Posts by Amy Chulik 

While you were busy scoring tickets to a screening of “New Moon” this weekend, fighting back your tears at the announcement that Oprah is canceling her show after a 25-year run, or wondering how you’re going to fill the void of your Pumpkin and Eggo Casserole this Thanksgiving, news in the hiring and recruiting world may have slipped right by you. Not to worry — we’ll catch you up.

• Turns out there’s at least 15 ways to determine if your workplace is dysfunctional — read ‘em and (hopefully) don’t weep.

• Many workers fear that settling for a survival job may = career suicide. (Employers, what do you think?)
  

• Surprised? Heavier workloads + longer hours x strained resources = low employee morale.

• Innocent mistake or just plain careless? Recruiter offers job via e-mail – to the wrong candidate. Yikes!

• Employers beware: office stickups and robberies are on the rise.
  

• Bailed-out companies and 2009 holiday parties? Not so much. A better idea? Team volunteering.
  

• Did you know? For the first time ever, women hold half the jobs in the U.S.

• It turns out most Fortune 100 companies need a Twitter tutorial. Stat.

• Taking time off from work for the Thanksgiving holiday? Ensure a stress-free vacation!

• Posted by: Amy Chulik on November 20, 2009
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• Categories: Week in Review

You may recall a season two episode of “The Office” in which Michael Scott starts a suggestion box for the employees of Dundler Mifflin. Michael encourages his employees to submit their “constructive compliments,” and at the suggestion box meeting, one of the first suggestions from the box reads: “You need to do something about your B.O.” Things go south from there.

CareerBuilder recently asked more than 2,900 hiring managers about the most memorable employee requests they’ve received in the office suggestion box. To say the results were “interesting” would be an understatement.

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• Posted by: Amy Chulik on November 11, 2009
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• Categories: Survey Results

I recently read this post about creative sabbaticals on Harvard Business Publishing’s blog. The article, which also features a video of a talk given by Stefan Sagmeister, owner of design firm Sagmeister Inc. in New York City, presents some interesting ideas about our ideas of creative thinking and space in the workplace — and asks how we use free time to refresh and become more productive.

For me, it raised questions from an employer’s perspective as well: Continue Reading…

• Posted by: Amy Chulik on November 4, 2009
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• Categories: Employee Engagement, Employee Retention, Innovation

We’re carving our last pumpkins and sweeping up October’s leaves, about to let November move in. With one final look around, we’re donning our balloon boy costumes fondly reminiscing about all the things that made October such a special month. Where to start?

Ah, yes. There was that controversy over sex in the workplace, for starters. And employees dished about their most unusual excuses for missing work–including gems like “I was injured chasing a seagull” — and we promptly published them in a survey for employers everywhere to guffaw at (or scorn).

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• Posted by: Amy Chulik on October 30, 2009
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• Categories: Monthly Review

During Part III of my conversation with “Working for You Isn’t Working for Me: The Ultimate Guide to Managing Your Boss” authors Katherine Crowley and Kathi Elster, we discussed actionable steps bosses can take right now to start on the path to becoming better bosses–and Katherine and Kathi offered bosses some unabashed advice on leading in today’s workplace environment. Read on for interview Part III (of three):

• Posted by: Amy Chulik on October 28, 2009
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• Categories: Employee Engagement, Employee Retention, Employer Advice

During Part II of my conversation with “Working for You Isn’t Working for Me: The Ultimate Guide to Managing Your Boss” authors Katherine Crowley and Kathi Elster, we covered everything from the failure of many bosses to recognize the non-business side of employee relationships, to bosses being terrorized, to what it means for employees to take back their personal power, to learning to accept one’s boss–and more. Read on for interview Part II (of three):

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• Posted by: Amy Chulik on October 21, 2009
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• Categories: Economy, Employee Engagement, Employee Retention, Employer Advice