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Author Michelle Goodman serves up fresh tips and trends for attaining that crazy little thing called work/life balance.
February 7, 2010
Posted by Michelle Goodman
A new study says yes. According to researchers at the University of Iowa, "supervisors who are productive have a long leash when it comes to bad behavior." In other words, they can beat their chests and berate staff all they want, as long as they're perceived as extremely effective at their job and invaluable to the company. Unlike most studies on bad bosses, this one doesn't focus on what the targets of the abuse think of their socially challenged supervisors. Instead, it's concerned with the perception of bystanders of the...
February 5, 2010
Posted by Michelle Goodman
Everyone's talking about job satisfaction and employee morale these days. Those miserable in their current position will likely find the unemployment numbers alone reason enough to hunker down and stay put. But for those not entirely convinced toughing it out at a less-than-ideal job is the way to go, I offer these five reminders: You need the money. If you're like most Americans, you haven't saved a dime. And unless you have someone willing to support you for the next 6, 12, or however many months it takes to find a new...
February 2, 2010
Posted by Michelle Goodman
Most of us know the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) as the law that protects an employee's job if they need time off to care for a new child or an ailing spouse or parent. But the FMLA also applies to people who need to care for an injured or debilitated family member returning from active military duty. And as of January 16, 2010, the law extends to military families with a member who's about to be or is currently deployed. For more details on when military families dealing...
January 31, 2010
Posted by Michelle Goodman
It's tough enough when a domestic partner loses his or her job. But for telecommuters and freelancers who work at home, having your sweetie suddenly underfoot during the workweek can be a cataclysmic event -- especially if your home is a shoebox. Relationship author and advice columnist Judy McGuire has experienced such workplace woe firsthand. In a perfect world, she would freelance from her Brooklyn apartment, and her live-in love would work in an office outside their home. But last year her beau lost his job and was unemployed...
January 29, 2010
Posted by Michelle Goodman
So you're getting married, buying a house, adopting a baby, starting night school for your MBA, launching your dream business on the side, shopping your novel around to hotshot agents, or getting ready to jet off to Fiji for three weeks. Congratulations! Now get back to work. For some of us (yours truly included), that's easier said than done. After all, the tedium of the office doesn't hold a candle to the excitement, anticipation, and preparation for life's big milestones. Why would anyone in their right mind want to spend...
January 28, 2010
Posted by Michelle Goodman
Good news for parents itching to go back to school but lacking the time or money. Project Working Mom 2010 will award up to 285 full-tuition scholarships totaling about $5 million to parents (dads included!) interested in attending an accredited online educational institution. Sponsored by eLearners.com, a Web portal for online students, Project Working Mom awards scholarships to eight different schools offering online degrees: Ashford University, Everest University, Virginia College, Walden University, Capella University, Saint Leo University, Allied Schools, and Ashworth College. According to eLearners spokesperson Helen MacDermott, scholarships will...
January 24, 2010
Posted by Michelle Goodman
Before you answer that, you may want to visit Harvard's Project Implicit Web site. This 15-year-old research project features a free online test you can take to see whether you're more inclined to associate men, women, or neither gender with having a career or having a family. In addition, the study administers a number of self-assessment tests you can take to see whether you harbor any racial, age, weight, religious, disability, or sexuality biases. In October, ABC News reported that Project Implicit had "11 million tests completed and 20,000 new...
January 22, 2010
Posted by Michelle Goodman
You probably saw this week's Pew Research Center study on how American men are getting a bigger economic boost from marriage these days. As Pew reported, "A larger share of men in 2007, compared with their 1970 counterparts, are married to women whose education and income exceed their own." In 2007, 22 percent of 30- to 44-year-old men were married to women who outearned them. In 1970, that figure was just 4 percent. In addition, 28 percent of wives had more education than their husbands in 2007, while just 19...
January 21, 2010
Posted by Michelle Goodman
Despite the threat of communicable diseases like swine flu, we humans are not the most sanitary sort. A study published in the American Journal of Public Health in October found that only 32 percent of men and 64 percent of women wash their hands with soap after using a public restroom. We're not just talking about a handful of people neglecting this basic hygiene principle. For this study, researchers secretly observed the hand-washing habits of a quarter million people at British gas station restrooms over a 32-day period. (Curiously,...
January 17, 2010
Posted by Michelle Goodman
I'm feeling peppier at the moment. I'm also feeling more autonomous, better connected to those in my immediate vicinity, and in general, happier. If you're reading this between Friday evening and Sunday afternoon, chances are you are too. In other words, the weekend effect is upon us. A study published in the January issue of the Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology found that employed U.S. adults experience "better moods, greater vitality, and fewer aches and pains" on weekends. No matter what our profession -- lawyer, CEO, receptionist, pipefitter --...
