October 28, 2008

Different reasons for temping
Posted by Jesse Nunes at 1:05 PM

If you've ever held a temporary job, or know someone who has, you probably know that people have a variety of reasons for seeking out temp work. And as more and more full-time jobs take a hit from the economy, the potential pool of those looking for work -- any work -- will likely rise. That means many people may enter the temporary work force as a way of staying employed during difficult times, and many companies may look look expand their pool of temp workers to cut the costs of maintaining full-time employees.

But not everyone who looks for temp work has the same goals. Some people seek it out as a way to build their experience to help them land a permanent job. Others only want to work part-time and see temping as a great way to fit a job into their schedule. Still others use temping to supplement their main source of income.

Because people looking for temp work have different motivations for doing so, companies may look for a certain type of temp for a certain type of position. Veritude, a Boston-based staffing and workforce consulting firm, has created three "temp personas," designed to give insight into the temporary workforce for both employers and employees.

Veritude breaks down each persona by their motivations for temping, their expectations, and the "pain points" they encounter. The report attempts to identify the types of "personas" that temps fit into, with the goal of allowing both employers and temporary workers to understand their motivations, and in turn find the best fit for all parties. Here is a quick breakdown of the personas:

1) Looking for permanent work

This group, according to Veritude's report, consists mostly of younger workers looking to gain experience and a possible foot in the door with a company. They are not looking to work as a temp for a long time, and because of that will generally work hard in an attempt to show their value and earn a permanent job. They don't just want to coast along and cash thier paycheck -- they're looking for advancement, and want to learn new skills and get feedback on their performance from their superiors.

2) Career temp

This group, according to Veritude, consists mostly of women (70 percent) who see temping as a way to fit a job around their schedules. Many are not concerned with benefits, since they are likely to be covered by a spouse, and they are not concerned about advancement. They are also less concerned about integrating into the social culture of a company, and place a high priority on location of the workplace.

3) Extra cash

This third group uses temping primarily as a way to build up their bank accounts, Veritude says. Whether they are college students taking a job during school break, or professionals looking to supplement their full-time job, these workers have little commitment to the job long-term. While they may place some small value on the experienced gained through the work, they are far more interested in simply supplementing their income.

If you want to read the whole report, click here to access a downloadable version.

Do you have experience being a temporary worker, or are thinking about becoming one? What "temp persona" are you? Share your thoughts in our discussion forum.

Also, check out some of our previous features on temp work:

• Is a temporary job right for you?

• 5 tips for making a temp job permanent

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October 27, 2008

Putting faces to the layoffs
Posted by Jesse Nunes at 10:57 AM

It's one thing to read about most recent company that is announcing layoffs, or see the number of unemployed grow in the monthly labor reports. It's another thing to put faces to the names, to see the effect this down economy is having on individuals and families.

As the number of layoffs and cutbacks continue as the economy continues to feel the effects of the credit crisis, more and more people will either be directly effected, or know someone close to them who is.

A story in the Sunday Globe by way of the New York Times News Service looks at one family from Alabama that was hit hard by job losses in a very short time. From the story:

Dwight and Rochelle Stokes, both in their late 20s, have just joined the layoff rolls. So has Dwight Stokes's father, Warren, 48, who lost a $30-an-hour job this month on the assembly line of the Chrysler truck plant in Fenton, Mo., near St. Louis., where the father had worked for 12 years.

Just a year ago, he and Rochelle, and their two very young children, moved to Phenix City from Fenton so he could take the mechanic job at the Pratt & Whitney plant in nearby Columbus, Ga. Airlines send engines there for periodic overhauls, and when Dwight Stokes arrived 400 workers were tearing down and rebuilding 15 engines a month.

But as the airlines reduced their flights - and announced 36,000 job cuts, nearly all of them taking place in the current fourth quarter - that number fell to three engines this month and "it was going to be worse for November, just one or two," Dwight Stokes said.

[Dwight Stokes lost his job] a few days after his wife lost hers as a cosmetologist at Great Clips, a family-owned barbershop and beauty salon.

"It got really slow in July and August," Rochelle Stokes said. "I would sit there for two hours, and some days we had only 10 clients, four of us for 10 clients."

To read the whole story, which includes dire predictions for the year ahead, click here.

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October 21, 2008

Channel surfing for jobs
Posted by Jesse Nunes at 12:03 PM

Do you find internet job searches too confusing? Does wading through column after column of help-wanted ads in print test your patience? Then a new joint venture between Monster and Comcast may be right up your alley. The two companies announced plans for a TV channel dedicated solely to help-wanted advertising. Couch potatoes rejoice!

Bloomberg News reports:

The channel, which will reach 16.5 million homes, will be similar to one that Philadelphia-based Comcast runs with ads for cars, a company spokesman said. It's expected to start by the end of the year and will be part of the on-demand section of Comcast's digital-cable service.

The alliance helps New York-based Monster, the largest owner of help-wanted Internet sites, fight the softening US economy by finding another way to reach job seekers. Comcast aims to attract help-wanted advertisers who rarely use TV now.

The channel, called Monster On Demand, will let viewers scroll through job listings using their remote controls. The channel is expected to start with basic job listings, and will eventually include video, Stoever said.

The companies will also run a website where customers can go for more information about jobs advertised on TV. Over time, Monster On Demand may let channel surfers apply for positions using their remote controls.

Monster will sell the ads for the channel and split revenue with Comcast.

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October 16, 2008

Mass. unemployment grows
Posted by Jesse Nunes at 4:14 PM

The following story is from the Boston.com Business News Updates blog

By Robert Gavin, Globe Staff

Massachusetts employers cut nearly 4,000 jobs in September and the unemployment rate rose another tenth point to 5.3 percent, the state Department of Workforce Development reported.

While only the third monthly employment decline in the past year, the job losses are another sign that the global financial crisis and national economic downturn are hitting the state.

Financial services led September job losses, shedding 1,200 jobs, and education and health services lost 1,100. Construction shed 1,000 jobs; manufacturing lost 600, and professional and business services lost 500.

Employment in consumer sectors continued to decline. Retailers shed 1,200 and leisure and hospitality, which includes hotels, restaurants, and entertainment, lost 800 jobs. Government, information, which includes software makers, and trade, transportation and utilities, were among the only major sectors to gain jobs.

The state unemployment rate remains below the national rate of 6.1 percent, but as risen more than a point since April.

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Buttering up the boss
Posted by Jesse Nunes at 3:34 PM

Did you know today (Thursday, Oct. 16) is National Boss Day?

Yep, as if worrying about your job security didn't give you enough incentive to be just a tad bit nicer to your immediate superior...

Still, aside from it being an obvious Hallmark holdiay, it's a good jumping-off point for the following topic: The employee/boss relationship.

Are you getting along better with your boss these days? Does the prospect of a bad economy and grim job market mean you'll try harder to get into your boss's good graces?

That seems to be the case for some, a new survey shows. The survey, by Georgia-based employment services provider Randstad, indicates that employees are getting along swimmingly with their superiors.

From a press release on the survey results:

• 72 percent of employees would do something to impress their boss

• More than half of employees surveyed (57 percent) would take on additional work or responsibilities

• Almost half (47 percent) would work over-time to create more job security

• More than three-fourths (77 percent) of employees said they positively relate to their boss

• Nearly two-thirds (64 percent) characterize their bosses in complimentary terms

Wow, so workers are really liking their bosses these days, it seems. Maybe many are just grateful to be employed, and are working harder than ever to keep that good thing going. I mean, no one wants to give their boss a reason to throw Donald Trump's signature line at them and send them out the door, packing.

However, as some other numbers in the survey indicate, there may be a key difference between "like" and "respect." Although the employee/boss relationship may be growing stronger, there are still many people who think they can do a better job than the person they report to. From the survey:

• Only about 1/3 of employees (35%) believe their boss is a good leader and mentor.

• Only half of employees (50%) believe their boss is competent.

• Only 22% think their boss is a great motivator.

• 13% of men think they're smarter than their boss, whereas only 6% of women believe the same.

The most striking number to be is the second one above, which shows that only half of the workers surveyed viewed their boss as "competent." That's a pretty rough assessment of the decision makers these days.

How about you? Do you think your boss is competent? Are you getting together with your superior better these days? How much has the economy affected how you view your boss?

Share you thoughts in our discussion forum.

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October 15, 2008

Patrick to cut 1,000 jobs
Posted by Jesse Nunes at 2:06 PM

(This article originally appeared in the Boston.com Local News Updates blog)

By Matt Viser, Globe Staff

Governor Deval Patrick is planning to announce this afternoon that 1,000 jobs will be eliminated and at least $700 million will be cut from the budget, according to two sources briefed on the details.

The job reductions will come through a combination of layoffs, not filling open positions, and encouraging current employees to retire, said the sources, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the governor has not announced his plan.

The governor is also planning to announce that the state will use $200 million in funds from the state’s $1.8 billion reserve account, the sources said. The current state budget relies on about $400 million from the rainy day fund; Patrick would need approval from the Legislature to spend more, and top lawmakers are weighing whether to return for a special session or wait until their next formal session in January.

The governor is also planning to announce a reform of the state’s pension system, but those savings would likely be more long term.

Patrick is planning to announce the cuts at 5 p.m., which will give him a local news broadcast platform so he can speak directly to Massachusetts residents and explain to them how the national and foreign economic chaos has hit home.

He is also planning to meet behind closed doors with top administration officials at 3:30 p.m. to brace them for the cuts.

Patrick has been working with top officials in his administration to develop the targeted, specific reductions. But in public he has kept his pronouncements general, saying only that he plans to eliminate hundreds of millions of dollars from the $28.2 billion budget that is only three months old.

Meanwhile, the chief of the state’s judicial system and Attorney General Martha Coakley announced this morning they would voluntarily cut their budgets this year.

Margaret Marshall, chief justice of the Supreme Judicial Court, and Robert A. Mulligan, the chief justice for administration and management, said in a statement that the judicial branch would cut $30 million from the $642 million it had planned to spend this year. Preliminary plans include a hiring freeze effective this week, cancellation of departmental conferences, and elimination of out-of-state travel. The plan does not include any layoffs.

"Unlike state agencies which have an array of programs, the court system has a single core mission -- the delivery of justice,” Marshall said in a statement. “We are committed to reducing our expenses to the most spare and essential functions necessary to maintain our mission and constitutional obligations."

Coakley, meanwhile, announced this morning that her office would make $500,000 to $1 million in budget cuts for the remainder of the fiscal year. Her budget for the entire fiscal year was $42.2 million.

Coakley said that cutting more could hamper her from collecting revenue.

"The Attorney General's Office plays multiple roles in the commonwealth, both bringing in revenue for the commonwealth and saving taxpayers money," Coakley said in a statement. "As such, we are diligently and carefully reviewing our budget in order to best determine how we can trim our spending while not impeding our ability to recover funds for the commonwealth and to continue to advocate for consumers."

State Auditor Joe DeNucci is asking his employees to take up to seven days of unpaid leave this year, which will save $1.05 million, or about 7 percent of the $15 million in remaining spending this fiscal year.

For the average employee in the 350-person auditor’s office, that would mean a pay cut of about $3,100.

Patrick vowed earlier this month to trim his office budget by 7 percent - which amounts to $600,000 - and requested that other offices match his cuts. The state Legislature responded by agreeing to cut 10 percent, or $9.1 million.

The cuts are triggered by a large revenue shortfall. Pegged just two weeks ago at $400 million, the state on Friday filed a disclosure document for bond investors that indicated revenues would be $800 million to $1.5 billion less than expected.

However, the state’s $3 billion bridge rebuilding program will not be impacted by the budget cuts, according to Bernard Cohen, the state transportation secretary.

“There is no freeze on hiring for those jobs and no hold-up in the funding,” Cohen said yesterday in comments following a Chamber of Commerce breakfast.

Cohen said the eight-year program, expected to fix up to 300 dilapidated bridges, will be paid for through the capital budget.

The state will issue bonds to pay for the repairs. Cohen said Patrick has urged him to move forward as quickly as possible on the repairs, hoping the spending will boost the economy.

Out of the state's 5,500 bridges, 543 are considered structurally deficient. Because so many of the structures are old, the number of deficient bridges continues to grow, even as crews make repairs.

Noah Bierman of the Globe staff contributed to this report.

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Time to be frightened?
Posted by Jesse Nunes at 9:50 AM

Forget the horror movies this Halloween, just stare at the wild fluctuations of your stock ticker instead. The tallest roller coaster in the world couldn't conjure the amount of stomach churning the markets have been inducing across the country over the past few weeks.

It's no secret that it's a tough time to be looking for a job. With the economy is as scary as ever, it's almost appropriate that the month that ends in a celebration of all things scary has been a horror show for US workers.

Will we see an employment turnaround before the end of the year? And will the holidays help? Employers typically ramp up their workforce in anticipation of the buying season. The hiring process for these full-time and part-time hourly seasonal jobs usually starts in October.

But this year, the number of available seasonal jobs will be sharply down, according to a survey by SnagAJob.com, a job search site that specializes in hourly employment. For those who rely on the employment opportunities afforded by the holiday job market, there will be fewer opportunities and greater competition.

According to the company's press release, the survey of 1,000 hourly hiring managers found that:

• On average, each manager expects to hire 3.7 seasonal employees, roughly 33 percent less than the 5.6 seasonal workers they each hired during last year's holiday period.
• The 3.7 seasonal employees expected to be hired includes the 57 percent
  of managers who say they don't plan on making any hires this year, which is
  up 8 percentage points from 2007.

• More people are expected to be applying for holiday jobs, according to
  hiring managers:
• Only 9 percent expect fewer applications
• Four in 10 (39%) expect the number of applicants to rise this year
• About one half (52%) expect the number to stay the same

So, for those who rely on seasonal jobs as part of their annual income, it could be tough going this year. And for those who work extra to be able to buy more gifts during the holidays, it could mean a lot less gifts for the loved ones, which in turn means less money spent at US businesses, which then could mean even fewer seasonal workers are needed. It's like getting off the roller coaster and heading straight for the tilt-whirl.

However, the survey does note that those who have the best chance of snagging a job during the holidays will be those who previously worked for the company they are applying to. So if you've been in the seasonal business before, you'll be in better shape than someone who's coming in cold.

Do you rely on seasonal work? Let us know in our weekly survey.

How has the economy affected your spending? Are you planning on spending less during the holidays this year? How much are you cutting your holiday budget by? Share your thoughts in our discussion forum.

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October 1, 2008

The ethics of downsizing
Posted by Jesse Nunes at 10:25 AM

It's a scary time out there. Millions of Americans are worried about the financial crisis, and with each day that passes it seems another major bank or company either bites the dust or gets swallowed up by a bigger entity -- or the government.

With companies large and small facing a credit crisis that severely limits their ability to borrow, downsizing is a real threat for many US workers. (Check out today's story in the Globe on how the crisis is affecting small business in Mass.) Even those who thought their jobs were secure are probably playing the painful mental exercise of imagining what they'd do if they lost their job.

Getting laid off is not any easy thing to endure. In BusinessWeek, "Ethics Guy" Bruce Weinstein writes that "getting fired is the eighth most stressful life experience, behind the death of a spouse (No. 1) or going to jail (No. 4), but ahead of the death of a close friend (No. 17), foreclosure on a mortgage or loan (No. 21), or in-law troubles (No. 24)."

And while doing the ethical thing may not be the first thing on your mind when you lose your job, Weinstein writes that it's critical – for both your mental well-being and future job prospects – that you handle getting laid off correctly. In a two-part series in BusinessWeek, Weinstein offers tips for those who are on both sides of the downsizing issue -- employers and workers. Here are samples of some of his advice for workers:

1. Get angry ... later. It's easy to react with hostility when you're told that your position is being eliminated. Don't... It's only human to be terribly upset or even filled with rage, but acting on those feelings may violate the do-no-harm principle. Less obvious but also important to think about is the damage you would do to a valued relationship that you may not be able to undo. You won't regret holding back, but you will regret losing your cool.

2. Don't take it personally. We'd like to be able to control our lives and shape our destiny through the sheer force of will, but sometimes things happen to us that have absolutely nothing to do with what we've done or who we are. This is one of those times.

3. Get a recommendation. One of the best ways for a potential employer to find out how valuable you are is to hear from your current boss, but you may have to be the one to make this happen. Get a recommendation in writing as soon as possible. Volunteer to write it yourself. If a letter is out of the question or doesn't arrive in a timely fashion, ask your boss to send you a short e-mail; even a one- or two-line testimonial will do. Get your boss's permission to put his or her direct phone number on your résumé and give out at job interviews.

4. Be a self-promoter. We're raised to believe that it's wrong to toot your own horn, but if ever there were a time to put that belief aside, it's now... One of our greatest challenges is striking the right balance between self-absorption and devotion to others. Still, there is not only no harm in standing up for yourself; it is unethical not to do so.

5. Grief is good. Grief is a natural and healthy response to losing something or someone of value in your life, and taking your grief seriously is another important way to treat yourself with kindness. It is a sign of strength, not weakness, to seek counseling in the wake of being downsized. If you sustained an injury to your back, you would have no qualms about getting physical therapy. Why shouldn't you seek the appropriate remedy when your world is turned upside down? Many of us still attach a stigma to psychotherapy—wrongly so.

6. Accentuate the positive. Is it possible that one of the worst things that could happen to you might turn out to be the best? Take a look at Harvey Mackay's We Got Fired!: ... And It's the Best Thing That Ever Happened to Us (Ballantine Books, 2004). Michael Bloomberg, Muhammad Ali, Billie Jean King, Home Depot founder Bernie Marcus, Lee Iacocca, and Robert Redford are just a few of the wildly successful people who explain how losing a job led to something much better.

(Read the complete articles on BusinessWeek's website: Part 1 and Part 2)

Of course, following such a plan is easier said than done when your way of life is at stake. As the Job Doc pointed out in a recent column, it is hard for some to move on when they lose their jobs.

Many Boston.com readers chimed in on a discussion thread on the topic of being 'wronged on the job', and it is clear that, even many years after being slighted, many still hold ill feelings toward their former employers.

How would you deal with a layoff? Have you been through this before? What steps have you taken to prepare for the worst?

Share your thoughts in the discussion forum.

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