Jun

18

Obama memorandum passes on benefits to some gay partners

Posted by Dan

June 18, 2009 | Leave a Comment

There’s still a long way to go, but Pres. Obama at least take one small step toward recognizing that gay couples are every bit as legitimate as straight ones yesterday.
Obama signed a memorandum on Wednesday that extends benefits to the same-sex partners of federal employees.
According to a New York Times story, this move comes after [...]

Jun

15

Mandatory corporate workshops: Aren’t we all stressed for time?

Posted by Dan

June 15, 2009 | Leave a Comment

This week, the publishing company where I work is forcing employees to attend a mandatory hour-and-a-half sexual-harrassment workshop. And here I thought we were actually busy here thanks to all the layoffs we’ve suffered.
Sexual harrassment is a big issue, and a huge problem. But, I’m not sure that forcing employees to attend a 90-minute workshop [...]

Jun

11

Letting work slip through the cracks

Posted by Dan

June 11, 2009 | Leave a Comment

I’m sure there are no official statistics on this, but I wonder how many of us are getting a bit sloppy at work these days?
It’s not intentional. And it’s not laziness. In fact, it’s quite the opposite. Employees are taking on more work at their jobs. They have to: A growing number of companies are [...]

Jun

4

You want to be a mortgage loan officer? Really

Posted by Dan

June 4, 2009 | Leave a Comment

I have a friend who wants to work as a mortgage loan officer. And that’s with me telling him everyday that mortgage lending squeezes the life out of people. It’s a stressful job. Customers get angry with you when you quote them interest rates that they think are too high. The folks who qualify the [...]

Jun

2

How to suck up to your boss

Posted by Dan

June 2, 2009 | Leave a Comment

This is a good time to impress your boss. I know a lot of you don’t enjoy sucking up to the folks in charge. But if you’re not going to do it when unemployment levels are soaring, when are you going to do it?
Here, then, are some sucking-up tips I’ve observed from my once-a-week forays [...]

May

28

Desperate? Try a LaidOffCamp

Posted by Dan

May 28, 2009 | Leave a Comment

If you’ve been out of work for a long time, you undoubtedly need to vent. I understand that. That’s why I think the LaidOffCamp is a neat idea.
The Wall Street Journal ran an interesting story today about these camps, which are held across the country. Basically, they offer the unemployed a chance to network, learn [...]

May

22

Does misery love company? Not when it comes to job losses

Posted by Dan

May 22, 2009 | Leave a Comment

I hate hearing from my neighbors or friends about their job struggles.
As a freelance writer, I’m struggling to meet my monthly financial goals. My print-magazine clients are all going out of business or cutting back on their budget for freelance writers. The online sources I’ve replaced them with pay far, far less.
This means I’m working [...]

May

21

What do unemployed people like? There’s a blog with an answer

Posted by Dan

May 21, 2009 | Leave a Comment

Back when the recession was first gaining steam, the mainstream media wrote a few stories about the ranks of uemployed people blogging about their experiences. It was a fun story on a rather grim topic.
I visited some of these blogs earlier today and found that many of them hadn’t been updated in months. I hope [...]

May

20

And what am I doing during the downturn?

Posted by Dan

May 20, 2009 | Leave a Comment

I’ve written a lot about how other folks are holding onto their careers — or not — during the economic downturn. But I’ve not shared a whole lot about how the economy is hitting me, and what I’m doing about it.
So here’s a little bit: Before the recession, I specialized in writing about residential real [...]

May

19

Age can work against you in today’s job market

Posted by Dan

May 19, 2009 | Leave a Comment

Are you too old? How about too young? Either way, it might work against you in today’s job market.
At least that’s the news from the Wall Street Journal, which recently ran a feature story about the challenges that both younger and older workers face today. Guess it’s best to be about 35 or so these [...]

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