Show Me the Money

It's no secret that workers would love to know what their colleagues earn. Who's making more? Who's making less? How's her salary higher than mine when I've been here longer? Such questions boggle the minds of corporate workers. Others are more consumed by their market worth. Am I making enough money for the work I'm doing? What do workers in comparable positions at other companies earn? Thanks to PayScale, workers needn't spend hours gossiping around the watercooler to answer some of these questions. A simple visit to PayScale.com and some mysteries might be easily resolved.

Launched in 2000 by Joe Giordano amid the envious days of inflated salaries and options of the Internet bubble, "PayScale is used by tens of thousands of job seekers, employees, and hiring managers every day." PayScale is "highly interactive: The site collects real-time pay data directly from workers and spits out an analysis showing what an occupation is worth -- organized by a given city, industry, or company -- with the speed of an online stock quote. So far PayScale has collected the salaries of 5.5 million American workers." Are you one of them? [Business 2.0] [PayScale]

We've Got Big Balls

The newest trend in office seating is… giant balls? That's right, at companies from Google to BMW, professionals are abandoning their $2,000 leather thrones for posture-enhancing, bright-colored exercise balls. The irony is, it's often the Zen-seeking higher ups who choose the big balls (perhaps attempting to make up for shortcomings elsewhere), looking more and more childlike while sitting on a Romper Room-esque bright blue ball instead of a commandeering CEO chair. Yet while they sit atop their plastic playroom pedestals, they still treat employees like children -- children in safer seats.

The risks of having an exercise ball as a workstation accoutrement are vast. Workers must stay on their toes all day. Some experts suggest a total lack of back support. Exercise balls are easily stolen. And at any point, a violent game of dodgeball might break out.

We prefer the old school office arrangement of workstation seating reflecting the hierarchical status of employees, wherein the top brass get the giant Darth Vader pod, those just below get am souped up Dr. Evil robotic chair, other big wigs get the stuffy English leather highbacks, mid-level managers get computer chairs with arms and wheels, those just below get random task chairs, and the drones get folding chairs. [CareerJournal]

Snow Day!

Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night keeps postal workers from delivering the mail. Same goes for corporate workers. Rare is the snow day in the working world. Whereas the night before a major snowstorm kept anxious kids up late with pajamas inside out in hopes of waking to hear the radio or see the news crawl deliver the best news ever -- that school is closed -- the threat of snow keeps commuting workers awake anticipating major headaches. Bottom line is, school districts can make up days at the end of the school year; businesses cannot. So they remain open during a snow or ice storm. Often with harsher implications than those facing schoolchildren. Kids often have a mildly short, though potentially treacherous, walk to school or a bus ride with some Chris Farley-esque driver. Usually within the same town. But workers often travel great distances for their daily toil. And on snow days, they might be traveling from areas that received greater snowfall totals, or that are still being socked by bad weather while their offices are out of the storm's eye. They brave the hazardous road conditions. They brave long waits at bus and train stops while public transportation catches up on salting roadways and defrosting railroad tracks. All to make the company a few more dollars. And, after all the delays, when they finally arrive at the office just before 11 a.m., they find the big boss, the immediate boss, and half their co-workers are all out -- home with their kids or cashing in a sick day in exchange for safety. The only ones at the office -- offspring-less twentysomethings and thirtysomethings in constant competition with each other and in constant fear of job security. Welcome to Snow Day Survivor. Be sure to bring extra socks.

Top Cities for Jobs

Think you need to live in New York, San Fran or LA to get on the ideal career path? Think again. Forbes' list of the "Best U.S. Cities For Jobs" has mighty NYC way down at No. 75. "Usually, 22-year-olds flock to cosmopolitan cities like New York and San Francisco, assuming that's where they'll find the most opportunities for work (and, let's be honest, a social life)," writes Hannah Clark. "But they might be heading in the wrong direction."

Forbes' scientific approach to creating the list included weighing five data points equally: job growth, income growth, unemployment rate, median household income and cost of living. Then they measured those stats in the top 100 U.S. metropolitan areas from 2003 to 2006. Enough with the scientific stuff. Who tops the list?

In order, the top 10 are: Raleigh-Cary, NC; Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ; Jacksonville, FL; Orlando-Kissimmee, FL; Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV; Salt Lake City, UT; Honolulu, HI; Las Vegas-Paradise, NV; Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach-Deerfield Beach, FL; and Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News, VA-NC.

Also in the top 25 are Little Rock, Omaha Albuquerque, Oklahoma City and three more areas in Florida. Scenic Camden, New Jersey, comes in at No. 26.

So where are all the big cities? Chicago is No. 82. Boston is No. 83. San Francisco is No. 86. And LA is No. 88. Not surprisingly, Detroit is No. 100 out of 100. So, where do you live and work? [Forbes]

Employing Proper Body Language

Most offices come standard with that one employee who makes everyone else look great. The bully. The loudmouth. The prankster. The slacker. The gossip queen. The one with no inner monologue. These are all professional folks clearly partaking in bad practices. But beyond these obvious soon-to-be casualties of downsizing, there are many more employees -- maybe even you -- who are doing subtle things to make themselves look bad. Or worse, to make others look bad. But if you're not bullying, screaming, pranking, slacking or gossiping, what could you be doing wrong? While you may be careful about keeping your verbal language PG-rated and in check, you might not be minding your body language. Everything from shrugs to eye movements to sitting positions at the desk or in a meeting could be saying even more than any comment or email message. Check the bodies of these articles for some clues about body language and how to improve upon in it the office or on an interview. [BusinessWeek] [CareerJournal] [Monster]

Super Bowl Monday: National Hangover Day

Let the Super Bowl hangover begin. After an afternoon and evening when Americans consume more pizza, wings, nachos, guacamole, chips and beer than almost any other day of the year, it's no surprise that some will be a little too sick to head into work. After an evening of screaming at the TV, booing the Bears' Rex Grossman and laughing at one or two good Super Bowl commercials, it's no surprise that some will be a little too sick to head into work. And for those Indianapolis Colts fans who continue to celebrate the team's first Super Bowl victory as the Indianapolis Colts, it's no surprise that some will be a little too sick to head into work. With Super Bowl Sunday rivaling New Year's Eve as one of the country's biggest celebrations, it seems only fair that the day after the Super Bowl be made into a national holiday. After all, we get New Year's Day off to rehydrate, watch football bowl games and count down the return to work. So why not get the same treatment on National Hangover Day? Companies should consider the lack of productivity on Super Bowl Monday. Less employees show up for work. Many of those who do will loiter by the water cooler talking about fumbles, field goals and Mapasaurus. Or how they were this close to winning that $1,000 Super Bowl box pool, if only Indy had made that extra point in the first quarter. And the occasional employee may just show his distaste for the outcome of the game, for Prince's shadow phallic halftime show, for the terrible ad spots and for coming into work after a night of boozing by spending his morning curled up next to a toilet in the office restroom. By making the day after the Super Bowl a national holiday, none of this unsightly office behavior would occur. At least, not until Tuesday.

The Shadow Knows

Happy Groundhog Day! Today we celebrate the fact that TV meteorologists are so bad at making extended weather forecasts that we prefer to rely on the prognostications of a small woodland creature, Punxsutawney Phil. But today we also celebrate Job Shadow Day, a day when high school and middle school students venture into corporate America's workplaces to shadow hard-working professionals at their workstations. These youngsters get the unique opportunity to observe the species robotus corporatus in its natural habitat -- sitting for hours in front of computers, talking on the telephone, bickering over who's going to win the Super Bowl, gossiping about celebrities and the big boss, flinging poo and, occasionally, engaging in stimulating conversations about the future of their company. Yes, for one day out of the year, the office is turned upside down to allow worker bees to spread their seeds of knowledge to unsuspecting, optimistic youths who one day dream of graduating from college and working in a 3-by-5 cubicle with padded walls. For one day, these kids' dreams come true. Then they go back into their groundhog hole of ignorance and wait for a job forecast that calls for a warm and friendly career climate for them for the next 50 years. As for the workers, they get their small moment out of the groundhog hole to share their own forecast, only to bury their heads for the next 364 routine days. Days where they wake at 6 a.m. daily knowing the man has got them, babe. [Job Shadow Day]

The Company Did What?!

Check out these classy moves by some industry leaders:

Northwest Airlines lays off thousands of employees, issuing them a handy guide of "101 Ways to Save Money," including Dumpster diving.

RadioShack fires 400 workers through email: "The work force reduction notification is currently in progress. Unfortunately your position is one that has been eliminated."

Cablevision admits to granting stock options to a corpse.

Alarm One runs team-building exercises in which employers are forced to wear diapers, eat baby food, or submit to getting spanked on the booty. [Business 2.0]

Sick and Fired

Career-driven employees just can't afford to be sick these days

If you want to hold a steady job, you can't afford to be sick. If you want to climb the corporate ladder, you can't afford to be sick. And if you don't have good health coverage, you certainly can't afford to be sick.

In these demanding, competitive, capitalistic waters that we're all treading, a perfect attendance record is one of the keys to staying afloat. That's because perfect attendance means you're dedicated to your job. It means you don't make excuses. It means you're making sacrifices for the "good of the company."

Unfortunately, those sacrifices are usually bigger than canceling dinner with your significant other or bailing on poker night. Sometimes we sacrifice our health (not to mention our mental stability) for the good of the company. Working weekends and holidays, or long hours that cut into much needed sleep time. Or not taking a lunch or dinner break, thinking, "A can of soda and some M&M's at the vending machine will get me by."

The unhealthy devotion to a company or career path can start to take its toll -- well beyond sacrificing free time spent with friends or family. The lack of sleep -- either from having to work too long a day or from restless nights stressing over that big project or overbearing boss -- is one of the first culprits to the unhealthy corporate lifestyle.

The long days filled with short breaks are a natural fit for quick-fix meals and sugary snacks -- vending machine treats, soda or coffee for a caffeine jolt and fast food ordered in to munch on at the computer. But maybe a select few have the time to counter the unhealthy levels of sleep and junk food with some much-needed exercise. But we'll bet our stake that we would've spent at poker night (had we had the time to play) that more often than not, that gym membership card is not getting used too often. That the spa coupon expired long ago. And those cross-training sneakers, with barely a speck of dirt on them, are about to go out of style.

That's because many of today's young, corporate employees are flexing their career muscles to the point of exhaustion. The toxic combination of working much more than 40 hours a week, job-related stress, lack of sleep, poor nutrition, dearth of exercise and the occasional happy-hour indulgence can only lead to one thing: poor health.

Sure, some people's bodies have a higher tolerance for these dangerous side effects of the corporate climb, but at some point, mentally or physically, things are bound to catch up. The body will naturally become more susceptible to illness (especially when many are working in close quarters and traveling on public transportation with other sick folks).

But what happens when the go-getter employee becomes sick? Seldom does she take a day off. Or even take an hour or two out of the day to see a doctor. Why? Because that never-ending team project is perpetually due yesterday, and she plays an integral role in making sure that project meets or exceeds management's expectations. And she needs to ace this project for her chance at moving up to the next rung in her department.

Yet even with allotted sick days, few (aside from the slacker, Office Space type) take advantage of that Get-Out-of-Work-Free card. Rather, they go to work -- coughing, sneezing, nose running, head pounding, stomach aching. Doesn't matter.

But here's the rub (no, not the VapoRub). If this overachiever-at-any-cost employee simply took a sick day or two, her body might have a chance to recover a bit. And, by not bringing her NyQuil commercial of symptoms to the office, she could save a dozen colleagues from getting the same weeklong sickness that she's harboring -- thus increasing the chances of the project being completed on time by healthy co-workers.

But will she take that chance? Hell, no. She'd rather sacrifice her health than sacrifice the chance of looking like the project slacker who took a day off when it came to crunch time on that crucial deal.

Is there a way to combat this "at any cost" mindset? Well, the bigger companies may boast a cafeteria serving up healthier eating options. Or maybe they have a gym on the premises for employees to use on a power lunch or right after work. Some nice choices, if the employee has the time. Of course, taking advantage of these services results in employees not leaving the office for a breath of fresh air over the course of their 16-hour workday, but in a city, maybe the air indoors is just as good.

Still, these on-site, healthy options only serve as a brief remedy to the larger problem -- that few will sacrifice job security or a chance at career advancement for the sake of their health.

Those willing to take a day off to rest or an hour to visit the doctor will quickly realize that job security isn't the only reason to stay at the office when they discover the price of their skimped health coverage, high co-payments and absurd prescription costs.

Diagnosis: Any way you slice it, in our career-driven society, you just cannot afford to be sick.

Slacking on the Job

Many workers are finding it harder to find things to occupy their time at the office ... you know, besides actual work. That's because employers are continuing to install technology to prevent slackers and procrastinators from doing what they were never paid to be doing in the first place. Previous reasons for denying employees access to certain web sites, tracking their typing, even using security cameras in the main office areas were obvious -- to cut down on slacking off, to cut down on abuse of the Internet and email, to monitor harassing behavior. But in addition to all those brilliant reasons for blocking workers from visiting the likes of gambling sites, fantasy football sites and MySpace, companies are also cracking down on broader usage. "When employees access media like online video," according to CareerJournal, "it saps technology resources, which can slow down tasks like transferring files over the corporate network or accessing email or the Internet." Naturally, "company overseers worry about Internet safety and security." So what's an employee who only really performs about 15 minutes of honest work a week to do without YouTube at work? Extended lunches, frequent bathroom visits, sudoku ... they'll think of something. After all, if they're smart enough to get hired at such a great company, they're probably clever enough to find a way, sans technology, to get fired by that company. [CareerJournal]

So, What's the Big Idea?

Are you that guy who's always got the next great idea for your company? Or the gal who told co-workers -- but not the boss -- about a killer idea months ago only to see a competitor beat your employer to the punch?

If so, it's safe to say you're probably not a kiss-ass, and you're also probably not the type who had to have the most gold stars in grade school. But, you are the type of employee every company should be salivating over. You're a thinker, a brainstormer, an innovator, an idea person.

So why won't anyone listen to you? Because you're not speaking up. Or maybe you are, but you're not doing it properly. There's a fine line between "influencing up," kissing up, complaining, and making the boss look bad. So, how to walk that line?

Present the idea in a professional manner, and back it up with some analysis and stats. But how do you get the opportunity to even present your big idea? BusinessWeek's Marshall Goldsmith may just have the answers. [BusinessWeek]

Taking a Day for MLK

For many, today is a day off from that 9-to-5 office job. And for many, today will be spent sleeping late, recovering from yesterday's football or 24 watching, and running errands like catching up on shopping or holiday gift returns. Nowadays, the day off is celebrated as a respite from work; but the celebration of MLK's life, accomplishments and passion is often overlooked. Just like with Memorial Day and other holidays that create three-day weekends. Perhaps these holidays should be observed on Wednesdays so less people use them for vacation, recreation and shopping fixations.

Take some time to honor the reason for your absence from work today. You'll still have plenty of time to hit up Bed, Bath & Beyond and Home Depot afterward.

Time's A-Wastin'

Want to know why American jobs are being outsourced to India and South America? "According to a survey by America Online and Salary.com, the average worker admits to frittering away 2.09 hours per 8-hour workday, not including lunch and scheduled break-time." The biggest distraction? The Interweb. "44.7% of the more than 10,000 people polled cited web surfing as their #1 distraction at work. Socializing with co-workers came in second at 23.4%." Rounding out the top ten are some classic activities: conducting personal business, spacing out, running errands, personal phone calls, applying for other jobs, planning personal events, arriving late, leaving early. The only thing surprisingly omitted from the list -- pulling pranks on co-workers. Is anyone in corporate America -- including top executives -- not guilty of such practices that made the list? We think not. [Salary.com]

Have You Seen My Disinfecting Wipes?

Stress sickens workers. Sniffling co-workers sicken colleagues. Old food left in the fridge may sicken a risk-taking fellow employee. But a desk? What harm can it cause other than not being ergonomically sufficient? Apparently, quite a bit. According to CNN, "a study by the University of Arizona in 2002 found the typical worker's desk has hundreds of times more bacteria per square inch than an office toilet seat. If that's not disturbing enough, desks, phones and other private surfaces are also prime habitats for the viruses that cause colds and flu." Adding to the germs are quick lunch breaks taken at the workstation and custodians avoiding cleaning desks on account of wanting to avoid misplacing important files. Better go out and get some disinfecting wipes, or you might have much more than a case of the Mondays. [CNN]

Up All Night, Sleep All Day

"Up all night, sleep all day…" The lyric from '80s hair metal band Slaughter was more likely a reference to the rock star lifestyle than the job-induced stress of a one-beer-at-happy-hour-swillin' corporate drone. Nevertheless, the lyric warrants closer analysis of a growing trend. More and more young office workers come home at night stressing about all things work. Workload, salary, benefits, favoritism, downsizing, someone stealing a red stapler. Whatever the cause, the stress is keeping workers up at night frenzied over office issues, then conversely making workers lethargic on account of not getting enough rest. Monster offers a wake-up call to worker bees who never seem to be able to clock out in its feature, "Stressful Days, Sleepless Nights." Just don't stay up all night reading it. [Monster]