Dear Annie: I know this probably sounds nutty, with so many companies cutting pay or freezing pay in order to avoid layoffs (or, further layoffs), but I'm thinking of asking for a raise. First of all, my employer has not cut or frozen anyone's pay -- at least not to my knowledge. However, we have had layoffs here, so I'm now doing the work three people used to do.
Have you ever found that the people most guilty of unruly behavior at work are also the ones who are most oblivious to their behavior?
Feeling frazzled lately? You may need to look further than your new baby to find the culprit.
Few of us will ever win an Oscar. We will, however, receive a job offer at least once in our lives.
The boss summons you to her office. On the long walk to her door, you wonder what you did wrong. Did you miss a deadline? Did you oversleep one too many times? Did they catch you stealing pens from the supply closet?
During the homestretch leading up to the new year, bosses often become generous and kind -- traits no one knew they were capable of exhibiting.
I am currently employed at a financial reporting company and my position requires working some Saturdays and even some holidays. We are given a Saturday schedule every quarter and especially during the summer I plan accordingly.
Politics in the workplace can get vicious -- and we're not talking about the governmental kind.
Her boss always found a reason Kristen Baldwin Ballinger should come into the office on Fridays despite her work-at-home arrangement. But she always found a way to refuse -- without actually saying the word "no."
Do you think you never have or never will experience work burnout?
Dear Annie: I know this probably sounds nutty, with so many companies cutting pay or freezing pay in order to avoid layoffs (or, further layoffs), but I'm thinking of asking for a raise. First of all, my employer has not cut or frozen anyone's pay -- at least not to my knowledge. However, we have had layoffs here, so I'm now doing the work three people used to do.
Have you ever found that the people most guilty of unruly behavior at work are also the ones who are most oblivious to their behavior?
Feeling frazzled lately? You may need to look further than your new baby to find the culprit.
Few of us will ever win an Oscar. We will, however, receive a job offer at least once in our lives.
The boss summons you to her office. On the long walk to her door, you wonder what you did wrong. Did you miss a deadline? Did you oversleep one too many times? Did they catch you stealing pens from the supply closet?
During the homestretch leading up to the new year, bosses often become generous and kind -- traits no one knew they were capable of exhibiting.
I am currently employed at a financial reporting company and my position requires working some Saturdays and even some holidays. We are given a Saturday schedule every quarter and especially during the summer I plan accordingly.
Politics in the workplace can get vicious -- and we're not talking about the governmental kind.
Her boss always found a reason Kristen Baldwin Ballinger should come into the office on Fridays despite her work-at-home arrangement. But she always found a way to refuse -- without actually saying the word "no."
Do you think you never have or never will experience work burnout?
If you're a mom who not only has beautiful children but also a job you love, plenty of people have probably said you "have it all."
You put your best foot forward during your job interview. You wear a pressed suit and arrive 20 minutes early. Once you've been working at a place for a while, though, you get a little more comfortable. Maybe you scrounge through the hamper to find a shirt that's not too wrinkled and you slide into your chair just as the clock strikes eight.
If you're more excited that your boss is out sick with the flu than you are about your new raise, you're in good company.
You've been at your job for nine months. In that time, you've not only kicked butt in the office, you've rewarded yourself for your efforts. You bought yourself a sleek new apartment, went on a few vacations -- you've even hit up the local casino for a gamble or two (or five).
When we think about telecommuting, we often focus on the blissful freedoms that come with it. Freedom to set our own hours, raid the refrigerator ... even take early morning calls in our underwear.
Are skyrocketing gasoline prices cursing your commute? Wondering why you're driving to work only to spend your hard-earned dollars to get you there and back? Perhaps telecommuting is the answer.
It's 9 p.m., and you're still at the office.
I work in a large corporation where my department is mostly males. I usually bring my lunch or have lunch with either women from other departments or men who are at the same corporate title level. Lately, my boss has been asking me to lunch whether for my birthday or for annual review. Each time, I decline for scheduling conflicts.
When I landed a job in a top public relations firm after my college graduation, I thought the toughest part of my entry into the business world was over.
Work can't get much worse than when it stinks -- literally. For Stephen Viscusi, work stinks everyday.
It takes anywhere from three to 15 months to find the right job -- yet just days or weeks to lose it.
Dear Annie: I am the head of what I thought was a pretty strong, cohesive team. But I just heard from one of the people who reports to me that another subordinate went to my boss and said she could do my job better than I can. I'm not sure if there's some kind of ax to grind between these two subordinates, but this troubles me, since the person who allegedly badmouthed me is my top performer. (I jumped through flaming hoops to get her an extra 2% bonus last year.)
Fortune teamed up with Experience Inc. to find companies that offer impressive perks to new hires just out of college - ranging from generous salaries to workplace flexibility, from enviable benefits to serious growth opportunities.
Q: Hi Stanley. My dad's first name is the same as yours so I'd like to get some advice from you. My current job involves doing practically nothing with no real stress. The dept. is a startup in a large established company so there is no assurance of job security but it pays decent for the time being.
Let's talk about something we're not supposed to talk about. No, it's not religion or politics. It's not even sex.
HOW DO YOU KNOW THAT YOU'VE HIRED THE wrong employee—or waited too long to fire him? If you find two duffel bags full of semiautomatic weapons under his desk , that's a pretty good sign. No, that's...
Friends, Valentine's Day is upon us once again, and I confess I was planning to ignore it this year (in my column, that is). But then I came across some eye-opening statistics, in a batch of recent employee surveys, that I just can't resist passing along for you to ponder.
With advice on everything from how to get a raise, to where the tech jobs are now, to the best way to get a rude co-worker to shut up, here are excerpts from some of the top Ask Annie columns of the year. By Fortune's Anne Fisher
NOT SO LONG AGO, ANYBODY WHO CLAIMED TO BE "working from home" was merely using the accepted code phrase for nursing a hangover and hiding under the covers until The Price Is Right came on. But the...
Median income for working age households fell a half percent last year, according to the Economic Policy Institute, which means getting a raise is about as hard as it's ever been.
Jon Ciampi had always thought of himself as a rising star. A portfolio analyst for Wells Fargo in San Francisco, he had a solid job at a big company, pulled down an enviable salary, and scored top ...
Dear Annie: I've been in my job (a new vice president position in a newly-created department) for about 8 months, and I'm about to post a job opening that will be my first new hire. The trouble is that I am expecting, but I haven't told my boss yet.
Dear Annie: I've just completed a promising round of interviews with a prospective employer, and I'm pretty sure I'll get an offer. This is great, as I am really excited about this job. There's just one problem: In my current job (after 10 years here), I get a month's vacation time per year, and I've heard my new company will only give me two weeks. I had planned a three-week trip with my family for this August and would hate to have to cut it short. Can I ask for more vacation time, or should I keep quiet? -Yosemite Sam
Last week we asked for your thoughts on the future of work. This week we are publishing a selection of your e-mails, which forecast a range of changes, from an explosion in telecommuting to nearly fully automated fast food joints.
Of all the hard-luck turnaround stories from the downturn that still circulate through Silicon Valley, few sound as stressful as Borland Software's. Since 2000 the vendor of software development to...
If you're tired of shlepping to work, now may be one of the best times to negotiate flextime with your employer. The high cost of gas and the devastation we've witnessed from natural disasters may have convinced more of us than ever that working from home has many advantages.
What is your dream job? Lying on the beach in some tropical paradise while a generous paycheck is automatically deposited into your account? Well now, that's just pure fantasy. Having a dream job doesn't necessarily mean not working hard. But it may not be as elusive as you think.
Friends, it's that time again, a fresh new year -- which means that just about every human-resources consulting firm, outplacement specialist, salary expert and career guru in sight has come out with brand-new predictions for the 12 months ahead. This time around, almost everybody's crystal ball is bright and sunny, predicting job growth and increased hiring. That means companies will try harder to retain their stars, which translates to fatter raises and more perks like telecommuting and flextime.
times--no, make that 10--visited with a co-worker, gone back over my notes. Three hours and 45 minutes to go. ...
Whether you want a raise, a promotion, a new job or simply more satisfaction in your work, one strategy fits all: Not only do you have to do your job well, but you have to get other people to notice it. The most efficient strategy for raising your profile? Look for one project to set you apart from the crowd, and make sure you excel at it.
This article is due in four hours and, frankly, I'm beginning to panic. The research is finished. I just have to write now. So far, unfortunately, I've done everything but: checked my e-mail nine t...
While pending motherhood itself can be a stressful time, working women have the added pressure of breaking the news to employers while trying to decipher just what benefits they are entitled to receive.
NEW YORK (CNN/Money) - My column last week, about signs you've stayed too long in your job, seemed to hit quite a nerve, judging from the nearly 1 million page views registered and 200 e-mails I've received so far.
Work-life balance is becoming increasingly important: 2020 will see a high premium placed on the ability to combine paid work with other activities and a workplace that runs on flexibility.
For some of us, negotiating is exciting and challenging. For others it's just awkward and obtrusive.
Have spring fever? With daffodils and tulips popping up, warmer weather and spring rain, you may have found yourself getting fresh with your workplace.
Tomorrow morning, take a good look around your desk at work. The files that haven't budged in years, the phone with the "1" almost worn off, the chair your body knows so well, the Sticky Notes. Is ...
It's only Wednesday and you can't wait for the weekend. The boss is driving you crazy. You don't know if you can make it through the day without an outburst. You feel lost in the corporate maze. Abandoned by your boss. Out of control of your career. Or maybe he's breathing down your neck so often you could scream.
So you're spending this Valentine's Day at the office. Maybe you live for some great office romance gossip at the water cooler -- or you're the center of it.
SALEM, Ore. (CNN/Money) - If getting ready for work means rolling out of bed and putting on fuzzy slippers, join the club.
Here's how to walk out the door without burning your bridges -- and what to do if you get a counteroffer.
The holidays are just around the corner. That inevitably means that soon enough, your calendar will be clogged with work-related holiday parties. Who knows, maybe you'll find your soul mate at one of these work-related gatherings.
In the 1991 Albert Brooks comedy Defending Your Life, Brooks' sad-sack character undertakes one of the most nerve-rattling and cringe-inducing tasks in the repertoire of the modern wage slave: aski...
Wouldn't you really rather be doing something else for a living? Be honest. We might tell our bosses that we love our work. We'll even tell ourselves—sometimes we have to just to get psyched up for...
This will be the fourth year running that salary raises average less than 4 percent, according to Hewitt Associates.
It's no secret that there are abusive bosses out there -- you know the type. Bullies with big job titles that make the people working for them miserable.
So you've been with your company for a while and have been exceeding all of your manager's expectations. You work hard, are a great team player, come up with new ideas to take the business further and are an all-around joy in the workplace.
Today's work culture of heavy workloads, longer days at the office, less time spent at home and fewer vacation days taken is causing rampant job burnout. In fact, 68 percent of workers report feeling burned out at the office, according to a recent CareerBuilder.com survey.
Businesses are budgeting pay increases of only 3.3 percent, the same as last year, according to a recent survey by Mercer Human Resource Consulting.
NEW YORK (CNN/Money) - Jobs growth in June was a disappointment, all the more so because it came on the heels of three very strong months of jobs creation.
Be honest. Did you work over the weekend? Finding it hard to relax and spend time with your family? Haven't taken a vacation in years?
Love is in the air as we approach Valentine's Day. And according to a recent survey from career services company Vault.com, several people are finding love in the next cubicle.
In a perfect world, romance would never show its spaniel-eyed face at your company. Who needs the emotional dramas, the public displays of affection, or the breakup angst that can spread through an...
Okay, so it's been a rough couple of years for jobs. But lots of companies still want to be good places to work--and 59 of the companies on our seventh annual list actually added to their payrolls ...
The days of signing bonuses and stock options may be a distant memory, but that doesn't mean you're powerless to boost your earnings. Yes, it requires something of a mental leap to get past the dep...
Dear Annie: I've spent the past 17 years at a FORTUNE 500 company that has been "in turnaround" (with no clear results yet) for most of a decade. As a fortysomething manager about to finish grad sc...
At first Richard Kidman couldn't figure out why, after 23 years of running R.D.'s Drive-In, everything seemed to be falling apart.
Dear Annie: What legal right does my boss have to order me around after hours? I'm the company Webmaster. I have one child in college and another lined up after him, so extra money is quite useful....
Dear Annie: I work for a telecom company that has had several rounds of layoffs, and it seems to me that people who take advantage of flexible hours, telecommuting, etc.--in other words, usually mo...
Wouldn't you love to tell your boss what you really thought? (Assuming, of course, you could get away with it.)
For two years Thomas put up with the vulgar names that his boss, the manager of an Ohio bookstore, would hurl at him. Finally he couldn't take it anymore. Sure, he could quit, but wouldn't that be ...
Since Mary Bradford took over as sales manager of the New England region of Met Life's resources division a year ago, her sales office has acted more like a New Age institute than an old-line insur...
Within the compound's high walls, people laze on hammocks strung between pine trees. Others pump iron in the gym, practice their jump shot on the gleaming basketball court, or hang around the putti...
DEAR ANNIE: I recently went through the interview process for a job and then was asked, by E-mail, for references. I was not out looking, but this particular job really caught my interest. The E-ma...
DEAR ANNIE: I think that my job is perfect for telecommuting, but my boss has shot down the idea when colleagues of mine have proposed it in the past. He says he doesn't believe that anyone can wor...
You want more money. You don't want to bring your pets to work, and you don't need another week of vacation--you barely take all you're entitled to now. And let's face it: Flextime isn't going to h...
DEAR ANNIE: I just came from an interview for a job I want very badly, and I may have made a big mistake. The interviewer asked me what my salary was in my last job. I left there largely because I ...
We have been tracking great employers since 1981, when we began research on our book The 100 Best Companies to Work for in America. From our database of more than 1,000 companies, we selected 238 a...
When Joe Kandra, 36, needs a break from work, he takes his dog Kali and heads for the woods. The fragrant eucalyptus trees of Stern Grove Park, Calif. are more than an hour's drive from Cisco Syste...
Set aside the talk of family values for a minute, and let's be frank. How valuable are families, really? Once upon a time, a family was a corporate prerequisite. A man (there were hardly enough cor...
Sure, working at home can be good for your health. No horn-honking commute to add stress, no germ-laden recirculated air to keep that flu virus incubating, and no harsh fluorescent lighting to wear...
DEAR ANNIE: I just took on an important new job for my employer, and I'd like a salary increase. My last pay raise was four years ago (before the new responsibilities), to $42,000. I happen to know...
That dream job you've been hoping for is finally yours. Congratulations--maybe. Well, now, how--and what--do you tell your boss, and how do you cut the cord without severing a relationship? That's ...
MOST MORNINGS, SHELLY COMES, 45, FEEDS THE chickens at 6 a.m. before booting up her PC an hour later. As a senior quality-control trainer earning an annual $60,000 or so with Hewlett-Packard, she w...
RONALD SHEADE HAS, quite deliberately, turned his life upside down. Once a vice president and assistant general counsel at a Fortune 1,000 company, he's now teaching eighth-grade science in a subur...
Shoya Zichy's pale-yellow living room on the Upper East Side has become an unlikely refuge for some of the best and brightest career women in New York City. In the past year they have made the pilg...
LIKELY AS NOT, YOU ARE PROBABLY FEELING frustrated on the job these days: overworked, insecure, even downright angry at your overbearing boss. Who can blame you? Along with many of those toiling fo...
Call ConAgra, IBM, General Electric, Procter & Gamble, Motorola, PepsiCo and the rest of the top 25 Fortune 500 companies and request their policy on dating at the office, as we did a few weeks ago...
Good-bye, raise. Hello, bonus. A compensation revolution is gripping corporate America. Companies all across the country--including 30% in one recent survey--are considering scrapping annual raises...
Answer true or false. Legally, your boss can: Rifle through your desk drawers. Videotape you without your knowledge. Read E-mail and computer files addressed solely to you. Eavesdrop on your phone...
LIBIDO 1. The vital impulse or energy motivating human behavior...2. The sexual urge; lust. -- New Lexicon Webster's Dictionary of the English Language
IF ONLY good-guy companies finished first. Work at Tandem Computers probably surpassed most people's idea of a dream job. At its printed circuitboard assembly plant in Watsonville, California, ther...
ANJU JESSANI has an impressive resume -- Wharton MBA, United Brands, Price Waterhouse, Chase Manhattan -- but she never really had to look for a job. The recruiters had always come to her. That all...
TOM BROWN, 44, had been working as New York regional comptroller for McKesson, the big wholesale drug distributor, when he got the news that he no longer had a job. He knew that layoffs were inevit...
HOMOSEXUALITY, once a career-destroying secret, is coming out of the closet in corporate America. Anxious and alienated, but unwilling to remain so, gay men and lesbians are rapidly forming employe...
THERE WAS PLENTY of gossip in the corridors of Levi Strauss when Donna Goya, a personnel manager and rising star, cut back to a three-day-a-week work schedule in 1982. ''One of my colleagues thanke...
GAUGING your career progress has always been more art than science, but what on earth are you supposed to make of the signals you're getting now? You haven't been promoted in quite a while, but the...
SOMETIME in the last decade an 11th commandment -- Achieve excellence in your work -- crept into the set of grand precepts by which we are to live our lives. For the mass of baby-boomers struggling...
Sail a paper airplane out a window these days and you're likely to hit a person rushing to or from a gathering devoted to helping those in the grip of some sort of addiction. So-called 12-step prog...
VINOD KHOSLA often leaves people speechless when he says he retired at 30 to spend more time with his wife. Emigrating from India at 21, he received an MBA from Stanford University at the age of 25...
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