thecareerbeat.com Blog

Scrooge wouldn’t recognize these workplaces

While 2009 brought widespread salary cuts and freezes that created new empathy for Bob Cratchit, the holiday spirit is melting plenty of cold hearts in the workplace. Nearly half of workers plan to give gifts to colleagues, says a new survey.

The OfficeTeam staffing firm found that 48% of employed adults plan to get a present for a colleague, and 34% intend to give a gift to the boss.  And many expect nothing in return: Only 36% expect a gift from a coworker, 29% expect one from the boss.

The season of giving is alive and well at the office.

Of course, exchanging gifts in the work setting requires good judgment. “When choosing presents for colleagues, it’s important to be thoughtful and appropriate,” says Robert Hosking, executive director of OfficeTeam. “New employees should check in with tenured staff for insight into prevailing customs.”

OfficeTeam offers some helpful “don’ts” to guide your choices:

• Don’t give overly personal gifts, such as jewelry, to those you don’t know well.
• Don’t pick a controversial or inappropriate gift (e.g. religious-themed gift).
• Don’t scramble to reciprocate if given an unexpected gift.

Here are some articles that also offer good advice:

• Client and Coworker Gifts on a Budget
• Should the Boss Be on Your Holiday Gift List?
• FAQ for Office Gift Giving

Movie of the moment: ‘Up in the Air’

This new comedy with bleak undertones follows a dashing corporate downsizer (George Clooney) as he flies around the country to do the dirty work of handing out pink slips.  The film also examines the impact of being laid off, dramatized by several characters at various points in the film.

I haven’t seen it yet (can’t wait), but here’s what some reviewers say:

“Crisply funny and fleetly paced, it’s in its quiet way one of the saddest things in the theaters all year. … It soars.” (Amy Biancolli, SF Chronicle)

“One of the pleasures of “Up in the Air” is that its actresses — including Anna Kendrick, who plays Bingham’s colleague Natalie — share the frame with Mr. Clooney as equals, not props.” (Manohla Dargis, NY Times)

“It’s a rare and sparkling gem of a movie.” (Owen Glieberman, Entertainment Weekly)

BLS on the bright side: November 2009

I had the idea last night to do a quick monthly take on the positive aspects of the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ monthly report of the employment situation, since they are often not reported.

Little did I know that today’s data for November would be such a welcome surprise. The report was the most positive since December 2007.

Quick highlights:

• Unemployment dropped to 10% from 10.2% last month.
• Total job losses were 11,000.
• Temp jobs were up 52K (part of an overall business svcs increase of 86K).
• Health care jobs up 40K; department stores added 8K jobs.
• Job losses were revised significantly downward for Oct (111K from 190K) and Sept (139K from 239K).

I may add more highlights as I spend more time looking at the report.

Small indicators of better news on jobs front

Days before the government releases unemployment data for the month of November, a few harbingers have spread some hopeful news:

* The ADP National Employment Report shows that nonfarm private employment decreased by 169,000 jobs.  It’s the eighth consecutive month of declines in job losses.

* Challenger, Gray & Christmas reported employers announced fewer job cuts in November (50,349) than in any month since December 2007.

* The Conference Board reported an increase in job openings for November, up 106,500.  That follows a drop of 82,300 in October.

Some economists are predicting that unemployment for the month of November will remain flat at 10.2 percent.  That’s not exactly “Joy to the World” news, but I’ll take it.  Here’s hoping!