SavvySugar

Casual Co-Working Jellys: Brilliant or Baffling?

SavvySugar — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 08:30:37 -0700

Telecommuting is gaining popularity during the recession, and while many of you say you'd jump at the chance to work from home, some of you pointed out that you'd miss the camaraderie that comes with an office environment.

NYC friends and roommates Amit Gupta and Luke Crawford felt the same way when they began working from home, so they started Jelly as a solution. Read on to find out what it means to Jelly.

More Employers Adopting Flexible Arrangements in 2009

SavvySugar — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 04:30:48 -0800

We all know the hiring outlook for the New Year is down from what it was going into 2008, so I'm choosing to focus on the positives this New Year's Eve day. CareerBuilder's Annual Job Survey found that 31 percent of employers anticipate offering workers more flexible work arrangements in 2009. Here is the breakdown of how many employers plan on expanding their policies.

Alternate schedules (come in early and leave early or come in later and leave later): 70 percent
Telecommuting options: 48 percent
Compressed workweeks - work the same hours, but in fewer days: 40 percent
Summer hours: 19 percent
Job sharing: 13 percent
Sabbaticals: 7 percent

I'm going to have to look into job sharing to learn more about it, but the others seem pretty sweet to me.

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How Your Job Is Changing

SavvySugar — Fri, 22 May 2009 06:30:58 -0700

Have you noticed any changes in your workplace lately? According to a special report in Time magazine, you will soon. "The Future of Work" reminds us that the recession will (eventually) end and jobs will return - but when they do, they're going to look different. Here are some of the changes Time tells us to expect.

The workplace will get nicer: It turns out, the way women work is actually good for business. The engaged, results-oriented management style that women typically employ has proven to be pretty successful in increasing both productivity and profit. In the same vein, more business school students are learning how to actually manage (and do so ethically), rather than just how to run a business.
Managers will get younger, workers will get older: As Gen Xers (the generation born between 1965 and 1978) take the reins, businesses will become more tech-savvy and more global. At the same time, Baby Boomers will save less and retire later, which means the workforce will continue to age - the percentage of workers who are 55 and older is expected to increase from 17 percent to 23 percent by 2016.

To see two more ways your job could change, read more.

Workplaces will be more flexible and less cubicle-centric: Say goodbye to the traditional 9 to 5, Monday through Friday workweek spent in your cubicle. Employers are saving money and retaining employees by offering flexible hours, telecommuting options, and lateral moves, rather than conventional, climb-the-ladder promotions.
Jobs will be high-tech, high-touch, and greener: We’ll see an increase in jobs that involve technology and problem-solving, as well as jobs in more hands-on fields like health care, education, and senior care. "Green" jobs - everything from manufacturing solar panels to weatherizing homes - could account for 10 percent of all job growth over the next 30 years.

What do you think about Time’s observations and predictions? Have you noticed any of these changes in your own workplace or career, or do you think you will?

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The Best Office Trend in 2008

SavvySugar — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 13:30:48 -0800

The best thing that resulted from high gas prices may be the more cost-effective solutions offered by employers. According to your vote for the best office trend in 2008, that's definitely the case! Thirty-nine percent of you said the introduction of the four-day work week (working 10 hours per day) is your favorite trend of the year.

The second-place winner, telecommuting, received 32 percent of your votes, including my own. I definitely couldn't swing a four-day week with my job, but telecommuting is a beautiful thing for those of us who are able to do our jobs away from the office. My prediction is this trend will become even more popular next year.

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Fortune's 100 Best Companies to Work For

SavvySugar — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 04:30:52 -0800

Google might be on top of the Internet-search world, but its two-year run as the best company to work for has come to an end. The company, famous for its amazing employee perks, came in at number four on this year's list. Fortune named another Northern California tech business NetApp, as the best company to work for in 2009.

With its strong performance during an economic crisis, generous employee benefits, and perks like an on-site fitness center, subsidized gym membership, telecommuting, and compressed workweek options, NetApp seems like a solid choice for number one. NetApp is currently hiring and the company's global staffing director gives advice to potential applicants, who aren't used to working in a collaborative atmosphere: "It's important for people who come to NetApp to leave their ego at the door."

Fortune provides several useful tools for navigating its list of 100 companies: You can search by location, pay, and job perks. Check them out to see what it takes to be named one of the best.

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Three Things to Ask For If Your Raise Is Unremarkable

SavvySugar — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 09:30:20 -0700

Performance reviews aren't all about the money, but for an employee's bottom line, they are. Companies have been making big decisions this quarter based on the poor performance of the past year and the uncertainty they face going in to 2009. With big companies laying off by the thousands (in the last week we saw Yahoo and Goldman Sachs cut ten percent of their massive workforces) and many smaller companies instilling temporary hiring freezes, we can be fairly certain that 2008 raises will be, at most, unremarkable. So what if you want more to show for your hard work in the last year than the fact that you held on to your job? See three things to ask for when you read more.

Fitness: You might love your gym or fitness studio, but hate paying the membership fees. Because health is a bottom line issue for employers battling the high cost of health care, it is both in your interest and theirs that you stay healthy. Propose that the company subsidizes your fitness fees and negotiate a monthly amount that you will be reimbursed for these costs.
Work one day from home: This isn't feasible for all jobs, but in this computer and conference call driven culture, many duties can be seamlessly moved from the office to your home. Telecommuting isn't rare for full-time employees so, if it would make your life less stressful to work from home one day a week, ask for it.
Gas / Transportation: You have to get to work somehow, and more often than not it involves spending money. Negotiate an amount that you will be reimbursed for gas or other transportation costs to cut down on your monthly commute expenditures.

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Work Perk: Employers Pitching in For Gas

SavvySugar — Wed, 21 May 2008 06:43:06 -0700

Recognizing that gas bills are causing a strain on employees who don't have another option but to drive to work, some employers have introduced initiatives to help workers cut down on their monthly gas expenditures. These have included tacking on an extra $50 to paychecks, subsidizing a portion of commuting costs, and providing employer sponsored buses and vans to drive employees to and from work. Some companies are finding that more employees are taking advantage of existing options like telecommuting or turning their cars into advertisement vehicles in exchange for free gas.

Wayne Hochwarter, a management professor at the College of Business at Florida State University, found that 33 percent of more than 800 full-time workers who drive themselves to work would take a job opportunity closer to home because of high gas prices. Is your commute taking enough of a toll that you would consider taking a comparable job that's closer to home?

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What You Need to Know For Working From Home

SavvySugar — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 07:58:57 -0700

There's a great feature in the May issue of Marie Claire called "Home Work" that's, surprise surprise, all about working from home. It profiles a day-in-the-life of four women in different careers who all work from home, and those women are only a very small fraction of the four million Americans who work from home full-time and the 20 million who telecommute part-time. Making the transition from office-work to home-work is tougher than most would think, and career coach and home-office worker Nicole Williams gives these seven tips for starting business from the same place you sleep.

Set boundaries: Even if you live in a studio, create a corner that's designated for work, and spend finite hours in it, based on industry standards and your own rhythms.
Don't undersell yourself: Don't undersell yourself: When setting rates, research your competitors and calculate what you need to live on. And know that just because you love something doesn't mean you shouldn't make real money at it.
Give it time: You have no team, no assistant. Things take longer now, so give yourself a couple of weeks to figure out your pace.

There are four more tips so just read more

Stagger pitches: Hearing "no" can be deflating, and the last thing you want to do afterward is start from scratch, so always have something in the hopper that you can turn to.
Hire yourself a boss: Find a career coach with solid credentials - or an accountability buddy - to help you meet goals.
Uninspired? Work through it: You know those days when you didn't feel like going to the office, but you shook off your funk by working? Do the same at home: Be disciplined, and a few hours in, you'll be out of the fog.
Don't quit: It's going to take time before you start making money. But if you're realistic and you persevere, there's nothing in the world like working for yourself.

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