The Four Hour Work Week

While getting ready to go to Catherine's class this morning, a television clip came on by the author of the "Four Hour Work Week". How can some people accomplish so much in so little time? I began to think about all the hours spent preparing for work, the actual commute, and time management while at work. How can we eliminate extraneous tasks that allow us to spend more time enjoying what we really want to do? After all, "life is short".
http://lifedev.net/2007/04/review-the-4-hour-workweek/

Hiring Immigrant Workers

There has been much media press of late regarding immigration reform. The immigrant worker has much to offer in the work place while benefiting the economy.
http://immigrationforum.org/DesktopDefault.aspx?tabid=175

Benefits of Hiring Older Workers

Many people are working well in to their seventh decade these days providing life experiences and maturity to the work place. The aging population (and we are all aging) has much to offer all generations.
http://www.entrepreneur.com/humanresources/hiring/article167500.html

Career success for Newbies

How can having a positive attitude direct your career path? " If you think you can do a thing, or if you think you cannot do a thing, you are right" Henry Ford
http://www.career-success-for-newbies.com/index.html

Exploring the Pros and Cons of Telecommuting

Work schedules are not simply a 9 to 5 job anymore. Why spend needless hours stuck in traffic, incurring additional expenses during a lengthy commute when other options are available? Many businesses are exploring flexible work schedules and telecommuting, benefiting both the employee and company.
http://www.todaysengineer.org/careerfocus/Aug01te/aug01features/telecommuting.html

A Canadian Study on Work Place Satisfaction in the Private and Public Sector

A quality workplace employs satisfied employees and satisfied employees are the best people to define the characteristics of a good quality job. This research has revealed, yet again, that the smaller the establishment at which Canadians work, the more satisfied they tend to be, reflecting the high quality of workplace practices and opportunities found at smaller businesses. Smaller business employers are also better able to openly communicate with their employees and are more effective at building trust at the workplace.

Wages and non-wage benefits (i.e. amount of time off, health insurance) have relatively little influence on a worker's overall level of satisfaction with their workplace. It is really the more abstract features, such as interpersonal relations, work ethic and personal growth opportunities, that are much more influential in determining one's level of job satisfaction. It is precisely these more intangible workplace aspects that tend to be the most satisfying among small business employees, employers and the self-employed, but are among the least satisfying workplace aspects for larger business and public sector employees.

Finally, the research revealed that it is really a combination of quantitative and qualitative factors that shapes an individual employee's level of job satisfaction. Understanding that job satisfaction is an individual opinion, and therefore dynamically evolving, is key when motivating employees. What may be important at a certain stage of life, maybe different at another. Constantly trying to improve interpersonal relations and attempting to build a work environment of mutual respect is a much more difficult but effective means of enhancing job quality than simply providing moderate annual wage increases or a few extra days off. http://www.cfib.ca/research/reports/aspects_e.asp

"Can Gossiping on the Job Really Hurt You?

Should gossiping be allowed in the work place? According to an article in Monster.com, May 2007, everyone gossips from time to time. There are seven rules to follow for "safe" gossiping. 1. Only gossip now and then, and be aware of who is listening. 2. Don't spend too much time with known office gossips, or you may be judged guilty by association. 3. Listen carefully, but say as little as possible. Don't appear to be the ambulance chaser or a tattletale so you can be the one with the scoop. 4. Work on the principle that whatever you say, will be repeated. Think of the implications of this before you speak. 5. Consider the source of gossip and the source's hidden motives. People sometimes plant information to manipulate a situation. 6. Do not badmouth people; your comments will often come back to haunt you as alliances shift in the workplace. 7. If something you say gets back to a friend or colleague in a way that you wish it hadn't, apologize and be honest. This is the only way of salvaging your reputation and limiting the damage. Do you think the Hookset 4 should loose their job? http://wbztv.com/newhampshire/local_story_141103639.html

The Future Growth of the Massachusetts Labor Force

What generations will maintain the future work forces in Massachusetts? How will immigration contribute to the economy? To "Create an Extraordinary Work Place", existing and future employees in the Commonwealth must be considered.
http://www.commcorp.org/researchandevaluation/pdf/ResearchBrief3-02.pdf

Generational Differences at Work

Individuality and uniqueness are gifts brought in to our world. Lately, I have taken time to become more observant and analytical of generational thinking and behavior in the work place. Understanding generational differences can contribute to a more harmonious and satisfying work environment. A psychologist reports ways to bridge the generational gap?
http://www.apa.org/monitor/jun05/generational.html

Tips on when to Quit your Job

According to the book, Happy Hour is 9 to 5 by author Alexander Kjerulf, the "number- one reason why people are unhappy at work is bad management. Surveys show that up to 75% of employees who leave their jobs do so at least in part because of their manager."
http://www.abcnews.go.com/search?searchtext=quit%20job&type=video

What some people will do to get out of work?

While I was searching for a work video (I have to admit that this was my first time visiting youtube) I came across this video and have to say that I was LOL. Hope you will too.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=YYgtUvgYi8U

Business Strategies provide Employee Satisfaction

Can employees really balance a home life and career goals resulting in satisfaction and reward? With the aide of technology, many companies are offering flexible employee schedules and non traditional work environments to conduct business. How has this model impacted family life, work place productivity and the overall economy? http://www.mysanantonio.com/business/stories/MYSA050607.1R.FlexibleWorkplaces.204726c.html

Even Boston area Hospital CEO has Blog

On my commute home last night, the WBZ radio talk show hosted Paul Levy, CEO and President of the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston. According to Paul, he is the only hospital CEO in the Boston area who has a blog and is willing to comment on the pros and cons of "Running a Hospital". I thought this site would be worth sharing since many of us are involved in the health care field. http://runningahospital.blogspot.com/

Happy First Day of Summer !

Since most of us have an innate curiosity in astronomy, I would like to recognize today as the "Summer Solstice", the first day of summer. Wishing you all many warm and sunny days ahead. Check out this web site for technical information http://scienceworld.wolfram.com/astronomy/SummerSolstice.htm

"When Work Becomes Home and Home Becomes Work"

It is common place for managers to work from home these days providing support and communication via technology. Benefits to managers may be obvious including schedule flexibility and easy commute. In reality, are stay at home managers really managing and benefitting the corporation? "View the summary by The national bestseller that put "work/family balance" in the headlines and on the White House agenda, with a new introduction by the author.When The Time Bind was first published in 1997, it was hailed as the decade's most influential study of our work/family crisis. In the short time since, the crisis has only become more acute.Arlie Russell Hochschild, bestselling author of The Second Shift, spent three summers at a Fortune 500 company interviewing top executives, secretaries, factory hands, and others. What she found was startling: Though every mother and nearly every father said "family comes first," few of these working parents questioned their long hours or took the company up on chances for flextime, paternity leave, or other "family friendly" policies. Why not? It seems the roles of home and work had reversed: work was offering stimulation, guidance, and a sense of belonging, while home had become the place in which there was too much to do in too little time. Today Hochschild's findings are more relevant than ever. As she shows in her new introduction, the borders between family and work have become even more permeable. With the Internet extending working hours at home and offices offering domestic enticements -- free snacks, soft music -- to keep employees later at their jobs, The Time Bind stands as an increasingly important warning about the way we live and work. "When Work Becomes Home and Home Becomes Work" has to say about this concept."

http://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=9YCJVeSHodEC&oi=fnd&pg=RA1-PR14&ots=MjK42EKr34&sig=cxndn9WZY_8RLRwuhQXlb_Iu27o