New Rule’s Timing Couldn’t Be Better
On January 29, 2010, federal regulations were issued regarding parity in mental health and substance abuse insurance coverage. What it means is that employer group health insurance plans (of companies with over 50 employees) will now have to offer the same coverage for mental health and drug abuse treatment as they do for medical illnesses.
Techcrunch reports that Sun Microsystems CEO Jonathan Schwartz has resigned from his job via Twitter.
Today’s my last day at Sun. I’ll miss it. Seems only fitting to end on a #haiku. Financial crisis/Stalled too many customers/CEO no more
I guess when you're a CEO, you can get away with it. But if you want to exit the right way and quit your job with class, you need The Exit Guide: How to Quit a Job the Right Way. Included are some great resignation letter templates. Schwartz might be out of a job, but we're sure he can spare a few bucks to buy a copy.
Updated on Thursday, February 4, 2010 at 12:22PM by
Andrew G.R.
This weekend there will be about 20 people at Jobacle HQ watching the Super Bowl. We'll all be chowing down on chicken wings and pulled pork sliders, shushing each other as the first commercials start to play.
At an average cost of $2.6M for 30 seconds, everyone from Anheuser-Busch to Walt Disney will be jockeying for our attention.
We'll all muse over the cost of these ads, a figure, which quite honestly, is incomprehensible to me and my middle class friends.
The out-of-work construction worker will laugh; the unemployed teacher might chuckle. And my friend's dad, who's worked in a union for 37 years, will be sipping beers for the first time as a member of the pink-slip brigade.
With 1 out of every 10 Americans unemployed, am I the only one sick over the Super Bowl ad orgy?
Let's do some quickie math.
When Not Fitting in is a Good Thing
In a recent post, “VIDEO: Pains in the Office,” Andrew gave some terrific examples of stereotypical rude co-workers and how they drive us nuts. I’ve always been thankful that at least they seem to be in the minority. But an article in eWeek.com, “Four in 10 Workers Say They Don’t Fit in with Peers,” tells us that it’s possible most of us are outnumbered by these characters. The article points out how one “bad apple” in a work group can “spoil the “barrel” and have a negative affect on the group as a whole:
Shouting fire in a crowded theater could land you in jail; yelling 'fire drill' at work is a big, fat, colossal fail. While an exciting and welcome change of pace in fourth grade, workplace fire drills are a time-wasting distraction in the corporate culture. Before my inbox gets jammed from fire survivors, let me preface this post by stating I am not anti-fire drill, nor am I pro-fire. I just think the methods employed by most organizations are laughable.
THE TRUTH ABOUT WORK FIRE DRILLS
1) Don't give me a mandatory meeting place in the event of a fire. I understand that employers want a headcount so that they can make sure everyone is out of the building (and cover their asses). But should disaster strike, you will find me acting in my best interest. If that means jogging three miles away from the burning building, so be it. I'm not suggesting I'll trample helpless children, a la George Costanza, but I will look out for myself and my family before I follow some asinine company protocol that merely exists so someone in Human Resources can shuffle around paperwork.
A former employer had the nerve to reprimand me when I refused to meet at a "safe" spot after the NYC blackout in 2003. Where was I? Home. Because as soon as word started to spread that the entire eastern seaboard was affected, I ran straight for the bridge. Call me paranoid, but as someone who was stuck in midtown Manhattan after 9/11, I learned my lesson.
2) It should be obvious, but ancient Doris from clerical does NOT make a good fire marshal. Bob in accounting, at 280lbs., is hardly the ideal "searcher." Certain people were not meant to hold positions of power, in this case, a potentially life-saving one. Some halfwit suit is always quick to ask for fire drill volunteers. And some unimportant has-been is always quick to apply. To apply to be a firefighter, most municipalities require that you are in your 20s, calm under pressure, and in reasonably good shape. To hold office workers to those standards, when the risk of a fire is rather remote, would be ludicrous. However, common sense should apply.
Finally, a businesscard that actually serves a purpose! (Well, except for acting as a makeshift toothpick. Not that I'd know anything about that!)
Bryce Bell, a mechanical engineer from Oklahoma has invented Catapult Cards, businesscards that transform into mini-paper launchers.
We've reached out to Bryce and have not heard back from him. Perhaps it's because he's overwhelmed! These cool business cards have just sold out!
Career News 
36 Things To Say When You're Stressed at Work
1. Okay, okay! I take it back. Unf*ck you!!!
2. You say I'm a bitch like it's a bad thing?!
3. How many times do I have to flush before you go away?
4. Well this day was a total waste of make-up.
5. Well aren't we a bloody ray of sunshine?
6. Don't bother me, I'm living happily ever after.
7. Do I look like a f*cking people person!
8. This isn't an office. It's HELL with fluorescent lighting.
You'll often read that if you are bored with your job it is time to find a new one. Solid advice, but easier said than done. If financial/stability or some other concern is keeping you at a boring gig, here are several ways to break out of the funk.
- RUN IN CIRCLES. OK, you don't really have to run in circles, but if you find work unbearably lame, you need to make an effort to exhaust yourself before you get to the office. This might be a trip to the gym or running errands.
This is a tactic that my shiba inu puppy employs (not the errand part!) before we put him into his crate for the night. He knows that he must exhaust himself in order to avoid a restless night behind bars.
The world is more focused on the iPad, the latest gadget from Apple, then they are intent on watching President Barack Obama's State of the Union address tonight.
Perhaps that's part of the reason our economy is where it is. Our heads are up our asses.
We need new jobs. Better benefits. Is there an app for that?
The president is expected to talk about his push for tax credits for new hiring, an incentive that will hopefully grab the attention of American employers. Also on the agenda is a requirement that companies allow workers save automatically for retirement.
Watch the speech live at Whitehouse.gov and get your drink on!
P.S. - iPad is such a crummy name. Sounds like a digital tampon.
Career News OK, so it's for a movie, but he still gets the boot! Playing the typical Hollywood-incarnation of the "successful" businessman, Ben Affleck stars in the new movie "The Company Men," which is being played at Sundance.
Learn more about the movie on the Working Podcast and watch the trailer below.
Career News, General