Archive for July, 2011

Why Co-workers Don’t Make Good Facebook Friends



Do you consciously think about every single thing you put on Facebook taking into consideration exactly who will be reading what you write? Do you have co-workers as Facebook friends? If so, there are many things to consider in regards to your personal and career brand when it comes to Facebook. The lack of considering anything at all can absolutely cause you to lose your job.

Yet so many people are either unaware of them or do not fully understand the ramifications of the content they might share online. For millions of people, this includes sharing their page and their personal lives with their co-workers. Many people feel that co-workers are just “buddies from work” and all is well as long as the bosses aren’t their Facebook friends. If this describes your thoughts about co-workers as Facebook friends, you may be in for a rude awakening.

As a general rule of thumb, I advise people to not invite or accept co-workers as Facebook friends unless their posts, pictures, and videos are not deeply personal and are always clean, upbeat, and in good taste. Some people do choose to invite co-workers, managers, and other professionals because they are intentionally using Facebook to leverage their career brand. This is a great way to use Facebook and I highly encourage it.

However, this general rule applies to those who use Facebook moreso for personal use – which seems to be the majority of people. It is for those who typically friend their co-workers without much thought. I recognize that your best friend and someone you trust with your life might be your co-worker and Facebook friend. I am not necessarily talking about those people but moreso any co-worker who does not fall in that “best friend” category.

Does Your Facebook Content Look Like This?

  • “I hate Mondays,” “Why am I at work when I would rather be somewhere else,” “What a long day…wish it was over,” “Not looking forward to going back to the grind tomorrow,” “Can’t wait to the head to the bar to get my drunk on,” “Sometimes I just want to beat the crap out of people,” “I swear my life sucks,” “Why is everyone a backstabber,” or anything even remotely similar.
  • Drama related content – telling everyone about issues going on in your life.
  • Arguing or using profane language.
  • Videos, photos and articles that are in bad taste (profane or sexually explicit content).
  • “Liking” pages that are in bad taste (ex: Yourname likes “I hate my job!”)


Consider the Ramifications:

Many employees talk and gossip on a regular basis. They can’t help themselves. Who are they sharing your content with? Your boss? Another co-worker who might share it with your boss? Maybe. How do you know they aren’t?

A co-worker might not intentionally share what you post but it gets out anyway due to frustration on his or her part. Typical scenario: Boss asks your co-worker to stay late to work on a project and to ask for your help. Co-worker inadvertently says, “She won’t help, she’s been posting all over Facebook how she can’t wait to get out of here to go to happy hour.” The boss makes a mental note of it and considers that and other things he might have heard when evaluating your potential for advancement in the company.

If you want to ever advance in a company, you should not be posting statements like that on Facebook! It gives the impression that you don’t really like your job and if you can’t tell your boss about what you just posted, don’t give anyone who can, the ability to read it.

What if a co-worker Facebook friend gets promoted and now is your boss or is a manager elsewhere in the company – a person who might now have a say about your future potential with the company? The facts are, you can be a model employee at work but people typically cannot separate what they learn about on you on Facebook from your great work on the job. Careless postings on Facebook can shatter your strong career brand no matter how great your performance is at work.

What if you take a sick day but you go out to lunch and then check in at the restaurant on Facebook or Foursquare, which subsequently posts on your page? Or maybe you just mention your lunch in an unrelated Facebook conversation that evening. Either way, your integrity is now in question. Situations like this can also cause you to be fired! First of all, you should never call in sick when you are not and then go somewhere. Somehow, people tend to always get caught. But if no one spotted you out there eating and shopping on your sick day, you just confessed to lying about being sick right on Facebook for all your co-worker “friends” to see.

Lastly, let’s say you are at work “doing your job.” But throughout the day, your Facebook page is somehow publishing a stream of updates from various games like Mafia Wars, Cityville or other games. Your co-worker Facebook friend notices this and talks about it at the water cooler. It eventually gets back to your boss. These kinds of things really do happen and this is another example of a situation that can cause you to be terminated from employment.

It’s Time for Damage Control

Regardless of this, I can’t stress enough how important it is to always act with the highest level of integrity when it comes to your work. Then, you don’t even have to read an article such as this because it would not apply to you.

But outside of that, be cautious about adding co-workers to your Facebook page because if you have not yet noticed, what you do on your own time is not your own personal business anymore because when you add co-workers to your friend list, the lines between work and your personal life become blurred. And please make sure that your page is visible to friends “only.” If your page is public, anyone can read it and then it doesn’t even matter if you add co-workers to your page or not.

If you have not been careful about the quality of your content and you have co-workers as Facebook friends, you should start doing a bit of damage repair. Remove controversial content and start posting good quality content on your page so the perception others have of you begins to change. After a month or two of that, I’d remove them all or simply block them from your wall and if asked, just state you want to keep your personal and professional life separate. You can put all your co-workers in a list and try to block them from individual updates as you see fit, but trust me, the time will come when you forget to do it. And, it really is much more important to have your co-workers trust and respect you than to have them as Facebook friends.

Source: careerealism

Tough Career Decisions: Look for Middle Ground



I think we, as a society, don’t give the fine art of compromise enough credit. We’re an “all or nothing” kind of people. We avoid the middle ground because it feels indecisive. It’s better to just pick a side; “go big or go home” as they say.

Many of us think in black and white, especially when facing tough career decisions. We only see two options; one is “good” and the other is “bad.” But of course, we don’t know for sure which is which. So, we go back and forth, hemming and hawing about which road to take, and the whole time, we’re ignoring our options in the middle.

When we limit our choices, we limit our ability to see the middle ground. We start truly believing that there is only black or white; gray no longer exists. We create an unnecessary limitation.

“Should I stay at this job I don’t like or quit and follow my dream to start my own business?”

“Should I ask for a raise in this tough economy or just settle for what I’ve got?”

“Should I accept the promotion, even though it’s not what I really want, or decline it?”

On the surface, these seem like rational choices. We look at them and think, “Well, you have a decision to make.” But inherent in each one is the idea that there are only two options. What if there are more?

What if, instead of quitting your job to start your own business, you cut your hours down a bit and started a business slowly?

What if, instead of asking for a raise, you proposed a new pay-for-performance program?

What if, instead of accepting or declining the promotion, you tailored it to better suit your career goals and countered the offer?

Next time you’re facing a tough career decision, take a few minutes to explore the other opportunities you may not be seeing. Don’t let limited thought patterns trap you in black and white, either/or choices. There are always more options. You just have to look a little closer to see them.

Source: careerealism

5 Degrees Worth the Investment



How much is a college education worth? Let’s look at the numbers.

In 2010 the average difference in earnings between a high school and college graduate in the United States was $19,550, According to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Former college students seem to be seeing the value of a college degree, as well. A May 2011 Pew Research Center report, “Is College Worth it,” found that 86 percent of college graduates believe a college education has been a good investment for them.

“I think people see the payoff,” said Paul Taylor, vice president of the Pew Research Center and co-author of the report. “They see the dollars-and-cents payoff and how it helps make you a more well-rounded person.”

Keep reading to learn more about five college degrees with the potential to give you more bang for your education bucks…



#1- Finance Degree

Average Starting Pay: $47,500*

Average Mid-Career Pay: $91,500*

Are you interested in learning about financial reports and investment activities? If so, a finance degree could be a great fit for your future.

In fact, earning a finance degree could potentially prepare grads to pursue work in a competitive - and, yes, financially rewarding - employment sector. Last year, the Association for Financial professionals reported that the average annual salaries for financial professionals increased by 2.5 percent in 2009, bringing them more than 13 percent above the national average.

Potential Career Paths and Average Salaries:**

Financial Managers: $116,970

Personal Financial Advisors: $91,220

Actuaries: $98,620



#2 - Information Technology Degree

Average Starting Pay: $49,600*

Average Mid-Career Pay: $79,300*

If you’re interested in computers and the latest innovations in today’s increasingly high-tech world, earning an information technology (IT) degree might be worth your time.

The Association for Computing Machinery (ACM), an organization for computing professionals, points to strong earning potential as one of the top reasons IT degrees are worth the investment.

“Computing jobs are among the highest paid and have the highest job satisfaction,” says the ACM website. The ACM also says that because computing revolves around innovation, salaries are driven up as competition heats up for new developments in the industry.

Potential Career Paths and Average Salaries:**

Computer and Information Systems Managers: $123,280

Computer Systems Analysts: $77,080***

Computer Security Specialists: $67,710***



#3 - Accounting Degree

Average Starting Pay: $44,600*

Average Mid-Career Pay: $77,500*

Do you have knack with numbers? If so, consider an accounting degree and the possible benefits that could come with it.

The U.S. Department of Labor points out that workers in the accounting field are rewarded financially for being able to handle the increasing volume and complexity of the information they review. This is particularly true for accountants with expertise in services connected to international trade, mergers, and acquisitions.

Job growth in this field is another factor that could make this degree worth the investment. According to the Department of Labor, the increased scrutiny of company finances will likely lead to a 22 percent employment growth for accountants and auditors through 2018.

Potential Career Paths and Average Salaries:**

Budget Analysts: $70,660

Accountants and Auditors: $68,960

Loan Officers: $65,900



#4 - Marketing Degree

Average Starting Pay: $38,600*

Average Mid-Career Pay: $77,300*

If you’re good at making the most mundane things sound appealing, a marketing degree could be a fun and rewarding investment for you.

According to the Department of Labor, marketing grads are regarded as “some of the most important personnel in an organization.” Their importance is generally reflected in higher potential salaries offered by companies looking for competitive edge.

Potential Career Paths and Average Salaries:**

Marketing Managers: $122,720

Market Research Analysts: $61,580***

Public Relations Specialists: $59,150



#5 - Health Care Administration Degree

Average Starting Pay: $37,700*

Average Mid-Career Pay: $60,800*

Are you interested in a career that could offer career stability and good earning potential? Earning a health care administration degree might be worth your time.

The expected employment growth for medical and health services managers, for example, is expected to grow 16 percent through 2018, according to the Department of Labor. The Department of Labor also reports that graduates with bachelor’s degrees in health care administration usually start out as administrative assistants or assistant department heads in larger hospitals.

From a degree investment standpoint, career paths in this field could reward experienced workers with advancement opportunities due to an ever-growing health care industry.

Potential Career Paths and Average Salaries:**

Medical and Health Services Managers: $93,670

Insurance Underwriters: $65,220

Social and Community Service Managers: $62,360



*All starting and mid-career pay numbers are from PayScale’s “The Best Undergrad College Degrees By Salary”.

**Unless otherwise noted, all potential salaries are average annual figures as reported by the U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, in May 2010.

***Potential salaries are average annual figures as reported by the Occupational Information Network (O*NET).

Source: YAHOO! Education

Ticket Winner! Lori Ray, Special Events Manager for Gift of Life





Opportunity Knocks.org is pleased to announce the winner of the 2011/2012 Wage and Benefits Report survey raffle! Lori Ray, Special Events Manager for Gift of Life Donor Program, participated in the 2011/2012 Wage and Benefits survey to win two round trip AirTran tickets to anywhere in the U.S. Lori was randomly chosen out of 2,249 nonprofit organizations, representing 3,284,943 employees nationwide.

As a 7 year nonprofit veteran, Lori is the Special Events Manager for Gift of Life Donor Program, the non-profit organ procurement organization responsible for the coordination of organ and tissue transplants in eastern PA, southern NJ and Delaware. Lori is looking forward to using the tickets to visit her brother in Seattle.

“I choose Seattle as my destination because my brother recently moved there and I haven’t yet been able to visit him. I will be bringing my mom, who has never been to the northwest,” said Lori.

Lori has known of Opportunity Knocks for 6 years. “I first discovered the website back when I was looking for my current job.”

“Opportunity Knocks has a comprehensive listing of jobs and career resources that I think are beneficial to people both looking for a new position and those who are just trying to advance their knowledge of the non-profit field,” said Lori.

Asked why she participated in the 2011/2012 Wage and Benefits Report, Lori stated, “the 2011/2012 Wage and Benefits Report is a valuable tool for job seekers. This report can help to focus job seekers in the position that best suits their financial needs. I believe that it can save job seekers time and energy applying for jobs in fields that might not meet their expectations”.

Click here for more information about the 2011/2012 Wage and Benefits Report.


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5 Lures to Keep Boomer Employees From Retiring



As boomer employees retire in large numbers, it will do more than change the average employee’s waist size, hair color, and infatuation with social media. Boomers will take with them huge troves of personal contacts, technical know-how, and organizational culture and tradition. That’s why businesses that succeed in the coming decade or so will be those that can keep these irreplaceable employees from prematurely leaving. Lisa Orrell, a San Jose, California, consultant on generational differences and author of the forthcoming Boomers Into Business, (Wyatt McKenzie, September 2011), says here’s how you can do it:

Treat them like kids. When it comes to flexibility, at least. Orrell notes that employers are finding that accommodating personalized work-styles — a common demand for members of the Millennial generation — is also encouraging Boomers to postpone retirement. “The Boomers are saying maybe they don’t want to fully retire, but they want to work from home, work part-time, or work on a flex-time basis,” she says.

Assign them a mentor. That means having a younger employee mentor someone nearing retirement. Reverse mentor programs matching a 55- to 60-year-old with a twenty- or thirty-something can help older workers master Facebook, Twitter, smartphone apps and the like. Being more comfortable with technology can mean comfort with postponing retirement. “Some boomers are choosing to leave the workforce because technology is moving so fast and they’re embarrassed that it’s taking them longer to grasp it,” Orrell says.

Offer a second career. Career customization is the practice of retraining people to do new jobs without leaving the company. Often, this sort of in-company job change can reignite fire in the belly and enable an employer to retain a valuable employee. “What can we do to retain that person?” Orrell asks. “You can train them to do anything.”

Enough with the generic carrots. While you’re customizing careers, customize incentives. “A lot of companies have in place an across-the-board reward program: Everybody that does well gets this,” Orrell says. But the cash bonus that lights up a younger employee’s face may disappoint an older worker who really wanted more time off. Get rid of one-size-fits-all rewards, get to know your employees, and offer them the incentive they want.

Let them go, but not completely. If a valued boomer is dead set on retiring, offer to bring them back as a part-time consultant. “They get flexibility, and you still get their knowledge base to educate new or younger employees,” Orrell notes. And you’ll save money, too: A part-time consultant’s fees are likely to be a lot less than pay and benefits for a senior employee.

Knowing your employees is essential to crafting effective Boomer retention policies, Orrell says. Everybody’s different, and you may have to get creative with things like company-paid eldercare insurance for employees coping with ailing parents. Anything is probably better than nothing, because nothing may not work out well for employers who let their corporate brain trust escape to retirement. “The companies that don’t embrace some of the things we’ve discussed are doing to be left in the dust,” says Orrell.

Source: BNET

Matching Passion with Mission in Your Nonprofit Job Search




By Joanne Fritz

One way to manage your nonprofit job search is to clarify what you are passionate about, and then find organizations with missions that match.

Not sure what the mission is of that organization you have an interview with tomorrow? Beware — questions about mission are favorites with interviewers.

I recently asked nonprofit professionals to tell me the single most important question they would ask a job candidate in an interview. The questions varied depending on what kind of position was being sought and the personality of the interviewer. But one idea surfaced again and again: mission.

Here are some of the questions around mission that were mentioned.

Paul Konigstein, of the Metropolitan Opera in New York, said simply that he asks “Describe your passion for our mission.”

Tom McSorley, of Townspeople in San Diego, said, “I always ask what they know about our organization, and what they like about our mission. If they have little knowledge or can’t explain a connection between their passion and our mission, it is unlikely they would join our team.”

Frank Martinelli, of Milwaukee’s Center for Public Skills Training, asks of any job seeker, “What inspires and excites you about our mission? What questions or concerns about our mission, if any, would need to be answered before you could enthusiastically support this mission?”

Patty Hampton, of Nonprofit Staffing Solutions in Washington, D.C. always asks “What are you passionate about and why do you want to work for the nonprofit industry?” She adds, “I then ask them what the difference is between a job and a career? I’m trying to learn more about their passion for nonprofit work. Folks work 8-12 hour days in nonprofit jobs, and my clients don’t need someone who has a hamster-on-the-wheel mentality. They want people who are engaged and driven by a passion that is so deep that it inspires them to move mountains.”

The mission question is often embedded in a question that hopes to reveal just how well the candidate has done his or her research about the organization.

For instance, Rich Brame, of the Wyoming Outdoor Council, says, “It’s worth asking candidates if they know my organization’s mission statement (at least the thrust, the actual wording is not important). This lets me see if the candidate has done his homework.”

Likewise, Brian Sheridan, of the Los Angeles and San Gabriel Rivers Watershed Council, says he asks, “What can you tell me about our organization?” Sheridan says, “If they don’t know, especially in the Internet age, then it says a lot about how prepared they are.”

On the other hand, some people found concern about mission to be overblown. Claudia Freed, of Educational Assistance Ltd in Chicago, said, “I have learned that questions about mission and passion do not always translate into good performance.”

Allen Smart, of the Kate B. Reynolds Charitable Trust in Greensboro/Winston-Salem, said, “I hope to hear that they have a grasp on how nonprofits…truly are different…and one must understand that going in to be effective. Effusive overselling of their belief in the mission is always a red flag for me as those people always seem disappointed by the ‘business’ of the nonprofit world.”

Questions about mission can cut both ways, revealing that there is a good match between organization and candidate, or, when the mission pitch is insincere or artificial, uncovering a bad fit.

In any case, basic preparation includes finding that mission statement, understanding it, and figuring out how your interests coincide. To get it just right, try writing down the organization’s mission in one column and your interests/passions in another. Where do the two mesh? Where do they conflict?

It is really best not to pursue nonprofit jobs where your passion is not a good fit to the mission. Even in a tight job market, it’s not a good idea to sell what you don’t really feel strongly about. It might just undercut you in the interview, or lead you to an unhappy situation.


About the Author
Joanne Fritz has worked in the nonprofit world for most of her 30-year career beginning with teaching at the secondary, college, and university levels. Fritz served as Director of Development for The Girl Scout Council of Greater St. Louis, Associate Director of Elderhostel’s Southwest Regional Office, and Director of University Relations at St. Louis University and the University of Iowa. She is currently the Guide to Nonprofit Orgs at About.com, a New York Times Company. Fritz writes on a variety of nonprofit topics, ranging from how to find a nonprofit job to how to fundraise effectively.

Comment below if you work for an organization that you have a passion for it’s mission.

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What If Your Boss Really Is a Jerk?



Have you ever had a boss who really was a complete jerk? Maybe you have one right now. Consider the seven most common jerk-boss scenarios and what you can do:

Jerk Boss Scenario 1: The boss lets small problems slide, but then comes down like a ton of bricks when one of those small problems gets out of control and causes real damage and cost.

What You Can Do: Constantly search for small problems to solve and small improvements to make. Make problem-solving a regular part of your ongoing dialogue with this boss. Before you start a task, responsibility or project, keep asking your boss, “What is wrong here? What could go wrong? What do we need to make sure this doesn’t go wrong?” After completing a task, responsibility or project, keep asking your boss, “What is one thing I could have done better? What is one thing I could do better right now? What is one thing I could do better next time?”

Jerk Boss Scenario 2: The boss imposes his obsessive-compulsive preferences on you even though there is no clear business reason.

What You Can Do: Always work from a project plan with this boss, including a clear schedule of deliverables, all the specifications for each deliverable and a step-by-step list of concrete actions. Before digging into any significant project with this boss, talk through in detail any applicable rules, regulations and standard operating procedures. Whenever this boss insists on giving you idiosyncratic, personally chosen preferences, talk through in detail exactly how those preferences deviate from the plan, rules, regulations or standard operating procedures. If there is no deviation, then these are not idiosyncratic preferences.

Jerk Boss Scenario 3: Your boss starts treating you like a beck-and-call-assistant.

What You Can Do: Use each solo interaction with this boss to get as many to-do items as possible all at once. That means you need to keep a pad of paper and pen (or an electronic tool) handy at all times. Every time your boss gives you an assignment, keep the conversation going by asking, “OK, I’ve got that. Then what? Then what? Then what?”

Jerk Boss Scenario 4: The boss pretends things are up to you when they are not.

What You Can Do: At every step, force your boss to spell out every requirement and every expectation for every task, responsibility and project. Ask for rules, regulations, established best practices and standard operating procedures. Ask for checklists, examples and work samples. Whether these tools are available, always make your own plan, to-do list and checklist in writing, and run them by the boss before starting the work.

Jerk Boss Scenario 5: The boss isn’t keeping track of what’s going on, but makes big decisions that affect everyone.

What You Can Do: Keep your boss informed every step of the way of exactly what you are doing, as well as why you are doing it, how, where and when.

Jerk Boss Scenario 6: The boss soft-pedals his authority until something goes terribly wrong and then becomes authoritarian when there is a strong disagreement.

What You Can Do: Help the boss build authentic rapport with you by talking genuinely about the work you have in common. Every time your boss tries to shoot the breeze, talk about the work. Ask for guidance, direction and support. Talk about your goals, deadlines, projects and plans. Talk about your performance, your training needs and work conditions.

Jerk Boss Scenario 7: The boss is intimidating, mean or abusive.

What You Can Do: This is the boss’s psychological problem, not yours. Stay professional. Bite your tongue. Never raise your voice. Get your marching orders and go about your business. And keep detailed notes about what the boss did and said. If it is an ongoing problem, you might have to report the behavior to senior management, HR, the legal department or the EEOC. But it’s best to avoid this if you can.

Source: career-advice.monster.com

6 Great Employee Perks for a Shoestring Budget



OK, so you can’t afford company drivers, cushy relocation stipends, free daycare or even one of Google’s 11 gourmet cafes. No matter. There are plenty of ways to honor employees’ hard work. Just take a cue from the creativity at some of these small firms.

  1. Bring your baby to work

    Zutano, a Cabot, Vermont-based children’s clothing and toy design company with 35 employees, has welcomed in-office babies for the past eight years. The program started because the company feared losing its production manager, Denise Towne — a keystone in daily operations — to an extended maternity leave. Since then, more than 20 babies have successfully come through the office. “We’ve found that employees are more productive with their baby by their side than those who are worried about how their child is doing in day care,” says Michael Belenky, company president. Further, he says, the company has fewer liabilities with the babies in the office than it would with a company-sponsored daycare.


  2. Room to relax

    Clearspring, the creator of the AddThis social sharing network for publishers in McLean, Virginia, encourages its 60 employees to take the time to clear their heads. To help, the company stocks a game room with Wii and Xbox systems as well as a foosball table. “We’ve sought to make the office an incredibly comfortable place from the start,” says Hooman Radfar, company CEO. Given the long, and odd, hours that employees tend to work, the company knew it was important for employees to enjoy being in the office, and to have an outlet for relaxation while rejuvenating their creative juices. Other office perks include a beer and Red Bull fridge, an espresso machine, a movie-style popcorn machine, and free meals.


  3. A gourmet chef at your service

    With 11 employees and annual revenue of less than a million dollars, Thumbtack — an online marketplace for local services based in San Francisco — can’t afford the luxurious perks its counterparts in the Silicon Valley can. “We wanted to spend our perk money wisely. So we thought, let’s feed everyone great food. As much as possible,” says Sander Daniels, company co-founder. The company’s Le Cordon Bleu-trained in-house chef prepares lunch every workday, as well as dinner three times a week. The program is such a hit that employees even created a blog to document the daily feast.


  4. Four-legged office buddies

    Pets are welcomed, and encouraged, at the Petplan office in Philadelphia. “The pets bring a sense of fun and engagement to the office,” says company co-founder, Natasha Ashton. “More often than not, when people take breaks they’ll play fetch with a dog in the corridor, or take a dog for a walk.” When Natasha and her partner, Chris, started the pet insurance company in 2006, it was critical that they be able to take their Cavalier King Spaniel, Wellington, to work each day. “We treat people how we want to be treated ourselves,” Natasha says, thus the policy was born. About 90 percent of the company’s 50 employees have brought a pet to work at some point, and when Natasha mentions the policy in a job ad, her mailbox floods with pet-loving applicants.


  5. In-office adult playground

    Threadless, the Chicago-based graphic t-shirt design company, is housed in a 25,000 square foot industrial building, but the space is far from concrete and steel. “Our office could be described as a theme park for creativity,” says Cam Balzer, the company’s chief marketing officer. The office, which The Travel Channel featured on its “Most Extreme Workplaces” show, includes a basketball court, a skateboard ramp, two kegerators, ping-pong tables, and arcade games. Further, Threadless gave a stipend to each department to decorate its area, which resulted in innovative themes ranging from urban jungle to disco room. “Often, people stay late just because it’s an awesome place to be,” Balzer says.


  6. Suggest your own perk

    At Lurie Besikof Lapidus & Company, a CPA firm in Minneapolis, tax season is arduous, so the company asks its 100 employees what amenities would make the day-to-day more bearable. This year’s most unique request was an inflatable punching doll to blow off stress. Standard perks during tax season include in-office massages, dry cleaning services, and a raffle for house cleaning services. “People put in an intense amount of hours during tax season, so we do whatever possible, within our budget, to lighten the mood,” says the firm’s HR manager, Tom Morin. “It has become something people look forward to.”


Source: BNET

Companies Get Tougher with Employees Who Smoke



Smokers are among the most prominent workers with high medical costs, so some companies are imposing insurance surcharges on them.

Many companies use quiet incentives to encourage desired employee behavior, such as losing weight. Not Macy’s (M). Beginning on July 1, workers at the department store chain who admit to using tobacco will be surcharged $35 a month, or $420 a year, for health coverage. The extra cost will be deferred only if smokers enroll in a free quit-smoking class. Their progress will then be reviewed after six months.

Instead of using carrots to encourage smokers to kick the habit, businesses increasingly are wielding sticks. At PepsiCo (PEP), smokers pay an annual $600 insurance surcharge, while publisher Gannett (GCI) charges $60 a month. Some go even further: Union Pacific (UNP) and Scotts Miracle-Gro (SMG) refuse to hire smokers.

Between medical spending and productivity losses, smoking costs the U.S. more than $193 billion a year, says the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Tobacco use is responsible for one in five U.S. deaths. For employers, a smoker is 18 percent more expensive than a nonsmoker, says Cathy Tripp, a consultant at Aon Hewitt (AON).

That cost gap likely will widen beginning in 2018 when, under a provision of health reform legislation passed last year, companies with health plans that spend way more than average will have to pay an additional federal tax. That may push some to reduce employee coverage. “Employers have two choices: cut benefits or cut the trend” of rising medical costs to avoid the levy, Tripp says. “It has made all of them a lot bossier when it comes to employee lifestyle choices.”

Businesses also are looking at how they can get workers to keep closer tabs on their health. Scotts Miracle-Gro cuts insurance rates up to $60 monthly for workers and spouses who get their weight, cholesterol, and blood pressure checked regularly. Union Pacific offers free fitness club access.

Michael Wood, a benefits consultant at Towers Watson, says smoking is employers’ most effective “wellness” target since smoking cessation programs have a relatively high 25 percent success rate. “Employers see wellness as one of the last levers they can pull to try to control health-care spending,” Wood says. “You have to get to the root causes of the spending if you want to cut the trend from the 7 or 8 percent [increases] many employers see annually to something closer to the 2 to 3 percent inflation in consumer spending.”

The tough tactics can have an impact: Scotts Miracle-Gro says its health premiums have risen at about half the U.S. average since implementing the smoker hiring ban. The strategy can also ruffle feathers. “Some people like the carrot, and some like the stick,” says Ken Bordieri, president of Local 1-S of the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union that represents Macy’s employees in New York-area stores. “I wish Macy’s had stuck with carrots.”

Policies that block employment to smokers or charge extra for insurance discriminate against low-income and less-educated workers, says Dr. Cheryl Healton, head of the American Legacy Foundation, the health advocacy group created as part of the civil settlement between cigarette makers and 46 state attorneys general in 1998. The smoking rate is four times higher among teens not bound for college than for those pursuing higher education, and lower-income and less-educated adults also are more likely to smoke, she says.

The Society for Human Resource Management estimated that 59 percent of companies offered wellness programs in 2010; 28 percent paid bonuses for quitting smoking, losing weight, or achieving health goals; and a 10th provided insurance discounts for not smoking, getting a health risk assessment, or joining a weight-loss program.

Health-care companies have been among the most active at tackling smoking. The Cleveland Clinic banned the use of tobacco in 2005 and stopped hiring smokers two years later. Job candidates, including doctors, must have their blood tested for nicotine. Says Toby Cosgrove, chief executive officer of the clinic network: “If we want to be a model of health care, then we as an organization need to show our patients what a healthy lifestyle means.”

Source: Business Week

Professional Workplace Appearance: It’s a Hairy Situation




By Stacy Edey, PHR/CLRL
Integrated Professional Services, LLC

Hairstyles can say many things about a person. They signify fashion trends, cultural statements and declarations of individuality. Many hairstylists think of hair as a cultural artifact because it’s concurrently visible to everyone and it’s personal; an intrinsic biological fiber of our anatomy. More and more people are consumed about their hair as employers have become concerned with how their employees wear their hair. To what extent does hair impact “professional” appearance in the workplace?

Some women simply cannot afford to consider hair a trivial issue, especially as it pertains to their employer and employability for the conventional purpose of maintaining a “professional” appearance. Certainly “professional” hair(styles) should be clean, neat and out of the face. Duly noted, within certain career fields, the intentional caught in a windstorm tousled look or vibrantly dyed hair that would give Lady Gaga a run for her money may not be appropriate or considered, “professional”. Conversely, hair texture… yes, hair texture: straight hair, wavy hair, curly hair, kinky hair, coiled and tightly coiled hair textures, should not be subjected to the standard of “professional” appearance(s).

An increasing number of African American women are choosing to forgo “professional” hair management strategies that mimic the Euro-American hair. An influx of women with Afro-Textured hair is making decisions to showcase their hair in its natural state instead of chemically straightening their hair approximately every 4-6 weeks. For them, the decision to jettison the “professional” straight hair look is an extremely important career decision. Moreover, African American women fear that professional success may elude them and therefore sometimes feel societal pressure to maintain their hair in a conventional manner in order to receive more job offers, higher salaries and promotions. No one should be refused the aforementioned career advancement opportunities simply based upon their hair texture. The thought of career stagnancy should not be the forethought when one deliberates on the decision to embrace their natural hair texture, but unfortunately, this is the reality. Knowledge, skills, abilities, experience and education, are a few examples of core competencies that should measure the trajectory of career progression and/or regression, not hair texture.

“Going natural” is an expression in the African American culture relating to the choice to discontinue the painful burning sensation and costly expense of chemical (lye) straightening, also known as relaxing, their hair. Cultural hairstyles such as cornrows (when hair is braided close to the scalp in various patterns), braids, twists (when hair is twisted into coils), and dreadlocks (when hair is rolled and left in its natural state) are styles perceived by some as “unprofessional” in the workplace. However, a steady incline of women of African descent are wearing their crowning glory in afro’s showcasing their beautiful and unique kinky, curly and coily hair without pause. Additionally, many more African American women who are “natural” opt for covering their tresses with wigs during job interviews in fear of being perceived as “different” or not “professionally” appealing.

Employers should not expect African American women to have straight hair(styles) as opposed to their own natural hair(styles). Women who wear their hair straight (naturally or chemically) should not be perceived as more intelligent and or more “professional”.

It is inappropriate for employers to impose restrictions of hair(style) appearances on employees (unless there is a BFOQ). There are benefits to having people who manifest diverse cultures in the workplace. And there is a benefit that can be derived from having employees with diverse appearances up to and including their hair.

Throughout history and even yet today, hair continues to possess powerful symbolic elements of cultural nuances. It’s an object of traditions, cultures and beliefs. Coiffures project images we have of ourselves and it plays an important role in everyday language. To be noticed is rarely the objective. “Professional” appearances in the workplace should have nothing to do with hair(styles) but everything to do with work ethics.

About the Author
Stacy Edey possesses 10+ years of Leadership, Professional Writing and Human Resources experience. She earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Management with a concentration in Human Resource Management from Capital University in Columbus, Ohio. She later matriculated at Antioch University McGregor in Yellow Springs, Ohio where she received a Master of Arts Degree in Management. Ms. Edey acquired a PHR (Professional in Human Resources) Certification from the Human Resources Certification Institute, a CLRL (Certified Labor Relations Leader) from The Michigan State University and is a professional member of SHRM (Society for Human Resource Management). To contact Stacey, e-mail her at stacy.edey@iprofessionalservices.com

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