Posts Tagged Corporate Culture
Paid to Stay Home from Work?
How would you like to get paid to stay home from work? If that sounds appealing, perhaps you should look into law school. Many law firms are asking their new hires to stay home - with pay! That’s what’s detailed in this CNNMoney article on Yahoo Finance. Sounds like a sweet deal to me!
The article states that because of the economy, over 100 large firms have delayed the start date for a portion of their first-year associates, in some cases to 2010. This is in contrast to the recession in the early 1990s, when offers to new hires were rescinded.
Some students have been offered hefty stipends of up to $80,000, and even full benefits in some cases.
“The firms want to keep these people and don’t want to lose them,” explained Andy Stettner, deputy director at the National Employment Law Project.
Some 10,000 jobs have been lost in the law sector this year, so this “paid vacation” might look appealing. Not to everyone, apparently. Many of these new lawyers are eager to start their careers in order to start paying off student loans. The $80K may not be enough to cover the cost of living in an expensive city. In some cases, it’s not exactly a vacation, either:
Some have a catch - that incoming associates are required to spend their deferment working at a non-profit or for one of the firm’s pro bono clients.
This gives the students the opportunity to give back to the community. You could look at it as a greater donation of legal services by the law firms to help those less fortunate. I wonder, can the firms get a tax break for saying the now-show money represents the value of the pro bono work?
Personally, I’ve never been paid to not work. In fact, many companies, mine included, require you to work a certain amount of unpaid overtime.
How about you? Have you ever been paid to stay home?
Follow me on Twitter: CorpBarbarian
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The Many Various Speeds Of Making Money Online There are many ways to make money on the Internet today. There are also many ways to get paid depending on how quick you need your money. Here are a few thoughts on that. 1. First of all some people require to make money quick. That might mean they are...... -
Choose the Best Carbon Monoxide Alarms Carbon monoxide alarms beep or whine to alert you to the presence of potentially deadly carbon monoxide gas in your home. Many people who would never dream of going without a working smoke detector or fire alarm still don't use carbon monoxide alarms. But carbon monoxide poisoning is the leading...... -
5 Dangerous Misconceptions People Have About Money. Few subjects are as distorted by myths, half-truths and falsehoods as money. While most people know enough to get through their lives, Mark Twain described much shoddy thinking about money when he famously said: "It ain't so much what we know that gets us into trouble. It's what we know......
Barbaric Book Review: Leadership Secrets of Attila the Hun
Posted by enrique s in Book & Product Reviews, Career, Leadership on April 4th, 2009
Unlike a recent mandatory reading assignment, I thoroughly enjoyed Leadership Secrets of Attila the Hun by Wess Roberts. First published in the mid-1980’s, it contains timeless tips for managers at any level. The author’s unique approach is a welcome departure from the flavor-of-the-month motivational books ghostwritten for sports figures.
The book weighs in at 110 pages, broken down into 16 short chapters, each focusing on a particular management subject. Each chapter begins with an introduction to the material contained therein, and follows with “Attila” sharing his views about the subject. The author acknowledges that he took some creative license with Attila’s “secrets”, and the reader can figure out that these are Roberts’ own views on leadership. Managers are referred to as “chieftains”, and all members of the organization are known collectively as “Huns”. The last section in the book contains “Attilaisms”, a bulleted listing of some key leadership points. Read the rest of this entry »
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Barbaric Book Review: The Wealthy Barber The Wealthy Barber by David Chilton was first published in 1991. It's a basic financial guide, told in a narrative style, about three young people who seek financial advice from the town barber. Yes, you read that correctly, a barber. The story follows a young teacher as he learns, along...... -
Getting Rich in America Book Review and Summary, Part 3 This is Part 3 of my review and chapter summary of Getting Rich in America: 8 Simple Rules for Building a Fortune and a Satisfying Life by Dwight R. Lee and Richard B. McKenzie. You can read the first two parts of this review by clicking the following links: Getting...... -
Barbaric Book Review: Die Broke by Stephen M. Pollan, Part 2 This is Part 2 of my review of Die Broke. You can read Part 1 by following this link: Barbaric Book Review: Die Broke by Stephen M. Pollan Step 2: Pay Cash The authors feel that there are three things that will keep you trapped: an unwillingness to change, and......
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Book Review and Giveaway; Following The Goods: Financial Management for the Young and Ambitious [/caption] For those skimmers out there, scroll down for the giveaway Following the Goods is a book written by a 28 year old Canadian, Adam Goodman and it was just published earlier this year. He sent me a copy for review here on my blog and it arrived this past...... - Getting Paid While Enjoying Shopping Mystery shopping is a superb method for getting paid to make easy money online and also to go shopping too. The idea of mystery shopping or secret shopping is very simple. You get tasks to visit a business area, make a purchase after which complete a form to assess the......
- Naked Conversations: How Blogs Are Changing the Way Businesses Talk With Customers By Robert Scoble and Shel Israel Mention the names Robert Scoble or Shel Israel in the blogosphere and you’ll get a pretty instant reaction. Both are well known and while they have their share of detractors, both are well respected in their own rights. Putting the two of them together on this book project was genius......
Standing on the Shoulders of Giants
I’m the office Excel guru, but I wasn’t always comfortable with computers. When I first starting working, we only had terminals that were hooked to a mainframe. The only software we used was the mainframe program. There was one PC, which was located in a small side office. Only one guy in the office was qualified to do anything on it. To me, the office that the PC was housed in was a “shrine” to our computing ignorance.
Quick jump to my second job. I got to work with an “older” gentleman of about 50. His name was Ed. He took the time to teach my younger, snot-nosed self everything he knew about Lotus 1-2-3 (this was in the mid-’80’s), including how to write macros. I didn’t think people that age even knew how to turn on a computer. This guy was really good. I was an eager student, and we pushed each other to become better.
Jump ahead another 5 years. I’m interviewing for a new job, and the question comes up about my computer skills. “So, you know how to write macros?” Heh-heh. Sure I do. I was taught by the best. Let me at those spreadsheets!
I got the job.
I got a lot of jobs because of my proficiency with computers. But I wouldn’t be where I am today if it wasn’t for Ed. Even though I’ve switched from Lotus, to Quattro Pro, to Excel, the skills were transferable, and I never feared a new software package again.
Thanks Ed, wherever you are. You continue to inspire me, and I still stand on your shoulders. Even though I’m about 40 pounds heavier.
I’m also standing on the shoulders of the blogs that inspired me to start this blog, such as Free Money Finance, The Simple Dollar, Get Rich Slowly, Problogger, Yet Another Blog About Money, Unclutterer, My Two Dollars, Smart Passive Income, Brip Blap, and many others.
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Pitfalls of the Office Coffee Pot Photo by viZZZual.com At several of my previous jobs, I belonged to a communal coffee pot. We paid a fixed amount each month, cleaned up after ourselves, took our turns bringing in milk, sugar, and coffee filters, and set up a fresh pot whenever we drank the last cup...... -
Dashing Through the Snow... Photo by jronaldlee ...or should I say, sloshing through the snow. Another Friday, another snowstorm. Nothing quite like waking up to a morning of snow shoveling before heading off to work. I must be getting old; I used to live for days like today, when I picked up extra...... -
Don't Ease Me In Photo by antwerpenR I've never been the guy at work who gets in before anyone else. I'm usually the last one to leave at night, but that's a different story. While I'm rarely late, I do tend to arrive just under the wire. But when I walk through the door,......
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Unwanted and Shunned Dirty Jobs Will Become the Big Money Jobs of the Future Imagine a future where a guy who shovels cow manure is a multimillionaire. How about a foul mouthed pig farmer with questionable hygiene becoming the new upper class of society? You're probably looking at that opening paragraph and thinking I've lost my mind. That's possible I suppose. But after watching......
Helping the New Guy at Work
Yesterday, a new person started working in my department. The person is a recent college grad, and this is probably her first real job. The manager in charge started giving a rundown of job responsibilities and guidelines that made even my head spin. I heard at least a dozen acronyms, which I’m sure she wasn’t familiar with. I’m not sure if this force-feeding is the best approach when breaking in a new employee.
The other thing that usually occurs on your first day at a new job is the round of introductions. I’m terrible at remembering peoples’ names, and the initial meet-and-greet is no exception. Everyone knows who the new guy is, but the new guy may have to remember a dozen new names right from the start. I’ve tried using a mnemonic, but I always wind up excusing myself and my bad memory. Not the way you want to kick off a new job.
I’ve been the new guy at many jobs over the years. The new guy has to remember that it’s going to take time to feel comfortable at their new job, both professionally and socially:
Professionally
- The new hire has to learn new procedures
- Training may be needed to learn new software
- Follow the structure of the chain of command
Socially
- You may find yourself alone amongst a group of cliques
- You can choose to either fit in by partaking in group lunches, kaffeeklatches, Super Bowl pools, or softball teams
- Choose to remain an outsider
I would recommend trying to join something. After all, you’ve joined the organization professionally, and you’ll be spending most of your waking hours at work. Why not make a few new friends? I’m sure that she’ll get all the help and encouragement that she needs from my coworkers; we’re all pretty helpful here.
Whether you choose to be one of the gang, or remain aloof, or you could decide that the job isn’t right for you. I think that you should give the decision at least a few months before deciding to move on.
You can read a guest post on Brazen Careerist from someone who quit her new job after just two weeks. The comments are particularly interesting, ranging from bashing to applauding her decision. I’ll let you be the judge.
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A Foot of Snow: Should I Call in Sick?
Posted by enrique s in Book & Product Reviews, Career, Debt, Productivity on March 2nd, 2009
After shoveling out this morning (at least a foot of snow in my driveway), I pondered taking the day off. But it’s Monday, and I had a lot of stuff waiting for me at work. So I sucked it up and reported for duty. I had this quote in mind when I made my decision:
“There are a million ways to lose a work day, but not even a single way to get one back” - Tom DeMarco and Timothy Lister
When I arrived at work, the parking lot was emptier than usual. It looks like many of my coworkers had THIS quote in mind:
“Never put off until tomorrow what you can do the day after tomorrow” - Mark Twain
I’m still glad that I came in. The thought of coming in on Tuesday with an extra day’s worth of emails waiting for me was the deal breaker.
Here are some links worth taking a peek at:
Dumb Little Man talks about accomplishing more by working at your peak times of day
Greener Pastures discusses the Dreaded Bi-Weekly Paycheck
Kit Cooper talks about the Ultimate Productivity Driver at Stepcase Lifehack
Happy Monday!
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Helping Your Coworkers Selflessly
I’m pretty proficient with computers, and frequently asked by my coworkers for help with computer problems. These range from troubleshooting Excel formulas to finding certain queries on our Oracle database. Usually these are at crisis moments for my coworkers, and they need my help immediately. Even if I’m busy at the time, I’ll stop what I’m doing in order to help with their problem. I do this because of the many benefits of being helpful: Read the rest of this entry »
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- Helping the New Guy at Work Yesterday, a new person started working in my department. The person is a recent college grad, and this is probably her first real job. The manager in charge started giving a rundown of job responsibilities and guidelines that made even my head spin. I heard at least a dozen acronyms,......
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