Sure, children are stubborn, whiny, and often hard to deal with. They also possess some of the most fearless and creative minds in the world, a trait that should be made second nature to anyone in the workforce. Strange as it may sound, there are many traits that children have that can be useful when applied correctly to your work, and they don’t involve throwing tantrums or picking your nose.

Children do not take no for an answer

If you have ever told a child they can’t do something you will know that they rarely take no for an answer. This stubborn trait can prove useful at work. “It cannot be done” and “It’s just not possible” are the two worst replies you can hear when you put forth an idea at work, but they are not always binding. Stubborn determination helps when trying to perfect an idea, and refusing to take no for an answer allows for future breakthroughs. It may not be possible now, but with some dedication you can make it possible down the road. (more…)

Props to the team that made this video! You guys are too funny! Well done.

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The recruiter – lawyer relationship is a tough one. It brings out some pretty heavy emotions, and the desire to sing some times.
From The Lawyers’ Revue Incorporated — 2012

Starring – Adam Edwards and Emily Jackson
Directed and Shot by – Adam King (www.doogfilm.com)

Since it’s been reported that by 2025 (a mere 13 years away), 75% of the workforce will consist of Generation Y (those born in the late 80’s and 90’s), the topic of social media in the workplace becomes an ever more important one.

Why? Because more than any other generation before them, this group of youngsters highly values work-life balance. Not only that, but it’s a more integrated work-life balance than has ever been seen in the workplace before. They believe that work and life should not be separate entities at opposite ends of the day and different days of the week. Instead, they should be meshed together in harmony.

This leads to a greater demand for flexibility in the workplace and a broader range of responsibilities that allow them to do what they love. Most importantly though, this means a greater level of connection and communication, primarily through social media.

Just as work and personal data are being combined on the same mobile devices, this generation wishes to do the same in the office itself. Many studies have found the surprising result that a good majority of this generation deems the use of social media at work more important than a higher salary. And in a study surveying Facebook users, over half of this generation are Facebook friends with coworkers.

It’s a phenomenon that many companies are already embracing. This is a generation that can brings fresh new perspectives to the table, and you may be surprised that despite their use of social media in the office, they are often more productive and passionate about their work than you might have expected. Even if you’re not actively hiring Gen Y-ers, chances are that you will be in the future. Now is a great time to look over your policies and practices in order to attract the best workers of this millennial generation.

Before 1938 the American work week looked a lot different than what we see today. Often times, an employee was required to work over twelve hours a day, sometimes six days a week. To improve employee morale on a National level, the Federal Government instated the Labor Standards Act, which standardized the eight hour work day and forty hour work week. Thus, the landscape of traditional American Employment was created. (more…)

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There are many investments a company must make to stay operational. Your employees, the building blocks and foundation of any organization, are generally the biggest of those investments. When trying to decrease overhead and spending, a business owner may turn to internal finance as a means of reserving resources. Generally personnel compensation is not something that can by trimmed down. However, their insurance costs are a whole other story! Employers can lessen their overhead, by encouraging healthy lifestyles, while not compromising employee medical benefits or compensation!

Health insurance is another area where, like employee salaries, companies cannot skimp. To keep competitive benefits while saving money, many companies are moving toward Employee Wellness Programs to earn insurance incentives. Employees are able to participate in everything from on-site exercise facilities and in office Pilates, to weight loss and smoking cessation classes which in turn puts health insurance premiums on the steady decline.

Encouraging a healthy workplace is not necessarily a new idea. Rather, it has been an ongoing struggle for employers to prove statistically to insurers that the implementation of wellness programs will actually save them money. More recently, it seems, the insurance companies are starting to come around, admitting that wellness programs do have merit, and are even starting to create programs of their own. At this stage in the development of Employee Wellness Incentive Programs, insurers are more apt to lower premiums when employees participate in programs that they sponsor, rather than programs created by their clients. For instance, Blue Shield of California offers “Healthy Lifestyle Rewards” to its client’s employees. The program offers cash and prize incentives to participants who fill out health questionnaires and display a healthy behavior.

Even if your medical insurance provider does not offer an incentive plan, there is still money to be saved by encouraging healthier lifestyles. Several studies have shown that companies save about three dollars for every one dollar spent on health and wellness programs. It is also common knowledge that daily exercise and a healthy diet, create a more active, energetic and focused person. Offering fruit in the break rooms, free fitness programs and in-office incentives for healthier behavior will improve over all employee performance and morale. Healthy employees will get sick less often, which means less absenteeism and more productivity for your company! Increased employee morale will generate a lower turn-over rate and higher employee retention, which will cut valuable resources spent searching for replacement personnel!

There is no arguing that wellness programs are a good investment. Whether your intentions lie in attaining lower insurance premiums, increasing employee retention or simply encouraging healthy behaviors, the benefits of a Well Workplace are limitless!

-By Megan Oldag

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A plethora of online tests claim a link between our personalities and our preference of snack foods, animals, and even colors. Those kinds of tests consist of questions that only you would have the answer to. There is a less conspicuous personality marker that many employees may not be aware of. One that shouts loud and clear to your co-workers, prospective clients, and bosses about what kind of person you are. With most Americans spending longer days at the office, and more time away from home, it’s easy to see why the desk has become such a magnet for self-expression. (more…)

How do new graduates get jobs without experience?

It’s April, and you have just a month before you’re inundated with resumes and cover letters from 2011 graduates. If you’re usually quick to discard these emails, consider the fact that you’ll be feeding a popular Catch-22.

The IT industry is notorious for its part in this contradiction, which is of course the fact that new grads have a hard time getting work experience when most positions require previous experience to start with. (more…)

Nearly half of all Americans belong to a social networking site,  and numbers of people looking to the Internet – including social media – during their job search is estimated at over 50 million. Such numbers are pretty motivating to employers who are looking to take their companies online in a big way. But to those who haven’t yet, the world of social media can be a scary place, and using it as a tool in the hiring process can be even more intimidating. Here are a few thoughts to make it less intimidating. (more…)

There’s no doubt that using a staffing/recruiting firm greatly broadens the candidate pool for your open positions, turning up outstanding people you didn’t even know existed. But all staffing firms were not created equal. So how do you know which one can fulfill your hiring goals? (more…)

There’s been a lot of talk recently about companies blending roles between business and Information Technology departments. In a nutshell, many managers and CIO’s are attempting to create more flexible career paths, encouraging IT professionals to develop a business sense and introducing business professionals to an IT environment. (more…)