Mary Lorenz
Blog entries by Mary Lorenz 
1 in 5 Workers to Pull a “Sharon from ‘The Bachelor’”
January 7, 2009
That is…they plan to leave their current job in pursuit of better opportunities.
As you might not admit that you know, Sharon is a contestant on the new season of “The Bachelor” who resigned her position as a high school Spanish teacher to be on the show. Likewise, according to this press release by CareerBuilder.com, 19 percent of American workers also want to leave their current positions in search of better offers this year.
And - much like the reality TV contestant who isn’t intimidated by the knowledge that 29 other girls are competing for her crush’s affections - they’re not letting predictions of slower hiring in 2009 discourage them from going after their goals. (Okay, I’m done with this analogy now.)
- Categories: Employee Attraction, Employee Retention
How Much Do You Really Want to Know About Candidates?
January 5, 2009
Okay, don’t be jealous, but I totally have a fan.
Last week, what appeared at first to be a spam comment on my post turned out, on second glance, to be a legitimate (if slightly off-topic) comment/question from someone who’d found on MSN an article I wrote last year, geared toward job seekers.
After reading “10 Ways Your Résumé Irks Hiring Managers“ (one of which is including personal or nonessential information like interests, activities, and links to personal Web sites), reader Sonia Zuzartee posed the question:
- Categories: Employee Attraction
7 Major Hiring Trends in 2009, Survey Shows
December 30, 2008
Today, while others are reflecting on the most memorable events and accomplishments of the past year (for me, 2008 will always be remembered as the year I learned how to spell “Blagojevich”), CareerBuilder.com looks ahead with the release of its 2009 U.S. Job Forecast.
According to the annual survey of hiring managers and HR professionals conducted by Harris Interactive® (spoiler alert!), employers will be slower and more cautious about hiring in the coming months. But wait, there’s more…
- Categories: Employee Attraction, Survey Results
The Hardest Working Man in Business? Management Lessons from Daddy Spears
December 29, 2008
When it seems like you can’t turn to any news source without hearing about another round of layoffs or budget cuts, it’s nice to hear that there’s at least someone getting a raise in this economy…even if it is for Jamie Spears - a.k.a. Britney’s dad.
Last week an L.A. court gave him a generous bump in pay for managing his daughter’s estate - to the tune of $75 an hour. (That’s $12,000 per month, y’all!) Hmmm…I guess I can see that. I mean, “Daddy” Spears must be doing something right, right?
- Categories: Employee Engagement, Employee Retention
10 Reasons to Cut Your Employees Some Slack This Year
December 22, 2008
If you’re, like me, feeling a little cabin fever-y because it’s three $%@ing degrees out where you are, too - or you’re simply restless due to the upcoming holiday weekend…here’s one more Monday/fun-day item for you.
Yesterday’s featured item from MSN Careers - the “10 Worst Employees of 2008” - summarizes news stories, from around the country and throughout the year, of employees whose antics put Tracy Jordan to shame. Check it out and keep in mind that, as much as you might dread holding your annual employee performance reviews, you could have it worse….
- Categories: Fun and Games
Engaging Employees (Without Lifting a Finger)
December 17, 2008
So here’s kind of a genius idea. Best Buy recently launched a contest asking employees throughout the retail chain to create a motivational video encouraging employees to participate in the company’s 401(k).
When the contest wrapped up, 401(k) participation increased by 30 percent - which is pretty significant considering, well, we’re talking about 401(k)’s here…it’s not exactly free pizza in the break room - people aren’t going to seek it out with quite the same urgency.
- Categories: Employee Engagement
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