Hardly a week passes without news of a natural or man-made disaster somewhere in the United States or around the world. Floods, tornadoes, earthquakes, ice storms… the list goes on. One thing is certain. If you get through a single year without so much as a power outage, you've had a great year.

In my area of suburban Connecticut we've had three weather-related power outages so far this year, and it's only July. The worst outage, during a windstorm in March, knocked out power for five days for some homeowners. That's not just an inconvenience. That's a serious, sometimes dangerous, situation.

While many people keep emergency preparedness kits at home, they often overlook the workplace. That doesn't really make sense. Your chances of getting caught in an emergency at work are significant. Yet few of us who work outside the home have made any preparations for the unthinkable. It's as if we think the office manager has got all that stuff covered. And that's not smart.

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Knowledge is power.  And what better place to acquire “mental muscle” than the pages of some popular titles.  Besides expanding your knowledge base, books are a great way to relax and unwind.

A great form of escapism, they allow us to get lost in different settings and scenes, and embrace endless possibilities.

In fact, I'm known to spend hours enjoying selections from my personal library while sipping on a good cup of flavored herbal tea, or while letting Calgon, “take me away.”

Whatever your reading ritual, here are some books worth a look for today's worker bees, regardless of industry or occupation.

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Working from home has become far more common these days than it would have been even a decade ago, with an increase in those working as freelancers, telecommuting or simply working for themselves. But whilst working from home can sound like a tempting option, it can be extremely easy to fall into a routine of general procrastination and television watching.

There are ways of making working from home work for you however. In this post, I hope to show a few methods you can use to make sure you’re staying productive, proactive and just as importantly, stay sane.

One of the most important things you should do is to properly define your workspace and separate it as much as you can from your personal space. So don’t work lying in bed or sitting with your laptop on the couch. If you feel like you’re at home, you’ll begin to act like it. You need to be constantly reminded that you’re at work, and the best way to do this is to have a room (or at least a defined area) that once you’re in, you’re in work mode.

This also gives you a way to remove yourself from work at the end of the day. Often people who work from home find it difficult to be living in the same place they work, but if you can properly define your boundaries, you stand a much better chance of avoiding this problem.

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You should consider some interesting facts about nursing assistants if you are thinking of a career as a nursing assistant or know someone who works as a CNA.  A CNA is someone who provides basic care (typically non-medical care) for patients in hospitals, nursing care facilities and home-health settings.  They work closely with nurses and other members of the healthcare team to keep a patient safe and comfortable when they are ill or injured.  There are probably many things you do not know about nursing assistants.

1.    If you think a career as a certified nursing assistant is not an important career; think again.  Nursing assistants are a vital part of the healthcare team for patients and clients in a variety of healthcare settings.  You can make a difference in the lives of patients of all ages when working as a nursing assistant.

2.    There are about 1.5 million jobs in the United States, filled by certified nursing assistants, nursing aides and psychiatry aides.  

3.    The demand for qualified nursing assistants is expected to continue to grow over the next few years.  In fact, within 10 years, the number of job positions is expected to increase by about 18%.

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Is this you on your day off?
 
    * I pick up dry cleaning.
    * I get an oil change.
    * I go to the grocery store.
    * I clean my house.

We all need to do errands, household chores and maintenance on our days off. But I think you’ll find if that’s all you’re doing on your day off, you’ll be dragging in to work on Monday. Don’t leave yourself off that list. Sometimes doing something just for you will shift that focus off your work life, help you refocus and recharge.

Here are some ways to recharge your batteries on your day off...

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The connotations of a sales job can range from anything to sitting on the phone all day trying to sell old ladies household furnishings to big wig city guys, and the money they can bring in can be just a varied. At the end of the day no matter what your own personal opinion is of sales, it’s a solid career: people are always going to want to sell their products or services.

So what is selling? You probably do it in some form or another in your job. Whether it’s convincing your client to give you that extra budget or convincing your boss to give you a raise and if you’re clever and careful you can be successful. If you’re selling for a living your job is basically to help someone make up their mind as to whether your product is right for them and guide them through the purchasing process.

The first step to becoming successful in sales is...

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Today, at a White House Middle Class Task Force forum hosted by Vice President Joe Biden, U.S. Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis announced several department initiatives designed to end wage discrimination while improving pay equity and work/life balance.

“Pay equity is a core family issue,” said Secretary Solis.  “More money in a woman’s paycheck means a working family not having to choose between paying the mortgage, buying groceries, or buying necessary school supplies.”

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It's a sticky subject.  Common, yet rarely addressed in orientations or procedural manuals.  Still, it happens to the best of us—male or female, Black or White, Blue collar or White collar.  Somewhere on the path to professional success you're bound to encounter a cutie who has the potential to make your senses detour and compromise your concentration and composure.

Whether it's love at first site, or a slow brew that becomes steamy without intention.

Heck, it happens in real life and even in T.V land. Remember Dianne and Sam in Cheers? Or how about Angela and Tony in Who's the Boss? And let's not forget the storyline with Fran Drescher in The Nanny.

Let's be clear here. I'm not talking about workplace dating or affairs. This is strictly about simple chemistry. Nothing more, nothing less.

Depending upon how you handle this workplace dynamic, it can be a distraction or a great incentive for perfect attendance! It's your call.

Here are a few helpful tips to working with a hot boss without getting burned.

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