February 26th

Your weekly IT update!

Courtesy: I’m Blogging IT

February 22nd

Your weekly IT update!

Courtesy: I’m Blogging IT

February 26th

Your weekly IT update!

Courtesy: I’m Blogging IT

As Social Media begins to play an even greater role in the world today, it will be important that we realize the benefits that it can offer.  In an article published this week by CIO.com it stated that Facebook has now become the second most popular site on the web, passing Yahoo with only Google ahead of them.  Facebook’s 133.6 million unique visitors gives credibility to the exposure that social media provides and the different ways it can help businesses advertise and hire.  These numbers further emphasize the importance of  sites like Facebook and why organizations need to embrace social media and not let the benefits it can bring slip past them. 

http://www.cio.com/article/549614/Facebook_Now_Second_Most_Popular_Site_on_Web_Beating_Out_Yahoo?source=rss_news

Courtesy: I’m Blogging IT

Co-workers can really make or break a workplace. A bad boss can make your life miserable, yes, but at least you can commiserate with your fellow disgruntled colleagues. In most situations, they are the ones sitting next to you eight hours a day. They engage in idle chitchat with you and exchange e-mails with you all day. They are as important to the job as your job duties.

Not everyone is so lucky. A recent CareerBuilder survey finds 39 percent of workers feel they don’t fit in with their colleagues. Workers in health care, sales, and professional and business services were most likely to feel like they’re out of step with their co-workers.

When asked to share the most bizarre things they’ve seen their colleagues do, surveyed workers had some unique stories:

• Co-worker ate the cheese off the pizza box at a company meeting.
• Co-worker talks openly about flatulence.
• Co-worker in the cubicle next to me wears 3-D glasses with the lenses removed.
• Co-worker repeatedly bangs a mallet on the table for no apparent reason.
• Co-worker whistles 8 hours a day.
• Co-worker chews tobacco and spits it into empty soda bottles.
• Former boss brought a baby sippy cup to a meeting and started drinking out of it.
• Co-worker cleaned fingernails using a counterpart’s business card while sitting in their office.

Rosemary Haefner, vice president of human resources for CareerBuilder, has the following advice for anyone who encounters this unorthodox behavior at work:

• Talk it out: Talk professionally and honestly to your co-worker about his or her behavior. Be sure to do this in private and try not to embarrass anyone or make the situation worse.
• Take it to a higher level: Don’t be afraid to get your boss involved or talk to HR. If the behavior is having a negative impact on your ability to do your job, it might be time to call in the big guns.
• Mix it up: If you can’t come to an agreement with a co-worker who is bothering you, ask to be reseated in another area.

I’ve not been (un)lucky enough to witness any workplace behavior quite as strange as the ones above, but I’m guessing some of you have. Feel free to share the strangest things you’ve seen at work. It’ll make you feel good to get it off of your chest and it will probably make the rest of us feel normal.

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The BLS released January’s jobs report this morning, and while it wasn’t complete cause for celebration, it was encouraging. The unemployment rate fell from 10.0 to 9.7 percent in January, and nonfarm payroll employment was essentially unchanged, down -20,000 compared to -779,000 in January 2009.

Here are the highlights:

• The number of unemployed persons decreased to 14.8 million
• Employment fell in construction by -75,000, in transportation and warehousing by 19,000, and in financial activities by -16,000
• Temporary help services added 52,000 jobs,  retail trade employment rose by 42,000, the federal government added 33,000 jobs (including 9,000 temporary positions for Census 2010) and health care continued to trend up by adding 14,500 jobs.
• The number of long-term unemployed (those jobless for 27 weeks and over) continued to trend up in January, reaching 6.3 million. Since the start of the recession, the number of long-term unemployed has risen by 5.0 million
• There were 1.1 million discouraged workers — not currently looking for work because they believe no jobs are available for them — up from 734,000 a year earlier. 

Even though the Bureau of Labor Statistics job loss numbers could  were negative for January, unemployed Americans continue to be resilient in their job searches. In fact, 58 percent of those laid off in the last twelve months have secured new positions. According to an updated survey by CareerBuilder, 51 percent of workers who were laid off from full-time jobs in the last 12 months have found new full-time positions, up from 48 percent in June 2009.

Want to know how those people found their jobs? Watch CareerBuilder’s Jason Ferrara discuss the survey on First Business.

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Courtesy: I’m Blogging IT

If you’re one of the people who tuned into the big game yesterday–and seeing as the audience is expected to top 100 million people, you probably were a viewer–you saw a heck of a game. And by now everyone accepts the fact that the commercials are just as much of a draw as the game itself.

In case you were away from the TV getting your third plate of food (or, let’s be honest, opening up another bag of chips so you could eat bean dip straight from the jar), you might have missed some of the commercials. This year, CareerBuilder did something different from our usual big reveal during the game. We held a contest where anyone could submit a commercial idea to us and we’d pick the winner. We narrowed it down to three and let everyone vote on which should air during the game. And the winner was…”Casual Friday!” In case you missed out or want to watch it again, here it is:

If you want to see the other two commercials that didn’t air, check out our YouTube channel.

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Working from home isn’t exactly a new concept, so I was surprised to see it was a headline story on NPR today. Then I read the actual story, which is yet another lesson not to judge a book by its cover or an article by its headline. Adam Hochberg’s article and the accompanying audio story look at how commonplace telecommuting has become and at the attitudes employees and employers have toward it.

Hochberg points out that many companies give employees an option to telecommute on occasion, but some workers worry about how it reflects on their reputation.

University of Maryland marketing professor P.K. Kannan says his research has found that about a third of people who can telecommute rarely do so, often because they’re afraid their boss won’t like it.

“It seemed like there was some stigma associated with telecommuting,” Kannan says. “Some people are saying it’s a career suicide. ‘If you’re out of sight, you’re out of mind, so I really don’t want to telecommute even though I could.’ “

And people aren’t just telecommuting on designated days, either. Some companies only exist in the virtual world because workers are spread out. No storefronts, no skyscrapers, no strip malls—just a band of remote employees.

I recommend reading the story if you’re thinking about working from home. Jobs that allow you to work from your home office some or all of the time are often the most sought after, and yet people don’t realize what a culture shock telecommuting can be, especially if they’re used to cubicle world.

We have discussed the topic several times, specifically here and here, which might help you if you’re on the fence about taking one of these positions.

For those of you who have worked from home on a temporary or permanent basis, did you like it? Did you hate it? Is it something you would do again (if you’re not still doing it)? Seeing as so many job seekers are looking to these jobs, your firsthand experiences are welcome in the comments section!

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Courtesy: I’m Blogging IT

When you think of TV’s most famous romantic duos — Jim and Pam, McDreamy and Meredith, Turk and Carla, Sam and Diane, Mr. Burns and Smithers – they all have one thing in common: They met on the job.

But when it comes to finding love, it’s not just reserved for primetime. Regardless of the economy, one thing remains the same: The workplace fuels romance.

“Employees are working longer hours and under increased pressure, creating an environment that could cause relationships to bloom,” says Rosemary Haefner, vice president of human resources at CareerBuilder.

CareerBuilder’s annual office romance survey of more than 5,200 workers found that nearly four-in-ten (37 percent) workers said they have dated a co-worker at some time during their careers. That’s in line with the 40 percent who said the same in both 2009 and 2008. Almost one-third said they went on to marry the person they dated at work.

And what about the office crush? While eight percent of workers currently work with someone who they would like to date, with more men (11 percent) than women (4 percent) reporting they would like to do so.

Twelve percent of workers reported that their relationships started when they ran into each other outside of work. Some other situations where Cupid’s arrow flew between co-workers:

• Happy hour
• Lunch
• Working late at the office
• Company holiday party
• Business trip

The question remains: Once the relationship is established, should workers keep it a secret?

“Workplace relationships are more accepted these days, with 67 percent of workers saying they aren’t keeping their romance a secret. However, it is the responsibility of the individuals to understand company policy and make sure they adhere to it,” said Haefner.

The survey also showed the repercussions of workplace romance, with 5 percent of workers saying they have left a job due to an office romance. To be on the safe side, Haefner offers these tips if you want to spark a workplace romance:

• Know your company’s office relationship policy: While some companies are completely open to office romances, others may have stricter policies. Make sure both parties in the relationship are aware of potential rules or consequences.
• Beware of social media: Before you start posting pictures and status updates about your newfound coupledom, it may be better to inform your co-workers or boss in person. That way, there is less chance for gossip or speculation.
• Always take the high road: If your relationship should end, do your best to maintain professionalism and not let the issues affect your performance on the job.

So tell us your office romance story. Was it a success or did it fizzle?

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Courtesy: I’m Blogging IT

Do you hear something? It’s the sound of proud citizens around the globe puffing their chests as athletes from their nation head to the Olympics. *hums national anthem*

Every two years, either the summer or winter games dominate our TV viewing for two weeks. Events we wouldn’t normally give two hoots about suddenly must be DVR-ed. I admit, I only think about the biathlon every 206 weeks. Still, billions of people tune into the games every time they air. You don’t go out as much. You ignore the ringing phone. You pretend a foil-covered Ring Ding is a silver medal in bobsledding. (No? Just me?)

Host cities pour unbelievable amounts of money and energy into readying venues and lodging for the games. As a result, each city—this year Vancouver—experiences a temporary boost of jobs to construct and staff new stadiums and housing. London’s already seeing this happen for its 2012 games. And other existing jobs are put into overdrive as the city becomes the momentary center of the athletic world. For example, Ron Cameron is the general manager of BC Dome, the stadium hosting the opening ceremonies. Read about his job here.

Because I have the games on my mind, I did a little digging to see how some past Olympians are earning paychecks now that they don’t have to devote 80 percent of their waking hours to training. As expected, many finish their educations and start families—especially when you remember that many Olympians are teenagers during competition. So here are a few medalists and where they are today.

Beth Barr
Event: 4×100m Medley Relay
Year: 1988
Medal: Silver
Current occupation: Owner of a training center for swimmers and triathletes
Source: NPR

Carly Patterson
Event: Women’s Individual All-Around gymnastics
Year: 2004
Medal: Gold
Current occupation: Singer
Source: Her own site

Dan O’Brien
Event: Decathlon
Year: 1996
Medal: Gold
Current occupation: Motivational speaker
Source: Forbes

Jair Lynch
Event: Parallel bars
Year: 1996
Medal: Silver
Current occupation: Heads an organization that, according to the site, “in the responsible transformation of urban markets.”
Source: NPR

Peggy Fleming
Event: Women’s figure skating
Year: 1968
Medal: Gold
Current occupation: Breast cancer activist and co-owner of a vineyard and winery
Source: WKYC

As always, good luck to all the Olympians (who are probably too busy to read this blog, but still) and have fun watching!

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