If there's anything this pandemic has taught us, it's that going forward the perk most requested by job applicants may not be a robust salary and benefits package (which remains crucial, of course), but the flexibility to telecommute. Gone are the days where employees were perfectly content sitting in bumper-to-bumper traffic to make it to a pointless 9 a.m. meeting that could have just as easily been handled via Microsoft Teams or Zoom.  If there's anyone who can attest to the misery of an agonizingly long commute, it's yours truly.  I work a mere 8.2 miles away from home, but my morning and evening commute during the school year runs anywhere from 45 minutes to an hour! (And if there's an accident, I flirt with an hour and a half.) Blame it on antiquated infrastructure and a city population bursting at the seams.  You can imagine what a wonderful respite working from home has been for people like myself who have to contend with clogged streets and jam-packed highw...

When you read the title, perhaps you thought I was going to touch upon depending on other people to feel complete -- as I have in prior posts. While many people do fall into that unfortunate habit, this post focuses on the tendency to rely on a job to attain happiness. There's no question that being gainfully employed beats unemployment. Even if our jobs may be far from perfect -- and let's face it, no job is -- they still provide structure in our lives, they make us feel useful, and they allow us to feel the sense of pride that comes with earning a living to provide for our families. However, society and the media are to blame for peddling the notion that, much like a soulmate, a job should complete us. Should we try to get into a line of work we enjoy? Absolutely! You'll quickly come to hate life if you spend 40+ hours a week doing something you absolutely despise. But here's the thing: There are way too many factors outside of one's control in the...

Many supervisors are left scratching their heads when some of their best subordinates defect to other companies. Keeping employees engaged and loyal isn't rocket science, but many employers fail to recognize their shortcomings when it comes to retention -- or lack thereof. In order to keep employees motivated, they should heed the valuable tips below. The more of them they put into practice, the greater the chances of keeping their employees happy, which usually translates into longevity. 1. Provide a fair compensation and benefits package. You don't necessarily have to offer the highest salaries and best benefits in your respective industry, but employees know a cheap employer when they see one. If your starting salaries and benefits are not even remotely on par with those offered by your competitors, where do you think your talent will eventually end up? 2. Show appreciation for employees' hard work. My employer recently acknowledged my five year anniversary wit...

It isn't low pay or long hours, though they most definitely can be contributing factors in one's decision to bolt. At least those issues stand a chance of being resolved with some form of compromise, whether a raise or change of schedule. But being unable to get along with the boss -- no matter how hard we've tried -- is very difficult to stomach for 40 or more hours each week and the primary reason so many of us leave our jobs. In fact, many people admit that they leave specifically to get away from that individual; everything else about the job itself could be nearly perfect -- the salary, benefits, coworkers -- but they don't care. The boss has simply become too much to bear. What makes us reach that breaking point? It could be that the boss: Disrespects/belittles you Persistently takes you for granted Takes all the credit for your work Prevents you from growing within the department or company Shows favoritism toward others Is a slave driver Is a m...

Your career choice shouldn't be predicated solely on earning potential. While money is important, it means little if you're going to be miserable. I started college as an accounting major. While few other career paths are nearly as lucrative and stable, I just couldn't see myself crunching numbers for the rest of my life. I switched to marketing, which wound up being a much better fit. Many factors beyond money merit consideration, like opportunities for growth, number of hours required, stress, and, most important, whether one actually likes the work. You don't have to be ardently passionate about what you do. After all, you're there to work -- not to have fun. However, your work should be tolerable; if anything, you should enjoy it at least a little. We spend most of our waking hours in the office. Doing something you detest for 40 or more hours a week translates to pure agony -- at least it would for me. One other important factor to consider: Do you su...

In April, Dan Price, CEO of the of the credit card payment processor Gravity Payments, left employees, customers, and the media dumbfounded when he announced he would raise minimum pay for all employees to at least $70,000 a year. The move drew the ire of his brother Lucas, who claimed that, as co-founder, the pay raise infringed upon his rights as a minority shareholder. But Price's unorthodox strategy has paid huge dividends for the company. Revenue and profits have doubled since, with customer retention rising from 91 to 95 percent. A few weeks after Price made the initial announcement, the company was barraged with over 4,000 resumes and saw a huge surge in customer inquiries. Price began giving out 20 percent annual raises to his staff after in 2011 after an employee complained over low pay. Thanks in part to a productivity increase of 30-40 percent, profit was still comparable to that of the prior year. He handed out the same raised the next year and achieved the same o...

I recently had a conversation with a lady friend of mine in which she asserted that the next man she dates will have to be rich. I've also seen comments to Facebook posts in which some women reply with posts like, "it'd be better if he were a millionaire." It isn't always easy to distinguish between women who are flat-out gold diggers, and those who insist on a rich man only because they themselves dated moochers who took them for all they're worth. As you've probably noted in many of my posts, I am a big supporter of women's rights, especially when it comes to equal pay and equitable treatment in the workplace. However, I think women who use men for their money undermine those who genuinely want to work hard to progress in their respective jobs-- the women who aim to show their male bosses that they're deserving of the salaries their male colleagues earn. Gold diggers come off as lazy and entitled, giving some men more fodder not to com...

When you're looking for the right job, you have to take a myriad of factors into account: Do the hours suit you? Is overtime expected? Is the culture to your liking? Does your personality fit the culture and demands of the job? Are you okay with the distance to and from work? Are the salary and benefits sufficient? What is the room for growth like? Do you feel you'd get along well with your supervisor? Does the job require travel? If so, would you be okay with that? Unfortunately, the answers to most of these questions will likely remain a mystery until you've been working there for a while. It's impossible to decipher what the culture will be like when you've only sat for one or two interviews. That's why I recommend that people do their research beforehand. Visit sites like glassdoor.com for any reviews that current or former employees may have written about the company. Perhaps you notice that a friend of a friend on Linkedin works at the com...

When it comes to our jobs, we all gripe about something -- whether it's the salary and benefits, obnoxious boss, nosy coworkers, or endless red tape. In my case, I tend to grumble about things that are outside my control, such as: Having to work late hours Having to attend boring meetings or events Not being able to use creativity on the job Needing to get 3 sign-offs to do practically anything Once we're at wits end, we resolve to find a different job -- one that offers the promise of a better tomorrow. And in our unbridled optimism we presume that the new job will entail working conditions and responsibilities that are more to our liking. That might very well be the case, but it's critical you do your homework and ask questions during the interview. For example, if you are dead set against traveling for your job, be sure to ask if your job requires any travel. You don't want to get a rude awakening one month into the job and find out you'll have to ...