Companies Push Positive Thinking

Companies are playing up the power of positive thinking, The Wall Street Journal reports. A growing number of employers, including UBS, American Express, KPMG and the law firm Goodwin Procter, have hired trainers to inspire workers to take a more positive attitude—or at least a neutral one. Critics say it can lead employees to downplay or ignore systemic problems.

Who Advances More? Depends Who You Ask

A new study shows a large gap in how men and women perceive who has more chances of advancement. Of 1,834 professionals polled, 90% of men and 85% of women said both sexes have an equal shot at landing junior-level positions. But 81% of men said opportunities to move to middle management are gender neutral, compared to 52% of women. Sixty-six percent of men compared to 30% women said executive posts were equally attainable.

In Emerging Markets: Women Are Key

As multinational corporations turn to emerging markets as the primary engines of future growth, women will be one of their chief dynamos, Sylvia Ann Hewlett writes in Harvard Business Review. In order to tap into their talent, companies should create support networks for women, help with child and eldercare and help them deal with “heavy-duty cultural pressures against working mothers, wives and daughters.”

Job Hunt Tip: Go For Inside Referral

If you know someone at a company you want to work for, their referral could help your chances of getting in the door. A common exception to the online resume/phone screen process is a job seeker who is referred by an employee or other trusted source, The Wall Street Journal reports. A referred candidate may get immediate attention, potentially speeding them to the interview stage.

Diversity Can Backfire On Company Boards

As much as diversity is prized, people often feel baffled, threatened or annoyed by others with views and backgrounds very different from their own, says this piece in The Wall Street Journal. The result is that when directors are “appointed because their views or backgrounds are different, they often are isolated and ignored. Constructive disagreements spill over into personal battles.”

Changing Jobs Often May Hurt Retirement

Frequently changing employers can make it more difficult to save for retirement, US News reports. The median job tenure of American workers was 5.1 years at the same job in 2008, says a study by the Employee Benefit Research Institute.

Many pension formulas reward long-term and highly paid employees more than workers with a shorter job tenure. Some job hopping workers also move in and out of retirement plan coverage throughout their career and cash out small 401(k) balances when they change jobs, both of which lead to smaller retirement account balances.