Hiring Bright Spot: Internships

In good times, companies with too much work for existing workers — but not enough to justify hiring full-time staffers — turned to temporary workers, The New York Times reports. But with the economy still stalled, more companies are opting for paid and unpaid internships to get extra work done. For job seekers, real world internship experience is “no longer a nice-to-have addition to your resume,” one expert says, but a requirement.

Big Brother Watching at Work? Not so fast

In past years, courts showed sympathy for corporations that monitored personal email accounts accessed over corporate computer networks. Generally, judges treated corporate computers, and anything on them, as company property. But now, courts are increasingly taking into account whether employers have explicitly described how email is monitored to their employees, The Wall Street Journal reports.

Raises on the Rise?

Many employers are planning to reinstate merit increases in 2010, The Wall Street Journal reports. But some experts say base salaries are unlikely to return to pre-recession levels anytime soon. Of 555 large U.S. employers polled in October, 83% said they will give out raises next year, while only about half did so in 2009, reports Lincolnshire, Ill.-based Hewitt Associates Inc. None anticipate pay reductions next year, after 10% cut salaries in 2009.

Smoking at Work? Even Smokers Support Bans

Even smokers support bans to prohibit lighting up in the workplace, according to a new survey. The international poll of nearly 5,000 people showed that nearly three-quarters of workers who smoke and 87% of employers support a smoke-free work environment. “Overall the results demonstrate global support for workplace smoking bans,” said study author Michael Halpern. “This study shows support for additional programs and policies to increase those bans and assist employees with smoking cessation.”

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Sucking Up to the Boss Can Work — But Backfire

Bosses are now told to praise down because paychecks are no longer enough to motivate employees. But praising up can be problematic, USA TODAY reports: of 22 CEOs interviewed, 17 said brown-nosing never helped their careers, but 20 said employees should compliment the boss if they are sincere about it. ”

Women are way way better at it because they are more subtle, more facile half-truth tellers,” says Just Ask a Woman CEO Mary Lou Quinlan.

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Entrepreneurs: It’s Safe to Return to Corporate Life

Some employers may question why an entrepreneur would want to return to the corporate fold when they have been running their own shop. Michelle Goodman says job changers should focus on how they’re ready for new challenges and better resources and not dwell on the reasons their business didn’t work out. They also may have a better chance with a startup, she says.