thecareerbeat.com Blog

Hiding after a layoff

People who get laid off or lose a job involuntarily are more likely to shun social engagements, according to a new study.

The study, published in the September issue of the journal Social Forces, found laid-off folks were 35% less likely to be involved in their communities than their employed counterparts.

This was especially true of people in their 30s and 40s, and I can certainly relate. When I was laid off more than two years ago I felt ashamed or loserish, and I disengaged. I shared that experience two weeks ago with some journalists who are dealing with layoffs. I moderated a panel called “Life After a Layoff: Your Job Is Toast But You’re Not.” Several of them were in the same boat.

But being with people who are supportive — especially in social settings — can be just what recently laid-off people need! And this is also where networking can happen, even when you are not expecting it.

Unemployment can also provide opportunities for career growth. For more, see “Five Ways to Make Unemployment Work for You.”

Stealing supplies from work

Nearly one-fifth of workers (19%) say they stole office supplies from work for personal use in the past year, according to a Spherion® Workplace Snapshot Survey.

I’m surprised it’s not higher. I heard someone say at a party this weekend, “Why use my dot matrix printer at home, when I can use the laser printer at work?” And to get myself to that same party, I used a map that I printed at work last week.

Only 22% of those who stole said they felt guilty about it, despite 74% saying that it’s wrong to take office supplies for personal use.

Pocketing a paper clip here and a pen there doesn’t seem harmful, but it could affect the company’s bottom line. “Office supplies can be one of the largest expenses for businesses; and certainly employees’ abuse of those supplies, either by stealing them or using them for personal use, can erode company profits,” said John Heins, chief human resources officer at Spherion.

The blurring of our personal and professional lives could be a factor (or excuse) in all this, but I’m feeling a little guilty now about that map (and recipe) I printed last week.

Survey says: Cover letters matter

“Submitting a resume without a cover letter is like not shaking hands when meeting someone for the first time.”

So says David Willmer, executive director of OfficeTeam, which just released a survey on cover letters.  Of the executives polled, 86% said cover letters are valuable when evaluating job candidates.

The poll focused on 150 senior executives from the largest U.S. companies, but maybe recruiters have a different opinion.

“Unless the job seeker is making a significant career change (i.e. different field) or is a fresh college graduate, I rarely look at a cover letter,” Lindsay Olson, partner at Paradigm Staffing, told Yahoo! HotJobs in a Recruiter Roundtable session on cover letters.

Other recruiters in the session also suggested a decreasing importance for cover letters.

What to do?  For what it’s worth, I remain pro-cover letter — even if it’s just the body of the email with your resume attached.  They can’t hurt (unless they are badly written and riddled with typos).  This article has good  tips on writing a successful cover letter.

Job satisfaction up; consumer confidence down

More than 4 in 10 workers (41%) say they are “very satisfied” with their jobs, according to a survey this week by the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM).

The good feelings aren’t translating to confidence about the U.S. economy, however. The Conference Board’s consumer confidence survey for June, released today, recorded its lowest rating in 16 years.

According to the New York Times, the survey also showed that many Americans feared they might lose their jobs or be unable to find work. Respondents who described employment as “plentiful” fell to 14.1% in June from 16.1% in May.

These days the good news/bad news yoyoing puzzles me (and countless others, I’m sure). Case in point: I was on FOX Business Network yesterday to talk about bright spots on the hiring landscape, yet I had to listen to so much contradictory gloom about layoffs and the economy while I waited in the studio that I felt like I was preparing to swim upstream alone.

Nonetheless, some industries are still experiencing job growth (e.g. health care, food services), and there will always be jobs available for people who are determined to find the right fit.

Working dads say parenting is toughest job

I’m a little late for Father’s Day, but I still think this survey is worth highlighting.

The majority of working dads (64%) — along with 71% of working moms — say that managing their family lives is more challenging than their careers. In addition, 55% of working fathers think their companies should do more to help them achieve a better work/life balance, according to an Adecco Workplace Insights survey.

“The perception that the work/life balancing act is mainly a female struggle no longer holds up in today’s workplace,” says Rich Thompson, vice president of training & development for Adecco Group North America.  ”As moms and dads continue more equally share responsibilities both at home and at the office, employers need to be mindful of this and ensure that they offer work/life benefits that are inclusive of both groups.”

For more, see the Adecco press release.

I am often amazed by my siblings, friends, and coworkers who are parents and working professionals — I don’t know how they do it!

Well, maybe not so bitter?

After the post below, I want to offer a glimmer of hope from a different survey.

The Spherion Employee Confidence Index rose 0.7 points to 46.9 in May, showing the first increase in 9 months.  The survey, conducted by Harris Interactive® on behalf of Spherion Corp., reflects workers’ increasing confidence in the economy.

I suspect those results came out before the government’s numbers on the unemployment rate for May — 5.5% up from 5%. That’s a big jump, unfortunately.

The survey also noted that “simmering fears about job loss persist.” Read the full release for more mixed (mostly bad) news.

Latest casualty from recession fears: vacations?

Fears of a possible recession are adding to workers’ stress levels and forcing many to consider skipping vacations this year.

In the annual Yahoo! HotJobs vacation survey, 51% of respondents said they are considering skipping their vacations to save money. That could mean bad news for productivity if those people really don’t take any time off. Everyone needs to remind themselves that vacations are not luxuries — they are necessary for employee health and the employer’s bottom line!

I just got back from NYC, where I did a number of media interviews on this topic. For more on the survey and tips on not scrapping your vacation, check out this article.