots." After all, he remarks, "It's not like I wasn't going to take a long shot but then I saw this poster and decided to."

I much prefer demotivators.

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In case you're wondering where your raise is
Posted by Jason Butler at 5:41 AM

This morning's Globe tells us that the insane increases in health benefit costs preclude raises. This makes sense, although it doesn't make me especially happy. Your company can only afford so much in total compensation; if health care costs rise dramatically, there's just nothing left for cash raises.

The US Bureau of Labor Statistics reported yesterday that spending on benefits by private-sector employers rose 24 percent from March 2000 to March 2004, primarily because of escalating healthcare premiums. The bureau said that came at the expense of wages, which increased 15 percent over the same period but are a declining share of the total compensation employers pay to workers.

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What do we want? Options! When do we want them? Now!
Posted by Jason Butler at 5:34 AM

This morning's Times covers a rally in Palo Alto in which tech leaders and workers protested proposed stock option accounting changes.

"Stock options are the most powerful incentive we have to attract employees," Andy Bechtolsheim, a founder of several Silicon Valley companies, including Sun Microsystems, told the demonstrators. "Why else would someone leave a large company and take the risk" of joining a start-up firm?

Without options, three out of four start-ups that succeeded in Silicon Valley would have failed, because they would not have been able to attract high-quality employees, Mr. Bechtolsheim said.

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June 24, 2004

Same salary, different year
Posted by at 1:19 PM

The AP reports that salary budgets are the same as last year despite some signs of an improving economy and signs of a pulse in hiring.

"Although US business continues to rebound from the economic downturn, companies are still paying close attention to cost control," said Charles Peck, who headed the salary survey for the Conference Board.

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Women want to be on top ...
Posted by Diane Danielson at 9:09 AM

... just as much as the men do. According to a new survey released by the Catalyst Institute, and reported online at the Globe:

Senior women executives at large U.S. companies want the top job just as much as men, a survey released on Thursday said, striking against theories that more women are opting out of the business rat race. Fifty-five percent of top female executives are aiming for the chief executive or equivalent position, according to a survey by research firm Catalyst, compared with 57 percent of top male executives.

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Engineers are different from the rest of us
Posted by Jason Butler at 5:37 AM

A Sun engineer calculates the total cost of commuting to his job and develops mathematical models for comparing driving to taking public transportation.

Let X be the amount I'm paid per hour. I get about 20-21 mpg on the highway, let's say 20.5. Assume a gas cost of $2.49/gallon (yeah it guzzles premium). Let Y be the fuzzy "amount of hassle/stress" caused by sitting in traffic.

for the car, my TCC = $.66X + $3 + $(64/20.5 * 2.49) + Y

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Questions to answer when pitching a VC
Posted by Jason Butler at 5:19 AM

For those of you inclined towards your own business, here's a useful list of questions a pitch to a VC should answer.
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June 23, 2004

The work-at-home-work office
Posted by at 10:33 AM

Imagine a place where you had all the flexibility of working from home, sans isolation, and with the networking and kibitzing with friends benefits you like about working in the office. Got it? If so then Neil Goldberg, an industrial designer and architect who spent five years at Herman Miller, has an offer for you and it's called Gate-3.

The goal of Gate-3 Workclub in Emeryville, Calif., is to create a new kind of community where neighborhood people can “work and network and hang out with friends,” founder Neil Goldberg says.

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Fear of the bullying boss
Posted by Jason Butler at 8:57 AM

The New York Times takes a trip inside the mind of a bullying boss.

[M]ost often, [retired Columbia professor Harvey] Hornstein found, managers bullied subordinates for the sheer pleasure of exercising power.

"It was a kind of low-grade sadism, that was the most common reason," he said. "They'd start on one person and then move on to someone else."

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Trouble for Wal-Mart
Posted by Jason Butler at 8:52 AM

A San Francisco judge certified a class action suit against Wal-Mart for its treatment of female employees.

The lawsuit, brought in 2001 by six women, accuses Wal-Mart of systematically paying women less than men and offering women fewer opportunities for promotion. The lawsuit stated that while 65 percent of Wal-Mart's hourly employees are women, only 33 percent of Wal-Mart's managers are. ...

As the world's largest retailer, Wal-Mart has become the target of dozens of lawsuits regarding off-the-clock work and other employment practices. Indeed, because of its huge size, the company has become a lightning rod for criticism.

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June 22, 2004

What happens to company bloggers who may be laid off
Posted by Jason Butler at 3:17 PM

My head is just spinning on this one.

I've written before about the fabulous Microsoft recruiter blog. Saturday's Seattle Times breaks the news that Microsoft is laying off 20 recruiters.

Gretchen, of course, blogs it.

I realized that to ignore such a big occurrence in my own department (which has now been made public news) was a disservice to our readers.  Sure – no one has pinned me to the fence and demanded a comment, but ignoring the obvious doesn’t sit well with me.

That said, I’m not going to blog about my feelings and fears regarding this decision.  This isn’t the appropriate forum, and frankly, I don’t feel that secure in my job right now. :)

The comments are very supportive.
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Blogging with the boss's blessing
Posted by Jason Butler at 9:30 AM

Business Week reports on how more companies are encouraging their employees to blog, and dealing intelligently with the tradeoffs.

Until recently, the thought of employees blabbing freely to the masses about their work on company time -- without the suits from PR hovering over them to stay "on message" -- would have created panic in the executive suite. But in the past year, employee blogs have begun to multiply across Corporate America -- and a growing number of companies approve. ...

Microsoft doesn't train employees in the fine art of blogs, but employees hold meetings to talk about them. The blogs carry disclaimers, but other than that, "our unspoken policy on blogging is: Don't be stupid," says product manager Adam Sohn.

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June 21, 2004

There really are people out there who might read your resume.....I kid you not!
Posted by Colin Moor at 2:07 PM

After the boom and bust experience of the 90's, companies are reevaluating their philosophy about how to recruit the best talent. One component of conducting a successful job search is understanding the head-set of the people doing the hiring. If you are thinking about keg parties, fooz ball emporiums and a fat hiring bonus, think again. Cost per hire concerns and lessons learned from the chaos of the 90's hiring binge are leading many companies back to more traditional approaches. A recent article in Workforce Management offers up a number of valuable insights into how some companies are approaching our recovering job market.

This time around, recruiters say, they are trying to manage things a bit more intelligently. Despite a trend line that points toward ongoing labor shortages for certain key positions--particularly in engineering, sciences, information technology and other highly technical areas--many companies are now attempting to sell recruits on stability, opportunity and name cachet.

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An enterprising woman
Posted by Diane Danielson at 10:17 AM

Today's Boston Globe's Living Section profiles Andrea Silbert, the founder of the Center for Women & Enterprise, as she moves into the next stage of her career. For more than a decade, Ms. Silbert used her Harvard MBA to help lower-income women start and run successful businesses. What's next? After taking a 6 month sabbatical, she's hoping to focus on making changes in both government and corporate America to address the fact that the workplace has changed for both men and women:

"My friends at HBS don't think government's the solution. They think business should come up with corporate initiatives, and they're right. Corporations should be more flexible, but the pressure is on us to do something now. Our generation doesn't have the option of having one spouse at home, and the result is stress on parents, stress on marriages, stress on kids." [said Silbert]

Stay tuned. I'm sure we'll hear much more from this enterprising woman. --------

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June 18, 2004

Sunshine, skiing and female entrepreneurs
Posted by Diane Danielson at 3:37 PM

This month's Fortune Small Business ranked the ten states with the most robust growth for women-owned businesses. Surprisingly there's not a New England or even Northeast state on the list. (I'm not really sure why this surprised me because if they're smart enough to make a profit, then they're smart enough to pick states with better weather.) According to FSB, the following states led the pack:

1. Nevada


2. Utah


3. Georgia


4. Arizona


5. North Carolina


6. Florida


7. Idaho


8. South Carolina


9. Tennessee


10. Colorado

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June 17, 2004

Almost sounds like a challenge, eh?
Posted by Jason Butler at 12:56 PM

The Nation writes about Wal-Mart's union policies, including this wonderful snippet from the manager's handbook.

Staying union free is a full-time commitment. Unless union prevention is a goal equal to other objectives within an organization, the goal will usually not be attained. The commitment to stay union free must exist at all levels of management--from the Chairperson of the "Board" down to the front-line manager. Therefore, no one in management is immune to carrying his or her "own weight" in the union prevention effort. The entire management staff should fully comprehend and appreciate exactly what is expected of their individual efforts to meet the union free objective.... Unless each member of management is willing to spend the necessary time, effort,energy, and money, it will not be accomplished. The time involved is...365 days per year....

(via the routinely excellent Business Pundit blog)
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Not happy campers
Posted by at 11:05 AM

The economy is starting to show small, tangible signs of recovery, a trickle of jobs is starting to flow, and people are starting to move around. Everybody's happy, right? Perhaps not.

Although a recent report asserts that most key IT positions are staying here in the US and aren't being outsourced overseas, another write-up suggests the current atmosphere of cost-cutting and job insecurity is driving down employee morale.
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June 16, 2004

Offshoring redux
Posted by at 3:24 PM

A recent Department of Labor study indicates that U.S. layoffs do not appear to be the result of offshoring.

"I don't think there is a real serious cause for concern" for U.S. workers, says Ravi Aron, a professor at the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School. "There is a natural limit to outsourcing."

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So no one told you life was gonna be this way
Posted by Diane Danielson at 10:56 AM

Your job's a joke, you're broke, your love life's D.O.A … If you ever wondered why the series Friends was such a hit, especially among women, perhaps it's because according to a new survey “women place almost three times greater emphasis on friends and relationship [in the workplace] than men did.” As reported on by CBS MarketWatch:

Men most often cited "pay, money, benefits" as their top work value, followed by "results, achievement, success." "Respect" was sixth on their list of values and "relationships" came in seventh.

By contrast, women ranked "friends, relationships" as their top workplace value, and "respect" was second. Women ranked "pay, money, benefits" fourth, and "teams, collaboration" was fifth. For men, "teams, collaboration" came in at 22nd.

"Women tend to approach the job based on 'I want to work with people.' Men tend to be 'I want to achieve on this job,'" [Michael] Peterson said.

While some of the differences are gender related, the article points out that no matter what gender, high level executives would likely emphasize pay and achievement, and lower-level employees might focus on family and relationships; and this study’s findings reflect corporate America with more men in top positions and more women in lower-level jobs.

So does this mean that to be a CEO we can’t also have our own Rachel, Ross, Monica, Chandler and Phoebe? (Note to readers – apparently it’s impossible to get rid of Joey).

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Draining the swamp
Posted by Jason Butler at 9:54 AM

New York's attorney general is suing employment agencies whose clients violate labor laws. It's an interesting gambit, going after not only those who perpetrate, but also others who profit.

87 percent of the 600 workers that the Top Employment Agency in Queens supplied to businesses in one six-month period were paid less than the minimum wage, and almost none of them were paid time-and-a-half for overtime. According to the internal records of that agency, which Mr. Spitzer made available, two workers were placed with dry cleaners who paid $200 - or $2.78 an hour - for a 72-hour week....

"The exploitation starts with the agencies," said Brian Barraza, president of the Association of Mexican-American Workers, an advocacy group. "They send workers to jobs they say will pay more than the minimum, but the reality is when you go to work, you get less than the minimum wage. This is the best way to stop that."

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June 15, 2004

Do we call this "reshoring"?
Posted by Jason Butler at 11:26 AM

The Wall Street Journal reports that many large companies are moving work to small-town America instead of overseas.

It's the flip side of the outsourcing coin. As big companies start facing quality concerns and a political backlash from moving jobs overseas, America's small towns are emerging as alternatives. A company can move a call center to, say, Nacogdoches (pop. 29,914) or Twin Falls, Idaho, (pop. 34,469) and instantly start offering some of the best jobs in town -- even if they pay only $7 or $8 an hour.

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Something for job seekers to look forward to this summer
Posted by at 10:15 AM

Summertime is often a slow time for hiring but, not so for the Boston area according to a recent survey by Manpower: Boston employers are planning to boost hiring

Boston is expected to experience a hiring rebound in the third quarter in another sign that the state's job picture is brightening, said a survey released yesterday.

Forty-three percent of city employers responding said they plan to expand payrolls from July through September, according to the Manpower Employment Outlook Survey.

The nationwide survey of 16,000 US employers also found that 30 percent of Massachusetts companies are planning to recruit new workers in the third quarter and 8 percent will cut staff, a sign that the state's economy is looking up. The numbers for Massachusetts and Boston have not been seasonally adjusted, according to Manpower.

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June 14, 2004

What do women want?
Posted by Diane Danielson at 2:35 PM

O.K., sometimes I don't even know (and I am a woman!). But one thing working women agree on is their need for benefits, benefits, benefits. According to a survey commissioned by the AFL-CIO and reported on in this Sunday's BostonWorks section, working women place affordable health care as their top priority, followed by prescription drug coverage, equal pay and paid sick leave. Unfortunately, the survey also indicated that what women want is definitely not what they're getting.

Another interesting fact from the survey:

Additionally, 30 percent of the women polled make all or almost all of their families' annual earnings. Three in five earn 50 percent of their families' yearly wages, the report said.

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Tech proletariat revolt a coming?
Posted by at 10:45 AM

If you're a tech worker still employed in your field of choice these days, you undoubtedly have experienced first-hand or else talked with colleagues about a real and/or perceived devaluation of your skills, ability and experience in today's job market.

Now it seems that just like in post-industrial revolutions of the past, tech workers are considering unionizing in the hopes of a better future.
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What a great place -- it's a great place to start
Posted by Jason Butler at 9:45 AM

Today's New York Times discusses the new tactics Army recruiters are using to try to staff up during wartime.

[T]he world of [Army] recruiting has shifted significantly. Gone, recruiters here say, are the people looking mainly for easy cash to pay for college. Gone also, they say, are those who covet signing bonuses of up to $20,000 but hope to never leave their base. And gone are those who think enlisting in the Reserve or the National Guard will mean a few weekends training in a park.

The war in Iraq has changed the implications of signing up, and these potential soldiers' families, especially some who came of age during the Vietnam War, have tougher questions when recruiters call — or do not want to hear the pitch at all.

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How to build a case for flexible hours
Posted by Jason Butler at 9:40 AM

The New York Times's Career Couch on how to build a case for flexible hours.

"You want to be able to argue that this is a strategy to optimize your performance - that the company will be getting more out of you if you can organize your life more sanely around your life and work priorities," Ms. [president of the Families and Work Institute Ellen] Galinsky said. "Look for what would make it work from your boss's perspective. You want to find that overlap where they're getting the best of your contribution and you're getting the freedom you want."

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Quotes from the Cube
Posted by Jason Butler at 9:24 AM

Here is a fantastic collection of quotes about the working life.

Here are a couple of my favorites:

Accomplishing the impossible means only that the boss will add it to your regular duties. (Doug Larson)

First question in the Management Quiz: Do you believe that anything you don't understand must be easy to do? (Scott Adams)

Whenever you hear the phrase "mean and lean", replace it with what it really connotes: failing and frightened. (Tom DeMarco)

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June 11, 2004

Big boxes bag boomers
Posted by Jason Butler at 1:56 PM

AARP is reaching out to retailers to promote their hiring "seasoned workers".

Under the partnership, AARP assesses skills of potential applicants, then refers them to participating companies.

"Managers respect the experience that mature workers bring to the job," [AARP executive Emily] Allen said.

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Better to light a desk lamp than curse the fluorescence
Posted by Jason Butler at 8:38 AM

The Wall Street Journal explores how good lighting improves job satisfaction.

The fax machine may be maddening and the computer may promote hostility, but no office gear can put you in a funk as quickly as fluorescent lighting. At best, it provides the light of a cloudy sky. At worst, it's the source of physical maladies, and a creepy and synthetic downer. Far from the come-hither glow of candlelight, fluorescent bulbs cast a hell-and-back pall over everyone.

I'm fortunate enough that my office window provides natural light along with its lovely view of Morrissey Boulevard. My overhead lights are never lit.
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June 10, 2004

Networking - the long and winding road that often leads to success...
Posted by Colin Moor at 4:23 PM

Tired of hearing about "networking"! Sorry, but it works. It remains the most likely marketing approach that will lead you to the employment promised land. Michael Kaplan's article from Career Journal.com tells the story of one man's odyssey to employment success and offers up some great job search analysis and advice along the way.

Analysis: Linda F. Segal, principal of McCormick Group Inc., a recruiting firm in Arlington, Va., says that unless a specific job is available, most people prefer not to be besieged by friend-of-a-friend job hounds. "But if you say you're looking for information or direction, it sounds like mentoring," she says. "That's a lot more appealing." Tell the person you're seeking wisdom, not that you're desperately looking for employment. Bring your résumé and ask for a quick critique. "Then, after the meeting, ask the person to recommend a colleague with whom you can have further discussions," she says. "The golden rule of networking is that you never leave a meeting without at least one referral."

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10 career-change mistakes to avoid
Posted by Jason Butler at 9:13 AM

Quintessential Careers has a good article on how to avoid common mistakes when changing your career. Mistake number 1 seems obvious, but it's still good to keep in mind.

Making a career change without a plan. Probably the biggest mistake you can make is attempting to change careers without a plan. A successful career change can often take months to accomplish when you have a strategy, so without one, you could end up adrift for an even longer period. Having a detailed action plan (including items such as strategies, finances, research, and education/training) is essential to your success. Without a plan, you might take the first job offer that comes along, whether it is a good fit for you or not.

(via Curt Rosengren)
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Nurses bid with their pay in auctions for extra work
Posted by Jason Butler at 9:06 AM

The New York Times reports on how some hospitals assign overtime shifts to the lowest bidder.

Spartanburg Regional has joined a growing number of hospitals around the country in using auctions, which several administrators described as "eBay in reverse." Instead of bidding for shifts based on seniority, an opportunity that has long existed for some other workers, like emergency medical technicians and corrections officers, the auctions award shifts to employees who ask the lowest prices for their work. Hospitals say the new shift bidding system lets nurses set their own schedules and helps hospitals deal with a severe nursing shortage while keeping costs in check. Without the auctions, many hospitals say, they would have to hire nurses supplied by agencies at $50 an hour or more.

I think I agree with the nurses on this one:

Many nurses' unions strongly oppose the practice, saying it has enormous potential for abuse. Almost none of the hospitals that use pay-based bidding for shifts have unions.

Rose Ann DeMoro, the executive director of the California Nurses Association, denounced shift bidding by pay as a threat to patient care and continuity and to the image of nurses as professionals.

"It's essentially turning nurses into a commodity. It's outrageous and predatory," she said. "It might be good for the bottom line but not for patients. It treats patients like a widget on an assembly line and nursing as casual labor."

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No answer at all
Posted by Jason Butler at 8:59 AM

The New York Times talks about how silence is the only response many job seekers receive from potential employers.

Job hunting is like dating, only worse, as you sit by the phone for the suitor who never calls.

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June 9, 2004

Jobs follow IDEAS
Posted by Jason Butler at 9:48 AM

Want to know where tomorrow jobs will be? See what today's thought leaders are saying.

The Globe put together an IDEAS conference over the past couple of days, bringing together thought leaders from all over the disciplinary map. Scott Kirsner and David Weinberger blogged it for Boston.com.
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June 8, 2004

What's your free prize?
Posted by at 3:33 PM

Seth Godin in Needles, haystacks & magnetism has a story about how people didn't follow directions to send in more than just a resume when he was looking for interns. What I found compelling was this:

As long as we focus on the commodity, on the sharper needle, we're lost. Why? Because most customers don't carry a magnet. Because the sharpest needle is rarely the one that gets out of the haystack. Instead, buyers are looking for the Free Prize, for that exceptional attribute that's worth talking about.

If you're looking for a job, what's not a commodity about you? (If you're hiring, what are offering that's not a commodity?) Highlight your uniqueness, your free prize. And follow the directions for what you're supposed to send in if you want a job.
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Gladys Overnow interns with Click 'n' Clack
Posted by at 10:47 AM

"Libby", a high school senior, writes and photos her experience interning at Ray and Tom "Car Talk" Magliozzi's Somerville garage.
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Well isn't that special
Posted by at 8:54 AM

Apparently Sun Microsystems has given all employees their very own blogs.
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Meeting fun
Posted by Jason Butler at 8:52 AM

Blogger Dee-Rob gives some suggestions for how to improve meetings at work.

I wish there were a gameshow scoreboard in every conference room. Then, whenever the same people who invariably comment or ask questions that pertain only to their tiny specific world with no translation to the larger world involving a group (you know, the people with whom you are having the meeting), you could press the scoreboard controls and create that annoying buzzer noise that universally means “wrong answer there, sport.”

(via Boston Common)
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Outsourcing: Coming to a career near you
Posted by at 8:41 AM

But as The Globe's Hiawatha Bray points out, outsourcing is affecting far more than just tech workers these days.
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Outsourcing, outsmorshing
Posted by at 8:23 AM

The Boston Globe today reports that IT workers with the most critical skill sets have barely been affected by the outsourcing trend in terms of earning a decent pay day.

"People who do enterprise architecture, program managers, people who have multiple language skills are still in demand," said Harris Miller, president of the Information Technology Association of America. "A lot of them are seeing their salaries continue to increase, but those with more standardized skills are seeing their salaries flatten out."

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June 7, 2004

One Gulfstream V to go, don't hold the mini bar
Posted by at 10:39 AM

A follow-up to my posting last week on James Surowiecki, author of "The Wisdom of Crowds", but this time writing on executive perks and how they hurt companies. Via Kottke.
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A new oxymoron: permatemps
Posted by Douglas Eisenhart at 10:36 AM

The Boston Globe reports this morning on a somewhat disturbing new trend in the workplace as a result of recent economic shifts and new forces at work - permanent temporary employees:

More Americans — some by choice, others by necessity — are finding themselves in similar positions as technology, global uncertainty, and increasingly fierce competition restructure the US work force. Just as companies adopted so-called “just in time” delivery and production methods to better match inventories to demand, so too are they increasingly relying on short-term labor to react more nimbly to changing business conditions.

The result: The temporary help industry is among the fastest-growing segments of the labor market. Employment in the sector has doubled since 1990, ballooning at a rate five times faster than national employment as a whole.

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June 4, 2004

How dare you duck when I throw things at you?
Posted by Jason Butler at 4:47 PM

Boston.com reports that most workers rate their boss "average to poor" at communication.

While motivating and inspiring others is considered a cornerstone of leadership, more than one-third of professionals surveyed said they’d be surprised or even shocked if the head of their company was to speak and clearly articulate a direction.

Pretty please, with sugar on top, get back to work.
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The mob rules, really
Posted by at 2:46 PM

No, not the Tony Soprano-esque style mob but the one described in a new book which asserts that large crowds of average people often make better decisions than highly trained experts, says New Yorker writer James Surowiecki in his new tome titled, "The Wisdom of Crowds."

We look up to our leaders, in politics, science and economics, but...the best business leaders are the ones who keep their office doors open, and the best scientists are those who collaborate with people outside of their labs. A bunch of smart people who have similar backgrounds will not make wise decisions, Surowiecki says.

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The life of the working mother
Posted by Jason Butler at 2:39 PM

Halley Suitt in Worthwhile magazine details her morning with her sick child. and explores the relationships between women, men, jobs and kids.

As a woman, especially when my son was little, I was almost always the one who would cancel the big meeting to be home with my son. When he was about two and had a winterful of ear infections, I lost a job over my "poor attendance." I actually got in a fight during a meeting in front of clients one time when he was small and daycare called to tell me my son had a 104 fever and my young single male boss refused to let me leave the meeting -- the clients (an older man and woman) insisted I leave.

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Wal-mart is looking to improve its workplace environment
Posted by at 2:20 PM

Wal-mart is looking to improving its employee relations, amongst other things.

Wal-Mart created a compliance office this year that now has 140 people working to ensure the company follows the rules and its own procedures. [Chief executive Lee] Scott said the office is working to make daily improvements in how workers are treated. None of the individual programs undertaken by the office will be major, but Scott said that, taken together, the changes will mark ''major progress'' in the relationship between Wal-Mart and its workers.

Read more: Wal-Mart announces plan to improve employee treatment, equalize pay
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Looking for a few good men, with the right EI quotient
Posted by at 12:23 PM

The concept of "EI" or emotional intelligence, "the perception, management, expression, and utilization of emotion" has been around corporate life for years, but now the military is considering including EI assessement as part of its necessary skill set for troops.

Soldiers of today need to new "skill sets… to function effectively under high-stress and other emotionally-laden circumstances," the Army says. "These conditions are sometimes associated with interpersonal transactions but may also emerge as reactions to fast-paced, high-demand events and situations."

Via Boing Boing.
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US employers add 248,000 new jobs in May
Posted by Douglas Eisenhart at 10:13 AM

The Boston Globe reports more good news on the job front this morning as the latest national figures were released by the US Department of Labor:

U.S. employers added almost a quarter million workers in May, extending a nine-month hiring spree and accommodating enough new jobseekers to hold the unemployment rate steady at 5.6 percent.
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Industries that posted the biggest gains included construction, health care, professional and business services and hotels and restaurants.

''What is really key is that every major sector had improvements,'' said John Silvia, chief economist for Wachovia Securities. ''That suggests these gains are sustainable.''

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June 3, 2004

Avoid extinction - cultivate a personal & professional "brand"
Posted by Colin Moor at 2:25 PM

Nothing stands still anymore, at least not for long. We all have to keep growing and learning. Career change must not only be accommodated, it must be embraced. Tom Peters was one of the first people to write about personal branding as a career strategy. In this months Fast Company he comments, "When I wrote about this in Fast Company in the summer of 1997, it was cool. But now it's necessary."

Reimagining Brand You is not a onetime thing. Picking up new skills on an as-needed basis used to be a reasonable strategy. Not anymore. You need to revolutionize your portfolio of skills every half-dozen years, if not more often. This is a minimum survival necessity. Uprooting may be painful, but to me, these are truly exciting times. Remember my mantra: distinct....or extinct.

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In pursuit of "The Great Indian Dream"
Posted by at 2:00 PM

Three-time Pulitzer winner and New York Times Foreign Affairs columnist Thomas Friedman reports back upon his return from a deep tour of India with word on how globalization is playing out on the other side of outsourcing.

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June 2, 2004

Dreams of a diva
Posted by at 12:00 PM

The New York Times profiles the working life of a Las Vegas stripper.
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Won't your momma let you blog?
Posted by at 11:11 AM

There have been numerous stories about techies and corporate types who've literally blogged themselves right out of a job with online diatribes on annoying co-workers or bad managers, or else revealing company secrets.

Now apparently, professional atheletes like Barry Bonds are getting into the act too as jock blogging takes off, giving the pros a chance to weigh in on disputes with sports writers, eschew their contract situations, and connect with fans.

A Boston sports fan has to ask one's self, can TyLaw.com (Domain owned by a New Bedford man) or NomarSpeaks.com (still available) be far behind?
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Cover letters are important
Posted by at 9:14 AM

Whether you're sending a resume by mail or electronically, your cover letter is the first thing your potential employer sees. Kevin Donlin covers five points in his article How to E-mail Your Cover Letter:

1. Avoid character assassination. Use ASCII characters, not styled text.
   
2. Avoid lines that are too wide (he wrote this as "Caution! Wide load").
   
3. Follow the right order. Place the cover letter first. Then with a separator line, add your resume. In plain text.
   
4. Get personal. Build rapport with your recipient.
   
5. Enthusiasm sells. Explain why you would be suitable for this role.
   

One more thing: Proof your cover letter as well as your resume. When you send an email with typos, you've told prospective employers that you're not careful about your work.
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June 1, 2004

The trap of overwhelming demands
Posted by Jason Butler at 12:07 PM

Is this you?

The simple fact is that being busy is easier than not. Most managers cannot admit that a fragmented day is actually the laziest day, the day that requires the least mental discipline and the most nervous energy. Responding to each new request, chasing an answer to the latest question, and complaining about overwhelming demands are easier than setting priorities.

HBS Working Knowledge presents ways to escape the trap of overwhelming demands.
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Working and Studs Terkel
Posted by Jason Butler at 11:57 AM

This year is the 30th anniversary of Studs Terkel's outstanding book Working, a book in which Turkel interviewed working folks in America -- letting them tell their own stories in their own words. An editorial in yesterday's New York Times wonders why workers seemed so much happier then.

The oral histories in "Working" are wistful dispatches from a distant era. The early 1970's were the waning days of the old economy, when modern management practices and computers were just beginning to transform the American workplace. In the last 30 years, productivity has soared, but job satisfaction has plummeted. It is hard to read "Working" without thinking about what has gone wrong in the workplace.

You should read Working, as well as its modern analogue, Gig.
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Boston companies drawing up commuting plans to offset DNC traffic woes
Posted by at 11:41 AM

Companies are trying to come up with their own commuting plans to help offset the woes of their employees when the DNC hits town in less than two months: "Companies ready their convention battle plans"

With the Democratic National Convention less than two months away, Boston businesses are honing plans to help employees navigate a week of traffic gridlock and lengthy delays in mass-transit service.

But companies with a substantial downtown workforce are caught between the need to maintain critical operations and the desire of police and public officials who want people to stay away from the city for traffic and security reasons during the four-day convention at the FleetCenter starting July 26.

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Fired. Again.
Posted by at 10:27 AM

"Apprentice" runner-up, Kwame Jackson, was fired again, this time for apparently waving at Miss Universe contestants participating in the pageant he was supposed to judge.
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Are you being duped?
Posted by Jason Butler at 6:47 AM

CareerJournal hosts the confessions of a slimeball career consultant.

Be suspicious whenever you are asked to pay a large sum in advance for professional services. Be wary if you're contacted by someone you didn't seek out. Also be aware of salespeople who use pressure tactics. Question everyone's motives. Pay attention to your initial impressions. Don't believe everything they hand you.

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The computer will see you now
Posted by Jason Butler at 5:31 AM

The Chicago Sun-Times explores the proliferation of automated interviewers, computers whose questions you must answer correctly before you can see a human recruiter.

The automated greeting, and screen after screen of multiple-choice questions that follow, are part of a new approach by some employers to filling their ranks of hourly workers.

A growing number of retail chains and similar businesses frustrated by near-constant employee turnover are entrusting the first step of the hiring process to computers, designed to zero in on applicants likely to do a job well -- and stay a while.

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