thecareerbeat.com Blog

Pig on a pedestal: ‘Dirty Jobs’ outtakes

This humorous clip (link below) gives a little demonstration of how dirty and challenging it can be to host the show “Dirty Jobs.” The poor pig has a pretty challenging assignment, too!

Dirty Jobs: Mike Rowe Marketing Shoot Outtakes @ Yahoo! Video

Honestly, I think Mike Rowe’s “dirty job” would be pretty fun.

Chart: most popular benefits

I think this snapshot of what workers really want (besides pay) is fascinating…

Most Popular Benefits – Country: United States (United States)

CAREER TOOLS: Salary Calculator, Career Path Tool, Cost of Living Calculator, Meeting Miser

Maybe work relationships haven’t changed much

A few weeks ago I wrote about how the recession may be improving relations in the workplace, but now I’m not so sure.

Check the results of last week’s Yahoo! HotJobs poll, which are essentially unchanged from last year:

Poll Results

Q Of the coworkers you deal with daily, how many do you find really annoying? None 13% One 23% Two 22% Three 10% More than three 32% 4876 Votes to date

When the exact same question was asked a year ago, the biggest difference was that 28% said “more than three” coworkers were really annoying. This year more people can’t stand multiple coworkers!

The difference between this poll and the Robert Half International (RHI) research — besides being more scientific and thorough — could be the time comparison. RHI checked 2009 results against those from 2005.

If Yahoo! HotJobs had asked its poll question in 2005, maybe the number of respondents irked by multiple coworkers would be much higher. That would again support the notion that the recession could be improving ties in the workplace.

HR pros have hope for 3Q job market

Human resource professionals are showing increased faith in the job market for the third quarter of 2009, although many are still having difficulty pinpointing their hiring plans, according to the Labor Market Outlook (LMO) survey by the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM).

Highlights of the full online report are below:

• A total of 37% of respondents have some level of concern for the U.S. job market in the third quarter: 33% are somewhat pessimistic about job growth and anticipate job losses, and another 4% are very pessimistic and anticipate job cuts during the quarter. This marks a major reversal from the LMO’s second quarter survey, when a combined 70% of respondents expressed some level of pessimism and predicted deeper cuts in the U.S. job market.
• A total of 69% of respondents will either eliminate jobs or keep their payrolls flat in the third quarter of 2009 (56% will maintain current staffing levels, 13% will cut jobs). Among employer categories, 28% of large companies (those with 500 or more employees) will conduct layoffs in the third quarter.
• A total of 81% of respondents either cut jobs or kept payrolls flat in the second quarter of 2009 (43% maintained staffing levels, 38% conducted layoffs). This marks a slight improvement in hiring activity from the first quarter of 2009, when a combined 84% of respondents either cut jobs or kept payrolls flat (45% maintained staffing levels, 39% decreased staff).

Perception matters, so consider this SHRM research a sliver of good news.

The latest trend: pay cuts and furloughs?

A recent article in The Economist caught my attention by noting that some of the latest cost-cutting moves by employers — namely pay cuts and reduced hours — are getting quiet acceptance by many working Americans.

The graph from the article (shown here) shows just how prevalent these measure have become in recent months.

A recent poll (June 2009) on Yahoo! HotJobs had similar results: Almost half of the respondents (48%) said that they have their pay cut or hours reduced by their employers in the last year.

It’s not like employees have many options today but to accept these sorts of cuts. But how you handle the situation can still make a big difference. For some ideas, see “Four Types of Pay Cuts, and What You Can Do About Them.”

Key to job security: good relationships

I was surprised to see in a recent survey that workers’ relationships with their bosses and fellow employees have apparently not been hurt by the recession. In fact, those relationships may have improved during the downturn.

The survey, from financial staffing firm Accountemps, showed that 87% of professionals said they have a good rapport with their supervisors, and 95% said they get along well with coworkers. Those figures are roughly the same as when the same survey was conducted in 2005, when the economy was better.

Some stronger ties

However, the number of folks this year who described their ties with the boss as “very good” was up 4% over 2005, and those who had “very good” relationships with coworkers was up 7% over 2005.

Is the recession driving people to treat others better in the workplace?

“People make work relationships a priority in good times and bad,” says Katherine Spencer Lee, a district president with Robert Half International, the parent of Accountemps.

“In the current economy, we see people pulling together, empathizing with the work and personal challenges their colleagues are facing and doing what they can to help,” she adds. “There also is a ‘we’re in this together’ mentality among many of those trying to accomplish more with leaner teams and fewer supporting resources.”

Increasing your value

Good relationships in the workplace also boost job security, especially now as managers constantly assess where to make possible cuts. Experts offer these suggestions for maintaining and improving relationships at work:

• Take on challenges outside your job description.
• Adjust your work habits and communication style to better mirror those of your boss.
• Maintain your poise during challenging times.

For additional tips, see the article “Workplace Relationships Stay Strong in Economic Downturn.”