World Cup: Time Killer or Bonding Experience?

June 11, 2010 – 5:30 am
[caption id="attachment_367" align="alignright" width="240" caption="My office caught World Cup fever! And the only cure is more cowbell. Or something."][/caption] It's World Cup time, soccer fans! (Or football fans, as it is called everywhere else in the world except for here.) I have to admit, I don't know much about soccer besides from what I could glean from watching my brother play when he was little, Bend it Like Beckham, and Ladybugs (the seminal soccer film starring Rodney Dangerfield and Jonathon Brandis, where Dangerfield makes Brandis dress in drag and play on the girls' team). But, I seem to be in the minority, as World Cup fever has infected the entire population. And companies are getting worried. According to that FT.com article, UK businesses are afraid of a 1 billion pound loss in productivity during the World Cup. In fact, some companies throughout the world are blocking World Cup-streaming websites in an attempt to ...

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Disturbing Trend: Lowballing Salary Offers

June 8, 2010 – 5:40 am
It's like a reverse auction from hell. "$50,000. Do I hear $50,000 for this high stress, long hours, and thankless position?" "I'll take $50,000!" "Do I hear a $45,000? No? Practice saying, 'Do you want fries with that?'  I hear $40,000! Going, going...sold to the young man with the recent philosophy degree for $36,000! Enjoy your 'career,' young man. And good luck negotiating up from that in the future!" [Insert sinister laugh.] Next we have your soul. What do you bid? According to an article in the Wall Street Journal, employers are lowballing their new hires. It's not surprising. Even though the economy is recovering, companies are still worried about their profitability. Why cut into their profit margin by, I don't know, paying their talented employees fairly? Not to mention that many employers have the mentality that job seekers are so happy to be offered a job, any job, that they'll take whatever salary is thrown at ...

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What Ump Jim Joyce Can Teach Us About Admitting Work Mistakes

June 3, 2010 – 9:25 am
It was the top of the Ninth. And Armando Galarraga of the Detroit Tigers was one out away from pitching a perfect game. It would be the first for the Tigers, and the crowd was hushed with anticipation, Cracker Jacks spilling from unnoticed bags, sweaty Bud Lights discarded on the ground. At least that's how I picture it. I wasn't there. Anyway, as I'm sure you've all heard, as Armando Galarraga stepped on first base, triumphantly clutching the baseball as the runner touched down, the umpire, Jim Joyce, called the play. Oopsie! That was my bad. "Safe!" And that was it. No perfect game for Armando Galarraga or the Tigers. Until, that is, everyone saw the instant replay. The runner was clearly out. It would have been a perfect game--if it weren't for Jim Joyce. That's not the end of the story though. Jim asked to speak to Armando in the locker. And, almost in tears, he ...

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Al Gore and Tipper Gore Separation, and Employee Turnover

June 1, 2010 – 9:35 am
I don't think anyone was really surprised when Sandra Bullock announced that she was separating from Jesse James. After all, the guy did have an affair with an alleged neo-Nazi. And, call me cynical, but I really never believe celebrity marriages will last. But when it's well-known and respected politians, especially ones who have been married for 40 years, it's a little shocking. Which is why I think we were all shocked when the news broke that Al Gore and Tipper Gore announced that they are separating. Yup, the former vice president is separating from his wife of four decades. And, as of this blog, there was no announcements of Al Gore having a secret mistress or dating one of his interns or him getting caught wearing diapers. Al Gore and Tipper Gore just mutually decided to split. Al and Tipper Gore Their marriage just wasn't working anymore. What the Gores Can Teach Us About Employee ...

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Summer Fridays

May 28, 2010 – 5:39 am
Well, it's Memorial Day weekend, finally, which means it's the unofficial start of summer. (Or maybe it's the official start of summer. I don't feel like Googling.) And for some lucky employees, this means the beginning of summer Fridays. I once worked for a company where we all got to leave around 12 or 1 during summer Fridays if we had all our work done. Of course, with an hour commute, plus the hassle of catching the shuttle bus to the office, it seemed like I was spending more time schlepping to and from work that it didn't seem worth it to come in just for a few hours. But, it was appreciated nonetheless. A friend of mine works at a non-profit company and doesn't have to come in at all during summer Fridays. Vile temptress. Of course, I've also worked at plenty of companies that don't offer summer Fridays. Which is fine in principle, until ...

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4 ‘Lost’ Principles to Apply to the Working World

May 25, 2010 – 5:01 am
Oh man, wasn't the Lost finale...something. I can't say I loved it, or that I was satisfied with all the "answers" they gave us. But, it's over, and we all have to fill the huge island-size hole in our lives now. And, of course, I couldn't let a momentous pop-culture event go by without perverting it into a career lesson, right? Alright then, let's take a look! (Oh, and if you haven't seen the finale yet and are planning to, this is just a warning that there are spoilers in this blog. And if you didn't watch the show and have no desire to, you can still glean some career lesson amidst the Lost mythology.) 4 Lost Principles to Apply to the Working World Don't be afraid to brainstorm. Plane crash, smoke monster, time travel, quantum physics and rock and roll? Sure, why the heck  not. Maybe these concepts sounded silly when they were ...

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Throwing in the Towel: When Should You Give Your Notice?

May 21, 2010 – 5:39 am
My television producer boyfriend, "Jake Ryan," recently decided to move on to greener pastures. He took the LSATs in the fall, pored over the various law school catalogues, and dragged me to several campuses. (One school had better food, but another had more comfortable chairs. It was a difficult choice.) Jake finally made his choice and signed over his soul to the devil (the loan office at the bank). School starts in August. Jake wants to work for as long as he can (to, you know, have money to live). So, when should he tell his boss he's leaving? When Should You Put in Your Notice at Work? Jake had some soul searching to do. He's been at his company for several years and has a good relationship with his boss and coworkers. He didn't want to leave everyone in the lurch by giving them the traditional two weeks notice and then watching ...

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Do you manage like a ‘Celebrity Apprentice’?

May 18, 2010 – 9:25 am
I'm a little late to the Celebrity Apprentice party. Especially since I started watching a week or two ago, and they're already down to the final two celebrities. But, hey, I love glam bands as much as the next person, and it's nice to watch Bret Michaels in a show that doesn't cause herpes of the eyes. If you're not familiar with Celebrity Apprentice, it features a bunch of B-, C-, and even some D-list celebrities who all compete in business challenges to win money for their charities. And, of course, Donald Trump fires someone each week in a humiliating--though now iconic--manner, "You're fired." (Just bear with me if you don't know any of the celebrities I'm talking about, or even the show. It doesn't really matter.) The finale is down to Bret Michaels and that girl from Hanging with Mr. Cooper (Holly Robinson Peete).  But I'm not going to talk about the finale. In ...

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Could a computer make your job irrelevant?

May 14, 2010 – 8:09 am
Consider the elevator operator. Elevator operators were tasked with pulling all the levers and gizmos and making sure people would get to the correct floor. Sometimes, they'd even get to make announcements. "Third floor, women's lingerie!" or something to that effect. And they did it all in full uniform. Of course, now that elevators have fun-to-push buttons, the elevator operator career is almost extinct. As technology evolves, it often takes over for people who were once doing the job. This usually happens slowly, but apparently, some employers are using the economy as an excuse to get rid of jobs. Permanently. I come in peace. For now... In case you didn't click through the link, that New York Times article tells the story of an administrative assistant who was fired because of the economy. And she can't find another job. She refuses to believe that managers are perfectly fine scheduling their own meetings on their Blackberries instead of having ...

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How honest should you be on self evaluations?

May 12, 2010 – 9:43 am
No matter how good a worker you are, how many ideas you've come up with, how many presentations you've aced, when it comes down to your performance review, don't you get just a little bit nervous when you meet with your boss? Maybe she'll say, sure, you came up with an idea, but was it really that good of an idea? And then she'll say that you should work on that, and that now you have something to strive for in your next evaluation. Which, in layman's terms, means, "Sorry, buddy. No raise for you." This is when self evaluations seem like a godsend. Unless you have crippling self esteem issues, or are maybe a little too honest, you can let your boss know just how awesome you are, how amazing your contributions were, and how crazy hard you work. Of course, this could backfire on you as well. According to an article in ...

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