What are you thankful for?

With Thanksgiving hours away, I thought I would take some time to reflect on what I am thankful for this year. Now more than ever, I am thankful to have a job.

Let me clarify that point.

I am thankful to have a job that lets me explore new initiatives (like this blog) and has enough faith in me to let me try out ideas, even potentially risky ones.

So, this Thanksgiving, I am grateful that I have the opportunity to come to work each day. I am grateful not just for the paycheck, but for the fact that my employer believes in and supports me. I am grateful to work in a place with co-workers who I consider my friends. I am grateful my for successes and my failures, because they are shaping me to be a better worker.

What are you thankful for?

An employee's gift from his boss: a kidney?!?

Talk about a good working relationship....

A store manager from Pennsylvania took that phrase to a whole new level when he donated a kidney to one of his sick employees.

Watch an interview from CNN here and share your thoughts. Would you give a co-worker a gift like this?

Is the grass always greener?

According to a new survey from Right Management, employers may soon be scrambling to keep their employees from leaving.

The survey found that 60% of U.S. workers are planning to persue new job opportunities as the economy improves in 2010. 21% said that they "maybe" would be open to new oportunities and they have already started networking.

6% said "its not likely that they would leave," and only 13% said that they has intentions to stay at their job. One thing is for sure- employee turnover is on the rise.

But, is the grass always greener?

What about you? Would you be open to new opportunities once the job market picks up? What are some factors that would cause you to leave your current job (more money, better benefits, etc.)?

Inventions During Recessions

Do you know what iPods, The Burger King Whopper and Kermit the Frog have in common?

All were invented either during or immediately after a recession. Apple introduced the ipod in October of 2001, Burger King invented the Whopper in 1957 and The Jim Henson company was started in 1958.

Recessions can be great times to re-focus and re-invent yourself as an employee or your company. Who knows what you may think of next!

How do you pass the time?

As the weeks pass, I’ve been hearing more and more stories about what people are doing to keep busy during their layoffs or period of unemployment.

Some are taking the time to be diligent job hunters, using their 40 hours a week to apply for jobs, network with people and pound the pavement for opportunities.

Others are taking much needed time to refocus their careers by learning new skills or improving upon their skill set. Still others are using the time to volunteer at local hospitals, animal shelters or churches.

If you are between jobs, let us know how you are spending your time. And if you can, tell us how your volunteer position led to work or how you met the connection that led to your new job at a networking event. With all the doom and gloom, I’d love to be able to see some positive stories!

Dealing with Survivor’s Guilt

We’ve all seen it happen. Co-workers being called into a closed-door meeting. The awkward goodbyes (if you even have that option). The turning in of keys/company phones/computers. The stunned silence and the eerie quiet that follows for the next few weeks.

With the thousands of jobs that have been lost during this recession, I think literally everyone either knows someone who has been laid off, or has been personally laid off.

I like to call what happens next “survivor’s guilt” (No, I didn’t coin the phrase, but I think it accurately describes the feeling). The workplace blues goes around the office for a bit, with people talking in hushed tones, secretly feeling guilty.

So, you may be asking yourself, “How can I get over this?” My answer: try to see an upside to every situation.

Taking on more work? Now you have job security. Learning a new skill? More experience to add to your resume. Look for these silver linings every time you start to feel down.

Have you experienced “survivor guilt?” How have you overcome it?

Taking Time Off During a Recession?

A survey by CareerBuilder.com says that 35% of workers haven’t gone or aren’t planning on taking a vacation this year. Of those, 71% cited lack of money as the reasoning. What have you been doing this year? Going on big trips, or experiencing “staycations” and doing activities close to home?

The survey also found that 1 in 5 workers are afraid to take vacations in fear of losing their jobs or because they feel guilty about being away from the office. Do you feel guilty about taking time off?

I think not taking your vacation can be even worse for your mental health- if you are doing more work than ever because of layoffs or shifting of duties, you need to take a few days off here and there to recoup and relax.

I think if you plan carefully and coordinate with co-workers schedules, taking a few days off can do wonders, and you can return to work refreshed and ready!

After Work Happy Hours: Friend or Foe?

We’ve all been there. 5 pm on a Thursday night. Your co-workers are going to a sports bar down the street for an adult beverage or two. You’ve got a few hours to kill, but you also want to make sure that you don’t wake up at 6:30 am with a pounding head and a queasy stomach the next day.

Here are my tips to avoid being the topic of conversation at the water cooler on Monday morning (trust me on these, my friends and I have had some practice)!

Drink responsibly: Sure, we have all seen the labels on our beer bottles as we drink them down, but how many of us stop to really pay attention? Keep track of the number of drinks you have consumed and know your limit.

Set a curfew: No one wants to feel like they are back in high school, but by allowing yourself an hour or two to mingle with your co-workers still gives you plenty of time to fulfill your home duties. Plan to be home by a certain time and stick to it.

Keep your hands to yourself: There is no other surefire way to be the gossip topic of the week than to make bad decisions with the co-worker you’ve been eyeing for years. Keep it polite, keep it friendly, but remember that if it ends badly, you have to see each other everyday at work! One fun night isn’t worth years of damage to your career.

What are some rules that you follow while out with the work crowd? Tell me your tips for success, or share your worst “lampshade on head” moment!

Hello Readers!

Welcome to Career Corner. For starters, let me introduce myself!

My name is Anne and I work at QPS Employment Group, which is a staffing and recruiting firm. I have been with QPS for a little over 3 years as the media relations specialist.

You’ll get to know me quite well in a short while, as I will be posting to the blog every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. What are some topics I’ll be writing about? Everything work-related (and even a few things that aren’t)!

Check back often for new posts, and leave me a message if there is anything you are interested in talking about. Let me know your thoughts on my posts, even if you don’t agree with my viewpoint (I love a good discussion)! I'm new to the blogging world, so share any tips or tricks you may have as well.