Higher Home Prices Likely to Lead to Surge in Employees Quitting Jobs

John Challenger of Challenger, Gray & Christmas

With the recent report on home prices showing the biggest year-over-year gain in more than six years, one employment authority predicts a surge in relocation by job-seeking homeowners in 2013, which could ultimately help to accelerate the decline in unemployment rates.

“One factor that has kept unemployment rates high has been the inability of underwater homeowners to relocate for employment opportunities.  With home prices bouncing back, even those who may now simply break even on a home sale might consider moving to a region where jobs are more plentiful.  This could spark a more rapid decline in the unemployment rate over the next year,” said John A. Challenger, chief executive officer of Challenger, Gray & Christmas, Inc.  Continue Reading

30% of Those Date Who Co-Workers Get Married to One

Office romance photo courtesy of Shutterstock

Looking for love this Valentine’s Day? It may just be in the cube next to you. Thirty-nine percent of workers said they have dated a co-worker at least once over the course of their career; 17 percent reported dating co-workers at least twice. Thirty percent of those who have dated a co-worker said their office romance led them to the altar. This is according to CareerBuilder’s annual office romance survey of more than 4,000 workers nationwide, conducted online by Harris Interactive^© between November 1 and November 30, 2012.

How Many Dated the Boss?

While the majority of relationships developed between peers, 29 percent of workers who have dated someone at work said they have dated someone above them in the company hierarchy, and16 percent admitted to dating their boss. Women were more likely to date someone higher up in their organization – 38 percent compared to 21 percent of men.

Which Industries Have the Most Romance? Continue Reading

Telecommuting Benefits Environment, Worker Productivity, Job Satisfaction, and Profits

John Challenger of Challenger, Gray & Christmas

With a new report detailing the growing cost of daily commuting to and from work, one workplace authority wonders if it is time for the nation’s employers to make a serious commitment to expanding the use of telecommuting strategies.

“Right now, a very small fraction of the nation’s workers who could viably work from home on a regular basis are actually doing so.  By not expanding the use of telecommuting, employers are negatively impacting the environment, worker productivity, job satisfaction and, most importantly, their bottom lines.  And, it is not a lack of technology or other resources that is holding back this expansion.  It is simply a lack of vision, a shortage of trust and an irrational adherence to antiquated notions of how and where work should be done,” said John A. Challenger, chief executive officer of Challenger, Gray & Christmas, Inc. Continue Reading

Writing Job Postings for Adults

MOOCs are massive open online courses. They’re the next big thing in higher education. They link hundreds, sometimes thousands of students in free educational programs offered on the Internet. What’s that have to do with recruiting? They’ve learned how to deliver content that adults will read.

Peter Weddle of Weddle’s

Tragically, job postings are often ignored by the very candidates recruiter most want to reach. That’s not a criticism, just a fact. Passive, high caliber talent has the attention span of a gnat, so getting them to focus on an opening isn’t easy.

Sometimes, however, we make grabbing their attention harder than it already is. How? It begins with our vocabulary.

We use language in our job postings that only an employer could love. Talking about a job’s “requirements and responsibilities” may be the way we’ve always described vacant jobs, but, in this case at least, tradition is a trap. People’s behaviors and preferences have evolved and so too must the job posting. Continue Reading

Video: The Ultra-Flexible Hidden Corner of the Job Market

Plenty of people need jobs with very flexible hours — but it’s difficult for those people to connect with the employers who need them. In this Ted Talk, Wingham Rowan explains how the same technology that powers modern financial markets can help employers book workers for slivers of time.

Wingham is the Project Director of Slivers-of-Time Working, a U.K.-based, government-funded initiative that uses advanced (but easy-to-use) trading technology to help individuals who need to work on their own terms and at times of their choosing connect with employers who need their labor. Employers expanding their workforce in this new way include local authorities, housing associations, National Health Service Primary Care Trusts, retailers and caterers.

Rowan is the former producer and presenter of the UK’s longest running television series about the Internet, cyber.cafe, and the presenter of the children’s TV program Rowan’s Report. He’s is the author of two books about the social potential of online markets.

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70% of Workers Say Increased Pay Key to Their Retention

Rosemary Haefner of Careerbuilder

If you could have one perk – any perk – in your workplace, what would it be? If you had the choice, would you rather have a bigger title or a bigger office? If you were thinking about leaving your company, what would make you stay? A new survey explores which job factors are most important to today’s workers. More than 3,900 full-time workers nationwide participated in the survey conducted online by Harris Interactive from November 1 to November 30, 2012.

Nearly one-third of employers (32 percent) reported that top performers left their organizations in 2012 and 39 percent are concerned that they’ll lose top talent in 2013. While most workers (66 percent) stated that they are generally satisfied with their jobs, one in four (25 percent) said they will change jobs in 2013 or 2014. Continue Reading

8 Tips For Employers Who Want to Prevent Workers From Spreading the Flu

Woman with flu sneezes into tissue. Photo courtesy of Shutterstock.

With three months remaining in what is already being called the worst flu season in a decade, employers around the country are undoubtedly feeling the financial impact of increased health care costs and widespread absenteeism.  Making matters worse, according to one workplace authority, is the tendency of employees concerned about job security to keep coming to the office despite their apparent illness.

“The economy is still on shaky ground and many workers continue to be worried about losing their jobs, despite the fact that annual layoffs are at the lowest level since the late 1990s.  In this environment, workers are reluctant to call in sick or even use vacation days.  Of course, this has significant negative consequences for the workplace, where the sick worker is not only performing at a reduced capacity but also likely to infect others,” said John A. Challenger, chief executive officer of Challenger, Gray & Christmas, Inc. Continue Reading

When, Why and How to Use Mobile Technology in Your Recruitment Efforts

Virtually every member of Gen Y — today’s college students and recent graduates — and about 90 percent of Gen X’ers and Baby Boomers care enough about only one electronic device to carry it with them virtually everywhere they go: their cell phones.

Most young adults see their cell phones as important to carry with them as their wallet and keys and the significance of their cell phones has only grown as most of those young adults have graduated from feature to smartphones like iPhones, Androids, and Blackberrys. Indeed, some studies are now projecting that in 2013 the large majority of college students and recent graduates will own smartphones.  Continue Reading

5 Reasons for Post-Acceptance Job Rejections

So, now you have finally received a job offer and have chosen to accept it.  However, before you start working, you change your mind.  The following post gives reasons why you may reject a job offer after previously accepting it.

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5 Reasons for Post-Acceptance Job Rejections

6 Ways to Use Facebook Advertising for Recruiting

Employers who use social media for advertising may be interested in the following post, which shares ways to recruit with Facebook.

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6 Ways to Use Facebook Advertising for Recruiting