Where are all the Jobs?: Mar 5, 2011

Saturday, March 5, 2011

The Work Buzz's Latest News: “Charlie Sheen’s guide to getting fired” plus 1 more

Posted: 04 Mar 2011 12:09 PM PST

If there's one thing Charlie Sheen has always been good it, it's creating controversy.
In high school, he was expelled just days before graduation for bad grades and poor attendance. In 1990, he accidentally shot then-fiancée Kelly Preston. In the mid-90s he was linked to Hollywood madam Heidi Fleiss, and in 1998 he suffered a drug overdose. In the past 10 years, he's had accusations of violence and threats against ex-wife Denise Richards and currently estranged wife Brooke Mueller. And most recently, the dicey details of his alleged drug and alcohol fueled binges have become a fixture in the national media.
Despite all of his bad behavior, however, Sheen has maintained a relatively respectable, and at times seriously lucrative, career. By and large, his employers have tended to ignore his less-than-pious extracurriculars. But even Charlie Sheen can't badmouth his boss and get away with it.
On February 24th, Sheen called into syndicated radio program "The Alex Jones Show," during which he went on an angry rant about — among other things — "Two and a Half Men" creator Chuck Lorre. Sheen called Lorre a "turd" and a "clown," before referring to him with a racial slur. On the same day following the outburst, production of "Men," which was in the middle of filming its eighth season , was immediately stopped. “Based on the totality of Charlie Sheen’s statements, conduct and condition, CBS and Warner Bros. Television have decided to discontinue production of ‘Two and a Half Men’ for the remainder of the season,” reads the joint statement from CBS and Warner Bros.
After all of his antics, Charlie Sheen finally got fired — apparently for badmouthing the boss.
You don't have to announce your hatred for your manager to the world on a syndicated radio program to get fired from your job, though. Facebook, Twitter, a magazine article and even a chat over the water cooler will all suffice as manners in which to air your disdain for the higher ups … and get fired for it.
Here, six examples of why it's never a good idea to bad mouth the boss, and an expert's advice on how you can better handle your frustrations.
1. In another high profile case, Gen. Stanley McChrystal was forced to resign from his post as the commander of U.S. forces in Afghanistan last summer, after his off-color comments about both Vice President Joe Biden and the Obama administration in general were published in an article for Rolling Stone.
2. A U.K. woman was fired after posting on her Facebook page, “OMG I HATE MY JOB!! My boss is a total pervvy (sic) w**ker, always making me do s**t stuff just to p**s me off!! W**ker!”
The women had apparently forgotten that she was friends with her boss on Facebook. A few hours after posting the Sheen-worthy rant, her boss replied with a comment of his own, which ended, "And lastly, you also seem to have forgotten that you have two weeks left on your six-month trial period. Don’t bother coming in tomorrow. I’ll pop your P45 in the post and you can come in whenever you like to pick up any stuff you’ve left here. And yes, I’m serious."
3. In June 2010, Andrew Kurtz, a 24-year old Pittsburgh Pirates’ mascot, was fired after posting a comment to his Facebook page about team president Frank Coonelly's decision to extend the contracts of two of the Pirates' managers. Within hours of posting the comment “Coonelly extended the contracts of Russell and Huntington through the 2011 season. That means a 19-straight losing streak. Way to go Pirates,” Kurtz was let go.
4. Four women who worked for the town of Hooksett, N.H. lost their jobs in 2007, after they were caught discussing a rumor that their boss, town administrator David Jodoin, was having an affair with another female employee. Two of the women subsequently made an appeal to get their jobs back, claiming they had been wrongfully fired, but the appeal was denied.
5. In a bit of a twist, Brazilian football team Palmeiras fired its manager after he made a comment on Twitter that he hoped one of his players — who'd skipped practice with no explanation — would be traded to a rival team.
6. Dawnmarie Souza, a Connecticut employee of American Medical Response, was fired after badmouthing her boss on her Facebook page. Among other insults, Souza implied that her boss should have been a psychiatric patient. Souza's firing prompted the National Labor Relations Board to file a case against AMR in October 2010, on the grounds that AMR's policy against workers discussing the company negatively on the Internet was in violation of NLRB guidelines. The case was settled in early February, and AMR agreed to amend its policies.
The lesson to be learned from all of these outbursts is one of communication, says Kerry Patterson, co-author of the New York Times best-seller "Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes are High."
"Employees typically badmouth their boss when they are angry and don't know how to confront their boss about the issue," he says. "One of the problems with badmouthing is you typically communicate emotions harsher than you actually feel and will most likely regret your words later."
A better approach, Patterson says, is to directly address the issue you're having. "Regain your composure and choose to problem solve, rather than badmouth. With the right set of skills, you can respectfully confront your boss before you act out in ways that could eventually cost you your job."
The following are Patterson's guidelines for constructive confrontation.

Don't address the matter when you're irritated: "This is ineffective because at that point our goal is no longer to be constructive, it's to punish. Before opening your mouth, ask yourself, 'What do I really want?'"
Establish respect: "Begin by clarifying your respect and your intent. Help your boss understand that your intent is to provide a different viewpoint you feel will help achieve your mutual goal."
Remain objective: "Describe your concerns with facts first. Don't lead with your judgments or conclusions. Start by describing in non-judgmental and objective terms the behaviors that are creating problems. If your boss becomes defensive, pause for a moment and check in. Reassure them of your positive intentions and allow them to express any concerns they have."
Give your boss a turn: "Finally, having shared your concerns, encourage your boss to share their perspective. Invite dialogue. The result of your openness will be a greater openness on your boss's part as well."

Have you ever badmouthed your boss? Have you ever fought the urge in favor of “constructive conversation?” How did it turn out?

February job numbers redux

Posted: 04 Mar 2011 08:58 AM PST

Some months, I wish the BLS' Employment Situation Report had a face, just so I could punch it. (Who’s with me? Anyone?)
February, however, was not one of those months.
Not only did the economy add 192,000 jobs last month, but the unemployment rate fell to its lowest rate in two years: 8.9 percent.
It's worth noting that these numbers are still far below the 300,000 jobs needed in order to see a significant difference in the unemployment rate; however, we did surpass the 150,000 needed in order to keep pace with the population growth.
In other words, while today's report might not exactly be Oprah-Winfrey-telling-us-we-all-get-a-new-car good news, considering where we were last month, I'd say it's at least Oscar-winner-Colin-Firth-makes-a-surprise-appearance-on-today's-Ellen exciting. (Or as FAO economist Robert Brusca succinctly puts it: "short of ebullient but good enough.") Who's with me?
This month's report is especially hopeful for job seekers, as it illustrates employers' increasing confidence in hiring and a growing job market. Want even further proof of the growing job market? Check out the featured employers hiring this week. While you’re at it, expand your search and check out which cities offer the best opportunities for your career interests.
For more findings from the report, see below (or check out the full press release here):

State and local government cut 30,000 jobs, while federal government hiring was flat. Private employers added 222,000 jobs – the most since April.
The number of unemployed persons decreased slightly from 13.9 million in January to 13.7 million in February.
Hiring increased across several industries, with manufacturing and construction both adding 33,000 jobs in February; while professional and business services added 47,000 jobs. Health care employment increased with 34,000 new jobs, as did transportation and warehousing employment with 22,000.
The average workweek for all employees on private nonfarm payrolls was unchanged at 34.2 hours, and average hourly earnings increased by 1 cent to $22.87.

Moola Days

7 Steps To Raise Your Credit Score

Posted: 03 Mar 2011 11:54 PM PST

If you didn’t know, your credit score influences your ability to get rid of debt and stay out of it. You will be charged the higher interest rate on money you borrow, that is, if your credit score is bad. But on the positive side if you have a good credit score, it will cost you less and enable you to pay it off quicker. So it’s important to know your credit scores from all credit rating bureaus and to raise your score as well. Raising your credit csore is easy if you know what to do, of course. Here are 7 steps to raise your credit score rapidly and keep it good. It’s not important from what you will start, following this plan will lead your score to desired achievement.
Step 1: Check your credit report
The main credit bureaus (such as Equifax, TransUnion and Experian) are required to put a free copy of every consumer’s credit report at their disposal once a year. This step is very important because you can find errors there. Generally, one of the four credit reports contain a mistake which can prevent you from getting a loan or credit card. So, once you get a report go through it carefully. And if you find out some errors such as late payments that were actually paid on time, correct them as soon as possible. Send a certified letter with the explanations what information was incorrect and include copies of documents that confirm your pretension.
Step 2: Automatize payings on your bills
This is probably the most important tip. Being late or missing payments can destroy your credit score quickly. So the usage of bank’s online bill-paying service is strongly recommended. With it’s help a pre-set sum will be automaticly transferred from your checking account every month and cover at least the minimum payments on all your credit accounts.
Step 3: Avoid new credit card purchases
One of the worst things you can do in a bad credit situation, is continue gathering debt by making purchases with a credit card. If you already have balances on your credit cards, give them up until you have more control of the situation. On the other hand, be cautious of letting an account remain inactive for several months – it may be canceled by the credit card issuer.
Step 4: Length of Your Credit History
The only thing that can improve your credit history is time, but you can manage it sensibly. Don’t open several new accounts in a short period of time, especially if your credit history is no longer than three years. Adding accounts too often tells that you might not be able to manage your credit responsibly.
Step 5: Shop for loans quickly
When you apply for a loan, the lender send out a request to one of the credit-rating agencies to find out how worth your credit is. A lot of such requests can hurt your FICO score, since it could indicate that you’re trying to borrow money from different sources. The FICO scoring system is designed to allow for this by considering the length of time over which requests are made. So, try to do all of your loan shopping within 30 days.
Step 6: Consolidate your debts sensibly
Consolidating your debts makes sense, particularly if you’re able to fulfill the consolidation at an interest rate saving you money in the short term and the long one. But don’t look at debt consolidation as the total solution of all your difficulties. If you really decided to consolidate your debts, get yourself some knowledge on financial management along with that, in order to become more responsible with your personal budgeting and spending. That’s the best mean for securing your financial future.
Step 7: Demonstrate That Your Responsibility
The best way to raise your credit score is to show that you can handle credit responsibly. It means not borrowing too much and paying back on time. Don’t open new accounts just to increase your available credit or create a better variety of credit. You should open new credit accounts when you really need them.
As a conslusion, you should understood that raising your credit score isn’t a speedy process and can’t be done overnight. Instead, take into considerations all the aspects that can help improve your credit score and continue paying your debts – in time you will see your credit score improve.
7 Steps To Raise Your Credit Score is a post from: Moola Days