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Do You Have a Work Spouse?

Mark Swartz | Monster Senior Contributing Writer — Tue, 22 Feb 2011 09:51:00 -0800

Regis Philbin and Kelly Ripa. George Bush and Condoleezza Rice. Stacy and Clinton. Liz Lemon and Jack Donaghy.

Whether in real life or reel life, work spouses are out there. You've seen them, right? Or maybe you're in such a relationship: Two people who spend most of their working hours together, behaving like a married couple. But despite subtle overtones of intimacy and affection, this relationship at work is strictly nonphysical and non-romantic.

Having a work spouse is not uncommon. Surveys indicate that an increasing number of employees report being involved in platonic office "marriages," and in many cases, the work wife or work husband is already romantically partnered outside the office. Although such relationships may boost productivity and personal motivation, it's essential to maintain a chaste and professional bond. Knowing what works and what doesn't will keep you both on track.

The Benefits of Work Spouses

Unfettered by the usual entanglements of an amorous relationship, these partnered colleagues can work together seamlessly and accomplish more, often faster. In addition, work spouses enjoy these benefits:

• The comfort of such a reliable rapport can be a soothing antidote to stressful workplace interactions.

• A confidant who understands and accommodates your preferred work style.

• The ability to freely suggest and shape ideas without fear of embarrassment or reproach.

Not Always a Blissful Union

There are potential perils in having a work wife or work husband. Topping the list: The temptation to let the relationship at work go beyond professional bounds and become an office romance. That could spell disaster, especially if one of you is already romantically involved with someone else. Never mind the nasty break-ups that could result if things go sour.

Other potential downsides of this intimate work relationship:

• Your closeness might also set tongues wagging at the water cooler. Some employees may become jealous or feel left out, and this could create workplace tension.

• There may be speculation that you are treating your work spouse preferentially, particularly if you are in a manager-direct report relationship.

• Beware: All those late evenings or weekends at the office can create a rift between you and your actual partner or spouse.

Tend to All Your Relationships at Work

If you have a work wife or work husband, consider these tips for heading off misunderstandings or possible damage to your professional reputation:

• Keep your office door open when working with your office spouse. This small gesture may dispel unwelcome rumors or assumptions.

• Spend extra time connecting with the other people you work with. Let them feel appreciated and equal.

• Unless absolutely necessary, limit meals, meetings and business travel between just the two of you.

With a bit of sensitivity and tact, having a work spouse may increase your productivity and even make your job more enjoyable. Just remember to keep the gossips and naysayers at bay by behaving professionally and inclusively.

This article was originally published on Monster.com.

How to Turn a Stranger into a Network Contact

Charles Purdy | Monster+HotJobs senior editor — Thu, 17 Feb 2011 08:24:00 -0800

Whether you're looking for a job or trying to advance your career, networking is very important (in a recent HotJobs poll, 57 percent of respondents said that networking was a factor in landing their most recent job). And networking shouldn't end when you log off of LinkedIn or head home from a conference. Valuable contacts are on the perimeter of your social circle, they're the parents of your kids' school chums, they're sitting next to you on airplanes--basically, they're all around you every day. So how do you turn these people from relative strangers into valuable network contacts?

Step 1: Identify good contacts.

An effective professional network has a wide variety of types of people, including people from outside your industry. So how do you decide whether someone you meet at a cocktail party is someone you want in your circle? Career expert Liz Ryan says it's more about "feel" than logic: "You've got a certain style and approach, and people who are comfortable with you and with whom you're comfortable will make up your A-list for network cultivation."

Look for people who are active in and passionate about their field (whatever it is), and who seem interested in what you're doing. Also, people who communicate well are likely to be "connectors" who have their own networks that you may be able to tap into.

Step 2: Manage your contacts.

Productivity expert Stever Robbins, the author of "Get-It-Done Guy's 9 Steps to Work Less and Do More," offers tips for managing the business cards you receive:

First, if you're at a conference or a similar event where you're receiving a lot of business cards, Robbins suggests jotting down quick memory-aid notes on the backs of cards--so when you enter the contact in your digital address book, you can record (in the Notes field) the name of the conference and what you talked about.

Then, immediately after you put a new person into your address book, send a brief "Great to meet you" email--with a note about your conversation and a brief follow-up.

Step 3: Offer value.

Effective networking begins long before you need to get something from your network. First, you must demonstrate that you have something to offer--this builds a foundation of goodwill. Every time you talk to someone in your professional network, you should ask what he or she is working on, so you're aware of the problems your contacts are trying to solve.

In his book "Well Connected: An Unconventional Approach to Building Genuine, Effective Business Relationships," executive coach Gordon S. Curtis offers suggestions on how to offer value to a new contact: consider how you could supply information, new clients, or interesting products--or even other contacts. Curtis explains, "If you make the right introduction, both parties will feel you've done them favors."

Next: Step 4 >>

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Step 4: Stay in touch.

Your efforts to meet, record, and court new contacts are wasted if you let relationships lapse. An effective networker is participatory and involved.

Sound like a lot of work? It doesn't have to be--in fact, your networking efforts shouldn't take a lot of time (don't "spam" your network by mass-sharing things of little value). Read an interesting article or book? Ask yourself who else might benefit from it. Planning to attend an industry conference or networking event? Find out how you can get more involved. Have something to say? Update your blog, and comment (thoughtfully) on the blogs of people in your network.

Step 5: Get back from your network.

If you've been conscientious about maintaining connections with your network, asking for something like an introduction or a favor will seem less like an imposition.

One key to getting results is to make specific requests of specific people. Sending your entire network a tweet saying, "My interior-design firm is accepting new clients!" probably isn't enough--because it's not speaking directly to anyone, and it's not offering a tangible value. A better tactic is a targeted message to the right people--for instance, an email, describing your expertise in decorating boutique-hotel lobbies and asking for an introduction, to a contact in the hotel business.

Be concise with your requests, don't pester people, and don't take it personally if someone isn't able to help you--the reasons may be beyond his or her control. And finally, don't forget to say "thank you"--if one of your contacts finds a way to help you, look for a way to help him or her, so your relationship will grow even stronger.

This article was originally published on Monster.com

Monster iPhone App: Find Jobs with Your iPhone

Vasu Nagalingam, Senior Product Director, Consumer | Monster Worldwide — Thu, 16 Dec 2010 10:40:00 -0800

Thanks to
Monster's new app for the iPhone and iPod touch, your job search can be right in the palm of your hands at all times.

Monster designed the app to be the perfect complement to its website experience, giving you access to the Monster account you've already created online--including your resumes, your favorite job searches, your apply history, and so on. It's all completely accessible immediately via the app, from wherever you are. Plus, all your activity within the app (such as searches and job applies) is automatically kept in sync with your online account, and is immediately available via the website.

Here are some ways to get the most out of Monster's iPhone app:

Set up your Monster account and create your resumes: If you don't have a Monster account, go ahead and set one up; then create your resumes. You can save as many as five different resumes on your Monster account--and all of them are then accessible when you sign in to your Monster iPhone app. If you have any favorite job searches, go ahead and save them under Saved Searches. They, too, will be available on the Monster iPhone app.

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(The iPhone's small screen would make creating a resume there difficult, so Monster recommends that you set up resumes via the website.)

Get the Monster iPhone app: Download the Monster iPhone app for search for "monster.com" on iTunes.

Sign in to your account to access your data: At the Sign In screen, use the email address and password for your Monster account to sign in to the app. This will allow you to access your resumes and favorite searches on the iPhone. (And if you're signed in, when you do find that cool job via the app, you can apply right away.)

After you sign in, you are taken directly to the My Profile screen, which allows you to access the app's functions.

Search for jobs: There are two ways to search for jobs: a direct job search or a saved (favorite) search.

Tap on Job Search to start searching for jobs. Monster’s latest semantic search engine--Power Search--is available on the app. Enter a job title, skills, and a location to search for jobs. You can also use the iPhone’s GPS feature to search for jobs near you.

If you have favorite searches saved on your account, they will be accessible via the Saved Search option on the My Profile page. And if you perform a search on the app, you can save it as a favorite by tapping on Save on the Search Results screen.

View jobs and apply to or save them: On the Search Results screen, you can tap each row to view employers' job postings. If you want to apply to the job and already have a resume saved on your Monster account, tap on Apply. Otherwise, tap on Save to save the job so you can apply later. (This saved job will also be available on the Monster website when you log into your account.)

Some employers require that you apply via their own websites; typically, these employer sites are not optimized for mobile devices, and the iPhone doesn't let you upload a resume to these sites. So the Monster iPhone app encourages you to save these jobs and complete the job application via the website.

Use the app to manage your job search: The Monster iPhone app contains a few features that enable you to easily check for new jobs while on the go. When you sign in to the app the first time, the app, by default, will remember your account credentials. This allows the app to take you directly to your Profile on subsequent startups, so you can get to your jobs quickly and easily. If you don't want to be “remembered” on the app, you can change this behavior on the Settings screen, and tell the app to require your account credentials at every startup. (This setting is only on the iPhone app and does not impact your experience when you use the website.)

As the economy slowly begins its recovery, employers are beginning to create and fill new positions--and the Monster iPhone app for job searches is a great way to make sure you don't miss any of these new opportunities.

This article was originally published on The Monster Blog.

When an Employee Won't Stop Asking for a Raise

Alison Green | Ask A Manager — Tue, 09 Nov 2010 08:51:00 -0800

A reader writes:

I have an employee who has been with us since 2008 in our small municipality (read: no money) who is constantly dissatisfied with his salary. He has gone to his manager (who is now on maternity leave), his acting manager, and the manager of HR (behind his manager's back) several times about a raise. I'm the HR assistant and now current acting HR manager.

We're at the point now where his manager has gone above and beyond, and worked with our employee to explain some options for him - setting goals, learning new skills related to an Engineering Coordinator role (which we do not have staffed right now because of budget cuts), and upon the successful completion of these goals, a step increase within his range.

The employee however, is constantly compiling job ads from other private and public organizations, and requesting/demanding that his job be in a higher pay grid.

Trying to explain "total compensation" hasn't worked - he just sees that other organizations are paying more than we are, and since we're a small municipality, there isn't any room to all of a sudden get a new pay range passed through our Council just because he thinks he's underpaid.

The last straw was an email on Friday, where he emailed me asking for his job description, and that of the (vacant) Engineering Coordinator, and that "his job description needed to be revised to include some of the Engineering duties" - without any discussion or consent from his manager, and his role/experience does not have any of the requirements to be an Engineering Coordinator.

What do we do? I'm by myself in HR, all of his managers have had it with him, and I've said to him off the cuff that since he knows for sure that there will be no new salary range for his position, then he is more than welcome to go to another job which will pay him what he thinks he deserves.

His current manager has even offered to look into supporting the employee going back to school to get an Engineering designation, if he wants to become an Engineer, but his attitude is that he's already doing the job, so why isn't he getting paid for it?

He doesn't get it, he wants to stay, but he's causing stress and strife among his department, and is frankly, a pain in my ass. Do you have any advice on how to handle this?

Next: Alison's Answer >>

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Someone — ideally his manager — needs to sit down with him and say, "Bob, I've made it clear to you what your options are for getting a salary increase. Those are the only options. If you complete them successfully, we will consider a salary increase. We will not consider one otherwise. I need you to hear me on this, because you have continued to raise this despite clear answers, and it's become a distraction from our work. This is what we are willing to pay you. It is your prerogative to choose not to accept that salary and to look elsewhere, but we will not be having this conversation over and over anymore. If you decide this salary isn't acceptable, let me know and we'll talk about your transition out of the role."

You say that you've said this to him off the cuff. Someone needs to say it more formally, with explicit direction that it can't continue.

I want to be clear, of course, that I'm not saying that employees asking about salary should be routinely shut down. The issue here is not that the guy has pushed for a higher salary — it's that he's been given an answer, repeatedly, and is just refusing to accept it. His manager needs to spell it out for him that the answer is not going to change. And you all need to get clear on the fact that just because someone refuses to accept your answer the first five times you give it, you don't need to keep having the conversation over and over; there's a point after which you can say, "No more. We've already discussed this, and you've been given a clear and honest answer."

As a side note, I'm assuming that in general your salary structure is working for you, and that you're not having trouble attracting and retaining good people. If that's not the case, it's worth looking at your salary structure as a whole, and seeing if it needs to be updated. But even if that's the case, this guy has still handled this poorly. Speaking of which...

As a second side note, the way he has handled this situation (particularly the part about directing you to change his job description when he hadn't even talked to his manager about it) makes me think that there's no way this kind of bad judgment isn't present in other aspects of his work too. I'd be curious what his manager's take is on that.

Next: 10 Questions to Ask When Negotiating Salary >>

Calling a Coworker Who is On Vacation

Alison Green | Ask A Manager — Thu, 09 Sep 2010 09:09:00 -0700

A reader writes:

My husband called a co-worker Tuesday night after 10:30 pm and talked until almost midnight about business. This person was also on vacation. This was not an emergency call and I feel, regardless of whether the co-worker kept the communication going, that my husband was out of bounds in making this call. Please advise.

It totally depends on the culture of your husband's workplace.

At some offices, this would be beyond the pale. At others, this wouldn't be particularly strange (especially, for example, at a lot of start-ups).

At my last job, many people would do some work from home at odd hours of the night (including me). I had one coworker who I knew often worked late at night, and sometimes he and I would find ourselves exchanging work-related emails at 11 p.m. and finally he'd suggest we jump on the phone to get something resolved faster. (I never suggested it, because as a manager, I didn't want to make anyone feel pressured to give up their nights that way. But if an employee initiated it, it was fine with me.) But that was just our culture, and it was the two of us in particular -- there were other employees who I never heard from after 6 p.m., and that was just fine too.

As for the vacation element, again it depends on culture. Sometimes I go on vacation and make it clear that this is a "don't bother me unless someone dies" type of vacation. Other times, I want to get away but know that my workload at that point means that the only way I can do it is if I remain available by phone -- and in those cases, I'm willing to make the trade-off of getting to fly off somewhere fun in exchange for remaining available for phone calls.

And there are certainly people who enjoy their work so much that they want to stay in touch while they're away. I've been that person myself, and I've worked at places like that; they do exist!

So it really depends on the workplace culture, and the preferences of specific people involved.

Now, despite all that, if your husband had no basis for knowing that this coworker would be fine with a 10:30 p.m. work call, then yes, it was inappropriate. And even if that's not the case, if your husband has any authority over this coworker, he should be sensitive to the fact that the guy might not feel comfortable saying, "Hey, it's getting late and I'm on vacation. We need to wrap this up." Or even, "Hey, this is my vacation. Stop calling me! We'll talk when I'm back."

In general, people in positions of authority should bend over backwards to be respectful of people's off time, to encourage people to take "real" vacations, and to make it clear that working odd hours is truly 100% optional. So your husband's role in relation to the coworker is relevant.

But some people really do like working at odd hours. Some people do not. The question is where this guy stands.

Bathroom Etiquette Tips for the Office

Jeff Hindenach | ManagerLink — Sun, 22 Aug 2010 08:23:00 -0700

You spend eight-plus hours at work every day, so you can assume that that nature will call at least once during your day. Besides your desk, the office bathroom is where you might spend the most time during the workday.

Since you spend so much of your day there, the office bathroom should be a comfortable, approachable place. Make sure you are following these basic workplace bathroom etiquette rules to keep the experience pleasant for all your co-workers.

Don’t Talk on Your Cell Phone

Nothing is more awkward than when you hear the toilet flush when you are on the phone with someone. Not only is this rude to other people in the bathroom — it’s also disrespectful to the person you are talking to. Your bodily functions are private, so please keep them that way.

Wash Your Hands … Every Time!

There should never be any excuse for not washing your hands after using the bathroom. This is a hard and fast rule, especially in the business world, where you could be shaking many hands during the day. In addition, you are spreading germs throughout the office. Since you share this space with your coworkers, do everyone a favor and wash your hands.

Next: The Urinal Is Not Chat Time >>

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The Urinal Is Not Chat Time

It doesn’t matter how close you think you are to the person or how important the conversation is, you can wait until you are out of the bathroom to talk about it. Besides the fact that you are both exposed while at the urinal, most people aren’t comfortable having a conversation while urinating. Keep the office gossip confined to the water cooler.

Make Sure the Toilet Paper Is Stocked

No one wants to be stuck on the toilet and realize there is no toilet paper. If you use the last of the toilet paper, it's up to you to make sure it's either replaced or that other bathroom users are aware of the lack of toilet paper. If you personally can’t replace the toilet paper, contact the office manager (or whoever is in charge of restocking) to alert them of the situation.

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This Is Not Your Personal Bathroom

There is no reason to do your grooming routine at work when you can do it at home. The work bathroom is never the place to shave or cut your toenails. And it goes without saying that you should not be bringing reading materials into the work bathroom for an extended stay, especially if stalls are scarce.

Keep It Clean and Fresh

Treat the bathroom as if it were your bathroom at home. Keep it clean and fresh for the others who use it. If you create an odor, be courteous enough to spray air freshener for the people who will be using it after you. If you splash water all over the sink, clean it up. If you drop toilet paper on the floor, pick it up.

Using a communal bathroom can be a difficult experience if people don’t know how to share properly. Keep these tips in mind when using your workplace bathroom and hopefully you will save your coworkers from bathroom-related anxiety.

Use Public Speaking Skills to Ace Your Job Interview

Lucy Cohen Blatter, amNewYork — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 15:06:00 -0700

To have a successful job interview, you'll want to appear poised, calm and confident.

As CEO of Media Training Worldwide, TJ Walker coaches clients on how to speak to live audiences and the media.

Those same skills apply to job interviews, Walker said. "You want to look comfortable and relaxed. You want to be understood and, most importantly, you want your message remembered. You also want people to take action as a result." Here are his tips:

1) Practice makes perfect. Walker suggested recording and watching yourself answering questions. "The technology is so easy that there's no excuse for not doing it. Cell phones have recording devices," he said.

2) Don't panic if you don't know an answer. If you're thrown a curveball, answer calmly and confidently. Say you don't know the answer and will get back to them. "If you seem calm and relaxed you'll bridge it," he said.

3) Be memorable. Walker said the most difficult question you'll face is "What can you tell me about yourself?" "People tend to rehash their resumes, but that's not memorable. Say something specific that will differentiate you and make the interviewers remember you in two weeks' time," he said.

4) Be specific. "People don't remember abstractions," Walker said. "Don't say I'm a good manager of people, say, 'On my first day I had to hire 15 employees. ' Be really specific and concrete. "Abstraction is your enemy in a speech and a job interview," Walker said.

5) Enter with confidence. "I tell people to go into the interview as if you already have the job," he said.

6) Familiarize yourself with the company. "The consistent thing about audiences is they care more about themselves than you. So the more you say about them, the better," he said.

If you know the company's launching a new product, Walker suggested doing a quick Facebook search. If they don't have a fan page, suggest they create one. "Even if they don't like the idea, it distinguishes you."

7) Don't ask HR questions right away. Don't ask about salary, vacation time or benefits, etc., until you're close to a deal. "Wait until at least the third interview," Walker said.

To get to TJ Walker's interactive interview training course, go to to tjwalkerssecret.com/job/

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Change Your Stressed Business Lifestyle

Lance Haun | Rehaul — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 09:35:00 -0700

I’ve been traveling quite a bit and people always ask me if I can relate to the movie Up In The Air. I don’t know if you’ve seen it but it basically follows the travels of this guy who helps companies across the country layoff people. He flies thousands and thousands of miles a year. His home looks like an empty suite that is provided for relocating employees. He isn’t close to his family at all.

That’s not me. When I’m on the road, I am doing interesting things. I am not out for weeks on end either. Other than the whole traveling part (flying, uncomfortable hotels and eating out), when I get to my destination, time goes way too fast and I always find I enjoyed myself. That’s just the nature of my job.

I think people ask me about Up In The Air because I fly more than they do. I fly more than 99% of people probably. Sure, I’ve got a system, preferred seats, cheats and tricks but in the end, I sit in coach like the rest of you and snack on peanuts and ginger ale. I save my miles to go visit my sister or go on vacation, not purchase first class upgrades.

Airplanes can be some of the more depressing places though. Last week, I sat next to a guy who looked like he had to stay an extra day on the road without a change of clothes. I looked at his left hand and I saw a tan line where a wedding ring used to be. I hear conversations with mothers on the phone with their kids as they are shutting the door saying they’ll promise to be back quicker than last time.

That’s why I end up writing on planes. It is easy for me to focus on what is in front of me, to set a challenge for myself and then knock it out. When I told the folks at #HREvolution that I wrote six posts in a four hour plane ride, I wasn’t joking.

But today, I sat across the aisle from perhaps the worst case I’ve seen in a long time. A guy in his late 30’s or early 40’s who was overweight and sweating the entire plane ride. He typed on his Blackberry non-stop until the doors closed. As soon as we were able open up our laptops, he did so and furiously typed for our entire five hour plane ride on what looked to be the third or fourth revision of what seemed to be a million page document.

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He was well dressed with a monogrammed Brooks Brothers shirt and cuff links that I could have traded for an iPad. For food, he ordered a Red Bull, Pringles and a package of Peanut M&M’s. And between the eating of junk food and the furious typing came the most unpleasant thing: occasional cursing under his breathe about what he was working on.

I was scared for the guy. Between all of those factors is a man in crisis. He was not in control of his whole person. He could easily die in an airplane (just not the way most people think).

I don’t know the back story or anything else about the guy. What kind of life is this? The guy that is on the nonstop from Philadelphia to Portland and feels it necessary to not just work on the plane but to wear himself down with stress and food that will kill him.

We always talk about work/life balance from the perspective of what companies control and how it impacts working mothers. How about this guy? Does this guy's company want him to be stressed out, working on this document and digging his grave in the process or is this his own doing? Does he need a different company or does he just need to be educated about his choices?

If I die in an airplane, it is going to be the old fashioned way. This whole thing about stressing yourself to death? That doesn’t work for me.

Quiz: How Organized Are You?

Vacation Approval

Alison Green | Ask A Manager — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 08:18:00 -0700

A reader writes:

Does it seem strange that my manager wants to know what I'm doing for any vacation request I submit? And not in the friendly conversational way of "where are you going" or "big plans?" but in the way that he's asking if it's worthy to give the vacation days. Is this right? I know it's the latter because he asks what the plans are before he grants the request. And I get the impression if I said staying home and relaxing, the answer would be no. Seems kind of odd to me. What are your thoughts?

Yes, it's odd. It's also unreasonable and bad management, if indeed your interpretation is correct.

Your vacation days are your own, to use in any way you want. You don't need to prove their worth in order to get them okayed.

However, there are two possible explanations that would let your manager off the hook:

1. He really might be trying to be friendly and doesn't realize he's giving you the impression that his okay your request hinges on whether your vacation plans meet his approval.

2. He might have someone else who has already requested those days off, and he'd rather not be short-staffed -- but if you want the time to do something like attend your brother's wedding, then he's going to okay it and just work around it ... but if it's something more flexible, he's going to ask you if you can pick a different week. In this case, he has a legitimate reason for asking but there's a better way to handle it. (He should say explicitly, "Jean already has those days off and I'd rather not have you both gone at the same time; are your plans flexible at all?")

My recommendation is that the next time he does this, smile and nicely say, "Does my ability to get the days approved depend on the answer?"

Quiz: Are You a Workaholic?

6 Tips to Take a Summer Office Break

Hamsa Ramesha | ManagerLink — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 08:16:00 -0700

Feel like the four dreary walls of your cubicle are closing in on you? Time for a summer break! Whether it's a relaxing cruise, an exotic island getaway, or a sandy beach adventure, it's high time you got out of that lifeless cubicle and away from the dreariness of your nine-to-five office life.

Worried your workload will keep you from some summer fun? If you follow these practical dos and don'ts, you'll find yourself out the door before you know it!

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Dig out your swimsuit and grab that bottle of sunscreen! We'll help you get around an overbearing boss, angry coworkers, and looming deadlines so you can get the sunshine you deserve.

1. Do Ask in Advance

The fastest way to get shot down when asking for time off is asking at the last minute. Your boss is a busy person, with a lot on their plate. Why not make their job easier, (and show how considerate and responsible you are) by asking weeks — or months — in advance? Not only are you doing yourself a favor, but your manager will appreciate the heads up and can plan accordingly. They’ll have the time to consider the request fairly … and you'll have the added bonus of having plenty of time to try again if you're denied.

2. Don't Mention the Fun Factor

Just because you're planning a vacation doesn't mean you have to advertise it. Making a big deal of your upcoming trip might not just distract you from doing your work — it might even irritate your coworkers as well. Don't act like you've started your vacation early! Nobody wants to hear you go on and on about your impending trip to the Bahamas when they're going to be stuck at work.

3. Do Emphasize How Much You Deserve This Break

Vacations are statistically proven to boost employee productivity. For once, the math is on your side! When asking your manager for time off, point out how hard you've worked this year and be prepared to talk in detail about projects you've worked on, if necessary. If this is the first major vacation you've taken in a long time, don't hesitate to mention it. By emphasizing your hard work thus far, your employer will realize the benefit of having you come back refreshed and recharged to do even more great work.

Next: Don't Leave Loose Ends >>

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4. Don't Leave Loose Ends

Have you wrapped up your end of the big team project? Got someone to cover your daily tasks? Designated a point person to handle any questions while you're gone? Leaving work left undone and coworkers hanging is a big mistake — one that will annoy your coworkers and make your manager think twice the next time someone wants to go on vacation. Manage your responsibilities yourself and make sure you're covered. There's nothing more inconsiderate than a someone who leaves work for colleagues to finish.

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5. Do Get it in Writing

You politely asked your manager two months ago if you can take a vacation. You did everything right and got approval to go. But now your trip is a week away and your boss has no recollection of the conversation. Should've gotten it in writing! When you go in to ask for time off for a few months down the road, get your boss to put it in writing — either on paper or in an email. That way if they back out at the last minute — or simply forget the conversation — you have tangible proof that you weren't making it up!

6. Don't Feel Guilty

It's easy to feel like you're being a lazy employee if you want to skip town for some fun. But you shouldn't. Don't feel bad for taking time off! After all, your vacation days are yours to do with as you please, and what's the point in wasting them by feeling bad about it? Instead, channel the focus you have at the office into having some serious fun! Work hard, play hard.

Are You a Workaholic? Take the Quiz and Find Out!

More Employers Looking at Social Networking Sites

Susan Mires, St. Joseph News-Press, Mo. — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 12:20:00 -0700

If you're looking for a job, you may want to do more than brush up your resume.

You may also want to re-examine your Facebook page.

More and more, employers are prowling social network sites - such as Facebook, MySpace and Twitter - to check on potential new hires.

"It can be a legitimate way to see if someone is a good fit for your company culture," said Carol Barnett, a labor attorney with Polsinelli Shugart in St. Joseph.

Companies find the searches especially helpful for positions such as sales representatives where an employee will be representing the firm.

"It's certainly less expensive, but it may not be the most reliable source for you," Ms. Barnett said while speaking about labor issues at an event at the Small Business Development Center in St. Joseph.

She cited a survey by the Society for Human Resource Management that found 20 percent of respondents had researched a candidate on a social network and of those, about 20 percent had disqualified a candidate.

In addition, some employers have fired workers over information that was posted on their Facebook profiles or personal blogs. Although employees have sued, claiming discrimination or violation of free speech, Ms. Barnett said most court rulings favor employers.

"If it's inappropriate behavior that's being exhibited, it's a legitimate basis," she said.

Although a user may think they have privacy settings in place to keep their boss from seeing their page, Ms. Barnett said another friend or co-worker who does have access to the page may pass along the information.

When hiring, employers will want to make sure they avoid using social networks to determine if someone is a member of a minority group or physically disabled, she advised.

Ms. Barnett also advises against sending friend requests to potential hires or new bosses.

But for job seekers, social networks are becoming essential tools, as half of all adults have either a Facebook or MySpace account. An article in this week's Time magazine examines how laid-off workers are sending out status updates and "tweets" to search for jobs. Several found that the most unexpected connections resulted in work.

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Taking 'Office' Lessons from the World's Greatest (Inept) Boss

By Del Jones, USA TODAY — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 12:20:00 -0700

Supervisors, middle managers and corporate executives — suits, if you will — tonight will be going to a frightening source for leadership lessons. Many will put down their copy of The Effective Executive by Peter Drucker and tune into the one-hour season premiere of NBC's (GE) comedy The Office.

This borders on disturbing. After all, the show centers on a bumbling boss and his interactions with a workplace team of geeks, kiss-ups and slackers. But in a world overrun with gurus such as Michael Porter, Tom Peters and Warren Bennis, who have turned leadership into a giant industry of books and seminars, bosses across the country will be watching The Office, not only to laugh at themselves, but to harvest leadership lessons from the main character, Michael Scott.

Readers who are unfamiliar with The Office don't realize how unsettling it is that bosses may be taking cues from the regional manager of fictitious office-supply distributor Dunder Mifflin. Michael's character is played by A-list movie actor Steve Carell (Little Miss Sunshine, The 40 Year Old Virgin, Knocked Up), who exhibits jealousy when his birthday is overshadowed by an employee's skin cancer test. His eyes linger upon workplace cleavage and, when apologizing for a homosexual slur in one episode, he maladroitly outs a gay employee.

Michael has such a tin ear for the politically correct that in one episode in the first season called "Diversity Day" he asks his only Hispanic employee if he would prefer to be called something other than Mexican.

Yet, among the CEO fans of The Office is Luis Rivera of e-mail marketing software company J.L. Halsey in Wilmington, Del. Like many CEOs, Rivera looks past Michael's blemishes and finds him sympathetic.

"It's thoroughly enjoyed at our house," Rivera says. "What makes up for his character flaws is the way in which Michael conveys to his team that, somehow, he truly cares for them as people. His flaws make him more human and, as a result, his crudeness ends up being overlooked. In the end, The Office employees end up caring for him."

One ongoing gag is that Michael keeps a supply of World's Best Boss coffee mugs in his desk drawer, just in case one breaks. "Isn't that kind of foresight the sign of a truly great leader?" asks Andrew Alexander, CEO and executive producer of The Second City comedy troupe, of which Carell is a 1991 alumnus.

Rivera and other CEOs aren't ready to declare Michael boss of the year. Far from it. They take comfort in knowing that they are not him. "No matter what mistakes we might make as managers of people, we can't be as bad as Michael, can we?" asks Susan Story, CEO of Gulf Power, (GUQ) a utility in Florida with 1,300 employees. But as the fourth season launches tonight, a number of CEOs say they draw encouragement from the Michael character because he demonstrates that perfection is not a prerequisite for leadership. Employees will laugh at bosses behind their backs. Always have, always will. But The Office validates that those same subordinates are willing to follow the flawed.

"Michael puts himself in a position of responsibility, where most people feel uncomfortably vulnerable," says Noah Rowles, CEO of Los Angeles software company Iolo Technologies. "He takes ownership of his flock. The lesson learned is that people would much rather follow someone who is passionate and dedicated than someone who may be perfect on paper but otherwise uncommitted to achieving success as a group."

Inept, but also in charge

In the face of employees who are brown-nosers and idlers, Michael Scott survives and occasionally shines, which proves you need neither strength, courage nor competence to lead, Rowles says.

"Michael is the butt of everyone's joke, and no one seems to take him seriously," Rowles says. "However, if you observe his character, a different story unfolds. He may be infinitely inept, inexcusably inappropriate and incessantly inane, but when the you-know-what hits the fan, he is also in charge."

[page]

Creator Greg Daniels, who won an Emmy 11 days ago for outstanding writing for a comedy series, says the new season will carry on with a story line introduced in last season's final episode when character Ryan Howard, a former temp, leapfrogged Michael to win a promotion to corporate headquarters.

Ryan's reign as Michael's younger boss begins Thursday night. Ryan has strengths that Michael does not — smarts, competence, education and analytical skills — but he's "terrible with people, is pretty cold-hearted and does not win fans at the workplace," says actor-writer B.J. Novak, who plays Ryan's role.

Like leaders everywhere, Ryan will find it thorny to lead without a buy-in from his team. He will attempt to take the company digital this season, only to be met with the resistance every boss has come up against. If Ryan is to become a competent leader, his style will have to evolve, says Novak, who has never worked in an office but says he gets a feel for what it is like when drinking beer with friends who do.

As an agent for NBC, a division of General Electric, Daniels says some of the material for The Office comes right out of the annual sensitivity training that the company mandates. The training often refers to outrageous things bosses have done in the past, which becomes script grist with minor tweaking.

He leads a staff of a dozen writers, which helps him understand that bosses everywhere fear that they are one dumb remark from being Michael. Daniels says he will often utter such dumb remarks, but he has the luxury of pretending it was but fodder for the show.

He doesn't know how banking executives deal with insensitive slips. "I guess they could pretend they were joking also," Daniels says.

Like Michael, Daniels is a fortysomething boss in charge of a staff of twenty- and thirtysomethings. Therefore, he is left to stand guard over Michael's likability. Take for example an episode two years ago where Michael had to fire someone. Other writers saw it from the perspective of how awful it is to get fired. But Daniels knew that it was also horrible to have to fire someone, and the episode's gag became Michael's naive desire to remain friends with the employee he lets go. Michael said it was like going hunting and merely "winging" the deer.

The lesson of The Office is apparent, says Andy Palmer, CEO of Vertica Systems, a 30-employee software start-up in Andover, Mass.: Bosses need to quit taking themselves too seriously.

Karyl Innis, who runs a Dallas consultancy that helps executives with career advancement and transition, says a key lesson of The Office is that bosses can plan and strategize to exhaustion, but their best-laid plans will almost always get twisted by office gossip and resistance. Execution is only as good as the receiver's interpretation, Innis says. "They may butcher it in any way they please."

[page]

The Office, a remake of a British program by the same name, averaged a modest 7.8 million viewers last season. It does comparatively better among young adults and is among the shows that are most frequently captured on TiVo for delayed viewing.

Show doesn't tickle every CEO's funny bone

Many CEOs say they have never seen it. Craig Hunt, CEO of Cortex Resort Living, a developer of luxury homes in the Florida Keys, rented Season Two at USA TODAY's request. Halfway through the second episode he turned it off.

"The only winner here was Blockbuster. It just isn't funny to me," Hunt said. "This series would be great material for management training on what not to do."

Likewise, Kathy Sharpe, CEO of New York ad agency Sharpe Partners, says she gets little from The Office. "It reassures me that I'm not the most dysfunctional employer on the planet. Seriously, I've learned more from the (National Geographic channel's) Dog Whisperer."

"Michael has risen several levels above his incompetence, giving hope to workers everywhere that they, too, can someday be promoted to middle management and safely hide there until retirement," Alexander says. "He has also learned the value of management by walking around. This causes his staff to be highly productive, since they would much rather work than have another potentially awkward exchange with him."

At the other extreme is Paul Holstein, chief operating officer of CableOrganizer.com in Fort Lauderdale. He says The Office is "nearly Norman Lear in scope and execution. It promotes tolerance, understanding."

Jon Spector, CEO of The Conference Board, an organization that tries to improve business effectiveness, likens The Office to the 18-year-old comic strip Dilbert that appears in 2,000 newspapers in 65 countries. Both TheOffice and Dilbert show how leaders have enormous impact for good — and how they can "screw things up," Spector says.

[page]

'Dilbert' creator is a big fan of the show

Dilbert cartoonist Scott Adams says he loves The Office and also sees similarities to his strip. "The lesson from The Office and from Dilbert is that people are often dysfunctional, and no amount of training can fix it," Adams says.

"We're all prone to make the same mistakes Michael Scott makes, creating perfunctory training sessions and then not walk the talk, or failing to recognize conflicts that are sapping the energy of the organization," Spector says.

ACCO Brands (ABD) CEO David Campbell rarely watches The Office. But ACCO Brands, a large supplier of office products with 7,000 employees and $2 billion in annual revenue, is asking workers nationwide to submit photo nominations for "America's Ugliest Office," and so he agreed to take a look at the program's set.

He says the only color and design comes from bobble heads and other personal items and that The Office set is designed with a lack of privacy in mind.

"It's claustrophobic," Campbell says. "Especially intrusive is the way Michael constantly peers out his office window, making workers feel that management is always looking over their shoulders. The artistic directors of this show really knew what they were doing to convey Dunder Mifflin as a struggling enterprise."

One executive is happy that the Dunder Mifflin regional office in Pennsylvania struggles. "Michael Scott is a perfect example of failing to use your resources well," says Chuck Rubin, president of North American retail for Office Depot (ODP). Rubin continues: "Michael doesn't have the knowledge or leadership skills to be running an office effectively. Of course, since Dunder Mifflin could be considered among our competitors, I think Michael Scott is actually the perfect person to run their Scranton office."

Contributing: Gary Levin

So Long Privacy: Apple Bans Apps, Music for Customers Who Opt Out of Tracking

Jason Mick — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 13:50:00 -0700

Apple recently has come under fire for engaging in a campaign of moralistic censorship when it comes to the applications it allows on its mobile devices. That campaign is perhaps made more ironic by Apple's iconic 1984 commercial, in which it depicted itself as the face of freedom, taking down Big Brother. Now with a new announcement that it will be watching its device owners' every move, it seems unlikely that the accusation that it has become Big Brother will go away anytime soon.

The news that Apple would be collecting the "precise" "real-time geographic location" of its users' iPhones, iPads and computers was announced this week via the rollout of the company's new privacy policy.

Customers have the "option" to opt in, but Apple is reportedly punishing those who decline to accept the checkbox sort of privacy agreement. According to the LA Times, "Until they agree, they cannot download anything through the [iTunes] store."

That means no apps, music, or iBooks (from Apple) for those who opt out.

The company says there's no harm in letting it follow your every move. It says it will largely use the information for internal purpose such as MobileMe, the "Find My iPhone" app, and targeted advertising. It will also share the info with third-party app-makers who are looking to create location aware apps like social networking services or tweets.

The full agreement reads:

To provide location-based services on Apple products, Apple and our partners and licensees may collect, use, and share precise location data, including the real-time geographic location of your Apple computer or device. This location data is collected anonymously in a form that does not personally identify you and is used by Apple and our partners and licensees to provide and improve location-based products and services. For example, we may share geographic location with application providers when you opt in to their location services.

Some location-based services offered by Apple, such as the MobileMe “Find My iPhone” feature, require your personal information for the feature to work.

Customers do have the option to prevent third-party apps from collecting location data, which can be found under the "Location Services" page under Settings-->General on the iPad/iPhone. Still, this does not prevent Apple from collecting and using information internally for its own purposes, including advertising. Given Apple's language it is likely that the company does intend to collect and use this data, even when users disallow apps to access it.

Apple has not revealed how often it will poll its various devices for locations or how long it will store its logs of customers' movements.

By contrast Google's Android handsets do collect some of this information as well, but Google is more clear about exactly when you may be revealing your location. It writes:

If you use location-enabled products and services, such as Google Maps for mobile, you may be sending us location information. This information may reveal your actual location, such as GPS data, or it may not, such as when you submit a partial address to look at a map of the area.

For now, Apple users must face the music and decide whether they want to keep using their products and let Apple track them. As the classic Police song "I'll Be Watching You" goes, "Oh, cant you see; You belong to me... Every move you make... Ill be watching you."

_© 2009, DailyTech.

Responding to Flaming Email

Sharlyn Lauby | HR Bartender — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 12:35:00 -0700

I was watching the new Social Media Revolution video recently and it occurred to me that email could be one of those things that's both created and ended during my lifetime. If you're not aware, email was invented in 1972 by Ray Tomlinson. And it's being used less and less each day.

But while email is still around and being used as a medium for business communication, we need to talk about it and the proper way to use it. Kris Dunn over at The HR Capitalist recently wrote a post about email titled "Being Snarky With the CEO is Bad for Business... And That Fledging Enterprise You Call a Career... " It's an excellent read. Be sure to check it out.

Couple of things I took away from Kris' post:

It's very difficult to write in a snarky or sarcastic tone. Lots of people think they're good at it. They're not. The message can be misinterpreted as mean spirited. Or in some cases it makes the writer look ill-informed.

Don't hide behind email. If you wouldn't say it in person, don't put it in writing. If the recipient of your email decides to call you... be prepared to say the same message.

But I wanted to add something to the conversation about email. There are moments when you'll be the recipient of a flaming email and it's critical for you to hit the reply all button and answer the email. Sorry, it's a fact of business life. Now of course, there's no perfect formula for when you should ignore an email and when you should reply. But here are a few things to consider:

Understand the purpose of the email. After you calm down from the shock of the email, spend a moment thinking about the real reason the email was sent. Determine if that reason is trivial or a direct threat to you and/or your career. Some people send hate mail to flex their muscles and just feel important. But sometimes the message is so wrong, it's necessary to set the record straight.

Examine the recipient list. You understand your corporate culture. Look over the recipient list to understand if the people listed are A-Players or just names to make it look like the whole world is interested. I once had someone send me a flaming email where it looked like they copied their entire Outlook contact list. Some of the people didn't even know me. I had colleagues call asking if it was a joke. In the end, of course, the joke was really on the sender.

Determine the intent of a reply. Carefully consider what you're trying to accomplish with a reply. Some people feel the need to be right. And depending upon the subject, it could be important to have the last word. On the other hand, silence is sometimes the best "last word" of all.

If a reply is necessary, craft a well-thought out response. Sleep on it. Find someone to read it and give you some brutal feedback before hitting the send button. A knee-jerk reaction is the worst thing you can do here.

It's unfortunate in the corporate world that we have to plan and prepare for CYA tactics. But the reality is, sometimes it's necessary. And you have to know how to do it right. Taking an objective approach to analyzing the situation can give you some guidance and help alleviate the frustration.

Related Reads:

The Importance of Giving Notice

Sharlyn Lauby | HR Bartender — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 14:06:00 -0700

I read an article recently dealing with the pros/cons of employees giving notice. It's an interesting read and you can check it out here.

Giving notice should be a two-way street. Employees should give notice to the company so a transition plan can be put into place. Companies also have the opportunity to "give notice" to employees — for example, sometimes when a person's position is being eliminated a company will provide two-weeks' pay in lieu of notice.

But when companies don't treat employees with respect, they create a situation where employees don't feel the need to give notice when they walk out the door. No business wants to be put in a place where they're scrambling to cover shifts or work assignments. So it's important to create an environment where giving notice is proper versus making those final days painful.

On the other hand, employees should remember what it feels like to be left in a lurch and not use giving notice as a way to "get back" at a manager. Honestly, the only people you're hurting are your co-workers and, ultimately, the customer.

Oh and for the record, any company that tells a candidate not to give proper notice to their current employer is scum. I guarantee they expect employees to give them proper notice so asking a candidate to shaft another company, well it's just wrong.

While I'm talking about giving notice, I want to emphasize the final part of the giving notice process — telling human resources. I can't tell you how many times in my career a manager waited until the moment they were walking an employee out to their car with the going-away-plant in hand that they stopped by HR to say it's time to look for a new employee.

Um, hello?! If the whole purpose of giving notice is to create a transition, then let human resources be a part of that transition as well. Telling HR to start looking at the end of a notice period puts you behind schedule. HR could have been looking for your next super star during the notice period.

The word on the street is turnover is starting to occur. Make sure you have a reasonable and realistic resignation notice policy for your operation. And always treat your employees in a way that will make them want to follow it.

Is Technology Holding You Back?

Tania Khadder | ManagerLink — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 16:21:00 -0700

Technology is a beautiful thing. Most of us can’t imagine doing our jobs without it.

But sometimes, overindulging in email, texts, and social networking might actually hinder your performance.

We’ve identified five ways your iPhone, BlackBerry, Facebook and that endless information superhighway are actually making you worse at your job.

Instant message is twisting your words (and making you lazy)

Remember when email revolutionized business communication? All of a sudden, memos were obsolete, no one knew where the fax machine was anymore (or how to use it), and conference calls were set up only on an as-needed basis. Office workers everywhere rejoiced in their new-found efficiency.

But the email revolution was just the tip of the iceberg. In the past few years, instant messaging has become an acceptable intra-office communication tool and, in many ways, we should be grateful for its emergence. It’s faster, less formal, and more interactive than email and yet it lacks the commitment face-to-face or over-the-phone interaction demands. The perfect formula, right? Wrong.

There are just too many misunderstandings when body language, vocal intonation, and facial expressions are left out of a conversation. Plus, how many times has a chat about something work-related degenerated into an all-out gossip marathon.

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When all you have to do is share a link or ask a quick question, by all means, send an IM. For most everything else, though, it’s a no-no. Get off your lazy butt and start talking to each other.

You’re afraid of the telephone

The phone rings and you panic. Before you pick it up, you want to know who it is, why they’re calling, and what they want from you. You hate being put on the spot. Caller ID gives away nothing, so you let it go to voicemail.

Diagnosis? Phonephobia (it really is a thing!) — and you’re not alone. These days, a lot of us feel more comfortable communicating through email, IM, Twitter, text, carrier pigeon … anything but the telephone. We avoid it at all costs, but then waste time playing phone tag. Or worse — forget to return the call!

You may not have to use it all the time, but shying away from the telephone when you do need it isn’t helping anyone — least of all you. Having a good phone manner can even give you a competitive advantage if you’re hoping to work your way up in the company. The higher up you get, the more time you’ll probably spend on the telephone. So you might want to get used to using it.

If you’re terrified of the office silence and/or your judgmental coworkers, sneak into a conference room. At the very least, practice with friends. Next time you’re tempted to send a text, make a call instead! It sounds weird and old-fashioned, but being comfortable (or awkward) on the phone really is just a matter of practice (or lack thereof).

Burned Out? →

[page]

You never unplug

Do you check Outlook before you’ve even gotten out of bed in the morning? Are your Saturdays spent catching up on work over VPN? Does your spouse want to throw your Blackberry off a cliff (or worse — at you)?

This constant access may help you stay ahead of your workload, but it can be detrimental to your professional longevity. How are you going to stay energized a year from now when you’re burning the candle at both ends today?

Obviously, there are times when you need to do work outside the hours of nine to five, but don’t let this become a habit. If you never take a break, you’ll never have a chance to recharge — and your work quality is sure to suffer. Sending an email at 3pm on a Saturday may also give the impression that you don’t manage your time effectively.

Sometimes a work demand can’t wait until Monday, but let’s face it: usually it can. Learn to spot the difference.

You’ve forgotten how to use the fax machine (or never learned in the first place)

Does the paper go face down or face up? Is that the sound it’s supposed to make? Where can I find that stupid cover sheet anyway? Do I even need one?

If these questions have crossed your mind lately, you’re probably of a generation that only uses email to send documents back and forth.
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But no matter how tech-savvy you are there may just come a time when you need to use the fax machine. If you’re fumbling around like an idiot, you’re not doing anything for your professional reputation.

The good news is it’s a pretty simple — if archaic — device. Find your nearest fax machine, learn its number, and ask your office manager for a quick tutorial. Then file away this knowledge knowing full well you may never use it (because now that you’re actually prepared, Murphy’s Law says you won’t need it!).

What's Your Facebook Status? →

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Facebook and Twitter are distracting you (and ruining your reputation)

Don’t pretend like you don’t use it on company time.

We all know social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter can impact your on-the-job productivity. And the more acceptable its use becomes, the bigger the distraction.

You don’t really even care what your cousin’s friend’s cat is doing, but you also can’t help looking. Before you know it, it's an hour later and you’re chatting with your old roommate or browsing through photos of your boyfriend’s ex.

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As if it weren’t bad enough that you waste countless hours on these sites every week, your friends continue to tag you in the most embarrassing — or worse, incriminating — photos.

How do you cope? To minimize your time on these sites, turn off email notifications. That way you can log off and not be tempted to return 20 minutes later. And when it comes to protecting your online reputation, take advantage of Facebook’s privacy settings. This is a good idea not just for your professional reputation, but for personal safety as well.

Tempted to shun modern technology and revert back to 1985? Don’t be! Just keep in mind that sometimes being too obsessed with your gadgets and gizmos can get you into trouble. Know when (and how!) to go the old-fashioned route, tame your distractions, and force yourself to unplug from time to time. Your career — and your loved ones! — will thank you.

Electric Cars to Get Noisy to Protect Blind Pedestrians

Shane McGlaun — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 14:39:00 -0700

There are many good things about hybrids and electric vehicles. They save
fuel costs for the drivers and produce less pollution. However, for
some people hybrids and electric cars pose a big problem,
particularly for the visually impaired.

A bill was proposed in
April of 2009 in the Senate that would force automakers producing
electric and hybrid vehicles to integrate a system that would produce
sound when the vehicles are running on electric power alone.
Many hybrids and electric vehicle running at low speeds produce no
sound to alert a pedestrian that the vehicle is coming.

CNN reports
that a study conducted last year by the National Highway Traffic
Safety Administration found that hybrid cars tend to hit pedestrians
more often than other cars because the pedestrians can't hear the car
approach, particularly in areas where the car can't be seen. Ahead of
any legislation by Washington, carmakers have agreed with blind
advocates to propose plans to Congress for minimum noise levels on
hybrid and electric cars.

The Alliance of Automobile
Manufacturers, Association of International Automobile Manufactures,
the National Federation for the Blind, and the American Council for
the Blind have banded together to propose
language to be included in the Motor Safety Act of 2010.
This bill would create a number of new safety rules for automakers;
some of these rules are to address issues like unintended
acceleration.

While the exact details of the proposed sounds
for hybrid and electric cars are unknown, CNN
reports that the sound would mimic the sound patterns of internal
combustion engines at low speeds with rising intensity as the vehicle
moves faster. This would allow blind pedestrians to determine if a
vehicle was idle at a stop light or accelerating from a standstill.
The NHTSA would be in charge of choosing the sound and setting the
minimum level.

And for those looking to “pimp your ride”, you wouldn't be able to
customize the
sound coming from the vehicle.

_© 2009, DailyTech.

Steve Jobs Promises World "Freedom From Porn" in Email Flame War

Jason Mick — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 14:39:00 -0700

Apple CEO Steve Jobs and Gawker Media aren't exactly on the warmest terms.
After all, Gawker's blog Gizmodo bought
a lost iPhone prototype tore it apart, damaging
it in the process, and spilled its secrets to competitors
and the general public alike. And at Jobs' request police
raided
the house of Gizmodo blogger
Jason Chen, who is suspect of buying the lost/stolen prototype.
On
Saturday night, Gawker blogger Ryan Tate sent an angry email to Jobs
about his company's dictatorial turn on topics like flash and
porn.
Tate wrote:

If
Dylan was 20 today, how would he feel about your company?
Would he
think the iPad had the faintest thing to do with
"revolution"?
Revolutions are about freedom.

Jobs
responded, and the pair kicked off a long
flame war, full of juicy opinion. His first response
states:

Yep,
freedom from programs that steal
your private data. Freedom from programs that trash
your battery.  Freedom
from porn.

Apparently,
Jobs wasn't kidding when he called Android a "porn
phone" -- Jobs apparently has a real issue with adult
entertainment. Tate had no such issues, though, responding:

And
you know what?  I don't want "freedom from porn."
Porn is just fine! And I think my wife would agree.

The
pair's heated debate also focuses on the merits of locking developers
to the iPhone's Objective C/Cocoa app platform versus allowing them
to use that or Adobe Flash. Tate contended
that forcing devs to write Cocoa apps yields half-baked applications,
Jobs argued that it guaranteed a sufficient level of quality and
stability.
Jobs writes:

There
are almost 200,000 apps in the App store, so something must be going
alright...Gosh, why are you so bitter about a technical issue such as
this?  Its not about freedom, its about Apple trying to
do the right thing for its users. Users developers and
publishers can do whatever they like -- they don't have to buy or
develop or publish on iPads if they don't want to. This seems
like its your issue not theirs.

After
another exchange in which Tate calls Jobs out for the Gizmodo police
raid, Jobs writes a final reply, stating:

You
are so misinformed. No one kicked in any doors. You're
believing a lot of erroneous blogger reports.
...
As for us,
we're just doing what we can to try and make (and preserve) the user
experience we envision.  You
can disagree with us, but our motives are pure.

By
the way, what have you done that's so great? Do you create
anything, or just criticize others work and belittle their
motivations?

_© 2009, DailyTech.

Can I Ask My Employer to Lay Me Off?

Alison Green l Ask A Manager — Fri, 28 May 2010 12:36:00 -0700

A reader writes:

I work for a major financial services company. I no longer wish to work for that company but don't want to just resign. The company has been laying workers off and is planning more layoffs. I don't want to feel like a sitting duck. I also want to leave and focus on a non-competing business that I recently started. Should I ask for a package because I wish to leave? I am hoping to get some perks and professional references if I seek a package. What would you advise?

You're planning on leaving regardless, right? If so, you have nothing to lose by approaching your manager about the possibility of being a voluntary layoffin the next round. If they're planning to do layoffs anyway, they may be relieved to get volunteers and you could save someone else from being cut.

That said, there's no guarantee that they'll accept your offer. If yours isn't a position they plan to cut, it doesn't make sense for them to lay you off. So you should be prepared for them not to take you up on it ... and, depending on the culture there, it might be awkward hanging around much longer after you've told them you're ready to leave. But it sounds like you want to leave either way, anyway.

If you're close to your manager and have a relationship of trust, you might be successful running this by her off the record and getting a better sense of how this proposal is likely to be received. Good luck!

P.S. I'm asking the Evil HR Lady, who has more experience with layoffs than me, to weigh in too.

Distinguishing Business from Hobby

Sharlyn Lauby | HR Bartender — Fri, 28 May 2010 12:33:00 -0700

One of the things I do in my spare time is make jewelry. My first job out of college was a commercial artist and, after getting away from art for several years, I'm channeling my creative side into jewelry making. It's also a relatively inexpensive way to feed my bling habit. Sweet.

But when I started making jewelry, my immediate inclination was to turn it into a side hustle. So I bought a domain, opened an Etsy shop, started taking photos, writing descriptions for everything I made, and calculating cost/pricing structures.

A few weeks ago, I closed my Etsy shop. Because I realized that jewelry making was a hobby for me, not a business.

Of course, this doesn't mean that hobbies can't become profitable or that business can't be enjoyable. But I think there's a benefit in examining the differences between hobbies and businesses. Especially when it comes to developing a personal or professional brand.

Decide what activities are business and which ones are hobbies. For example, I view my blog as a business. Blogging is a lot of fun. I enjoy writing. And, I really like all of the people I've met as a result of blogging (you know who you are). No different than my consulting firm. My clients are great. I work on interesting projects and appreciate the opportunities I've been a part of. For me, jewelry making is for fun. It's a hobby. Don't worry, what you decide here can change over time.

Don't confuse having goals with being a business. I have goals for my business and blog. And professional goals for myself when it comes to writing and staying on top of what happens in the training arena. I also have goals when it comes to my hobby. The difference between my professional goals and hobby goals revolves around deadlines and project plans. Hobby goals are much more casual because it's, well... a hobby, not a business.

Make sure people know your business focus. Sometimes individuals can send mixed messages where their businesses / hobbies are concerned and they don't even realize it. For example, I've talked with people who say they're consultants but, from what I can see, they look like they consult only when there's absolutely nothing else to do. From an outsider's perspective, it appears that consulting is a hobby for them. It's not their primary business focus.

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If you have more than one focus, make sure people know which one is primary. Another example is people who consult while they're looking for a job. I totally respect and appreciate the need to make money to pay the bills between jobs. But I've seen many cases where the person is so focused on the consulting that the outside world forgets they're looking for full-time employment. It's important that people know and remember your primary focus.

Align your actions with your brand message. Stop to consider what people know you for — is it your business or your hobby? As you develop your personal brand, make sure the messages you send align with the business niche you're trying to create for yourself.

As more people start to make decisions about how they would like to earn a living in the future (maybe by consulting, freelancing, speaking or blogging), they will also have to decide if the endeavor will be a business or a hobby. The answer is important because it sets the stage for the way they handle matters in the future. Such distinctions have made me realize, if you want people to take your business seriously, they need to know it's a business. Not a hobby you do in your spare time. And, you need to make sure you operate it like a business.

Got any hobbies that are also a business?

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Distinguishing Business from Hobby

Got any hobbies that are also a business?