by Hans Eisenbeis
WHAT’S HAPPENING
Researchers looking into the biology of charity have found that brain chemistry is actually altered by acts of charitable giving. Now business strategists and professional coaches say that being generous can pay big dividends career-wise too (WSJ.com 12.20.09).
Nice guys really don’t have to finish last. Jonathan Fields, author of Career Renegade, argues [...]
by Cree McCree
WHAT’S HAPPENING
After a June 2009 Supreme Court decision that favored employers, Senate leaders are working to add more teeth to existing age-discrimination law.
The Protecting Older Workers Against Discrimination bill, supported by AARP, would broaden the scope of what plaintiffs must prove by making age one of several motivating factors in termination, rather than [...]
by Reed Robinson
WHAT’S HAPPENING
You know the guy … the one writing a report, reading the news, checking Facebook, all while tuning in to his favorite Pandora station. We often wonder how he’s capable of such productivity. His secret: inefficiency.
In a 2009 study, Stanford researchers tested two groups — regular multitaskers and non-multitaskers — in an [...]
by Cree McCree
WHAT’S HAPPENING
With the job market tanking, recent grads have started vying for the only hot ticket in town: unpaid internships. To give their kids an edge, some families are paying to play, spending as much as $8,000 to land nonpaying gigs.
At University of Dreams, the industry’s biggest placement service, 2009 applications topped 9,000 [...]
by Sarah Barker
WHAT’S HAPPENING
As the pressure to retain or land a new job increases, some job seekers are turning to a competitive-edge-in-a-needle, Botox (KGW.com 5.1.09).
Advocates report that looking younger boosts both first impressions and personal confidence in job interviews.
On June 5, Washington, DC-based aesthetics emporium Reveal offered a Botox Bailout — free Botox injections (a [...]
by Lisa Parks
WHAT’S HAPPENING
The rising rate of unemployment is forcing many workers to acquire additional education to get work. Latino and African American day laborers are no exception. Non-profit CASA de Maryland is stepping in to help.
Many of the workers previously toiled in construction, which has a nationwide unemployment rate of 19.2% (NewAmericaMedia.com 6.14.09).
CASA works [...]
by Hans Eisenbeis
WHAT’S HAPPENING
Some downsized older Boomers are taking early retirement, opting for a steady Social Security check instead of stressing about finding a new job. How are their young Millennial colleagues handling joblessness? Many are indulging in escapism — literally. The Wall Street Journal reports that post-grads are skipping out on the job hunt [...]
by Katie Elfering
WHAT’S HAPPENING
Office drones chained to their desks have no hope of heating up a hot lunch … until now. Heinz has developed a prototype USB-powered microwave that lets workers keep working and eat a hot lunch without leaving their desks.
Called the Beanzawave, the mini-microwave stands a short 7.4-inches tall by 6.2-inches wide and [...]
by Hans Eisenbeis
WHAT’S HAPPENING
Thanks to the Great Recession and the huge bite it’s taken out of home equity, 401(k)s, and long-term savings, most Americans believe they’ll never be able to retire. But some older Boomers are taking the opposite approach: They’re taking early retirement to receive the guaranteed cash flow of social security payments today. [...]
by Stefania Revelli
WHAT’S HAPPENING
In lieu of traditional raises, bonuses and other employee benefits, tough times are calling for innovative ways to show employee recognition.
Community and volunteer service time as part of salaried pay time is a fast-growing, feel-good attraction for job-seeking Millennials. PNC’s volunteerism program now includes partnerships with roughly 200 nonprofits nationwide [...]
by Hans Eisenbeis
WHAT’S HAPPENING
Skilled workers today see that markets are fluid and global, and a new opportunity may be just an email away. And every day there are new tools coming online to give them an edge. For example, the Official Board is a website that reproduces updated organizational charts for 20,000 of the world’s [...]
by Hans Eisenbeis
WHAT’S HAPPENING
Great Recession, meet the American work ethic. Only one in three Americans believe they’ll ever be able to retire fully, according to a January 2009 survey by Scottrade (BusinessWire 2.25.09).
That belief is driven entirely by fears about the economy, low personal savings, and the terrible decline in IRA and 401(k) portfolios that [...]
by Cree McCree
WHAT’S HAPPENING
Too much stuff? Enter “the Simplifier.” The new psychographic, identified by marketing expert John A. Quelch, is a middle-aged affluent looking to downsize during the downturn because she wants to, not because she has to (Harvard Business Publishing 10.15.08).
Consumers with assured wealth look around at all their stuff and feel more sheepish [...]
by Hillary Smith
WHAT’S HAPPENING
The economy’s influence at college is spanning far beyond Econ 101. With debts weighing heavily on their minds (or their parents’), students are choosing practical areas of study as they seek a guaranteed ROI from the academic experience.
Business schools are growing to accommodate students who see higher salary and flexibility as the payoff. The University of [...]
by Stefania Revelli
The following is a true story: It’s a midmorning in September, and an American Icono-woman walks into a bank in Italy. As she is just about to approach the booth, the teller excuses herself for a coffee break — down the street at the local “bar.” The banker returns 10 minutes later to [...]
