Advice
Job Satisfaction At a New Low
Editorial Team 1Only 45% percent of Americans are satsfied with their jobs — the lowest level in 22 years, according to the Conference Board. USA TODAY reports that the recession is partly to blame but other reasons include fewer people think their jobs are interesting; incomes have not kept up with inflation; and health insurance costs have eaten into take-home pay.
What Matters Now at Work?
Editorial Team 13Please tell us what you believe matters most at work in 2010. How is this different from 2009 or other years? As an employee or an employer, what do you think is the single most important thing that one or both constituents will want or need to focus on in the next 12 months—and why?
Sign of Lean Times: Cheap Rewards For Jobs Well Done
Editorial TeamManagers at large and small companies can’t afford traditional carrots — large raises or promotions — to squeeze more from lean, recession-battered staffs. Instead, they’re coaxing more productivity via cheap rewards such as praise, thank-you-notes and $25 gift cards, The Wall Street Journal reports. They’re also scrutinizing employees’ duties to nix unecessary tasks, freeing staffers for higher-impact work.
With Jobs Scarce, Grads Launch Own Businesses
Editorial TeamFaced with unemployment rate of 16% for 20 to 24-year-olds, a growing number of recent college and grad-school graduates are launching companies on their own, The Wall Street Journal reports. This trend is likely to continue as employers plan to hire 7% fewer graduates from the class fo 2010 than they hired from 2009, which itself was down 22% from the class before.
A Surge in Temp Jobs, But Employers Jittery
Editorial Team 2Hiring of temp workers has surged, suggesting that employers might take next step and begin hiring permanent workers — as they did when demand rose after the last two recessions, The New York Times reports. But temp hiring has now risen for four months and the economy is growing — yet companies are reluctant to hire permanent workers because they are not sure the economy will be sustained.