Category: Career and Relationships

The title of this post was the basis for an MBA application question I recently answered. It really got my thinking about my career goals and aspirations. Here's my response to the question, followed by some thoughts. What do you think and how would you spend your life if money…

Even though President Obama and Congress have signed into law sweeping health care reform many employees are still in the dark about how their employer sponsored health care benefits will be affected and wondering when new provisions in the approved health care bills will go into effect. Rather than reading…

Many employers, and certainly the larger ones, use a prospective employee’s credit history as a pre-employment screening methodology to judge their character and credibility. The reasoning is that your inability to handle your financial commitments may be a sign of personal irresponsibility, which may spill over into the workplace. For…

Under the recently enacted $2 trillion Coronavirus stimulus bill (CAREs act), federal funding will be provided to extend existing state administered unemployment insurance (UI) coverage for up to 13 weeks (Pandemic Unemployment Assistance) and will be bolstered by up to $600 per week (FPUC) over current state maximums over the next four…

The Labor Department reported recently that unemployment reached 9.8 percent in September, the highest level since 1983, and that 10% unemployment is likely by early next year. With record unemployment and a need to ensure the economy doesn't fall back into a recession, the Obama administration is considering the addition…

The value added column in the Washington Post highlighted the small business success story of Steve Fleishman, founder and president of Bethesda Bagel. He built the business from scratch to a franchise and manufacturing enterprise that delivers 15,000 bagels daily to 200 wholesale clients, that enabled him and his partners…

As the economy slows and a recession looms, workers at companies small and large are getting ever more anxious about their jobs and livelihoods. It seems like not a day goes by when news comes out that a major company announces a round of layoffs or indicates plans to to…

At a recent dinner party I was talking to a good friend whose wife had recently had twins, but was getting back into the workforce after only 6 months of having the babies. What was more was that she was able to do all this while staying at home and…

One of my colleagues brings her kids to work on days that schools or their day-care is unexpectedly closed. Her kids are about 5 and 7, and she brings either one or both depending on the circumstance. I would say on average, she brings the "kids to work" about 7-10…

We've all hit that wall — a stretch where work feels more like a chore than anything close to engaging. Feeling uninterested for a few days is normal. It becomes worth paying attention to when it drags on for weeks and starts showing up in your actual behavior. Here are…

A less serious, but widespread fallout of tough economic times for American companies has been the cutting of employee perks and benefits to lower operating costs. Working in corporate America myself, I can attest to some of these cutbacks first hand and I know more are coming down the line…

Finding meaning from your job is something, like a lot of people, I struggle with. One of the most common complaints by people working is "the money may be good but where is the meaning? How can I make a difference?". There are two things that give work meaning. First…