( culture / writing / blog / employment ) Sitting here looking at James (not his real name) to my right. My workday would be sooooo much better if I could ignore him, but, being in the cubicle across the aisle, I can't. For those new to this space, James is an idiot. Literally. Okay, idiot/savant might be more accurate. He is wicked smart when it comes to computer programming, but I'm pr ... read more
( life / money / employment ) We could not agree more. See Disney heiress calls CEO Bob Iger's $65 million pay package 'insane.'
When Iger got his bonus last year, I did the math, and I figured out that he could have given ... read more
( life / money / employment ) I get these job listing emails (just in case something awesome comes along). This latest one (probably created by AI (artificial/lower intelligence)) said they have several jobs just for you: Hospice Aide (Los Angeles), Chaplain (Paramus), Registered Nurse Case Manager (Peru). Peru? As in South America? And I don't qualify for any of them, even I ... read more
( life / money / employment ) It's never too late to reinvent yourself. Take it from Paul Tasner — after working continuously for other people for 40 years, he founded his own start-up at age 66, pairing his idea for a business with his experience and passion. And he's not alone. As he shares in this short, funny and inspirational talk, seniors are increasingly indulging ... read more
( life / money / employment ) I'm working on an arrangement with my employer whereby I flip off Trump's motorcade, get photographed doing it, get fired for it, then have a go fund me campaign pay me $100K. Wish me luck!
THIS JUST IN: ... read more
( life / money / employment ) Got off the phone with @NASA. Had to tell 'em, "Look, I'm not willing to relocate. Stop calling!" OK, so it wasn't actually NASA, I didn't say exactly that, and it wasn't actually a job offer. A recruiter did call about an opportunity there, though. I'm not a COMPLETE liar. ... read more
( life / money / employment ) Strange badge swipe policy at work: required first thing in the AM, after that ANYONE can just walk right in. #monitoringvsecurity ... read more
( life / money / employment ) "Once Toys R Us was taken over, however, the debt that Vornado Realty, KKR and Bain used to acquire it was pushed back onto the company, skyrocketing its debt obligations to $7.6 billion."
via inthesetimes.com/ar ... read more
( life / money / employment ) Great story! See ksl.com
"It was about as low as you can get, but Smith decided to at least make it to the new year. When he went on ksl.com to look for jobs, he saw a story KSL did on a Utah company giving suits to homeless people to help them feel confident d ... read more
( life / money / employment ) I know they're just doing their jobs, but headhunters (job recruiters) can be some of the most dehumanizing people I've ever had to deal with. Because of that, I like to have a little fun at their expense whenever possible. Here's a recent email exchange:
Headhunter: I had ... read more
( life / money / employment ) Good one!
"This employee had simply had enough so they decided to tell their boss how it really is before they walked out the door."
via Employee's Sarcastic Resignation Note Tells It Like It Is
... read more
( life / money / employment ) "Nearly 40% said it took more than seven months to find employment and about one in five of laid-off workers said all they could find was a temporary position."
via latimes.com/business/la-fi-layo ... read more
( life / money / employment ) Something I've always hated about working for someone else is that you're expected to believe (or convincingly pretend, in the corporate setting, anyway) that the people in positions above you are in fact superior to you. It's just one more thing to gnaw at me during my time there. That expectation seems to be even stronger the further east you go ... read more
( life / money / employment / health ) Good article on staying healthy on the job, plus just plain staying at that job.
"... you can't smoke cigarettes fast enough to match the damage that today's workplace is doing to you. And not just you, but everyone from the newest hire to your CEO. Your company is unknowingly dragging the life from all of you." ... read more
( life / money / employment ) Switzerland Shows US How to Handle CEOs.
Here in the United States, had the minimum wage kept pace with productivity since the 1960s it would now be ... read more
( life / money / employment ) Walk 11 miles a shift and pick up an order every 33 seconds... how Amazon works staff 'to the bone'
"Internet giant Amazon works its warehouse staff 'to the bone' in long and re ... read more
( life / money / employment / computers ) And then the third stage (my words, not theirs) will be when people realize how irritating and stupid these computers are. Consumers, otherwise known as people, will stop using services that are overly-computerized, and bosses everywhere will be forced to trash their computerized systems in favor of good old-fashioned humans.
via News Forag ... read more
( life / money / employment ) I've been chosen (with 5-6 others) to Have Lunch With ! (one of the VP's at work) tomorrow. I've been instructed to come prepared to discuss real issues and solutions regarding my job. Not looking forward to it. At least it's a free lunch ... but is it really? The price is I have to Have Lunch With ! and talk about work. :)
At leas ... read more
( life / money / employment ) I don't agree that this is a valid calculation. But, for what it's worth, my brother sent this out recently.
50 years ago the minimum wage was 1.25 (1963). See dol.gov/whd/minwage/chart.pdf.
A 1963 dime (90% silver) is now worth 1.9
19 x 1.25 $23.75 ... read more
( life / money / employment ) The Labor Department ruling also means that if laid-off Boeing workers need to travel, say to California, for a job interview, the government will reimburse 90 percent of the costs.
via ... read more
( life / money / employment ) from Who are the 1%, and what do they do for a living?
"A lot of emphasis is on the 99% versus the 1% in these protests. But who are the 1% and what do they do for a living? Are they all Wilt Chamberlains and ... read more
( life / money / employment ) The Jobs Number Is BS Says Former Head Of BLS.
"After every non-farm payroll report we provide our own breakdown of what the real unemployment rate is in a country in which the labor force participation rate has not been adju ... read more
( life / money / employment ) via dreamslaughter: Food For Thought.
"The corporation is a true Frankenstein's monster, an artificial person run amok, responsible only to its own soulless self. — William Dugger"
... read more
( life / money / employment ) "The corporate-policy network is highly centralized, at both the level of individuals and that of organizations. Its inner circle is a tightly interwoven ensemble of politically active business leaders; its organizational core includes the Trilateral Commission, the Bilderberg Conference, the European Round Table of Industrialists ... read more
( life / money / employment ) Feels like the first day back at school after summer vacation, except in this case it's not even summer yet and I'll be starting a new job, not school, today. I hope it lasts longer than the last few jobs! I have had a string of incredible bad luck over the past decade through no fault of my own, I swear. :)I guess it started with that l ... read more
( life / money / employment ) Took a test yesterday. Hope I passed! New job depends on it! Hope I did better than the previous day's job-related test. That one was on Windows 7 and 2008 techie stuff, and I just haven't kept up with Win 7, not as a tech, especially in regard to its various corporate scenarios. The test only served to remind me how tired of being a techie I am. I ... read more
( life / money / employment ) Interesting article on micro gigs
via welcome-to-the-micro-gig-no-job-is-too-small
"A crush of apps allowing us to do discrete tasks for small sums of money might be the future. But the atom ... read more
( life / money / employment ) "The genius of our ruling class is that it has kept a majority of the people from ever questioning the inequity of a system where most people drudge along, paying heavy taxes for which they get nothing in return. — Gore Vidal" ... read more
( life / money / employment ) Great article here
via informationclearinghouse.info
"What does Labor Day mean anymore other than another day off, another store sale and, in some cities, parades ever smaller and more devoid of passion for elevating the well-being of work ... read more
( life / money / employment ) GE CEO Jeffrey Immelt, The Head Of Obama's Jobs Council, Is Moving Jobs And Economic Infrastructure To China At A Blistering Pace.The hypocris ... read more
( life / money / employment ) from Liberty Underground...
"Today, May Day, honors the workers who produce all of the wealth. It is in honor of those involved in a general strike in Chicago, killed by police in what is known all over the world by workers as the Haymarket ... read more
( life / money / employment ) via Economic Inequality Is Not Sustainable
"A Top Heavy 1 Percent Will Topple Without a Stable Middle Class.Focusing exclusively on deficit reduction is the wrong policy. Focusing solely on cutting spending is th ... read more
( life / money / employment ) They might be right about this.Worth a shot.
These Two Phrases on Your Resume Are Why It Just Hit the Trash Can.
"Does your resume read like a job description ... read more
( life / money / employment ) Yes, large corporations really are that stupid/short-sighted/corrupt.
via Verizon To Lay Off 1,700 Workers After Paying CEO $22 Million Last Year
"America's largest wireless service provi ... read more
( life / money / employment ) I hate when companies do this. Create a better environment for your employees, don't require them to be a pack of phonies!
via Why Faking Enthusiasm Is The Latest Job Requirement.
"... seeming to love the job becomes p ... read more
( life / money / employment ) "It doesn't matter if managers are introverted or extroverted, timid or bold, loud or quiet, as long as they are making people feel like they are growing, appreciated, and confident in their future at the company ..."
via ... read more
( life / money / employment ) Great article here: Three-Ways-to-Put-America
"In theory The Great Recession is history, but for those of us who live and work on Real Street the carnage and horror continues. On Real Street, outside the gated c ... read more
( life / money / employment ) Screw economies of scale! As I've said before, this country needs a new (or maybe just an enforced) Sherman Antitrust Act that will limit the size, influence and control of any one corporation.
More companies mean more jobs, and most importantly, more competition. Even ... read more
( life / money / employment ) via Whirlpool threatens pensions
"Unfortunately, we've just had another open theft of retired worker's benefits, this time Whirlpool management stealing the health care coverage of retired former Hoover workers and their families. Once again, w ... read more
( life / money / employment ) Federal Agency Rules Boeing Cant Move Plant to Avoid Union.
The amazing thing about this is that we see a government agency actually doing its job! ... read more
( life / money / employment ) I almost posted this to LinkedIn, but thought better of it since hiring managers and headhunters generally have absolutely no sense of humor regarding the hiring process. If they would admit (at least to themselves) that they have no idea what they're doing, it might help. :)
Anyway, here it is: Note to recruiters with application support ... read more
( life / money / employment ) For all bosses who dislike directness and are afraid of offending anyone...
via positive leaders love productivity
"Simon Sinek @simonsinek says, Bad leaders may edit the truth for fear of causing discomfort. Good le ... read more
( life / money / employment ) from The Minimum Wage: Popular With the Public, But Not the Donor Class.
"One of the best proposals to come out of the State of the Union was the President's proposal to raise the minimum wage to $9 an hour, phased in over three years, and tie it to the co ... read more
( life / money / employment ) Wisconsin judge reinstates collective bargaining for state employees
"The union-busting law that pushed Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker into the national spotlight last year has been declared unconstitutional by a state judge, push ... read more
( life / money / employment ) enewsletters.biospace.com/rhw/newsletter/good-news-for-bad-references.htm?typeemail&sourcejs-07-19-10
"Picture this scenario: you've been seeking new employment at a ... read more
( life / money / employment ) Those who say raising the minimum wage will bankrupt companies are just plain wrong. Here's the proof. Treat (and pay) your people well, and they'll be great employees. Treat them like crap and, surprise surprise, they'll be crappy employees. What a concept! :)
via ... read more
( life / money / employment / bosses ) I agree. And a big reason for this, I believe, is that hiring managers hire based on likability, enthusiasm, and an applicant's degree (no matter what that degree is in) rather than on experience and intelligence.
So, the people who end up running things often have no real idea what they're doing, but, darn it, they're enthusiastic and ... read more
( life / money / employment ) via The Case for a 25-Hour Work Week This Is Not a Joke Inc.com.
"Whatever you may think of this theory, there are certainly many who think (including Sheryl Sandberg) the status quo the 40/50 hou ... read more
( life / money / employment ) This (below) is why we hate Walmart.Too many people don't understand this.They just want low prices no matter the overall, long-run cost.
from Walmart: 50 Years of Gutting America's Middle Class ... read more
( life / money / employment ) via IBM's Internal Plan to Grow Earnings-Per-Share to $20 by 2015: Fire Most U.S. Employees.
"The primary method for accomplishing this feat, according to the plan, will be by reducing US employee head count by 78 percent in that time frame."
... read more
( life / money / employment ) Baum law firm to close - Business First.
This is one company that got what it deserved after mocking homeless/foreclosed families. ... read more
( life / money / employment ) from saving-the-rich-losing-the-economy
"US politicians, such as Buddy Roemer, blame the collapse of US manufacturing on Chinese competition and unfair trade practices. However, it is US corporations that move their factories ... read more
( life / money / employment ) They're forcing pay cuts for the people who do the actual work there while their executives get millions in bonuses.
"Last year Verizon made $12 billion in profits, got $1 billion in government subsidies a ... read more
( life / money / employment ) Just warms your heart, doesn't it? Not.
via NY Times
"It turns out that the good times are even better than we thought for American chief executives." ... read more
( life / money / employment ) Great article.
via Greed is Not a Virtue, by David Korten — Agenda for a New Economy.
"By capitalism's perverse moral logic, if a person sells toxic assets by knowingly misrepresenting them as sound, the fault lies not with ... read more
( life / money / employment ) I'm starting a new job next week, so I ran a test of how long it would take to get there after dropping Elizabeth off at school. It was 7:42 when they started letting the kids inside, allowing me to leave. I could do like a lot of parents and just drop her off and take off, but I like to make sure she's safely inside before I go. Other pare ... read more
( life / money / employment ) When given one of those customer satisfaction surveys, always try and give a glowing report about the individual who helped you (unless they were terrible, of course) because those surveys are just another tool for corporations to harass their already under-paid, under-appreciated employees.
You don't want to be responsible for getting someone ... read more
( life / money / employment ) American as apple pie items that are no longer made here:
19-iconic-products-that-america-doesnt-make-anymore ... read more
( life / money / employment ) I guess they didn't call it The Great Depression during that depression, did they? We shouldn't be surprised they're not honestly calling this one Great Depression II. Or, in current parlance, maybe, G-Dep-2. It's only The Great Recession. As if those of us out of work (or in my case, under-employed) and facing such dire uncertainty ... read more
( life / money / employment ) When faced with too many expenses and not enough income and you have run out of expenses to reduce, rather than firing employees, the fair and socially-responsible way to cut costs is NOT to fire employees who had nothing to do with those costs getting too high. The FIRST target of cost-cutting needs to be ...
I think I originally suggested t ... read more
( life / money / employment ) "The California Supreme Court unanimously agreed that a trial court erred in dismissing a complaint by Brian Reid, who was hired in 2002 as a director of operations and engineering, and fired less than two years later at age 54 after being told he was not a good cultural fit."
... read more
( life / money / employment ) localmakers.com/
The above link no longer points to where it used to. Someone in Holland, ironically, has apparently purchased that domain name. I would have removed this post, but the irony made it worth keeping it here.
... read more
( life / money / employment ) When I applied and scheduled an interview for a job at the financial arm of the Methodist Church, I knew I was not a right fit for them. After all, I'm not only not Methodist, I'm not even a Christian.When the HR manager called a couple days later to cancel the interview, I had a strong suspicion her excuse was concocted.
I'm guessing the ... read more
( life / money / employment ) I went to another job interview yesterday. It was downtown Nashville in the once trendy Cummins Station building. I've had a few consulting clients there over the years. The company interviewing me shall remain nameless. Coincidentally, a few hours before the interview I received a ... read more
( life / money / employment ) I'm glad you and Cathy are doing well. Our daughter Elizabeth is doing well, too. She spent last night with a cousin north of town so she can attend that little girl's birthday party today. Elizabeth's own birthday party was last month.
I'm sort of employed, working for myself doing computer consulting fixing people's computer problems, setti ... read more
( life / money / employment ) I got a call today about a job with American Income. They said they found my résumé on Careerbuilder. When I get emails like that, I instantly recognize them and mark them as spam and block them from sending any more. But getting a phone call is apparently more effective on me.
I agreed to an interview (because she never ment ... read more
( life / money / employment ) I went to a pre-employment drug screening this morning. Last week, I had interviewed for an IT instructor position. Had to give a mock class, and everything. I chose the subject of securing your home wireless network. It was fun. Anyway, no, I haven't been hired ... yet. They require this test before even thinking about hiring me. I walked in ... read more
( life / money / employment ) First time I've ever seen this. Filling out an online job application, the EEOC stuff at the bottom gave me a choice of:
Male
Female
Gender Unknown
Decline to Answer
I can understand sexually confused, but gender unknown? Really? ... read more
( life / money / employment ) It's been almost five months now since I was laid off. It doesn't seem that long, actually. What've I been doing since then? Collecting unemployment checks and doing freelance consulting, helping people with their computer problems and questions. Check out computersavior.com ... read more
( life / money / employment ) Two weeks shy of my birthday and I'm still looking for a job. I don't know why. I never really fit in at these corporate soul-sucking places. Oh that's right, I need to pay the mortgage, daycare, grocery bill, utilities, car payment and its insurance. And don't forget the exorbitant health care premiums. You ever tried buying health insurance when ... read more
( life / money / employment ) It's been almost three weeks now, and I'm finally able to talk/blog about my layoff. After the merger and corporate restructuring at work, it was finally my turn to have my position eliminated. I instinctively felt it coming. In fact, I couldn't sleep the night before, worrying about it. No one had said anything to me, it was just a feeling, a fe ... read more
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