Apparently, recent research shows that fifty-something women have landed the most jobs since the start of the recession. Women aged between 50 and 64 have fared better than men and any other age group during the crisis and are the ones getting most of the available jobs. This demographic has also been dubbed the “Madonna generation”, as they are more likely to view Madonna than Grandma Grey as a role model. Read more…
All posts in Career
Summer Jobs for Teenagers
I am a big fan of child labour. Get ‘em out to work early and get ‘em earning money. I’m only half joking.
Finding a summer job is a topic of some discussion in our household at the moment. Oldest Child knows he has to, Middle Child (by far the most materialistic of the three) is desperate to, and Youngest Child has no apparent desire to at all. Read more…
Email Etiquette – Do’s and Don’ts
If there is one thing that has radically transformed office life over the past two decades, it surely has to be email. I am old enough to remember the workplace before the use of email was widespread, when we actually had in-trays with paper in them and had to make phone calls and attend meetings to get things done. These days, I often feel like an email jockey, trapped at my desk while I deal with the constant avalanche of electronic questions, decisions and FYI’s.
We’ve likely all observed the amazing power of email; those elegantly composed messages that are clear, concise, and leave everyone feeling good. And we’ve likely all stumbled over the pitfalls too. Who hasn’t experienced that sinking feeling when you’ve sent a message that you regret but can’t retract, or one with the wrong attachment or addressed to the wrong person? Used effectively, email can transcend distance and time zones, and can get the right communication dispersed to the right group of people at the right time. Used badly, it can cause the corporate version of a nuclear holocaust. Read more…
Motherhood – What Is The Right Age?
In 2008, at the age of 57, Susan Tollefsen became Britain’s oldest first-time mother after IVF treatment in Russia. Her daughter is now three-years-old, but Susan has recently stated publically that she made a mistake in not having a child earlier in life and now believes that an upper limit of 50 should be imposed on IVF treatment. Yeah, no kidding. I’d say that having a baby at 50 is still pushing it. The sleep deprivation alone would do me in. Our middle-aged nocturnal stirrings, usually due to insomnia or washroom visits, can be exhaustingly frequent; imagine adding a crying baby to the equation.
But what is the optimum age to become a mother? A provocative topic for sure, given the volatile mix of emotion, relationship, career and biology that play into the decision, if indeed a decision is even an option. Read more…
A Life of Details – Food for Thought from Clint and Meryl
In the movie The Bridges of Madison County, Meryl Streep’s character, Francesca, says:
“When a woman makes the choice to marry, to have children; in one way her life begins but in another way it stops. You build a life of details. You become a mother, a wife and you stop and stay steady so that your children can move. And when they leave they take your life of details with them. And then you’re expected to move again only you don’t remember what moves you because no-one has asked in so long. Not even yourself.” Read more…
Equality or Not?
We are all over the idea of workplace gender equality here in North America, and indeed in many other parts of the world too. We women typically – and simply – just want to have the same opportunities and remuneration as our male counterparts. And while the glass ceiling hasn’t yet been shattered, particularly at an executive level, there are many signs and studies out there indicating increased equality at junior management levels, giving hope for future generations of aspiring ‘C’ level women.
How surprising, then, to discover that Russian employment legislation still has different laws and contracts for female workers versus male. The prescribed hours of work are quite strictly adhered to; 9am to 6pm for men, and 9am to…. get this…. 5:12pm for women. HUH?
Company Culture – How to Create Your Own
“What’s the culture like here?”
This is by far the most frequently-asked question during job interviews that I participate in. People really do want to know what they are getting into when considering a new job opportunity. Gone are the days when money and title were all that really mattered. There seems to be a general assumption that those will be okay and that they will be paid fairly for the job that they do; what they really want to know is: How will it be to work here?