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Americans Suffering from Vacation
Deprivation
Wednesday, August 01,
2007
A survey by Expedia.com revealed that 51 million Americans (35% of
the adult workforce) don't take advantage of their full vacation
time. According to the article from MSNBC.com, this is troubling
because Americans already have less vacation time than residents
of many other comparable countries.
That's not all. According to Expedia.com:
- 33% of Americans have problems coping with "work-related stress"
during their vacations; and
- the percentage of Americans checking their work e-mail during
vacation time has jumped 43% (from 16% to 23%).
Vacation Deprivation:
Making Time for Time Off, MSNBC.com
"The Freedom to Work" by Marc Freedman
Thursday, June 28, 2007
Social entrepreneur Marc Freedman suggests a new social contract
between the retiring baby boomers and the upcoming generation in his
new book: "ENCORE: Finding Work that Matters in the Second Half of
Life."
Below is an excerpt of the first chapter:
The Freedom to Work
The year is 2030.
The youngest baby boomers are midway through their sixties and
starting to claim their Social Security benefits. And none too soon,
since the coffers are nearly empty. As many boomers say with only a
touch of irony, at least we got ours.
The fittest boomers still boast that eighty is the new sixty, but
the rest of the country has gotten tired of footing the bill for
their lengthy retirement. After a seemingly endless run, America is
ready for the baby boom generation to finally get off the stage.
Please click here to
read the rest of this article.
The Fine Line Between Having a Strong
Work Ethic and Being a Workaholic
Sunday,
May 13, 2007
Deb Koen discusses the difference between having a strong work ethic
and being a workaholic: "A strong work ethic, which demonstrates
commitment and flexibility, is expected and desirable. Workaholism,
characterized by excess and obsession, overtakes a person's life and
negatively affects functioning in other areas."
Following are some warning signs that you are erring on the wrong
side:
- You are always preoccupied with work, even when you are outside
of the office.
- You maintain constant connection with your office (e-mail, cell,
blackberry).
- You don't take full advantage of your vacation time.
- You jeopardize your health due to your unhealthy lifestyle.
- You are missing on the moments that make life memorable.
For Workaholics, Valuing All of Life Is the Challenge, Democrat &
Chronicle
Study Finds Parents Are Better Managers
Sunday, March 11, 2007
According to researchers from Clark University and the Center for
Creative Leadership in Greensboro, N.C., parents that are committed
to family life tend to perform better in the office:
"Those who
were committed to family life achieved significantly better reviews.
The reason: Parents learn to multitask, handle stress and negotiate,
says Marian N. Ruderman, research director at the Center for
Creative Leadership, and one of the study's authors."
The Weight Factor
Wednesday, March 07, 2007
According to The Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 65
percent of U.S. adults (approximately 129.6 million people) are
either overweight or obese. Is this "majority" being discriminated
against in the workplace? According to Miriam Berg, president of
the Council on Size and Weight Discrimination, yes: obese people
earn less and are not given raises as often as "thinner workers"
(study by Charles L. Baum, Ph.D., of Middle Tennessee State
University and study by John H. Cawley, associate professor at
Cornell University (the two are separate studies)). In fact, in a
2005 survey by TheLadders.com, 75 percent of executives said that
being overweight was a "serious career impediment."
Happiness, Positivism, and Work
Wednesday, February 28, 2007
There is an article in The Sydney Morning Herald about work
psychology and how happier employees lead to higher productivity and
profits. Especially interesting are the distinctions made between:
- The pleasant life, the good life, and the meaningful life (the
three kinds of happiness).
- Optimists and pessimists.
- The job, the career, and the calling (the three kinds of work).
There is also mention of something called "signature strength." Want
to know how all these concepts fit together? How about a quick read?
-->
Job Satisfaction? Go with the Flow
Each Phase of Life Brings Another Set
of Goals
Monday, February 26, 2007
Meg Donohue wrote a short article about what challenges working
professionals face as they go through life:
- 20s: "Establish a positive work record."
- 30s: "Focus on becoming a leader."
- 40s: "Re-examine your definition of success."
- 50s: "Envision your future."
- 60s and beyond: "Reap what you've sown."
Job Goals by Age, CNN / CareerBuilder
Your Battery Is Running Low?
Tuesday, January 16, 2007
Forbes offers 10 suggestions to "recharge at work:"
- Get goal oriented (keep your goals small but achievable).
- Acknowledge yourself (tell yourself that you did a good job).
- Assess your situation (if you are not motivated at work, look
into the cause and try to rectify the problem).
- Nourish yourself (find out what you enjoy at work and do more of
it).
- Space out vacations (get few long weekends throughout the year
to get back on track).
- Clean the mess in your life (get organized in your personal life
and at work).
- Know yourself (be in tune with your inner self so when things go
wrong, you know what to do to make you feel better).
- Pay attention to your worries (don't avoid dealing with your
worries; confront them).
- Take stock of your job (approach your career development
actively).
- Assess the market for your profession (if you have decided to
change career, go ahead, but make sure to do proper research).
The following link leads to a slide show describing the above ten
suggestions:
Ten Ways to Recharge at Work.
Your New Best Friend?
Thursday, January 11,
2007
As BlackBerries are gaining in popularity, allowing access to
e-mails anywhere and anytime, the "breaking point" no longer occurs
when one leaves one's office. The intriguing thing about
BlackBerries is that they get workers "addicted" to their
"usefulness." People with BlackBerries often have no time for a lot
of things, yet they always seem to have time to play with their new
companion. Yes, it's almost sentimental. Is this the curse of
technology? Making things "too convenient"?
We all dread receiving phone calls from work when we're at home.
Yet, when we check our e-mails using our BlackBerries, aren't we
connecting to work asking to work overtime?
Eight Keys to a More Secure Future
Sunday,
December 31, 2006
Knight Kiplinger offers eight keys to financial security:
- Invest in yourself. Your education and the skills that
you acquire throughout your career are your most valuable assets.
- Protect yourself and the ones you love. Buy insurance
against unexpected events in life such as serious illness,
disability, and early death.
- Borrow sparingly. Use credit to purchase things of
lasting value. Otherwise, get into the habit of paying cash.
- Pay yourself first. Write yourself a cheque every
month. With the rest of your money, pay your bills. If you don't
have enough left to pay your bills, cut in your discretionary
expenses.
- Don't go for the home run. Be extremely careful in
your investments.
- Diversify your investments. Where the economy is
headed cannot always be predicted.
- Live simply now for a more comfortable tomorrow. Plan
long-term and look at the big picture. You may want to cut in
unnecessary expenses to save money to meet your bigger objectives in
life.
- Help create a better world by giving generously. The
world we live in is interconnected and our well-being also depends
on that of the community, nation, and world we live in.
Tips to Leave Work Earlier
Tuesday,
September 19, 2006
In a recent article, CNN suggested a series of very interesting tips
to help people manage their time:
- avoid meetings at the end of the day;
- get yourself organised;
- if you're done with your work, go home, and don't sit there
waiting for 5 o'clock to ring (unless you have to);
- 1/2 hour before the end of the day, put the voicemail on;
- reduce your work week gradually by starting with 15 minutes a
day; and
- get your excuses straight with this "excuse
generator."
Shortcuts: Leaving Work Early, CNN Briefingroom
Working Overtime Without Pay...
Friday, September 08,
2006
Nowadays, employers expect employees to perform to the point that
some workers feel that they have to put in extra hours to get the
job done. Extra "unpaid" hours...
In that regard, when negotiating salaries or when deciding to go
with a certain employer, a factor to consider is whether you will
have to work overtime, as the salary that is being offered to you
often does not take that element into consideration.
Although working longer hours may sometimes be necessary, that
practice should remain the exception and not the norm. If that ends
up being the norm, how about renegotiating your salary?
Forbes' Story on "Career Women" Sparks
Outrage
Friday,
August 25, 2006
In an article on career women, Forbes' Editor, Michael Noer, wrote
the following:
"Guys: A word of advice. Marry pretty women or ugly ones. Short
ones or tall ones. Blondes or brunettes. Just, whatever you do,
don't marry a woman with a career.
Why? Because if many social scientists are to be believed, you
run a higher risk of having a rocky marriage. While everyone knows
that marriage can be stressful, recent studies have found
professional women are more likely to get divorced, more likely to
cheat, less likely to have children, and, if they do have kids, they
are more likely to be unhappy about it."
Many complained about these statements, forcing Forbes to add
another article... from a woman's perspective this time...
Longer Commutes for Workers
Thursday, July 13, 2006
The statistics confirm it... notwithstanding better technology and
faster modes of transportation, workers are spending more time on
the road. A survey by Statistics Canada found that Canadians were
spending more time going to work with 25% spending over 90 minutes
every day.
While longer travel distances is one of the causes for this problem
(i.e. people relocating to the suburbs), another factor of concern
is rush-hour congestion. Waste of time is not the only impact of
traffic as it also constitutes a major cause of greenhouse gas
emissions.
Few interesting statistics: 86% of Canadians use a car for all or
part of their trip to work. 20% of workers residing in the six
major cities use a bus or subway to go to work. 11% of workers go
to work on foot or by bicycle.
Choose Your Own Path
Monday,
June 05, 2006
"Listening to the wise advice of faculty members as I was waiting to
receive my diploma, a flow of thoughts came to my mind. Thinking of
all those years I spent studying to achieve high marks in the
academic world, I felt a drop of nostalgia and anxiety in what was
supposed to be one of the best and most memorable moments of my
life."
Graduation can be an exhilarating moment, yet full of uncertainty
also, as it marks a shift in our focus in life. From getting good
grades and hanging out with friends, we are suddenly confronted with
earning a living and meeting the high expectations of people around
us. Let us not forget, graduation is when the abstract will have to
meet the concrete. All those years of study are meant to lead to
employment as we graduate.
How to cope with the pressure? For those without a job, how to deal
with the uncertainty?
As a person who has gone through all these steps, let me tell you
something: take it easy... Life is made of ups and downs; of highs
and lows.
There is an expression I especially like: "Beaten paths are for
beaten men." What does this mean? It simply means walk with your
head up and "choose" your path in life. Yes, your own path, not the
path that others impose upon you or the path that most people in
your field adopt. As you go through life, you will see doors open
and close, and will learn from each obstacle that is put before
you. Don't let those obstacles weaken you. Instead, allow them to
make you stronger. Take on the challenge and aim even higher, as
the person that you are is forged by the decisions that you take.
It is easy when so many things happen at the same time to lose sight
of what's important. Take time out and don't let go of your ideals
when you come home after a bad day at work. On Fridays, as you
leave the office, take a deep breath and undertake to enjoy your
weekend as opposed to only recuperating from your work week. The
aforementioned tips are meant to allow you to keep things in
perspective. Indeed, one rule you will soon have to learn is that
work is not everything. Let your work be the reflection of the
person that you are and not the reverse, as this is the only way you
will find happiness in life and spread happiness around you.
This post can also be found on "Collective
Genius," as a special contribution made by WorkBloom to that new
blog started by Curt Rosengren.
Socializing Outside Work Hours
Tuesday,
April 11, 2006
Many employees, if not most, resent having to attend
office gatherings after hours or during the week-end. Yet, those
activities are more and more used by managers to build stronger
connections between co-workers.
Actually, those events can have the opposite effect of boosting
morale and it is not unusual to hear excuses (polite way to avoid
saying lies) in order to avoid attendance. Even if employers say
that the meetings are not mandatory and are meant to have "fun", we
all know that it is not so. Whatever happens at those events can
have an impact (good or bad) next Monday, when everybody's back at
work.
Technology and high productivity are partly to blame and it seems
that work reaches into the private spheres of family life nowadays.
Made in Canada
Saturday, April 01, 2006
Oops, I mispelled; actually it's "Maid in Canada". "Maid in Canada"
is an interesting article about a journalist pretending to be a maid
and using that theme to discuss related issues such as low wages,
values, human dignity, etc.
She actually came from a rich neighbourhood, but decided, along with
her two kids, to live on minimum wage to see what it's like.
She assumed that $7.75/hour, at 40 hours a week, was a wage at which
a person could make a living. It makes sense I guess since it's
called minimum wage, assuming that the government would not allow
people to work for less than what is required to make a living.
Well... actually that's wrong. With minimum wage, her pre-tax
weekly income would be $1,240 ($14,880 a year). Statistics Canada
sets the low-income cut-off line at $31,126... go figure.
She then mentioned that in real terms, the minimum wage actually
declined over the years:
"I also assumed an increase in the minimum wage meant that the
minimum wage had actually increased. Wrong again. Over the past 30
years, the minimum wage declined 13 per cent in real terms. In 1976,
Ontario's minimum wage was $2.65 an hour, or $8.93 in today's
dollars. In the meantime, Canada's standard of living soared 43 per
cent, in real terms, from 1981 to 2003. In other words, the rich got
richer. And Metro Maids? I was about to find out."
The article goes a long way in describing the hardship that families
living on minimum wage suffer, from renting a place to finding work
to humiliation suffered almost daily.
This article is a must read.
WA
Wednesday, March 29, 2006
"WA" stands for "Workaholics Anonymous" and goes as far back as
1983, based on the AA (Alcoholics Anonymous).
"WA identifies workaholics as people who often are perfectionists
and worriers, derive their self esteem from work, keep overly busy,
neglect their health, postpone vacations and overschedule their
lives."
Having a compulsion to over work can indeed be a serious problem.
What Do You Know About the People Who
Are Serving You?
Monday,
March 27, 2006
Mick Dumke wrote an interesting article on people working behind the
counter at fast food chains, describing their background,
motivations, etc.
He mentioned an interesting statistic. The manufacturing sector
accounts for only 20 percent of today's U.S. economy while the
service industry makes up 75 percent. There is also a diversity of
people working in fast food restaurants, from teenagers to
undocumented immigrants to former welfare recipients, etc.
Very interesting read.
Living Apart
Thursday, March 16, 2006
Elizabeth Large wrote about a married couple living apart
because they work in different cities. She mentioned that over 1
million married couples in the United States live apart because
of work-related reasons. That does not include people in
long-term relationships that are not married. I would add to
that the number of couples living together but spending more
time at work than at home...
Even if most couples living apart try to see each other as often
as possible, let's say every week-end or twice a month, can such
arrangements last long? In our modern society, professionals
often have to work during week-ends to catch up, it's no longer
about spending eight hours at work, but about getting the job
done.
I can imagine distance taking a toll on long-distance
relationships. What about having kids, who will have to
sacrifice in the end and relocate, etc.?
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